Emily moved from the counter to the seat next to her mother and placed her hand lightly on her wrist. “I don’t need a ton of gifts to understand that,” she said gently. “All you have to do is say it.”
“I know.” Mrs. Fields rested her head on Emily’s shoulder. Emily shut her eyes and thought about how Ali’s murder must have affected every parent in Rosewood. It had probably been terrifying for them. But in other ways, maybe Ali’s death could bring parents and kids closer. Maybe it could help those who were still alive.
“I’m sorry I got you into that Santa mess,” Mrs. Fields murmured. “I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
“Actually I’m glad you did,” Emily muttered, suddenly feeling drained. “It was kind of fun. And even though you won’t believe this, they were nice girls.”
She wondered what the elves were doing right now—Mrs. Meriwether had mentioned that she had also found all new elves for Santa Land, too. Were they lounging at home right now? Trying to connect with their distant and disjointed families? Suddenly, Emily felt a little sorry for them. Their problems were larger than life. Sophie was flunking out of Yale. Lola’s brother was an addict. They still had to find a way to deal with all of those things.
Her mother blotted her tears with a napkin, stood, and shuffled out of the room with her head down, just like she always did when she’d shown a little too much emotion.
Emily returned to her Christmas cookies, feeling a lot better. When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, she wiped her hands on a dish towel and padded through the living room to answer it. Four shadowy heads shifted back and forth through the sidelight. Emily drew in a breath—the elves.
Swallowing hard, she pulled open the door, making the jingle bells on the knob rattle. The four girls on the porch eyed her. None of them were smiling. Emily’s heart began to thud in her chest.
“We know what you did,” Cassie said in a wooden voice.
Emily’s throat felt dry. “I know you know,” she said. “But it wasn’t like that. I really wasn’t part of the sting. I swear.”
The four girls continued to glare. Emily was sure they could hear her galloping heart. She was about to apologize again, but then Cassie burst out laughing, lunged forward, and wrapped Emily in a huge hug. Heather circled her arms around Emily, and then Lola and Sophie joined in, too. Emily remained stiff for a few moments, and then tentatively squeezed back.
“We know it was you who got us free,” Cassie said. “We saw you through the window talking to O’Neal. But how did you do it?”
Emily pulled away and blinked hard. So much for remaining anonymous. “He was the stripper we saw in the window that night,” she said shakily. “I had pictures.”
The elves exchanged a glance, and then all of them gave her high fives. “You’re a badass, Santa,” Heather said. “O’Neal let us out without even a fine. The only thing we had to do was clean up the country club this morning and put the gifts back under the tree.”
“I’m really sorry about what happened.” Emily leaned against the siding of her house. “I swear I didn’t know my mother was following us. I had no idea she’d tracked us through my phone. I did initially get the Santa job to spy on you guys—you were right. But I gave that up soon after I met you. I’m not cut out to be a narc.”
“We know, Santa.” Cassie touched Emily lightly on the wrist. “You’re cool.”
“And actually, we have something for you.” Lola disappeared into the bushes and unveiled something wrapped in a large blue quilt. She set it down on the stoop and pulled the blankets away; nestled inside was her mother’s baby Jesus. It didn’t have a scratch on it. The little ceramic baby was sleeping peacefully, same as always.
“We thought your mom might want this back,” Cassie said with a wink. “She was getting pretty worked up about it last night.”
Emily touched the baby Jesus’s head with the tip of her finger. “Thanks, you guys. This will mean a lot to her.”
“No worries.” Sophie looked at her watch. “We’d better go, guys. We have that . . . thing.”
The elves nodded mysteriously. Emily felt a hurt twinge, wishing they’d tell her where they were going, but maybe that was asking for too much.
Cassie stepped off the stoop and waggled her finger. “Don’t tell anyone about this, okay, Santa?”
“Of course not,” Emily said. “Don’t tell my mom on me, either.”
“We promise.”
“Maybe we’ll meet up next year at Santa Land.” Lola suppressed a giggle. “I kind of like being an elf, to tell you the truth.”
“It’s a deal,” Emily said.
The elves sauntered back to Cassie’s car. Emily hugged her arms to her chest for warmth, watching as they drove away. A twig cracked in the distance, and she glanced toward the cornfields, feeling that old, familiar sense of unease. This was too much of a coincidence: Someone was back there. Someone was watching her. “Hello?” she called, stepping off the porch.
But no one answered. Whatever—or whoever—it was had vanished.
Bad Santa
I might have disappeared into the cornfield, Em, but I’m not going anywhere.
I have to admit—I’m kind of impressed with how our little Emily has grown. Bribing an officer of the court? Who knew she had that in her? Then again, she always did have a soft spot for her friends. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the key to Emily’s heart is the best friend she loved and lost. If Emily thought there was any chance that her dear Ali was back, she’d go to the ends of the earth to find her.