A Fate Filled Christmas (5 page)

Dutifully, Brie opened the tin, her eyes widened and mouth gaped open. "Holy guacamole." She held up a treat for inspection. "It's a little penis."

Rye blinked and swallowed. Stepping over, he gazed into the box, finding several matching creations, all green with a rainbow of colored bows painted on. Plucking one, he held it up, turned it this way and that, in complete disbelief.

"With an icing bow."

"Ummm. Why is it so green?" Brie asked.

Jane shrugged. "I was going to make Christmas trees but changed my mind. A little food coloring goes a long way, you know."

"Uh huh." Brie shook her head. Slowly, she lifted the cookie to her mouth and took a bite off the end.

Rye cringed.

Her face lit up. "Actually really good. Once you get past the shape and color."

Thelma beamed. "Excellent. We'll make tons more of them. I'm sure they'll be the talk of the social in a couple of days."

Talk of the town for a month, too.

"We're still working on the color. Can't decide to leave them plain or perhaps try for pink or even a light blue."

Rye puffed out a breath, still stuck in a near out-of-body moment. "Plain. Trust me."

Chapter 8

Signing his name, Rye quickly closed the file and sighed with relief. One more Christmas thief behind bars and presents returned to the families he'd stolen them from. Unfortunately, the judge would probably give the guy a slap on the wrist instead of the harsh flogging the man needed. Stealing from children. The lowest of the low in his opinion.

Much more up Jingle's alley than drugs. Elves could be expected to pinpoint Christmas thieves, after all. Maybe, like old Kris Kringle, they could tell the naughty from the nice. He snorted and shook his head at his ridiculous train of thought. However the self-proclaimed elf knew these things, he didn't know or understand, but he sincerely doubted Christmas magic had anything to do with it.

"Good job on tracking down that thief." Gary slapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

Plopping down in the chair across from Rye, Gary leaned back and crossed his legs at the ankles. "Still don't know how you got the idea he worked out of the secondhand shop. Brilliant strategy, though. Steal presents, then re-sell things down the road."

Rye shrugged. "An informant gave me the name. After that, it was a matter of old fashioned legwork. I wouldn't have made the connection except for the pink tricycle. I recalled it being on the list of stolen goods. Besides, a secondhand store wouldn't have such a toy in pristine condition. No way. The fact alone raised red flags."

"Well, you made some people happy today."

"A good day." Shutting down his computer, Rye tossed the finished file in a wire basket to be picked up and filed later.

"So have you decided what you're getting the minx yet?"

The corner of Rye's mouth hitched up. Gary had had a thing for Brie from day one. Good thing he didn't try to poach, or they'd be rolling on the headquarters floor in a wrestling match.

"I have a couple of ideas."

"Such as?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Rye stared at the redheaded man with brown freckles. "Awfully nosey, aren't you?"

Gary shrugged. "Maybe I have some quality ideas."

"So spill."

He shook his head. "Nope. Tell me what you're getting her first."

Intrigued, Rye decided to play along. Play being the operative word. "I thought about some lingerie."

His partner steepled his fingers and tapped his chin. "And?"

"Maybe a DVD or two."

"Is that it?" Gary's eyebrows shot up.

Hiding a grin, Rye pretended indifference. "She has everything else. Besides, she warned me not to spend much money."

"And you believed her?"

"Well, yeah."

"Shit, buddy. Here I thought you were the next best thing to Romeo. Right now, I'd say you were on the same level as Donald Duck."

"As I recall, Daisy didn't complain."

Gary threw his hands up in the air. "Dumb as a rock." Uncrossing his long legs, he leaned forward. "Listen up. Women like pretty things, especially jewelry. You want to put a smile on Brie's face, give her something that sparkles."

Unable to resist, Rye opened the middle drawer in his desk and pulled out a small velvet box. Opening the lid, he stuck the object under his friend's nose. "Like this?"

Gary's mouth fell open. "Is that…?"

"Yeah."

With a chuckle, the redhead shook his head. "Guess you don't need my help after all."

"Already had it covered, but thanks anyway." With a grin, Rye palmed the box and shoved it in his pocket. "On that note, I'm off."

"Let me know how it turns out."

Standing, Rye nodded. "Will do." Spinning on his heel, he walked out of the building and straight to his truck.

Twenty minutes later, he stood in the middle of the ladies' department of a local clothing store thumbing through lingerie. When he told Gary he intended to buy Brie a couple of sexy nighties to add to her small collection, he didn't fib. Since she wouldn't take the initiative to do so herself, he decided to step up to the plate, find something they'd both like, and present them to her for one of her holiday gifts. A gift that would keep on giving.

Brie. A year ago he would have never guessed he'd be living with her. Heck, he'd just about forgotten she existed until his aunt and her aunt collaborated and set him up to stay with her when his plumbing burst and caused major water damage to most of his house, leaving him homeless for several weeks while repairs took place. As much as he'd dreaded moving in with the girl he hadn't seen in a few years, he now cherished the time.

Sure, the little squirrel kept him on his toes, dyed his underclothes pink, accused him of being a peeping tom, even nearly klonked him upside the head with his own boot when he snuck back in the house in the middle of the night after checking out a noise. She also proved giving, thoughtful, and courageous to the core. Not to mention sexy as hell and playful as a puppy at times. To top it off, she willingly walked into the line of fire not once, but twice, helping solve cases and save lives at the risk of her own. Even injured, she refused to crumble. Instead, she dealt with the event as she did everything else, with inner fortitude and sheer guts.

He could do worse. A lot worse.

"Can I help you?"

Glancing up, he found a thirty-something sales associate with short black hair and big brown eyes wearing a stylish jade green dress. A year ago, he would have come to a point like a highly-trained bird dog. Today, he just admired the nice shape, which paled considerably compared to Brie's.

"Just looking for something nice for my girlfriend."

The woman's smile faded just a fraction as a wave of disappointment washed over her features. He refrained from rolling his eyes. What did she expect? That he shopped for women's clothing for himself?

Taking a breath, she stood up straight. "I see. Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Not really. But I'll know it when I find it."

She tilted her head. "Would you like me to show you a few items to help you decide?"

He grumbled under his breath. What he'd really like to do is show her to the exit sign. Can't a man shop for women's night clothes in peace these days? "No thanks."

"Are you sure? I might be able to make some suggestions for you."

He lectured himself to be nice. "Listen. I know my way around sexy lingerie as well as I know my way around a woman's body. I don't need help in either area. Thank you anyway."

She huffed and walked away, the click of her heels making a staccato beat.

With the interruption gone, he raked his gaze over the vast racks of items. One caught his eye. Striding over, he pulled the hanger from the bar and held the garment up for inspection. Deep red silk collected and reflected the light, shimmering and alluring. He could picture Brie wearing the lovely babydoll with nothing underneath.

Checking the size and price tag, he made a hasty decision and headed to the checkout table.

* * * *

"What the hell?"

Rye pulled into the driveway only to find yard ornaments standing proudly where only dormant grass once stood. Looked like the elusive Holiday Decorator struck again. At his house.

Parking the truck in the garage, he climbed out and walked over to survey the damage. What he found didn't move his Christmas spirit but didn't repulse him, either. More a depiction of Mother Nature instead of silly commercial holiday animation. He could deal.

A pair of light-decorated polar bears, expressions of hunger and annoyance on their faces, watched a few penguins happily spinning around in a circle to Christmas music. He couldn't blame them. He'd be frustrated too if his primary food source taunted him from a few feet away and he couldn't do anything about it.

With a shake of his head, he returned to the vehicle, picked up the shopping bag and his duffel, and shut the garage door behind him.

Dropping his work carrier at the door, he set the plastic carrier on the kitchen table, and pulled out the decorated box covered with paper and ribbons. Luckily, the store offered free gift wrapping. No way could he ever make the present look as appealing. Heck, he'd be lucky if the paper actually covered the area without five hundred pieces of tape to hold each inch in place. He might be a damn good detective, but he fell short in wrapping abilities.

Plucking the small black box from his pocket, he stared at the item for a long moment. For days, he'd grappled with the idea before finally going with his gut. With the decision made, he had begun a two week hunt for the perfect gift. Something Brie would love and treasure. After hours of searching, he stumbled across the perfect selection. Shelling out a large hunk of change, he'd purchased the piece of jewelry on the spot, eager for the day to come when he could present it to Brie and watch her reaction.

Speaking of Brie, he checked his watch. She should be home before long. "Now where am I going to hide these?" He walked around the living room, through the kitchen, and finally into the bedroom they shared. Nothing came to mind as a good place to store the gifts until Christmas Day. Each place he considered, he quickly discarded for one reason or another. Chances are Brie would stumble across them and let her curiosity get the better of her.

Finding himself back in the living room, he stared at the small tree. Perhaps he didn't have to hide the bigger one. Laying it under the tree and toward the back, he stood back up and nodded with agreement. That would work.
Now, where am I going to hide this?

For the longest time, he stared at the tree before his mind clicked. Tunneling through the tree, he found a flat shelf-like area created by the middle branches. Setting the smallest gift there, he stepped back and appraised his hiding place. From any direction he looked, he couldn't see the velvet box. Giving the tree a small shake, he waited for the gift to fall to the floor. When it didn't, he grinned happily.

"That will work. Now if Christmas morning will hurry up and get here."

Chapter 9

Brie pulled into the driveway after a long day at work, weary and drained, wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a warm bed. Glimpsing some unfamiliar shadows, she drove her car into the garage, turned off the engine, then bundled up against the cold. A few steps later, she stood on the edge of the driveway, looking across a light blanket of snow. While beautiful, the white covering didn't hold her attention. Instead, a handful of plastic animals covered with blinking Christmas lights drew her entire focus.

Sure enough, a couple of polar bears stood with their rears to the house, facing the street. Right in front of them plastic penguins, complete with scarves and hats, ice skated around a pseudo-rink in time to the chime of Jingle Bells. Like a merry-go-round, the penguins, attached to metal bars, circled around and around.

The fact that she had instant holiday lawn decorations didn't bother her as much as the evidence that someone strolled up to their yard, took the time and energy to place the scene, and no one saw them. Or, if they did, no one bothered to call her and report it. Scary. Really scary.

With a shake of her head, she marched back into the garage, hit the button again to close the door, then headed into the kitchen.

Rye sat on the couch watching television, turning her direction as she entered the house. "Hey."

She tossed her purse on the kitchen table. "Did you notice the decorations out front?"

"Yep."

"Can't you do something? You're a detective, after all. Find the people responsible and arrest them." She sounded like a petty grouch but couldn't seem to bite back the surly words and attitude.

He shot her a look of disbelief. "What will I charge them with? Too much holiday spirit? Questionable decoration skills? Unwanted gifting?"

She sighed.

Rye stood, ambled over, and wrapped her in his arms. "What's eating you and don't try to pass it off on the display outside."