Kristmas Collins (17 page)

“I can’t tell you,” she said, looking at Payne.

“For the last time, there isn’t going to be a Christmas!” Dora shouted with exasperation.

“If Susie says there is, then there is,” Payne challenged.

“Keep your voice down.”

“Why—will yelling make my cancer come back?”

“Dad—will you
please
tell Mom that Santa is coming?” Susie whined.

Edmund cleared his throat. “There was one year when they didn’t think Santa would come, sweet pea. It was really foggy and he didn’t think his sleigh would be able to fly.”

Payne picked up where his father left off, “Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Father and son began to sing, “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose …”

Susie added backup vocals, “Like a light bulb!”

“And if you ever saw it.”

“Saw it!”

“You would even say it glows.”

When they finished, Dora responded by opening the window and lighting a cigarette.

“When did you start smoking, Mom?” Payne asked.

“In college, but I took a twenty year break.”

“Icky!” Susie said, holding her nose.

Dora held the cigarette out the window, its orange tip glowing in the dark night.

And then it was gone.

When Dora looked up, she saw a large man in a ski mask holding her cigarette. It was the same guy as last night.

He took a drag, before tossing it on the ground, and rubbing it out with his foot. “These things will kill you,” he said with a cryptic smile.

“Didn’t you take enough from us last night?” Dora asked.

“I thought I told you to stay out of my neighborhood?”

“We’re not even in the same city,” Edmund spoke up. “How’d you find us?”

“It wasn’t hard, I just followed the bad vibes and they brought me here.”

He looked in the backseat and smiled. “We meet again, Susie.”

She looked happy to see him. “Did Santa come talk to you? He told me he was going to.”

“He did … he told me I better give them back or I’m going to end up on the naughty list.”

Her face lit up. “I told you, Mom!”

Dora threw her hands up in defeat. “I can’t believe my daughter is listening to some thief over her own mother.”

The man’s attention switched to Payne. “How’s that stomach doing, fighter?”

“Much better … thanks.”

“Stop talking to my children,” Dora cried out. “Take whatever you came for and get the hell out of here!”

“I’ve been looking for one of these,” he said, and grabbed the power cord. “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

He disappeared into the darkness.

She turned to Edmund. “If you don’t go after him this time, I will.”

“It’s not worth dying over a power cord, Dora.”

Wrong answer. She flung the door open, and marched off. “Dora, get back here,” Edmund feebly shouted, but she was done listening to him.

She followed the large footprints in the snow like she was tracking Bigfoot. The prints took her a couple blocks until they suddenly stopped. As she pondered this development, a large hand grabbed her by the hood of her jacket and pulled her into an alleyway. She tried to scream, but the hand covered her mouth.

“Big mistake,” the man said. He forcefully turned her around and tied her hands with the power cord. He pushed her up against the wall and pressed his body against hers. “It doesn’t seem like your husband is putting you in the Christmas spirit, so maybe I’ll have to do the job for him.”

“Please no …” Dora whimpered.

She could feel his hot breath on her neck, and felt his hands roam to the back of her jeans.

Footsteps momentarily stole his attention. Edmund had dashed into the alley. “You leave my wife alone.”

“Are you willing to die for her?”

“Damn right I am … but you’re the one who’s going down!”

The man laughed at Edmund, who was half his size. But when he showed no fear and rushed at him, the man bolted. They could hear his footsteps running down the sidewalk, getting further and further away. The bully ran away like a coward.

Dora fell to the ground in a daze. Edmund hurried to her and untied the power cord. When she regained her senses, he slowly walked her back to the Range Rover. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She just nodded.

“Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m going to get the First-Aid kit out of the back, just to make sure.”

“Mom—are you alright?” Payne and Susie asked simultaneously as she entered the vehicle.

“I am now,” she said, and forced a smile at them.

When she took her usual seat on the passenger’s side, she felt something. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out their wallets. He must have returned them when he had her pushed up against the wall. Weird.

She checked through the wallets to find that everything was still there—money, credit cards, driver’s license. But Edmund’s wallet had something else in it—a newspaper clipping of their wedding engagement.

And when she read the words he had scribbled on it, she began to cry. It said
I miss you Dora.

______________________________________________________________

Tomás peered out over the dark yard. Not a creature was stirring, not even … suddenly a clatter arose from the lawn.

He saw the two figures exit the home and make their way in his direction. Even if the quiet street hadn’t fast asleep in this pre-dawn hour, the men would still have been virtually undetectable in their black scuba suits, but this didn’t lessen Tomás’ concern.

Gustavo and Berto always referred to him as Señor Nervioso for his constant worries—in turn, he wished they would worry a little more. While this was only a trial run, they would still end up in a very real prison if they were caught. They couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Gustavo and Berto piled into the van, and they were off to the next house.

“When you got it, you got it,” Gustavo beamed, removing his ski mask to reveal an ear-to-ear smile.

“For those who said we’re washed up, may I suggest a better alarm system, and
un perro guardián
,” Berto added with laughter, while adjusting the snowshoes they wore to avoid leaving footprints.

Tomás knew this was an action business, and words were empty. He took notice of Berto’s heavy breathing, and feared his below-standard conditioning could be a weak spot for them tonight when the money was on the table. The Amigos had never attempted to hit so many houses in one night, not even close—it would be a test of endurance for them. And they were hardly in their prime.

Berto studied his diving watch, and a confident grin came over his face. “Three minutes and thirty-six seconds, in and out.”

“That’s a new Olympic record,” Gustavo said and they slapped high fives.

“This is just a test run,” Tomás cautioned. “When the real objects are moved tonight, is when the records will be kept.”

“It will be easier,” Gustavo responded. “Most people will be out tonight. Although, I do enjoy the challenge when I know they’re sleeping in the next room.”

“I don’t doubt your talent—the one thing that can bring us down is overconfidence. If I remember correctly, it only took one slip to bring down the whole group.”

“But that worked out well for us, no?” Gustavo said.

“Maybe if we’re captured this time we’ll get to live in a castle,” Berto added.

“The only place we will end up is a six-by-nine cell with steel bars.”

Tomás thought back to when they were captured by the Wainwright’s security force. They were too arrogant back then to prepare for worst-case scenarios. But he was older and wiser this time, and would make sure they were ready for anything, even if his teammates were still chasing childish glory. He thought of what Kris had said at the party—they did have much more to lose this time.

They arrived at the final house—a large colonial in Sleepy Hollow. As they entered the neighborhood, Gustavo and Berto put on their ski masks and gloves. Gustavo placed his earpiece in, and both men made sure their equipment and weapons were secure.

The van slowed to a crawl and the two men dove out onto the lawn with a roll. Never stopping, Tomás kept driving around the block. He would time his return just as they exited the house.

Gustavo and Berto used a heavy row of pine trees to shield them. They’d already been in and out of several apartment complexes, so they figured this secluded house would be a piece of cake.

There were no trees in their yard growing up, or large houses for that matter. They often wondered if their own children had grown up too soft and naïve, unprepared to survive the lightning bolts that life would inevitably throw their way. The Kerstman victims were perfect examples. And based on the ease with which they’d broken into their homes tonight, they were no more prepared to deal with predators than last time.

Within moments, they were at the back entrance of the soon-to-be foreclosed home of former Kerstman Publishing executive Jeffrey Yu, which he shared with his wife and their three kids.

Berto punched in the alarm code, quickly disarming it. The Hacker guy that Collins had found in prison was worth his weight in gold—literally—and if they had him at their disposal back in the day, they would’ve been retired in the Caribbean by now.

Gustavo had Hacker’s voice in his earpiece, just as he’d had all night. He walked him through the floor plan, and the other important spots they needed to hit within the house. He would also be able to guide them in the dark, using the hidden cameras the Amigos had installed earlier this month on a similar run-through.

Hacker guided them to where the spare key was “hidden,” and they entered with guns drawn. They faced no resistance—there hadn’t been any all night, so it wasn’t unexpected. They moved into the living room area where a Christmas tree stood proudly—once again showing these people’s devotion to the ideal over reality.

They scouted the downstairs area, and made notes for when they’d return for real in twenty-four hours. And after waiting the minimum three minutes that would be needed to accomplish their goals tonight, it was time to head back to the van.

That’s when they heard the footsteps upstairs.

“Jeffrey Yu has entered the bathroom. All other family members remain sleeping,” Hacker informed them.

Minutes later, they heard a flush, and Mr. Yu retraced his steps back to bed. Part of them was disappointed that there would be no confrontation—they really missed the action.

Back on task, Berto began counting down the seconds in a throaty whisper. When it was time, he nodded to Gustavo, and they were on the move again.

The morning sun was beginning to peek through the darkness, but it was still too faint to help guide them. They retraced their steps through the trees, keeping one eye on the van as it came to a stop at the curb. The only sign of life was an early riser out walking his dog on the otherwise deserted street. But he wouldn’t be a problem.

It seemed like another easy return … until the van drove away. “What the …” Berto whispered. That wasn’t part of the plan—Tomás never went off script unless there was a good reason.

They felt naked, and then things got really complicated. The dog began barking, which sent the owner’s attention their way.

“Is somebody there!?” he shouted out.

Always calm, Gustavo grabbed Berto and guided him through the pine trees into a wooded area that separated the Yu’s home from their neighbors. They could hear the man’s footsteps moving in their direction, and the dog’s bark grew louder.

Gustavo scouted out a large oak tree, its leafless branches covered in snow. He climbed it like a cat.

The dog owner called out again, “Who’s there!?”

Gustavo couldn’t believe they encountered the one guy left on the planet with a sense of community. It seemed like people would walk silently by a murder these days if it would slow down their schedule. The steps moved closer.

There was no way that Berto could get up the tree, carrying those extra thirty pounds, and he began to panic. So Gustavo draped his legs over the branch and hung himself upside down like a bat. He then grabbed Berto by both arms and pulled him up to him. They dangled like a branch, as still as could be.

Gustavo held on for dear life as the dog owner crossed beneath them, without even looking up. The dog was another story. But Rover must have understood what it was like to be incarcerated, because he chose to remain silent, and tugged the owner in another direction.