Never Fear (15 page)

A FAMILY CHRISTMAS
TERROR

CHAPTER 5

“
Dad, you were right, I
didn’t see that ending coming,” Jack said.

Nancy said, “I like the way you read
that, Daddy. It was really scary.”

“
You’re such a baby,” her
twin sneered.

“
Be nice, you two,” their
mother said. “It’s Christmas.

“
Fine,” Nick said. “Hey...
can I have some more brandy?”

“
No.”

“
Please.” He held up his
mug to her. “Just for the next story.”

“
C’mon, Judy,” Dan said
from the couch. “It’s Christmas.”

Judy rolled her eyes and relented.
“That’s it, though.”

“
Thanks, Mom. You’re the
best.”

“
And put some more coffee
in there. You’re not your Grandfather.” She pointed to the pot on
the table.

“
How did I get in this?”
Grandpa said and sipped. “But as long as you’re pouring...” He
proffered his mug.

“
Thank God Christmas is
only once a year,” she said and poured. Then, as an afterthought,
poured into her own mug. “What the heck, if you can’t beat ‘em...”
She took a healthy swig. “Go ahead, Dan. What’s next?”

Dan glanced at her mug and
said, “This one’s called
The Gift That
Won’t Stop Giving
.”

THE GIFT THAT WON’T STOP
GIVING

LISA HARRIS

“
A Holly Jolly
Life”

Blog post from Holly
Marshall

Dear Readers,

I’m especially excited
about the upcoming holidays this year, mainly because I’ve finally
managed to find my dear hubby the perfect gift! I simply can’t wait
to see his face when he opens it. I don’t want to give too much
away here – he does sometimes read my blog – but I will be sure to
update you after my Christmas break and give you all the juicy
details!

Speaking of the break, I’d
just like to remind you that this will be my last post for the next
two weeks, during which I’ll be enjoying time with my friends and
family. I have tons of fun activities planned to do with the kids,
and C. and I are hosting a grand holiday party at our
home.

At this point in my
holiday preparations, the finishing touches have been placed on the
decorations, the gifts are all wrapped and under the tree (thanks
to C.’s gift being delivered earlier today), and most of the
shopping for party food and decorations has been done and stored
away. All that’s left to do is enjoy each day as it comes, and I
hope that you will be doing the same.

I’ll leave you with my
deepest, heartfelt wishes for you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year,

Holly

Holly Marshall could barely contain
her glee as she raced to open the door for the FedEx guy. She
actually let out a childish squeal when she signed for the package
and snatched it from his hands. His truck hadn’t even left the
driveway before she was ripping through layers of cardboard, tape,
and bubble wrap. When her hands touched the smooth cold stone, she
shivered with anticipation. She extricated it from its wrappings
and held it up to admire it. The ancient Mayan mask smiled back at
her, its gleaming, vacant eyes staring at her. She held it to her
chest, thrilled that she had finally managed to find the perfect
gift for Chris.

She wasn’t bitter about the fact that
her husband always seemed to know just what to get her—well, maybe
she was. But that was beside the point. She’d noted his recent
passion for all things “Ancient Indian” and had run with it. When
she’d found the relic on eBay with a $145 “Buy It Now” price, she’d
assumed it was a replica. But further inquiry had confirmed that
the seller did indeed hold a certificate of authenticity stating
that the mask dated back to 6th or 7th century Tikal. In the
photographs it seemed in pristine condition, and she could already
picture it hanging in a place of honor on Chris’s office wall at
the bank. She’d pounced on the screaming deal before anyone else
had a chance to figure out the real value of the prize.

Now, clutching it to her chest, she
felt a strange sensation, a flicker of dread, but she laughed off
the notion and set to work rewrapping the box with Christmas paper.
She placed it underneath the tree and artfully rearranged all the
red and white packages to resemble a display straight out of a
Christmas magazine.

She couldn’t shake the vague feeling
of anxiety she’d felt when holding the mask, but she didn’t have
time to think about that. Now that her shopping was complete, she
needed to photograph the fully decorated living room for her final
holiday blog post before taking the next two weeks off to focus on
spending time with her family. The kids would be out of school and
Chris would be home the Thursday and Friday before Christmas Eve.
She still had a party to plan, but she’d taken care of most of the
arrangements weeks ago, and only had a few last-minute preparations
to see to.

She opened the door to the impeccably
organized hall closet to retrieve her camera, and was startled when
she heard a crash coming from the living room. Upon returning, she
saw that the huge family portrait from the fireplace mantel had
inexplicably tumbled to the floor and the glass from the frame lay
in tiny shards, strewn across the hardwood floor. Bursting into
tears, she headed into the kitchen for the broom and
dustpan.

*

Chris was just wrapping up his last
appointment when Carol, his assistant, poked her head in the door.
“Need anything, sugar?”

“
Uh, no. We’re good here,
Carol. Thanks.” She was a real hottie—all blond hair, curves, and
legs, but her terms of endearment were starting to set his teeth on
edge. He was “Honey,” “Babe,” “Darling,” and now, apparently,
“Sugar” far more often than “Chris,” or more appropriately, “Mr.
Marshall.” She was outside the boundaries of professionalism,
clearly, and he would need to set her straight. Right after
Christmas, he promised himself. After all, she’d been a lifesaver
to him these past few weeks, working late right alongside him,
seeing to his every need. It seemed almost cruel to reprimand her
now. No, he’d wait until after the holidays, when business would be
slower.

The long hours were beginning to wear
on him. That, and the emotional wear and tear of handling cases for
so many of his friends and acquaintances. They all came to him for
help when they got overextended or just plain couldn’t make ends
meet. Especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. He seemed to
be seeing people at their most desperate, and he hated it. He did
everything he could to help them all out, sometimes taking risks he
knew he shouldn’t. But that was one of the advantages of being the
senior loan officer. He was at liberty to make those kinds of
decisions.

He was saying his goodbyes to Mr. Wise
when he felt the vibration of his cell phone in his pocket. He
waited for the other man to round the corner before glancing at it.
Three missed calls, all from Holly. Something must be up. He hit
the callback button and waited for her to pick up.

“
Chris! Oh my God, Chris!
It’s S-s-s-snowflake!” she was crying hysterically.

“
What? What’s going on,
Hol?” the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

“
Snowflake! She got run
over!” Holly blurted into his ear.

“
Stay put. I’m on my way
home.” He grabbed his coat as he reached for the door, hanging up
the phone as he did.

“
Carol, I’m heading out
early today,” he snapped as he passed her desk.

“
Something wrong,
Sugar?”

“
Nothing to worry about.
Can you close out everything here?” he begged.

“
Sure thing. I’ve got it
all under control. See you tomorrow,” she cooed. Her voice followed
him to the elevator, grating on his spine, causing him to punch the
button harder than ever.

*

When Chris arrived home, he found his
little family all huddled around the body of their miniature
poodle. Snowflake appeared to be sleeping, but when he looked
closer, he could tell that she had stopped breathing. His
six-year-old daughter, Belle, sobbed as she stroked Snowflake’s
fur, and his ten-year-old son Nick knelt stoically by her side,
patting Belle’s back reassuringly. Holly cried silently, watching
her children say their emotional goodbyes to the family
pet.

She looked up at Chris, seeing the
questions in his eyes. She shook her head slowly and stood up to
embrace him.

“
It’s okay,” he whispered,
wrapping her in his arms. He stroked her hair and she wept softly
into his shoulder. “What happened, Hol?” “I went out to get the
mail and when I opened the door, Snowflake came running out like
something was chasing her. She was yelping like she was scared to
death, and she just darted out into the road. Some asshole was
coming down the street—you know how fast they drive around
here––and he just ran right over her. Didn’t even stop. She was
already gone when I got to her.” She sobbed the last few words, and
Chris hugged her tightly, letting her cry it out.

Later, they held a grim little funeral
ceremony in the backyard, burying Snowflake under her favorite
tree, then ordered pizza for dinner. Exhausted and emotionally
drained, Chris and Holly tucked the kids into bed early, then
retired for the night.

“
I can’t imagine what it’s
going to be like without her around here,” Holly sighed, wearily
climbing under the covers. “I mean, I knew she wouldn’t be around
forever, but I never thought she’d be gone so soon. It’s so unlike
her to take off like that out the front door. I wonder what got
into her.”

“
There’s no telling. That
dog was afraid of her own shadow.”

Chris replied, “But I’m sure going to
miss her. She was the first animal that actually liked me.” He
switched off the bedside lamp, cloaking their bedroom in darkness.
In minutes, they were both dead asleep.

Holly awoke suddenly from
a dreamless sleep. What had wakened her? She listened intently in
the darkness. There. There it was again. A faint scratching at the
door. It couldn’t be. But it sounded just like
her
! Was her mind playing tricks on
her? She heard it again, only this time she could have sworn she
heard the high-pitched whine Snowflake used to make when she wanted
in.

“
Chris!” she whispered
loudly, nudging his shoulder. “Chris. Wake up. I heard something!”
He groaned and turned on his side, facing the wall away from
her.

She heard the scratching again a
little louder, and her blood ran cold. Was it possible that they
had buried Snowflake alive? But, if that was the case, how had she
managed to find her way into the house?

Holly threw back the covers and jumped
out of bed, bolting toward the sound. In the split second before
she flung open the door, she actually allowed herself to hope that
she would see the beloved pet on the other side of it, scratching
to come into their room and snuggle in bed with them once more. But
when she did open the door, she was greeted with nothing but the
darkness of the hallway. Curious, she looked both ways, but again
saw nothing. She checked the kids’ rooms, then the bathroom, then
finally wandered downstairs. She turned on the living room light,
and a few seconds later she heard the faint sounds again. This time
the noise seemed to come from the front door. Cautiously, she
tiptoed to the door and turned on the porch light. Bracing herself,
she opened the door slowly, then breathed a sigh of relief when
again, she found nothing.

Shaking her head, she locked up,
turned out the light, and headed back upstairs. Just as she reached
the top, she heard the sound again, louder and more insistent. The
hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she ran toward her
bedroom door. She scrambled back under the covers and turned on the
bedside lamp.

Chris stirred. “What’s the matter,
Hol?” He yawned.

“
I heard something. I-I-I
heard Snowflake. She was scratching at our bedroom door, and then
the front door. I’m really freaked out right now!” The words
tumbled out of her mouth.

Chris pulled her close and snuggled
her down beside him. “Wow, you’re really shaking, Babe. Hush now .
. . it was just a bad dream. We’ve been through a lot today. Go
back to sleep.” He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her
close, drifting back to his dreams. She knew what she’d experienced
hadn’t been a dream, but she let him comfort her and tried to go
back to sleep. When she heard the scratching sound again, she began
to cry softly, determined not to wake her husband again.

*

“
Kids! Breakfast!” Holly
called up the stairs. It was their last day of school before
Christmas Break, and they were already running late. She just
couldn’t seem to get her act together since Snowflake’s accident,
and she hadn’t gotten any sleep the last several nights.