Take Me Home for Christmas

decided to disappear, he had a plan that included her.”

“An interesting hypothesis. Considering that it’s obvious he tried to abandon her.”

“He couldn’t tell her what he was up to, not without worrying that she’d give him away if the police pushed hard enough. You understand that, don’t you?”

Ted was losing patience. He doubted Skip had any kind of plan other than to escape with as much money as possible—at the expense of those he’d cheated and abandoned. He’d even robbed his parents. That didn’t suggest he had any hope of reconnecting with his past. In Ted’s opinion, he was kissing it all goodbye.

“What are you getting at, Chief? Why are you here?”

“I believe Mr. DeBussi was heading to some remote corner of the world where he could change his identity and set himself up before sending for her and the kid.”

“And how was she supposed to get by in the meantime?”

“There must be some money for her somewhere. She just needs to find it. And when she does, those of us who’ve been hurt should be able to collect our share.”

“With your girlfriend at the front of the line.”

“Why not? No one else lost as much as she did.”

“That we know of.”

“That we know of,” he agreed.

“So you’re hoping I’ll keep an eye on her in case she stumbles across the key to a safe deposit box filled with currency?”

“Exactly. I don’t mind telling you that Pam’s beside herself over losing all that money. Absolutely inconsolable. I’d like to help her, and the others, if I can.”

Ted suspected the person he most wanted to help was himself. “And what about Sophia’s well-being?”

“Far as I’m concerned, she’s had her taste of the good life. That party’s over. Now she gets to work for a living like the rest of us. She’s finally been put in her place, right? And I can promise you, you’re not the only one who’s been waiting for it.”

“How do you know what I’ve been waiting for?” Ted asked. It wasn’t as if he and Stacy had ever been friends. There was a decade between them; they didn’t know each other all that well.

“It’s never been a secret how you feel about Sophia, Ted. Six months ago, you quit the task force the mayor and I organized to clean up the mine tailings the moment she joined.”

“I was on a tight deadline, and you had enough people.”

“Come on—you didn’t want to work with her. And I don’t blame you. I told you Pam has family in town.”

“Yes...”

“Well, she’s Scott Harris’s aunt.” He grew somber, as if Scott had just died yesterday. “You remember what she did to him.”

“I remember what he did.”

“Oh, stop pretending.” Stacy adjusted his gun so it wouldn’t cut into his stomach. “He never would’ve gotten behind the wheel if not for her. She caused the death of the best athlete ever to come through Eureka High. His entire family hates her, and I can see why.”

That argument could certainly be made; Ted had made it once or twice himself. But Chief Stacy’s sudden reversal bothered him. When Sophia had joined the mine tailings task force, he’d been her most ardent supporter. He was switching sides now because it allowed him to press for his girlfriend’s money. “Sophia’s had her share of detractors over the years, but I didn’t know you were one of them.”

Because he hadn’t been, not until now. The police chief had kissed Skip’s ass at every opportunity. Sophia’s, too. He’d been in awe of their money and the power that money gave them.

“If she eventually does the right thing, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Stacy came to his feet. “I’ll let you return to work. I wanted to see if you’d keep an eye on her for the rest of us, now that you’re aware of what’s at stake. Since you’ll be seeing her every day, you’ll probably be the first to know if she comes into some money.”

Ted followed him to the door. “And you think I’d tell you, just because you came out here and asked me to?”

Stacy turned around. “A lot of innocent people have lost money. You’d be a hero if you could get even some of it back. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? You have no loyalty to Sophia, no more reason to like her than the Harrises do.”

“I hired her, didn’t I?”

“I assumed the idea of her scrubbing your toilets appealed to you. That you enjoy having the upper hand, for a change.”

Ted scowled. “It has nothing to do with being so petty.”

“Then what’s going on?” Stacy narrowed his eyes, obviously reassessing the situation. “You can’t be making a play for her, not after what she did to you....”

“No.” Ted denied it immediately and, possibly, too emphatically.

“Then you want to get in her pants? Make her pay on her back? That’s between the two of you. I’m just looking to recover what I can of Pam’s money.”

“Wait.” Ted got him to hold up. “For the record, I’m not trying to punish her. I’m not still in love with her. And I can find plenty of other women to sleep with. I need a housekeeper. It’s that simple.”

“Sure it is,” Stacy said and laughed as he walked out the door.

13

Sophia stood near the glass doors of Ted’s office, watching him at his computer. She had his lunch on a tray, the salad perfectly arranged. With the colorful berries and white poppyseed dressing it looked as appetizing as it had in the cookbook. But she was nervous again. She didn’t know what to expect from one encounter to the next. And she was curious as to what Chief Stacy had wanted when he came by earlier. Had he managed to convince Ted that she was even more of a villain than he already thought?

She couldn’t guess the answer to that question, because Ted had been in his office since she returned from the grocery store. She hadn’t dared interrupt him. She’d also been in a hurry to get lunch on—she was running thirty minutes behind schedule as it was, didn’t want that to count against her, too.

When she bumped the door with her knee, he got up to let her in.

“If you don’t mind leaving that door open a crack, I could deliver your food without disturbing you,” she said as she carried the tray past him.

“Good point.”

“Do you shut it when you’re home alone?”

He seemed too preoccupied—or too diplomatic—to answer as he cleared a spot on her desk. Maybe he felt that if he left the door open she’d take it as an invitation to drop in and chat. Or she’d be too noisy.

“Looks great,” he said.

He sounded mildly surprised, so she took that to be a sincere compliment. “I hope you like berries.”

“I do. I like most foods.”

“Including broccoli?”

“Broccoli’s a personal favorite.”

“Good news for dinner. Remember I’m leaving as soon as Alexa gets out of school, so you’ll have to get it out of the fridge and warm it up.”

“Don’t make anything for tonight. I’ve got a Halloween party.”

She knew which party he was referring to. His friends always got together on Halloween. Sometimes, depending on who was hosting and whether Skip was out of town, she’d attended. She didn’t go last year because it was here at Ted’s.

“I’ll make it tomorrow, then.” She put the tray down but backed up instead of turning to go. “Before I leave