I nodded, taking this in. “It would have been funny, wouldn’t it? But unfortunately, that little elf ended up dead.”
“It’s a shame,” he agreed soberly.
I stood and watched the riders go around on the carousel a few more minutes and enjoyed my hot cocoa while I thought over what he said. After a while, I said goodbye to Sam and headed over to the shops to see if I could do some Christmas shopping.
Chapter Nine
I decided I wasn’t quite done at the Pumpkin Hollow Plaza just yet. Santa had a long line of kiddies waiting to sit with him and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. I saw Carrie and Tom with their twins, and they were headed for the back of the line, so I hurried and caught up with them.
“Hi girls,” I said brightly. “How did you like the carousel?”
Marissa and Priscilla turned to look at me. “I got to ride a horsey!” Marissa said excitedly. At least, I think it was Marissa.
“We went around and around and around,” Priscilla added. “It went so fast, I thought I was going to fall off!”
“You had better be careful, then. Was it fun?” I asked.
They both nodded, their heads bobbing up and down. “I loved it!” The one I thought was Marissa said.
“It was the best ride ever,” Priscilla said. Their blond hair was done in ponytails with red ribbons tied on the ends and they wore red peacoats and black knee boots. They were two of the cutest little girls I’d ever seen.
“I rode it the other day, and I agree. It’s the most fun ever,” I told them.
“I want to go again,” Priscilla said. She turned to look at her mother. “Can we go again?”
“Me too,” Marissa said.
“Maybe another night,” Carrie said. “We’ll be back again before Christmas.”
“Oh,” both girls said.
“And if you ride the carousel again, you’ll miss seeing Santa,” I said and winked at Carrie. “What are you girls going to ask him for?”
“I want a new baby,” Priscilla said.
“I want a new baby, too,” Marissa added. “I want one with a baby bottle and diapers.”
I nodded. “That’s exactly what I would ask for if I were you two. I bet he’s got lots of babies back at his workshop. It will be easy for Santa to bring babies.” I gave Tom a look.
He chuckled. “Yes, and that’s what I like about babies. They’re easy.”
“I want a puppy, too,” Priscilla said, turning to look at Santa.
“And a kitty,” Marissa added.
I chuckled.
“I don’t think Santa has any puppies or kitties at his work workshop,” Carrie said quickly. “We’re going to stick with babies. When you get to talk to Santa, remember, we’re sticking with babies.”
I chuckled as the line moved forward. “Kitties aren’t a terrible thing to ask for. I’ve got one.”
She turned and looked at me. “Babies. Just babies. Are you going to sit on Santa’s lap and ask for a present, too?”
I grinned. “I don’t think I’ll be sitting on his lap, but I do have a request or two for him. A request for information.”
She nodded, understanding what I was talking about. “Hopefully he knows what happened to his elf.”
“I hope so,” I said. “Somebody has to.”
We moved along in the line for twenty minutes as each child took their turn telling Santa exactly what they wanted. I remembered back when Christy and I were small enough to believe in Santa. One year we had had it in our plans to ask for a new bicycle for me and skates for Christy, but at the last minute, I asked for a baby brother. I’m not sure where that came from, because I don’t even recall thinking about it before climbing on Santa’s lap. But as soon as I had his attention, it was out of my mouth. Mom was both shocked and mortified. Unbeknownst to me, she and dad had decided there weren’t going to be any more kids and here I was asking Santa for a brother. Santa laughed and said they didn’t make baby brothers in the workshop and directed my attention back to what I really wanted. That bicycle.
“So, how are things going with the investigation?” Tom whispered when the girls’ attention was turned to Santa.
I looked at him and shrugged. “You how it is. He’s investigating. All we can do is hope he figures out who it was before too long.”
He nodded. “I hate to see that kind of thing. I remember her from school. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“I agree,” I said and turned back to Santa. Lawrence Deal was playing Santa. Lawrence was in his early sixties and worked as a mailman at his day job. He occasionally came into the candy store, but all I really knew about him was that he seemed like a pleasant guy. I hoped he had some answers for me.
The breeze had picked up and Carrie fished a couple of cream-colored knit hats from her purse and put them on the girls’ heads. They barely realized she had put them there, they were so intent on watching Santa Claus.
“Do we get a candy cane?” Marisa turned and asked her mother.
“I think you do,” Carrie said. “Now remember, I want you girls to say thank you after you tell him what you want for Christmas.”
“All right, Mama,” Marissa said. She stood on her tiptoes to try to get a better look at the man in red. For a moment I wondered what Ethan and my children might look like. If we were to ever have any, that is. I shook away the thought as we
