Sucking Santa's Candy Cane (5 page)

"Missing? How can he be missing?"

"Well, I was…" She was what? Taking a shower after a great sexual encounter? "We were hanging out when I went to the bathroom. When I came back, he was gone, but he left his phone and wallet behind which makes me think he was taken."

She took a deep breath, the cop part of her coming out. Although she was more of a traffic cop and not really an investigator, she still had training in the field.

"Do you know if your son has any enemies?"

There was silence on the other line, and when the woman spoke her voice was full of uncertainty. "No."

Noelle rubbed her forehead as a headache started to brew. Why did the woman have to lie? "Who is his enemy? You know something. Share it."

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

Shit! Talking to this woman wasn't going to be much help. "Sorry for bothering you, Mrs. Claus." Noelle hung up the phone. She wanted to throw it against the wall but decided against it. Instead, she called Wendy on her phone.

"Hey, Nelly? How's it going?" Her sister answered happily.

Noelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I need a favor to ask you. Can you tell Mom and Dad that I'll be late?"

"How late?"

"Like have dinner, go to bed, and I'll see you all tomorrow kind of late."

There was silence on the other line. "You were already on your way when you called this morning. What happened?"

"Um… I took your advice."

"What advice?"

"I found a stranger and I slept with him."

"And? What happened?" Wendy's voice suddenly became hushed and curiosity dripped from her tone. "How was he?"

"Good. But…"

"Only good?" Wendy interrupted.

"He was great. Amazing. But…" She let out a frustrated sigh. "He disappeared."

Silence drifted over the phone again. "Well, that happens. You can't beat yourself up over that."

"No. I think he was kidnapped."

"Oh, Nelly, you know how ridiculous you sound? He walked out on you. Get over it."

That could be, but why would he leave his phone and wallet behind? He had no car. Where would he go? They were both far away from Tennessee. "Wend, you're not helping me," she said in a frustrated tone. "Just tell Mom and Dad I'll be there tomorrow." She hung up and paced the room back and forth.

There was no sign of forced entry into the room, so she was certain Santa wasn't grabbed. So… he had to walk out willingly. Maybe he did just ditch her.

Noelle's gaze drifted to the phone and wallet, now lying beside each other on the bed.

She pulled the driver's license from the wallet and called Officer Mike Boris, one of her co-workers.

"Hey, Mike," she said once he answered after several rings. "I need a favor."

"Have an itch that needs to be scratched?"

She rolled her eyes. "I need you to run a search for me."

"I thought you were on the way to your parents' house?"

Noelle suppressed the need to hurry him. "It's an off duty thing. Can you just search this guy for me?"

"Hot date?"

It would be a waste of time trying to explain it. "Yeah, hot date."

"I could lose my job for this."

She rolled her eyes. "It's Christmas Eve; I bet you're the only one at your desk. No one will see. Now do this for me, please."

There was a pause on the other line, as though he hesitated, but she was certain he would give in. After a sigh, he did. "What's his name?"

"Santa Claus."

"Haha! Very funny. Now what's his name?"

"No really. Santa Claus. Here's his info…" She read off his date of birth, address, and driver's license number.

Silence drifted over them as she heard typing in the background.

"Holy shit! He does exist." More typing. "His MVR is clean. No tickets or accidents." Some typing again. "No criminal record. No arrests. He's a doctor at the children’s hospital."

None of that was helpful. "Anything else? Place of birth? Parents’ info? Anything at all out of the ordinary?"

"Chill, girl." Mike sounded as though he had a smirk on his face, and she could imagine him leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed over on top of the desk. "He's a hot date, it's not like you're planning on marrying him…. Are you?"

"No… It's complicated." She bit her bottom lip.

"What's up? Talk to me."

She sighed and stopped pacing. Noelle sat on the edge of the bed. "I met him today, and we kind of hit it off so I went to a hotel room with him and we… well…"

Mike interrupted with his hysterical laughter. "Was that the first time since Jeff left that you got laid?"

Yes.
"No," she said defensively. "Anyways, he disappeared."

"Ouch! I thought cold, icy bitches were usually firecrackers in bed."

"Fuck you, Mike!" Why did she even bother calling him? "Why does everyone think he left because I suck in bed?"

"Because it makes more sense than the alternative of being kidnapped by the Grinch."

Why was everyone jumping to believe that he left her? What if he did? Why was she having such a hard time believing it? "Listen, Mike. He's a nice guy. He doesn’t give me the fuck 'em and leave 'em impression. And he left his phone and wallet behind. Why would he do that if he ditched me?"

"He forgot?"

"So why not come back for it? Come on, neither one of us is a little kid, we could both handle the 'it was fun but I never want to see you again' speech. Why run?"

"Maybe he's immature about it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Or maybe we could trust my gut right now and assume that he was taken."

"Who would want to take him?"

Her hand tightened on the phone. "That's why I'm calling you, you idiot! So you could do some digging for me."

"Why don't you call the cops and open a missing person's report?"

"Because they'll assume the same thing you and Wendy assumed and they will not open it without him being missing for twenty-four hours, you know that."

"How is Wendy?"

She stood from the bed and started pacing again. "Focus, Mike. Help me find Santa Claus."

He burst out laughing again. "I can't believe you had sex with Santa Claus. Did his thick white beard tickle when he ate you?"

Noelle covered her face with her hand and tried not to laugh. As frustrated as she was, the image that conjured in her mind was both funny and gross. "Mike," she said in a warning tone.

"Okay, okay, I'm looking."

She sat back down as typing carried through the phone. "He was born in Crown Point, Indiana." More typing. "His father died exactly a year ago tonight."

Something inside her tingled. It was as though her gut instincts reached out and slapped her across the face, screaming at her that this was a clue.

"How did he die?"

"Give me a minute."

She waited and lay on the bed. Her head sank into the pillows.

A few minutes later, Mike spoke up again. "He was strangled to death. A bunch of kids found him in a public park on Christmas Morning, right by Santa's Sleigh."

"Santa's Sleigh?"

"I'm looking at the crime scene photos right now. There is a metal sleigh with metal reindeer the park district puts out every year by the playground for kids. The reports say that one family with three kids was going to the park to take pictures on the sleigh when the kids ran to it and found the dead body."

Those poor kids. It had to traumatize them to see such a thing. "You said he was strangled." Which meant he knew his killer. Strangulation was a hands-on method of murder, a personal one, and the victim was someone you knew and hated. "Were there any prints? Was the killer caught?"

"I'm reading those reports now. Give me a minute."

She stood up and paced the room some more while she waited.

"Okay, got it. There were no prints. He wore leather gloves. But there was an eyewitness, a man who was walking his dog earlier that night, and he saw what he describes as a 'heated altercation between two men'. Said they were arguing and one threatened to get revenge on the other. This man didn't stay around, saying he decided to mind his own business, but he did see the other guy and there is a sketch artist picture, although the man is still unidentified and on the run."

"Can you email me that picture?"

"Sure. What's your personal email again?"

She spelled it out for him as her mind raced. Santa's father was killed exactly one year ago and the killer was still on the run. What if the killer had an issue with Santa, Jr. as well? It was known that killers often returned to the place of the crime. If he planned on killing Santa, he might go back to that park. Or, he might kill Santa somewhere else. But where? The park with the sleigh was all she had to go on. "Can you also text me the full address of the place of the crime?"

"You think the killer will return there with your friend, Santa?"

"The killer chose to kill in a public place and from what Santa told me, his dad's name was also Santa Claus. So this killer chose to kill Santa by the sleigh. It's kind of poetic, like a crazy man's hate for Christmas. I think maybe that place has some sentimental meaning to it and he might return there." She sighed. "Besides, I have absolutely nothing else to go on."

"I'll text you the address."

"Thank you." Noelle was about to hang up when Mike spoke again.

"Nelly?"

"Yes?"

"Stay safe."

"Thanks. I will."

"And tell Wendy if she’s ever in town and looking for a hot fuck, I'm her man."

She smiled. "Goodnight, Mike. Merry Christmas." She hung up.

Noelle quickly ran around the room making sure she had everything with her. One last pass and she threw the box of condoms into her purse and the now cold cup of coffee into her hand as she dashed out of the hotel room, checked out, and climbed into her car.

Chapter Four

She read the text and pulled out her GPS from the glove box, typing in the location so she knew where exactly to go. After she opened the email with the picture, a cold chill raced down her spine.

It was the man from the gas station.

He was the killer. He had seen Santa there.

She had to hurry to save Santa Claus! Noelle jumped on the expressway and sped way above the legal limit. Luckily, because it was a holiday, the streets were empty, but the snow made the driving conditions less than perfect. Fresh snow covered the ground and her car skidded on a small patch of ice. Once she gained control over it again, she kept going.

Several hours had passed and it was already late into the night when her GPS announced she would reach her destination in less than a mile. The coffee cup was already drained and she craved the minty power juice. This was a great time for a caffeine buzz but she had no time to stop anywhere for coffee.

Upon reaching the half-mile point, Noelle killed her headlights and inched closer, not wanting to be seen by the killer in case he was there. Once she rounded the corner, the whole street and the park was lit up like a Christmas tree.

Red, white, and blue lights swirled around in circles as officers rushed around. She parked behind a Crown Point police car and climbed out. The cold wind blew harsh around her as she walked closer to the commotion.

One officer came toward her and put his hands out in a 'Stop' gesture. "This is a crime scene, Miss. No trespassing."

A chill ran down her spine. Did a crime happen there already? Why else would the cops be there? Was Santa okay? Was he hurt? Was he even alive? Her heart squeezed and tears almost sprung to her eyes but she forced them away as she dug in her purse and pulled out her badge. "I'm an officer with Memphis PD." She showed him the badge.

He shined a flashlight on it before taking her arm and turning her back toward her car. "You are out of your jurisdiction. I suggest you stay out of the way."

"But…" She pleaded with her eyes as everything inside her quivered with fear and uncertainty. "I have reason to believe a friend of mine is here." Damn, she spoke like a cop and not like a civilian. Clearing her throat, she addressed him differently. "Please. I'm Santa Claus Jr.'s friend. Was he here? Is he okay?" She spotted an ambulance by the playground and her heart dropped to her heels.
Please, don't let Santa be hurt. Or worse.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss these things with you." The officer turned to walk away.

She grabbed his arm and he turned to face her again. "I'm not asking for a press statement, nor am I asking to be part of this investigation. I'm asking you as a person, not as a cop, is my friend okay?"

He signed and dropped his gaze to the snow covered ground for a second. "He's fine. We got here in time."

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief as she placed her hand over her chest. "Thank you."