All at once, the old lady takes her hand from mine and claps. “That’s that. Now we go about our business and wait for the thief to appear.”

  “I sure hope he does.” Pushing to my feet, I think of all the work I did on the flowers and palms for tomorrow morning.

  Ms. Alice holds up her hand, and I pull her to her feet with a grunt. Once she’s up, she leans into me and whispers, “It couldn’t hurt to pray while you’re at it.”

  CHAPTER 3

  CHRISTMAS BOOTY

  SPENCER

  Joselyn’s just out the door when my phone goes off with a text from Scout. Any chance you could locate a Baby Jesus in time for tomorrow?

  I’ve tried to stay out of this cozy mystery, but with Baby Jesus missing, I’m worried about my wife. I know how much time she spent preparing the nativity scene for the big day, and it won’t be the same without the star of the show.

  I shoot him a quick reply. Where are you now?

  Jogging up to our bedroom, I change quickly into a pair of jeans and pull on my boots when his reply appears on my phone. I’m at the site with the kids. You coming down?

  Give me ten minutes. That’s about as long as it takes to drive between the two small towns.

  While the ladies are tapping into the spirit world, I’ll see what contacts I have in the retail world around this area. If worse comes to worse, I’ll drive back to Columbia tonight and get a replacement.

  At the scene of the crime, Oliver is inside the stable area with Scout while Melody is in the adjacent field throwing her pink football with her cousin Jesse.

  Oliver sees me and runs to meet me at the car. “They got him while we were sleeping. Nobody saw a thing.”

  I take the boy’s hand and walk with him to where Scout is staring at Mary deep in thought. “I saw something, but it’s like they knew about the camera. They had to have crawled in here or used a hook or a fishing line…”

  Standing in front of the wooden structure, I study the palms and sea grasses my wife arranged around the space. Several palm fronds are pushed away, and a plaster lamb is lying on its side.

  “It’s not just for the old timers. We’ve got to find a Baby Jesus for the kids.” Scout is searching on his phone. “I swear, when I catch these guys...”

  I go to where Mary is kneeling with her hands clasped, holding a bouquet of calla lilies. The ground in front of the manger is covered in a spongy, green moss Joselyn had explained would stay fresh because water is stored in a crate beneath it.

  It’s when I notice a patch of moss behind Joseph has been torn away and the water is exposed. It looks like it’s been spilled, or…

  “It’s an animal.” I drop to one knee and lean closer to examine the damaged turf. “Look at these digging marks. Looks like it was after water.”

  Ollie runs to where I’m kneeling and leans in close to the ground. His dark brow is furrowed, and he looks up at me. “An animal?”

  “But why would an animal want dolls?” Scout’s beside me now, too.

  “I couldn’t begin to guess.” Rising to my feet, I dust my hands together as I scan the open area. “It’s pretty far from the tree line. Maybe a raccoon?”

  “I’ve never heard of a raccoon stealing things. Usually they just pick through the garbage for food and leave the rest alone.”

  “It’s true.” I exhale deeply. “And we’re running out of time.”

  “Maybe it’s a dog!” Oliver slips his hand in mine. “I’ve always wanted a dog.”

  My eyes move from the little boy to Scout, who’s scratching his chin with his thumbnail, nodding slowly. “A dog would make more sense. It could also explain why we didn’t see anything on the nanny cam—if it’s a small dog. I’ll ask around and see if anybody’s seen a stray, or hell, it could be a pet.”

  “I’ll see if I can find a backup just in case.” I pull out my phone. “Keep me posted. Come on, Ollie, want to ride with me?”

  “Sure!” He takes my hand, and we walk to my black Tesla parked on the street. My “space car” as he likes to call it. Funny kid.

  I spend the next half hour making calls and driving around the small beach village scanning the area for any signs of dogs or abandoned religious statues. It’s really a wild goose chase in my opinion, but Ollie is glued to the window, straining his eyes down every alley and sandy path we cross.

  It’s after lunch when I finally locate replacement nativity characters a few towns over. “You getting hungry, bud?”

  He blinks up at me and frowns deeply before nodding slowly. “I guess so.”

  I’m not sure why this little guy tugs at my heart. I’ve never cared about kids until he and his mom and Joselyn stayed at my safe house those few weeks.

  “You’re not hungry?”

  “Not really.” His voice is quiet.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Nothing, I guess. I just hoped…” His narrow shoulders rise, and he looks out the window again. Suddenly, he sits up straight and shouts so loud my stomach jumps. “Wait! Stop the car! Stop, Ironman!”

  I quickly hit the brakes and pull onto the shoulder, and before I kill the engine he’s unbuckling his seatbelt. “Oliver, wait. What’s going on?”

  “We’re going to miss him! He was moving fast!”

  “Who?” I jog around the car and help him out. As soon as his feet touch the ground, he takes off running into the sandy thicket.

  “Oliver!” I hustle after him, all the way down the hill through the skinny trees to a small, wooden bridge.

  I’m thankful I pulled on boots this morning instead of my usual Italian leather loafers. I’m able to get down the hill, which is covered in a mixture of pine needles, sand, and leaves without sliding.

  When I reach him, he’s bending down beside a stream studying a deep set of prints in the muddy bank. “I see some tracks down here.”

  “Those look like deer tracks.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “You know what dog prints look like don’t you?”

  “Oh yeah, sure…” He almost seems embarrassed, and I ease up.

  “We can search around here. I think if I were a dog, I’d hide stuff in the woods.”

  “Maybe he takes stuff because he doesn’t have a family and he’s lonely, and if we find him, maybe we could give him a home and a place to live so he doesn’t have to steal Baby Jesus anymore.”

  My brow furrows. I never longed for a pet when I was a boy, yet as long as I’ve known Oliver, all he’s ever talked about is having a dog. His mother tried to appease him with Chartreuse, his odd little tree frog, but I know where his heart is.

  “Ollie, the chances are great if it’s a stray dog, he’s fearful of humans. He might even try to bite you.” I do my best to keep my tone kind. “You can’t run up on an animal that’s never been around humans.”

  His little mouth purses, and he nods, looking at his feet. “I just thought… I thought… You know, you and me, we know how it feels to be lonely.”

  My chest tightens, and I take a knee beside him. “Yeah, we do. But why now?”

  “Because it’s Christmas.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, and his round eyes are wide. “He doesn’t have to be bad if we help him.”

  “Ollie, we don’t even know where—”

  As if drawn by an intuition I’ve heard children sometimes possess, he takes my hand. I follow him across the narrow wooden bridge down the sandy path worn into the side of the hill to a small hollow beside a tree.

  “This is where he is.”

  Kneeling again, I peer into the small hole before taking out my phone and shining a light. Glassy blue eyes flare back at me, and my heart jumps.

  “Shit!” I fall back on my ass before quickly getting on my knees and retrieving my phone. “Sorry, Ollie. Don’t repeat that.”

  “What was it?” He steps forward, but I hold out a hand, shining my light again.

  Now I can see the glassy eyes are in fact, the eyes of a doll. I’m about to reach inside when again, I’m startled by the lap of a warm, wet dog tongue. Jerking my hand away fast, I manage not to swear.

  The dog is small with wiry black fur and what looks like a white goatee. He looks up at us with round dog-eyes, and Oliver dives forward so fast, I don’t have time to catch him. The dog is in his arms, licking his face.

  While they’re bonding, I dig into the small warren and find all sorts of plunder. This little bandit has an old football, a boot, a captain’s hat he probably stole from one of the charters down in Oceanside Beach, not too far from here.

  More importantly, I find the four missing figures from our nativity scene. I don’t know their names as well as my wife, but I recover a donkey, a wise man, a shepherd, and most importantly…

  “Baby Jesus!” Ollie jumps up and down, pumping his fists over his head, and his newfound friend jumps up beside him, letting out a soft huff of a bark.

  “Looks like we’ve saved the Christmas program.”

  “Can we take him with us?” Ollie again drops beside the black mutt, rubbing his head.

  The dog is thin, greasy, and clearly in need of a flea dip, but I’m pretty sure his brown eyes sparkle as he watches the boy. I’m not going to be able to separate them, and mentally, I start working out how I’m going to explain this to Courtney in a way that doesn’t get me in trouble.

  “I guess we have to. Come on.”

  If worse comes to worse, I hope Joselyn likes dogs…

  “I’ve got on my Adios! I can chase the bandit down if it comes to it. Let’s go!” Ms. Alice is in the kitchen at Regina’s massive Tudor estate when I open the back door, waving at Ollie to hold our new addition outside.

  “Adidas, GA!” Scout calls from the living room. “It’s Adidas, not Adios.”

  “Well, that doesn’t make any sense,” the old woman fusses. “Why would you say Adidas when you’re running away? You’d say Adios!”

  “It’s a brand name. It’s not a sign-off.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Joselyn snorts in her glass, but when her eyes meet mine, she must see the worry in them. Her pretty brow furrows, and she closes the space between us.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Courtney is in the living room with Tom and Daisy, and I catch Joselyn by the arm, pulling her closer. “I’ve got some good news, and some potentially problematic news.”

  She frowns harder. “What does that mean?”

  I tilt my head towards the door, and Ollie’s jumping up and down holding the infant doll. “Aunt Sly! We found Baby Jesus! We found him!”

  Joselyn’s frown disappears as her eyebrows shoot up her forehead, and she shouts, “You found him!”

  My brow collapses as everyone runs to where my bride has just darted out the back door to inspect all the booty we recovered.

  “You found Casper!” She’s so loud. “And Tobias! And… whose dog is this?”

  Courtney is outside with her son, who I hear extolling the virtues of his newfound friend, explaining how he’s misunderstood and lonely, and how everyone deserves a second chance.

  Scout trots down the stairs to give our little friend a high-five and scrub the dog’s ears, but Daisy stops inside the kitchen door beside me.

  “You don’t look happy.” Her blue eyes narrow.

  “I don’t know why.” I feign aloofness. “Have you heard the good news?”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “I found Jesus.”

  “Spencer!” She rests a hand on her baby bump. “That’s really terrible.”

  Lifting my chin towards the scene transpiring outside, I grow serious. “He wants that dog so bad. I wonder if Courtney would say yes if I offered to bankroll it.”

  “You’re so sweet to him.” Daisy shoves her hand in the crook of my arm. “I can’t wait to see you with your own little girl or boy.”

  My chest tightens, and I glance at my small friend. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

  “You as a dad? Are you kidding me? Between you and Sly, that child will be so spoiled.”

  “I think you’re high on pregnancy hormones.”

  She squeezes my arm. “Why would you say that? You’ll be such a good daddy.”

  “How could you even know something like that?” My tone is cynical, but she’s undeterred.

  “I have mountains of evidence, starting with how kind you were to me when we worked together. You gave Ms. Nelly that vase you’d been searching for for years—”

  “Which you said I’d get back when she dies.” My eyes slide to the window, where it appears Courtney has agreed to Ollie’s demands. “That woman is going to outlive me.”

  “Stop it.” Daisy touches my cheek, and I look down to meet her pixie eyes. “You’re a good man, Spencer. You will be a wonderful dad.”

  Joselyn’s fiery hair spreads across my chest in the dim light, and I lift a wave, threading it through my fingers as she sleeps. I couldn’t shake my friend’s words, even as my gorgeous vixen rode my lap, even when I buried my face in her luscious tits… God, I love her tits, so full and round.

  A soft little buzz of a snore slips from her nose, and I grin, tracing a finger along her cheek. She saved me from turning into the beast I was becoming. I would do anything to make her happy, but could I do that?

  It’s a long time before I finally drift to sleep, and the alarm sounds too early. We’re in a rush to shower, dress, and head out to the massive Christmas gathering at the church, where all of our friends and family are gathered.

  As expected, Ms. Nelly is at the organ playing the traditional carols and hymns of the season. When we arrive, she’s on “Silent Night,” and as Ollie runs up to grab my hand, her eyes meet mine. Her lined face brightens with a huge smile, and she waves quickly, mouthing Thank you.

  Joselyn lets out a soft coo and rushes over to where Scout’s older brother J.R. stands holding his infant daughter.

  I happen to know my wife spent her teenage years crushing on him, and my jaw clenches. He’s a broody dick Joselyn loves to say is “really a nice guy,” and it makes me want to punch him in the nuts. I happen to know she has a weakness for assholes. Why do you think she’s with me?

  “Blackbeard!” Ollie yells, jerking my hand to draw my attention.

  “What?” I look down at my little friend.

  “We named him Blackbeard after the pirate! Because he’s like a pirate stealing everybody’s stuff, only he’s not a bad pirate. He’s more like a playful bandit. Mamma said he stole her slipper last night, but she wasn’t really mad, it made her laugh and Tom said it’s like a game...”

  Ollie is talking so loud and fast and is so clearly happy it makes me forget wanting to assault Scout’s sibling for existing. “Hey, take a breath, bud.”

  He throws his arms around my waist and hugs me. “I knew we could do it. We know how to take care of people the best because we’ve seen the worst.”

  Something in my chest breaks, and I nod, patting his little back. “We’ve seen the worst.”

  The pastor steps up to the podium, and we’re forced to part as he instructs everyone to take their seats.

  My wife reappears at my side, beaming and squeezing my arm. “Sunny is the cutest little thing. I’d say she looks like her daddy, but she really looks like Hope. She said Sly! Or maybe it was Bye. It’s hard to tell at that age.”

  “We’d better find a seat.” I try leading her away, but she veers us back in the direction of my nemesis.

  “Let’s sit with them. Daisy’s not looking too good today, said she had a rough night.”

  “And Merry Christmas to me!” Ms. Alice greets us loudly from where she stands beside her family’s pew. “What a great way to start the day. Joselyn, you’re a lucky woman, and that nativity scene is beautiful. It’s a true Rambert.”

  My wife’s eyes squint. “Rambert...”

  “The Christmas card. With the glowing baby?” The old lady starts to fuss, but it hits me.

  “Rembrandt.” I pat Joselyn’s back. “It’s a Rembrandt.”

  Alice shivers. “I love the way you say it.”

  “As in, the correct way,” my wife quips.

  Alice is unfazed. “Looks like our Fireside Ladies came through for us again!”

  So much for Ollie and me being heroes, but we don’t have time. The service is beginning, and Daisy grabs my wife’s arm, pulling her into the row.

  “It’s starting,” she hisses, and I’m alarmed by the sheen on her upper lip.

  “Are you okay?”

  She gives me an impatient glare. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  I move into the seat not wanting to taunt her, and the organ launches into “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” We go through several Christmas songs before taking our seats, and the pastor launches into the traditional sermon for the season.

  My mind drifts as my eyes wander over the faces of our party. Oliver is beside his mother listening like a good little soldier. I don’t see Melody anywhere, which is probably for the best. She’d probably yell for the pastor to “go far” and lob her pink football at his crotch.

  Scout’s sister-in-law bounces her bright little infant with whom my wife is so enamored, and I study her unsmiling father beside them. If I remember correctly, J.R. served some time in prison in California. Yet when the little girl reaches for him, he takes her with such gentle ease.

  She places her head on his shoulder, and her fat fingers twist in the back of his hair as she sucks her thumb. She slowly fades to sleep, and my eyes slide to Joselyn beside me. Of course, her eyes are fixed on the scene, and I look down at my hands.

  Daisy believes in me.

  Oliver believes in me.

  Ms. Nelly up at the organ believes in me.

  The pastor is relating the story from the Bible. “Mary couldn’t believe she would be a mother. It was impossible...”

  He continues with the story, but I’m stuck. I’m not a religious man, but I’m a man in love. I’m a man who believed my life was ordered, controlled, and going as I’d planned, until a fiery redhead stormed through my icy walls and burned it all down.