14 Christmas Spirit (10 page)

"Unless your boyfriend can get Browder to flip on his employer.  Arresting him might put an end to it."

"For now," Darcy noted.  "But who's to say he won't hire someone else in the future?  Obviously this guy holds a grudge."

With a smirk, JoEllen set the last plate down with a spin.  "That's because he just lost full custody of his kids.  The ones he tried to hire me to kill.  I think he's mad."

"You sound pretty happy about that."  Darcy put a hand on her hip, watching JoEllen.  "You wouldn't have had anything to do with him losing custody of the kids, would you?"

"Hey," she said, "I'm not just another pretty face, you know."

They ate with the kids at the table, the five of them squeezed in and laughing their way through plates of spaghetti and crispy pretzel rolls.  The house had never seemed so alive.

At one point, dishing out more spaghetti for Connor, Darcy caught just a glimpse of a woman with gray hair standing in the living room.  When she looked again, the woman was gone.

Great Aunt Millie, watching her niece with an approving smile from the afterlife.

Smudge curled his way around Darcy's feet, meowing as he begged for his share of the people food.  Darcy reached down to scratch his ears, then cut off a piece of her meatball and dropped it down to him.  "That's all you get tonight, big boy.  Maybe I'll pour you some milk later if you're good."

With a happy
mrew
Smudge ran off into the house.

"I like your cat," Connor said to her.  "Can we get one someday, mom?"

"Hmm," JoEllen mused.  "Well, I was thinking about a puppy, for when we get a home of our own, but if you really want a cat instead…"

"A dog!" Connor exclaimed.  "All right!"

"Wow, lucky," Lilly said, with a look at Izzy.

"Okay, okay," Izzy said to her daughter.  "I get the hint.  I suppose you're old enough for a pet now.  Christmas is nearly here, after all.  Who knows?"

Connor and Lilly exchanged excited smiles.

When Jon came home the rest of them were just finishing their plates and discussing what they might have for dessert.

"I vote for ice cream," he said, taking off his winter coat, and then his suitcoat too.  Connor eyed his gun with a mixture of fear and fascination.

"Ice cream before dinner?" Darcy teased him.  "I'm not sure I can allow my future husband to develop those kinds of bad habits."

"Hey, give me a break."  He came around the table and held her face in his hands, putting a gentle kiss against her wounded forehead.  "I've had a very hard day investigating a missing person case and…dealing with other things."

He was careful not to look at JoEllen as he said it.

That didn't mean she wasn't aware of what he meant.  "How did that go?" she asked.

Jon stole Darcy's cup and swallowed the last of her cola.  "Well enough.  It took some doing but we have a statement that he was paid to do what he did, and he also gave us the name of the person who paid him."

Izzy braced her elbows on the table and folded her hands together.  "You're being pretty cryptic about this.  I take it if I asked you later you could fill me in?"

"Yes," Jon told her with an appreciative nod.  "Just not now."

"Mom," Connor asked, "what's a crypt tick?"

"It's a bug that keeps secrets," Jon answered without missing a beat.

Then he turned and winked at Darcy.  For some reason, Darcy felt herself blushing.  Maybe it was the image of Jon as a father, having talks like this with children he and Darcy would create together.

"Lots of excitement in this sleepy little town," JoEllen remarked, rocking back in her chair to lift the front legs off the floor.  "I guess I brought you some of it myself but that girl was missing before I came.  I'd just like to point that out."

Missing.  Darcy's mind caught on that word.  Megan was missing.  Everyone knew she was missing.  The police, Blair, Nielson, everyone.

Everyone, except the killer.

Darcy's eyes went wide and she gripped the edge of the table to steady herself.  The little thing that had nagged her.  Back at Nielson's apartment, then again at the station.  Something had been bothering her and now she knew what it was.  Such a small thing. 

No wonder she had missed it.

"Darcy?" Jon said to her.  "Are you all right?"

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully.  If she was right…

She knew who Megan's killer was.

"Chief, I know what this sounds like, but I promise you it's the truth."

"That's good," Joe Daleson said in response to Jon's promise, "because what it sounds like is more Darcy Sweet weirdness."

Darcy tried not to be insulted by what the Chief had just said about her but it wasn't easy.  She knew how people in town viewed her and her abilities.  Even her friends thought she was strange.  Most of them had better manners than to say anything to her face, though.

"I'll thank you to be a little nicer to my fiancé," Jon said in a flat tone.  "Or have you forgotten how many times Darcy has helped our department out in ways none of our officers could?  Or how she saved both me and the mayor from being burned to death in October?"

It lifted her heart to hear Jon stick up for her like that.  Take that, she said to Chief Daleson with her eyes.

He heaved a breath, and blew it out again.  "I'm sorry, Darcy.  Jon's right.  Shouldn't have put it that way.  In my defense, what you two have come to me with has a lot of holes in it.  Basically you're telling me that you know what you know because you know it and that's supposed to be good enough for me."

They sat in the Chief's office, Joe sitting in his high-backed leather chair behind his desk and Darcy and Jon sitting on the other side in chairs that were more functional than comfortable.  The room had always reminded Darcy of those cop shows from the nineteen-fifties.  Heavy wooden desk, wood paneling, metal filing cabinets.  Books stacked along shelves that probably hadn't been taken down or used in years.  There wasn't even a computer in here.  Joe was old school, to say the least.

Last night Darcy had stayed up in bed with Jon talking through what she had figured out.  It had taken some convincing but he finally agreed with her that what she had to say made sense.  There wasn't any proof to be had, was his only argument against it.

We can get the proof, she'd said.

How? Jon had asked.

Which was a very good question.

The plan itself had taken a while to put together.  Longer than it should have, really, because that close together in bed Jon's hands kept touching hers and then she just had to touch his face and then they were kissing while they talked and that led to…other things.

It was a very good talk.

"So you want me," Chief Daleson said, jabbing a finger against his desk to count off each point as he summarized, "first to get a warrant, and then send you with Shane and Blake to Saxton University in Oak Hollow, so you can do a search of the grounds for a grave you can't prove is there."

Jon nodded along with everything the Chief said until the last part.  Then he winced and looked to Darcy for support.  "Well, when you put it that way."

"When I put it that way, it sounds crazy?"

"You're talking about my fiancé again, Chief."

"Jon," Darcy said, putting a hand on his arm next to her, "it's all right.  He's not trying to be rude.  He's just stating a fact."

Jon looked unconvinced.  There was a tension between the two men that Darcy hadn't seen since Jon had been offered a job on the Oak Hollow police force and he'd left Misty Hollow and his job here and…

And her.

She stared at Jon, studying his face.  When he noticed her looking at him that way he scrunched his eyebrows down and she could tell he was wondering what she was thinking.

He wouldn't leave her again, Darcy thought to herself.  Not now.  Not at this point in their relationship.  They had plans.  They were getting married and inviting family to Christmas dinner and he had even agreed to think about inviting his mother and they were in such a good place right now that there was no way he would do that to her again.

Then Jon smiled at her.  It was like he could read her mind.  "Darcy, I'm not going anywhere.  I promise."

When she heard that she felt herself relax.  She hadn't even realized how she had tensed up.  "You promise?"

"I promise.  I'm not going anywhere this time."

"Then what…?"

"I'll explain it all.  Later.  Right now I still think we need to convince Joe here that going up to Saxton University is the right move."

"I know Saxton University," Joe said.  "Got a good Criminal Justice program up there.  Some of our own guys graduated from that program.  I have contacts up there, too, and I can call in the right favors to make this happen.  You still haven't convinced me that I should."

"Chief," Jon said, "you're just going to have to trust us."

Then he sat, waiting on the Chief to decide.  All their cards were on the table.  Every argument had been made.  It was up to Joe now.

"All right, all right," he finally said after another heavy sigh.  "Can't believe I'm going to do this.  Jon, if you think this is the way to go, then I'll back your play."

Jon nodded.  "I do.  Thanks, Chief."

"Don't thank me.  Watching the two of you is like drinking pure sugar water.  If you were any sweeter together my teeth would be rotting out of my head.  Just go set things up on your end and I'll deal with getting the warrant from the judge."

Darcy hid a smile at the Chief's reference to how sweet Jon and her were together.  She knew it was true.

Joe tapped his finger once more against his desk and then reached over for the phone.  "Don't you two have something to do?" he asked.

"Yes, we do."  Jon stood up, waiting for Darcy to follow.  "We have to call Megan's father and convince him to meet us at Saxton University."

***

"You know," Darcy said as they entered Oak Hollow's city limits, "we haven't finished our talk about inviting your mother to Christmas dinner."

"Really?" Jon asked innocently.  "I was pretty sure we had."

"Uh, no.  Nice try."

Oak Hollow was small, for a city, but it had the population and the infrastructure to thrive and grow in ways that other places nearby didn't.  Highrises and strip malls and traffic lights spread out around them as Jon took his turns without hesitation.  He hadn't worked here in Oak Hollow for long before returning to his job in Misty Hollow, but apparently it had been long enough for him to memorize the layout of the streets.

"We almost died yesterday," Darcy said to him, hoping to press the issue of inviting his mother.

He nodded.  "We did.  That's true.  Not the first time."

"Well, no, but that kind of makes my point.  You should take the time to rebuild your relationship with your mother now, before something worse happens."

His expression said it all.  "You think something worse could happen?  More than what we've already been through, you and me?"

"Um.  Well, I hope not, but…you know."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"All right, so why don't we use the time we have—"

"Okay."

She lost her head of steam in one short breath.  "What?"

"I said, okay.  Darcy, I know you're right.  It's just…hard for me.  You remember how hard it was for you to reconnect with your mom?"

"That was a little different."

He signaled for a turn, pursing his lips.  "Fair enough.  I'll admit most of the stuff between mom and me is on my end.  She's always tried to be there for me, in her own way.  There's just a big gap between us now and I'm not sure how to get across it."

Darcy laid her hand on his knee.  In that moment he seemed so vulnerable.  He was always this strong, silent man, always so confident, always so sure.  It was in moments like these that Darcy felt she was seeing the real him.  The side that he never showed anyone but her.

"I love you," she told him.

"Then you can make the phonecall to mom."

"Deal."

Jon slowed down, checking his mirror to make sure Shane and Blake were following his movements in their black and white patrol car.

"We're sure the Oak Hollow PD was all right with us bringing our own people?" Darcy asked.

"I still have friends here.  They're sending Sergeant Vasquez with a few men to meet us up there.  You probably remember him."

Darcy nodded, taking her hands back and sliding them deep into the pockets of her winter coat.  She was shivering again, and again it had little to do with the cold.  Her sixth sense was trying to tell her something.

Darcy didn't need the gentle urgings of her extra sense to know this was going to be dangerous.  They had invited a killer to join them up here in their search for Megan Bortchowski.  There was no telling how he'd react.

The campus of Saxton University was surrounded with a wrought iron fence that had the college's huge seal with the capital "S" on it displayed proudly by the entrance.  Three long brick buildings were arranged in the shape of a horseshoe, the open end facing toward the gate.  Jon pulled his car through and Blake drove the patrol car in right behind.  Two of Oak Hollow's cars were already there, waiting for them.

Pulling up next to the lead car, Jon rolled down his window and waited for the other driver to do the same.  "Hi there, Carlos," he called across to Sergeant Vasquez.  "Thanks for meeting us."

"Not a problem, Jon."  Carlos tipped his head in greeting to Darcy.  It had been a long time since she'd seen him, but if anything he looked like he had gained a few inches around his biceps and chest.  His dark complexion and black hair marked his Hispanic heritage and his smile marked him as a friend.  "Always happy to help.  Just wish you'd stayed with our department instead of going back to Misty Hollow.  I hear you're making quite the name for yourself over there."

"Well, what can I say?" Jon answered.  "Some things are worth going home for."

His hand found hers, and squeezed gently.

"Couldn't agree more.  The construction project you asked about is at the far side of the quad," Carlos told them.  "You really think your girl is up there?"

"It makes the most sense," Jon was quick to point out.  "With the ground this cold, digging a grave would be too much work.  Anyway, it's a good place to start."

"Okay, sure," Carlos admitted, "it's easy to dump a body down a hole that's already there.  But why here?  What made you think to look for her here?"

Jon turned to Darcy, then back to Carlos.  "That part's hard to explain.  Buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell you all about it."

"You got a deal, man.  We have a lot of catching up to do.  All right.  Follow me.  Uh, be careful what you say, too.  News is already here."

Jon nodded curtly, lips curling in a frown.  He knew that part.  His least favorite television reporter had showed up early.  Darcy had argued that having every step they made up here recorded for posterity could only help them in the end.  The best way to do that was to bring the news in on the whole thing.

Besides.  They had promised Brianna Watson to let her know when they had something worth reporting.

They drove slowly around the campus on a paved access road, college students in winter outfits watching them curiously.  Jon waved to a few that stared too long.  Darcy rolled her eyes.

At the back of the campus, off in a field across the road from the main buildings, a large area had been cleared away and dug down with the help of heavy excavating equipment.  The large yellow trucks sat idle now that police tape had been strung from short wooden poles around the site.  One of the Oak Hollow cars was already out here, an officer in dark long sleeves and a bulletproof vest talking with a woman in a long trench coat.  A little guy holding a shoulder mounted camera and wearing a baseball cap backwards on his head stood next to them, filming every word.  The officer shook his head several times as the female reporter pointed to the site behind the police barrier tape.

"Do you really think it's going to be this easy?" Darcy asked, not for the first time.

"You know Megan is up here," Jon said, "and I trust your instincts.  Like I told Carlos this spot makes the most sense.  The phonecalls we made from Daleson's office confirmed it as far as I'm concerned.  They poured a partial foundation in that hole last Friday.  If Megan's body was already down there, covered with a thin layer of dirt maybe, then the people pouring the concrete wouldn't even notice."

Darcy's stomach turned.  She'd seen people killed in a variety of ways, seen people trying to cover up their crimes in shallow graves and worse, but somehow the thought of Megan's body being buried under concrete was unsettling.

She definitely understood now why Megan's spirit was so restless.  Darcy would be upset, too, if she got buried in a hole under concrete.  Forgotten.  Lost.

Find me,
Megan's spirit had demanded.  Darcy hoped that was exactly what they had done.

For just a moment her mind turned to thoughts of what might happen to her own spirit when she died.  Would she haunt the people she loved?  Would she be a vengeful spirit looking for justice?  Or maybe she would just hang around to keep an eye on things like Great Aunt Millie's ghost seemed happy to do.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have to find out for years to come.  That was a lot more time than Megan had been given.

They got out, joining Shane and Blake over by Vasquez and his officers.  Jon nodded to the reporters.  "Brianna Watson," he said, "television reporter extraordinaire.  Thanks for coming."