Case #9 - The Holiday Incursions CHAPTER ONE Lying on her double-sized bed, crossed-legged, Katie Spencer looked a bit annoyed on her cell phone as she listened. "Lighten up, Katie, she doesn't sound so bad," the voice of Stacey Campbell on the other end spoke reassured. "Easy for you to say. You don't have a cousin who practically worships the ground you walk on. Don't get me wrong, she is really sweet and well-mannered, but she can be annoying at times, particularly when it comes to the mysteries I work on. She actually believes she's a detective herself." Her father's brother and his family from Florida were staying over for the holiday season. "Sounds like to me that you're just jealous of having a little competition. Face it; you enjoy all the attention you get from solving your cases." Katie bit her lip at hearing that remark. "Okay, point taken. But if it was some other girl like me being Nancy Drew, I could handle that ... really. It's totally different when it's your own flesh and blood. And besides I don't want to see her get hurt or worse especially with what's going on around town now." "So have you learned anything new from the break-ins so far?"Stacey asked in reference to a string of home-invasions that had plagued the community over the past two weeks. A large man dressed in a Santa suit with a quartet of elves as his posse, have forced their way into homes and robbing the occupants while they sat there helplessly bound and gagged. Fortunately no one has been hurt in the raids, but Katie knew that if they continue to persist it was only a matter of time before something dire happens. "Not really. Things have been different over at the police station since Sgt. Ferguson retired; I really need to get a new contact over there. And what's worse they assigned MacGruder to head the investigation. Getting anything out of him is about as easy as me running for Mayor." "Look at it this way, if you were Mayor, you could fire his sorry ass." Katie chuckled lightly at hearing that, but she couldn't possibly think about running for office, too much butt-kissing involved. Just then, the sound of the doorbell rang from downstairs. "Uh oh, looks like the relatives have arrived," Katie announced sardonically as she got up off her bed. "We're still on for the mall tonight, right?" Stacey asked for she still needed to finish her shopping with only two days before Christmas left. She was always a last-minute shopper. "Sure, I'll be at your place by six." "Katie, come on downstairs!" the voice of her father bellowed in the distance. After saying good-bye, Katie hung up her phone and quickly dashed out of her room. Landing in the foyer, Katie was suddenly greeted with a great big hug from her Uncle Bruce. "So, how's my favorite niece doing, still getting into trouble with your mysteries?" "Not lately," she replied as her feet dangled from the wet, tiled floor. "Bruce, let the poor girl down before you suffocate her," the voice of her Aunt Susan spoke at once, and went over to her to offer a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. "Katie!" a high-pitched voice screamed out as small arms wrapped around her waist. She looked down to see her sixteen-year-old cousin, Lila Spencer, giving her a really big smile, "You like?" Katie's eyes squinted a little as the light from overhead reflected off of Lila's full braces on her teeth. "She just got them in, so she likes to show them off to everyone," Susan said as she handed her brown wool coat over to Karen. Katie looked around the small room. "Where's Julie and David?" she asked in reference to Lila's two older siblings. Julie was a freshman enrolled at Windsor University in Northern California, and David, a junior in high school, felt that he was now too old to travel around with the family. "They both decided to spend the holidays with the families of their current significant others. Personally, I didn't mind it at all for traveling with just Lila was so much easier for a change," Susan replied. "Even still, it's great to have you all over here for the week," Charles said warmly. "Come on, I have some nice hot chocolate ready to take the chill out." Everyone then headed to the kitchen with Katie and Lila trailing them. "I heard about the robberies that's been happening here on the Internet. Looks like I came to visit at the right time," Lila spoke quietly to her cousin. Katie sighed in exasperation as she felt that this was going to be a long week ... CHAPTER TWO Katie sat sullenly during the trip to the Colonial Mall as Lila chatted away with Stacey in the back seat. It was bad enough that she had to share her room with her younger cousin for the week, but it was worse when Lila wanted to join her and Stacey to the mall, a request that everyone in the family readily agreed with. Stacey didn't seem to mind it though as she took an instant liking to Lila for they shared a lot of the same interests. Lynda Campbell noticed Katie's dour expression as she drove them to the mall. She decided to keep her comments to herself for she sympathized with her, understanding the age that Katie was going through. At least Stacey was keeping the talkative girl company. She could hear her daughter giving the budding teenager some fashion advice, which may or may not be a good thing depending on the girl's parents. Pulling up to the mall entrance, the entourage of girls exited the Nissan Pathfinder. "I'll be back here in two hours, no later," Lynda called out to her daughter. "We'll be here, thanks mom," Stacey replied back as she hustled into the mall to get away from the bitter cold outside. The trio of girls elbowed their way through the crowd of last-minute shoppers. "You just had to come here now, didn't you?" Katie complained to her best friend for she had her shopping done three weeks ago. "Katie, the best sales are always right before Christmas," Stacey said defensively, and pulled out her list of gifts to buy from her purse. "Let's see ... I've got mom done, Jim (her older brother who was away at college) is also done, your gift I already bought last week," she said in reference to Katie, "which by the way you're gonna love what I got you this year, or maybe Jake will," she said with a playful wink to her best friend. Katie grumbled softly and dreaded at the thought of what sexy apparel she was going to have to open. "Are you gonna be dressed like one of those Victoria Secrets models?" Lila asked in mention of Katie's mystery gift. Katie turned and gave her cousin a quick look to zip it. Lila responded back with her lips puckered making kissing sounds. Clenching her fists, Katie quietly counted to ten to calm her herself from walloping her cousin right in the middle of the packed mall. Stacey suddenly stopped and walked into the Head Over Heelz shoe store, which posted a huge 40% off sale sign. "Stace, we're here for you to shop for others, stop thinking about yourself!" Katie growled as she followed them into the small store. Lila trailed Stacey around wide-eyed like some young intern at a fashion show. Spotting a leopard skin pump with a black four-inch stiletto heel, Stacey clutched it from the shelf and admired the craftsmanship. "Oooo ... " Lila said mesmerized by the sexy shoe, "can I try it on?" she asked hopefully knowing that her parents would not in a million years let her even try on a shoe that alluring. "Sure, why not. I started wearing these kinds of shoes when I was your age," Stacey replied happily. "Oh no, you don't," Katie spoke up, grabbing the pump from Stacey's hand and placing it back on the shelf. "You're not letting my cousin become a clone of you." "Hey, no fair ... " Lila complained. "You're way too young to wear shoes like that, believe me," she said firmly to her pouting cousin, then directed her attention to Stacey. "Come on, let's get your shopping over so we can leave this mob scene." Over an hour later with Stacey's list almost complete, the girls headed for the main rotunda, which was colorfully decorated as Santa's village. A line of children stood anxiously while they waited to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Lila stopped and looked carefully at the bearded man seated in the large chair while a young girl sat on his lap. Katie noticed Lila's interest and stopped as well. "What is it?" she asked. "That man dressed as Santa," she said pointing, "I wonder if he could possibly be the guy that's been breaking into people's homes." "Lila, any wacko in this city can just put on a Santa suit, it's almost like finding a needle in a haystack." "But he has four elves with him, which is just what the witnesses said he had," the young girl reasoned. "You know, she does have a point there," Stacey spoke up. "Uh, not helping here," Katie responded sharply back at her friend. "Lila look, I know you're trying to help, but we don't have the slightest bit of evidence to even suggest that he might be the home invader." "Well there's one way to find out," she said and ran towards the village. "Lila, wait!" Katie shouted as she followed her, but was stopped temporarily by a large group of shoppers walking in front of her. Lila cut right in front of the line just as the little girl hopped off Santa's lap. The screams of children behind her cried out at her rude action. Santa turned and was taken aback by the cute red-headed girl standing before him. "My, you seem a bit older than the children that come to see me," he said carefully while trying to sound jolly. Lila gave him a stern look in her crystal blue eyes as she spoke quietly, "I know you're the one that's been breaking into those homes and terrorizing the residents." Santa looked aghast at hearing that. "I-I don't know what you're talking about ... " Just then, Katie approached them and grabbed Lila by the arm. "I'm very sorry about this," she apologized to the red-suited man, and quickly escorted her cousin off the raised platform. Once they were far enough from the village, Katie stopped and looked at Lila harshly, "Just what was that all about?" "I wanted to see how he would react if I accused him of robbing those homes, and he looked really startled when he heard that." "Of course he looked startled!" Katie said all flustered while trying to maintain her composure. "Lila, you just can't go around and start accusing people unless you have something to back it up." Lila bent her head down as she was hurt from being scolded by her idol. Of all people, she thought that Katie would understand. "Come on, let's go before anymore damage happens from this," Katie said. A small boy was chatting away with Santa about wanting to get a new bike, but he was momentarily distracted as he watched very carefully the trio of teenage girls walk off in the distance ... CHAPTER THREE After the mall was closed for the night, Santa and his four elves climbed into their white Chevy van parked near the loading docks. The man dressed in red had a troubling look in his eyes as he removed the phony white beard from his face. "How could've that girl known about our operation?!" he spoke irately to his four diminutive cohorts. "I don't even recognize her as one of the victims we tied up during the robberies!" "That's because she wasn't present when we robbed those homes," one of the elves spoke up. "I think this girl was just blowing smoke at us. Think about it, if she knew absolutely for certain that we were the perpetrators, why didn't she have the police with her to arrest us?" Santa nodded evenly at his remark and began to calm down. "But why would she say such a thing?" "Maybe to make us nervous, see if we would do something that would expose us," one of the other elves suggested. The others nodded in agreement at hearing that. "I still don't like the idea of having this girl running around loose when we are so close to the big prize tomorrow night," Santa said. "What do you suggest, that we grab her off the street and hold her until we blow town?" the third elf asked. "Yes," he responded plainly, "I'll feel so much better if she's in our custody." "But how are we going to find her?" the second elf asked. The fourth elf then stood up. "I recognized the other girl that escorted her away as Katie Spencer, the Junior Detective." There were slight audible gasps in the cramped space of the van as they all no doubt heard of her reputation. "What are you guys all worried about, she's just a snot-nosed teenaged girl that's gotten lucky, that's all," he answered back. "Lucky? She's put more criminal behind bars than the police force has!" the first elf retorted. Santa was scratching his unshaved chin as he was pondering something. "If this nosy little girl is with Katie Spencer, who knows what she had told her about us. I think we should add another guest to the list of hostages just as an added insurance ... " CHAPTER FOUR Katie looked out the window of Jake's black Pontiac Grand Am and marveled at the snow falling from the gray skies overhead. The last time she could recall it snowing on Christmas Eve was when she was a little girl and her mother was still alive. The forecast called for a total accumulation of six to eight inches by morning, so the Mayor was asking if possible that all cars could be off the roads for the night so that the plows can clean them up as quickly as possible. Today was also the day that her father gets the family Christmas tree by cutting it down over at Rogers Field. When he was young, his father took him and his older brother (Bruce) to get the family tree each year. Since Charles has no sons, Katie had always accompanied him there since she was old enough. However, this year since her Uncle had come to visit, Katie thought it would be best if she skipped out just this once and let the two brothers reminiscence on old times while finding just the right tree. Besides, she felt that she would be a third wheel anyway, especially since Jake had called her that morning and asked her to help him with some very last-minute shopping that require a female's input. Returning back home from what she hoped would be the last time she steps foot into another store, Katie couldn't help but feel bad the way she yelled at Lila yesterday. She had to admit that when she was Lila's age, she probably would've done exactly the same thing. Being older now and having a better perspective on things, Katie imagined for the first time what it was like to be an adult. Once she gets home she intends to apologize to Lila and let her go on being a kid. Arriving at her residence, Jake stopped the car in front of the house. "Thanks again for coming to my rescue with my shopping, as you can guess I'm not very good at it." "I already noticed, which is why your sister approves of me," she replied smiling at him. Jake's older sister, Laura, was the only family he had left after their parents abandoned them years ago. "So, I'll see you here again at six for dinner, right?" "Yes, and please let Laura know that she's still welcome to come for there's always an extra seat," Katie offered for the annual Christmas Eve dinner at the Spencer house. An informal gathering of family and friends where the newly-cut tree is mounted and decorated. "I will, but she still doesn't feel comfortable around people she doesn't know," Jake spoke of his sister's shy personality. Katie leaned over to him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, then exited the vehicle. Jake waited until she reached the front door, then beeped to her and drove off once she was inside. Stomping the snow off of her brown knee-high boots, Katie heard a strange noise coming from the living room. Turning her head, she opened her mouth and gasped at the sight of Karen and Aunt Susan sitting on the sofa ... bound and gagged! Rushing to their aid, Katie suddenly tripped on the near-invisible fishing line strung low across the floor. In an instant, four small forms suddenly piled on top of her, keeping her down on the carpeted floor. One pair of hands forced her arms behind her back while another pair wrapped a plastic tie around her wrists, securing it in place. At the same time a third pair of hands also wrapped another plastic tie around her booted ankles. Katie opened her mouth to let out a scream when suddenly she felt a large wad of cloth being forced inside it, muffling her cries for help. She looked up and saw a small person dressed as some kind of dark elf standing over her with a strip of white cloth in his little hands. He smiled cruelly at her as he placed the cloth between her lips, tying the ends of it tightly in back of her head. Once they were done, the four wicked elves moved away from her and watched as Katie tugged powerlessly at her bound extremities. She mumbled wordlessly through her cloth-filled mouth to her Step-mom and Aunt, who in turn exchanged their own muffled words back at her. Fighting back tears that were welling up in her green eyes, Katie looked back at her captors, and behind them she noticed a figure emerge from inside the foyer. A large, plump man dressed in a red suit with a long, curly white beard, holding a frightened girl in his meaty arm ... Lila! The young red-headed girl whimpered meekly over her own cloth-filled mouth while tears gushed from her terrified blue eyes. Santa dropped the preteen girl next to Katie, and the two cousins exchanged scared, bewildered looks. Then an instant later, the elves stuffed each of them into their own large red, toy sack. Once they were fully in, two elves grabbed each bag and began dragging them out of the living room. Katie fought with every ounce of strength she had, but the diminutive henchmen kept a firm grip. "Nooooo ... !!" Susan cried out through her tight gag at the sight of Lila and Katie being taken away. The two women continued to struggle furiously as each of them had their bound ankles fixed to a leg of the sofa by another plastic tie, thus preventing them from interfering with the villain's swift escape. Santa looked at the two helpless and sobbing women with a gleam in his eye, and bellowed out, "Ho ... Ho ... Ho ... Merry Christmas!" And with that he promptly exited the room and followed his entourage towards the back door of the house, leaving two women on the verge of hysterics ... CHAPTER FIVE Parking the Pathfinder in the Spencer driveway, Lynda stepped out in the almost two-inches of falling snow. After hearing the evening weather report, she was glad that the drive home tonight was only three miles away. Stacey also stepped out in her brand new red knee-high boots. Even though the attire for Christmas Eve dinner was casual, Stacey always liked to go the extra mile in her appearance when it came to social gatherings. The stunning brunette was dressed in a red turtleneck knit sweater with a decorative holiday-themed vest over it, green A-line skirt resting just below the kneecaps with white tights underneath, and the aforementioned boots with a tapered three-inch heel. Fastened to the ankles of her boots were little jingle bells that made the trademark ringing sound when she walked. "Do you intend to wear those bells all evening?" her mother asked, getting a little annoyed at hearing them already. "I thought it would put everyone in the Christmas spirit," Stacey replied, giving her foot a little shake. Lynda wanted to say a sarcastic remark to her vivacious daughter, but thought better not to""don't want to add anymore fuel to the fire. Of course for a mother of two and a fashion designer in her own right, Lynda Campbell was no slouch when it came to style. She wore a simple yet chic black blazer and matching pants with a fiery red silk blouse underneath, her feet clad in black Gucci ankle boots with a conservative two-inch heel. Her long brown hair done up in a stylish braided bun (courtesy of her daughter), while Stacey let her tresses hang down past her shoulder blades, and sported a red & gold trim ribbon on top of her head. Opening the rear door, Lynda grabbed the sealed Tupperware container of her famous cherry cheesecake, while Stacey grabbed the large bag full of wrapped gifts to give out after dinner. "I guess we're the first ones here," Stacey commented as she noticed no other cars parked around. Stopping at the front door, Lynda rang the doorbell. No one came. A minute later she rang it again, and still no one answered the door. "Are they not home?" Stacey asked, figuring if an emergency had occurred, they would've been notified of it. "That's strange ... " Lynda mumbled and decided to test the door. To her relief it was open and the two females stepped inside to escape the plummeting cold temperatures. Stacey walked in first and dropped the bag of presents at the sight of Karen and Katie's aunt all trussed up in the living room. Mother and daughter quickly rushed to their aid. "What happened?" Lynda asked immediately after extracting Karen's soaked gag from her trembling lips. "They took ... both of them!" she yelled out between sobs. "Who?" Stacey asked in bewilderment as she tended to Susan. "Lila and Katie," Susan stammered after her gag was removed. Lynda went to free Karen's wrists when she noticed the plastic tie securing them. "Stacey, go get a knife to cut these bindings loose." Stacey hurried out to the kitchen. "When were they taken?" Lynda asked in a frightened tone. "About an hour ago," Karen answered as she began to calm herself somewhat. "There was this man dressed in a Santa Clause suit asking for donations. So I let him in and before we knew it his four elves had us tied up!" Lynda held the trembling Karen and tried to soothe her. "Why would they take Lila and Katie, they're just kids!" Susan cried out in anguish. Returning to the living room with a knife, Stacey heard everything that Karen had said, and it frightened her. Remembering the events at the mall yesterday, Stacey realized that the Santa that abducted her best friend, and her cousin, had to be the same one that Lila confronted. My God, she was right picking him ... she thought fearfully. After the two women were free of their bonds, Karen grabbed the phone and called the police. Still in utter disbelief, Stacey walked slowly out of the living room and into the dining room, which was done up beautifully for a holiday feast. Except there will be no banquet tonight now. She sat down on one of the cushioned chairs, her hands shaking. After her mind cleared from the initial shock, her brown eyes lit up, and she grabbed her cell phone from her small red purse. Going through the list of programmed numbers she stored, she punched up Jake's and let it ring ... CHAPTER SIX Lying inside the thick wool bag made Katie sweat profusely. The slow rocking motion and feeling of movement indicated to her that she was stashed inside a motor vehicle, most likely a van. But to where they were taking them and what was to be done with them was what concerned her the most. She could hear Lila's muted sobs next to her as she was no doubt terrified. As much as Katie has been in this predicament, it still was no easier to deal with it, but poor Lila had never gone through this before, and that made Katie more afraid of what they would do to her. The plastic ties binding her wrists were hurting her as she could feel the flexible material cutting into her flesh. As uncomfortable as she was being bound and gagged, Katie wished that she was at least out of that suffocating bag. But every time she tried to slither out, those pesky elves kept sealing her in. Soon after she felt the vehicle come to a halt, and then the bag was removed from her. Katie's damp skin was instantly cooled by the chilliness of the surrounding air. She saw that Lila too was free of her bag; the two scared cousins gave each other a quick look to see that they were alright. Santa climbed in from the front of the van and knelt down in front of his two captives. Katie instantly recognized him from the mall by his piercing brown eyes. "I still don't know how you recognized me, but it doesn't matter anymore now, does it?" he directed his attention toward the frightened Lila. "I'm sure you're wondering what's to become of you, and rest assured that you will not be harmed in anyway so long as you both cooperate during your stay with us." Lila glanced over to Katie with a look of hope in her tear-streaked blue eyes. "We still have one more job to do tonight, a big one, and we wanted to ensure that it will go smoothly without a hitch, and that's where you two come in." Katie studied him very carefully as he spoke, seeing if there was something in his eyes that he was hiding from them. Santa continued with his monologue, "After we're done and split town, I'll contact the police anonymously letting them know where to find you, and you'll be home in time to open your presents in the morning." After that he got up and proceeded back to the driver's seat. Katie sat there perfectly still and came to the dreadful realization that he was lying to them all along, for he had no intention of just releasing them for they both could identify him as the Santa that was employed at the mall. Surely there would be some kind of record of him working there that the authorities could use to eventually track him down. Their only hope of getting out of this ordeal alive was for them to escape, but the plastic ties that bound them made getting free that more difficult, not to mention the round-the-clock surveillance of the four mini stooges with them. Katie scooted over to Lila, who was crying again in spite of the story she just heard, and tried to soothe her, letting her know that they were going to be alright. CHAPTER SEVEN Stacey waited anxiously in the foyer looking out for Jake. The police had already arrived about fifteen minutes ago, headed by Detective MacGruder. They were all in the dining room talking, while a pair from the crime lab was busy dusting the living room for prints. Her pointy heels were making a staccato against the tiled floor as she nervously paced around. She wished that Mike was here, but he was away with his family over in Syracuse visiting relatives for the holidays, but he did say that they would spend New Year's together. Her thoughts returned back to Karen and Aunt Susan as she heard them give tearful statements to the officers. Katie's father and uncle have not been notified of the horrifying events that occurred for the field they were at cutting the tree was too remote to get a cell phone signal, so the police sent a squad car over there to retrieve them. Through the oval-shaped window in the front door, Stacey saw a black car come to a stop and a figure rushing towards her way. Opening the door, Jake Perry dashed inside with an alarmed look on his usually stoic face. Stacey in turn gave him a worried look that told him things were still not alright. Heading into the dining room, he went straight to Karen, who rose up from her seat to give Jake a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're here," she spoke quietly in his ear. "What happened exactly?" he asked as Stacey only gave him a brief explanation over the phone. "I'm sorry, but we're still not finished here," MacGruder said bluntly, "You need to wait out until we're done." Jake looked at the detective sharply, but Stacey quickly went to him and took his arm gently, escorting him out. "Man, if that jerk wasn't a cop, I'd ... " Jake seethed. Once they were far enough from hearing distance, Stacey spoke quietly, "Listen to me Jake; I think I know who may have kidnapped them." He turned to her with a stunned look. "You do ... who? Do the police know?" "No they don't. As I said I'm not really sure, so I thought we check it out first since they're too busy questioning the witnesses." "Well what are we standing around here, let's go," he said heading for the door. "Hold on first," Stacey said, heading back to the dining room. "Uh mom, Jake and I are going out for a little bit. We really need to take some quiet time to think, okay?" "I'd rather have you stay here, but under the circumstances, I guess it's alright. Just please don't be out too late, the snow is really starting to come down now," Lynda responded warily. "I won't, promise," she replied, grabbing her white wool overcoat and putting it on. Jake opened the front door and the two of them walked to his car. Stacey stepped carefully in the snow with her high-heeled boots for she wasn't planning on doing any serious snow walking in them tonight. Climbing into his car, Jake asked, "Okay so now where are we supposed to go?" Checking the time on her watch, which read 5:23 PM, Stacey replied, "The mall, it's still open until six." Looking a bit confused by her answer, Jake started up the car. "To the mall it is ... " Arriving there as fast as he could drive safely in the snow, they both headed inside the almost emptied mall. Stacey led him to the rotunda where Santa's village was shut down. A couple of mall employees were removing some decorations as Jake and Stacey approached them. "Excuse me," Stacey spoke up. They both turned to see the two teens standing before them. "Can I help you?" one of them replied. "Yes," Stacey answered, "The man that worked here as Santa Clause, do you know who he was?" "Yeah, someone by the name of Kevin Sanders," the other worker said. "Do you know where we can find him, it's really important," Jake asked. "I'm sorry, but no. I only know his name." Looking frustrated, Jake and Stacey thanked the workers for their help and headed for the exit as the mall was preparing to close for the holiday. Stepping back into the car, Jake was angry. "Well that was a lot of help. So what do we do now?" Stacey was quietly thinking as to what Katie would do in this situation. "We do have a name, I'm sure we can find an address." Then an idea hit her. "Take me to my house; I think I may know how to get it!" Jake started up the car again and proceeded carefully through the wintry weather. CHAPTER EIGHT Sitting inside the cold van made Katie's fingers all numb; she tried rubbing her hands to keep them warm, but that only made the plastic tie dig deeper in her skin, irritating it more. They were no longer moving as she guessed that their captors were now waiting until later in the evening to strike another poor unsuspecting home of their valuables. Lila finally calmed down as she rested her head on Katie's shoulder, trying her hardest to act brave like her older cousin was attempting. What was particularly fortunate was that only two of the elves were currently inside with them; busy playing cards in the front seat. The others went to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts to get some coffee and snacks. The small occupancy of villains present gave Katie the determination to try and make an escape before the others return. She had been unsuccessful in getting her ankles freed of the plastic tie wrapped tightly around them, but Lila's smaller ankles offered some slack as her plastic tie was already tighten to its smallest setting. Katie reached out with her hands to Lila's laces on her Skechers shoes and was untying them as Lila kept a careful watch on their two oblivious guards. After one shoe was untied, Katie worked feverishly on the other. Once she was finished Lila managed to squeeze her tiny feet out of her shoes and then the plastic tie, thus freeing her feet of her bonds! Sitting near the rear of the van, Katie slowly moved herself to the door handle and carefully opened it slightly. She made a gesture to Lila to make a break for it while the opportunity still existed, but she shook her 'no' for she didn't want to leave Katie behind no matter what. Rolling her eyes and losing patience with her stubborn cousin, Katie opened the door all the way and pushed Lila out of the van with her legs. She managed to land on her feet in the now four-inches of snow on the ground. The elves did notice that and rushed out towards the back to get her. Katie tried her best to stop them both to give Lila a good head start, but the elves managed to break through the bound girl and race after the other. Leaving her all alone and the door opened, Katie hopped out of the van and tried landing on her feet, but slipped and fell in the snow on her stomach. Trying desperately to get back up, she noticed the others returning and tried to slither away. The other two elves could see Katie attempting to escape and ran over to her. She was no match for them as she was easily dragged back to the van and was picked up by Santa, throwing her inside. "Where's the other one!" Santa yelled as his two cronies shrugged in confusion. Looking at the snow-covered ground, he saw tracks leading away. "Stay with her, I'll be right back," he instructed and took off in the direction of the multiple sets of footprints. Running in the freezing snow with just her socks on made her feet ache in numbing cold, but Lila kept pushing on for she needed to get help to save Katie. Through the howling wind around her, Lila thought she heard singing close by, and sure enough a group of carolers were performing just up ahead. She quickly turned her head around and saw that her two pursuers were closing in on her despite the short legs they ran on. "MMMMMMMMMMMPHHHH!!!" Lila screamed out as loud as her gag allowed to the group of singers, but their backs were facing her, and the volume of their song prevented them from hearing her urgent, muffled cries. Not feeling her feet anymore, Lila stumbled face first in the snow as she couldn't move her legs due to frostbite slowly setting in. She heard another noise nearby and noticed a group of four kids throwing snowballs at each other. Facing them, Lila cried out to them and one of the kids, a girl, heard her. At that moment, the two elves reached her and began dragging her away. Lila tried to fight them off, but she had no more strength left in her as the elements had now taken its toll on her. Suddenly, a snowball struck one of the elves in the arm. He looked in the direction of it and saw some kids hurling a barrage of snowballs at the both of them. They continued dragging their prey, but the assault was becoming too much as a snowball struck one of them right in the eye, causing him to fall flat on his back. The other spotted one of the kids running to the group of adults singing and interrupted them. Seeing the number of adults amounting to almost twenty he yelled, "The hell with this!" and released Lila's ankle, making a mad dash back to the van. The one that was hit in the eye attempted to get back up, but was tackled back down by the three other kids. Some of the adults came over right away and subdued the midget themselves while a group of others chased after the other one. A woman knelt down beside the exhausted Lila in shock at seeing her tied up and gagged. "Oh my ... " she stammered and removed the cloth from Lila's now-frozen lips. Her hands were then freed and was being carried away to safety while another adult made a call on his cell phone to the police for an ambulance. The remaining elf that ran saw his boss approaching him through the windswept snow. "We got to get out of here, there are people following me, lots of them!" he yelled out. Scooping him up in his arms, Santa ran back to the van and jumped inside through the open back door. "Go, go!" he yelled to the elf sitting in the driver's seat. The van's tires skidded on the snow as he pressed down on the accelerator with blocks attached to his small feet. The vehicle lurched forward and began speeding away. Katie could see people in the distance running towards them as the rear door was closed shut. "Slow down now, we don't want to get stuck in the snow," he said to the driver. Looking back at Katie, he reached up with his arm and backslapped her hard across her cheek with his gloved hand. "You just had to go and do something stupid, didn't you? Now you're gonna be our hostage until such time we figure out how and when to dispose of you." She looked up back at him with a glare in her eye despite the tear than down from it. As frightened as she was by this new threat given to her, Katie was very happy that her cousin was now safe from these cruel monsters who wickedly disguise themselves as icons that children everywhere adore. CHAPTER NINE Turning on her mother's computer in her makeshift office, Stacey remembered a little trick that Katie had told her on finding someone's address. Going to the white pages online, Stacey typed in "Kevin Sanders" and searched the name throughout the entire region. The results showed two listings. One address was listed in Troy, a bit of a distance away for someone working at the mall, the other was right here in town. Jake studied the street name on the local address. "That place is in a rough section of town," he said cautiously. "I think I should take you back to your mom and check this out myself." "No, I'm going with you," Stacey spoke up. "Katie's my best friend, and I want to find her just as much as you do." Jake looked at Stacey's determined face and realized that like Katie, she can be just as stubborn, but can still handle herself quite well. "Okay, but you follow my lead." "Sure, whatever you say," she happily replied. * * * Back at the Spencer residence, everyone inside was a bundle of nerves waiting around for some kind, any kind of news regarding Katie and Lila. Charles and Bruce went out again to try and find them after returning home on their own from getting the Christmas tree. Karen and Susan remained close to the phone should it be the police, hopefully with some good news. Lynda walked into the family room with a tray of hot coffee to try and relax everyone, including herself. After setting the coffee down, the phone suddenly rang and Karen answered it. "Hello?" she said shakily. "Mrs. Spencer, I have some good news for you, we found Lila alive and well," the officer on the other end said. Karen started to cry at hearing that, which made Susan and Lynda that more anxious to learn what was happening. "They found Lila, alive," Karen announced to them. Susan cried out in tears of joy as Lynda embraced her. "What about, Katie, did you find her also," Karen asked urgently. "I'm sorry, but we still haven't located her yet. But rest assured we have every available officer out scouring the town." Katie was so well liked and respected in the department that the officers treated her disappearance as if it were one of their own. Karen thanked the officer and hung up the phone. The sad look in her hazel eyes was all that needed to be said about Katie's whereabouts. "Where's Lila?" Susan asked directly. "She's at St. Francis, they said she's going to be alright," she responded, thankful that Lila was now safe. "I'll drive you there, Susan," Lynda offered. "Are you coming too," she asked Karen. "No, I'm going to stay here in case the police or Charles should call. Give Lila my love please." Susan went over to Karen and hugged her tightly. "I'm sure Katie will come home soon too, she's a very resourceful girl." "We'll call you when we get there," Lynda said, and remembered to contact her daughter of the good news. CHAPTER TEN Stacey heard her cell phone ring as Jake was driving them to the residence of Kevin Sanders. Fishing it out of her purse, she answered it, "Hello? Oh, hi mom, what's up?" Her face suddenly brightened at what she heard that it caught Jake's interest. "That's great news!" Then her face started to sadden, which really piqued his curiosity now. "Yes, I'll go home soon. Please let me know if you learn anything else ... I love you too ... Bye." After hanging up the phone, Jake was now a bundle of nerves himself. "What happened?" "They found Lila safe and sound, and they apprehended one of the criminals, but Katie is still missing," she replied on a somber note. "Hopefully the police will learn something from the suspect." Jake looked back at the snowy road, determined to find his love at all costs, even if the police do learn anything new. "I'm still with you on this, I don't care what my mom says. I can't just sit around and wait while Katie is a prisoner somewhere," Stacey said with deep conviction in her sweetly-pitched voice. Arriving at the residence that Stacey got from the computer, Jake pulled his car alongside a four-story brick building. Stacey looked cautiously around at the decrepit-looking neighborhood, but was still resolute on keeping with her investigation. Walking up to the third story, Jake found the correct numbered door. He tested the doorknob and to no surprise it was locked, figuring that he out with his captive girlfriend somewhere. Grabbing his wallet, Jake pulled out two long, thin metal prongs. He went over to the doorknob and inserted the metal pieces into the keyhole. Stacey was alarmed at what Jake was attempting to do. "Jake, you know some people call this breaking and entering." Looking over his shoulder, he asked, "Are you one of those people?" "Ah, no ... Not me," she replied quickly. After several more seconds of jiggling his lock pick, Jake turned the doorknob and the door creaked open. Turning on the light and stepping inside the small, unkempt apartment, Jake and Stacey began frantically searching around for any kind of clue they could find. "What's going on in here?" a voice suddenly called out that made Stacey shriek. They both turned to see an elderly woman standing in the doorway with a suspicious look in her bifocaled eyes. Stacey cautiously approached the old woman with a warm smile on her face. "Excuse me, but we're looking for Kevin Sanders, is he around by any chance?" "He's not here," she spoke brusquely, "hasn't been for days." "Do you know where he might be?" Jake asked as he too approached the woman. "If I knew, why should I tell you since you broke into his place?" "Oh, we didn't brake in, you see the door was unlocked," Stacey said, hoping her bluff worked on the old woman. She looked back at Stacey with her eyes narrowed. "I have half a mind to call the police on the two of you right now." "No, please don't!" Stacey pleaded. "We're very sorry we broke in, but we really need to find him. You see, we believe he kidnapped our friend, and we're out looking for her. That's the truth." The old woman's face softened a little, trying to make sense of Stacey's incredible story. "I've heard a lot of lies in my lifetime, but none as creative as yours. So I guess you must be telling the truth." Overjoyed at hearing that, Stacey asked, "So can you please help us then?" "I don't really talk to him, but I know he hangs out a lot over at Mickey's Tavern right down the street. Now if two don't mind, I would like for you to leave before I change my mind." Not seeing anything of real interest in the sparsely decorated apartment anyway, Jake stepped out with Stacey and headed straight for the stairwell. "For what it's worth, I hope you find your friend," the woman called out to them. Outside the building, Jake escorted Stacey back to his car. "Look, I want you to stay inside the car while I go check out that Tavern." "But Jake ... " Stacey protested. "But nothing!" Jake interrupted her, "Look, that place is a haven for all types of unsavory characters, and I don't want a proper girl like yourself being exposed to that." Stacey stood there with a pouting look on her face. "I promise I'll be back really soon. Just please leave the car door locked." She reluctantly stepped inside the vehicle and locked the door as instructed. Jake then headed down the street to Mickey's Tavern, a small joint situated on a corner of an intersection. He knew the owner of the bar as the father to one of his friends from the gang. Stepping inside the small, crowded place, Jake carefully walked right up to the bar. All the while he received stares from some of the unsavory patrons that he spoke of. Sitting down on an empty stool he noticed the bartender, Harry Evans, walking over to him with this look of disbelief on his unshaven face. "Well ... if it isn't Jake Perry!" he exclaimed. "You're not old enough to be in here." "I just turned eighteen last month, Harry," Jake quipped, showing him his driver's license. Looking satisfied he said, "What can I get you that's non-alcoholic?" "Actually I came here for some information on one of your regulars ... Kevin Sanders," Jake replied. "What do you want to know about Kevin?" Harry asked. "When was the last time you saw him?" "Oh ... about two weeks I reckon, why?" Suddenly the sounds of cheering and whistling erupted in the small establishment. Jake turned around and saw the reason why""Stacey was walking right over to him, trying to avoid the customers as much as possible. "Aaaahhh!" she screamed out as she felt her butt being groped, which made her rush over to Jake even faster. "I gather she's with you," Harry observed. "Yeah," he replied, then looked at Stacey, "I told you to wait in the car." "I know, but there were these creepy-looking people walking by staring at me, and I was scared. So as soon as the coast was clear I ran over here as fast as I could. I'm sorry." "It's okay, I guess I should've let you come with me." "Hold on there, is she old enough to be in here?" Harry demanded as he carefully looked at the well-dressed girl. "Yes. She's ... my girlfriend," Jake thought quickly as he hugged Stacey. "So, what do you want with Kevin?" Harry asked, remembering where the conversation left off. "I need to know where I can find him ... it's really important," Jake spoke dead serious. "Sorry, can't help you I'm afraid." "Is there anything at all that you can tell us about him then," Stacey asked hopeful to get whatever information they could use. "I know he used to work for the Mayor's office as an accountant, but he got fired from that job about six months ago. Something about fraud ... " Just then, this huge beefy man approached Stacey, "Hey, pretty girl ... " Standing right next to her, Stacey almost gagged at the putrid stench of his breath. "You wanna come by my place later on ... I got a Christmas present for you," the drunken man chuckled. Stacey felt utterly revolted by that disgusting man's advances on her. "Sorry, but the young lady's with me," Jake said evenly. "Is that right ... " he replied and went to take a swing at Jake as Stacey quickly ducked out of the way. Jake easily dodged the man's sluggish attempt, and answered back with a quick, sharp punch to his chest cavity, causing the intoxicated man to fall back right on his butt. "Thanks, Harry ... " Jake said, and grabbed Stacey's hand, practically dragging her out of the bar as he ran before that big oaf of a guy got back up. Outside the Tavern, Stacey tugged at Jake's arm to make him stop. "Will you just hold on a second, we still need to get more info!" "Did you happen notice the size of that ogre? I just saved your butt back there, and 'you're welcome' by the way. Now come on before we both get Christmas presents from him!" Once they reached the car, Jake fired up the engine and drove out into the street. They both sat there very quiet and disheartened as they were still no closer at finding Katie ... CHAPTER ELEVEN At the hospital, Susan and Lynda were escorted to Lila's room by the head doctor on duty. He told them that the police would be arriving here shortly to question Lila once they were finished interrogating the suspect now in custody. Entering the small room that had a police officer standing guard outside, Susan immediately rushed to her daughter lying on the bed. A nurse that was monitoring Lila's condition stepped aside to let mother and daughter get reunited. Both of them couldn't stop crying as they held onto each other as if it were their last time. Lynda stood near the doorway also weeping as she thought about the two events that she almost lost her Stacey; one from the hands of her deranged boyfriend, the other from that maniacal carnival. "I'm so sorry mom ... this was all my fault ... " Lila blurted out. "What do you mean your fault?" Susan asked in aghast. "T-that Santa that kidnapped me and Katie, I saw him at the mall last night and I told him that he robbed those homes," Lila cried as she spoke. "Don't you see, if I didn't open my big mouth, none of this would've happened, and Katie would be alright!" Susan held her daughter again, soothing her from her misery. "I didn't want to leave Katie, but she forced me too. Oh, mom, I gotta find her before it's too late!" she screamed as she tried to get out of bed, but both Susan and the nurse held her down gently until she calmed again. "Lila Marie Spencer, now you listen to me," Susan spoke firmly but affectionately, "the police are doing everything they can in finding Katie, they even apprehended one of the men that kidnapped you, plus your father and Uncle Charles are also helping with the search." Lila sniffled as she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. "What you need to do is to get better, and that means staying here." Susan had received a quick update on Lila's condition, which was just a mild case of frostbite on her feet, and should be released by morning at the latest. "I understand that you feel bad about leaving Katie behind, but she did the only thing she could do to help you." Lila hugged her mother again realizing that she was right, but that still didn't make her feel any better. Lynda pulled out her cell phone and called home to check in on Stacey. After a few rings the answering machine clicked on. Not wanting to leave a message, she hung up the phone, and tried contacting her on her cell. Her voice mail came up, but this time she left a message, "Stacey, this is your mother. I called home and you weren't there. Please call me right away when you get this message, okay? Bye." Lynda hung up and began getting really worried as she knew that Stacey with Jake was also out looking for Katie. CHAPTER TWELVE Katie laid uncomfortably on her stomach as her arms were stretched and fastened to her bent legs in a strict hogtie; her kidnappers were making no mistakes this time in making sure that she stays put. After Lila got away and the gang of criminals being minus one now, they began to accelerate their plans and went to the target house right away before the police figures out their plot. "I know we didn't plan on losing one to the cops, but we can still do this with the four of us. It's just the nanny inside watching the three kids." The three remaining elves agreed in unison. "Now, the Christmas party at City Hall should still be going on for about another two hours, provided it doesn't close up early due to the snowstorm." Katie was perplexed by the mention of the party at City Hall. Kevin then went over to her while putting his beard back on. "Since you're coming with us you might as well know the rest. The house we're striking tonight is none other than our very own Mayor." She looked up at him in surprise, her frightened eyes filled with questions. "I used to work for him. Six years I served for him faithfully since he was first elected and that bastard had me fired!" Once his beard was on secure, he placed the red stocking hat on his head. "And because of that I lost everything, my house I was planning to buy, my reputation ... Now it's payback time as I'm gonna strip him of his most precious artifacts and sell them for a lot of money once we get to Canada." Katie began to get scared at the thought of being taken far away from her family and friends. Being still in town, she stood a chance at being rescued especially since the police now have a suspect to question. "Boss," one of the elves spoke up, "wouldn't it be better to just pick another house? I mean, I know you have this grudge against the Mayor, but I think it's just too risky under the circumstances, what with Ernie now in custody of the police." "No!" he screamed. "I started this whole plan of robbing homes to get the amount of practice needed for this night at this house. We're just gonna have to do some serious double-time hauling out everything of value we can find. Now let's move it!" Carrying his large red sack, Kevin and his three diminutive henchmen exited the van, leaving Katie behind who struggled furiously in her stringent bound condition. Not getting free this time, all she could do now is hope that someone will come for her soon ... CHAPTER THIRTEEN Jake had difficulty maneuvering the car on the road as the snow began to get higher and higher. He decided to take Stacey home since there wasn't anything else they could pursue in finding Katie, their only hope now rested with the police getting through to that suspect before it's too late. Just give me five minutes with him ... he thought angrily as he would no doubt make that midget talk. Stacey sat glumly in her seat as she tried pushing out the thought of not seeing Katie ever again. Just then, as if a ray of sunshine penetrated the darkness of her mood, her big brown eyes lit up. "Jake, I think I know where they're going to hit next ... the Mayor's house!" "What ... ?" he said in surprise as he tried to keep his eyes on the snow-covered road. "For all we know they could've split town now fearing that their partner would give up their next heist." Jake felt awful having to play the devil's advocate when it came to Katie's life, but he was just mentally preparing himself for the worst case scenario. "I know, I thought of that myself, but you heard that bartender saying that he was fired from his job for the Mayor. And besides, from where we're at now, the Mayor's residence is like only five minutes away. It's worth a shot ... " Jake gripped tightly on the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn white as he was hoping not to be set up for another disappointment. "Okay, show me how to get there ... " he finally answered, praying that Stacey's hunch was correct. * * * One of the elves finished binding the ankles of a eighteen year old daughter with some rope. She sat there all quiet as a wide strip of adhesive tape completely covered the lower half of her face. Her brown eyes blinked tears as she sat there in total disbelief that these criminal Santa and his elves would do something as horrible as robbing them on Christmas Eve. Sitting on the floor next to her were her older sister and her twin brother, and the housekeeper, tied up in the exact same manner as she was. "All set boss," the elf spoke noticing Santa helping himself to some milk and cookies that were apparently left for him. "Okay, just like before, take only what you can drag out of here that's not bolted down." The three small crooks scurried around the darkened house with their respective bags. Santa then approached his quartet of captives as they sat in petrified fear. He paid particular attention to the youngest one as he recognized her as one of the children who visited him at the mall. He bent down on one knee, staring at the frightened captives. "This is what happens when people are naughty, they get everything taken away." He then got back up, walking over to the large tree decorated beautifully, and began putting the gift-wrapped presents into his red bag. The captives began to cry as they wondered what else was going to happen ... * * * Pulling up the car down the street from the Mayor's house, Jake turned off the engine. Everything outside looked quiet and peaceful in the delicate blanket of falling snow. "If I had something to tie you up, I would leave you bound to the steering wheel to keep you here. But I'm trusting you to please stay put until I check to see if there's any trouble inside." "I promise I won't barge in like before. At lease this neighborhood looks friendlier," she responded smartly as she would like to see Jake just try and tie her up, even though she did let Mike do it to her one time before, but that was just for fun of course. Jake stepped out of the vehicle and headed for the large house in the distance. Waiting inside as the car began to get colder, Stacey soon saw something parked across the street ahead of them""a van. She didn't notice it right away due to the white color of it blending in with the surroundings, but she did recall hearing of a van that was apparently being used in the home robberies. Realizing that she promised not to follow Jake into the house, he never said anything about checking out something outside. Opening the door, Stacey swung her leg out the car and heard her little bells jingling. Not wanting to alert anyone of her presence, she quickly unclasped the bells from her booted ankles, and stepped out into the almost five-inches of fallen snow. Heading towards the parked van, Stacey actually found walking in her heels in the snow to be easier than she thought due to firmness of the snow holding her foot in place. As she carefully approached the rear end of the van, Stacey swore she could hear faint noises coming from inside. Reaching for the door handle with her red-gloved hand, she opened it and her jaw dropped open at the sight of Katie lying inside in a rigid hogtie! * * * One of the three elves had finished filling his large bag with items from the china cabinet. He dragged the weighty sack against the smooth hardwood floor to the back door, while the others were still scouring around the spacious house for more valuables. * * * Stacey leapt inside the van and quickly plucked the white cloth that gagged Katie's mouth. Spitting out the large wad of cloth, Katie coughed as she took in a deep breath of air into her starved lungs. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked Stacey in complete surprise at seeing her coming to the rescue. Pulling out her metal nail file from her purse, Stacey explained, "From what Karen and your Aunt told me what happened at your house, I figured it had to be that Santa from the mall, and with a little detective work, we discovered that they'd be striking here." "We? ... " Katie asked in bewilderment while Stacey cut the rope that was used to hogtie her. "Me and Jake. He's checking out the house to see if they're in there, which obviously now they are." Katie's green eyes suddenly turned frightful. "Stacey ... behind you!" Before she could turn around, Stacey suddenly felt a cord getting wrapped around her slender neck. Her brown eyes went wide as the cord tighten itself causing it to impede her breathing. The turtleneck of her sweater provided some relief to her strained throat, but not very much as the weight of the fabric was a little on the thinner side. Grabbing the cord with both hands, Stacey struggled wildly in the confines of the van while the malevolent elf kept a tight grip on it. With her legs now free from the hogtie, Katie kicked furiously at the dastardly villain repeatedly, trying to force him off her friend, but the stubborn midget kept his unyielding hold on the panic-stricken Stacey. Desperately gasping for air, Stacey began to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen to the brain. "Noooo! ... " Katie cried out at seeing Stacey begin to pass out! CHAPTER FOURTEEN Jake crept quietly along the side of the large house towards the rear all the while making sure no one spotted him. The last thing he needed was to spend Christmas Eve in jail. Even though he did make sincere amends to change from his unlawful past, there were some cops""including MacGruder""that believe once a criminal, always a criminal deep down. Spotting the back door, Jake went towards it when suddenly it opened revealing a midget dressed in an elf costume (only in muted colors), dragging along a large packed sack. Jake immediately hid behind a large evergreen shrub just in the knick of time. He watched him heading around the house opposite of where he hid towards the front side. Once the elf disappeared from his view, Jake pulled out his cell phone to call the police as he now had undeniable proof that the Mayor's house was indeed being invaded. "Damn ... " he muttered quietly as he noticed his phone's battery was drained. He decided to head back to his car and have Stacey call the police on her cell phone. Reaching his car, Jake noticed immediately that Stacey was not sitting inside like she was supposed to. "That little snoop ... I should've just locked her in the trunk instead," he spoke irately. Seeing her tracks in the snow, Jake followed them leading him to a white van parked at other end of the short street. He then heard what sounded like Katie's voice screaming from inside the van and ran right over there. "Noooo! ... " Katie cried out in tears, helpless to save her best friend from being strangled to death. Stacey gave Katie one last look as her brown eyes began to roll into its sockets. Suddenly, without any warning, the elf was whisked out of the van like the shark from Jaws pulling its prey down into the water. Looking past Stacey, Katie was overjoyed at seeing Jake attacking that evil midget. After he was finished pummeling him into unconsciousness, he rushed inside to check on Stacey first. "Are you alright?" he asked helping her up. Holding her neck, Stacey nodded 'yes' while coughing up a lung as she slowly began to breathe normally again. Reaching into his back pocket, Jake pulled out a small Swiss army knife and used it to cut the plastic ties binding Katie's wrists and ankles. Once she was freed, Katie reached over and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips. She then went to Stacey and held her tight as she almost lost her. Stacey returned the hug just as warmly, thankful to still be alive. The turtleneck on her sweater prevented her from having a nasty red welt on her throat. With the still passed out elf securely tied up with some duct tape that was found in the van, Jake shut him inside. "Well, the police are on their way ... " Stacey spoke as she closed up her cell phone. Katie began marching towards the house when Jake grabbed her arm to stop her. "Just what do you think you're doing, the police are coming ... " he said as he didn't want to see her get into anymore trouble, which for Katie that was next to impossible. "There are hostages inside, people in danger. I just can't sit around here and wait for the police to arrive in this snowstorm," she responded back sharply, shrugging off his grip and continued onward. "Hold on, Katie ... " Stacey said and followed her friend. Watching the two girls walking away, Jake looked up in the darkened sky. "Mike was right, I am getting too soft ... " he uttered softly to himself. Running after them, Jake spoke quietly when he reached them, "Follow me, I know a way to get inside undetected ... " CHAPTER FIFTEEN The little girl continued to struggle her small wrists against the scratchy ropes, but they wouldn't budge at all. She noticed that her sister was attempting to move her tied-up hands over her feet in order to get them in front of her. She was currently taking gymnastics in school and was very flexible, but that particular task seemed to be too difficult for her to accomplish as she couldn't slide her wrists over the heels of her bare feet""her arms were just not long enough. The housekeeper tried her best to comfort the children during this time of crisis, hopeful that these robbers will just leave them be once they're done pilfering the house. The sounds of footsteps were then heard approaching them and a shadow appeared over the hardwood floor. The bound foursome cowered next to each other expecting to see their tormentors returning for them. Only what they saw instead were two teenaged girls quietly rushing over to them. "Are you alright?" Katie whispered softly to the housekeeper after she peeled the tape from her mouth. "Y-yes ... " she nodded shakily. The two snoops then went about freeing them using Jake's knife. The teenager started sobbing again once her mouth was free of the tape. "Why are they doing this to us? ... " "Oh, honey ... " Stacey said sorrowfully as she removed the ropes from the teenager's chafed wrists, "That man who did this to you has history with your father." "You mean ... he wants revenge?" she beamed. "That's right," Katie spoke softly, "and we're going to make sure that all your belongings get returned. But I need you to be quiet until we all get outside." The little teenager nodded back to her in acknowledgement. Jake was standing idly by in the shadows keeping a watchful eye should any of those robbers return before the hostages were free to escape. Just then, he thought he saw something move in the shadows up ahead. Moving a little closer to get a better look, the "shadow" ran right past him, startling Jake in the process. He then relaxed when he saw that it was just a cat. "Friday ... " the housekeeper said faintly as the ebony-colored feline ran into her waiting arms. After Katie finished cutting free the last of the ropes, everyone got to their feet. It was then that Katie realized that the four occupants weren't properly dressed for the chilly weather outside as they all had been stripped to their underwear by the elves. Thinking quickly, Katie offered her faux fur-line brown coat to the little girl. Seeing what she was doing, Stacey followed suit by taking off her long wool coat and handing it to the older girl. "Come on, Jake ... " Katie whispered angrily as he was reluctant to part with his sleek black leather jacket. He then grudgingly took it off and handed it to her, which Katie in turn gave it to the boy to wear. Noticing that they all had nothing on their feet to protect them from the freezing snow, Katie thought they'll just have to make due until they reach a neighbor's house. Jake then led them quietly through the darkened house to the back door. Stacey tried her best to walk softly, but the pointy heels of her boots still managed to make a tapping sound against the hardwood floor. Katie turned and gave her friend a dirty look at having to wear high heels yet again, which Stacey in turn whispered dolefully, "Sorry ... " Upon reaching the kitchen, they all saw the silhouette of a large round figure blocking the door and their escape. The group stopped dead in their tracks as Kevin approached them methodically. "Go ... " Jake said to them as he held his ground to the advancing Kevin. Dressed in his Santa costume but his eyes filled with evil Kevin looked like an evil wizard out of a fantasy movie. "This is no time for heroics," Katie shot back. Rolling his eyes in disgust, Jake turned his head momentarily at her. "Will you just shut up and leave ... now!" Not saying another word, Katie turned and led the group swiftly towards the front door. Jake pulled up his fists ready for action. "Okay, it's just you and me now ... " Kevin looked at him with a terrifying smile on his face. "I will not kill you right away, I will keep you alive long enough so you can hear your snooping girlfriend scream when I kill her" Then he moved towards Jake. Jake was barely able to avoid the kick that was clearly meant for his groin. As he replied with a punch to the face, Kevin blocked the punch with his hand before delivering a powerfull punch to the belly of Jake. Jake coughed loudly and before he could move Kevin grabbed him by his shoulders and drove him backwards. Jake tried his best to resist but Kevin was insanely strong as he pressed Jake with his back against the nearest wall. A look of pure rage and unhidden sadism was on the face of Kevin as he then gave a hard headbutt to the face of Jake, making him feel like he got hit by a hammer. Somehow Jake managed to stay on his feet but the Evil Santa kept his back pinned against the wall. The words he then heard Kevin speak absolutely horrified him. "You do not need your eyes to hear me kill those snoops" Keeping his back pinned against the wall Kevin then went with his hands to his face and placed both of his thumbs on his eyes. Jake struggled and fought hard but he could not resist the animal like power of Kevin as the monstrous Santa tried to gouge his eyes out. He tried to shake his head but Kevin kept a vice like grip on his head as the massive thumbs were pressing on his eyes. In a last attempt Jake slammed his fist into the gut of Santa with all his power. Hitting him just below the ribs Kevin shook for a split second which was just enough for Jake to slam his elbow upwards to the chin of Kevin. Kevin stumbled backwards as he held his chin, seemingly in great pain. With his massive figure he stumbled backwards to the dark hallway. Cautiously Jake stalked Kevin as he kept his fists raised. " you will not get past me, you will not hurt anyone anymo......" Without any warning, Jake suddenly felt the left side of his face being pulverized by a large heavy object. He staggered for a few moments, then collapsed onto the tiled floor. Kevin placed the large sack full of stolen goods back on the floor as he had successfully used the darkened surroundings to conceal his attack on the smug teenager. No longer concerned about being subtle anymore, the group of six made a mad dash for the front door. Katie heard the sound of a loud crash behind her and hoped that Jake was alright. The older girl screamed at the sight of the other two elves appearing from the living room on a course to intercept them. Not missing a beat, Katie turned and caught them by surprise as she barreled right into them, knocking them out of the way. Stacey stopped and saw Katie trying to hold off the two diminutive assailants by herself, but was having some difficulty. "Take them to a neighbor's house quickly ... and tell them the police are on their way right now," she said to the housekeeper. She did as instructed and hustled the three teenagers out of the house. Stacey then looked around the foyer and grabbed a tall floor lamp in one corner. She noticed Katie was losing quickly; one elf had his arms wrapped around her from behind while the second pulled her hair while he punched her hard in her gut. Rushing over to Katie's aid, the junior snoop swung the long metal rod of the lamp and landed the bulb end of it hard on one of the elf's head with a glass-shattering WHAP! The little man fell right to the ground unconscious from the blow. Katie quickly used the moment to push the remaining elf away from her. Stacey raised the lamp to take another swing at the confused elf when something stopped her from heaving it. Turning, she noticed Kevin standing there holding the lamp with his left hand. In an instant he swung his right arm and cocked her hard in the jaw with his fist. Katie witnessed in alarm as Stacey landed on the floor out cold. As she was shocked the elf quickly moved behind her and encircled his arm around her neck as he began to choke her. Panicked Katie tried to break free from his stranglehold while Kevin calmly watched on. "I think we better do not leave any witnesses around"said Kevin as Katie her face was turning red. Katie was feeling woozy as she realized she was about to pass out in a matter of seconds. Summoning all of her strength, she hurled the remaining elf off of her and sent him rolling over to Kevin's feet, knocking him to the floor next to Stacey. Scrambling back on her feet, Katie grabbed the metal lamp that lied near her after Kevin had dropped it. She drove it harshly into the gut of the last elf while he was still down, knocking the wind out of him. Then in one fluid motion, she twirled the lamp, aiming it right at Kevin. However despite his large size Kevin was surprisingly fast. He quickly rolled away and dodged her strike. Before she could swing again he punched her hard in her gut. Katie gasped for air as she doubled over. She felt Kevin seize her by her hair before she got thrown to the floor. Shaking her head she rolled away just in time to avoid his boot stomping the floor were her head was just a moment ago. Noticing a wine bottle on the table she picked it up and turned around to face Kevin. Katie then froze in shock as she witnessed Kevin holding a large kitchen knife at Stacey's exposed throat. "Drop the bottle, or I'll cut her ear to ear ... " he said threateningly. Seeing little choice available to her, Katie dropped it. "Okay, now let her go!" she shouted. Moving the knife away from the passed out Stacey, Kevin stood back up on his black-booted feet with this stone-cold expression on his white-bearded face. "You ruined everything, my plan of revenge over the last five months," he spoke forebodingly holding the knife as he approached, backing Katie into the living room. "Now I'm gonna at least have the satisfaction of ridding this town of their beloved junior detective ... " Looking back defiantly at him in her expected final moments, Katie said, "Killing me isn't going to change a thing, except that you'll be charged with murder now, which will most likely get you the death penalty." "Oh ... but they'll have to catch me first." "Why not right now!" a voice shouted out from behind him. Startled by that, Kevin turned and saw a fist land squarely into his face, sending him stumbling towards Katie. Darting out of the way, Katie stuck her leg out to trip Kevin into the large Christmas tree causing it to fall right on top of him. The lights on it shorted out, giving him a mild electric shock. Jake walked over to his girlfriend, holding her tightly in his arms. "Not so tough without your bag, huh?" he said to the now unconscious Santa as the rash of home invasions were now over. CHAPTER SIXTEEN Charles began slicing off the first juicy piece of the huge roasted turkey situated in the middle of the large dining room table. Everyone seated around eagerly awaited a helping of that delectable bird. Since the Christmas Eve dinner was cancelled due to rather unexpected circumstances (or considering Katie's track record perhaps not too surprising), the dinner was rescheduled on Christmas day instead given that every-one, including Jake's sister Laura who was also present, wanted to be together to celebrate not only the festive holiday, but to be thankful that those involved made it through last night unscathed, minus some cuts and bruises (and a mild frostbite). Kevin and his posse of midgets were now in police custody waiting to be arraigned tomorrow. The Mayor was so thankful that his children were rescued that he awarded Katie, Stacey, and Jake with a generous gift card to any store of their choosing. Katie initially turned down her gift for she felt that Lila was the one truly responsible for cracking this case; if it wasn't for her bold move at the mall, those bandits would still be on the loose. And in light of that news brought to his attention, the Mayor gave young Lila a certificate honoring her as a genuine Junior Detective. As happy as they were for their daughter, Bruce and Susan would've preferred she got a gift card instead, now that Lila will think she really is a detective. After dinner, Katie finally apologized to her cousin from that little incident at the mall, telling her that she possessed good instincts by fingering Kevin (even though she had nothing to back it up), and that half of detective work is going with your gut and pursuing it, which was something Katie admittedly confessed she lost a bit of that. Those words of encouragement meant more to Lila than any writing on a piece of paper could ever say. And upon returning home, Lila plans on honing those skills to the best of her ability ...