The Bark Before Christmas (25 page)

“I don't know what's going on here,” Aunt Peg said sharply, “but I think that's quite enough.”

Jim's expression hardened at the interruption. He stared at Peg and me without the slightest shred of recognition. “This is a private matter between me and my wife and I'll thank you not to intrude. Whoever you are, please leave my property immediately.”

I would have fallen back under Jim's malevolent gaze. Not Aunt Peg. She was made of sterner stuff. When she stood her ground, I did, too.

“Peg?” Sondra said uncertainly. “What are you doing here?”

“You asked me to come this morning, remember? We were going to talk.”

Sondra looked dismayed. She gave her head a small shake.

Aunt Peg reached out a hand. She took a step toward her friend. “Is there something I can do to help you?”

“Yes, there is.” As Jim intercepted the question, he moved to angle his body between the two women. His gaze skimmed briefly in my direction. “The two of you can show yourselves out. We are having a private conversation and you're not welcome here.”

“Daddy, this is my teacher, Ms. Travis,” Poppy piped up. Abruptly her fingers grasped the back of my sweater and held on tight. Her father wanted us to leave, but Poppy was equally determined to keep us in place. “You met last weekend.”

“At the Christmas bazaar,” I told him. I stared at the dog in his arms. “Is that Kiltie?”

Jim ignored the query and turned back to his wife. “Since these appear to be friends of yours, I suggest that you make them go away. If you don't, there will be repercussions.”

It was much too late to avoid that outcome, I thought. The scene we were witnessing was definitely going to lead to repercussions. And none of them were likely to be good. Especially if that
was
Kiltie that Jim was holding in his arms.

Aunt Peg, whose eye for a good dog was much keener than mine, already knew the answer to that. “I see you've found your missing dog,” she said to Sondra.

“Yes, I did.” Sondra's gaze shifted away from us. Suddenly she sounded nervous. “Jim found Kiltie and brought him home. Wasn't that nice of him?”

I don't think any of us were fooled by that declaration. There was nothing
nice
about what was happening here. Finding Kiltie had been my goal, but his theft was one small part of a much bigger picture—one that had included Jerry Platt's death. Only an idiot wouldn't have foreseen that whoever ultimately turned up with Kiltie in his possession was going to have a great deal of explaining to do.

“How very fortunate for you,” I said. “It must be a relief to know that Kiltie has been in safe hands all along.”

“Yes . . . I mean, no . . .” Sondra stammered.

“Sondra, shut up,” Jim hissed under his breath. “Don't say another word.”

“But—”

Jim reached out with his free hand, grasped his wife's wrist, and twisted it. I heard Sondra gasp. So did Poppy. Aunt Peg started to react but Poppy was faster.

The girl slipped out from behind me and wedged herself into the small space between her parents. She tipped her face up to her father's. Her eyes were huge and swimming with unshed tears.

“Daddy!” Poppy shrieked. “You promised!”

A frisson of shock rippled through me. I saw Sondra's face go blank.

Jim's fingers opened and his hand fell away. Kiltie squirmed within his grasp, but Jim scarcely seemed to notice. He gazed at his daughter without saying a word.

I stared at the family tableau before me and felt my stomach lurch. Oh crap, I thought. I hadn't expected that.

This wasn't going to end well.

“Y
ou
promised,
Jim?” Sondra's tone was low and menacing. Fingers rubbing her wrist absently, she backed away from her husband and daughter. “What did you promise Poppy? And what did she do for you in return?”

“Nothing,” Jim replied quickly. He stepped back too, as if he wanted to distance himself from what had been said. “Poppy is mistaken.”

“I am
not
.”

“Poppy,” Jim snapped. “Not now.”

“I think now is an excellent time,” Sondra said, beckoning to her daughter. “Come over here and stand with me, honey. Unlike your father, I would love to hear what you have to say.”

Uncertain what to do, Poppy looked back and forth between her parents. I was guessing this wasn't the first time Sondra and Jim had made her choose between them.

“Poppy,” I said gently. “You don't have to say anything at all if you don't want to.”

Aunt Peg reached over and poked her thumb in my ribs. The jab was hard enough to hurt. I jumped in place but held my ground.

“It doesn't matter.” Poppy also moved away. Now we had three family members in three different corners of the room. “Nobody ever listens when I talk.”

“I'm listening,” I told her. I knew Aunt Peg was, too.

“I didn't want Kiltie to go away,” Poppy said softly. “Daddy said he could fix it.”

“Fix it?” Sondra's voice rose. Aunt Peg silenced her with a glare.

“Kiltie was going to live somewhere else so he could be a top show dog. Todd was going to handle him. He was going to be gone for a
long
time, maybe even all year.”

Sondra looked surprised. “How did you even know about that? I never told you any of those things.”

Poppy lifted her chin and stared at her mother. “I hear stuff. I pay attention when people are talking. Even when nobody bothers to notice that I'm there.”

“Why you sneaky little—”

“Sondra,” Jim said, his tone a warning. “That's enough.”

“Oh no, it isn't,” Sondra shot right back. “I think we're just getting started here. Keep talking, Poppy. Everybody's listening to you now. Why don't you tell us what you did?”

Poppy bit her lip hard. When she began to speak again, I hoped she wasn't tasting blood.

“Daddy told me if I helped him, he would keep Kiltie safe and make it so that he wouldn't have to go away. I didn't want Kiltie to leave. So I did what Daddy asked me to do. I got Kiltie out of his crate at the bazaar and gave him to the Santa Claus outside. He was going to take Kiltie to Daddy and everything was supposed to be fine after that.”

Poppy gazed at her father imploringly. “You told me everything would work out. You said if I helped you, everyone would be
happy.
”

Surely I wasn't the only one in the room who heard the longing in the young girl's voice. Her parents had behaved abominably. How could they have been so callous as to pit her against each other and promise her happiness in return?

“Only a fool would believe everything your father says,” Sondra told her daughter harshly. “He didn't care what happened to Kiltie. He only wanted him as a bargaining chip. He needed him for leverage.”

“No, that's not right.” Slowly Poppy shook her head. “I know what leverage is. Kiltie isn't leverage.”

“You tell her, Poppy.” Jim had the nerve to sound pleased by his daughter's denial.

“Oh really?” Sondra snapped. “Is that what you want? Then since we're busy
telling
things, why don't you tell Poppy about your affair with Helen Baker?”

“Hey!” I said loudly. That was way out of bounds. And since the squabbling McEvoys didn't appear to have an ounce of discretion between them, the teacher in me was suddenly itching to take control. “Both of you, cut it out.”

I might as well have not even spoken. All three adults in the room ignored me. Even Aunt Peg, who should have been on my side.

“Here, Poppy,” I said, holding out my hand. “Come with me. Let's step outside and let your parents settle this on their own.”

“No.” The girl ignored my outstretched hand and crossed her slender arms over her chest. “I'm not going anywhere. Nobody ever tells me what's going on. I want to hear for myself.”

No, she didn't, I thought. I knew what was coming . . . what had to be coming. And I was quite sure that Poppy didn't really want to hear it.

Jim seemed to have forgotten all about his daughter. Instead he rounded back to his wife. “Who told you about Helen?” he demanded.

“I didn't have to be
told,
Jim. I'm a big girl. I can figure things out for myself.” Sondra looked as though she enjoyed inflaming her husband's wrath. “Do you think you were the only one who wanted leverage to bring to the negotiating table? We both signed that prenup in good faith and you can just forget about getting it invalidated. That's not going to happen.”

“Oh, I think it will,” Jim said with confidence. “I'm pretty certain you're going to change your mind.”

As he was speaking, Jim slid his free hand into the pocket of his jacket. When he drew it back out, I saw that his fingers were cupped around a small black object. It took me a moment to realize that he was holding a taser.

Sondra glanced at the weapon only briefly. Her lip lifted in a taunting sneer. “What are you going to do, Jim, tase me?” When he didn't answer, she lifted a hand and gestured around the room. “Are you going to tase all of us?”

Aunt Peg took a prudent step back. I followed her lead and did the same.

My aunt is the bravest person I know. So now I was surprised when she purposely angled her body so that it was half-hidden behind mine. Surely Aunt Peg didn't intend to use me as her shield?

Then all at once I realized there was a bigger problem. Poppy was by herself, alone and defenseless, on the other side of the small room. The only way I could get to her was to cross between Sondra and Jim, thereby drawing attention to us both. Under the circumstances, that seemed like a terrible idea. I could only hope that Jim wouldn't be so depraved as to think about pointing the weapon at his own daughter.

“I bet you don't even know how to use that thing,” Sondra scoffed. She was so intent upon goading her husband that she didn't appear to care that the level of tension in the room was rising exponentially. “Where did you even get it from anyway?”

Jim lifted the taser and pointed it like a gun. I watched as his thumb slowly moved, sliding back the safety cover that hid the push button trigger.

“I keep it in the glove compartment of my car,” he said. “For protection. It's been there for years. I always knew it would come in handy someday.”

“You mean like last Saturday?” I asked. “In Union Cemetery?”

Jim spared me a brief glance. “That wasn't supposed to happen. Platt and I had a deal. The dog in exchange for the money. I was ready to pay him what we'd agreed but at the last minute he decided he wanted to renegotiate.” Jim looked grim. “I don't like it when people do that.”

“So you shot him,” I said.

“I only meant to frighten him. Scare him enough to make him hand over the dog. I'd never even used a taser before. It just went off.”

And yet he must have known enough to push aside the taser's safety cover, I thought skeptically. Just as I'd watched him do a minute earlier.

“I saw Platt go down,” Jim said. “And I grabbed the dog and got out of there. I figured he'd only be incapacitated for a few minutes, then he'd get up and go home. I had no idea what happened after I left until I heard about it later on the news.”

“Who cares about that now?” Sondra said impatiently. “It was an accident. It's over and done with.”

If she truly believed that, I thought, she had to be the only one who did. But Sondra's focus was laser sharp. And she was only worried about one thing.

She stepped toward her husband and held out her hands. “Come on, Jim. Give Kiltie to me. We're done here. It's time for us to go in the house, sit down, and settle our differences like adults.”

Jim raised his arm and brought the Westie forward. For a few seconds, I thought he was going to do as she'd asked. Then Jim repositioned his other hand—the one grasping the taser—and I realized how wrong I was.

Instead of pointing outward, the weapon was now aimed squarely at Kiltie's head.

“I wouldn't come any closer if I were you,” he said.

Poppy's gasp sounded loud in the suddenly silent room. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as Sondra abruptly stopped moving. I saw her swallow heavily. For the first time since our arrival, Sondra appeared to be unsure about what to do next.

“You can't tase Kiltie,” she said. “That's animal cruelty. I know you wouldn't do such a terrible thing.”

“I can do whatever I want,” Jim replied. “This dog means nothing to me.”

“But you said you wouldn't hurt him!” Poppy's plea ended on a strangled cry.

Jim spoke to his daughter, but his eyes never shifted away from Sondra's stricken face. “Get a grip on yourself, Poppy. You'll get your dog back—just as soon as your mother cooperates with me.”

“Do it, Mom.” The young girl sniffled. “Do what he wants.
Please
.”

“You bastard,” Sondra swore. “I can't believe you would sink this low.”

“Believe it,” Jim said shortly. “We've been married long enough for me to know exactly what's important to you. So if this dog lives or dies, it's all on you. It's your choice and nobody else's.”

“Just put the taser away, Jim. Okay?” Sondra's voice took on a wheedling tone. “Give Kiltie to me and we'll talk.”

“We're talking now,” Jim pointed out. “And our positions suit me fine. I brought some papers with me for you to sign. So you were right about one thing. We are going to settle our differences like adults. But we're going to do it my way, not yours.”

“Jim, please, you have to listen to me—” Sondra stopped midsentence. She spun around and stared at the half-open door. If she had been a dog she would have pricked her ears.

A moment later I realized what Sondra had heard. It was the sound of sirens, at least two of them. They were wailing in tandem and growing steadily closer.

The McEvoys and I froze in place. Not Aunt Peg. Deliberately she stepped out from behind me. Staring hard at Jim, Peg lifted her hand and opened her fingers. Her cell phone was nestled in her palm.

“I called nine-one-one,” she said.

“Shit.”

Jim quickly snapped the taser's protective cover quickly back into place. He shoved the weapon into his pocket and thrust Kiltie toward Sondra. She barely managed to catch the little terrier before he fell to the floor.

Finally reunited with his owner, Kiltie squirmed and wriggled in Sondra's arms. As I watched the happy reunion, I realized that Aunt Peg hadn't been using my body to shield her from danger, but rather to hide her movements as she hatched a plot of her own. I should have known.

Jim turned to his daughter. “Poppy, come quickly and stand with Mommy and Daddy. And for God's sake, put a smile on your face. We'll tell the officers nothing is wrong. We'll convince them that the call was a mistake.”

“I'm afraid you don't understand,” said Aunt Peg. “I didn't make the call just now. The line's been sitting open with an operator on the other end for the last ten minutes. That's why the police are on their way. They heard everything you said, including the part about your accident with Jerry Platt. I didn't summon them. The police are coming here because
they
want to talk to you.”

Jim's face went pale. Sondra's gaze flew wildly around the room as if she was looking for a means of escape. “Peg, surely you didn't . . . you can't mean . . .”

“
Sondra,
” her husband said ominously. “Shut the hell up. Right now.”

For once she took his advice. Sondra snapped her mouth shut and didn't say another word. The glare she directed in Aunt Peg's and my direction, however, spoke volumes.

Jim wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. “Come,” he said. “It will look better if we go out together to greet the police. Let me do all the talking. We'll present a united front, shall we?”

Sondra just nodded.

The sound of the sirens was almost deafening now. The squad cars must have already entered the McEvoys' driveway. Side by side, the couple walked out the kennel door. Neither spared a thought for Poppy. Eyes wide, the young girl watched them go.

“Ms. Travis,” she said, her voice quavering. “What's happening?”

There was no good way to answer that question.

“The police need to talk to your parents,” I said finally.

“It's about Kiltie, isn't it?”

“Partly. And some other things, too.”

The child gazed toward the empty doorway where her parents had disappeared. Once again, her eyes were brimming with tears. “Am I in trouble?” she asked.

School rules be damned, I thought. I reached out and gathered Poppy into my arms for a long, hard, hug.

“No, honey,” I said softly. “You're not in trouble.”

After a minute she pulled away. Poppy tipped her head back to look at me. “Daddy did something wrong, didn't he?”

“I'm afraid so,” I told her. “But it had nothing to do with you.”

“I know that.” Poppy sighed. “It can't be about me. It's
never
about me.”