Lets just say we received an urgent call from him but arrived too late. By the time we got there, he was already dead.
We?
A smile tipped the edges of his lips, the effect sending danger signals ricocheting through Marys brain.
Never mind the we.
Argh! She stomped her foot. I dont like all the secrets. Can you at least tell me who the dead man was?
Frank Richards. Does the name ring any bells?
Mary scratched through her memory. Ive never met a man by that name, nor has Dad mentioned it. My dad and I are very close.
What about your stepmother?
Her jaw tightened. Shes only been in the picture for the past couple months. Before that, my father and I had no secrets from each other.
What do you know about his life before he moved here?
My dads lived in North Pole ever since I was born.
Where did he live before that?
I dont know, I never asked. I knew hed been in the military, but he didnt like to talk about it. For someone who loved her father more than any man in her life, she didnt know him very well, did she? Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard.
What about your mother?
She was from Fairbanks, born and raised.
Was? he prodded, his voice low, but insistent.
Mary turned to stare at the curtained window. She died fourteen years ago in a car wreck. Her death had been the reason Mary had stayed in North Pole as long as she did. Her father had loved his first wife completely. Olivia Claus had been a shining beacon, a consistently happy woman, content in her life in Alaska, thrilled to be a part of Christmas Towne and in love with her husband. And Santa had loved her more than life itself.
When Olivia Claus died, Santa needed Mary more than ever.
For the next twelve years, shed concentrated on making her father happy. She graduated with honors from high school, went to college in Fairbanks and put off her dreams of moving to the Lower 48, indefinitely. Then shed met Bradley and thought she was in love. When hed turned out to be a cheat, her dreams of raising her children near her father fell through. Thats when her father arranged for her move to Seattle, to get away from bad memories.
She shook herself out of her morose musings. How old was the man in Brooklyn?
Early sixties, maybe. Were still looking into his background. I dont know much about him yet, other than he was a retired army sergeant.
You think he might have known my dad before he moved to Alaska? Back when hed been in the military? When had her father moved to North Pole? Perhaps she could ask Christmas Townes janitor, Mr. Feegan. Hed known her dad about as long as anyone, she guessed. A glance at the clock confirmed it was too late to call now. At nearly midnight, she wouldnt get a coherent response if she got him to answer the phone at all.
And Nick still hadnt answered all her questions. You still havent said who you work for.
Lets just say I work for the country. You better get some rest. We want to start fresh and early looking for your father.
I dont like it.
Like what?
That I still dont know what you are.
Im just a man here to help Santa.
Like some kind of saint from heaven? Mary snorted. North Poles very own St. Nick?
Im no saint. All humor disappeared from his face, leaving his eyes dark and fathomless.
She glanced at the gun in his hand. How do I know youre not here to kill my father? How do I know you didnt kill Frank Richards?
You dont. He set the gun inside a dresser drawer and scooped her elbow into his palm. Now, are you going to your room, or would your rather sleep here?
Marys heart flip-flopped in her chest at the thought of staying in the same room with this man who was sexy enough to be a model and with just enough mystery to be dangerous. A deadly combination for her underexercised libido. If she didnt leave now, it might be fatal to more than her tenuous hold on self-preservation. Who was to say he wouldnt kill her? Her skin chilled. Im going.
She couldnt hustle across the hallway and into her room fast enough. When she turned to close the door, she noticed Nick leaning in his door frame. Having shed his jacket and with his black hair falling over his forehead, he could crank up any females blood pressure and she was no different. Damn.
Mary glared at him. I intend to learn more about you and whats happened to my father tomorrow. So dont go anywhere.
His lips twisted. Dont worry. Im not. Im just as interested in finding your father as you are.
After closing the door with a sharp click, Mary leaned against it and wondered if Nicks reasons were much darker than hers. She tested the lock on her window, and shoved her dresser in front of the door. When she fell into bed, she lay with her eyes half-open, jumping every time the heater kicked on or the walls settled. Questions raced through her mind, keeping her awake into the wee hours.
Who had bumped into her in the hallway? Was he after her father? Why hadnt her father tried harder to contact her once she was in North Pole? And what did the sexy mystery man across the hall have to do with her fathers disappearance? Most of all, what did her fathers clue mean?