Chapter 9 - The Santa Who Came Before the Fire
Eli remembered a red sleeve.
A white beard.
Black boots.
And the smell of peppermint.
He had told a police officer about “Santa” after the fire, but the note was buried in the original file.
Now, with trained interviewers and without anyone feeding him answers, Eli described the memory again.
“Santa came through the back door,” he said.
“Did he speak?”
“He said I had to be quiet.”
“Did you know him?”
Eli shook his head.
“Were you scared?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Santa wasn't smiling.”
The investigators did not ask him to guess an identity.
They searched old photographs from the foundation's Christmas fundraiser.
One showed Richard wearing a Santa suit.
Another showed the same costume hanging in a storage closet.
A third showed Mason Pike, the driver, carrying a red bag.
The costume alone proved nothing.
But a receipt showed Mason had purchased peppermint candy that afternoon, and his vehicle appeared near the property shortly before the fire.
Investigators questioned him again.
Mason finally admitted entering the storage room.
“I was supposed to move boxes,” he said.
“Who sent you?”
“Richard.”
“What happened?”
“There was a heater. An extension cord. The place was a mess.”
“Did you start the fire?”
“I knocked something over. I didn't see flames when I left.”
He claimed it was accidental.
The investigation continued.
Walter was relieved that the truth was becoming clearer, but he refused to turn a child's uncertain memory into a verdict.
“I don't want Eli carrying this,” he told Nina.
“He won't,” she said. “That's our job.”
On Christmas morning, Walter woke in a small apartment provided through a transitional housing program.
It had one bedroom, a narrow kitchen, and a radiator that clicked all night.
To Walter it felt like a palace.
He made coffee and put three wrapped gifts beneath a tabletop tree.
He had bought Rosie a new stuffed rabbit, Eli a notebook, and Grace a framed copy of the photograph from the brick house.
At ten, Mrs. Bell brought the children for their approved visit.
Rosie ran inside.
“Grandpa! You have a house!”
“An apartment.”
“Does it have a kitchen?”
“Come see.”
Eli stood at the doorway.
Walter noticed.
“What is it?”
The boy looked at the clean floor.
“Can I take my shoes off?”
“You can.”
“Will you get mad if I make a mess?”
“No.”
“Promise?”
Walter knelt.
“I promise.”
Eli stepped inside.
They ate pancakes.
Rosie put too much syrup on hers.
Grace laughed until she cried.
For a few hours, Christmas was exactly what Walter had imagined when he was younger: noisy, imperfect, and full of people he loved.
Then Nina called.
Caroline had agreed to provide evidence against Richard and Mason in exchange for prosecutors considering her cooperation. That did not erase her own alleged crimes.
She had also admitted that she knew Grace and the children survived the fire.
Walter stared at the wall.
“She told me they died.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you were the one person who would have fought her guardianship.”
Walter closed his eyes.
Nina continued.
“She says someone else suggested the plan.”
“Who?”
“She won't say until her lawyer gets assurances.”
Walter looked at the Christmas tree.
“Then I hope the prosecutor doesn't give her what she wants.”
After lunch, Grace opened her gift.
She touched the photograph.
“Dad.”
“I should have kept looking.”
She shook her head.
“You found us.”
Eli took his notebook to the window and began writing.
Walter looked over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“A list.”
“Of what?”
“Things we can do next Christmas.”
The first item was simple.
EAT TOGETHER.
The second:
NO ONE GETS LEFT OUT.
Walter kissed the top of his head.
Then Eli added a third.
FIND BEN.
Walter frowned.
“Your father?”
Eli nodded.
“Aunt Caroline said he didn't want us.”
Grace stared.
“That isn't what she told me.”
“What did she tell you?” Walter asked.
Grace looked down at the photograph.
“She told me Ben died overseas.”
Walter's stomach tightened.
Nina had found no death record for Ben Reed.
She had found something else.
May you like
He had been sending child-support payments for seven years.
Every payment had been deposited into an account controlled by Caroline.
