“You are a pathetic little wimp, Mr. Bell,” Kathryn said. “First of all, give it up. No one is going to come looking for you, and when we do get around to notifying someone to come get you, after we’re finished with you, you will be in no condition to do or say anything. So, tell us where your records are right now, give us your bank account information, and we’ll rethink that Santa Claus bit.”

“Screw you and the horse you rode in on,” Bell bellowed.

“I thought you were going to say that.” Kathryn sighed. “Myra, he’s all yours!”

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Jack Emery bolted upright, unsure what had awakened him. He looked around, but Ted, Espinosa, and Harry were still sound asleep under mounds of covers and pillows in front of the fireplace. He looked down at his watch: 4:00 AM. He looked over at the fire, which was still burning nicely but could use another log or two.

What was it that had woken him up? The landline hadn’t rung. None of the guys were snoring. There were no animals in the house to make noise. Was it the total quietness? Did the house creak? Old houses, and this was an old house, made strange noises from time to time; settling, the old-timers called it. Jack looked toward the bay window and realized what it was that woke him. Blue and red flashing lights were arching off the walls. “Shit!” he groaned. The flashing lights could mean only one thing, the locals were out, and he was certain four horses would be waiting for him outside his front door.

Careful not to disturb the others, Jack untangled himself from the pile of blankets and padded over to the window. He blinked at the long line of ambulances he was seeing. He counted six. He looked around for the horses but couldn’t see any. What he did notice other than the flashing lights was that it had stopped snowing. “Thank you, God!” he whispered.

After checking to see if the landline was back in operation, Jack made his way back to his sleeping buddies. He whistled sharply between his teeth, then bellowed, “Look alive, guys! I think the babies are here! There are six ambulances that I could see. There might even be more. C’mon, c’mon, up and at ’em, gentlemen!”

Harry sat up and did his best to smooth down his spiky hair. “You better not be telling me those goddamn horses are out there. Do we have time to shave and shower?”

“There are no goddamn horses out there that I could see,” Jack answered. “That doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, Harry. I don’t want to lie to you and have you grind me to a pulp over an error. No, you do not have time to shower and shave. You can, however, freshen up if you feel it’s absolutely necessary. Chop-chop, guys.”