The Trouble with William (2013)
Chapter 1
Duck Call
William was startled awake from a deep sleep by a strange sound coming from his living room. He had heard a duck call, but that was strange because he didn’t own one. He wondered if he was dreaming about being woken up. He shook his head, sat up and turned towards Liz. She was sleeping soundly and William decided that he wasn’t dreaming. Everything was too mundane, too real. He heard the duck call again.
He threw back his comforter, swung his legs onto the floor and was on his way to the living room to see what was happening. Suddenly he was grabbed around the torso in a bear hug. He looked down to see a hand covered in black press a piece of duct tape over his mouth. He tried to yell but couldn’t make a sound. His heart stopped for a second worrying about Liz.
He closed his eyes to gather himself mentally. When he opened them again he looked over his shoulder at Liz. She had a piece of duct tape over her mouth and her hands were bound behind her back. He looked towards the foot of the bed and saw four figures dressed in all black with matching Darth Vader Halloween masks. One of them had a duck whistle hanging from his neck.
The one with the duck call motioned with a hand for William and Liz to stand up. She was still waking up and one of the figures came around to help her out of bed. A second figure came over to William as he stood and tied his wrists with a plastic strip tie. The four figures in black pushed them through the bedroom door.
In the living room the one with the duck whistle brought out two black cotton hoods and put them over William and Liz. They were guided out of the house and into some kind of vehicle. William felt a jab in his shoulder. He felt sleepy almost immediately and as he passed out his only thought was that he hoped he would see Liz again.
Chapter 2
The SMS
Mr. Claus put down his morning paper and looked over at Mrs. Claus, who smiled back at him. He took another bite of his oatmeal, which was the one thing she could make in the kitchen. Mr. Claus was feeling good. It was the beginning of December and things were going smoothly.
He smiled at Mrs. Claus as she lit up a cigarette.
“Be a good boy and get my bourbon for me,” she said in her sweetest voice.
“How about some oatmeal instead?” he asked.
He wasn’t convinced that cigarettes and bourbon were the best way to start a day, but he had to admit that she had lived hundreds of years without any health problems and she was still in great shape.
Maybe it’s not all that bad, he thought to himself as he handed her the bottle.
“Thanks, honey,” she said as she pulled the cork out.
Mrs. Claus poured a generous slug into her coffee and smiled again at Mr. Claus.
“Rosemary, you know I love you- booze and all,” he said not really expecting an answer.
“Yes, I know,” she answered flatly and took another drag on her cigarette.
Mr. Claus felt his phone vibrate and reached down to dig it out of his front pocket. At this time of year Mr. Claus got many messages, e-mails, letters, tweets and diverse communication, but that was all handled by J.J., who was now his primary geek elf. Only a select few had Mr. Claus’s private number and a direct message usually meant that something needed his attention.
He looked down at his phone and could see that Leroy had sent a message. He opened it and it read,
I got a letter. William and Liz kidnapped. Have some strange demands. Call ASAP. Leroy
Mr. Claus couldn’t believe what he had read, so he read it aloud for Mrs. Claus.
“Oh no, not again,” she said as she rolled her eyes.
Chapter 3
The Letter
Mr. Claus had called Leroy and sent J.J. to pick him up in a sleigh that was built around a midnight blue 1972 Buick Riviera with a white vinyl roof. J.J. loved his Detroit classics and had made a series of sleighs based on cars. He didn’t like reindeers, though, and had designed a motor that had replaced the more traditional source of power. Mr. Claus didn’t understand how it all worked, but J.J. did and he kept everything running. Mr. Claus was partial to his reindeers and let J.J. have his fun as long as everything was old school on Christmas Eve.
Mr. Claus had walked from The Manor, where he left Mrs. Claus to her liquid breakfast, over to William’s place and found it empty with only the unmade bed as a sign that anything was amiss. William kept a neat house and was the only person he knew who always made his bed.
Mr. Claus had grown very close to William and Liz and felt a mixture of rage and sadness welling up inside of him. He took a deep breath and headed toward the main building.
He found his way to the boardroom. J.J. had already picked up Leroy, who sat down at the large table where the crew at The Pole held their meetings. Leroy sat with a serious look on his face that contrasted with his unusually casual outfit- jeans, comfortable shoes and a tailored blue blazer.
William knew Leroy quite well, but Mr. Claus was a bit shaky on most of Leroy’s details. He was sure that he had grown up on the South Side of Chicago and now lived in Copenhagen. He had learned over the past few years that Leroy had a impressively large network of friends with special talents. Mr. Claus figured that he had been some kind of operative with the CIA or something within intelligence and security. William only mentioned that Leroy was a problem solver.
Leroy was usually very relaxed even in the most stressing of situations. Seeing him sitting with a very tense posture made Mr. Claus worry.
“How are you doing, Mr. Claus?” asked Leroy.
“I’ve been better.”
“Same here, brother.”
“After I talked to you on the phone I went by William’s place. There is no sign of either him or Liz. All of their stuff is there, but they are definitely gone.”
“I wouldn’t expect there to be any sort of evidence, either. The one thing we do have is the letter,” said Leroy, who pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. He read it aloud to Mr. Claus.
Dear Mr. Claus,
We are concerned with the increasing commercialization of Christmas. It was disappointing to see the Christians capitalize on the magic of the winter solstice by claiming it as the birth date of one of their important figures. It has been equally disheartening to see you betray the roots of the true meaning of Christmas. The celebration of the magic of winter for years belonged to our people and we intend to see it returned. If you do not cooperate then you will not see William or Liz alive again. We will be in contact in a few days with instructions.
“The magic of Christmas? How can you return the magic of Christmas?” asked Leroy incredulously.
Mr. Claus looked away and put his head down.
“What are you not telling me here?”
Mr. Claus took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“It’s complicated,” answered Mr. Claus.
“So uncomplicate it for me.”
Chapter 4
Bad Elves
Mr. Claus wasn’t quite sure how to explain the magic of Christmas to Leroy. He decided to play innocent.
“Leroy, I just make toys. I am not really into all of all that supernatural stuff.”
“Don’t bullshit me. You have elves working for you. Tell me they aren’t supernatural.”
“That is true, but they’re good elves,” answered Mr. Claus very naturally.
“Does that mean there are bad elves?” asked Leroy slowly.
“Most certainly,” answered Mr. Claus.
“Would that include Viggo from a couple of years ago?”
“Technically speaking Viggo is not an elf. He’s a julenisse, or just nisse,” explained Mr. Claus.
“I’ve seen them around as decorations in Copenhagen.”
“That’s right. They’re Scandinavian and I guess they could be likened to a Christmas elf. But, don’t call them elves. They don’t always take it so well.”
“Does that also mean that there bad nisse?” asked Leroy.
“I would imagine so. They all have a mischievous streak in them and some must tend toward evil.”
“Good and evil supernatural beings. Now we are getting somewhere. However, what are you not telling me about all of this magic stuff?”
“Leroy I am not sure you realize which type of beings we are dealing with here.”
“Oh, I probably know them better than you, Mr. Claus. No offense.”
“None taken, but there is a seedy underbelly in the supernatural world.”
“Like the dark side of the force?” asked Leroy with a smile on his face.
Mr. Claus looked back at Leroy without answering.
Leroy wiped the smile off his face and said as he pulled out his phone, “I think I got it now and I know just the man for the job.”
“But, Leroy, I have no idea who could be behind this.”
“Don’t worry Mr. Claus, I’ll tell Rufus to meet us here in an hour.”
“Should I send J.J. to pick him up? It’s not easy to find The Pole.”
“Don’t worry, Rufus can find us,” said Leroy and smiled again.
Chapter 5
Rufus
Just as Leroy had said Rufus arrived one hour later. He walked through the door and took a seat at the big table in the boardroom just next to Leroy.
Rufus was dressed in brown corduroy slacks with a pair of very ergonomic-looking tan suede shoes. He wore a plain white dress shirt with a corduroy jacket that matched his pants. The jacket had light blue suede accents on each elbow. Rufus had a huge head of brown hair that was naturally wavy and fell down to his shoulders. He had a large pair of glasses and looked for all of the world like a professor in social science.
Mr. Claus wrinkled his brow as he took Rufus in and offered his hand across the table, “Hi professor, my name is Mr. Claus.”
Rufus shook his hand and smiled, “Yeah, I get that a lot. My old man was a sociologist at the University of Illinois. I am an academic of sorts, but I not sure you could call me professor. Rufus will do just fine.”
“I just thought because of the jacket and all,” said Mr. Claus.
Rufus smiled politely and said, “Leroy tells me that you have received an interesting letter. Can I see it?”
“Sure,” said Mr. Claus as he handed the letter to him.
Rufus took the letter and held it up to the light. He studied the paper from several different angles before finally reading it. He took a deep breath and let it out.
He looked up at Mr. Claus, “The winter solstice- that’s interesting.”
Rufus went quiet and Leroy knew that he was trying one of the oldest interrogation tricks in the book. Rufus was trying to get Mr. Claus to finish his thought. Mr. Claus didn’t take the bait.
Rufus looked over to Leroy and then Mr. Claus, “No comment. That’s okay. I have a pretty good idea of where this letter came from.”
Chapter 6
William and Liz
William felt like he was slowly reconnecting the plugs and cables in his brain. He had no idea of how long time he had been out. He was lying down on something soft and could feel Liz next to him. He turned his head and with great effort opened his eyes to see Liz sleeping next to him. He could see she was breathing and for that he was greatly relieved.
He wasn’t sure where they were, but he was positive that it was a damp basement somewhere in a city. He couldn’t hear anything, but he could smell car exhaust and mould. There was no window in the room, but there was a bare light bulb attached directly to a fixture on the celling. He looked past his feet and could see a closed door with no handle. It had a crude slot cut in the middle and appeared to be sealed from the other side by duct tape.
Mr. Claus must miss me by now. He must have tried to call a hundred times and when he couldn’t get through he went over and banged on my door. He’ll call Leroy and they’ll figure out how to rescue Liz, thought William to himself as he lay awake.
Chapter 7
Black Magic
Cletus was dressed in grimy jeans, a t-shirt that had seen better days and a black leather vest. He was a big man with broad shoulders. His rugged look was oddly offset by neatly manicured brown hair cut into a bob that hung down past his ears.
“Hey, Bubba, pass me a beer, would ya?” said Cletus to the man next to him, who was dressed in the same fashion.
Bubba also had bobbed hair only his was a bit darker and was starting to show the first hints of gray. He got up and turned towards the frdige. On the back of his vest there were three large patches. In the center there was an intricate drawing in black and silver of a wizard. Above that there was a curved patch imprinted with the words “Black Magic” and below there was another curved patch that read “Denmark”.
Bubba said in a slow drawl, “What about you Brian? Beer?”
“You bet. And bring me the number for those wood nymphs who were here last night,” replied Brian as he laughed.
Brian was considerably slimmer than Cletus and Bubba, but had the same hair style in a light shade of brown.
Cletus shook his head, “Not now boys. We have business to take care of. Don’t tell me you already forgot why were are in this miserable world.”
Brian answered disappointedly, “No we ain’t forgot.”
Chapter 8
Hans and Valdemar
“How er it going, Hans?” asked Valdemar as he showed him a chair in his plushly appointed office.
“Well, Valdemar it goes well for you. You have come a long way from the last time I saw you for 100 years ago,” said Hans without expression.
Valdemar unbuttoned his red velvet coat and sat in a large leather chair behind his desk. He cleared his throat and studied Hans, who was also wearing a red velvet coat, although it was nowhere near as luxurious as Valdemar’s. Hans was wearing green work pants with black leather clogs and a plain white shirt. Although he was dressed very plainly Valdemar knew that for nisse their worldly possessions did not always reflect their wealth and power. Valdemar also knew that Hans was a made nisse and had very powerful friends.
“Thank you for taking the tid to visit me,” said Valdemar sincerely.
Hans just nodded.
Valdemar continued, “I know you are busy, men I have come across a situation that may have your interest.”
Hans just nodded again.
“I think that I may have a solution for the julemand problem.”
“That’s interesting, Valdemar. I didn’t see his head on a stick on my way in.”
“It’s not that type of solution, but it may be equally effective.”
Valdemar explained his potential solution.
Hans smiled every so slightly and replied, “Count me in.”
Chapter 9
The Magic of Christmas
“Okay Mr. Claus. I have a good idea where this letter comes from, but there is something that you are not telling me. And apparently you haven’t told Leroy either,” stated Rufus in a calm but forceful manner.
Mr. Claus stammered, “Well, uhm, well, I don’t know much about magic.”
Leroy looked directly at Mr. Claus and raised his voice, “Let’s cut the bullshit. Neither of us care if you won it in a poker game or you stole it or sold your soul to the devil at the crossroads. We just need to know what we have gotten ourselves into.”
Mr. Claus put his hands up defensively and said, “Okay, okay. Just chill out. Yeah, I know about the magic of Christmas.”
“Details, please, Mr. Claus,” said Leroy sharply.
“Alright, alright. It all started a long time ago. I was born a nisse many, many years ago. I grew up on a farm outside of Ribe in Denmark. I had a good life, but like many I needed to get out. I was restless and had just figured out I was a man. Not a human, but a man. I had a lot of oats that needed sowing. I took off and hung out with a bunch of different groups- elves, wood nymphs, trolls, you name it. This was way before all the diseases and drugs that are so prevalent these days. I had a good time. The last place I had crashed was with a group of insatiable wood nymphs. I woke up one morning and realized they would be the death of me, so I took off exhausted and relieved.
“I met a man on the road and he seemed pleasant and harmless. He was good company and we spent a few days together on the way to someplace I can’t remember. Without any warning one afternoon, he pulled a medallion out of his jacket pocket and put it into my hand. He told me that it was time for him to pass it on. He said that it was magic and that it was mine to keep as long as I used it to somehow make the human world a better place to live.”
“And you still have it?” asked Rufus.
Mr. Claus made a fist and bumped himself lightly on his chest, “It’s here- 24/7.”
Chapter 10
The Next Letter
Mr. Claus took the medallion off his neck and handed it to Rufus. He had never shown it to anyone but Mrs. Claus. He was reluctant but figured it was worth the risk if William was in trouble.
Rufus could sense Mr. Claus’s worry, “Don’t worry Mr. Claus. It’s not like the one ring or anything. It’s all yours. I just want to see where, and perhaps when, it was made.”
The medallion was a stylized snowflake attached to a chain made out of very small snowflakes with everything in solid gold. Mr. Claus held it up by a single finger and handed it over to Rufus.
“Simple but beautiful,” stated Rufus as he accepted the medallion from Mr. Claus.
“There are some markings on one side,” offered Mr. Claus.
Rufus studied the medallion, “Interesting. It’s elvish, so we know its origin. The markings appear just to be an artist’s signature. It’s very typical in being simple yet extremely beautiful.”
Rufus was interrupted by J.J. who poked his head into the boardroom around the door and said, “Uhm, I have something you need to see.”
“Come in,” said Mr. Claus as he looked over to Leroy.
J.J. walked in with a letter in his hand. Without saying anything he went over and handed it to Mr. Claus.
“When did you get this?”
“I got it by e-mail and printed out a copy,” answered J.J.
“Read it, please, J.J.,” said Leroy.
Dear Mr. Claus,
Please deliver the Magic of Christmas back to us on the 23rd. At exactly 18.00 you will find a statue of a unicorn just next to Grøften in Tivoli Gardens. Place the medallion on the horn of the unicorn and walk away. When we have received the medallion we will return William and Liz. We will not contact you again.
“That’s curious,” said Mr. Claus.
“Not as curious as this medallion,” said Rufus.
Chapter 11
Off to Denmark
“I’ve seen this medallion before in the office of Valdemar the Green. He’s a julenisse who is trying to make a name for himself in the world of supernatural organized crime. He sells a lot of drugs and is likely involved in anything that makes money or gives him more power,” explained Rufus.
“Okay, so what was he doing with my medallion?” asked Mr. Claus.
“It’s more like what his interest was in your medallion. He had tried to hire me to locate it for him,” explained Rufus.
“I’m not sure I like where this may be going,” said Leroy with a concerned look on his face.
Rufus raised his hands up to his chest, “It’s not how it sounds. Well, actually, it is how it sounds. But, I turned his generous offer down. I don’t knowingly do business with the likes of Valdemar.”
“So your hands are clean?” asked Leroy very seriously.
“Clean as a whistle,” answered Rufus
“I say we pay the man a visit and see how much he knows,” said Leroy as he headed toward the door.
“Off to Denmark, then?” asked J.J.
“Copenhagen. I’ll give you the address on the way,” answered Rufus as they all headed toward the door.
Chapter 12
Valdemar and Hans #2
Valdemar was sitting at his desk in his luxurious red velvet coat and looked up when he heard a knock at his office door.
“Come in,” he shouted.
In walked Mr. Claus followed by Leroy, J.J. and Rufus.
“Hello Rufus, it’s nice to see you again. Please allow me to introduce a business partner,” said Valdemar as he gestured toward Hans, who was sipping a glass of cognac.
Everyone nodded toward Hans but no one offered any other form of greeting. Hans sat down with his cognac in hand.
“Hi Valdemar. Please let me introduce Mr. Claus, his elf J.J. and Leroy,” said Rufus.
“Please to meet everyone,” said Valdemar very politely and waved with his hand for them to sit down on the chairs in front of his desk.
Rufus looked directly at Valdemar and asked, “Do you still have that beautiful drawing of a snowflake medallion that you showed me the last time I was here?”
Mr. Claus was puzzled and looked over to Leroy who just raised his eyebrows slightly.
Valdemar answered as his right hand dropped below the top of the desk, “It’s in my drawer.”
Leroy instinctively put his hand inside his coat on the butt of his gun. Hans smiled to himself and took a sip from his glass.
“I would be overjoyed if I could have shown you more than this,” offered Valdemar as he set a small piece of parchment on the top of his desk.
Leroy reached carefully over and picked up the parchment and pretended to study the drawing. He could see right away that it was the same medallion that Mr. Claus had hanging around his neck. He nodded and handed it to Mr. Claus, who also pretended to study the drawing with great interest.
Rufus looked over at the parchment and then looked up, “It is quite exquisite. A beautiful piece.”
“Indeed it is. I’m sorry Rufus that you weren’t interested in finding it for me,” said Valdemar.
“Perhaps another time. We’re sorry to have bothered you and I wish you luck in finding the piece,” said Rufus as he stood up along with the others.
“I will eventually find it,” answered Valdemar as he rose.
Chapter 13
Black Magic #2
Cletus looked over to Brian and Bubba, “Man these vests are cool. I’m not so sure the motorcyle thing is all that. But the vests are nearly worth the trip.”
Brian laughed and nodded in agreement. Bubba got up and picked up four beers from the fridge. He handed one to Cletus and another to Brian. He set one down and gave the fourth to a man dressed the same as the others and with the same bobbed hair.
Cletus looked over at the fourth man and said, “Good to know Olaf that you didn’t get lost in big, bad Copenhagen. Why don’t you check things in the basement. Make sure that everything is okay down there.”
Olaf looked over at him, raised his eyebrows and got up. He took a sip of his beer as he disappeared down a long hallway.
Brian got up with his beer in his hand and let out a loud belch. He laughed and took a sip from the bottle.
Bubba said in his slow drawl, “I am happy you are having a good time Brian. I am looking forward to getting back home.”
Brian said somewhat seriously, “Just a few more days and we’ll get what we came after.”
Cletus added, “That’s right boys it’s just a matter of time. We can take our package home just after the winter solstice.”
All of them smiled knowingly to one another.
Chapter 14
Back at The Pole
Back at The Pole in the boardroom Mr. Claus, Leroy, Rufus and J.J. were reviewing their trip to see Valdemar.
“I don’t trust either Valdemar or Hans,” said Leroy.
“I agree. And they know something about the medallion,” added Rufus.
“Why don’t we go back and use some of your, uhm, experience Leroy?” asked Mr. Claus.
“That’s not my first choice, but we may be heading in that direction,” answered Leroy.
“Actually I left a bug in his office while Hans was looking down at his glass and the focus was on the parchment,” said Rufus quite proud of himself.
“You sneaky bastard,” exclaimed Mr. Claus.
Chapter 15
Valdemar and Hans #3
“Okay, Hans, I think everything is going well. Mr. Claus and his merry men don’t know anything about our true plans,” said Valdemar very clearly.
“Indeed,” answered Hans.
“At this point they’ll never find where we have hidden William and Liz,” said Valdemar with a smile.
“Don’t underestimate them,” warned Hans.
“Now can you tell me where they are? I want to see the famous William and his girl Liz.”
“They are in a basement in a suburb of Copenhagen,” said Hans without offering more information.
“And they are guarded well?”
“I have four of my best on the job,” answered Hans as he took another sip of cognac.
Chapter 16
Back to Denmark
“Alright, it’s back to Denmark. I have a lot of contacts there and they’ll know about any unusual supernatural activity. Hans is a real player with lots of powerful friends and is not secretive about his business doings,” said Rufus.
“Does that include his illegal business activities?” asked J.J.
“He doesn’t do any other type of business,” answered Rufus.
“What do we need to know before we go back in?” asked Leroy while looking at Rufus.
“I have my bag with me. Just bring what you would normally take on a mission and we should be good,” said Rufus.
Leroy smiled and they headed out of the boardroom.
Chapter 17
ETA 1 minute
They could all hear Rufus as he hung up his phone and shouted in glee, “I think we have them!”
“Fill us in bro,” said Leroy excitedly.
“House in Denmark. Not a known associate of Valdemar. We’ll be going in mostly blind. Here is the address J.J.,” said Rufus as he handed him his telephone.
“Got it. ETA 1 minute,” said J.J. very proudly.
Leroy took command, “Rufus grab your bag, I have my gear and J.J. get yourself gathered. Mr. Claus I want you to promise me to stay put once we land. The last thing that we want is a double hostage situation. Don’t show your face at all, but keep your phone close by just in case.”
The sleigh set gently down in front of a small red brick house with a red tile roof. Because it looked just like a car it didn’t raise any extra attention at all.
“There are probably more of them then there are of us. If my information is correct their bark will be worse than their bite. Let me lead and Leroy you take over if there is any sign of things escalating. Okay?” said Rufus just before they exited the sleigh.
Leroy and J.J. nodded. Leroy was armed and while J.J. was not. J.J. was a black belt in tae kwon do and preferred not to fight unless necessary. He could and would if it meant freeing William.
Leroy looked over at Rufus and J.J. and said, “Stick with me and we’re silent from here on in.”
They approached the house.
Chapter 18
Ears
The three of them gathered behind a bush just to the side of the front door. Leroy nodded and Rufus and J.J. ran past the door so that Rufus could see in when the door was kicked in. Leroy walked calmly over to the other side of the door and held out his gun. He nodded to J.J. who took a crouched stance in front of the door. With a shout he jumped and kicked the door in and landed on his feet. He collapsed immediately onto the floor as he had been taught by Leroy.
Leroy turned into the doorway followed by Rufus. Within one minute they were in the kitchen looking directly at the four members of “Black Magic”. All of them looked very calm despite having their front door broken down by armed intruders.
Leroy nodded over to Rufus, who asked a question in a strange tongue that Leroy didn’t understand. J.J. looked over at him with a knowing smile.
Rufus stepped over to Cletus and gently swept back his bobbed hair to expose a slender and pointed ear that even Leroy recognized. He removed his hand and looked over to the other three who all simply nodded a silent “yes”.
Rufus spoke again and this time in English, “Okay, everybody’s cool here. Elves- I didn’t see that coming. You definitely don’t spend a lot of time on Earth with those ridiculous vests and those haircuts. I am afraid that your research is off by a couple of decades.”
The elves all looked over to Cletus, who simply shrugged his shoulders.
Chapter 19
Fur
Cletus took a deep breath and looked directly at Rufus, “I believe we have had dealings before. You are Rufus. A human collector of tales and antiquities. You are quite well known in our community. What I don’t understand is what you want with us.”
Leroy walked calmly over and put his gun to Cletus’s head, “Well, let me make it simple for you mother fucker. You have something we want back and we want it now.”
Cletus nodded and looked directly at the gun Leroy was holding, “I don’t see any reason to be impolite Mr. Leroy. You are welcome to look around and if you find anything you want then it’s yours. It’s not the finest example of a human dwelling, but it has served its purpose. I seriously doubt that we have common interests in this particular instance.”
Leroy nodded to J.J. who made his way past the four elves, who still looked very calm, and down the hallway on the opposite side of the kitchen. He stopped at a brown wooden door and turned the handle. It opened and he turned on the lights before descending the staircase. In the small basement there was one closed door with a lock on the outside. J.J. raised his foot up and broke the door down with ease. An awful stink reached his nose before he could focus his eyes. He was surprised but not shocked by what he saw.
In the room there was a series of cages stacked on top of one another and each one was occupied by a small animal. They looked like mink.
He made his way back up to the kitchen.
J.J. said to Leroy and Rufus, “No sign of William or Liz. A bunch of mink it looks like. Probably waiting to make a nice fur coat for one of the crime bosses back home.”
Cletus spoke again, “Now you have seen for yourself what we are doing in this world. Now I will kindly ask you to leave.”
Chapter 20
Definitely Been Had
When they got back into the sleigh they explained everything to Mr. Claus.
Leroy was the first to speak his mind, “I can’t quite figure out where we have been had here. We’ve definitely been had.”
Rufus let out a long breath and said, “They knew. They fucking knew about the bug. I don’t know how they knew about those crazy elves, but we got screwed.”
Leroy narrowed his eyes, “I think it’s time to pay Valdemar and Hans another visit. Those boys have some explaining to do.”
Rufus shook his head, “It’s seriously tempting, but I don’t think that’s going to help. The whole conversation we heard was a set-up. But they say that there is always a bit of truth in a lie.”
“So maybe they weren’t lying at all?” added Leroy.
“And my contacts were in on the whole thing at one level or another,” admitted Rufus.
“So William and Liz are still out there in a basement in Copenhagen?” asked J.J.
“Everything would point in that direction,” answered Rufus.
“Then I know how we find them,” said Mr. Claus with a huge smile on his face.
Chapter 21
Back at The Pole
They gathered back at The Pole in the boardroom to hear Mr. Claus’s plan.
He cleared his throat and started, “In the long arctic winters they have to be tough to survive. Those here today made it because they had an excellent sense of smell. There is no other way they can find their lichen when it is buried under snow and ice. They’re like arctic bloodhounds.”
He picked up his energy level as he went along, “If they can find lichen in Lapland then they can sure as fuck find two elves in a basement in Copenhagen. The reindeer can find them!”
“We have two days before we have to deliver the medallion to them,” Leroy reminded Mr. Claus.
“The reindeer can make it around the globe in one day, so Copenhagen is not a problem,” answered Mr. Claus.
J.J. added, “I think this is doable. We take the sheets from William’s place and make it clear that there is food involved every time they find the sheets. That will take half a day. Remember that these are not the dumbest of the reindeer.”
Rufus asked, “If you are willing to bet your friends’ lives on this plan then let’s get started. I have done this a lot with dogs and it’s not a difficult exercise. And there can’t be too many elves hiding out in Copenhagen. This is a good plan.”
Leroy shrugged his shoulders and said matter-of-factly, “Let’s do it. Have them harnessed and ready to go tomorrow morning. We need to find them as soon as possible in case there are plans to move them before the 23rd.”
J.J. and Rufus were out the door in a flash and Mr. Claus looked very pleased with himself.
Chapter 22
Reindeer Column
Leroy went over to the reindeer stables to check on J.J. and Rufus. As they had predicted the reindeer had a very keen sense of smell and because they were used to working together it appeared that they were ready to go.
Leroy asked, “How’s things? Everything looks good.”
Rufus smiled, “I had no idea they were so intelligent. And talk about an acute sense of smell. Wow!”
J.J. admitted, “This is definitely a serious plus in the reindeer column.”
Leroy got serious, “Are they ready to go?”
Rufus and J.J. answered in unison, “Yes!”
Leroy smiled, “Let’s saddle up cowboys it’s time to round up some bad guys.”
Chapter 23
The Rescue
Leroy had asked Mr. Claus to stay back at The Pole to make sure that all the preparations went smoothly. He was not happy with Leroy and let him know. It was after all his idea. But Leroy was calm and resolute. No Mr. Claus on a delicate mission that was likely to get messy. He wasn’t any good with a gun and had a hard time keeping his mouth shut. And he was needed at The Pole.
J.J., Rufus and Leroy were in flight and feeling good about the plan. The reindeer knew that it wasn’t the 24th and were full of excitement because something was going on.
Leroy looked out over the front of the sleigh and could see all of the reindeer in full bloodhound mode. He smiled and made a fist when the lead reindeer lifted her head up and signalled to the others. They had picked up the scent.
J.J. looked down at his screen and reported that they were over an industrial area in Bagsværd. He looked over to Leroy, who nodded back, and gave a gentle tug on the reins. The reindeer headed down and landed just out in front of a small red brick house with a Danish flag hanging from the first floor window facing the street.
As soon as the sleigh landed they all jumped out and ran toward the front of the house. As they had counted on, the nearby residents all began sticking their heads out of their front doors and some were even on the way down to see if they were real reindeers parked in the middle of the street.
J.J. kicked down the front door and dropped to the ground. When he looked up he instantly recognized Hans, who simply smiled.
Leroy stuck his head around the door jamb, “Hans, we’re willing to let bygones be bygones here as long as William and Liz are okay. You can forget all about the Magic of Christmas.”
Hans laughed, “It was worth a try. I knew I should have left Valdemar out of all of this.”
Rufus asked with sincere academic interest, “Just what were you going to use the medallion for?”
Hans answered, “Not much actually. It’s so easy to make money in this world, so it wasn’t that. I am just tired of seeing video games, reindeer sweaters and all that crap as the focus right now. We have forgotten all about the beauty of Winter.”
Rufus replied, “Agreed, but I think the days of the answer being in a medallion or a ring are behind us. We need a grassroots campaign or something on social media.”
Hans shrugged, “Maybe, but I am an old school kind of guy.”
He turned and looked at Leroy, “Anyway, it’s a deal . Bygones be bygones. William and Liz are in the kitchen, bound but unharmed. We were on the way to Tivoli, so you got here just in the nick of time. Follow me.”
True to his word William and Liz were in the kitchen along with three other nisse.
One of the nisse, who wore a duck call around his neck, shook his head and said loudly, “Hans your plans never work out.”
Another of the nisse started laughing and said, “Yes Hansi it’s your big teeth and ugly clothes.”
All of the nisse laughed very loudly together.
Chapter 24
Back to Normal
J.J. got William and Liz untied and made sure that they were okay. When everything checked out they let Hans and the three other nisse go.
William let out a big breath and said, “We are so happy to see you. I was beginning to get a bit worried.”
Leroy raised his eyebrows and patted Rufus on the shoulder, “This is Rufus he’s been a big help along with Mr. Claus. Without them we never would have found you.”
Liz gave Rufus a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. William gave him a huge hug as well. Rufus just smiled.
J.J. cleared his throat and pointed out toward the street, “Well, I think we are forgetting someone.”
Leroy laughed, “It was Mr. Claus’s plan to use the reindeer, but they actually found y’all.”
Liz ran outside and gave each and every one of the reindeers a hug around the neck.
William turned to J.J. and Leroy and asked half worried, “Did you really leave Mr. Claus all alone at The Pole?”
J.J. laughed and answered, “He thinks so, but Mrs. Claus has been filling in the whole month and I can see on my phone that everything is packed and ready to go. And there is a huge dinner set up for us. So the only things missing are us and the real sleigh. So it’s time for us to get going.”
William smiled and grabbed Leroy around the shoulder with one arm and J.J. with the other as they walked out of the little red brick house in Bagsværd.
