Page 55 of Christmas All the Way

‘Are they right?’ Jim’s voice was a rumble of barely suppressed fury as he glowered at his son. ‘Did you do this?’

‘No!’ Jesse got to his feet, his hands balled into fists. ‘Show me this video. Go on, show me!’

Keeley felt a storm of hot anxiety explode in her chest. She should have known he would demand to see the evidence. ‘All in good time,’ she said, fighting to sound cool and unruffled. ‘Once we’ve handed it over to the police.’

His lip curled. ‘There’s no video of me going in through the front door of the hall. That is a solid gold fact.’

A movement to the left of Keeley made her turn her head to see Paul take a step forward. ‘Because you went in through a window at the back,’ he said. ‘You levered the frame apart, climbed inside and went down to the basement. I saw the dust on the work surface in the kitchen had been disturbed but I didn’t realise why until now.’

‘But you didn’t have time to lock the fuse box again,’ Gavin put in. ‘Or hang the key back on the hook. You ran back up the stairs and unbolted the kitchen door.’

‘What is this – CSI: Chelmsford or something?’ Jesse’s tone was derisive but Keeley thought she saw beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. ‘I was with my dad the whole evening. You can ask him.’

‘Except that’s not quite true,’ Jim said slowly. ‘You went off to get a drink when Deke here first appeared.’

‘I was only gone a few minutes,’ Jesse protested. ‘Hardly long enough to pull off some kind of Ocean’s Eleven shit or whatever it is these idiots are suggesting I did.’

‘It was longer than that,’ Jim replied, his brow creased. ‘And you didn’t have a drink when you came back.’

‘What did you do with the key, Jesse?’ Gavin asked softly. ‘Is it still in your pocket now?’

‘No,’ Jesse snapped. ‘Because I wasn’t even there.’

Jim sighed. ‘Then you won’t mind turning them out.’

‘Of course I will, you old fool.’ Stuffing his hands defiantly into his jacket, he glared at his father. ‘You don’t seriously think I care enough about their poxy village display to risk breaking and entering, do you?’

Jim met his furious glower with solemn resignation. ‘I think you’ll do anything to win. Empty your pockets, son.’

Keeley wasn’t sure what they would do if Jesse continued to refuse. Deke was eyeing him with self-righteous indignation and Gavin seemed like a coiled spring beside her. Then Grace smiled. ‘You know what, it doesn’t really matter if he admits it or not,’ she said, and gestured to the window and the village green. ‘The point is, he failed. The tree and the light trail look amazing and everyone Raff and I spoke to before coming up here was having a great time.’

Paul nodded. ‘And if anything else mysteriously goes wrong, we’ll know exactly where to send the police.’

There was a moment of charged silence, then Jesse stood up and jerked a hand from his pocket. He flung it towards Grace. Something bounced on the table top with a metallic clang, then dropped to the floor. ‘There’s your stupid key. Flaxwood’s display is going to make you look exactly like what you are – a bunch of amateurs with no clue what Christmas is really about.’

Storming to the door, he pushed past Gavin, who didn’t nothing to stop him. ‘I’ll tell you what Christmas isn’t about,’ he called down the stairs at his retreating back. ‘It’s not about a rubber T. rex in a Santa hat.’

A hush fell over the room. Jim got to his feet, his face ashen. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘You don’t need to say anything,’ Raff reassured him. ‘It’s obvious you knew nothing about Jesse’s underhand behaviour.’

‘But I should have done,’ the older man insisted. ‘I was so grateful he came back to help during my illness that I didn’t pay enough attention when he started talking about streamlining the business and improving profits.’ He shook his head. ‘I had no idea he’d been to see Ivy. I’m sorry, Raff. I imagine she’s been beside herself with worry.’

‘She has, I’m afraid,’ Grace said. ‘In fact, she’s talking about retiring.’

Jim’s faded eyes grew round with horror. ‘Oh no, she mustn’t do that. I know how much she loves Santa’s Secret.’

‘I don’t think she’s got much choice,’ Grace replied gently. ‘She can’t afford the rent increase, and no one will buy the business with such enormous overheads.’

‘The rent isn’t going to go up,’ Jim said, flapping an agitated hand. ‘The barn is hers for as long as she wants it and I’ll make sure Jesse knows the terms of the lease are set in stone, even if she does decide to sell.’ His expression darkened. ‘In fact, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for him to have so much responsibility at Ruggles, if this is how he thinks a family business should be run.’

He sat down heavily and mopped at his brow. Keeley’s heart went out to him. He looked as though his world had come crashing down around him.

‘Would you like me to drive you home?’ Raff asked sympathetically. ‘It’s no trouble.’

‘No,’ Jim said, rallying slightly. ‘I’d like you to take me to see Ivy. The least I owe her is an apology and those are best delivered face to face.’

‘I can do that,’ Raff agreed. ‘But wouldn’t you rather wait until the morning? When you’ve had a chance to calm down.’