A Case of Christmas by Josh Lanyon Page B

final meet.”
    “Where it all went wrong?”
    “It didn’t all go wrong because we did get the swords back. But…yeah. We had a
    room at the Hotel Majestic, and I was supposed to get out before the team burst in, but
    Withers had brought her boyfriend for backup. His name was Ephraim Schrader. He was
    older and a lot more savvy. It turned out he was the actual owner of the swords. And
    about the time I was supposed to leave for the bank to get their money, Schrader smelled
    a rat. He grabbed one of the rapiers and came after me.”
    “He—”
    Shane said, “You know how fast things can go south. I didn’t think Schrader would
    use the sword. But he did.”
    Linus had a strange expression on his face. His voice sounded strange too as he
    asked, “Where was your vest?”
    Shane said, “No vest. We couldn’t take the chance. The first time I met Withers she
    had me take my shirt off to prove I wasn’t wearing a wire.” He shrugged. “I knew there
    was a risk. Even so, I misread the situation. I told Schrader, ‘You’re not going to use
    that.’ And I very confidently walked right up to him.”
    “Jesus Christ, Shane.” Linus looked genuinely shaken—which was kind of
    gratifying.
    “Anyway, one emergency surgery and fifty-two staples later, here I am. And so long
    as crème de cacao doesn’t start spurting out my stomach like I’m a pincushion—”
    Linus inhaled his drink and began coughing.
    “Whoa. You okay?” Shane leaned forward, amused.
    “Jee…sus…Chr…” choked Linus. His face was scarlet behind his curved arm. He
    sounded like he was drowning.
    “Sorry,” Shane said, though he was not entirely sorry.
    Linus’s watery eyes met his. He shook his head, coughed again to clear his lungs.
    “You’re a—”
    But whatever Linus thought Shane was, was destined to remain a mystery—the glass
    windows facing the oceanfront shuddered beneath a sudden gust of wind, and the tables
    and chairs on the patio scooted and scraped a few feet; the restaurant lights flickered, then
    went out.
    There was a moment of stark and startled silence.
    “I think that’s probably it, folks,” the bartender announced, his voice floating
    through the gloom.
    The couple at the table in the back began to protest. They sounded very drunk. The
    bartender switched on a high-power flashlight and went to deal with them.
    “Damn,” Shane said. This was a sudden and disappointing end to the evening.
    Linus’s shadow said, “We could try someplace else.”
    “If the power is out, won’t it be out all over the island?”
    “Probably. But there are three different distribution circuits across the island. And
    not all backup generators are created equal.” Linus drained his glass. “Up to you.”
    “Seeing that I haven’t eaten for three days…”
    Linus laughed and set his glass down. “Let’s find you something to eat.”
    They left the restaurant and walked down the promenade which was eerily dark. The
    rain had stopped again. Beyond the sea wall, the ocean was a black and restless bulk,
    noisily rushing in and sighing as it withdrew, unsatisfied.
    “I don’t think I’m going to get lucky,” Shane said. He heard the echo of that and
    winced.
    Linus made a noncommittal noise. He said, “That would be a first, right?”
    Shane threw him a curious look. Linus was gazing out at the ocean.
    It looked like the power was out everywhere. Even the casino was a sharp black
    silhouette against the stormy clouds. A few boats in the harbor had lights as owners
    scrambled to secure moorings.
    “Let me ask you something,” Shane said.
    Linus glanced at him. “Sure.”
    “How much of you was Norton? How much was an act? A role?”
    Linus seemed to weigh his words. “You work undercover. You know how it is.”
    “No,” Shane said. “I don’t do that kind of undercover. I pretend to be a buyer or a
    seller for a few hours. There’s no elaborate legend involved.”
    “There wasn’t for me either.”
    “Come