The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection by Patricia Kiyono

he trying to clean up his
image, or is he trying to impress the pretty lady?
    Roger Duncan set his camera down on the
passenger seat and watched Mitch get into his car. He started his
own car but waited to put it in gear until he could follow at a
distance. The girl hadn’t come out yet. Maybe she was one of those
Sunday School types who stayed in the church all day like his
grandma had. If he’d known his target was headed for church, he
would have put on his suit so he could have gone inside. But in his
sweatshirt and jeans, he would have stood out, so he’d stayed in
the corner of the parking lot and kept an eye on the door.
    This guy’s clean-cut, church-going lifestyle
could make the job take a lot longer than he’d expected. His client
had made it sound like her son-in-law was a real low-life and a
terrible father. All she needed was some evidence, like pictures of
him carousing around, or proof he didn’t take care of his daughter.
But so far the guy hadn’t slipped up, not once.
    Maybe it was time to drum up a distraction
or two.
     

Chapter Eight
    S ophie took a deep breath before
entering the choir room for another Wednesday night practice.
Sunday’s rehearsal had gone well, once she’d awakened from her
daydream and gotten to work. Thinking about it still made her face
burn.
    She held up her hands for silence. Nothing
happened. Other than the first graders in the front row, the kids
ignored her. She clapped her hands. A few turned to look at her,
and then went back to their conversations. Time for Plan C. She put
her fingers to her lips and blew. The talking stopped and she
started in on instructions before they could recover.
    “ First graders, thank you
so much for being in your places and ready to work. You guys will
get a special treat later. Second and third graders, you need to
get to your seats now. Your feet and hands should NOT touch anyone
else. You have sixty seconds. GO!”
    Kids scrambled. She watched the second hand
on the wall clock and counted. “Forty-five seconds. Thirty seconds.
Fifteen seconds. Five, four, three, two one. FREEZE!”
    All but two were in place. The twin terrors,
Jordan and Josh, continued to run. They chased each other,
oblivious to everyone else. The other kids started to react, either
cheering them on or complaining.
    Mrs. VanMeter had given Sophie a few tips
for managing their behavior. She’d anticipated trouble from them,
so the minute the sixty seconds had started, she’d maneuvered
herself around the group to where the twins ran. She caught each
twin by one arm.
    “ Josh and Jordan, you did
not make it to your assigned place in sixty seconds. You must now
pay the penalty.” She led them to the front row. The rest of the
children froze in place, wanting to see what horror they would be
subjected to if they didn’t follow directions.
    “ Since you didn’t find a
place to sit, I will find one for you.” She plopped one boy in an
empty spot in the front row, and the other one in a spot in the
second row.
    The first twin popped up immediately. “I
don’t wanna sit there,” he complained. “I’m not gonna sit by a
couple o’ girls!”
    “ You had sixty seconds to
find the right row to sit in. Since you didn’t bother to follow
directions, you lost the right to choose. Sit.”
    “ No.”
    “ Okay.” She pulled her cell
phone out of her pocket and started dialing. Thirty kids froze,
their eyes wide.
    “ Are you calling Grandma
Longton?” one of the twins asked.
    She didn’t answer. “Hi,” she said into the
phone. “I need you.” A pause. “Thanks.” Putting the phone back into
her pocket, she smiled at the frightened children. “It’s okay. I
just asked a friend of mine to stop in.”
    “ A friend? Aww, she
probably didn’t talk to anybody. She was just pretending. Mommy
does that sometimes.” Jordan puffed out his chest, displaying his
bravado.
    Josh wasn’t so sure. “What if she really did
call Grandma?” he asked his brother.