Mrs. Fields grabbed her sleeve. “What are you doing, Emily? You can come home with us.”
Emily winced. The elves whipped around and stared at Emily and her mother. “Wait. How do you know her name?” Heather asked.
“Why does she get to go home?” Sophie piped up.
“She stole the stuff right along with us,” Lola spat.
Mrs. Meriwether shifted her weight. Emily’s mother smiled smugly. Emily saw the realization slowly strike each girl.
“Holy shit,” Sophie whispered.
“I told you!” Lola screamed. She jammed a finger at Emily. “I told you guys she was a narc! I could just tell the day she showed up as Santa! But you didn’t listen!”
Heather spat in Emily’s direction, which got her a cuff on the arm from one of the cops. Cassie glared at Emily with blazing eyes. “Is it true?” she said in a low, disappointed voice. “Did you set us up?”
Emily shook her head desperately. “I didn’t say a word about this prank to anyone. Honest.” She turned to her mother, who was now leaning against the Volvo wagon with her arms crossed. “How did you know we were going to be here?”
“We tracked your iPhone.” Mrs. Fields looked proud of herself. “Officer O’Neal suggested it. I suspected something was up tonight, so I called Judith and Officer O’Neal and we followed you.”
Emily thought of the iPhone still nestled in her bag. “You were spying on me . . . spying on them?” she sounded out.
“You were carrying that around to spy on us?” Cassie shrieked.
“It wasn’t like that!” Emily pleaded. “I mean, yeah, they gave me an iPhone, but I never used it on you guys! I swear! You know me, Cassie! Why would I do something like that?”
Cassie made an incredulous face. “Actually, Santa, I’m not sure I know you at all.”
“Cassie . . .” Tears rolled down Emily’s cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Emily, what do you care what these brats think of you?” Mrs. Fields yanked the car door open. “They deserve a strict punishment, and you helped us catch them in the act. Maybe we’ll even get my baby Jesus back.”
Suddenly, Emily thought she might explode. “Do you even care about your baby Jesus?” she bellowed at her mother. “You’re just going to sell it to buy stupid Christmas presents for everyone, gifts we probably won’t even remember next year! Why do you care so much about making the holiday picture-perfect? Why isn’t what we have right now enough?”
The words had flowed out of her mouth before she’d taken the time to think them through. Mrs. Fields stiffened and a hurt look crossed her face. Without saying a word, she marched around the car to the driver’s side, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.
The policeman pushed the elves into his squad car one by one. Just before O’Neal guided Cassie into the vehicle, Cassie swiveled around once more and gave Emily a seething stare. “Ali would hate you for this, you know.”
A tiny whimper escaped from Emily’s mouth. O’Neal slammed the cruiser door shut. The engine growled, and the car pulled away, sirens blaring. Emily didn’t move from her spot on the golf course until she could no longer see the lights or hear the sirens. It was only then that it hit her for real: She was alone again. She had no one.
Chapter 14
Santa to the Rescue
Later that night, Emily slipped out the front door, locked up, and pushed the Volvo down the driveway so her parents wouldn’t hear the engine start. She wasn’t supposed to be out this late, but she couldn’t lie in her bed for a second longer, listening to Carolyn snore and seeing Cassie’s wounded face in her mind again and again.
A light snow had begun to fall, dusting the streets, the rooftops, and the tree branches. She passed Rosewood Day, which was all lit up with lights around its stone perimeter, and then the turnoff to Ali’s street. But she didn’t feel like stopping by Ali’s house tonight. She felt too ashamed about what she’d done. It was almost like she was accountable to Ali, like Ali was watching her from beyond the grave.