Danji moved to sit in the chair closest to Lacey. ‘What is it?’ she asked, a worried frown on her face.
Lacey thought carefully about her next words. She didn’t want to sound like she was accusing Danji of anything, but the mystery of Jinxy’s disappearance had gone too far now. She was pretty sure she knew what had happened, but there were a couple of details she wanted to tie down before revealing her suspicion.
‘So, you know how Peter and I have been trying to find out what happened to Jinxy?’
Danji nodded, shifting slightly in her seat. ‘Mathilda said that’s why you went out into the Wasteland. I’m sorry Bethy kept talking about Jinxy looking for the abominable snowman. I don’t know why she did that, she really should know better.’
Yes, Bethy really should’ve known better, and Lacey was going to get to that too. But, for now, Danji was the focus.
‘That really was unfortunate,’ Lacey acknowledged. ‘But it does tell you how serious I am about finding Jinxy. You also know that I’m your friend, right?’
‘Of course,’ Danji said, looking at Lacey, her candy-cane rimmed glasses unnaturally magnifying her eyes. ‘You’re the one who forgave me after what I said at the Reindeer Hall, and you didn’t get mad when I ruined Cynthie’s masterwork.’
‘So, you know you can trust me? Because I have a difficult question to ask you.’
There was no surprise in Danji’s expression.
‘You don’t have to ask,’ she said with a heavy sigh. ‘It was me, wasn’t it? I’m the one who disappeared Jinxy.’
Lacey drew up against her pillows in shock, her eyes widening with disbelief.
‘What?’ she squeaked. ‘It was you?’
‘Isn’t that what you’re thinking?’ Danji replied sombrely.
For the love of Christmas. Every time Lacey thought she knew what was happening, things took a different turn.
But, something about Danji’s confession felt off. She took a deep breath, and steadied her tired mind.
‘I had noticed twice that you had something on your mind, but didn’t tell. Once, when I spoke to Bethy about Albyrne being in the workshop when Jinxy disappeared, and again when I asked you whether Jinxy could’ve left on the Polar Express.’
Danji nodded. ‘That’s part of it. Well, by now you know of my little problem.’ Her voice broke slightly, turning the last part of her sentence into an off-key whisper.
‘That Starday I was sipping a little something throughout the day as I worked. It had gotten bad again; like I knew I had to stop, but didn’t know how.
She paused, shame flooding her face. ‘Towards late afternoon, my drink ran out. At first I thought it was no big deal. I’d just finish work and then get some more later at home. But in the end I couldn’t control the urge, so I slipped out.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
‘I hadn’t seen her, but Jinxy had gotten up and followed me outside. It didn’t take me long to get to my cottage. See, I live very close to the workshop on the way out to the candy-cane fields. I had just downed a small bottle to make up for the sips I’d missed at the workshop when she knocked on my door.
‘She wanted me to take a walk with her out to the snow-enchantment fields. She said it was to keep her company as she watched for the Polar Express.’
At this point, Lacey interrupted, saying, ‘The Polar Express?’ She felt a little burst of excitement, as two puzzle pieces moved closer together. ‘Was she going somewhere?’
Danji gave her an odd look. ‘No, of course not. She was waiting for a package she’d ordered. Apparently, it was supposed to be on the Polar Express that day.’
‘Ah, I guess that makes sense. Did she get it?’
Shrugging, Danji said, ‘I don’t know. I was walking with her, and then she tried to convince me to come with her to Mathilda so I could be treated for the glühwein again, but I didn’t want to.’
A tear spilled out of her eye. ‘I told her I had been measuring how much I drank and that I had it under control, but she wouldn’t stop pushing. We began arguing, and she said she could smell on my breath just how “well under control” I had it.
‘I don’t remember much more than that, other than that we yelled at each other and at some point I finished the bottle I had taken along with me. I think I was alone when I did that. And then, later, I woke up in the snowdrifts by the station.
‘The trains tracks lay in the snow from where the Polar Express had come and gone, but I don’t remember any of it. My head was pounding from the wine, and I went back to my cottage to sleep it off.
‘So, you see, it must’ve been me. I don’t remember it, but Jinxy disappeared and I don’t remember her leaving. I must’ve done something to her, only I don’t know what.’
Ending her tale, Danji plaintively stared at Lacey.
‘Oh Danji,’ she said. ‘That must’ve been very upsetting.’
She nodded. ‘I stopped drinking right after that again. I couldn’t stand thinking that I’d said something to make Jinxy leave. Only, we had the meeting in the Reindeer Hall and Golly was there, and you know what happened then.’
Lacey patted her shoulder. ‘I don’t believe it. Even if you and Jinxy were arguing, you never would’ve done something to hurt her, would you?’
Danji shook her head. ‘But she was gone, so what else could it have been? It must’ve been me.’
‘I’m not so sure. And, anyway, what you’ve told me explains your reaction to my Polar Express question, but where does Bethy fit into all of this?’
‘Oh right, Bethy,’ Danji said. ‘Well, when I woke up again out there, and was walking back to my cottage, I saw her walking away from the train platform too.
‘I hid, because I didn’t want anyone to see me, so she didn’t know I’d spotted her. But that was around the time the hubbub over Jinxy started out of the workshop, when she hadn’t turned up for her walk with Melo. So, I don’t think Bethy could’ve been at the workshop to see Albyrne leave.’
They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It opened and Mathilda peeked around.
‘Sorry to break this up you two. Lacey, you need to rest. You can see Danji again tomorrow if you want.’
And even though Danji had added some interesting new information to the mystery, Lacey was glad. Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy, so much so that she didn’t even worry about sleeping through supper. She had underestimated how much a simple conversation would take out of her.
‘All right, Mathilda,’ she assented, but then thought of something.
‘Danji, have you spoken to Mathilda yet after everything?’ she asked.
Danji cast her eyes down, studying the floor. ‘No.’
Mathilda looked at her softly. ‘Are you ready to come stay here at the Healing Hall for a little bit? They’re at a point in the workshop where one less helper won’t make a difference. We could say that you’re tired from the Christmas rush and need a few days to recuperate.’
‘You know?’ Danji asked, surprised.
‘I am the village nurse,’ Mathilda replied enigmatically.
Danji took a deep breath. ‘All right.’
‘Good,’ Mathilda said. ‘Why don’t you go get what you need from your cottage, and come straight back? I’m here anyway, we might as well get started.’
The two of them slipped out into the hallway. Mathilda giving Lacey a smile and a nod as she pulled the door closed behind her.
Lacey was glad for Danji – she needed the help. She lay back against her pillows and closed her eyes.
One more thread had been woven into her mystery tapestry, and, unless there were more surprises like Danji’s, there was only one thread left. The time to reveal the mystery was coming.
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Stars Dancing by Ayela Arcana lately. Great sci-fi worldbuilding within the fantasy-romance genre if you're looking for more!
In the mood for something cozy, spicy, and otherworldly? Join Dr. Ryst Nova in the Andromeda Galaxy, 700 years from now. Ryst survives an attempt on her life, but now she's hearing voices she can't explain and dreaming of a man she's never met. When she goes looking for him, what does she uncover, and could she set in motion a string of events that will break reality itself? Find out in .
What to Expect:
- Female & male leads.
- LGBT leads & cast.
- Neurodifferent and nonverbal characters.
- Slow burn romance that turns NSFW spicy.
- Telepathy, Tantra, & psychic phenomenon.
- Seven book series. For the stand-alone Comedy Space Operas, start in .
- For the WLW Psychological Thriller Romances, go to .