“Here we are,” Dad says when we reach a hedge. “This leads into the old allotment. We should hang back and see what we can find out first. Just stay quiet for a moment, see if there’s any signs that they’re here.”
We do just that.
“See the tire marks on the field?” Dad whispers. “That looks like a car has been here recently.”
“Like that black limo supposedly hidden in those trees over there?” Santa asks and we follow his gaze to the far end of the abandoned allotment to a patch of trees and overgrown grass. Sure enough, in the middle you can see the sun reflecting off the back of a car. Definitely the limo.
We’re crouching down in the bushes, waiting for signs of life—for any sign that they’re here. Then we see a flash of red hair through the window towards the back of the shed. Blizzard’s red hair.
“It could be a trap,” Dad says when Santa gets overexcited.
“I have an idea,” I say. “I’ll go around the back while you two distract Seth and Anti-Claus. If you go to the front and call them out, I’ll sneak in the back and get Blizzard out. Then hopefully the police will come and arrest them both.”
“I don’t know...” Dad says. “This sounds too dangerous. We should just wait for the police.”
“If we wait for the police it becomes a hostage situation,” Santa says. “I know you don’t want to put Kaity in danger but it could be our only option.”
“I’ll be careful,” I add. “I won’t go in until I’m sure they’re both out here.”
Dad sighs reluctantly but agrees.
I grab a tree branch and use it as camouflage to sneak around outside the hedge. I stop behind a hill at the back of the building. I have a clear view of the back door to the shed but I’m confident the people inside can’t see me. I wait for Dad and Santa’s cue.
Soon enough, Santa strides up to the shed door and bangs hard enough to shake the shed itself. Then he walks backwards, obviously intending for Anti-Claus and Seth to follow him out, giving me space to get in and rescue Blizzard. It works better than I thought it would, as Anti-Claus himself throws the door open and stalks out, Seth standing mute behind him like a bodyguard.
Dad stands up then too. “We know you have her,” he says. He’s staying where he is so they have to come to him. “Let’s negotiate,” Dad continues.
This is my cue. Seth and Anti-Claus are far enough out of the shed that I can get in without being seen. I take my tree branch with me just in case I need a weapon, and I have Dad’s pocket knife in my pocket to cut through the ropes if they’ve got Blizzard tied up.
I slip through the door. Blizzard is in a chair, a gag around her mouth, her arms tied behind her back and her legs tied to the chair legs. I’m relieved to see she’s not hurt.
Her eyes light up when she sees me and I’m glad to know she didn’t know I was there, because if she didn’t see me then chances are Anti-Claus and Seth didn’t either.
“Are you okay?” I whisper as quietly as possible.
She nods frantically as I crouch down and begin cutting through the ropes with the pocket knife.
It’s a tough job and almost the moment I cut through the final rope, we hear a round of yelling outside.
“Seth’s coming back,” Blizzard says quickly peering through a hole in the wood. “Quick, go!”
But we don’t have time as he slams his way through the door. We press ourselves up against the wall. I’m holding my tree branch up and as Seth comes in, I aim it at his head and whack him hard. He shouts in surprise and falls to the floor clutching his head and I throw the branch at him. Blizzard and I run.
“That was unnecessary,” she pants as we reach safety behind the hill.
“He had it coming,” I mutter.
Sirens screech in the distance, gradually getting closer as we wait.
“Girls, it’s safe to come out now,” I hear Santa yelling for us once the sirens have stopped, and when we peer over the hill, we see that the police are there. Anti-Claus is being held over the bonnet of the police car, already in handcuffs and being searched for weapons. Two more officers are dragging a handcuffed Seth out of the shed.
“Daddy!” Blizzard runs to him and flings her arms around his waist.
“Hi sweetheart,” he says, picking her up and twirling her.
“I was so scared we weren’t going to make it in time for tonight,” she says.
“It’s Kaity you have to thank,” Santa says as my dad walks over to join us.
A few neighbours have come out to see what is going on. Police cars are not a common sight around here. The neighbours wouldn’t want to miss the gossip of the century. Mum and Pippa are there too and I give them a small wave. I can’t help but wonder if Mum watched the DVD yet. I assume she has, and I watch in fascination as she purposefully avoids looking at the car where Seth is being searched.