Page 1 of The Great Reindeer Caper

he Great Reindeer Caper

Heather Graham

Lights sparkled in a zillion different colors. Christmas trees stood in little spaces in front of buildings. A few apartment buildings and homes had been decorated with special Christmas designs—angels, Santas, sleighs, reindeer pulling those sleighs—and in honor of Hannukah as well, there were menorahs to be seen here, there, and everywhere.

In fact, there was a balloon reindeer flying high in sky!

New York knew how to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season well.

Angela and Jackson strolled along the street, hand in hand, enjoying all the sights they saw. They’d come into the city a few days early for a special, private meeting with Adam Harrison; and because he’d wanted to meet sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, they’d brought their kids, Corby and Victoria, along with them. But at this moment, the kids were at a special Christmas program at the Met; because, of course, on Christmas Eve they’d all be together. But they’d take tomorrow morning, the day before Christmas Eve, for last minute Christmas shopping. Tonight was what they were calling “date night” because one of Angela’s favorite places in the city was McSorley’s, the oldest continually operated Irish pub in the city. Mary Tiger, who had served them for years as far more than a nanny, was with them, though she could have spent the holidays with her nephew back in Northern Virginia. Mary and her nephew, Special Agent Axel Tiger, had agreed that family was family; and they were lucky their work created all of themas “family.” Axel would see that they did something special at another time.

Date night! And they didn’t need to worry about timing!

“It’s all amazing,” Jackson said. “Not so fond of the cold that comes with December, but Christmastime is just about the most beautiful time possible, everywhere.”

“Celebrating good and giving,” Angela murmured. But then she spun around, feeling a burst of air. Someone had just been behind her, and then hurrying around her, shouting frantically. “Move, move, watch out, watch out!”

She quicky knew why.

Reindeer. More and more reindeer!

Reindeer heading down the road in the biggest, weirdest “herd” she had ever seen.

They weren’trealreindeer. Rather, like the one flying high in the sky, they were the blow-up kind. But there were so many that they had caused a massive pile of traffic confusion. A taxi was veering off the road, having been struck from the back by another car that hadn’t been able to stop so quickly, and it was heading onto the sidewalk and people.

She jumped back and to the right, grabbing a boy of about ten and dragging him with her; Jackson had caught the kid’s mother.

The taxi slammed into the wall behind him. And all over the avenue, cars crashed into one another. People began running out of businesses; reindeer, caught in the crashes, exploded and with air depleted, fell to the street.

“Oh, my God, thank you, thank you!” the young mother with the boy cried to them, staring at the taxi, still just stunned.

The driver had leapt out. He, too, went into a spate of frantic words. “It wasn’t my fault, I . . . oh, my God! Thank God! Everyone is all right but . . .” He broke off, staring at his taxi, now partially into a wall.

Angela and Jackson assured them they were just glad they were okay.

The New York police were good. There were already officers out, but the scene was pure chaos. Cars were entangled, drivers were at a loss shouting at first; but then, when the cops pulled out their bullhorns, everyone seemed to realize that blaming one another was futile.

The reindeer were to blame.

“Let’s move,” Jackson murmured to Angela. “That way—not as much reindeer congestion.”

“I guess you’re right; and this is a case for the NYPD and—”

“No, I meant, let’s head back toward the beginning of this knot—a pack of plastic reindeer don’t just blow themselves up and glide into the traffic. Someone did this on purpose to cause chaos.”

“Why in the world—” Angela began.

“Exactly!” Jackon said.

“Right!” she murmured. “Well, I guess, Sherlock, something is afoot!” she murmured. And yes, NYPD would be on it, but they were federal law enforcement and . . . well, hell, yeah, they were going to try to fathom what had happened.

A simple problem at an inflatable balloon facility?

Angela doubted it.

Of course, she began to wonder what it could be. A robbery? Use the reindeer and the traffic mash-up to distract everyone and slide into a bank, a business, or a shop and take something? But even with chaos, something like a bank robbery might be too hard to pull off, so . . .

A robbery of some other kind?