Some links may be affiliate links. We get money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on our site.

Christmas All The Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Krampus Strikes Again!

Bryce wandered the block until the cold drove him inside. He hadn’t had breakfast, so Dunkem’ seemed as good a place as any to warm up.

A cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich later, he pulled out his phone and checked his sent messages to see what Veronica had texted herself from his phone.

You’ve got to be nuts.

He looked at the contact information she’d added. Veronica Montes with smiling selfie.

Talk about mixed messages. He wondered if he ought to delete the contact entry, block the number and just go home. On the other hand, she had chosen to sit down behind him on the train and talk to him. She could easily have pretended not to see him.

He couldn’t really blame her for having second thoughts. What did he have to offer her? How desperate is she if she’s even entertaining the idea of getting to know him? It was probably just because he’d saved her. It’s a stress response. Pity and mixed motives. Is that the basis for a relationship?

Wow, talk about jumping the gun. There’s no relationship here. She invited him to see her audition because she’s excited about dancing, not because she’s excited about him.

Right?

Should he text Janka and ask her? She’s not impartial. She wants to set them up even if there’s nothing there. No, better not ask Janka.

The warmth of the coffee lulled him into a thoughtful abstraction. He looked up at the TV without really seeing it. The red bag came into view and he stirred from his reverie. What’s that headline?

Krampus Strikes Again!

What do they mean ‘again’? He gulped down his coffee and headed back to the doorway where the bag had fallen. The news crew was packing up their gear into a van with the station logo plastered all over it.

“Excuse me.” Bryce said to the guy rolling up an electrical cord.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, I was here when the bag fell.”

“Really?” He looked around the van. “Hey, Asha, this guy saw the bag fall.”

The woman peeked out of the passenger window. “What?”

“This guy here. He saw the bag fall.”

She shivered and rolled up the window.

Bryce looked at the crewman.

“Wait for it.” The guy said.

The van’s passenger door opened and the reporter dropped to the curb. “Which guy are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I got the contacts from Officer Littman. Which one are you?”

“I’m Wescott. I pulled Veronica Montes out of the way.”

“Quick thinking.”

“I saw the shadow and I just reacted.”

“Where’s Ms. Montes?”

“She’s upstairs auditioning for a musical. Hey, I saw your report on the TV just now and the headline said…”

“Krampus strikes again.”

“Yeah, what do you mean ‘again’?”

“Guy’s some kind of nut. Starts this stuff every Christmas.”

“Christmas? It’s just past Thanksgiving.”

The reporter huddled down into the collar of her winter coat. “Every year when the big tree goes up in Roosevelt Plaza, the news services get a letter from somebody calling himself Krampus. Fortunately, he hasn’t killed anybody yet.”

“Well, he came pretty close today. If I hadn’t been there to pull her away, Empire City would be short one dancer.”

“You’re assuming it’s a he.”

“The officer said it was two hundred pounds. I’d hate to run into the lady who can toss around two hundred pound bags of coal.”

“That’s a good point, I suppose.”

Bryce reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Oh, she’s done now if you want to talk with her.”

“I’ve got to get to a traffic accident in the Garment District but I have your information. I’ll check with my editor and let you know if they want to do a piece on her.”

“Okay.” Bryce walked her back to the van and opened the door for her. “You’d better warm up before your next report.”

Asha jumped back into the van and Bryce closed the door. He texted to Veronica to let her know he was right downstairs. The van was pulling away when she came out of the door.

“What were they doing here?” Veronica asked.

“Covering an ongoing story.”

“Ongoing?” Veronica looked up at the top of the building. “Somebody’s throwing a bunch of these Santa bags?”

“I guess. The reporter said this has been going on a couple years already.”

“Wow, what a psycho.” She drew her coat up close. “Did you find someplace nice for lunch? I’d like to get back inside.”

“Sure. There are a couple of places just down the block here. How did your audition go?” He began walking.

“It’s whatever. I won’t be sad if that one doesn’t pan out.”

“That bad, huh?”

“No, I did alright. It’s not as good as the ad made it out to be.”

“The director was too disorganized.”

“That’s typical of these things. Some of my dance teachers were still tweaking the routine until days before the recital. It’s not so much that. I just got a bad feeling about some of the people there. It seems like there’s going to be more drama backstage than there will be onstage.”

“Oh, I hope one of your other spots works out. How does this place look?”

“Too dark.”

“There’s a deli just a few doors down.”

“Sounds good to me.” She shivered.

“Wow, let’s get you indoors.” Bryce put his arm around her waist and increased their pace. She put her arm around his shoulder and hurried to the delicatessen.