Mistletoe

Lara Beilby

Catherine and some of the Helpers had gone to get decorations for the spaces they thought needed decorations Below and for those that celebrated Christmas and Hanukah. Not a soul had found Mistletoe in their searches for weeks. The calendar was full of events Catherine went to day in and out and it was finally two days before Christmas when one of the sandwich delivery Helpers handed Catherine a note.

Meet me in Smythe's Bookshop eight o'clock tonight.
K. Gentian

Catherine blinked at the note and squirreled it away before anyone noticed she'd gotten a note in her BLT. She worked her way through the cases she had been assigned and got off of work a half an hour late as she had been transcribing some last minute details from one case that could add evidence to another. The old clock on her office wall bonged six. Cathy stretched glancing at the clock and then shut down the computer she had been using.

She went home, changed clothes to jeans and a t shirt and a sweat shirt and thick socks and boots. A warm winter jacket was almost the final thing she put on before she went down and to her car, purse bouncing on her shoulder.

Traffic was bad, as most everyone was using this time to head to stores and festivities leading up to Christmas.

Catherine parked the car and then walked up to the door of the family run bookshop and slipped in appreciating the warmth of the heater by the door for a moment and the smell of mulled cider wafting from the cashier stand.

"Hello Catherine! Can I help you with something?" The elderly man, Elias Smythe, saw her come in as he was sweeping the floor near the first shelves."Grab a cup and get some cider, I just made some."

Catherine smiled and got a styrofoam cup and helped herself. "Someone sent me a note this afternoon, told me to meet him here, Elias." She sniffed and sipped. "Mmm this definitely is taking the edge off the cold outside..."

Elias chuckled. "That's what Kristopher used to say when he'd duck in too.."

"I still say it even if I can't drink any more."

The two turned towards a shadowy part of the store as they laughed sharing in the silliness of the moment.

"Anyway, got something for you Cathy, something you've been looking for..." The tall slender ghost smiled and pointed up at the ceiling above his head. "You should put some where you sleep sometimes... Can't stay long, promised I'd go show Chan how to draw Santa Claus..." He began fading out.

Catherine got a stepstool and looked where the ghost had pointed to and found a single bunch of freshly cut mistletoe. She was just able to barely touch it with her fingers."Elias you're taller than I am... want to get this down?"

"Sure Catherine."

"Wait until Vincent sees this."

 

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