Excerpt: The Santa Code

Cary stopped at the edge of the aisle where all the after-holiday sale items were. Most of it was Easter stuff, but there were a few Valentine items. She sifted through the front items, reaching toward the back of the shelf, but pulled back quickly when her hand touched something wet. The motion caused her to knock down a polar bear with heart-shaped sunglasses and a hula-skirt, which immediately came to life and began singing the Norah Jones song, “Cold Cold Heart,” while it's hips rotated with a buzz that was almost as loud as the music. It's batteries must have been low, because it sounded less like Nora Jones and more like the deep voice of Elvis Presley.

She moved the junk on the shelf out of the way to see what she had touched. It was a broken plastic snow-globe, leftover from Christmas. Cary guessed it had been broken for a while, because the puddle was a yellowish-green color, and a mildewy smell emanated from the shelf.

Next to the broken snow globe there was a small but intricate Santa Clause doll – or perhaps more correctly, a Saint Nicholas doll. She reached back and pulled it out, taking care not to bump anything else. In the shadow of the back of the shelf, it had looked like a toy, but in light she could see that it was porcelain, with silk clothing and elaborate design.