They watched an expression of concern creep across Lumi’s face.
“It wasn’t me,” she said.
Both Ash and Holly seemed to deflate, their shoulders falling.
“But I think it could have been my sister.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
HOLLY
Lumi, Holly, and Ash had coffee and pastries in the café as Lumi explained how the Kringle elves had snow tunneled often when she was younger. Lumi’s favorite place was Finland, and she mainly went from the North Pole to Finland and back.
“But there were some Kringles who had the travel bug. They went anywhere there was snow. My sister was one of them. She was generally careful and in control of her snow tunneling, but she did it so often that she started to get careless. And she wasn’t the only one. This was all about twenty years ago, and the elves and your father, Holly, decided we needed to put an end to the snow tunneling. We didn’t ban it completely, but it had to be done much less frequently and only by trusted, experienced elves. My sister, Luna, is the only other elf I knew around that time who was also coming to Finland. So if there’s a connection between Emerald Hollow and Finland, I think it could have been through her.”
Holly’s heart sank as she listened. “With Isaiah’s memory loss, Auryn had to be the one who restored it, since he was the elf who opened the tunnel. If Luna did have a connection to what happened to Ash’s mom, and Luna has since passed on…”
A look of devastation washed across Ash’s face as he realized what that meant. Holly took his hand under the table.
Lumi was quiet for a moment. “I’m quite strong, Holly. And Luna was my sister, so our magic was very similar. I think there’s a chance that if we found Ash’s mom, and if she truly did pass through a snow tunnel made by my sister, I could serve as a substitute and restore her memories, at least in part.”
Holly gasped, and Ash looked at Lumi in relief.
“So I guess the next step is finding Ash’s mom, Eleanor, and determining whether any of this is even true.” Holly pulled out the postcard and slid it to Lumi. “It was sent years ago, so we have no idea if the address is even accurate. But we’re looking for a woman named Helena?—”
“Helena Laine,” Lumi said. She gave a wry smile. “Well, this shouldn’t be too difficult. I know a woman by that name. And she lives right down the street.”
Chapter Seventy
SOFIA
Sofia arrived at the Emerald House predawn, dressed in a formfitting Irish barmaid costume she’d sewn, her hair in loose curls falling to her shoulders. She failed to suppress a yawn as she looked around at the rest of the volunteer treasure team who were trickling in the front door.
Despite the sadness that was hovering under her skin at the realization that Isaiah wouldn’t be there to tease her about her costume, Sofia couldn’t help but grin as she looked at the group. Tyler and the other Emerald House employees were all wearing shades of green. Some wore flashing shamrock necklaces. Tyler was sporting a long orange beard.
“Okay, so it looks like things are all set here,” Sofia said, motioning to the few boxes they’d assembled during their feverish planning. “We just need to drop the coins at the various checkpoints and get the treasure ready at the end of the rainbow.”
The group formed pairs and selected checkpoints to set up. Tyler paired with Sofia to do the treasure box. They filled it with chocolate coins and four golden tickets to the summer’s carnival.
“All right. Let’s do this,” Sofia said, picking up the ornate box. Tyler followed and helped her load it into the trunk of her car.
“It was pretty brilliant to have the clues lead out to Jewel’s Meadow,” Tyler said as they pulled away from the Emerald House.
Sofia blinked. “I hadn’t even thought of that when we set it up.”
“It was strange, right? How everything was just flowing for us?” Tyler’s lanky frame was relaxed in her front seat as he looked out the passenger window.
Her heart squeezed as she realized Isaiah was the last person who had sat there.
“I have no idea how we created that map and the clues so quickly.”
“Neither do I,” Sofia said, not wanting to admit how much it bothered her that she couldn’t explain what had happened that night.
“It felt like something that would happen when Holly was around, but she was out of town.”
Sofia frowned. “What do you mean?”
Tyler shrugged. “Things just always feel… different when she’s around. Somehow relaxed and exciting all at once. Like anything could happen, and it would be okay if it did.”
