“Do you think that means your llama knocked him over the cliff?”asked Space Buns, who despite the penchant for one word comments, was definitely the more astute of the two friends.
“No,” I said quickly.“I don’t know.I don’t think so.”Then I remembered Peanut had peppermints.Jack could have followed him and maybe he’d gotten a little too pushy trying to get some of one of his favorite treats.
I leaned closer to my llama, subtly trying to smell his breath.I didn’t smell peppermint.
“I mean, the hat could have fallen off anywhere,” I added.“And Jack just found it.”
“Jack?”the mom jeans teenager asked.
“Yeah.”I nodded at my pet.“My llama.”
Space Buns was definitely the intellect of the two.
“What’s going on?”Brandy strode across the lawn toward them.
“This woman’s llama killed Santa,” Space Buns told her.
I fought back a groan.Maybe she wasn’t as smart as I thought.
FIVE
“Again?”Brandy said, her eyes wide.
I shot her a dirty look.
“I mean he’s being blamed again?”she immediately clarified.
“Unjustly blamed again,” I said, not keeping the irritation out of my voice.
Brandy nodded in agreement, although her defense of my innocent—at least I was fairly certain he was innocent—llama was interrupted by the arrival of Justin to our group.
“Babe, what happened?”Brandy rushed to throw her arms around him as if he was returning from a highly dangerous hostage negotiation.
“We already told you,” Mom Jeans said, drawing out her words with exasperation.“This llama killed Santa.”
Who were these kids?And better yet, why had I tried to spare them seeing the awful scene on the cliffs?
“Jack?”Justin said after giving Brandy a brief hug, then disengaging himself from her.Sort of.Brandy was a bit like plastic wrap.He pulled her off one part of himself but she just attached to another.“How do you know?”
Justin posed the question to me, which I appreciated.
“We don’t,” I said, unable to stop myself from shooting a pointed look at the teens.They both returned my stern glare in the typical sullen and unaffected fashion only teenagers seemed able to muster.I returned my attention back to Justin.“We just found him with this Santa hat in his mouth.”
I held out the saliva-dampened hat to him.He frowned first at the soggy fleece and then at my gloved hands.
“I had them solely for working at the booth today.I swear,” I said.
He pursed his lips, clearly doubting that was why had the gloves on now.
I smiled and waved the hat at him again.
He held up his own hand to decline.“From what I hear, Peanut was pretty inebriated.I think it is likely he just lost his balance and fell.”
“Is he…deceased?”Brandy asked.
I wasn’t sure when Brandy had become so discrete regarding death but she had a terrified look on her face.
Justin nodded, his lips pressed in a grim line.
