A Wizard for Christmas Read Online Free PDF

meant they knew where she lived.
    After getting away, she’d run all the way into the heart of the downtown. She stopped at the giant Christmas tree set up in front of the local department store. It was as tall as her apartment building and lit up like a...well, like a Christmas tree. A gaudy, wonderful Christmas tree. Though she’d lived in the downtown for five years, this was the first time she’d come and seen the tree.
    Underneath its branches a fantastic alpine village—all kid sized—was set up. There was a cobbler shop, a candy shop, a slide, and a miniature train. A live brass band pumped out happy Christmas tunes. And everyone appeared so bubbly, so content as they smiled at each other and made pleasant conversations with strangers.
    It made her think of Priscilla.
    She found a payphone and dug around in her pockets for loose change. When she realized she didn’t have even two quarters to make the call, she dialed her friend from the elementary school anyhow. Priscilla would understand and would forgive the collect call.
    The phone on the other end rang several times before clicking over to the answering machine. The operator quickly disconnected before Holly could leave a message. No big deal, she told herself. It wasn’t as if she could give her friend a number where she could be reached. Since she wasn’t staying anywhere and had left her purse at the café, she didn’t have a phone number.
    Holly shivered. The cold air was seeping through her sweater. She wasn’t running anymore and winter seemed to be making a strong statement.
    She needed to learn to stop leaving things behind, especially her purse, when she dashed out of places. But it wasn’t as if she had a lot of experience running away from cults. She didn’t.
    People generally didn’t notice her. While she’d never been popular, she wasn’t a loner. Didn’t cults target loners? And freaks?
    Damn, she’d been stupid. How could she have believed Hadrian had been interested in her romantically? Sure, it had made her feel all warm and tingly inside. But really, no man had ever...
    Oh well, she supposed she should go to the police and report him. A shame, really. He seemed like such a nice guy.
    Like the village under the Christmas tree, the downtown police station was bustling with activity. Only here, no one was smiling or acting particularly polite.
    After telling her story to the police officer manning the front desk, she was told to take a seat and wait. And wait. Over the next hour she drummed her fingers on the plastic chair’s arm and watched people come and leave. She supposed her case wasn’t an emergency, which was probably the reason for her longer wait time. Finally, a man dressed in a plain blue suit came out.
    “Miss Post?” he called as his gaze searched the room. “Miss Holly Post?”
    Grateful to be free from the limbo of the police station waiting room, Holly leapt to her feet and warmly greeted the gentleman who introduced himself as Detective Leo Newton. He led her down a long hallway toward a small conference room.
    Newton didn’t bring a pad of paper, pen, or even a tape recorder with him, which she thought odd. Shouldn’t he record her statement?
    He directed her to sit in one of the hard wooden chairs.
    “The desk sergeant tells me you have a complaint against Hadrian Graham?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
    “He’s been stalking me.”
    Newton raised a brow at that. “Are you sure?”
    “His friend told me that he and his buddies have been watching me for years.” It was still hard to believe.
    “His friend?”
    “Frank Stone. That’s what he’d said his name was. He could have been lying. He seemed like the type.” Suddenly the rest of the story spilled right out. She told him in great detail all about the strange café and how Hadrian had lured her to there not once but twice. The only detail she left out was her fantasy family trip.
    “Shouldn’t you be taking notes?” She tapped the