The Naughty List Read Online Free PDF Page A

by a fly-off-the-handle remark. Where was all the holiday spirit? Hell, where was all the common civility? It was as if everybody in the world had lost the little voice in their head that told them to shut up and behave. Everyone except Ross, she noted to Marissa when they caught a break together.
    “One of the necessities of being Santa,” her friend chuckled. “Jolly is a job requirement.”

    “Easy for Ross unless some kid pees on him.”
    “Ross wouldn’t care. I swear he lives for children.”
    “Right about that.” Rosalie took a bite of her granola bar. She enjoyed her chance to sit and chat. Marissa was forced to pull double duty as assistant manager along with absorbing all of Stephanie’s old responsibilities. Rosalie hardly saw her friend anymore. “I meant to ask, how is the tracking system coming along?” Marissa’s pet project before Stephanie took over was to develop a new method to control inventory loss.
    Her face lit up. “Really well—better than that, actually. I only ran a few tests, but I think the system will be a great checks and balances method if corporate signs off. Stephanie will brief them at the next board meeting.”
    Rosalie snorted in disgust. “You know she’ll take credit for the idea.”
    “Frankly, I don’t care. Penrose’s will save lots of money. No one else’s position will be cut. Maybe we can hire back the laid-off staff.”
    “You’re not worried about your job, are you? Penrose’s would fall apart without you. Seriously, you run the place. Stephanie doesn’t know what the hell is going on.”
    “It’s not that.” A shadow crossed her friend’s face.
    Rosalie reached over and squeezed her hand. “Alex?”
    “Stephanie switched us to a cheaper health plan. His new medicine is expensive and not covered. Money is tight.”
    “Things will get better,” Rosalie assured her with forced optimism. But inside she thought, they sure can’t get much worse .
    ****
    At 2 a.m. Penrose’s parking lot was deserted except for one lone individual studying the building. David had crisscrossed the neighborhood for hours, pausing every now and then to get his bearings. The tenuous connection always brought him right back here. After an arduous hunt, he was sure. The Book was inside. He stifled a feeling of exultation. Until he grasped The Book in his hands again, any celebration was premature.
    The young man pressed his fingertips lightly on the stone façade. How the hell did The Book get to a department store in Florida? He pushed the question aside. He could stand out here all night and still not come up with a logical answer. Nothing mattered as long as The Book returned to the vault.
    David fought the temptation to dash-away inside the building. A blind dash-away to someplace he’s never been before could be disastrous without knowing the exact thickness of the wall and what was on the other side. He made a quick decision. Once the door opened in the morning, he would reconnoiter to get a better feel for the place. The pull from The Book was tenuous, but maybe with luck he’d stumble upon the hiding place right away.
    If the location wasn’t obvious, he’d do a thorough search after the store closed. Security measures were a given. He dismissed the exterior door alarms. They posed no problem for someone with his teleporting abilities, but the interior might have cameras on at night. First thing tomorrow he’d track down the security office. Once certain of the location within the building, he could dash-away in at night unnoticed, shut down any electronic devices, and have the whole place to himself.
    With a plan, David’s spirits lifted. The only sticking point was the size of the building. He glanced upward. Worry furrowed his brow. Four stories was a lot of square footage to cover. He tried again to get a better sense of The Book’s location, but still only generated a hazy awareness the artifact wThee artifas somewhere inside. His inability to zero-in