“What we need is information, Frank,” I said as we left Dad’s study.

Frank followed me up the stairs. “No...really?”

I turned around, going backward up the steps. “Is that sarcasm I detect in your tone?”

“Can’t imagine why,” muttered Frank. “We should probably go to the community center, see how De Ville got inside.”

“I’d wager he jimmied the lock. Looked like he used that cane he had to smash everything.”

Frank moved past me on the stairs. “Seems you haven’t lost your touch.”

“Ha, ha.” I turned around as we reached the landing and followed him into his room. “You know you’re going to get a lot of useless information on the Internet. I mean, it’ll be Dalmatians galore.”

He sat down at his computer and gave me a look. “Joe.”

I grinned. “Get it? Cruella de Ville?101 Dalmations. Come on, Frank, surely you remember the live-action movie several years ago.”

“I remember you dragged me to see it,” he said, focusing on the computer screen.

I rolled my eyes. “I did not drag you.” I grinned. “Mom did.”

I heard him sigh as he began to eliminate all references to Disney and the various movies about Dalmatian puppies. I darted into my room and grabbed my desk chair and rolled it through the bathroom and next to his.

I could see he kept getting sites about Italian villas, databases of registered villains and other assorted things that had not a thing to do with Lucian de Ville. “Try Lucian,” I suggested, trying to be helpful.

Frank gave me a look but cleared his present search and typed Lucian in the search box. A page of sites came up varying from history to chemistry. He shook his head. “Should have specified proper name.”

“Wait. Look.” I pointed to one of the sites.

Frank nodded. “Yeah. Believe it or not, it’s real. Luciferase is an oxidizing enzyme that acts with luciferin to produce light. Luciferin is a substance in certain things like fireflies that makes light by mixing with oxygen.”

“Not that. Even I know that.” I jabbed a finger at the listing. “What’s another name for him?” Before Frank could answer, I added, “Devil, right? Now say it with a crazy accent.”

Frank stared at me for a long moment and slowly shook his head. “No. Come on, Joe, there’s no way he’s real and here in Bayport.”

I shook my head. “You met him. He’s kicking those people out of the community center for no reason than he wants to.” I pointed to the screen. “Try Nicholas de Santos. Go ahead.”

“Why would I want to do that?” asked Frank as he opened up another window. “We’re not investigating De Santos.”

“Maybe we should.”

He sighed, typed in the man’s name and hit the search button. The screen filled up with links to sites. Several of the first sites were related to the history of none other than Saint Nicholas. “No way. It’s impossible. He’s just a legend, just a...”

“There was a real Saint Nicholas.” I gave him a surprised look. “You mean I know something you don’t?”

Frank clicked on a link and read the introduction out loud. “The original Santa Claus lived nowhere near the North Pole. If he existed at all, he lived in the Near East. Santa Claus is a corruption of the Dutch name Sinte Klass, for St. Nicholas, who seems to have been a fourth century bishop of Myra in Turkey. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and unwed girls. Tradition says that he saved three daughters of a noble but impoverished family from a life of prostitution by giving each daughter a bag of gold as a dowry...”

I frowned. “Three daughters. He has three daughters.”

Frank shushed me and kept reading. “As the legend developed in the Netherlands, the three bags of gold became a bulging sack of presents that Santa Claus handed out to children on December 6, St. Nicholas’s feast day. Dutch settlers took this custom to North America, where it fused with northern European legends about a winter spirit who gave gifts to good children and punished the bad.”

“You know what this means,” I said in a serious tone. “Remember what Dad said. De Santos owns companies that make toys...antique shops...arts and crafts stuff, shoes....”

Frank gave me a stunned look. “No. Joe, you’re certifiable. It’s impossible.”

I shook my head. “Frank, it’s Santa Claus, “ I said, grinning.

“Would you calm down?” Frank sounded rather exasperated. “Stop bouncing.”

“What? You believed in Santa when you were twelve.”

Frank pushed himself away from the computer desk. “I was investigating rumors, the explanations. By the time I was twelve, I realized it was impossible for one man to deliver gifts to every child in the world, not to mention not everyone had a fireplace and—”

I thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I remember you told me that to try and explain it to me. I didn’t believe you. I just pretended I did. And see? He is real.”

“You’ve been watching Narnia too much.”

I started to say something when there was a tap on the door. I looked over my shoulder. “Come in.”

Mom pushed open the door. “Hey, boys, Robby just stopped by. When he was locking up, he saw scratches in the metal around the back door lock. He also said there’s going to be a community wide meeting after church tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Good. We can’t let De Ville take the community center away.”

She smiled at me. “You two want to help move set pieces Monday? We’re doing the pageant around four-thirty, so the parents can get the kids home at a decent hour.”

“We’d love to,” said Frank, volunteering me without my permission. If it had been anything else, I would have challenged him. When he grinned at me, I knew I’d have to do something. Maybe put shaving cream in his socks or something.

We took a break from the searching to finish up the outside decorations and then Frank started in again, trying to find out anything about Lucian De Ville. One way or another, we had to stop the guy from kicking all those people out of the community center.

*****

The main meeting area was packed with parents belonging to the children in the pageant as well as several local businessmen. Frank and Joe had attended church with their parents and after lunch had joined everyone else at the community center.

Joe frowned, recognizing a distinguished gentleman talking to Police Chief Collig. “Isn’t that the mayor?”

Frank nodded as the man headed for a scarred wooden lectern. He held up a hand and the soft chatter fell silent. “Ladies and gentlemen, when I heard of the situation, I talked with the council members here in town. Mr. De Ville cannot kick you out without written permission to lay claim to this community center.”

Ezra Collig went to stand beside the mayor. “But that may not stop the man.” He nodded to someone in the back. “According to Mrs. De Santos, he confessed to breaking and entering to smash the manger scene. He may do worse before it’s all over.”

A weary looking woman slowly stood up, one hand on her rounded belly. “But what can we do?” She gestured around the room. “Most of us work long hours and we can’t afford to take time off to stay home with our children. Some of us are even working Christmas Eve.”

Fenton Hardy stood up on the other side of the mayor. “We’re going to keep an eye on the place and when Monday rolls around, we’ll be here to protect the children.”

The woman gave a shaky sigh and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.” She waved a hand in front of her face. “Sorry, just hormones.” She sat back down and held the little girl with the teddy bear even tighter.

“What can we do to stop him completely and end this thing?” asked Robby, standing in the back. “I’ve wanted nothing else than to see this place open whenever it’s needed, a safe haven for children and adults alike.”

“The council members out of town have been called back for an emergency meeting. They’ve been alerted to this man’s underhanded tactics. His claim to this building will be denied,” said the mayor.

After a few more questions, the meeting broke up and most of the parents and children left. Frank turned to see his mother talking with Carol De Santos and he looked for Joe but he wasn’t inside. He moved to check outside when he saw Callie walk in. “Cal, what are you doing here?”

“I heard about what happened here yesterday. And...” She glanced over her shoulder. “Vanessa wanted to come, too.”

Frank started to say he didn’t see Vanessa but then guessed that she might have run into Joe outside. “He remembers, Callie. Even what happened the day he disappeared.”

“That’s a relief. I thought he said hello the way he usually does.”

Frank arched an eyebrow. “Oh? And how is that?”

Callie gave him a grin. “ ‘Yo, Callie, Frank’s in there’.”

Frank chuckled. “Yeah, he’s back to normal. For him anyway,” he added, slinging an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.

Callie just laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder. “And so are you,” she said softly.

*****

I’d checked the back door for the scratches. Robby was right about someone picking the lock. I couldn’t see De Ville doing it, but the two goons...yeah. I headed back around to the front of the community center and saw Callie’s Volvo pull up in front. I watched her get out of the driver’s side and then the blond getting out of the passenger side caught my eye.

Vanessa. I hadn’t even realized just how much I’d missed her until I laid eyes on her. I walked faster. “Van!”

She spun around and stared at me for all of a second and then ran over to me. “Joe!”

I gave her a hello hug. “Hey, babe.”

“Oh goodness, Joe, Callie said you have amnesia—”

“I remember now.” I gave her another hug.

She pulled back slightly. “And you remembered when?”

I laughed. “Van—”

“That’s what I thought and how long were you going to wait to call me?” she asked, socking me on the shoulder.

“I got distracted.” I nodded to the community center. “After what happened yesterday...”

She gave me a look and then sighed. “I’ll let it go this time. But the next time you suffer from amnesia—”

“Next time?” I asked, not having to fake the horror in my voice too much.

“You know what I mean.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I missed you, Joe. I was so worried.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easy.”

She socked my other shoulder. “You are hopeless.”

“That’s okay, you love me anyway.” It felt so good to be home and with my family – and with Vanessa.

She looked up at me and I saw her eyes fill with tears. It sobered me faster than a dash of snow down the back. “Van, don’t cry.” I held her close and she put her head on my shoulder. I just held her, heedless of the cold. It felt wonderful to be back.