Chapter Two

The Plan

Jake Hollister and his eight-year-old daughter, Penny, had returned to Kringle, Vermont three years ago after the death of his wife, Amelia. Penny had been struggling with the Christmas holiday since the death of her mother, but was beginning to show restored excitement about the upcoming events. She had signed up again to sing with the children’s choir in the town’s Christmas festival, Kringlefest. For the past fifty years, patrons came from miles around to enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors of the upcoming season. Since Kringle was not a winter touristy town, the festival was a much-needed boost for some of the smaller businesses.

It was nearly 1:45 p.m. when Jake Hollister pulled into the Saint Michael’s Community Center parking lot, put the truck into park, and left it idling for warmth. Yesterday, all the Saint Michael’s participants had begun preparing for the pageant, and rehearsals were wrapping up for the afternoon.

Throughout the morning, the temperature had dropped considerably, now hovering just below freezing. Threatening clouds hung low in the darkened sky, and several dozen birds huddled close on the overhead powerlines. The town of Kringle, Vermont was bracing for a major snowstorm, this one predicted to be ten to twelve inches of snow beginning