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Chapter One
The bells on the front door of the salon jingled, signaling that someone had just come inside from the frigid weather. Merilee Bell had finished her last cut and color and was pulling clean shop towels out of the dryer. It was five o’clock on a cold Tuesday two weeks before Christmas, and she’d had a day.
“I’m in the back,” she called out to whomever it might be. In the small town of Moonshine, Georgia, it could be anybody. No answer. Curious, Merilee poked her head through the door.
When she caught sight of the tall, lanky man staring at her photo board, Merilee suddenly wished she’d taken a minute to freshen up her appearance earlier when she’d had the chance. Or maybe at least removed the jingly reindeer headband perched atop her red hair before stepping out. Oh well.
“Hi there. Can I help you?”
He turned to where Merilee was standing with the load of towels in her arms as Nat King Cole crooned about a merry little Christmas on the speakers in the background.
Merilee got a better look at his face. So handsome. Kind of old Western movie rugged. “I was looking for the sheriff’s office.” His deep voice rumbled as he said it. “My GPS took me here.”
“Happens pretty often. It’s just over there.” Merilee pointed to Sheriff Chase Blackburn’s office catty-cornered across the way from her pride and joy, The Clip and Color. Then, as she peered through the festive front window, she noticed a big, black, three-quarter-ton pickup taking up more than its share of space in front of her shop.
“That your truck?” She inclined her head toward the offender, noticing it had begun to drizzle outside.
He nodded and smiled. “Yep, sure is.”
“You’ll need to move it. It’s sitting in one of my allocated spaces.”
“Where should I move it? Aren’t you closing?”
“Doesn’t matter. If you park here, you’d better be getting a haircut. Unless it’s Sunday or after six p.m.” It was one of Merilee’s pet peeves—people parking in spaces that it clearly stated were for clients only. Even good-looking strangers. It was non-negotiable. Especially this time of the year when parking was at a premium.
He ran a hand through his somewhat curly and rather longish hair. “I guess I could use a trim.”
Now that wasn’t the answer she’d expected. Merilee almost told him to come back another time because she was done for the day. But something stopped her. “I’ve got time to do it now. Name’s Merilee Bell. I’m the owner here.”
He grinned then. A big, broad, white-toothed smile that hit like a lightning strike. “Randy Slade. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Merilee. Nice place.” He looked around and nodded as if he liked what he saw.
Merilee had worked for years to establish her business here in Moonshine—her hometown—as the premier hairstylist in town. There were two other salons, but her shop did double the business. Probably due to its sitting in such a prime location in the center of town. But any compliment for one’s life’s work was always appreciated. “Thanks.” She set the towels down beside the shampoo bowl and motioned for him to approach. “I charge twenty-five for a men’s haircut.”
“All right. Let’s do it. Oh, and I like the uh—” He pointed to the top of her head. And grinned.
Geez. “Thanks. I like to keep things festive. It’s part of my charm.”
“It sure is.” He might’ve winked as he said it, and then folded himself into the reclining shampoo chair and leaned back. Merilee lifted the adjustable bowl to the highest level to accommodate his height. “So, where are you from?” She always asked new clients about themselves. It was part of her shtick. It made them feel welcome. Her gaze fluttered down checked his ring finger to find it bare with no obvious marks where a wedding ring had been.
“I’m here about a job as deputy sheriff. Meeting with Sheriff Blackburn in half an hour.”
Again, not what she was expecting. “You’re moving to Moonshine?”
“Yep. Just got into town.”
His hair was thicker than she’d expected at first glance, and the faint scent of fresh pine wafted upward. Who smelled like fresh pine on a Tuesday? “Where will you live?” she asked, admitting a deep curiosity beginning to bloom in her imagination about this hunky man.
“I’ll be staying at Miss Fannie’s B&B until I can find a place to rent.”
Merilee nodded. “Fannie’s is nice. I’m surprised you were able to get a room during the Christmas season.”
“The sheriff put me on her list to call if she had anyone cancel. I have the feeling I got special treatment.”
“I’m thinking you’re right about that. That list is about a mile long this time of year.”
“So, can I keep my truck parked here while I meet with the sheriff?” She heard the humor in his voice.
“I guess I can make an exception since you’re getting a haircut, and you’re my last client for today. The sheriff has some available parking behind his office for official vehicles.”
“Good to know.”
After his shampoo, Merilee placed a warm towel around his neck and moved him to her workstation. “How much do you want me to take off today?”
“Just clean me up pretty tight. It’s been a while.”
She nodded, avoiding his eyes in the mirror. For the moment, Merilee held off mentioning that she had a small apartment she’d been thinking about renting behind her house. Of course, she didn’t know this man and had no intention of offering the place to a stranger—yet. The little garage apartment wasn’t much bigger than a she-shed, with its one bedroom, one bath and tiny kitchen, and she no longer needed the space since completing the addition on her house last year.
As Merilee snipped and combed, she asked, “So, why are you taking a job in law enforcement here in Moonshine instead of Atlanta?” Atlanta was just over an hour away and likely the pay would be far better than in their little town. And she was more than a little curious about this tall, handsome stranger who was parked in the salon’s allocated spot.
He shrugged. “I’ve lived there for the past ten years and I’m ready for something smaller and less hectic.”
His tone was pretty chill but Merilee could tell by his manner there was obviously more to it. “Hmm. Moonshine is definitely that.”
She had to agree with him there, as she’d lived in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell for a couple of years while she’d attended the Paul Mitchell school for cosmetology there. “Were you in law enforcement in Atlanta?” She continued her light prying into his life and past as she shaved the back of his neck.
“Sort of.” His response told her he was done with my nosy grilling. Then he unexpectedly asked, “What about you, Merilee Bell? What’s your story?”
Merilee paused, the clippers suspended in her hand. She wasn’t used to anyone turning the questioning on her. Most people just didn’t think to ask. “Me? Not much to know. I left town for a couple of years after high school and went to cosmetology school. Clearly I couldn’t stay away, so here I am. Back home where I grew up.”
“There’s gotta be more to it than that, surely?” he sounded amused by her lack of history.
“Not really. Nothing anybody would want to sit through.” Certainly not anything she’d want to tell a complete stranger.
“Okay, we’ll save it for another day.” He grinned at her through the mirror.
Merilee brushed his neck with powder to make sure he didn’t leave her salon with little hairs stuck to him. “Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to call ahead next time. I book up about two weeks out so you got lucky today.” She handed him a business card with a Venmo QR code.
He stuck it in his wallet and pulled out two twenties and handed them to her. Merilee moved toward her cash drawer to make change and he held up his hand. “No change. Thanks for letting me park here.”
“Much obliged, Deputy Randy Slade.” She nodded and smiled at him then. “Welcome to Moonshine.”
Randy hadn’t intended on getting a haircut today but spending a few minutes with the effervescent Merilee Bell was pretty irresistible. She was lovely with her sparkling green eyes, red hair, and that silly reindeer thing on her head.
Not that he had any business flirting with her. In fact, he had no intention of getting involved with anyone here. His job required that he remain fully focused. Randy was thankful that Chase Blackburn, Moonshine’s sheriff had been willing to cooperate with his ongoing undercover investigation through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Bringing Randy on as a deputy was the perfect ruse to go pretty much everywhere in the county in an official capacity with no one the wiser as to why he was snooping around the area.
The town of Moonshine sat on the edge of a large valley, the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding it. Fannin County bordered Tennessee at the northernmost part of the state, not far from Chattanooga. It was beautiful and breathtaking.
As he walked toward the sheriff’s office, he was impressed with Moonshine’s charm. The storefronts were lit up and fully decorated for Christmas. He’d noticed Merilee’s place was done up from top to bottom with lights, decorations, and such. The town square boasted a giant unlit fir tree in the center of the green space. He figured they would have a big town tree-lighting event as most little towns in the area did. Unfortunately for him this place was rife with tourism, which wasn’t great for Randy’s investigation. Crappy time of the year for a manhunt.
Another set of bells jingled as he opened the front door of the sheriff’s office. The sheriff, who was reclining with his cowboy boots propped up on his desk looked over. He then placed his newspaper on the desk and uncurled himself and stood. “Special Agent Slade?”
Randy nodded. “Call me Randy.” The two men shook hands.
“I’m Chase.” They were near the same height—both a few inches over six feet.
Randy looked about the office, noticing a decorated Christmas tree and lights strung all around.
“Nice town. Lots of Christmas everywhere. I hope I can get this case settled before the new year.”
“Yep. We don’t usually have this kind of thing around here. I could use another deputy, so make sure you keep an eye out on the citizens while you’re out and about in the county. Have a seat.” Chase motioned to the chair opposite his desk.
“Does anybody else know why I’m here?” Randy asked.
“Only Hannah, my assistant. I couldn’t run this place without her. She keeps the peace between me and the townsfolk. She’s the one who softens my decisions when people don’t like what I have to say.”
“I get it. I guess I’ll meet Hannah tomorrow.”
Chase nodded. “She’s got a young child, so I’m pretty lenient with her hours. Hannah gets more done in a few hours than most people get done in a day.”
“Gotta love that.” Randy appreciated efficiency. “So, thanks for calling me in on this. It’s definitely connected to an outfit that’s recently moved from Buckhead in Atlanta.”
“We appreciate the help, especially near the holidays. We’ve got a big tourist presence through the new year and I want to keep things as quiet as possible until then.”
“The leader of this particular crime spree calls himself Santa Claus, along with his ‘elves’ who change locks and help perpetuate the scam. Maybe three or four in all. They move around a bit, squatting in vacation rentals and unoccupied homes. They troll the internet and then post properties for rent on social media, and then illegally collect the deposits, rent, and fees. They then change the locks so the property owners can’t get in. The legitimate tenants arrive to find the place already rented fraudulently.”
“This could be a nightmare scenario for both sets of renters and for the homeowners. We have upwards of four hundred or so rental properties in the county that we know of and most will be rented through the holiday season.”
“They’ve got some social media posts with the Santa Claus Properties hashtag. Seems pretty organized. Young people.” Slade said this as if Chase would understand.
“Yep. They’re getting more and more sophisticated these days. Any reports of drugs or violence with this group?” Chase asked. “I need to protect my citizens and our visitors to Moonshine.”
“Not so far. But it only takes one renter with a legal gun permit to stand his ground while somebody tries to get inside the property for things to go tragically sideways.”
Chase nodded, a deep frown between his brows. “I’m not sure how to begin getting to the bottom of this.”
“That’s why I’m here. I’m looking for a place that’s being rented out for the holidays. I’ll list the property with all the bells and whistles that appeal to scammers and hopefully get a bite from them. I know their MO and what sort of properties they most often use for their schemes. So, if you know of a rental in the area we might use to set this up, that would be great. Otherwise, we can use an empty residence with the owner’s permission to entice the scammers. A lot of this work will be online baiting.”
“Sounds like a solid undercover plan. I’ll ask around about rentals.”
“I’ll check the listings in the area. This group has only recently gotten into town so I’m not sure how established they are yet. If you could give me the information regarding the cases you’ve had so far, that would help a lot.”
“Absolutely. But it’s going to be hard finding something to use as bait this time of year. Most available long-term rentals change to holiday rentals until January.”
Randy handed his official Georgia Bureau of Investigations card to Chase. “All of my contact info is here. I look forward to getting started.”
“I’ve got a desk for you when you need to be in the office.” Chase motioned toward two desks in the far corner of the office area. “That’s where my deputies do their paperwork.”
“How many deputies do you have now?” Randy asked.
“Four in all. We’re short-staffed at the moment. I’m officially deputizing you, so feel free to stop anyone who’s breaking the law in the county. We don’t put up with much nonsense around here. I’d appreciate your help.”
“No problem. I’m authorized to make arrests anywhere in Georgia, so that won’t be a problem.” Chase handed Randy a badge shaped like a star with Moonshine’s logo on it. “Do you have a sheriff’s department vehicle for me to drive while I’m here? It might help legitimize me with the public.”
Chase stood. He grabbed a key off a small rack behind his desk. “It’s got some miles on it but it’ll get you where you need to go. Parked out back.”
“I’ve already been given the what for by Merilee Bell about parking my truck in front of her shop.” He smiled at the thought of the feisty hairstylist with her hot temper.
“Yeah. She’s a peach. But business owners are serious about their parking spaces, so feel free to slide into a spot behind the office in one of our designated ones. It’ll save you some trouble.”
“I’ll park my truck out back while I’m here if you’ve got the room.”
“There’s room.”
End of Excerpt
