One Hundred and eighty six

CHAPTER 186

Nicholas wore a sweater over his white shirt. He wore it because it was supposed to be his day off. Tonight was Christmas Eve, Nicholas was supposed to be sitting with Emma and Alan, his parents, enjoying gingerbread cookies and other sweets with Alicia by his side. Instead, Nicholas was caught up in a case that he had no idea how to solve.

"Have you finished your shower?" asked Alicia, when Nicholas finally joined her in the living room.

Alicia had showered first and was wearing a lilac sweater to cover her casual clothes. The girl was eating the salad she had made when Nicholas sat down beside her.

"I made you a salad."

"Thank you," Nicholas said, pulling out a bowl of fresh cut leaves tossed with mayonnaise and mustard dressing. Nicholas started to eat his salad, then continued the conversation, "Is Mrs. Thompson much better?"

"Yes, I checked." Alicia chewed the remaining food in her mouth, then continued. "But I'm wondering who exactly was the owner of the black car that intended to hit Mrs. Thompson. It was a small matter, not something that would require you to run someone over and hurt them, right?"

Nicholas was also thinking about who the person was who was driving in such a wild manner. He then pointed at Alicia with his fork, "You heard Mrs. Thompson, didn't you? She said that the car has been there since last night. That means she parked the car on purpose."

"Did he watch Mrs. Thompson before hitting her?"

Alicia frowned. That was strange. She then licked her lips which still had the mustard flavor from her salad. "What if it turns out that the driver wasn't watching Mrs. Thompson, but watching us?"

Alicia's words could also be considered. Nicholas quickly finished his salad and drank the drink Alicia had given him. He then stood up, preparing to grab a coat to layer his clothes as it was really cold. But Alicia's hand held him back, making Nicholas turn his head towards her.

"Yes, Alicia?"

"You're going away for Christmas?"

Nicholas and Alicia met eyes, Nicholas feeling uncomfortable because Alicia brought it up. The man then lowered his voice, and sat back down.

"I'm sorry, but I can't join you for Christmas. I don't have time to put together a Christmas tree, decorate it with accessories and stars, I can't-"

Nicholas' words were cut off in mid-air when Alicia's forefinger touched his lips. Alicia smiled and lowered her hand slowly, saying, "That's not the Christmas I want, Nick."

Nicholas frowned. He didn't understand what Alicia was trying to say. So, the man mumbled for a while and opened his voice, "Sooooo, what do you want?"

"Today I'll accompany you, I promise not to interfere."

Alicia's voice trailed off a little, she hesitated to finish her sentence, but Alicia ended her sentence with a smile so that Nicholas wouldn't get angry. She could see Nicholas almost spraying her with scathing words like a grandfather advising his grandson.

"Alicia, I-"

"I promise I won't interfere," Alicia cut in, then she raised her finger, shaped it like a V and brought her face forward while showing her puppy facial expression. "Please let me go with you."

"What about your work?"

Alicia's face became gloomy, she forgot about her part-time job. And so Alicia backed away, leaning her back lazily against the sofa. "Ah, I forgot that I'm working right now."

"Tsk, I'll pick you up in the afternoon. We can have a steak and take a walk after work. What do you think?"

Alicia had no other choice, so she nodded yes. "Okay. But, where are you going today? You've checked on Hendrick, you've checked on the prison."

"I'm going to the hospital, I want to find out information about the children of the recent murder victims." Nicholas rubbed his chin, then continued, "I'm going to see Peter without Hendrick's knowledge, and I want to know if Peter has any information about Hendrick. I want to know whose side Hendrick is on."

****

Alicia went to work as usual. Ethan's condition was much better, and he was starting to forget about the discovery of the body a few days ago. Alicia serves the customers, while Ethan looks after the cash register. It was Christmas Eve. Uncle Chuck's shop was very crowded.

People were busy buying hot caramel coffee and bread from Uncle Chuck's best factory.

In the midst of serving the customers, Alicia saw a little boy choosing an ice cream in the display case. Alicia smiled kindly to greet him. "So, are you going to choose yet, little girl?"

The little girl had long, beautiful brown hair. She was rubbing her chin, confused about the ice cream flavors displayed in the glass display case of Uncle Chuck's ice cream shop.

Alicia observed the little girl's contemplation of the ice cream flavors. The festive atmosphere in Uncle Chuck's shop added a special warmth, making it feel like a Christmas wonderland.

With twinkling lights adorning the shop and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the air, Alicia couldn't help but feel a sense of joy despite the recent unsettling events. She knelt down at the little girl's eye level and asked, "Can't decide, dear? Let me help you."

The girl looked up, her eyes sparkling with innocence. "It's so hard. They all look delicious!"

Alicia chuckled, understanding the difficulty of choosing from so many tempting foods. "How about a scoop of our special holiday flavor? Delicious peppermint with chocolate swirls. It's a favorite among our little customers."

The girl's eyes widened with excitement. "That sounds amazing! I'll take that one."

As Alicia scooped up the delicious concoction, she noticed a man standing a few meters away, watching them with a gentle smile. It was an elderly man with a warm aura, undoubtedly Uncle Chuck himself. He approached, a glimmer of pride in his eyes.

"Alicia, you have a magic touch with customers, especially small children. I've noticed it," he said, patting her on the back.

Alicia blushed, grateful for the compliment. "Thank you, Uncle Chuck. It's all about creating special moments, especially on Christmas Eve."

And when it came to Christmas, Alicia suddenly thought of Nicholas.