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(Link to the beginning of the story)

“Are you sure, dear?” Mrs. Claus asked. “We haven’t heard or seen any sign of them for centuries.”

Jane reached into her pocket, removing the plastic case. She put it on the table, opened it, and held up the piece of cloth they’d found.

“We found this in a hole which was hidden behind a footlocker. Clearly, this is how they got in and out. Actually,” she nodded toward Levi, “Levi found it. He might prove useful after all.”

“Gee, thanks,” Levi said.

Mrs. Claus smiled. “I’m glad to see you two can maintain a sense of humor at a time like this.”

Jane shrugged. “If I didn’t laugh about something, I might start panicking.”

“So, who is this Heart of Darkness guy anyway?” Levi asked. “If he made it through such a small hole, he can’t be too hard to capture. Tell me where he is, and I’ll be back with the list in a flash.” He did a wild karate move to emphasize the point with some grunts and yells.

Mrs. Claus and Jane glanced at each other, then Jane sighed. “Levi, the Heart of Darkness is not a he or a she; it’s a them.”

“A them? What’s a them?”

“It is a collection of beings who despise Christmas. They spread evil in the world and try to stop people, especially kids, from embracing the spirit of Christmas. They are a powerful and resourceful group.”

Mrs. Claus took up the story. “Many centuries ago, a group of elves and trolls decided they weren’t happy working for Santa.”

“Trolls? We had trolls working here?” Levi interrupted.

“Yes, dear. The trolls were the ones who discovered reindeer could fly. Before that, there was no chance we could make it around the world to bring presents. Once they shared the secret with Santa, he was not very well known back then, but he knew right away what he could do. It was the beginning of the Christmas tradition.

“But you see, the trolls were not happy about Santa’s plan, so they stole all the reindeer and hid them away in the deep caves surrounding what was then just a small village here at the North Pole. They even convinced some of the elves to go with them.”

Mrs. Claus paused momentarily when she saw Santa pop his head into the doorway. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, dear. Jane and Levi were just getting ready to start looking for the list.”

“Really? I thought they’d already started. Okay, well, get going, you two. Time is running out.” Then he disappeared down the hall.

Levi looked at Mrs. Claus, confused by the conversation with Santa.

“Listen, Levi,” Mrs. Claus explained. “Santa is a wonderful person, and he does amazing things on Christmas, but he is a disaster when it comes to problems like this. The less he knows, the better we’ll be able to deal with it.”

Levi shrugged. “Okay, if you say so. Now, what do we do?”

“Let me finish the story. Santa and the elves found a way to get the reindeer back. Some of the elves who’d joined the trolls also returned, but many of them stayed. Over the years, they did everything they could to ruin Christmas.

“Oh, the problems they caused, stealing parts from the sleigh, causing blizzards, stirring up foggy weather, stealing presents after Santa had left them in kids’ homes. They became more and more determined to stop Christmas. Finally, about a hundred years ago, they just disappeared, vanished. We haven’t heard anything from them since. I fear they’ve become something even more evil over time.”

“So why now?” Levie asked.

“A good question,” Jane said. “My guess is they finally figured out how to stop Santa. Without the list, he can’t find his way to the nice kids on the list, and he can’t help the ones on the naughty list. You and I are gonna find them and get the list back.”

“So where do we find them?”

“That, my dear, is the problem,” Mrs. Claus said. “They’re no longer in the caves around here. We’ve looked, and there are no signs of them. You’ll have to figure out where they are and how to get the list back.”

“And how do we do that?”

Jane studied the piece of cloth she’d found. Using her magnifying glass, she examined both sides. “I have an idea. Mrs. Claus, do you have Santa’s navigation maps?”

“Right here, my dear,” pointing to the filing cabinet. “Which one do you want?”

Jane looked at the cloth once more. “This is just an educated guess, but I think this cloth has diamond dust stuck to it. I think it came from somewhere near a diamond mine. But not one most people would ever know about or even believe there are diamonds there.”

“Great,” Levi said, “all we need to do is look for a diamond mine no one knows exists.”

“Exactly,” Jane said. “Do you have the map of Rhode Island?”

“Right here,” Mrs. Claus pulled out a file folder. “The smallest one.”

Jane laid the map on the table and ran her finger along the side. “There!” she said. “That’s where they are. Hiding in plain sight.”

Levi and Mrs. Claus leaned in together and looked at the map.

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Claus asked.

“As sure as I can be. It all makes sense. The Heart of Darkness vanished years ago. No one’s heard or seen them since. They’ve been lying in wait until they came up with the plan. What better place than a diamond mine no one believes has diamonds?”

“If you’re sure, I’ll have the elves ready the sleigh.”

“I’m sure,” Jane said. “Levi, pack some things. We’re headed to Rhode Island.”

“Rhode Island? Is that part of New York?”

“Nope, that’s Long Island. Rhode Island is a different place, and it is where we will save Christmas.”

Tomorrow: Diamond Hill