It was a cold December day in New York City. The snow had only just started falling, adding to the bit of Christmas cheer I was already feeling. I wasn't one of those people who saw Christmas as just another day. No, Christmas to me was special. What I didn't know was that Christmas was just as special to Oz.
As I walked into the Totally Normal Detective Agency, I was amazed to see the most extravagant display I'd seen all day. The office was covered in lights, tinsel, Beistle die cuts, and all sorts of little Christmasy nicknacks. In the center of the office was a large Christmas tree, half decorated. As the tree lightly shook back and forth, I went around the back to find Oz putting up ornaments.
"Good morning, Victoria."
Oz said as he put up an ornament.
"Damn, this place is very festive."
"Of course it is. It's almost Christmas."
"It's only December first. And isn't this a lot? Did you do this all yourself?"
"Yeah, I spent Thanksgiving weekend setting it all up."
"The whole weekend? I didn't know you were that into Christmas."
"Of course I am. Don't you know that Christmas is the most important time of the year?"
"I know Christmas is an important holiday, but the most important time of the year?"
"Well, I mean, if an entire month of not having to care about the rules doesn't sound like the single most important time of the year, I don't know what is."
"What do you mean not having to care about the rules?"
"Go pull out the book, go to page 999, subsection Christmas Magic."
I walked over to the shelf that contained the big book of tropes and rules, flipped to page 999 and-
"Why is this section covered in glitter?"
"It enhances that section's power. Now, read it."
"Christmas Magic. Christmas is a magical time of the year. So much so, that the rules of reality can be bent by its presence. The power of Christmas is real, and with that, it is also strong. Strong enough to allow miracles and the supernatural to occur. Strong enough that the rules themselves no longer apply."
"To clarify, Christmas stretches the fabric of reality. Enough to let me get away with manipulation beyond that you've ever seen."
"You're telling me, you believe in Christmas Magic?"
"Really? Everything you've seen and you immediately doubt something as simple as Christmas Magic?"
"Next thing you'll tell me is there's really a Santa Claus."
"Woah woah!"
Oz quickly got up from under the tree and ran over to me.
"Look, that's a great way to summon up some Christmas magic, but you run the risk of singling me out!"
"Excuse me?"
"You say you don't believe in Santa Claus and the rules of Christmas will make it so you experience the most magical unbelievable Christmas of your life. Consequently, I get shafted to B plot and all my effort to summon up Christmas magic is worthless."
"So, you're telling me that because I don't believe in Santa Claus-"
"If! If you don't believe in Santa Claus!"
"If I don't believe in Santa Claus, the magic of Christmas is gonna summon him up for me?"
Just at that moment, there was a loud knock at the office door.
"Yes!"
I went across the room and opened the door, there at the entryway stood detective Donaldson.
"Detective, what are you doing here!?"
"Same as ever, I have a new case for you guys."
"Wait, let me guess-"
Oz shouted as he got up from behind the tree.
"Something Santa Claus related, right?"
"You can't really believe-"
"Actually, yeah, it is."
Oz flashed me an annoyed glare and walked up to the detective.
"Judging by everything that's happened, I'm gonna guess that you arrested… some guy playing Santa, right?"
"Yeah, he plays Santa at the Longview mall. Or, at least, played. Can't really be Santa when he's sitting in jail, now can he?"
"A mall Santa, huh? Couldn't be any more cliche could it? Let me make another guess; the guy claim that he's the real Santa, correct?"
"No, actually. He's just some guy."
"Really?"
"Hah, you're not always right."
"No, I'm not. But still, even if he doesn't claim to be Santa, that doesn't mean he isn't the real thing."
"Ozwald, you believe in Santa Claus?"
"Stop doing that!"
"Anyway, the guy's name is Paul Vermeil. We arrested him for murder."
"Murder?"
"Yeah, V, murder. This morning, a security guard found the body of Morris Liverpool, he played one of the Elves, shoved in a locker in the changing room at the mall."
"What made you think it was San- I mean Paul?"
"Well, Paul, Morris, and the security guard, were the only ones in the mall this morning. Now, thanks to the security camera tapes, we know that Morris was alive until at least six thirty five in the morning. Not only that, but autopsy shows he died anywhere from six to seven. From six fifteen until eight twenty, the security guard was in the security office watching the cameras. He grew worried when he hadn't seen Morris for so long and decided to go look for him. About fifteen minutes later, he found his body with a knife in it in one of the lockers. Now, we checked the tapes several times, and it clearly shows Paul and Morris walking into the changing room together and only Paul walking back out. Given that no one else was even caught on camera in the mall, let alone going into the changing room, and the security guard on camera in his office, we're pretty sure Paul did it. Me, personally, I'm convinced one hundred percent that it was him."
"Sounds pretty convincing to me."
"No, no, no. You don't understand, the man is innocent."
"Innocent? The dude walked in, killed the guy, and walked out. And it was on camera."
"Well, we didn't get the murder on camera. They don't have cameras in the changing room."
"See, there's your window of doubt. Anything could have happened in the changing room."
"The guy is clearly guilty. Anyways, why bring this to us if it's such a tight case?"
"They think it's one of ours because the guy is Santa."
"Yeah, pretty much. The perp being Santa pretty much falls right in your alley of weirdness. We just wanted to get your input on the case."
"You're gonna get more than our input; we're taking up the case."
"What?"
"Yeah, you and me, we're gonna prove Santa- I mean Mr. Vermeil innocent."
Oz walked over to his shoulder bag and began to rummage through it, taking various things out and putting other various things in their place.
"Hell no. Mr. Vermeil is guilty as hell."
"You can't just assume the man is guilty without even talking to him."
"I can when there's such decisive evidence against him. I'd rather sit out on this one."
"Rather sit out? You can't sit out. Don't you see what this whole case is?"
"No."
"It's a holiday special!"
"A holiday special?"
"You know, the Christmas special. An episode or story that takes place during the holidays and is full of holiday magic?"
"Oh, this is that whole thing where you think none of this is real. That it's all just some big story or TV show, right?"
"Exactly."
Oz zipped up the bag and made his way over to me.
"Now, we have to solve this case, get our Santa declared innocent, and use up as much Christmas magic as possible. To do that, I need you to join me."
"You really can't do this without me?"
"If we separate, the story becomes all about you and my Santa Claus really will be a pitiful mall Santa."
"Alright, I guess if it's that important to you, I'll join you one the case."
"All right, let's go."
"Where you two gonna go first?"
"Let's talk to our Santa and find out what he has to say about the whole thing."
And with that, we all walked out the office together and made our way to the jail.