All I Want for Christmas — Katherine Hayton

A Ngaire Blakes Short Story
The Christchurch Police are on the hunt for a runaway toddler on a heatstruck Christmas morning. Fears for young Emily's safety are well-placed - her parent's home is situated between a fast-flowing river and a row of earthquake abandoned houses.
When an eye-witness reports a man walking a young girl away from the scene, a new specter raises its head. Can Detective Ngaire Blakes beat the ticking time-bomb and rescue Emily before Christmas Day turns from a celebration into a nightmare?