Ho! Ho! Ho! is a mystery short story by Isaac Asimov.
Part of the Union Club series, it was first published in the October 1989 anthology Mistletoe Mysteries: Tales of Yuletide Murder.
Summary[]
At the Union Club, Griswold recounts a case involving his friend, Dan Arbutus, a retired intelligence officer working as a private detective at the Goodwell Department Store. Shortly before Christmas, Arbutus was asked to observe after-hours training for Santa Clauses, as the store suspected internal theft. During the session, the manager of the jewelry department, "Mamzelle," abruptly announced that the warning system in her department was malfunctioning.
Later, Arbutus had a fleeting impression of a fifth Santa Claus among the four trainees. He then discovered a Santa Claus alone in the jewelry department. Arbutus automatically greeted the figure with a "Ho, ho, ho," but received no response. The Santa hurried away. Soon after, Mamzelle discovered an expensive necklace was missing from its case. The four Santa Clauses all denied being the lone figure in the jewelry department and provided mutual alibis.
Arbutus, unable to identify the culprit and himself under suspicion, consulted Griswold. Griswold noted that while a Santa Claus costume conceals one's appearance, it does not disguise one's voice. The figure in the jewelry department had not returned the "Ho, ho, ho" because he could not produce the required deep, jolly voice. Griswold deduced the thief was Mamzelle herself. She had disabled her own department's alarm, created a diversion by announcing it, and then used a Santa Claus costume to sneak back and steal the necklace, knowing her high-pitched voice would betray her if she spoke. Confronted with this logic, Mamzelle confessed.
Characters[]
- Griswold
- Club Member (the narrator)
- Baranov
- Jennings
- Dan Arbutus
- Mamzelle
- The Four Santa Clauses
- Store Personnel
- The Executives
See Also[]
List of short stories by Isaac Asimov