The Heist Before Christmas Characters

Riley Thorn is the psychic office manager and business partner at Santiago Investigations, Nick's fiancée, and a woman juggling year-end paperwork, holiday obligations, and family pressure. She is close to her grandmother Elanora, mother Blossom, sister Wander, and her roommates, and her gifts often overwhelm her in crowded places. She hides Gabe from Elanora, helps Nick's mall investigation, and tries to give back through her psychic work.

Arc: Riley moves from avoiding her powers and fearing that her inability to see her wedding means disaster to accepting her gifts as a way to give others closure, hope, and peace. After rescuing Thomas and recovering the stolen gifts, she proposes to Nick and marries him on Christmas Eve.

• Nick Santiago — her fiancé, business partner, and eventual husband
• Elanora Basil — her critical grandmother
• Blossom Basil-Thorn — her mother
• Roger Thorn — her father
• Wander — her sister
• Gabe — her friend, psychic mentor, and roommate
• Mrs. Penny — her roommate and business partner
• Burt — her dog
• Jasmine — her best friend and maid of honor
• Winifred (Win) — teenage client who asks her to find her father
• Kellen Weber — detective and recurring antagonist she orders away
• Thomas Maclay — rescued captive she helps return to Applegate
• Beep Boop — mall robot that winks at her

Nick Santiago is a private investigator, Riley's fiancé and business partner, and the operator of the East Shore Mall undercover theft investigation. He is confident, irreverent, determined to force both families to tolerate each other for a perfect holiday, and willing to bend rules to close a case. He works with a team of relatives, employees, and roommates, and he keeps his PI license problem on the back burner until after the mall job.

Arc: Nick begins dismissive of the license notice and focused on a staged holiday, but the mall theft and murder force him to rely on Riley and his chaotic team. He solves the case, publicly credits Khadijah, and marries Riley after she proposes.

• Riley Thorn — his fiancée and eventual wife
• Brian — his cousin and employee
• Josie Chan — his employee and Brian's wife
• Mrs. Penny — his employee, tenant, and frequent bickering partner
• Gabe — his roommate and friend
• Burt — his dog
• Khadijah Hutton — mall manager and client
• Ashley Hamil — Man Cave manager who fires him
• Sheila — robbery-ring adversary he helps capture
• Paulie Peters — armed robber he captures in the warehouse
• Kellen Weber — former partner, rival, and eventual best man
• Marie — his mother
• Henry Wu — his intern and helper
• Donny — man he previously arrested

Sheila is the Mrs. Claus-disguised ringleader of the mall robbery ring, driven by greed, resentment, and claimed medical debt. She murders Ashley after he blackmails her, kidnaps and frames Thomas Maclay, steals Riley's engagement ring, and uses a Santa-costumed accomplice to rob Elizabeth's charity gala. She believes it is her turn to have nice things.

Arc: Sheila evades capture after the gala, sells stolen consoles, and fights the team in the warehouse, but is ultimately restrained after Josie shoots her bad knee and Riley exposes her plan to betray Paulie.

• Paulie Peters — her accomplice, whom she planned to betray
• Ashley Hamil — blackmailer she killed
• Thomas Maclay — her captive whom she framed for Ashley's murder
• Riley Thorn — her hostage whose engagement ring she steals
• Nick Santiago — her adversary

Ashley Hamil is the Man Cave acting manager whose cologne-spraying, commission-hoarding, and aggressive flirting make him Nick's petty workplace antagonist. He bullies Nick, fires him, and later appears wearing a watch matching the stolen jewelry-store models, claiming it was a gift from his girlfriend. He is connected to the stolen watches and blackmailing Sheila.

Arc: Ashley goes from retail tyrant to theft suspect; Sheila says he blackmailed her and that she killed him. His body is found in the abandoned appliance store.

• Nick Santiago — employee he torments and fires
• Josie Chan — coworker he flirts with and ogles
• Riley Thorn — woman he flirts with and who psychically exposes him
• Khadijah Hutton — mall manager who warns Nick about him
• Sheila — woman he blackmailed and who killed him

Paulie Peters is the Santa Paws robber who pulls a rifle at Elizabeth's charity gala and later fights the team in the warehouse. He is Sheila's accomplice, works at a hardware store and Kohl's in his background, and is surprised to learn Sheila planned to betray him.

Arc: He escapes the gala with Sheila, is captured by Nick in the warehouse, and reacts angrily when Riley reveals Sheila intended to feed him to alligators.

• Sheila — partner who planned to betray him
• Nick Santiago — adversary who captures him
• Riley Thorn — adversary who exposes Sheila's betrayal plan
• Thomas Maclay — captive he helps hold

Mrs. Penny is Riley and Nick's roommate, business partner, and investigator, a chaotic comic presence given to video games, absurd undercover identities like Rhonda El Baio, and spiked hot chocolate schemes. She helps push through the PI license paperwork through her courthouse contact Wendell and later builds a red-string suspect board. She also helps gather everyone for Riley and Nick's wedding.

Arc: Her schemes shift from self-interested chaos to practical help with the license, the investigation, and the wedding, though she remains unrepentantly Mrs. Penny.

• Riley Thorn — her roommate and business partner
• Nick Santiago — her boss, tenant, and bickering ally
• Lily Bogdanovich — her roommate
• Fred Bogdanovich — her roommate whose gingerbread house is in her van
• Josie Chan — antagonistic coworker
• Wendell — her courthouse contact
• Burt — dog she feeds a hamburger
• Gabe — helps her with the investigation boards

Gabe is Riley's psychic mentor, friend, and roommate, a spiritual advisor who initially hides from Elanora and later trains Riley to contact her spirit guides. He poses as Brent during the console exchange, helps narrow the hideout search, and co-officiates the wedding. He is also romantically linked to Wander.

Arc: Gabe moves from hiding from Elanora to actively guiding Riley's psychic development and taking part in the rescue and wedding.

• Riley Thorn — his friend, roommate, and psychic student
• Nick Santiago — his roommate and friend
• Elanora Basil — her prize student, whom he avoids
• Wander — his romantic partner and co-officiant
• Jasmine — undercover partner at the console exchange
• Mrs. Penny — helps with her investigation boards

Burt is Riley and Nick's dog, a protective and chaotic presence who snatches the crochet elf, topples the Christmas tree into the fireplace, and follows Riley into tense family visits. He wants to befriend the feral kitten, communicates with Saffron, and is repeatedly caught in household chaos.

Arc: Burt remains a comic protector and household menace, but he also gets moments of connection, including Saffron's advice about the kitten.

• Riley Thorn — his owner
• Nick Santiago — his owner
• Mrs. Penny — feeds him a hamburger
• Saffron — communicates with him about the feral kitten

Jasmine is Riley's best friend and maid of honor, a forceful presence who pushes wedding dress shopping, confiscates phones, and tells Riley to use free will. She poses as Gabe's girlfriend during the console exchange and saves Riley from Sheila with a stiletto.

Arc: Jasmine moves from pressuring Riley about dresses to supporting Riley's choice and taking a decisive role in the rescue.

• Riley Thorn — her best friend and maid of honor
• Kellen Weber — her sworn enemy and the groom in Riley's vision
• Gabe — undercover partner at the console exchange
• Nick Santiago — friend and teammate
• Sheila — adversary she hits with a stiletto

Brian is Nick's cousin, employee, and Josie's husband, handling surveillance, security footage, and Beep Boop's software. He complains about family midnight shifts but remains central to the investigation and rescue. He drives the minivan and operates Beep Boop during the warehouse diversion.

Arc: Brian remains a loyal, grumbling teammate; his work with Beep Boop produces key evidence and backup.

• Nick Santiago — his cousin and boss
• Josie Chan — his wife
• Beep Boop — robot whose software he updates and operates
• Riley Thorn — teammate
• Fred Bogdanovich — coworker on the investigation
• Henry Wu — fellow watcher

Josie Chan is Nick's employee and Brian's pregnant wife, first seen complaining about a custodial uniform and later handling surveillance, suspect dossiers, and backup. She is blunt, tired, and willing to shoot Sheila in the bad knee to save Riley. She needles Mrs. Penny and jokes about Nick.

Arc: Josie goes from undercover grump to crucial field backup, helping capture Sheila while pregnant and eager to get home.

• Nick Santiago — her boss and coworker
• Brian — her husband
• Mrs. Penny — antagonistic coworker
• Riley Thorn — teammate
• Sheila — adversary she shoots in the bad knee
• Burt — temporarily takes his leash
• Beep Boop — dislikes its sleep request

Fred Bogdanovich is Nick and Riley's roommate and Lily's brother, a roof-dangling hazard who later goes undercover as a divorced man at Man Cave. He helps build the gingerbread stadium, reports shrinkage, and is assigned to dinner with Lily. His safety-harness stunt causes Nick to fall off the roof.

Arc: Fred remains a comic roommate and undercover liability, but he participates in the team's investigation and holiday preparations.

• Lily Bogdanovich — his sister
• Nick Santiago — his roommate who uses him for undercover work
• Riley Thorn — his roommate
• Henry Wu — his roommate
• Mrs. Penny — his gingerbread house is in her van
• Josie Chan — coworker on the investigation

Lily Bogdanovich is Fred's sister and Riley and Nick's roommate, prone to gingerbread fires, grilled cheese with an iron, and helping run Riley's psychic mail. She and Mrs. Penny set up Riley's PO box and website, and she later helps with the wedding.

Arc: Lily remains a chaotic but supportive roommate, moving from holiday mishaps to practical help with Riley's business and wedding.

• Fred Bogdanovich — her brother
• Riley Thorn — her roommate
• Nick Santiago — her roommate
• Mrs. Penny — her roommate
• Henry Wu — her roommate
• Mr. Willicott — co-roommate whose dating life she explains

Henry Wu is Santiago Investigations' intern and a musician who wants Christmas Eve off for his band's gig. He does surveillance, records Ashley, runs background checks, and pretends to be a grandson at Applegate Memory Care. His canceled gig frees him for the team's Christmas Eve work.

Arc: Henry goes from wanting time off to becoming a key researcher and watcher; he brings the Applegate lead and helps identify Thomas's routine.

• Nick Santiago — his employer and mentor
• Riley Thorn — his employer and mentor
• Fred Bogdanovich — his roommate
• Lily Bogdanovich — his roommate
• Gabe — pretzel errand partner
• Josie Chan — fellow watcher
• Brian — fellow watcher

Elanora Basil is Riley's grandmother, a powerful psychic who criticizes Riley's holiday decorations, pressures her about her gifts, and predicts the wedding will not happen. She gives Riley an antique labradorite pendant and later sends the dress from the shopping trip as a wedding gift without approving Riley's life choices. She calls Gabe her prize student and disapproves of Nick.

Arc: Elanora remains critical and distant, but her gifts and final card suggest a grudging respect for Riley's journey rather than simple approval.

• Riley Thorn — her granddaughter
• Blossom Basil-Thorn — her daughter
• Wander — her granddaughter
• Gabe — her prize student
• Nick Santiago — disapproves of him
• Zenjamin Fontaine — guild president she introduces to Riley

Blossom Basil-Thorn is Riley's mother, Roger's wife, and Wander's mother, a tarot-reading presence in her sunroom who comforts Riley after Elanora's criticism. She explains that others' happiness is not Riley's job and that the point is trying. She also helps reinterpret the tarot cards before the wedding.

Arc: Blossom moves from trying to manage family friction to giving Riley direct emotional support and a healthier reading of her fears.

• Riley Thorn — her daughter
• Roger Thorn — her husband
• Wander — her daughter
• Elanora Basil — her mother
• Marie — hostile toward her

Roger Thorn is Riley's father and Blossom's husband, excited about walking Riley down the aisle and suggesting White Wedding. He checks out appetizers with Nick, joins a shrimp-eating contest, and walks Riley down the makeshift aisle while eating chips.

Arc: Roger remains an enthusiastic, food-loving father who supports Riley's wedding.

• Riley Thorn — his daughter
• Blossom Basil-Thorn — his wife
• Nick Santiago — checks out appetizers and joins a shrimp-eating contest with him

Wander is Riley's sister, a yoga-going Basil woman who dates Gabe and co-officiates Riley and Nick's wedding. She explains that Basil women cannot see their romantic futures and that the tarot cards meant introspection and awakening. She supports Riley during the bridal-shop gathering.

Arc: Wander moves from warning Riley about Elanora to helping her trust herself and the universe at the wedding.

• Riley Thorn — her sister
• Blossom Basil-Thorn — her mother
• Elanora Basil — her grandmother
• Gabe — her partner and co-officiant

Khadijah Hutton is the East Shore Mall general manager who hires Nick to stop theft and shrinkage, warns him about Ashley, and gives him tight deadlines. She is worried about her bonus, mall crime statistics, and the mall's strained resources. Nick later publicly credits her as a Christmas hero.

Arc: Khadijah moves from frustrated client to public hero after the stolen gifts are recovered.

• Nick Santiago — private investigator she hires and later credits
• Riley Thorn — investigator she hired
• Ashley Hamil — assistant manager she warns Nick about
• Frannie — mall contact who requested new keys
• Beep Boop — calls Nick about the stolen robot's cost

Thomas Maclay is the mall Santa later identified as the suspect in Ashley's murder and the thefts; he is actually a framed captive held by Sheila and Paulie. He refuses to leave until his captors are caught, helps zip-tie Sheila, and rides in the truck to distribute gifts. He is a personal friend of Elizabeth and has a wife at Applegate Memory Care.

Arc: Thomas goes from apparent Bad Santa suspect to Good Santa victim and rescue participant, ending with a limo ride to Applegate.

• Elizabeth — personal friend and former doctor to his wife
• Sheila — her captive whom she framed for Ashley's murder
• Paulie Peters — his captor
• Riley Thorn — rescuer
• Nick Santiago — rescuer
• Tristan — elf he reprimands

Winifred, called Win, is the teenage mall elf who writes to Riley asking her to find her biological father, Malcolm. She says she does not need a father but wants to know who he is, and she works for Elizabeth's nonprofit. After Riley tells her Malcolm died, she leaves upset, then later meets her aunt Meryl.

Arc: Win moves from hope to grief and then toward connection with her father's sister, Meryl.

• Riley Thorn — client who asks her to find her father
• Malcolm Heisey — her deceased father
• Meryl — her aunt
• Elizabeth — works for her nonprofit
• Nick Santiago — acquaintance at the mall

Detective Kellen Weber is Nick's former partner, rival, and recurring police antagonist who mocks Nick, takes photos of him in the security uniform, and orders him away from cases. He investigates the murders and later grudgingly becomes Nick's best man. He is Jasmine's sworn enemy and appears as the groom in Riley's confusing meditation vision.

Arc: Weber moves from gleeful rival and procedure-minded detective to grudging ally and best man at Nick and Riley's wedding.

• Nick Santiago — former partner, rival, and eventual best man
• Riley Thorn — acquaintance he questions and antagonizes
• Jasmine — her sworn enemy and the groom in Riley's vision

Beep Boop is the mall's erratic Orbiscope security robot, first encountered warning of a Lion on loose and crashing into a massage chair. Its memory cards provide evidence, and it later leads a scooter diversion at the warehouse. Brian updates its software, making it insult Nick as Danger Man.

Arc: Beep Boop goes from malfunctioning menace to useful investigative tool and rescue diversion, while remaining a comic nuisance.

• Brian — operator and software updater
• Nick Santiago — calls him Danger Man
• Frannie — security desk worker who puts a knit hat on it
• Neo — mall security guard
• Khadijah Hutton — mall manager who calls Nick about its cost
• Marie — runs over her foot

Elizabeth, also known as Dr. Mrs. Fat Tony, runs the Tis the Season nonprofit that helps foster teens through gift wrapping and seasonal work. She is Fat Tony's wife, Thomas's personal friend and former doctor to his wife, and host of the casino charity gala. She provides employee records to Nick and Riley.

Arc: Elizabeth moves from charity organizer to grateful ally after Riley and Nick recover the gifts and send Thomas to Applegate.

• Fat Tony — her husband
• Thomas Maclay — personal friend and former doctor to his wife
• Nick Santiago — ally who seeks her records
• Riley Thorn — ally who recovers the gifts
• Winifred (Win) — teen who works for her nonprofit

Fat Tony is Elizabeth's husband and a wealthy, mobster-mannered contact who hosts a Christmas Eve party for foster teens at his mansion. He trusts Nick, provides Santa employment records, and remembers being a down-on-his-luck teen who got a first shot at a better life.

Arc: Fat Tony remains a genial host and ally, moving from providing records to celebrating the recovered gifts with the teens.

• Elizabeth — his wife
• Nick Santiago — friend and contact
• Riley Thorn — ally
• Thomas Maclay — personal friend of his wife

Saffron is a fellow psychic from the guild solstice party who tells Riley she made herself proud instead of winning her grandmother over. She later visits Riley, relays messages from her dead grandfather, and advises Burt about the feral kitten. She says their gifts are meant to give others closure, hope, and peace.

Arc: Saffron remains an encouraging peer whose advice helps Riley reframe her psychic burden.

• Riley Thorn — fellow psychic who advises her
• Burt — communicates with him about the feral kitten

Frannie is a mall security guard who works with Neo, knits at the security desk, and tries to corral Beep Boop. She recalls that a Santa asked about the cameras and that Neo lost his keys, giving the team a lead. She arrives in a golf cart as backup during the a cappella fight.

Arc: Frannie remains a talkative, helpful security worker whose recollections aid the investigation.

• Neo — her security partner
• Beep Boop — tries to corral it and gives it a knit hat
• Nick Santiago — mall-security acquaintance
• Riley Thorn — acquaintance she assists
• Khadijah Hutton — asks her for new security keys

Neo is a mall security guard partnered with Frannie, often on FaceTime with her and once reporting he is pooping but can arrive in four or five minutes. He loses his security keys, prompting Khadijah to issue a new set; Sheila later admits stealing them.

Arc: Neo remains a comic security presence whose lost keys become part of the crime.

• Frannie — his security partner
• Beep Boop — mall security guard
• Nick Santiago — coworker and backup contact
• Khadijah Hutton — issues new keys after he loses them
• Sheila — admits to stealing his keys

Wendell is Mrs. Penny's courthouse contact in the fourth-floor law library, a speed-reading legal fixer who reviews the PI license paperwork. He works for a shortcut to clear his debt to Mrs. Penny and later provides the marriage license. He explains that the business-license audit was AI-hallucinated and licenses are being reinstated.

Arc: Wendell moves from debt-clearing favor to the person who resolves both the PI license and the marriage license.

• Mrs. Penny — courthouse contact to whom he owes a debt
• Riley Thorn — helps with license and marriage license
• Nick Santiago — helps with license and marriage license

Dotty Arbuckle is the clerk of courts who processes the PI license paperwork, tells Nick and Riley fingerprinting is appointment-only until February 27, and resists Nick's charm. She later says the amendment will take ten to twelve weeks.

Arc: Dotty remains a bureaucratic obstacle, unmoved by Nick's charm.

• Riley Thorn — court clerk handling her license amendment
• Nick Santiago — court clerk handling his license amendment

Marie is Nick's mother, who argues with him about Christmas Eve dinner, hangs up on him, and once called Riley a carnival sideshow woman. She attends the bridal-shop gathering with arms crossed and is hostile toward Blossom. Beep Boop later runs over her foot at the wedding.

Arc: Marie remains prickly and hostile, though she is present for Nick's wedding.

• Nick Santiago — her son
• Riley Thorn — her future daughter-in-law
• Blossom Basil-Thorn — hostile toward her
• Beep Boop — runs over her foot

Mr. Willicott is Riley and Nick's roommate, a quiet presence who reads Fifty Shades of Grey, eats broken gingerbread, and asks who wants to watch Wheel of Fortune. He helps doctor employee ID photos into Santa disguises and puts a Santa beard on Beep Boop.

Arc: Mr. Willicott remains a low-key comic roommate who contributes to the investigation in small ways.

• Riley Thorn — his roommate
• Nick Santiago — his roommate
• Lily Bogdanovich — co-roommate
• Beep Boop — puts a Santa beard on it
• Mrs. Penny — roommate and investigation helper

Tristan is the mall elf who extorts families for cash by telling them what kids want for Christmas, bickers with Nick about a footrace, and is reprimanded by Santa. He slinks off after Santa threatens demotion.

Arc: Tristan remains a petty mall antagonist who is exposed and cowed by Santa.

• Nick Santiago — bickers with him and exposes his scheme
• Thomas Maclay — the Santa who reprimands him
• Riley Thorn — calls his dispute a small problem

Donny is a man Nick previously arrested who greets Nick with middle fingers, mentions his jail time and job at Heckman's, and glares at him in the mall. He remains hostile toward Nick.

Arc: Donny is static—an aggrieved recurring face from Nick's past.

• Nick Santiago — man Nick previously arrested and enemy

Aunt Phoebe is the manager of the mall jewelry store who yells at her nephew Edwin about missing expensive watches and calls it a fireable offense. She reports the matter to corporate and mall security.

Arc: Aunt Phoebe remains a strict manager whose report helps connect Ashley to the stolen watches.

• Edwin — her nephew and employee

Edwin is Aunt Phoebe's nephew and jewelry-store employee who apologizes for not reporting the missing watches sooner because he did not want to get in trouble. He is terrified of the manager.

Arc: Edwin remains a frightened employee whose admission helps expose the watch theft.

• Aunt Phoebe — his aunt and manager

Zenjamin Fontaine is the Psychics Guild president who meets Riley at the solstice party and listens to her story about connecting with a dead cat. Carol Loomis ushers him away after the interview.

Arc: Zenjamin remains a formal guild figure who briefly welcomes Riley.

• Riley Thorn — guild president who meets her
• Elanora Basil — introduces him to Riley
• Carol Loomis — newsletter editor who ushers him away

Carol Loomis is the Psychics Guild newsletter editor who photographs Riley, interviews attendees about how they have given back, and calls Riley's dead-cat note creepy. She then ushers Zenjamin away.

Arc: Carol remains a judgmental guild gatekeeper whose interview pressures Riley.

• Riley Thorn — interviews her for the holiday newsletter
• Zenjamin Fontaine — guild president she ushers away

Malcolm Heisey is Win's biological father, whom Riley contacts during meditation; he says he has waited a long time and did not know about Win until he got here. He is later revealed to have died a few years ago.

Arc: Malcolm's contact gives Riley the painful answer she must deliver to Win; he remains a deceased, regretful presence.

• Winifred (Win) — his daughter
• Meryl — his sister

Meryl is Malcolm's sister and Win's aunt, who comes forward at Fat Tony's Christmas Eve party to meet Win. She invites him to coffee or bad Chinese food.

Arc: Meryl moves from unknown relative to a new connection for Win after Malcolm's death.

• Winifred (Win) — her nephew
• Malcolm Heisey — her brother