by P. Creeden
The wrinkles above his brow began to smooth as the reality of his being used began to sink in. “She gave it to me as a gift today, it was the reason she gave for us to take that selfie together. She wanted a picture of me with my new gift.”
Jeremy nodded. “Once she set you up as her alibi, she called Lonnie and had him meet her nearby. To keep him from screaming or struggling, she used a taser on him from behind. She may have dropped something to get him to bend over. Once he was on the ground, she used the knife she had set up inside a plastic bag to keep the splatter from reaching her, but it didn't work perfectly, did it, Lynn? Some of the blood still seeped into the bag and got on your glove. So, in order to hide the blood, you turned your reversible gloves inside out to expose a new color.”
Sadness overcame Lynn's face, her lip quivered as her resolve began to crumble.
Jeremy leaned forward, placed his hands on the table, and pressed her harder. “You're right-handed. When I handed your phone to you earlier, you took it in your right hand. In the selfie, you took the photo with your right hand so that only your left was visible. But earlier, when you needed to swipe your finger across the screen to get to your video alibi, you removed your left glove to do it. You had to do that because you still needed to hide the fact that you had blood on your hand—your right hand. Miss Reiner, could you please remove your right glove?”
Chapter 7
Tears streamed down Lynn Reiner's face. She ripped off her glove. Red blood covered the forefinger and thumb of her hand. “You're right. You're entirely right,” she cried out. “I killed him.”
John gasped, his eyes wide.
Jeremy kept his cool, nodded to one of the uniformed police officers. “Get a forensic technician in here.”
The officer nodded and disappeared under the tent flap.
“Please hurry,” Lynn cried out. “I'm tired of having his blood on my hand. I'm sick of him. I want to be done with him entirely.”
“How?” John asked, his voice cracking. “How could you kill someone like that?”
She shook her head, some of her hair coming free of the bun it had been in and falling freely around her shoulders, it was frizzy and wild. “He was blackmailing me. When we broke up, he kept calling me at first and wanting to get back together. When I kept denying him, he started threatening me. He had some photos of me in a compromised position. He said he was going to post them on the internet. I would have been ruined. Then he found out about how I’d started dating John and said he didn't want me back after all. Instead, he wanted money. He was a gambler and owed a bookie some money. He wanted me to pay him six thousand dollars to stay quiet. I paid him last week. But then he called again and demanded more. I looked into my future and saw that this was never going to end. He claimed that he'd given me the pictures on the thumb drive he'd given me before, but he lied. I couldn't ever see this ending. So, I had to make it stop. He said he'd already started texting John and planned to send those pictures to him directly, too.”
“So, he's the phishing scam. It wasn't just a scam. He did have a secret to tell. How did he get my number?” John’s jaw tensed.
“We both work at the grocery store. He stole my phone out of my locker and got your number. I'm so sorry, John.”
John backed away when she reached out for him. Then he turned toward Jeremy. “Do you need my phone for evidence? Can I get it back?”
Jeremy shook his head and offered the blue smart phone back toward John. “We already emailed a copy of the video you took to our office. It was all the evidence we needed.”
After taking the phone, the man drew a deep breath and closed his eyes a moment.
“John?” Lynn pleaded again, but he ignored her.
“Am I free to go?” John asked when he opened his eyes and met gazes with the detective.
Jeremy nodded. “Yes, sir. Though we ask that you do not disclose any of the details of this case on your blog or YouTube channel.”
John shook his head. “Of course not.”
The forensic technician came in at the same time as John lifted the tent flap and ducked out of the area.
***
The night air had gotten colder and flurries began to fall around them as Merry exited the tent with her grandchildren. Jeremy was going to have a busy next few hours while he was booking Lynn Reiner and getting a full written confession. They were walking past the closed cafe. Had it gotten so late already? Although the kids had been able to get some hot cider earlier, Merry still had a bit of a craving for the hot chocolate. But maybe she could make some for them when they all got home.
“Gramma, you were right.” Colin's voice filtered up to her, making her look down at him.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Life is better lived in the now instead of through a small screen, sometimes.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “Yeah. Who would have thought that someone could manipulate the pictures and videos they took with their phone in order to create an alibi? She almost got away with it, too. Good catch, Gramma.”
“I'm sure your dad would have caught it all, too. He is a detective after all.”
“And you're a detective's mother. Probably taught him everything he knows,” Colin said with a laugh, but his chest was puffed out proudly, so she knew he wasn't just joking with her.
“And you children did a great job helping your father on the case, too. I hate that you had to witness that side of humanity, though.”
“I've seen worse in movies.” Kaitlyn shrugged.
“Or even on TV,” Colin chimed in.
“Right,” Kaitlyn said. “So, don't feel the least bit guilty about that. Helping Dad solve a mystery tonight truly was making a memory I won't ever forget.”
“Me, neither.”
Merry sighed, feeling content as the snowflakes danced around her and the children. She'd at least accomplished getting the children off their electronics and creating a memory. It was what she'd wanted from the beginning. She reached her hands into her pockets and felt Kaitlyn's cell phone with her mittened fingers. Her granddaughter hadn't even asked for it back yet. Instead, she was a few yards up ahead of her, talking to her brother about what they'd just experienced that night. Merry made a decision that she'd wait to see how long before her granddaughter asked for it back. She'd hoped it would be a while.
Although the children had seen a harsh side of humanity that night, they didn't seem ill-affected by it. They were both bright kids who seemed to have found their voices as they talked to each other in the evening snow. She watched as they both began to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Merry stuck out her own tongue and tried the same. She laughed when one landed on her nose, melted and tickled it. Family and making memories were what the season was all about, even though a mystery had ended up part of it, she was confident that it had been a night that none of them would forget any time soon.
Continue Reading for a Chapter 1 preview of Holly in Hiding
And Murder on New Year’s Eve
Also by P. Creeden.
Chapter 1 Preview of Holly in Hiding
Coffee was always one of those heavenly smells to Bethany, even though she didn’t much care for the taste of it. Still, she could just immerse herself in the smells alone, so she did. Kringle’s Coffee Shoppe’s main staple may not have been Bethany’s cup of tea… er… coffee. But she loved the paninis and she loved the people of Christmas Thyme, Colorado who came to stop at the shop to get their caffeinated fuel. She’d began as a barista at the shop when she first started working there out of high school but earned her way up to assistant manager a year ago when she’d finished her associates degree in business management.
Jingle Bell Rock played through the speakers overhead. All twelve tables in the shop were full with customers, making Bethany work as back up waitress for the day.
“Three Peppermint Macchiatos for table three!” she called out to the barista, then leaned and said under her breath, “Make them decaf.”
; The barista nodded and lifted a knowing eyebrow.
Though they had a bar like the bigger coffee shops in Boulder, they also offered sit down service to the people who preferred it. Most of the town’s older crowd preferred it that way, and occasionally, so did the high school kids.
Christmas was just a week away, making their shop just a little more crowded with the latter, since school was out. And many came to their little town for the festive lights display. The whole town took Christmas very seriously since it was in their name. And the lights display brought in crowds of people in the evenings.
A gasp went up from the corner that drew her attention. The man at table three smiled to the woman across from her and opened a red decorated ring box while he knelt in front of her on one knee. Tourists. She didn’t know them by name, but still, Bethany’s heart fluttered. Though she hadn’t had time for romance in her own life, she was an utter believer in true love and the power it could have over people. It made her smile and her eyes watered. When the woman said “yes,” people at the tables nearby cheered and clapped. Bethany found herself clapping automatically.
Red colored the man’s cheeks as he looked around and noticed everyone was watching. Still, he gave a little bow, and the woman planted a kiss on his cheek. Bethany had hoped for a romance like that for herself, but she hadn’t been on a date in years. Not since her parents died in a car accident, forcing her to drop out of college her sophomore year and take care of her little sister. That had been nearly four years ago, and though her sister was now eighteen, Bethany wasn’t ready for her to grow up and move on. She felt the need to stay close to her sister—the only family they had were each other.
“Order up,” the barista, Roxie, called and smiled at Bethany. Roxie had become their best barista in no time, she could almost make Bethany change her mind and become a lover of coffee… but maybe that was because of all the sugar and cream added in the mix.
Bethany returned the smile as she picked up the order of coffees and took them over toward the table. She set them in front of the teenagers. “Three Peppermint Macchiatos. Decaf. It’s after 8 p.m., and I wouldn’t want you lot staying up all night.”
The girl with purple eyes—had to be contact lenses—rolled them. Her nose ring had a chain to her ear. “If I wanted an old lady to lecture me, I would have stayed home and let my mom do it.
“Don’t give her a hard time,” the boy in the leather jacket across from her said, giving Bethany a nod of approval. “She’s not that old. Besides it’s almost 9 o’clock and we don’t need the caffeine.”
The third member of their party hardly looked like she belonged with the other two, her preppy outfit and glasses would have made her seem too straight-laced for the others except that the tips of her hair were dyed pink. “It tastes the same; who cares if it’s decaf?”
After rolling her eyes again, the first girl gave Bethany a purple glare. “Just don’t expect much of a tip when you add or subtract from a customer’s order.”
Bethany sighed and shrugged. “I’ll consider it a good deed, no matter what reward I get… or don’t.” Then she walked away before the dissenting voice could cut in with another harsh word.
A man lifted his glass in her direction, signaling he was ready for more cider. His dark hair had the slightest curl to it and his green eyes shined in the lights above him. Sitting at one of the few solo tables, he plugged away at a laptop, using the café’s Wi-Fi for the past hour or so.
Bethany nodded toward him, so he understood that she'd seen his request and she quickly went to the counter to pour him one from the warmed tap they had just for cider and hot chocolate.
The man smiled as she set the drink on the table in front of him and grabbed the empty glass. “Thank you, Angel. I swear I'm addicted to this cider.”
Her heart fluttered a little at being called angel. The man was cute—not that Bethany was trying to notice. It surprised her when a giggle escaped. “Good thing it’s not alcoholic then.”
“No worries there. I don't touch the stuff. Just cider for me… I don’t even drink coffee.”
She laughed again. “Good thing our café also serves this cider then.”
“It certainly is a good thing for me.” He offered a grin that colored his eyes with playfulness.
Her heart fluttered a little.
“Then I will let you enjoy your cider.” Bethany turned and walked away. Wow, that was smooth. On the verge of corny even. Was she blaming her dateless status on her job and her sister? Now she wondered if it had nothing to do with either and everything to do with her own lack of “game.”
After 9 o’clock, the last stragglers from the lights display came in to get their drinks and pastries. On nights like these, the shop sold just as much hot chocolate and hot cider as it did coffee. As the clock neared 10 p.m., the little shop slowly began to clear out. The two baristas and the waitress both left for the night after splitting tips from the jar. Once Bethany finished the last of her routine, she grabbed her winter coat and stepped out onto Mistletoe Drive.
The cold air nipped at her cheeks, and fresh snow blanketed the ground. She took in a deep cleansing breath and smiled as she looked up at the stars. She walked slowly down Mistletoe Drive, her breath misting about her face. Strings and bows of unlit bulbs surrounded her in all directions. The town shut off the lights display overnight to discourage people from continuing to frequent the attraction. She passed by the unlit form of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and tapped it playfully on the nose. She rolled her aching shoulder as she continued to walk through the unlit display.
Snow crunched beneath her feet with each step and she hurried her pace to keep warm as soon as she made it past the display and into the residential area of the drive. From the diner to her home usually took twenty minutes at a leisurely pace, but tonight she walked double-time, even though her feet ached from the long day.
When she arrived home, the warmth of the wood heat furnace greeted her. With a smile she thanked the Lord that Holly had maintained the furnace faithfully throughout the day. Bethany closed the door behind her and slipped off her shoes.
A tattered quilt sat on the back of the burgundy cloth couch. Their mother had worked on the quilt for several years. The walls of their house were a mixture of brick and drywall, and several pictures of their family as they grew up lined the walls. Bethany was glad for them, as they reminded her of her parents love even as it grew hard to keep up with mothering Holly through the tough teen years in high school.
“I'm home!” Bethany called out as she hung her coat up on the hook by the door.
“I'm in the kitchen!” Holly’s voice called back in a sing-song tone. Great, it seemed her sister was in a good mood. That always made life easier. A smile spread across Bethany’s face as she walked down the hallway and turned left into the open kitchen decorated with pigs and roosters. Holly sat at the small table in the breakfast nook with her phone in hand. She wore her pink footie pajamas which had a hoodie in the back with cute cat ears on it. If it was cute and fuzzy, Holly loved it. Her sandy-blonde hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head and she had a pore strip over her nose. She hit the call end button and smiled wide at her sister. “I have good news.”
“Oh?” Bethany lifted a brow and sat down in the metal chair across from her sister after adjusting the cushion. Not much had changed in their house since they’d lost their parents. Even the kitchen table and chairs, which should have been outdoor furniture remained exactly as they had left it.
“Trey is coming to see me for Christmas.” Holly’s smile grew wider and she shook her hands in the air like a kid who’d just got her favorite gift.
Bethany frowned and had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Trey was Holly's online boyfriend. Bethany didn't like the idea of online dating even if she was stuck in a small town. There were other ways to meet men, and you could never tell if someone was lying on the internet. “Are you sure that's a good idea, Holly?”
The smile
began slipping from Holly’s face just a bit. “Of course, why wouldn't it be?”
“He might not be who you think he is.”
“Bethy you worry too much. He’s a nice guy.” Holly glared at Bethany with the same look she always gave her when she wasn’t getting her way. Her brown eyes narrowed.
A knot formed in Bethany’s stomach. The cold metal of the outdoor furniture against her wrists suddenly felt like ice. “Don’t ‘Bethy’ me. Do you know how dangerous it is to meet anyone you met online?”
“You worry too much. I’ve been talking with him for six months now, and we’ve skyped a lot, too.” Holly got that dreamy look on her face that she always got when she thought she was in love. “I think he may be the one.”
Bethany ran her hand through her long, straight, hair—the same sandy blonde as her sister’s. The clock in the kitchen slowly ticked away while Bethany regarded her sister. That dreamy look in her eyes as she continued to stare off at something no one could see in the distance made Bethany’s uneasiness grow.
“Holly…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Holly blinked like she was suddenly coming out of a daydream. “What?”
Bethany clenched her jaw for a split second before trying again. “I said, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Her lips twisted in a pout, and her hand slammed against the table as she stood up with defiance. “Well, it’s too late. I already told him he could come here and he’s driving up tomorrow.”
That same icy cold Bethany felt on her wrists shot through her whole body as rage and fear surged through. She drew herself to her feet, just as her sister had, but she refused to raise her voice. Instead she used that deathly, growly tone that Mother would use when she was angry. “Well, he’s not staying here.”
“Yes, he is. I told him he could.” Holly snapped back, her voice getting screechy as it went up an octave.
