Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set

by Dianne Harman

  “Guys?” she said as she held up the bottle. “What should we do with this?”

  CHAPTER 5

  “What is that?” Wade asked as he squinted to see what was in Holly’s hand. She held it up by two fingers making it easier to see the slim orange bottle with a white lid.

  “It’s a pill bottle,” she said as she held it up. “There’s no label on it either.” She shook it to see if pills were still in it.

  “I’ll go get our drinks. Back in a minute,” Wade said as he hurried out of the room. Margo moved closer to Holly, a slice of pepperoni pizza in her hand.

  “Looks like someone forgot to empty out their stash,” Margo said between bites. “I bet they aren’t going to be happy when they find out.” She turned and headed back towards the pizza boxes, apparently undisturbed that Holly had just found someone’s medication.

  “Do you really think that’s what this is?” Holly asked as she took a closer look at the bottle. She knew some of her mom’s friends would mix pills with their alcohol, but she’d never paid much attention to what they were doing. When those friends came over to the trailer, she was normally hiding in her room, doing her best to appear as if she wasn’t there at all.

  “Well, why else would you peel the label off of a pill bottle? That’s what most people do so there’s no link to where you got them from,” she explained. “Any idea what kind they are?” Margo asked as she walked back over to Holly.

  “I don’t really know much about medications,” Holly admitted. She twisted open the lid and slid one of the little circular pills out onto her palm. Margo took a closer look, studying both sides of it before pulling out her phone and beginning to type.

  “What are you doing?” Holly asked.

  “I’m looking on the internet to see what kind of pill it is. If it’s something super basic like an acid reducer, then it’s nothing to worry about. Someone probably just used an old pill bottle to carry them around in,” she answered as she continued to type on her phone. “If it’s a controlled substance, then it’s more than likely someone was using and forgot about these,” she explained.

  Holly knew there were plenty of people out there who abused prescription medications. She wasn’t naive about that, but she’d never personally known anyone who did. Her mom had been into hardcore drugs and alcohol, never pills. This was new territory for her.

  “Here, I think I found it,” Margo said just as Wade returned with their cans of soda.

  “What is it?” he asked as he handed them their drinks. They each pulled a folding chair from the stack in the corner and sat down near the pizza.

  “I’m almost positive this is Adderall,” Margo said as she turned her phone to show the other two the image on the screen. “It’s a type of prescription drug that’s used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy.”

  Holly leaned in closer and compared the picture to the pill in her hand. They were identical. There was no doubt in Holly’s mind that the pill in her hand was Adderall.

  “If this is someone’s stash of pills,” Wade said leaning back in his chair, “why leave them in a coat when you donate it?”

  Holly walked over to the coat she’d pulled the bottle from and looked it over. It was a grey wool peacoat, nothing that really stood out. Her mind was working, trying to decide what to do about the pills. Part of her thought about just turning them over to Missy and being done with it. But another part of her felt like that would be taking the easy way out.

  “I bet whoever donated the coat didn’t know they were in there,” Holly said as she turned back to her friends, the coat still in her hands.

  “What do you think we should do about them?” Wade asked, voicing Holly’s concerns. He reached for a slice of pizza and took a big bite.

  “I say we just flush them down the toilet and forget them,” Margo said. “I mean, it’s obviously someone’s stash. What are you going to do? Turn them into the cops? Good luck with that. And what would happen if they tried to say they were ours?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

  “But if we just flush them, they could always just get more,” Holly pointed out. The thought of someone in their community abusing powerful subscription pills really bothered her.

  For some reason, the thought made her think of her mother and all the times she’d struggled to get clean and failed. What if someone would have cared enough to reach out to her? Would it have made a difference? It was too late to know if it would have helped her mom, but maybe it wasn’t too late for whoever used to own the grey wool peacoat.

  “You’re probably right,” Margo nodded. “But there’s nothing we can do, and really, it’s none of our business,” she said, dismissing the pills entirely. “Maybe they only take them when they really need them? I say we just forget about them.”

  “I don’t think I can do that,” Holly said as she turned towards Wade. She gave him a look that said she needed help, but wasn’t sure what kind. She wasn’t sure why this was eating at her so much, but she knew she couldn’t ignore it.

  “What do you want to do, Holly?” he asked in a gentle voice. He knew she had a big and caring heart. If there was anything he could do to help her with this situation, he would.

  “I want to find out who they belong to and encourage them to get help,” she said. “Because, well, what if they need it? Maybe all they need is to know that someone cares?”

  “You do realize that will be next to impossible, right? Like, how do you think you’re going to track down whose pills those are anyway? It’s a waste of time,” Margo said shaking her head. “Plus, nobody is going to admit to a stranger that they pop Addies. I mean, come on.”

  “I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to try,” Holly said. “I just can’t stop thinking about the fact that someone out there is putting themselves at risk by taking these. What if it’s someone our age? Or even younger? There’s always a chance we can find out who this coat belonged to and then we can talk to them. Maybe we could get them into a support group or something like that. Anything. I can’t just do nothing, Margo. If there’s a chance I can help, I have to try.”

  Holly didn’t know if her friend would understand, but she wouldn’t let that deter her. Margo hadn’t been around when she was dealing with all her mother’s problems. Holly had lived through far too much to just leave someone to their devices. It wasn’t in her nature. Maybe her heart was too big, or maybe she cared too much. Either way, she had to at least try.

  “You know I’m here to help,” Wade offered. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

  “Thanks, Wade,” Holly said with a smile. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “I’m not saying I won’t help if you need it,” Margo interjected. “I get what you’re saying. I know Adderall abuse is a serious problem, especially with college kids. I want to help whoever it is, but I just don’t know how.” Margo sighed and pushed back her dark, curly hair. Her light brown skin shone in the fluorescent light, as she leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling.

  “It’s okay, Margo,” Holly said. “Wade and I can handle it. We’ll keep you in the loop if you want, but I think we should mainly keep this to ourselves.” Wade and Margo nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah, if you need help, let me know. But I just feel really weird getting into someone’s private affairs, is all,” Margo admitted.

  Holly nodded as she laid the coat out on the floor and stood over it with her phone. She snapped a picture of it before flipping it open to take a picture of the inside. She thought it would be smart to have pictures of the coat, so they could check with whoever they spoke to and confirm it was theirs through the photo.

  She didn’t want to steal the coat, so taking a photo of it was the only way she could think of that they could use it to identify whose coat it was without physically taking it from the church.

  “Hey, look,” Wade said as he leaned over the coat. He pointed to a couple of initials written in black
permanent marker. “It has the initials ‘L.L.’ on the tag.”

  “It sure does,” Holly said as she leaned closer and took a picture of the tag. “I was working on the box of donations that came from the library. The good news is, I’m friends with most of the librarians there. I know they have a security camera up front. If this donation box was up front, maybe there will be a picture of who put this coat in it.”

  “I guess it’s as good a place as any to start,” Wade shrugged. “But do you think you can convince one of the librarians to look at the film from the security camera to find out who put this coat in the library’s donation box? Or let you look at it?” he asked.

  “Honestly, I’m not really sure,” Holly admitted as she picked up the coat and tossed it back in the pile. “But I don’t really know any other way to start looking for the owner. I’m sure at least one or two of the librarians would be willing to help me.” She returned to her chair and picked up a slice of pizza. She took a big bite and closed her eyes as the warm, melty cheese filled her mouth with flavor. “This is so good.”

  “I never realized how much work went into this kind of thing,” Margo said as she looked around the room. “I’ve always seen coat drives, paper drives, and stuff like that. But I never really put much thought into how much work the people who organized them had to put in to get everything done.”

  “I know,” Wade said as he reached for another slice of pizza. “But I’d work all day long if I could have pizza every time.”

  “I don’t know, personally I like getting a paycheck,” Holly said as she ate. “But pizza is definitely an added perk.”

  “That’s right, you work at the bookstore. That seems like the perfect gig for you. How did you land that?” Margo asked as she leaned back in her seat.

  “The owner is related to my...” she began.

  “Basically, she’s her aunt,” Wade interrupted.

  “Wow, that’s awesome,” Margo said. “I wish my family had a cool store I could work at. That would make things ten times easier. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “It is pretty fun,” Holly admitted. She smiled as she realized just how much she loved her job. It was absolutely the best job she ever could have. There simply wasn’t a better part-time job for her in Cottonwood Springs.

  “I hope I can find a good part-time job soon,” Wade lamented. “I’d love to have my own money for stuff. That’s why my parents gave me my aunt’s old car, so I can drive myself to work when I finally do find a job.”

  “It will happen,” Holly said encouragingly. “You just have to be patient.”

  “I think I’d like to work at a pizza place. That way I could eat pizza every single day,” Margo mumbled as she continued to eat.

  Holly and Wade laughed. “You’d probably get sick of it after a while,” Wade pointed out.

  “Maybe,” Margo said shrugging. “But it would be good while it lasted.”

  CHAPTER 6

  “How’s everything going in here?” Missy asked as she pushed the door open. Holly, Wade, and Margo were still hard at work separating the coats and counting them when the older woman came to check on them. They’d finished off the pizza along with the cookies before getting back to business. Missy had been enjoying her time with Jordan, but thought she should probably send them home when she saw how late it was.

  She didn’t want them working too late, considering they had school the next morning. Volunteers were always good, but exhausting them wasn’t a very responsible thing to do. In her arms was an adorable little honey colored dog with a white patch on his chest. Holly almost didn’t realize who it was until realization hit her like a sledgehammer.

  “Oh my gosh!” cried Holly. “Is that Lucky?” she asked. She couldn’t believe how incredibly fluffy and sweet looking he was just from having a bath. It had completely transformed him. Before he looked like a scruffy little stray, but now he looked like one of those sweet little dogs that got carried around in a rich woman’s purse. He looked as though he felt better, too. His tongue was hanging out, and she swore he had a smile on his adorable little face.

  Lucky turned quickly towards her voice and wriggled excitedly until Missy put him down on the floor. He ran across the tile floor, his nails clicking, as he hurried over to Holly. Barking small yips of joy, he jumped around at her feet until she picked him up. She couldn’t help but giggle at how happy he was to see her.

  “He seems to really like you,” Missy said with a knowing smile. She looked around the room and was surprised by all the work they’d gotten done. “Wow, you guys did a great job in here. It looks as though you almost got all of them done. That’s amazing!”

  “Sorry we couldn’t finish it,” Wade said apologetically. He’d hoped they could get every coat sorted and organized before she came back, but they hadn’t quite accomplished it, not that Missy minded.

  “No, this is great,” Missy said, beaming. “You’ve gotten so much more done than I’d even hoped for. Really. Awesome job, guys.” She walked around the room admiring the stacks of neatly folded coats and jackets. There was even a sheet of paper nearby that had the totals for each location. “I couldn’t have done a better job myself. I’m so grateful to you for giving up your afternoon and evening to help me out. I won’t forget this.”

  The three of them beamed with pride at her praise. They’d been hoping to get a lot more done, but with how happy she was at what they’d been able to accomplish, Holly felt as though they’d done a great job. Although she hadn’t been very excited about it at first, now she was glad they’d volunteered. Seeing the smile on Missy’s face made it all worthwhile.

  “You guys go on and head home. I don’t want you to be so tired you won’t be able to go to school tomorrow,” Missy said as she gently touched one stack of coats. “I can handle the rest. Honestly, you did a great job. Make sure you let your parents know how much I appreciate you taking the time to help me.”

  Holly thought about the bottle of pills she’d stuck in her backpack and debated whether or not she should tell Missy about them. She trusted the woman implicitly, but she wasn’t sure if Missy would agree with Holly’s plan to find the owner.

  She was a lot like a protective aunt to her, and Holly could see her calling Brigid or encouraging Holly to just flush them down the toilet and forget about them. Neither of which Holly wanted to have happen. She felt a pang of guilt for not bringing it up, but she felt she was doing the right thing.

  Missy hugged each one of them as they collected their stuff and headed out the door. Lucky was snuggled in Holly’s arms, simply content to be carried around. He was even cuter now that he was clean.

  “I can’t believe what a difference the bath made in Lucky,” Wade said after they’d climbed in his car.

  “I know,” Margo said leaning forward and giving the dog a scratch. “He’s so stinkin’ adorable. I can’t believe anyone would dump him.”

  “Maybe they didn’t,” Holly offered. “Maybe he just got lost or something.” She couldn’t wrap her head around someone not wanting Lucky. It seemed impossible.

  “I don’t know, Holly. That seems like a strange place for him to get lost,” Wade said. “I’ve read where a lot of dogs sit right where their owners dump them off. They sit there and wait for them to come back, but they never do.” Wade looked sad as he drove them away from the church.

  “That’s horrible,” Holly said, looking down into the little guy’s soft brown eyes. “What kind of a person could do something like that? Especially to this cute little thing?” Her heart broke as she imagined Lucky sitting by the side of the road watching his owners drive away. He probably chased them for a little while before realizing he’d lost them. How many people had driven by and not seen him?

  “You just never know,” Wade shrugged. “All that matters now is that he’s found you. I can’t think of anyone better to take care of him than you.” He gave her a smile as they drove through town. “He’ll be more than happy to live with you.”
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br />   “Thanks,” she said, reaching for Wade’s hand and interlocking her fingers with his.

  “I wouldn’t mind being a dog,” Margo said from the backseat. “Think about it. You get fed all kinds of wonderful food scraps. People clean up after you. You get to sleep all day. No job, no school. Just barking at squirrels and the mailman. I mean, I’m sure I could handle it.”

  Holly laughed. “But what about having to poop in the yard? That doesn’t sound too great.”

  “Eh,” Margo shrugged. “If I had to go in the yard just so I can sleep all the time and have other people feed me, I’d do it,” she snickered.

  “I think I’d rather be a cat,” Wade said. “They seem to have it even easier than dogs.”

  “True,” Margo agreed. “Okay, I just want to be some sort of a pet. That works for me.” A few minutes later Wade pulled up in front of Margo’s house.

  “Bye, guys. See you tomorrow. Let me know what Brigid thinks about Lucky,” Margo called out as she jogged up to her house.

  Wade pulled away from the curb, and then he looked over at Holly and Lucky as if he wanted to say something.

  “What is it, Wade?” Holly asked. She could tell something was on his mind.

  “I’m a little worried about this pill thing,” he began. “What if whoever they belong to is someone who’s into other bad stuff too? I’m afraid you may get mixed up in a lot more than you bargained for.”

  Holly thought about what he was saying. She could see his point of view. She wasn’t as worried as he was, but on the other hand, she also didn’t want to just blow off his concerns. There had to be a way to ease his mind. “What do you think I should do?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it,” he said. “I’d feel better if you told Brigid what you’re doing. Running around looking for someone who is abusing pills without some sort of a backup is just crazy. What if those pills belong to someone who’s selling them? They might know about how Brigid has helped the sheriff with investigations and think you’re a part of that too.”