Have and Hold: (A Geeks and Things Cozy Mystery Novella #4) (Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries) Read Online Free Page A

gathered up the missing person report and his notes and headed for the reception desk. Chris tugged on his coat and hat and offered her his arm.
    “Shall we?”
    “Actually, I promised AJ I’d let him come by the shop and help me do some inventory.”
    “I thought he was taking some time off.”
    “He is, but he’s going a little stir crazy doing constant SAT prep. Jill’s going a bit overboard.”
    “Well, I would like to spend some time with you later.”
    “I won’t work too late. I promise.”

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    After stopping to grab a sandwich and bottled water, Kalina settled in the game room with the inventory boxes spread around her. She heard the back door swing open and she looked up only briefly to see her nephew kick snow off his shoes and unwind the scarf around his face.
    “Thanks for doing this, Aunt K.,” he said and settled into a chair beside her.
    “Hey, I can use the help.” Especially when the baby comes . She caught herself before she could voice that particular concern. Not before she’d shared the news with Chris.
    “So anything new and exciting going on?” AJ probed.
    “What makes you think there’s anything exciting going on?”
    “You sort of have that look.”
    Her brow furrowed. “What look?”
    “The ‘there’s a case I’m not supposed to be looking into but I’m doing it anyway’ look.”
    “I don’t have … fine. But if you breathe a word of this to your mother, you’re fired.”
    He mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. “I promise.”
    “We got a severed finger in the mail.”
    “We?”
    “It was sent to the house. It belongs to a woman who was reported missing a few days ago. Chris is looking into it.”
    “Why would someone send you a finger?”
    “I have no idea. And it was addressed to Chris. I’m guessing because he’s the new police captain.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “But it had an engagement ring and the person who reported her missing had just bought one. Chris is supposed to talk to him tomorrow.”
    “Did they find her?”
    “Not yet.” She wanted to tell him that the woman was fine but she couldn’t force the lie past her lips. “But that was my day.”
    “Do you think the guy hurt her … the one who bought her the ring?”
    “I’d like to think not. If he cared enough to ask her to marry him, I can’t imagine he’d want to cut off her finger after she’d accepted his proposal.”
    “You know, I don’t remember anything this weird happening before you moved back to town,” AJ said with a half-smile.
    “Are you saying I’ve bad mojo or something?”
    He shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe. All I know is in the last year we’ve had more crazy stuff happen in town than ever before.”
    “Great, my nephew thinks I’m cursed and to blame for people getting killed in town.”
    “Not what I’m saying at all! If you weren’t around to help out, they wouldn’t figure out what was really going on most of the time.”
    “Give Chris and the rest of the force some credit. They get there eventually. And I think at this point they’ve kind of accepted I can be useful.”
    “Well they’d be dumb not to.”
    “I just worry that, if it isn’t the fiancé, there are other people out there who could be in danger.”
    “Why?”
    “Just a feeling.” She couldn’t tell him any more about the case or her hunch. Especially since she hadn’t shared her worry with Chris yet and if she was going to tell anyone, it should be him.
    They fell into silence as they turned their attention to the task at hand. Together, they managed to get the inventory entered into the system and organized for the usual customers to pick up their new issues. Kalina’s phone gave a loud double beep at 6:30. She glanced at the screen to see a text from Chris. “See you at home.”
    “Hey, Aunt K. I should probably get home. Thanks for the break in monotony.”
    “That’s a good SAT word,” she teased and ruffled his hair.
    He