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

gave her an annoyed look but said nothing as he pulled on his scarf and jacket. She checked the front door to ensure it was locked before she followed him out to the small back lot. He started to trudge through the snow.
    “I’ll give you a ride,” she called.
    Her nephew’s face lit up at the offer and he scrambled into the passenger seat as Kalina climbed behind the wheel and started the car.
    “I hope you find the lady with the missing finger and that she’s okay,” he said ten minutes later, after navigating the snow piles in the center of town.
    “Me too.”
    As soon as AJ was out of the car, she did a U-turn and headed home. She found Chris waiting for her with a glass of wine and a roasted chicken cooling on the sideboard. She hesitated as she took the glass, tipping it to her lips but not drinking any.
    His gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
    Kalina set the glass down and shook her head. “Nothing.”
    “Come on, after the day we had, you have to want a drink.”
    “I’m just not in the mood for it, I guess. Thinking about what happened makes me kind of queasy.”
    “Oh. Can I get you something else?”
    “I’m fine.”
    The scent of the cooling chicken simultaneously made her mouth water and her stomach churn. She wasn’t going to be able to hide things for much longer. Maybe now was the best time to spill the beans. They were only two weeks away from the wedding anyway. There was little chance he’d abruptly change his mind about marrying her.
    “Actually, I need to tell you something,” she said and motioned for him to sit down.
    “OK. What is it?” In one fluid motion he pulled out the chair and slid onto the seat.
    She settled into the seat across from him and smoothed out the winkles in the hem of her dress. She opened her mouth to speak—hoping just blurting it out would quash the fear bubbling up in her chest—when Chris’s phone rang.
    “It’s the station. Just give me one second.” He answered the call and swiveled to face the sink. “Captain Harper.”
    She couldn’t see his facial expression and the call was turned down low enough she couldn’t overhear who was on the other end of the line. Chris let out a sigh. “You’re absolutely sure?” A pause. “”And there was a finger missing? The same one?”
    Chris turned back to face Kalina and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to share her news with him. His cheeks were suddenly drawn. “They found a body out on the beach by the water.”
    “Oh God. Is it Gabriella Baez?”
    “No. It’s a different woman. This one’s white. She had ID on her. Her name is Margaret Fink. She was twenty-six.”
    “You think she had her finger cut off with an engagement ring on it?”
    “It would be my guess.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If Gabriella isn’t dead yet, I suspect she will be soon. We might have a serial killer on our hands.”
    “You’ll figure this out,” Kalina said and twisted the still-full glass of wine in front of her by the stem. “Who do you think killed this other woman?”
    “I don’t know. We are still bringing Gabriella’s fiancé in for questioning in the morning. All the officers told him is that we had some information on his fiancée’s whereabouts and we needed to talk to him. And we’ll have to look into Margaret’s life to see if she also had a fiancé.”
    “Do you think either of the fiancés could have killed them?”
    “I don’t know. Honestly, if he’d just proposed to her and she’d said yes, it doesn’t make sense. But then again, people have plenty of reasons to end engagements.”
    Like cheating partners.
    He scrubbed at his face with the heels of his hands. “This is not how I hoped this would go.”
    She reached across the table to give his hand an affectionate and supportive squeeze. “I know. But you’ll find out what happened.”
    “Sorry, what did you need to tell me?”
    “Don’t worry about it. It can wait. The case is more important. I understand if