Forgive and Forget: (A Geeks and Things Cozy Mystery Novella #2) (Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries) Read online

  “So the blood on your hands was from checking on him?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your father?”

  “No. I hadn’t been in his life until recently. We had a falling out after my mother…”

  Kalina bit her tongue—wincing at the pain—to keep from interjecting to ask about Mrs. Larrabee. Fresh tears rolled down Nadine’s cheeks as Chris simply nodded in understanding.

  “So you didn’t hear anything at all last night?”

  “I don’t remember… It’s all kind of a blur. Please, I’m tired. I’d like to rest now.”

  On cue, a nurse clad in pale purple scrubs appeared, chart and a plastic container of pills in hand. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to come back later if you have more questions. The doctor has ordered that Ms. Larrabee be sedated.”

  Nadine’s eyes grew to the size of quarters and she tried to wiggle away from the nurse as she approached. “No. I don’t want them. Get away from me!”

  Chris had already moved to get out of the way of the medical staff and he grabbed Kalina by the wrist, pulling her free as more staff in scrubs flooded the tiny area. They held Nadine down until someone got the medication into her. Kalina’s pulse quickened as she watched how the girl she’d known for years was manhandled into submission. There were missing puzzle pieces in all of this and she was going to find out exactly what had happened.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  With Nadine safely unconscious—at least for now—Kalina and Chris headed back to the parking lot. The day continued to heat up and Kalina wiped the sweat from her neck before slipping back into the passenger seat.

  “Can you drop me at the shop?” she asked.

  “Yeah, sure. I need to head back to the scene to make sure it’s being processed.”

  “You don’t trust Jimmy?”

  Chris shrugged. “He’s still pretty green and I think it would make him feel better if I was there.”

  The engine hummed to life and silence fell between them. Kalina wanted to ask Chris what he knew about Nadine’s past and her mother but she kept quiet. He would no doubt tell her to stay out of it and that this was a police matter. She still refused to believe that Nadine was capable of harming anyone, let alone her father. Chris took a sharp left onto Main Street and pulled up in front of Geeks and Things, the car still idling.

  “I’ll call you if I can get away later.” He kissed her cheek again.

  She returned the gesture, holding it a little longer than necessary. “Bye.”

  Kalina shivered in the heat and watched Chris pull away and disappear down the street. She fished her keys from her pocket and jammed them into the lock on the shop’s front door. The sign read ‘Closed’ so at least AJ had done as she’d asked. She could do a little archive browsing from the comfort of the shop and be there for the new shipment before trying to find out what she could about the crime scene. She flipped the light switch by the front door and waited for the energy-efficient bulbs to brighten the storefront. Turning the sign to ‘Open’, Kalina headed for the small bathroom and a waiting change of clothes. She would have loved a shower but there was too much to do.

  Slicking her damp hair back into a tiny, messy bun, she took up residence behind the front counter and sent AJ a text letting him know the shop was back open. Almost immediately, her phone flashed with a request to FaceTime. She tapped the ‘Accept’ button and waited for AJ’s face to fill the screen.

  “Hi, Aunt K.,” he said.

  “Hey. Is there something specific we need to talk about?”

  “Not really. I just wanted to check in.”

  “Things are fine here. I should be around for the next few hours anyway.”

  “I mean about whatever happened this morning.”

  Kalina massaged the bridge of her nose. She loved her nephew and his sense of curiosity but she didn’t want him to go running off with wild theories about what happened, especially when she wasn’t even sure anyone else in town knew Mr. Larrabee was dead. “I know I said I’d fill you in but there aren’t enough pieces for me to make sense of it right now. When I know more for certain, I’ll tell you.”

  “It happened again, didn’t it? Someone’s dead and there’s something weird about it.” AJ’s face lit up as he spoke. She thought she saw a hint of fear beneath the curious expression.

  “I need you to keep this to yourself. The police are still investigating and we don’t need to panic people if there’s no reason. I’m sure everything will turn out fine.”

  AJ bit his lip and looked away from the camera. “If you say so.”

  “Look, you can still come by later if you want but I need to take care of things around here, okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay.”

  The screen went dark and the connection died. Kalina set the phone down on the counter and massaged the cramp out of her hand from holding the phone steady. She hated that she couldn’t give her nephew more reassurance that everything would be fine but that couldn’t be helped right now. Blowing out a breath, she booted up the tablet and connected to the internet. Her first stop, logically, was Facebook. She scanned through her list of friends but Nadine didn’t come up. Either she didn’t have an account—unlikely even for their generation—or Kalina had never gotten around to adding her as a friend. Even if she could find a friend in common, there was only so much information she could glean from the other woman’s profile and what she was searching for wasn’t likely to be available to casual viewers.

  Closing down the app on her tablet, she brought up a browser window and logged into the library website, quickly navigating to the periodicals and the newspaper archives. If something happened right after high school, it would have made the paper. Ellesworth was small enough that most big events—good or bad—made the front page. Unlike the last time she’d needed to do a newspaper search, the editions she needed were all digital. Biting her lip in concentration, she selected ‘2000-2001’ editions and typed ‘Larrabee’ into the keyword search.

  A front page article from July 2003 appeared at the top on the results page.

  Local Family Rocked by Tragedy

  By: Angeline Reagan, Contributing Writer

  Independence Day is meant to be a celebration of our country’s birth as a democracy, but for one local family, the holiday will forever be remembered as a day of loss. Coming home from a late night celebration, Edwin and Michelle Larrabee were involved in a collision that left Edwin with several lacerations and a broken arm. Unfortunately, his wife is reported to have suffered severe head trauma and is presently in the intensive care unit at Ellesworth Hospital.

  The couple’s nineteen-year-old daughter, Nadine, was reportedly asleep in the backseat and suffered only minor cuts and bruises. Officers on scene refused to release any information about whether Mr. Larrabee was intoxicated, however eyewitness reports note that he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck, which was driving in the wrong lane.

  Kalina set her tablet down on the counter and sighed. How could she have missed something so huge? Her parents would have told her the news, right? She tried to remember if they’d let her know that Nadine’s mom had been in a serious accident but she came up blank. She hit the back button and found a second reference in the last edition for July. Her chest tightened and she fought back tears as she picked up the tablet again.

  Obituaries

  Michelle (Marcus) Larrabee

  Michelle Larrabee of Ellesworth, Massachusetts passed away on July 28, 2000 from complications after a car accident left her in a critical condition. Michelle is survived by her husband, Edwin, and their nineteen-year-old daughter, Nadine.

  Michelle was an active member in the town’s annual Solstice Fair committee and served on several church boards. She had a passion for poetry and spear-headed open mic nights at the local high school. Services celebrating Michelle’s life will be held at the local church on July 31, 2000.

  “Oh, Nadine. I’m so sorry,” Kal
ina whispered to the empty store.

  She felt like the worst friend in the world. She’d gone off to Boston to pursue her dreams in the big city and left her best friend behind. Nadine must have felt so alone losing her mother like that. Did she blame her father even if it wasn’t his fault? Could there actually be some motive Kalina hadn’t considered before?

  No matter how much she didn’t want to admit that the girl she’d once known was capable of such a horrific act, she had to admit she didn’t really know the woman she’d found sitting on the front steps. She chewed on her lower lip, debating what to do next. There was probably very little chance that Chris had already obtained useful information but that didn’t mean she couldn’t snoop around a little later on.

  The bell above the front door rang, signaling a customer, and Kalina quickly dried her eyes and closed down the browser. The tall, burly form of Andrew Chambers loomed on the other side of the counter. He slammed down a handful of comics.

  “Good morning, Mr. Chambers.” She fixed him with a smile. “Can I help you with something?”

  “You can stop selling this crap to my kid.”

  Kalina glanced down at the pile of Daredevil comics and back to Mr. Chambers. “I’m sorry you don’t approve of your son’s reading habits but parenting him isn’t my job.”

  “He’s supposed to be reading books. Not this … stuff.”

  Kalina cleared her throat and leaned forward on her elbows. “Maybe you should be happy he’s reading anything at all rather than spending his time stuck online. You may not think he’s learning but he is. And if what he’s buying makes you uncomfortable, talk to him. But as long as he’s not buying issues that are too highly rated for his age group, I’m going to keep selling them.”

  She spun around on her stool and straightened the hem of her blouse. “If that’s all, I have some inventory I need to get to. Have a nice day.”

  Mr. Chambers grabbed the comics and with a scowl he stalked out, slamming the front door behind him. Kalina shook her head and let out a slow breath. “Jerk.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Morning quickly turned to late afternoon and Kalina found herself organizing the game room for the third time in as many hours. Even on slow days she could usually occupy herself with more success. Out front the bell rang again and she straightened.

  “It’s just me, Aunt K.,” AJ called.

  She met him halfway between the front counter and the game room. “It’s pretty dead right now, kid. There’s not much for you to do.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask you something. Before you say no, I’ve already cleared it with Mom.”

  “Okay. What is it?”

  “How would you feel about hiring me for like after school and weekends? Once I’m sixteen I mean. I could help with inventory or supervise the game room.”

  “I don’t know, AJ.”

  “Please. This was always supposed to be a family business, right? And I’ve helped out before over the summer.”

  She nodded. “Yes.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “I’ll think about it.”

  AJ pulled her into a hug and she returned the gesture. “You’re the best aunt ever.”

  She laughed a little. “Thanks. You know, we could test it out right now if you want. I don’t expect anyone to come in but I have to run an errand.”

  “I do know how to operate a cash register. I promise I won’t burn the place down.”

  “Okay. Fine. Text me if there are any problems.” Kalina grabbed her keys from below the counter and headed for her car. She could easily walk to her destination but the heat was still too oppressive.

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot at the police precinct, a bag of take-out Chinese in the passenger seat. She’d called the hospital while waiting for her order but the nurse on duty had said Nadine was still sedated. That worried her. Sure, Nadine had been upset at the scene but anyone would be. She tried to shake the feeling as she headed inside.

  “Evening, Kal.” Jimmy greeted her from his post at the front desk.

  She stopped and rested the bag on the desk. “Hey. So you’re back from the scene?”

  The precinct was fairly deserted but he still leaned in close. “Yeah. Man I’m glad they covered the body before I got there. Just seeing what was left made me almost lose my breakfast. I never saw a dead body before.” He paled and swallowed loudly. “I mean I know we’re trained to deal with these things but it’s different thinking about it and doing it, you know?”

  Kalina nodded. “I bet. Did you find anything … interesting?”

  He smiled. He was young—maybe 25—and eager to please. She felt only a tiny twinge of guilt at playing on his insecurity. “Well, I’m just writing up my report now.” He looked down at the screen in front of him. “Oh, yeah the weird thing was the way he landed.”

  “Really?”

  “I think the medical examiner is going to do a test to see if he was pushed.”

  Interesting, indeed.

  She scanned the rest of the bull pen and spotted Chris bent over a file. “Well, good luck with the report, Jimmy.” She made a show of picking up the take-out. “I’d better get this over to Detective Harper.”

  Jimmy beamed back at her. “You have a good night.”

  Kalina waved goodbye and crossed the bull pen to Chris’s desk. He rubbed at the nape of his neck as he studied a file in front of him. Plopping down in the empty chair across from him she cleared her throat. “Hey.”

  He jumped a little at her greeting but he smiled back at her. “I didn’t know you were coming down.”

  “I thought I’d surprise you. And—” Kalina opened the bag and pulled out a container of pork fried rice “—I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget to eat.”

  Chris chuckled and closed the file. “Thanks. That’s really sweet of you. I’ll go see if I can find some plates.”

  While he disappeared into the small kitchen, Kalina unpacked the rest of the containers and plastic utensils. Casting a furtive glance around the rest of the bull pen, she reached over and opened the file he’d been reading: Nadine’s medical history. She’d been institutionalized for six months about five years ago. First thing in the morning she was making a trip back to the hospital to have a chat with her old friend.

  “Found them!” Chris called.

  Kalina quickly replaced the file and took a steadying breath as he returned. She dished out some Kung Pao Chicken onto her plate along with a teriyaki beef strip and some rice. Chris loaded his plate down and leaned back in his chair.

  “So, how was the rest of your day?” he asked around a mouthful of food.

  “Pretty slow. Andrew Chambers came by to try to chew me out about his son reading comics.”

  “I hope he wasn’t rude.”

  “Oh, he was but I told him he should actually parent the kid and talk to him if he didn’t like what his son was reading.”

  “Good for you.”

  “And I’m thinking of hiring AJ on to help out around the shop after school once he’s sixteen. He seems really excited.”

  “I think he just likes hanging out with his cool aunt in nerd heaven.”

  “Probably.” She briefly turned her attention back to the food on her plate. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Nadine’s mom… I had no idea she’d died.”

  “Yeah. From what I heard it was pretty rough. Her dad was pretty broken up about it after she passed.”

  “I can imagine. Did they ever figure out what happened? With the accident I mean.”

  Chris’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Well, I read an article that said it might have been another driver’s fault. Or Mr. Larrabee might have been drunk.”

  “I’m not really sure.”

  “Don’t you think it might be important?”

  “Maybe. But, Kal, that’s my job to figure out.”

  “I know… Sorry. I was just try
ing to help.”

  “Even if it means implicating a good friend in a murder?”

  Kalina sniffled. “Yes.”

  The conversation fizzled out and Kalina was grateful. She wanted to just enjoy her boyfriend’s company and pretend for a short while that everything was fine and the lives of the people around them weren’t falling apart at the seams. She was so absorbed in the moment that she didn’t hear the footsteps until Jimmy peered over Chris’s shoulder at the leftovers.

  “They always give you an extra fortune cookie,” he said and snapped up a plastic-wrapped cookie without asking permission. “Oh, boss, here’s my report from earlier.”

  Chris took the report and slid it on top of Nadine’s medical history without looking at it. He turned to the officer and gave him an expectant look. Jimmy blissfully ignored him as he fussed with opening the plastic and cracking open the cookie.

  “Hmm—” Jimmy studied the fortune “—that’s not really a fortune. I mean everyone could have good luck this week, right?”

  “Uh, Jimmy, you need to get back to the desk now,” Chris said.

  “Oh right. Sorry! You guys are on a date. I’m such an idiot I should have realized.”

  Kalina tried to give him an understanding smile but devolved into a fit of giggles as soon as he was out of earshot. “He’s like a lost puppy sometimes,” she said.

  “I hate to admit it but you’re right. He means well, he’s just a little clueless sometimes.”

  The tension over Nadine’s situation lifted for a moment and Kalina picked up one of the remaining fortune cookies. She popped the plastic and cracked the cookie. She studied the tiny slip of paper with mild amusement that quickly turned sour. ‘An old friend will come into your life in an unexpected way’.

  “Get something good?” Chris leaned over to take the paper from her.

  “Just hitting a little close to home. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” She cleared her throat. “I should get going. I’m sure you have lots to get done before the end of your shift, too.”

  She gathered up the empty food containers and tossed them in the trash nearby. Before Chris could say anything she was halfway to the front door. She gave Jimmy a hasty wave before she braved the evening heat. Footsteps pounded on the pavement behind her and she slowed down.