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  New Town, New Thief

  © 2018 Melinda Craig

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Contents:

  New Town, New Place

  Mamma Joe’s Grocery

  Checkout Line

  Cozy Space

  The Date with Officer Vance

  The Chief and Ryan

  Pizza and Secrets

  A Sweet Good Night

  The Offer

  More Discoveries

  Fortune

  A Piece of the Puzzle

  Caught

  Stretching the Limits

  More than One Mystery Solved

  New Town, New Place

  Lindsey took the steaming mug off the Keurig and breathed in the heavenly scent. Oh, how she needed this cup. Rummaging through the mini fridge, she pulled out her cinnamon creamer and half-n-half. “Just a smidge,” she thought, watching the dark roast coffee change from black to caramel.

  The perks of her short term apartment included the mini fridge, a Keurig (how had she lived without this), and a stackable washer and dryer. Somehow she had managed to get a bit of luck with her former client and got a referral for the tiny house to rent at an amazing price. It had been a long time since she had stayed in anything other than overpriced hotels. The feeling of having a place to call her own gave her a small pang, which she expertly pushed aside as she drank her coffee.

  Walking to the small table in her designated dining area (which was a part of the living room closest to the kitchen), she pulled out the chair and her phone. Taking a few minutes to find her notes app, she opened the one from her previous meet with Officer Vance.

  He had met her in typical skepticism style, something she had gotten used to a long time ago. Still, Officer Vance managed to do his job and gave her the details of the case (although it was obvious he didn’t agree with the chief on hiring her).

  “Everyone’s a critic until they need you,” she thought.

  Robberies…not that unusual or a seemingly difficult crime to solve, unless you threw in a man who walked through walls and stole art without setting off a single alarm. So, of course, Lindsey was called. One freak required another right?

  The security footage that Officer Vance begrudgingly showed her, gave Lindsey plenty to think about. The recording had shown a hooded man standing outside the museum. He lingered for only a moment before breaking in…the kicker was how he walked right through solid matter as though it was nothing. He was good, knew where the cameras were to hide his face, and paid no attention to the alarms. When the morning employees came in and found their main art attraction gone (if you could call it that--I mean seriously--it was a canvas with multi-colored lines and splotches of paint), they pulled the security video and alerted the police.

  Once the police watched the footage about a dozen times, they finally figured they should call in an expert on unusual and weird crimes, that’s where Lindsey came in. Lindsey Smith, the memory reading weirdo who got results.

  It didn’t matter to Chief Keaton that Lindsey was an unusual consultant with unusual skill sets. What mattered was that she got answers and he got the praise for wrapping up the crime. Although, that praise came with a bigger budget and bonus in his pocket--no matter, if that’s what drove chief to keep calling her back, she’d take it.

  Lindsey’s thoughts strayed from the case and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have steady work. If the chief kept her on for crimes he couldn’t solve, she would have some type of consistency in pay for the first time since she was a teen. She shook her head--best not to go there. How many unusual crimes could a small town like this have anyways? She could always find work one way or another, and getting her hopes up or too cozy in this apartment would only lead her to frustration in the end.

  Lindsey drummed her fingers on the table as she thought about the details that Officer Vance had given her…he had certainly taken her by surprise. She thought back to the awkward meeting earlier in the day.

  “Officer Vance?”

  “Yeah, that’s me. You must be the crazy woman that chief brought in. I’ve dealt with a lot of consultants but this is a new one.” Officer Vance gave her the once over and lingered on her long black gloves and rolled his eyes.

  Lindsey lifted her chin, meeting his gaze head on. She would not be intimidated.

  “I was under the impression my assistance on this case was needed by Chief Blake Keaton, your superior. I’m happy to let him know of your skeptism and refusal to share information in a professional manner. Let me be clear, I was hired and I have already been paid a portion of my fee. I plan to do my job and do it well.”

  “Cool it Nancy Drew. I’ll brief you.” Officer Vance was a shorter man, but easy on the eyes. Dark hair fell in front of his face, showing a much needed cut. His height didn’t subdue his authority or the powerful presence he commanded without saying a word. It took effort for Lindsey to stand her ground and not cower under his scrutiny.

  “Did chief tell you this concerns a robbery?”

  “Yes, I’m aware. According to him, the main attraction was stolen from your town museum. A painting I believe?”

  “Right, well…yeah you got the basics, or what was shared with the public. The rest would be easier if I just showed you.” He waved Lindsey forward towards one of the available rooms in the police station before continuing, “It goes without saying that if you share any of the information I’m about to let you view, that I would arrest you--no hesitation.”

  “I’m sure you’d enjoy that officer.”

  Officer Vance let out a chuckle and shook his head as he walked ahead of Lindsey into one of the interrogation rooms. “Might as well call me Ryan if we plan to work together.”

  Taken a bit back by his change in tone, Lindsey replied, “Not necessary--Officer Vance will work just fine for me.”

  He had smiled wide at Lindsey’s comment and she felt the unwelcome blush creep up her neck, towards her cheeks. Men...

  Lindsey’s attention snapped back to the present as she lifted her cup to her lips and felt the lack of coffee as she tried to drink.

  “Dang it, and that was my last one too,” she thought.

  Getting up and closing the notes app on her phone, Lindsey walked to the sink to sit her empty coffee cup in. Shrugging, she resigned to make a much needed trip to the local grocery store. Yippee…

  Mamma Joe’s Grocery

  She didn’t even bother driving, it would have been a waste of gas. Starry Valley had a mom & pop grocery store a short block away. So, she bundled herself up in her warm faded jacket, threw her phone and wallet into her coat pocket and headed on her way. The cool autumn air hit Lindsey as soon as she opened the door. Inhaling, she enjoyed the scent of trees and leaves that mixed in with the afternoon’s breeze. She loved this time of the year. As soon as it got cold enough for her gloves to not stand out, life felt just a tad bit easier, and for Lindsey, that made things seem slightly normal.

  She arrived to Mamma Joe’s grocery quicker than she anticipated and walked through the doors with one major thing on her mind: coffee, k-cups to be exact. Oh, she needed a few more things too, but her list went by order of importance and coffee was on the top.

  Grabbing the blue basket that was sitting by the doors, she pulled out her phone and hit the notes app for her grocery list. The bad thing about smaller businesses
, was that they lacked some of the efficiency you would find in larger stores…such as nice big signs above the aisles. It would appear that Mamma Joe’s grocery didn’t mess with fancy signs. Sighing, Lindsey resigned to start at the front of the first aisle and work her way to the back. Coffee would find her somewhere in the middle surely.

  Finding the breakfast aisle, she threw in a box of pop-tarts in her basket. Spotting the coffee, she kept her eyes straight ahead, praying Mamma Joe’s would have a somewhat decent selection of the k-cups she needed. Reaching her goal in sight, Lindsey let out a long breath of air. Thank the Lord, they carried Cinnabon and Gevalia breakfast blend coffee. She threw the k-cups in her basket and decided that all was well with the world, at least for today.

  Seeing her grocery list was complete, she closed the list and pulled up a new one on her phone. This time Lindsey looked over her case notes. Something had to give that she wasn’t picking up. With all of her assignments, she found one thing in common and usually it included something obvious that went unnoticed until she picked it out. That always led her to the truth. With her eyes still glued to the notes she walked, until she felt an uncomfortable and unmoving force hit her in the face. She had smacked right into a hard surface and bounced, in turn, throwing her off balance and her basket’s contents all over the floor. Startled and still unstable, she scrambled to throw her groceries back into her basket, feeling embarrassed over the skeptical she must be making. A broad, wide shadow fell over her.

  “Imagine finding you here.”

  Lindsey looked up to find no other than Officer Vance smiling down at her. Still frazzled and now annoyed, she grimaced in return.

  “Well, I know it’s hard to fathom Officer Vance, but I eat too. Wearing gloves doesn’t make me survive you know.”

  Chuckling, he bent down and helped Lindsey pick up the last box of coffee and gently put it in her basket. The twinkling in his gaze had to be laughter at her expense…or if she wasn’t mistaken, maybe a touch of something else too. She felt her cheeks redden. Stupid fair complexion, it showed everything.

  “Do you mind if I drop the Miss Smith and call you Lindsey?”

  “If you really want to, go for it. But I’m still calling you Officer Vance and not Ryan.”

  He smiled, his eyes dancing. “I would expect nothing less from you.”

  “Did you need something? Because if not, I have a few more items to buy and a case to review.”

  To Lindsey’s disdain, Officer Vance kept pace with her as she walked out of the aisle.

  “Actually, I was hoping you’d join me for dinner tomorrow?”

  If he wanted to catch her off guard, he was succeeding.

  “You want to what…” she said, steadying herself from another stumble.

  “Have dinner…with you.” Ryan made an annoying show of hands and mimicked shoveling in food.

  Rolling her eyes, “Really…you certainly know how to ask a lady out. You meet her, insult her, and then knock her groceries out of her hand--“

  “Hey--you ran into me, remember?”

  “Sure, whatever you say Officer Vance. You’re the law right?”

  Without answering his dinner invitation Lindsey turned and went the opposite way, only he wasn’t giving up. Ryan caught her elbow and steadied her before she dropped her basket once more.

  “Hey, listen. I’m sorry. We got off on the wrong foot. I was a jerk…” he grinned sheepishly to make her feel sorry for him, “I want to make it up to you. Have dinner with me. It’s not even a real date--just food and discussing the case.”

  Lindsey stared at Officer Ryan Vance. He was hard to read, she could fix that if she just took her glove off…but now wasn’t the time. Knowing she would have to work with him on the case anyways, Lindsey finally nodded in agreement to his dinner invitation. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to find out more on the theft.

  “Fine, but it’s discussing the case. Not a date.”

  “Whatever you say…” he smiled widely at her.

  Lindsey had the feeling she was going to regret this.

  Checkout Line

  Officer Vance headed to the checkout line, still grinning. Paying for his stuff, he turned, gave Lindsey one more goofy smile and walked out the grocery store. Lindsey stood frozen for a full minute until a woman with her filled cart cleared her throat. Apparently Lindsey was blocking the aisle.

  “Oh, excuse me…sorry.” Lindsey blushed.

  Shaking her head in embarrassment and still in shock from Officer Vance, Lindsey shrugged her shoulders and made her way to the checkout lane. Only one lane was open and behind the very old, and nearly worn register stood an awkward, acne-ridden teen. He looked up and spotted Lindsey in line and his cheeks turned the color of a bright red tomato. She looked at the sad embarrassed kid and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Being a teenager was hard, especially if you weren’t gifted with the charisma or good looks as some of the more popular kids. Knowing what it was like to not fit in, she decided to go out of her way and be kind to him.

  The nervous boy scanned her items and told her the price, barely looking Lindsey in the eyes. She smiled and went to pay him the amount right as he reached for his grape soda. Seeing her outstretched hand holding the money, his eyes went wide, and he turned trying to take her cash without spilling his drink. Unfortunately for Lindsey, he did not succeed.

  “Ooh! I’m s-s-sorry. Most people pay with their card, I didn’t expect you to pay with ca-ca-ca-cash.”

  Still determined to be nice to the boy, Lindsey clenched her jaw and pushed down her annoyance. Pulling off the now wet glove, she shook it out and shrugged.

  “It’s fine, no big deal see? Just a little soda, I’ll wash it when I get home.” Lindsey sat the cash on top of the scanner.

  “N-n-no, wait, I have some wipes here. Let me h-hel-help clean it up.” He was blushing scarlet now. Lindsey went to pull her hand away, but it was too late, the awkward teen had thrust a wipe in her bare hand, and touched her palm with his fingers in the process.

  “No-I’m fine!” but the words never left her mouth. She felt the familiar and unfortunate pull of the boy’s mind, tugging her somewhere deep, somewhere dark…and she knew there was no stopping the memory that was about to surface. She fell beneath a wave of fear and darkness and opened her eyes into a terrible raw memory.

  “GET UP BOY!” the young teen felt a kick in his side, causing him to roll off the bed and grasp his ribs. At least they weren’t broken this time.

  “You get lazier every time I see you. Just like your mamma. Nothin but trash.”

  “I’m s-so-sorry da-dad. I didn’t hear the al-alarm.”

  “SHUT-UP! Excuses, that’s all I hear from you. Stupid, stuttering excuses. You make me sick. I put this roof over your head and have to pay for you to eat here, and I certainly don’t need you lazing around the house when you should be in school. You go to school, you don’t stay home, not EVER. I don’t need no authorities coming to my house. God help me, if they ever do…” the boy’s father glared at him through hate filled eyes.

  The teen looked away quickly, grabbing his dirty pants off the floor and throwing them on. He scrambled to find a t-shirt and a sweatshirt that would hide the bruises on his arms.

  “You stink. Maybe next time you’ll remember to get up and shower. Now get out of here.”

  The dad stood by the door and made sure the teen walked all the way out before he lifted his foot and kicked his back, causing the boy to fall forward and land on his knee. He cried out in pain.

  “SHUT-UP! Man-up! You stuttering wuss.”

  With that the father walked down the hallway and down the stairs, leaving the boy grasping his knee. He didn’t dare cry out but silent tears slid down his acne covered cheek and for the millionth time that year, he wished his mother would come back home. Come home and take him away from this horrible person he called dad.

  The lights began to get brighter, and Lindsey cou
ld hear someone behind her snapping their fingers. She blinked and shook her head, realizing she was still in Mamma Joe’s Grocery. The boy held onto his hand, the one that had grazed her. Looking as though he might puke at any moment, he covered his mouth and ran out from the checkout lane to the nearest restroom.

  “Well, how do you like that? I swear, kids these days. They get stranger and stranger.” Said a voice behind her.

  Lindsey turned around and spotted an older woman with kind eyes. Those eyes held a sparkling shimmer that hinted at mischief. Lindsey gave a smile in return, even if she didn’t feel wholly into it. Being pulled into a memory always shook her. Trying to get the awful memory out of her mind, Lindsey focused on the older lady behind her. She had that pretty kind of white hair that some people were blessed with when they aged, no grey shone through, just a stark crisp white. The woman’s hair fell in a natural curl that hit her shoulders with the top part pulled back by an antique butterfly clip.

  The older woman continued to smile and Lindsey noticed an odd sensation…she felt drawn to her, like they had been familiar friends. The lady with white hair had a full cart to Lindsey’s basket and the woman managed to look mildly annoyed and amused at the same time. She grinned at Lindsey and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Oh, that’s Pekley’s boy Averick. He’s a bit awkward. I wouldn’t mind him any hon. You must of right scared him good,” she chuckled before continuing, “and look, he didn’t even take your money yet. Well, I reckon you’re just too pretty for him to think straight.”

  Lindsey mumbled something about youth and unpredictability while she waited for another employee to arrive and check her items out. Making certain the same mistake didn’t happen again, she pulled her soaked, sticky glove from her purse and jammed it back on her right hand. The older woman was too polite to say anything but, Lindsey thought she caught that curious, mischief-filled sparkle in the lady’s eyes again. She shook her head, feeling like she was completely losing it and long overdue for another cup of coffee.