Winter warning, p.18
Winter Warning, page 18
She watched from the other side of the mirror as Valerie reached forward and grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her nose. A fresh stream of tears poured down her face. “I’m so sorry,” Valerie said, sobbing.
“So, your sister was very forthcoming with information. Do you wish to tell us your side of the story?” Ty asked.
Valerie sobbed harder.
“I know how hard this is, Valerie. But I also know that you understand how important it is to tell us the truth. Especially now, after you’ve been less than forthright throughout this investigation.” He sighed.
As she watched him work, Holly realized how much this had to bother him. She’d been so concerned about her own feelings and the effect talking to Evelyn had had on her, but she hadn’t even considered how he would feel going into that room with his coworker. Yet, if anybody was going to interview her it did make sense that it was him. No doubt the other detective would get his chance, but Valerie had always seemed to like Ty.
Unfortunately, it seemed that she had loved her sister more.
“Evelyn was using my computer, and I had no idea. She was all over that call with Holly when she went missing. She asked me a ton of questions.” Valerie hiccupped and dabbed at her nose. “I didn’t know Robert’s relationship with Holly. Well, not until I got home that night. Evelyn had gone off the rails. She was screaming and yelling, and she was covered in blood. I forced her to tell me what had happened, and when she told me about Moose...” Her body was rattled by sobs.
“I was so angry with her.” She gulped for air. “I told her I never wanted to see her again.”
“Did you have any role in Moose’s death?”
“No!” she said, looking up at him through tear-filled eyes. “Absolutely not. I loved him. I think that was part of the reason Evelyn killed him. We were talking about getting married.”
Ty put his hand on Valerie’s shoulder like he wanted to comfort her in some small way. “If you knew Evelyn had been snooping on your computer, and you knew that she had played a role in your future fiancé’s death, then why did you not turn her in?”
She fell forward, cupping her face in her hands in shame. Her shoulders were curled, and sobs rattled through her. “I should have. I wanted to. I just...” She sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Is that why you sent the flowers to Holly?”
She nodded. “I planned on turning Evelyn in. I felt horrible for your loss and what my sister had done. That’s when I made the order, but I couldn’t turn on my sister like that and by the time I changed my mind, they had already been delivered.” She ran the back of her hand under her nose, giving up on her tissues. “I mean, I know I should have turned her in, but the damage was already done. I didn’t want to lose my sister, too. She and Moose were the only people I really had in my life...in my corner.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like your sister was ever in your corner. In fact, it could be pointed out that your sister seems to be your worst enemy. Not only has she cost you your job, your pension, your integrityand the man you love—but she may have cost this entire department millions. Every case you’ve ever worked on will now come under scrutiny.”
Valerie gasped. “Oh, my God.”
She covered her face and succumbed to her tears.
Holly had liked the woman, she really had. She was pleasant and sweet when they’d met earlier this week. To think this woman had basically undone all the good work of the department—even if she had done it all in the name of the love for her sister.
Epilogue
It had been nearly twelve ugly and beautiful months.
Because Valerie had worked on the investigation of Moose’s death, she had been convicted of obstruction of justice and accessory to murder, after the fact. Last week, she had been sentenced to three years in the Montana Women’s Prison in Billings.
Valerie had gotten a reduced sentence because of her candor and willingness to work with county attorney’s office in clearing her past works and limiting the effects of her criminal behavior.
Evelyn was found guilty in district court for one count of deliberate homicide. It carried a minimum sentence of life. She would never leave prison.
At least the sisters were in prison together—there, they could continue protecting one another.
Holly was just getting up for the morning when Ty walked into her kitchen. Since they’d been dating, he’d been staying over more and more often. She loved every minute of him being there with her.
He moved behind her as she cracked an egg and poured it into a bowl to scramble. Ty wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her loose hair. “Good morning, babe. I was going to make you breakfast today.”
“You don’t need to cook for me, babe,” she said, turning and giving him a quick peck to the cheek before cracking another egg.
“I have plans for your birthday. You can have breakfast, but I am going to need you to go along with my plans for the rest of the day.” He rubbed his morning stubble against the edge of her ear.
“Only if you say what I want to hear,” she teased.
“I will tell you all day, every day. I love you, Holly Dean.”
Her heart leaped into her throat. She would never get tired of hearing him say those words. “I love you, too.”
She put down the eggshell and washed her fingers off in the sink and dried her hands. Turning around, she smiled at him. He reached behind his body and pulled out a box from his back pocket.
The little box had a red bow and there were skis on the wrapping paper.
“Ah, it’s so cute,” she cooed.
“You haven’t even opened it yet,” he said with a laugh.
“What is it?” she asked, going to the table to sit and open it up.
“It’s your first present of the day.”
She moved from foot to foot in excitement. “What? You didn’t need to get me anything. I don’t need anything more—I have you, that is the greatest gift I could get.” She smiled at him as she sat down.
“You are so full of it this morning,” he teased, coming over and kissing the top of her head.
“I mean it,” she said, trying to sound affronted by his teasing.
“Birthday girl, I’m the lucky one.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Now, open up your present.”
She pulled off the bow and slowly opened the package, taking her time.
She lifted the top of the black cardboard box. Inside was a set of ski tickets to the local resort. “Ah, babe, thank you. When are we going?” she asked.
“Today, but you’re not done opening presents. Wait here,” he said, putting a finger up and motioning for her to stay.
He stepped to the window and waved toward the garage. A few seconds later, Rebecca came in. She had a huge, mischievous smile and a cake in her hands. “Hi, kiddos!” she said, sounding so excited. “Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you!” Holly said, excited to see the woman who had become a major part of their life and regularly popped in with “extra” food she’d made for dinner. She loved the woman almost as much as she had loved her mom.
Ty took the cake and set it on the counter. “Thank you for doing this, Mrs. Dolack. We’re glad to have you here for this.” He sent the woman a wink.
“You know you can call me ‘Mom.’” Mrs. Dolack waved him off. “And I’m just honored you called. I’m happy to be a part of this. Our little family,” she said, her smile growing impossibly wider. “Oh, Holly, here is the best part.” Mrs. Dolack reached out the door behind her. Then she lifted a new set of red Rossignol skis and handed them to Ty.
Holly set her ski passes down on the table and cupped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, guys, I love them!”
“You’re welcome. I know how much you’ve been wanting to get back out there.” Ty handed her the skis.
He really was the best man she’d ever met.
She sucked in a breath as she looked at the freshly waxed skis. “They are beautiful. We’ll have to go this week. Maybe after we can go to Mom’s for some hot cocoa.”
The older woman nodded, but she put her hand over her mouth like she was struggling to keep a secret.
“Wait.” He smiled. “First, look at the binding.”
She lifted the ski to look. There at the end of her right ski’s binding was a small velvet box. She stopped and stared.
“If you don’t like it or whatever, I can take it back,” Ty said.
She could barely move as she stared at the velvet box. Was he doing what she thought he was? If so, this was going to be the best birthday of her life.
He dropped to his knee in front of her. “Holly Dean, you are the love of my life. When we were kids, I knew I wanted to marry you, but I thought it was crazy. If only I had listened to my heart, then we could have saved so much precious time...”
She put the back of her free hand over her mouth, staring at him in front of her. Her eyes welled with tears. She had never known she could be so happy as she had been since he had come back into her life, until now.
“Holly,” he continued, “we grew up together and it is my hope that we can grow old together. Will you marry me?”
She nodded. “Yes. Absolutely, yes. You are my best friend. I wanted to marry you when we were kids, too.”
He opened the box. Inside was the most beautiful Black Hills gold ring that she had ever seen. It had leaves of green and pink roses in the gold. At its center was an inset diamond. It was stunning.
Ty slipped it on her finger. It fit her just as perfectly as the man who was giving it to her.
“I am yours,” she said, staring at him.
“As I am yours,” he said, standing. “Ski buddies, forever.”
Their kiss was deeper than the meeting of lips. In that moment, the people who had lost so much over the years and had been left stranded alone by life came together as a family.
* * *
If you missed the previous books in
Danica Winters’s series, Big Sky Search and Rescue, look for these titles, available now:
Helicopter Rescue
Swiftwater Enemies
Mountain Abduction
Keep reading for an excerpt from Campus Killer by R. Barri Flowers.
Campus Killer
by R. Barri Flowers
Chapter One
Debra Newton loved being a journalism associate professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Addison University in the bustling college town of Rendall Cove, Michigan. In many ways, it was truly a dream come true for her, having graduated from the very school a decade earlier. Now she got to teach others, inspiring young minds for the formidable challenges of tomorrow. And with the summer session well underway, she was doing just that, putting her journalistic skills to the test with each and every passing day.
She only wished her love life could be nearly as thought-provoking and satisfying. Bradford Newton, her college sweetheart turned husband, had turned out to be a total jerk, with a roving eye that went after anyone wearing a skirt at his law office. After one time too many of being played for a fool, she finally kicked him to the curb five years ago, and Debra only wished she had done it sooner. Since her divorce, she had just dated occasionally, with most men seemingly less interested in her brain and sense of humor than her flaming long, wavy red hair, good looks and shapely physique. While these various sides to her were important in and of themselves, she wanted to be seen as the total package and wanted the same in a partner.
Which was why she had turned down a date with a handsome and persistent colleague who, though also single, was a little—make that a lot—too full of himself and a bit scary at times in his demeanor. Similarly, a former administrator, who on paper checked a lot of the boxes for what she was looking for in a potential mate, did not measure up in practice and real time, forcing her to reject his half-hearted advances.
As if that wasn’t almost enough to turn her off of romance for good, there was the fact that one of Debra’s students had become fixated on her to the point of stalking. Though she had made it abundantly clear that she would never even consider dating a student—not even one who was nearly her own age, having been a late bloomer as an undergrad—this one didn’t seem to take no for an answer. She had decided that enough was enough. She would bring it up to the director of the School of Journalism, as well as report it to the campus police, for the record.
After classes were over, Debra hopped into her black Audi S3 sedan and headed home. Peeking into the rearview mirror, she could have sworn that she was being followed by a dark SUV. Was her imagination playing tricks on her? Maybe she was getting paranoid for no reason, brought on by her musings.
This apparently was the case, as the vehicle in question veered off onto another street, the driver seemingly oblivious to her imaginative thoughts. Much less, out to get her. Relaxing, Debra drove to her apartment complex just outside the college campus on Frandor Lane, parked in her assigned spot and headed across the attractively landscaped grounds. She climbed the stairs to her building’s second-floor two-bedroom, two-bath unit. Inside, she put down her mini hobo bag with papers to grade, kicked off mule loafers and strode barefoot across the maple hardwood flooring to the galley kitchen. She took a bottle of red wine from the refrigerator, poured herself a glass and considered if she should eat in or go out for dinner.
While still contemplating, Debra bypassed the contemporary furnishings and took the wineglass with her to the main bedroom. Maybe I’ll just have a pizza delivered, she told herself, while removing the hairpin holding her bun in place, allowing her locks to fall free across her shoulders.
Then she heard the sound of a familiar voice say almost comically, “I was beginning to think you’d never get here, Deb.”
The unexpected visitor’s words gave Debra a start, causing her to drop the glass of wine, its contents spilling onto the brown carpeted floor. He was standing in her bedroom as if he owned the place. How did he get inside her apartment? What did he want?
“When I sensed that you might be on to me as I followed your car, I took a shortcut to beat you here, while giving you a false sense of security.”
She recalled the SUV that had been following her and then seemingly wasn’t. Why hadn’t she remembered the type of vehicle he drove?
“Sorry about the wine,” he said tonelessly, glancing at it and the glass on the floor. “At least you managed to have a sip or two. As for what’s probably foremost on your mind, honestly, it wasn’t all that difficult to break into your apartment. It has a relatively cheap lock that’s easy to pick for someone who knows what he’s doing.”
Debra froze like an ice sculpture while weighing her options, then asked him tentatively, “What do you want?” Was he actually going to rape her to get what he wanted? Then what? Leave her alone to forever remember what he did? Or report it to the police and have him arrested and charged with a sex crime?
Why couldn’t he have simply put the moves on someone else who may have been interested in his advances? Or did he get his kicks from power tripping by forcing the action? No matter how she sliced it, Debra didn’t like the outcome. Maybe she could outrun him and escape the apartment, wherein she could whip the cell phone out of the back pocket of her chino pants and call for help. Except for the fact that he was now standing between her and the exit from the room.
“It’s not good for you, I’m afraid.” His voice burst into her thoughts, while taking on an ominous octave. “You need to die, and I’m here to make sure it happens.”
As her heart skipped a few beats in digesting his harrowing words, this was when Debra knew she had to make her move before it was too late. What move should that be? The answer was obvious. Anything that could get her out of this alive. And, hopefully, not too badly injured.
* * *
HE ANTICIPATED THAT she would try to hit him where it hurt, easily blocking her futile efforts. He was also way ahead of her next instinct to try to somehow worm her way around his sturdy frame and escape what was to be a veritable death trap. He caught her narrow shoulders and tossed her toward the platform bed, expecting her to fall onto the comforter. But she somehow managed to stay on her feet and was about to scream her pretty head off, alerting neighbors. He couldn’t let that happen.
It only took one well-placed hard blow to her jaw to send Professor Debra Newton reeling backward and flat onto the bed, where she went out like a light. Now it was time for him to finish what he started. She had no one to blame but herself for the unfortunate predicament she was now in. They were all alike when it came right down to it. Believing they could screw guys like him over and not be held accountable. Wrong.
Dead wrong.
He lifted the decorative throw pillow off the bed and, just as she began to stir, placed it over her face, pressing down firmly. Though she struggled mightily to break free, he was stronger, far more determined and, as such, took away her means to breathe air before she lost her will to resist altogether and became deathly still. When he finally removed the pillow, he saw that her blue eyes were wide open, but any life in them had gone away for good.
He sucked in a deep breath and tossed the pillow back on the bed beside her corpse, pleased with what he had done to the professor and already looking ahead for an encore. After all, she wasn’t the only one who needed to be taught a lesson that only female educators could truly appreciate. He laughed at his own sick sense of humor before vacating the premises and making sure he was successful in avoiding detection while engineering his masterful escape.
* * *
IT WASN’T LONG before he picked up right where he’d left off. Again and again. Now yet another one bit the dust. Or, if not quite ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the good-looking professor was very much dead. He had seen to that, watching as the life drained out of her like soapy water in a tub. She had been expecting someone else, apparently. But got him instead. Her loss. His gain.
