Have and Hold: (A Geeks and Things Cozy Mystery Novella #4) (Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries) by Sarah Biglow Page A
Authors: Sarah Biglow
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dress was still more than she felt comfortable paying for in a lump sum.
“Come on, we don’t want to be late,” Chris called, holding out her coat.
“Right, sorry.”
She hurried down the stairs and let him help her into her coat. She wrapped a thick scarf over her face and pulled on gloves before they braved the snow. Chris opened the front door to find a package perched on the front steps, covered in a thin layer of snow. He picked it up and heard something move inside. He stepped back inside.
“We’re going to be late if we open your mom’s gift now,” Kalina said.
“I don’t know that this is from her. No return address.”
It was addressed only to Detective Christian Harper. Kalina peered at the postage. “It’s from the right zip code though.”
“They aren’t going to start without the guy getting the promotion. We can be a couple minutes late,” he said and fished in his pocket for his keys. He kept a pocket knife attached and slid the blade along the tape on the top of the box. He folded back the flaps to find a small jar with clear liquid inside. The jar held a human finger with a sparkly engagement ring. Kalina tried not to scream but the sound still came out as a strangled moan. She’d seen dead bodies before but somehow the severed finger was worse. It ignited too many questions that she didn’t want to contemplate: chiefly whether the finger’s owner was still alive. Chris moved with quick steps to the kitchen—ignoring the snow he tracked across the floor—and flipped on the light.
“Why would someone send you a finger?” Kalina rasped.
“I have no idea,” he answered and pulled out his phone. “But I don’t think this is a coincidence.”
CHAPTER TWO
Kalina kicked off her boots and went in search of a towel to clean up the mess Chris had tracked in while he stood by the sink, phone pressed to his ear. Her own phone buzzed in her pocket, reminding her that they were already late for the ceremony. She bent down to wipe away the mess just as Chris’s call connected.
“Jimmy, it’s Chris. I need you to send someone over to my house immediately. You know what, why don’t you just come yourself?” A pause and then, “Someone’s sent me a finger in a jar.”
Kalina tossed the sopping paper towel in the trash as Chris hung up and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. She watched him exhale a slow breath and toyed with the diamond on her left ring finger. The ring on the severed finger had to mean something. She bit her lower lip, mentally chastising herself for jumping into the investigation. Chris didn’t need her help.
“What do you think?” he asked after such a long pause that she jumped.
“I think they’d better reschedule the ceremony because someone sent the acting captain of the department a human finger.”
He smiled and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I meant about the finger.”
“I have no idea. I didn’t really take a good look. It isn’t something you expect to come in the mail.”
“Yeah. Jimmy and some lab techs are coming over to look at it.”
“Can’t we just bring it to the station since we were heading there already?”
“No. I don’t want to expose it to the elements more than necessary. It’s better if they examine it here.”
“OK.”
She steeled herself to head back into the living room. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to examine the finger before the police had their chance and she didn’t think it had anything to do with the new life growing inside her. She took shallow breaths as she bent down to examine the jar that held the finger. It looked as normal as a finger cut off its hand could. Its owner was dark-skinned, Hispanic or Black perhaps. The nail was trimmed and French manicured. She wasn’t a science expert but she could guess it was suspended in formaldehyde. The clear liquid distorted the cut of the ornate diamond just above the second knuckle. Still, the ring looked oddly
“Come on, we don’t want to be late,” Chris called, holding out her coat.
“Right, sorry.”
She hurried down the stairs and let him help her into her coat. She wrapped a thick scarf over her face and pulled on gloves before they braved the snow. Chris opened the front door to find a package perched on the front steps, covered in a thin layer of snow. He picked it up and heard something move inside. He stepped back inside.
“We’re going to be late if we open your mom’s gift now,” Kalina said.
“I don’t know that this is from her. No return address.”
It was addressed only to Detective Christian Harper. Kalina peered at the postage. “It’s from the right zip code though.”
“They aren’t going to start without the guy getting the promotion. We can be a couple minutes late,” he said and fished in his pocket for his keys. He kept a pocket knife attached and slid the blade along the tape on the top of the box. He folded back the flaps to find a small jar with clear liquid inside. The jar held a human finger with a sparkly engagement ring. Kalina tried not to scream but the sound still came out as a strangled moan. She’d seen dead bodies before but somehow the severed finger was worse. It ignited too many questions that she didn’t want to contemplate: chiefly whether the finger’s owner was still alive. Chris moved with quick steps to the kitchen—ignoring the snow he tracked across the floor—and flipped on the light.
“Why would someone send you a finger?” Kalina rasped.
“I have no idea,” he answered and pulled out his phone. “But I don’t think this is a coincidence.”
CHAPTER TWO
Kalina kicked off her boots and went in search of a towel to clean up the mess Chris had tracked in while he stood by the sink, phone pressed to his ear. Her own phone buzzed in her pocket, reminding her that they were already late for the ceremony. She bent down to wipe away the mess just as Chris’s call connected.
“Jimmy, it’s Chris. I need you to send someone over to my house immediately. You know what, why don’t you just come yourself?” A pause and then, “Someone’s sent me a finger in a jar.”
Kalina tossed the sopping paper towel in the trash as Chris hung up and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. She watched him exhale a slow breath and toyed with the diamond on her left ring finger. The ring on the severed finger had to mean something. She bit her lower lip, mentally chastising herself for jumping into the investigation. Chris didn’t need her help.
“What do you think?” he asked after such a long pause that she jumped.
“I think they’d better reschedule the ceremony because someone sent the acting captain of the department a human finger.”
He smiled and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I meant about the finger.”
“I have no idea. I didn’t really take a good look. It isn’t something you expect to come in the mail.”
“Yeah. Jimmy and some lab techs are coming over to look at it.”
“Can’t we just bring it to the station since we were heading there already?”
“No. I don’t want to expose it to the elements more than necessary. It’s better if they examine it here.”
“OK.”
She steeled herself to head back into the living room. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to examine the finger before the police had their chance and she didn’t think it had anything to do with the new life growing inside her. She took shallow breaths as she bent down to examine the jar that held the finger. It looked as normal as a finger cut off its hand could. Its owner was dark-skinned, Hispanic or Black perhaps. The nail was trimmed and French manicured. She wasn’t a science expert but she could guess it was suspended in formaldehyde. The clear liquid distorted the cut of the ornate diamond just above the second knuckle. Still, the ring looked oddly
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