Have and Hold: (A Geeks and Things Cozy Mystery Novella #4) (Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries) by Sarah Biglow Page B
Authors: Sarah Biglow
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familiar. She tried to remember where she’d seen it before but two sharp knocks at the front door broke her concentration. Before she answered the door, she snapped a quick picture of the ring on her phone, being sure to zoom in as close as possible on the ring.
“Hey, Kal,” Jimmy said as she opened the door.
Jimmy was one of the youngest officers on the force but something about being in his dress blues made him look very grown up. He pulled latex gloves from his coat pocket and slipped them on, all business. A tall, female lab technician in a hat and knee-length puffy jacket ducked in behind Jimmy with a field kit. Chris emerged from the kitchen and immediately pointed to the box sitting on the living room table.
“Any idea when it arrived, Captain?” Jimmy asked, addressing Chris by the title he had not yet received.
“It had to have been in the last hour or so. I didn’t see anything earlier.” He turned to Kalina. “Did you see anything?”
“No. The windows upstairs usually give a good view of the front yard and the porch. I don’t remember seeing anyone drop off the package. Besides, our mail doesn’t usually get delivered until the late afternoon.”
The lab tech opened her kit and pulled out fingerprint powder and a brush. She leaned over and started first with the jar. “Did either of you touch this?”
“No,” Kalina and Chris answered in unison.
She turned back to the purple powder and let the bristles glide over the glass jar. Nothing appeared. “Whoever sent this was careful enough not to leave prints.”
She moved next to the exterior box and found a plethora of prints. Most likely the majority belonged to Chris and Kalina. His prints were already on file but hers weren’t.
“Jimmy, why don’t you get a fingerprint card and get Kal’s prints to speed things up?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Kalina led Jimmy into the kitchen so they were out of the way and settled at the table and studied her fingernails. She’d had a manicure herself less than a week ago. The wedding was in two weeks and she’d had gel put on just to make sure they lasted long enough. Jimmy fumbled to take off the gloves and opened the ink pad.
“Just roll your finger right to left,” he instructed.
Carefully, she allowed him to guide her fingers—left hand and then right—along the pad and paper until ten crisp prints lay on the page. She left him to fill out her identifying information while she scrubbed the ink from her fingers, trying not to mess up her nails. She could hear lowered whispers from the other room but her attempts to eavesdrop from beside the sink failed. For his part, Jimmy kept glancing furtively through the open doorway too.
“I don’t think Chris would mind you going back in there. He called you after all. Asked for you specifically,” Kalina said.
“I know. I’m just trying to figure out why someone would send him a body part. And at his house, not the station.”
“Why would that matter?” She slid into the chair beside him.
“I don’t know … it just seems like if you want to taunt the police, send it to the police station. This seems like it could be personal to the captain.”
“The finger has an engagement ring on it,” she supplied. He would find out sooner rather than later just by looking at the jar.
Jimmy fiddled with the limp latex gloves on the table in front of him. Kalina could tell he wanted to say something but she stayed quiet until he was ready. She had an inkling of the question he wanted to ask her. But she’d let him ask the question rather than assume.
“He was almost married once,” Jimmy stated.
“I know.”
They’d shared all of their pasts since getting back together. It had been an amicable break after high school, allowing them both to find themselves as adults. She got her degrees in business and he became a decorated cop. She’d dated a few guys in college and graduate school but none of them had gotten to the engagement stage.
“Hey, Kal,” Jimmy said as she opened the door.
Jimmy was one of the youngest officers on the force but something about being in his dress blues made him look very grown up. He pulled latex gloves from his coat pocket and slipped them on, all business. A tall, female lab technician in a hat and knee-length puffy jacket ducked in behind Jimmy with a field kit. Chris emerged from the kitchen and immediately pointed to the box sitting on the living room table.
“Any idea when it arrived, Captain?” Jimmy asked, addressing Chris by the title he had not yet received.
“It had to have been in the last hour or so. I didn’t see anything earlier.” He turned to Kalina. “Did you see anything?”
“No. The windows upstairs usually give a good view of the front yard and the porch. I don’t remember seeing anyone drop off the package. Besides, our mail doesn’t usually get delivered until the late afternoon.”
The lab tech opened her kit and pulled out fingerprint powder and a brush. She leaned over and started first with the jar. “Did either of you touch this?”
“No,” Kalina and Chris answered in unison.
She turned back to the purple powder and let the bristles glide over the glass jar. Nothing appeared. “Whoever sent this was careful enough not to leave prints.”
She moved next to the exterior box and found a plethora of prints. Most likely the majority belonged to Chris and Kalina. His prints were already on file but hers weren’t.
“Jimmy, why don’t you get a fingerprint card and get Kal’s prints to speed things up?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Kalina led Jimmy into the kitchen so they were out of the way and settled at the table and studied her fingernails. She’d had a manicure herself less than a week ago. The wedding was in two weeks and she’d had gel put on just to make sure they lasted long enough. Jimmy fumbled to take off the gloves and opened the ink pad.
“Just roll your finger right to left,” he instructed.
Carefully, she allowed him to guide her fingers—left hand and then right—along the pad and paper until ten crisp prints lay on the page. She left him to fill out her identifying information while she scrubbed the ink from her fingers, trying not to mess up her nails. She could hear lowered whispers from the other room but her attempts to eavesdrop from beside the sink failed. For his part, Jimmy kept glancing furtively through the open doorway too.
“I don’t think Chris would mind you going back in there. He called you after all. Asked for you specifically,” Kalina said.
“I know. I’m just trying to figure out why someone would send him a body part. And at his house, not the station.”
“Why would that matter?” She slid into the chair beside him.
“I don’t know … it just seems like if you want to taunt the police, send it to the police station. This seems like it could be personal to the captain.”
“The finger has an engagement ring on it,” she supplied. He would find out sooner rather than later just by looking at the jar.
Jimmy fiddled with the limp latex gloves on the table in front of him. Kalina could tell he wanted to say something but she stayed quiet until he was ready. She had an inkling of the question he wanted to ask her. But she’d let him ask the question rather than assume.
“He was almost married once,” Jimmy stated.
“I know.”
They’d shared all of their pasts since getting back together. It had been an amicable break after high school, allowing them both to find themselves as adults. She got her degrees in business and he became a decorated cop. She’d dated a few guys in college and graduate school but none of them had gotten to the engagement stage.
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