Tj Jensen Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2: Books 6-10

by Kathi Daley

  “I could use something to eat,” Dennis said. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Yeah, I’ll come too,” Brett seconded. “I have no idea where Jessie went off to.”

  Tj and Jenna asked for soft drinks, then the guys made their way through the crowd.

  “I didn’t see much of you and Hunter last night,” Jenna commented after they had gone.

  “We just wanted some alone time,” Tj said as she looked back toward the field. “I like the new uniforms the cheerleaders designed for the game.”

  The uniforms were cute but skimpy. Tj remembered the cold autumn nights when the squad she had been part of chose to wear their sleeveless tops despite the chill in the air. At least the sun was out today, providing a certain level of warmth without making her too hot in her Serenity High sweatshirt.

  “They are cute.”

  “Sometimes I feel like we just graduated yesterday and other times it’s like high school was a million years ago.”

  “Doreen Sullwold said the same thing when I was talking to her last night,” Jenna said. “I got the feeling, though, that she was glad high school was nothing more than a memory.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “She didn’t say specifically, but I think it had to do with the fact that she really wasn’t very popular.”

  Tj’s phone beeped, indicating she had a text.

  “It’s Teddy,” Tj said. “His wife and one of his kids are sick, so he’s not going to make it to the game. He wants to meet in the parking lot and give me those photos I wanted to see.”

  “It looks like Dennis and the guys are heading this way, so go ahead. I think I can save all the seats until they get here.”

  Tj stood up. “Hopefully, I can get to the parking lot and back before kickoff.”

  She jogged down the bleachers and onto the track that ran in front of them, then continued toward the parking lot. She didn’t know if the photos would reveal anything significant about Holly’s murder, but she wanted to check them out to be sure.

  The game was due to start in less than ten minutes, so everyone in attendance was already in the stadium. Tj looked around the mostly deserted parking lot until she saw Teddy’s car parked in the very back. Tj waved at him and then headed in his direction.

  “Sorry I had to park so far away, but the lot was full when I arrived,” Teddy explained.

  “No problem. I appreciate your taking the time away from your sick family to drive the photos over. I’m sorry you’re going to miss the game and the dance.”

  “I’m sorry to miss the game, but I wasn’t planning on attending the dance,” Teddy informed her. “I didn’t like dances when I was in high school, and I think I’d like them even less now.”

  “I’ll text you the highlights during the game,” Tj said.

  “That’d be nice.” Teddy smiled. He handed her an envelope. “I guess I didn’t develop all the film I ended up with. I thought I had, but after I pulled everything out I found a roll of undeveloped film in the bottom of the envelope. I don’t know if it’s still good, but I figured if you really wanted to see what’s on it you could try to make prints.”

  “My friend Kyle has a darkroom in his house. I can have him see what he can recover. Thanks again for bringing everything over.”

  “No problem. I was actually looking for an excuse to get out of the house for a few minutes. Enjoy the game.”

  Tj was walking back to the bleachers when she passed Hunter heading out to the parking lot himself.

  “Emergency?” Tj guessed.

  “One of my patients had a heart attack. His second. I really need to go. I’m sorry. I know this was supposed to be our weekend.”

  “No problem.” Tj stood on tiptoe and gently kissed Hunter on the lips. “Will you make it back in time for the dance?”

  “I’ll have to assess the situation once I get there. I’ll call you and let you know what’s going on. Given what I know, I suspect surgery might be our only option.”

  TJ touched Hunter’s arm. “I’m sorry about your patient. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be waiting for you when you get done.”

  Hunter hugged her. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  He turned and headed toward his car and Tj continued toward the bleachers. As promised, Jenna had saved her seat, and Jessie had taken the seat Hunter had vacated. Mackenzie was sitting in front of Jessie and Doreen was sitting next to her. Tj didn’t want to look at the photos with Jessie sitting right next to her, so she turned around before anyone noticed and headed toward her office. She texted Jenna to let her know she was going to be a few minutes longer.

  Tj sat down at her desk and opened the envelope that held both the unprocessed film and the prints from the cameras Teddy had processed. Most of the photos were of people drinking, being silly, and making rude gestures toward the cameraperson. Tj had forgotten how truly out of control a lot of the partygoers had been that night. She cringed when she came across a particularly unflattering photo of herself dancing.

  “Yikes.” Tj tore the photo in several pieces and tossed it in the trash. That was one image she had no desire to save for nostalgia’s sake.

  Most of the photos didn’t prove or disprove anything. Many were so blurry you could barely make out who was even in them. But Tj felt her breath catch as she looked at images of Holly that had been taken just hours before she was brutally murdered. In most of the photos, she was either standing alone or with Jessie.

  Tj continued to thumb through the photos, making a comment out loud about each one as she did so. “Funny, funny, embarrassing, disgusting, hysterical, what was she thinking, embarrassing, annoying, kill me now, what the heck?”

  Tj stared at the photo in her hand. In the background, behind the image of Brett and one of the other guys on the team chugging beer, was an image that was blurry at best but looked an awful lot like Coach Fremont. Tj didn’t remember him being at the party. Yes, she’d been slightly tipsy thanks to Brett’s spiked punch, but she was certain she would have remembered if the man had been present. What was even odder was that he seemed to be looking at something or someone out of camera range, not at the foolish boys who would both puke before the contest was over.

  Tj continued to stare at the photo as she challenged her brain to remember the events of the evening. She quickly thumbed through the rest, but the coach didn’t appear in any except the chugging photo. She needed to see the as-yet undeveloped roll of film.

  She texted Kyle:

  I need a favor. Can you get away and meet me in my office?

  Is everything okay?

  Yeah, I just need to talk to you. Alone.

  On my way.

  Tj went back through the photos at a slower pace and examined the people standing around in each one. The teens taking the photos were as wasted as the friends they were taking photos of, so many of the photos were blurry and off center.

  There were several more of herself that she decided to destroy before Kyle got to her office. She usually had a good sense of humor about such things, but there were a couple of photos she didn’t want anyone to see ever. The really annoying thing was that every single image of Hunter was drop-dead gorgeous. Of course he was driving and he had always been very responsible, so he hadn’t had anything at all to drink, which meant that he wasn’t making funny faces or placing himself in embarrassing situations.

  “What’s up?” Kyle asked as he joined Tj in the office and sat down across from her.

  Tj explained about the photos and the unprocessed film.

  “Yeah, I can develop it.”

  “Take a look here.” Tj pointed to the blurry background in one of the photos. “What do you think that is?”

  “I’m not sure. I can probably clean up the background. You want me to do it now?”

  “As much as I want to watch t
he game,” Tj said. “I really want to do this now.”

  “No problem. I’ll go back and tell everyone I’m leaving.”

  “Don’t tell them why. I don’t want to bring this to anyone’s attention, and you never know who might overhear a random comment.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make something up. Is your car here?”

  “No. I came with Hunter and he got called to the hospital.”

  “I’ll meet you at my car then.”

  Tj called Jenna rather than returning to her own seat. She hadn’t left anything behind, so she didn’t have a reason to go back, and she didn’t want to face everyone yet. She’d never been a convincing liar.

  “Hey, Tj, where are you?” Jenna asked when she picked up.

  “Just listen to what I say and don’t say anything other than what I tell you to say.”

  Jenna remained silent.

  “Say ‘oh, that’s too bad.’”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” Jenna said.

  “I found something in the photos Teddy brought me that might be relevant. I really want to check it out and Kyle has agreed to help me. We’re heading to his house now, so I won’t be back. I think it’s best if you stay to watch the game. I don’t want to tip anyone off, and if you and Dennis suddenly leave, it might seem suspicious. Everyone knows Hunter got called away, so I want you to tell them that I partied too hard last night and have a massive headache. Tell them Hunter is going to drop me back at the resort to take a nap before the dance tonight. Say ‘I understand.’”

  “I understand,” Jenna responded.

  “I know you have a million questions, but don’t ask them right now. Just smile and roll your eyes, and when you hang up, make up some big joke about what a lightweight I am. I’ll call you to fill you in later, I promise. Now say, ‘I hope you feel better.’”

  Jenna did so.

  “That was perfect. I’ll talk to you later. And thanks for covering. If I found what I think I found, we might have a new angle to look at in regards to Holly’s murder.”

  Chapter 15

  Tj thumbed through the photos as Kyle developed the film from the unprocessed role. These photos were different. They showed more intent, spanned over a number of days, and all featured Holly.

  The first photo was of her standing in the hallway of the high school, looking at something in the distance. There were several others of her at various locations around the campus. Tj gasped when she came across a photo that showed Holly staring at Jessie and Nathan as they made out under the bleachers the day before homecoming. Tj hadn’t been aware there was anyone else in the area, but someone had to have been around to take the photo.

  “These photos are different from the ones taken with the disposable cameras,” Kyle observed. “Not only is the subject matter different, but it’s from a 35mm camera, and based on the images, I’d say a telephoto lens was used in at least some of the photos.”

  “Someone was spying on Holly.”

  “It appears that way,” Kyle said.

  Tj continued to thumb through the photos. There was one of Holly and Jessie talking alone in a den. Based on the clothes they were wearing, it was taken on the night of the party.”

  “The photos from the party were taken from the interior of the house,” Tj realized, “which means whoever took them was with us.”

  “Do you remember anyone with a real camera as opposed to a disposable?” Kyle asked.

  People had been snapping photos all night. She had no reason to notice what type of camera anyone was using. She didn’t remember being focused on the flashes of light going off around her at all.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t remember who had what type of camera.”

  After studying the photos, Tj was able to verify that Coach Fremont had been at the party, at least for a short period of time.

  She focused on the photo of him staring at someone beyond the camera, but she couldn’t figure out what or who it was he was looking at. The more she concentrated on the photos, the more certain she was that she had seen him at the party that evening but simply hadn’t remembered it until now.

  “Look at this one.” Kyle passed a photo to Tj.

  It was a photo of Coach Fremont and Holly. They were alone in what looked like one of the bedrooms in Brett’s house. It was taken at an odd angle, perhaps from outside the window. While you couldn’t see the actual image of either subject, you could see their reflection in the bedroom mirror.

  “Oh God, I remember this. I walked in on them. It was…” Tj paused. “Horrifying. Coach Fremont had his hands all over Holly and she looked like she wanted to puke, but when I started to enter the room to help her she waved me away. How could I have forgotten that?”

  “You were drunk and it was disturbing. You must’ve repressed it,” Kyle suggested.

  Tj frowned. “I guess.”

  “Do you think the coach killed Holly?” Kyle asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” Tj furrowed her brow. “I can’t figure out why she was letting him do what he was doing to her. It doesn’t make any sense. I could have stopped him but it was obvious by the look on her face that she didn’t want me to intervene. Holly wasn’t the type to be a victim so I guess I convinced myself that her make out session with the coach was consensual. She certainly wasn’t fighting him.”

  “Yet she ended up being the ultimate victim.”

  Kyle had a point.

  “Do you think Holly and the coach had a thing going on?” Kyle asked.

  “No. I can’t even remember why I went upstairs. I do remember Holly and Coach Fremont were fully dressed; he just had his hands in inappropriate places. The coach’s back was to me, so I only saw Holly’s face. She looked like she was enduring and not enjoying the attention but she also made it clear that she wanted me to leave. I can’t believe I forgot that.”

  Tj continued to stare at the photo. “Are there others?”

  “A few.”

  Tj continued sorting as Kyle developed. There was a photo of Holly talking to Brett that caught her eye. They were outside near the split-rail fence that separated his parents’ property from the forest. Holly had on the same clothes as at the party, so Tj had to assume the photo had been taken that same night.

  “Look at this photo of Holly talking to Brett. It’s dark, so it’s hard to make out any details, but doesn’t that look like an image of a person?” Tj pointed to a dark spot among the distant trees.

  Kyle squinted. “I’m not sure. I’ll scan the photo and then use my imaging software to see if I can enlarge and enhance the background.”

  There were several other photos of Holly in the background while Jada was talking to Nathan, and several of Holly sitting on the sofa next to Mia, who was talking to a guy Tj didn’t recognize. She frowned as she tried to figure out who that guy was. He looked familiar, but as hard as she tried, Tj couldn’t place him. He might have been new to the school that year. Tj knew most of the students who’d attended Serenity High, but there were a few students who’d transferred in for short periods of time who she never got to know. If Mia was talking to him, he was most likely from the drama or choir crowd. The more Tj thought about it the more certain she was that he was a new student to the school that year who had come with some of the guys from the football team. Tj texted Jenna a photo of the guy and asked her if she remembered who he was. Jenna was in drama club with Mia so chances are she’d have a name.

  Mike Winkle. Jenna texted back. Drama club member and friend of Teddy’s.

  So he must have come with Teddy. Tj texted Teddy and asked if he remembered him being there but he didn’t answer right away.

  “I’m going to try calling Jada again,” Tj decided as she waited for Teddy’s reply. “I don’t know why she hasn’t called me back, and I don’t know if she knows anything, but if it’s true Holly was blackmailing her, may
be she can point us in the right direction.”

  Tj called Jada while Kyle continued to work on the computer. If anyone could clean up the image so that it could be identified it was Kyle.

  “Hey, Jada; it’s Tj,” Tj greeted when Jada answered.

  “Tj, how are you? I’m so sorry I haven’t called you back. I’m afraid I’ve had a crisis at work that has been demanding all of my attention this week.”

  “I’m sorry. Did you fix your problem?”

  “Yes, thankfully. One of my larger clients had a problem with a hacker who kept me in a cat and mouse game for days. I think I caught the guy though. Are you at the game?”

  “Actually, I’m not. I got tied up, but I hope to make it to the dance tonight. I’m sorry you weren’t able to come.”

  Jada sighed. “On one hand I was fortunate I was here. If I’d been at Paradise Lake when the hacking thing occurred, it would have been a mess. On the other hand, I never should have let the Second Look lady get under my skin. When you have a secret you’ve been guarding for so long, you find you become very defensive about anyone poking around too closely. I know the fact that I cheated on a couple of tests in high school is completely irrelevant now, but making sure no one ever found out what I’d done was so totally engrained in my mind that I went a little nuts when that woman started probing.”

  “Ms. Colton seemed to think Holly found out you had cheated and blackmailed you into hacking into some student accounts.”

  “It’s true,” Jada admitted with a sigh. “I’ve regretted my decision to do what she asked every minute since then, but at the time I was really scared that I’d not only flunk my classes but I would lose my scholarship. I did what Holly asked to keep her quiet.”

  “Do you mind telling me whose accounts you hacked in to, and what Holly did with the information?”

  “Holly wanted access to email records for Mackenzie Paulson and Mr. Hanover. I guess they had a thing going on and Holly wanted to find proof.”