Dead of Winter_Aspen Falls Novel

by Melissa Pearl

  She asked Louanne if she could be on the register. She wanted the practice, and Louanne was happy to give it to her.

  Although she probably wouldn’t have been if she’d known Rosie’s real motivation.

  “That’ll be twelve fifty.” Rosie beamed, wondering if her smile was too bright, too plastic.

  Would they know?

  Taking the credit card, Rosie swiped it through the machine. She set the card down on the low shelf just under the counter and surreptitiously grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of the card.

  She tapped the machine, pretending that she didn’t know why it wasn’t working. Of course she knew: she’d purposely not pushed it down far enough for the machine to read the magnetic strip.

  “It’s being a little fickle today,” she said apologetically to the elderly woman waiting for her card.

  “You take your time, dear,” the woman said with a smile.

  Rosie swiped it again, with the right amount of pressure that time, and set the card back down on the shelf. Deftly, she snapped another picture, this time of the back so she could get the three-digit security code too.

  It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this had been one of the most stressful days of her life.

  Thankfully they were short-staffed with Julio taken down by the flu. It meant that Louanne and Mandy were fully occupied in the kitchen and she was manning the front on her own. With no eyes watching her and customers happily oblivious, she was grabbing images of credit card numbers whenever she got the chance. By the end of the day, she’d have a full list that she could enter manually and then take the corresponding cash out of the drawer. Hopefully no one would be the wiser. By the time people checked their statements, she’d be long gone with the cash, and hopefully Louanne wouldn’t catch the discrepancy.

  Louanne.

  Rosie could cry. She was taking advantage of one of her favorite people, and setting her up to take the blame when customers eventually discovered they’d been taken. Yes, it was to save the woman’s life, but what kind of damage was Rosie doing along the way?

  She’d come close to hating herself in the past, but this was an all-time low for Rosie. And there was nothing she could do about it.

  “Good afternoon.” Mr. Strickland paused by the counter, his old smile warm and trusting as always.

  Rosie breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he’d pay with cash and she couldn’t rip him off.

  “I’ll take one of them frosted cinnamon buns today.”

  “Plus your usual coffee?” Rosie wrote down the order before ringing it up on the register.

  He chuckled. “You know me too well.”

  Pulling out his wallet, he shakily handed over his cash. Rosie scanned the drawer, quickly trying to add up how much was in there. How much could she take without being obvious?

  Dammit. It wouldn’t be enough.

  There was no way two days of this would get her enough money for Damien.

  Handing back Mr. Strickland’s change, she rubbed the back of her fingers against her cheek. Thankfully the red sting had died down quickly. She still felt Damien’s slaps in her soul, but anyone who saw her would have no idea the trauma she’d faced the night before.

  Her fingers trembled as she took the tongs and pulled out a bun for Mr. Strickland. Placing it in the microwave, she quickly warmed it while turning to make his coffee. She still wasn’t fast on the machine, but she was getting better and had somehow managed not to screw up any orders that day. Louanne had been more than relieved.

  “How’s it going out here?” Mandy appeared behind her, making Rosie jump.

  She laughed and patted Rosie’s shoulder before turning to get the bun out of the microwave.

  “I think the rush is going to die down soon,” Rosie murmured, panicking as she reached for her phone and tucked it in her pocket. She didn’t want Mandy to ask questions.

  Mandy was busy plating Mr. Strickland’s food, which gave Rosie a chance to wallow even more over what she was being forced to do.

  “Dear old Mr. Strickland,” Mandy whispered while she waited for Rosie to finish the coffee. “He always reminds me of my grandpa.”

  “Oh yeah?” Rosie poured the frothed milk into the mug and attempted a little pattern.

  It didn’t really work.

  She wrinkled her nose, which made Mandy laugh again. She was in a good mood. It was a nice change and made Rosie smile despite how awful she felt.

  “He always orders the same thing and he always pays in cash.” Mandy’s eyebrows were lost beneath her bangs. “Hardly anyone pays in cash these days. Just the old-timers.”

  “Yeah, it’s kind of sweet.”

  “It’s adorable. Although my grandfather takes it to the extreme, of course.” Mandy rolled her eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He keeps all his cash at home.”

  “What?”

  “Shhh.” Mandy leaned in and whispered, “It’s insane. The guy doesn’t trust banks and stores all his cash somewhere in the house. Knowing him, it’s probably under the mattress.” She snorted.

  “That’s, um… Wow, I didn’t think people did that anymore.”

  “They don’t. That’s what I try to keep telling him. I swear, that man is going to get robbed one day.” She brushed her hand through the air. “But he just keeps telling me that there’s nowhere safer than Aspen Falls. It’s not actually true, but I’ve yet to be proven right.”

  With an affectionate smile, she picked up the tray. “I’ll deliver this to Mr. Strickland for you. I love saying hello to that sweet man.”

  Rosie forced out a laugh, her mind hammering as Mandy rounded the counter to deliver the order.

  A lifetime’s worth of cash at this guy’s house.

  That would probably be enough to pay off a drug dealer.

  Closing her eyes with a sick swallow, Rosie dreaded the idea of breaking into some old guy’s house, but what choice did she have?

  If she didn’t get that money, the only decent people in her life would get hurt.

  That couldn’t happen.

  She was going to get herself out of this mess, and then she’d spend the rest of her life working to pay back everyone she’d stolen from.

  25

  Friday, February 23rd

  11:00am

  Blaine scratched his thick hair and yawned. Sleep had been hard to come by. Thank God he had the day off. And thank God Lucas called to distract him.

  Thanks to his best friend, he was sitting in Chartwell’s diner on the edge of town, sipping coffee.

  It wasn’t Lulu’s coffee, but it was hot and black.

  Lucas was talking about hockey, as per usual. The guy was a huge fan and liked to stay up to date with every game. Even the ones where his team wasn’t playing. Apparently when he was a kid, he’d had his sights set on the big league. But things didn’t pan out for him, so he became a cop… which didn’t really pan out for him either.

  Some officers on the force couldn’t stand that he’d refused that desk job—felt like he’d been disloyal. Others didn’t mind him so much.

  Blaine found it useful. It was amazing how many times cases would cross, or information from one investigation could lead to an idea or break open a case. Trouble didn’t have to spread far to fester. If anything, it crossed over itself all the time.

  As Lucas brought his hockey report to a close, Blaine found an opening to change the subject.

  “Any other cases in the pipeline?”

  “Yeah, actually Fiona Piper called me yesterday.”

  “The attorney?”

  “Yeah. One of her clients is convinced his wife is cheating on him. She’s not sure if he’s looking for a plausible out from the marriage or what. Apparently the prenup is pretty sweet for the ousted party. The guy needs solid proof of his wife’s affair so he can clean her out and walk away.”

  Blaine scoffed and shook his head. “People suck.”

  “Yeah.” Lucas sighed.

 
“I get why people never get married. Why put yourself through it?”

  Lucas shrugged. “I still want it one day. If I meet the right woman.”

  “Says Mr. Non-Commitment.”

  “I said the right woman. All the ones I date just never work out.”

  Blaine gave him a sidelong look that made Lucas laugh. “Marriage is a crock.”

  “Hey, just because your parents didn’t make it doesn’t mean others won’t,” Lucas said. “There are tons of happily married people all over the world.”

  Blaine conceded with a sigh. “Yeah, well, I guess if you meet the right person.”

  “And work really hard. Commit. Make an effort, you know, all that good stuff.”

  Blaine curled his lip, staring out the window, not sure what to say.

  “So, I take it you’re not planning on marrying Erin, then?”

  It was suddenly impossible to speak, so Blaine kept his gaze out the window.

  “Why do you stay with her, man? If you’re not gonna commit, let her find someone who will.” Lucas scratched the stubble on his chin.

  “We broke up last night,” Blaine mumbled.

  “What?”

  Blaine worked his jaw to the side. “I think deep down I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time, but I just didn’t want to hurt her.”

  “Wow. You finally found your balls. I knew they were hidden down there somewhere.”

  “Shut up.” Blaine kicked him under the table.

  Lucas laughed and picked up his coffee mug. After a long swallow, he looked across the table and murmured, “Breaking up sucks, man. I know how much you hate being the bad guy, but it’s for the best, you know? You and Erin were never… I don’t know.” Lucas shrugged. “I just never felt like she was the one for you.”

  Tipping his head back against the booth, Blaine grimaced, his mind sparking with images of Rosie and the sweet kiss she’d given him. He wanted another one, but was it really right to leave Erin simply so he could be with Rosie? He couldn’t rush straight on to another woman. That was a dick move.

  Besides, things probably wouldn’t work out with Rosie anyway. She’d just left a guy because he’d tried to sell her.

  Blaine’s blood simmered a hot red as he pictured it.

  “What’s your problem?” Lucas threw his plastic coffee stirrer at him. “You look ready to kill something.”

  With a huff, Blaine scrubbed a hand down his face and admitted to his visit with Rosie.

  Lucas stared at him. “Her ex-boyfriend did what?”

  “I know, right?” Blaine shook his head in disgust. “What an asshole.”

  “You can say that again,” Lucas said, his eyes dark with anger. “Glad she’s out from that bullshit.”

  “Yeah, well I hope she is. I kind of felt like she was about to open up and tell me more, but then Louanne showed up.”

  Lucas tapped his finger on the table. “You going to go back and see her again?”

  With a small grimace, Blaine shook his head. “Why do you think I asked to meet here instead of Lulu’s? I can’t see her the day after I broke up with Erin. I mean yeah, it could technically be classified as police work—I’m protecting a citizen of Aspen Falls, yada, yada—but I know it’s more than that. I’ll keep an eye on her, but it needs to be from a distance for now.”

  “Wow, you really like her.”

  The edge of Blaine’s mouth pulled up. “I’ve loved her since high school. It’s probably just some romantic, sappy dream, but it’s nice seeing her again. Talking to her. She never spoke to me back then, and now she’s looking at me like I matter.”

  Lucas’s grin was all-knowing. He let out a breathy snicker that was cut short when he spotted something through the window.

  “What is she doing?”

  Blaine followed his line of sight and saw a blonde college-looking student crossing the road in front of them. Her hair flipped up behind her as she walked. Her beanie was pulled down past her ears, and she clutched her bag straps like they were attached to a parachute.

  Leaning forward with a frown, Blaine studied her porcelain skin and blue eyes. “Who is that?”

  With a short huff, Lucas stood and pulled on his jacket. “That is Bianca Whitmore. The girl I’m supposed to be following.”

  “Bianca Whitmore,” Blaine murmured. It sounded familiar.

  “According to her schedule, she should be sitting in her Introduction to Business class.”

  “Bianca.” Blaine tested out the name as he stood and got ready to venture into the cold with his friend.

  “Yeah.” Lucas spun to face him. “You know her?”

  “Her name is really familiar. It makes me wonder if she’s related to these drugs cases. Is she friends with Riley Pearson?”

  “Um…” Lucas pulled his phone from his back pocket and glanced at it. “Yeah, she hangs out with Riley and this Clay guy,” he said, clearly reading from notes he’d taken. “I haven’t seen them together this week, but according to the people I’ve talked to, they were kind of tight.”

  Blaine snapped his fingers as they walked out the door. “Nate interviewed her the other day and she said she wasn’t friends with Riley. They only knew each other through school.”

  “Well, that’s not true.” Lucas frowned. “Nate questioned her the other day? How did I not know this?”

  “I don’t know.” Blaine shrugged, pulling down his beanie and wishing he had his thick police jacket on.

  Lucas looked kind of annoyed as he tapped his phone and then shoved it back in his pocket. “I knew Riley had overdosed because I saw Clay carrying her out. They took off and I followed them to the hospital. Of course I couldn’t go in, but I waited outside and when I saw Bianca leave, I followed her to make sure she got back to the dorm okay.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us this?” Blaine frowned as they turned the corner.

  “Hey, it’s not like you’ve been talking about the cases you’re working on right now.”

  “It was in the paper. You should’ve come forward.”

  “I figured you guys had it covered and besides, my job is to watch Bianca. Since that weekend, she hasn’t gone back to the hospital or been seen with Riley or Clay, at least as far as I know. My guess is that night scared the crap out of her and hopefully straightened her out. I promised to watch her for a couple more weeks and if nothing else happens, then I’m calling it quits.”

  “So she never went back and saw Riley again?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Is that weird to you?”

  Lucas paused and then admitted, “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

  “Who else has she been hanging out with?”

  Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets and crossed the street. They were trying to keep their distance as they followed Bianca down the road. “She’s kind of been playing the loner this week.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  “According to the people I’ve talked to, she’s got a mondo crush on Clay but they haven’t hooked up yet.”

  Blaine made a face. “Dude, you must’ve come across like a full-blown creeper.”

  “I handled the conversations just fine, thank you.”

  Blaine snickered.

  “Don’t judge me, man.” Lucas checked the corner before easing around it. “She’s in a hurry.”

  “She’s skipping class. She doesn’t want to get spotted.”

  “It’s not high school. No one gives a rat’s ass if you skip a community college class.”

  “Her parents sure do.”

  Blaine sighed and looked away when she glanced over her shoulder. They made sure their steps were slow and casual, so she wouldn’t feel followed.

  “So, I’m an idiot for not coming forward on this one,” Lucas muttered. “I should’ve called you about it the night they rushed Riley to the hospital. She must be caught up in this drug thing somehow. Tell me what you know already and let’s see what we can figure out.”

  As Blaine and Lucas
followed Bianca, they talked through the case and what they had so far. Nate would blow a fuse if he knew his little brother was sharing details with Lucas, but Blaine figured if they could find a connection, it was worth it. He wasn’t normally a rule breaker, but he trusted Lucas implicitly and figured if something popped, then Nate’s anger would dissipate in a heartbeat.

  Bianca stopped outside a decrepit old house and gazed up at the peeling exterior for a few minutes before pulling her shoulders back and climbing the stairs. Blaine and Lucas walked right by her, chatting softly as if they weren’t aware of what she was up to.

  As soon as the door creaked open, they slowed, straining to hear the conversation.

  Blaine shared a look with his buddy. He couldn’t hear anything either.

  All they could hope was that she’d go in, and then they could sneak back and maybe find a place to eavesdrop from.

  It wasn’t exactly ethical police work, but Blaine wasn’t even on duty. As long as they were careful, he could hopefully get away with it.

  Lucas glanced over his shoulder. “She’s in. Let’s go.”

  Slapping Blaine’s shoulder, he ducked to the left and snuck through a neighboring backyard. Blaine cringed but followed him. They jumped the fence and carefully circled the house. It was even more run-down from close up, the wood siding in desperate need of paint. The gutter was cracked and leaking, the back steps were broken, and a bottom windowpane had been boarded up with a thin piece of plywood. Which was perfect because the voices inside drifted through the cracks.

  “No! That’s not good enough! I need to see Billy.”

  “That’s Bianca,” Lucas whispered.

  They crouched beneath the window.

  “He ain’t available, kid.”

  “I know you guys know him,” she snapped. “I’ve seen you hanging around the clubs, and word on the street is you’re my link.”

  “Your link to what?” The guy she was talking to had a raspy voice, like he’d been smoking since before he could walk.

  “I need to get to Billy.”

  “Why?”