by Laina Turner
“You embezzled from Helping Hands?” I asked a little loudly, as I was surprised.
“I just borrowed a few bucks. It was nothing really. I was planning on paying it back. I just never had the chance.”
“And Harvey was going to tell Don?”
“I made the stupid mistake of trusting him when we were dating, and I’d mentioned it. He didn’t think it was a big deal, that’s why I couldn’t believe he was going to tell Don. Miserable old goat.”
“Why was Harvey going to tell Don when he hadn’t turned you into the police?”
“Because Don was his friend he said. He didn’t want Don to lose his investment.”
When she had been talking, I had given Berklie our pre-arranged signal to call the police. I saw them coming through the front door. The police walked up to our table, and she looked up at them, and then at me.
“You tricked me!” she exclaimed, seeming shocked when they started to read Dawn her rights.
I just shrugged and let the police do their thing.
Chapter 25
What made you suspect Dawn?” Rachel asked me when she joined us, as Clive and his deputy’s walked Dawn out in handcuffs. The police had just finished informing her of her Miranda Rights for the charge of first degree murder. Clive had told me now it was in the Prosecutor’s hands as to whether to take the case to trial. When I hadn’t been able to get a hold of Clive, I had Jonathan wire me with a microphone so he could record everything she said. If she confessed, as she did, we could turn the evidence over to the police.
“The whole Don killing Harvey thing didn’t make sense, but there was limited access to that cupcake. The only person at that table besides Harvey and his two friends was me when I dropped it off. Until I remembered her stopping to give something to Don as I was walking away from the table. I heard her asked Harvey if she could have a tiny bite of frosting, claiming it was her favorite. She must have palmed a strychnine tablet and stuck it in the frosting when she took a bite. Those cupcakes have chocolate chunks sprinkled on them, so he wouldn’t have noticed if he bit into something. I’m sure the overwhelming sweetness of the cupcake masked any taste the tablet might have had.”
“So she killed Harvey so he couldn’t tell Don she was embezzling from the very company she had persuaded him to invest in?” Berklie said.
“That’s what it sounds like,” I replied.
“Who would have thought such a seemingly nice lady would embezzle and murder?” said Sophie.
“Seems it just goes to show, you don’t know what a person might be capable of.”
Chapter 26
What a beautiful day for a beautiful wedding,” I said to Berklie as we stood next to the dessert table at Sophie and Jonathan’s reception, trying to decide what we wanted.
“It sure was a beautiful wedding,” Berklie said. “Even being divorced and knowing we don’t always get the happy ending we want, I still get caught up in the ceremony and the possibilities of what could be.”
“Me, too. Weddings never stop being beautiful. And if anyone can make it, these two can.”
“Trixie, Trixie,” I heard someone call, and I turned around in the direction of the voice.
“Hi, Deanna. Is something wrong?” I said to my friend.
“Oh, Trixie I don’t know what to do. You have to help me, “Deanna wailed.
I took her arm and led her to a more secured spot in the reception hall so we could have some privacy.
“Calm down, Deanna. What’s got you so riled up?”
“Trixie, you won’t believe this but…”
Can Trixie help Deanna?
Find out in Coffee Isn’t Just for Drinking due this Fall 2013
Athena’s Holiday
(a short story)
(a prequel to the new Athena series)
by
Laina Turner
Athena’s Holiday
Copyright 2012 Liana Turner
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever including Internet usage, without written permission of the author.
Chapter 1
Every girl believes in the fairy tale and in living happily ever after. At least every girl Athena knew. Most little girls played the part of the princess waiting for their Prince Charming to show up, and often they never grew out of it. Their definition of Prince Charming just altered as they went from being girls to women and had different priorities than a big castle and a guy on a white horse. Dreams matured and grew to such things as a mansion with maid service and a Bentley of her own.
Most people also loved the holidays, again at least the people Athena knew. Especially when she was little and the holidays were all about Santa Claus and presents. Even once she reached adulthood she had stayed in love with Christmas. The lights, decorations, presents, shows, and all they entailed, there was something magical about them—and of course, she still loved the presents. Who didn’t like presents? Even though the family part could be trying at times, she loved this time of year.
Athena was a hopeless romantic most the year, but especially during the holidays. She wanted the hand-in-hand walks looking at the Christmas lights, hot spiced cider in front of the fire. She wanted the fairy tale and the magical holidays. You get the point.
She’d had boyfriends during the holiday times growing up of course, but it had never measured up to her high expectations. Expectations her best friend Shelby continued to tell her were way too high every year. That maybe if she were a little more realistic, she would find her prince. That no one was perfect. But Athena couldn’t imagine why should she settle.
And she was glad she hadn’t, as this year might be the year the romantic holiday season of her dreams actually measured up in reality. She might have finally found her Prince Charming.
His name was Ethan Oswald. He was smart, had a great job in the financial district in Chicago, was sweet, funny, thoughtful, all the things she had been looking for in a guy. And he loved the holidays as much as she did.
Because of him, Athena was looking forward to having a wonderful romantic holiday just like she had always dreamed of. The one she had wanted for so long. Ethan was that guy. As much of a hopeless romantic as her. She couldn’t wait to share the holidays with him, although she was a little nervous about taking him to meet her family. Not that she was worried about what he might say or do, but that he might be frightened off. Her family could be a little much. Especially her mother Abigail who was a trial lawyer and thrived on conflict, though her mother called it lively discussion. Athena couldn’t count the number of times she’d brought a date home who decided after that visit, maybe they weren’t right for her, meaning “your mom freaked me out.” She hoped that wasn’t going to be the case with Ethan.
After thirty-six years of working hard and being patient, she deserved to finally have all that she wanted.
Chapter 2
I hate the cold, but I love Chicago during the holidays. It’s so beautiful with all the lights strung around the trees downtown,” Athena said to her best friend Shelby as they were walking down Michigan Avenue, pumpkin spice lattes in hand. It was a week before Christmas, and she was happier than she had been in a long time. Things were just clicking in all areas of her life, and it was a great feeling.
“I agree. I like how the snow and ice collects on the trees and seems to sparkle,” Shelby said. “If only the snow stayed pretty and white instead of turning to gray slush. So, what are your plans for the holidays?”
“Ethan will be back tomorrow. He’s been in London for a training seminar in their international office. We’re going to wrap up a few last minute things and head down to Bakers Point on Christmas Eve to do the family thing. We’ll be back in Chicago for New Year’s.”
“Just like a real relationship. How are you feeling about it all?”
“Good. It just feels so right. I think he might be the one.”
“Really?” Shelby look
ed at her, eyebrows raised. “It’s only been eight months.”
“I know. And believe me, sometimes I wonder if I’m rushing, but when it feels like the right thing, does time really matter?”
“Not really. When you know you know. It’s not like you’re a kid.”
“As my dear mother likes to remind me, I am not a kid and am not getting any younger.”
“Speaking of dating and going out, what’s up with Marcy these days? I haven’t seen her in forever.”
“Something is going on with her. She has barely been around the apartment at all, and when she is, she stays in her room.” Marcy was Athena’s roommate and often hung out with her and Shelby. “I keep asking her to meet us for drinks, but she always seems busy.”
“Too busy for drinks?”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m talking about. Something has been bothering her, and she won’t share with me. I don’t want to push too much.”
“When she’s ready, she will come to you.”
“I hope so. I’m worried about her.”
Chapter 3
You are not going to believe the day I’ve had,” said Shelby, as she slid into her seat across from Athena at Starbucks where she was waiting.
Athena pushed over the holiday latte they always drank this time of year and smiled as Shelby took a sip. “Why? What happened since this morning?”
“There’s this new guy at work. He’s a complete jackass. In a meeting today I was presenting this pitch I’ve been working on for weeks, and we’ve already gone through several rounds of the approval process in previous meetings. He then has the nerve to give his opinion, and of course John, the VP, loved it and now wants him to work with me to incorporate his ideas.”
“I don’t know if I should even ask this, but were his ideas good?”
Shelby gave Athena a look and then sighed. “Yes, if I’m completely objective, his ideas were really good. But I’ve worked so hard on this, and this is the account I need to pull off if I have any chance of that promotion. The last thing I need is to share credit with the new guy and have it appear to the higher-ups that I’m not ready because I needed help with this pitch.” Shelby was a junior social media-marketing manager in a medium sized firm and was looking to climb the corporate ladder. She was up for a promotion to director and she had been working really hard to get it. “And he came across so arrogant about it. That’s the part I really didn’t like.”
“Shelby, I have faith in you. You can get along with anyone. Just charm him and work together to make this a great campaign. You’ll shine.”
“I guess you’re right. It’s just so frustrating. Not to mention I had plans to take time off over the holidays, and he made it clear he will be around and could take anything off my plate while I was gone. You should have heard him sucking up.”
“You need to put it out of your mind and not drive yourself crazy over it.”
“I know,” Shelby said.
“Is he cute?”
“That he is. Brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He’s definitely a looker if I was in the market, which I’m not.”
“Nothing wrong with looking, Shelby. Keeps the blood flowing.”
“He’s keeping my blood flowing, all right.”
Shelby was slender, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She was one of Athena’s best friends, and Athena couldn’t help but be a little envious of Shelby’s effortless ability to always look fabulous, when Athena on the other hand, had to work hard at it. Like right now for instance. After a long day at work, Shelby still appeared as crisp and fresh as she had this morning. Her makeup still looked great, every hair in place. Whereas Athena definitely looked like she had been at work all day, in her opinion at least. Her black pencil skirt and gray tailored blouse were wrinkled, and she had put her dark blonde hair up in a loose knot this morning, but now there were a bunch of frizzy strands flying around her face.
“Shelby, you just have to have confidence in your abilities. Don’t let him throw you off your game.”
“You’re right. Are we still on for tonight? I need to run and drop off some files off the printer.”
“We sure are. Muldoon’s at eight?”
“See you there.”
Chapter 4
Athena yawned as she opened the door to Silver, Robins, and Plank, the high-end law firm she managed. According to her mother, “a sad way to waste her law degree,” but Athena had found out quickly that she hated trial law, and the mostly-paperwork type law was boring, boring, boring. This was a great compromise. She got to use her legal mind but wasn’t an overworked paralegal, she had a lot of autonomy, and the partners didn’t care about what hours she worked, as long as things were taken care of. So it left her with the freedom to teach at the local law school, and take classes toward her masters in psych, which is what she really wanted to do.
She and Shelby hadn’t stayed out too late, but she had tossed and turned all night wondering what Marcy was up to. She was worried about her. She was Athena’s other best friend, but they had grown apart lately. Athena walked to her office and flipped the lights on, setting her stuff down.
Her phone started vibrating on her desk. She looked at the readout: it was Ethan. Athena smiled, answering with a chipper hello.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked.
“Right now? I just got to work, and I’m sucking down the caffeine, trying to wake up.”
He laughed. “How late did you and Shelby stay out drinking?”
“Not too late. I just couldn’t sleep. Something’s going on with Marcy. She’s acting weird, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“You’re her friend and roommate not her mom. I’m sure she’s fine.”
Athena rolled her eyes, even though she was on the phone and he couldn’t see her expression. There were some things guys just didn’t understand, and it wasn’t even worth explaining. Marcy was her friend, so of course it was her business.
“When are you flying in?” she asked, changing the subject from Marcy.
“My flight leaves day after tomorrow at eleven. Getting in at twelve fifteen to O’Hare.”
“Do you need me to pick you up?”
“I would love that, if it’s not an inconvenience.”
“Not at all.” And even if it were, she would still pick him up. She missed him. “I can take you to the condo, and you can rest or work. We have tickets to The Nutcracker at eight.”
“You’re dragging me to the ballet?” he said good-naturedly.
“Yes, I am. With Shelby and Jordan, and you’re going to like it.”
“The things I do for you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Athena said, enjoying the playful banter.
“See you at the airport in two days then?”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me either, babe.”
Chapter 5
I’m meeting Shelby for drinks to make plans for our annual friends gift exchange. Want to come?” Athena had been at home for a while relaxing on the couch with the latest In Style magazine, when Marcy walked in from work.
“Nah,” Marcy said. “I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll just stay home and relax tonight.”
Athena looked up at her. “What is your deal? You haven’t wanted to go out for weeks. What is wrong?”
“Nothing, Ms. Paranoid. What’s the problem with wanting to relax?” Marcy said, getting defensive, which made Athena realize something definitely was up. Marcy was usually really easygoing.
“Marcy, I’m not trying to piss you off,” Athena said, her tone softening. “But you’re not acting yourself. Just know I’m here for you if you ever need to talk. And I won’t stop hounding you. I will get to the bottom of this.”
Marcy just looked at her and walked into her room. Athena knew she was annoyed and maybe she was being too nosy. It was Marcy’s business, but Athena meant what she said. She was going to get to the bottom of this. She cared about her friend.
Athena arrived at Muldoon’s and fi
lled Shelby in on her discussion with Marcy as they sipped their pumpkin pie martinis. They both shared the same enthusiasm for everything and anything pumpkin-flavored this time of year.
“What do you think she’s hiding?”
“I have no clue, but I told her I wasn’t going to quit bugging her, so we will see. What theme do you think we should do this year for our party?” Since college, Athena and Shelby threw an annual holiday party for their friends to celebrate the season and mainly to just have fun. They had, in the last couple years, used wacky themes either for dressing up or gifts. Two years ago, it was Christmas summer and they all wore beach attire. Last year, everyone had to wear green and/or red, and they only served red and green food. Which might not sound bad, but they learned there were some foods that weren’t too appetizing when green, such as sour cream or bread.
“Hmmm, I’m not sure, Athena. Do you have any ideas?”
“I was thinking maybe ’80s holidays. We could play ’80s Christmas music like Run DMC or Cyndi Lauper. Bring a picture of your favorite gift from the ’80s. I’m sure it would be easy to find anything online.”
“That’s a fabulous idea!” Shelby exclaimed. “I have just the outfit. We should…” Shelby trailed off, and Athena noticed her frown.
“What’s wrong? You look like you just saw someone you don’t like.”
“Athena, I hate to ask you this, but is that Ethan over there?” Shelby pointed to the other side of the room.
Athena turned her head in the direction of where Shelby was pointing, and the color drained from her face. There was Ethan sitting at a table for two with a blonde she had never seen before.
“I thought he was out of town still. Do you know that girl?” Shelby asked.