“Grandma, grandpa,” Connie said, “the police are here to see you.”
Connie moved over and stood against the wall, watching and waiting.
Pickett introduced her and Sarge as both of the Gilberts stood and shook their hands. The Gilberts looked to be in their late seventies and both seemed to be in good health. Pickett hoped that in another fifteen years she could be in as good of shape.
“It’s about Dawn, isn’t it?” Mr. Gilbert said.
Sarge and Pickett both nodded.
Pickett went on to tell them about how her daughter had been trying to do the right thing, but was trapped in a room at the closed Landmark and not found until the following spring.
Both of the Gilberts just nodded, but Pickett could tell they were both sad and relieved.
Pickett then went on to tell them they had arrested her killer yesterday.
Both the Gilberts looked relieved at that.
After all the questions they had were answered, the Gilberts walked Pickett and Sarge to the front door and thanked them for finally allowing them to know what happened.
“Sorry to have to do this at the holidays,” Sarge said.
Mr. Gilbert just shook his head and brushed that aside. “Actually, after all these years, knowing is a great gift.”
“Very much so,” Mrs. Gilbert said. “Thank you.”
Pickett and Sarge rode in silence back toward their complex. Pickett couldn’t imagine what that couple had gone through, losing a daughter and not knowing what happened, yet still raising three other children.
Impossible to imagine.
It was as Pickett pulled into the parking garage and parked that Sarge said, “We need to talk about what we are going to do for the holiday?”
“A tree would be nice,” Pickett said, smiling at the man sitting beside her.
“We have kittens,” Sarge said, smiling back.
“So we anchor it solidly,” Pickett said. “Let them play and be kittens.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” he said, “because I have a fifteen foot tree being delivered at four this afternoon.”
“And if I hadn’t wanted a tree?” Pickett asked, laughing.
“I would have had to head the guy off at the pass,” Sarge said. “But I left the choice of decorations on the tree up to you.”
“How about up to us,” Pickett said.
“We better get something before he gets here,” Sarge said, “because I’m not climbing a ladder to decorate the top of a tall tree.”
She started the car back up. “Well then, let’s get going. We’ve got a lot of decoration shopping to do if we’re going to get ready for a Christmas party.”
“Christmas party?” Sarge asked, staring at her as she backed out of her spot and headed for the entrance to the garage.
“We live in one of the largest condos ever created in this town,” Pickett said. “If we can’t throw a party, not sure who can.”
Sarge just laughed. “Sounds like fun to me. But you know, we would be starting a tradition.”
“After these last few weeks,” Pickett said, “some fun and tradition is what the doctor ordered for us and all of our friends.”
“Especially on our first Christmas together,” Sarge said.
Pickett glanced over at the man she loved more than anything. He was smiling.
And she was as well.
It was going to be a great Christmas, she had no doubt about that at all.
Also by Dean Wesley Smith
Cold Poker Gang Mysteries:
Kill Game
Cold Call
Calling Dead
Bad Beat
Dead Hand
Freezeout
Ace High
* * *
Doc Hill Thrillers:
Dead Money
The Road Back
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The Seeders Universe
Against Time
Sector Justice
Morning Song
The High Edge
Star Mist
Star Rain
Star Fall
Starburst
* * *
The Thunder Mountain Universe
Thunder Mountain
Monumental Summit
Avalanche Creek
The Edwards Mansion
Lake Roosevelt
Warm Springs
Melody Ridge
Grapevine Springs
The Idanha Hotel
The Taft Ranch
* * *
Smith’s Monthly
Smith’s Monthly is the innovative brainchild of USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith. Comprised of short fiction, nonfiction, poetry and a full-length novel, Smith’s Monthly offers a monthly dose of diverse reading for Smith’s fans and newcomers alike. Subscriptions are available in electronic and trade paperback format. For more information, click here.
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About the Author
Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres.
At the moment he produces novels in several major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, a superhero series starring Poker Boy, and a mystery series featuring the retired detectives of the Cold Poker Gang.
His monthly magazine, Smith’s Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.
During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.
He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.
Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series.
For more information about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, please visit his website at www.deanwesleysmith.com and sign up for his newsletter.
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Copyright Information
Ace High
Copyright © 2017 by Dean Wesley Smith
Published by WMG Publishing
Cover and layout copyright © 2017 by WMG Publishing
Cover art copyright © Virtuelle/Dreamstime
* * *
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in a
ny form without permission.
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