Mortal Kiss

by Alice Moss

  “I think he’s the one who came in here a couple of days ago,” Aunt Pam said into Faye’s ear. “He didn’t look quite so fearsome then!”

  Faye stared at her aunt. “You didn’t tell me about that!”

  Aunt Pam shrugged. “It didn’t cross my mind.”

  “Look,” Faye heard Liz say, “there’s my dad in his squad car.”

  Following in the bikers’ wake was Sergeant Wilson, the big police officer in Winter Mill’s local law enforcement squad. Rather than driving past the bookstore, though, he pulled to a stop outside it and opened the car door, pressing his cap firmly onto his head as he got out.

  “Mitch,” Aunt Pam greeted him. “Looks like we have some new people in town.”

  Sergeant Wilson nodded, frowning. “I’m not too happy about it, either, I can tell you.”

  “Maybe this is a sign that they’re moving on?”

  He shook his head. “Not a chance. They’re still camped up in the woods. Mind if I come in, Pam?”

  “Of course. Nothing serious, I hope?”

  Sergeant Wilson looked grave. “It might be. I need to talk to the girls.”

  Chapter 3: Bad Dogs

  Liz watched as her dad shook the snow from his boots. It was closing time, so Aunt Pam locked the door behind him and removed the store’s cash register drawer. Then they all crowded upstairs, into the McCarrons’ small kitchen. Outside, the snow was beginning to fall again, huge soft flakes piling against the window frame.

  Liz’s dad sat at the large kitchen table, still frowning. Liz was worried and tried to think of something she might have done wrong. Her dad was pretty strict, but she couldn’t imagine what it could be. Unless—maybe somehow he’d got hold of her report card early? But it was only the first day of the term!

  Liz forced herself not to panic. She sat down opposite Faye and helped herself to a ginger cookie as Aunt Pam poured tea from a china pot.

  “So what is it, Dad?” Liz asked. “You look worried. What’s wrong?”

  The police officer sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair distractedly. “We found a body up in the woods, about half a mile out of town. A man. I don’t recognize him, so I don’t think he’s local. We’re trying to find out who he is right now.”

  “No!” said Liz, shocked. “That’s terrible. What happened to him?”

  “We don’t know yet. And I can’t tell you too much while the investigation is underway, obviously. But let’s just say we’re not ruling anything out at this stage.”

  Liz stared at Faye, who was obviously thinking the same thing she was. “You don’t mean … you don’t think he was murdered, do you, Dad? Here? In Winter Mill?”

  Her father took a mouthful of tea, and Liz saw him cast a strange look at Faye over the rim of the cup. She wondered what it meant, but a second later it was gone and her dad shrugged. “Like I said, we’re not ruling anything out.”

  “But—but Winter Mill is such a peaceful place,” Faye gasped, her eyes wide. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like a murder happening here! Have you, Aunt Pam?”

  Aunt Pam shook her head. “Not in the time that I’ve been here, and I think I’d have to go back a long way to find the last one.”

  “Well, we don’t know for sure that it is murder yet,” Sergeant Wilson reminded them. “We haven’t established a cause of death. I’ll have to wait for the coroner’s verdict before I start a manhunt. And to be honest …” He shook his head. “Just getting around is going to be difficult in this weather. All the roads in and out of town are treacherous.”

  Liz was alarmed. “Do you think the town will get cut off if it keeps snowing like this? Are we—do we have enough food and stuff if that happens?”

  “I don’t think that’s likely to happen, Liz,” said Faye. “The town has measures in place for that kind of thing.”

  Liz’s dad covered her hand with his own, patting it gently. “Faye’s right. Don’t worry. We’re spreading sand to make sure that doesn’t happen. We just have to make sure we don’t run out—and hope that this freak cold snap doesn’t last.”

  “But what if it does?” Liz asked, worried. “It hasn’t given up for the last five days! What if it just keeps on snowing like this?”

  “It can’t, can it?” Faye asked. “This can’t be the start of winter. It’s only early September!”

  “You know, I was doing some research today,” said Aunt Pam. “And I can’t find any mention in the town records of snow falling this early in the year. Not back as far as 1680. It’s amazing—I think this snowfall may be unique in the history of Winter Mill, maybe even in the entire history of New England.”

  “I’m not so worried about the snow,” said Sergeant Wilson. “My big concern right now is the bikers.”

  “Do you think they have something to do with the body you found?” Faye asked.

  “There’s no direct link—not yet, anyway,” he told her. “It’s just a feeling. They’re trouble, and I don’t believe in coincidences. They turn up and a couple of days later I’m investigating the first unexplained death Winter Mill has had in decades.” He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

  Aunt Pam poured him another cup of tea. “Try not to judge by appearances, Mitch. I had one of them in here the day before yesterday. He was young.”

  Mitch frowned. “What did he want?”

  “He flicked through some books, but I think he mainly wanted to get out of the cold. Finn, his name was. I told him he was welcome, but that if he really wanted to get warm he’d need to help me fix the heat, since it’d been acting up in the cold snap.” Aunt Pam settled at the table. “He did a good job. He seemed harmless to me, Mitch, if a bit quiet. Are you sure the Black Dogs are involved?”

  “The Black Dogs?” Liz repeated, confused.

  Her dad looked up from his tea. “That’s the name of their gang, Liz. They’re the sort of folks who like to make a good first impression,” he added wryly.

  “But what does any of this have to do with us, Sergeant Wilson?” Faye asked. “You said you needed to talk to Liz and me.”

  “I just don’t want you girls up there in the woods.” Sergeant Wilson sighed. “It’s not just you two—I plan on getting the word out to all the Winter Mill kids. I know it’s tempting, what with the early snow. It’s thick, and it’s perfect for skiing, tobogganing, and snowboarding. I don’t want to be a killjoy, but until the bikers are gone, and until I know what happened to that man …”

  Faye nodded. “We’ll be careful,” she promised.

  “You don’t need to worry,” Liz agreed, taking another cookie. “We’re not going to mess with them.”

  Her dad’s phone rang, and he glanced apologetically at Aunt Pam before answering it.

  “I have to go,” he said as soon as he hung up, finishing his tea and standing. “The coroner has just finished the postmortem.”

  Chapter 4: Unnatural Causes

  Liz decided to hitch a ride with her dad instead of staying to finish her homework with Faye. She didn’t really feel like trekking home through the snow, and she was still put out by Faye’s apparent dislike of Lucas. On the one hand, of course, that was a good thing—at least they didn’t both want to date him, which meant Liz could have Lucas Morrow all to herself. On the other hand, she wanted her best friend to at least be friendly to the person she had already decided was her future boyfriend. Not that Liz had had many steady boyfriends before—most boys in Winter Mill were too scared of her dad to ask her out!

  She trod through the snow toward her father’s big four-by-four, watching his hunched shoulders. Sergeant Wilson was known in the town as strict but fair, and the same went for his parenting style. In fact, sometimes he was way too strict, as far as she was concerned. He had set ideas about things, and she knew when not to cross the line. But right now there was something she really, really wanted … and it looked as if he was going to be very busy, possibly for a long time. So if Liz didn’t ask for it now, who knew when she’d get an
other chance?

  Her dad revved the engine as she pulled the door shut; he waited until she had fastened her seat belt before pulling out. It was rush hour, and Winter Mill’s stores were getting ready to close. The snowy roads were as busy as the small town ever got.

  “Are you really worried about those bikers, Dad?” Liz asked, feeling the truck’s snow chains bite into the snow-clogged road.

  “Well, they haven’t given me a reason not to be, so far,” her father muttered, glancing at the rearview mirror as he negotiated a merge. “And in my experience, it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry.”

  “I will be, I promise.”

  Her dad patted her knee. “I know you will, sweetheart.”

  They drove in silence for another couple of minutes before Liz spoke again. “Dad …”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve been thinking … now that we’re back at school, and this year is going to be a really tough year … and I want to do really well, you know I do …”

  “Yes, Lizzie?”

  “Well, I wondered …” Liz bit her lip before continuing, in a rush, “I wondered if you and Mom could increase my allowance?”

  Her dad sighed. “Liz …”

  “Dad, please. It’s been a year since the last increase. And now that I’m older, I really, really need a new wardrobe. You should have seen the looks I got at school today, turning up in the same coat I had last year. Besides,” she added innocently, “if winter really is setting in so early, I definitely need new clothes, don’t I? You know, nice warm ones?”

  Liz knew she’d get what she wanted when she saw him trying to stifle a smile. Before he had a chance to say anything, she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Liz! I’m driving!”

  “Sorry,” she said as they pulled up outside the family’s pretty clapboard house. “Thanks, Dad! Omigod! This is going to be so great. There’s this new boutique in the mall, and I can’t wait to go there!”

  “Hey! I haven’t said yes yet!”

  Liz stopped talking immediately and sat very still, looking at him with big eyes.

  “OK, OK,” said the policeman, conceding defeat with another sigh. “You can have a raise. But,” he warned as Liz went to hug him again, “I want straight As from you this year, you understand?”

  “Sure, Dad. Piece of cake,” Liz answered with a grin, already planning her next shopping trip. She reached for the car door, pulling out her cell phone—she had to call Faye immediately! “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

  “And I meant what I said about the woods. If I catch you or Faye up there …”

  Liz’s feet hit the cold snow as she slid out of the car. “I know. Don’t worry.”

  “And absolutely no short skirts! I love you. Kiss your mother for me—tell her I’ll call her when I can.”

  Liz was already dialing.

  #

  Sergeant Wilson watched his daughter in the rearview mirror as he pulled away, smiling to himself as she talked excitedly on her phone. She’d been dropping hints about getting a bigger allowance for weeks, but he’d ignored them as long as he could. Who knew what she’d spend it on—in his opinion, Liz owned every item of clothing she’d ever need already. But as her mother kept telling him, that was teenage girls for you. It was just that they hadn’t had the same problem with Poppy, Liz’s older sister.

  His mind turned back to more troubling matters as he drove on to the town’s small morgue and parked in his usual spot. Winter Mill shared a coroner with three nearby towns.

  “Pat.” Sergeant Wilson nodded as an older man opened the door, dressed in scrubs. “Sorry to call you out on a night like this.”

  “Had to be done, Mitch,” said Pat Thompson, ushering him back to the autopsy room. “Although I’m not sure what good I’m going to be able to do you.”

  The body had already been stitched back up and lay, gray and still, on a metal gurney in the center of the room. The autopsy room was cold, the dim lights casting odd shapes against the sterile white walls. Sergeant Wilson gave an involuntary shudder. He didn’t want to be there any longer than necessary.

  “Have you got a cause of death?”

  Pat reached for his notes, shaking his head. “No. The only injury I can find on the body is a slight cut on one arm. It’s shallow and smooth—a knife cut, probably—but it would not have been fatal. Other than that, the body seems unharmed.”

  “Natural causes, then?”

  “I can’t confirm that, either. All his vital organs were sound. There are no signs of hypothermia. It’s as if one moment he was walking around, right as rain, and the next he just … died. The only thing that might fit what I’m seeing is a massive anaphylactic reaction, but to what I couldn’t say.”

  Mitch frowned. “And what about identification?”

  “I ran the prints but didn’t get a hit.”

  “How about through dental records?”

  “Again, I’ve got nothing,” said the coroner, handing the sergeant his notes so he could see for himself. “Nothing, that is, except for more mystery.”

  “Oh?”

  “Take a look. You’ll see what I mean.”

  Mitch scanned the summary before looking back at Pat with raised eyebrows. “What the—? World War Two dentistry? Seriously?”

  “Absolutely. This man has fillings applied in a way discontinued after 1947.”

  “But he doesn’t look—”

  “Above thirty. I know.”

  “What about his clothing?”

  “What about it? He was in rags, Mitch, you know that. No labels on what was there, either.”

  Mitch’s stomach turned with anxiety. Something wasn’t right here, and it made his skin crawl. “Can I see the locket you found near him again?”

  “Sure.” Pat pointed toward a metal bowl. “It’s in there.”

  Sergeant Wilson picked it up, running the fine antique chain between his fingers before opening the small case. He couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down his spine. He’d hoped his memory had deceived him, that when he looked at the photograph inside again he’d see something different.

  But to him, the dark-haired girl inside looked just like Faye McCarron.

  Chapter 5: RSVP

  The snow was still falling as Faye pulled the door of McCarron’s Bookstore closed behind her. She had her camera with her, as always, but she had taken a shot the day before that was so good she doubted she’d be able to get anything comparable. It was of one of her neighbors trying to dig his car out of a deep snowdrift, while behind him a dark, dramatic sky threatened to send even more unseasonable weather down on top of him. Aunt Pam had told her to send the photo to one of the national papers, convinced that it would get used. Stories of Winter Mill’s unusual weather were beginning to cause interest in the outside world too. Faye had done as her aunt had suggested and emailed it to a New York Times editor, but she doubted she’d hear anything back. Still, it was worth a try.

  As Faye pushed on toward Winter Mill High, she thought about her conversation with Liz the previous evening. Her friend had called less than fifteen minutes after leaving the bookstore with Sergeant Wilson, desperate to tell Faye the great news about her allowance increase. And it was great news—Faye’s dad had given her a raise before he’d gone away on his latest dig, and now the two girls could have the perfect shopping trip at the new store in town. Their chat hadn’t covered more than the latest clothes they’d both love to buy, but it had reminded Faye of how important a friend Liz was. They spent so much time together that sometimes Faye forgot how much she missed Liz when she wasn’t around. The last thing Faye wanted was for something like a boy to come between them, so she resolved to make more of an effort to be nice to Lucas Morrow, however annoying he was.

  “I’ll just have to pretend to like him, for Liz’s sake,” she muttered aloud to herself as she reached the school’s front steps. “And who knows? Maybe he’ll grow on me.”

  “Hey, McCarron�
��wait up.”

  Faye turned to see Candi Thorsson a few steps behind her. As usual, the blond girl was dressed as if she’d just stepped out of a magazine. Faye stopped and watched her enviously. Candi always looked fantastic. Right now she was wearing beautiful tan leather boots and a fabulous coat. It was a delicately dyed mink with a large collar that draped around Candi’s shoulders and perfectly set off the girl’s ice-blue eyes. It was an extravagant outfit, even for Candi, and Faye knew that something must be up.

  “Hi, Candi,” Faye greeted her. “You look great.”

  Candi gave Faye a huge smile. “Thanks! Isn’t this coat gorgeous? It’s honest-to-goodness real Chanel! My dad sent it up from New York for me to say he was sorry for missing my birthday.”

  “He’s not coming up this weekend? I’m sorry.”

  Candi shrugged carelessly. “If he did, he’d only moan about my grades. I’d rather have the coat! So, listen, are you free on Saturday night?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then come to my party. Seriously, it’s going to be awesome. I’ve borrowed the Mathesons’ cabin up on the hill. Everyone’s going to be there. So, will you come?”

  Candi’s parties were legendary. She always hired her own staff to mix the best virgin cocktails you’d ever had in your life, and there was usually some awesome band as well.

  Faye smiled. “I’d love to! Thanks.”

  “Wild!” Candi hugged her briefly before floating away on a cloud of perfume, heading for another knot of students. “See you there!”

  Before Faye could make it to the school’s front door, she heard another shout behind her. This time it was Liz, wearing a smile as big as the Golden Gate Bridge, which told Faye her friend had already heard about the party.

  “Omigod!” exclaimed Liz as she reached Faye. “Isn’t it awesome? An allowance raise and a party to shop for. And did Candi tell you that Lucas Morrow is going to be there? I should die right now. Life just can’t get better than this!”