Pulling out her phone, she thought about messaging Brigid, but then she decided against it. It was Brigid and Linc’s honeymoon. Far better that she just let them enjoy themselves and tell them the news later. Instead, she pulled out a book and changed into something a little more comfortable. For now, all she wanted to do was escape from reality.
Her favorite book series had been put on the back burner for a while, but now she could focus on it again. All the mysteries that occurred in Springfield, both past and present, had been solved, and she could go back to being a kid for a little while longer.
EPILOGUE
Holly couldn’t believe how fast the rest of her trip had gone. True to her word, Chloe had moved up the bonfire party so Holly could attend. She’d even made her the guest of honor. There had been a cake and a special crown she’d bought for Holly to wear so everyone would know that she was the one who had saved everything. All that attention had made Holly feel incredibly awkward, but by the end of the night she’d grown somewhat used to it.
There had been fireworks, which everyone loved. Holly wasn’t sure she’d ever seen so many big fireworks set off in the same yard before. Growing up she’d been lucky to have sparklers on the Fourth of July. Once Chloe found out, she had Holly lighting them and they all giggled and laughed like they were little kids.
Holly did her best to enjoy the moment, although sometimes she found herself getting sad. Sad that she’d missed this type of family happiness, sad that it took the death of her mother to experience it. But she didn’t let it last for long. Instead, she shook off those feelings and redirected her thoughts to all the wonderful and amazing people that had become a new and permanent part of her life.
It was wonderful how inclusive everyone had been. By the end of the night, Holly had become good friends with Chloe and they’d promised to keep in touch. That was also the night that Chloe told everyone she was dating Steven. She’d realized just how much she’d been missing out on by being so strict with herself. She vowed that her senior year was going to be a memorable one. She didn’t want to finish up high school with her nose stuck in a textbook all year.
There were more people paired up at the bonfire. Some of the girls they’d investigated had asked the guys they’d had their eye on and they’d said yes. Leah, who wisely didn’t come to the party, even got the courage to ask out Jayce, a guy who she’d apparently been wanting to ask out for a long time. Holly had thought it was mind blowing how many girls had allowed their jealousy of Chloe and fear of rejection to stand in the way of asking out their guy of choice.
Katie and Allen had taken everyone out to see the sights just as they’d promised, and Holly had filled her phone with so many photographs that she eventually had to email some of them to herself just to free up more memory in her phone. They visited the Wildlife Museum and Aquarium as well as the drive through caverns. They even took a day trip down to Branson and had a blast listening to and seeing some country music stars. It had been overwhelming, but fun, all rolled into one. All in all, it had been an amazing trip.
Before she left, she was able to visit her grandpa once more. They talked about her mother and in some ways, she felt that a burden had been lifted from his shoulders as well. By the time she’d left, he made her promise to call him every once in a while, so he could keep up with what was going on in her life.
Just the fact that he cared enough to ask her to call him made Holly feel as though her heart could explode. It was all a bit overwhelming for a girl who had gone from having no one to suddenly having an aunt, uncle, cousins, and a grandfather.
When she got back to Cottonwood Springs, she put the photo she’d had taken with him in one of her new frames and placed it prominently on the shelf in her room. He looked so happy and pleased with his arm around her.
“Holly, I think your boxes have arrived,” Brigid called from the great room a few days after she’d return to Cottonwood Springs. Holly had been in her room putting her new pictures in frames and trying to find a place for everything. She hurried out into the hall just as Brigid was opening the door for the delivery man. Holly began to count the boxes as they were being brought in. Before he was finished bringing them in, it seemed as though there were a lot more than she’d remembered.
“This is a lot of boxes,” Brigid said, echoing Holly’s thoughts. “It looks like Linc moved in all over again,” she chuckled.
“I don’t remember there being this many,” Holly said as she began to unstack them.
“Look, this one has a letter attached to it,” Brigid said as she moved one of the boxes. Holly began to pick at the tape that held it down until she was able to lift a corner and pull it off. The handwriting looked familiar and when she opened the letter Holly realized her aunt had written it.
Dear Holly,
We were all so glad to have you come and visit. Anytime you want to come back, you just let us know. It was wonderful getting to know you and hear all about your home in Cottonwood Springs.
You may be thinking that this looks like a lot more stuff than what you had set aside, and it is. Your grandpa was going to write a letter to explain, but his handwriting isn’t quite what it used to be, so he asked me to do it for him. Not long after you left, we stumbled upon a little more stuff that we thought you might be interested in.
If you don’t want some things, please don’t feel as though you have to keep them. These were from your mother and your grandmother. We thought you might like to have them. We tried to make it pretty obvious who they came from. Take your time and go through them slowly. I’m adding a few pages to explain a few things.
Lastly, I want to thank you for making me face my past. It was much easier to just shut the door on what had happened and try to forget it, but obviously I couldn’t. But in the end, that did nothing but hurt all of us, your mother most of all. I won’t make that mistake again. Thank you for being the catalyst to getting us talking about everything. It was long overdue.
Allen and I have been talking, and we think we’d like to come visit you, someday, not right away, but someday. I’d like to see where you and my sister lived. Please give my love to Brigid and Linc and make sure they get my apology for sending so many boxes. If Brigid is anything like me, she’s probably looking at the stack of boxes I sent and wondering where she’s going to put it all.
Like I said, you don’t need to keep everything. These items are just things. Keep only what makes you happy, because that’s what you deserve. Take it from me, holding onto something that brings you pain will never allow you to heal. Only by pulling the bandage off the wound, and looking at it directly, can you really move on.
I’m still sorry for not being there all those years ago when you needed me, but I can’t go back in time. If you need anything, anything at all, call me and I will do whatever I can to help. The kids are already asking when they’ll get to see you again. Obviously, you’ve made quite an impression on all of us, and we consider you a part of our family. Don’t ever forget that.
With all my love,
Katie
“That’s sweet of her,” Brigid said after Holly finished reading the letter aloud. “And she’s right, that was the first thing I thought when I saw how many boxes there were. Linc’s going to be surprised when he gets back home.”
“I’ll get them moved into my room here in a few. Katie’s probably right. I should go through them slowly, so I can really take in each item. You never know what I might find.”
“That’s very true,” Brigid said as she pulled Holly into a hug. “Don’t worry about them being out here. They’re not bothering me. Take all the time you need. You can spread them all out if you like. It’s interesting to see where you came from, and I’ll learn right along with you.”
Holly smiled at Brigid. “Thank you. For everything.”
“No thanks necessary. You said you found out that Chloe’s best friend was the one who framed her?” Brigid asked as she knelt down to scratch Jett on the head.
/> “Yeah, Lissa and Steven said Chloe and Leah have at least started talking to each other again. They don’t know if they’ll ever be best friends again, but at least for now they’re being civil to one another,” Holly said as she sat down on the floor by one of the boxes.
Jett lumbered over to her and sat on her lap, inviting her to pet him. She laughed as he almost pushed her over. “Geeze, Jett. I’ve been home a couple days now. I’ve already told you I missed you a million times. What more do you want from me?”
“I’d say he wants to hear it a million and one times,” Brigid said with a laugh. “You know, I had a wonderful honeymoon, and it was a great trip, but I’m very glad to be home and back to normal.”
“Me, too,” Holly said. “Missouri was beautiful, and I had a ton of fun, but Cottonwood Springs is my home. I’m glad to be here.”
“Honey, no one is happier than I am that you’re here,” Brigid said, as she hugged Holly while a warm tear of happiness trickled down her cheek.
*****
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HOLLY & THE COAT MYSTERY
CHAPTER 1
The alarm clock on her nightstand began to buzz loudly and Holly groaned as she slapped at it. It took a few tries, but eventually she got it to stop its frustrating noise. She laid in bed for a moment, her eyes trying to focus on the bedroom ceiling, before she let out a big puff of breath. School had been underway for a little over a month now, and she was already getting tired of waking up early.
In her opinion, early morning was only good for one thing. Sleeping. It wasn’t that she hated school. Pretty much the opposite. It was fairly easy for her, and her grades were outstanding. It was more just the waking up part every school day morning that she hated. She wondered why school couldn’t start somewhere around 10:00 a.m., because that would be a little bit easier to deal with.
Holly threw her covers back, sat up in bed, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She’d had a strange dream where Brigid had become a police officer, and Jett was a K-9 unit dog. They’d been running after some bad guy who had apparently done something wrong, but she couldn’t remember what it was now.
Linc had been in the dream, too, and he’d simply turned to her and shrugged before sitting down to wait for Brigid to return. Holly shook her head, chalking the dream up to being inspired by Brigid’s story about everything that happened while she and Linc were away on their recent honeymoon.
Holly knew if something came up while they were away that Brigid wouldn’t be able to stop herself from getting involved, especially if that something happened to involve a murder investigation.
She’d feel she had to get involved. It wasn’t like she wasn’t wanted or needed in such an investigation. It was more like she seemed to have some way to contribute that always turned out to be helpful. And so it had been when they were in San Antonio visiting the historic Alamo.
Holly got up and walked across the room, reaching for the clothes she’d laid out the night before. A black Soundgarden tee and her capris. It was something new she was trying, and so far, it was making the mornings a little less stressful. As she was tugging on her shoes, she couldn’t help but think back with a smile about her recent summer vacation. Sleeping in, wearing her pajamas as late as she wanted to, and no school work. It was pure bliss.
When she returned from her trip to Missouri to visit her family, she was glad to be back, but she found she missed her cousins. It had been nice having some family around who were her own age. Someone to hang out with and talk about things people her age talked about. They may not have known her long, but they’d made sure she felt like she belonged from the moment she was there.
It was her mother’s side of the family, and she hadn’t known much about them until after her mother had been murdered. They’d invited Holly to visit during the summer vacation time from school, so she could get to know them. It had been great, but there was no way she wanted to stay there permanently. She would have missed Brigid, Linc, Fiona, Brandon, and of course, Jett, Brigid’s wonderful 125-pound Newfoundland dog, along with everyone else in Cottonwood Springs.
And then of course there were her friends from school and her boyfriend, Wade. Since the tragic death of her mother, she had a new life here in Cottonwood Springs. One that meant more to her than anything else she’d experienced. These people may not have been related by blood to her, but she felt like they were family, and nothing could change that.
After brushing her hair and putting on a little makeup, Holly made her way to the kitchen where Brigid and Linc were cooking breakfast. The smell of food made her feel a little more willing to be awake. The only good thing about an early morning was breakfast.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Linc said as she drew closer. He slid a cup of coffee across the counter to her. “Straight from the pot,” he said as he gave her a wink. He knew just how much she hated mornings and often tried to make them better with a nice, strong cup of coffee.
She took a long sip and felt the warmth slide down her throat and into her belly. “Ahh, now that’s good coffee,” she said as she closed her eyes to savor it. “It’s bringing me back to life.” As she took yet another sip, she felt as if some color was starting to creep into her face.
“You’re sure you don’t want me to drive you to school this morning?” Brigid asked as she dropped a couple of slices of toast on a plate with eggs and sausage and set it in front of Holly. “It’s really not a problem. I don’t mind staying home, but I don’t want Wade to have to go out of his way.”
“I’m more than sure. It’s going to be fine. Wade is actually a very good driver. Don’t stress. Enjoy your newly added free time,” Holly insisted. She knew Brigid always felt a little anxious about changes, but there was no way she was going to choose having the equivalent of her mother driving her to school for the rest of her time in high school over Wade.
As soon as her boyfriend had gotten his driver's license and was able to drive to school, Holly was ready to ride with him. It was far more acceptable to ride with a fellow student than to get dropped off by a parent. Everyone knew that.
“Do you have to work at the bookstore tonight?” Brigid asked as she sat down to enjoy her own breakfast. She was already dressed for the day even though she worked from home. Brigid always seemed to be totally put together. Granted, Holly had seen her with a bad case of bed head and wrinkled clothes on occasion, but it didn’t happen very often.
“Not tonight. But I told her if she doesn’t feel up to it, to let me know. I don’t want her to think she has to stick it out to give me a night off. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. I’m just glad Fiona’s getting past the sickness part of her pregnancy,” Holly said between bites. “She was really miserable there for a while. I’ve never seen anyone who couldn’t even hold down crackers and water.”
“Me too,” Brigid said nodding. “If there’s one thing you don’t want to deal with, it’s a miserable Fiona. Because if she’s miserable, I’ll guarantee you she’ll make everyone else who’s around her miserable, too,” Brigid chuckled. “Having her get back to normal is refreshing.”
Linc joined them at the counter with his own breakfast. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited to find out whether she’s having a boy or a girl. Are they going to try and find out ahead of time?”
“Last I heard, she and Brandon were still deciding if they wanted to know,” Holly said. “Since it took so long for her to get pregnant, they were considering letting the sex of the baby be a surprise. They aren’t sure if they’ll have a chance to do all of this again,” she shrugged.
“I can understand that,” Brigid sighed. “They’ve been trying for a long time. It would be fun to have a gender reveal party, but it would also be exciting to wait.”
“Why didn’t you guys ever have children in your other marriages?” Holly asked. She’d always thought it was strange that neither one of them had, especially
since Brigid seemed to love taking care of others. As far as Holly knew, every couple eventually had kids unless there was some sort of medical reason. She’d never known a couple that didn’t at least try.
“My ex-wife was completely against having children,” Linc said while he continued to eat. “She didn’t want to ruin her figure, or so she said. I was too busy snowboarding, sky diving, and doing all the things that I liked to do. Having children at the time just didn’t seem to be high on my priority list. Now I’m glad we didn’t.” He forked a sausage link into his mouth as if to punctuate his sentence.
“What about you, Brigid?” Holly asked.
“I always wanted to have kids of my own, but my ex-husband didn’t. He felt they’d take up too much time and that they would be a burden. So, I just resigned myself to never having any.” She looked up at Holly fondly. “But now I have you.”
“Yeah, I get that. But I’m still not the same as actually having a baby,” Holly pointed out. “I’m a big smelly teenager who rolls her eyes all the time.” Holly knew Brigid didn’t feel that way about her, but she still liked to tease about it. “Oh, and I eat all the time. Isn’t that a thing too? Teenagers eating everything in the house?”
“Well, you sure have the eating part down,” Linc joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without some kind of food in your hand.”
Holly glared at him and then rolled her eyes. “I might say the same about you. What about your popcorn every night?” she fired back.
Both of them erupted in laughter as Brigid shook her head. “You two are terrible,” she murmured. “I swear, you’re like a couple of kids picking on each other.” She turned and carried her dirty breakfast plate to the kitchen sink.
“We like to keep each other on our toes. Nothing wrong with that,” Linc said as he finished the last of his breakfast and carried his plate to the sink. “We both know it’s all in good fun. No hard feelings, right Holly?”
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 13