Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Holly’s head. If that was true, then it was Holly’s fault Amber was taking those pills. And if that was the case, hopefully Amber could forgive her for getting involved once more. If not now, maybe later. No matter what it might look like to Amber, this wasn’t personal.
“Follow me,” Leslie said. “We’ll sit and visit in the living room.” Holly followed Leslie to the left through a tall archway. When she walked into the living room, Holly noticed the large fireplace at one end and the brightly painted walls. She wondered how a bitter person like Amber could live in such a cheerful home? “I’ll go get the cookies and lemonade. Amber, will you entertain Holly for a moment?”
“Sure,” Amber said as they both sat on the couch. Once Leslie was out of the room, Amber began to look at Holly with daggers in her eyes. “So help me if you cause any trouble for me, I swear I’ll find a way to repay you for every ounce of trouble you’ve caused me,” she vowed.
“Oh my gosh, Amber,” Holly said as she grew frustrated. “I already told you I didn’t know you had anything to do with this. Just give it a rest already.”
Amber looked as though she was ready to come back with a sharp retort when Leslie came back in the room, carrying a tray. “Here you go, girls,” she said as she set it on the coffee table. She’d carried in a plate of cookies along with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. She poured the drinks, setting the glasses on coasters in front of each one of them.
Holly took a sip of hers. “Wow, this is amazing,” Holly said. “That’s some of the best lemonade I’ve ever had.”
“Well thank you,” Leslie beamed. “It’s an old family recipe that’s been handed down. Please, have as much as you want. Same with the cookies.” She picked the plate up and offered it to Holly. She chose one and took a bite.
“There’s nothing better than a good chocolate chip cookie,” she said with a smile.
Leslie looked pleased. “I’m glad you like it. So, explain to me again what brought you to our house today?”
Holly told them about how she’d been helping Missy with the coat drive and checking the pockets of each one to make sure they were ready to be given to those in need when she found something in one of the pockets.
Do you still have the photograph of the coat?” Leslie asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Holly said politely.
“Would you show it to Amber? I think I know whose it was, but I can’t be certain,” Leslie said.
Holly pulled her phone out of her pocket and located the photo. She handed it over to Amber who took Holly’s phone so she could look closer at it.
“That’s my old coat,” Amber nodded. “It definitely came from our house.”
Holly took a deep breath. If that was Amber’s old coat, it could only mean one thing. The pills were Amber’s. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Holly was going to be forced to turn Amber’s life upside down again. She only hoped this time things would work out better for Amber than they had the last time.
CHAPTER 19
“You’re saying this was one of your coats that I dropped off at the library?” Leslie asked as she sipped her lemonade.
“Well, kind of,” Amber said. “It used to be mine, but I gave it to Lucy last winter. She’d outgrown all of hers, and I didn’t wear it anymore.”
Holly’s head began to spin. It wasn’t Amber’s? Did that mean the pills belonged to her little sister?
Leslie turned back to Holly. “You haven’t told us what you found in the coat,” she said. “I think that would really help us.”
“That’s the tough part,” Holly admitted. Her eyes went from Amber to Leslie and back again. “What I found was a pill bottle with pills still in it.” She let her words sink in as they both stared at her. Amber was the first to blink and shake her head.
“Like, prescription medication pills?” she asked, surprised.
Holly nodded as she pulled the bottle out of her pocket. “I know that someone wouldn’t just peel the label off for no reason and have them hidden in a coat pocket. When I found them, I was concerned that someone in our community was abusing pills. I wanted to find out who it was so I could help them.” She hoped it didn’t sound like she was just a nosey person. Her words may have sounded flimsy, but she was still certain she was doing the right thing.
“You mean, you went through all that trouble because you thought someone in Cottonwood Springs had a drug problem and you wanted to help?” Amber asked incredulously as she took the bottle from her.
“There has to be some kind of a mistake,” Leslie said shaking her head. “Lucy wouldn’t take pills she’s not supposed to. And where would she even get them?” She looked over at Amber who looked just as confused.
Amber opened the bottle and peered inside. “How do you know what kind of pills they are?” she asked. “I mean, I don’t think anyone in this house has a prescription for anything,” she said as she looked at Leslie.
“They’re Adderall pills,” Holly explained. “I looked them up online to be sure they were something that could be abused before I started looking for the person who had donated the coat.” She chuckled a little. “I didn’t want to hunt someone down when they were only taking prenatal vitamins or acid reflux pills.”
“That was a good idea,” Leslie nodded. “I didn’t even realize you could look on the internet to find out what kind a pill one was. I swear, is there anything you can’t do on the internet these days?”
“I don’t think so,” Holly said. “I was a little surprised myself when I found that out. There’s a website for all of that. So, no one in the house takes prescription pills?”
Leslie shook her head. “No, none of us. I hate to ask, but do you promise these weren’t yours, Amber?”
Amber shook her head emphatically. “No, I swear. Actually, considering what the alternative means, I wish they were mine,” she said. “Leslie, where did Dad and Lucy go?”
“They went to the store,” Leslie said absently. “They shouldn’t be gone much longer.”
“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news again,” Holly said to Amber. “I really didn’t know. It’s just, with the way my mom was, I wanted to help.”
“What do you mean?” Leslie asked.
“She hasn’t lived here very long,” Amber explained to Holly. “She doesn’t know about your family and stuff.” She looked as though she were apologizing for the fact.
“That’s okay,” Holly reassured her. Turning to Leslie she said, “My mom had an addiction problem. In the end, she was murdered. But I’ve struggled as I’ve learned more about my mom since she’s been gone. She desperately needed help and didn’t get any. It seems her addiction and drug abuse all started as a cry for help. When I thought there might be another person in town who was struggling like she had…” Holly left her sentence open-ended.
“You wanted to reach out like you feel someone should have done for your mom,” Leslie supplied.
“Pretty much,” Holly nodded. She knew Amber didn’t know the whole story, so when she looked over at her, Holly saw something that surprised her. Compassion. “I knew it was a long shot and there was a good chance it wouldn’t do any good, but I had to try. I couldn’t live with myself if I just threw them away or flushed them down the toilet. So I followed the clues and did whatever I could to track down where they came from,” she explained.
Leslie nodded. “Well, I’m certainly glad you did. I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re going to get to the bottom of it when they get back,” she said. “I hope there’s some logical reason for the pills being in the coat pocket. Lucy is just too young to get mixed up in something like this.”
“How old is she?” Holly asked.
“She’s in seventh grade this year,” Leslie said. “So that makes her…”
“She’s twelve,” Amber said, looking a little shell shocked. “Much too young to be playing around with that kind of stuff.” She looked up at Holly with pleading eyes. “I mean, w
here in the world would a twelve-year-old get prescription pills?”
Holly shrugged and shook her head. “That I have no clue. But it seems like each generation is getting more and more resourceful. Maybe it’s just a big misunderstanding.”
“Well, no matter what, I want to thank you, Holly,” Leslie said as she collected herself. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy to hunt us down and try to get to the bottom of this. No matter what we find out when Lucy gets here, I appreciate all the hard work you put into this.”
“Thank you,” Holly said. “I just wanted to do for someone else what I’d hope someone would do for my family. In the end, we all have lives to live, and we’re trying to do our best. Sometimes we just need to know that someone out there cares.”
“That’s certainly the truth,” Leslie nodded. “I was in a bad place before I met Lucy and Amber’s father,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Holly said, unsure of what else to say.
“When I moved here, I was on my own. I used to live in a small town about an hour away. But I lost my fiancé in a car accident. After it happened, it seemed like that was all anyone saw when they looked at me. I tried to wait it out, hoping everyone could forget about it. But it was a big deal and nobody seemed to be able to.
“After a while I packed up my stuff and started driving. I didn’t make it very far. My car broke down just outside of Cottonwood Springs.” Leslie seemed to be somewhere else as she told her story. As if she could still see it all in her mind's eye.
“I remember that,” Amber said. “Dad came home with a big smile on his face that day and said he’d met a pretty lady on the side of the road. I swear I hadn’t seen him smile like that since Mom was alive.”
“That’s right,” Leslie agreed. “I told him I was looking for a new place to live, and he told me all about Cottonwood Springs and how great it was. He even offered to help me with a place to rent if I wanted to settle here. I mean, how could I refuse? I’d set out looking for some sort of a sign telling me where I should land.
“A broken-down car, and a handsome, kind angel to help me along, were good enough for me, and I figured they were the sign I was looking for. I’ve been here ever since. The fact that he cared enough to help me quite possibly changed my life.”
“That’s amazing,” Holly said with a smile. “And now the rest is history.”
“Exactly,” she said as she bit into a cookie. A sound at the back of the house made her turn. “Oh, it sounds like they’re home.”
CHAPTER 20
“Honey, we’re home,” a male voice called from the far end of the house.
“We’re in the living room, Joe,” Leslie called back. “Can you please come in here when you get a chance? Lucy, too.”
“Do you want me to leave?” Holly asked. She didn’t know if they wanted to take care of this just among the family. This was not the time for a stranger to be sitting around awkwardly.
“No, please stay,” Leslie said quickly.
“She’s right,” Amber said. “You found them and tracked us down. We need you here. Dad probably won’t want to believe it.”
Holly nodded and took another sip of her lemonade. Her throat had gone dry.
A tall man with dark blonde hair appeared in the doorway. He was dressed casually, wearing flip flops and shorts. He looked as though he was ready for a barbeque or something similar. Behind him was a girl who was obviously Amber’s little sister, Lucy. She looked almost exactly like Amber except for the rounder face and slightly darker hair. Even though she was only a few years younger than Holly, she still seemed far too young to be mixed up with drugs.
“I didn’t realize we had company,” he said when he saw Holly.
“Joe, this is Holly Lewis. Holly, this is my fiancé and the girls’ father, Joe,” Leslie said as she introduced them.
“Nice to meet you,” he said politely. “What do you need, Leslie? I haven’t put the groceries away.”
“This is important. Amber, honey, would you put the groceries away?”
Amber nodded and hurried to the other room.
“Joe, Lucy, why don’t you sit down, and I’ll let Holly explain what she’s doing here,” Leslie said as she turned to Holly. “Would you please tell it all from the beginning one more time?”
Holly nodded. “I guess I should start with the fact that I was helping Missy over at the church with her coat drive. She asked for help sorting all the donated coats, so a couple of friends and I went there to help her out. While we were there, part of our job was to check all the pockets to make sure nothing had accidently been left in them.”
“And I take it something was,” Joe supplied.
“That’s right,” Holly said. “I was checking this coat here,” she said as she handed her phone to him with the photo of the coat pulled up, “when I found something in one of the pockets.”
“Oh, that’s one of Amber’s old coats,” he said as recognition settled on his face.
Holly nodded. “I had to do some digging to find out exactly who had donated the coat. I ended up tracking down Leslie and asked her if she’d donated it. I told her about finding something in the pocket and wanting to find the original owner.”
“That’s very kind of you,” he said as he handed her phone back. “What was it?”
The entire time, Lucy had been watching the exchange. As Holly mentioned finding something in the coat, her face had gone white and she began to fidget. Holly watched the girl, but didn’t say anything. She glanced towards Leslie and saw that she, too, was aware of the changes in the young girl.
Leslie was holding the bottle of pills, and she handed it over to Joe. He looked at them quizzically, as if he wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at. “I don’t understand,” he said finally.
“I found that bottle of pills in the pocket of the coat,” Holly explained.
“Amber’s taking pills?” he asked.
“No,” Amber said as she returned. “I gave that coat to Lucy when she outgrew all of hers.”
Joe turned to Lucy who was studying her shoes intently. “Lucy?”
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Lucy said quickly. “I think it’s all made up.”
“Come on now, Lucy,” Amber said as she sat back down. “We need to understand what’s going on and where you got those.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lucy said as her eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Nobody said you were in trouble,” Joe said carefully. “But if these are, in fact, yours, I want to know why you have them.” He turned to Holly, Amber, and Leslie. ‘What are they?”
“Adderall,” Amber said. “High school and college-age kids take them a lot.”
Joe looked back at Lucy. He touched her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Luce, please tell me the truth. Are these yours?” He held the bottle up with two fingers.
Lucy looked at the bottle in her father's hand for only a moment before she broke down in tears. “Yes, but I didn’t take any yet, I swear.”
“Okay, that’s good,” he said evenly. “Where did you get them?”
Everyone was silent as the girl sniffled. “I got them from Ana. They’re her brother’s.”
“Why did you get them from her?” Leslie asked softly.
Lucy looked up wide-eyed. Her nose and eyes were already pink from crying. Holly’s heart broke for the poor girl who had somehow gotten mixed up in things she shouldn’t have been.
“I’ve been having a hard time in school this year,” she began. “Everything is so much harder now, and you know how much I struggled last year.” She hiccupped as she spoke. “Ana said her brother started taking these pills, and they made it easier for him to learn.
“He told her he could focus so much better when he took them. The last time her brother came home from college for the weekend, I went over to her house. We snuck the bottle out of his travel bag. We were going to split the pills, but s
he wanted me to hide them in case he searched her stuff for them when he found out they were missing.”
“And then you hid them in the coat you no longer wore,” Leslie said.
“Right,” Lucy said nodding. “It was in the back of my closet, so I thought I’d stash them there until Ana and I could divide them. Then, one day when I came home and the coat was gone, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Honey, it’s dangerous to take pills that a doctor didn’t give you,” Joe explained. Holly watched the entire exchange in silence.
“But why is it okay for Ana’s brother to take them and not us?” she asked. “We need help in school too.”
“If a doctor didn’t prescribe those pills for him, then it’s not okay,” Leslie explained. “And we should probably talk to Ana’s parents about it.”
“But then she’ll be mad at me!” Lucy wailed. “I can’t have my best friend mad at me!”
“I know, it’s tough,” Amber said reassuringly. “But in the end, it will all be for the best. She may be mad at you for now, but she’ll get over it.” Amber glanced over at Holly and gave her a small smile.
“It’s important to do what’s right,” Holly finally chimed in. “Even if it’s really hard at the time.”
Lucy looked at Holly with big, tear filled eyes. “You promise?”
Holly nodded. “I was afraid to find who had the pills. I was scared they would be mad at me for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. But I just knew if someone was taking those pills, and they hadn’t been given to them by a doctor, they could get seriously hurt.”
“Really?” Lucy asked. “Like what?”
“Well, first there are the side effects just from taking the medicine. Even people who are supposed to take it can get headaches or dizziness. Sometimes they have an upset stomach or stuff like that. But there are also more severe things that can happen. It can cause heart problems, chest pain, and seizures. Really bad stuff, Lucy. We don’t want that to happen to you, Ana, or her brother.”
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 24