Journey Back to Christmas by Leigh Duncan

Author:Leigh Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Published: 2018-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“I just want to ask a few questions, that’s all. Better safe than sorry, I always say.”

Belinda Jones might mean well, Jake told himself, but her pinched face told him he and Sarah were in for more than just a few questions. An interrogation was more likely. He squared his shoulders and stood taller. At six-two, he towered over the town’s biggest gossip, but he may as well have saved himself the effort. The tiny woman had compiled a long litany of problems with the way the Central Falls Police Department had handled their investigation into Hanna Morse. And, from the indignant expression on her face, Mrs. Jones wasn’t about to leave until she’d voiced every single one of her many concerns.

“All I’m saying is that it’s suspicious.” She fisted both hands.

“Look—” Jake cupped his own hands in front of him. According to his instructor in the Hostage Negotiation class he’d taken, the stance projected authority while it conveyed reassurance. If so, it didn’t seem to have any effect on the irate citizen or her angry sputters. He firmed his tone and tried again. “Hold on, hold on.”

But the woman’s rant continued. Riding roughshod over his requests, she didn’t even slow down long enough to draw a breath. Instead, she ticked items off on her fingers. “The crazy claims. The weird clothes. The brainwashing.”

Oh, now you’re just being ridiculous.

Although he’d been listening to Mrs. Jones’s tirade for fifteen minutes, Jake smothered the protest that would guarantee him a reprimand if the chief ever got wind of it. “There’s no brainwashing,” he said in his softest, least threatening tone.

“Really?” Her two-handed gesture took in the fedora he’d picked up at Past & Present, as well as the Forties-style jacket his sister had given him.

Belatedly, he removed the hat from his head. “Look, I can explain if you’ll—”

“Now, everyone is… singing!” Mrs. Jones put so much emphasis on the last word that she made singing sound like a worse crime than robbing a bank. “Ever since she got here, this entire town has been out of whack.”

Even as he tried to once more calm the woman’s fears, he could feel the edges of his patience start to fray. “Mrs. Jones, if you’ll—”

“It’s your job to get to the bottom of it.” Her voice ran on like a runaway freight train, one he was powerless to stop.

“But for some reason, she’s staying at your house like she’s some sort of guest.” The little woman clasped her hands to her chest. “I am worried—”

A loud whistle rent the air. The sudden noise accomplished the one thing Jake had been unsuccessful in doing—it stopped Mrs. Jones in her tracks.

The epitome of restraint, despite the strident citizen in their midst, Sarah stepped from behind her desk. “Mrs. Jones,” she said, one hand on the butt of her service revolver, the other perched on her hip. “I can assure you, the Central Falls Police Department has this situation completely under control. We take your concerns seriously.” Sarah tilted her head in his direction.

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