Merry Christmas Murder by Leslie Langtry

Author:Leslie Langtry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: holiday, christmas, short story, novella, short mystery, short read
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

CHAPTER SIX

Back in the van, I checked my phone and saw that Riley wanted me to meet him at Oleo's for dinner. I texted Rex to let him know and took off. When I got to the place that served the best burger in the state, I found him and Kelly waiting for me.

"What did you find out?" I asked as I hung my coat over the back of the chair and sat down.

"Palmister isn't what we thought." Kelly handed me a glass of wine. "I also ordered the burger and fries for you."

She knew me so well. "What did we think?"

"He has lived in Des Moines all of his life," Riley began. "A loner who dropped out of high school, he's been in and out of mental institutions for years."

Kelly continued. "It's possible he really thought he was a dentist."

"What about the scar?" I pouted.

"A scar doesn't make someone a bad guy," Kelly chastised.

That's where she was wrong. As a spy, I'd crossed paths with fifteen different men with facial scars. Fourteen of them were baddies on an international level with serious body counts. The one who wasn't was a nice guy. His scar came from him saving a Shetland pony's life in La Paz. Sadly, one week later, Manuel was murdered when drug cartel leaders thought he was from a rival gang…based, you guessed it, on his facial scar.

"That hasn't been my experience," I said. "What does he do when he's not institutionalized?"

Kelly studied a list on her phone. "He's impersonated a mail carrier, an electrician, a surgeon who specializes in hemorrhoids, and a go-go dancer. He literally believed he was those things, and it usually takes folks a while to figure it out."

"Not a spy, then," I sighed. "Is there anyone from his past that he might've angered by screwing something up?"

"No charges have ever been filed against him. Whoever he got caught working for probably wanted to sweep it under the rug." Riley took a sip of water with lemon.

Our food arrived, and I dug in. Breaking into dental clinics and taking driver's ed really takes a lot out of a gal. As we ate, I filled Kelly and Riley in on my activities. I thought they laughed for an inappropriate amount of time.

"You didn't like driver's ed back then either." Kelly wiped a tear away.

"Hey!" I complained. "I happen to be an excellent driver!"

She set down her napkin. "Who are your suspects, then?"

"Besides Betty?" I drank my wine. "Actually, Betty would be more likely to kill Dr. Foster, and I think he believes that. I'd say Delores and Coach Adams are at the top of my list. But it really could be anybody. From what you've said, any parent could want him dead. If that's the case, it'll take a while."

Kelly dipped a French fry in ketchup. "I don't think so. The two Adamses were really, really angry with Dr. Palmister, but I never heard that anyone else was that upset. People were probably relieved that they didn't have to pay for braces.

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