The Spy Who Saved Christmas by Dana Marton Read Free Book Online

closed his eyes and in his mind ran through his whole conversation with Jen at the restaurant. Couldn’t pick out a single clue. So he ran the conversation again. This time, his subconscious got snagged on a sentence.
    “My sister knows,” Jen had said, referring to her pregnancy.
    According to her file, Jen was estranged from her family. They didn’t see eye to eye with Kenny and the values he represented. Jen had cut her family off three years ago to devote all her time and energy to Kenny and his buddies, to the cause.
    So when had she made up with her sister? Eileen was the name, he thought. He was dialing his FBI handler as he headed back to his car.
    “Hey. The asset we lost tonight… Her apartment was trashed. Send someone out here for fingerprints. See if the neighbors noticed anyone coming and going and maybe have a description. Can you get into her police file right now? Okay. I need her sister’s ad dress.” He memorized the information. “I’ll call if I have anything.”
    He was in a cutesy cul-de-sac near Philly less than two hours later, bungalow houses that were probably thirty, forty years old lined the street, each sitting on about a fifth of an acre. He pulled into the driveway of a house with the number he’d been looking for. The lights were on.
    Which meant he couldn’t push in a back window and investigate on his own. He would have to ask permission. Because he sure as hell didn’t have time to wait for a warrant.
    He got out of the car, walked up to the door and knocked. It was seven in the morning.
    A red-eyed woman opened the door. She was a few years older than Jen had been, same color irises, different color hair. She was clutching a wad of tissues in her hand.
    “Good morning, ma’am. I’m Reid Graham. I know I’m coming at a bad time, but I need to ask some questions about your sister.”
    Tears welled. “I already told everything to the detective.” She swallowed a sob, pressing the wad of tissues to her nose.
    She assumed that he was another cop, like the one who’d come to inform her of her sister’s death, and he didn’t correct her. The assumption worked fine for him.
    “We’ve had some developments since,” he said simply.
    That did the trick. She motioned him in.
    The house was as modest inside as it was outside, clean and well-kept, like Lara’s place. Except this home was decorated within an inch of its life with ribbons and ruffles, a Victorian medley of roses and lace that made him dizzy. The Christmas decorations were equally overwhelming and exuberant. He sat in a pink flowery armchair—accented with a red-and-white candy-cane patterned throw and matching decorative pillow—refusing to let it intimidate him.
    She sagged onto the couch, which was smothered in Christmas pillows. “Do you know who killed her?”
    “Not yet.”
    “I told the other detective that she was running with bad people. Kenny, her boyfriend… Creepy guy. Even violent.” She sniffed.
    “We’re certainly investigating that angle. Could you tell me when you last saw your sister?”
    “Yesterday.” The word brought a new batch of tears. “We haven’t really talked in years. She showed up out of the blue. She said she regretted running off with Kenny. I called Mom right after she left. We were so happy that she came to her senses. She was going to have a baby.” Eileen gave a loud sob.
    “How long was she here?”
    “She was in a hurry. I shouldn’t have let her go. Oh, God, if I only knew…”
    “Can you tell me exactly what she did while she was here, what rooms she went into, everything she touched?”
    A few rapid blinks came. “Why?”
    “I have reason to believe that she left something here.”
    “She didn’t.”
    “She wouldn’t have told you.”
    Eileen’s back stiffened. “But I would have seen her.”
    “Mind if I look anyway? If I’m right, the evidence can put her killer away for a long time. And it can save the lives of many others.”
    Eileen