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“Long story short, there wasn’t enough evidence to bag him for it. The case was a mess, but trust me, this dude is on Philly PD’s radar, and they’d love to see him go down.”
“So the fact that he’s potentially connected to a cold case involving the same type of gun in Snow Hill means—”
“He’s officially a person of interest and the detectives are looking into him. They’ve already got the process started, and they’re talking to his known associates this afternoon.”
“Good. But that also means Snow Hill PD is about to find out what’s up.”
“Exactly.”
Jack nodded grimly. “I’ll go talk to the mayor again and set up a meeting with the chief.”
That’d been the advice Andrew had given him when he’d gone to him that day after talking to Tommy. He’d be tracking the situation to cover Jack’s back, but he’d told him if something came to light, that’d be their next move.
“I’ll keep you posted,” Tommy said, “but given the rest of this guy’s rap sheet, I know they’re eager to pop him. Shouldn’t be long before we know more. If luck is on our side, maybe they’ll find something that will be enough for a warrant to search his place. Then,boom. If we find that gun, it’ll all be over.”
Jack appreciated Tommy’s optimism, but his stomach turned as he thought of the repercussions of that. “Yeah, here’s hoping. But it won’t all be over on my end.”
Tommy sighed heavily, and Jack could picture him rubbing his temples the way he always did at times like this. “One step at a time.”
* * *
Jack had been invitedto dinner at the inn that night, along with Robin and Abby, who basically treated him like he was her own personal hero after Operation Snowman Surprise. Holly had insisted they call it that, much to Jack’s chagrin, but since Abby loved it when Holly had told her that during dinner, he’d forgiven her for that incredible amount of cheese.
When they’d finished eating Joan’s amazing meal, they all moved to the sitting room to relax in front of the fire. Since the inn was no longer constantly booked with movie stars due to the fact that the town had taken a break from allowing movies to be filmed there, regular tourists staying at the inn joined them.
Jack didn’t mind the extra company since the vibe around the Snow Hill Inn was a definitive family-friendly atmosphere. And he’d need to get used to it if he planned to be a regular visitor. Butmanif he didn’t want to hang out with only his family for a bit.
Even after the horribly uncomfortable conversation he had with the police chief about Matthew’s case—which had gone surprisingly well, despite his nerves about who might be involved or how much trouble he’d get into for looking into it in an unofficial capacity—he’d also had a rough afternoon on an unrelated call that he wished he could forget.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and when he saw Robin’s name on the screen, he looked up and sent her a questioning look. She was right there, standing by the tree and chatting with Holly and Joan. Why the text?
Her eyes widened slightly at the phone in his hand, so he opened the message.
Robin: What’s wrong?
Jack blinked down at the screen, reading the message multiple times as if the two simple words were in a language he didn’t understand. What was wrong? Did he look like there was something wrong?
He hadn’t thought he’d been acting like it. Earlier, he’d sat on the floor with his niece and Abby while they colored in Christmas coloring books that looked so old he thought maybe Joan had stockpiled them when Nick was a kid and still had a stash of them hidden away. Either that or they were bought at a vintage store. One or the other, because he was pretty sure the big box store whose name was on the price tag had gone out of business quite a while ago.
Yeah, so maybe it was weird that he’d noticed that. And maybe it was also weird that it mattered. But neither of those things surprised him as much as how fun it had been to color the old-school cartoons of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with a psychotic two-year-old and the nine-year-old girl who knew more than he did about the superhero franchise they both enjoyed. Especially since the former had spent most of the time jumping on his back while he’d lay there on the floor.
Judging by the way the other adults in the room kept giving him mockingly shocked stares the whole time, they thought it was weird too.
So then, why would Robin think something was wrong?
He replied to her text asking as much, then watched as she pulled her phone out to reply. She continued talking to Holly and Joan as she did, and it made him want to snap his fingers and tell her to focus.
Less chatting, more typing,he thought just as the text finally came through.
Robin: This is going to sound really weird… but I can tell there’s something up. Is there? Feel free to tell me to butt out. You just look upset, and if you need to vent or anything, I wanted you to know I’m here.
Jack smiled to himself as he read her words. No wonder it’d taken her so long to type that up. Between her tendency for wordy texts and the actual letter she’d hidden in his sneak-attack Christmas tree, Robin wasn’t afraid to speak her mind in written form.
Jack: It’s work stuff. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be okay.
Robin: Meet me in the kitchen.
Jack lifted a brow as she slipped away from Holly and Joan and headed out of the sitting room. Was he supposed to wait a minute before he followed her or something?
