Episode 11 of You Sleigh Me: A Christmas Mystery.
We said nothing. Luke turned his robot-like gaze back to whatever it was he thought he could see. Then he frowned. “Wait…He’s…he’s not…he’s gone.”
Sweat popped out on his forehead. His eyes clouded. His arm fell to his side, and I got to him just before he pitched over. Luke Runningwolf, the tough Native American whose ancestors helped to build Manhattan, had fainted.
And it didn’t take a detective to work out what the look on his face had meant. It was the expression of a man who had seen a ghost.
A couple of hours later, I was drinking coffee with Carole in the canteen. “Whatever is going on in this store,” I told her, “it ends tonight.”
“Have you ever wondered,” she commented, “why some people talk as if they’re in movie trailers?”
“Listen to me. I’m running out of time. My reputation is on the line. If I don’t solve this mystery, I’m finished. For good.”
She looked at me. “You’re kidding, right?”
I grinned. “Right. But that won’t stop me hanging out here after closing with a hip flask of brandy, a plate of mince pies…and an automatic pistol.”
To be continued...
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