Read Online Lone Star Santa by Heather MacAllister - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather MacAllister
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a per-use basis to other, more specialized services. That’s where she figured she’d find all the dirt. Kristen felt mildly guilty for running up a tab, especially when she was her own client. She should just stop. It wasn’t as if Mitch’s problems were her problems.
But…but she had a hunch. Carl Zaleski was a great believer in hunches and intuition and she told herself he’d be pleased. Her father claimed that hunches, intuition and the ever popular “gut feeling” were actually the result of sharpened observation skills. He’d been trying to hone Kristen’s skills by having her relievehim on boring stakeouts and following people. Honestly, it was great acting training. But she didn’t feel detective-like, even though she thought she was a fairly good observer of human nature. And, though her father encouraged her—probably hoping she’d have some marketable skill to fall back on—she’d never intuited anything and the only hunch she’d felt was the ache in her shoulders from leaning on the steering wheel of their car.
Until now. Now, she was feeling something and it was kind of a kick. An expensive kick, she winced as she rang up a $29.95 charge for access to yet another financial database. The answers were out there. She just had to ask the right questions. And it seemed that the right questions were more about Jeremy than Mitch.
Time passed. Shadows fell. Kristen’s father called from a liquor store fifty-two miles away. As she talked with him, Kristen stretched one arm at a time over her head and then stood to get the circulation moving in her legs. “Mrs. Beckman made you, huh Dad?”
“I’m not sure. She’s still sitting in the car, poor woman. I’m hoping she’ll turn around and drive back without my interference.” Carl Zaleski sighed. “You might as well go on home. Close up for me?”
“Sure. Hey, I’m working on something. You know Mitch Donner?”
“I…uh…”
“Oh, come on. We know you and Mom and his parents have been talking about us.”
There was silence.
“Dad?”
“I can’t remember if I’m supposed to admit that or not. I’m just not good at this sort of thing!”
Kristen laughed. “Dad! You’re an investigator!”
“Right. Not a matchmaker. Oh, for the love of Mike, I know I shouldn’t have said that.” He sighed heavily.
“It’s okay. Mitch and I’ll probably hang out together.”
Sounding hopeful, he asked, “Is that anything like going on a date?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Could you tell your mother that I had something to do with it?”
Kristen smiled. “Actually, you did when you had me look into Christmas decorations. He’s working for The Electric Santa.”
“Why is he doing that?”
Kristen didn’t want to tell her father the whole story just yet. “He has issues and he told me all about them. The thing is, he’s not the kind of guy who should have these issues. Something isn’t right.”
“Kristen! You have a hunch.” Her dad sounded so delighted.
“Yeah…about that. I hired myself, since I was thinking of hanging—dating Mitch.” She waited.
“That sounds reasonable.”
“This hunch is proving expensive,” she told her father bluntly.
“It’s your first one. You’ll get more efficient. Go with your hunch until you find something or you’re satisfied that there’s nothing to find.”
“That’s just it—I’ve found a bunch of stuff, but I don’t know what it all means.”
“Well, you know, this business isn’t as easy aspeople think, just the way it isn’t the glamorous job the movies make it out to be.”
Kristen rolled her eyes at his patronizing father-knows-all tone.
“What are you looking into?” he asked.
“Financial sites. I keep getting ‘flagged’ messages and ‘investigation pending, access denied’ and contact so and so with any information—”
“Kristen,” her father’s voice changed instantly. “You are not to have anything to do with—”
“No, no, no. This doesn’t
But…but she had a hunch. Carl Zaleski was a great believer in hunches and intuition and she told herself he’d be pleased. Her father claimed that hunches, intuition and the ever popular “gut feeling” were actually the result of sharpened observation skills. He’d been trying to hone Kristen’s skills by having her relievehim on boring stakeouts and following people. Honestly, it was great acting training. But she didn’t feel detective-like, even though she thought she was a fairly good observer of human nature. And, though her father encouraged her—probably hoping she’d have some marketable skill to fall back on—she’d never intuited anything and the only hunch she’d felt was the ache in her shoulders from leaning on the steering wheel of their car.
Until now. Now, she was feeling something and it was kind of a kick. An expensive kick, she winced as she rang up a $29.95 charge for access to yet another financial database. The answers were out there. She just had to ask the right questions. And it seemed that the right questions were more about Jeremy than Mitch.
Time passed. Shadows fell. Kristen’s father called from a liquor store fifty-two miles away. As she talked with him, Kristen stretched one arm at a time over her head and then stood to get the circulation moving in her legs. “Mrs. Beckman made you, huh Dad?”
“I’m not sure. She’s still sitting in the car, poor woman. I’m hoping she’ll turn around and drive back without my interference.” Carl Zaleski sighed. “You might as well go on home. Close up for me?”
“Sure. Hey, I’m working on something. You know Mitch Donner?”
“I…uh…”
“Oh, come on. We know you and Mom and his parents have been talking about us.”
There was silence.
“Dad?”
“I can’t remember if I’m supposed to admit that or not. I’m just not good at this sort of thing!”
Kristen laughed. “Dad! You’re an investigator!”
“Right. Not a matchmaker. Oh, for the love of Mike, I know I shouldn’t have said that.” He sighed heavily.
“It’s okay. Mitch and I’ll probably hang out together.”
Sounding hopeful, he asked, “Is that anything like going on a date?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Could you tell your mother that I had something to do with it?”
Kristen smiled. “Actually, you did when you had me look into Christmas decorations. He’s working for The Electric Santa.”
“Why is he doing that?”
Kristen didn’t want to tell her father the whole story just yet. “He has issues and he told me all about them. The thing is, he’s not the kind of guy who should have these issues. Something isn’t right.”
“Kristen! You have a hunch.” Her dad sounded so delighted.
“Yeah…about that. I hired myself, since I was thinking of hanging—dating Mitch.” She waited.
“That sounds reasonable.”
“This hunch is proving expensive,” she told her father bluntly.
“It’s your first one. You’ll get more efficient. Go with your hunch until you find something or you’re satisfied that there’s nothing to find.”
“That’s just it—I’ve found a bunch of stuff, but I don’t know what it all means.”
“Well, you know, this business isn’t as easy aspeople think, just the way it isn’t the glamorous job the movies make it out to be.”
Kristen rolled her eyes at his patronizing father-knows-all tone.
“What are you looking into?” he asked.
“Financial sites. I keep getting ‘flagged’ messages and ‘investigation pending, access denied’ and contact so and so with any information—”
“Kristen,” her father’s voice changed instantly. “You are not to have anything to do with—”
“No, no, no. This doesn’t
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