The Blonde Before Christmas: a Barb Jackson Mysteries holiday short story Read Online Free PDF Page B

focus wasn't really on the fact that a dead man had been found beneath the tree. No, the main story was about the fact that the mall was open, there was a new Santa in place, and there were last minute marked-down prices on those battery-operated cars little kids drove around.
    "Wow, it's like they don't even care that someone's dead as long as they get all of their shopping done." Kelly voiced my thoughts from the passenger seat of my little red Volkswagen.
    "Sad, isn't it?" I agreed.
    Marvin Garvin might not have been a great person, but he was still someone's family.
    We made the drive to the mall in about twenty minutes. Traffic was absolutely insane, but neither of us was surprised. It was Christmas Eve after all.
    I circled the parking lot a half dozen times before finally finding a parking spot at the edge of the lot.
    "The vultures are out." Kelly pointed to a news van parked beside the front doors of the mall. A reporter stood on the sidewalk telling her viewers what little there was to tell about Marvin's murder.
    We got out of the car and scanned the lot for any sign of Detective Smith. While he was a nice guy, I knew he wouldn't appreciate my nosing into his case. Sometimes I wished that I didn't have such a loud conscience, but there was nothing I could do about it. I found the body, and now Smith was going to miss Christmas with his wife and kids while working the case.
    I felt the need to help solve the case and knew that I wouldn't be able to rest until I did.
    "We're going to have to keep our eyes peeled. If Smith finds out what we're up to, he's going to be pissed."
    "If he does happen to see us, lie. We're just out doing a little shopping because of the new last-minute sales. I don't know how much we can really help him, but we need to at least try."
    "Stay low. Just shopping. Got it," Kelly said.
    We hurried through the cold wind and up to the same revolving doors we'd passed through mere hours before.
    The mall was packed to the rafters with holiday shoppers.
    "Nothing like a dead Santa to bring out the holiday cheer." Kelly shook her head.
    I watched the shoppers moving about in what had quickly gone from mall to madhouse.
    "Let's grab some coffee. I have a feeling that we're going to need it."
    We detoured to the coffee shop, grabbed two caramel macchiatos, and then wove our way through the crowd and back out into the main area of the mall.
    I scanned what my short self could see of the crowd. "No sign of Detective Smith or any of the other cops from last night. Do you see him?"
    "No. Where do you think we should start?"
    Before I could answer, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the display. It was Mandy.
    "Mandy, how's it going?"
    "I have some information for you. It looks like Marvin Garvin has an arrest record. He has some outstanding parking tickets. Three arrests for public intoxication, two for driving under the influence, one for aggravated assault, and one for assaulting an officer."
    "Explain to me again how in the hell he got a job working in the mall with kids?" I asked heatedly. Like I said before, I had a tiny soft spot for little kids.
    "It looks to me like the mall's human resource department that hired him wasn't doing their job. They're supposed to run a background check on their employees. Apparently they didn't run one on him, or they did but ignored his convictions because he was a cheap hire," Mandy said with disgust.
    I could picture her shaking her head.
    "He's from here in the city. Not married and he has a small apartment on the corner of Fifth Street and Wilshire."
    "Thanks, Mandy. At least we have a place to start now."
    "You're welcome. I'll keep digging in case there's more to this guy."
    "Thanks."
    She disconnected the call, and I shoved the phone back into my pocket then took a drink of my coffee.
    I told Kelly what Mandy had learned.
    "How in the hell did he get a job here working with kids?" Kelly voiced my earlier question.
    "We need to talk to human