the building, but the inside of the store looked and smelled like a teenager's bedroom put on a case of Axe body spray and then threw up.
Teens and their parents busily pulled clothing off of racks, and harried looking salespeople assisted those who needed it.
We stepped inside and looked around.
"Any idea which one is Chelsea?"
"Nope." I shook my head.
"So, how are we going to go about this?" Kelly asked.
"Just like this."
I walked up to the closest salesperson. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where I might be able to find Chelsea?"
The guy looked down at me. "She's in the back on break. Is there something I can do for you?"
I was tired of messing around. I wanted to go home, take a hot bath, and pet my cat, so I decided that the direct approach was the best way to go about speaking to Chelsea.
"I'm Barb Jackson of Jackson Investigations, and this is my friend Kelly. We need to speak to Chelsea about Marvin Garvin."
The man's face paled, but he nodded. "I'll be right back."
Kelly looked at me quizzically.
"What? Not everything has to be a covert operation. Besides, the caterer is delivering the food for Christmas dinner at my place around five o'clock, and I have to be there in case Mona gets held up at the station, and Mandy's already gone back to her place. I agreed to be one of their last deliveries this year since our dinner isn't until tomorrow."
A moment later a tall, thin woman with a short brown bob hairstyle came out of the back and approached us.
"I've already talked to the police."
"We know that. We just have a few questions. It won't take but a minute."
She crossed her arms cross her chest, eyed Kelly, and then glared at me. "Fine. But make it quick."
"Were you and Marvin seeing each other?"
"Sort of."
"Care to elaborate?"
"We'd been seeing each other on and off for about a month. He wasn't sure he was ready to be with me."
Apparently Marvin wanted to be with everyone at the same time. This was the third woman we'd talked to today who was romantically tied to Marvin. I needed to get a good look at un-dead Marvin when we were finished talking to Chelsea.
"When was the last time you talked to him?"
"The day before yesterday. We had dinner. Then I came back here and finished my shift, and Marvin went back and finished his. I didn't see him yesterday at all."
That was because he was dead beneath the tree, but I kept my mouth shut.
"The mall closed at 10:00 pm that night, didn't it? The twenty-second?" I asked.
"No," she said and shook her head. "On the twenty-second we closed early, at 9:00 pm. Some employees stayed a little later to straighten up the wonderland scene, but we actually closed at 9:00."
"Did you see Marvin after the mall closed that night?"
"No. We were supposed to meet at my place, but he never showed up. I figured he went back to Addie or Bambi and let it go. He was hot but a little bit of a drunk. I could do better." She shrugged.
I was still a bit curious as to what alive Marvin looked like. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Marvin, would you?" I asked.
Chelsea pulled out her phone, clicked around on the screen, then handed it to me. The brown-eyed, blond-haired, handsome man staring back at me was not what I expected to see. Marvin Garvin was in his mid-to-late thirties, had a strong jaw, and a warm smile. I could now see why the ladies had been drawn to him.
I showed the pic to Kelly, and she raised her eyebrows with surprise.
"Thanks for your time." I handed the phone back to Chelsea.
"No problem." She waved and went back to the back of the store to finish her break.
We left the store.
"Barb."
I jerked my head around and stared into the face of the man I'd been dodging.
Detective Smith.
He didn't look happy.
"We need to talk."
CHAPTER SIX
Nothing elicits fear in someone like the phrase we need to talk .
I blinked up at Detective Smith and put on my best I'm totally innocent face.
"What about?"
"Not finished shopping?" he asked.
"Nope." I
Teens and their parents busily pulled clothing off of racks, and harried looking salespeople assisted those who needed it.
We stepped inside and looked around.
"Any idea which one is Chelsea?"
"Nope." I shook my head.
"So, how are we going to go about this?" Kelly asked.
"Just like this."
I walked up to the closest salesperson. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where I might be able to find Chelsea?"
The guy looked down at me. "She's in the back on break. Is there something I can do for you?"
I was tired of messing around. I wanted to go home, take a hot bath, and pet my cat, so I decided that the direct approach was the best way to go about speaking to Chelsea.
"I'm Barb Jackson of Jackson Investigations, and this is my friend Kelly. We need to speak to Chelsea about Marvin Garvin."
The man's face paled, but he nodded. "I'll be right back."
Kelly looked at me quizzically.
"What? Not everything has to be a covert operation. Besides, the caterer is delivering the food for Christmas dinner at my place around five o'clock, and I have to be there in case Mona gets held up at the station, and Mandy's already gone back to her place. I agreed to be one of their last deliveries this year since our dinner isn't until tomorrow."
A moment later a tall, thin woman with a short brown bob hairstyle came out of the back and approached us.
"I've already talked to the police."
"We know that. We just have a few questions. It won't take but a minute."
She crossed her arms cross her chest, eyed Kelly, and then glared at me. "Fine. But make it quick."
"Were you and Marvin seeing each other?"
"Sort of."
"Care to elaborate?"
"We'd been seeing each other on and off for about a month. He wasn't sure he was ready to be with me."
Apparently Marvin wanted to be with everyone at the same time. This was the third woman we'd talked to today who was romantically tied to Marvin. I needed to get a good look at un-dead Marvin when we were finished talking to Chelsea.
"When was the last time you talked to him?"
"The day before yesterday. We had dinner. Then I came back here and finished my shift, and Marvin went back and finished his. I didn't see him yesterday at all."
That was because he was dead beneath the tree, but I kept my mouth shut.
"The mall closed at 10:00 pm that night, didn't it? The twenty-second?" I asked.
"No," she said and shook her head. "On the twenty-second we closed early, at 9:00 pm. Some employees stayed a little later to straighten up the wonderland scene, but we actually closed at 9:00."
"Did you see Marvin after the mall closed that night?"
"No. We were supposed to meet at my place, but he never showed up. I figured he went back to Addie or Bambi and let it go. He was hot but a little bit of a drunk. I could do better." She shrugged.
I was still a bit curious as to what alive Marvin looked like. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Marvin, would you?" I asked.
Chelsea pulled out her phone, clicked around on the screen, then handed it to me. The brown-eyed, blond-haired, handsome man staring back at me was not what I expected to see. Marvin Garvin was in his mid-to-late thirties, had a strong jaw, and a warm smile. I could now see why the ladies had been drawn to him.
I showed the pic to Kelly, and she raised her eyebrows with surprise.
"Thanks for your time." I handed the phone back to Chelsea.
"No problem." She waved and went back to the back of the store to finish her break.
We left the store.
"Barb."
I jerked my head around and stared into the face of the man I'd been dodging.
Detective Smith.
He didn't look happy.
"We need to talk."
CHAPTER SIX
Nothing elicits fear in someone like the phrase we need to talk .
I blinked up at Detective Smith and put on my best I'm totally innocent face.
"What about?"
"Not finished shopping?" he asked.
"Nope." I
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