A Frightful Noel Read online

  A FRIGHTFUL NOEL

  The Detectives of Hazel Hill

  Prequel - A Christmas Novella

  Liz Bradford

  Copyright © 2018 Liz Bradford

  All rights reserved.

  Stand on the Rock Publishing

  [email protected]

  Lizbradfordwrites.com

  Print ISBN: 9781790971732

  Cover Design by Alyssa at Alyssa Carlin Designs

  www.alyssacarlindesign.com

  Editing by Teresa Crupmton at AuthorSpark, Inc.

  authorspark.org

  Formatting by Kari Holloway at KH Formatting.

  www.kariholloway.com/khformat

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Can a gang execution, a pregnant witness, and a mountain-brewed snow storm be the perfect recipe for a Christmas miracle?

  Doug Ramirez, a detective for the Hazel Hill Police Department, and his wife, Paige, an EMT for the fire department, thought they'd be dancing the night away even when the rest of North Carolina was hunkering down for a massive snow storm, but when Doug is called out to investigate a body in gang ridden area of the city, the dancing will have to wait. Doug and his partner, Rebecca Palmer, arrive on the scene of a gang execution and find a scared and pregnant witness to the murder. Their focus changes from hunting a murder to protecting this young girl from the killers. The snow storm swirling overhead only increases the risk on everyone's lives. Will they all make it through the night alive?

  You won't want to put this novella down! A prequel to Liz Bradford's NOT ALONE, read A FRIGHTFUL NOEL no matter where you are in the series.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilouge

  Connect With Liz Bradford

  Also By Liz Bradford

  Acknowledgments

  Author’s Note

  About The Author

  For Ken.

  Thanks for being the Doug to my Paige.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Detective Doug Ramirez parked his Honda Civic in the driveway after a quiet day at the station. He got out and, while whistling “Joy to the World,” all but skipped his way to the front of his large house. Paige had promised to decorate their entire house while he was at work, and he couldn’t wait to see what she had done with the place.

  A snowflake landed on his nose. Unable to contain his joy, he laughed. He and his wife, Paige, had that in common, Christmas was their favorite time of year. This Christmas would be the best Christmas yet.

  He abandoned whistling for full-on singing. “Joy to Earth the Savior reigns, let men, their songs employ.”

  He passed the front window, paused, and tilted his head. It was still dark inside. No Irish candle glowed in the window, no carefully arranged village scene was lit up. Paige must be waiting for me.

  He shrugged it off, stuck his key in the lock, and turned the handle. He swung the door open. “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!”

  Darkness, save a few lights scattered through the house. But not a single Christmas light lit the banister that led to the second story. No smell of cinnamon. Only a hint of the pine tree they’d put up together weeks ago. No Christmas music played in the background. Where was Christmas?

  “Paige?” Every muscle in his body froze. Think rationally, Doug. Instinctively, his hand moved to the Glock holstered on his hip. He had been a homicide detective too long. Where was his wife?

  He closed the front door and stepped slowly through the entry way towards the back of the house. A faint glow flowed from the family room around the wall of the stairs that towered to his right. His heart palpitated. Was she okay? There had been a catch in her voice when he talked to her on the phone a couple of hours ago, but she had said she was fine.

  “Babe?” He always, at the very least, got a hello, if not a hug and kiss when he got home from work.

  “Hey.” Her voice was flat, emotionless.

  He turned into the family room and found Paige sitting on the floor between their ten-foot tree and an open box of Christmas decorations. Air refilled his lungs.

  She stared at their stockings in her lap and didn’t look up at him. Where was his normally bubbly wife? “Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah.”

  If that was true, why hadn’t she emptied that box? They had pulled all the boxes out of the basement last night, so she could decorate today. Plus, her nose was red, and it was unlike her to act so melancholy, especially this time of year. But he wasn’t going to push her. She’d talk to him if she needed to.

  “Is it really 5:30 already? I guess I should get ready.” They were headed to the detective squad’s Christmas party in just over an hour. She stood, dropped the stockings back into the box, and ran her fingers through her bright red hair. He loved how the fiery color of her hair matched the passion in her heart.

  When she passed him, he reached out and gently slipped his fingers around her wrist. He stroked her freckled skin with his thumb.

  She just looked at him with sad eyes.

  Maybe he should press. Something was definitely wrong. “Are you—”

  “Doug, I’m fine.” Her lips turned up. “Just tired.” She turned fully towards him and stepped closer.

  His heart jumped. Even after seven years of marriage she still had an incredible effect on him.

  She reached up and traced his hairline. “Looks like it’s already snowing.”

  He leaned his head into her hand. "The weather is supposed to be frightful tonight, my dear."

  Her nose turned up, even as a smile played with the corners of her eyes. "But we've got someplace to go."

  "Ah, let it snow." He flapped his hand in the air.

  "No!"

  "But I want a white Christmas." He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.

  "You know a North Carolina snow is NOT going to last a week!"

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He winked at her.

  She laughed and shook her head. She stepped even closer and reached up and kissed his cheek, turned and walked up the stairs.

  “You know, we don’t have to go,” he called up after her. “Especially since you have to work tonight.”

  “Oh, yes we do. I can’t wait to see the look on Jamison’s face when he sees his Secret Santa gift.”

  Doug laughed. Paige had graduated high school with his fellow detective, Adam Jamison, and as if the rivalry between an EMT and a cop wasn’t enough, she had gone to Duke for college, while Adam attended UNC. Their rivalry ran deep. When Paige found out that Doug had pulled Jamison’s name, she had gone crazy with ideas for insane gifts. Doug wasn’t even sure what she had decided on. Good thing she could be trusted.

  Selena stopped in the shadow alongside of the empty warehouse and waited for a car to drive down the otherwise empty street. She pulled her over-sized parka around her round belly. The wind was biting, and the looming snow storm released the first of its flurries. Once the car was out of sight, she stepped out into the road towards the highway overpass that towered into the dark sky.

  She walked as quickly as her swollen ankles would carry her. No one must see her. Except her brother. There he is! Her heart quickened. “Pablo.”

  He turned from where he sat on the guardrail at the edge of the road that ran under the overpass. “Selena!” He stood and opened his arms.

  She fell into them. They had seen each other so little in the last few months.

  He pulled her to arm’s length. “I’ve missed you.”

  She opened her mouth to say the same, but tears stole her words. Good-bye wasn’t going to be easy. “I’m leaving Hazel Hill.”

  “You can’t.” His words bit at her heart.

  She turned and stepped away from him. “I can’t have the baby here.”

  “Then I’m coming with you.”

  “Pablo, that’s a bad idea.”

  “What choice do we have?” Pablo gripped her shoulder.

  Selena looked into her brother’s eyes. “They’ll never let you leave.”

  “I’m not going to make you do this on your own, especially at Christmas.”

  “I’ll find good people to help me. I’ll give them the baby, and then—”

  “You said you didn’t want to give it to strangers.” Pablo pointed at her belly.

  “Then let me go and find someone, that will be easier without a wanted man by my side. Spider’ll kill you if you try to leave.”

  “That’s why we run. Don’t look back. Get as far away from Hazel Hill as we can get.”

  She shook her head and paced away from Pablo towards the center of the street. She had managed to stay hidden for the last six months, but that was because she was no
thing more than a piece of meat that could be passed around. Pablo was their number one dealer. They would find him. The gang’s leader, Miguel Vargas, better known as Spider, demanded loyalty from his gang members. The gang was family, and family was for life.

  She only met her brother tonight to tell him goodbye, not for him to decide to go with her. She would run away, give the baby up for adoption, and then she could come home. But she couldn’t get Pablo to understand.

  “I’m done with the gang life. I’m tired of being Spider’s lackey.”

  “Don’t be a fool.” Selena pressed her lips together. “I’ll come back in about a month. I can tell it’s getting close to time to have the baby, so I won’t be gone that long.”

  “Are you sure they don’t know you’re pregnant? Do they know who the father is?”

  “You’d know if they did.”

  He shrugged, scrunched up his face, and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. He walked over toward her and stopped on the double yellow line.

  Selena reached out and squeezed Pablo’s forearm. “I need you to stay safe, so you’re here when I come back.”

  The deep rumble of a souped-up sports car echoed off the concrete walls of the overpass.

  “Here, take this.” Pablo pulled a wad of cash out of his coat and stuffed it in hers.

  “You stole from them! Pablo, are you crazy? They’re gonna kill you!”

  Pablo pushed her aside. “HIDE! It’s Spider!”

  Selena ducked back into the shadows, swung her legs over the guardrail, and hid behind the column that held the road up above her. Her lungs grew tight as she tried to keep from breathing. She couldn’t let Spider know she was here. If he got one look at her, he’d kill her and the baby.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Paige threw her uniform and a pair of long johns into her duffel bag along with her shoes and socks. After the party, Doug would drop her off at the fire station for a twelve-hour overnight shift. She loved being an EMT, but the hours were wicked. And with the storm brewing over the mountains, it could prove to be a challenging night. But first she needed to shake her melancholy. Jesus, help me. This Christmas isn’t turning out how I had hoped, but I know my ways are not yours. Help me be okay with that.

  She gave herself one more glance in the mirror and shoved a loose strand of hair back into the twist on the back of her head. She shrugged the duffel onto her shoulder, slipped her feet into her bright red heels, and headed downstairs.

  She walked down the stairs, and Doug let out a loud whistle.

  Heat rose in her cheeks. She wouldn’t admit it, but she loved the attention, especially when it came from Doug.

  “Wow, Paige, you look outstanding!”

  She glanced down her slim black cocktail dress. “Thanks.” She walked over to her husband. Her three-inch heels put her at eye level with him. He looked amazing, too. He always looked good in a blazer and tie, but this evening he had put on his best fitted suit and the Christmas tie she had bought him years ago. The black suit jacket matched the darkness of his short hair, which he had taken an extra moment to style. “You’re not looking too shabby, yourself.”

  He slid his hand around her waist and to the small of her back, drew her close, and kissed her deeply.

  Her heart lifted off the floor where she had left it after talking to her friend, Nikki, earlier this afternoon. Now was not the time to think about Nikki. She pulled back and wiped her lipstick off his lips. “We should get out of here, Mr. Ramirez.”

  “Indeed.” Doug’s eyebrows lifted, and his eyes sparkled. They’d better leave before he kissed her again, or they’d never leave.

  They grabbed their coats and walked to the car; fluffy flakes floated down from above. Paige pulled her coat a little tighter around herself. “I can’t believe they didn’t cancel the party.”

  Doug opened the passenger door. “We are determined to have a good time, snow or no snow. It’s not supposed to get bad until late, anyway.”

  “Okay.” She doubted the wisdom of it all. But this was a bunch of law enforcement detectives. They’d be out in the snow even if the rest of the world had shut down, which in North Carolina, an inch of snow would be enough to bring everything to a halt. It wasn’t sticking yet, so maybe it would blow over.

  Doug pulled the car out of the driveway, and they rode in silence, save the Christmas music playing quietly over the radio.

  “Oh no!”

  “What?” Doug turned to look at her.

  “I forgot Jamison’s gift.”

  “Seriously? Paige.”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose. Turn around. We have to get it.”

  Doug jerked the car around causing Paige to grab the handle on the door. So much for Doug’s jolly mood. She hated how quickly his mood could change.

  He whipped the car back into the driveway and drove up to the house stopping suddenly.

  Paige clenched and unclenched her fists several times.

  Doug hit his fist against the steering wheel. “Get it quick. We’re gonna be late.”

  She jumped out of the car and scampered to the door. It was impossible to run in three-inch heels. How did Doug’s partner, Rebecca, wear heels on the job? She slipped her shoes off as she ran through the house and grabbed the gift. She was back at the car as fast as she could be. “Got it,” she said with as much cheeriness as she could muster.

  Doug grunted. He had even turned the music off.

  She bit back tears that threatened to make her mascara run.

  Selena pressed her back against the pillar, willing herself to become one with the concrete. Her breath shook, and her jaw quivered. Spider stood talking to Pablo near the center yellow line, in the place she had just been standing. The yelling from the other side of the pillar racked her nerves.

  “Where’s the money, Pablo?” Spider’s voice boomed under the overpass.

  She fingered the wad of cash in her pocket. If it wouldn’t cost her life, she’d take it out to him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Pablo was an idiot for lying. Spider may be a fool, but he wasn’t stupid.

  “You had a big deal, and I haven’t seen that money, yet. I know you made it, so I expect that money in my hand NOW.”

  “I’ll get it to you.”

  Selena leaned her head back against the concrete and closed her eyes. Why was her brother such a fool?

  “You had better, or you’ll pay. You have twenty-four hours. Or I’ll find that missing tramp sister of yours.” She heard footsteps. Spider must be walking back to his car.

  “I’ll get your money. But then I want out.”

  No! Pablo! Her eyes stung as tears flooded them.

  “You didn—" Spider had turned back around.

  Selena rolled her body the edge of the pillar and peeked around. Her eyes slammed shut. Spider had pulled his gun out.

  “You want to try that again, Pablo? Because I don’t think you meant what you just said.”

  “You heard me.”

  Her brother’s words were soft and barely reached her ears.

  Spider stepped closer to Pablo and shoved him to the ground. “I’ll give you one more chance. Pledge your allegiance to me and me alone, or I swear… I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

  Pablo made it back up to his knees.

  Just say it, brother. Stay alive for me.

  “I thought you wanted your money. You kill me, you’ll never get that money.”

  “I don’t give a crap about the money if one of my dealers has decided to go rogue.”

  “I won’t be your lackey anymore.”

  “Have it your way.” Spider raised the gun to Pablo’s head.

  Selena turned away and pressed her body against the pillar. No! Silent tears cascaded out of her eyes.

  Pkew!

  CHAPTER THREE

  Doug popped a carrot into his mouth and watched his wife laughing with his partner across the squad room. Paige was laughing, but he could still tell something was bothering her. He deserved to be put before a firing squad for the way he acted in the car. It had been a great opportunity for her to talk, she often did in the car, but no, he had to lose his temper over a five-minute delay. They had still arrived at the party before most everyone else, so what was his deal?