Advent Calendar Day 11 (we've got fiction from Meg Perry!)

 Good morning, my dears! 

Something special this morning. Well, something MORE special. ;-) We've got one of our good friend Meg Perry's delightful crossover holiday codas! 

Grab yourself a cup of holiday cheer and enjoy! 

🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁 🎁🎁🎁

Holiday Coda by Meg Perry

It was two weeks before Christmas and Kevin Brodie had bought gifts for everyone on his list save one. He considered the problem as he showered; no solutions presented themselves. Time to call in an expert.

He fixed breakfast then set a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and apples in front of his wife, Kristen Beach, and slid onto a kitchen bar stool beside her. “What do you think we should get Jamie for Christmas?”

Kristen dug into her oatmeal with gusto. “Yum. Why ask me? He’s your brother.”

“Because you’re better at this than I am. As is true for so many things.”

Kristen smirked. “Our skills are complimentary, sweetie. You know very well that with Jamie, you can’t go wrong with books.”

“Right, but how do I know what he already has? If he sees something he wants, he buys it.”

“He almost never buys fiction for himself, just obscure history. Why don’t you check out that mystery bookstore in Pasadena that he likes so much?”

“There’s a mystery bookstore in Pasadena? What’s it called?”

“Um.” Kristen picked up her phone and searched. “Cloak and Dagger Books. In Old Town.”

“Cloak and Dagger? Cute.” Kevin regarded his oatmeal with a frown. “I’m gonna be up that way to meet with a couple of clients tomorrow. I guess I could stop in.”

Kristen grinned at him. “There you go. Like it was meant to be.”

Kevin fought to not roll his eyes. “Uh huh.”

 

It was just after 10:30 the next morning when Kevin stepped into Cloak and Dagger Books. He was greeted by the scent of balsam and the voice of Bing Crosby. “I’ll be home for Christmas…”

Melancholy. But also, one of his dad’s favorites. And Jamie would be home for Christmas. Maybe it was a sign.

There didn’t seem to be anyone in the shop, but he could faintly hear two voices—one male, one female—arguing through a closed door at the back. He went to the counter, which displayed the latest Robert Crais novel next to an antique jar full of candy canes. Was there a bell to ring? Yes, there was. Kevin gave it a good whack and nearly sent it skittering off the polished mahogany counter. He grabbed it and set it back in its spot just as the door in the back burst open and a young blond woman hurried through it. She didn’t exactly slam the door behind her, but it was close.

Her name tag, in the shape of a cat wearing a festive Christmas collar, informed him that her name was Natalie. She pasted a bright smile on her face. “Hello! Welcome to Cloak and Dagger! How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a Christmas present for my brother.”

“Wonderful! What kind of mysteries does he like?”

“Usually, he goes for British police procedurals.” The cover of the Crais book caught his eye again. Jamie was homesick as hell… “You know what? Anything that you have by a Los Angeles author. Like this one.” He tapped the stack of Robert Crais volumes. “Or Jonathan Kellerman, or Michael Connelly, or…” He couldn’t think of others except for Raymond Chandler, who was long deceased.

Natalie wasn’t deterred. “I know exactly what you mean. Would your brother object to gay mystery?”

“Not at all. He’s gay.”

“Perfect! I’ll be right back.” Natalie zipped around the counter and disappeared into the stacks of books.

Kevin was reading the blurb of the Crais novel, thinking he should buy a copy for himself, when a deep voice said, “Kevin Brodie?”

He jumped a little, startled, and turned to see who was speaking. A big, blond guy not unlike himself, around the same age, who looked vaguely familiar. Kevin scanned his memory and thought, Oh. Yeah. He said, “Lieutenant Riordan, right?”

The man advanced and held out his hand. “Just Jake. I’m not with LAPD anymore.”

Kevin shook Jake’s hand, wanting to ask him why he’d parted ways with the police department but deciding against it. None of his business. “No kidding. I left two and a half years ago.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Where are you now?”

“The DA’s office. I’m a licensed social worker and victim advocate.”

Jake kept his face carefully neutral. “What are your thoughts on our current DA?”

Kevin had no idea what Jake’s politics might be but decided to tell the truth. “She’s not a fan of victim advocacy.”

“Ah.” Jake seemed to be battling with himself internally about something. A moment later, he said, “Listen, I want to thank you for welcoming Kate like you did.”

“Kate? Oh. Right.”

Kate Keegan was a former homicide detective and Jake’s ex-wife. He’d left her for a man with whom he’d gotten involved during a case. Kate had transferred from LAPD’s North Hollywood division to West LA for a short while; after a couple of months, she’d gotten a job as a small-town sheriff in Vermont. As far away from Jake Riordan as she could get.

Kevin had made Kate feel as welcome as possible under the circumstances. Unfortunately, the circumstances were such that Kate never could relax into the West LA family. When she’d gotten the Vermont job, Kevin had secretly breathed a sigh of regretful relief.

He said, “Kate was a pleasure to work with. I hope she’s doing well now.”

“She is.” Jake didn’t seem to want to say any more about that.

Kevin decided to throw caution to the wind. “What are you doing now?”

Jake looked slightly embarrassed. “I went private.”

“How’s that going?”

He shrugged. “It’s going. It’s tough in a one-man operation.”

“I’m sure.” Kevin asked the other question that his overwhelming curiosity couldn’t drop. “What are you doing here?”

Before Jake could answer, the office door opened, and a blond toddler boy in overalls and a striped shirt charged out. He slowed momentarily at the sight of Jake and Kevin, then shifted into a higher gear and barreled toward the front door, which was just swinging open to admit another customer.

Kevin was faster than Jake or the kid. He grabbed the boy by the back of his overalls and swung him up into his arms. The boy stared at him in shock. Kevin said, “Hi.”

The kid wiggled. “Go out.”

“You can’t go by yourself, bud.”

Jake said, “Larkin, where’s daddy?”

Larkin pointed a stubby finger at the office. “S’eep.”

Jake growled. “Excuse me for a sec while I take care of this.” He strode toward the office; when he reached it, Kevin heard him say, “Angus, goddamnit, wake up.”

Larkin giggled. “Bad word, Unka Jake.”

Uncle Jake? Kevin said, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Larkin shook his head vigorously. “No tell.”

Kevin heard Jake having a forceful discussion with another man. Larkin’s dad, apparently. He was starting to think about turning Larkin over to Uncle Jake and escaping this circus when Natalie reappeared, almost staggering under an armload of books.

Larkin sang out, “Mommy!”

Natalie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! I’m so sorry.” She dumped the books on the counter and took Larkin from Kevin. “He’s not supposed to be in here. Where is everyone?”

Kevin said, “I think they’re in the office.”

Natalie shot a glance at the office, where Kevin could only see Jake’s back. She sighed. “Well, let me show you what we have. The latest from Robert Crais and Michael Connelly, of course.”

“Of course.”

She separated a stack of five books from the others. “This is a series that takes place mostly in LA about two FBI agents. One’s a profiler and one’s an art specialist. And this one is about two writers, one of whom is an ex-cop. It’s set mostly in San Francisco.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take ‘em.”

Natalie stared at him in disbelief. “All of them?”

“Yes, please.”

She regained her composure quickly. “Wonderful! I’ll include one of our tote bags. On the house!”

“I appreciate that.” Kevin handed over his credit card. He was impressed by Natalie’s skill at handling the transaction with a squirmy kid on her hip.

He was signing the slip when Jake returned, closing the office door behind him. “Nat, want me to take Larkin upstairs for a while?”

“That would be awesome.” Natalie tucked a candy cane into the loaded tote and handed Kevin his receipt with an explanation. “The babysitter didn’t show up.”

“That sucks. Thanks for all your help today.”

“You’re welcome. Come back soon!” Natalie bustled away to talk with another customer.

Kevin turned to Jake, who was now holding Larkin. “Good to see you again, Jake. Good luck with the PI business.”

“Thanks.” Jake shifted Larkin so that he could shake hands. “Good luck with the DA.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He said goodbye, hefted the complimentary tote, and headed out the door. When he turned left on the sidewalk, he caught a glimpse of Jake lifting Larkin over his head. Larkin was laughing with glee.

Kevin said it out loud this time. “Uncle Jake? How the hell did that happen?”

He’d probably never know.