Out of the Cold (23 page)

“It was Ben's idea,” I said.

“But Robyn did all the work,” Ben said. He slipped an arm around me. My father raised an eyebrow.

“You both deserve a lot of credit,” my father said. “Are you sure I can't tempt you with some eggnog, Frances?”

“Jenny and Edward are waiting for me,” she said. “Poor Edward—he's shattered by what his father did. But Jenny is standing by him. And Edward is going to carry on with the business.”

  .    .    .

After Mrs. Braithwaite left we finished the party preparations. It wasn't long before guests started to arrive. My dad, being my dad, put on some old rock records—and a lot of Motown—and managed to get almost everyone up and dancing.

When it was nearly midnight, Ben looked around. The music was quieter as everyone started to anticipate the countdown to the New Year. Morgan and Billy swayed to the song that was playing and gazed dreamily into each other's eyes. I spotted Vern and his girlfriend Henri with their arms around each other.

“Fun party,” Ben said. He looked around, maybe to check where my dad was—on the far side of the living room with a couple of cop friends. Then he pulled me into the kitchen where we were shielded from view, pulled me in close, and kissed me. The party sounds disappeared. All I heard was my heart beating in my chest. All I felt was the warmth of Ben's arms around me. Then I heard my father's booming voice.

“Look who's finally here!” he was saying. “Tara! Come in, come in.”

A few moments later Tara appeared in the kitchen. Ben and I jumped apart as if we'd both been jolted with a cattle prod. Tara giggled.

“Sorry,” she said. “If there'd been a door, I would have knocked. I was just looking for something to toast the New Year with.”

When I introduced her to Ben, she gave me a furtive thumbs-up.

“Oh, hey, did you get that package, Robyn?” she said.

“Package?”

“A package came addressed to you. I had to sign for it. I left it—” She paused to think. “On top of the fridge!” she said, spinning around. “And there it is.”

The package was a small box wrapped in brown paper. My name and my dad's address were printed neatly on it, but there was no return address.

“Open it,” Ben said.

I tore off the paper and lifted the lid off the box. Nestled inside was a gold pendant in the shape of two intertwined hearts.

“Hey,” Ben said. “Don't tell me you have a secret admirer!”

I laughed. “As if you didn't know what it was!”

“I didn't,” Ben said. “It's not from me.”

I laughed again.

“Really, Robyn,” he said. “It's not from me.”

I got a strange feeling.

I turned the pendant over. The engraving on the back read
To RH. Love you forever. ND
.

Nick.

“So?” Ben said, smiling. “Who's it from? Do I have a reason to be jealous?”

I put the pendant back into the box and closed the lid. “No,” I said. “You don't.”

CHECK OUT THE NEXT BOOK IN THE
ROBYN HUNTER MYSTERIES
SERIES:

SHADOW OF
DOUBT

I looked into the box. It contained a dozen red roses. Nestled among them was a baby doll. It was splattered with what looked like blood but was probably red paint. Its head was missing. I lifted it out of the box and gingerly poked among the thorns.

ROBYN HUNTER
MYSTERIES

	#1 Last Chance Robyn's scared of dogs—but she agrees to spend time at an animal shelter anyway. Robyn learns that many juvenile offenders also volunteer at the shelter—including Nick D'Angelo. Nick has a talent for troublemaking, but after his latest arrest, Robyn suspects that he might be innocent. And she sets out to prove it...
	#2 You Can Run Trisha Hanover has run away from home before. But this time, she hasn't come back. To make matters worse, Robyn blew up at Trisha the same morning she disappeared. Now Robyn feels responsible, and she decides to track Trisha down...
	#3 Nothing to Lose Robyn is excited to hang out with Nick after weeks apart. She's sure he has reformed—until she notices suspicious behavior during their trip to Chinatown. Turns out Nick's been doing favors for dangerous people. Robyn urges him to stop, but the situation might be out of her control—and Nick's...
	#4 Out of the Cold Robyn's friend Billy drags her into volunteering at a homeless shelter. When one of the shelter's regulars freezes to death on a harsh winter night, Robyn wonders if she could've prevented it. She sets out to find about more about the man's past, and discovers unexpected danger in the process...
	#5 Shadow of Doubt Robyn's new substitute teacher Ms. Denholm is cool, pretty, and possibly the target of a stalker. When Denholm receives a threatening package, Robyn wonders who's responsible. But Robyn has a mystery of her own to worry about: What's with the muddled phone message she receives from her missing ex-boyfriend Nick?
	#6 Nowhere to Turn Robyn has sworn that she's over Nick. But when she hears he needs help, she's too curious about why he went missing to say no. Nick has been arrested again, and the evidence doesn't lean in his favor. When Robyn investigates, she discovers a situation more complicated than the police had thought—and more deadly...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Norah McClintock is the author of several mystery series for teenagers, and a five-time winner of the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Crime Novel. McClintock was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She lives in Toronto with her husband and children.