Freddie the Freeloader, a Seth and Ava Mystery

By Claudia Hall Christian

When Ava O’Malley and her forensic science team received a grant from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations to bring modern forensic science to cold cases in the rural areas of Colorado, they never thought their lives would be in danger. But these cold cases have been hard, complicated, and life threatening.

So when “The Evil Wizard,” Ava’s nickname for her boss, asks Ava and her team to identify the owner of two bone segments of an index finger, they should have expected danger and difficulties.

Two small bones grew into an entire bone field in the near center of the Colorado Rockies. Every set of remains was missing the ends their index fingers.

Ava and her team get to work. But when Ava discovers why these people were chosen, her life is immediately in danger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cook Street Publishing
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956034080

Claudia Hall Christian

Claudia Hall Christian writes stories about good people caught in difficult situations. Her stories are addictive, heart pounding, and intense. She is the author of the Alex the Fey thriller series, the Queen of Cool, the Seth and Ava Mysteries, Suffer a Witch, Abee Normal Paranormal Investigations, and the longest consecutive serial fiction ever written, Denver Cereal. She lives in Denver where she keeps bees, gardens, hangs out with her Plott Hounds, and husband

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Freddie the Freeloader

A Seth and Ava Mystery

Claudia Hall Christian

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Cook Street Publishing

Denver, CO

Also by Claudia Hall Christian

StoriesbyClaudia.com

Abee Normal, Paranormal Investigations

The Casebook of Abee Normal, Paranormal Investigations, Volume 1

The Casebook of Abee Normal, Paranormal Investigations, Volume 2

The Denver Cereal

V01 — The Denver Cereal V12 — Fort Morgan

V02 — Celia’s Puppies V13 — Fort Collins

V03 — Cascade V14 — Olney Springs

V04 — Cimarron V15 — Manitou Springs

V05 — Black Forest V16 — Idaho Springs

V06 — Fairplay V17 — Poncha Springs

V07 — Gold Hill V18 — Hot Sulfur Springs

V08 — Silt V19 — Glenwood Springs

V09 — Larkspur V20 — Pagosa Springs

V10 — Firestone V21 — Steamboat Springs

V11 — Fort Lupton V22 — Estes Park

Alex the Fey Thrillers

The Fey

Learning to Stand

Who I am

Lean on Me

In the Grey

Finding North

About Face

In Deep

The Queen of Cool

The Queen of Cool

Seth and Ava Mysteries

Tax Assassin

Carving Knife

Friendly Fire

Cigarette Killer

Little Girl Blue

Billie’s Bounce

Footprints

Freddie the Freeloader

Suffer a Witch

Suffer a Witch

Copyright © Claudia Hall Christian

ISNI: 0000 0003 6726 170X

Licensed under the Creative Commons License:

Attribution – NonCommercial – Share Alike 3.0

ISBN-13 : 978-1-956034-08-0 (digital)

  978-1-956034-09-7 (print)

Library of Congress available on request.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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First edition © December 2021

Cook Street Publishing

ISNI: 0000 0004 1443 6403

PO Box 7247

Denver, CO 80207

For every family that is waiting for their loved one to return.

May the lost be found and returned.

May their families find peace.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

SixteenSeventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-one

One

Ava woke from a heavy, dream-filled sleep. She reached for Seth only to discover that he was gone, but in Ava’s and Seth’s world, this wasn’t unusual. His pillow was cold, which meant he’d been up for a while.

She went into their bathroom. The shower was dry, which meant that Seth had showered some time ago.

Where was Seth now?

The stream of warm water from the shower hit her over-hair sprayed hair hard, and she tried to remember what she knew that she’d forgotten.

Yesterday had been the anniversary of Ava’s best friend, Beth’s, murder. She and Beth’s boyfriend, Dale — now their handyman —, had joined a group of Beth’s friends in a bar crawl in Beth’s honor. Dr. Heidi Miller, the state archeologist, was among them; it was the first time she’d been out since her son was born. While they promised they’d keep it sedate, by midnight, they were dancing to electro at the Church on Broadway. They closed the place. Ava and Dale took a taxi home. Seth and Maresol met them at the door.

That was last night.

Ava was nearly done showering when she remembered Seth’s cell phone ringing in the middle of the night.

What had he said?

She had no idea. Determined to ask Maresol, she toweled off and got dressed for her work at the Denver Crime Lab. Her hand was on the door to their room when she remembered what he’d said.

We got them, Ava, he’d said. He’d kissed her hard. This is the first domino.

She left their bedroom and started down the stairs. Each jarring step brought pain to her head. Somehow, she made it to the kitchen. Standing at the kitchen bar, Maresol held out a cup of coffee. Grunting, Ava drank it down.

Headache? Maresol asked.

Ava nodded. Maresol gave her a glass filled with Maresol’s amazing and very disgusting hang-over cure. Ava blew out a breath and swallowed the liquid fast. Maresol took the glass and handed her a glass of water. Ava drank it down and felt. . . better. She smiled at Maresol.

How was last night? Maresol asked.

Sad. Perfect, Ava said. It never seems to get better. I know that you know, I just. . . miss her.

Maresol gave Ava a sad smile.

She would love all of this, Ava said, gesturing around the room. You. Seth. They were going to have kids — Dale and Beth. And. . .

Ava tipped her head sideways

Where’s Seth? Ava asked.

He left this morning before I was up, Maresol said. He left a note saying that he was sequestered. Running Wolf, too. They must have picked them up because our vehicles are all here.

Huh, Ava said. He told me. . . uh. . . something like ‘We got him.’

You were very drunk when you got home, Maresol said.

I still am, I think, Ava said. I had the weirdest dreams, too. Heavy.

Where you feel like you’re still dreaming when you wake up? Maresol asked.

Ava nodded.

I’ve had nights like that, Maresol said.

Brandy, Ava and Maresol said in near unison.

The women smiled.

You need to get to work, Maresol said, gesturing to the clock on the wall.

Ava squeaked in surprise at the time. Maresol gave her an insulated bag with her lunch in it and another cup of coffee.

You’re the best, Ava said and started toward the garage.

It’s. . . Maresol started.

Shit, Ava said. I forgot.

Their garage had been burned down by a family of rapists trying to destroy evidence in Ava’s work SUV. Ava turned in place. Maresol held out the keys for their new SUV.

Thanks, Ava said.

Are you sure you’re okay to drive? Maresol asked, pulling the keys back into her hand.

Of course, Ava said. She stopped walking in front of Maresol. No, probably not.

Maresol grinned at her.

I called a taxi when you came down the stairs, Maresol said. They should be here. . .

There was a knock at the door. Their chocolate lab, Clara, barked and ran to the door. Maresol gave Ava her work backpack.

You’re the best, Ava said, with a grin. Thank you.

She went to the door and rubbed Clara’s head.

Clara, Maresol said.

Ava watched as the dog trotted back to Maresol.

How. . .? Ava started to ask.

The driver rang the doorbell. Ava greeted the driver. Taxis and car services in Denver were usually run by men and women from other countries. She loved to ask them about where they were from and their families. Her driver, Evans Owusu, was from Ghana. He cheerfully told her all about his homeland, his family, and, helpfully, his remedies for a hangover. He pulled up in front of the Denver Crime Lab and showed her photos of his children. She paid him a large tip and went into the building.

The entrance and lobby were open to the public, so she went into the building. She waited to get through security, which scanned her bag and backpack, and checked her cup for coffee.

Can I have some? the uniformed Denver Police officer asked about the lunch bag, to tease Ava.

She put an extra lunch in there for you, Ava said.

The officer put his hand on his heart. He looked genuinely moved. Grinning, Ava dug into her lunch bag and came up with the extra Tupperware and utensils for him.

Microwave for two minutes, Ava said. 

Be sure to thank her, he said.

You know she hates that, Ava said as she walked to the elevator.

I do, the officer said with a laugh. Yes, I do know that.

She turned to leave.

Hey, Ms. O’Malley, the officer said, as he did every day.

‘Ava,’ please, she said, as she did every day.

Ava, he said with a smile. He asked what he’d asked every day since some jerk had tried to kill her in the parking lot. Would you like me to go up with you?

I’m okay, Ava said, as she said every day.

You have any trouble. . . the officer said, as he did every day.

I’ll press the button, Ava said, with a smile.

He gave her a nod. She used her keycard to call the elevator. Once inside, she used her keycard again to get to her floor. She wiped her thumb on her jeans and stuck it in the reader. The elevator doors opened. Because her lab had been destroyed this year, they’d installed a thumbprint scanner on the elevator.

For years, she’d gotten this elevator to a dark hallway and absolute silence.

Now, the suite of offices nearest the elevator had been taken over by Federal Prosecutor Dinah James and her investigative team. They were working on the rape and abduction of Native American women. This morning, the office was humming with activity.

The lab across the hallway from her lab was now staffed 24 hours a day to run overlooked rape kits from the reservations. Her friend and colleague, retired FBI forensic expert Dr. Robert Parrish, MD, came out of the other lab. Bob and Ava ran both labs together.

How’s it going? Ava asked.

The work continues, Bob said with a nod. I’m glad we did this.

We? Ava asked. You do all the work!

Maresol is rubbing off on you, Bob said with a smile. How was last night?

Sad, Ava said, with a weary smile. I drank way too much. I. . .

Ava turned back to open her door. It was unlocked. Ava stepped back with caution.

Sorry, Bob said. I let The Evil Wizard in about fifteen minutes ago.

Ava and her team called the MD PhD who ran the entire forensics lab for the Denver Police Department The Evil Wizard.

Ava looked at her watch. She was a half hour early because she didn’t have to park. Shaking her head, she gave Bob a questioning look.

He was lurking in the hallway when I got here, he said in a low voice.

Ava nodded.

Good luck, Bob said, gesturing that he was going back into the other lab. You don’t smell drunk.

Very funny, Ava said.

Grabbing his forearm, she pulled him toward the door. He laughed. They went into the lab together. They walked through the entry to the lab and into her separate office. The Evil Wizard was seated at the