Criminal Christmas Volume 2: 6 Holiday Mystery Short Stories: Holiday Extravaganza Collections, #9

By Connor Whiteley

Mystery and Crime abound during the Christmas season. A sense of crime threads through everything, and the spirit of safety is almost commonplace. Something that criminals focus on.

Stories in the second holiday collection capture that darker criminal side of the Holidays with stories marked by crime, mystery and even some stories from World War Two.

This lightish-hearted holiday book brings smiles and shocks and surprises to usher in this darker side of the Holidays.

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Holiday Mystery Short Stories Include:

• Cheater At Dinner
• Perfect Christmas
• Salvation In The Maid
• Criminal, Resistance, Alliance
• Dark Farm
• Great Give Away

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• Language: English
• Publisher: CGD Publishing
• Release date: Jul 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201074777

Connor Whiteley

Hello, I'm Connor Whiteley, I am an 18-year-old who loves to write creatively, and I wrote my Brownsea trilogy when I was 14 years old after I went to Brownsea Island on a scout camp. At the camp, I started to think about how all the broken tiles and pottery got there and somehow a trilogy got created.Moreover, I love writing fantasy and sci-fi novels because you’re only limited by your imagination.In addition, I'm was an Explorer Scout and I love camping, sailing and other outdoor activities as well as cooking.Furthermore, I do quite a bit of charity work as well. For example: in early 2018 I was a part of a youth panel which was involved in creating a report with research to try and get government funding for organised youth groups and through this panel. I was invited to Prince Charles’ 70th birthday party and how some of us got in the royal photograph.Finally, I am going to university and I hope to get my doctorate in clinical psychology in a few years.

Book preview

CHEATER AT DINNER

Surrounded by rows upon rows of stunning white tables with their perfectly pressed napkins, posh cutlery and people sitting there dressed in stunning suits and dresses, Bettie English, private eye, turned her head and focused on her table.

As she breathed in the amazing smells of rich meats, expensive fruity wine and freshly steamed vegetables, Bettie couldn’t help but smile as she stared at the most amazing plate of food she had ever seen.

She loved how the traditional British Christmas dinner looked like an expensive painting on the plate with its golden crispy roast potatoes, stunningly sliced juicy pork and Bettie’s favourite the succulent, vibrant colours of the vegetables on the side.

Bettie could almost taste how crispy and vibrant the vegetables’ flavours would be from here, their amazing sweetness would be sheer perfection against the juiciness and meaty flavours of the pork.

The sound of people talking, chatting and laughing all around Bettie made her force her attention away from the amazing, stunning food and on the equally beautiful person she was with.

As she looked up from the plate (longing to taste the delicious dinner), she saw her cop boyfriend Graham smiling at her as he poured a fruity red wine into her glass.

A part of her wondered if she should get him to stop, but she was here as a private eye and a girlfriend, so she might well blend in.

Watching her beautiful boyfriend with his perfect hair, jawline and body, Bettie took a few shallow breaths of the amazingly scented air as she knew this was going to be a perfect evening. She had a delicious dinner (that she really wanted to eat) and the love of her life, which she hadn’t seen for a few weeks.

When Graham put the wine bottle down, they both just stared at each other for a few seconds and Bettie loved that. She knew it probably looked weird to other people but she loved all the time she spent with (and admiring) Graham.

The sound of cheering filled the restaurant so Bettie turned, smiled and her eyes narrowed as she looked at a couple who were hugging and kissing and everyone was clapping around them.

She knew they had just gotten engagement and a part of Bettie admired the man was being so ballsy and proposing in public. Bettie was still getting used to the whole relationship thing with Graham, but she loved him and he her.

Marriage might have been a long time away, but Bettie wanted it one day, one day far from now.

Then Bettie saw Graham cross his arms and smiled.

So why ya wanna come here? Graham asked.

Bettie gave him a massive smile. What do you mean? Can’t a girl take her man out on the town?

A girl or woman can. You don’t,

Bettie pretended to be offended and they both laughed.

That sole reason was why Bettie loved him and she would give anything to always see that amazing smile of his.

But he did have a point she supposed, they were always working, busying and helping others so much that they often forgot to work on each other, in more ways than one.

And tonight was no different.

Look my left and tell me what you see, Bettie said.

She watched Graham carefully as he subtly turned his head and his eyes narrowed on a table.

What the two dudes in the business suits? Graham asked.

Bettie looked left and shook her head. No,

As she subtly pointed with her eyes at another table, and when Graham smiled she knew he had seen what they were looking for.

Mr Nero Alessandria was apparently some hotshot new businessman in London but Bettie had seen some of his speeches and companies, she wasn’t that impressed but given that his wife had paid her a few thousand pounds to follow him, Bettie didn’t really care.

It was even better that the wife had done almost all of Bettie’s hard work by giving her all his contacts with pictures, addresses and phone numbers.

Bettie bit her lip a little when she remembered some of the rumours she had found online about him, apparently he was a ruthless man capable of horrible things but she hadn’t seen any proof of that. It still worried her though.

And when Bettie had found possible evidence of an affair with Mr Alessandria and the mystery woman meeting at a fancy London restaurant tonight, Bettie knew she wasn’t going to refuse. Especially when her terms of employment always being the client pays for all needed costs. A fancy meal or two for getting evidence sounded like a needed cost.

Granted Bettie knew she would have to have a more compelling reason when she sent the invoice to the client.

The amazing smell of those beautifully golden, crispy roast potatoes made Bettie return her attention to the utterly stunning dinner in front of her. Bettie wasn’t sure how much longer she could contain herself with that perfectly sliced juicy pork just staring at