by Cindy Bell
“You did it! You promised me you wouldn’t. I told you how much he meant to me. He was my brother, John! My brother!” Tim still had the gun trained on John.
“Of course, I killed him, you idiot! Of course, I did! He stole from me! He had to be taught a lesson, and so do you!”
Nikki glanced back in time to see John attempt to wrestle the gun from Tim. “You’re letting her get away! She’s going to ruin everything!”
Nikki gulped as she heard the focus turn on her. She knew that if she didn’t get to the next patch of trees, she wouldn’t stand a chance of getting away unscathed. With all of the strength she had within her she lengthened her strides and hoped it would be enough to get her past their line of fire. Just as she reached the tree line, she heard a bullet tear through the air. It was followed by the sharp pain of a solid force colliding with her side.
Chapter 15
As Nikki’s head spun and she collapsed to the ground she was surprised at the strange sensation of being hit with a bullet. She thought that it would have hurt more. Her shoulder struck the dirt hard. In that instant she realized that she was pinned down. Had one of them been able to catch up with her that fast? Had she been running far slower than she first thought? She struggled in his grasp. As she tried to wedge her knee into any tender area she could find, he grabbed her arms and twisted her under him.
“Stop, stay down, Nikki!” He growled and gasped as her fingernails found the soft skin of the underside of his forearm.
“Quinn?” She gulped out his name as she struggled to breathe through her panic.
Noise burst all around. She heard gunfire from multiple directions, followed by shouts. Leaves and twigs crunched and snapped as men charged out from the trees, and she became aware that she and John, and Tim, had not been alone in the woods. As Quinn continued to hold her down, she felt his grip become softer. He hadn’t tackled her to stop her, but to protect her, from the bullet that had been fired in her direction.
“It’s okay, Nikki, I’ve got you.” Quinn continued to hover over her, until he heard someone shout.
“All clear!”
Hesitantly, Quinn stood up, though he continued to keep his body between her and the two men that had been cuffed on the ground.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Quinn gazed down at her, and offered his hand to help her up.
“I think I’m okay.” Nikki eased herself to her knees, then took his hand. Her body ached, and she knew there were a few solid bruises scattered across her arms and legs from the car accident, and the rough way that Tim grabbed her. “Are you?” She got to her feet with a soft tug from him. She reached up and swept her fingertip through a trail of blood that ran from his temple.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Quinn caught her hand with his free one. “It was just a branch I scratched myself on.” His eyes were heavy with worry as they sought hers. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry, I should have intervened sooner.”
“Sooner?” She blinked as her heart skipped a beat. “How long were you there?”
“We followed John’s car. But we had to wait for the right moment to announce our presence. Tim had his gun on you for so long, we didn’t have a clear shot to take him out.” He gazed at her, his eyes a bit wild as he looked her over from head to toe. “When I saw you run, I didn’t know what would happen. I saw John aim at you, and I just did the first thing I could think to do.”
“It was the right thing to do.” Nikki squeezed his hands, then caught sight of a bullet hole in the tree right beside her. Her stomach churned at the thought of how close it came to striking her. “You saved my life, Quinn. Again.” She smiled at the thought.
“You saved it.” He brushed her hair back from her shoulders as he surveyed the state of her neck and shoulders. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt? That crash by the police station sounded so loud.”
“I’m fine.” Nikki nodded, though her neck did feel a little sore. “You know about the crash?”
“Yes, I was at the station, I heard it. The car matched the description of the car in the surveillance video. That’s when I called you, to update you that it wasn’t Heather, and when you didn’t answer, I started to worry. The police officer that chased after the car reported back that there was a male driver and female passenger, and all of a sudden I just knew.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t be sure, I followed my hunch.”
“But I don’t understand.” Nikki frowned as she watched John and Tim escorted to two separate police cars. “You were here the whole time? You followed us? But I thought he lost the police car?” She felt a rush of fear as she recalled the reckless way that Tim drove through Dahlia.
“I instructed the officer to make it seem like he’d lost you. I didn’t want to risk a high-speed chase that could end up in a collision. Once I believed you were inside of that car, all I wanted to do was get you back safe. If you hadn’t crashed the car and gotten our attention, I’m not sure I ever would have found you.” He cleared his throat, then lowered his eyes. “Maybe I made the wrong choices. Maybe I should have found a way to stop him sooner.”
“You did the right thing.” Nikki met his eyes. “Tim was so upset after the crash. I think if he felt any more pressure he would have shot me right there in the car.” As she recalled their conversation, her own words echoed through her mind. Suddenly, her face flushed. Had Quinn heard what she said when she was pleading for her life? Did he hear her confession about being in love? Would he know that it was about him? As grateful as she was to be alive, in that moment she wished she could melt into the dirt beneath her feet.
“I don’t want to even think about that.” Quinn winced as he glanced away from her for a moment. “How did you end up in that car with him, Nikki?” When he looked back at her she saw a hint of frustration in his expression. “Why would you take a chance like that?”
“You mean Mrs. Whitter didn’t call you?” Nikki’s eyes widened as she suddenly realized that she had no idea if Mrs. Whitter was safe. “Did you go to her house?”
“Mrs. Whitter’s house?” Quinn raised an eyebrow. “Why would we go there? I had no idea you were in any trouble until I suspected you were in that car. Now that we have John’s confession we’ll be able to arrest him for Bryan’s murder, and I will make sure that Tim goes away for a long time for what he did to you.” He reached up as if he might touch her cheek, but let his hand fall away instead.
“Oh no!” Nikki gasped, too distracted by Mrs. Whitter’s safety to notice his hesitation. “We have to get to Mrs. Whitter right now! John said he was going back there to search the house. She’s in danger!”
“What do you mean, why is she in danger?” Quinn followed after her as she ran towards the nearest patrol car. “Nikki?”
“There’s no time, Quinn, I have to get there!” Nikki started to climb into the driver’s seat of the police car. She didn’t even think about what she was doing until Quinn caught her by the arm.
“Come with me, my car is right over here.” Quinn steered her in the direction of it. Once they were settled in the car, he looked over at her. “Now, can you please tell me what happened?”
“Just drive, Quinn, please! She and Princess are all alone there, I hope he didn’t hurt them.” She wrung her hands as he started the car. “Hurry, please!”
“I’m hurrying.” He flicked on the siren, threw his car into drive and the engine roared as he headed down the dirt road. “But you have to tell me the truth, Nikki, how did you end up in the car with Tim?” He glanced over at her, his eyes hot with a mixture of emotions.
“It wasn’t by choice!” Nikki grabbed his phone from the middle console and opened it up. “I need to call my cell phone, I need to see if I can reach her.”
“The password is 5798.” He frowned as he concentrated on the road.
“Thank you!” Nikki typed in the password then began to dial her cell phone. It went straight to voicemail without ringing. She tried again, and it went to voicemail again. Her heart sank lower an
d lower as she left a message for Mrs. Whitter to call her. With a trembling finger she tried Mrs. Whitter’s phone and it just rang. “My phone is going to voicemail. It must be off.” She blinked back tears. “Oh no, something terrible must have happened.”
Finally, she spilled the entire day’s events to Quinn, including the location of the emeralds.
“Oh Nikki, I’m so sorry. I wish I would have known.” He turned down the road that led to Mrs. Whitter’s house.
“I never should have left her there alone.” Nikki wiped at her eyes as her muscles ached with the desire to jump out of the car and get to the house faster.
“You did the right thing.” Quinn parked the car in front of the house, then grabbed her hand before she could leap out of the car. “Nikki, let me go in first.”
“No!” She jerked her hand out of his grasp. “I need to see if she’s okay for myself!”
As tears blurred Nikki’s vision she ran for the front door.
“Mrs. Whitter!” She pushed the door open and headed straight for the laundry room. “Mrs. Whitter?” She gasped out her name as she pushed the chair away and grabbed for the handle of the door. The first thing she heard was a bark. Princess barked louder as Nikki fiddled with the lock to get the door open. “I’m here, Princess, I’m here, sweetie.”
“Nikki, here let me.” Quinn pushed her shaking hands away from the stubborn lock. With one swift twist he had the door open. He stepped back to allow Nikki to barrel through the door.
“Mrs. Whitter!” Nikki sighed with relief as she saw Mrs. Whitter near the back of the laundry room with Princess in her arms.
“Is it safe, dear?” Mrs. Whitter patted the top of the dog’s head.
“It’s safe.” Nikki smiled as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, dear.” Mrs. Whitter smiled, glanced at Quinn, then back at her. “Nothing to be too concerned about. I would like to get out of this laundry room, though.” She held Nikki’s phone out to her. “I figured out your plan, but unfortunately there is no service in this room. I am so sorry, Nikki. I know you were counting on me to be able to get you help.”
“All I care about is that you are safe, Mrs. Whitter.” Nikki stepped aside to let her out of the laundry room.
“You too, dear.” Mrs. Whitter paused beside Nikki, then wrapped her arms around her, with Princess between them. The dog eagerly licked Nikki’s cheeks. “I was so worried about you. You were so brave to stand up for me like that. Brave, and plain stupid!”
“Mrs. Whitter!” Nikki laughed, then shook her head. “I would do it again in a second.”
“I should hope not.” Mrs. Whitter raised her eyebrows. “You are young, and vibrant, and you have an entire life ahead of you. It’s foolish to risk it for an old woman like me.”
“Mrs. Whitter, you’ll never be old, and you’re one of my very best friends.” Nikki hugged her again. “I would do absolutely anything to make sure that you’re safe.”
Princess gave a sharp bark.
“Yes, and you, too.” Nikki grinned and kissed the top of the dog’s head. “Happy birthday, Princess!”
“Well, then.” Mrs. Whitter wiped quickly at her eyes to hide the tears that threatened to fall. “I suppose we can be done with all of that unpleasantness.”
“Thanks to Quinn. If he hadn’t shown up when he did—” Nikki trailed off as fresh fear rushed through her.
“The important thing is everyone is safe.” Quinn wrapped one arm around her shoulders, then looked into her eyes.
“Yes, it is.” She cleared her throat as she recalled the confession she’d made. Would Quinn know it was about him. She still had no idea if he had heard it. Part of her wanted him to tell her if he did, but a bigger part wanted him to pretend he hadn’t heard a word.
“Oh my, the guests will be here any minute!” Mrs. Whitter set Princess down on the floor. “And that rotten criminal has made a mess of this place.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Whitter, we’ll get it shaped up in no time.” Nikki tipped her head in Quinn’s direction. “Right, Quinn?”
“Well, I’m afraid this area will have to be investigated as a crime scene. We’ll need to take custody of the emeralds as well.” Quinn frowned. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Whitter, the party may have to be delayed.”
“Nonsense!” Mrs. Whitter gasped. “It’s Princess’ birthday. The party must go on!”
“What if everyone stays outside?” Nikki looked over at Quinn. “That would work, wouldn’t it?”
“I suppose.” Quinn rubbed the back of his neck, then smiled. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
“Great!” Nikki looped her arm around Mrs. Whitter’s. “Let’s get everything set up.”
As Nikki headed out the door with the agility set under one arm and Mrs. Whitter’s arm wrapped around the other, she paused and glanced back at Quinn. He stared in her direction, as if he’d yet to take his eyes off her. As she met his gaze, her heartbeat quickened. He smiled, and for an instant she was certain that he’d heard every word of her confession.
“Nikki, if we hurry we can still pick up Princess’ balloons.” Mrs. Whitter gave her arm a light tug.
“Oh yes, I can do that.” Nikki looked away from Quinn, as her heart continued to race. “I need to check in on my other dogs, too, and at least give them potty breaks. Don’t worry, Princess is going to have the best birthday party ever.” She pushed the door closed behind her. Whether or not Quinn had heard her, the party had to go on.
The End
***
Thank you very much for reading Murder at the Pet Boutique. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can sign up for my cozy mystery newsletter to be notified of my latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at http://www.cindybellbooks.com
Also by Cindy Bell
Wagging Tail Cozy Mysteries
Murder at Pooch Park
Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries
Birthdays Can Be Deadly
Money Can Be Deadly
Trust Can Be Deadly
Ties Can Be Deadly
Rocks Can Be Deadly
Jewelry Can Be Deadly
Numbers Can Be Deadly
Memories Can Be Deadly
Paintings Can Be Deadly
Snow Can Be Deadly
Tea Can Be Deadly
Greed Can Be Deadly
Dune House Cozy Mysteries
Seaside Secrets
Boats and Bad Guys
Treasured History
Hidden Hideaways
Dodgy Dealings
Suspects and Surprises
Ruffled Feathers
A Fishy Discovery
Danger in the Depths
Celebrities and Chaos
Pups, Pilots and Peril
Tides, Trails and Trouble
Racing and Robberies
Athletes and Alibis
Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries
The Sweet Smell of Murder
A Deadly Delicious Delivery
A Bitter Sweet Murder
A Treacherous Tasty Trail
Pastry and Peril
Trouble and Treats
Fudge Films and Felonies
Custom-Made Murder
Skydiving, Soufflés and Sabotage
Christmas Chocolates and Crimes
Hot Chocolate and Homicide
Chocolate Caramels and Conmen
Picnics, Pies and Lies
Donut Truck Cozy Mysteries
Deadly Deals and Donuts
Fatal Festive Donuts
Bunny Donuts and a Body
Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries
Hairspray and Homicide
A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body
Mascara and Murder
Pageant and Poison
Conditioner and a Corpse
Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder
Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide
Blush, a Bride and a Body
Shampoo and a Stiff
Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer
Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless
Camping, Concealer and Criminals
Treated and Dyed
A Wrinkle-Free Murder
A Macaron Patisserie Cozy Mystery Series
Sifting for Suspects
Recipes and Revenge
Mansions, Macarons and Murder
Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mysteries
A Tough Case to Crack
A Seed of Doubt
Roasted Penuts and Peril
Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries
Murdering the Roses
Dead in the Daisies
Killing the Carnations
Drowning the Daffodils
Suffocating the Sunflowers
Books, Bullets and Blooms
A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest
A Bridal Bouquet and a Body
Digging for Dirt
Wendy the Wedding Planner Cozy Mysteries
Matrimony, Money and Murder
Chefs, Ceremonies and Crimes
Knives and Nuptials
Mice, Marriage and Murder
About the Author
Cindy Bell is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She is the author of the cozy mystery series Wagging Tail, Donut Truck, Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.
Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.