She stepped closer, and I had to react. My purse was just inches away, but I didn’t have enough time to grab it and my gun, but I could use what I’d learned in jujitsu. I swung my left arm up, knocking her left arm with my forearm, and sent the gun flying out of her hand. Without pausing, I bowed my head and charged her from the seat, forcing her to fall back onto the ground, smacking her head onto the hard Georgia dirt. It caught her off guard, and for a moment she lay there disoriented. I pushed her out of my way and threw myself at the gun, landing with my chest on top of it. I rolled over and grabbed it with my dominate hand just in time to roll over again and point it at Jennifer Lee standing above me. As she bent down, I lifted my leg and kicked her in the knee, and I heard something crack.
She screamed as she fell back again, rolling to her side and cursing loudly. She stood and rushed toward me again. I pushed myself up off the ground and pointed the gun at her, but she kept coming. I didn’t want to shoot her. She may have been a killer, but I wasn’t. I threw the gun over her head and it sailed through the air, landing several feet behind her and stood with my feet slightly separated, my hands in fists protecting my face.
She stopped and growled, “You son of a b—”
“Cursing isn’t ladylike,” I said and threw a jab at her face with one hand. When it surprised her, I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her back down to the ground. “And I’ve learned that where the head goes, the body follows.”
She screamed out as she dropped on her injured leg just as Justin and Detective Bruno arrived, guns drawn. I kept at it, throwing myself on top of Jennifer to keep her from going anywhere. Later, I’d learn I’d broken her leg with that kick, and it was unlikely she could have stood on it again.
“Missy, stop. We got this.”
Max met me at the police station. I’d already given my statement to Bruno and Justin, but they weren’t ready to let me go home. Max talked with them both, privately, and after he finished, he sat with me in the private lounge the officers used. “Jake wanted Jennifer to kill his wife.”
“I had a feeling.”
“And when she refused, when she wouldn’t help him with his mission or whatever he called it, he enlisted Gina Palencia.”
“Yes.”
“So, Jennifer did it anyway, trying to frame them.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,” I said.
“I was wrong.”
“About what?”
“Jake Fielding is a killer.”
I nodded. “Just not one that wanted to get blood on his hands. Literally.”
He held my hand in his. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“About not protecting you. I made a promise to Sam and I didn’t follow through. In fact, I did the opposite by asking you to help a friend who ended up wanting to kill someone. I’m—"
I turned and faced him. “Max, stop. You’re wrong. This was personal for me, and Sam would know that. I know that. You didn’t make me do anything. It started with me finding the body.”
He half-smiled. “I should have done something.”
“You did. You stayed on my couch. You kept me safe. Sam would appreciate that. I appreciate that.”
He nodded. “Thank you for that, but I still feel like I let you both down.”
I smiled as I squeezed his hand. “I know Sam, and I promise you, you haven’t, neither of us.”
Justin knocked on the door and stepped into the small lounge. “We have Gina. She’s admitted to her part in Jake’s plan. Said he tried to get her to push Traci out, and told her if that meant his wife had to die, he was okay with that.”
“Is she under arrest?”
He shook his head. “But we’ve got someone picking up Fielding now.”
I exhaled. “That’s good.”
“You need to go home.” He squeezed my shoulder. “And you need to call your daughter.”
“I will, but I really need to—”
“No, Missy. She knows. She’s waiting to hear from you.”
But I didn’t need to call Hayden. Her car was in my driveway when Max pulled in.
“I can stay,” he said.
I shook my head. “It’s okay. She’s harmless, for the most part anyway.”
He smiled. “I’ll call you later?”
I nodded, and we both stared at each other again, our eyes locking with that awkward desire I wasn’t ready or willing to acknowledge. I looked away and said goodbye as I stepped out of his car.
Hayden hugged me and cried.
That night she slept in my room with me. The night Sam died, she stayed in my bed, too. We both cried each other to sleep then, and in some odd way, I think it made us both feel better, or maybe just feel less alone. I was grateful she was there, but I knew it was more for her than for me. I’d already lost my husband. Being close to death didn’t scare me, but I knew the thought of me dying scared Hayden.
The next morning, I got up extra early to get to the shelter and organize the dogs to head out to the festival. I was grateful Hayden had come over again because Max had driven me to the police station the night before and I’d left my car at the fairgrounds.
When we arrived at the festival, hours before it was to start, I groaned about the long walk to the back of the fairgrounds to the pooch party area. As we walked, Gina Palencia stepped out of a specialty hot chocolate booth.
“Missy.”
I stiffened at the sound of her voice.
“Gina.”
She touched her lips. “Your…the…if you’re going to your area, you need to turn around.”
“What do you mean?”
“Several of the volunteers moved it back to its original location.” She shrugged. “I thought it was the least I could do.”
I nodded. “What about the beer garden?”
“It’s back there. Drives foot traffic through the whole festival.” She smiled. “I’m…I’m sorry.”
Hayden grabbed my arm. “Mom, we have things to do.”
“One minute,” I said, and steeled my eyes on Gina. “Are you? I could have been killed.”
“I know that now. I didn’t think any of this would happen.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
She nodded.
“Do you love him?”
“I thought I might. I don’t know now.”
“Next time you might want to choose better.”
Hayden coughed.
“Yes,” Gina said.
We walked away.
“You just owned her, Mom.”
I smiled. “I like to think I was giving her valuable advice.”
“As you owned her.”
Chapter Eleven
The pooch party was a hit. We had training sessions every hour on the hour, showing off the dog’s skills while allowing potential adopters to engage with the dogs through mini training and play. Hours into the first night, Hayden showed up with a familiar person holding her hand.
Justin blushed. “How’re you feeling Mrs.—Missy?”
“Apparently not as happy as you.” I couldn’t help myself, mostly because I was just as happy to see them holding hands as I knew he was.
“Mom.”
“What? This is a dream come true for me.”
Hayden smiled and pushed her shoulder into Justin’s. “I kind of feel that way, too.”
“Your father would be thrilled.”
We all stood there thinking about Sam and what he would have felt in that moment.
As we made small talk, Mary from the shelter signed the papers for another adoption process. In all that first night, we had four applications for adoption. I considered that a success.
When Rick Morring approached the pooch party area with his wife and two children, I had to force myself to be kind to the man. While his wife supervised his children playing with the dogs, he approached me.
“This isn’t over, Mrs. Kingston.”
I adjusted the collar on one of the dog’s necks an
d stood. “I have no doubt about that, Mr. Morring. I mean, look at them.” I flicked my head toward his children, smiling as his daughter, who wasn’t over seven years old, was attacked with kisses by Allie. “They’re so dangerous.” His family laughed as the children rolled around with the pups on the ground. Allie was in heaven.
Rick Morring shook his head and called out to his wife. “Come on, babe, let’s get these kids some funnel cake.” He nodded at me. “Mrs. Kingston.”
I gave him a snarky smile, but that was it.
Allie and Bandit fascinated visitors by playing together with their Kong as a volunteer trainer tossed it around. That trainer approached me as the festival ended that first night.
Her face full of worry, she whispered in my ear, “Mrs. Kingston, someone wants to adopt Bandit.”
I pushed myself from my kneeling position. “Bandit?”
She nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She aimed her eyes toward a red-haired woman sitting at the table with the adoption applications. “What should I tell her?”
I smiled. “I’ll take care of it, sweetie. Can you do me a favor and start walking the dogs to the shelter van?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I ambled over to the desk and greeted the woman. “I understand you’re interested in adopting a dog?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’d like to adopt that black one, Bandit. Though I’d definitely have to change that name.”
I pressed my lips together. “We received an application for him already, and I suspect they’ll be approved. We could contact you, or you could consider another dog?” I didn’t tell her that other application was mine just waiting to be signed.
“Oh, that’s too bad, but I did love that little Corgi mix. It looks just like a Husky, but with a Corgi body. I noticed another couple with her though. Is she being adopted?”
I pulled an application from the file folder to my right. “No, ma’am. Willie is available. Go ahead and fill this out, and we’ll start the interview process tomorrow.”
After she completed the application and left, I finished the last of the items on my closing list and hugged Bandit. “First thing in the morning Monday we’re signing those adoption papers. Time to make it official.”
I was exhausted, but we’d got everything set up for the next day, and I could finally go home and fall into bed.
Max met me at my car.
“Oh, hey. It’s late. What’re you still doing here?” I asked.
“Figured I’d stick around and make sure you got home okay.”
I smiled. “Max, thank you, but really, I’m fine.” I loaded the dogs into my car and checked to make sure the shelter van had already left. I was relieved to see it had. After I closed the door, I started my vehicle with my key and popped open my door to roll the windows down for the dogs.
“Missy, I…” He shifted his body weight from one leg to the other and ran a hand through his short hair. He smiled, and my breath quickened.
“Max, I think I know what you’re going to—”
He stepped closer and I froze. I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t lift my eyes from his chest to his face, but that didn’t matter. He used one finger and lifted my chin for me. “You feel it too, don’t you?”
I licked my lips.
“I really want to kiss you, you know that?”
I wasn’t sure what to say, which didn’t matter because I don’t think my voice could have made it past the huge lump in my throat. “Max, I…I can’t.”
He smiled as he removed his finger and stepped back a step. “I understand.” He glanced at the ground and then up at me again. “You’ll get home okay?”
I blinked. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll follow you just in case.”
“Max, you don’t have to do—”
“Sam would want me to. And Missy, he’d want you to be happy.” Before I could say anything, he continued. “I can wait.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, Max.”
“Maybe not, but you’ll always have me looking out for you.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Jen, my favorite proofreader, JC Wing, ARC supervisor and assistant, Wilfrieda Schultz for keeping me in line, my wonderful ARC team, and my friends and family who’ve supported me as I’ve traveled along this writing journey. Most of all, thank you to my Hottie Hubby for being my best friend and my biggest fan.
About the Author
Even though I’ve always wanted to be a writer, I also wanted to support myself, so instead of following that dream, I opted to get a job with a regular paycheck.
When my mother died in 2009, and then I lost my father less than a year later, I decided to take the leap. I wanted to find a way to honor my parents, to keep their memories alive, and I did that with my first book, Unfinished Business.
That book went to number one all over and sat happily in the top one hundred books sold in each for over a week with one particular outlet.
I received hundreds of emails from people who felt that little semi-mystery gave them hope, that it made them find comfort when they needed it most, and that they wished they had a friend like Mel.
I was hooked.
I don’t write for the money (though the money is nice sometimes). I write for those emails, and knowing I’m doing what I love, finally. If my writing takes people away from their worries for even a short period of time, I’m a lucky gal.
I hope my parents can read in Heaven.
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Other Books by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
The Angela Panther Mystery Series
Unfinished Business
Unbreakable Bonds
Uncharted Territory
Unexpected Outcomes
Unbinding Love
The Christmas Elf
The Ghosts
Undetermined Events
The Event
The Favor
The Lily Sprayberry Realtor Cozy Mystery Series
Deal Gone Dead
Decluttered and Dead
The Scarecrow Snuff Out (in Sleigh Bells & Sleuthing, a holiday novella collection)
Signed, Sealed and Dead
Bidding War Break-In
Open House Heist
Realtor Rub Out
Santa’s Little Thief (in the 12 Cozy Mystery Carols of Christmas)
Foreclosure Fatality (coming soon)
The Chantilly Adair Psychic Medium Cozy Mystery Series
Get Up and Ghost
Ghosts Are People Too
Praying for Peace
Haunting Hooligans
Ghost in the Grave (coming soon)
The Pooch Party Cozy Mystery Series
Pooches, Pumpkins, and Poison
Hounds, Harvest, and Homicide (coming soon)
The Holiday Hills Witch Cozy Mystery Series
There’s a New Witch in Town (coming soon)
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