by Cindy Bell
“We need to hurry.” Ally looked up at the ceiling. Long metal poles with sprinklers hung down from the ceiling. “I bet if he’s worried about his precious cars, he’ll come running.” She rummaged in her purse and found a lighter.
“What are you doing with that? You’re not smoking are you, Ally?” Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
“No, Mee-Maw!” She flicked the lighter on to be sure it worked. “I forgot to take it out of my purse, I bought it the other day when I wanted to light those candles you bought me. Hopefully, it will be enough to set off the sprinklers.”
“The pillow.” Charlotte tipped her head towards a fluffy, tasseled pillow that rested on a sofa in the showroom. “See if you can set it on fire.”
“Good idea.” Ally grabbed it and waved the flame of the lighter along the tassels until they ignited. Then she waved the pillow in the direction of the sprinklers.
“Ouch!” She winced as one of her fingers was singed by the flames.
“Ally, be careful! Don’t burn yourself. It’s not going to work! Hurry, he’s going to see us!”
Just then, the sprinklers erupted.
As soon as the water began to spray, an alarm sounded throughout the building. Ally and Charlotte crouched down low behind one of the cars. As expected, Kevin rushed out of the office and ran for the control panel near the rear of the building. Ally bolted for the office. She found the remote on the desk, the only problem was she had no idea which button to push. There were three. Her heart pounded as she tried to decide which one did what. When the alarm cut off, she knew she was out of time. She pressed the button on the bottom and held her breath. A second later she heard the grind and snap of the shutters being retracted.
“Mee-Maw!” She ran out of the office and met her grandmother just as she headed for the front doors.
“Stop! You stop!” Kevin ran towards them.
“Go, Mee-Maw, go!” Ally gasped as Charlotte reached the door just as the bolt slid out of place. She slammed her hands into the door and swung it open. Ally rushed out behind her. With her keys in her hand she grabbed the door handle of the car. Just as she did, a siren blasted a few feet away from her. She shrieked as a police car rolled up right behind her. “Help us, please help us!” She waved to the officers who jumped out of the car.
The two officers drew their weapons and charged towards the door just as Kevin burst through it.
“Ally, get down!” Charlotte grabbed her hand and tugged her behind the car. “Pete’s still on the roof.”
Ally peered up at the roof and caught sight of the shadow of the man that prowled back and forth up there. A car squealed into the parking lot behind them. She turned to see Luke step out.
“Luke, get down!” Ally called out to him in the same moment that the windshield of his car exploded with the force of a bullet. “Pete’s on the roof!”
Luke lunged towards her and ducked down behind the car. He pulled out his radio and barked into it to warn the other officers.
“We have to get you two out of here.” He peered past the hood of the car, up at the roof. “We can’t move yet, just sit tight.”
“How did you know we were here?” Ally slipped her hand into his. “The calls wouldn’t go through.”
“You sent me a text. It must have gone through at some point.”
“When we came back downstairs.” Charlotte grimaced as another bullet rang out through the air. “None of the calls would go through on the roof.”
“Which means that Pete can’t make any calls either. He’s isolated up there.” Ally narrowed her eyes. “They’ll get him.”
Minutes later there was an eruption of gunfire. Luke’s radio came alive with chatter.
“We’re okay, they got him.” He helped Charlotte to her feet, then slid an arm around Ally’s waist. “They’re bringing him down now.”
“It’s over?” Ally breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s really over?”
“Yes. I can’t say that I’m glad either of you were involved in this, but I’m certainly not surprised. At least Austin’s murder has been solved now.”
“Did you get Carter?” She watched as he opened the door to her car.
“Yes. He admitted to hiring Austin. He claimed he had no idea that Lang hired someone as well. Between the two I’m sure they’ll give us enough to put them both away for a very long time. Sit down for a minute, we’re going to have a long conversation with Mainbry PD, I’m sure.”
Ally and Charlotte settled into the backseat of the car, with the doors still open.
“I can’t believe it’s finally over.” Ally closed her eyes for a moment. A second later, something landed in her lap. She jumped and opened her eyes to see Peaches just as she began to curl up.
“Thanks for the help, Peaches!” She stroked her fur as the cat purred. “No more waiting for dinner, I promise.”
Luke poked his head into the car and smiled at the sight of the cat.
“I’m sure that’s going to be an interesting story.”
“Oh yes.” Ally grinned.
“I can’t wait to hear it!”
The End
***
Thank you very much for reading ‘Skydiving, Soufflés and Sabotage’. I hope you enjoyed 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
Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
Ingredients:
Butter and extra superfine sugar for greasing and dusting the ramekins
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1/3 cup superfine sugar
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 6 x 6-ounce ramekins with butter then dust with the extra sugar.
Break the chocolate into pieces then gently melt with the cream, preferably in a double boiler.
Once melted whisk in the cocoa powder and the egg yolks.
In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar a spoonful at a time and beat until stiff peaks form.
Gradually fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, about a third at a time. Fold gently until combined.
Divide the mixture among the ramekins and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The soufflés are ready when they are set and the top is cracked.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Also by Cindy Bell
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
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
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
Mem
ories Can Be Deadly
Paintings Can Be Deadly
Snow Can Be Deadly
Tea Can Be Deadly
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
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
Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries
The Sweet Smell of Murder
A Deadly Delicious Delivery
A Bitter Sweet Murder
A Treacherous Tasty Trail
Luscious Pastry at a Lethal Party
Trouble and Treats
Fudge Films and Felonies
Custom-Made Murder
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 the author of the cozy mystery series 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.
You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.