She had to take one more look at the two men still jumping up and down in the grass. Then she saw that the gun the first man had held had been thrown away from him and had landed in the middle of the road. Putting the car in gear she sped forward and stopped. Getting out, she grabbed the gun and turned it on the two men.
The two men took little notice of her, she could have been holding a bazooka they still wouldn’t have cared. They were too busy trying to get the fire ants off their legs. Megan's steps had led them to stand in the center of the large fire ant mound. The men were in agony from the stinging bites, and Megan almost felt sorry for them.
Yelling to get their attention, she told the two of them to step forward away from the pile. The two men didn't react at first, and then finally realize what she was talking about. But it was too late, they would be in agony for hours. Because not only were the ants biting on their legs but also on their hands where they had tried to brush them away.
The sound of another car on the road caught her attention. Megan held the gun steady as she looked up at the approaching car. At first she didn't recognize it, but as it pulled up behind the Lexus and stopped, she saw it was Jake ’ s car. When the door opened and Aiden pulled his large frame out of the small car, she smiled with relief. Not letting her grip on the gun lessen, she relaxed slightly, knowing she was no longer facing the two criminals alone.
Chapter 27
Not long after Aiden's arrival the sheriff himself showed up. Sheriff Green took in the sight before him and immediately called for an ambulance to transport the two men to the hospital. They needed medical attention for the number of bites up and down their legs and arms. Grabbing the fire extinguisher out of his car, the sheriff aimed it at the men's legs and let loose, getting rid of most of the fire ants. He then ordered the two men to stand on the curb and held them there at gunpoint. They still had ants crawling on them, and there was no way that sheriff was putting them in his car.
Once the sheriff had taken over the situation, Aiden pulled Megan into his arms and led her away from the crime scene. After reassuring himself that she was okay, he simply held her. After a few moments he took a deep breath, and still holding onto her, looked her in the eye and made the declaration he been holding on the inside for too long.
"That's the last time, Megan. I almost lost you again. Don't you know how much I love you?"
Before Megan could answer, Deputy Young showed up with his sirens wailing to take over for the sheriff. He ordered the men, still twitching with ants, to strip down to nothing, to be sure they didn’t bring unwanted riders with them to the hospital. Then he handcuffed the two criminals to the gurneys the ambulance attendants placed them on. The sheriff shook his head as he walked back to Megan and Aiden.
"Nice work, Megan. Don’t know how you got those two dummies to stand in the middle of a fire ant pile, but they didn't do it on their own. I will need to get their statements, hopefully they will be in so much pain that they will talk with no prodding and we can find out who else is involved. We’ll have to take your car and impounded it. It’s evidence now. And by the way, it was also evidence when you drove away from Aiden's office. I think you were aware of that."
Megan had the grace to acknowledge Sheriff Green was right, but she wasn't paying all that much attention to what he was saying. She could only think about what Aiden had just said to her. She looked around for him to continue their talk, but Aiden was conferring with the Deputy Young. The moment had passed, but Megan would find another moment. This last stunt she pulled upset and scared her as much as it had Aiden. It was time to tell the man how much she loved him.
***
While the sheriff and his two unofficial deputies were busy out on the country road, other officers had been busy rounding up all the employees of the car dealership. They brought each into the station for questioning, supposedly to find out if they remembered anything more about the break-in. Unbeknown to each of the suspects, nurse Dana White was behind a two-way mirror watching and ready to identify the man who had tried to kill Lewis in the hospital. When Owen came in for questioning, she didn't hesitate. This was the man she had seen posing as a doctor, ready to do the one thing the doctor never would do: kill another human being.
Things wrapped up quickly from that point. Statements given, arrests made, and the smuggling scheme put to rest. Upon questioning, Owen gave up the information about the smuggling ring that had been operating for the last year. With the information he provided, the FBI could break up a large smuggling ring that used car dealerships to pass stolen gems across the country. Owners, like Joe Stevens, were in the dark. Instead well-placed staff members in the dealership would coordinate the incoming vehicles, making sure the gems were removed from the cars before they were ready for sale. If it hadn't been for Joe's insistence that Megan take that Jeep, the smuggling ring would've continued. And when Joe returned from his hunting trip he made sure that Megan got a replacement Jeep.
While the questioning was going on in the sheriff’s office, Alice suddenly arrived. She had been tipped off by someone at the hospital that Lewis’s attacker had been identified. There was no real question who the tipster had been. Kim Heart was right there with her cameraman to catch Alice in the act of confronting Owen as he was led out of the interrogation room. The picture they caught of Alice’s right hand hook, and Owen’s broken nose made both the evening news and the morning’s front page. Citrus Beach cheered at the picture, loving the swift justice given by the woman, and no charges were ever pressed.
Chapter 28
Sunday
Things calmed down and life returned to normal in Citrus Beach. All the statements had been given, evidence collected, and the case was tied up in a neat little bow. Sheriff Green congratulated Megan on helping solve yet another crime. He then told her he hoped he wouldn’t have to call on her again for a long time.
Megan and Aiden were finally able to spend an evening together alone with no interruptions. And it was about time. Aiden’s declaration made on that stretch of road still needed to be addressed.
They were sitting by the pool, relaxing with some music, grateful to be alive and with each other. The two dogs were curled up together in one dog bed, content. When the doorbell rang, Aiden volunteered to get up and get it, and Megan let him, too comfortable to get up herself. When Aiden returned, Megan looked up to ask him who was at the door, and was surprised to find him standing there with a package in his hand.
"This is for you. In all the excitement I forgot it would be delivered tonight. So open it. It should be easy to solve my little puzzle with this last clue." He walked over to Megan and put the box in her lap, sitting down to watch her open it.
Like Aiden, in all the excitement Megan had pushed his little puzzle to the back of her mind. But now she remembered the beautiful gifts he sent her earlier, and her curiosity took over. She ripped the paper off the box eager to find out what was inside.
Opening the box, she found the same soft tissue paper and peeled it away to reveal the same icy blue color she had seen before. Reaching in she pulled out a soft blue, hand-knit shawl. But there was a heavy weight inside of it and she looked up at Aiden puzzled. Aiden simply motioned with his hand for her to continue unwrapping, he would not answer the questions for her.
Carefully unfolding the shawl, Megan burst out laughing when she saw what was inside.
"I have never seen one of these before, but I'm pretty sure I know what it is. Why only one ski boot?"
"Because, my love, the other boot is waiting for you in a cabin up in the Catskill Mountains. You and I are taking a long weekend away from Citrus Beach. There are too many distractions here and we need time for ourselves. I figured the only way I would get you to myself would be to lock you away in a cabin. Will you join me?"
Megan looked at Aiden, tears glistening in her eyes. This was the most romantic thing anybody had ever done for her. He was right, they needed to get away and spend time with each other. Because Megan wa
s ready to take the next step now, and they had a future to plan.
Nodding her head, Megan answered his question with three simple words.
"I love you."
Megan’s Gardening Tips: Attracting Butterflies
Butterflies are a wonderful addition to any garden. Planting flowers that attract them is essential to having a successful experience. Bright colors and flowers that are full of pollen and nectar are important. So is water. When the butterfly emerges from a cocoon, they are going to look for water first. But don’t rely on your bird bath. A shallow body of water is best so they have a spot to rest on. If the only water you can offer is from the birdbath, then add a few stones that will sit just at the top of the water.
Don’t forget that when they are a caterpillar first, and that means they are going to chew on the foliage of your garden. Plant some milkweed in amongst your other flowers for them to feed on and remember not to destroy the caterpillars -- they might turn in to a beautiful butterfly.
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Be sure to watch for the next Citrus Beach Mystery. Megan and Barney are at it again. An old time mystery sure to have you guessing followed by the event we’ve all been waiting for. But only if the murderer can be caught.
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A Tank Full of Trouble: A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 5) Page 14