by Gale Borger
A paramedic took Spaz's place at the girl's head, and Mike helped Spaz off the floor. Spaz backed into the crowd. She stood alone with her arms wrapped around her body. Adrenalin pumped through her blood stream, making her shake from head to toe. The slapping of running feet on tile brought her head around. She had just enough time to brace herself before she felt the jolt of arms wrapping her in a bracing hug. Ollie and Maureen held on to her and fought their way through the crowd to a little conference room. They pushed through the door and Ollie locked it behind them.
Maureen sat and drew Spaz into the chair next to her. She kept hold of both hands while Ollie dialed 911.
Maureen squeezed Spaz's hands. "I know this is a dumb question, but are you all right?"
Spaz watched Ollie. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just hope Kaylee is okay."
"Kaylee? Oh, the hurt girl. What happened Evie, can you remember?"
"Beats me. We were walking to the reporting area and this pile of crates teetered. I grabbed Kaylee's arm, but she wouldn't move. I heard someone and yelled. The crates came at us, so I tackled her. One hit her on the head, and she went down." Spaz looked up. "That's all I know. I didn't see who pushed the crates on us. I heard them running away about the time I saw the first crate tumble."
Loud banging on the door had Ollie rushing to unlock it. Big Mike and the boys tumbled through. The boys made straight for Spaz. They fussed and asked questions until she got irritated. Maureen shood them away. Big Mike took her arm and stood her up. "Come on, kid. It's been a long day. I'll take you home. We can talk on the way."
She pulled back. "I told you before. I'm not leaving. I'm seeing this thing through."
Big Mike sighed. "Then you'll be seeing it through alone, because they just cancelled the competition."
Spaz looked wounded. "But I never got to wear the dress."
Pone snorted. "To hell with the dress. We'll take you out to dinner or something, Spaz. You can wear it then."
Cash put his arm across her shoulders and squeezed. "I have to agree with The Man. Someone wants you gone, babe."
Shroom hung on tightly to the trophy. "Yeah, it ain't worth nobody's life, man. Besides, you already got a trophy." He ducked out the door. With the trophy.
Spaz shrugged off Cash's arm and geared up to yell at them. Maureen stepped in. "Evie, listen. They are shutting down the show. Let's all meet back at the garden center and discuss where we go from here. Here, I'll help you pack up."
They all agreed. Spaz and Maureen packed the makeup and hair products. Ollie packed the gowns and emptied the drawers. The boys packed up the paperwork and toted the trunks and luggage out to Cash's truck.
Spaz was on her knees checking under the dresser for a lost flip flop. She heard Big Mike's cell phone ring. He answered. "Williams. Yes. No, sir, they cancelled the competition. Who? She what? When? Do you have a status report? Negative, do nothing until I get there. I'm on my way in about three minutes. Put Ricky on the door and no one goes in. What? No! Especially the parents. I said no one and I mean it. Yeah, me too, Mel, and thanks."
Big Mike sat for a second. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Spaz stood quietly and waited. The other kids trickled back into the room and stood next to her. Ollie and Maureen followed behind. Spaz held a finger to her lips and no one spoke. Mike's sigh sounded loud in the silent room. He looked up to find seven sets of eyes staring at him.
"I've got something to tell you, but damn, this is never easy. Valerie Hunnicut is in the hospital. Doctors think she might have overdosed. She is in critical care for the moment and if she makes it, she'll be in ICU until she makes a recovery–if she makes a recovery."
A long silence followed. Shroom was the first to recover. "Oh man, now what do we do?"
Gale Borger has been involved in law enforcement for over twenty years. This gives Gale an endless source of background material for her books. Growing up in a screwball household also gives her a sense for the zany and the bizarre. Gale writes what she knows, and she knows bad guys and funny stuff–but not necessarily in that order!
Gale lives in Southeastern Wisconsin with her husband and daughter, a Dogue de Bordeaux, two cats, about 1000 tropical fish, an African Horned Toad, a side-neck turtle, two dwarf hamsters, and a leopard gecko.
When Gale is not writing, she and her husband breed and swap tropical fish. Gale is also a Master Gardener and after work can usually be found in a flower bed up to her ears in weeds, or volunteering at a local gardening event.
Totally Buzzed and Totally Fishy are the first books in the Miller Sisters Mysteries.
See what's up with Gale at
www.galeborgerbooks.com
check out her blog at
www.galeborgerbooks.wordpress.com
or contact her at
[email protected]