by Diane Bator
“So do I, and you’re no match for Maddox, or whoever’s in charge now, no matter how big you think you are.”
He flinched then his expression softened. “Are you worried about me?”
“Not at all. I’m just pointing out he’ll get what he wants whether you help him or not.” She narrowed her eyes. “All I have to do is get word out you’re playing for both teams and Al and Chevy will be on you faster than you can think.”
“Which would be hazardous to your health too.”
“Is that a threat? I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been threatened by the best and I’m all threatened out for today.”
He grinned as though he held all the best cards in the game. “I’m just pointing out the obvious, babe. If you so much as squeak, they’ll find you.”
“You idiot. I told you, they already found me.” She spoke slowly for his benefit. “Chevy and Al were in my store half an hour ago and planned to cart me off in the trunk of their car. It seems Maddox and his boss are anxious to see me and knew exactly where to find me.”
“His boss? I don’t know what they told you, but Maddox doesn’t have a boss.” He only laughed with his mouth. His eyes showed concern. “How’d you get away from them?”
Katie’s jaw dropped open. “You don’t think I’m smart enough to get away from those two? I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I’ve watched those two losers play cat and mouse games for years.”
Danny squeezed his eyes shut in obvious frustration. He seemed to trust she wouldn’t punch him in the face in the next ten seconds. He placed his hands on her knees. “Katie, you wouldn’t understand what’s going on, even if I told you. You need to come back to Newville with me and—”
“Which part don’t you think I’d get? The part where I’m being framed for murder and embezzlement or the part where someone wants to kill me?” Her face hovered close to his.
He paled to a grim shade of grey. “I was only doing what I had to do. The D.A. wants you to—”
“Do you two need to be alone?” Ray chuckled at the compromising position his nephew was stuck in.
The fear on Danny’s face almost made Katie laugh. If she wasn’t so frustrated and mad, she’d giggle herself silly. She shoved her hands against his chest and pushed herself up. “We’re not done with this.”
“No, of course we’re not.” Danny followed her around the front of the car. He grabbed her elbows with his grease-caked fingers and pulled her closer. “Look, Katie or Paulina, or whatever you want to be called, if you were smart, you’d take whatever money you have and leave Packham. Disappear like you were supposed to do in the first place. Go to Africa. Go to the Caribbean. Just go away before the police—”
“How do you know I was supposed to disappear? Were you behind that?” She shook her head. “You’re the one who told them where to find me in the first place, weren’t you?”
“No. I’m trying to keep them away from you. It’s my job to find you and I’ve done everything I can to—”
She pulled out of his grasp. “Damn it, Danny or Donovan, or whoever you really are, this is my life you’re screwing with.”
“Things aren’t what they seem. I’ve spent the past few weeks trying to—”
“Don’t you get it? They want to kill me.” Her words echoed through the Quonset and became real. She grabbed another large wrench off the wooden workbench and waved it at him. “This isn’t a game. Someone killed Dunnsforth, and I’m next on their list.”
“Well, it wasn’t me.”
It might as well have been. Danny was on their side. He was one of the bad guys. Katie threw the wrench at him, not the least bit concerned when it hit his right hand with a loud crack and his face crumpled in agony.
She stormed out of the garage and shoved past Mark. “You were supposed to wait by the car.”
“Katie, get back here.” Danny groaned in pain and ran after her. “Al and Chevy didn’t kill Dunnsforth. We’re trying to prove who did.”
“That’s what they said, but I’m not buying it.” Katie stomped across the yard done playing games. It was time to take matters into her hands. There was no one she could trust anymore.
She turned to make sure Hilda and Ray were coming.
Hilda followed Danny and waved the wrench behind his back. “Come back here you coward. Let me get a piece of you.”
Ray didn’t seem to know who to cheer for.
“Don’t you dare leave.” Danny waved them both away. “I need to talk to you. I have to take you back.”
“Don’t bother. You won’t have to worry about me ever again.” Katie opened the car door. “Especially if Al and Chevy have their way.”
“What happened? Is everything okay?” Mark opened the back door for Ray and Hilda. “What can I do?”
“Just get in the car and drive.” Katie slammed the door.
Hilda dropped the wrench on Danny’s foot then flew into the backseat when he cried out in pain. Ray climbed in behind her then rolled down the window. “Serves you right. You’ve brought this on yourself, you know, and you’d better figure out whose side you’re on before anyone else gets hurt.”
“I know who’s side I’m on. Katie, don’t do this. You have to listen to me.” He leaned into the open window, his breathing ragged. “Look, at least take me to the hospital. I think you’ve broken my wrist. We can talk there.”
“Great. Then you’ll have something to remember me by when I’m dead and gone, which should be in a day or so, thanks to you.”
“Let’s go home.” Ray rolled up the window as the car began to move.
She glanced into the side mirror as they drove out of the winding gravel driveway, not sorry for Danny in the least. He deserved the broken bone and more. How dare he not tell her what she needed to know.
The drive back to town was quiet.
Mark stopped in front of the store then hesitated. “Are you okay?”
“Lovely. Thanks for the ride.” She stomped toward the bookstore, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one followed.
Mark drove away like his ex-wives were chasing him.
Ray and Hilda bowed their heads and scurried toward Java Jo’s.
It was just as well. Katie Mullins was nothing but trouble. Just like Paulina Chourney. For a split second, she wanted to laugh at her paranoia. Then she remembered the men after her. Danny had signed her death warrant by telling them where she was. He deserved far worse than a broken wrist.
She paused and her heart sank. What did he mean Al and Chevy hadn’t killed Dunnsforth? Who did?
Katie recalled fragments of their conversation and realized he’d been trying to. She should have stopped to ask instead of being so bullheaded. He also didn’t seem to know there was a woman in charge. If he was in Maddox’s pocket, why didn’t he know that either? Maybe what they needed was to work together.
“Hello, Katie.”
She spun around and gave a loud shriek. “Oh, Edie!” She sighed in relief and patted a hand on her chest. “I’m so sorry. I’m having a pretty awful day.”
“Oh, dear. Your nerves are shot.” Edie walked into the store. “Maybe you need to drink less coffee and switch to green tea. It would make a world of difference. Either that or have a good shot of sherry.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that would change my life completely right now.”
Laura held up a finger then darted into the backroom. “First, I need to use the restroom then I want to know how it went with Danny.”
“Danny Walker? Does this have anything to do with your trip to the Diggley farm? Hilda texted us all to meet her at the coffee shop so she could fill us in.” She patted Katie’s arm. “You know, I think I remembered where I know you from.”
Her stomach did a somersault. “You did? Where?”
“The bus station in Newville. You were the hussy with the sunglasses I kept running into. Somehow our tickets got mixed up and you made me late for my grandson’s birthday, so I had to sit and wait for the next bus ou
t. I was furious.” Edie smiled. “It worked out, though. I ran into an old boyfriend I hadn’t seen in forty years and we started dating. Thank you.”
The blood rushed out of Katie’s head.
Edie gave her a hug. “It’s nice you have a little meat on your bones now. You look so much better than you did in the bus depot.”
Her mother had always told her the same thing. Her mother. Her family probably saw the news and would be frantic. Tears swarmed her eyes. How could she do this to them?
Katie’s mind spun like a Mixmaster. She sat on a stool and dropped her head onto the counter. Visions of Danny hopping mad with a broken wrist didn’t make her feel any better. The sense of revenge she felt when she hit him had died away. Now she was sick to her stomach. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Hmm. We may be able to help you with that.”
Katie lifted her aching head when the other woman didn’t say anything more. Edie was already halfway to the front door.
Laura returned nibbling a cookie when the chimes jingled and the door closed. “Wasn’t Edie just here? Where did she go so fast?”
“Apparently crazy, along with everyone else around here. I’m just the latest casualty.”
It didn’t surprise her when Laura agreed. “Did you find Danny?”
“You mean Donovan Wild? Yeah.”
Laura waved a hand to coax her along as she waited for the full story. “He really was Donovan Wild? That’s encouraging. What happened?”
“I sat on him then broke his wrist with a wrench.” Katie sighed. “And if he ever sets foot in this store again, I’ll shoot him.”
Laura’s eyebrows arched. “Under the circumstances, that seems rational. What if your other friends return?”
“Al and Chevy? I’ll shoot them too.”
“I could help if I had a gun.”
“There are two in the backroom.” Katie looked up with a solemn expression. “One in the red cookie jar. One in the fridge.”
“Are you crazy?” Laura stared. “You can’t keep guns in here, especially in the fridge. Does Ray know?”
“Sort of.”
“Okay. Now I’m worried about you. Do you need meds? Should I get an emergency chocolate supply for the store or would Valium be better?”
Katie stared at the doorway. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about Danny or Donovan or whatever his name is, because the next time I see him, I’m gonna rip his—” The door chimes interrupted her in mid-threat.
Hilda poked her head inside. “There’s an emergency meeting of the writer’s group tonight at seven at our place. Be there.”
Katie tilted her head to one side. “What kind of emergencies do writers have?”
Laura shrugged. “You’ve got me, but I’d love to find out. Can I come too?”
“Why not?” Hilda waved. “We need all the help we can get.”
Katie held a string of obscenities on her tongue.
Laura bit her lip. “I’m going to get lunch.”
“It’s three. You already had lunch.”
“You didn’t. Your blood sugar’s low and you’re grouchy. I really think you need some chocolate too. I know I do.”
Katie squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m grouchy because bad guys want to kill me and some of the people I know seem to be willing to help them out, including the guy who could become my boyfriend if I find out who the hell he really is.”
“It’s probably all a misunderstanding.” Laura squeezed past without batting an eye.
“Where’s the misunderstanding? That they think I stole twenty million dollars and want to kill me or that both Danny and Father Sam handed me to them on a silver platter?”
“I’ll get you a sub from across the street. You want a diet soda with that or do you need the sugar.”
“Fine. Go. Leave me alone for the wolves.”
“Sugar it is. I’ll be back in ten minutes, I swear.” Laura gave her a hug. “Katie, it’s going to be okay. Ray and I are here for you. You have a lot of friends in town. You’ll see.”
“I guess.” Katie blinked the rush of emotion away. “I know. I think. Go get my lunch before we close. I still have to sit through dinner and an emergency writing meeting. Could this day get any weirder?”
“I’ll bring back your favorite.”
“Danny’s head on a stick?”
“I was thinking more like ham and cheese.”
“That’ll do for now.” She managed a small smile. “Thanks, Laura.”
“No problem. And for the record, I don’t want you dead. I like you the way you are, only less stressed. When I get back, I’ll call Hannah and find out if Danny’s okay.”
“Why would you want to know that?”
“Because he’s hot and, despite the fact he’s stupid, you have raging hormones.”
Katie threw an eraser. It bounced off the door as Laura’s head disappeared behind the wooden frame. She did want to know. There were a lot of things she wanted to know. At the top of the list was who killed Dunnsforth and who Maddox’s boss was.
Or were they the same person?
Chapter 29
Danny
Danny wasn’t sure how long he stood howling in the driveway before his sister ran out of the house armed with a butcher knife.
She shook her head. “What did you do now? When I brought you iced tea half an hour ago, you were fine. All I did was go inside and shower.”
“I broke my wrist.” His voice was hoarse.
Hannah pried his fingers away from the bruised flesh and winced. “Get in the car. I’ll get the kids.” She dropped her kids at her neighbor’s house then drove Danny to the hospital. “How on earth did you break your wrist?”
He pressed his lips together and sulked, not wanting to answer stupid questions. After they examined his wrist—and his head—he’d straighten things out with Katie. They were long past the point where he needed to tell her the truth. He should have done so days ago and saved himself some misery. When he’d tried to talk to her today, she was too agitated to listen.
“I thought I heard a car. Who was it?” Hannah asked when they sat side by side in the emergency room watching other patients come and go.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Uncle Ray, Hilda Clayton and Katie Mullins. I’m not sure who the other guy was.”
Hannah stared. “The bookstore lady? Are you kidding me? Did you steal a Sports Illustrated or something? ”
“That’s not funny.”
She sighed. “Is this about the case you’re on? The one you told Ray about, but won’t tell me?”
“I didn’t want to get you involved.”
“Since you need a ride home, you’ll tell me or I’ll make you walk.” She smiled.
“That’s extortion. I know a good lawyer.”
“Call it what you want.”
He was relieved when the nurse came to lead him to x-ray since Hannah would have dragged everything out of him right there in the waiting room. He frowned. His middle name should be Stupid. He knew better than to cross Paulina. Katie. Now he needed to fix things.
How had Al and Chevy found her already? Obviously, someone in town called them, but he didn’t know where to start looking for the culprit. It could be anyone. The doctor put a cast on his wrist and made a notation on the chart. “I’m giving you a painkiller.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. I still have a lot of work to do today.” Find a killer. Figure out who’s running things behind the scenes at DMR…
“With your wrist in that kind of shape? You have several broken bones.” The doctor chuckled. “I doubt you’ll be doing much of anything. You need to give it time to heal.”
“Yeah, I know, but I need to keep someone from getting hurt, or worse.”
The doctor brushed him off. More like tuned him out. “I’m prescribing painkillers. Take them after the shot wears off if you need them.”
Had Hannah already talked to him? She�
�d probably bribed him to drug Danny and render him useless. Didn’t she and the doctor go to high school together?
“But I don’t—”
The needle pierced his skin and the burn of medication surged into Danny’s body. “Shit.”
On the drive home, Hannah announced, “Okay, now that you’re mellow, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”
“Why? Did you pay him extra to give me truth serum instead of painkillers?” He scowled.
“No, although the thought did occur to me. I think you need someone to talk to.”
“That’s why I have Leo.”
“Leo’s great, but he’s not here.”
Danny grinned. “Speed dial.”
His sister pulled the car onto the shoulder of the gravel road and turned off the engine. “We’re not moving until you tell me what’s going on. You’re staying in my house with my family and I don’t want any of them in danger. Don’t you understand that?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Why were Ray, Hilda and Katie in the garage earlier? Does it have anything to do with the news lately?”
His jaw dropped. “What do you mean?”
“Oh please, I saw Paulina Chourney on the news this morning. She looks an awful lot like Katie. I also saw the photo in your jacket pocket. It fell out the other day. I’m not stupid, you know. I have a degree in art history with a minor in psychology.”
“Does that mean you’re going to diagnose me or put me into art therapy?” He bowed his head and let his shoulders sag. “It was my job to track Paulina down so she could testify. I had no idea she was here until recently.”
“Who told you she was here? Was Ray in on this the whole time?”
“No. He just kept bugging me to meet her.”
“How did you know it was her?”
“The picture.” He refused to tell her he’d known Paulina for months before she disappeared and took her fingerprints. Some things even his family didn’t need to know.
“She knew you were looking for her.”
“She figured it out.” He frowned. “The bad guys found her and threatened to kill her. She thinks I called them and was furious.”
“Did you?” Hannah asked.