by Diane Bator
Maddox smirked and motioned for Al and Chevy to get Laura and Ray in their grasps. Danny’s gaze locked on Katie whose face paled. She shook her head so slightly he thought he’d imagined it.
A man pointed a cane. “Hey, those are the guys who were on television.”
“You have interesting clientele.” Margaret smiled. “We were just about to go for a drive. It would be lovely of you to join us, Mr. Wild.”
Katie’s mouth dropped open. “What have you done?”
“We took the law into our own hands and got Danny away from you,” Henry said. “Why would he want to hand you over to the guys who want to kill you? He seems like a nice guy.”
“He’s on their side,” Hilda said.
Ray and Katie shook their heads to silence her.
“What does she mean by that?” Margaret asked then moved closer to Danny. “Should I know you?”
Katie tried to shake Maddox’s hand off her arm. “No. You don’t know him. He’s a local troublemaker.”
“So you kidnapped him?” Margaret laughed.
“We sure did.” Hilda stepped forward. “We kidnapped him then interrogated him. Not that he told us much. I think we gave him too much medication. All he did was drool a lot.”
Classy. Danny scowled.
“It seems Mr. Wild here is a bit of a double agent,” Henry said.
“Wild?” Maddox’s mouth dropped open. “Donovan Wild? You look different.”
“He’s a cop.” Father Sam patted his shoulder. “And a fine one at that.”
Danny thrashed in the wheelchair. Behind the gag were a thousand things he’d scream at the seniors once he got the chance at their trial for kidnapping. Until then, they had bigger things to worry about. Like Maddox and Margaret and their guns.
“I didn’t have to even lift a finger.” Margaret nudged Maddox aside for a better view. “How fascinating. It seems I’m not the only one who dislikes you, Mr. Wild.”
Ray groaned. “You lunatics just dragged the fly to the spider all tied up and ready to eat. Nice going.”
“I agree.” Margaret walked around Danny studying the ties that bound him. “I have to thank you folks. A dead man tied to a wheelchair. The best part is I’ll bet every one of you has fingerprints on that chair. The police will love that.”
Feet shuffled and seniors whispered. “These crazy people seem willing to die for you, Paulina. Too bad for them. Mr. Wild will be dropped off on our way back to the city and this relationship between you and my husband will have a sad ending. A Romeo and Juliet type tragedy since you’re both traitors to your families. Do you prefer poison or bullets?”
Danny struggled against his restraints and shot Katie a glare. How dare she bring all this trouble to his home town? He should have confronted her as soon as he figured out who she was and personally driven her to the airport. At least she’d be someone else’s problem. “Relax. I don’t think we’ll let you go just yet.” Margaret aimed a sneer at him. “I think you’re in the right place, thanks to these lovely townsfolk.”
He knew what came next. She’d be sweet and seductive until she got Katie into the car then turn violent. A classic abuser to the core. He’d seen Maddox in action and suspected his wife had trained him well.
Danny scowled. She wasn’t his type and he hated being a pawn.
Maddox turned back to Katie. “Where’s the rest of our money, Paulina? I know you have it. Hand it over.”
She met Danny’s gaze and hesitated. “It’s here.”
“In Packham?”
“In the bookstore.”
Margaret’s mouth dropped open. “Are you insane? You hid half a million dollars in this dump?” When Al and Chevy reached for their weapons, she held up a hand and no longer looked amused. “Get it before I shoot you and find it myself.”
“It’s in the back room.”
“Sure it is.” Margaret poked Ray in the chest. “Where’s the safe?”
“We don’t have one.”
Her nostrils flared. “Round up all the riff-raff and tie them all up in the back room. Shoot them one by one until she talks. Use a silencer in case there are more lurking around. It’s time to go.”
Maddox grinned. He grabbed Paulina’s arm and yanked her toward the backroom while Al and Chevy rounded up the writing group, Ray and Laura. Behind them all, the front door flew open.
“Holy shit, a party? For me?” Leo stepped inside the store in front of Margaret.
“Aww, you shouldn’t have.”
Chevy’s eyes widened over the top of his sunglasses. “Oh crap, it’s the pizza guy.”
“Who?” Maddox frowned.
“Who?” Margaret echoed.
Al waved his bandaged hand in the air. “The creep who attacked us.”
Leo filled most of the doorway. Aside from a few cuts on his face and a black eye, he didn’t seem badly injured after taking on Maddox’s men solo.“Who are you?” Maddox stood between the doorway and his wife.
“You heard your flunkies. I’m the pizza dude.”
Mimsy approached him. “I’d like a medium pepperoni. You can deliver it to my room at the home. I’ll give you a very nice tip. What’s your name, young man?”
“I’m Leo and, for the record, that thought will give me nightmares for months.”
Margaret growled. “Enough. Kill them all.”
“Forget it, lady.” Katie threw a paperback novel at Margaret.
Danny wasn’t sure at what point the mild-mannered writers of Packham thought they’d stepped into a gangster movie. They fought back with the only ammunition available. Books pelted Maddox, Chevy and Al. Margaret was smart enough to use Chevy as a shield while Ray and Laura ran up the stairs and threw used books at them with amazing precision. Book after book pelted the bad guys and it would get them all killed if he didn’t do something.
Katie knelt next to Danny and fumbled with the knots on the ties. “I hear your backup coming. They’d better get here soon or they’ll need to bring more than more cops.”
“I’d forget that idea if I were you.” Margaret pressed a gun to Katie’s temple. “He’s not leaving that chair.”
Katie closed her eyes. “You’re not me.”
Margaret smirked. “No, but I own you. I’ve owned you since Maddox met you in the bar that night. There’s no way he’d ever leave the country without me knowing, especially not with you.”
Maddox lunged between the two women. “Just give her the money and we’ll get out of here, Paulina. I’ll send you anywhere you want to go. You can take the ticket to Fiji and disappear.”
“It’s over, Maddox,” Katie said. “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“Go. I’ll join you later.” He reached for her hand.
“You spineless junkie, you’re not going anywhere.” Margaret turned and raised her gun.
A shot rang out and Margaret’s eyes widened. A bloom of red soaked through her shirt in the middle of her chest. Both she and the gun fell to the floor.
Maddox stood motionless, the smoking gun still clutched in his hand as the door banged open with a tinkle of chimes and police officers swarmed the store.
Danny dropped his head back and let out a long breath.
While one called for an ambulance and checked Margaret for a pulse, the others eyed Katie. They helped seniors to their feet and kept their distance.
“I’ve got some lovely new jewelry for you.” Bobby snapped a pair of handcuffs on Maddox. “As for the rest of you, don’t go far, we’ll need statements.” He knelt down beside Margaret and double checked her pulse.
“Is she dead?” Katie’s face paled.
“Her pulse is weak, but the medics are outside. If she lives, she’ll be in jail for a long, long time.” Bobby stood next to her. “You okay?”
“That depends on a lot of things.”
“Understandable.” He patted her hand. “You know we’ll need to question you about absolutely everything that’s happened since you joined DMR.”
“I know.” Katie sighed. “No more secrets. From anyone.”
Mimsy followed Maddox out the door. “What would you think about doing an autobiography? I’m also a ghost writer.”
Danny struggled in the wheelchair to remind them he was still bound and gagged.
Bobby tugged down the pink silk strip that covered his mouth. Beneath it was a wide piece of silver duct tape. “Those people are cruel.”
Danny hoped he’d be gentle.
“Here,” Katie grabbed the duct tape. “Let me give you a hand with that.”
Ray placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder and winced. “Brace yourself, boy. She won’t show any mercy.”
Katie smiled then rolled back one corner of the tape and ripped it off with one smooth move.
Danny screamed then sputtered. Blood trickled from his lower lip. The chair shook and rolled back a couple inches. “Is everyone in this bloody town insane?”
Bobby cut his restraints, laughing the entire time. “Something tells me you had that coming.”
Ray patted Danny’s back. “You guys okay?”
Danny shook his arms and worked a kink out of his neck. “Yeah.”
Bobby motioned to the door. “Sorry, Ray. You have to go. One of the officers will take your statement.”
“Yeah, I’m going.” Ray nudged past him. “I’d search the place if I were you. She has another gun hidden somewhere.”
Katie surveyed the damage to the store and seemed to deflate in one long sigh. The store was in ruins, but at least the chaos was over for now until the trial.
“Would you rather go by Paulina Chourney or Katie Mullins when they arrest you for assaulting a police officer and destroying property?” Danny stood up slowly then dropped a hand on her shoulder.
She blinked tears from her eyes. The damage to the store would be easy to mend. Fixing the rest of her life wouldn’t be as simple. “I guess you want the money.”
“It’s really here?” His jaw dropped. “I thought you were stalling.”
“I had nowhere else to hide it.” Katie led him and Bobby into the kitchen. She opened the cupboard above the refrigerator and pulled down the cardboard box wrapped with several layers of tape. “It’s all there. Five hundred thousand dollars. Blood money from Maddox. I kept it and the gun in case of an emergency.”
Danny slit open the box with Bobby’s pen knife and reached in to unzip the duffle bag then gave a low whistle. He moved around the money using the tip of the knife and found the tickets Maddox had hidden inside. “A one-way ticket to Fiji. His fingerprints will be all over it.”
“Holy crap.” Bobby blew out a breath. “You kept this in the cupboard for two months and never spent a dime. How’d you keep everybody from finding it?”
“What can I say? I’m good at keeping secrets.” She shrugged and opened the fridge. “Oh, this is Father Sam’s gun. You might want to lock it up for him. He scares me.”
Bobby laughed. “You can stare down Maddox and his wife, but Father Sam scares you? Lady, you’ve got to get your priorities straight.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me you’d trust him with a gun.”
“Not on your life.” He grinned.
While Danny escorted Bobby and the money out the front door, Katie leaned against an empty shelf. She drew her knees to her chest and ran a hand through her hair. There were a few pluses. Not only was she alive, she still had all her body parts.
“So, what do you want me to call you?” Danny stood over her.
She shrugged. “Whatever number they give me in prison. I don’t really know who I am anymore.”
He slid down next to her. “You’re not going to jail. Well, you are, but I’m sure the DA will cut you a deal in return for your full cooperation.”
“I’m an accessory to about a billion different crimes. I’ll end up sharing a cell with Margaret for the next fifty years. Did the police get Roland too?”
“No, he’s in the wind, but we’ll keep looking. For now, you’ll be the prosecution’s star witness. I’ll testify on your behalf.” He rested his good hand on her knee. “Judges like to see people change their lives and start over. You’ve already done that and you have a whole town to back you up.”
“I risked all their lives. They’ll never vouch for me.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Seems to me they kidnapped me to keep you safe. It seems like they’re willing to do just about anything for you.”
Katie bowed her head. “True enough. Are Hilda and the others going to jail?”
“For a very long time, if I have it my way. They not only kidnapped me, they drugged me and paraded me around town like a circus animal.”
Katie winced. “Like you said, they were only trying to protect me.”
“I know, which puts me between the proverbial rock and hard place.” He sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. Twenty years of community service ought to teach them.”
“Make it two months and I’m in.”
“Then they’d better talk to a good attorney.”
“I’ll put in a good word for them.” She gazed around the store at the torn pages that littered the floor and covered her face with her hands. “My insurance is never going to cover this. I’ll have to shut down for a couple days just to clean up.”
“I’m sure we can get everything taken care of quickly. I’ll help.” Danny dropped his good arm behind her and squeezed her shoulders. “It’s the least I can do.”
“We’ll help too.” Ray stood in the doorway with the writing group surrounding him. Outside the front window, it looked like the entire town had lined up. Goose bumps made waves up her arms and down her spine and tears welled in her eyes. She walked across the room, careful not to trip, and made several attempts to get her words out. “I’m one of the bad guys, people. I lied and brought all this crap into your town.”
“Oh, we know that, darling.” Mimsy squeezed her hand. “We’ve all done stupid things in our pasts and we’ll straighten you out. Besides, we’ll write books about this and make Packham famous. You and I shall sit down and write about our adventure.”
Tales and Retales was about to become the newest tourist attraction in Packham. She’d get a lot more people coming to the store and, while it would be good for business, she wasn’t convinced it was best for her, Ray or Packham.
“Leave her alone.” Ray nudged Mimsy. “If this story’s going to be told, Katie will do the telling.”
She scowled. “Very well. I’d be proud to edit it then.”
“Me too.” Hilda joined them, a half full box of books in her arms.
“Thanks.” Katie took Hilda by the shoulders. “Promise me you won’t kidnap anyone again. Ever.”
“If the situation arises—”
Father Sam wandered past with a battered Bible. “You can’t throw this in the garbage. It’s a holy book.”
She put her hand on his. “Then take it home.”
“I called Maddox and handed you over to the bad guys and you’re giving me a Bible?” He raised his wiry eyebrows. “Are you okay?”
“I’m getting there. You and Mary were right, you know. I needed to face my past and I’m grateful for your help. I’ll set things straight, I promise.” Katie gave up trying to supervise and joined the cleanup.
“Katie, we need to talk.” Danny grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her toward the counter.
“Not until you and I do.” Leo blocked their path.
“Leo.” Danny’s shoulders sagged. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought you were working on another case.”
“I’ve got some news that will make your day.” He rifled through the pockets of his leather jacket. “Some guy wants us to investigate a woman here in Packham. That’s perfect since you and I are both here anyway and it seems like you may want to spend a little more time here.”
Danny met Katie’s gaze then turned back to Leo. “Speaking of which, maybe it’s time we think about—”
Katie f
rowned. “Should I leave you two alone?”
Leo flinched, gave her a once over then grinned. “You must be Paulina-slash-Katie.”
“Katie Mullins.” She extended a hand.
“You sure about that?” Danny raised one eyebrow.
“Yes, Donovan, I am.”
He scowled.
Leo took her hand. “Leo Blue, Danny-slash-Donovan’s business partner. I also deliver pizzas and donuts to bad guys.”
Danny’s eyes widened. “You actually delivered pizzas to Al and Chevy?”
“They are friends of yours, aren’t they?”
Mimsy latched onto Leo’s right arm. “You must be one of Sir Daniel’s friends.”
Leo raised both eyebrows, but didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, ma’am. Sir Leo of Harley at your service.”
When they walked away arm in arm, Katie winced. “Do you think it’s safe to leave Mimsy alone with him?”
“Between the two of them, it’s not Mimsy I’d be worried about.” Danny turned her to face him. “Actually, I’m more concerned about you. What’ll you do now? Are you going to stay in Packham?”
“Yeah, for a while. Is that okay with you?”
“That depends. Are you gonna let the writing group get away with taping me in a wheelchair again?”
“If the need arises. For now, though, I have other plans for you.” Katie smiled and handed him a broom.
Danny shook his head. “You don’t get off that easy.” He dropped the broom to the floor then kissed her.
Ray slapped his hand on the handcrafted counter and snorted. “Figures. Where’s a camera when you need one?”
The End
The Mystery Lady
Chapter 1 ~ Danny
Danny awoke to a cool draft and snuffling near his face. Images flashed through his head sleepy mind. Sitting in an overheated car, a drive through the country, scraping old paint off walls, falling asleep in a dusty sleeping bag at three o’clock when he could no longer keep alert. Finally, he remembered falling asleep in the old sleeping bag at the old Victorian house he’d purchased last month.
Only now he wasn’t alone.