Sarah stared into Francis' eyes and saw a deep, black pit filled with absolute evil. “You're not going to leave this hospital alive.”
“I intend to play a little cowboy and go down fighting,” Francis told Sarah in a pleased voice. “After all, Detective, in this game, we have both failed to win. I had been frustrated by many obstacles that have destroyed my chances of winning and you,” Francis shook his head in disgust, “assumed I would play by your rules. However,” Francis smiled with a grim, empty satisfaction, “for a while I had this town, and you, under my control. Perhaps I will regain my power? After all, you're the only real opponent I have. The rest of the people in this town are simply peasants, mere pawns that can be easily dealt with.”
“Step outside and those pawns will fill you full of holes,” Sarah promised.
“We'll see,” Francis said and motioned his gun toward the morgue door. “Move.”
Sarah walked down the hallway and paused. “There are no explosives, are there?” she asked, staring at the door leading into the morgue.
“No,” Francis cackled. “You gave me five minutes to play and so, Detective, I played.”
Sarah bowed her head. “I really thought you were going to play out the part of the Snowman Killer.”
“Stop stalling,” Francis replied. He reached past Sarah and opened the door. “Inside.”
Sarah didn't have a choice. She stepped through the door and walked into a small office that stood outside the morgue’s cold storage room. Conrad and the other hospital staff members Francis had taken hostage were sitting on the floor, either tied up or handcuffed. “Sarah!” Conrad said and struggled against his handcuffs.
Sarah ran to Conrad and hugged him. “I failed,” she whispered in his ear. “I took a horrible gamble.”
“No cop is perfect,” Conrad whispered back. Even though he was wearing a hospital gown and his shoulder was crying out in pain, he managed to offer support. “Look at me, I'm not exactly the man of the hour.”
“Enough talking,” Francis ordered, standing in the doorway with his back to the hallway. “The time has come for you to die.”
Conrad looked up at Francis. Even though the small office he sat in smelled of a very strong disinfectant, somehow the stench of Francis' rot filled his nose. “Someday you're going to meet your end, you diseased sewer rat.”
“Oh, the insults of the weak and dying,” Francis rolled his eyes and then aimed his gun directly at Sarah, “Stand up, Detective, and walk into the morgue. You're going to die next to your ex-husband’s body.”
Sarah's squeezed Conrad's hand. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear. “I didn't realize how much until you kissed me. If we live through this—”
“I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you,” Conrad whispered back and gently kissed Sarah. “You are one of the bravest women I have ever known. Your courage and heart are what makes you so beautiful to me. Don't let that monster take away your courage.”
Sarah felt tears begin falling from her eyes. “I promise,” she said and stood up. “Shoot me where I stand, Francis. I'm going to die next to the man I love, not the man I once loved.”
“Oh, please,” Francis mimed gagging and then he struck Sarah with his evil gaze. “You said hate dies today? You were wrong, Detective. Hate wins. Hate always wins. Hate is absolute power and I, Detective Garland, have absolute power.”
“I don't think so,” a voice said.
“What?” Francis asked in a shocked voice. He spun around, saw Amanda standing behind him, and then a hard punch flew through the air. His vision exploded with stars and Francis heard his nose break. He stumbled backward, but not fast enough. Amanda ran forward and kicked him in the chest. Francis was flung into Sarah's waiting arms. Sarah quickly locked Francis into a tight arm lock and wrestled him down to the floor, his arm pinned painfully behind him so that it felt that his shoulder might break if he tried to move an inch. “No!” Francis screamed in rage, blood coursing down his face. “This can't be!”
Amanda bent down and picked up Francis's gun, aimed it at his chest, just below where Sarah’s knee pinned him to the ground, and fired off one single bullet. The bullet hit Francis in his heart and his body stilled. He was dead. “I don't play by the rules, you bloody rat,” she said and dropped the gun.
Sarah felt Francis's body go limp and slide out of the arm lock and she allowed his arm to drop down onto the floor. She stared at Amanda with shocked eyes. “June Bug...I...”
“I broke an office window and snuck inside,” Amanda told Sarah and wrapped her arms around herself, in shock. “I couldn't leave you, Los Angeles. You're my sister.” Amanda sighed. “A sister you will be visiting behind bars.”
“I didn't see you shoot that monster,” Sarah told Amanda and pulled the scared woman into her arms and embraced her.
“Me, neither,” Conrad added.
“Nor me,” a nurse said in a groggy voice.
“Same here,” another nurse said.
Amanda began crying. “Please,” she begged Sarah, “tell me this is our last case? Tell me the hate died today.”
Sarah held Amanda. She looked down at Francis. The monster was dead. “I wish I could,” she whispered. “You killed one monster but there's many more of them out in the world lurking in the shadows.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Amanda said in a miserable voice and put her head down on Sarah's shoulder.
A few minutes later, Pete appeared with Andrew at his side. When he saw Sarah taking a pair of handcuffs off Conrad he lowered his gun. “Kid?” he asked.
“The monster is dead, Pete,” Sarah said, helping Conrad stand up.
Conrad put his good arm around Sarah and Amanda and walked them out into the hallway. “You two are quite a team,” she smiled. “For a minute there I really thought it was going to be lights out for all of us.”
Sarah looked over her shoulder and spotted Pete and Andrew begin pulling the hostages out of the morgue. “I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of paperwork to wade through before this is all over. Coffee?” she asked.
“Yes,” Amanda begged.
“Let me get my clothes on first,” Conrad pleaded and then let out a relieved laugh. “This town is more dangerous than New York and Los Angeles combined. It would be safer to live in the middle of a minefield.”
“You said it,” Amanda laughed back and squeezed Sarah's hand. “Are you okay, love?”
Sarah continued to stare at the morgue. “I tried to think the way a killer might think...I assumed that Francis would play by my rules. I was wrong. I should have known he was bluffing about the explosives and ordered every available man to storm the hospital.”
Andrew heard Sarah scolding herself. He walked over to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Sarah, it's pretty clear that you and I didn't have our minds on the right way and we made some pretty serious mistakes, but that's just the way life is. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Next time we'll perform our jobs with a clearer mind. But today we can't stand around beating ourselves up. Now, get out of here and go get some coffee.”
Sarah stared into Andrew's caring eyes and then hugged his neck. “You got it, Chief,” she said and grabbed Pete's hand. “Come on, Pete, I'll show you my coffee shop.”
Pete pulled out his half-smoked cigar and began chewing on it. “You know,” he said, walking off with Sarah, Conrad, and Amanda, “this isn't a bad little town. I might retire here myself...someday.”
Sarah poured milk into Mitten's water dish and patted the dog on her head. “My, how you've grown,” she smiled. “You're no longer a puppy.”
“If you keep feeding her the way you do she's going to grow into an elephant,” Amanda told Sarah, sitting at the kitchen table playing solitaire.
Sarah smiled and walked to the back door and looked out at a gently falling snow. “The first snow of the season,” she told Amanda.
“Let's hope this winter won't be like the last one,�
� Amanda replied, placing down a three of hearts.
Sarah folded her arms over a lovely pink sweater and nodded her head. “I agree,” she said and turned to face Amanda. “When is your hubby going to be arriving?”
“Oh, that bloke should be getting here any minute,” Amanda complained. She pointed at the red sweater she had decided to wear for the day. “If he doesn't my face is going to turn the color of my sweater.”
Sarah stared at her best friend. “June Bug?”
“Yes?” Amanda asked raising her eyes. She saw Sarah staring at her with a warm, tender love. “I know, Los Angeles. I feel the same about you.”
“No, you don't know,” Sarah said. She walked over to Amanda and took her hands. “You saved my life so many times. I can't even begin to imagine how scared you were each time you came to my rescue. I'm the one who is supposed to be the cop, but you were the one who always saving me.” Sarah squeezed Amanda's hands.
Amanda smiled and squeezed Sarah's hands back. “It's been very peaceful in Snow Falls since I killed that monster last winter. The worst that has happened is a fender-bender way out on Green Flake Lane. I like it being peaceful, love. I like going shopping with you at O’Malley’s. I like working in our coffee shop together now that you've made me your partner. I like falling asleep knowing we're all safe. And most of all I like...no, I love...being a family. And being a family means we watch each other’s back no matter how dangerous the situation is.”
“You're my guardian angel,” Sarah told Amanda and hugged her neck. “Tomorrow I'm taking you shopping at O'Malley's and buying you all the clothes you want.”
“Oh boy,” Amanda said in an excited voice, “I can't wait.”
Sarah leaned up just as the back door opened. Conrad walked in wearing his usual leather jacket. His hair was dusted with snow. “Starting to really come down out there,” he said, closed the back door, and kissed Sarah. “Hey Amanda, where is your better half?” he asked.
“Late,” she fussed and pushed all of her playing cards into a pile. “Be a dear and pour me a cup of coffee.”
“You got it,” Conrad said and kissed Sarah again.
“How was work?” Sarah asked Conrad.
“I beat Andrew at four games of rummy,” Conrad said, taking Amanda’s brown coffee mug from the kitchen table and walking over to the coffee pot. “I had lunch at the diner and reorganized my office. How was your day?”
“I spent the morning working on my new book and spent the afternoon at Amanda's cabin helping her rearrange her new furniture,” Sarah explained. Conrad smiled and poured coffee into the brown mug. “I did hear from Pete,” she said.
Conrad slowly lifted his head. He looked into Sarah's beautiful eyes. “And?” he asked in a curious voice.
“Pete put in his retirement notice,” Sarah told Conrad allowing her voice to become consumed with excitement. “He's going to relocate to Snow Falls within the next couple of months.”
“Why didn't you tell me, love?” Amanda exclaimed.
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Sarah explained in a happy voice. She looked at Conrad. “A few people have left Snow Falls because of Francis Clark, including my neighbor from up the street. I told Pete the cabin was up for sale and sent him some photos. Pete might buy the cabin!”
“Hey, that's really something,” Conrad smiled. “Old Pete living right up the road from us would really be a sight to see. However, before he moves to Snow Falls, someone will need to start a Chinese restaurant. That man isn't going to go anywhere without his Chinese take-out.”
Amanda stood up, walked over to Conrad, and took her coffee mug. Her eyes were glowing with joy. “Oh, I can't wait for Pete and his wife to get here. I'm very fond of that big lug,” she explained. “He sorta grew on me and now I'm attached to him.”
“Pete is very special,” Sarah agreed and bit her thumbnail. “I have one other announcement,” she said and began pacing around the kitchen.
Conrad and Amanda glanced at each other. “Oh?” Amanda asked. “What’s so secret that you couldn’t tell your best friend and your new husband?”
Sarah paced over to the kitchen window, looked outside at the falling snow, and the turned around. She focused on Conrad. “Conrad, these last eight months have been the best months of my life. Becoming your wife...well, I never expected to find love again. The love we share is far more special than the love Brad and I shared.”
“I feel the same way,” Conrad promised. He examined Sarah's nervous face. “Honey, what is it?”
Sarah looked at Amanda. “June Bug, you're my heart and I love you very deeply.”
“I feel the same way about you, Los Angeles,” Amanda told Sarah and smiled. “Now, what are you so nervous about?”
Sarah bit down on her thumbnail again. “Well, a few hours ago, before you arrived, I received a call,” she began to explain. “Roger Downing called me.” Amanda took a sip of her coffee and looked at Conrad. Conrad folded his arms together and waited. “Roger called because...and this time there are no hidden shadows attached...a movie studio really wants to buy my books and turn them into movies. Mr. Potter and Mr. Stewart, the owners of the studio, want to have a meeting with me next week in Los Angeles.”
Conrad bit down on his lower lip. Last time an offer like this had come in, it had been a cowardly trap set by a deranged killer. “Sarah, are you sure this is real?” he asked in a concerned voice. Sarah nodded her head.
“Yes, sweetheart, it is,” she promised and then told Conrad how much money she was being offered. Conrad whistled. “I had my reservations at first, too. But this time, everything checks out. Roger faxed me over the offer and I even had a brief phone call with Mr. Potter.” Sarah steadied herself. “Francis Clark has made me famous all over again and Mr. Potter wants to take advantage of that, especially because I stopped using a pen name and am writing under my own name now.”
Amanda put down her coffee mug. “Well, then,” she said and clapped her hands, “it looks like I'm finally going to get my grand shopping trip after all. Of course, I want to be put up at the finest hotel and eat at finest restaurants. A limousine would be nice, too. And—”
Sarah held up her hand. “June Bug,” she said, “before we start planning our trip there is something I need to tell you.”
“You're not taking me?” Amanda asked, feeling her heart break. She made a sad, puppy dog face.
“Of course I'm taking you,” Sarah promised and ran over to Amanda and hugged her.
“What do you need to tell me then?” Amanda asked, confused.
Sarah looked into her best friend's eyes. “Oh, just this,” Sarah said and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. On the piece of paper was written a dollar amount. “See that amount?”
Amanda looked down at the piece of paper. Her eyes grew wide and white. “Yes, love,” she swallowed.
“That's yours,” Sarah laughed and grabbed Conrad's hand. “Right, sweetheart?”
Conrad studied the dollar amount and smiled. “She deserves every penny,” he agreed.
Amanda couldn't believe her eyes. “Love...I don't know what to say. I...didn't...what I mean is, I love you...money never mattered.”
“I know,” Sarah promised and gently hugged Amanda. “I know love is all that matters. And this money is given in love. Now, if you two will excuse me, Mittens needs to go out and tinkle.” Sarah hurried and hooked Mittens to her leash and walked her outside into the snow.
“Well, girl,” she said, making her into the front yard and staring at the spot where a gruesome snowman once stood, “it seems like we've come out where the grass is greener after all, huh?” Mittens looked up at Sarah and let out a happy bark. Sarah smiled and walked Mittens down her street and back. The day was growing late and getting dark. The snow was picking up, along with the winds, but Sarah didn't mind. The snow and winds weren't menacing or threatening—they were familiar and soothing to her. Sure, sometimes snow and winter winds made for a good suspenseful story, but somet
imes the snow and winds were needed to end a story on a happy note. “But our story is just really beginning, huh, girl?” Sarah asked Mittens, walking past the vacant cabin Pete was interested in buying. “The nightmare is long over and now we're beginning a new chapter filled with happiness.”
Mittens let out a happy bark again and looked around at the snowy day. She romped through a snowbank with joy. Finally, the nightmare was over. Only normal snowmen from now on. “Come on, girl, let's get back home. I could use a good cup of coffee.”
Sarah walked back down the street with Mittens, at peace with herself and the world, allowing the snow to fall gently on her and the winds to tickle her smiling face. The sky was fading to twilight and a purple glow suffused the snowfall. Sarah smiled. It was going to be a beautiful evening.
Dear Reader,
Hi there. Thank you for reading.
I hope you’ll leave a review and/or rating at the retail website where you purchased it, I appreciate you and your feedback.
Thanks again,
Wendy Meadows
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About the Author
Wendy Meadows is an emerging author of cozy mysteries. She lives in “The Granite State” with her husband, two sons, two cats and lovable Labradoodle.
When she isn’t working on her stories she likes to tend to her flowers, relax with her pets and play video games with her family.
Get in Touch with Wendy
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Also by Wendy Meadows
Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Series
Nether Edge Mystery Series
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Snowy Misery (Alaska Cozy Mystery Book 7) Page 13