It knocked him back, stunned. And I knocked him over the head a second time. This time he fell to the floor. And the gun fell beside him.
Miller quickly swiped it up.
“Nice work!” he said.
“Do you hear what I hear?” Lea asked.
Both Miller and I nodded.
The sound of sirens from multiple emergency vehicles came roaring our way. Tires skidded across the gravel.
“We’re safe. He’s out cold,” I yelled as two officers came to the door with weapons drawn.
Miller set the gun down on the prep station. He eased back with his hands up.
The third person through the door brought a smile to my face. It was Javier, his bulletproof vest on atop his business casual attire.
He got my message. Relief washed over his face.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking down through the office and then at the floor in the kitchen. “I told you not to mess with these two. Why didn’t you listen?”
“It’s a long story,” I told him.
He nodded. He took out a walkie-talkie and said into it, “We need paramedics inside. Two down. One with a gunshot wound. All clear.”
I listened as the radio crackled back.
“I’m going to need statements from all of you,” Javier said. And oddly, he didn’t seem to ask who the guy crumpled on the floor was. Instead, he bent down and put handcuffs on Ronnie.
“Did he confess?” Javier asked.
“He did,” Miller answered, confused. “How’d you know?”
“I’m the detective,” Javier said. Then he looked up at me. “Or at least one of them.” He winked.
TO: Foodie Allison
FROM: Lea Bell
SUBJECT: Sorry
Allie,
I wanted to say sorry—sorry for everything.
Lea, aka _foodieXgirl_
21
“You have the right to remain silent....” Javier continued reading Ronnie Ferguson his rights while shoving his head beneath the roof of the patrol car.
“Ow, that hurts,” Ronnie complained.
“That goose egg will be there for a few days.”
Lights flashed all around as Camp was wheeled into the back of an ambulance.
Of all the crazy things I had done in my life—which honestly was a very short list—this was the craziest. Tracking down a killer, sort of. My heart was still beating rapidly. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to sleep tonight.
A strong hand touched my shoulder. After everything I had been through, I jumped a little before turning around.
“You sure you’re all right?” Javier asked me. “You know that was ridiculous—what you just did? I asked you not to do anything stupid, but you couldn’t listen.”
“I confronted her in the pharmacy. How could I have known it would end like this?”
Javier smiled. “You couldn’t’ve. But next time, leave it to the professionals to catch the killer.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on. Scouts honor.”
“Careful isn’t the same as leaving well enough alone.” Detective Burley came over toward Javier, but Javi signaled that he’d be just another minute.
“Allie,” he said to me, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.”
Screeching into the parking lot, Kate’s news van slid on the gravel before coming to a complete stop. Out stepped Kate, looking as put together as always.
She beelined straight for me, then wrapped her arms around me. I could tell she was as relieved as Javier to know I was okay. Her cameraman began to set up shop in front of the restaurant.
Before I knew it, he handed her a microphone. “Three…two…one… action.”
Am I in this frame? I wondered.
“Good evening, everyone,” Kate started. “Tonight, we have breaking news. There’s been an arrest. The murderer of Jessica Hayes was apprehended just moments ago, here, at The Southern Depot, where the awful crime took place.
“I’m here live with Allison Treadwell of the Lanai Gazette. Allie helped our local law enforcement catch the killer. Allie, do you have anything you’d like to say?”
“No,” I said. “I’m just happy Jessica will finally have justice.”
Kate smiled. She knew me well enough to know I wasn’t going to talk further. “Thank you, Allison. We’ll have more on this developing story tonight at ten.”
Was I really just on the news?
As fast as he’d set up, the cameraman got busy deconstructing the shot.
“You did great,” Kate told me. “Next time, I might not make it candid.”
“Kate,” I said.
“Sorry, I knew you’d never agree.”
She was right. And she had me rethinking that gift I’d left at Clark’s Pharmacy.
“All right, you ready?” Javier asked. “It’s time for your official statement.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
We got into his car and headed downtown to police headquarters. On this trip, the questioning took longer than my initial interview. I learned that Ronnie had Miller sign all of the shipping receipts. Jessica never thought to look for the losses before the food was cooked. She’d assumed they were paying for the correct orders of meat and produce. And Miller had been too trusting of an old high school buddy.
Ronnie was making a late delivery that night when he heard Camp and Jessica arguing. He must’ve known his time was limited. And he’d killed her in the heat of the moment.
Lea confessed to throwing the brick at my window. She’d assumed Camp was guilty. She assumed wrong. How terrible. Javier said they’d probably get some jail time for the wrongs they’d committed but nothing like what Ronnie was in for.
I woke the next morning, happy to be home in my cozy cottage. And like a heathen, I decided to skip out on church. Instead, I put on my tights and a long sleeve shirt. The chill of fall had finally arrived for good. It was time for that long run.
My body adjusted as I picked up the pace from mile two to mile three. Then I turned down Main Street and took it slow past the closed shops, smiling as I passed The Java Hutt.
Today, I didn’t need hope for a chance encounter with Javier. He, along with several of his buddies at the station, Kate, and Mom, were all coming over to watch football—and perhaps more importantly—eat the spread of food I’d planned for the blog.
There was a long day in the kitchen ahead of me.
Food was my passion.
And the next time I write a review, I decided, things better go smoother. I’d had my first—and hopefully, my last—taste of murder.
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Also by Christine Zane Thomas
Food File Mysteries starring Allie Treadwell
The Salty Taste of Murder (November 2018)
A Choice Cocktail of Death (December 2018)
A Juicy Morsel of Jealousy (Jan 2019)
The Bitter Bite of Betrayal (Feb 2019)
Comics and Coffee Case Files starring Kirby Jackson and Gambit
Book 1: Marvels, Mochas, and Murder (Dec 2018)
Book 2: Lattes and Lies (Jan 2019)
The Salty Taste of Murder (A Foodie Files Mystery Book 1) Page 10
