“Andy.”
Andy stopped moving and looked up at her.
“Q’Bita, there’s a pocket knife in my right boot, grab it and cut me loose.”
Q’Bita freed his hands first, then his feet. Andy shook his limbs then pulled himself up using the table.
He scanned the warehouse nervously then turned back to her.
“Q’Bita, there’s a door in the back. I want you out of here now.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Damn it, Q’Bita—"
The rest of Andy’s words where drown out by the wail of sirens coming toward the warehouse. Andy grabbed her arm and pulled her down behind the table.
“Okay, change of plan. I don’t have a weapon so we’re going to stay back here until the cavalry comes to the rescue.”
Q’Bita snuggled close to Andy’s back and could feel his ragged breathing.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
“I’ve been better, but I’ll live.”
A few seconds later Chance came through the door, followed by a battalion of state police. Sal and Henri were still wrestling behind the crates and seemed oblivious to the fact that cops were pouring in the door.
Q’Bita flinched as a gun went off.
Police swarmed the crates with their guns drawn as more sirens could be heard in the distance.
Andy stood up and reached back for her. They carefully moved out from behind the table and Q’Bita noticed Chance standing a few feet away, glaring at them. He holstered his weapon and walked toward them.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in. You’re looking a little rough, Andy. Good thing I showed up in time to save your ass.”
Q’Bita felt a whiff of air move past her face and saw Andy’s fist connect with Chance’s jaw. Chance fell back and crumpled to the floor.
Andy looked down at her and smiled.
“I know I’m going to regret that later but damn, that felt good.”
Q’Bita threw her arms around his neck and squeezed until Andy winced.
“Take it easy, Q’Bita. I think my ribs are broken.”
Q’Bita let go and stepped back while wiping away the tears that streamed down her face.
Andy looked down at Chance and then back to her. “So how did you find me before he did?”
“Jamie was tracking your phone. When it came back on, he recognized the address.”
“That’s funny, they took my phone when they grabbed me and I haven’t seen it since. Must have been one of them.”
“If you promise to take me home right now, I’ll buy you a new phone.”
“Deal,” Andy said as he reached out for her hand.
As the paramedics came through the loading bay, one of the state policemen called out, “Over here. We have a gunshot victim.”
Q’Bita’s heart stopped as she realized the paramedics were headed right where she’d last seen Jamie.
“Q’Bita, what’s wrong?”
“That’s where Jamie was hiding. I told him to go get help, but I don’t know if he made it out.” Andy wrapped an arm around Q’Bita and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m sure Jamie is just fine. Let’s get out of here and see if we can find him.”
“What about Chance?” Q’Bita asked.
“I’m sure someone will notice him lying there and come help him eventually.” Andy chuckled.
“Do you think he’ll press charges?”
“I doubt it. His pride wouldn’t want word getting around that I decked him.”
“His pride almost got you killed. I tried telling him last night that you were missing, and he told me to go home, then insinuated that you were out hooking up with someone else. Now that I think about it, I’m glad you decked him.”
As they made their way toward the loading bay door, the paramedics wheeled a gurney past them and Q’Bita saw Henri. He reached up and pulled the oxygen mask from his face.
“Wait, stop. I need to tell her something.”
The paramedics stepped back and Q’Bita moved to Henri’s side. His hand moved beneath the blanket and then poked out the top, holding a cell phone. Q’Bita leaned in closer to hear Henri’s frail voice.
“Q’Bita, take this. If I don’t make it, promise me you’ll call my boss and let him know what happened. He’s in my contacts under Victor Cortez.”
“Henri, don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine.”
Henri coughed, and blood bubbled out from between his lips. Andy placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.
“Sorry, Ma'am, but we have to get him to the hospital. He’s in bad shape.”
Q’Bita tucked the cell phone in her pocket and watched as they rolled the gurney through the loading bay doors and disappeared.
They made their way outside, and Q’Bita was relieved to see Jamie and Hadleigh standing next to Mike Collins. Mike was cradling Allegro in his arms, and a few feet away Gianni Marini was sitting in the back of a state police car.
Andy spent a few minutes talking to Mike. Mike handed him the puppy and a set of keys, then Andy clapped him on the back.
“Come on, you three. I wanna get out of here before Chance comes looking for me,” Andy said as he handed Allegro to Q’Bita.
“Andy, why are we taking Allegro with us?”
“Gianni Marini is going directly to lock-up and can’t take a dog with him. I convinced Mikey that it was better to let you temporarily foster Allegro until everything gets sorted out. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
Allegro yawned and laid his head against Q’Bita’s chest. She snuggled him close and he licked her cheek.
“I don’t mind at all. Is it bad that I hope it takes a while to get things straightened out?”
Allegro was fast asleep by the time they reached Mike’s car.
Andy winced as he buckled his seatbelt and put Mike’s Honda in gear.
“Okay, mister, as soon as we drop these two off, you’re going to the ER.”
“Um, ER. You can’t take a puppy to the ER with you, Q’Bita. Maybe we should keep an eye on him for you tonight.”
“Hadleigh’s right, Q'B-Doll. We should definitely keep him tonight. Maybe even for a few days, until Andy’s feeling better.”
“You can keep him tonight, but I get custody as soon as your shift starts tomorrow, Jamie.”
They dropped Jamie, Hadleigh, and Allegro at Hadleigh’s car and said their goodbyes.
Ten minutes later they arrived at the ER. Q’Bita asked the nurse on duty about Henri, but he was still in surgery.
It took forever for Andy to be seen, and even longer for someone to read his x-rays then tape his broken ribs. Three hours later she was exhausted and just wanted to go home and crawl into bed next to Andy.
As they made their way to the door, the nurse on duty stopped them and let them know that Henri had come through the surgery and was now in ICU. His condition was critical, and it was still too early to tell if he would pull through.
Q’Bita slumped into a chair, buried her face in her hands, and let the tears flow. Andy sat next to her and rubbed her shoulders until she remembered the phone in her pocket and sat up straight. She wiped her tears and sniffled. She pulled the phone out and pressed the button on the side to wake it up.
“What are you doing?” Andy asked.
“Henri asked me to call his boss and I completely forgot. I’m sure Henri has family somewhere. They should know what’s happened.”
Q’Bita swiped right and the screen unlocked. She navigated to contacts and pressed the letter C. The only contacted listed under C was Victor Cortez. She clicked on the name and then pressed the green phone shape. The phone rang once and then a man’s voice started speaking.
“Henri, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in three days. Is everything okay?”
Q’Bita felt her the muscles in her chest constrict until she couldn’t breathe. She tried to swallow but her mouth was dry. Her whole body trembled, and she coul
d hear her own blood pumping through her ears as the familiar voice spoke again.
“Henri, are you there? Can you hear me?”
Her voice caught in her throat, but she managed to speak a single word before she felt herself falling toward the floor. “Alain?”
Epilogue
Years of undercover field work had allowed Alain Barbeau to develop nerves of steel, but hearing his wife speak his name again after all this time had sent a wave of fear rippling through him that he could not control.
Faking his death had not been his idea, but he’d agreed to go along with the plan to protect Q’Bita. Alain knew it had been selfish to keep his real job a secret from his wife, but even his selfishness had its limits, and he drew the line at risking her life. His work had caused him to run afoul of a very dangerous man, a man with a reputation for slaughtering the families of his enemies.
His own arrogance had convinced him that his death would be a short-term, temporary situation lasting just long enough for him to hunt down and eliminate his enemy, then convince Q’Bita he’d done this for her protection. He was further convinced that her love for him was strong enough that she’d understand.
Unfortunately, the plan hadn’t worked out as smoothly as he’d assumed it would. It had been more than four years since his staged accident. His enemy was still out there, and his wife had moved back to the States, and on with her life.
He’d used all the resources at his disposal to keep tabs on her, and until this evening, he’d been successful at doing so without getting caught.
Sending Henri to Castle Creek to meet with Gianni Marini had been part of his plan to rid himself of his enemy and reunite with Q’Bita. Gianni was a business associate of Alain’s enemy. The plan had been simple: gather enough evidence against Gianni to arrest him then offer to let him off the hook if Gianni told him where to find his enemy. The plan had the added benefit of allowing Henri to get close enough to Q’Bita to befriend her and report anything he learned about her personal life back to Alain.
He hadn’t heard from Henri in days, and the fact that Q’Bita had just called him from Henri’s phone told him that his plan had gone to shit. A few seconds after Q’Bita spoke his name, he heard the phone drop and man calling Q’Bita’s name. Alain panicked and hung up.
After he pulled himself together, he immediately ordered a trace on Henri’s phone and discovered that the phone was somewhere inside Castle Creek Memorial hospital. This did not bode well for Henri, and Alain made a snap decision he knew he’d probably end up regretting later.
The phone on his desk buzzed and he pushed the speaker button.
“Bonjour, Monique.”
“Bonjour. As you’ve requested, you’re booked on the next flight out. I’ve arranged for transportation from the Charleston airport, and your lodging. You should arrive in Castle Creek by 6 p.m. tomorrow evening. I will text your directions from the airport to the hospital and the information regarding your lodging.”
“Merci, Monique. Excellent work, as always.”
Alain hung up then opened his bottom desk drawer. He removed a set of hanging file folders and punched a code into an app on his cell phone. The hidden compartment in the bottom of the drawer slid open. He removed an American passport and New York driver’s license for his Victor Cortez alias, a small handgun, and several files. In each file was a dossier of someone close to Q’Bita.
Alain stacked the files on his desk and thumbed through the pile until he found the file labeled Andy Hansen. He moved this file to the top of the pile and would review it again on the flight. By the time he arrived in Castle Creek, he planned to know all there was to know about the competition.
An hour later, Alain was settled into his first-class seat enjoying a superb Ardbeg scotch when his cell phone dinged. He quickly scanned the incoming text from Monique and almost sprayed a passing stewardess with scotch when he saw that Monique had booked his lodging at what she described as a quaint, country style farmette called the Red Herring Inn.
He reached up and pushed the button for service. When the stewardess arrived, he shoved his empty tumbler at her. “Bring me another, s'il vous plait. On second thought, bring me two and make them doubles.”
Peachy Hooch Bar-b-que Sauce
The secret to Jock’s winning bar-b-que sauce was the addition of his Pappy Jock Heavenly Hooch. You can win over your friends and family adding a little hooch to your sauce. A trip to your local liquor store can be inspiring. I found several brands of moonshine containing fruit such as cranberries and cherries. I chose to use Ole Smokey Peach Moonshine in this version and added some of the peaches from the jar to the sauce. They added a pleasant sweetness that worked well with the kick provided by the Moonshine.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup finely diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup Ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons of Moonshine
¼ cup of the fruit, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper to taste
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.
Add all other ingredients to sauce pan, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 7-8 minutes.
Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Makes approximately 2 cups.
Honied Whipped Cream
This is a seriously simple recipe, but it makes a wonderful addition to any dish, from pie to fresh fruit. Feel free to add an extra teaspoon or two or powdered sugar to reach your desired level of sweetness.
Ingredients:
1 pint Heavy whipping cream (full fat)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Place a metal or glass bowl and your beaters (if using a hand mixer) or whisk (if using a stand mixer) into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before you begin.
Pour heavy cream into bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form. This will take approximately 5 minutes or a little longer depending on how cold your cream, bowl, and beaters are and the temperature of your kitchen.
Once soft peaks have formed, add powdered sugar and honey and continue beating until you reach the consistency you desire. Looser whipped cream is a nice addition to fresh fruit. Thicker whipped cream works well with pies and cakes.
Store leftover whipped cream in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Refashioned Vinegar Pie
This is an old-fashioned pie, updated with some modern-day ingredients. My version produces a slightly sweeter taste than the traditional vinegar pie. It has the taste and texture of pecan pie filling without the pecans.
While white or apple cider vinegar is what is normally used, I can’t stop myself from buying infused vinegars whenever I run across one that sounds interesting. I used pineapple balsamic for this version.
You can also feel free to omit the honey and the Speculaas spice or substitute a teaspoon of vanilla and a few shakes of cinnamon in their place.
Ingredients:
1 cup Lite Brown Sugar packed
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted and cooled
1 9-inch pie crust pre-baked and cooled
3 tablespoons of your favorite vinegar
4 large eggs (3 if jumbo)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Speculaas spice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk brown sugar, salt, and eggs until well combined and lump-free. Add melted butter and whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined.
Bake on a cookie tray in the
middle of the oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until the center is set (not wiggly) and the top is a deep caramel color.
Be extremely careful when removing the pie from the oven as the sugary filling is extremely hot and can easily leave an unpleasant burn on you and your oven.
It will be bubbly and bumpy on top but that’s okay. This is rustic cooking—it’s supposed to be functional, not pristine.
Once the pie has cooled, top it with honied whipped cream.
About J Lee Mitchell
J Lee Mitchell is the author of The Red Herring Inn Mystery series and the soon to be released Critic in the City Mystery series. She does her writing, cooking, and gardening in the heart of South Central Pennsylvania’s Amish Country.
When she’s not doing these things, she writes horror, post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, and dreams of training ninjas.
She enjoys traveling, quilting, hoarding cookbooks, and spending time with the World’s most patient and loving significant other.
Visit J Lee Mitchell at jleemitchell.com, sign up to her newsletter, and connect with her via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedHerringInn/
Also By J Lee Mitchell
Red Herring Inn Mysteries
Sinister Cinnamon Buns
Condolence Casseroles (Coming Spring 2019)
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the guidance, encouragement, and talent of some very wonderful people. I am forever grateful and in debt to you all.
Thank you, RE Vance, for being the best coach and mentor any writer could hope to have.
Moonshine and Malice Page 14
