by Ali Franklin
A minute later, they heard the front door open. Gus yelled for Chase and got no answer. Then he yelled for Dexter as he walked toward the bedroom.
“He’s coming,” hissed Nicki. “Get over there.” She nodded toward the bathroom while she released the safety on the gun.
Gus called to the Arringtons again and got no answer. He slowly opened the bedroom door and stepped forward, his gun drawn. Nicki considered throwing her weight against the back of the door to knock him off balance, but he might accidentally shoot in Ryan’s direction.
The door stopped when it came into contact with Nicki’s body. Gus took a step backward and said, “Step out from behind the door, Statton. Hands up high.”
In less than a second, Nicki untucked her uniform shirt and stuck the pistol in the waistband of her pants. She lifted a finger to her mouth to motion Ryan to be silent. Then she raised her hands above her head, screaming inwardly at the pain in her arm.
She stepped out from behind the door.
Chapter 25
Using his gun, Gus motioned for Nicki to turn and face the wall.
“Where’s your gun?” he asked.
“I think Chase has it.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” Nicki placed her hands on the wall. Gus holstered his gun and started patting her down. A split second before he found her gun, he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye.
He turned. Ryan’s swing hit him in the center of his forehead. He went down.
Nicki grabbed her gun and pointed it at him. Ryan knelt down and fumbled with the snap closure of his holster before securing his weapon. She tried to hand it to Nicki.
“You’d better keep it,” said the chief. She knelt and checked the detective’s pulse. “He’s out cold.”
“I’ll get the cords,” said Ryan.
“No time. Let’s go.”
Ryan ran through the living room and grabbed Gus’s keys from the hook at the front door. Nicki wasn’t far behind, but she was keeping one eye on the bedroom.
“I’ll drive,” said Ryan.
“Okay by me.”
They got in the car and Ryan turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened.
“What the heck?”
Nicki reached over and tried, getting the same result. She leaned her head back against the seat.
“He must have a computer lock in here somewhere,” said the chief. “We need to find it.”
“Do you know how to disable a computer lock?”
Nicki’s injury and the events of the day were beginning to take their toll. She looked at Ryan without understanding.
“Nicki?” asked Ryan. “What should we do?”
Nicki just stared.
Ryan tried the ignition again and again. Finally, she slammed both palms against the steering wheel. “We have to think of something or we’ll never get out of here. Don’t cops and tow-truck drivers have ways to disable locks like this?” She gasped. “Call Jack!” She retrieved Nicki’s phone from her pocket again and held it out.
Nicki took it and pressed the button to call Jack. Nothing happened. “No bars.”
Ryan removed the key from the ignition and looked at it. It looked like it could go in either up or down, but she tried it both ways just to be sure. She pressed a button on the key fob and the truck popped open.
“Let me try,” said Nicki, taking the fob. The chief pushed the four buttons in random order, then in patterns. With each failure, her movements became more disjointed. She dropped the fob onto the floorboard and reached down to retrieve it. Ryan smacked her on the leg.
“Nicki.” The tone of her voice made Nicki look up. She saw her friend staring at the corner of the house, where the barrel of a rifle was coming into view. Nicki squeezed all the buttons on the fob as hard as she could.
They heard a ping.
Nicki pressed the keys into Ryan’s hand. “See if it works now,” she whispered.
Ryan’s eyes were still trained on the side of the house. Gus Lipinski was walking toward them with an enormous rifle in his hands. She put the key in the ignition and turned.
The engine turned over. Ryan saw Gus’s mouth open but didn’t wait around to hear what he was saying.
“Get down!” screamed Nicki, as a bullet shattered the back window.
Ryan slammed the car into drive and pulled around the back side of the house at full speed. She made a wide circle so they would be far from Gus when they reached the tiny dirt road.
Right away, they saw the metal gate with the combination lock.
“Floor it,” said Nicki. “These cars are built like tanks.”
Ryan stomped on the gas pedal as hard as she could. As they reached the gate, both women raised their arms to cover their faces. The car crunched through the gate like it was made of plywood and kept going into a field. Ryan stopped and they looked back toward the house. No one was in sight.
“You okay?” asked Ryan.
Nicki was grinning from ear to ear. “That was awesome. Now let’s get to the Sheriff’s station.” She raised her phone to her ear. This time the call connected.
“Jack, it’s Statton.”
“Are you and Ryan okay?”
“We’re a little banged up,” said Nicki. “But we’ll be fine. We’re in Gus’s service vehicle just outside the gate to his property.”
“Is your position secure?”
“Affirmative.”
“Were on our way,” said Jack. “We’ve been trying to trace your phone, but we kept losing the signal.”
The women heard sirens approaching. Ryan drove the car back to the road but stopped at the edge to give Jack and the deputies room to get by.
“Jack, there are three men involved here. It’s Chase and Dexter Arrington and—”
“—I know,” said Jack. “Gus.”
“They have at least one hunting rifle,” said Nicki. She and Ryan could see the dust being kicked up by the oncoming cars now.
“I’ll take care of Gus and the Arringtons,” said Jack. “Why don’t you to meet me back at the station with Gus’s car?”
“That will have to wait,” said Nicki. “Ryan and I both need medical attention. We’ll call you later.”
“Understood. You did a good job, Nicki. I’ll talk to you later.”
Four marked Sheriff’s vehicles and Jack’s gray cruiser slowed down at the broken gate. Ryan waved to Jack as he drove by. Then she put the car into gear and drove toward Haverwood.
Chapter 26
Twenty-four hours later, Teddy and Summer picked up Ryan and Nicki from the hospital.
“You want to come to our place for dinner?” asked Teddy. “We just picked up some turkey burgers.”
“I’m starving,” said Ryan. “I don’t care where we eat, just get me to some food.” She stretched out her wrapped ankle as far as she could with a grimace. She considered her arms and hands. The scrapes and bruises looked terrible, but they were clean and beginning to heal.
Nicki lifted a fiberglass-casted arm. “I need to go check on my dogs. Can we do it at my place?”
“Of course,” said Summer. She flicked on a blinker and turned toward Nicki’s street. “We fed them last night and they were fine. But they’ll be glad to see you.” She glanced over her shoulder at her friend. “And if you want to be alone, we can just drop you off.”
“No, I’d like the company,” said Nicki.
“I just want you two to tell me the whole story,” said Teddy. “There I was, wondering why Ryan wasn’t at rehearsal, and she was being kidnapped!”
Nicki reached across the back seat and grabbed Ryan’s hand. “You do have a knack for getting in the middle of things,” said the chief.
Ryan shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know how it happens.”
They arrived at the house. Maverick and Star were glad to see Nicki. They jumped and barked, acting like she’d been gone for weeks.
Summer set to work in the kitchen while Teddy helped Ryan and Nicki
get comfortable in the living room. She fluffed up pillows and took drink orders, then told them to relax.
“Especially you, Ryan.” Teddy shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t cancel the FLH.”
“I didn’t have to,” protested Ryan. “It’s all taken care of. All we have to do is show up.”
“Is that why you’ve been texting ever since Jack brought you your phone last night?” asked Nicki with a laugh.
“Well, there are a few details left to finalize.”
Teddy brought in a tray of hot tea and cookies. “Summer says dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. She also says not to tell me anything until she’s in the room.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “But you can tell me one thing. Exactly when did you figure out—”
“—No way, Teddy,” said Nicki. “We’re not telling it twice.”
“Tell us about rehearsal yesterday,” said Ryan. “Did you try it with the lasers?”
Teddy produced a dramatic sigh. “I did. And you know what? It worked. We’re going to use the lasers for the prom scene and the reprise.”
Ryan clapped. “Well done, Madame Director. I’m glad it worked. Can’t wait to see it.”
“There’s other news,” said Teddy. “I decided to promote Kelly to the lead.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Ryan, smiling. Then she frowned. “What happened?”
“There’s no room for a diva in my show. Evie doesn’t play well with others, so she’s out.”
“So you made her the understudy?” asked Ryan.
“I tried, but she quit. She’s even threatening to transfer to UNT.”
Ryan’s eyebrows lifted. “There’s a lot of competition up there.”
Teddy shrugged. “She’ll figure that out soon enough. But you were right. It doesn’t do us any good to let our students be disrespectful during a show. A Broadway director would have thrown her out long ago.”
“Kelly will be terrific,” said Ryan.
Summer called to Teddy, “Sweetie, can I borrow you for a minute?”
Teddy disappeared into the kitchen. She and Summer reappeared a few minutes later with TV trays and plates of food. They set up the trays in front of the recovering patients and went back into the kitchen for their own food.
Once they were all settled, Teddy said, “Okay, spill. How did you figure out it was Gus?”
Ryan looked at Nicki, who lifted a hand in a “go ahead” gesture. The dean took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. It was strange that yesterday had started like any other day, but almost ended with her death. She shuddered.
“You okay, Ry?” asked Nicki.
“Yeah.” Ryan paused. “It’s just that we came really close…” She faded off for a minute. Her friends let her process her thoughts. Then she took another deep breath.
Ryan told Summer and Teddy about meeting Dexter Arrington at O’Leary’s the day before. Then she told them about the moment she realized Gus Lipinski had a connection with Chase.
“All the pieces just shifted into place in my head,” she said. “You know the sound a metal door makes when it slides closed? It was like that. Slam. Slam. Slam.” She looked around the room.
“The worst thing was that I couldn’t tell Nicki.” She looked at the chief. “Where were you?”
“I popped my head into the kitchen to ask Jamie for something. We started talking and the next thing I knew, the alarm went off.”
“Bad timing,” said Ryan. “A minute later, I was lying in the street after being hit by a car.”
“Unbelievable,” said Summer.
“Dexter must have knocked me out in the hallway,” said Nicki, “and then run out just in time to pick you up off the street.”
Ryan said, “I still don’t know why he didn’t take me to the hospital. He couldn’t have known that I’d made the connection between Chase, Gus, and the murders.”
“Maybe Jack knows,” said Nicki. “He told me he interviewed Chase for hours last night. I’m sure he’s doing the same with Gus and Dexter.”
“But why did they do it?” asked Teddy. “Why did they murder Veronica and Emma?”
“I think it was about money,” said Ryan. “Chase had gambling debts and Veronica was worth a lot. It was no secret that the two of them weren’t in love.”
“Jack will figure that out, too,” said Nicki.
The four friends fell silent. Then Teddy looked up with a start.
“So what about Emma?”
Nicki shook her head. “I think she figured out what happened to Veronica. Chase said he saw Emma that day. When she called Ryan, Emma said she’d just talked to someone. Maybe she gave Chase some indication that she knew something.”
“Or maybe he decided to make sure she never made the connection,” said Ryan.
“They found Emma’s house keys at Gus’s house.” Said Nicki. “She let Gus into her house that day, and he took her keys and locked the door behind him when he left.”
Nicki’s phone buzzed and she looked at it. “It’s Jack.” She answered, listened for a moment. She said, “Everyone’s at my house. Come on over—we have some questions for you.” She smiled at his response and ended the call.
The women finished their meal while they waited for Jack. Ryan hoped he’d feel like talking when he got there.
Jack arrived fifteen minutes later. Summer set him up with a burger and salad and the women let him eat for a few minutes. Then the questions began.
“Can you fill us in?” asked Ryan.
The detective looked up with a smile. “Can’t a guy finish his burger?” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, “Just kidding. You two deserve some answers. I’ll tell you everything I can.”
“Did Gus kill Veronica—and Emma?” asked Ryan.
“I can’t tell you what they said in their interviews,” said Jack.
Nicki winked at Ryan and said, “Detective, did you arrest Gus Lipinski?”
“We did.”
“On what charge?”
“Two counts of pre-meditated murder.”
Nicki smiled at Ryan. And that’s how you do that.
Ryan went next. “Detective, did you arrest Chase Arrington?”
“We did.”
“On what charge?”
“Two charges of accessory to first-degree murder and one charge of intimidation for leaving the rat on Danielle’s doorstep.”
Nicki nodded at Ryan with approval.
Teddy leaned forward. “My turn. Detective, did you arrest…what’s his name? Dexter? Dexter Arrington?”
“We did.”
“On what charge?”
“Conspiracy to commit murder.”
Summer whistled. “Anyone else?”
“No, ma’am. That’s it.”
“Why’d they do it, Jack?” asked Nicki.
“Was it Chase’s gambling debt?” asked Ryan.
Jack leaned back against the sofa cushions. “The D.A. is going to try to prove that Gus had a financial scheme in the works. Chase was going to be one of the prime investors in order to drum up interest from Gus and the Arringtons’ old classmates in Boston, but Veronica wouldn’t take a chance with that much money. Add that to Chase’s gambling debt,” he nodded toward Ryan, “and Chase and Gus had a few good reasons to want Veronica out of the way.” He stopped and took a bite of his burger.
“So it was all about money?” asked Summer.
“Not completely,” said Jack. “The D.A. is also following up on the circumstances of Gus leaving his job in St. Louis. Gus told us he left in good standing, but it looks like he was fired after a lengthy investigation. A family sued the department over his mishandling of a case.”
“I wonder if that’s the case he told me about?” asked Ryan.
“His chief at the time was a woman. When she fired Gus, he threatened her. It seems he’s had trouble working with women ever since. He might have jumped at the chance to kill two women.”
“I’m sure Veronica suffered with the poison
,” said Nicki, “but poor Emma. Stabbing is such an…intimate way to kill someone. It’s hard to believe he did that when he hardly knew her.”
“He might have just seen it as his chance to get back at all women he felt had wronged him,” said Jack. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the D.A. went for the death penalty.”
“Speaking of Emma,” said Ryan, “what about that letter about the little girl in New York?”
“We’ve sent that to the lab, but it’s a low priority now,” said Jack. “We think it will turn out to be from Veronica, but we may not know for a while.
“What’s going to happen to the Arrington brothers?” asked Nicki.
“Chase could be in jail for the rest of his life,” said Jack. “Dexter will get a few years, at least.”
“Wow,” breathed Teddy.
“Hey,” said Ryan, remembering something she’d forgotten to ask Jack earlier, “When Nicki called you yesterday from the cabin, you said you knew Gus was there. How’d you figure it out?”
“Nicki had left a message about you being in danger, but she wasn’t picking up her phone. We tried to locate it from its signal. At the same time, I couldn’t find Gus. When we pinged his phone, it showed up in the same place as Nicki’s. Then it all came together.” Jack frowned. “It’s unthinkable that he was investigating the murder he had committed.”
The detective straightened up and smiled. “I still can’t believe you ladies managed to get the best of three able-bodied men in your conditions yesterday.”
Ryan and Nicki smiled at each other. “Neither one of us could’ve done it alone,” said Ryan.
“That’s for sure,” agreed Nicki. “We’re a good team. And let’s never do that again.”
Ryan stuck out a hand so they could shake on it.
“Deal.”
When they finished eating, Jack stood. “Ladies, I have to go. I need to catch a few hours’ sleep before we interrogate the Arringtons and Lipinski again.”
“Will you be at the FLH tomorrow?” asked Ryan.
“I’ll try to be there for breakfast,” promised Jack.
Nicki stood. “I’ll walk you out.” She and the detective went out the front door.
