by Gayle Leeson
“Call the police, Ms. Flowers,” Thomas said calmly.
I did.
By the time I’d ended the call, Dr. Kent was weeping. “You have to understand, there was no other way. Your brother kept threatening me, Mr. Lincoln. He kept asking for more and more. He was a terrible person.”
“I know.” Still, Thomas’s voice was calm.
“Sometimes I thought it would’ve been better had he just told everyone what I’d done,” Dr. Kent continued. “I just kept digging my grave deeper and deeper. I killed Arnie. I killed George.” He turned his tear-streaked face to me. “And I was going to kill you. I’m so sorry, Amy.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears.
Dr. Kent looked up at Thomas Lincoln. “Kill me, Mr. Lincoln. That’s the kind of justice you believe in, isn’t it? A life for a life? Kill me. Please.”
Thomas looked at him long and hard.
“She’ll back you up,” Dr. Kent said. “She’ll say it’s self-defense. Won’t you, Amy?”
Thomas turned to look at me, and that’s when Dr. Kent made his move. He stabbed Thomas in the arm with a syringe—the syringe he’d undoubtedly brought to use on me.
Thomas smashed his fist into Dr. Kent’s face, but Dr. Kent dodged so it was only a glancing blow. Dr. Kent used Thomas’s own momentum to push the man off his torso. While the doctor tried to scramble to his feet, I threw the TV remote at his head. Thomas reached for his ankle and pulled, making Dr. Kent fall forward. He kicked out at Thomas before standing and advancing toward me. I was out of weapons.
Fortunately, I heard the police sirens.
“They’re coming for you. There’s nothing you can do now except make your situation worse.”
“Nothing can make my situation worse than it is right now, Amy. The only thing that will save me is my contention that I was here to save you—that I saw this Neanderthal breaking into your house, and I came to save you. With you both dead, there’ll be no disputing my story.”
My eyes cut to the bathroom door. I realized I couldn’t get there and lock myself in before Dr. Kent caught me. Still, I figured I could fake it. I juked toward the bathroom, Dr. Kent moved closer to the bathroom to prevent my passage, and I jumped onto the bed, off the other side and fled from the bedroom.
He tried to catch me but was tripped by Thomas Lincoln once more. I ran outside and straight into Ryan’s arms.
“Help! You’ve got to arrest Dr. Kent and get an ambulance for Thomas Lincoln. I think he might be dying.”
I hadn’t realized Sheriff Billings was right behind Ryan until he hurried past us into the house with his gun drawn.
“Go with him,” I said.
“And leave you here unprotected?”
“I’m fine.”
As Ryan started to go into the house, we heard a gunshot. I closed my eyes. Dr. Kent had asked Thomas Lincoln to kill him. I guessed he’d forced Sheriff Billings to do so.
We exchanged a look of horror.
“Stay here,” Ryan said before going into the house.
The paramedics arrived, and in the midst of all the chaos I had the strange thought that I was glad I was wearing nice pajamas.
Mom had apparently heard the commotion because she and Aunt Bess came barreling down the road to my house in Mom’s car. Mom got out and hurried over to me.
Wrapping me in her arms, she said, “Honey, what’s going on?”
I began to tremble, and I couldn’t even talk.
One of the paramedics stepped up to the door. “Clear?”
“Clear!” Ryan called. “Through the kitchen and down the hall to your right!”
Mom pulled me farther into the yard, away from the front door and whoever might be coming out of it.
Aunt Bess joined us. “What happened?”
I widened my eyes at Mom in an expression that was intended to convey: Are you out of your mind for bringing her here?
She merely shrugged and echoed Aunt Bess’s question.
“Dr. Kent came here to kill me tonight,” I said. “Thomas Lincoln saved my life, but I’m afraid Dr. Kent killed him with whatever he’d brought to poison me with.”
“Dr. Kent?” Mom was bewildered. “But he was so nice to us.”
“I had him figured for a rogue all along,” said Aunt Bess. “Nobody fools this ol’ gal.”
The paramedics brought Thomas Lincoln out on a stretcher. I sprinted over to them before they could load him into the ambulance.
“Is he going to be all right?” I asked.
One of the men nodded. “I believe we got here in time. But we have to go and get him to the hospital.”
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
Ryan and Sheriff Billings came out of the house. Dr. Kent was between them, handcuffed, with a wound to his left shoulder. He appeared to be in a lot of pain. I felt sad for him. And for Thomas Lincoln. And for George Lincoln. And even for Arnie.
Another ambulance pulled into my driveway right after the first one drove away with Thomas Lincoln.
As I stood there with tears streaming down my cheeks, Ryan gave my shoulder a squeeze before helping Sheriff Billings lead Dr. Kent to the waiting ambulance.
“Wait!” Dr. Kent called.
Sheriff Billings reminded him of his Miranda rights.
“Amy, it’s about Rory!” Dr. Kent shouted.
I felt another piercing in my heart, this one even sharper than all the others. I sank to my knees and wept.
“He’s okay,” Dr. Kent said. “You’ll find him in the backyard. I gave him some ground beef laced with a sedative so he’d sleep. He’ll be fine in a few hours.”
Mom hurried over to me. “Did you hear him, sweetheart? Rory’s fine.”
I nodded, and she got on her knees and gathered me into her arms.
“I knew when you were eating our salmon that you were a rotten piece of garbage!” shouted Aunt Bess.
Her war cry captured my and Mom’s attention just as she drew back her purse and thwacked Dr. Kent’s right side.
Ryan put an arm around her and led her gently where we were standing. “We’ve got this, ma’am. And you can rest assured he won’t be hurting anybody else.”
“Well, he danged well better not be,” she said. “Should’ve took my pocketbook to his hurt shoulder but I didn’t want to get it all bloody.”
“Yeah, you’d never get blood out of that nice purse.”
“Don’t I know it?”
Ryan brushed a hand lightly down my cheek and told me softly that he’d check on me as soon as he could.
I thanked him, and he got back to Sheriff Billings. By this time, Dr. Kent was being loaded into the ambulance.
“Hall, you follow us to the hospital,” Sheriff Billings said. “I’ll be riding with our prisoner.”
As soon as the paramedics closed the back doors to the ambulance, Ryan got into the patrol car. After both vehicles had sped away, I looked at Mom and Aunt Bess.
“I wonder if that ER has a clue about what’s coming their way?” I asked.
“I imagine so,” said Mom. “Don’t the paramedics always radio ahead and let them know who they’re bringing in so the doctors can be prepared?”
“Probably,” said Aunt Bess, “but it’s something we don’t want to miss. Let’s hurry up and get there. I can make me a new Pinterest board all about it.”
“Is that why you brought your purse?” Mom asked her.
“I take my pocketbook everywhere. A woman ought to always be ready for anything. Now, let’s go.”
“You two go ahead if you’d like,” I said. “I’m going to find Rory and make sure he’s okay.”
“Aunt Bess and I aren’t going anywhere. And of course Rory’s okay,” said Mom. “I don’t believe Dr. Kent would have said anything about the dog if he wasn’t fine.”
“You’d think, but by now I know better than to trust Dr. Kent.”
“I never did trust him. Never did.” Aunt Bess smushed her lips into a straight line and lifted her chin. “I do believe he’s telling the truth about the dog being alive, though. I figure he wanted to make your death look natural—at least until he had to deal with Thomas Lincoln—and it wouldn’t have if both you and the dog were dead.”
She had an excellent point. Never underestimate Aunt Bess’s logic.
I went through the house and into the backyard. I immediately spotted the little brown terrier lying by the fence. I ran to him and scooped him up into my arms. He was breathing.
I brought him into the house and asked Mom to go into the fancy room and get his little bed. She brought the bed into the living room and I placed him gently into it.
“You guys can go on home,” I said. “I know Aunt Bess is allergic to Princess Eloise, and—”
She held up her purse. “Got allergy pills right in here. If I can’t go to the hospital and see that drama play out, I’m not going anywhere.”
• • •
I woke up to Rory licking my face. I let out a squeal of delight and nearly smothered him in hugs and kisses.
My excitement woke up Mom, who was slumped beside me on the sofa. Aunt Bess, on the other hand, was half sitting and half lying on the armchair with her head back, and her mouth open. She was still snoring.
“She’s going to have a stiff neck tomorrow,” I said. “Or rather, today.”
“I imagine we all are.” Mom yawned. “What time is it anyway?”
I looked around at the clock. “Oh, my gosh! It’s seven o’clock! I should’ve been at the café an hour ago!” I headed for the bedroom.
“Slow down! Call Jackie and tell her you’re on your way!”
She had a good point. I called Jackie, who was thankfully already at the café, as was everyone else who was supposed to have been working this morning with the exception of the owner.
“Amy, I didn’t know if you’d even be in at all today,” she said. “Ryan called me this morning and told me what happened. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Still a bit shaken up, but physically, I’m okay.”
“And Rory?”
“He’s great. I mean, I’ll keep an eye on him for a day or two and make sure he’s behaving normally, but he appears to be fine this morning.”
“I’m so glad.” I heard her shout. “This is Amy! Everyone’s fine!”
“Well, I’m not sure about everyone,” I said.
“Thomas Lincoln is going to make a full recovery. Ryan told me that this morning too.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Like I said, you don’t even have to come in today. We’ve got you covered.”
“Nope,” I told her. “Mrs. Lincoln called me yesterday, and I have an afternoon tea spread to put on. And I think I’ll invite Mom and Aunt Bess to join the bridge ladies.”
Jackie laughed. “That’ll be right up Granny’s alley.”
Epilogue
The afternoon tea was a rousing success. Aunt Bess wore one of her best dresses and a “smart little hat” to match. Mom also wore a dress—a darling flowery, sleeveless, A-line number—that had several of the bridge ladies asking where she’d gotten it. I wondered if she’d tell them she’d made it herself. Mom enjoyed sewing, among her other hobbies taken up or rediscovered now that she’d retired to take care of Aunt Bess.
Aunt Bess caught my eye and extended her pinkie as she raised her teacup to her lips.
I giggled. Taking care of Aunt Bess was a full-time job all right. Mom was having to take her to the hospital as soon as this tea was over. She’d insisted on going to thank Thomas Lincoln for saving my life. Mom and I both knew that more than anything she wanted to get his full version of the story and immerse herself in the drama for a while. I’d asked Mom to tell Mr. Lincoln that I’d be to see him after work today.
Ryan came in just before closing time. There was no one in the dining room, and I when I began walking toward him, he met me halfway. He kissed me and then held me tightly.
“Thank God you’re safe,” he whispered. “I’d never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you. We suspected Dr. Kent, but we had no solid proof.”
“I know. And he was so nice.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” I said. “Why’d he have to turn out to be so selfish? Now Winter Garden doesn’t even have a doctor anymore. And his receptionist and nurse are out of a job. It’s terrible.”
“I know. Maybe another physician will come in to pick up the slack.”
“I’m just glad the paramedics got Thomas Lincoln to the hospital in time. He scared me half to death when I discovered him in my bedroom last night, but then he saved my life.”
“Yeah, the sheriff and I went by and interviewed him this morning. I asked him how he came to be in your house.”
“He’d been watching me.” I shrugged. “He came in yesterday at lunchtime and said he’d seen Joyce Kaye and Elva Lincoln come into the café. He said they were his two top suspects.”
Ryan nodded. “Yep. He watched the café, and then he watched your home. When Dr. Kent came by and gave Rory the doctored ground beef, that’s when Mr. Lincoln let himself into your house. While Dr. Kent was at the back, Lincoln was at the front.”
“Well, thank goodness he was . . . and that while we were having our tussle, Dr. Kent must’ve been waiting for Rory to go to sleep.” I shook my head. “To think that someone who had frightened me so much wound up saving me from someone I’d trusted—or, at least, had until almost the very end.”
• • •
I went to the hospital as soon as I got off work. And I took Mr. Lincoln a box of brownies.
He was sitting up in bed channel surfing when I walked into his room. He turned the television off and raised a brow at me.
“Hi. I brought brownies. That’s a really small token of my appreciation after you saved my life, but it’s the best I could do on short notice.”
“That’s more than enough for me. I didn’t need anything.” He smirked. “And I thought I’d given you plenty of notice. I told you over and over that I was watching you and that it wasn’t over.”
“And I took those words as threats.”
He laughed. “Sorry. But I knew that somehow you and your café were tied to my brother’s murder.”
“But you told me from practically the first day we met that you didn’t think I’d killed him.”
“I didn’t think you’d killed him. But you knew who did.”
I gasped. “I most certainly did not, or else I’d have gone to the police.”
“That’s not exactly what I’m saying. I knew that whoever had killed my brother was connected to you in some way. That’s why I tried to scare my goofy sister-in-law into giving me those files.” He shook his head. “I guess it was good that she gave them to the police after that, but it was bad for me because I couldn’t find out what George had known about all those people.”
“But he didn’t know something about all the people he had files on. He didn’t know anything about me.”
“I could tell him a few things about you. You can deliver a head butt that would fell a lesser man.”
“And I could tell him something about you,” I said. “You’re a lot nicer than you want to let on.”
“Don’t be spreading rumors like that. I have a reputation to uphold.”
“I’m sorry I misjudged you. Avenging your brother’s murder meant everything to you, didn’t it?”
He lifted and dropped one shoulder. “He was my big brother. He looked out for me when we were younger. It was the least I could do.”
I put the brownies on his bedside table. “When you get out of the hospital, come into the café anytime
for a meal on the house. That’s the least I can do.”
Recipes from the Down South Café
Fudgy Chocolate Cake
2 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
1 cup water
3½ tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400°.
Mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl and set aside. Bring the margarine, water, and cocoa to a boil in a saucepan. Mix well and add to the flour and sugar mixture. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla, and mix well.
Bake in a 9-by-13-inch sheet cake pan for 20 minutes. Frost while hot. Yield: 12 to 28 servings, depending on the size of the slice.
Chocolate Frosting
1 stick margarine
3½ tablespoons cocoa
5 tablespoons milk
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Bring the margarine, cocoa, and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the mixture to the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla. When thoroughly mixed, spread on the hot cake.
Author’s Note: If you’d like to garnish your dessert plate with a strawberry rose like Amy did, there are several good tutorials on YouTube. Or you can simply take a paring knife and—beginning at the bottom of the strawberry—begin making petals. The petals are made by cutting arcs slightly angled toward the center of the strawberry. Be careful not to cut the berry all the way through. Bend the arc out slightly with the tip of the knife to create a petal. Work your way around the bottom of the strawberry, and then make another row—beginning with “petals” in between those on the previous row—until you’re at the top of the strawberry. Cut the top of the berry and fan out as you did with the petals. This process takes about two minutes.
Peanut Butter Pie
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
