by Ball, Donna
I said, “What about Rick? That was a detail you didn’t count on.”
Susan said, “He’s dead. That’s a shame. But no one can link me to his murder. So what if I was there last night? We were old friends from L.A.. There’s no reason I shouldn’t stop by for a drink. But he seemed agitated and upset, and I left early.”
I said, “After putting the drugs in his drink? Just like to you did to Rachelle?”
“Don’t be silly. I didn’t put amphetamines in Rachelle’s champagne. Too complicated. They were in the mineral water she had before they left to go diving.”
“Somebody had to see you leaving Rick’s boat last night. The barking dog was drawing a lot of attention.” I remembered with a pang that I, too, had heard a dog barking earlier that evening from far down the dock. If I had gone to investigate, could all of this have been stopped?
She shrugged. “So what? I don’t deny being there. Of course I heard the dog barking, but he told me he was keeping it overnight for a client. He was very much alive when I left him, as I’m sure the coroner’s report will bear out.” She smiled. “It would have taken some time for his heart to stop.”
Lisa said, “Can’t we get out of the sun? And what about this dog?”
Susan gave a small wry shake of her head. “You really are getting more and more like Rachelle every day, sweetie. Okay, let’s move inside. Everyone just relax. No one is going to get hurt. It’s just another hour and a half.”
No one within the sound of her voice believed that. She had killed two people already. Did she really expect us to trust that if we just did as she said no one would get hurt?
Susan said impatiently, “Get in the house! Everyone together, so I can see you.”
No one moved.
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Abruptly, she grabbed the leash from Lisa and told her, “Get the kid.” And to us she added, “I told you what I’d do.” She lowered the gun to the golden retriever’s head.
It was all over in an instant. With a strangled cry I lurched forward. I heard Melanie cry, “Cisco, high five!” With a happy grin, the golden at the other end of Susan’s leash leapt up on his back legs, and Susan, surprised, shrank back, her arm going wild. It was just the opportunity Alex needed to grab her arm and wrestle the gun from her hand.
Susan screamed, “No!” and turned on him. I dived forward and grabbed Cisco’s leash. By this time, Miles had grabbed Susan and pushed her onto one of the patio chairs. Lisa ran to her. Alex held the gun steadily on them both. Miles took out his phone, which had been on speaker the entire time, and said, “Inspector, we could use some help here.”
“So I surmised, monsieur.” And the next words were the best I’d ever heard. “We are but steps away.”
And, to my profound relief, they were.
~*~
It was long after lunchtime when the police finished taking our statements, although most of it was simply a repeat of what they had already heard through Miles’s open phone line. That had been our plan: to get enough information from Susan and Alex to allow the inspector, who was listening from his car parked just outside the gate, to make an arrest, then to get my dog and go home. We never intended a confrontation. We certainly didn’t plan on facing down a gun.
Alex, Susan and Lisa were taken to police headquarters for questioning. I still wasn’t entirely convinced of Alex Barry’s innocence in the whole thing, but thank goodness it didn’t matter what I thought. There were prosecutors, judges and juries for that, and if I never heard the name of Alex Barry again—or Rachelle Denison for that matter—it would be too soon. Unfortunately, that was unlikely, as this case was certain to be front page news for some time to come.
We sat in the sun on the patio, waiting for the police to clear us to go. I couldn’t stop hugging Cisco, and Miles couldn’t stop hugging Melanie, who sat on his knee. It was a testament to the good nature of both of them that they allowed it. Despite the baking sun, I still shivered now and then when I thought about what had almost happened, and finally I had to say something. “Melanie, what you did was very dangerous. The woman had a gun. When you yelled out at Cisco, I almost wet my pants.”
Melanie said, “That would have been embarrassing.”
Miles gave her a small frown. “This is serious, Mel. Raine is right. You don’t mess with people with guns. Ever.”
Her face fell. I hated to rob her of the ebullience of victory after all she had been through, but this was serious. She muttered, “Sorry.”
Rita tried to lighten the mood by reaching across and squeezing Melanie’s hand. “I thought you were very brave, sweetheart. And everything worked out, right?”
I said, “How did you even know it was Cisco Susan had?”
Now she looked a little uncomfortable. “I didn’t,” she admitted. “I thought you had Cisco. I remembered how confused everything was when Cisco and Cocoa were running around, and I figured if Cisco could do something to, you know, surprise her, she might forget about the gun and maybe Cocoa—who I didn’t know was really Cisco—could get away from her. And the only thing I could think of was ‘high five’.”
I released another shaky breath, and even managed a smile. At least she hadn’t knowingly been reckless while a gun was pointed at Cisco’s head. “Well,” I said, “I guess everything did turn out all right.”
Melanie cheered somewhat. “Besides,” she added, “I wasn’t all that worried. I knew Grandma had the gun from your safe.”
Both Miles and I stared at Rita. “What?”
She looked a little abashed as she patted the beach bag that had been tucked under her arm the whole time. “It seemed only prudent,” she pointed out, “after everything that had happened.”
Miles drew in a sharp breath, reconsidered, and released it silently, letting whatever it was he had been about to say go unspoken. Good choice.
A young officer came over and informed Miles that he had all he needed from us for now, but to please advise the police before leaving the country. Miles advised him that we would all be leaving the country within twenty-four hours.
Since the drive was still blocked by police cars—apparently, once an arrest was made it was perfectly appropriate to send every car on the force to the scene of the crime—we decided to walk home on the beach. Miles, with a meaningful look but not a word, politely took his mother’s beach bag, and she and Melanie walked a few steps ahead of us. I took off my shoes and walked in the gentle foam of the surf, and Miles cuffed up his pants and did the same. Cisco, tail swishing and paws prancing, splashed happily between us. For not the first time in my life, I envied Cisco his ability to live so contentedly in the present. For him there were no memories of kidnapping and terror and bad people with guns. There was only sunshine and salt spray, and if there were sharks swimming out there in the distance somewhere, they had nothing to do with him.
I said, keeping my voice quiet so Melanie couldn’t hear, “So that’s what you didn’t want to tell me about Susan.”
“That she was gay?” A small shake of his head. “That wasn’t my secret to tell. That she was a psychopath—that part I didn’t know. I resented being used, of course, once I found out why she’d married me, but after awhile I started to feel a little sorry for her. People don’t try to hide who they are unless they’re in a lot of pain. What I didn’t realize was how much that pain had twisted her inside. I guess I should have.”
Letting the loop of Cisco’s leash drop to my wrist, I reached across and took Miles’s hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
He was thoughtful for a moment, swinging our joined hands gently between us over Cisco’s back. Then he smiled. “Actually,” he said, “I feel pretty damn good.”
He lengthened his stride to include Rita and Melanie in the conversation, and Cisco and I took a few running steps to keep up. “After all,” he added, winking at us, “I get to hang out with the three baddest chicks on the beach. The way I look at it, that makes me the luckiest
man I know.”
He raised his hand for a high-five, and wouldn’t you know? Cisco was the one who jumped up and struck his palm first.
~*~
EPILOGUE
Alex Barry was questioned and released after twenty- four hours. Although the police were no more convinced of his complete innocence than I was, they could not find enough evidence to even bring conspiracy charges. And who knows? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he didn’t have anything to do with Rachelle’s death. But he had to know about Rick. I can’t forget the way he just stood and watched the night Miles’s boat burned. He had to know something.
Of course, Lisa and Susan were all over the news for weeks, and will be again once their case comes to trial, which might not be for years. A week or so after we left, evidence washed ashore—I’ll spare the gory details—that DNA testing proved to be the remains of Rachelle Denison Barry. The last I heard Susan was charged with two counts of murder, with Lisa agreeing to whatever testimony was necessary to have her own charges reduced to conspiracy to commit fraud. So much for undying love.
It took a few days, but we were able to get Cocoa’s documents together and have him shipped to the States, where Golden Retriever Rescue already had a waiting list of people clamoring to adopt him. Eventually he went to an obedience instructor in Virginia with twin twelve-year-old boys and five fenced acres. I couldn’t have done better myself.
As for our vacation, it wasn’t a complete loss after all. Since the kennel was already closed and Miles had already shifted his schedule around—not to mention the fact that Melanie still had four days of beach time coming—we decided there was no point in giving up just because we had gotten off to a rocky start. We flew straight to Myrtle Beach, where we barbecued steaks on Rita’s deck, bought tacky tee-shirts in souvenir shops, road the Ferris wheel and ate corn dogs on the board walk. We shopped for our own groceries and roasted marshmallows at night over a campfire on the beach like normal people. Cisco became an expert Frisbee-catcher, and Melanie taught him two more new tricks. I got a gorgeous tan, and, over all, had the best time I’d had since I was a kid. Like I said, I’m basically a provincial girl, and I like it that way. Fortunately, so does Miles.
When I got home, I called Maude in Florida. We talked for a long time. I’m not saying everything is all right between us; it probably never will be, completely. But I understand a little more now, and I feel a little better. At least I don’t throw things any more. And I’ve given some thought to what Rita said about not letting other people’s mistakes keep you from living your own life. It makes a lot of sense.
It’s kind of like what Miles told me when Melanie announced she wanted to sign up for scuba lessons at the Y when she got back to Atlanta. Just because there are sharks in the ocean, you can’t be afraid to swim.
Yeah. I like that.
~*~
The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series
Books in Order
SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRACKS
A child has been kidnapped and abandoned in the mountain wilderness. Her only hope is Raine Stockton and her young, untried tracking dog Cisco...
RAPID FIRE
Raine and Cisco are brought in by the FBI to track a terrorist …a terrorist who just happens to be Raine’s old boyfriend.
GUN SHY
Raine rescues a traumatized service dog, and soon begins to suspect he is the only witness to a murder.
BONE YARD
Cisco digs up human remains in Raine’s back yard, and mayhem ensues. Could this be evidence of a serial killer, a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister… and closer to home?
SILENT NIGHT
It’s Christmastime in Hansonville, N.C., and Raine and Cisco are on the trail of a missing teenager. But when a newborn is abandoned in the manger of the town's living nativity and Raine walks in on what appears to be the scene of a murder, the holidays take a very dark turn for everyone concerned.
THE DEAD SEASON
Raine and Cisco take a job leading a wilderness hike for troubled teenagers, and soon find themselves trapped on a mountainside in a blizzard… with a killer.
ALL THAT GLITTERS: A Holiday Short Story e book
Raine looks back on how she and Cisco met and solved their first crime in this Christmas Cozy short story. Sold separately as an e-book or bundled with the print edition of HIGH IN TRIAL.
HIGH IN TRIAL
A carefree weekend turns deadly when Raine and Cisco travel to the South Carolina low country for an agility competition
DOUBLE DOG DARE
Spine-chilling suspense by Donna Ball
SHATTERED
A missing child, a desperate call for help in the middle of the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer who is poised to strike again?
NIGHT FLIGHT
She’s an innocent woman who knows too much. Now she’s fleeing through the night without a weapon and without a phone, and her only hope for survival is a cop who’s willing to risk his badge—and his life—to save her.
SANCTUARY
They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real.
EXPOSURE
Everyone has secrets, but when talk show host Jessamine Cray’s stalker begins to use her past to terrorize her, no one is safe … not her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially not Jess herself.
RENEGADE by Donna Boyd
Enter a world of dark mystery and intense passion, where human destiny is controlled by a species of powerful, exotic creatures. Once they ruled the Tundra, now they rule Wall Street. Once they fought with teeth and claws, now they fight with wealth and power. And only one man can stop them… if he dares.
Also by Donna Ball
The Ladybug Farm series by Donna Ball
For every woman who ever had a dream… or a friend
A Year on Ladybug Farm
At Home on Ladybug Farm
Love Letters from Ladybug Farm
Christmas on Ladybug Farm
Recipes from Ladybug Farm
Vintage Ladybug Farm
The Hummingbird House
Romance Revisited by Donna Ball
MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER
He was a cowboy looking for a wife. She was a lady specializing in brides. They were made for each other... They just didn't know it yet.
A MAN AROUND THE HOUSE
He was the answer to a busy working woman's dreams. But was he too good to be true?
FOR KEEPS
He's an animal trainer who lives by one rule: never get attached. She's a social worker who knows all too well the price of getting involved. It may take an entire menagerie to bring them together, but eventually they both must learn that sometimes it's for keeps.
STEALING SAVANNAH
He was a reformed jewel thief now turned security expert and her job depended on his expertise. But could he be trusted not to steal the most valuable jewel of all-- her heart?
UNDER COVER
She's working on the biggest case of her life, and her cover has already been blown-- by the very man she's investigating. Now they must work together to solve an even bigger mystery-- their future together.
THE STORMRIDERS
They were thunder and lightning when they were married, and their divorce has been no less turbulent. But trapped together during a deadly blizzard with the lives of an entire community depending on them, they discover what's really important, and that some storms are worth riding out.
INTERLUDE
Sometimes a chance encounter is over in a moment, and sometimes it can last a lifetime.
CAST ADRIFT
She was a marine biologist on short deadline to find a very important dolphin, with no time to waste on
romance. He was a sailor who knew there could only be one captain on his ship-- himself. But two weeks at sea together could change everything...
~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR….
Donna Ball is the author of over a hundred novels under several different pseudonyms in a variety of genres that include romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal, western adventure, historical and women’s fiction. Recent popular series include the Ladybug Farm series by Berkley Books and the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Donna is an avid dog lover and her dogs have won numerous titles for agility, obedience and canine musical freestyle. She lives in a restored Victorian Barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains with a variety of four-footed companions. You can contact her at http://www.donnaball.net
