Small Town Angel

by K'Anne Meinel

  Abby loosened her hold so she could look down into the redheads face. “You lied because you had to. Just don’t ever do that again okay?” she said affectionately as she leaned her head down so they could touch foreheads.

  Amy took advantage of her proximity to kiss her, hard. “I love you, do you know that?” she emphasized.

  “I think I’m going to need more convincing,” Abby teased. Just then her radio went off.

  “Chief?” came through the static filled device.

  “Go ahead for Chief,” she pushed the button, letting Amy go reluctantly.

  “We got a situation down at the Brewery we need you here for,” the voice came through crackly.

  “Roger that, I’ll be right there,” Abby turned the radio down since it was so static filled. She looked at Amy, reluctant to leave her. “Are you going to be okay about Landon?” she asked concerned.

  Amy nodded. “It’s not unexpected,” she drawled. “I’ll miss him and I’ll try to remember the good times.”

  Abby nodded as she leaned over for another kiss and then took her leave.

  * * * * *

  It did indeed snow again before Halloween. Amy stared in wonder. She loved how it coated everything, the trees, the plants, and still the dark greens peeked through against the white. It was beautiful; it was dangerous for anyone out in it. She listened as the workers finished the addition despite the winter wonderland.

  The kids were helping her bake cookies in the kitchen as she wanted to gift the hard workers with freshly baked and hot cookies from her ovens. They were nearly done putting in her new kitchen and the old one would be turned into a mud room. They had put in the new steps to the now much larger basement and she was looking forward to exploring this extra space. Terry had promised now that the police station was finished that his whole crew would be working on her addition shortly. The windows were in the sun room and the new master bedroom and bathroom were almost done. She was excited to have them move into these extra spaces when they were finished.

  Abby had gone into the station for work, knowing that Amy was surrounded by Terri and his additional workers. The children and she should be well-protected until she could get back. Amy was watching the workers work, it was fascinating as they put up some of the finishing touches, she hadn’t realized that there were so many details that went into building. She admired their skills as they used saws, hammers, and other machinery to get the finishing touches.

  “Sorry we didn’t get it done in time for the first snow,” Terry smiled as he adjusted his tool belt. His jeans were filled with sawdust and other things that Amy couldn’t identify.

  “Oh shouldn’t be much longer now?” she asked hopefully. They had plastic up to keep the dust, debris, and cold from the rest of the house, she wasn’t sure the heat from the fireplace could reach this far.

  “Well, I’ll be jury riggin’ something for the heat since the central air and that setup can’t be done until next spring,” he explained, reading her mind. “That’s gonna take some time.”

  Amy nodded, everything took some time.

  “Oh and I got those sketches for the hall for you,” he added.

  “The hall?” she asked confused.

  “Yeah, Abby said you were building a dance hall next to The Emporium and wanted me to put up some estimates. She gave me your sketches and I made some mock ups of what I could do. That’s okay isn’t it?” he frowned a little at her puzzlement.

  “Oh yeah, that’s perfectly fine,” she stuttered as she realized what Abby had done. It had been a while since she swallowed her disappointment over expansion. Abby had promised that she would be her silent partner on the deal if she got the loan but since she hadn’t gotten the loan, Amy had dismissed the idea. It hadn’t stopped her from gathering magazine pictures of details she wanted, the cupola, the pagoda, the porches and the lattice work. The windows alone would cost an absolute fortune.

  “I’ll go get them,” he said as he headed through the patio doors that now led out to the back yard where his truck was.

  Amy looked at the sun room, anticipating many hours of sitting in the room and enjoying herself. She could well imagine reading books or the newspaper in here with Abby. She with a hot chocolate, Abby with her coffee, maybe curling up on a sofa together. She’d found a place in Sister’s Bay with Abby that had some beautiful wicker furniture that would be perfect for this room.

  “Ms. Adams, we’re leaving for the day,” one of the workers announced. “They’ll be finishing that up over there,” he indicated something in the new bathroom. “And Terry said he’d be right back, he forgot some papers for you.”

  “That’s fine,” she smiled. “You all do such fine work,” she praised as she handed him a gaily wrapped parcel of cookies.

  “Thank you. We aim to please ma’am,” he said modestly as he gathered the last of his tools and with a salute he left, a couple of the other workers cleaning up before they too left with parcels of cookies. The remaining two were fitting something in the bathroom but she couldn’t see what. She turned to return to the main cabin, going through the plastic that separated the two sides; it was thick plastic that hung down in layers so the cold from the addition didn’t enter the warm area. At night they could close the two French doors that led to sun room. She glanced back at the space lights that lit up the addition and saw them reflected in the windows, she also saw one of the men from the bathroom walking towards her, she gasped and twirled.

  “What are you doin’ here?” she asked fearfully.

  “You knew I’d be comin’ for you,” he said. “It’s time you come home with me,” he said menacingly.

  “Nope, I ain’t gonna come with you,” she said as she began to back away but he had anticipated that and cut her off from the exit.

  Amy looked fearfully through the plastic, hoping the kids, who were now watching a television program, would stay there and not come looking for her. She backed away from him, nearly tripping over a hose one of the workers had left there. “No Noah, I ain’t a goin’,” she said vehemently. “I have a new life here,” she said confidently. Her heart was hammering as the much bigger man came towards her, tracking her, almost like a hunter.

  “Yeah, I saw the life you have here,” he sneered. “You’re livin’ with a woman! That’s immoral!” he twanged.

  “What I do with my life is my business,” she argued, knowing it was futile and hoping that Terry or Abby would return soon.

  “Nuh uh, the bible says it’s a sin what your doin’. As your brother in law it’s my duty to see you stay on the straight and narrow. Now with Landon gone you’re to be my wife,” he bragged. She could see the bluster in him as he hitched up his belt.

  “I ain’t gonna be your wife,” she insisted. They’d had this very same argument before. He wouldn’t listen then, he wasn’t listening now. “Besides, you can’t marry me without my permission.”

  “He can and you will,” another voice was heard and Amy turned slightly to see Bobby Ray standing there. Both were dressed as construction workers which was how they had gotten into her home, by working for Terry. She swallowed her fear.

  “No, I won’t,” she repeated, knowing it was futile and feeling her fear rising, blinding her.

  “You will do what you are told!” Bobby Ray insisted angrily. “Women are to cleave to their husbands,” he said piously.

  “My husband is dead,” she insisted. “I don’t have to answer to no man.”

  “He weren’t no man,” Noah said with a sneer. “And he is dead, I saw to that,” he bragged.

  “What did you do to him?” she asked to make conversation, afraid of the answer. She was watching both of them and saw they were trying to corner her by the stairway to the new basement, the gaping hole looming ominously behind her. She looked frantically about the room for some sort of escape. Short of screaming which would involve the children, she saw no options. They could and would take her out of here through the patio doors and without anyone aware
of where she had gone.

  “Just helped him on his way and out of his pain,” he said with a leer. “You shore look purty Angel,” he said almost drooling.

  “I no longer go by that name,” she informed him frostily.

  “I heard,” he answered, proving he had information on her.

  “You shouldn’t have involved Grams in that,” Bobby Ray put in.

  “She volunteered. She never did want me to marry into the Sleuter family,” she informed him.

  “What, we weren’t good enough for the Adams?” Noah asked indignantly. “Always too good for us.” He turned to Bobby Ray to brag, “I’ll whip that outta her.”

  “She might need more than that!” Bobby Ray agreed wholeheartedly. He stood to make more off this marriage than he had brokering the first one. Noah had promised to match the funds that Grams had left Angel.

  “I’m not goin’ with either of you,” she said trying to make it clear and to delay the inevitable.

  “Listen to her tryin’ to talk all proper and like these northerners,” Noah sneered. “You’ll always be from Morgan City Louisiana darlin’ and don’t you forget it!”

  “I won’t forget it, but I started over,” she insisted. She was getting frightened, the terror was building inside. Any moment and either of the children could walk in here to see where she was. Where was Terry? Where was Abby?

  “You’ll start over all right, with me,” Noah promised her.

  It was then that Bobby Ray lunged at her. Amy flinched away, catching the movement out of the corner of her eye. Nimbly she danced out of his reach, but he was too confident and he flew past her into the hole that was the stairwell to the new basement. There was no railing. He tried to catch himself but he’d been too confident and too assured of catching her, he hadn’t thought of where they’d end up. He fell headlong into the basement, a slight yell that was cut off abruptly.

  Amy used the momentary commotion to sweep up a nail gun that was lying on a step ladder near the hole in preparation for them nailing down the railing that lay in sections against the wall. She looked at the side to see the safety was on and slipped it off. “Now you stay away Noah,” she warned.

  Noah, shocked at the disappearance of Bobby Ray looked up to see the redhead pointing the nail air gun at him. “Now darlin’ you don’t want to be doin’ that, put it down,” he ordered, he was certain she would listen. Women obeyed when he spoke, or they learned the consequences.

  “I am not kidding,” she said clearly and distinctly, concentrating on her words and not allowing her accent to come out.

  “Oh aren’t we high falutin’ talking like your betters,” he sneered. “Now you put that down and come with me. No more of that nonsense!” He was getting angry and flushed. He took another step toward her, trying to intimidate her.

  “You take one more step and I promise you Noah, I am gonna shoot you dead,” she asserted. She’d never felt such fear or anger before. She held the gun out in front of her as though it would save her.

  “You don’ even know if that there nail gun is loaded or on,” he assured her to undermine her self-confidence. She shore looked purty with her angry green eyes; they were the deepest blue-green of the ocean. In contrast her dark red hair made him want to run his fingers through it. He wanted her, he wanted her bad. She’d make good children with him.

  “You want to take the chance? You want to find out?” She was willing to chance it and she kept a firm hand on the trigger and her eyes on him, not taking them off for instant or he would strike, like a snake.

  “Why don’t you think you are good enough for the Sleuters?” he asked suddenly, changing tactics.

  For a moment Amy was surprised at the question. “You Sleuters are the ones that thought I wasn’t good enough. Between your Mama and you, you treated me like dirt beneath your feet. Landon was the only one decent in that whole family!”

  “But I wanted you!” he insisted, as though that explained years of abuse, the years of condescension and sexism.

  “But I didn’t want you!” she returned and that was when she heard the dog barking at something in the front of the cabin. Her momentary distraction was all he needed and he lunged. Amy’s finger pulled on the trigger and shot out a five inch nail. Her shock over actually doing it and his falling towards her caused her to pull the trigger again, and then again. That was how Noah ended up with three fatal shots of five inch nails in his chest.

  Noah was shocked and he looked down incredulously to see the three nails protruding from his chest. His hand came up to grasp at one but it was firmly embedded in his breast plate. He had enough time to see that the last two had hit where his heart would be before the darkness began to over shadow him. He felt himself falling but was dead before he hit the floor.

  Amy stood there with the nail gun in her hand. She looked at it and then at Noah in shock.

  “Let me take that,” Abby said gently as she took the gun from Amy’s cold and limp fingers, easily setting the safety back on before releasing the air hose from the gun and putting it all on the floor. They both jumped a little as the air made a slight hissing sound as the air hose was released. She had come in the front door and the kids told her Amy was in the addition with Terry. Not having seen Terry’s truck in the driveway she come back to see if he had shown her the plans for the hall. She’d been paid enough for the house that she wanted to make this idea of Amy’s come true; she hoped she wouldn’t be mad at her for giving him the sketches. Seeing the man lunging at Amy she was just as shocked as they as the redhead shot him three times in quick order. She watched him fall to the floor and then Amy just stand there staring down at what she had done. “Are you okay?” she asked next.

  Amy looked up at her and shook her head before bursting into tears.

  Abby gathered the smaller woman into her arms and held her, she was shaking uncontrollably. “Shhh, shhh,” she said consolingly.

  “Mom?” Bailey asked from the plastic partition. He stared horrified at the man on the floor, the blood seeping around his body in a large pool.

  “Bailey, go and dial 911. Tell them I’m on the scene and I need an ambulance and my deputies immediately,” she ordered over Amy’s shoulder. She held the redhead to her chest tightly so she wouldn’t look at the body. She was slowly walking Amy backwards away from the scene.

  The boy nodded and turned, grabbing his sister on the way as she came to see what was going on.

  “Hey,” she protested angrily.

  “C’mon,” he insisted and forced her back into the front room.

  “I don’t have to,” she said snottily.

  “Do too,” he returned quickly as he grabbed Amy’s cell phone and dialed 911.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, he wasn’t supposed to touch the cells.

  “I’m calling,” he began but someone answered and he repeated what his mother had said.

  “And who is your mother?” the operator asked.

  “Chief of Police Abby Shipman,” he said importantly.

  In no time at all they assured him that an ambulance was on the way. By then Abby had Amy back in the front room and on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her as she started to shake.

  “What’s wrong with Amy?” Heather asked curiously.

  “Shock,” her mother Abby told her, not hiding anything from the young girl.

  “Why does she have shock?”

  “Because she had to shoot a bad man.” Abby pulled the blanket tighter around the redhead.

  “Why did …” Heather began but Abby sent her a look that quelled her constant questions. Abby realized the girl was looking behind her, horrified. She turned to see a redheaded man staggering into the room, blood dripping down his head. Abby stood up to protect Amy from his view but she saw him too when she looked up to see what caught the brunette’s attention.

  “Bobby Ray,” she breathed as she stood up.

  “You’re comin’ with me,” he slured out.

  “No I am not,” sh
e said very clearly and distinctly.

  “No I am not,” he mimicked with a sneer and pulled out a gun and shot Abby who didn’t have time to draw her own weapon. She falls to the floor at Amy’s feet.

  “Oh my God, look what you’ve done,” Amy screamed horrified.

  “You’re comin’ with me,” he slurs out again and takes another step into the room, Amy can see the blood running down into his shirt.

  “You’re hurt, you’re not thinking…”

  “You’re comin’ with me or…” he starts to point the gun to where the children stood frozen by the table.

  Amy gets the implication, loud and clear. “Okay, okay…I’ll go with you,” she agrees to distract him from them. Anything, anything to get him out of the cabin and away from the children. She glanced down at Abby, who seems to be breathing but she can’t be certain. She looks up quickly at Bobby Ray.

  He waved his gun at the front door and she turned to head for it, dropping her blanket on Abby to keep her from his view. Perhaps he would forget about her. “Yourn gonna marry Noah Sleuter ifn it’s the last thin’ you do,” he told her, the odd slur finally penetrating her consciousness.

  Amy realized that he hadn’t seen Noah on the floor in his condition. The blood streaming down his head must have kept him from noticing. He had been determined to get to her. Subliminally she realized that Bailey had called 911. She saw the phone still in his hands and wondered if they were still on the line. Heather made a move as though to go to her mother and Amy made slicing sideways signals with her hand to stop her. Then she put up her hand in front of her to keep Bobby Ray from seeing it and made a halting gesture. Reaching the door she asked, “May I put on my coat?”

  “Yeah, hurry up,” he said trying to wipe the blood from his eyes with the back of his hand. It was stinging and making it hard to see.

  Amy quickly put on her jacket, trying to stall for time. Surely the deputies would be here shortly? The Feds would have heard the call and would come running too. She wanted to stay in the cabin but Bobby Ray thwarted that plan.