by Maci Grant
“Maybe, but we both had one thing in common,” said Blu.
“What’s that?”
“People who loved us.” She smiled at him. “And that’s what’s most important, huh?”
“You’re right about that. My uncle might be difficult, but he always took care of us. My mother died when I was young, and my father wasn’t capable of raising us. So we ended up in the care of a single man who’d never even imagined having kids. Trust me, it was a bit of an adjustment for all of us, but most of all for him.” AJ shook his head. “I get that now, but boy, did I give him hell as a teenager.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been very difficult for you.”
“Not as difficult as it could have been. Uncle Paul had the option to turn us over to the system, but he didn’t. That’s one of the things I admire about you too, Blu. I see the way that you love those kids, even though they’re not even related to you. You get what it’s like to love someone, because of who they are, not because of who they are to you.”
“Yes, I guess I do.” She smiled. “I really enjoy being part of their lives while I am. Even though I move on when I go to a new family, I always think about the kids.”
“What happens when you move on? I mean, do you end up in different places?”
“Well, usually it happens when the kids get older—often around maybe middle school or high school. They’re more independent, so the parents don’t need as much help. Then I get a chance to start all over again. And yes, sometimes it’s in different places.”
“Do you think you’ll ever want to settle down in one place?”
“Yes, I think I will. When I’m ready.”
AJ looked toward the sound of a ringing bell and grinned. “Oh, this is something that we have to have.”
“What?” Blu looked in the direction that he was pointing. “Oh, cotton candy?” She grinned. “It’s been so long since I’ve had that. Sometimes I will get it for the kids, but never for me.”
“Why not?” He tugged at her hand. “This is supposed to be fun, remember?”
“Nothing says fun like pink sugar.” Blu laughed.
“I’ll get us some. Wait here.” He hurried toward the vendor.
Chapter 25
Blu couldn’t help but smile at how excited AJ seemed. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized he was right. They needed a few hours to just enjoy one another. The more she got to know AJ, the more certain she was that she wanted him to continue to be a part of her life.
She saw him walking toward her again with a large fluff of blue in one hand.
“Want a bite?” He held out the cotton candy to her.
Blu smiled as she looked into his eyes. “Yes, I think I do.” She leaned forward.
“You got some on your nose.” He laughed and reached out to wipe it away. Instead of touching the tip of her nose, his fingertips brushed along the curve of her lips. “Sorry.”
“Why don’t we take a walk along the water?” She wiped the cotton candy away.
“Sure.” They walked hand in hand down to the water.
Blu took another bite of the cotton candy as they made their way along the beach.
“So, do you think we should talk about what we’re both trying not to talk about?” AJ gave her hand a light squeeze.
Blu tensed. She’d known this moment was coming, and she wanted to put it off a little longer, but she was out of excuses and she knew that AJ wasn’t going to just let it drop.
“I guess we should.” She paused a few feet away from some of the buildings that lined the old beach parking lot. When she looked at AJ, his expression looked somber.
“I think the fact that you look like you’re about to go in front of a firing squad tells me everything that I need to know.”
“AJ, that’s not true.”
“Look, I’m not trying to force you into anything, Blu.” He paused and looked out over the water. “Okay, maybe I am. I mean, I know what I want, and I’ve been hoping that you want the same thing. But it’s becoming clear to me that it’s not the case.”
“AJ, you have to give me a chance to talk.” Blu reached for his hand but froze when she heard a scream.
The scream was cut off before it died out, as if someone had silenced the person. Her heart raced as she looked around. AJ looked as if he’d been startled as well. With all the noise of the clambake it was hard to pinpoint the direction that it had come from.
“We have to find out where she is.” Blu started to walk around the side of one of the buildings.
AJ grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back. “Slow down. Wherever that scream came from, we need to be careful. We don’t know what we could be walking into.”
“We have to get to whoever it is. Fast, AJ!” Blu pulled away from him and hurried around the side of the building.
AJ dropped his cotton candy and quickly caught up with her. Together they crept along another small storage building. Blu could hear the faint sound of shoes scuffing across concrete. When she peered past a grouping of trees into a small dimly lit parking lot, she saw James Carry. His shoulders were hunched as he leaned forward. His hands were wrapped around a woman’s throat—not just any woman—Blu was sure it was Cathy.
Blu surged forward without a second thought. “Hey! Stop that! Let her go!”
James looked sharply in her direction but did not let Cathy go.
AJ brushed past Blu and grabbed James by the shoulders. He tried to pull the man back away from Cathy.
James let go of Cathy, but as he turned to face AJ, he pulled a gun from his waistband.
Cathy slumped to the ground. Blu rushed to her side to check to make sure that she was okay. When she felt the woman’s pulse it was strong. Cathy opened her eyes and looked up at her with gratitude.
Chapter 26
“Don’t do it, James. Don’t.”
Blu looked back toward AJ’s voice to see that he had his hands raised in the air.
James was pointing the gun at him as he looked over at Blu and Cathy.
“Any of you make a sound and I drop him, understand?”
Blu’s eyes widened with fear. She never imagined that AJ would be put in danger by all this.
Cathy clung tightly to her arm as Blu tried to stand up. “Don’t! He’s crazy.”
“Shut up!” James barked his command at Cathy.
Blu could feel her tremble next to her in reaction to the force of his voice.
“Cathy, just try to be calm.” Blu whispered her words as she met the woman’s eyes, but Cathy looked away fast. Blu didn’t move a muscle. She knew that AJ’s life was at stake.
“This isn’t you, James. This isn’t you at all. Put down the gun and we’ll figure all this out.” Blu tried to keep her voice calm, but inside she was petrified.
“You have no idea who I am—or what I’m capable of. Don’t think to question me.”
“James, this is Cathy—a waitress—she never did anything to you. Why not just let her go?”
“Oh, she did something alright, and she’s not going anywhere.”
“What is it? What did she do?”
“Please stop.” Cathy shook her head and blinked back tears. “You two don’t understand. He’s not going to let any of us go. I do know who he is—what he’s capable of.”
“And whose fault is that?” James shouted. “Who decided to stick their nose in where it didn’t belong?”
“James, stop!” AJ took a slight step forward. “You’re out of control. What could she have possibly done to you?”
“Back off!” He pointed the gun at AJ.
AJ froze once more.
“Don’t even think about it, James! I promise you, if you hurt him, you’ll pay with more than your freedom.” Blu started to move toward the pair.
Cathy’s high-pitched voice stopped her. “Please! Please stop! It’s all my fault. It really is. Because the truth is, I saw what he did. I saw him throw George down in the mud and hold him down. Then I saw him flip the b
oat over on top of him. I kept waiting for George to crawl out, but he didn’t.”
“I saw her looking out through the window.” James glared at Cathy. “I knew then that if she told the police, there was going to be a problem. I was in such a hurry to wash my hands of the mud, I guess my ring slipped off in the process. I went up to the cafe and I warned her not to say anything. I made her promise that she wouldn’t. Then I find out that she’s been talking to you two, and imagine my surprise when she gets a visit from Chief Pitman.” He scowled in AJ’s direction. “I imagine that you had something to do with that.”
“My uncle was investigating a crime. That doesn’t mean that Cathy turned on you. In fact, all she told us was that she’d seen Xavier. We weren’t even sure that it was you, until the moment that I saw you attacking Cathy. So your own actions are what caused all these problems.”
“All I wanted to do was help protect my neighborhood. That’s all. No one else would take a stand against these disgusting criminals. Instead, we’ve all been faced with nothing but increased crime.
“I went to George. I tried to get him help—to give him options other than a life of crime. He ignored my requests. I went to him again and warned him that if he continued to operate his little drug smuggling game, I’d make sure that he was taken out. He continued. So I made sure that a sting was set up to catch him in the act. But no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t figure out where he was stashing the drugs. So I pulled the surveillance.
“I was just going to talk to George again. I wanted to see if he’d be willing to take a plea deal and work against his partner. When he saw me, he got angry, I got angry—one thing led to another and eventually I had to pin him down. Once I realized he couldn’t breathe—well—” James paused and tightened his grip on the gun. “I’ve never killed anyone before, but I just thought to myself, all I have to do to end this is keep him pinned down. It felt like the right thing to do. Even after he stopped fighting, I didn’t regret it. It felt like after all my years of trying to make a difference, I’d finally made an actual difference. He was a miserable man who was invading a good town. How could I let that happen?”
“Maybe you were right.” Blu stepped forward just an inch or two.
James locked eyes with her as she continued speaking. “Maybe the only way to get rid of scum like George is for a good man to take a stand and do what you did. The only problem is, that’s not what you’re doing now. Is it?” Blu narrowed her eyes. “Now you’re trying to kill an innocent woman. You’re holding the police chief’s nephew hostage, along with a nanny. How is that being the good guy? If you continue this, your one good act is going to be lost to the cruel and unjust actions that you’re taking now.”
“Blu, be careful.” AJ curled his hands into fists.
Chapter 27
Blu could see from the tension of AJ’s muscles that he probably wanted to step in front of her to shield her. But he knew better. The last thing that any of them needed to do was make a sudden move.
“It can’t be helped. Can it?” James shook his head but continued to aim the gun at AJ. “There’s nothing that can be done now. She knows too much. You all do.”
“And a quadruple murder is not worse than running some drugs?” Blu looked at him with a slight shake of her head. “You know better than this, James. Right now, you’ve made a mistake. A jury will understand that you let your anger get out of control. Maybe they’ll even buy that it was self-defense, if you tell them that George attacked you. But if this happens—if you kill all of us—no jury is going to let you get away.”
“No one has to know it was me.” James growled his words and flicked his eyes between all three of them. “If all the witnesses are gone.”
“Please.” Blu rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, though she moved very slowly. “You’re talking about murdering the chief of police’s nephew, who he’s raised as his own son. Do you think he’s just going to let that go? Let’s not forget that I work for some very wealthy people who are going to notice when their nanny doesn’t come home. And don’t you think it’s possible that Cathy already told the police who she was protecting? Or maybe a friend or a coworker? Do you plan to kill everyone that she might have come in contact with?”
“Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, she does.” AJ drew James’s attention back to him. “She knows that if you kill me, my uncle will never rest. He already knows that you’re a suspect. You’re not going to be able to get away with this. We found your ring.”
“You did not. If you did, I’d already be in handcuffs.”
“My uncle didn’t believe that you could be involved. But I promise you, it won’t take him long to figure out that ring was yours, that you were there, and that you are responsible for my death, along with the deaths of two innocent women. That is not going to look good to a judge. Think it through, James. If you pull that trigger, it’s all over.”
James was silent. Blu saw the tension in his features.
AJ must have sensed that James was ready to break, as he spoke up again. “Just put down the gun, James. This isn’t you.” AJ held his gaze and stretched out his hand to him. “This isn’t the legacy that you want to leave behind. You want to protect the community, not tear it apart with an incident like this. It’s the clambake. It will never happen again, you know. No one will want to attend if there’s a chance of crime happening. Just give me the gun and all this will be over.”
“What’s to stop you from shooting me?” James scowled. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“He won’t hurt you, James,” Blu said. “He’s not that kind of person. He doesn’t want to cause any harm. He only wants to help. That’s why he’s here right now. He wants to help you out of this situation.”
AJ’s cell phone began to ring. He kept his hands in the air.
Blu guessed that it was Chief Pitman calling. He intended to meet them at the clambake, but how would he ever find them where they were? She had to do something to get Chief Pitman to realize that they were in danger.
While James was occupied with AJ, Blu slid her hand into her pocket. She found the button on her phone to turn it on. She had no way to figure out which number was which. So instead of trying to call Chief Pitman directly, she dialed 911. She left the line open in her pocket and hoped that James wouldn’t notice any noise that came from it.
“Give me your phone.”
Blu’s heart dropped until she realized that James was speaking to AJ.
AJ moved his hand to his pocket and carefully withdrew his phone. He held it out to James.
When James reached for the phone, AJ lunged forward and grabbed the muzzle of the gun. The two men fought for a few seconds before James ripped the gun free of AJ’s grasp.
Blu couldn’t stop from screaming, as she was sure that James would fire it.
Instead, he grabbed Blu around the waist and pulled her in front of his body. He pointed the gun at AJ.
“Stupid move. Now I know I can’t trust you. So me and your girlfriend here are going to be on our way.”
“You can’t take her anywhere.” AJ started to move forward but stopped himself when James pointed the gun at Blu. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
Blu looked into AJ’s eyes for a long moment before James started to pull her away from the other two. She did her best to make her body as heavy as possible by relaxing her muscles. When James stumbled in reaction to the dead weight, she heard a shout from just behind her.
“Drop your weapon!”
Blu sensed James relinquishing his grip on her. She broke free and ran straight toward AJ. Behind her she was aware that James was being thrown to the ground.
AJ opened his arms to her and pulled her close. He held on to her as her body shook. “It’s over, Blu. It’s okay. It’s over.”
Blu turned her head to look back and saw Chief Pitman drag James to his feet.
“You’re under arrest for murder, and I’m sure I’l
l come up with a few other things as well.” Chief Pitman jerked James’s hands behind his back.
“You should understand more than anyone, Chief! George deserved to die! He was ruining our town.”
“Oh, maybe—maybe you had a chance at a deal or some mercy if you would have come forward right away. Maybe you could have pleaded insanity for thinking you had the right to decide who deserved to die. But you messed with my family, my town, and my best nanny detective. So now I’m going to make sure that you face the consequences for your crimes. Maybe our town isn’t perfect, but it’s full of people who care enough to know the difference between right and wrong. You are not one of those people.”
James struggled as Chief Pitman pulled him away, but the moment the chief led him into the crowd of people he straightened up and walked with pride.
Chapter 28
Blu shook her head. “It’s all about the show with him. He just wants to look good.”
She was comfortable in AJ’s arms. For the first time, she didn’t try to pull away from him. In fact, she hoped that he wouldn’t let her go any time soon.
AJ kissed her on her forehead. “He’s not going to look great in an orange jumpsuit. Are you okay?”
“I am, if you are.” She peeked up at him.
“I am.” He held her gaze. “I don’t know how my uncle knew to be here, but he saved us.”
“If you hadn’t talked James down the way you did, he would have ended this a while ago, AJ.” Blu reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, hanging up the line. “I dialed 911 and hoped that your uncle would somehow figure out what was happening. I guess that he did.”
“When he couldn’t reach me, he probably did a search for both our phones. The 911 call sends an alert up in the system. You’re a genius, Blu. Who knows how this would have turned out if you hadn’t thought so fast?”
“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad we’re safe.”
