Jim came running down the hill to see if the girls were okay. Where was he during this whole incident? Where was Ned? Ricki looked over her shoulder and realized the entire studio, including the next guest, stood at the top of the hill, watching, taping it as it unfolded. Entertainment for the masses caught on camera. The ratings should soar even higher now.
Police cars stopped along the road and ran across the field to get to Michelle. They whipped out their handcuffs and jerked her arms behind her back. She kicked and fussed and yelled obscenities at Ricki for not pushing her harder. The police tried to get her to shut up, but even in the car, she kept going. All Ricki could do was watch and shake her head.
Twenty-four
“Are you going to be all right?”
Marty sat on Ricki’s couch, staring at the wall. He nodded.
“The local police are working with the cops in Chicago. They’re uncovering a lot about Michelle. It looks like she’ll be in jail for a while.”
“Yeah, I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It won’t bring Kari back, though.”
“No, it won’t.” She patted his hand. Rumpus jumped on the couch and rested his head on Marty’s leg and whimpered. “Just take your time. You have your family and friends here who care about you.”
“Thanks. I’m going to throw myself into work for a while. I’m taking an assignment in Africa.” He wiped a tear from his cheek. “Just need to get away. Thanks for everything, Ricki. I can’t tell you how much satisfaction I got out of watching you punch her. Kept replaying it. It seems fitting, though, you punching her.”
Ricki looked down at her hands. The stitches were finally out on her left hand and healing nicely, but it was still in a splint. The right hand was now bruised and swollen from punching Michelle. “It may have been fitting, but it sure did hurt. Keep in touch, okay. Remember, my door is always open.”
He took a deep breath and stood to leave. “Hug?”
“Always.”
Rumpus barked.
“Keep an eye on her, boy. You stay out of trouble. See you in a couple of months.”
Ricki stood at the door with Rumpus and watched Marty drive away. The sky was grey and cloudy, sort of like her mood. Even if the city of Unionville was hailing her and Taryn as heroes, she wasn’t too happy with that sort of recognition. Her agent and publisher were pleased with the publicity. Her agent noted the jump in sales on all her books since the video of her clocking Michelle went viral. At least she was redeemed in their eyes, alleviating some of the pressure from the past few weeks.
As she stood at the door, looking out over the street, Becca pulled up. She had a free moment and told Ricki she had a surprise for her. Since she couldn’t drive anywhere, Ricki saw a lot more visitors at her house. All this human interaction would normally make her exhausted, but she needed the company right now.
Becca reached inside the passenger side of her car and pulled out bags and boxes of what looked to be takeout. Ricki held the door for her as smells of Chinese, Indian, and pizza trailed behind Becca. Her stomach growled in response.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“Of course, I did. You have to eat.”
“My mom is taking care of me.”
“Yeah, but this is better. You sit. I’ll wait on you. Look for a movie while I get some plates.”
“How much time do you have?”
“Tony said take as long as I wanted, the whole night even. I brought some adult beverages for myself. Soda for you?”
“Yes, please.” Ricki searched through Netflix for a movie to watch, not a mystery or a thriller.
“How about that Taryn, huh?” Becca waltzed in with plates, napkins, silverware, and a bottle of soda. “What happened there?”
“She called me last night. She said Jim was putting a lot of pressure on her to take the show in a different direction than she wanted. It was getting her down. Get this. They were sleeping together.”
“That’s one way to get someone to do your bidding.”
“Yeah, but in this case, who was using who?”
“Are they still sleeping together?”
Ricki laughed. “Nope. When Ned found out, he pulled his money from the show. They’re going to fold. On the bright side, Taryn was offered a job in Seattle. Someone out there liked her brazenness.”
“That’s too bad about the show, but it turned out okay.”
Ricki got comfortable on the couch, finally picking a movie. “Have you ever seen Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind?”
Becca scrunched up her nose. “A what?”
“It’s anime. Hayao Miyazaki’s work is amazing. You’ll love it, trust me.”
“It’s your night.” Becca placed a plate piled high with food on the coffee table in front of Ricki. “I put a little of everything on there.”
“Thanks. Rumpus can eat whatever I drop since I can’t hold a fork very well.”
“Want me to feed you?”
Ricki rolled her eyes. “I’m not that bad off.”
“I saw Marty leave. How did that go?”
“Good. He’s hurting, but I think he’ll be okay.”
“And you?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m proud of you, you know. You’re turning into one tough chick.”
“Is my street cred on par with yours yet?”
Becca snorted. “Honey, you can’t touch this.”
“I can aspire.”
“It’s always good to have a dream.”
“I guess Steve is married now. Chris showed me the wedding photos Steve posted on Facebook. He looks happy. Can’t wait to meet the new homicide detective.”
“If you keep this up, you’ll meet him soon enough.”
Ricki didn’t want to think about cases or murders or the upcoming trial. Kari’s murderer was denied bail and behind bars, and that was good enough for now. Marty was on his way to healing his broken life. Becca and Rumpus were by her side, and that was all she needed. Well, that and functioning hands.
Copyright
Text copyright © 2017 by Abby Matthews
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published in the United States by Red Collar Books
About
Abby Matthews has always wanted to be a detective. She counts Hercule Poirot as one of her heroes. But since she can’t stomach the not-so-nice stuff that comes with solving mysteries, she writes about them instead. When she’s not spending too much time in her head dreaming up wild plotlines, she wrangles a small herd of cats, rocks out to old school punk rock, and watches way too many home improvement shows.
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Wake Up to Murder (A Ricki Rydell Mystery Book 2) Page 17
