Twice Baked
Page 16
In a quick, fluid motion, Angela grabbed the gun.
My entire body tensed.
“But I’m not a coward. And I’m finishing this.”
She pointed the gun at me and I saw my life (both of them) flash before my eyes.
“Say goodbye, Rita Redo-”
A blur of red darted past my line of sight and collided with Angela. It knocked her down, throwing the gun from her hand.
“Get it off me!” She shrieked.
Mayor McConnell sat on her chest, lips drawn back, growling in her face.
“Look at that,” I murmured to myself. “Turns out that he does care after all.”
Darrin swooped in, grabbing the gun off the ground and holding it at her. I didn’t bother holding the gun to Dwight. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Like I said, I knew him.
^
Backup got there three minutes later and, while Darrin was getting his hand looked at by the EMTs, I decided to pay Dwight one last visit.
He sat in the back of the police car, his hands cuffed behind his back.
“Tell me the truth. Is it actually you,” he asked as I approached him.
Things were complicated enough without me admitting to supernatural assistance, so I lied. “No,” I said, but quirked my mouth to the side.
The slightest of smiles echoed on Dwight’s lips as he looked at me.
“I’m sorry anyway,” he answered.
“You didn’t kill anyone,” I answered. “Maybe they’ll go easy on you.”
“I made a lot of mistakes,” he answered. “And I’m not sure I deserve for anyone to go easy on me. “ He looked as far back as he could, back toward Angela. “Something tells me that my kid is going to need all the good examples he can get.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw my dad walking toward the car.
“You know, Dwight. Something tells me that your kid is going to get all the help he needs.”
I nodded at my father and started on the second (and less desirable) of my errands.
Walking toward Angela, I had one question on my mind.
“The sheriff’s daughter,” I asked sternly. “You didn’t kill her. Patrick didn’t kill her, and I know for sure that Dwight didn’t kill her. So who did it? Who pushed that poor woman to her death?”
“Why do you care about the other Rita so much?” Angela asked, as a police officer began to pull her away. “What is it about that dead girl?”
“Just tell me,” I said, walking to keep pace with them. “Did you hire someone? Was someone else involved?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she chuckled as the officer guided her into the backseat.
“Listen to me!” I growled. “This is life and death! Tell me who killed that woman!”
Angela leaned forward. Looking at me over her eyebrows, she groaned,” Drop dead.”
And then the police car drove away, taking Angela and all my answers with it.
“Been there,” I muttered, watching its brake lights in the distance. “Done that.”
^
In the two weeks that passed after the arrests of Angela and Dwight, things began to get back to normal in Second Springs. Sure, people were all still talking about the pair of ‘mass murderers’ that had been living right under their noses.
People near the fireworks box even started referring to themselves as ‘survivors’. But, for the most part, it was life as usual in our small Georgia town.
Even for me, which was tripping me out.
I was supposed to move on now. I had finished this business. Though I didn’t have a name for the gravelly voiced person who shoved me down the steps, I had stopped a murderer and brought a pair of criminals to justice.
Business finished.
But here I was. Every day, I baked pies, joked around with Peggy, and basked in the general splendor that was my hometown. It was just like my old life, except I was down a fiancé and I got paid a lot less.
“Come on, mayor McConnell,” I said, patting the empty piece of bench beside where I was sitting.
It didn’t surprise me at all when he scowled at me and remained on the ground.
Saving me was one thing, it seemed. Seeing fit to gift me with his presence was something else altogether.
“How about me? Can I sit there?”
Charlie, in his original guise- the old man with the hat and cane, sidled up beside me. Without waiting for an answer, he plopped down.
“How’s things, Honeybean?”
“I figured that you’d know,” I answered.
“I do, but I like hearing it anyway,” he grinned.
“So what’s up?” I asked, pressing down the front of yet another floral print dress. “You said I needed to finish my business and then I’d move on.”
Charlie shrugged. “Guess it’s not finished then.”
“Really?” I asked. Turning to Charlie, I recapped my list of accomplishments. “Angela is in jail, awaiting trial on four counts of murder, Dwight is getting reduced sentence in exchange for a plea deal. Darrin has tentatively allowed me to stay in town, though I get the feeling that he doesn’t quite know what to believe anymore. As soon as Mrs. Hoover’s insurance policy is found, I’m going to lobby to have it donated to a charity that helps victims of domestic abuse. And, as if that wasn’t enough, my Dad has started proceedings to adopt Angela and Dwight’s unborn child.”
I have to admit, the last part made me exceptionally happy.
“So it looks to me like things are running exceptionally smoothly, even by your supernatural standards.”
“They’re not my standards,” he shrugged. “Though I suppose your definition of ‘smoothly’ is up for debate. Either that, or you’re not quite finished with your work yet.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “But how will I know what I’m supposed to do? It’s not like there are signs or anything.”
“Sure there are,” Charlie grinned. He pointed forward, toward the road. “Case in point.”
A brown truck squealed to a stop in front of me, leaving skid marks on the street as he hopped out.
That new delivery truck driver was fast.
“Rita Redoux?” He asked, with a long brown box under his arm.
“That’s me, I guess,” I answered.
“Sign here,” he handed me a form and then, after signing it, the box.
Pulling it open, I saw the ugliest purple gown I had ever seen in my life. But hey, at least there were no flowers on it.
Sitting on top of the dress was a square card with stylized gold writing.
It was a wedding invitation; an invitation to Peggy and Aiden’s wedding.
And I was a bridesmaid.
Talk about awkward.
“The wedding?” I asked, turning to Charlie. “The wedding is a sign?”
“You said it, not me,” he chuckled. “Besides, that thing says you can bring a plus one. Sounds like it could be fun.”
“Please,” I scoffed. “I’m not exactly in a ‘plus one’ place in my life right now.”
Charlie looked past me. “Something tells me that might not be true.”
Following his gaze, I saw that he was looking at Darrin. The new Sheriff was ordering coffee and chatting it up with Mrs. Dykstra.
“Him? Don’t be ridiculous,” I answered, but color rose in my cheeks again.
Told you I blushed too easily.
“Well, everything has its time, Rita Redoux,” Charlie grinned, looking over at me. “Some things have two.”
I smiled, shook my head, and -with brand new eyes- we watched the sun go down.
The End
When Rita lands a job catering the desserts for a Southern socialite’s wedding two towns over in Silver Lake , she thinks she’s found a way to knock the Pie Ladies’ Paradise to a whole new level. But when the snooty bride goes missing just hours before the vows are set to be exchanged, it’s obvious that foul play is afoot.
With Silver Lake’s police force chasing dead leads and do
dging q uestions from the media, it’s up to Rita to get to the bottom of wedding day whodunit.
Is this the ‘work’ she needs to do in order to finally move on?
Does this case have a connection to whoever pushed her down the steps that fateful night two years ago?
And will all this wedding talk spark a different sort of unfinished business with Aiden or will having Darrin around to help send things in a completely unexpected direction? decides not only to attend Peggy’s wedding to her former fiancé but also help plan it, she figured the worst that could happen was a few awkward encounters.
But when Peggy’s maid of honor- who also happens to be Rita’s former nemesis- goes missing days before the ceremony, it’s up to Rita to get to the bottom of it.
Is this the business Rita has to solve in order to finally ‘move on’ or will she find herself lost in a series of twists, turns, and pie lady problems that will end up stopping Peggy and Aiden’s marriage once and for all.
And would that even be a bad thing?
Don’t miss Rita, Redeoux’s triumphant return in another twisty, tasty Rita Reincarnated mystery.
TWICE LAYERED is coming soon!
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