Killer Instincts and Savory Pie

by Angela C. Blackmoore

  “You didn’t tell them how Sheriff Pearson deputized us,” Becky said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Both men laughed, looking incredulously at the two women. “He what?” Gabe said, grinning from ear to ear. “He deputized you? I can’t believe it!”

  “He didn’t deputize us!” Abby said, scowling at Becky. “He only threatened to deputize us, and he said he was going to put us down as volunteers.”

  In answer, Gabe and Reggie both saluted. “Anything you say, Deputy!” Gabe said, still chuckling and making Abby swat him on the shoulder.

  “I’m not going into law enforcement!” Abby protested.

  “They’d probably call it snoopforcement for your department,” Reggie said, grinning and earning his own arm swat.

  Maintaining her scowl, Abby continued to stare down the two chuckling men until she remembered another point. “Before you get too happy, Mr. forest ranger, the sheriff also mentioned he was going to have to ask you and your people for help. If all the councilors are threatened, they’re going to need help guarding them.”

  Gabe immediately sobered, nodding at Abby. “We’ll help. I can’t imagine it will be fun, but it’s the least we can do.

  Suddenly, they heard the distant sound of a gun firing. First one shot, then another. They all looked at each other in shock before standing and running for the door. When they opened it up, they heard a third, louder shot coming from the direction of John Tillsdale’s Antique Shop. Gabe and Reggie took off running toward the sound although both of them stayed close to buildings and made sure they had immediate access to some sort o cover. A second later, Abby followed, thankful that she had worn her tennis shoes. Cheerio chased them all, barking excitedly as he ran circles around everybody, thinking this was all a game but Abby knew, this was anything but.

  Chapter 10

  All three of them reached the building next to Tillsdale’s Antique Shop and stopped. They cautiously peered around the corner to see what might be going on. No one was in sight out front, but the front door was open. Exchanging looks, Gabe and Reggie both began to creep forward while Abby kept a tight grip on Cheerio’s collar. He had stopped barking when they’d come to the corner of the building, which Abby was thankful for. At least whoever the shooter was wouldn’t know where they were. At least, that’s what Abby hoped.

  Movement at the door made both Reggie and Gabe pause before leaping back toward the corner, tripping and colliding with each other as they scrambled for cover. If things hadn’t been so serious, Abby would almost have laughed but quickly squelched the feeling, pulling Cheerio back instead. A moment later, they saw Sheriff Pearson stumble out of the front door. He had his gun out but pointed toward the ground and was holding the back of his head with his other hand, cursing for a few moments before reaching for his mic and presumably calling for help.

  “Psst! Sheriff!” Abby called, waving to the lanky man. To his credit, the sheriff didn’t raise his gun as he kept talking into his mic. Instead, he waved for them to stay where they were before hurrying over to join them.

  “Are you crazy?” he hissed once he’d let the mic button go. “Did you not hear the gunshots? You’re supposed to go the other way!”

  “What’s going on?” Abby asked, ignoring the sheriff’s rant. She moved around behind him, inspecting where he was holding his head. “Are you hurt? There’s a little blood here. Are you shot?”

  “No, I mean, yes, I’m hurt, but no it’s not a gunshot. Someone whacked me with something. Am I bleeding? Dangit, it feels like someone hit me with a truck.”

  Gabe leaned over, moving the sheriff’s hair to the side and nodded. “Yes, you’re bleeding, and you’ve got a goose egg. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a concussion or worse. You need to get that checked out, Bob.”

  “Yeah, I will. This is just what I don’t need right now,” the sheriff said before turning to look back at the antique store. He narrowed his eyes and frowned before looking at Gabe and Reggie. “I’ve got to go back in there. I found John on the floor but didn’t have time to check him out before I was hit.”

  “What about the shooter?” Abby asked.

  “He’s long gone, whoever he is,” the sheriff said. “I followed him out the back door and fired a few shots into the air hoping he’d stop but I only saw a blurry figure until he disappeared around a corner.”

  “We’ll go in with you, Sheriff,” Gabe offered. “You might want to put your gun away until we’re sure you don’t have a concussion, though.”

  “Right,” Sheriff Pearson said, blinking at his gun for a second before holstering it and then turning toward the antique store. “Abby, stay here with Cheerio. We don’t need a dog getting into a crime scene.”

  Abby nodded, although she followed them to the front door while still holding tightly to Cheerio’s collar. The poor dog was anxious, smelling the sheriff’s blood and sensing the mood of the group. Sheriff Pearson was scanning the area around them, making sure there were no threats, and she agreed with what he had said. If there was blood, the last thing they needed was dog prints tracking all over the place.

  She watched intently as the three men opened the door and walked into the darkened room. Just as before, there were only some faint lights on in the back, leaving most of the store filled with odd shadows cast by the variety of shelves and furniture. The sheriff led Gabe and Reggie down an aisle and then held his hand out, stopping them as they reached the end of the aisle. Even from here, Abby could see a pair of feet sticking out, and they weren’t moving.

  Gabe and Reggie kept an eye out while the Sheriff stepped out of sight, but a moment later, he moved back into view shaking his head. Abby hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until that moment, blowing it out as she saw the look on the sheriff’s face. It was grim, and it told Abby that John Tillsdale was the second victim of the killer.

  Sheriff Pearson led the two men out even as they heard a police siren approaching. “He’s gone,” he said. “Looks like he was strangled.”

  “Just like Francine,” Abby breathed. “We just saw Mr. Tillsdale this morning. If he’d only talked to us, he might still be alive.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Abby,” Reggie said. “This isn’t your fault, this is just a matter of luck. Or bad luck, as the case may be.”

  Abby crouched down, hugging Cheerio who nuzzled against her cheek. The dog could sense her distress and wanted to make everything better. It didn’t work, but his cold nose helped. Gabe crouched down next to her and rubbed her back, even as Lanie’s sleek police car roared up with the lights flashing. She jumped out, running up to the small group, her eyes wide with alarm.

  “What’s going on? Sheriff? Are you okay?” Lanie asked, her hand on the butt of her pistol.

  “John’s dead,” the sheriff said, waving back toward the open door. Someone strangled him, and when I found him, someone got the drop on me.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked with a frown on her face.

  “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I need to get the back of my head checked out, and my ego is bruised. Hopefully, I don’t have a concussion, although right now I’m starting to feel a bit dizzy.”

  As he said the words, his eyes flickered, and he stumbled forward. He would have pitched onto the concrete if Reggie’s lightning reflexes hadn’t caught him, easily holding him up with his bulging arms. “Whoa! Whoa there. We need to get you to the doctor’s sooner rather than later.” Reggie said. “Gabe? Can you pull your truck around?”

  “Right!” Gabe said, sprinting down the street. His truck wasn’t far. Lanie darted inside, fetching an old, well-polished chair and setting it down for the sheriff to sit. Reggie helped the stricken man into the chair while the sheriff looking around with a dazed expression on his face.

  “I’ve got to stay here,” Lanie said, clearly upset at the injured man. “Can you make sure he gets to the doctors?

  “We’ll take care of him, Lanie. Don’t worry,” Abby said, watching as Gabe drove up in his huge, four-doo
r pick-up truck. Reggie picked the sheriff up, carrying him bodily to the truck with Abby close behind. Quickly loading the sheriff into the back seat, they drove over to McGradys where Becky was waiting anxiously. After she climbed in, they roared away and headed toward the town clinic.

  Chapter 11

  “Well, it could have been worse,” Doctor Charlie Bennard said as he walked into the waiting room. Crossing over to Becky, he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning back to the rest of them. “Whoever hit him didn’t hold anything back. He’s got a fairly severe concussion. I’ve admitted him for observation, probably for the next day or so.”

  “That sounds serious,” Gabe said. “He almost passed out at the antique shop.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Charlie said. Cheerio yipped, happy at seeing the doctor before moving closer to him and putting a paw on his thigh. The doctor smiled and leaned down, giving Cheerio a good pat on the head. “Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the damage to make its presence known. It’s just a good thing you were all there. As it stands, he’s going to be off duty for a while.”

  “Oh, I bet that went over well,” Reggie said, grinning.

  Charlie smiled and shrugged. “It would have been worse if I hadn’t sedated him. I’m sure he’ll be mad when he wakes up, but for the time being, he isn’t complaining.”

  “Did anyone let Lanie know she’s in charge?” Abby asked.

  “I’ll call once we’re done here,” Charlie said. “It will be at least a week. Whoever hit him could easily have killed him which, if I’m going to be honest, I’m glad didn’t happen. The sheriff is a good man, and this town needs him.” He paused, then scratched his head. “Any idea on who’s going around killing people, Abby?”

  “Why are you asking me?” Abby said defensively but relented once the young doctor raised his eyebrow at her. “Okay, fine, but the answer is no. Whoever it is seems to be targeting all of the councilors for not stopping the fiasco with the Senator’s money.”

  Charlie whistled and shook his head. “That could be half the town,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of sob stories lately about people losing their homes and businesses. I have no idea what everyone affected is going to do with all of the lawsuits pending.”

  “Some will try to ignore it, but it’s just going to be trouble for them. Liens on your property or homes don’t go away very easily,” Reggie said, shaking his head. “Others are selling and will probably become renters. That’s where I got my new home. It’s a shame, really. I made sure to pay fair prices, but there are those trying to take advantage of the town’s misfortune.”

  “You mean like Ruby Anderson?” Becky asked. “She’s a realtor when she's not a town problem.”

  Reggie nodded. “Yes. She represented me when I bought the house. She was advising me to really stick it to the sellers, but I told her I wanted to pay fair market. She was happy to do that, but I bet she’s not making any friends. She probably figures those people won’t be sticking around, anyway. Capitalism at its finest.”

  All five of them paused in their conversation, not certain what else to say. It was a terrible situation for the town, and one of the big reasons Abby was not happy with those councilmembers that had supported the Association and senator’s funds.

  “Well, Charlie, if you’d like I can talk to Lanie and let her know what the situation is,” Gabe interjected into the silence. “I wanted to go back and let Lanie know that the park rangers are here to help if she needs it.”

  Charlie smiled at his friend. “Okay, tell Lanie that I’ll be here for the day if she has any follow up questions. If I know Lanie, she’ll want to know everything.”

  “Sounds good, Charlie,” Gabe said. “Why don’t you join us at McGradys this evening for dinner? I’m betting after today, we’ll want to relax.”

  Charlie smiled and nodded, giving Becky another hug and kiss before going back to check on the sheriff. Gabe, Reggie, Abby, and Becky all headed out to Gabe’s truck.

  “Can you drop me off at the bar?” Reggie said. “It’s just about opening time, and I’m on shift. Besides, I have to clean up the remains of our breakfast before opening the doors.”

  “You bet,” Gabe said. It didn’t take them long to get back to Main street. All four of them watched the commotion going on down the street. Another police car had joined Lanie’s cruiser, and it looked completely tame compared to the sleek lines of her sporty pursuit vehicle. Along with them, two state trooper cars were there along with the coroner’s van.

  Abby shuddered, remembering the night that the state troopers, along with Senator Clark and Superintendent Ketch had been outside of their house looking for Rob Morgan. The two officials had whipped the state police into a frenzy, and they were out for blood. Rob Morgan’s death was only prevented that night by Sheriff Pearson and Abby standing in front of them which stopped them from storming the house. It had been a close incident, and Abby was sure she had been inches from death that night.

  Still, she knew she couldn’t continue thinking of them as the enemy though she knew it would take a long time before she relaxed around any of them again. After they bid Reggie goodbye, Gabe drove the two blocks down the street and parked outside of the zone of control that had been established around the antique shop. A second later, they were walking toward the police line, joining several other curious townspeople.

  Chapter 12

  Abby waved at Deputy Sam Drake who was currently standing at the police line to keep the few townspeople back. She had picked an area away from the crowd, not wanting word of the sheriff’s injury to get out just yet. The man nodded, holding his hat as he jogged over to her and smiled.

  “Hey, Abby!” Sam said cordially. “Looks like we’ve got a bit of excitement, though I can’t really talk about it.”

  “No worries, Sam, I just wanted to let Lanie know about Sheriff Pearson. Can you tell her we’re here?”

  “Sure thing,” the man said, reaching over and pressing the button of the mic on his shoulder.

  A few moments later, the short, blonde woman came walking out of the antique store and came over to Abby with a serious look on her face. “Hello, Abby,” she said. “Do you have news on the sheriff?”

  Abby nodded and lowered her voice. “Yes. We just came from the clinic and Charlie admitted him.”

  “What?” Lanie said, her eyes going wide. “Is it that serious?”

  “It sounds like it,” Becky said. “Charlie said he had a pretty serious concussion. He gave him something to make him sleep and wants to keep an eye on him. He said to tell you that you were in charge for a while.”

  Lanie closed her eyes and sighed. “Great. Just when everything is blowing up,” she said, then turned her head toward where the coroners were wheeling the body of John Tillsdale out on a gurney. “I’ve got Sam here with me, along with some state troopers while Josh is over with Gini Moore. I need to get a hold of the remaining councilors and check up on them.”

  “Can we do anything?” Abby asked. “Gabe has already promised the park rangers will help. Do you want us to go check up on the councilors?”

  Lanie looked hesitantly at Abby, Gabe, and Becky. “The killer is still out there. What happens if he’s around when you get there? I doubt that he’ll hesitate to kill you, too.”

  “Except there are three of us, and he seems to favor strangling,” Gabe said. “From the way he attacked the sheriff and ran, it doesn’t seem like he wanted to stick around and kill someone else.”

  Lanie pursed her lips but finally nodded. “I don’t have a lot of choices, and I know you can handle yourself. Just don’t get into a position where you could be hit on the back of the head with a shovel.”

  “Is that what the sheriff was hit with?” Becky asked.

  Lanie nodded. “Yes. We found it on the floor in one of the back rooms close to the back door. It still has a some of the sheriff’s blood on it, though thankfully, there’s not much of that. I shudder to think what would have happened if
he’d hit him with the edge rather than the flat.”

  The four friends exchanged worried looks. They very well could have been dealing with three bodies rather than just two, though Abby felt badly for thinking that way. Was there really a difference between three and two? Maybe just a little. She hadn’t had ties to either Francine Carthridge or John Tillsdale, but she considered Sheriff Bob Pearson to be a friend after all they’d been through together.

  “Who do you think we should visit first?” Gabe asked. “Do you want me to tell them to gather somewhere? Maybe the station?”

  “Go check on Ruby first. I hate to say it, but Earl and Joe Forsyth are more capable of handling themselves,” Lanie said. “Also, that’s a good idea, Gabe. Have them go to the police station. I’ll have Josh take Gini over there and wait for the rest of them. Could you also have your rangers coordinate from there as well?”

  Gabe nodded, already dialing his phone. He took a few steps away so he could have some privacy.

  “Lanie, do you think you’ll have time to come by McGradys tonight?” Abby asked. “I think we’re planning on going over there to talk about everything that’s happened.”

  Lanie shook her head. “I doubt it. With the sheriff out of commission, I’m going to be handling all the communications with the town. It wasn’t fun after Francine, but with John dead and the sheriff injured, people are going to be scared.”

  “Maybe we can bring some coffee to the police station for you?” Becky suggested. “I feel kind of bad going to the bar with everything going on.”

  “I will owe you big time if you pick up some Chinese food, too,” Lanie said and then quieted. “I want you to promise me you’ll be careful. If you see anything odd, don’t be a hero. This person has already killed two people and attacked a police officer. He’s dangerous.”