by Kate Bell
“Everyone on the floor!” he ordered, when he saw people standing around. “Stay away from the windows and stay down on the floor.” He made a call for backup, then stood near the window, watching.
Lucy hurried over and stood beside me.
“What’s going on?” she asked, wide-eyed. “Why are we getting on the floor?”
“Get over here,” I said, pulling her with me. We both dropped to the floor. “Todd Spellman was shot,” I whispered. “And Thad is still out there!” Tears streamed down my cheeks and my vision blurred. I needed my son back, safe and sound.
“What? By who?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. We didn’t see anyone. I think they had a silencer on the gun,” I whispered. I looked around to see if anyone was listening to our conversation.
“Oh my gosh! That’s terrible!” she said. “What about Thad? Where is he?”
“He and the other college kids were out ahead of everyone. They had already passed the spot where Todd was shot. Alec swears they will be safe and be back here soon, but I just want my boy here now. What if something happens to him?” I asked. My voice cracked on the last part.
“It’s okay,” she said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “He’s a smart boy, and he’s fast.”
“What? What did you say?” Leann Riddle asked, inching toward us on the floor. Her long black hair had come out of its ponytail and fell across her face.
“Who got shot?” Leann asked, panic in her voice.
“Hush!” Lucy said to her. “You’re going to panic people.”
I hoped backup came quickly. Was there more than one shooter? My mind spun with thoughts of impending doom, and I tried to push them away.
“Are we going to be killed?” Luann Dobbs whimpered from her place near one of the windows.
My heart pounded. It was the question I was too afraid to ask.
“No, we are not going to be killed,” Alec said in confident voice. “Everyone needs to stay calm and stay on the floor. Everything is going to be fine.” I hadn’t heard his authoritative police voice before and it was comforting. It made me want to believe him.
I looked around for Mr. Spellman. I hoped he didn’t understand what was happening. I didn’t want him to overhear anyone talking about his son. He was sitting in his wheelchair where I had last seen him. He was in a corner and I thought he would be safe there.
“I want everyone to stay put. No one goes outside and stay away from the windows!” Alec ordered and went to the door. He opened it and looked around. I could feel a whoosh of cold air from where I lay on the floor.
“Alec, don’t go back out there!” I said. My heart jumped in my chest. I didn’t want him out there with some murdering lunatic. “Wait for backup!”
He put a finger to his lips and left.
--3--
“Oh, no,” I said, and fought back tears. I couldn’t bear it if either Thad or Alec got hurt. I could hear soft crying, but I didn’t look to see who it was. Everyone was scared, including me. I said a silent prayer for Thad and Alec’s safety and hoped this nightmare would end soon.
Lucy put her hand on mine again. “It will be okay. Alec and Thad will be back soon.”
I looked at her and nodded. She was right. Alec had been a police officer for years and had survived this long. He would be fine, I told myself. And Thad was fast. He would probably win the race without even knowing there was danger behind him.
“Did you see who was shot, Allie?” Ellen Allen inched over beside me and asked.
“I don’t want to say,” I said. I did not want Mr. Spellman to hear about it this way. It looked like Todd was dead. If he weren’t, he soon would be if they didn’t get an ambulance to him right away.
I could hear sirens in the distance and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The door swung open, and we all jumped. I looked up and Thad was the first one through the door, with the other college students behind him. I jumped up, forgetting about needing to stay on the floor, and threw my arms around his neck.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I sobbed.
“It’s okay mom. I’m okay,” he said. “Alec said to get on the floor.”
We both got down on the floor, and I held his hand. My boy was safe.
The other college kids looked terrified and dropped to the floor near us. I was thankful they were all safe.
***
We lay on the floor for what seemed like hours before Alec came back inside. In reality, it was probably less than one, but I had lost track of time.
“You’re all free to get up off the floor now. We want everyone to stay put for the time being,” he announced.
“Why don’t we have some pie?” I announced, getting to my feet. It would provide a distraction and take our minds off of what had happened, at least for a few minutes.
“That’s a good idea,” Lucy said, jumping up and getting some Thanksgiving themed paper plates and napkins together.
“Who wants pie?” I asked, cutting into a pumpkin pie. I probably sounded crazy, but I was trying for happy.
People slowly got to their feet and began asking who was shot when the ambulance drove past the window.
“Why won’t you tell us who got shot?” Ellen asked. She had a surly attitude after spending time on the hard floor, but then, she almost always had a surly attitude.
“Because it’s police business. Would you want everyone standing around talking about it if it had been your mom that had gotten shot?” I asked. Some people could be so dense.
Ellen snorted. “My mom wouldn’t be caught dead out there running in the snow.”
I was going to point out the murder could have occurred anywhere and thus her statement had no bearing, but decided it wasn’t going to make any difference, anyway. I cut a piece of pumpkin pie and slapped it onto a plate and handed it to her.
“I want Apple pie!” she protested.
I gave her a hard look and cut her a piece of apple pie. Anything to get rid of her. That woman irritated me, even on a good day.
I pasted a smile on my face. Here we all were, having pie and coffee and pretending a man had not just been murdered outside of this building. It was just like any other day, right? It wasn’t like it was a major holiday and someone wasn’t going to be told their loved one was gone and wouldn’t be home for dinner. I pushed air out of my mouth and bit my lower lip to keep from crying.
I began cutting pieces of pie and handing them to Lucy and Thad to hand out. I didn’t care who got what flavor, just as long as everyone had a piece to keep them occupied for a few minutes.
“May I have mincemeat?” Mr. Winters asked, standing in front of my table.
I looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you have information about the shooting already?” Mr. Winters was the town gossip and knew far more about what was going on in this town than anyone would think an elderly man would know. This was a fact that I had become aware of over the last couple of months.
He gave me a big grin and flashed his partial gold canine tooth. “Nope. Not yet. But I’m sure I soon will.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me a bit,” I said, handing him a piece of mincemeat pie. Mr. Winters had come in handy in the past and I made a mental note to talk to him in a few days if the police hadn’t come up with a suspect. It’s called networking.
I couldn’t imagine why someone would shoot Todd Spellman. He was the most personable individual I had ever met. He always had a happy demeanor and always took the time to talk to people. I couldn’t see how he could make any enemies.
But even scarier was the fact that they took shots at Alec and I. As far as I knew, I didn’t have any enemies. But I had to wonder if Todd knew whether he had any enemies before he took a bullet to the chest. Or had anyone that had ever been murdered known they had enemies before they died? Maybe this was just some rogue murderer that did it for sport. I was going to have to run that idea by Alec and see what he thought.
“Cherry, pleas
e,” Eileen Smith said, stepping up for some pie.
“Coming right up,” I said. “By the way, how badly is this delay going to hurt the community meal?”
We had raised money at the Halloween bazaar for the community Thanksgiving meal as well as money to buy coats for underprivileged kids. The meal was being held at Henry’s Home Cooking Restaurant and Eileen Smith worked there.
“I hope not too much,” she answered. “We made a lot of things in advance and the turkeys were put in to roast early this morning. The pies you brought are such a big help. If I can get out of here soon, we shouldn’t have much of a delay.”
“That’s good to hear,” I said. “I know some people depend on that meal every year.”
“I know, so many people have mentioned they are going there,” Lucy added. “I’m glad it’s there for them.”
I glanced over at Mr. Spellman, sitting by himself in the corner. I hoped he had family in town for the holiday. I handed Lucy the pie server and got a bottle of water and went over to Mr. Spellman.
“Are you thirsty Mr. Spellman?” I asked. He didn’t look at me, but took the bottle of water that I offered him.
He had been here for a couple of hours and I wondered if he was hungry. I went and cut him a piece of my pecan pie and brought it to him. He looked at it and appeared interested, but his hands shook so much I didn’t think he could handle the fork. I didn’t know whether he had issues feeding himself, but I decided to do it, just in case he was no longer capable of feeding himself.
Lucy came over to where we were and asked, “What do you think is happening out there?”
I shrugged and put a finger to my lips.
“Okay, sorry,” she said. She looked at Mr. Spellman. “Are you enjoying that pecan pie, Mr. Spellman?”
He smiled and nodded.
“Can you help him?” I asked, handing her the plate. I wanted to talk to Alec.
He was on the phone, so I went and stood by him and waited. When he finished, I asked, “is he?”
He nodded. “I sent someone by the residence to see if anyone else was at home. Do you know if there was more family nearby? I hate for Mr. Spellman to have to sit here much longer.”
“I’m not sure. I think Todd had a sister, but I think she lived out of state. I had a conversation with him once at the health fair and we talked about family. But I don’t remember what state she was in. Hopefully she’s in town for Thanksgiving. What sad news to have delivered on a holiday.”
“It really is. It’s sad news any day.”
I nodded. “Did they find the shooter?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, we’re pretty sure he’s left the area by now, but they’ll continue to search for a while before sending everyone home. I’m afraid there are going to be some late Thanksgiving meals today.”
“At least most of us will still be able to celebrate Thanksgiving,” I said.
“That’s true,” he said.
“Can you release Eileen Smith so she can go back to Henry’s to help fix the community Thanksgiving meal? It’s kind of important. Even though there are others there working on it, it would be a big help to a lot of people to let her go.”
“I don’t see why not. I’ll get Yancey to walk her to her car,” he said.
“I want you to go home with Lucy. I don’t know what time I’ll be by, but it will probably be much later.”
“No, I want to stay with you,” I insisted. I didn’t want him out of my sight.
“No, you have your kids home and you need to make the Thanksgiving meal for them. I’ll be by as soon as I can,” he said.
“Promise me you’ll be okay?” I asked.
“I promise,” he said.
I looked at him, still not wanting to leave. I knew he was right. He would probably be here for hours. There really wasn’t much I could do. I sighed. “Okay. But call me if anything happens, okay?”
--4--
It was nearly 6:30 and Alec hadn’t arrived for dinner yet. I had a houseful of hungry people and a turkey that was begging to be carved.
“Mom, I’m starving. I’m going to McDonald’s if we don’t eat soon,” Thad said, joining me in the kitchen. “I hate to do it to you, but that turkey is torturing me.”
I turned around and looked at my son. He looked so much like his father, it hurt. And I only had him home for a few days. Along with his new girlfriend. A girlfriend I didn’t know existed before they got on the plane.
“Give me ten minutes, and we’ll eat. Here, have a Triscuit,” I said, handing him the box. Triscuit crackers were Thanksgiving staples in my house when I was growing up in Alabama. You can’t have Thanksgiving without them.
“Awesome,” he said and took the box from me. I raised him right.
I pulled the turkey out of the oven and set it on the counter to rest. My stomach growled, and I hoped I was going to be able to wait. We had escaped death today, and that was enough to work up an appetite. I hoped Alec would be able to get away soon. I knew he had to be starving.
“What do you need help with?” Lucy asked. I had invited her and her husband Ed, my kids, plus Thad’s new girlfriend, Sarah, and Alec. Only Alec was missing. He was still out looking for a killer.
“I think everything’s about ready. We just need to get everything to the table,” I said.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he can,” she said, reading my mind.
“I know. I just wish it would be sooner rather than later,” I answered. The doorbell rang, and I put down my potholder and headed to the door.
“Hi,” I said when I opened the door and saw Alec on the step.
“Hi. Sorry I’m so late. I thought we’d be done before now,” he said.
“It’s understandable,” I said and led him into the living room.
I introduced Alec to everyone he didn’t already know and immediately got the stink eye from my daughter Jennifer. I ignored her. She would just have to learn to deal with it.
“Why don’t we all head to the dinner table?” I suggested. “You must be starving, Alec.”
“Well, the truth is, I am,” he said with a grin.
“Oh, here, have a Triscuit,” Thad said, holding the box out.
Alec looked at me, questioning. I shook my head. “Pay no attention.”
Lucy and I got dinner on the table within two minutes. It was a beautiful sight. I had made the turkey, yams, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and five different pies and a pear cranberry tart that screamed Thanksgiving. Lucy had made a cheesy broccoli casserole and a green bean casserole. Jennifer contributed a potato salad and buttermilk biscuits that would melt in your mouth. Everything was perfect.
And then suddenly, I had a dilemma. Ever since my husband had passed away, Thad had taken over turkey carving duties. But Alec was my boyfriend, albeit a new one. Should he do it? I glanced over at him. In my Southern family, it was tradition for the husband or significant other of the woman of the house to do it. Or a Grandfather. Old fashioned, to be sure. Then Thad picked up the knife and I shook my head. I was being silly. Thad should be the one to do it. I hadn’t been dating Alec long enough to think otherwise.
Thad was an excellent turkey carver, and he handled the task with ease. It made me proud to watch him. I glanced over at Sarah. I could see she was proud, too. Her eyes shone when she looked at him. There was a part of me that bristled at the way she looked at him. I reminded myself to be nice.
“So was the shooter caught? How is the investigation going?” I asked as we passed serving bowls around.
“It’s going as well as can be expected,” he said. “Still no suspect in custody and it’s too dark outside to do anything further.”
“What happened with Mr. Spellman?” I asked.
“That poor man,” Lucy added.
“His daughter and her husband were indeed visiting. I don’t think he understood what was going on and his daughter was going to have a talk with him after I left.”
“That’s wi
ld,” Thad said. “Someone just shot his son during the Turkey Trot.”
Alec nodded. “It’s a tragedy, that’s for sure.”
“Hopefully the murderer will be caught soon,” I said, serving myself some cranberry sauce.
“Well, maybe it was just a hunter that accidentally shot him?” Jennifer said with more than a little attitude. “I mean, what if everyone’s jumping to conclusions? How does anyone know it was a murder?”
“It’s highly unlikely,” Alec said. “It looks very calculated from the preliminary investigation. That could change as we go further in to it, of course.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know. What if it was some kid trying to get his first deer and the poor kid made a mistake and hit that guy? How terrible do you think he’s going to feel, not only at having killed someone, but now everyone thinks he’s a murderer and is passing that around town like it’s the truth.”
All eyes were on Jennifer. She was getting far too invested in some little kid she didn’t even know existed.
“Well, that hardly seems plausible. The Turkey Trot was highly advertised and there was a fairly large group out running or walking in the area,” Alec explained patiently. “I don’t think anyone would make the mistake of hunting that close to the Rec Center.”
“Oh, you don’t know. You don’t know anything yet,” she said, sulking.
“If it was a kid, don’t you think he would have stuck around to explain himself?” Thad pointed out.
“Not if he’s scared!”
“Jennifer, I think if it was some kid trying to shoot a deer, then he wouldn’t have shot at Alec and I after hitting Todd,” I said, giving her my best ‘mama’s about to get mad’ look.
Jennifer narrowed her eyes at me and stuck a piece of turkey in her mouth. I tried not to sigh too loudly. The girl needed to calm down. I glanced at Alec and gave him an apologetic smile.
He grinned and cut into his candied sweet potatoes. “These are awesome,” he said after taking a bite.
