Candy-Coated Secrets (21 page)

“Not on purpose. Joe told me what happened. Don’t be melodramatic.” She took my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s walk.”

Aunt Eunice waved me away when I made a move to remain in my seat next to her. “Go on. I’ll send someone for you when the doctor comes.”

April led me to a lush garden the hospital maintained for waiting families. A light breeze rained petals from a flowering tree upon our heads and colored the brick pathway under our feet. April sat me on a carved marble bench donated in memorial to somebody’s loved one. I traced my fingers over the raised name.

My friend put her hand over mine. “Roy is in God’s hands, Summer. Same as whatever is bothering you.”

“What makes you think something’s bothering me?”

Her hand moved to my shoulder. “I’m your best friend. I can tell. When you want to talk about it, I’m here. Have you given it to God?”

No, I hadn’t. Growing up spoiled, with most of my wants satisfied and all of my necessities, I had not developed the practice of going to God with my needs. And I wasn’t prepared now to go before the throne and lay something of this magnitude, something as strong as my feelings of guilt, before the Creator of the universe.

“Something is driving you, girlfriend. Making you take on these cases better left to Joe and the police.”

“I want to leave something behind, April. I want to make a difference in people’s lives.”

“Go on missionary trips with the church.”

I shuddered. The thought of sleeping in a non-air-conditioned tent, surrounded by bugs, was not my cup of tea. Camping without a shower and blow dryer for three days every spring was as rustic as you would find me.

“Okay. Get more involved at church. Teach Sunday school, help with the women’s ministry. There’re loads of opportunities where you could make a difference.” April moved her arm and pulled my head to her shoulder. “I know what your problem is.”

“You do?” She smelled like sunflowers and spring.

“You don’t want to do anything that might require more effort than you’re willing to give. You, Summer Meadows, are lazy.”

“What?” I straightened. “How can you say that? I own my own business. Candy making is backbreaking work and often requires long hours.”

“But that’s what you want to do. That’s your dream. And these mysteries you’re so bent on solving, they’re the same. Something you thought might be fun. They aren’t taking you out of your comfort zone and getting you to do something God wants you to do.” She held up a hand to stop me.

“I’m not saying they’re wrong, just that maybe, just maybe, you need to ask God what He wants you to do.”

“Ethan supports me.” And I could guarantee crime-solving often took me out of my comfort zone. “You’re my best friend. Of everyone, I thought you’d be my strongest supporter.”

“Because Ethan’s not dumb enough not to. If he’s helping, he can keep an eye on you. It doesn’t mean he approves. And I am your best friend. That’s why I care.”

“You’re way off, April. Acting like my own version of Nancy Drew has nothing to do with having fun.”
Well, maybe a little.
I thought about taking her advice. Things would be much easier if I just let go of the reins and let God have control of my life. Let Him take me where I should go. But what if He said no? I shook my head. I wasn’t ready yet.

“Well.” April stood and smoothed her skirt. “I know there’s more you aren’t telling me, but this is what I see. Come on. Let’s get back before we get into an argument.”

I slipped my hand into hers, and we passed through the glass doors, swinging our arms like we did when we were children. “Thanks, April. For a moment, you made me forget why we’re here.”

“You’re welcome. But I still told you what I thought.”

“That you’ve always done.”

When April and I entered the waiting room, the doctor stood in front of Aunt Eunice. She motioned for me to join her. I released April’s hand and went to my aunt, resting my hand on her shoulder.

“Mrs. Meadows, your husband will be fine. The knife missed any vital organs.”

“Praise God,” Aunt Eunice said. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

The doctor smiled. “And he’s suffering from contusions and crankiness, but he’ll be able to go home in a few days.”

I sagged with relief. Ethan burst through the waiting room door and made a beeline to my side, wrapping his strong arms around me. He kissed the top of my head. When the doctor had gone, he sat, pulling me into his lap. For the first time that day, my tension began to melt.

“Roy is strong. Wouldn’t let me leave his side. We prayed until he went under anesthesia.” Ethan met Aunt Eunice’s gaze. “Eunice, he told you not to worry and apologized for not letting you in the room. Didn’t want you to see him looking weak. He’s in recovery now. In a couple of hours, you’ll be able to go back and see him.”

She gave a shaky chuckle and pulled a soggy tissue from her bra to dab at her eyes. “Stubborn man.”

My cell phone rang out the melody to Willy Wonka. With a sheepish smile I mouthed “I’m sorry” and stepped away from my aunt.

“Hello?”

“You’ve got to stop her.” The voice was muffled, as if spoken through a wadded towel. I thought it was a woman but couldn’t say for sure.

“Who is this?” I whispered, cupping my hand over the phone’s mouthpiece.

“She’s going to know I called you. I had to take the chance. You’ve got to stop her. I only recently found out. Oh. Someone’s trying to get in!”

“Call the police.” My voice rose and Ethan’s gaze jerked to mine. “Tell me who you are. Who are you talking about?”

Ethan stepped beside me. He raised an eyebrow in question. I shrugged and he leaned nearer in an effort to hear. Joe planted himself, arms crossed, in front of me.

“I can’t do that, dear. Be careful. You’ve got to stop her.”

“Is this Mrs. Hodge?” The endearment was a dead giveaway, and since I’d solved the case in July regarding her peeping Tom, she always called me when she needed something. “Call Joe!”

“He’s bu—” The monotone dial tone droned in my ear.

“Who was it?” Joe reached for the phone and flipped through my incoming calls.

“I’m not sure. Mrs. Hodge, I think. Whoever it was is in trouble.”

He snapped my phone closed. “We have a phone number. Let me call it in.”

“There isn’t a lot of time, Joe. The line went dead. Mrs. Hodge is an old lady in no condition to defend herself.” I clutched Ethan’s hand. “Her boyfriend isn’t much stronger.”

“Let’s go pay her a visit while they run the phone number.” Joe handed me my phone, slid his walkie-talkie from its holder, then led the way to his SUV.

We made the drive to Mrs. Hodge’s house in silence.

The tires crunched the gravel driveway at Mrs. Hodge’s small Victorian. My heart stopped when I glimpsed the busted front door.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Stay in the car.” Joe slid from behind the wheel with his hand on his weapon. I reached for the door handle as he made his way to the front porch.

“Joe said to stay put.” Ethan’s lips pressed in a thin line.

A rapid volley of shots rang out. The windshield shattered. Glass showered Ethan’s head like diamonds in the sand. Joe sprinted from the house and took cover behind the thick trunk of a massive oak. Bullets gouged the bark of the ancient tree.

“Find out where my backup is! I called them ten minutes ago.”

Ethan fumbled for the radio, then lifted the receiver to his mouth. “Officer needs assistance. I repeat—”

Thankful I wasn’t one of those shrieking females who lost their mind in a crisis, unless chased by a demon pig, I dove to the floor as another barrage of shots flew past. When the gunfire quieted, I peered over the back of the seat. Joe took a step out from behind the tree. A single shot caught him. My cousin spun like the ballerina in a child’s music box before he fell.

“Joe’s been hit!” I fumbled with the lock, shoved the door open, and fell to my knees in the gravel. The impact sent shock waves through me. “We’re sitting ducks. Get me out of here.”

“Officer down. Officer down! We’re on Highway 64, Hodge’s house.” Ethan dropped the radio. “Bumbling country cops. Sorry, didn’t mean that.”

He yanked me to my feet and slammed me against the car. “Make for the trees and keep the car between you and the house. I’ve got to get Joe.”

“Don’t leave me. Please.” So much for nonhysterical female. I clutched at his shirt front. Even weaponless, Ethan’s presence made me feel safe.

His eyes searched my face. “Okay, come on.” In a crouching run, Ethan led me into the thick woods surrounding Mrs. Hodge’s house. We circled wide, slapping branches away from our faces and shoving through dense foliage, until we were mere feet from where Joe lay.

“Stay here,” Ethan said.

No worry. There was absolutely no way I wanted to present myself as a target. I’d been shot at before. That time I’d been running, not squatting behind a bush. On second thought, I’d choose the action anytime rather than the inactivity of hiding.

“God help us. God help us.” I whispered the prayer as Ethan darted to the oak Joe had sought shelter behind. I continued to pray when he reached for Joe’s feet and dragged him into the bushes. Fear wiped my mind clear, allowing only the three words that I chanted: God help us.

“I’m fine,” Joe told us. “Get away.”

“We aren’t leaving you. I’ve called for backup. Any minute, buddy. Hold on.” Ethan peeled away Joe’s shirt to reveal the gunshot wound. My stomach lurched, and I clamped my eyes shut. “Summer, put pressure on his shoulder. This isn’t mortal. I’ve got to stand guard.”

I shuffled over and pressed my hands, one on top of the other, over my cousin’s wound. Bile rose against my continuous swallowing.
I won’t be sick. I won’t be sick.

Joe groaned.
                                                     

“Sorry.” I pressed harder. My hands turned a shade of crimson I would never wear on purpose. I worried about the elderly Mrs. Hodge while I struggled to keep my cousin’s blood inside him where it belonged. Where was her boyfriend, Pete? Her son, Richard Bland, had been the murderer and diamond thief from the case I’d solved months earlier. Alone, she’d turned to me when she needed help. How long had it been since I’d visited? One week? Two? Guilt rose in me.

Dried brush crunched about twenty feet from us. Still crouching, Ethan turned and pointed the gun in that direction. My pulse pounded in my ears so loudly, I didn’t hear Joe speak. His lips moved but nothing issued forth. “What?”

“Go. They’re coming. You and Ethan get out of here.”

I met Ethan’s gaze as Grizzly Bob stepped out from behind the trees. I shifted my eyes to stare down the barrel of the man’s weapon.

“You should have stayed out of things, Miss Meadows,” he said, his voice gruff, gravelly. “Should’ve just let us go about our business. But no, you’re a meddlesome woman. Millie was bad enough, then Lacey. We had us a nice little group until they got nervous.”

Ethan moved to stand.

“Stay put or I’ll put a bullet through this little woman’s brain. Drop the pistol.”

Ethan placed the gun on a pile of dead leaves.

“Now scoot it this way.”

My hands trembled as I fought to keep pressure on Joe’s wound. “What now? Are you going to shoot us all? You shot a police officer! What did you do with Mrs. Hodge?”

“Stop with the questions. She’s another worrisome woman. The world is better off without the bunch of you.”

My heart sank at his words and rose again at the far-off sound of sirens. Bob turned, and Ethan lunged. He caught the older man around the knees. Gunfire blasted the branches above our heads as the two men hit the ground. I lay across Joe to shield him from the falling debris.

They tussled, each grasping the weapon. If the barrel dropped with Bob’s finger on the trigger, Joe and I’d be riddled with bullets. Not the way I’d envisioned dying. I
 
much preferred the falling-asleep-in-bed-as-an-old-woman approach. Ethan would be holding my hand, spouting words of love.

Two squad cars, followed by an ambulance, roared onto the property. “Over here! Over here!” I waved my arm and prayed they’d spot me through the bushes.

The vehicles stopped as close to the line of trees as possible. Four armed officers, ducking and using whatever cover was available, rushed across the yard. Three of the officers ordered Bob to release his weapon while the fourth tackled him and wrestled the gun from his hands. I stood and glanced in dismay at the blood covering the front of me. “You hurt?” One of the officers asked.

“No, but Joe is. And there may be a couple of bodies inside the house.” I turned and threw myself into Ethan’s arms.

“Come on, baby.”

I pulled away. “No, I’ve got to check on Joe.”

“He’s in good hands. We’ll only be in the way.” Ethan led me back to Joe’s car, where he took a blanket from the backseat and wrapped it around me.

“Thanks. Guess I was right about the embezzlement.” Ethan laughed. “A piece of paper with a number in red doesn’t constitute embezzlement. With the money gone from Foreman’s safe, either he took it, or it’s robbery.”