Tick,Tock,Trouble (A Seagrove Cozy Mystery Book 5) (6 page)

Sadie snorted and made her way through the back room into the back hall where the door to the alley was standing open.

“What the hell?” she said, slamming the door and throwing the deadbolt.

But the bolt wouldn’t budge. It was jammed. She left the door and ran for the stairs, knowing where Hamilton must be. They’d been so absorbed by their research they hadn’t heard him break in.

She took the stairs two at a time with Mr. Bradshaw on her tail and burst into her apartment, almost running right into Lucy and Betty, who hadn’t moved more than five feet from the doorway. Hamilton was sitting in the Best Armchair Ever and Sadie knew she was going to have to give it away. He had turned it around so that it faced the door and he was looking relaxed, his leg crossed over his knee, and in his right hand he held a handgun trained on Lucy, who had been the first through the door. Sadie picked up Mr. Bradshaw and handed him to Betty along with her cell phone.

“Don’t let him go,” she said and gave Betty a pointed look.

Betty glanced at the cell phone and nodded. Then Sadie pushed past Lucy and stood between Hamilton and the other women. She needed to keep Hamilton’s attention focused away from Betty so she could dial 9-1-1.

“I know why you want the timepiece, Hamilton. Do you really think it can help you slow time?” she asked him.

“So it’s the one that slows time? I thought it might be when I saw the reverse running face. That could be very handy.” His face lit up.

“It’s rumored to slow time within a six-foot radius. Can you imagine the leisure? The opportunity to get so much more done than the rest of the world? And compared to the rest of the world, I would appear not to age. And the years longer I would live.”

“And there must be downsides,” Sadie said. “What about those?”

“Downsides? What are you talking about?” He looked at her crossly. “There are no downsides.”

“According to legend, you’ll begin having trouble interacting with the rest of the world,” Sadie said.

“Everything outside of your little bubble will appear to move too fast. You will have slowed down so much that your speech will be perceived as impaired. You will not be able to hold a conversation because the words won’t come quickly enough.”

“What will that matter?” Hamilton asked. “I’ll keep the important people close to me. We’ll enjoy longer life together.”

“What makes you think they’ll be willing to give up the rest of the world to live in your bubble?” Sadie asked. “I wouldn’t.”

“Don’t act as if you don’t know the true value of time, the true potential of all the pieces together,” he said. “I know you want them for yourself.”

He raised the gun, fired and shattered Sadie’s favorite teapot. The noise hurt and Sadie’s ears rang. She held her hands to her ears trying to make the pain go away. She hoped Mr. B was alright.

“Now call your boyfriend and tell him to bring the watch,” Hamilton said, punctuating his words with little jabs of the gun.

“No.” Sadie said as she heard Lucy gasp behind her. “My mother taught me never to reward bad behavior. I’m not calling him.”

“That is a mistake,” Hamilton said and raised his gun again.

“If I shoot you I’m sure one of your wide-eyed friends behind you will call Chief Woodstone for me.”

At that moment there was a noise out on the patio. Hamilton jerked around to see Simon the Squirrel at the door to the balcony, tapping on the glass with a nut. Hamilton cursed and would have shot the creature except the minute his attention was distracted Sadie launched herself onto his gun arm. The gun went flying across the room and Lucy went to grab it.

Betty set Mr. B on the ground and ran to pull Hamilton’s other arm away from Sadie. He’d grabbed Sadie’s hair and was yanking, but Sadie refused to let go of his arm. Betty pried his fingers from her hair as Mr. Bradshaw growled and snapped at Hamilton’s ankles.

“Get that dog away from me,” Hamilton yelled kicking at Mr. B, but the dog was too quick for the boot to make contact.

Sadie let go of Hamilton’s arm and threw herself into his lap. Hamilton let out a big oomph of air but kept fighting. Now that he had his arm back he tried to lever it between his chest and Sadie’s back, planning to push her right off his lap. Betty had his other arm trapped against the side of the chair and was using the full force of her legs to keep it there.

Sadie grunted with effort. She was pushing back against Hamilton with everything she had – that being mostly her thigh muscles. Mr. B gave up barking at Hamilton’s boot laces, jumped on Sadie’s lap and then up onto the arm of the chair where he grabbed Hamilton’s pinky finger with his sharp little teeth and held on. He didn’t bite down or break the skin, but just applied enough pressure that Hamilton couldn’t pull his hand away without potential damage.

“No, Mr. Bradshaw,” Sadie cried, not because she was worried about Hamilton, but because she knew that Hamilton could toss the little dog across the room and harm him.

Hamilton was cursing but sitting still as Mr. B kept pressure on his little finger. Sadie noticed that not only was Mr. B holding tight with his jaw, but he was also hunched backward, pulling away from Hamilton. He was doing his best to keep Hamilton’s attention on his vulnerable little finger.

Mr. B was growling, Hamilton was swearing, Betty was muttering under her breath about scumbags with firearms and Sadie’s ears were still ringing from the gunshot.

“Lucy Shylock,” Zack’s voice came from the door, “what are you doing with that sidearm?”

Sadie, Betty, and Hamilton looked to where Lucy was standing with the gun. It looked as though she was trying to point it at Hamilton, but Sadie kept getting in the way. She bobbed the gun up and down to avoid pointing it at Sadie. Lucy’s face was grim and her hands were trembling.

Zack approached and took the gun gently from Lucy, who collapsed on the coach.

“I don’t even know how to fire that thing,” she said, shaking from relief.

Wilson came up the stairs after Zack, and then it seemed the room was full of officers. Sadie and Betty were guided away from Hamilton, although Sadie grabbed Mr. Bradshaw before Betty let his other arm go. No way was she risking Mr. Bradshaw. He was her hero.

Hamilton was led away in handcuffs and the three women collapsed on the couch. Zack stood at the balcony door and watched his officers lead Hamilton Cartwright off to the stationhouse and then turned to look at the women.

“Are you ladies unharmed?” he asked, but Sadie had the distinct feeling he was trying not to laugh.

“I fail to see what you find so funny, Zachary Woodstone,” she said.

“That maniac shattered my favorite teapot with his gun. And who knows what germs Mr. Bradshaw picked up.”

Zack’s smirk turned into a full-fledged laugh. “If you could have seen yourselves,” he said between guffaws.

“You two had Hamilton Cartwright beat – with Mr. Bradshaw’s help. I’ve never seen such naked frustration on a man’s face before. He was furious, but there was nothing he could do. And you, Lucy, holding that pistol like it might go off on its own at any moment. God help me, it was better than the Keystone Kops.”

“Chief Woodstone,” Lucy said, “If you are going to stand there and insult me, then I’m going home.” She started up off the couch.

“You misunderstood me, Lucy. I thought you all were fabulous. If my officers had the kind of tenacity you three and Mr. Bradshaw showed, we wouldn’t have any crime at all in Seagrove. I am so absolutely in awe of all of you.”

He swept off his hat and bowed to them. Betty looked at Sadie with her eyebrows raised.

“Is he for real?” she asked.

“Don’t ask me.” Sadie shrugged. “I don’t think he’s making fun of us, though. That’s not the chief’s style.”

“Of course I’m not making fun of you. I would deputize you if that kind of thing were still done.” His face sobered.

“But you’re not hurt are you? You are all okay?”

“We’re fine,” Lucy said.

“Except for Sadie’s teapot. That will need a decent burial.” She stood and picked up one of the shards that had fallen to the floor.

“Although, Sadie, you could make a mosaic top for your balcony coffee table with the pieces. It would be very pretty.” She handed the shard to Sadie.

“It would be nice,” Sadie said.

“And then I still would be able to look at the pattern and remember how pretty it was.” She handed the shard to Betty.

“Not only that, but I bet, after a while you’d start to see the beauty in the new patterns the broken pieces make,” Betty said.

“My friends,” Sadie said with a smile. “They know how to make the best of a bad situation.”

“Clearly,” Zack said, returning her smile.

“And they aren’t short of courage either. I need to get back to the station, but call if you need anything.”

“Wait,” Sadie said.

“Is it against the law for me to dump that chair over the balcony?” She motioned to the Best Armchair Ever.

“I thought you loved that chair,” Zack said.

“Not anymore. Hamilton Cartwright ruined it for me.” Sadie grimaced.

“What did he do to it?” Zack examined the chair. “It looks fine to me.”

“He touched it,” Sadie said. “Isn’t that enough?”

“If you say so,” He picked up the chair and hefted toward the stairs.

“But if you don’t mind, I’ll put it in the staff lounge at work. No one there will mind that Hamilton touched it.”

“That’s good. And better than having to clean the pieces off the sidewalk after I throw if over the balcony railing.”

Sadie jumped up off the couch and ran to Zack to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for coming to rescue me.”

“You didn’t need rescuing,” he said and kissed her back.

“No, but it’s nice to know you’re there when I need you. Even when I don’t need you.” She opened the door for him and he disappeared down the stairs hefting the chair.

Sadie turned back to Lucy and Betty. They were looking a little worse for wear. Part of Betty’s black hair had come loose from its ponytail and was curling around her face. Lucy looked pale.

“You two need something to eat,” Sadie said. “And then we should shop for armchairs on the internet.”

“Are we going to hunch over your laptop together?” Lucy asked. “Because that doesn’t sound fun to me.”

“Nope,” Sadie flipped on the TV that hung on the wall opposite the couch and hit the remote until the internet browser came on. She typed in the name of the pizza place down the street and ordered pizzas and soda.

“I’m treating dinner,” Sadie said. “But I’m not cooking it. I’m way too beat for that.”

“I was going to cook for you two,” Lucy said plaintively. “But I don’t think I can focus enough not to burn it now.”

“We are not cooking,” Sadie said. “That’s asking too much, especially when there is pizza down the street and they’ll deliver.”

She typed in a shopping site and searched for armchairs. By the time the pizza arrived Betty and Lucy were arguing over the most necessary features of an armchair and Sadie was feeling proud of herself. Lucy had lost the haunted look and Betty was smiling and her color was back to normal. Not to say they wouldn’t have nightmares for a few days, but mostly they’d put the scare behind them.

Sadie looked at the empty spot where her favorite chair used to sit and a cold chill went up her spine. She hurried down to the front of the store to get the pizzas, thinking it was time to rearrange her living room. That spot was going to haunt her for a while.