Will You Marry Me? (Sam Darling Mystery Book 4) (16 page)

"You're still recovering from your head injury. Bob Bob, you and Chip get in the back seat of the truck. You're going back to Wilma's." He turned to George. "I'll interview these two, but they probably have an alibi, since they were with Wilma."

"They were," said Wilma. "Now I need to get Barclay medical attention. And, Sheriff, please call 911 for Hollister to send an ambulance. With that, she revved up her motor and left a cloud of dust in her wake, her last word echoing as they departed.

That left George and me with Jim Bob and Luigi.

"Should we go back to the hotel?" I asked George.

"Nope. Let's stay out here. It may help to be in the place it happened as we talk."

I excused myself for just a minute and ran to let Clancy out of the car.

This time George kept both guys together, and I didn't understand why. That is, until he started interrogating them.

"How long before Sam found Barclay had you been in the diner? You first, Jim Bob."

"I don't know. You now how bad I am with time. Maybe a half-hour. Maybe."

"What about you, Gorgonzola?"

I wanted to laugh. I'd forgotten Luigi's last name, and the use of it caught me off guard. Exercising restraint was difficult for me, but I was able to do it this time.

"Probably a half-hour," said Luigi, shrugging his shoulders.

"Was Jim Bob in there when you entered?"

"I didn't see him. But that doesn't mean he wasn't there."

"Jim Bob, was Luigi there when you entered?"

He said the same thing Luigi did. "I didn't see him. But that doesn't mean he wasn't there."

"Sam, please go inside and talk to the waitress and other patrons," George said. "See what you come up with."

I loved that he'd said "please" and thought he probably didn't say that to the other detectives he supervised.

"Stay here, girl," I said to Clancy, since she wasn't allowed in restaurants. As I put my foot on the first step leading to the diner, I heard an "Oof," a "Stop!" and two thuds.
 

I turned back immediately to find George and Luigi on the ground with Jim Bob running away from the diner.

I wanted to run after him, but first I looked over at George. He seemed to be dazed, but he was certainly conscious.
 

"Don't do anything, Sam. Just stay here," he said, fumbling for his cell phone. Luigi moaned and sat up, looking confused.

I loved George, but I couldn't do what he asked. "As long as I know you're okay, I'll stay on the case. I think we've found our murderer!"
 

I turned to chase the bad guy, knowing that as an official temporary deputy, it was up to me now. Just before I took off, I instructed my best companion to watch over George. "Clancy, stay with them." She didn't want to do it, but complied, after giving me a look.
 

I began running. Or what passed for running for me.

Luckily, Jim Bob wasn't a fast runner. He was probably so used to wearing a chicken suit that he waddled even without it. He darted into the front door of the motel, and I followed him. In the lobby, Jim Bob was nowhere in sight.

I ran into the meeting room where the chickens were still assembled. "Where's the Big Cluck?" I demanded.

There was a flutter of surprise at the use of real words, but then a host of wings pointed toward a back corner of the crowded room. I elbowed my way back, trying not to breathe in the plastic feathers and dank odor of sweaty costumes. A chicken in the corner lifted a wing and said, "Cluck?"

I took that to mean, "What do you want?"

So I answered, "You know damn well what I want, Jim Bob." I yanked off his scrawny little chicken head to reveal..."Mary Bob?"

All of a sudden I was surrounded by a horde of angry chickens. "Cluck!" "Clucky cluck!" "Cluckity, cluckity cluck." Chickens everywhere. Closer and closer. The noise was awful and the smell was choking me.
 

"Let me out!" My scream had no effect on the attacking flock. I was pelted with wing after wing, feather after feather. I could barely breathe. I dropped to the ground and managed to crawl between chicken legs, then took off running.

Once I was out of the convention room, I looked around the hallway and found a ponytail palm. I shoved the trunk between two door handles, trapping the chickens inside and breaking all kinds of fire codes. I spotted a second exit and did the same thing to that double door.
 

I knew it wouldn't hold them for long, but all I needed was enough time for George to get there. I felt in my jeans for my phone--of course I didn't have it. It was probably on the floor inside the room with the chickens. The noisy shouting and shoving against the doors made it clear they knew I'd escaped. And they were mad as hell to be stuck inside.

I couldn't imagine that all of them were villains but that's what they were acting like. We'd have to sort that out later. In the meantime I ran to the front desk, only to find another chicken standing behind it. Ack!
 

I made it out the front door of the motel just as I heard the doors give way. I started to run toward the diner, and was stunned to see that George and Luigi were nowhere in sight. Neither was Clancy. I didn't know which way to go, so I darted behind the motel as fast as my short little legs would carry me. Cursing myself for being so out of shape, and vowing to begin a fitness regimen as soon as possible, I kept running until I reached Marianne's house.

Luckily the door was unlocked. I shut the heavy front door and immediately shot the dead bolt. I ran to the back and did the same thing. I breathed a sigh, then turned around to find out where Marianne was.

Standing right in front of me was a chicken with his head off.

Jim Bob.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

He had another chicken suit scrunched up in his arms, and I could see that it was covered with dark spots. He shoved it behind his back. "What are you doing here?" Jim Bob growled, and he didn't look happy.

What are
you
doing here?" My vibes were in panic mode. I was sure I was talking to the murderer. But I tried to keep cool, like a deputy should. "Whose suit is that?"

"Mine."
 

"What's that all over it?"

"It's blood."
 

"Who--"

"You ask too many questions. I don't like a nosy chick." Jim Bob moved the chicken suit and revealed a knife. "The same thing is going to happen to you that happened to Missy Hen."

I gulped. How did I keep getting myself into these spots? I could feel sweat pooling on my neck.

"Jim Bob,you don't want to threaten me. George is on his way, and the Sheriff. And Clancy."

He laughed. "Your dog isn't going to save you any more than your boyfriend is."
 

Stalling for time, I started babbling, as usual. "But...but why did you do it?"

Jim Bob looked at me hard. "Missy Hen wanted to be a free range chick. Wanted to cluck anyone she wanted."

"Isn't that what these conventions are all about?"

"She was mine," he said, voice thickening. "She was my chick, and I couldn't have her sharing herself with other chickens. I wanted to be the only rooster in her life. When she didn't agree, I had to kill her."

"So...this is the suit she was wearing? That's why it's covered with blood?"

"You think you're really smart, don't you?"

I didn't know what to say to that. I was hoping that George would come looking for me before Jim Bob stopped talking. I wanted to turn around and look out the window, but I didn't dare take my eyes off the knife.

"Shut up," he said. "Enough questions."
 

I'd had bad vibes around Jim Bob all along, but discounted them. I'd had no other proof and chalked it up to his just being weird. That had fooled me before.

"So it was you all along. All those attacks--you knifed your own twin?" I knew he'd said enough questions, but questions were all I had.

"Just a nick. I didn't hurt him."
 

He was still answering, so that was good. I prayed that George--or anyone--would show up soon. I tried to keep my eyes off the old blood staining the chicken suit in Jim Bob's arm.

"And Chip--you stabbed him too."

"Who do you think was clucking Missy Hen?" His voice turned to a snarl. "No more questions, I said!" He dropped the bloody chicken suit and lifted the knife.

My eyes looked up. Behind his head I saw a frying pan coming out of nowhere, followed immediately by the sound of a loud "clunk." And down he went.
 

Standing over the now crumpled headless chicken was Marianne, who had a triumphant look on her face.
 

"Got him," she said with satisfaction.

"Marianne! Incredible. Where did you come from?"

"I was in the kitchen fixing up some of my prize-winning chicken fricassee. My cast iron skillet was right nearby. Lucky thing, right?"

At that point I heard two wonderful sounds--George shouting my name and Clancy barking her head off outside the door.

"Sam! Let me in!"
 

I ran to the front door and unlocked the deadbolt. I fell into my sweetheart's arms, hot tears splashing down my front, and I didn't even care. He led me over to a chair before I could fall down.

"Sam," I heard his gentle voice saying. "Sam. It's okay now. You got him. You got the killer. And you're safe." I felt someone kiss my hand.
 

The voice belonged to George and the kiss belonged to Clancy. I allowed myself to be engulfed in love.
 

"I was so scared, George. He was a real murderer. But it was Marianne who got him. Not me." I was blubbering.

"I know, sweetie. I know." George's voice was comforting and once again I felt safe. I grabbed his arm and put my other hand on dear Clancy and pulled myself upright.
 

I looked down at the killer in the headless chicken suit. Jim Bob was out cold. George carefully extricated the knife from the hands of the unconscious man and pulled his arms out of the suit so he could get Jim Bob's wrists into handcuffs.
 

It was at that point that I realized how scared my honey had been for me. His shirt was soaked and what hair he had was plastered to his head.
 

"George," I said. "I'm sorry I got myself in trouble again."

He shook his head. "I'm glad you're all right, honey. But you really need to stop putting yourself in danger. I'm not sure I can take much more of this."

Clancy licked my hand and gave me a powerful look. I could tell she agreed.

"I know, honey. I don't do it on purpose," I said to George. "Next time, I'll be more careful."

George sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm hoping there won't be a next time," he said as he reached for his phone to get the Sheriff to come take away the chicken.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Get in the car and don't ask questions. Please." George opened the car door for me.

That's like asking me not to breathe. But I bit my lip, thinking that George deserved to be able to tell me to be quiet. He put Clancy in the back seat. She was smiling and I didn't know why.
 

I wondered what could be going on. Now that the chicken killer was locked up, I'd finally had a peaceful night of sleep. It seemed our time in Crackertown was over--and I wasn't sorry about that. Although we'd met some nice people, it had been a weird and scary place. I was ready to go home to Quincy and get back to real life.

Unfortunately, there was no way George was getting to the Grand Canyon on this trip. His vacation was over, and we had a long drive ahead of us.

We drove down some back roads until he stopped in a clearing, walked around, opened my door, and led me out. He whispered, "Stay, Clancy," and we took a few steps. I saw that it was the Grand Rock Quarry that Bob Bob had told us about
       
when this misadventure first started.

I turned to my George and didn't see him. Then I looked down, and he was on one knee, with the most beautiful smile on his face and twinkle in those gorgeous eyes.

"I wanted the Grand Canyon because it's dramatic and beautiful, like you, Sam. This isn't the Grand Canyon, but the Grand Rock Quarry will have to do."

I could see that he was trembling, and I was feeling the shivers myself.

"Sam..." he hesitated. "I've had this planned for a long time, and was disappointed that Jeremiah beat me to it with Marianne. Then I waited because I didn't want to spoil their wedding by stealing the spotlight. But I can't wait anymore."

Now I knew what was coming. His eyes were shining and my breath was caught in my throat. For once, I kept my mouth shut and let him speak.

"Sam Darling, I've loved you since you beat me at arm wrestling in first grade. I never stopped loving you, even through all the years you wouldn't speak to me. It was all worth it when you came back into my life." I could see his Adam's apple bob and then he smiled and said, "Will you marry me?"

The scream echoed through the canyon and bounced back to me, hitting me so hard I almost fell over.

The scream was mine.

The scream said, "YES!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Oh no...it's over!
 
Want more?
 
Don't miss these other Sam Darling mysteries, available now.

WHO KILLED MY BOSS?

(Sam Darling mystery #1)

Moments after hiring Samantha Darling as a therapist, Dr. Burns is murdered. Stunned by his sudden death and desperate to keep the job she just got, Sam vows to find the killer.

She has two things going for her. The first is that her brother Rob is a cop, and she figures the crime-solving thing has to be genetic. The second is that Sam is a little bit psychic--so finding the culprit should be a snap for her. If only she could tell the difference between her psychic vibes and indigestion....

With the help of her landlord and her dog, Sam sets out to solve the murder. Along the way, she spends time with the hot new guy in town and tries
not
to spend time with the old high school boyfriend who stood her up on prom night.