Maggie Lee (Book 7): The Hitwoman and the 7 Cops (9 page)

Susan and Leslie, their disagreement forgotten, rushed toward us. Together the three of us carefully lowered Zeke to the ground.  Swallowing her sobs, Marlene hurried over and knelt so that we could rest his head in her lap.

“He’s pale.” Leslie used her shirtsleeve to wipe away some of the blood that had run down his face.

Susan, her voice loaded with self-recrimination, said, “I should have called for an ambulance.”

“Maggie! Maggie!” DeeDee barked.

I ignored her. “Zeke? Zeke can you hear me?”

“Man bite bad?” the dog whined worriedly.

I turned to see what she was carrying on about just in time to see Wally propping himself up on his elbows.

DeeDee bared her teeth, the sight of which temporarily paralyzed the pimp.

Jumping to my feet, I snatched up the nearest weapon I could find. Raising another of the flower pots overhead, I advanced on Wally.

Afraid that she was going to once again get hurt defending my family, I waved DeeDee off.

“Don’t you move,” I warned.

Instead of obeying, he flipped over so that he faced me while on all fours. A nasty sneer stretched across his face.

“Out look.” DeeDee leapt between us, growling her warning.

In one quick, fluid movement Wally pulled out a gun and waved it at me. “You think you or the dog can stop me?”

Behind me, I heard Aunt Leslie’s gasp on dismay.

My grip on the flower pot weakened as cold fear swept through me.

He smiled, liking my reaction. “Come here, Jewel.”

“Stay where you are, Marlene.” I shouted.

“Now, Jewel.” Wally took aim at me. “Or this interfering bitch gets it.”

The wail of approaching sirens reached us. The cavalry was almost there. All I had to do is keep Wally busy for another few seconds.

“Bad. Bad. Bad.” DeeDee’s growls grew louder.

“Easy, girl,” I whispered. “I’ve got this.” I tightened my grip on the pot. I might be, as my grandmother used to say, “remarkably, unremarkable,” but there was one thing I’d been good at, the best at actually.

Wally squinted at me. “Who the hell are you?”

I grinned. “The queen.”

“The queen of what?”

“Dodgeball.” With that, I chucked the flowerpot at his head.

I missed.

I might not be good, but I was lucky. It hit him square in the chest, sending him stumbling backward.

“Now, Doomsday!”

The dog and I charged Wally together. She latched onto his wrist, while I did my best NFL tackle impression.

My best isn’t very good.

He stayed on his feet.

Thankfully the dog was better at her job than I was at mine. He dropped the gun.

Groaning, Wally tried to hit DeeDee. Grabbing his punching arm, I was lifted off my feet.

I heard multiple women screaming behind me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“Let go. Let go, DeeDee,” I urged, feeling as though I was on some bizarre bungee cord as I hung on for dear life and was repeatedly raised off the ground every time Wally tried to strike the dog.

To my surprise, she obeyed and released his arm, leaving behind bloody teeth marks. Of course, without the dog holding him back, Wally could use his newly-freed hand on me.

“You crazy bitch.” Yanking a handful of my hair, he wrenched me backward, so I was suddenly doing a macabre version of the limbo.

“Owww!” Instinctively reached for my scalp with both hands, which was a bad idea because it meant his other was now available to choke me with.

His fingers squeezed my throat. Pain and panic made me kick wildly as he deprived me of oxygen.

Then there was the crash.

Actually it was more like a dull thud.

And then we were falling.

Luckily, he fell backward, dragging me on top of him, cushioning my fall. We landed in a heap, his stranglehold releasing. Scrambling away from him, I desperately tried to catch my breath.

I realized the dull thud had been the blow to Wally’s head when I saw Aunt Susan standing over his prostrate form, the remains of a flowerpot in
her
hands.

DeeDee trotted over to me and licked my face. “Hungry.”

I laughed, but the sound came out a muted gurgle. I patted her head before resting my palms on her back to steady myself as I slowly stood.

“Don’t move,” a male voice boomed behind me.

Startled, I almost fell over.

“Put the gun down,” the man ordered.

Something about his voice was familiar. Slowly, I swiveled my head in his direction.

The uniformed police officer, arms stretched in front of him and aiming his weapon, looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I knew him from.

“Put it down now.” He adjusted his stance.

Dumbly, I looked to the spot on the grass where the gun had fallen. It was no longer there.

Slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements, I turned to see where the gun had ended.

My breath caught in my throat.

Aunt Leslie was staring at the hunk of metal in her hands like she had no idea how it had gotten there and even less of an idea of what she was supposed to do with it.

“Don’t shoot,” Aunt Susan pleaded.

I wasn’t sure if she was talking to the cop or her sister.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said as calmly as I could, hoping that everyone involved thought the reassurance was meant for them. “It’s all going to be okay. Everyone just needs to take a breath. Can you do that, Aunt Leslie? Can you take a breath for me?”

Nodding shakily, she sucked in a breath, her shoulders rising.

“Good. Good.” I risked a look at the cop, who was still on alert. “I know this is confusing for everyone.”

“Put down the gun or I’ll shoot.”

I was pretty sure I could see the cop’s finger twitching over the trigger.

“This is all Archie’s fault,” Susan muttered.

“Will you
shut up
?” I whisper screamed at her.

The cop swung his gun in my direction.

I raised my hands, signaling my surrender. “Look, this is all one big misunderstanding.”

“There are two men on the ground.” He swung his weapon back toward Leslie. “I think it’s more than a misunderstanding.”

“My sister,” I said, jerking my chin toward Marlene, who still knelt on the ground, cradling Zeke, “was attacked by that man.” I tilted my head toward Wally.

“Says you,” the cop replied sullenly.

I frowned. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

“No.”

“Because I could swear we’ve met before.”

“Shut up. You’re not going to distract me.”

Another siren was approaching.  I hoped Leslie would put the gun down before the scene became any more chaotic, but she looked more spaced out than when she was stoned.

I wracked my brain, trying to remember how I knew the idiot.

“Boom apartment.” DeeDee panted.

Realizing she knew who he was, I looked at the dog, silently willing her to give me another clue.

“Leash no gone.”

“Aha!” I cried. We’d had a run-in with this not-so-bright officer after my apartment was blown up.

The cop swung his weapon back toward me.

“Sorry,” I murmured quickly, recalling that logic didn’t work terribly well with this particular guy. “If you call Sergeant Victor, he can confirm the earlier attack,” I told the cop.

“Who?”

“Sergeant Victor. Big guy. Blond.”

“Are you messing with me?’

“What?”

“There is no Sergeant Victor on the force.” The cop frowned.

“But—” I protested weakly.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, lady, but it’s not going to work.”

“Problem, officer?” a male voice interjected.

I spun around, never so happy to see a member of the Griswald law enforcement clan. “Help!” I squeaked.

Without a shred of bashfulness, Detective Brian Griswald flashed his badge at the guy in the uniform while striding over to Leslie. Plucking the gun from her fingers, he shook his head.  “Never a dull moment at this place.”

“Hungry!” DeeDee barked.

The uniformed cop swung his gun in the direction of the dog.

“You shoot the dog and I’ll shoot you,” Brian warned.

“Sir,” the uniformed officer protested. “I was just assessing the situation.”

Instead of responding to him, Brian turned his attention on me. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but my reply was drowned out as Susan, Leslie, and Marlene all began to talk at once.

“Quiet!” Brian shouted. “I asked Maggie. I want to hear what she has to say.” He spun around in a quick circle, silencing both my aunts and my sister with a hard stare.

“He attacked us earlier.” I pointed to Wally. “But Sergeant Victor chased him off.”

“Lady, there is no Sergeant Victor,” the uniformed cop reminded me.

Brian Griswald turned the same look he’d used to silence my family on the officer.  “Cuff him.”

Holstering his gun, the uniform obeyed the order.

The detective looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue.

“And then I was walking with Zeke and we saw him heading toward the house and we ran back, but Zeke is a lot faster than me, probably because I eat too many frozen meals.”

“Hungry!” DeeDee yipped excitedly.

“She also says I should take up running, which is probably good advice. Alice does, not Dee.”

Griswald shook his head as though he was trying to unhear the last couple of tangential statements. “I’m not even going to ask who Alice is. That’s Zeke?” He jutted his chin toward my friend who was starting to stir in Marlene’s arms.

“He was just protecting me.” Marlene glared at the detective defiantly.

“What happened?” Zeke groaned.

“Wally hit you.” Marlene helped him sit up.

“Oh yeah.” He grinned up at me ruefully. “Not exactly a knight in shining armor moment for me.”

“You’re my knight.” Marlene pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Do you want an ambulance?” Griswald asked.

Zeke shook his head. “Nothing an ice pack and a decent meal wouldn’t fix.”

“Gonnakillyou,” Wally slurred, having regained consciousness.

“Put him in your car,” Griswald ordered the uniformed cop.

Hauling the swearing and stumbling  pimp to his feet, the officer led Wally away.

“You four…” Griswald pointed to Marlene, Zeke, Susan and Leslie. “Go inside and wait for me.”

“You,” he said as I moved toward the house, “need to stay here.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump of nervousness that rose in my throat. While I was grateful for him taking charge, I wouldn’t have minded a return of the mild-mannered, shy man I’d met earlier.

“Hungry,” DeeDee whined.

“What’s wrong with her?” Brian asked.

“She’s hungry.”

His cell phone buzzed. He glanced at it and then offered me a temporary reprieve. “You can go inside and feed her, but then come back out.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, hurrying toward the B&B’s entrance.

“Thanks,” DeeDee panted gratefully, bounding inside ahead of me.

“I know it’s important, but I haven’t had a chance to ask her yet,” Griswald said as I stepped through the doorway and out of earshot.

I had the distinct impression I didn’t want to know what he was going to ask.

Chapter Eleven

“Let me out! Let me out!”

I winced as I heard God shouting at the top of his tiny, reptilian lungs.

Opening the door to the basement, I almost stepped on him as he scurried out.

Bending down, I offered him my palm to climb onto. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? You’re asking me what’s wrong?”

“You’re starting to sound like Aunt Susan,” I warned as I stood and held him at eye level. “Is something wrong with Piss?”

“Nothing’s wrong with the feline. She’s in a drugged-out stupor. No doubt dreaming of hunting poor, defenseless prey.”

“You don’t mind when she catches crickets for you.” I reminded him.  “Now tell me what’s got you so bothered that you were trying to pull off The Great Escape.”

“There’s yelling and screaming and crying and sirens and I don’t know what’s going on.” He flicked his tail as he made each point.

“Everything’s okay,” I assured him.

“Hungry but DeeDee,” the dog complained.

“Don’t let the beast eat me!” The lizard scampered up my arm to hide on my shoulder.

“Drop the drama queen act.” I frowned at the entryway of the kitchen. It was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape.

“How am I supposed to feed you if I can’t get in there?”

“Hamburger? Ice cream?” DeeDee suggested cheerily.

It was Patrick’s fault that the mutt thought take-out was designed just for her. My murder mentor had the annoying habit of spoiling the dog. Of course the ice cream thing was my fault, so I couldn’t lay all the guilt on the red head’s feet.

“How can you eat at time like this, you callous cretin?” God raged.

DeeDee hung her head. “Hungry.”

“I know you’re hungry, sweetheart. I’ll find something for you,” I soothed. “As for you…” I tried to glare at the lizard perched on my shoulder, but he was too close to my face, so all I ended up doing was inadvertently crossing my eyes. “You, shut up.”

“But I haven’t even said anything,” Leslie murmured.

I whirled around to find her standing beside me, a pen in one hand, a pad in the other.

“Not you. I was talking to the lizard.”

She nodded as though that was a completely reasonable response. “Susan’s ordering take-out. Chinese. What would you like?”

“DeeDee feed?” the dog whined.

I patted her head. “Can you get an order of steamed chicken and broccoli for DeeDee?”

The mutt flashed her wolfish grin, pleased with my choice.

“And I’ll have some everything lo mein and an egg roll.”

“How can you eat at a time like this?” God whispered in my ear.

I was sorely tempted to swat him away like a buzzing mosquito.

“What do you think the detective would like?” Leslie whispered, peering over her shoulder.

“How should I know? Ask him.”

“Could you ask him?” my aunt whispered.

“Why are we whispering?” I whispered back.