Trouble at the Kennel (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery #9)(36)
“Oh, Mike, I thought this was going to be it. I was going to be murdered in a shack in a forest, and no one would ever find me. Hank said he was going to dig a grave and put me in it. How did you know where to look for me? Did Sandy tell you? I left Rebel in the car at her house, but I don’t think she knew where Hank was going to take me. Mike, he’s the one who killed Mary and let the dogs out.”
She told him what Hank had told her about killing Mary, and Mike explained how he’d found her through the Message locater on his phone. A few moments later Mike heard voices and looked outside. His two deputies were hurrying up to the shack.
“I heard your voice, Sheriff, and figured you had everything under control. What do you want us to do?”
“First of all, handcuff this guy. His name is Hank Reston. Take him to the station. I want him arrested for the murder of Mary Barnes and the attempted murder of Kelly Reynolds. Kelly will be in tomorrow to give her statement.”
“Boss, I can’t get close enough to the guy to handcuff him because of the dog. Can you call him off?”
“Rebel, stand down. Good boy.” Rebel backed away from Hank and walked over to Kelly, who was sitting on the floor. He put his big head on her shoulder, his way of asking for an ear scratch which she gladly gave him.
“Mike, my legs have turned to jelly. I’m not sure I can stand up, much less walk,” she said starting to cry as the realization hit her that she was safe.
He bent down and helped her up. “Lean on my shoulder, sweetheart, and I’ll get you to the car. You’ll be okay in a few minutes. Rebel, come.” He turned to his deputies. “Might want to wrap Reston’s hand. Looks like I nicked him when I shot the gun out of his hand. I’ll meet you at the station after I take Kelly home.”
“Mike, I can’t go home. I need to go back to the coffee shop. Roxie will never forgive me for leaving her with the lunch crowd.”
“Not only will she forgive you, she’ll be the first to insist that you take it easy the rest of the day. I’ll pick up Skyy on the way home. Look at it this way, Roxie will have a great story to tell everyone. No one will mind if their lunch isn’t served quite as fast as usual. Once Doc, your favorite lunchtime customer, finds out what’s happened to you, he’ll probably be knocking on the door at the house to make sure you’re okay. No, there’s only one place you’re going and that’s home.”
“I can tell from the tone of your voice that I don’t have much to say about this decision.”
“You’ve got that right, sweetheart. I am personally making sure you’re going to rest for the remainder of the day. I’ll have a couple of my deputies get your minivan and take it to the house. Right now I need to call Roxie and let her know you’re safe and sound. It’s going to be kind of like one of those do you want the good news or the bad news things. The good news is that Kelly’s okay. The bad news is she almost got murdered. Kelly, I’m beginning to think you’re like a cat that has nine lives. Whatever it is, you’ve been very, very lucky.”
“I know. I’ve thought the same thing about some of my past experiences, but today I was pretty sure my cat lives had come to an end. It never occurred to me you could find me. I am so thankful you did.”
“So am I, and I have a confession to make.”
“What is it?”
He looked away abashedly as he closed the passenger door of the car and walked around to the driver’s side. After Mike got in the car he preoccupied himself with his seat belt and getting the car started. Finally, he spoke, “I kind of made a promise. It has to do with me deciding I’ll be going to church with you this Sunday. It was kind of in exchange for me getting to you in time.”
“That will make Father Brown very happy, and you know what? It makes me happy too, although I would prefer to have gotten you there a little less dramatically.”
“Trust me, you’re not the only one!”
CHAPTER 29
It was after six when Mike and Lady walked through the front door that evening. “Kelly, I’m home. Where are you?” he called out.
“I’m in the great room looking out at the bay. No matter how many times I look at it, I’m still in awe that boats can float and maneuver their way on something so vast and not sink. I know all the engineers in the world cringe when I say that, but it’s kind of like airplanes. I’ll never figure out what makes them stay in the air. It’s all quite amazing.”
“And that’s one of the reasons I love you. You still look at the world with childlike eyes and find wonder in it. How are you doing after the excitement of today?”
“I’m fine. At least Doc says I’m fine.”
“So I was right? He did come here to examine you?”
“Yes. Roxie called and told me he left half his lunch uneaten he was in such a hurry to get here. That’s quite a compliment, because that man loves his lunch. Anyway, he examined me, and said I was probably still somewhat in shock, but it would wear off pretty soon. Now that you’ve caught the bad guy, is anything else happening?”
“I went to the Reston’s home and personally told Sandy I’d arrested her husband for the murder of Mary Barnes. I asked if I could call anyone for her. She told me she had a sister who lived in Portland, and that she could probably come and stay with her for a few days. Even though Hank had told her he’d murdered Mary, she was still pretty shaken up when she realized that the father of her unborn child would likely be going to prison for a long time. She asked if you would call her tomorrow, so she could get the name and telephone number of the psychologist you’d recommended.”