The Librarian's Last Chapter (13 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Get out from under there. We don’t have much time.”

I rolled over and peered
into Ingrid’s face. “I didn’t expect you.”

“Mother won’t either.
Let’s go.” She reached in and grabbed my arm. “She’s only a few minutes behind
me.”

I crawled from under the
bench, and Ingrid handed me my purse. “I grabbed this the moment I spotted
Officer Barnett taking you in the squad car. I’m afraid my mother set this up
to get you in one easy place.”

“Why are you helping me?”
I dug in my purse, pleased to see the Taser still there. I shoved it in my bra
within easy reach and prayed I wouldn’t accidentally zap myself. I’d done that
moments after purchasing the thing and had no desire to repeat the experience.

“There’s no time. Come
on.” She rushed out the door.

Bruce’s desk was empty,
the usually meticulous surface in disarray. Banging came from a door across
from us. “Where’s Bruce? Shouldn’t we stay with him?”

“I locked him in the
bathroom. Do you want that fine man to die? Mother will shoot him as easily as
you. She’s crazy.” She whirled to face me, her face as white as chalk. “I’ve
texted Oscar to release him and follow us to the tea room.” She sprinted to the
parking lot.

I hurried after her. “Why
are you doing this?” I asked sliding into the passenger seat of her Sentra.

“I can’t let that evil
woman kill another person.” Ingrid, having been smart enough to leave the car
running, pealed rubber onto the highway.

“Is that any way to talk
about the woman who raised you?”

We both screamed as Norma
Rae’s face appeared in the rearview mirror. “You, my dear, are a traitor.”

Why hadn’t we thought to
check the back seat? I reached for the door handle.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” She
clipped me on the back of the head with the pistol she held in her hand. “The
next whack will be a bit harder. Now drive, Ingrid.”

“Was this a trap to lure
me out of the cell?” I put a hand to my head and glared at Ingrid.

“Absolutely not. We’re
friends. This woman means nothing to me.” Ingrid turned the car right.

Norma Rae
tsked
tsked
. “I’m in a difficult
position now. Since you’re helped my enemy, you’ll have to suffer the same
fate.”

“You’d kill your own
daughter?” Nausea burned up my esophagus. I turned to look at her.

“She really isn’t my
daughter.”

I glanced at Ingrid, who
shrugged. “It’s true. I’m the product of my father’s infidelity. Mother either
had to raise me or suffer the embarrassment of divorce. It’s been a joyless
life, you can be sure of that.”

“Oh, you poor thing,”
Norma Rae spat. “How do you think I felt having to raise his bastard child? Do
you know the mortification? I would have dropped you at the first hospital if
your dear old dad hadn’t stipulated in his will that you stay with me. Now, the
small amount of money he left me is gone, and I’m still stuck with you.”

I was in the middle of a
family feud. Ingrid had increased the speed of the car to such a degree that I
hooked my seatbelt and held on to the hand strap beside my head. The belt
pressed against the Taser, reminding me to look for the first opportunity to
use it. I never should have tried to save money by not purchasing the kind that
shot out little darts. I so wanted to zap Norma Rae right in her swollen lip.
Instead, I relished the knowledge that I was the one who had given her that
lip. I’d give her a whole lot more given the chance.

The drive to the tea shop
went insanely quick. Ingrid pulled to the front of the shop. I pushed my door
open, knocking my purse to the ground.

“I don’t think so. Drive
around to the back,” Norma Rae said. “No funny business.”

I slammed my door before
she noticed the purse. Of course, anyone in their right mind would look here
first. Why weren’t we hearing sirens yet? What if Officer Wilson didn’t have
his phone handy? My spirits sank.

Ingrid followed orders
and drove down the alley, slamming the car into park by the shop’s back door.
“There. Happy.” She peered into the rearview mirror.

“Very,” Norma Rae said.
“Now get out.”

She marched us into the
store at gunpoint and had us sit at a table. “This is the tricky part.” She
paced five paces in one direction, then five in the other. “What to do, what to
do.”

“Why don’t you start with
telling me why you killed Mrs. Grimes?” Keeping the killer talking worked in
the movies, sometimes.

“It’s simple, really. I
want that infernal map.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out the map I’d
given Bruce. “Now I have it, and it’s time to stop your snooping.”

“I seriously doubt
there’s a treasure.” I shook my head. “How did you get that?”

“I had a copy made of
Ingrid’s key.” She grinned, splitting her lip back open. I stared transfixed at
a drop of blood beading there. “And if there isn’t money to be found where the
X marks the spot, then why did dear old Harriet guard it so closely?”

“It’s a historical
treasure, you old witch.” Ingrid crossed her arms. “I’ve told you a hundred
times everyone and their relatives have searched.”

“They didn’t search hard
enough!” Norma Rae turned the gun on her. “I’ll do anything not to have to live
with you for one more day.”

“But Ingrid is getting
married,” I said. “She’ll be living with her new husband, so the two people you
murdered were for nothing. Why Stacy?”

“I didn’t want a
newspaper reporter digging in where she didn’t belong. If you could figure out
it was me, she definitely would. Stupid girl. When I phoned her and told her to
meet me because I had a clue, she couldn’t wait to find out what I knew.” Norma
Rae laughed. “But don’t worry. I told her who the murderer was before I killed
her.”

“You’re insane.” I’d met
crazy people in the last few months, but she was queen of them all.

“Crazy makes me
interesting. Now, who should I shoot first?” She moved the gun from Ingrid to
me, and then back again. Her hand shook like a person with palsy.

“Do you take meds?” I
leaned my elbow on the table. “Did you miss your dosage? Maybe we should take a
trip to the pharmacy.”

“She hasn’t taken them in
weeks. Mother suffers from schizophrenia, if you couldn’t tell.” Ingrid’s glare
didn’t soften despite the promise of death. Good for her. She’d go down
fighting.

“Stop telling everyone
our business.” Norma Rae shifted the gun back to her.

I slipped my hand into my
bra and pulled out the Taser. While she was distracted, I slid it under my leg.
“I need to use the restroom. Very much.” In fact, the need had become painful
since I wouldn’t use the exposed toilet in the cell.

“You won’t need to much
longer.”

Maybe she cared more for
her stepdaughter than she thought. She’d killed Mrs. Grimes and Stacy without a
second thought, but now she seemed almost hesitant to shoot either one of us.
What was the hold up? Not that I was complaining.

Norma Rae sighed. “This
is harder than I thought. After all, I raised one of you and the other has a
child. But…there’s no help for it.” She pulled the trigger, knocking Ingrid out
of her chair.

I leaped to my feet,
Taser in hand, and rushed her before she could turn the gun in my direction. I
pushed the button and watched as she twitched. Another shot went wild before the
gun skittered under the counter. Knowing I only had thirty seconds before the
effects wore off, I didn’t waste time searching for the weapon. Instead, I
raced for a door across the room.

It turned out to be a
bathroom. I flipped the lock and squeezed between the toilet and the wall,
looking at the toilet like it was an unwrapped Christmas present. If I
succumbed to my need, I’d be a sitting duck, literally.

“That was not nice!”
Norma Rae pounded on the door.

“You shot Ingrid.”

“I’m going to shoot you,
too.” A bullet blasted through the thin door.

Where in the heck was the
police? I put my hands over my head and my head between my knees, praying like
there wouldn’t be another breath. Which, considering the psycho’s rage, there
might not be. Another bullet blasted the door. One more would make the lock
fall to the floor. I needed a plan.

The charge on my Taser
showed green. I pushed to my feet and positioned myself against the wall beside
the door. Hopefully, she’d continue to shoot the lock and not spray the wall
with bullets. The moment she showed her ugly face, I’d zap her again. This
time, I would take the gun.

As I’d figured, she shot
out the lock. The door slammed open. I grabbed her arm, pulled her into the
room, and pressed the Taser against her neck. She dropped like a sack of flour.
I grabbed the gun, dropped my pants, and took care of business, all before she
could get shakily to her feet. Once I’d finished, I jabbed the gun into her
back and shoved the Taser into my pocket. “Your turn.” I forced her back to the
tables. “Now, you sit.”

Ingrid moaned and sat up.
“Good thing I thought to borrow a bulletproof vest before freeing you.”

I grinned. “Yeah, good
thing.” I might have gone to lunch with the woman out of a need to dig up
information, but at that moment I knew I’d made a true friend. I loved people
with guts. “Want me to shoot her?”

“You don’t have what it
takes,” Norma Rae spat.

“Maybe not, but I bet
Ingrid does.”

Sirens wailed outside.
Finally. “Now, you’ll be locked up for a very long time and forced to take your
meds.”

She spit at me. As she
sat there, dejected, her hair falling from the bun she always wore, I felt a
moment of compassion. She was a sick woman chasing a foolish dream.

Within seconds, Officer
Wilson, Bruce, and Duane burst through the front door, shattering the glass.
Their eyes widened at the sight of me holding Norma Rae at gunpoint. Bruce took
the gun from me. While Norma Rae moved into her lovers arms, I rushed into
Duane’s.

He covered my face with
kisses before claiming my lips. When we were breathless, he pulled back. “Bruce
told me to wait outside, but when I saw your purse on the ground, I needed to
see for myself that you were all right. Someone called in that they heard
gunshots.”

“She shot Ingrid, but
Ingrid was wearing a vest, then when I locked myself in the bathroom, she shot
the door open. I zapped her with my trusty Taser. Best fifty bucks I ever
spent.”

“Woman, you make me
crazy.” He kissed me again,
then
with his arm around
my shoulder, led me to the others.

Bruce cuffed Norma Rae.
“Ingrid, it was wrong of you to lock me in the bathroom.”

“Are you going to arrest
me?”

He shook his head. “You
had good intentions, and I’m exhausted from dealing with this case. Duane, I
hope your honeymoon is far away from River Valley. I need a break from your
bride-to-be.”

“Oh, it is.” He grinned.
“You’ll have a ten day break from her.”

“I still say your nuts to
marry this woman.” The soft look in Bruce’s eyes belied his words. The man did
care about me, and I owed him my life a few times over. “I’m sorry I arrested
you, Marsha, but we had our concerns about Norma Rae, and I thought jail was
the safest place for you. I was wrong.”

I slid from under Duane’s
arm and planted a kiss on Bruce’s lips. “You’ll be next, Officer Barnett. I’m taking
it upon myself to find you a wife.”

“Heaven help us all.” He
grabbed Norma Rae’s arm and escorted her to his squad car.

I took a deep breath and
moved back to the best spot in the world—Duane’s embrace.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Mom pounded on my bedroom door. “Get up. You’ll be late for
your own wedding.”

I’d been up for hours,
unable to sleep, every nerve twanging. The moment I’d waited for my whole life
was four hours away. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the rag rug at
my feet. I’d cared for my first husband, Robert, very much. Still did, even
years after he’d died in a car accident.

But my heart had always
belonged to his brother Duane. I glanced at the picture of Lindsey on my
nightstand. She carried so many traits of the Steele brothers. Duane would be a
good father to her.

My wedding dress hung
from a hook on the back of the bedroom door. So different from the frilly, lacy
gown I’d worn to my first wedding. This one fell to the floor in a cascade of
ivory silk.
Simple and classy.
I moved over to run my
hands down the buttery softness. On the dresser sat my veil, long and flowing.
The wedding outfit of my dreams.

Since Duane still hadn’t
told me where our honeymoon was going to be, I’d left my packing to Mom and
followed her strict orders not to peek in the suitcases lined against the wall.
I put a hand to my nervous stomach. How long until a baby nestled there? I’d be
thirty-six in a few months. It was ridiculous to have a baby at my age. Lindsey
was two years from leaving for college, and I’d be starting all over again. The
idea frightened and excited me.

“Mom?” Lindsey knocked,
then
pushed my door open. “Are you ready to head to the
lake?”

“More than ready.” I
draped the wedding gown over my arm and left the veil and beaded heels to
Lindsey. “Where’s your dress?”

“In the car. We want to
get there before Uncle Duane so he doesn’t see you. Grandma and I know you’re
going to want to check out the tables and stuff.”

“I sure am.” After my
fiasco with Norma Rae, no one wanted me to have to lift a finger. I’d already
made them all frazzled by adding Ingrid as a last minute bridesmaid, sending
Duane rushing to ask Bruce to be a groomsmen.

Yet, it turned out fine
and the day was upon us. We stepped outside into a brisk, December day. I’d be
married, on my honeymoon, and returned by Christmas. It felt strange not to be
involved in the holiday preparations, but I hadn’t wanted to move the wedding
back any farther.

Leroy grinned and opened
the door of a black stretch limousine. “A gift for my ladies.”

“You’re the sweetest
thing.” Mom couldn’t be luckier to have him as a husband or I to have him as a
stepfather. God was good to the Callahan women.

The limo stopped in front
of the lake clubhouse. Leroy arrived behind us in his truck and took over
carrying in the gowns, shoes, and makeup boxes while we strolled through the
reception room and the area inside a glass room where the ceremony would take
place. Some might say a December wedding in the Ozarks was too cold, but I
loved the chill in the air. A few snowflakes drifted from the slate sky to add
a magical feeling to the day. I prayed they’d continue throughout the ceremony
and provide a pristine backdrop to the day.

The reception hall was
filled with tables draped with starched white tablecloths. In the center of
each table, hurricane lamps waited to be lit. Surrounding them were white silk
roses, tipped with an iridescent glitter. The whole room sparkled with white
lights strung from the ceilings. It really did look like a winter wonderland.

In the glass room, a
simple arch adorned with the same lights and flowers of the reception hall
waited for me and Duane. Tears pricked my eyes. It was so beautiful in its
simplicity.

“It’s time to get
dressed.” Mom slipped her arm in mine. “It’s going to be the most beautiful
wedding of the year.”

I agreed, but then we
might both be biased. We headed for a room set aside for the bride. The
photographer, a woman from church, waited with a big grin. “I like to take
candid shots of the wedding party getting ready,” she said. “Then, I’ll take
all the pictures of the bride with her girls before meeting up with the guys.”

Ingrid rushed into the
room. “Sorry I’m late. I stopped by to see Mother.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“I know, I know, but
she’s the only mother I’ve ever known, even if she is fruitier than a can of
Del Monte.” Ingrid slipped out of the skirt and blouse she wore and into the
bridesmaid gown. The rose color brightened her complexion.

“The makeup lady is here
to do all of our makeup,” I told her. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I’ve never worn makeup
before.”

“You’ll be gorgeous.” I
sat at a vanity and turned myself over to the woman’s ministrations. There was
nothing more soothing than someone doing your hair and makeup. No wonder it had
become so popular for brides to hire someone. It helped relax them before the
vows.

“The men are here.”
Lindsey rushed into the room and slammed the door. “Uncle Duane looks fine!”

The rest of us giggled.
She narrowed her eyes. “What? He does. Someday, I want to marry a man just like
him.”

I patted her hand. “He’s
a fine example to hold your future husband up to. A godly man who puts the
woman he loves first and doesn’t hold her back when she feels strongly about
pursuing something.” Although Duane was most often less than thrilled about my
latest crime solving spree, he’d chosen to support me rather than stifle. I
loved him for it.

An hour later, I stood
behind two double doors, my arm linked with Leroy’s. His eyes glistened with
tears. “Thank you for allowing me this honor.”

I stood on tip toe and
planted a kiss on his ruddy cheek. “The pleasure is all mine.”

The strains of the
wedding march reached us and the doors opened. First, a lovely, very feminine
looking stranger named Ingrid, small stepped down the aisle, followed by
Lindsey. Then the music increased in volume. I took a shaky breath and my first
step down the aisle toward my handsome man.

He was splendid in a dark
tuxedo. His eyes shimmered and never left my face as Leroy slipped my hand into
his. I heard very little of the ceremony, getting a nudge in the back from my
daughter when it was time to repeat the vows the pastor said. I giggled and
repeated them.

“I now pronounce you man
and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

No sweeter words ever
reached my ears. Duane dipped me back and planted a heavy kiss on my lips,
raising me back up to hoots and yells from most of his football team. He
nuzzled my ear. “How does an Alaskan cruise sound for a honeymoon?”

“I’d go to the barren
dessert of Africa as long as I went with you.” I grinned. “But the cruise
sounds much more wonderful.”

He straightened me and we
turned to face our family and friends for the first time as husband and wife.

The End