Liz Marvin - Betty Crawford 03 - Too Long at the Fair (17 page)

The grass was thick and tall and it cushioned her fall.  Fortunately Henry hadn’t gained much speed and Betty wasn’t hurt.  She came up running.  This is the second time today I’ve had to sprint.  I don’t like it, Betty thought but she pumped her arms and legs as hard and as fast as she could heading into the deepest thickest part of the woods lining both sides of the road.

Cursing Henry slammed on the brakes.  Rifle in hand he jumped from the SUV and looked for Betty.  The bushes were so thick he couldn’t see her.  Swearing a blue streak he headed into the woods after her. 

The good news was that Betty knew where she was and knew where she wanted to go.  The bad news was that she knew Henry did too.  She had a head start and adrenaline on her side.  Plus she had been jogging for a year.  On the other hand Henry was younger, thinner and had a gun.  He didn’t have to catch her he just had to be able to see her.

Betty ran harder.  She saw an opening to the road and took a chance.  She darted onto the road.  Looking back she saw the SUV more than a hundred yards away.  She ran down the road until she came to a small gap in the bushes on the far side and dove through it.  The woods weren’t thick but they lead to field which led back to the fairgrounds, the fence and people.  Lots of people including lots and lots of cops.  She would be safe there.

But first she had to reach there.

Crouch low, run fast.  She repeated those words silently, her lungs burning, her legs, arms, sides burning.  She couldn’t believe it.  Henry had been involved in stealing from the theater.  He had probably been the one who shot Andy and had been shooting at her.  He had probably killed Marlee May!

Up ahead she saw the fence. If she could just make it back to the hole.

BLAM!

The gunshot was so loud it seemed to be right behind her.  She dove and rolled then crawled on her belly up to the fence.  She turned and saw Henry standing behind her, a hundred yards away.  He was taking aim. 

“Drop the rifle.”  Addie yelled in a loud calm voice.  Henry raised the barrel and looked.  He laughed out loud.  Addie was standing in an ankle length farmer’s dress that was at least a hundred years old.  She held a musket braced against her shoulder, the barrel poking through the fence.  She was aiming at Henry.

Henry lowered his gun and gave her one barking laugh.  “You think you can hit me with that antique before I hit you and Betty twice each?”

“You killed Marlee May.  She’s family.  Either drop the gun or by God and by Damn I will drop you.” 

Henry froze for a moment, then braced the gun for a quick shot.  He was not quick enough.  The boom of the musket right above her head terrified Betty.  She covered her ears, covered her head and ducked away but she saw Henry totter, drop the rifle and slump to the ground.  He looked well and truly surprised.

Betty finally remembered to breath.  Every cell in her body cried out for oxygen just as every sorrow in her life boiled over into tears and she wasn’t sure if she would ever catch her breath or stop crying again.

22. Epilogue

The fireworks were canceled but nobody minded.  Over the next few days most of the stolen goods were recovered and returned to their rightful owners.  The state police agreed to handle jailing the dozen or so men who made up the pickpocket gang.  Addie had tried to return the gun she had borrowed from the confederate re-enactor but he had insisted she keep it. 

The big news was that Addie was leaving Lofton.  Achmed had asked her marry him and she had calmly accepted.  They would travel the world.  Henry Witt would recover and in all likelihood die in prison.  The Witt family was devastated.  They closed the business and vowed to repay all their son had taken.

Betty finally did stop crying.  Thelma and Edna petitioned her aunt Laura to come up with a few diabetes friendly recipes for the diner.  Walter tested them and pronounced them good.  The movie would still be filmed in Lofton.  Clarise was hired to be the location scout and for extras casting. 

Danbey and Addie hired Betty to design the summer camp website which kept her occupied for a week.  Once the website went live the camp was overbooked within days and Betty found herself with a new business.  Website consulting and design and her services were in high demand.

Bill and Wes both received commendations from the governor for their work in catching the pick-pocket gang.  Bill even received a grudging compliment from the captain of the state police.  All of that paled in comparison to the two most important things in his life. His community was safe but more important, Betty was safe and he vowed to keep her that way.  In fact he was loathe to let her out of his sight and Betty didn’t mind. Not one bit.

The End

23. Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Michele at Pixabay for the boardwalk photo on which the cover is based.  Thanks too to Dawn Ramage for proofreading and editing and to everyone at Johnston Media LLC for their help and support and for making this series possible.

And if you or someone you know has diabetes please consult your physician before using any of the diet or herbal treatments suggested here.  Cinnamon, for instance, is a blood thinner and could react adversely with prescription or over-the-counter medications so always use caution!

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All Rights Reserved

Get All The Books In The Betty Crawford Mysteries Series:

Murder Takes A Bow

Dancing With Death

The Complete Betty Crawford Cozy Mystery Trilogy