Pies and Prejudice (28 page)

At first, the only sound Reba and Ella Mae could make out was the rumble of a car engine. In a panic, they replaced the folder, shut the desk drawer, hit the lights in Chandler’s office, closed his door, and raced across the hall to hide in the small kitchen. As they panted in the dark, the jingle of keys and the squeak of rubber-soled shoes against the lobby flooring indicated that someone had come inside.

“Did you grab a copy of one of the bills?” Reba whispered.

“Yes,” Ella Mae answered and then took a quick, anxious peek down the hall. The lights were on in the lobby and she could see Chandler. He had his back turned and was staring fixedly out the front door. Moments passed and he didn’t move but stood like a sentinel on the rectangular mat just inside the door.

When an abrupt flash from a pair of powerful headlamps illuminated the glass, Chandler shielded his eyes and uttered a low curse. His voice held both anger and anxiety.

Tires crunched over gravel and two car doors slammed
shut. Ella Mae heard Chandler gasp. Wondering if he’d recognized his late-night visitors, she ducked her head back into the kitchen before the newcomers could spot her.

There was a whoosh of air as the pair entered, altering the silence. Before, when it had just been Ella Mae and Reba inside the clinic, the building had felt poised on the brink, as if it were waiting for an inevitable event to occur. Now the atmosphere was cold with dread. Gooseflesh erupted on Ella Mae’s arms and she resisted the temptation to grab hold of Reba’s hand. Instead, she edged closer to the smaller woman, drawing comfort from the warmth of her body and her strawberry scent.

Two sets of footfalls crossed the threshold. The first was heavy and distinctly male while the other was the light and graceful tread of a woman.

“You!”
Chandler hissed loudly, echoes of indignation reverberating down the corridor.

“Were you expecting hit men dressed in black? A carload of tattooed thugs with brass knuckles? Sorry to disappoint,” a female voice scoffed.

There was a pause and Ella Mae could almost visualize Chandler struggling to accept the identity of the Uraeus representatives. It had to be Uraeus, Ella Mae reasoned. The company had sent someone to collect the money owed to them by Bradford Knox. And since the note threatened that the center could be burned, Ella Mae also had to assume that the two people standing before Chandler had had a hand in torching Loralyn’s nail salon. It was also possible that this pair had struck Bradford with a marble rolling pin, started a fire, and left him in the salon to die.

She shuddered at the thought.

“Who’s the woman?” Reba’s whisper was barely audible. “Is it Peggy? The woman scorned? Knowin’ what office managers get paid, she probably wouldn’t say no to some extra spendin’ money either. Sounds like a double motive to me.”

Ella Mae didn’t have the opportunity to answer because Chandler began to speak again.

“The only reason I came tonight is to find out who dared to send me a note referencing my father’s murder.” His voice was a dangerous growl. “And it turns out
you
sent it. That
you
knew what happened to him all along. You disgusting, greedy, little bitch.”

There was a tinkle of derisive laughter from the woman followed by the deep bass of a man’s voice. “We’re not here for drama, Chandler. Just give us the money.”

“Look, mister.” Chandler’s tone changed abruptly as he addressed the stranger. “This center isn’t turning over enough profit to pay you the full amount. You can look over our books if you don’t believe me. I’ve brought all I could afford from my personal savings, but this money is not for
her
; it’s to serve as the first payment toward my father’s debt.” Chandler was clearly struggling to remain calm. Icicles entered his voice when he spoke next. “I can’t believe he got involved with illegal doping, but did you have to kill him for
this
amount of money?”

“It’s no small amount to our company,” the man answered.

“I’m not talking to you,
sir
. I’m talking to the spoiled waste of breath standing to your left,” Chandler said acidly.

Ella Mae pressed her mouth close to Reba’s ear. “I don’t think the woman is Peggy.”

“Did you go to a firin’ range in New York? Keep your shootin’ skills up?” Reba whispered in return.

“What?
No.
” Ella Mae had no time to consider the odd question before she felt the cold metal of a small revolver pressed into her right hand.

“It’ll come back to you. It’s like ridin’ a bike. All muscle memory.”

Shifting her hand so that it closed around the grip, Ella Mae’s index finger felt for the trigger while her thumb located the hammer. It would take approximately three seconds to aim, pull back the hammer, and fire. She knew better
than to ask Reba whether the gun was loaded. Its cool weight felt solid in her hand, instilling her with a sense of calm. No one would be striking Chandler on the head and leaving him to die while the equine center burned down around him. Not if Ella Mae could help it.

She forced herself to concentrate on the conversation in the lobby. The tension between Chandler and the malevolent woman was obviously escalating.

“How could you let him die?” Chandler was asking, grief and rage billowing into the air like smoke. “Did you watch it happen or did you hit him? Are you that evil?”

“Oh, stop it, Chandler. Do you think I’d attack him with a rolling pin? I wouldn’t even know how to hold one. I’ve never been much good in the kitchen.” She chortled. “My associate from Uraeus, Dirk, did that, but it was kind of by accident, wasn’t it, Dirk? If Daddy had just given us the cash he owed, none of this would have happened. But he wouldn’t. Dirk was forced to grab the rolling pin out of his hands and then Daddy rushed for the door. He was trying to call the cops on his cell, and obviously, Dirk couldn’t let him make that call.” There was a pause, and in the lull, Ella Mae realized that she recognized the speaker’s voice.

“That’s Ashleigh Knox,” she muttered in horror. “Chandler’s sister.”

Ella Mae could feel Reba’s body grow tense in response. She was like a wild cat preparing to spring, her blood simmering with unspent adrenaline. Ella Mae was also drawn as taut as a wire. Her hand was tight on the gun’s grip and she stood with her knees slightly bent, intent on leaping forward any moment. She didn’t pause to consider the danger she might face. Even though she was trapped in the clinic with two people who’d resort to violence to get what they wanted, Ella Mae was determined that this was to be the end of the line for Ashleigh and her sidekick, the man named Dirk.

Chandler must have been looking at his sister through
eyes tinged red with rage. “I wouldn’t give you a dime, Ashleigh. You leeched off our parents and a bunch of rich, weak men who were dumb enough to marry you. You’ve never mucked a stall or filled a feed bag. You’ve never so much as chipped a nail doing manual labor. You are owed
nothing
because you’ve earned
nothing
.”

“Why should I have shoveled shit?” Ashleigh sounded shocked by the notion. “Daddy always told me that I was meant for more—that our family was going to rise higher than his parents had ever dreamed. He sent me to finishing school and I married well and I moved up with every divorce.
That
was my job. I did what was expected of me!” Ashleigh spat.

“Our parents expected you to become a
lady
,” Chandler retorted. “Instead you cheated on three husbands, maxed out dozens of credit cards, and gambled away any cash you could get your filthy hands on.”

After this short speech there was a brisk, heated exchange between Ashleigh and her partner. Dirk demanded that they take Chandler’s money and go without any more chitchat, but Ashleigh clearly didn’t care to be told what to do and had a few choice words for her associate before focusing her malice on Chandler again.

“Dirk here didn’t exactly score an eighteen hundred on his SATs, but he’s got a point. We should get going. I’ll allow you to walk out of this dump on two conditions. First, give me the pittance you brought. Second, find me the rolling pin Loralyn took from the nail salon and we’ll forgive the rest of the debt.”

If Ella Mae was surprised by the second part of the offer, Chandler was even more so. “Who cares about this rolling pin? It’s too late to clean off any fingerprints and the cops have it, not Loralyn. I guess you and your buddy Dirk made a serious mistake.”

“Dirk’s prints weren’t on that rolling pin. He wiped it off with alcohol, thank you very much. Too bad the fire
department got there before it had a chance to burn, but the cops still have nothing on us,” Ashleigh declared triumphantly. “And we didn’t make
any
mistakes the second time.”

The significance of Ashleigh’s phrase “the second time,” hit Ella Mae like a blow to the stomach. Chandler had seized on that statement as well. “Annie Beaufort…that was your handiwork?”

“She was going to tell that nosy pie girl everything! I charged a few of our clients an extra fee to take care of Bleeding Heart Beaufort. And the best part? My weapons were totally free. The tranquilizer Dirk shot into Annie’s neck came from your supply room.” Ashleigh laughed with delight, causing Ella Mae to clench her jaw so tightly her teeth hurt. “All that’s left is getting the rolling pin from Loralyn. It’s taken me a little while to figure out that she switched the two pins, but I won’t let that stand in my way. You’re going to be my errand boy, Chandler.”

“Get ready,” Reba whispered. “The storm’s about to break.”

“Go to hell, Ashleigh,” Chandler said and Ella Mae sensed that he had begun to move away from the front doors. Perhaps he was trying to reach the phone on Peggy’s desk. “You’ve manipulated people all your life, but you won’t get your way this time. I’m not one of your husbands or lackeys. I’m the man who’s going to make sure you get locked up until you’re old and gray. And as soon as the judge’s gavel falls, I will sell every possession in that Atlanta mansion of yours and give the proceeds to Annie’s ranch.”

Ashleigh shouted, “Put that phone down!
NOW!
” Less than a second later, the shout escalated to a shrill shriek. “Dirk, stop him!”

In unison, Ella Mae and Reba sprang into the hallway, guns cocked, barrels pointed dead ahead.

“Freeze!” they yelled simultaneously.

A stocky, pug-faced man went slack-jawed in surprise,
the Beretta in his hand dipping slightly toward the floor. Ella Mae had enough time to register the silencer attached to the end of the sleek firearm before Chandler struck out with his foot, knocking the Beretta to the ground. The gun slid across the laminate floor and Ashleigh lunged for it.

Ella Mae raced forward, launching herself at Ashleigh Knox. The two women were about the same size, but Ella Mae’s athleticism combined with momentum gave her the advantage. She slammed into her opponent, forcing Ashleigh off balance. With a snarl, Ashleigh fell.

Pressing her father’s Magnum mini against her opponent’s temple, Ella Mae commanded Ashleigh to put her hands behind her back. She then sat on the other woman’s rump and looked around for something to use to bind her wrists.

The action on her side of the room had taken all of fifteen seconds. During that time, it was obvious that Reba and Chandler had subdued Dirk. Chandler had not escaped unscathed, however. The flesh around his left eye was turning a deep plum and blood trickled from his nose. While Ella Mae caught her breath, Reba tied Dirk’s hands to his ankles using a horse lead and a series of intricate knots.

“Call the cops and then throw Ella Mae the phone cord,” she told Chandler. “I’m sure she doesn’t want to perch on your sister’s ass for the rest of the night, though I reckon that girl’s long overdue for a servin’ of humble pie.” Having trussed up Dirk like stuffed chicken ready for the oven, Reba pulled her cell phone from her pocket and used the camera function to snap a picture of Ashleigh.

“Your ex-husbands are gonna love that pose,” she taunted.

Ashleigh began to swear, spittle hitting the floor as she vented her rage. She struggled to be free of Ella Mae’s weight, bucking and kicking like an unbroken colt. Chandler hurriedly completed his phone call and then ripped the phone cord out of the wall.

Reba helped Ella Mae bind Ashleigh’s wrists and then,
with a gleam of genuine pleasure, yanked the Hermès scarf from Ashleigh’s neck and used it as a gag.

Chandler watched in horror as his only sibling rolled back and forth on the floor, her muffled screams of hatred and wrath reverberating throughout the lobby. The anger in his eyes was slowly giving way to sorrow as the truth set in. His sister had been an accomplice in the murder of her own father. She had committed the most grievous sin in exchange for money, and the full impact of her wickedness was washing over Chandler in a wave of palpable anguish. Ella Mae noticed the color drain from the undamaged flesh of his face and steered him into the kitchen.

She held him by the elbow as he vomited into the sink. He retched over and over until there was nothing left but empty heaves.

“Are you okay out there?” she called to Reba.

“Right as rain. You just look after the good doctor.”

Easing Chandler into a chair, Ella Mae poured him a glass of water and then searched in the freezer for something to put over his swollen eye. She found an ice pack, wrapped it in a dish towel, and placed it gently against his skin. He grabbed her wrist and held it as though it were a lifeline until she sank into the seat next to him.

“I’m so sorry, Chandler,” she whispered, feeling an ache in her chest as she witnessed the pain overtaking him. It appeared like a cloud in his good eye, but she knew that it had permeated throughout his whole being, creeping through every cell like a dark fog.

He nodded, too shell-shocked to speak.

The minutes crawled by and Ella Mae used the heavy silence to wrap her mind around all that had happened. She should have felt a measure of relief. After all, Bradford and Annie’s killers had been caught and the police were on the way. In a few hours, Ella Mae would no longer be considered a suspect and she could finally focus on the pie shop and her fresh start in Havenwood.