He nodded.
Morgan waited and seemed to be on our side, so I inched my way back toward where I thought I had left the ladder. I kept a tight grip on Seth. Before I knew it, and much faster than it had taken me to get up there, I found myself back down on the stone floor of the bell tower. Seth quickly followed. Then Bea made her way carefully down the ladder, her hands still tied in front of her. Morgan waited until we had a good grip on Bea, and then began climbing. High-heeled black boots stepped on the rungs while the dark fabric billowed in the wind. Once on the ground, she pulled the hood off and there she was, in all her menacing makeup and leather.
All the air that I had finally been able to pull into my lungs after my experience outside rushed out of me and I felt light-headed again.
I instinctively pulled Seth behind me and took a step away from her. She saw this and her red lips curled into her now familiar smirk.
“I’m here to help you, not hurt you,” she said.
Bea took a step away from Morgan. Morgan grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her close.
“Untie me this instant!” Bea glared at Morgan and held out her hands.
Morgan turned her look of disdain onto Bea.
“I don’t think so, Mrs. Paxton,” she said. “You’ve been very busy and I just witnessed you trying to kill these people.”
Bea shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. They dragged me up here and threatened me.”
“You pulled a gun on me!” Seth said.
“Gun? I don’t see a gun,” Bea said. “It’s your word against mine. I’m a respected member of this congregation and when I found vandals climbing around inside the bell tower, I did what I had to do to protect the church.”
Morgan crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “This is ridiculous. Let’s just get you to the police station and you can lie to them. I’m done here.” She tightened her grip on Bea and pulled her toward the staircase.
“You can’t take me anywhere,” Bea said. “That’s kidnapping or something. I refuse to go with you. These people are my witnesses.”
Seth and I stepped back. I didn’t trust either one of them. I had a thousand questions for Seth whizzing through my brain but this was not the time.
“I’m going to call the police and they can take you in,” I said. I glanced at Morgan and she nodded once to agree.
My cell phone had no bars. I showed Seth. He shrugged and gestured at Bea.
“She’s got my phone,” he said.
“How did she get your phone?” I turned to him.
“She asked to borrow it and then kept it,” he said. “She had a gun.”
“We can play story time later,” Morgan said. “We’ll use the phone downstairs in the office. The storm must have knocked out a cell tower.”
We trooped slowly down the stairs, Morgan pushing Bea in front, with Seth and me taking up the rear. Now that Seth was safe and we were off the roof, I felt outraged at what Bea had done and it was lucky for Bea that Morgan stood between us. And that we were on a twisty staircase.
When we arrived downstairs, Bea refused to tell us how to unlock the office, so Morgan pulled out a credit card and slid it along the side of the doorframe. I let her make the call. Even though I knew Mac wouldn’t actually answer the phone, I was still nervous about his reaction to Seth and me confronting a lunatic again.
The storm had slowed, but my mind raced with unanswered questions.
*
Just as she hung up the phone, we heard pounding on the door outside.
Morgan’s eyes grew wide. “That’s a quick response,” she said.
“Seth! Clyde!” It was Mac and he sounded frantic.
I rushed to the door to let him in.
A wet gust of wind blew Mac, Skye, and Faith into the vestibule. Tom Andrews followed after tripping over the doorstep.
Mac rushed to me and crushed me in a hug. “You’re okay,” he said.
Seth was enduring his own hugs from Skye and Faith.
Tom ducked his head and took out his handcuffs. He handed them to Morgan, who rolled her eyes and clicked them onto Bea’s wrists.
A furor of sound exploded in the small entryway as everyone asked questions at once.
Mac put his fingers to his mouth and blew a shrill whistle.
“Everyone quiet!” he shouted. “We’re all going back to the station and sort this out.” He nodded at Tom, who took Bea’s arm and led her out into the storm.
“Are you okay to drive?” he asked me.
I nodded and put my arm around Seth. He’d been inching in the direction of the girls. Probably thinking he could catch a ride with them and avoid being in a closed vehicle with a livid aunt. I understood how he felt but that didn’t sway me.
“I’ll take the girls and meet you there,” Morgan said.
Seth hung his head and walked in front of me out to the Jeep.
42
As soon as we slammed the doors of the Jeep I handed Seth my phone.