Yes, keep watching Derek, I thought, hoping she could read my mind. He’ll get you out of this.
“Don’t do it, Josh,” Derek said, his tone composed yet urgent. “I can speak to the sheriff. It’s not too late to work out a deal.”
I prayed that his cool, calm British accent would lull Josh into a false sense of security. Otherwise, someone was going to get hurt. I glanced around. Gabriel had disappeared.
“You’re lying,” Josh said angrily, clutching Annie’s arm and waving the gun. “Just back off, let me out of here, and nobody gets hurt.”
Who was lying now?
Behind Josh and Annie, the doors swung open, and Gabriel strolled into the room behind them. How had the man moved so quickly? He had to have snuck back into the fermentation room and raced around to the front of the building.
“Hey y’all, what’s happening?” Gabriel said loudly. “Can I get a drink around here?”
Distracted by the newcomer, Josh whirled, dragging Annie with him.
Annie cried out, and the sound made me hurt inside. But now Josh had his back to us.
Before I could mutter, “Get him,” Derek took three strides forward and snatched the gun from Josh’s hand.
“Hey!” Josh shouted, and twisted to grab the gun away.
Derek popped him on the forehead with the butt of the weapon, and he wobbled. Elizabeth sprang forward and grabbed him in a light choke hold.
Annie was about to crumple and faint dead away, when Jackson jumped out and swooped her up in his arms.
The Frenchmen began to applaud and whistle.
I glanced at Trudy, who was shaking her head in amazement. “I am surrounded by heroes,” she said.
I looked over at Robin and started to laugh.
“I love this family,” she cried.
“Me, too,” I said fondly as I watched everyone in action. All we needed now was for Mom to come in and shake burning sage over Josh’s head. For once I wasn’t the one being threatened or rescued at the last possible minute, and I really preferred it that way.
It was a phenomenal show. And other than the shattered glass that had brought Trudy’s memory back to her, not a thing was broken or lost. Except Josh Atherton’s freedom.
*
Once the cops carted Atherton off to jail and the paramedics gave Annie a clean bill of health along with a mild sedative, Guru Bob arrived, and we gathered chairs together in the fermentation room and listened to Trudy’s story.
“I met him at the photo exhibit,” Trudy said, clutching Guru Bob’s hand tightly. “He was such a sweet young man, so interested in what I had to say. He had attended the press conference and was interested in writing some more in-depth articles. He told me he wanted to feature me. Said I was living history.” She glanced around the room and sighed. “I think he meant I was old, but I was foolish enough to be flattered.”
“You are beautiful inside and out,” Robson said.
Trudy leaned over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you, dear. I didn’t see any harm in agreeing to an interview. He came by the house the same day I called you, Brooklyn.”
I simply nodded.
“Amelia didn’t like him at all. In this case, her instincts were correct.” She sniffled, then said, “In any event, I left him sitting in the living room and went to help Amelia with the tea and cookies. She was in a mood because he didn’t want tea but preferred to have a glass of water. I can remember her muttering, calling him a heathen. She was so funny.”
I had to marvel at Trudy’s kind impression of her curmudgeonly friend.
“A minute later,” she continued, “I returned to talk to him, and that was when I noticed that my quail sculpture was gone.”
“Was he holding it?” I wondered aloud.
“No. He’d brought a briefcase with him, and he probably hid it in there. I didn’t think anything of his carrying a briefcase. He’s a professional journalist after all.” She sighed. “Perhaps he thought that with the abundant objets d’art I have in my house, I wouldn’t notice one missing, but my quail is my pride and joy.”
“What did you say to him?” Elizabeth asked.
“I looked right at him and shook my finger. ‘What have you done with my quail?’ I said.”
“Did he admit he’d taken it?” I asked. “What did he say?”
“He didn’t say a word. He just pulled out a gun. I believe I gasped, and that was when Amelia walked into the room. She saw the gun and dropped the tray. Cookies went flying, and his water glass shattered on the wood floor just as she shoved me out of the way. The gun went off, and I hit my head. And that was it. My memory was gone.”
I looked at Derek. “I never even thought about checking for missing items after that. If I’d noticed the quail was missing, we might’ve been able to track it down more quickly.”
Trudy waved my comment away. “Don’t blame yourself, Brooklyn. I didn’t notice it was gone, either. I have so much stuff in that house, he must’ve thought I’d never notice.” She shrugged helplessly. “I suppose he was right.”