Fixin' To Die (A Kenni Lowry Mystery Book 1) (21 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Polly held up better than I thought she would as Wyatt took pleasure and time in tying the two of us together. I grabbed her hand and gave it a good squeeze. It was my way of telling her it was going to be okay. I was going to get us out of here somehow.

I cussed my Poppa up and down in my mind. He might have helped solve my case, but he sure wasn’t helping save my ass.

“You are too damn nosy,” Wyatt spat as he stomped back and forth in front of us. “Why couldn’t you just leave well enough alone? I planted all the evidence to point to her.” He jabbed his gun toward Polly.

Her body flinched. I could feel her fear.

“Now I have to kill you, and that makes three people.” Wyatt slid his finger across his throat. On instinct, I gulped. Then he smacked his own head with the butt of his handgun, screaming in pain as the blood trickled from the gash. He talked as the blood worked its way down his face. “I had to save myself because Polly smacked me with my own gun.” He unloaded the bullets and bent down, shoving the handgun in Polly’s cuffed hands, forcing her to get her prints on it.

He stood back up and grabbed the shotgun she really had been cleaning for him off the kitchen table and slowly loaded it bullet by bullet. He cocked it.

“Shotguns make nasty wounds.” He grinned. “But it’s all in self-defense, since I know Kenni went to see your mama. The little whore called your fake daddy while we were at the dealership.” Slowly he pulled the shotgun up to his face and looked down the barrel. “After this mess is cleaned up, I’m going to resign as jailer. I’ll make a great sheriff.”

I could make out the gleam in his eye as he zeroed in on me. A pool of blood that had not yet congealed dripped from his head into a small puddle on the floor.

Out of nowhere, Sterling Stinnett swung a baseball bat right at the knees of Wyatt Granger, sending him to the ground in a thud. Wyatt scrambled for the shotgun, but Sterling stomped his foot on it, pinning Wyatt’s hand.

“Good work.” Finn Vincent stood in the door, out of breath. His eyes focused on mine and relief settled on his face.

My Poppa stood behind him with a smile that reached clear to his heart.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The festival went on as planned. The sun and seventy-degree temperatures allowed the muggy mess at the fairgrounds to dry up and the ground was firm for the fun rides. I had even gone to my parents’ house for dinner before I went to the festival to meet up with Tibbie and Katy Lee.

“I guess I haven’t thanked you properly.” I handed Jolee a couple of dollars to pay for two caramel candied apples, handing Finn one. I wanted to know all the details about how he found out I was at Wyatt’s. I had to drag him away from my friends, who were hanging out by the beer tent.

“You don’t have to. That’s what partners do.” Finn took the apple. The touch of his fingers on mine sent an electric jolt through me.

“We are not partners.” I tried to be the hardass I was when I first met him, but I was afraid I was losing my edge. “I guess you’re going to get back to the Kentucky Reserves since Wyatt is now behind bars. How did you figure out it was Wyatt?”

It was a question I hadn’t yet asked him since the arrest of Wyatt Granger for the murder of Doctor Ronald Walton through mercury inhalation poisoning, after Doc cut off Wyatt’s prescription drug supply he’d been using to feed his addiction.

“It was the strangest thing.” Finn bit into the apple. Juice rolled down his chin and out of instinct, I lifted my napkin to his face and gingerly wiped it off. He grinned. “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” I played it off. “You were saying?”

“I went to the new condos to follow up on what people around here had said about them, but found nothing. Everyone who lived there was nice, so I decided to head to the jail to see what was going on with the evidence. I found the file Wyatt had compiled for the evidence lab. He sent the evidence off, but checked the box to not process the evidence. It didn’t make sense. Then I went to see Toots. She said she went back to Doc Walton’s to get Polly’s file from him since Polly had gotten the DNA test. She didn’t want to see him. Toots and Sterling were just there at the wrong time. Then I went back to the Cowboy’s Catfish where Bartleby asked me about the murder. He said he didn’t see anything fishy over at the jewelry store, just Wyatt checking the business like he had done every morning; only that morning, he was doing it a little earlier than normal. I found that odd. Then my evidence report came back from the tire tracks. I knew from talking to Wyatt while I’ve been here that he loved cars and he told me he owned a B3 G60 Syncro Passat.”

“That’s how you knew he was guilty?” I asked.

“I had a hunch. I was going to see if Doctor Walton had a file on him, but that was when Sterling Stinnett came running up to me in front of Cowboy’s Catfish after I had gotten a call from the reserves saying the crimes had been solved.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I told Sterling the investigation was over, but he insisted that he’d walked by Wyatt’s house and heard screaming. I got in my car and Sterling ran back to Wyatt’s, obviously making it there faster than me.” He laughed. “I still don’t know my way around this little town. I had no idea Wyatt’s was right around the corner.”

“I’m glad you listened to Sterling,” I said. “All of it started to add up when I was at Wyatt’s house accusing Polly of all the crimes. I realized it was strange that Wyatt had beat me to the crime scene when he never gets up that early. And he was quick to point fingers. Then there was the evidence I had to stay on him to send to the lab.” I shook my head. “He was definitely planting the seeds to make it look like Polly did everything. The White’s Jewelry break-in was perfect. Plus, he used the family symbol to tie in Doc’s murder.”

“Pretty brilliant.” Finn nodded. “Wyatt was coming back to the house to kill Polly and blame it on self-defense since all the evidence pointed to her. He was going to let his secret get buried with her.”

“I’m glad Viola got all her jewelry back. He must’ve been frantic running around to all those different pawn shops,” I confirmed.

“Good job.” Finn grinned.

I grinned. Finn pointed to the Ferris wheel.

“Want to ride?” he asked.

“Why not?” I took a bite of my apple and followed him. “Everyone will come looking for us.”

“Let them.”

Silently we waited for the next open bucket on the Ferris wheel. The operator told us when to hop and quickly slammed the rod across us, locking us in.

Cottonwood looked so pretty from way up in the night sky. I could see my friends were still gathered at the beer booth.

“Well, thank you.” I felt a warm glow inside me. “Now that you’re going back to the reserve unit, I’m sure your girlfriend will be happy to see you.”

“Girlfriend?” He looked at me.

“I couldn’t help but see the picture of the pretty brunette in your wallet when you paid the other day at Ben’s.” It was tattooed on my brain.

“Kenni.” His arm wrapped around my shoulder. “That is my sister.”

My face flushed. I felt so stupid.

“You act like you care.”

There was amusement in his eyes.

“I don’t,” I spat, lying through my teeth.

“You’re lying.” He laughed. “Kenni, would you like to…” He stopped talking when the Ferris wheel stopped, interrupting what I thought might be an invitation to a date. My heart hammered out of my chest.

Mayor Ryland and Polly Parker stood next in line to get on.

“There you are.” Mayor Ryland approached Finn and me before Finn could finish his question. I wanted to give the mayor a big shove. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Here I am.” Finn put his hand out and they did the guy handshake thing. Polly and I politely nodded at each other. There was an unspoken bond between us now.

“We are having an emergency town council meeting tomorrow night.” The mayor spoke with a loud, commanding tone.

“We are?” I asked. Why was I always the last one to know?

“We are. I’m proposing Finn Vincent stay in town and be voted in as the permanent Deputy Sheriff.”

“Really?” Finn asked. “Cottonwood has grown on me.” He put his arm around me and squeezed. Just then, my parents walked up.

“Mama. Daddy.” I blushed. Daddy looked at Finn’s arm around me, giving him a look.

“You must be Finn.” My daddy stuck his hand out.

“Yes, sir. I am.” Finn and Daddy had a good handshake.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Daddy was giving Finn the onceover. He could always tell when I was falling for a guy.

Finn slowly took his arm from around me when Mama grabbed him, inviting him to Sunday dinner after church.

“I’m proud of you.” Daddy smiled. “I told your mama I was tired of hearing complaints about the career path you took.” Daddy pulled me in for a hug. “You are a damn good sheriff. It’s in your blood.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” I still had to look up at him. He made me feel like a little girl.

“Kenni.” Betty Murphy ran up to us. “Where is your police radio?”

“I left it in my car. Why?” I asked. The look on her face frightened me to my core.

“Come quick! Myrna Savage from Petal Pushers Landscape called. There’s a dead body in her greenhouse!” Betty screamed.

I pushed past her, forgetting all about Finn, and ran as fast as I could to the Wagoneer.

I jumped in, rolled down the window, grabbed my police beacon, licked the suction cup, and smacked it on the roof of the car. The passenger door of the Wagoneer opened.

“You think you’re going without me?” Finn jumped in.

My tires squealed on my way out of the fairgrounds parking lot.

“Well, I guess my business here isn’t done yet.” My Poppa sat in the backseat with a big grin on his face.

About the Author

Tonya has written over 20 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including
USA Today
. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, three teenage boys, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cat in Kentucky.

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