–o–o–o–o–
Chapter 3
–o–o–o–o–
James settled in for the night. Full from the pizza, he quickly fell asleep, resting comfortably. Laura and Lewis quietly cleaned the kitchen and took the trash out.
"You know, Laura," Lewis chatted. "There's something fishy going on around here."
"Like what?" She asked. "With the pizza? James? What?"
"Her," Lewis looked to Mrs. O'Malley's house. She was standing in the shadows watching them. "Earlier today I saw a young woman in the window. James said it could only be the old lady because she never has any visitors."
Laura saw the old woman, she was holding her dog. "The way she holds that dog, she looks like a Bond villain."
"She could be," Lewis chuckled.
"Well, I've got to go," Laura kissed Lewis good night. "See you in the morning. You want me to bring food?"
"If you like," he smiled.
"Beats eating alone," Laura waved good-bye.
Lewis looked back at Mrs. O'Malley's house. The old lady was gone. He felt a chill run up his spine. "She makes Bond villains look like pussycats," he mumbled.
–o–o–o–o–
The night was quiet. Lewis attempted to sleep in the chair, but sleep eluded him.
The house was too quiet. He could hear squeaky floors, doors opening and closing. He even thought he heard someone walking around upstairs.
The Oxford clocks chimed two causing James to moan and shifted in his bed. "I might be able to get back to sleep if you stop huffing and squirming," he gripped to Lewis.
"I might be able to sleep if you had a more comfortable chair," Lewis retorted.
"I had a nice comfy couch, but someone had to move it out," James countered.
Their arguing stopped when both me heard footsteps upstairs. Lewis handed James his mobile and signaled to him he was going upstairs. James quietly sent a text message to MacGim and Bell.
James held his breath as he listen. He could not hear anything. "Lewis, Sir?" He whispered. James could hear someone coming down the stairs. "What did you find?"
Someone was in the room. "Sir?" James called to the dark, nothing. He reached to turn on the nearby lamp, but before he could switch the light on the lamp was knocked across the room.
"What?" James yelped. He was startled by the violent movement.
"Who are you?" He shouted to the dark figure moving around in the room. James strained his eyes searching.
"SIR!" He shouted, but he was silenced by a blow to the head. James saw bright lights explode before his eyes. He could feel blood trickle by his eye.
James could hear the intruder walking around his bed. He shifted in the bed waiting for the next blow. He could see their silhouette approaching. James held his breath as he felt the cold hard steel press against his temple.
James' heart stopping when he heard the click of the gun. "Wait!" He tried to say, but the words were caught in his throat.
The muzzle flash blinded James. The exploding crack of the gun rang loud in his ears. He could not see nor hear anything. All he could do was wait for the inevitable pain.
–o–o–o–o–
MacGim and Bell stopped in their tracks when they heard gunfire coming from James' house. They raced to the front door, MacGim hit the door hard with his shoulder causing the door frame to shatter. The door crumpling under the force of their charge.
MacGim motioned to Bell to head upstairs. While he slowly searched downstairs. The pungent smell of the gunpowder pierced his nostrils as he entered the dark living room. Cautiously, MacGim inched forward keeping low. He reached up switching on the room lights.
–o–o–o–o–
PC Bell's heart pounded loudly inside his chest. He had to keep reminding himself to breath. He slowly ascended the stairs stretching his neck looking up for any intruders. He laid flat on the top few steps peeking around the corner to scan the hallway.
With the hall empty Bell slowly moved to the first open door. He pushed the door open the rest of the way and suddenly rushed into the room tripping over something. Bell felt someone shove his face hard to the floor.
"Don't move," Lewis whispered. "Bell!" He released the hold he had on the young officer.
"Yes Sir," he groaned. "MacGim's downstairs." Lewis and Bell raced downstairs expecting the worst.
–o–o–o–o–
MacGim stood up slowly looking at the horror. Blood was splattered on the walls and the ceiling. A body lay on the floor covered in blood.
"James?" MacGim called. "James!"
"No! NO! NO!" Lewis pushed past MacGim. "James!" He shouted.
"WHAT?" James shouted back. "I'm all right. Who?" He looked around the room disbelieving he was unhurt.
Bell knelt beside the still body on the floor, feeling for a pulse. "She's still alive," he informed. "Barely."
"I've called for an ambulance," MacGim said. "What happened?"
"Around two we heard someone walking around upstairs," Lewis began. "I went upstairs and she must have conked me on the head. Next thing I know, Bell is barging into the room."
Everyone looked at James, he was trying to clean the sticky blood off. He stopped when he felt everyone's eyes upon him. "Your turn," MacGim jokingly said.
"Not much," James tried to remember. He sighed sharply. "Could not see a damn thing, too dark. Kept seeing movement in the shadows. Then I felt a gun to my head. Then …." He looked at the motionless body.
Bell held a tennis ball up, "Looks like she slipped on this ball."
"She must have shot herself when she fell," Lewis guessed. "I thought you were a handball player. When did you start playing tennis?" "I didn't," James mused. "That's Mindy's. The house is littered with them."
–o–o–o–o–
"Do we know who she is," Chief Superintendent Innocent questioned James. "And has the forensics report come in on the body?"
James leaned hard on his crutches. He did not want to sit down without permission while reporting to his Chief Superintendent. "No Ma'am," he replied.
"Where is your better half?" She asked. "And sit down. I hurt just looking at you."
"DI Lewis went to see if the report is ready," James eased into the chair. He was still learning how to maneuver with a cast and crutches.
"How did you know to search your garden," Innocent looked over his report.
"Mindy was howling and refused to move from that spot," James scratched his dog's ears. Mindy was sitting quietly beside him. "DI Lewis thought maybe something had been buried there."
DI Lewis knocked and entered Innocent's office, "Got the report, Ma'am." He handed a copy to James and one to Chief Superintendent Innocent. "The body buried in the back garden was Mrs. Dorthy O'Malley your old school teacher. She was shot and killed about five years ago."
"Who was the Mrs. O'Malley we all saw?" James questioned.
"Annabelle O'Malley, her niece," Lewis held up her photograph. "MacGim interviewed her from the hospital. She did not hold anything back." He handed Innocent MacGim's report.
"To make a long story short," Lewis began. "Annabelle killed her aunt to keep receiving her monthly retirement checks and large payments from stocks. She also was the one to drive James out to Shellingford dumping him in the country. When he returned with Mindy and she started howling at the shallow grave Annabelle thought she had to get rid of the dog and James before we found her aunt."
"Is she going to live?" James was concerned. He did not want anyone else to die. "She'll live, but she will never see again," Lewis put his hand on James' shoulder. "Mrs. O'Malley, the teacher was one sick woman. She kept detailed journals about all her former students. That's how her niece knew who everyone was. Mrs. O'Malley blamed you, Ma'am, for her nephew's drug use."
"Me? Why?" Innocent did not understand. "Who's her nephew?" "Johnny O'Malley," Lewis read from on of the journals. "You dated him when you were in school. She writes, after you dumped him he turned to using hardcore drugs. Annabelle visited him regularly at Wycombe Hills where Fitzroy was." James cringed hearing the mentioned of Fitzroy's name.
"I recall him," Innocent remembered. "That was long ago. And she blamed me?"
"Apparently so," he handed her the hand written book. "Her journals go back years."
"Years?" She said disbelieving. "How did Annabelle O'Malley shoot herself?" "She stepped on Mindy's tennis ball and fell," James answered.
"She shot herself. How sad," Innocent shook her head. "All right. You two may go. Sargent Hathaway, you can do some light office work for a few weeks. Lewis, keep Bell until the fall semester starts." "Fall semester?" Lewis was confused.
"Yes, PC Rowan Bell has been inspired to go to University," she proudly informed. "He starts this fall. Now out, you two. Three." She smiled at Mindy.