A/N: All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I use them for fun and not profit.

Chapter 21

I fell out of the car onto my hands and knees. The gunshot was still ringing in my ears. My stomach roiled and I thought for a moment I'd get sick, but I was too frightened to vomit. I heard Shirley as if from a distance, but I was very conscious of the gun in her hand. "Get up and start walking." I got to my feet and looked around.

I was near the river, and the wind whipped up the embankment and under my coat. I pulled it tighter around me and started moving slowly. I didn't know where she wanted me to walk. She pushed me to the left. "Over here," she said. I looked to see a small slope leading down to railroad tracks. "Get on the tracks and start walking to the bridge."

I did as she said, moving in ultra slow motion, partly due to the fact I was in shock from seeing Anthony's murder, and partly to delay what I was afraid was my similar fate. "What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm not going to do anything," she laughed. "You're going to do it. You are going to walk to the middle of the bridge, Stephanie, and then you're going to jump off. I'll leave the gun on the bridge where it can be found and everyone will think you shot Anthony."

I continued walking, stepping carefully over the rail. There were double tracks and I stepped between them. I continued to move slowly with Shirley a step or two behind me. I took as much time as I could. There was going to be no last minute rescue. If I was saved, it was looking like I'd have to save myself. Shirley was a small woman. If she didn't have a gun I could take her. The gun made the playing field uneven. I knew from very recent experience she'd use the gun with no hesitation. Her plan may have been for me to leap off the bridge into the ice-encrusted Delaware River, but I was betting she had a backup plan if I didn't walk. She'd just used a backup plan on Anthony, I was pretty sure.

It seemed like I'd walked forever, but I was still only a quarter of the way across the bridge. I looked at the low railing on the outside of each set of tracks. There was no pedestrian lane as this bridge was intended only for the use of trains. The river below was mostly frozen, with small areas where the water eddied around the ice floe. If the fall didn't kill me the river would. I was getting ready to make my move. I'd swing around and try to knock the gun away. If that didn't work and I was still alive I'd lower my head and ram her against the railing. I didn't want to push her over, but better her than me. I slowed so she would get even closer to me, but before I could put my plan in action the sound of a gunshot froze both Shirley and me where we stood.

I swung around and saw my grandma running down the middle of the railroad tracks with her long barreled revolver pointed in our general direction. I didn't know what was more horrifying, the sight of my grandma getting ready to fire indiscriminately or the large oscillating headlight of a locomotive over her shoulder.

The train definitely wasn't part of Shirley's plan. She stood unmoving and I jumped striking her gun hand with my fist. The gun went flying from her hand and over the railing into the river below. "Grandma, look out!" I yelled. Shirley recovered quickly and thrust her arm out at me. My head jerked backward as her fist contacted with my jaw. My eyes watered from the pain and without thinking I raised my leg and kicked out as hard as I could. She fell sideways and bounced off the railing. I turned my back on Grandma and the approaching train to deliver another kick to Shirley, and what I saw took my breath away. Another oscillating headlight. I turned my head from side to side and realized the two trains would pass about where I was standing.

Shirley was no longer my main problem. I ran as fast as I could toward Grandma. Her eyes were wide, looking at the train behind me. She hadn't yet seen the train behind her. I grabbed for her gun and threw it to the ground. My arms went around her waist and we fell to the ground in the middle of the two sets of tracks. There was only about five feet between the tracks and I hoped it would be enough. Shirley was forgotten as we lay face to face hugging one another, trying to be as small as possible.

Both trains blew their whistles non-stop. They'd seen Grandma and me hit the ground, and if they were trying to tell us to move it wasn't working. My muscles were tense and on the verge of cramping.

"Don't move," I yelled to Grandma. "We'll be okay if we stay still." I had no idea if I was speaking the truth or not. I just knew we had no other option.

The train I'd seen behind Shirley reached us first. It gave new meaning to the phrase 'faster than a speeding locomotive'. The noise of steel on steel roared in my ears as the endless line of boxcars swept by us in a continuous blur.

A moment later, the train thundered past from the other direction, wind swirling under the cars and rocking Grandma and me back and forth. The blast of noise from two trains was ear-splittingly painful. We kept our eyes tightly closed as gravel and dust swirled around us. I clung to Grandma, afraid she'd be sucked under one of the metal wheels if I let go. I felt her hands snake up my neck and cover my ears. She was protecting me as surely as I was protecting her. In the middle of the horrible situation, I felt tears of love for her roll down my face.

It seemed to go on for an eternity. Shirley was totally forgotten. It dawned on me eventually the noise was partly from the brakes being applied. The trains were slowing, but it became clear they'd both be off the bridge before they came to a rest. The first train cleared us, but we still remained unmoving. We'd been safe so far and I didn't want to take a chance of moving in the wrong direction. When the second train cleared I sat up and helped Grandma into a sitting position. I looked back toward Shirley. She was nowhere to be seen. I turned and looked back toward the direction of Anthony's car.

Two men were running down the tracks toward us. One was Ranger, and the other with red hair flying behind him was Howdy. Howdy reached me first and scooped me into his arms. I thought I saw an expression of surprise on Ranger's face, but to his credit he didn't hesitate to pick up Grandma and to head back to the embankment.

I heard Howdy say, "I'm sorry, Stephanie. This happened on my watch." Howdy's voice sounded strangely muffled past the ringing in my ears. "If you'd been injured I'd never have forgiven myself." His features were pulled into a grimace and his face was pale as he set me on my feet.

"It wasn't your fault," I assured him. "You're spidey senses were right on. We should have listened to them." I gave him a quick hug and turned to see Ranger handing my grandma over to Osbaldo. Lester was standing beside his grandpa in a powder blue tuxedo.

Strong arms went around me and I was being hugged tightly to Ranger's chest. He didn't speak, and I could feel his heart beating erratically beneath my cheek. I breathed in his scent and hugged him back as tightly as he held me.

I heard the sound of a police siren and it pulled me firmly back into the present. "Shirley killed Anthony," I told Ranger. "She was on the bridge. She was going to kill me. What happened, did the train hit her?"

"We saw someone go over the bridge, Babe. Then the train came and we couldn't get to the tracks. We didn't know who went over and who was left until Howdy and I reached you. It was the most excruciating experience of my life until I saw you sit up.

The police sirens became louder. I recognized Morelli's SUV with his Kojack light on top. He squealed to a halt and came running forward, slowing when he saw me. Two black and whites followed Joe onto the scene. The ground around Anthony's car was cordoned off and the area officially became a crime scene.

I heard Grandma shouting at Osbaldo, "I almost got her. If it wasn't for that train I'd have nailed Shirley Blanco." Grandma's hearing was still affected by the noise from the trains. I put my hand to my ear and remembered her selfless act and once again tears began to run down my face.

It took awhile for things to get sorted out, but Grandma was the heroine of the day. She'd realized immediately something was wrong. She went back and pulled Lester and Osbaldo out of the formal wear shop. They'd followed Anthony and alerted Ranger and Howdy to what was going on. When they'd pulled up behind Anthony's car, Lester and Osbaldo went to the car telling Grandma to stay back. They were afraid they'd find me as well as Anthony in the car. Grandma saw me on the railroad tracks and took matters into her own hands.

By the time the police were done questioning me I was shivering from the cold and adrenaline rush. My legs were getting rubbery and I leaned against Ranger for support. Grandma, on the other hand, was energized by all the attention from the police. Osbaldo was looking at her with that intent gaze again and I wondered if Lester would have to sleep in an SUV tonight.

The police had started a search for Shirley. There was no way she could have survived a fall, but I would rest easier once her body was found. Ranger had been quiet during the time I was being questioned by the detectives. When it was finally okay for me to leave he settled me in the Porsche and leaned in to give me a tender kiss.

We arrived back at Haywood and were met by Tank. He had news. "They just pulled Shirley Blanco's body out of the river. They'll do an autopsy, but prelims indicate she died of a broken neck." I felt relieved and a little guilty to be relieved.

"I'll be offline for the next week," Ranger told Tank. "You're in charge as of right now."

"Are you going into the wind?" Tank asked. I lifted my head from where it'd been resting on Ranger's chest.

I didn't want him to leave me, but before I could verbalize my concern he said, "Yes, and I'll be unreachable for any reason. I'm taking my wife on a long overdue honeymoon."

I showered as soon as we reached seven. Ranger's supply of hot water seemed to be unlimited, but his patience wasn't. "Babe, are you about done?" he questioned through clouds of steam.

"Yes," I sighed. "I'm trying to wash the entire memory of the day away." Ranger's hand reached in and turned off the water. He pulled me out and wrapped me in a fluffy white towel.

"We need to talk," he said. "You have a very important decision to make."

"What now?" I asked.

"Atlantic or Pacific?"

"What?"

He tugged at the edge of the towel drawing me closer to him. "Do you want to spend our honeymoon on an island in the Atlantic or Pacific?"

I put my arms around his neck, letting the towel drop to the floor. "I don't care," I said. "As long as it starts now."

A/N: Not quite the end…stay tuned.