Read Online Ellen McKenzie 04-Murder Half-Baked by Kathleen Delaney - Free Book Online

here?”
    “No.” Anne knelt down in front of Ian and took his hand. “No, Ian. He doesn’t know. But just to make sure, we’re going to send you to another house, one your Dad doesn’t know anything about. Nathan will take you. You’re going to be fine, and so is your Mom.” She gave him a hug then looked up at us. “Gina, go back in the living room and see if he comes around again. Ellen, make your phone call.”
    Everyone in the room watched as I flipped open my cell — Nathan and Anne with expectancy and hope, Janice with what appeared to be a mixture of dread and resignation. Three rings later Ida picked up.
    “You want me to do what? What will Dan say?”
    “Nothing until he knows. Don’t worry, Ida, I’ll take full responsibility. Ask Gary to go. He’s on duty, isn’t he? Tell him this guy’s a wife beater first, a VIP second. And Ida,” I lowered my voice, hopefully enough so that the children couldn’t hear. “He tried to … abuse his daughter. They need to leave, now . In the next ten minutes. Gary’ll do it.”
    There was a pause. “My first husband hit me. Just once. I picked up my baby and got out. Fast. Don’t worry, Ellen. Gary will stop this guy. A routine taillight check works pretty well, and, of course, he’ll need to call it in, talk a while, you know. I’ll call you when I know where he is. Tell this creep’s wife good luck. Oh, and tell her I’m watching channel five from now on.” The line went dead.
    “She’s setting it up. She’ll call back with his location as soon as they’ve made the traffic stop. And he just lost one perfectly good viewer. Probably more.”
    “Good job.” Anne nodded at me. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. Margaret, you’re going to get into your car and go home. Nathan, as soon as she’s gone, pull your car into the garage and lower the door. We’ll make sure they are in, and just as soon as Ellen gets the call that he’s been stopped, you can leave.”
    Margaret looked stricken. “What if he’s out there and sees me? This guy is dangerous.”
    “Not to you, he’s not. If he does see you, he’ll also see that your car is empty. And, if he tries to stop you, make sure he sees you’re on your cell. Besides, Ellen is going to go out on the front porch with her cell phone and keep watch.”
    I was? Margaret looked at me speculatively. She didn’t seem convinced that would make it safe to leave. It didn’t convince me either. Keep watch? What was I supposed to do if he did drive by? However, Margaret had started rummaging in her bag for her keys. Evidently she had decided going was preferable to staying. From the look on her face, I was pretty sure Anne had just lost a volunteer. Briefly, I wondered if I could make that two. One look at Janice and her kids, huddled by their duffel bag, erased that thought. I was headed for the front porch.
    Margaret walked over to Janice and gave her a hug. “Good luck.” She ran her hand over Emily’s hair and dropped a quick kiss on it before kne eling down in front of Ian. She took his hand in hers. “You’re a good boy, Ian. Take care of your mom and sister, okay?”
    The little boy looked at her with huge eyes and nodded.
    “Let’s do it.” Nathan followed her into the garage, leaving the kitchen door open. He stood in the doorway and turned back to me. “Let me know as soon as you hear where he is.”
    Anne grabbed Janice’s hand and squeezed. “They’ll take good care of you down there.” She turned to me and gave me what I’m sure she thought was a reassuring smile. “Stand on the front porch and act like you’re talking to someone. You have a view down the street in both directions from there. If you see his car, wave your hand like you’re trying to make a point and don’t look at the car.”
    “What if Ida calls?”
    “Take the call. Then we’ll know they have him stopped. If he comes back by again, call out to Gina. She’ll be right behind the front door. Then