Read Online The Murder of a Queen Bee by Meera Lester - Free Book Online Page B

far-fetched the story sounded.
    â€œWas that when she hit him with the pickax?” Kat said.
    â€œYes. After she had wrestled free, she grabbed the ax, took a wild swing, and hit his head. She said blood gushed out. The man staggered and fell. She said she ran all the way home and pounded on the doc’s door.”
    â€œWhat did Dr. Danbury do?”
    â€œNothing. He didn’t answer the knock. Fiona said he often drank a lot. Maybe he’d passed out.”
    Kat cleared her throat. “And then what did Fiona do?”
    â€œRetreated inside her cottage,” said Abby. “After that, she added a couple of new slider locks on the inside of her cottage door, but she still didn’t feel safe . . . so she moved into her store for a while and slept on a fold-up cot in her office.”
    Abby waited for Kat’s next question, but Kat remained silent. She had to be pondering the merits of Fiona’s story.
    After a moment, Abby said, “You know, she felt guilty for leaving the man bleeding like that and not knowing how badly he might be wounded. But, Kat, she feared for her life. I think that same man just sideswiped me less than an hour ago. Clearly, Fiona didn’t kill him.”
    Kat cleared her throat. “I’m not convinced the two incidents are linked. And given that Fiona is gone, the story you’ve just relayed is hearsay, as you well know.”
    â€œI believed her,” said Abby. “If you could have seen her . . . hands shaking, her lip trembling. It was like she was living through it all again. But, listen, I need you to run that plate. My situation at the moment is dicey.”
    â€œOh, for heaven’s sake, Abby. Don’t tell me you followed him home.”
    Abby chewed her bottom lip. “He might be squatting in that caretaker’s cabin.”
    Kat maintained a calm tone but exhaled a heavy sigh. “You see, this is what Chief Bob Allen was talking about, for crying out loud.”
    Abby recited the license plate number for Kat. “Sorry. I wouldn’t ask, but . . .” Abby tried to think of some humble pie thing to say or offer to do for Kat.
    â€œOh, just hang on a sec,” Kat muttered.
    Abby waited in silence.
    Momentarily, Kat spoke again. “The registered owner is Timothy Joseph Kramer. It’ll take me a few more minutes to cross-reference to see if he has any prior contact history with law enforcement.”
    â€œI’ll wait.” It was a relief to know that Kat still had her back.
    Abby stared at the cabin door. For a split second, she thought she detected movement. Yes, the screen door inched open. The man stepped out. He held a rifle. Abby’s heart pounded in double time as she watched the man lift the gun to his shoulder and take aim at the 3:00 position. Then, to her horror, the man swung the barrel around and pointed it straight at her.
    Abby dropped the phone. She thrust the Jeep gear into reverse and backed up. Cranking the steering wheel to the right, she floored the gas pedal. The crack of a gunshot rang out. She instinctively dodged. Ignoring the dips in the road, which thrust her body and Sugar’s upward with such intensity that her head banged on the car’s ceiling, Abby pressed on. One thought occupied her mind: Get away from that nutcase as fast as you can.
    She drove to the main road and steered in the direction of Fiona’s cottage. Approaching a turnout, Abby pulled off the road, taking comfort in the line of cars now passing her. Sugar panted hard. Who could blame her? Poor thing had experienced nothing but pandemonium this morning. Abby gave her a vigorous rub on her neck and back.
    â€œWhew! That was close, baby girl. Remind me not to follow a rat into its hole when there is only one way out.”
    Kat came back on the line. “Abby? You there?”
    Abby picked up the phone. “Yes.”
    â€œSorry that took so long.”
    â€œListen, Kat, he got a gun from