Racing and Robberies Read online

  “It’s okay, Mary, we don’t have any other choice.” Suzie reached over and squeezed her hand. “We have to get out of here!”

  “I can’t.” Mary shuddered at the thought and blared the horn. Maybe the loud noise would be enough to startle Carlene into giving up.

  Carlene raised the gun, pointed at the windshield, and stared straight at Mary as she began to pull the trigger.

  “Now, Mary!” Suzie shrieked as she leaned across the interior of the vehicle in an attempt to protect her friend.

  A gunshot rang out, glass shattered, and shrieks filled the air. Suzie had her body curled around Mary’s as she began to register that the shrieks were not screams but sirens.

  “Mary, are you okay?” Suzie lifted her head enough to gaze at her.

  “Yes, I think so.” Mary looked up as well. “The windshield, it’s not broken.”

  “No, the side mirror is.” Suzie looked towards it, then past it, to Carlene on the ground. The gun was a few feet away from her, her leg had obviously been shot.

  Wes ran towards Carlene, with Jason only a few steps behind.

  Jason and Wes handcuffed Carlene, who writhed on the ground. They quickly handed Carlene over to the uniforms and turned to Suzie and Mary.

  “How did you know, Wes? How did you find us?” Mary asked.

  “It wasn’t me.” Wes looked at her, his eyes wide with determination and a trace of fear. “I finally managed to track down Brody and I picked him up. He told me everything, that he had nothing to do with the murder, that it was all Carlene. Apparently, he worked it out after the murder. He said that Carlene got the bruise the night before the murder, she fell and hit her head. When he found out that she said she had been hit over the head, he knew that she had done it. That she had murdered Graham and pretended to be attacked herself. He was worried about turning her in. She’s ruthless. Then we tried to reach you both, but there was no answer. I called Paul to see if you were with him, and he told me you were due to meet with Carlene at the garage to pick up the SUV.” He stared at her for a long moment. “Mary, are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m okay.” Mary took a deep breath. “Thanks to you, and Jason, and Paul, and Suzie.” She realized how lucky she was to have so many people who cared about her. “Carlene killed Graham, and she tried to kill Marlin, and she was going to kill both of us.”

  “Yes.” Wes narrowed his eyes.

  “That was terrifying, but we’re okay, Mary.” Suzie looked into Mary’s eyes.

  “Yes, we are.” Mary straightened up as medics arrived to tend to Carlene.

  Suzie could still see the barrel of the gun pointed through the windshield at Mary. As she turned to face her friend, she found Mary with her arms open, ready to hug her. Suzie wrapped her arms around her and squeezed.

  “Remember how we were going to be more careful?”

  “I remember.” Mary laughed. “We’ve got to work on that.”

  “Yes, we do.” Suzie smiled at her, relieved that they were both safe. Graham’s murderer had been found, and justice would be served.

  The End

  ***

  Thank you very much for reading Racing and Robberies. I hope you enjoyed it. You can sign up for my cozy mystery newsletter to be notified of my latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at

  http://www.cindybellbooks.com

  Also by Cindy Bell

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  About the Author

  Cindy Bell is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She is the author of the cozy mystery series Wagging Tail, Donut Truck, Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.

  Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.

  You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.