Since I didn’t have Williams’s or Clue’s numbers in my contacts list, I called Dimples. He answered right away. “Hey Shelby. How’s it going?”
“Um… okay, but… I’m in kind of a tight spot.” I quickly explained where I was and asked him to send a car and the detectives. “She attacked me. Coco’s guarding her, so we’re good for now, but I need help.”
“Right… got it. Hang on.” I heard him talking, and then he came back on. “Are you okay?”
“Oh… I’m a little banged up. She pushed me down some stairs, but I’ll survive.”
“Damn. I’m coming too.”
“You don’t—” He’d already hung up, so I slipped the phone back into my purse. Needing to sit down, I sat on the rug and leaned against the back of the couch, close to the stairs, while Coco kept guard over Carolyn.
A few minutes later, Misti came out, still holding Ava on her hip. She wasn’t sure what to do about Carolyn. With her mother sitting at the bottom of the steps, and holding a hammer like she knew how to use it, Misti decided to let the cops handle it.
“The police are on their way,” I said, hoping to sound reassuring. I even tried to smile, but it hurt my cheek where I’d hit the stairs a few times.
Misti nodded. “My husband’s coming too. I’m worried about Ava.” The little girl was sucking her thumb and resting her head against Misti’s shoulder. Her eyes drooped, like she was ready for a nap. “Is it okay if I take her outside and wait for the police out there?”
“Sure.”
As Misti opened the door, Carolyn perked up. “Where do you think you’re going? You come back here. You can’t leave me with that dog.” Coco put his head down, bared his teeth, and growled. That shut her up and she cowered back into her corner. With a shiver, Misti slipped out, grateful to be away from Carolyn.
The minutes slowly ticked by. Carolyn tried to get up a couple of times, but Coco growled to keep her there. She yelled at me once, threatening to sue me if I didn’t get my dog away from her, but Coco snapped at her and she shut up.
Eight minutes later, the police showed up. Misti had left the door open, and I heard them asking her to explain what was going on. Upon hearing a dog was involved, one of them suggested they call animal control.
At that, Carolyn started yelling. “Help. That dog’s trying to kill me.”
The officer rushed in, took one look at the dog standing over her, and assumed she told the truth. As she continued to yell, Coco barked and stepped closer until she shut up. Worried the dog was ready to attack, the cop fingered his gun, thinking he might have to shoot Coco.
Alarm rippled over me. “Dude. Don’t you dare pull your weapon. I’m Shelby Nichols. I work for the police, and this is my dog. I swear, if anything happens to him, I’ll have your badge.”
He didn’t back away, but he didn’t pull his gun either. My name rang a bell, but the old lady looked like she was scared to death. How could she even hold that hammer up, let alone threaten anyone with it?
Clue came through the door, followed by Williams. They took in the scene, and Clue spoke. “Hey Shelby. What’s going on here?”
I thought about standing, but couldn’t muster the strength. “Guys, this is Carolyn Brinkley. She killed Mack Haywood, and I can prove it. See that hammer she’s holding? That’s the murder weapon. And she just tried to kill me with it. If it wasn’t for my dog, she might have succeeded.”
Williams nodded. “Okay. Why don’t you call off your dog, and we’ll get this sorted out.”
“Uh… right.” Part of me enjoyed having Coco terrify her, but all good things must come to an end, right? “Coco. Come.” He didn’t budge. Oh great, now what? The police officer was thinking of the word release, so I tried that. “Coco. Release. Come.”
That did the trick, and Coco rushed to my side. He whined and licked my face, letting out little yips that sounded like you safe, you safe. “Yup. I’m good, thanks to you.” After a few more licks, I gave him some reassuring pats, and he sat down beside me.
Released from Coco’s vigil, Carolyn didn’t waste any time telling Clue and Williams that I was lying. Through her tirade, they had the officer bag the hammer, and Clue read Carolyn her rights while Williams handcuffed her.
“You can’t do this to me. I did nothing wrong. That woman attacked me. I was just defending myself.” Out on the porch, she caught sight of Misti and started all over again. “Misti… help me. I didn’t push her. This is all a mistake. You’ve got to stop this.”
I managed to get to my feet, and followed them out. Leaning against the doorjamb, I watched the police load her into the back of the car. With her screaming and yelling, I felt a little sorry for them, but it was a big relief to have her gone.
As they drove away, Dimples drove up. He jumped out of his car and hurried to my side. “You okay?” He examined me, thinking my hair was mussed, and my cheek was scraped and bruised.
I automatically touched my cheek, finding it more swollen than I liked. “I hope this doesn’t give me a black eye.”
Dimples smiled, remembering the two black eyes I’d had after the shootout in Uncle Joey’s office. The dimples in his cheeks swirled, and I had to smile back, even though it hurt my cheek.
“Anything else hurt?”
“Well… I hit my shoulder, but it’s not too bad.” I moved my shoulder and only felt a little pain. “And I must have twisted my ankle, because it hurts to walk.”
He wondered if I needed a doctor, and I quickly shook
