Epilogue

 

I woke up in ICU in a hospital bed, feeling painful and groggy, just an hour out of surgery. Before I got my eyes to focus, I heard my father fretting in his know it all tone, “This time the ornery little cuss almost got herself killed.

Mom's soothing voice said, “Now calm down, dear. She was just doing her job, and a good thing she did. That man was going to shoot poor old Henry Baxter.”

“So what kind of sense does that make? It was better that he shot my daughter?” Dad snapped.

Needless to say, I was off duty for six weeks, mending from surgery. The surgeon said the bullet came very close to severing an artery near my heart. I spent a week and a half in the hospital.

While I was confined, Mabel and Henry Baxter came to check on me. Mabel hugged me gently. Henry stood behind her silently until Mabel ordered him to speak.

“You get Walker on your television?” He whined.

“I don't know, Henry. I haven't felt much like watching television lately,” I said weakly.

Mabel elbowed her husband in the gut. “What did you come here to say to Renee?”

“Oh, yeah! Thanks for saving my life. Sorry you got shot doing it.” Henry sounded like Mabel had made him memorize his words.

When he came around Mabel to stand close to the bed, I took his hand. “That's all right, Henry. Say when I get up and around, would it be all right if I come out and watch Walker with you?”

“I'd like that fine,” Henry said elatedly. Behind his hand, he whispered, “But you better pick another place to sit. My lap is off limits.” He rolled his eyes toward his wife.

Mabel shook her head, frowning at me. “You shouldn't encourage him, but we do want you to come visit. I owe you that cup of coffee yet.”

“Expect me as soon as the doctor said I can drive again.” The two of them would make me a good set of grandparents.

Briceson stopped by to fill me in on all the suspect confessions about Alice Hutson's killing the sheriff department had acquired.

Once Bill Hutson was conscious he complained he saw double. One of the deputies escorted him to the hospital ER to be examined. Turned out he had a concussion.

When he was interrogated, he admitted he killed his mother. After his wife nagged him to quit catering to Alice Hutson so much, he upset his mother by telling her he wouldn't be out to see her as often.

When he figured out his mother had become a senior citizen man magnet, he was afraid she'd decide to remarry. Bill's sizable inheritance might go to her new husband. That wouldn't do. He had to kill her.

As for all those other visitors, Alice Hutson met with Bradford Cummings and Tom Ryan, one at a time, in the living room like a proper lady. She told Cummings to leave, because she wasn't feeling up to company. When Ryan arrived, she greeted him with the bottle of wine and a cheese and cracker plate.

Cummings's wife, Gloria, was smart enough to know Cummings was chasing after Alice. She drove to the farm to catch them together and slipped up to the living room window in time to see Alice and Tom Ryan kissing. What she missed was when Alice took Ryan upstairs to her bedroom. His stay couldn't have been too long since Alice knew her grandson, Allen, was due about eight.

Gloria parked her car down the road and walked back in the dark to watch for her husband. She didn't see Tom Ryan leave or see the car drive in with lights off. Gloria did hear the gun shot and put two and two together. Of course, her total was very wrong. When the car left the driveway with lights off, Gloria thought that was Bradford leaving when actually it was Bill Hutson.

It was Bill that cleaned Alice's right hand with a wet towel and wipe the blood and his prints off the gun. He threw the towel in the ditch, thinking he'd be in the clear. He didn't count on Mabel Baxter seeing the car with out lights moving slowly in the dark.

Mad at Bradford and Alice, Gloria marched back to her car. She intended to give Alice a piece of her mind for being a slut, chasing after her husband. She was going to tell Alice to stay away from Bradford.

The back door was unlocked. Gloria marched through the house and upstairs. She turned on the bedroom light. Alice was dead with the gun in her hand.

Gloria knew Alice well enough to be sure the woman wouldn't kill herself. She assumed Bradford was angry for being rejected by Alice. The last thing Gloria wanted was for her husband to be charged with murder and have a scandal black their good name. She had to make sure the police didn't have any proof, so she slipped the gun out of Alice's already clean hand and wiped all the prints off with Alice's hanky.

By the time Allen Hutson arrived, Alice laid in a pool of blood which made a ring around the pistol. In the drugged grandson's pea brain mind, he'd be the one the cops would come after when they found his message on the answering machine. So he left his sorry I can't come message as his alibi.

Two good things came out of me getting shot if you want to think positive. Chief Tollerton didn't have a clue I started that stake out alone. The sheriff took the case out of our hands that night with the capture of Bill Hutson. For once, Briceson kept his mouth shut so I didn't get in trouble. The only problem with that is now I owe him one.

The other thing was Doc brought me flowers. After he gave me a hard time for almost getting killed, he calmed down and has spoiled me rotten. I kind of like the attention. The only problem with that is I can't stay an invalid for much longer. The Wedgewood Police Department can't get along without me.

About The Author

 

Fay Risner lives with her husband on a central Iowa acreage along with their chickens, rabbits, goats and cats. A former Certified Nurse Aide at the Keystone Nursing Care Center in Keystone, Iowa, she now divides her time between writing books, working in her flower beds and garden. She likes going fishing with her husband in their boat.

Fay writes books in various genre – a historical mystery series, a western series, an Amish series set in southern Iowa and two books for caregivers about Alzheimer's. She uses 12 font print in her books to make them reader friendly. Her novellas are written in 14 font.

Her books have a mid western Iowa, small town flavor. She pulls the readers into her stories, making it hard for them to put a book down until the reader sees how the story ends. Readers say the characters are fun to get to know and often humorous enough to cause readers to laugh out loud. The books leave the readers wanting a sequel or a series so they can read about the characters again.