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“Marlena was a casualty of the situation,” Lou says as his breathing grows erratic. “And I’m sorry, Lottie. But I’m afraid that’s what you’re about to become, too.”
He slings an arm around my neck, yanking me close to him, and before I know it, he’s hoisted us both over the railing.
We land hard on the ground below, nothing but dirt at a good seven-foot drop.
My ribs feel tight as the wind gets knocked out of me.
We both sit still for a few seconds, assessing our injuries before he wraps his hands around my throat.
“Believe me, I’d rather shoot you,” he grunts as his fingers begin to tighten, and I try my best to claw him off of me. “But there are too many people here. And I don’t have my silencer ready this time.”
His grip strengthens, cutting off my breath, and I buck and kick in an effort to get him to relent.
“Oh dear, Lottie,” Weenie wails. “You can’t just sit there. He’s got the power to kill you.”
I shoot a look at the tiny ghost as if to say you’re my only hope.
“Don’t worry, Lottie. I know just what to do,” Weenie says as he starts in on a barking spree. “Bella taught me exactly how to respond in a situation like this. She said if she was ever in trouble, not to hesitate to bite. And she showed me exactly where to do the deed.”
Weenie zips down to between Lou’s legs and the man lets out one charged howl, causing his fingers to loosen just enough for me to duck out of his grasp and roll away.
A set of footsteps thunder in this direction, and soon the barrel of a gun is pointing at us.
“Everybody freeze,” Noah shouts.
“Lemon?” Everett shines a flashlight right at me, and my eyes are forced to shut before he switches it off.
Soon, I’m in Everett’s strong arms while Noah cuffs Lou.
“What the heck happened?” Noah shouts my way.
“He did it,” I pant. “He confessed to killing both Bella and Marlena. He thinks Bella threw the case against his sister.” I try my hardest to catch my breath. “I think maybe he was right.”
“Are you hurt?” Everett asks, inspecting me.
“He wrapped his hands around my neck.” I swallow hard. “He would have killed me, too, if it wasn’t for—” I glance in the direction I last saw my disembodied sidekick and, sure enough, he’s floating into the sky like an amber helium balloon.
“Goodbye, Lottie Lemon,” the tiny glowing orb calls out. “I hope to see you again soon. I’ve never quite tasted pineapple upside-down cake as good as yours before. But don’t tell the master bakers in paradise.”
“I won’t. And thank you for that, Weenie,” I call out into the sky as he turns into a mere blip rising to the stars. “Thank you for everything!”
Within moments, the grounds are crawling with sheriff’s deputies as Ivy helps Noah process the guilty party.
They file past us, and Lou stops short and looks my way.
“Lottie?” He sighs hard. “You can thank me later.”
I inch back. “For what?”
His lips curve just enough. “You’ll see.”
Noah pushes him toward the parking lot, and the three of them move along.
“That was strange.” I shudder as I say it.
“Don’t give him another thought,” Everett says, pressing a kiss to my lips. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
“That’s right, you said you needed to get back to the house. What was that about?”
