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Valerie's heart pounded in her chest as she slowly crept towards it, gun leveled at its head. When she got close enough, a flash of lightning etched through the grim skies above.
The sound startled Valerie, and Ulrich Dale took his chance. He leaped out from behind the gargoyle and smacked the gun from her hand. It tumbled down into the dim gardens below.
Valerie and Ulrich Dale were now in a fight for their lives.
He lunged at her, grabbing her hair, and knocking her head against the stone gargoyle. She was dazed but managed to grab his arm with both hands and flip him over her back. He yelped as he hit the ground with a thud.
Valerie scrambled to her feet and maneuvered herself so that she was standing above him. She brought one foot down on his chest, pinning him to the ground as she reached down and grabbed a nearby rock. With a fierce yell, Valerie raised her fist high above his head, but he managed to grab at her left arm and yank her off of him to the side.
Valerie crashed into the stone roof, the impact shuddering through her spine.
Get up, Valerie, or you're done for, she thought.
She started to stand up, but Ulrich kicked her in the chest. She fell down onto her back and then he pressed down on her chest with his foot. Valerie could barely breathe.
There was a streak of lightning, and now someone else had joined the fight. The strong outline of Sheriff Carter grabbed the man and slammed him against one of the gargoyles. Valerie heard a scream of pain, but just as Glen readied his gun, Valerie watched in horror as Ulrich threw a thunderous front kick.
It knocked Sheriff Carter off balance, and he fell from the roof.
"No!" Valerie screamed.
She jumped to her feet and kicked at Ulrich's knee. He fell over and Valerie smashed her knee against his face. He crumpled to the ground.
Valerie scrambled to the edge of the roof and found Sheriff Carter dangling from the ledge. She reached down to help him, but then he pulled out his gun and shot up over her shoulder. Valerie quickly turned around and saw Ulrich Dale clutching his shoulder, slumping onto his back with a pained scream.
Valerie felt a rush of relief as she realized that Sheriff Carter had saved her life. She ran to him and helped him back onto the rooftop.
"Are you okay?" Valerie asked in a panic, her voice shaking. They were both dripping with rain.
Sheriff Carter nodded grimly before looking over at Ulrich Dale who was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain.
"This has got to be the guy," he said firmly before turning towards Valerie with an expression of gratitude. "Thank you. I owe you one." He walked over and grabbed his soaking Sheriff's hat from nearby and put it on his head. The water poured over the brim.
Valerie looked down at the man's gunshot wound in his shoulder. "I think he'll live," she said. "We need to get him patched up and grill him back at the station."
High above, lightning arched through the sky and a voice of doubt ran through her mind.This isn't over yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Ulrich Dale looked far less intimidating to Valerie under the lights of the interview room. She considered him gravely, looking at the bandaged arm he cradled sitting at the table.
"Oh, now we're a pair," Will said, sitting down next to Valerie, pointing to his own injured arm.
Ulrich said nothing. He stared vacantly at the floor.
Charlie now entered the room. "The sheriff says we should start without him," he said. "He's having to fend off some of the local media outside. They're wanting to broadcast stories about a religious conspiracy to cover up murder."
He sat on the left-hand side of Valerie.
Valerie herself hadn't taken her eyes off the man. She hoped he was the killer. Looking at her watch, it was 3 PM. She had to wrap this up before Heinlein got his talons into the Criminal Psychopathy Unit.
"Mr. Dale," Valerie then said. "Do you know this person?"
Valerie put several photographs of Blanche Williams, formerly known as Greta Young from the diner. Her body was dumped between two trash containers in the back lane behind the diner. Her neck bore rope burns, and she had been bled out.
"Oh God," Ulrich said, touching the photographs with his hands. "I didn't do this!"
"Really?" Charlie said, feigning surprise. "Because an innocent man doesn't try to kill a sheriff by throwing him from a monastery rooftop."
