AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you know her?” Theo blurted. “Do you know Mary Cowell?”
“I just met her then…”
“What were you talking about?”
He looked at her a little surprised.
“You don’t talk to strangers for twenty minutes in the snow!”
“Well,” he said evenly, “it was probably closer to ten minutes. And for the first five or six I was trying to talk her into putting down the gun.”
CHAPTER 24
Theo gaped at Mac Etheridge. “A gun? She had a gun? Why? Was she going to—”
“Mary keeps the gun in the glove box.” He pulled out a chair for her. “She got it out when she saw me pull up and get out—clearly the girl has enemies.”
“Are you crazy?” Theo demanded, still standing. “You walked toward her! I saw you!”
“The gun wasn’t loaded, Theo.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“That particular weapon, the Ruger SR9, has a loaded chamber indicator…it’s a safety feature. Because she was sitting in the car and I was standing, I could see the indicator. I expect it’s not Mary’s gun, or it’s a recent acquisition, otherwise she would have known. All that said, I’m not sure what else I could have done.”
A little unsettled by his knowledge of guns, Theo stuttered. “You could have run! Any sane person would have run.”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure who Mary thought I was, but she wasn’t trying to assassinate anyone. She was trying to protect herself.”
“From you?”
“Or whoever else I might have been. She’s afraid of someone.”
Theo sat in the chair he’d pulled out for her. “What did she say?”
“Initially, she said ‘Make my day,’ somewhat unconvincingly.” He smiled and took the seat beside Theo. “Once I’d persuaded her that I wasn’t trying to carjack her, I made her aware that I didn’t appreciate her invading my privacy by photographing my home.”
“She was holding you at gunpoint and you complained about a photo?”
Mac continued. “She said something about the freedom of the press and asked me if you were living here, and why. I told her that I had no idea who you were.”
“Did she believe you?” The hope was weak but it was there…briefly.
Mac shook his head. “I doubt it. Mary Cowell claims she has it on good authority that you are hiding out here.”
“What authority?”
“I don’t know, Theo.” He rubbed the slight shadow on his chin and loosened his tie. “In addition to being a reporter, it seems Mary was a fan of Dan Murdoch…fancies herself as a sword of justice.”
“A sword with a gun,” Theo murmured.
“I know it’s probably not a lot of comfort, but she didn’t hold it like anyone who knew what she was doing. She’s probably more likely to hurt herself than anyone else. And her intent is to expose you, not to kill you.”
“You’re right. No comfort at all.” Theo sighed. “What do you think she’s going to do?”
“Hopefully she won’t want to go public and give away her ‘lead’ too soon,” he said.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?”
