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He seemed to realize there was no chance for escape as we all closed in. He put his hands in the air when Coulter and I were just ten feet from his door.
“You want to do the honors, Chief Grady?” a burly man in a state police uniform asked me.
“Love to.”
I opened his car door, keeping my weapon pointed at him. He had salt-and-pepper hair now and was a little thinner, but I recognized the face I’d stared at for hours and dreamed of confronting.
“Leonard Bardot, you are under arrest for the murder of Megan Bright and the attempted murder of Owen Grady.”
He sneered at me but said nothing. Another officer recited the laundry list of other charges against him as he stepped out of the car and I took the cuffs from my belt.
Emotion welled inside me as I secured the cuffs around his wrists. If only my dad could have been here.
“It’s over,” Coulter said as we watched Bardot being led away, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion.
“Nice work, Chief,” a state commanding officer said, offering me his hand.
I shook it and nodded. “I take responsibility for the car we damaged. I’ll personally pay for the repairs.”
“No need. We’ll cover it. We brought in one of our most wanted fugitives and no one was injured. It’s a good day.”
It was a great day. I couldn’t wait to call Avon and tell her about it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Avon
I stopped outside the door to Bess’s hospital room, preparing myself to watch her lying there silently for a few hours. I’d brought flowers to brighten up the bleak gray room a bit.
“Bacon? You call that bacon? It’s cold and not even a little bit crispy. That’s more like jerky.”
My heart raced at the sound of her voice. I looked around the propped-open door and realized that not only was she awake, but she was awake and complaining. That had to be a good sign that she was feeling like herself.
“Bess!” I stopped in the doorway to her room and took her in, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You’re awake.”
She lowered her brows. “Did you think I was in a coma or something?”
I laughed and wiped my cheeks. “No, I’m just happy to hear your voice again.”
On my way to her bed, I set the vase of flowers on a window ledge. Then I put an arm around her and hugged her good side. She wore a sling on her left arm, reminding me that she’d taken a bullet to her shoulder.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, sitting at the foot of her bed.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just a little tired. They’re making me stay another night because my blood pressure is high, but I told them it’s high because of this place.”
I met Harry’s gaze across the room. He was sitting in a small recliner, looking like he was about to fall asleep.
“Bess, you were shot,” I said. “You may have a long recovery ahead of you.”
She dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “Can you ask Devon to work more hours this week? I think all these drugs that are making me so tired will be out of my system by next week and I’ll be fine by then.”
I took a deep breath and let it out, preparing myself for the conversation I needed to have with her. It wouldn’t be pretty, but it was necessary.
“Harry, why don’t you go home and get some rest?” I suggested. “I’ll stay with her for a few hours.”
“Absolutely not!” Bess protested. “You have a paper to work on. Devon can’t do it alone.”
“Please relax,” I said in a soothing tone. “The paper will be fine. Everyone at the Chronicle cares more about you than next week’s content.”
Harry stood, seizing his opportunity. “Thank you, Avon.” He smiled at Bess. “And what can I bring you when I come back, dear?”
She hummed, passively voicing her displeasure with him leaving. Poor Harry. He was such a doting husband, but Bess most definitely didn’t dote in return.
“More clean clothes,” she said. “Some decent food would be nice. And my crossword book on the table by my recliner.”
He walked over and kissed her forehead. “Of course. I’ll bring you some soup and a sandwich from Tipper’s.”
“Oh, before you go,” I said. “Have you guys heard that they arrested the man who shot Bess?”
Harry’s expression brightened. “They did? They got him?”
“Grady and Coulter went to Wisconsin last night and they arrested the man who shot Bess and they also arrested Leo Bardot. The two of them were in the same car. Bardot was driving and the other guy was riding in the passenger seat.”
Bess scoffed. “Well then, why aren’t you working on a story, Avon? Devon said we need to be putting breaking news on our website to get it out there faster. This would be perfect for that.”
