Page 94 of When Fashion Turns Deadly

Adams cried out.

Isabelle pushed his arm to the side, taking herself out of the line of fire. She used her free hand to twist his wrist backward. The pistol discharged again, the bullet shattering the tile and sending bits of porcelain flying into the air.

Isabelle used her weight and all her strength to slam Adams’s arm against the wall.

He grunted in pain, but the gun remained firmly in his grip.

Marit swung the broom again, this time at Adams’s back. Clearly stunned, Adams’s fingers opened. The gun dropped onto his shoe, then tumbled back to the floor.

Isabelle kicked it, sending it toward Marit.

Adams turned to chase after the gun, but Isabelle blocked his path. Before he could take more than a step, Marit scooped up the weapon and aimed it at him.

“Stop right there!” Marit demanded, her voice trembling slightly.

Adams stopped, his hands out to his sides. He looked at Marit, glanced at Isabelle, and then faced Marit once more.

Desperation flashed in his eyes, the kind that warned Isabelle that he wasn’t going to simply surrender.

Frantic for anything she could use as a weapon, she reached down and slid a high heel off one of her feet. She hurled the shoe at Adams’s head at the same time he rushed toward Marit.

He must have seen it coming, because he ducked, but the distraction was enough for Isabelle to close the distance between them.

The curtains opened, and Cole rushed in, his gun drawn. Before he could act, Isabelle struck her hand out again, palm first. The blow landed on Adams’s chin, and his head jerked back.

An instant later, Marit slammed the gun, butt first, against his head.

Adams moaned in pain and crumpled to the floor.

“Don’t move!” Cole aimed his weapon at Adams, but this time, Adams didn’t attempt to rise. Cole glanced at Isabelle. “Are you all right?”

“Other than my blister ripping open again, I’m fine.”

Two police officers entered the hall. Lars followed.

“That’s him.” Cole pointed at Adams. “He’s the one behind the Molenaar theft.”

“And a kidnapping,” Marit added. In an instant, Lars was at her side, his arms wrapping firmly around her.

“Cuff him,” the older of the two men ordered.

The younger one hauled Adams to his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back.

“This is his weapon.” Marit handed the pistol to the officer closest to her.

Cole nodded his approval. “If we’re right about him, the ballistics will match the gun that killed James and Bernard.”

“We’ll run the tests,” the older officer said.

“Thank you, Capitaine Dupont and Brigadier Blanchet.” Cole holstered his weapon and moved to Isabelle’s side.

“We need to take your statements,” Brigadier Blanchet said. “Would you prefer to do that here or at the station?”

“Here,” Isabelle said without hesitation.

“We’ll take care of that as soon as we secure the prisoner,” Capitaine Dupont said.

“Thanks,” Cole said. “And please keep me in the loop.”

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