Page 87 of Jam and Jingle Bells
Mel took a sleepy Holly from me and I rubbed her back. “You can rest on Ellis’s bed if you’d like, Holly. I know you’re tired and have school tomorrow.”
Mel mouthedthank youand Ellis stood to help her as I followed Mason down the stairs, followed closely by Stan and my mom.
Gabe stood in the middle of the salon that was already in the process of being cleaned up by a familiar face. “Heather,” I cried, hugging her desperately. “I was going to call you. How did you know?”
She patted my back and laughed. “It’s Bells Pass, Addie. I literally had Audrey Violet at my door three minutes after it happened.”
Heather could barely tear her gaze away from Gabriel to speak to me, so rather than continue to make her put words together into a sentence, I spoke to him. “Gabe, we heard Officer Wilson is okay, that’s a relief.”
He nodded from where he leaned on the reception desk. “Sorry I had to take off there for a few, but we had to at least try to recover the guys. They’re long gone, probably picked up on the highway by a Thunder Viper and are back in Saginaw already. I need to take your statement and then coordinate with State Patrol.”
“I just have one question,” I said before I took the paperwork he held out to me, “how did he engage them that quickly? We had just given dispatch the information.”
He pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it to me before answering. “Wilson picked them up outside of town for speeding and a broken headlight. He didn’t know what had happened. It crackled across his radio as he was approaching. He barely had time to duck back behind his car door. Didn’t get his leg clear before they shot. He couldn’t return fire easily because of his proximity to civilian homes. He was prepared to engage if they approached the car, but they took off. He wasn’t in any shape to give chase.”
“Why Bells Pass, Gabe? Why not Saginaw?” Ellis asked as he came down the stairs with Mel.
“From what the cops there have shared with us, they’ve got them locked down in the city. The gang decided to send their pledges out into other communities to do initiations. Of course, this just came to light when all the neighboring departments started calling in for information. It’s the reason we’re coordinating with state patrol. We need to knock this down quickly before someone is killed.”
“Agreed,” we all said in unison.
Gabe checked his watch. “Listen, it looks like you’ve got this covered here. The statements aren’t life or death tonight. Jot down your recollections and save them until morning. Add anything you can think of and then call me. I’ll come over and you can sign and date them with me tomorrow. I want to get out there and help the other officers if you’re okay with it.”
I handed him the pen back and Ivy stepped forward. “We have our own post ready to open. Lance is making coffee and hot cocoa as we speak and the four of us are going back to man it. Tell the officers we’ll be open all night. We’re there with food, coffee, a warm place to rest, restrooms or anything else. We got you, you get them.”
He grinned and hugged her gently. “You’re a true nightingale, my girl. Be careful. No one is alone. Got it?” He pointed at Mom and Stan and me and Ellis.
Stan patted my mom’s back. “She’s going with Ivy to man the diner while I stay here to man the volunteers. Ellis is taking care of Addie and Holly upstairs. No one takes potshots at my almost daughter and gets away with it. No one shoots one of our cops and gets away with it here. We’ve got this. Go,” he ordered, pointing to the door.
Gabe saluted him and headed to the door. I was so confused I couldn’t think straight until he pulled the door open and I stepped around Ivy to look past the plywood.
“What the heck?” I asked, following Gabriel to the door. I looked left and then right, up and down the sidewalk. The salon was staked out with men from town, hunting rifles in hands, standing elbow to elbow protecting the building. I stumbled backward and Stan caught me before I fell on my butt.
He pulled me away from the door and back behind the plywood where Ivy and Mel each hooked an arm in mine. “No one messes with Bells Pass and gets away with it.”
An alert sounded and Ellis grabbed for his pocket. “That’s my alarm system. Someone triggered the motion sensor at the back door.” He opened the app to get the still shot that was sent to his phone and he laughed. Laughed! He turned it for me to see. There were four guys lined up across the back of the door covering the alley.
Stan pointed at the phone. “I can promise you, the front is equally covered. You don’t need an alarm system tonight.”
Mason and Shep came back through the door and pointed at Ivy, Mel, and Mom. “Ladies, we’re ready. All the entrances are protected. Let’s get to the diner.”
Mel turned to me and held my shoulders. “Holly can stay?”
I grabbed her around her neck and held her to me, tears on my cheeks. “Of course, I’ll take care of her. She’s in good hands. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Mel patted my back before she released me. “I know you won’t. She’s asleep and should stay that way all night, but call me if you need anything.”
I hugged all of them quickly. “Thank you, so much, for everything. I know they don’t want me out there, but pass it along to them please?” I motioned out the door and they agreed as they grabbed their coats and headed out.
Heather set the broom back in the storage room and joined us in the front. “Listen, Audrey and I are going to the diner, too. She’s probably already there,” she laughed and rolled her eyes in exasperation, but they were filled with love for a woman who always came through. “We’ll help Shep, Mason, and Loretta. I know we can’t convince Ivy or Mel to go home, but we will keep them off their feet as much as possible.”
I nodded, hugging her again. “Thank you. I’m worried about Ivy and I know Shep is, too. Just make sure they don’t overdo.”
“Promise,” she said, crossing her heart. “In the meantime, get upstairs and lock yourselves in. All of this is covered. We’ll be bringing refreshments out to the volunteers all night. Rest. You’ll have work to do tomorrow.”
She put her coat on and I grabbed her sleeve before she could leave. “Heather, watch my mom. Don’t let her stand out in the open or by the windows. I shouldn’t even have to say this, but they’re after someone and she’s a prime target.”
“She’ll be safe. She’s manning the pie and cookie oven with Mason. We’ll protect her.”
