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Unfortunately for him Odelia was something of a local celebrity, and the people who stopped to help, instead of helping him get rid of Odelia, helped her pin the man down to the pavement, figuring that if she was making a citizen’s arrest, which is what it looked like, she had damn good reasons to do so.

“You can’t do this!” he squealed. “Let me go!”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” said Odelia. “And I think we better take this inside now. To the police station.”

Scarlett Canyon came hurrying up.“I saw what happened!” she said. “I saw the whole thing! He tried to get away from you, didn’t he, this scummy little man.”

“This scummy little man is Randy Hancock,” Odelia said with a grim expression. “And I’m pretty sure he’s up to no good—though he’s refusing to tell me what it is.”

“Oh, I know exactly what it is,” said Scarlett. “He’s been carrying on with your mother, that’s what! Behind your dad’s back. Confess, you filthy little worm of a man!”

“I’m not carrying on with no one!” said Randy, still flat on the pavement.

Odelia had taken out her phone and was calling her uncle. Oddly enough he wasn’t picking up. So she called the station switchboard, and got through to Dolores on the first ring.

“Hampton Cove Police Department,” said the raspy-voiced dispatcher. “How may I help you?”

“Can you send someone to pick up Randy Hancock?” she said.

“What’s he done?”

“I don’t know. That’s what you need to find out.”

“Apart from making some pretty weird and funky videos in the eighties and nineties I can’t see what he could have done, sweetie.”

“I think he’s involved with a pet shop,” said Odelia, casting around hopelessly.

“No crime in that as far as I know. Unless he’s doing something to the animals? Though frankly if he is I don’t think I want to know.”

“Just… arrest him already, will you?”

“No can do, hon. We don’t go around arresting people just because a member of the public asks us to.”

“He tried to get away! He was behaving very suspiciously.”

Dolores sighed.“Tell you what—I’ll get your uncle on the horn and ask him what he thinks we should do.”

“I just tried to call him. He’s not picking up.”

“Oh, he’ll pick up when I call him,” said Dolores. Moments later she came back on the line. “He’s not picking up, and neither is Chase.”

“My uncle’s car is parked across the street from the pet shop,” said Odelia, “and so is my grandmother’s car. And my dad’s car.”

“Some family meeting they didn’t tell you about?”

“Just send someone, will you?!”

“All right, all right. No need to get testy. I’ll send a car.” And she promptly disconnected.

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” Randy squealed. “Let go of me, you two-bit rent-a-cop!”

“You tried to screw over my best friend’s son-in-law by screwing his wife!” Scarlett yelled. “So don’t tell me you didn’t do anything, you… louse!”

“I did no such thing! I’m not even into women!”

“That’s what they all say.”

Chapter 44

“We need to get out of here,” said Vesta as she rattled the door handle to no avail. “If we stay here we’ll all get shot and our bodies dumped in a lake.”

“What lake?” said Marge.

“Who cares what lake!”

“No, but it could be a small lake or a big lake.”

“We’ll be dead, so it won’t make a difference,” Vesta grunted. “Alec. Do something.”

“Why me?”

“You’re a cop!”

“Yes, Alec,” said Marge. “You have to do something before they kill us and throw our bodies in a lake. Though they could throw us in a pond, of course. Much easier.”

“They took my phone,” said Alec sadly. “And my gun, too.”

“Just put your shoulder against this door and bust out,” Vesta suggested. “How hard can it be?”

“That’s steel, Vesta,” Chase pointed out. “Steel is pretty hard.”

“He might hurt his shoulder,” said Marge.

“When they shoot him it will hurt a lot more!”

“All right,” said Alec, and took a running leap, then hit the door with his shoulder acting like a battering ram. Only the door was made of sterner stuff, and didn’t budge. “Ouch!” said the Chief. “I’ve hurt my shoulder!”

“See?” said Marge. “What did I tell you?”

“Oh, you’re such a sissy,” said Vesta. “You give it a shot, Chase. You’re a lot tougher than my son. Just put your foot against that door and bust us out of here.”

“I’m not sure…” said Chase.

“Oh, come on!” So she proceeded to give the door a hefty kick. “Ouch!” she squeaked, and sat down on an overturned wooden crate to massage her injured toes.

“I’ll give it a try,” said Chase finally, and placed his foot against the door, as instructed. Only the door, which had at this point thwarted the joint attempts of a police chief and his aged mother, wasn’t giving in so easily, and stood firm against this latest onslaught.

“No joy,” said Chase sadly.

“I don’t understand,” said Marge. “Johnny and Jerry are crooks, but they’re not killers. I’d never have believed it if you told me they were about to make us dead.”

“Make us dead? Kill us, you mean,” said Vesta. She turned to Tex. “Can’t you do something?”