He struggled to his knees and laughed at her. “You won’t shoot.”

Her eyes blazed. “Wanna bet?”

“Angelica, call nine-one-one!” Ginny yelled.

The sound of a siren cut the air.

“I did that before I got here,” Angelica said with a smirk.

Ginny pulled herself up with the aid of the chair’s arm. “You could’ve said so.”

“And let this bozo know it? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Brian. Also a pretty clever ruse-me pretending to faint, huh?”

No one commented.

Brian sat in a heap, looking boneless. Joe had been right: life as Brian knew it was now over. The same could be said for Eugenia, too.

The Sheriff’s Department cruiser screeched to a halt in front of Haven’t Got a Clue, and Captain Baker and Deputy Placer spilled from the car. Placer kicked in the door and they sprang inside, their weapons drawn. Baker took in the scene before him: Eugenia crying, Joe bleeding, Angelica and Ginny standing guard, Tricia still flat on her butt on the floor, clutching the gun.

“What the hell?” Baker asked.

“Show’s over, guys,” Tricia said. “But you’re more than welcome to take over.”

Baker holstered his weapon while Placer kept his trained on Brian.

“What are you doing on the floor?” he asked Tricia, offering his hand.

She looked up into those mesmerizing green eyes. “Taking care of business.” Her grip slackened and she handed him the gun, handle first. Then he helped her up.

She grabbed Baker’s tie, pulling him close, leaned forward, and kissed him hard on the mouth, then pulled back. “You are not Christopher, and you’re definitely not Russ,” she declared.

Startled, Baker stared at her in incomprehension. “What?”

“I just wanted to establish that from the get-go.”

“Whatever,” he said, a flush coloring his cheeks, and he removed her hand from his tie. He cleared his throat. Everyone was looking at the two of them.

It was Tricia’s turn to blush.

“Now, then-what the hell has been going on?”

“I think I’ll put the coffeepot back on,” Ginny said wearily. “This is going to take a lot of explaining.”

TWENTY-TWO

It seemed like hours later that the ambulance bearing Joe Hirt took off, heading for St. Joseph ’s Hospital in Milford. The EMTs didn’t think he needed more than a bandage and a tetanus shot.

Eugenia had been devastated when Captain Baker slapped a pair of handcuffs on her. She cried, begging to accompany her father to the hospital, but ended up in the back of the same patrol car as Brian, on her way to the county lockup. Someone needed to call Libby and explain what had happened. Tricia didn’t envy whoever ended up with that job.

Apparently Brian had learned from the mysteries Ginny had been reading that the best thing he could do was to keep his mouth shut until he could talk to a lawyer. “You’re not paying for one with my money,” Ginny declared.

Captain Baker had been all business as he rounded up the suspects, although he’d tried hard-and succeeded-not to make eye contact with Tricia.

Oh, well.

Once the cops and the rubberneckers had departed, Tricia, Angelica, and Ginny settled in the readers’ nook. Tricia had scrounged a bottle of Irish whiskey, which they’d been adding to their coffee. Since it was a girls-only gathering, Miss Marple had deigned to join them, and had settled on a pile of old Mystery Scene magazines on the big square coffee table.

“There are no good men left on the face of the planet,” Ginny complained, and swallowed another big gulp from her cup.

“Sure there are,” Tricia said.

“Name one.”

“Mr. Everett.”

“Yeah, and he’s already taken. Plus he’s old enough to be your grandfather.”

“Nevertheless, I haven’t given up hope.”

“Don’t forget Bob,” Angelica said with a wistful sigh. “He’s a real gem.”

If she only knew, Tricia thought.

“How can you be so optimistic?” Ginny said, squinting at Tricia. “Russ just dumped you-what a jerk!”

“Oh, Russ was just a rebound boy after Tricia’s divorce,” Angelica explained. “A nice little diversion, but I’ll bet now she’s ready for something a bit more exciting.”

“We won’t go into all that.”

“No need to,” Angelica piped up. “That was some smooch you gave Captain Baker. See, I told you you were sweet on him.”

“It was a stupid, impulsive thing to do,” Tricia said, embarrassed. “I was just grateful he arrived when he did. I really wasn’t sure Brian would believe my bluff.”

“Uh-huh,” Angelica said knowingly.

“You should’ve shot him,” Ginny growled. “Did you see the way Eugenia carried on when they hauled them both away?” She frowned. “On second thought, you should’ve shot her, too.”

“You know that’s the whiskey talking-not the way you really feel,” Tricia said.

“No, I wish you’d shot him.” Ginny thought about it. “Okay, maybe not to kill, but you should’ve shot him anyway.” She paused. “In the butt. Twice-once in each cheek.”

“I’m just glad we’re all safe,” Angelica said. “But there are things that need to be settled.”

Yes, several big things. Like the mess that was now Ginny’s life.

“That poor Libby Hirt,” Angelica said with a sigh. “Her husband shot. Her daughter arrested and in love with a murderer…”

Ginny leaned forward and poured more whiskey into her cup. “Nah, Brian will probably only go to jail for manslaughter. The bastard!”

Tricia leaned forward and capped the bottle. “Sorry, ladies, but we’ve got a wedding to put on tomorrow, and this place needs a thorough cleaning.”

Angelica stood. “And I’ve still got food to make.”

None of them moved.

“I don’t know if I can go to the wedding,” Ginny said, her voice breaking.

“Oh, yes, you can,” Tricia said.

“But my heart is broken.”

“And what better way to reaffirm that you will find someone worthy of your love one day, than to attend the wedding of two people who truly love each other? They may not have much time left in their lives, but tomorrow they’re going to commit to be together-for better or for worse, ’til death do them part.”

Ginny sniffed. “Does it make me a terrible person because I didn’t follow Brian to the jail? He betrayed me,” she reminded them.

“Honey, I’ve been betrayed four times, and I sure haven’t given up looking for someone,” Angelica said.

“Does that mean you’d like to marry Bob?” Tricia asked, taken aback.

“Hell, no.” Angelica thought about it for a moment. “Well, maybe. But not anytime soon. I’ve rushed into too many relationships. This is my time in life. That’s why I took over the Cookery, and why I opened the café.” She nodded sagely. “I’ve learned from my past mistakes. You ought to think about what you’d really like to do, Ginny. This could be your golden opportunity to do exactly what you want to do-maybe for the first time in your life.”

Ginny blinked a few times. “I’d like to own my own business-just like you and Tricia,” she blurted.

It was Tricia’s turn to blink. “You would?”

Ginny nodded. “I’ve seen what you’ve done here. I know just about every aspect of the business. I could do the same thing-I know I could. I just don’t have the money to get one started.”

“You might if you sold your house,” Angelica said.

“I’d never be able to afford the rents here in Stoneham.”

Angelica’s gaze rose to the ceiling. “You might if the land-lord’s girlfriend could persuade him to give you a break.”

Ginny blinked in disbelief. “You’d do that for me?”

“Why not? Tricia says you’re the best assistant in the village. Why shouldn’t you try to be the best bookseller-or toy seller-or whatever you want to be?”

“That’s all very good, but then I’d have to break in someone new,” Tricia complained.

“I’m not saying any of this would happen tomorrow,” Angelica muttered. “But Ginny needs a goal-one that doesn’t include matrimony. What do you say, Ginny?”