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Chapter Twenty Two

Toby's steel toe boot hurled towards the door. The safety chain didn't stand a chance. I heard it fall to the ground with a clink. I walked backwards, never taking my eyes off of him or the gun. I only hoped that the racquet would give Dr. Selinski and Addy time to sneak out the back door.

"Where is she?" he asked, his head swinging back and forth as he walked closer to me.

"She left," I said. Toby gave me a cocky grin.

"Yeah, and I was born yesterday." He made a motion with the gun. "Let's take a little tour."

I didn't see that I had much of a choice; I walked into the living room, stalling. It was evident no one was in there. I felt the tip of the gun poke my back.

"Let's see the kitchen."

My palms began to sweat slightly as we walked towards the kitchen. I almost slumped in relief to find it empty. Toby went around opening the tall pantry doors. When he was satisfied no one was lurking, he glared at me.

"Stairs. NOW!"

I started up the stairs. I hadn't heard the sound of the back screen door, but then again the sound of the door being kicked in would have muffled anything else. When I got to the landing, I stopped and looked out the window to the backyard. All was quiet.

We went from room to room; Toby grew more and more frustrated. Finally he nudged me downstairs. He backed up towards the kicked in door, still pointing the gun at me.

"I already checked the old man's house. She wasn't there..."

I heard a click and knew that he wasn't going to hesitate shooting me.

"I think you better start talking."

Before I could open my mouth, I heard the gun go off. Hot flames licked my shoulder as I dove to the ground. I waited for another shot; I’m sure he’d want to finish the job.

He never had a chance; a team in head to toe black swarmed into the house. Sadieville didn't even HAVE a police station; to have an entire SWAT team invade my house surprised me more than the idea that I could have just had a bullet go through me.

Toby was disarmed, pushed roughly to the floor, and handcuffed behind his back. After being read his rights, he was yanked up hard. He glared down at me with cold eyes. I held my shoulder; blood began to seep through my fingers.

"I feel sorry for you. Addy wasn’t that good anyhow."

He spat on the ground just inches from my face.

The team led Toby to a line of squad cars that lined the street. He was put roughly into the back seat of the lead SWAT car.

At the same time, I heard the screen door off the kitchen swing open and bang shut. I turned to see Dr. Selinski and Addy skidding to a halt in the doorway. Addy slumped against her dad. I didn’t think it was possible, but she turned even paler.

I blinked; I think I was in shock.

"What just happened?"

------------------------

Two hours later Dr. Selinski, Addy, and I sat in a row at the police station in Lexington. The bullet had just grazed my shoulder; I was patched and good as new. The SWAT team had been keeping track of Toby's whereabouts since he posted bond and had followed him down to Sadieville. It was a matter of being at the right place at the right time. I didn't want to think of what would have happened otherwise.

A female detective came out from the back and smiled kindly at Addy. I had shot down the first three male detectives that had even come up to us. It was funny; TV was filled with female detectives. In Lexington, a Mariska Hargitay was almost impossible to find.

"Addy?" she said softly. Addy looked up and nodded.

"I'm Detective Quinley. I'm hoping I can talk to you about a case we're working on."

Dr. Selinski squeezed her hand. She looked over at me; I nodded.

"Okay," she said quietly, standing up. In the short time I had known her she had always looked her age. At that moment she looked like she was sixteen years old.

As the door closed behind her and the detective, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you."

I looked over at Dr. Selinski in surprise.

"You've done in two days what I couldn't do in ten years."

I shook my head. "It wasn't me. It was him showing up that did this."

We lapsed into a mutual silence. It seemed impossible that it was almost Christmas. Between the incident today and Aaron's funeral, I just wasn't in the Christmas spirit.

I had thought that I needed to escape Lexington because of the craziness of big city living. Little did I know craziness just seemed to follow me.

When I was little I had wanted to be a football player, a rockstar, and a detective. I had done the football thing, I was getting back into the rockstar thing, and now I was getting my chance to be a detective. I glanced over at Dr. Selinski. His face was filled with tension. I couldn't help but wonder what more would be uncovered. Sadieville seemed to have its own share of secrets.

I had a feeling I was going to fit in better than I had ever suspected.