Expect the Unexpected

  “And as concerned about robbers as she seems to be, you’d think she’d have left the chain on the door.”

  “Then there’s the gluten allergy.”

  “Hey! Right on. What was she doing ordering a pizza if she’s allergic to gluten?”

  “Which brings us full circle. For some reason she lied to us.”

  “She lied, and she wanted to get out of the hospital early.”

  “So there was no order, no robber, but there was a shooting.”

  Waliewiski’s eyes widened. “And the shooting was by someone she knew.”

  “And hated.” Nolan and Waliewiski got up simultaneously and rushed out of the station. The departure had been so swift, the sergeant had almost left her half-eaten hamburger behind.

  Siren blazing, lights flashing, Nolan was calling for patrol cars in the vicinity of their destination. As it was, they arrived well ahead of any black-and-whites, just in time to hear a series of shots emanating from the house where they’d pulled up to the curb.

  The officers reached for their guns as they piled out of the car, but the precaution was unnecessary. A pale figure emerged through the front door, and Greta Walker tossed the automatic into the bushes, saying, “The damn fool thought one shot was enough. I wasn’t about to make that mistake.”

  END