Free Mint Cookie Murder by Leslie Langtry Page A

head.
    "Nope," I answered. "And only one shot too. Was it a warning?"
    "What kind of assassin gives you a warning shot?" Kelly asked. She was right. That did seem pretty stupid.
    "The door…" Riley waved his gun toward our exit, and we crept toward it, keeping low and against the walls.
    A silenced shot buzzed by, and the three of us dove behind a large pile of giant bags of dog food.
    "Everyone okay?" Riley whispered. Kelly and I nodded. No one was hit.
    Ping! Ping! Ping!
    Shots hit the bags above and in front of us, causing a hailstorm of dry dog food to shower down on our heads. He'd found us. The exit door was 20 feet away, but we'd be in the open.
    "Sounds like a silenced rifle," I said quietly. I looked at Riley's .45. We were outmatched if the gunman was out of range.
    "Suggestions?" Kelly asked as three more shots were followed by more raining dog food.
    Riley nodded. "I'll run to the left. Draw fire. You two run like hell to the door. Maybe he'll expose himself, and I can hit him."
    I shook my head as I rummaged through my purse. "Hand me that broom," I asked Kelly. She grabbed a broom on her right. With all the dog food on the floor now, they would need a backhoe for this mess. I shoved some chewing gum into my mouth and unscrewed the handle from the brush. I motioned for Kelly to hand me her purse, and she did. I found her mirror and using the gum, stuck the mirror onto the handle.
    Our shooter would notice a mirror popping up over us. But we might get lucky and catch a glimpse if we slid it along the floor on one side. Riley nodded and got as close to the right edge as he could. I slid the broom handle to him, and he held it out. After a few seconds, a shot blew the mirror to bits, but Riley smiled. He'd seen the shooter. Kelly and I dropped our frozen food weapons and waited.
    Riley crouched with his gun, then darted out the left side and fired three shots in quick succession. We heard someone cry out, and I had to grab hold of Kelly to keep her from going back to help. It was a struggle all the way to the door and out into the parking lot.
    Riley covered the door while Kelly and I ran to her car out front of the store. A tiny crowd was still standing around. They'd have heard Riley shooting, and the police were probably on their way. The dark sedan was parked a few spaces away, but it was empty.
    We got into Kelly's car and drove around to the back where Riley was supposed to be waiting. Where he wasn't.
    "What do we do?" Kelly asked. She was panting. She'd handled her first gunfight like a trooper, but I wish she'd never had to.
    "I'll go in," I said. "You wait here. If anyone besides me or Riley comes through that door, drive like hell, and don't stop until you get home!" She looked like she wanted to argue. "I mean it Kelly. This time, you'll do what I say!"
    "Fine," she agreed. The fight was out of her. She was exhausted and done.
    I slipped into the loading dock area and found Riley standing by the entrance to the store, not far from where we'd been hiding. He was looking at a puddle of blood. There was no trail.
    "Where is he?" I asked, looking around.
    "Not here," Riley said. "And we shouldn't be either. Let's go." He grabbed my arm and guided me outside to Kelly's car. We got in and drove slowly around to the front lot. The crowd was still there, but the sedan wasn't. That bastard had gotten away.
    I climbed into Riley's SUV, and we followed Kelly home, making sure she got into the garage without being followed. Then we drove to the yarn shop. Suzanne was waiting, even though the shop was closed. She let us in and left.
    Philby came over and sniffed us. Once he realized the smell was dog food, he glared at us and walked away. We were covered in brown, dry dust that itched and stank.
    "I know we need to talk about this, but can I take a shower first?" I asked.
    Riley nodded. I rummaged through the bag he'd brought, grabbing what I needed, and once in the bathroom, locked the door behind me. It was