Eventually, Ollie sniffed and looked away. He put his hands on his hips and took some calming breaths.
“Now, isn’t that lovely?” said a voice from behind me. “You two are all sorted out then?”
I spun around. Standing at the back gate to Nigella’s garden was Katrina Pettigrew. Holding a very large gun. Pointed right at us.
Chapter 25
It took me a few seconds to process it all. But then …
“Of course it was you,” I said.
She smiled and swung the gun up at us. “I mean, I didn’t try that hard not to get caught. But the police are useless, and everyone else around here was so wrapped up in their own problems that they didn’t even notice.”
She laughed. “Do you know, I honestly expected to be arrested the very day I shot Riz. But, bloody hell, I’m still here a month later. I’m a bit bored of hiding, actually. I had so many other plans, and I can’t do any of them now. Oh, well.” She cocked the gun. “Then this morning I get a phone call from DS Maslin asking some interesting questions. And I thought, yes, time to go out in a blaze of glory.”
I threw myself at Ollie and pushed him down as the first shot rang out.
“Fuuuuuuck!” he screamed as we fell down the steps towards the doors to Nigella’s house.
“Run!” I managed to get the door open and pushed him inside as the second shot rang out. A pane of glass an inch from my hand exploded.
Ollie pushed me to the floor, and we crawled along the ground to get inside, with Katrina’s mad laughs following us.
The windows behind us shattered in a hail of bullets. An absolute cacophony of noise descended on us, complete with the sounds of screams from inside. I scrambled along the floor, dragging Ollie.
We made it into the kitchen, and I threw Ollie towards the nearest large object. I scooted behind the kitchen island, where hands clung to me.
Beside me, Nigella and Verity huddled on my right, while Sonia clutched my left arm. On the other side ofthe room, behind the huge dresser that Nigella used for ornaments, cookbooks, and various accoutrements, were Guy, Simon, and now a shell-shocked Ollie.
“What the fuck is happening?” Ollie screamed.
“Arden, are you okay?” Simon yelled.
Nigella looked at me. “Why is she trying to shoot us?”
“She killed Riz,” I said loudly.
Another hail of bullets. “This is no fun,” Katrina said. “Come out and play.” Her footsteps hung back. Every bullet made my heart stop with fear. They ripped through the room. Deafening. I clenched my jaw against every new noise. So loud, so piercing.
Nigella had her phone out, calling the police. Sonia was texting Ade.
“I don’t care if I live or die, as long as I take out some of the men who killed my son.” Her voice came out loud and clear.
There was a silence.
“Your … your Rabbie …”
“I told you it was his middle name. His real name was Stuart,” she said.
I dared to look over. Guy and Simon were both the palest white.
Ollie breathed out. “S Murray.”
“You never said he was bloody Scottish!” I yelled at Simon.
“I didn’t know he was.” Simon sounded confused.
“Boarding school,” Katrina answered. “My husband insisted. Never had a hint of his own accent.”
