Ghost Mortem (Ghost Detective #1) - Jane Hinchey Page 0,67

her down much and I wondered if she was using her magical herbs to help with that. Regardless, currently, I wasn't in top form having been poisoned by the crazy one, so we were at a Mexican standoff, with her perched on top of me and the knife between us. My arms were trembling and the pins and needles had my teeth on edge, stinging my nerve endings until I wanted to scream. Sweat beaded on my forehead. If I could manage a hip thrust I could probably buck her off me, but my lower body was still suffering the effects of her poison and all I could manage was a pathetic leg flop, which did exactly nothing.

We were both grunting and the knife was making slow progress toward my chest when there was a crash and booted feet thundered into the hallway. I almost sagged in relief, only that would have been a mistake—then the knife would have found its target. Wouldn't that be ironic? Distracted by the cavalry and end up dying just as I'm being rescued!

"Drop the weapon! Hands on your head!" Galloway shouted from the doorway. Out the corner of my eye, I saw him there, feet planted, gun drawn and aimed at Mrs. Hill's chest. He'd never looked so goddamn sexy. My heart did a little flutter.

Mrs. Hill released the knife, which of course fell straight toward me. Releasing her wrists, my fingers managed to wrap around the blade before the tip embedded itself in my heart, although it was doubtful it would have met its target without her thrusting it into me. My arms dropped to my side, the knife slipped out of my grasp and skidded a few inches away.

Galloway holstered his weapon and approached, cuffing Mrs. Hill before lifting her off me. I closed my eyes in relief, and also said a little prayer that I hadn't peed. That would be mortifying with Captain Cowboy Hot Pants standing over me.

"You okay?" he glanced down at me.

"Sure." I grinned. It was a total lie of course. My entire body was zinging and zapping like I'd been electrified, but I put on a brave face. "How did you know I was here?"

"Weirdest thing. I got a call from your number, but all I could hear was a cat meowing. I thought you'd butt-dialed me so I hung up. Only it rang again and it was the same thing. Now, I don't speak cat, but this one was really insistent so I figured I'd drop by and check in on you, make sure everything was okay."

Thor, bless his heart, had called for help. I was going to buy that cat a lobster dinner. Galloway continued, "Your garage was open, but there was no sign of you. Then the cat streaked past me and over to here, scratching at the front door. I took a calculated risk that you were inside and in trouble."

"Good guess." I nodded.

"Gut instinct." He had Mrs. Hill pushed face-first against the wall. His eyes ran over me, lingered on my hand, before moving to my face. I glanced at my hand too, saw the blood, realized I'd sliced my fingers open when I'd grabbed the blade when Mrs. Hill had dropped it.

"It's fine," I told him. "Just a nick."

"Can you get up?"

"Ummm. Possibly?" Although my legs were on fire with pins and needles I wasn't positive they could hold my weight yet. I nodded toward Mrs. Hill, who, for once in her life, was mercifully silent. "She poisoned me. Something in the tea. I couldn't move at all initially, some sort of paralysis, but now it's wearing off and I've got the worst case of pins and needles. Stings like a bitch."

Galloway tugged on the cuffs holding Mrs. Hills’s wrists behind her back. "What did you give her?"

"Relax. It was just Crimson Bark. Like she said, it's wearing off. The effects are only temporary." She shot me a look I couldn't read. I swear she had a gleam in her eye. Was there something else in the tea she wasn't telling me about?

23

I heard the sound of approaching sirens, screeching tires and car doors slamming, then the place exploded with activity. Galloway handed Mrs. Hill over to Officer Jacobs, watched and listened as Jacobs read her rights, then led her away. Sergeant Young accompanied her, then Sergeant Clements and Officer Mills turned up and I bit my lip to keep from groaning out loud.

"Are the medics here yet?" Galloway asked.

"Just pulling