Murderous Matrimony(62)

The first thing I saw when we reached the cobblestones was the Tornado Twins, Diego and Lorenzo. They were offering to sell their fat, pink piglet to a visitor. The visitor and her companions were laughing as she said no and tried to keep walking.

The twins weren’t that easy to escape. “Yeah, we can’t afford to feed her.” Diego mimed crying, and Lorenzo used a large handkerchief to wipe away his tears. “If she stays with us much longer, I’m afraid she’ll become bacon.”

John and two of his men were still behind us. I didn’t see Marion.

Robin and I kept running.

“Get out of my way, freak!” I heard John yell.

That was all Diego needed. It fit right in with his act. He threw himself at his feet and wouldn’t get up. “Please! Please! Take me with you. Don’t leave me here. I’m not really a freak like the rest of them.”

“Get off!” John tried to kick at him.

Lorenzo threw himself into the act. He managed to wrap himself around one of the other men and kept asking for his support. “I know there must be a wallet in here somewhere.”

Instead, his eager hands dislocated a small knife that clattered to the cobblestones as he dropped it. The thug held up his gun and fired three times. Visitors and residents began screaming and running toward the Main Gate.

“Shoot them!” John yelled at his men behind him as he pointed at me and Robin.

The Green Man was ambling by. He wrapped his huge, leafy tree branches around the man. His gun fell to the ground too. The Green Man held him tightly in his embrace.

People had stopped running to take pictures. I was completely amazed.

A dozen fools, with bells jingling on their heads, pushed the second of John’s men into a goat cart. A nearby pickle vendor grabbed the top from his pickle barrel and trapped him in the cart.

I could see some of Chase’s security men running toward us. I knew John was still behind us with a gun. There was no way to let them know.

But I couldn’t run anymore. I couldn’t draw a breath. I dropped to my knees as a severe cramp in my mid-section stopped me. Robin stumbled over me, and we rolled off the walkway and into the grass.

“He . . . can’t kill us . . . right here in front . . . of everyone.” Robin panted and groaned at the same time.

Or maybe he could.

John hadn’t backed away. His deeply lined face frowned down at us. He pulled out a very large hand gun, and everyone started screaming and running again. They tripped over each other, and across fairies, knocking the pickle vendor over. Bo Peep’s sheep tried to get out of their path, and a goatherd ran into a privy.

“Think they’ll know, in all this confusion, who killed who?” John grinned and aimed his gun at us.

I squeezed my eyes closed tightly as I painfully gasped for breath.

There was a dull thud above me. I knew that sound. It was an arrow hitting its target.

John slumped down on the cobblestones next to me. “My arm! He shot my arm!”

I looked across the street and there was Manny in front of the museum—a long bow in his hand—and a smile on his dark face.

A large arrow protruded from John’s shoulder. Robin jumped up and grabbed his gun. He threw back his head to laugh, but didn’t have enough air to do it. He slid down to his knees.

“Welcome to Renaissance Faire Village and Marketplace, Mr. Healy,” I managed to get out. “I hope you enjoy yourself while you’re here.”





Chapter Twenty



The Village was closed for the rest of the day. Police were everywhere. Several ambulances had come and gone with the injured. None of the visitors were hurt—that was a good thing.

Tony had made it to a spot where there was signal, and had called the police. It was after we’d nearly caused a stampede on the cobblestones. He returned to the Village, triumphant, and came to see me right away.

Chase had propped me up against the side of the Honey and Herb Shoppe where Mrs. Potts was bringing me tea and honey cookies. I couldn’t move a muscle to get inside, and I wanted to see everything that was going on.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Tony gave me a brief brotherly hug. “Where’s Robin?”

“He wasn’t hurt, as far as I know. He may be in Sherwood, nursing his wounded ego. He never saw this coming with Marion.”

Tony grinned. “I’ll go help him. I could give him some tips with women, you know? When they start using your credit card, it’s over.”

“You don’t have a credit card.” I laughed and then regretted it as the pain in my side returned.

“Exactly! See you around.”

The police were questioning everyone in the Village about what they’d seen and heard. Most residents hadn’t seen anything since they were on the other side of the Village. Only a small group had taken part in the melee. I would be sure to personally thank the valiant pickle vendor, the jingling fools, and the Green Man.