“Yes, of course I do.” Although who Ellie expected Mimi to perform CPR on, she wasn’t sure. Wait. The entire department? She must have heard Ellie wrong.
“Hang in there. This is the part of the job where I’m supposed to keep you on the line to make sure you stay calm even if something really bad is going on. So, how do you like being mayor?”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
How did she like being mayor? Was Ellie serious? Someone was trying to break into her house! “Um, I like it just fine.”
Thump! Thump!
Toby began to howl. He scratched frantically at the kitchen door, trying to get out. Sweet, brave Toby. Mimi would never complain about his drooling again.
“No, Toby! Be calm, sweetheart.” Mimi said. “You can’t go outside right now.”
“Toby? Who’s Toby?” Ellie asked suspiciously.
“My dog.”
“I didn’t know the chief had a dog! What kind?”
“Um, we’re not exactly sure. A boxer pug mix maybe?”
“Oh, that sounds…cute.”
Thump! Thump!
A police siren wailed in the distance then got closer.
“Oh, thank God! I hear a cruiser coming,” Mimi told Ellie.
“Oh, you have more than just one car coming. I activated a code purple and a code orange.”
The police siren became louder and then seemed to multiply. Ellie hadn’t been joking when she’d said she was sending over more than just one car.
“What’s a code purple?”
“Potential hostage situation.”
“Hostage situation?” Mimi said, “Who’s being taken hostage? And what’s a code orange?”
“There’s an unidentified threat to the town mayor who just so happens to be married to the police chief. Like it or not, you’re Whispering Bay’s power couple. Who knows what these crazies want you for? We can’t take any chances here. For all we know all of Whispering Bay could be under attack at this very moment! Oh, and a code orange means there’s some sort of disaster going on. It’s really the simplest way to get all emergency vehicles there as soon as possible.”
“What? No, Ellie, please, all I need is—”
Thump! Thump!
Bang! Bang! Bang! “Police! Mimi, are you in there?” she heard someone yell at the front door. It sounded like Rusty. Bang! Bang! Bang! “Open up, we have guns! And we aren’t afraid to shoot!”
“Ellie,” Mimi said into the phone, “I got to go. I think Rusty’s at the door.”
“Okay, Mrs. Chief. Best of luck. Over and out!”
Mimi clicked the phone off and ran to unlock the door. She flung it open to find not only Rusty, but Mike Stanley and two other uniformed officers as well. She craned her head past the cops. There were no less than three cruisers, a fire engine, and two civilian cars parked in her driveway and along the front curb.
Thump! Thump!
Toby ran into the living room still barking his head off. He looked like he was about to bolt through the open door but Mimi was able to grab him by the collar and restrain him.
Thump! Thump!