“Sweet Jesus,” Heidi muttered. “I swear I could kill him myself. Or at least push him down the stairs so he breaks his stupid legs again.”
Ronan snorted. “I had similar thoughts myself.”
“Same,” Jude agreed.
“Don’t make me arrest your dumb asses.” Fitz laughed along with the detectives.
“You’re a cop?” Heidi asked Fitz.
“We all are.” Fitz lifted his shirt to reveal his gold captain’s shield.
Heidi’s demeanor brightened. “Can’t you just arrest Carl and throw him in jail?”
“I wish we could,” Fitz said. “We work for a police department back in Massachusetts and we’re five hundred miles outside of our jurisdiction here in Canada. I could slap the cuffs on Cannonball, but I’d could be arrested myself on charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment, which would also open me up to civil penalties as well as criminal.”
“What about the Niagara Falls Police? Can’t they arrest him? What if I call them and say he threatened me or hit me or something?” Desperation filled Heidi’s voice.
“First of all, Cannonball told us that he has a permit to attempt the falls, so calling the police wouldn’t help in that regard. If you called to report an assault and the police knew you were lying, they’d arrest you for filing a false report. Not to mention how ugly it would look for Cannonball to be accused of domestic violence when he hadn’t actually done the deed.”
“There should be a law against being a stubborn moron of a dumbass.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Agreed,” Fitzgibbon said with a laugh.
“What else can I do?” Heidi asked. “There has to be something.”
If there was, Cope didn’t know the answer. He was about to tell Heidi that very thing, when Jude spoke up instead.
“It’s obvious Carl is bent on trying this stunt. We’ve all told him what’s going to happen if he tries it. Nothing we’ve said has swayed his mind in the slightest. All you can do now is pray. Cope and Ten told you what’s in store for your future. Do whatever you need to do now so that you’re prepared for that outcome. Hire a lawyer who can help you navigate the repercussions of Cannonball’s death. Perhaps there’s a way they can get the fines and bills related to his stunt reduced or cancelled altogether so that you and your son don’t lose your home. Start a GoFundMe page and put it out there to all his fans. When I checked Instagram yesterday, Cannonball had over three million followers. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to help. Lastly, does he have headshots with him?”
Heidi nodded, looking numb. “Yeah, he brought three or four boxes of photos for the meet and greet and whatever else he does.”
“Good. Get him to sign them all tonight and make him put today’s date under his name,” Jude looked and sounded like he knew what he was talking about.
“Why?” Heidi asked, looking confused.
“They’ll be worth more once he’s dead,” Cope said simply. “Also ask to keep the remains of the barrel and the clothes he’s wearing. You can sell them too. People will pay good money for death memorabilia.”
Heidi gasped. “Jesus.”
“If Cannonball won’t sit and listen to your concerns about his life, maybe preparing for your life after him will.” Jude sighed. “To go one step further, ask him to take pictures of you for your dating profile. After all, you’re going to be a widow in forty-eight hours.”
“Jude!” Cope slapped his husband’s arm. He’d never heard Jude be so callous in his life.
“It’s a good plan,” Fitzgibbon said. “If I were in Cannonball’s shoes that would sure wake me the hell up.”
“Me too,” Ronan agreed. “I’d even have CJ write him a goodbye letter. Give it Cannonball before he leaves Sunday morning.”
“Guys, I-” Heidi began, but was crying too hard to continue.
“I know what we’ve suggested is harsh and cruel, but we don’t see another way into shocking him out of this foolish idea.” Jude looked as if he were going to sit down and cry alongside Heidi.
“There is one last ditch thing we can try,” Ronan began. “When we met with Cannonball this morning, we asked if he had anything that belonged to his father. He gave us a quarter Rooster had in his pocket when he went over the falls.”
“What will the quarter do?” Heidi asked, drying her eyes on her sleeve.
“Sometimes we have better luck reaching a spirit if we have something that belonged to him,” Cope said. “We can get together tomorrow night and give it a try. If Ten’s willing, we can have Everly join us.”
Ten nodded. “She’s had good luck with reaching out to people she doesn’t know. We’ve got some other tricks up our sleeve if Rooster appears.”
