Myra, Annie, and Julie stepped back and listened as the two lovebirds went at it tooth and nail.
The boys walked in at the tail end of the tirade. They looked around at the blood-splattered floor and walls, at Darlene’s pricey veneers scattered all over the rug, and at Adam’s squared-off oversize teeth. “You’ve been busy, I see,” Jack said.
“Where’s Avery?” Myra asked.
“Twenty minutes out,” Bert said. “You want me to hook up the fire hose to the fire hydrant out front now or wait until Avery gets here?”
Myra looked at Annie. “What do you think? The pressure of the water could kill them. Should we chance it? If they pop, no one but us will know. Wanna flip a coin? But to answer your question, Jack, hook it up and test it to make sure the pressure is what we want.”
“What!” Darlene screamed. She screamed again when she saw Ted and Espinosa drag what looked like a six-inch canvas hose across the floor. The nozzle looked as big as a saucer. She continued to scream at Adam. “Look at it, you damned jerk, and pretend you’re a three-alarm fire, and they’re squirting that damned thing at you. It will turn your body black and blue. You’ll get blood clots. Oh, my God! Look, I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever you want, say whatever you want. I’ll sign the papers no matter what he says. Just please don’t turn that thing on me. Please,” she wailed between her missing teeth.
“Shut the hell up, Darlene,” Adam bellowed. The bellow came out as a hissing sound.
Julie sat down in front of the couple and assumed the lotus position. “I just cannot get over the love you two have for each other. You make my skin crawl.” In a nanosecond, she bounded to her feet and pulled on the latex gloves. She looked at the boys and said, “Hook it up. Ladies, I’m ready when you are. Someone slap some duct tape on his mouth; I don’t want him spitting on me again.”
Annie obliged as the boys looked on, their expressions frightful, their complexions almost green. She wondered which car the battery was hooked up to. Then she decided she really didn’t care as long as the juice flowed straight into Adam Fortune’s penis.
“This is exciting. I have to say, Myra, the last time I was this excited was when we took on the national security advisor. By the way, Darlene, Mr. Woodley died, years later, in a vegetative state.” Darlene screamed and screamed until Myra slapped a strip of duct tape across her mouth, but only after giving the beehive hairdo a vicious jerk.
Julie advanced to Adam’s chair. She used her own knee to pry his legs apart. “Oooh, this is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” She giggled. “Ah, here they are! Oh, Adam, I never thought you and I would get this up close and personal,” she cried excitedly.
Julie hooked one clamp to Adam’s balls, the other to his penis, then stood back. She called out, “Hit it!” Bert passed the word to Ted who passed it to Espinosa who was in the garage and shouted the same words to Jack at the wheel behind their rented SUV, “Hit it, Jack!”
Jack clenched his teeth and muttered to no one in particular, “You stupid, dumb son of a bitch. All you had to do was tell her to sign her name, and this wouldn’t be happening.” He stepped on the gas and clenched his teeth as he tried to imagine what Adam Fortune was feeling. He almost fainted with relief when he finally took his foot off the gas pedal.
Darlene tried not to look at her lover. Tried not to. But she couldn’t force her eyes away from Adam, who was twitching and bouncing like a marionette whose strings were tangled up. She wanted to ask if he was dead, but the tape on her mouth prevented her from saying anything at all.
All this over some snot-nosed ten-year-old! Julie sucked in her breath, removed the clamps, and winced at the burns on Adam’s private parts. The hate she felt for him welled up in her, but she backed away. Adam’s chin was resting on his chest, his eyes closed. It was hard to describe the color of his skin, which had once been tawny from the sun. Now it looked splotchy red and white. She wondered how that could be.
“This is just a guess on my part,” Annie singsonged, “but I don’t think Mr. Fortune will be having sex anytime in the near future, if ever. Darlene, listen to the answer. Of course, I’m not a man, so maybe we should ask you fine gentlemen what you think.”
Four heads bobbed from side to side.
“Sorry, Darlene,” Myra said in a voice so gleeful, the boys scurried out to the garage to catch their breaths. Jack looked at them and forced a grin he didn’t feel. “I told you guys more than once never to be in on the climax. Nikki was right the first time, when she said we couldn’t handle the punishments the Sisters doled out. She was right, as usual.”
“They’re bloodthirsty,” Ted said, almost in a whimper.
“They don’t even blink,” Bert said.
“They always look like they’re enjoying it,” Espinosa said.
“That’s because they are,” Jack said in a strangled voice.
The last to weigh in, Harry smiled. “And the world is a better place because of them.” The boys gaped at Harry, but wisely refrained from commenting. Harry continued to smile as he checked the fire hose near his feet.
“I don’t think we’re going to need the hose,” Bert said.
Harry just looked at him and laughed.
Inside, Myra was throwing ice water over Adam Fortune. He jerked upright in the chair, his eyes murderous. “You ready to tell her to sign these papers, Mr. Fortune?” she asked. “Just nod. Guess that means no. Okay, let’s work Darlene over. Who among us has the steadiest hand?”
“That would be me,” Annie said, holding out her hands for proof. Both hands were rock steady. Annie beamed. “I think I need a little sharper knife than this steak knife, though. It might take me a while to saw through the fatty breast tissue. There might be a lot of blood, too. Once we pop those babies, what do we do with them? Wait a minute, she said she was going to sign the papers regardless of what old Adam here said.”
“Get the serial numbers as proof that Adam paid for them. Or proof that she paid for them with Olivia’s Social Security money,” Julie said. “Which one of them is lying?” she asked Darlene. “You want to tell us where the money came from for your implants?”
Darlene struggled to breathe. “All right, all right!” Darlene screamed. “I used her money. Now, are you happy, you bitch?”
“Use the dull knife, Annie,” Julie said in a voice so cold it could have chilled milk.
“If you say so. Makes me no never mind.” She turned and hissed to Myra, “Avery is going to have a doctor on board when he gets here, right? We don’t want her bleeding to death. I’ll just saw along the scar under her breasts. It’s going to hurt, so slap that tape over her mouth.” Darlene went limp as Myra ripped at her off-the-shoulder peasant blouse and bra. The boys, who had momentarily returned from the garage, bolted outside. Adam Fortune’s head rolled from side to side.
“Before you start, let me check with Charles or the boys. Don’t start till we know they’re here, Annie. As much as we hate these two, we absolutely do not want to kill them. That would make it much too easy on them.”
“Okay,” Annie cheerfully agreed, looking over at Julie, whose eyes were glazed over.
“I didn’t know I was capable of . . . of . . . something like this,” Julie whispered.
“That’s what we all said, way back when. You’ll get over it. It’s the outcome that matters,” Annie trilled as she hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation of the impending surgery.
Julie drew Annie to the side. “I don’t think she’s going to sign the papers. She’s afraid of us, but, for some reason, I think she’s more afraid of Adam. She has to sign them, Annie, she just does. Otherwise, I can’t live with this.”
“She’ll sign them, Julie. Trust me. We have one more arrow in our quiver if she holds up under the fire hose.”
“What’s that?”
“The inimitable, indomitable Harry Wong.” Annie smiled.
Chapter 27
Annie flexed the steak knife in her hands while the boys worked w
ith the nozzle of the fire hose. “We’re good to go here,” Bert shouted so that his voice carried out to the garage, where Espinosa relayed his message to Jack, who was fiddling with the fire hydrant.
Bert looked at the women and said, “We tested this out on the street. Espinosa filled a wheelbarrow with bricks and put it in the middle of the road. The pressure sent that baby clear across the road to the neighbor’s yard. What’s this chick weigh, one hundred and twenty or so?” he asked curiously. “This is just my opinion now, but I think we should move this skank out to the driveway and let her fly in whatever direction the water takes her.”
“So what you’re saying is, if we do it in here, the pressure will put her through the wall or maybe even through the glass on the sliding doors?” Myra asked.
“Yeah, pretty much, not to mention a flood of water in here.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Annie said. “But, let’s take a break; this is very intense. Coffee anyone?”
“Absolutely!” Julie said.
In the kitchen, with the door to the family room closed, Annie made coffee.
“Darlene isn’t looking so good,” Myra said. “And Adam looks even worse. I can’t believe she’s holding out. What do you think, Julie?”
“I’m as amazed as you are. I thought she would have caved in when we used the blowtorch on Adam. Guilt is a terrible thing, and she’s up to her ears in it. I think she’ll ride it out to the end. Like I said, this is the end of the road for her, and after we’re gone, she thinks she is going to still be here with him. He’s all she has left, so she’s going to do what he says no matter how bad she wants to sign the papers. He has a hold on her.”
“I’m thinking the same thing. But, here’s my question—do we really want to remove Darlene’s implants? I think she’s told us everything she knows. Right now, she hates Adam Fortune, but by the same token, she’s tied to him in some way. So, listen up. Tell me what you think of this. We bring Harry in as I prepare to start . . . you know, surgery. I nick her, just enough to pop some blood, then Harry puts her out cold with one of his magic touches. While we’re doing that, the boys can play with Fortune, give him a couple of midrange squirts with the hose to blow him back and forth across the street a few times so he gets the feel of it. Then we bring Harry in to finish up the intimidation,” Annie said.
“Do you think that will work?” Myra sounded skeptical.
“I do, Myra, I really do. Julie, what do you think?”
“I think whatever works for you guys will work for me. She has to sign the papers in her own hand. That’s all I care about.”
The coffee was ready, but no one wanted any.
“Harry!” Annie bellowed.
Harry came on the run. Annie outlined the plan, and Harry agreed without any hesitation. “Hold on one minute while I relay this to Jack and Bert. We have to drag the hose back outside. Ted and Espinosa can carry Fortune in his chair out to the garage.” The women nodded.
Harry was back in minutes. The foursome headed to the family room in time to see Ted and Espinosa carrying Fortune out to the garage.
“Okay, break’s over. Time to operate,” Annie said as she whirled the dull-looking steak knife through the air. She looked down at Darlene, who was white as new-fallen snow. “I’m sorry we don’t have any anesthetic for you, because this is going to hurt. Oh, damn, that’s a lie—I’m not one bit sorry. Don’t bite your tongue off now, because I refuse to be responsible for that. What size do you think these are, Myra?” Annie asked as she pulled up one breast, which was as big as a melon. She dug the knife in and sliced. Blood spurted just as Harry’s fingers clamped down on Darlene’s neck.
“Quick, where’s the bandage?” Julie slapped it on and held it in place.
“There’s not all that much blood. You just cut the surface.”
“Well, guess my work here is done,” Annie said as she peeled off her latex gloves. “How long will she be out, Harry?”
“As long as you want her to be out. At the moment, I’d say at least an hour.”
“Is Avery here yet?” Myra asked.
“He’s out there, just arrived when I went out to the garage. He pulled his van into the garage. Ted and Espinosa settled Fortune in among the oleander bushes. So, are we ready for the water show?”
The three women scurried out to the garage. “I sure hope you’re right, Julie, and these neighbors are gone. I’d hate for them to report a man taped to a chair flying through the air in a waterfall.”
In spite of herself, Julie laughed.
In the driveway, Adam Fortune stared at the men holding the hose. He knew what it was going to do to him. His body wracked with pain, his head burning unbearably, Adam knew it was all over, and yet he couldn’t do what these crazy people wanted him to do. Worse than the pain, worse than his guilt, what bothered him was the kid’s words up in the bedroom earlier. Larry Wyatt had definitely spoken to her. There was no doubt in his mind.
Adam tensed when he saw the fire hose being pointed in his direction. What if the water killed him? What if he really died, and he had to face Larry and Audrey? He worked his tongue around his broken teeth, and an ugly sound escaped his battered lips. Like he was really going to go where they were.
And then he was sailing through the air, drenched in water. He closed his eyes as he and the chair he was strapped to landed in a nest of azalea bushes.
“He’s alive!” Bert called out dramatically. “His eyelids are fluttering.”
“Enough!” Harry roared as he raced over to the bushes and jerked Fortune forward in his chair. “Listen, you worthless piece of shit. We’ve had enough of you, and we just ran out of time, so here’s the deal.
“I’m going to stick my fingers up your nose and pull your tongue through, then I’m going to push your eyeballs down so they come out your ears. It will take me exactly nineteen seconds to do it. Tell your girlfriend to sign the goddamned paper NOW, or your tongue will be hanging from your nose and your eyeballs will be dangling from your ears.”
Fortune looked into Harry’s eyes, and whatever he saw there convinced him that the man would do exactly what he said he would. “Take me inside, and I’ll tell Darlene to sign the papers,” he croaked.
“Now, that’s a wise man if I ever saw one,” Harry chortled happily.
“And, once again, Wizard Wong saves the day,” Jack said. “Hey, Harry,” he hissed. “Can you really do that?” Harry laughed in reply.
The party of nine watched as Darlene Wyatt signed her name again and again and again. Twice, Jack had to steady her arm so that her signature wouldn’t be shaky. Annie and Myra had to hold Julie upright. Bert did his notary thing, then pressed the seal onto each paper Darlene signed. When Ted handed Julie the signed papers, her sigh of relief could be heard by all. Her eyes thanked them.
They all watched as Avery Snowden and his men settled Darlene Wyatt and Adam Fortune into the back of the medical van, their destination unknown. No one waved good-bye.
The moment the back doors of the van closed, the rest of them scrambled to clear the garage and the house. The garage doors closed with a loud bang. It took only minutes to tidy up the family room and disconnect the coffeepot. Ted turned off the main water valve, and Espinosa flipped the circuit breakers. Myra turned the refrigerator off. “I think we’re good to go, ladies and gentlemen.”
“I just want to go upstairs and get some of Ollie’s things. Want to help me, ladies?”
“Sure,” Annie and Myra said in unison.
“We’ll meet you back at the house,” Jack said, sensing this was a private time for the ladies.
Upstairs, Julie walked through the rooms. “This . . . this was Larry’s room,” she said quietly. “Larry and Darlene had separate bedrooms. This is Ollie’s room. Kind of bare, eh? I wonder why she left this picture of her mother and father behind,” Julie said, picking up the picture on the night table. “I’m going to take it, since Ollie won’t be coming back here.”
“This is
just a guess on my part, Julie, but I think that little girl wanted to leave it behind so Darlene could see it every day. I’m not sure she understood clearly that she would be leaving this house,” Myra said gently. Julie nodded as she slipped the framed photograph into her purse.
“I think we have everything, not that there’s all that much,” Annie said, anger ringing in her voice.
Julie bit down on her lip. “I think we can go now. This chapter of my life is finally over. Maybe now I can . . .”
“Of course you can. Now you have a little girl to take care of and to love. We’ll meet you downstairs, Julie,” Annie said.
Julie, her eyes misty, walked down the hall to the room where her son had slept. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears escaped. “Right or wrong, Larry, I did it. I made her pay, and her boyfriend, too. I can’t say I’m proud of my actions, but I’m not sorry. I promised to make it right, and I think I did that. This would be a good time for you to let me know you understand, even if you don’t approve of what I’ve done.”
Julie looked around as she waited for a sign from the spirit of her son. When nothing happened, she trudged to the door and closed it behind her.
Out in the hallway, Julie leaned up against the wall as she poked in her purse for a tissue to wipe her eyes. Blinded with her tears, she pulled what she thought was a tissue from her purse, only to realize it was a white feather. She blinked away her tears, and smiled. “Okayyyyy, kiddo!”
The last time there were this many people on her veranda had been the twins’ thirtieth birthday, Julie thought.
Knowing that her guests’ leave-taking was going to be traumatic for their mother, Connie and Carrie had opted to take Ollie to the Rosemont Summer Festival. Ollie, they said, didn’t need to see any more sad faces. Julie agreed.
Now it was time to say good-bye to her new friends. Julie knew there would be tears, lots of tears, but they would be happy tears—up to a point.
The boys were self-conscious, uncertain if they should hug this new friend of theirs or shake her hand. Julie solved the problem by hugging each of them so tightly, they winced. When she got to Harry, she bit down on her lip, doing her best not to cry. “Don’t say anything, Harry. I know it’s what Cooper wants. Ollie explained it to me. He has an important job to do with you. That’s what her father told her, and that’s good enough for me. I just wish I knew what that job was. It might make it easier.”
Gotcha! Page 24
