Darn it, nothing useful in there to get away from this guy. Then the other option was getting the gun away from him.
I squinted at Darlene. She stared at him. I frowned. She was either going into a panic causing her eye to twitch, or she was batting them at him. Darlene was a little strange but there was no way she’d be coming on to the man wanting to kill her.
“Praying won’t help you.” Leonard grabbed my arm and shook it. “Open the door.”
“No.” I pulled away from him, planting my feet firmly. Steeling my nerves, I drew all the reserve of courage I could and looked Leonard in the eyes. “If you’re going to shoot me, do it now.”
Anger leapt in his gaze. He took a step closer to me.
“Don’t make the crazy man mad.” Darlene whispered into my ear.
I crossed my arms, hoping to disguise my trembling. “Us being alive makes him mad.”
“I don’t care that you’re alive.” He leaned forward, speaking into my face. His hot breath washed over me. “I care that you couldn’t leave it alone. First, you had to prove it wasn’t an accident.”
I don’t think I’d ever be able to stand the smell of spearmint again. “The police did that.”
He raised the gun like a club. “I’ve had enough....”
I raised my arms to shield my head. Tightness built in my chest, pushing up a sob.
Darlene yanked me toward her. Hard. “It won’t look like an accident!”
We tumbled to the ground. I landed in Darlene’s lap. Quickly, I scrambled off her, putting as much distance between me and Leonard and me and Darlene as possible. It was better for us to separate. At least one of us then had a fighting chance.
“You want me to shoot you now too?” Leonard spun his anger toward Darlene.
I scooted a few more inches away. Why couldn’t I have minded my own business like my grandmothers, Steve, and Ted told me?
“Of course not.” Darlene huffed. “What a ridiculous question?”
I got to my feet. It was easier escaping when you stood.
“Listen—”
“You listen.” Darlene jabbed a finger in Leonard’s direction. “I’m trying to help you. Think about your choices.”
“She’s right. You won’t get away with this.” It wasn’t the most brilliant thing to say but the only statement that popped into my mind.
“Of course he won’t get away with it if he shoots us. The police are never going to think a shooting is an accidental death,” Darlene said. “Same thing with beating someone with a gun. You need to make it less obvious.”
“Who says I want it to look like an accident?” Leonard sneered. “Maybe I want them to know it was murder.”
“Well, I don’t own a gun and Faith doesn’t own one. Plus, you’re a lot taller than either of us, if your brilliant scheme is to blame one of us for the other’s murder, pick something else.”
Leonard looked at her with a new found respect.
Great, he found himself a new woman. One who wanted to help him get away with murder. Mine. And her cousin’s.
He loosened his grip on the gun. “So what is your suggestion?”
Could I get it away from him? Darlene made it obvious it was every woman for herself. I inched toward him. Darlene stopped me with a well-aimed glare.
“Take us to my house,” Darlene said.
“Your house.” Leonard held the gun firmly. “Sounds like a trap to me.”
“I live alone. My Aunt Hazel has been acting like I killed her daughter so she won’t talk to me. My mother isn’t talking to her sister because her sister thinks I’m a murderer. And since I refused to cut Aunt Hazel out of my life...her daughter did just die...my mother isn’t talking to me. And it’s not like I have any friends who’d stop by for a visit.”
“She has a point.” I muttered.
Stupid alarm company. They probably thought I set off the motion detector when I left. Either that or the police officers were handling a brawl at the school. Where was the busybody detective when I needed him? Or Hazel for that matter? Now she decided to stop stalking me.
“We’ll go all right. But we’ll take our little party to Faith’s.”
“You are not very good at this.” Darlene planted her hands on her hips. “Her grandmothers live next door to her. You broke into her house. My aunt ran over there today behaving all crazy. You don’t think someone is keeping an eye on her place?”
“My grandmothers are nosy.” I tried helping Darlene. I don’t know what she had planned but there was no way I wanted this killer near my grandmothers.
“If you behave they won’t come over.” Leonard used the gun to raise my chin. “You’ll be a good girl.”
I tried keeping the fear at bay but it was breaking through the walls I kept building.
“Fine. We’ll go to Faith’s. Her grandmothers, and their shotguns, will be over. Soon after they arrive, so will the assistant prosecuting attorney and the town’s homicide detective. You might as well shoot yourself in the head right now and save the detective the trouble.”
“No one needs to die,” I said. “I shouldn’t tell you this. I really do want you to go to jail, but Detective Roget is certain I’m amateur sleuthing. He wants to catch me in the act. Chances are he has my house under surveillance.”
Darlene raised her hand in the air as if serving Leonard a delectable treat on a silver platter. “I know it makes no sense that we’d help you, but Faith doesn’t want to die at her grandmothers’ store. I’d prefer to die in my own home than on the cold asphalt or a poorly decorated scrapbook store.”
“Poorly decorated,” I screeched.
Darlene patted my hand. “I know the truth hurts. You won’t have to concern yourself with that much longer.”
“You two are making my head hurt.” He glanced at the store.
“No one will believe Faith invited me here for us to crop together. That’s the reason you left a message on my car. It said meet me at Scrap This and was signed with Faith’s name.”
Leonard shifted from foot to foot.
“Here are the problems with that plan. I don’t have my totes with me. The assistant prosecutor is in love with Faith. There is no way he’d believe Faith had me come over here to kill me and then kill herself. That was the idea?”
Leonard nodded sheepishly.
“Yeah, that won’t work,” I said. “Steve and Detective Roget know how much I love my grandmothers and this store. The whole reason I got involved was because it happened by our back door. They wouldn’t believe for a second I’d commit a crime here. But, they would believe I went to Darlene’s to confront her and let her know I knew she killed Belinda. So of course, she’d kill me and then would kill herself because she’d rather be dead than wear an orange jumpsuit.”
“Why would they believe that?” Leonard looked into her eyes.
“Because it’s a Darlene thing to do,” I said.
Leonard zeroed in on me.
“There’s really no other explanation. It’s how Darlene is. Didn’t Belinda ever...”
“Both of you into the car. We’ll go to Darlene’s house.” He pointed the gun at my head. “You drive. Darlene in the backseat with me.”
“I’m the more careful driver,” Darlene said.
“I know better than to trust you. You’ve proven you’re the mastermind.” Leonard waved the gun at me. “Open the trunk.”
Was he going to put Darlene in there?
“Now.”
I opened the door and spotted Darlene’s cell phone in the plastic map holder attached to the door. I snagged it when I pressed the button to open the trunk, quickly placing it on the driver’s seat.
“Happy?”
“You put this in the trunk.” Leonard leaned over and keeping the gun pointed at Darlene, grabbed something from under the dumpster. He unwrapped a sweatshirt embroidered with palm trees from around the object.
Darlene stared at the hammer.
“Go on. Take it.” Leonard held it out
toward her.
Belinda’s. From the class kit. I kept the knowledge to myself.
“So my fingerprints are on the murder weapon.” Darlene tried taking a step back.
Leonard grabbed her arm. “I’ll shoot you now and put you in the trunk.”
I gestured for Darlene to take it. I couldn’t get us out of this mess here, but I could once we got into the car. I prayed she trusted me.
Darlene snatched, what I presumed, was the murder weapon and gently placed it into the trunk.
“Now both of you in the car.”
I sat before Leonard spotted our hopeful saving grace. The cell pressed into the back of my thigh. I ignored the discomfort.
Leonard buckled Darlene in. “If you try anything, I’ll kill her and say you did it. You’ve given me plenty of stuff to use against you.”
The silence in the car was pricking at my nerves. The fear made its way from my frozen toes, to my trembling knees, and finally reached my stomach. I needed it to stop before it got to my chest and made me hyperventilate. I needed my wits to pull off my hastily devised plan. First, I needed to distract Leonard and get some needed air into my lungs. Talking.
“Why did you kill Belinda?” I asked.
“I didn’t know I was killing Belinda.” Grief resonated in each word.
My mind flashed to the night I discovered Belinda, who I had originally thought was Hazel. In the dark, I couldn’t really see the colors of the outfit. Belinda and Hazel had dressed identical except for which color was the prominent one and which the accent.
“You meant to kill Hazel,” I said, pressing the gas.
The car surged forward. I eased off the pedal.
Leonard cursed and fumbled for the gun.
“Are you trying to kill me!” Darlene squealed.
“What the hell are you doing?” Leonard punched the back of the driver’s seat.
“Sorry. Something rolled under the pedals.” I leaned forward, grabbing the cell phone. I hit speed dial option number one. Help me. I texted. “I got it.”
“What?” Leonard leaned forward.
Great. Now I had to toss the phone. Hopefully that got Eliza worried and had her call the cops or come over to Darlene’s house. I threw the phone to the floor of the front passenger seat. “Women stuff.”
Leonard made a sound of disgust and settled back into the seat. “Be careful or someone could get shot.”
“I thought someone was getting shot.” I clenched the steering wheel.
Keep it together. You can do this. I hoped she heard the words I spoke in my mind and heart.
“Hazel was harassing Belinda,” I said.
“Shut up, Faith,” Darlene said.
“I thought the matching hairstyle was a little over the top,” I said.
“Belinda was okay with the hair cut but not the dye job.” Leonard draped an arm on the seat and pressed the gun into my ribcage. “I told her Hazel was nuts but she didn’t believe me. The same clothes. Coming over and doing her laundry. Folding her clothes and putting them away. Belinda said it was always a little smothering. It got real bad when Belinda moved out.”
“Was Hazel jealous of you guys?” I leaned away from the gun and made sure I didn’t inch the car over at the same time.
“Belinda never told her about us. I told Belinda no ring if she couldn’t detach from her mom.”
“So you killed Belinda. How did that help her?” Darlene asked.
“I didn’t know I was killing Belinda. Belinda said she was scared of her mom. Afraid she’d really go crazy. I told her to get a restraining order. She decided not to. Thought just taking her mom’s keys would give us some privacy. Nope. The night before Belinda’s big day, Hazel goes and sneaks in through the back door when Belinda was in the shower. Belinda found her mom in our bed. The woman had got them matching pajamas and said they were having a slumber party.”
“We always had slumber parties,” Darlene defended her family.
“You all sneak into each other’s houses?” Leonard asked.
“No.” So much shame filled the small word.
“The police wouldn’t help my girlfriend. So I did.” The anger left Leonard’s voice. “Thought I did anyway.”
“Did Belinda know?” I wished with all my being Belinda didn’t die knowing the man she loved killed her.
“That I was going to kill her mom for her? It was her plan.” Leonard pressed the gun further into my ribs. “She forgot to tell me she planned on showing up to watch. Sure wished she would’ve changed out of that stupid outfit first. Now how about you shut up and drive.”
At that moment, I decided silence was much better.
I pulled into the driveway.
“Park inside.” Leonard pointed the business end of the revolver at the button for the garage door.
“No!” Darlene snapped. “My studio is in there. The backdrops. The lighting. I just spent four thousand dollars putting down hardwood floors.”
“You’ll be dead. Why do you care?”
“You’ll be alive so you should care. I never park in my garage. No one will buy I decided to park in my garage tonight. Just park here in the driveway. When we get out, put your arm around Faith’s shoulder, people will think she and Steve came here for engagement photos.”
Darlene opened up the passenger door.
I refrained from pointing out that was I driving.
“If you’re trying anything funny.” Leonard tugged her back into the car then dragged her out with him. He yanked open the driver’s door and jabbed the gun into my ribs.
I winced. The sharp pain increased as Leonard inched the gun further into my skin. I remained still, afraid any movement, even a breath, might set him off. The image outside the window blurred.
“Trust me. I do not do funny.” Darlene glanced into the map holder.
Her gaze slid to mine for a moment. She knew. For better or worse, we were in this together. We’d either both get out alive, or neither of us would.
“Back away from the car, Ms. Not Funny. You get out.” Leonard dug his fingers into my waist and hauled me out. “I ain’t stupid. You two are planning on overpowering me together.”
“Stupid isn’t a word I’d use for you.” Darlene stood on the small front porch.
“Get up there.” Leonard released my waist and prodded me.
“That hurts,” I said. “The police are going to think it’s weird I have all these round bruises in my side if Darlene shot me in her house.”
“It’ll be because she poked you to make sure you were dead.”
“She poked me numerous times to make sure I was dead, yet killed herself over the grief of having killed me.”
“Shut up.” Leonard grabbed my right arm, squeezing tight and shaking. “Just get up there. It’s time to get this over with.”
I was fine with prolonging the inevitable.
Half-dragging me to the door, he glanced around. I also scanned the area, hoping to spot a make-do bat for use on Leonard’s head. A soft light bathed the small area entrance into her house. Rose bushes flanked either side of the door. A metal mailbox hung underneath the porch light. It might work.
Darlene held the door open.
“Get inside.” Leonard motioned with the gun.
Darlene entered.
Movement behind the rose bush caught my attention. I halted.
Leonard tugged my arm as he walked inside the house. “Get in here or I’ll shoot her.”
I glimpsed a shadow on the wall coming downstairs.
“Sweetheart! No.” Darlene’s panicked voice grabbed Leonard’s attention.
He loosened his grip on my arm and aimed the gun toward the stairs.
A cold object was shoved in my hands. I looked down. Eliza squatted behind the rose bush.
I tightened my grip on the stun gun. Quickly, I jabbed it into Leonard’s side and squeezed. “Duck!”
The revolver went off. Darlene screamed. Eliza bellowed and launched her small, compact body int
o the house.
With limbs twitching, Leonard went down. The gun shook loose from his grasp.
Blocking back tears, I stepped into the house. Please, let Darlene be alive.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Darlene huddled near the stairs, arms wrapped tightly around a russet Great Dane. The dog lifted its head from her shoulder and woofed at the still form of Leonard.
Did I kill him? I glanced down at the stun gun.
Hazel, who had hid behind the other rose bush, nudged the man with his toe. He made a small moan. “Not dead.”
Good he was alive. At least I think it was good. I kicked the weapon away from his hand. “We should call the cops and restrain this creep.”
“Get tape.” Darlene shooed Hazel up the stairs. “In my craft studio there’s a plastic storage case labeled ‘tape’ and then a drawer marked ‘fun times.’ Bring both. I store my washi tape in there.”
“Don’t you have duct tape?” I held Leonard’s no longer twitching hands behind his back.
“They’ll work. Sweetheart, mean man.”
The dog lumbered over like an angry father intent on chasing off the biker dude wanting to date his daughter.
Eliza flattened herself across Leonard’s back. Sweetheart plopped down, using the man’s legs and backside as a pillow.
Hazel raced up the stairs.
“The tape is thin. It won’t hold,” I said.
“It will. Trust me.”
Hazel scurried back down holding the drawer. Darlene took it from Hazel and brought it over to me. Darlene selected a roll and went to work on the man’s ankles.
I wasn’t nearly as picky and grabbed a roll. Quickly, I wrapped the entire roll of daisy print decorative tape around Leonard’s wrists. I reached into the storage case and yanked out another.
“No!” Darlene screeched.
Designed to Death Page 25
