by Lois Lavrisa
Annie Mae dug in her purse and held up her cell. She punched a button. “Secret spyware is on.”
Chapter 22
Footsteps came nearer. I jumped at the sound of the curtain’s grommets sliding on the metal rod. Heavy thuds were followed by the sound of clicking heels.
Annie Mae and I exchanged a glance.
My hands shook. “It’s Cowboy and Scarlett.”
I grabbed my keys with my pocketknife. Annie Mae snatched the packing tape dispenser.
Scarlett walked into the office, followed by Cowboy.
Scarlett’s eyes darted around, landing on the opened boxes. “How did you get back here?”
“You didn’t see us? We walked right past you. You were busy talking.” Annie Mae bit her lip.
She was getting good at lying, and so was I. Did all detectives have this talent to fib?
“Howdy, ladies. Nice to see you again.” Cowboy smiled and tucked his hands in his jeans pockets.
“These two do not belong back here.” Scarlett wagged a finger at Annie Mae and me.
Annie Mae lowered her voice. “Actually, we do, because we need to get something back that belonged to a friend of ours.”
“There is nothing here that belongs to anyone but me.” Scarlett shook a finger at us again.
“I beg to differ,” Annie Mae said.
“We think we found evidence that you are in possession of Lucy’s vase,” I said.
“You two get out of here. Now.” Scarlett held the door open.
“Whoa, now. These ladies aren’t causing any trouble.” Cowboy held a palm up. “Why don’t I get the package so I can head out?”
I put my hand on top of the box. “I’m afraid you might not be able to do that.”
“The vase belongs to someone else.” Anne Mae stood next to me.
I patted the top of the box. “And it may be evidence in a murder.”
“Hold on, there. Scarlett, is this true?” Cowboy glared at Scarlett.
“No.” Shoving Annie Mae and me aside, Scarlett snatched the package. “These ladies just got out of the mental institution. I need to call their nurse.”
“You want to see crazy? I’ll go all crazy on your bony butt.” Annie Mae lunged at Scarlett, but stopped short of hitting her. “You’re lucky I have self restraint.”
“Don’t mess me with, ladies. I’m calling the police.” Scarlett turned to Cowboy. “Please don’t worry about them. Everything is still okay with our transaction.”
I held on to Annie Mae’s arm and whispered to her, “What now?”
Annie Mae’s voice deepened. “Scarlett. It’s over. We know the truth. That vase belongs to Lucy, not you.”
Cowboy frowned. “Ms. Scarlett, I’m a legitimate businessman and only do transactions that are fair and honorable. Since there’s question about the vase’s ownership, I’m afraid our deal is off. Good day, ladies.” With that, he turned and marched out.
“Damn you two meddlers!” Scarlett turned red from her neck up to her face. She held the box close to her chest. “Why couldn’t you have left well enough alone? This vase is worth millions.”
“Holy cow.” Annie Mae extracted the box from Scarlett. “I’ve never held millions. Did you find this in a dumpster?”
“You have made me madder than a hornet. I can’t think straight.” Scarlett dashed to the office door and locked it. “One thing for sure. You ladies are not leaving here alive.”
“Huh?” My heart sank into my spinning stomach.
“You are so wrong, lady.” Annie Mae held up the tape dispenser. “Don’t come near me or else.”
Scarlett opened a drawer, pulling out a gun. She shifted her gaze to me. Her hands shook as her eyes welled up with tears.
“Hey, put that thing away.” Annie Mae held up a hand.
“We’ll leave. You can have the vase,” I offered.
“I ca-ca-can’t,” Scarlett stuttered.
“Sure you could. Here, just give me the gun. But like when you hold scissors, point it down to the ground before you hand it over.” I held my hand out to Scarlett.
“Please,” Annie Mae said. “You can stop all this nonsense now. Just put down the gun. We can work out this whole situation peacefully.”
“No. I can’t. You know too much.” Scarlett held the gun in our direction.
Annie Mae said, “I’m forgetful.”
“Trust me, so am I,” I added. “So why don’t we just leave you and your vase here? And we’ll pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“No. That won’t work. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Now you put me in this awful situation. I am not a killer. I am a shop owner. I am a grandma.” A tear ran down Scarlett’s cheek.
“I believe you. I do,” I offered.
“But now I am in this, and I have to finish it. I know what I have to do.” Scarlett’s voice quivered. Her eyes narrowed.
“Let us go, right?” Annie Mae grinned.
Scarlett’s face tightened up. Her lips formed a thin line. “This is dripping with irony. Yes, I know who you are. I looked you up on the Internet after you left.”
“Everyone knows Cat’s family owns the Sunshine Market,” Annie Mae said.
“I know.” Scarlett shook the gun at me. “And after your dad was shot, I got the gun to protect myself at work. So, thanks to your dad, you now have a gun aimed at you.”
My anger boiled in me as I clenched my fists. “Don’t you even think about bringing my father into this.”
Scarlett didn’t have a clue that she’d just jammed a jagged knife in my open wound, talking about my father’s death so casually. I was going to get out of here alive, or she was going down with me.
Annie Mae moved toward Scarlett. “Back off, bitch.”
Scarlett cocked the trigger.
Annie Mae jumped.
“Here’s the deal, ladies. That is my vase. It always was. And I will shoot you both and put the gun in your hand.” Scarlett waved the gun at Annie Mae. “And claim you shot her, then yourself.”
“Hey! Why do I have to be the killer?” Anne Mae said.
“Not important,” I whispered to Annie Mae.
“But it is to me. I don’t want people to think I’d shoot you.” Annie Mae tapped her chest.
“It won’t matter. You’ll be dead.” The corners of Scarlett’s mouth curled like the Grinch’s. “Plus, you have no proof that it was ever her vase.”
Holding Lucy’s cell phone up, I said, “You’re wrong. I have proof.”
Scarlett lowered her voice. “I’ll just take that out of your cold, dead hands and destroy it.”
“You sold it to her and then must have stolen it from her. What kind of operation are you running here?” Annie Mae flung her arms open, almost knocking over Scarlett’s plant on her table. She grabbed the plant. “Sorry, JC.”
“JC?” I asked.
“Jim Croce. I named it,” Annie Mae said.
I turned back to the other woman. “So, Scarlett, tell us what happened.”
“Stupid Zachary put the vase into the box. Idiot. That’s what I get for hiring family. Stupid foo…fool,” Scarlett faltered. “When I found out, it was too late. Lucy had already picked up the box.”
“You knew its value, but Lucy didn’t?” Annie Mae stared Scarlett down.
“She had no idea.” Scarlett’s lips tightened. “Imbecile.”
“So you killed her to get it back?” I asked Scarlett.
“I mean, since you’re going to shoot us, why not tell us the whole story? Then at least we can die in peace.” Annie Mae fidgeted in her purse.
I hoped that she was making sure her phone recorder was on.
“Put your purse on the table. Now!” Scarlett glared at Annie Mae. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Well, since you asked, you are sort of a wackadoodle.” Annie Mae slid her purse on the table and then put her hands up.
“You’re wrong! I’m clever enough to find a vase worth millions.” Scarlett’s hand trem
bled.
“But then you sold it for a few bucks,” Annie Mae pointed out. “So I’d say you were—”
“Shut up! Shut up!” Scarlett’s neck flushed a bright crimson.
I could barely catch my breath. Scarlett had her back to the door and the gun pointed at Annie Mae and me. There were no windows and no other way out.
We were ensnared in this potpourri-scented killer’s lair.
My only hope was that I had just called José, and he was on his way. I only hoped he got here before we were corpses. I shifted my stance, my legs buzzing with tense energy.
“By the way, nice little gun there. Is that a thirty-eight?” Annie Mae’s voice was soothing and steady.
With one hand, Scarlett held the gun in our direction. The other hand she used to push a chair in front of the door.
Annie Mae slid a foot closer to Scarlett. “So, what happened with Lucy? Are you a cold-blooded killer, or what?”
Thank goodness she was doing the talking. I was so terrified I heard my heart pounding in my ears. It seemed that the walls were closing in.
“No, I am not!” Scarlett waved both hands. Her voice softened. “She wasn’t supposed to be home. She’d said she’d be out that night with her chubby club. But when I broke in, she was there.”
I asked, “You went through the back window?”
“How did you know?” Scarlett’s voice ascended.
“We have a witness.”
“After all, we are detectives and did our investigation,” Annie Mae added.
Of course, it was pure luck that we’d ended up back here. If Annie Mae hadn’t found that chandelier in the dumpster and then decided to see if Scarlett wanted to buy it, we wouldn’t have decided to return to Blue Belle. But I wasn’t going to volunteer that information.
Annie Mae put her arm around my shoulder and then whispered in my ear, “Hang in there. We’re going to be fine.”
I gave her a weak nod. My legs felt rubbery and shaky. My teacher was right. Life was not fair. Lucy was dead, and now Annie Mae and I would be, too. While a killer was free.
“Then what took place once you got into her house?” Annie Mae asked.
“I don’t know…it all happened so fast.” Scarlett paced in front of the door, gun still in hand. “I’d surprised her. I tried to explain what was happening, but she was standing near knives, cutting up rolls. I grabbed the knife from her hand, but she fell back and hit her head. She wasn’t breathing. I…I…I panicked.”
“So you staged it to look like a suicide?” Annie Mae offered.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I mean, I’m not a murderer. It was an accident.” Scarlett’s bottom lip quivered. “Really, it was. An accident. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
Poor Lucy.
Anne Mae leaned toward Scarlett. “You call stealing her vase an accident, too?”
“Um…” Scarlett stammered. “I was just swapping out one of Biddy’s vases for Lucy’s vase. It was fair.”
Annie Mae flung her arms in the air. “Your granddaughter’s vase for a million-dollar vase? That’s hardly fair.”
“But my Biddy’s vase is priceless,” Scarlett said.
Appealing to her maternal instincts and trying to get the aim of the gun away from us, I added, “I know what you mean. I think all of my children’s artwork is priceless. And it is. So I know how you feel.”
Scarlett seemed to relax her hand that held the gun. She slowly lowered it to her side. Her eyes welled up with tears. “It really was her best piece.”
“Maybe to you. Not to anyone else,” Annie Mae said. “Why didn’t you just ask Lucy to give you the vase?”
“Lucy was such a sweet lady. And she liked you so much. I’m sure you could’ve worked something out.” I positioned myself next to Annie Mae within clear sight of the only exit. Could we maneuver around Scarlett somehow and bolt toward the door?
“No one would hand over a multimillion-dollar vase that they paid hardly anything for.” Scarlett stopped pacing. She pointed the gun back at us. “This has all gotten so mixed up. Now I have to kill you two. All I wanted was the vase. Not three dead people.”
“Then how about you stop at one dead person?” Annie Mae suggested.
Scarlett’s face softened into a smile, as if she was considering Annie Mae’s suggestion. But then, in an instant, she hardened her face and fired in our direction.
We both ducked. The blast echoed in the room. The bullet hit a picture on the wall, shattering the glass.
“I take that as a no,” Annie Mae said.
My heart beat so loudly that I thought I could hear it echoing off the office walls.
Annie Mae screamed, “Holy smokes, are you nuts, lady?”
My kids. My husband. I had to get out of this alive for them. I whispered to Annie Mae, “Self-defense time.”
Years ago, José had taught me a self-defense move. I tried remembering the mechanics of it as I kicked my leg up, angling it toward Scarlett’s hand holding the gun. Trying to sound tough, I added a fierce grunt with the kick.
Instantly, I lost my footing and slammed to the ground, hitting my butt bone.
Scarlett fired another shot. This time, the bullet hit a file cabinet. Thank goodness she was a crappy shooter.
“Are you okay?” Annie Mae scurried to me and held her hand out to pull me up.
“Yes.” My tailbone throbbed as Annie Mae helped me to my feet.
“I got this.” Annie Mae flung herself at Scarlett like a human wrecking ball, knocking the gun out of her hand. The gun slid under the table. I tried to figure out how to get it before Scarlett did.
Annie Mae pulled her shoulders back. “Self-defense, my ass; you just need bulk.”
“You—you’re crazy.” Scarlett jumped on top of Annie Mae, knocking her to the ground.
Scarlett clung to Annie Mae’s back. Seeing Annie Mae in trouble, I hopped on top of Scarlett. The three of us were stacked up like a monkey pile, all of our arms flailing and all of us screaming and grunting. Annie Mae freed herself from the pile. Scarlett twisted and grabbed my neck.
No one touches my neck.
Terror caused me to have tunnel vision. I pummeled Scarlett as I tried to get her hands off my throat. I grabbed her hair. A huge chunk came out in my hand. It was a scratchy, tangled, brunette mess that smelled of hair spray.
Hair extension? I tossed it aside.
Scarlett’s hands were soft and tiny, but they had a vise hold on my neck. I sucked in a breath but couldn’t swallow or speak.
Scarlett and I flipped over. I gasped for air.
The suffocating sensation overcame me. I felt lightheaded and faint.
Righting herself, Annie Mae yanked Scarlett’s hands away from my neck.
“You’re a powerful little thing aren’t you?” Annie Mae held Scarlett’s arms behind her back. “Do you get strength injections with all that Botox?”
Scarlett let out a bloodcurdling scream. “Bitches!”
“Now, now. I suggest you keep your mouth shut. If you don’t, you will see me go crazy all over you.” Annie Mae tightened her grip on Scarlett and panted. “And by the way, you don’t deserve to own a plant, so I’m taking yours to keep mine company.”
Sweat drenched my shirt. I was shaking as I stood, rubbing my backbone. I put my hand on Annie Mae’s arm. “Thanks for getting her off me.”
The door flew open, knocking over the chair. José ran in, gun drawn. “Freeze!”
Annie Mae kept a hold of Scarlett, both of them huffing.
Scarlett’s dress was hiked up, one of her shoes was off, and her hair, what was left of it…well, not so pretty.
I pointed at Scarlett, gasping. “She killed Lucy.”
“Everyone stand still. Line up against that wall facing me. Hands visible.” José lowered his gun. “I need to hear what is going on, right now.”
We lined up against the back wall. Scarlett stood, back against the wall, straightening her dress.
“Scarlett
is a killer. She has Lucy’s vase.” Annie Mae waved her phone in the air. “You heard it all, didn’t you?”
José held his palm facing us. “Most of it.”
“He did?” I asked Annie Mae.
“I didn’t have time to set up the recorder, so I just hit José’s number.”
“Good job.” I high-fived Annie Mae.
Scarlett held her chin up high and kept her mouth shut and her eyes on Annie Mae.
As we finished retelling José the story, Annie Mae said, “Thanks for letting us break in, or we would’ve never figured it out otherwise.”
“Letting you break in?” José stared at me and then at Annie Mae. “I approved no such thing.”
I held my thumb and forefinger close together. “Maybe I told a little white lie.”
“You need to arrest them. They’ve just admitted to a crime.” Scarlett thrust a bony finger at Annie Mae and me.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to point fingers.” Annie Mae went nose to nose with Scarlett. “You’re a murderer.”
“You’re a criminal and a pain in the ass.” Scarlett leaned in, almost touching Annie Mae.
To avoid a fight, I moved between them. I didn’t want Annie Mae getting hurt. I looked at José. “Sorry about the little white lie.”
José sucked in deep breath and looked at me. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“Arrest them for breaking into my office.” Scarlett ran over to José.
My heart raced as I spit out, “Then arrest her for murder and theft and… and…”
“Overuse of plastic surgery,” Annie Mae added.
“What?” Scarlett bolted toward Annie Mae.
José held an arm up and stopped Scarlett in her tracks.
“Sorry. But, really, just look at her face. There’s a lot of fillers in there.” Annie Mae shrugged.
Scarlett stomped her foot. “I need my lawyer. Now.”
José read Scarlett the Miranda rights, then cuffed her. After he called his precinct, he turned to Annie Mae and me. “Good job solving the murder. But about the matter of breaking in…”
Chapter 23
A few days later
