by Mary Ellis
“Nothing but the best for your old boyfriend.” The sound of an aluminum can popping open punctuated Lenny’s comment.
Beth balanced on a rock so she wouldn’t miss any of their conversation.
“I see your point, Lenny,” Bonnie cooed. “Half the twenty K should be yours for all you’ve done for me. But I want to make a fresh start in a new town with the other half.”
“A fresh start away from me?”
“Wouldn’t you like to finally get your sister off your back? You could be footloose and fancy-free for the first time since Mom and Pops died.”
Sister? The Mulroneys are siblings and not spouses? Beth almost fell off her rock.
“If I wanted to ditch the responsibility, I would have long ago.” Judging by the telltale sound, Lenny opened a second beer. “You’re the one with stars in your eyes about becoming a fancy lady in a big house out on Tybee Island.”
“But somebody made sure that never happened, didn’t they?” Bonnie’s temper reappeared with a vengeance. “Once Lamar and I were together, he would have set you up in your own landscape business, but you never could be patient.”
“Yeah, right. If you thought the guy would welcome me with open arms, how come you never invited me over for dinner? Then we could have met face-to-face.”
“I told you, I just started watching Rachael Ray!” she shouted. “I would have once I learned how to cook, but you never trusted me to do anything right.”
“That’s because you never have. Your whole life, Bonnie, has just been one disaster after another.”
Beth reached down to touch her gun in her ankle holster. If Lenny kept this up, she’d be tempted to wing him based on his cruel nature alone. Somehow, knowing Lenny was Bonnie’s brother and not Bonnie’s spouse softened her opinion of the poor girl.
“Meeting Lamar at Cool Beans wasn’t a major disaster,” she said stubbornly. “That man was in love with me. He told me so.”
“No, Lamar was in love with his wife. You, he was just using.” Lenny spoke with equal conviction.
“He loved Evelyn once, but not anymore. Lamar was ready to make big changes in his life.”
“You…are…such…a…fool.”
Beth had never heard such conviction or so much venom in five little words before. Unfortunately, Lenny wasn’t finished berating his sister.
“You’re always so eager to believe whatever people tell you. If a man told you to jump off a bridge, you would probably do it. You’re pathetic.”
Unable to resist, Beth stretched up to peek into the room but stayed hidden behind the checkered curtain. Lenny stood with his feet splayed, towering over Bonnie. With his hands balled into fists, he looked like a boxer ready to spring into action.
Bonnie, although at a disadvantage size-wise, looked as mad as a proverbial wet hen. “You’re just jealous because no one ever felt that way about you!” she shouted.
Fearing for Bonnie’s safety, Beth silently drew her weapon from its holster.
But instead of lashing out, Lenny sauntered across the linoleum floor and extracted his third beer from the fridge. “If Lamar loved you so much, why would he offer you twenty K to crawl back under whatever rock you came from?”
“His wife made him give me the money. Evelyn already tried to bribe me two days before with a check. I ripped that check into little pieces right under her nose and dropped them in the trash.” Bonnie stood hipshot with her arms crossed—the classic posture of a belligerent child in the middle of a tantrum.
But Lenny wasn’t a loving parent. He was a frightening bully who was rapidly getting drunk. He grabbed Bonnie’s arm and pushed her down in a chair. “It’s time you woke up, little sister. When you came here Saturday night after your lovers’ quarrel, I’d never seen you so upset. I planned to rearrange Lamar’s face for making you cry. But when I got to the apartment, he was already gone. He’d hightailed it back to his cushy life on Tybee Island.” Lenny paused for another long pull of beer. “I found the envelope of cash, along with a note saying he was sorry if he made promises. He said he loved his wife, and they both hoped you could use the money to make a new life for yourself. Maybe you could go back to school or enroll in college or get some vocational training.” Lenny paused to inhale, as though preparing to deliver his final salvo. “Lamar wasn’t coming to his senses. He was kissing you off!” Lenny roared loud enough to rattle the glass in the window frame.
Beth released a pent-up breath and peeked at Bonnie. Sobbing hysterically, the girl had curled into a ball on the chair. “What did you do, Lenny?” she asked in between hiccups. “And I’m not talking about the money. I know you took that.”
There was a long moment of silence. Then Lenny spoke in a chillingly calm voice. “I made Lamar Doyle pay for disrespecting my sister.”
Beth swayed on the rock, momentarily unbalanced. She had followed Bonnie hoping to find proof of her guilt but instead heard the confession of a murderous brother. Perhaps being an only child was a blessing after all.
“You killed him? You killed the only man I ever loved?” Bonnie whimpered like a wounded animal.
“You were in love with the idea of being a rich man’s wife, not Lamar Doyle.” Lenny took another drink.
“I was so scared when you didn’t come home that night.” Bonnie struggled to her feet, moving as though underwater. “When I heard Lamar was dead, I was sure you’d done it.”
“What changed your mind?” Lenny sounded as though he was merely curious.
She took a few steps toward him. “I told myself that was impossible. You didn’t even know where Lamar and Evelyn lived.”
“That’s how stupid you are. Thanks to the Internet, you can find out where anyone in the world lives. Just in case you can’t put two and two together, I copied Lamar’s house key when I copied the apartment’s.” Lenny tipped up the can and drained the contents. “Frankly, I couldn’t believe how easy it was. The code to their security system was written on a piece of paper in your purse. You never could remember numbers.” He shook his head. “With his wife sawing logs like a lumberjack in the bedroom, and Lamar asleep in the deck chair, it was done and over with fast. That woman was so zonked out on sleeping pills she never heard the shot. It’s the only reason she’s still alive.”
Bonnie closed the distance between them and pounded on his chest with her fists. “How could you shoot someone you didn’t even know?”
Lenny pushed her away effortlessly. “That’s where you’re wrong, little sister. As a landscaper, I’ve known men like Lamar Doyle my whole life. You can be trimming hedges two feet away, and they’ll walk by like they don’t even see you. Not so much as a ‘How ya doing?’ ”
Bonnie marched back undeterred. “Lamar wasn’t like that. He was nice to everyone. My friends at Cool Beans, his assistant at work, and every single waitress when we went out to dinner.”
Lenny grabbed both of her arms and shook her viciously. “Do you ever listen to yourself? Every single person you mentioned is female. Lamar was nice only to women because he was a womanizer.”
“That’s just your dirty mind,” she shouted, struggling against his grip. “You want me to stick around cooking your food and washing your clothes. I’m someone to slap around after a hard day of cutting people’s grass.” Unable to break free, Bonnie opted for a passive-aggressive approach—she spit on his shirt.
Lenny released her arm and slapped her across the face. Bonnie fell over the chair, landing in a heap next to the stove. “Someday you’ll thank me.” He glared down at her without pity. “After you realize that old guy made a fool out of you.”
Beth had seen enough. She jumped from her rock and stumbled away from the overgrown shrubs. “Freeze!” she shouted, bursting through the back door. “Lenny Mulroney, you’re under arrest for the murder of Lamar Doyle.”
Unfortunately, in the time it took Beth to get out of the bushes, Bonnie had launched herself at her brother. The two siblings were locked in hand-to-hand combat when Beth ente
red the kitchen, but both stopped to gape at her.
“Who are you?” Lenny demanded, adding an expletive for emphasis. “You ain’t no cop!” Bonnie blinked. “She’s that nosy PI who works for Mrs. Doyle. Beth Somebody-or-other. Will you never stop harassing me?”
“I will as soon as the police have your brother in custody. Step away from your sister, Mulroney.” Beth aimed her weapon at a spot between his eyes.
Apparently, brotherly love had its limits. Lenny pulled his sister in front of him like a shield and extracted a small-caliber handgun from under the back of his dirty shirt. “Put the gun down, PI. You don’t want to kill an innocent woman, do you?”
Bonnie’s eyes turned round as saucers. “Please don’t shoot me. I’m sorry I said those things about Mrs. Doyle.”
Beth stared into the cold eyes of a hate-filled man. With Bonnie between them, she had no clear shot. “Look, nobody has to get hurt. All I want to do is walk out of here with your sister.” She aimed well to the left of Lenny’s head.
“Then put your gun on the table and get out. Bonnie’s not going anywhere.”
“Okay, you win.” Beth slowly placed her Glock on the table. But before she could plan her next move, Mulroney shoved his sister into her. Beth quickly regained her balance, but Lenny had already grabbed her gun. With two weapons aimed at her chest, there was little Beth could say or do.
Bonnie, however, had plenty to say. “What’s the matter with you, Lenny?” she screamed, stomping her foot. “That crazy chick could have shot me.”
“Nah, I knew she wouldn’t. And you know I’d never hurt you.” Lenny pulled his sister into a loose embrace and kissed the top of her head. Equally as unexpected, Lenny then handed Bonnie the Glock. “Keep this pointed at the nosy PI until I can tie her up. We don’t want any more surprises until we’re ready to leave.”
Even though she was an only child, Beth felt this kind of behavior between siblings couldn’t possibly be normal. She lifted her hands in surrender and stepped toward the door. “Look, all I want to do is go back to my hotel and mind my own business.”
Lenny sprang at her with the sure-footedness of a leopard. He slapped her hard across the face—twice as hard as the blow he delivered to Bonnie. “Do you think I’m stupid?” he asked in a soft, controlled voice. “You just heard me confess to killing Doyle. You ain’t going anywhere until we’re long gone.”
With stars swimming before her eyes, Beth couldn’t focus. She tasted blood from where her teeth cut her mouth or tongue, the coppery bitterness roiling her stomach. If Mulroney could deliver that kind of force open-palmed, she hoped never to connect with his fist. Ridiculously, her father’s motto that nice boys should never hit girls ran through her head, but wisely Beth kept her mouth shut.
“There should be rope under the sink.” Lenny dragged Beth roughly across the room, pulled a chair up to a chest freezer, and slammed her into it. Her head bounced against the freezer, adding to the existing dull ache. “Keep the gun on her, Bonnie!”
Unfortunately, little sis was quick to comply. Beth wasn’t sure how often Bonnie had handled a weapon, but Glocks didn’t have a safety. “Please be careful with that. I’m not planning any great escapes.”
“Bet you’re sorry you stuck your nose in my business now, huh?” Bonnie asked. But at least the girl took her finger away from the trigger.
“You’re not kidding.” Beth tried to smile, but her lips hurt.
In a moment, Lenny was back with a length of rope. None too gently he tied her wrists together, tied her to the chair, and then tied the chair to the freezer handle. Not a man who does things halfway. As he bent over her, Beth caught the scents of fresh-mown grass, stale perspiration, and something harder to pin down—fear or maybe desperation.
“I’m going upstairs to pack my stuff, because we’re never coming back to this dump again,” he said to his sister. “You keep an eye on her so she doesn’t slip those ropes like Houdini.”
“Where are we going?” Bonnie’s tone contained zero enthusiasm for the idea.
“I don’t know. Maybe Miami or the Keys. I heard Key West is nice. Plenty of old folks in Florida need their yard work done. Some of them are bound to be getting forgetful and won’t notice when their jewelry goes missing.”
“Are we taking Beth with us?” Bonnie asked as Lenny loaded the remaining beers and sodas into the cooler.
“Sure we are. Everyone has a pet PI on a leash down in Miami.” Lenny cast a withering glare in her direction.
“Look, Lenny, I’ve never killed anybody, and I’m not eager to start now.” Despite being half his size, Bonnie spoke with conviction.
Beth expected the madman to lash out as he had earlier. But instead, he walked to where Bonnie was perched on the counter and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know how you hate blood. Right now I haven’t worked out the details, but you need to trust me to do what’s best for us. Haven’t I always taken good care of you?” He lifted Bonnie’s chin with one finger.
“Yes,” she answered, sounding small and childlike.
For the second time, Beth felt nothing but pity for a girl who apparently had no other family except this abusive tyrant.
“Okay, then give me a few minutes, and you’ll get that fresh start you want.” Lenny turned on a heel and strode from the room.
When Beth heard his heavy work boots stomping up the steps, she knew she only had a short amount of time. “You have to untie me. Your brother plans to kill me. And that’s not something you want on your conscience for the rest of your life.”
Bonnie’s blue eyes were glassy with moisture. “I know that’s what he plans to do, but I don’t have much choice.” A tear ran down her cheek.
“Of course you do! I’ll get us both away from here. Then my friends and I will protect you.” Beth wasn’t sure how Michael, Kaitlyn, and Nate would feel about this idea, but she would cross that bridge downstream.
Bonnie bit down on her trembling lower lip. “No, Beth. I’ve tried getting away before, but Lenny always finds me and drags me home. So you and I are going to do exactly what he says.” She lifted the Glock and leveled it at Beth’s forehead, curtailing conversation.
THIRTY-FOUR
For a short while, Beth listened to Lenny moving around the room overhead. One thing about steel-toed work boots—it was hard to be stealthy in them. “What’s this about Lenny not letting you leave him?” Beth asked. “He’s your brother, not your jailer.”
“You know nothing about us. When our ma died, not one of my relatives wanted to take us in. So much for family. We were thrown into the foster system, but as soon as Lenny turned eighteen, he petitioned the court and got me out. He had a good job back then.”
“Well, he did the right thing. But he’s not doing right anymore.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “You don’t know what he’s got planned. He might tie you up and leave you in the country somewhere. All we need to do is get out of Georgia.”
Beth chose a new, risky angle to pursue. “You were planning to make a fresh start with Crystal. You two were going to find jobs and a new place to live in a different town. Unless Lenny really is keeping you a prisoner.”
“He would let me share a place with her as long as I don’t move in with some man. Lenny kinda likes Crystal. He could always come visit us.” She shrugged. “I sure could use that money now.”
“Crystal won’t be moving anywhere.” Beth spoke very softly.
Bonnie’s chin jerked up. “You don’t even know her!”
“Yes, I do. She helped me fill out a job application at Cool Beans. She had the coolest streaks in her hair. When I stopped by her grandma’s today looking for you, the police were all over the place.” Beth glanced at the doorway, not wishing any surprise interruptions. “Your friend is dead. I’m sorry.”
Jumping off the counter, Bonnie loomed over her. “You’re lying!” she hissed.
“I would never make up such a thing. Why would I? Crystal opened the door to s
omeone she knew. Then when she turned her back, that so-called friend shot her. Where was your brother this afternoon?” she whispered just loud enough to be heard.
Bonnie bent down until they were face-to-face. “You…are… crazy! Why would he do such a thing? I told you he likes her.”
“I have no idea. But if it were me going on the lam with Lenny, I would ask him.”
Two or three seconds spun out—the lull before a coming storm—then a voice floated from the kitchen doorway. “Ask me what?” He dropped a duffel bag and a second suitcase on the floor.
Bonnie reacted before Beth had a chance to concoct a plausible story. “This crazy PI thinks you’re going to kill her. I said you don’t need to. You know how to live so far under the radar no one ever finds you wherever you go. None of those bill collectors ever tracked us down here.” She offered Lenny a dazzling smile and stretched up to tuck a lock of stringy hair behind his ear.
Lenny shook her hand off. “Yeah, yeah. You ready to go? I see you already packed before I got home.”
“A girl has to be prepared.” Bonnie grabbed the handle of her suitcase.
Lenny focused his cold eyes on Beth. “You’re coming with us, Miss Busybody.” He withdrew a long hunting knife from a sheath beneath his shirt and grabbed one of the ropes.
“Too bad Bonnie didn’t empty out Lamar’s safe before she left the apartment,” Beth blurted out. “A little extra traveling money wouldn’t hurt. Even twenty thousand only goes so far these days.”
Lenny stopped sawing at the knot. “What’s she talkin’ about, Bonnie?”
“More crazy stuff. She’s just trying to buy more time.”
Lenny inserted the blade between Beth’s wrist and the rope. The back of the blade cut into her skin.
“I am trying to buy time, but I’m not lying about money in the safe. Lots of it. Evelyn Doyle told me to retrieve it when you weren’t around. She had a feeling you didn’t know about Lamar’s stash.” Beth smiled sweetly at the girl.
