by Teresa Quill
Oh God. She almost stopped breathing. If Buck had changed, what would he do to her?
“Maybe I should check on that bird, sometimes they knock themselves out.” She headed back toward the door.
“Please, sit down.” He led her by the arm to the couch.
Gracie gulped down a scream but held her composure. She’d never been so scared. Propped on the edge of the couch, she eyed the door, considering her options. Buck was a big guy, but her friends were just outside. If she could possibly get to the window, then she could signal them. If only Buck would leave the room, she could make it out the door. But he stood by Patty, between her and the window. Her heart pounded so hard she heard it in her ears.
Buck patted his sister on the shoulder. “You won’t have to worry about the police anymore, Patty. Miss Gracie, I’m sorry you had to be involved in this mess. You’ve always been a good friend to our family.” Patty’s cell phone rang but she put it on silent.
Oh God, he’s going to kill us both! He sat beside her on the couch, and she tried hard to hide her trembling hands. Think. What would Irene do? Probably poke him in the eyes, but she couldn’t do that. Wally had his cane. If only John was here, he’d know what to do. She contemplated a spot on the rug, intentionally not looking at Buck.
“There was a terrible accident.”
Oh no. Is he rehearsing his story about what will happen to us? I guess I was wrong about him. I have made a horrible mistake. Dear Lord, don’t let my friends walk into this. Oh John, don’t be a hero.
She glanced up. Buck turned to her with tears in his eyes. At least he felt bad about having to kill them. There was no escaping now. Maybe she could play on his moral senses. He had been a church going man. At least, keep him talking.
“Buck, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.” She set a hand on his knee in a comforting way and tried not to quiver.
“Oh Miss Gracie, it was awful.” He leaned toward her.
She once thought of him like a teddy bear. Now, looming over her, he looked more like an enormous grizzly.
“Jigsaw was here rummaging through the house. Patty was gone. I came to get the wood, but then I saw the front door open. I came in and found him with her checkbook in his hands, and I just lost it.”
Gracie patted his leg. “Anyone would understand that.”
Patty held a hand over her mouth, eyes wide, frozen in place. Her breath came in quick gasps. Not a good time for a panic attack.
It was up to Gracie to hold it together for both of them. “Go on, Buck. What happened next?”
“I chased him out the back door, but he tripped and that old metal ax in the wood pile went right though his temple. He was dead and there was nothing I could do about it. There was blood on the wood, and he was dead.” He put a chunky hand over hers.
As awful as this was, she felt a little better. Maybe he wasn’t going to kill them. Maybe he was just a scared boy in a man’s body.
Buck sobbed. “I knew the police would think I did it on purpose. They were here last month when I pushed him out the door. Patty called 911. He had a black eye from some other fight he was in, but he told them I did it. So, they’d think I killed him on purpose, I just knew it.”
Boy, once he started talking he didn’t quit. If it was an accident, he wasn’t a killer. The chess-playing non-violent teenager was in there somewhere. Patty was getting paler, and her breathing came in shorter gasps.
“Now, Buck. That was an accident. They wouldn’t blame you for that. You were just helping your sister.”
He nodded.
“Patty, breathe into that pillow.”
Patty picked up the pillow. Now they were getting somewhere.
“How did he end up in the river?”
Buck swiped his eyes and sniffed. She handed him a tissue from a box on the coffee table. A helicopter roared overhead. There must have been an accident on the main road.
“Well, I didn’t want the police to come here. So I took a tarp and lined the front seat of my friend’s truck and buckled him in. I put the ax and the pieces of bloody wood in the back of the truck. I didn’t know what to do, but I was driving out the back way when I saw the neighbor’s fishing boat. On TV they put bodies in the river. So I borrowed his boat. It was awful, just awful.” His face paled and she saw a shiver run through him.
Body in the river? Where people fish? Really? He must have watched too many old gangster films. What a mess. She handed him another tissue. John would be in a tizzy if he’d seen Buck pull in with his friend’s truck. She’d better let him know she was okay.
“I never want to see a dead body again.” Snort, blow. “I used rope and cement blocks, I thought it would work.” Oh Lord, now he was sobbing uncontrollably.
Patty went from pale to ghostly. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Her breath came in even shorter gulps and she dropped the pillow.
“Patty, put your head between your knees. You too, Buck. Heads down. We’re going to work this out.”
That’s it. It was time to take over and make things right, not time to sit on the sidelines. She did that enough. Too much. “Young man, you didn’t kill that fellow, but you did make a stupid mistake that you have to fix.”
Buck’s friend came in the back door and called from the kitchen. “Hey Buck, what’s keeping ya? Did you know there’s a helicopter circling the house?” He walked into the living room.
Gracie stood over Buck and Patty, patting their backs as they sobbed with their heads between their knees.
There was a thunk on the front porch. “This is the Maryland State Police. Please pick up the phone on your porch.”
“What the hell is going on? I’m outa here.” Buck’s friend headed out the back door to his truck.
“It’s the police. What should I do?” Buck’s eyes grew big as he popped to his feet and froze in position.
“Get the phone.” Gracie stood beside him. Patty stayed crumpled in her chair. Buck just shook his head. Gracie squared her shoulders. “Fine, I’ll get it. It’s time to clear up this mess.”
Gracie opened the front door to see a row of police cars and men in bulletproof vests with large guns. My word, what a sight. She waved at the man with the megaphone and picked up the phone.
“Hello? This is Gracie Moore.” She stepped back inside but didn’t shut the door.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Can you tell me if the man has a gun?” a gruff voice demanded.
“I am fine, and there are no guns here.” Good Lord! What did they think was happening in here? She had been scared for a few minutes but why would they. . . John. John had started this in motion. Once a policeman, always a policeman. And for once, she was grateful.
“Good. Now, I need to speak to whoever is in charge, ma’am. We’ll get you out of here soon.” A man behind the patrol car held a phone and waved to her. “This is Sheriff Jones.”
“Get us out of here? What do you mean?”
She saw the man tilt his head like a dog trying to understand a command.
At this point, Gracie was more concerned for Buck than herself. Beads of sweat had formed on his brow, and the big guy’s eyes opened wider than they should. Patty was still gulping for breath on the chair, and they were both white as snowmen.
“Are you being held against your will, ma’am?”
“Gracious no, but I’m glad you’re here. Is that bald detective out there? And Tom Radon?”
“What?” The man on the phone looked around, confused.
“I really want Deputy Radon to be here before we come out to talk.” She was sure this would go easier on the two if Tom was here. He had met Buck a few times and knew he was a nice guy.
“Who is in there?” The state policeman had the telephone.
“Well, I am here, Gracie Moore, with Patty Pouzel and her brother, Buck Schaefer. I think his friend is in back getting wood.”
The truck. John did see Buck’s friend’s truck and called the police. No wonder there was such a huge response. H
e probably raised an awful stink. Aw, he really was worried about her.
“His friend is, uh, with us.” The officer scratched his head. “Deputy Radon will be here in a minute. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“There’s been a terrible misunderstanding, officer. We need for everyone to calm down so we can talk without these two young people passing out.”
“I’m all for that, ma’am. But you all need to come out, now.”
She saw Tom pull in behind the line of cars. The man with the phone hurried to him and put them on speakerphone.
“Tom, I think these men got the wrong idea. I’m just fine. Is that big detective here?”
“Gracie, you all have to come out.” Tom leaned toward the phone.
She waved to him from inside the door. “Now Tom, all these people are scaring Patty and Buck. Can’t you and that detective come in alone?”
“No, it doesn’t work that way. You have to come out, Gracie.”
The detective ran into view from the command center down Elm Street. Still panting, he joined the two with the phone.
“SWAT is standing by, ma’am. They’ll have to come in if you don’t come out.” The detective’s voice blared through the phone.
“I’ve seen enough TV to know you’d break things. Patty has a lovely home. I don’t want that. I want you to be nice to them.” The brother and sister hadn’t moved. Buck stood frozen and Patty slumped on the couch.
The red-faced detective leaned over the phone. “Right. We’ll be nice. Just come on out. Now.” He made a dismissive motion and stepped back, hands on hips. “Tom?”
Tom took the phone. “Gracie, it’s going to be bad if you don’t come out now.”
“I’ll try.” They didn’t realize how frozen with fear the two were. “How do I hang this thing up?”
“Don’t hang up!” Tom motioned wildly, and the detective leaned to talk to one of the SWAT people.
“Okay, but I’m setting you down for a minute to get Buck and Patty.” She set the phone on the little table by the door. “Come on Buck, we have to go.” She took his hand but he didn’t move. Tears ran down his cheeks and he blubbered something unintelligible. Patty was breathing into the pillow. “Patty, come with me. Help me with your brother.” She looked up but didn’t move. If only John were here. He’d know what to do. Finally, she pulled Patty to a standing position and held both of their hands. “You have to come with me. Hurry up.” She zombie walked them to the door and backed out, butt first.
Chapter 14
As soon as Gracie stepped on the porch, police were all around, pointing big guns at them. There must have been a dozen men yelling. “Hands in the air!” A man by the door snatched her to the side and handcuffed her. Another threw Buck to the ground and a third grabbed Patty. One of the SWAT men held a small grenade in his hand, but he slipped it back into a pouch. She was sure they’d have thrown it if she hadn’t dragged those poor kids out.
A team of men in black vests swept past her into the house, guns pointed into the living room. Then she was pulled none too gently into the yard. Patty stood beside her in handcuffs then she crumpled to the ground. The SWAT man caught her. Gracie could only see the bottom of Buck’s shoes.
So much yelling, and so many guns! She saw Buck’s friend staring at them from the back seat of a police car. The SWAT man escorted Gracie to one of the two ambulances behind the line of cars. Patty was carried to the other. Buck was bent over the trunk of a cruiser. A second helicopter with Channel 8NEWS blazed across the side circled overhead with a camera pointed out of the open window.
John ran up the street toward them but was stopped just beyond the cruisers. She knew he was yelling “Gracie!” but couldn’t hear his voice over the rabble. She couldn’t wave to him because of the handcuffs. Irene was close behind John, and she could see Wally hobbling up the street.
Tom and the detective came over as soon as the doctor gave them the thumbs up. She would probably have a bruise on her arm from where the SWAT man grabbed it. There might be a few other tender spots, but she couldn’t tell.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Tom spoke softly, but the detective rocked from foot to foot, his face still red. “John’s worried about you.”
“I’m sure he is, but I’m fine. I was helping them come outside. I tried to tell you, Patty was having a panic attack and I think Buck was on the verge. Those poor kids. You need to know the whole story.” Gracie sat on the back end of the ambulance.
“Go on, please,” Tom encouraged and both men leaned closer. The detective scribbled in his little notebook as she talked.
“It’s all about that evil man, Jigsaw Pouzel. First, Patty doesn’t know anything. Jigsaw beat her, then she had a panic attack and passed out in the bathroom closet. Second, Buck didn’t kill him, it was an accident. But he did panic and move the body.” Gracie squirmed. “Do I have to wear these handcuffs?”
Tom looked at the detective, who shrugged. She was released and rubbed her wrists. John paced nearby like a caged animal. Bruises already formed like purple bracelets and her right arm ached. She finished telling the two of them everything she knew about the situation.
“I have known them since they were children. They’re not at all violent. And Buck was on the chess team, a very kind person. He feels so bad about this. Tom, you know what Patty has been through and how scared she is of confrontation. You can’t possibly think she had anything to do with this.” She rubbed her wrists again.
The men thanked her. Finally, they let John come barreling through.
“Gracie! Darn your hide. I should never have let you go in there alone. I can’t believe I let you talk me out of calling yester. . .”
She put a finger to his lips.
“I’m okay. Thank you for worrying about me.” Such bluster.
“You silly woman. I was terrified. What would I do without you?” His voice trembled.
Was that a tear? She took his hand and held it to her cheek. What a lovely man. He really cared. After sitting another half an hour while the police talked to Patty and Buck, Tom took Gracie and John home.
“What’s going to happen to them?” Gracie looked over her shoulder to see two cruisers take Patty and Buck away.
“I can’t say. I think Patty will go home, but Buck won’t. He disturbed the scene of an unattended death. That’ll be up to the courts.” Tom steered around the blockade at Main and Elm where John had first seen the truck, and where another cluster of sheriff cars were parked and officers were putting equipment into a van.
Irene and Wally waved as the cruiser passed them, walking toward home on the sidewalk by Sunny Orchard’s house, across the street from what John called the command center. Gracie had no idea there were so many state police cars in the area.
The Channel 8 News van was parked nearby, a reporter held a mic to one of the passing state policemen who stopped and talked while Tom drove by the scene. John gripped his arm around her tightly, and she felt safe beside him in the back seat.
“I saw those same TV cameras at Patty’s house while I was talking to the detective. I think we made the news.” Gracie bit her lip.
“Not surprising. This was a pretty big deal for Skeeterville.” Tom smiled. “Gracie, you were brave to do what you did today.”
“Yes, you were, darling girl.” John hugged her.
She cocked her head. “Sometimes you don’t know how much you can do until you must, then it’s just natural.”
Tom stopped in the front parking lot of the Friendly Arms. Irene and Wally peered in then went inside.
She leaned forward to talk to Tom but not so far that John couldn’t keep his arm around her. “I think the SWAT team was going to kill us if we didn’t come out. Did you see that hand grenade? They could have blown a hole through Patty’s beautiful wood floor and killed everyone.”
Tom smiled. “Gracie, that’s what you call a flash/bang. When it goes through a window, it makes a blinding flash and a deafening nois
e, but it wouldn’t hurt you. When it explodes, SWAT rushes in and throws everyone on the floor.”
“We aren’t dangerous criminals!” The very thought was shocking. She sat up straighter.
John jumped in. “I didn’t know it was Patty’s brother who went in the house, and the police couldn’t see inside. They didn’t know what was happening behind those doors.” John rubbed her back. “I thought you were being held by a crazy murderer. Irene threw pebbles at the window to get your attention.”
“That wasn’t a bird?” Gracie grimaced. Poor John must have been worried sick. “Why didn’t you just knock on the door?”
“The SWAT team tried to call Patty, and you, but no one answered the phones, and yours went to voice mail. If you were being held hostage and I came to the door, I might’ve been pulled in with you, or put you in danger, or worse. Then I couldn’t help.”
Tom explained, “Protocol says everybody has to go down when they enter a hostage situation. I’m glad you came out before they had to take you down. I know SWAT can be rough. Do you want me to walk you two in?” Under that brusque by-the-book deputy lived a marshmallow heart. He had bent the rules a few times for the seniors, especially for John and Irene. She would bake some cookies for him one of these days.
“Yes, thank you, Tom. I’m a bit bruised.” Gracie smiled.
John still had a limp from his encounter with the fishing trailer, but he walked ahead to open the door for her.
Before Gracie went inside she touched Tom’s arm. “There’s something else I want you to know. John does not want to live in his son’s basement. As long as I can, I’ll watch after him.”
“That’s fine, but he has to stay off the street.” Tom wagged a finger at John, but he was smiling.
“I’m working on it.” She winked at Tom and slipped into the lobby. John grinned sheepishly and followed her inside.
Seniors filled the lobby and stared at Gracie when she entered.
Irene burst through the crowd to grab her in a bear hug. “Gracie, it’s about time you got out of that cruiser. When we got here there was a crowd in the common room. Everybody was watching you on the TV. You’re breaking news on Channel 8!” She hugged her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. “Why were you in handcuffs? Look at your arms. What did they do to you? Were you scared? What happened inside that house?”
