by Michelle Wan
Jimmy’s there at ringside, tossing me a towel. “That was close, Lava,” he says. “Watch the leg clamp. She’s strong.”
“She’s like a python,” I gasp.
The whistle blows for Round Two. This time Wanda doesn’t hesitate. She flies at me out of her crouch. The impact is terrific, but I’m prepared for it. We scramble, pushing with our legs and shoulders. She lands on me sideways and goes with me as I skid across the ring. Now she’s on my back, loading on her full body weight, forcing me facedown in the mud. She does her old trick of really mashing me in it. It’s up my nostrils and in my eyes.
“You haven’t learned much, Lava,” Wanda cackles in my ear. Oh yeah? I think. My mouth is too full of mud to say it. I throw my head back and crack her nose. She grunts.
This buys me the split second I need to squirm free. She scrambles after me, but I swivel around and get one arm around her neck, try to lock her in a cradle. She’s too experienced, sees it coming, knows it’s my favorite move, and kicks loose. More scrambling.
Now we’re head-to-head, arms interlocked, walking in circles on our knees, pushing hard against each other. This is where her weight is always an advantage. She has a lot more to push with. I feel her draw her head back, see her eyes, know she’s mad as heck about her nose. I slam my forearm into her throat.
“You try to butt me again, I’ll break your neck,” I spit into her face as the bell rings.
The ref has to pull us apart. I lean aside to towel off and rinse my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Wanda staring hard at me. Her face is so covered in mud I can hardly make out her features. She’s the color of a Hershey bar all over, purple hair included. I know I look the same. I don’t like to think what’s going through her mind.
The whistle goes.
We’re both so exhausted we’re happy to buy time, circling on our knees. But we know the fans want action.We crash together with a wet slap. We grapple for maybe fifteen seconds, head-to-head again, until we topple sideways. I grab her around the middle. She’s as slippery as an eel. She breaks out, pivoting fast to come behind me. Her hands clasp together around my neck in what might pass as a chin lock but is an illegal choke hold. She has me tight against her and is really putting pressure on my airway. That’s her objective. I try to drive my chin down, claw to pry her loose.
She’s strong, and by this time I’m seriously needing oxygen. The more I struggle, the more she has me gasping like a landed fish. The ref sees me fading but does nothing because the crowd is loving it. Before my mind goes dark, I remember an August night two years ago when she had me on the wall. I do the only thing I can to break her grip. I put up one last big show of resistance, pulling away and dragging her behind me, then suddenly give way. It’s only for a second, but the feint is enough to unbalance her. I duck my head fast and roll forward, putting everything I have into flipping her right over me. She goes with my momentum, lands on her back with a satisfying splat that sends mud flying. Now I’m swarming all over her, putting my full weight into sinking the bitch. The crowd is going crazy. I hear Jimmy shouting, “Go, go, go for it, Lava!”
“NIGHT NIGHT, HIPPO!” I roar in Wanda’s face. I get the pin just as the bell clangs.
* * *
My victory dance says it all. I pump my arms and circle my fists. I twirl and stomp and punch the air and kick. The fans love it. They’re yelling and whistling and throwing twenty-dollar bills like confetti. The management keeps things at fever pitch by blasting the theme music from Rocky.
The emcee shouts a lot of hype about Slurry’s and the celebrity match that’ll be coming up later that night. Meantime, hit the bar, friends. Jimmy throws a towel over me. I do a final victory pirouette and head to the showers. No hosing down outside first, like at Al’s. The crowd applauds me as I go. On the way, a man pushes through to catch my attention. He’s short and bald with glasses. At first
I don’t recognize him. And then I do. It’s Stanley. “Outta the way, pal,” says Jimmy. “The lady’s got to take her beauty bath.”
“We’re old friends,” says Stanley, trailing me all the way to the dressing room door. I see he’s lost a lot of weight, but he’s still a mouth-breather and a little shit.
“Hey,” says Jimmy. “Get lost.”
“She’ll want to talk to me,” says Stanley. “I found something that belongs to her.”
An old fear falls over me, heavier and colder than a mudslide. “It’s okay, Jimbo,” I manage to say. “I know him.”
Jimmy gives me a doubtful look, senses something’s wrong. “You sure, kid?” He backs off slowly down the hall.
“What?” I whirl on Stanley, putting into it the venom of a spitting cobra.
He fakes a deeply hurt look. “Is that a way to greet an old acquaintance? I have a proposition I’m sure will interest you. You see, mother’s operation was successful. She’s a tough old bird. Taking a lot longer to die than I expected. I need cash. And I found Marcia’s video and all the news cuttings she saved about your husband’s death. So is it Sally Washington or Gina Lopez, or do you just go by Lady Lava now?” He grins. It’s more a leer. “She was blackmailing you, wasn’t she? That’s why you had to kill her.”
My brain reels. I feel like Wanda’s slammed me in the gut. “I had to kill her?” I croak. “It was you! You’re the one who threw her down the stairs.”
He shakes his head. “Not how the cops will see it. Not when they see the evidence against you. Now, I wonder if I can persuade you to do another spot of murder?”
MICHELLE WAN was born in China and grew up in India and the United States. She is the author of the orchid-themed Death in the Dordogne murder mystery series set in southwestern France: Deadly Slipper, The Orchid Shroud, A Twist Of Orchids and Kill For An Orchid. She and her husband Tim live in Guelph, Ontario. Visit www.orchidsaremurder.com for more information.
