“This isn’t a good time,” Claudia Rorski said. “He’s watching the football game, and he doesn’t like to be disturbed when the Bengals are playing”
I was persistent. “It’s important. I can’t go to the station to see him, and I have to talk with him right away.”
She looked over her shoulder toward the living room. The volume of the television and Sergeant Rorski’s choice words for the opposing team’s quarterback were both loud. She opened the door wider and said, “Come on in. We can have coffee in the kitchen until halftime. I think he’ll talk to you then.”
The Rorski’s lived in an older two-story home similar in style and layout to Glenn’s house. Claudia led me past the living room and down a short hallway to the kitchen. She grabbed two coffee mugs from a mug tree on the counter and set them on the table before pouring hot coffee from a half-empty pot into them.
She began the conversation by saying, “I was sorry to hear about your sister. Have you heard anything yet?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Buck should be home tomorrow. He thinks there’ll be a ransom demand soon.”
The thought of a ransom note just now popped into my head. I could have kicked myself for not spreading the rumor sooner.
“That’s possible,” she said. “I don’t mean to be blunt, but you should prepare yourself for the worst. Scooter says when it’s quiet like this after a kidnapping, the victim is most likely dead. Ransom demands usually come within the first forty-eight hours.”
My mouth fell open. I knew I should have tried to force tears to come or at least to appear distraught to some degree, but I could only focus on the fact that she had just called the sergeant Scooter.
“I’m keeping a positive attitude,” I said. “I think she’ll be home safe and sound soon.”
“I hope so,” she said. “How are things going with you and Glenn? I heard you’re getting married at Christmas.”
I found it hard to believe she didn’t know what had happened between us – especially since it was her husband’s fault. My voice was flat when I said, “We broke up. He’s dating Barbie Cane.”
I watched her face closely as I gave her the news. She was definitely surprised. “I don’t know why Scooter ever hired her. She’s nothing but trouble. Every woman in my bridge club has a story to tell of her flirting with their husbands. Mary Ellen said Barbie even propositioned hers. She wanted him to meet her at a motel.”
“She does have a way with men,” I said. “It didn’t take Glenn long to fall for her, and they’re pretty serious. Your friends won’t have to worry about their husbands any more.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’ve had a rough time of it lately, haven’t you? Would you like some chocolate cake or ice cream? We have some left over from Scooter’s birthday party last night.”
Before I could answer, Sergeant Rorski walked into the kitchen. He looked from Claudia to me and back to Claudia again. “What’s she doing here?”
His wife stood from the table and said, “She came to talk to you. I asked her to wait until halftime.” She turned to leave the room. “It was nice to talk with you again, Jo. Keep the faith for your sister, and I’m sorry again about Glenn.”
Sergeant Rorski grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat down opposite me. “You’ve got five minutes.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out a baggie with the two bullets from the beam in the cabin. “These were dug out of a hunk of wood. I think they’re important. Really important. Is it possible for you to have these run through some system to see if they match any other bullets? You can match bullets with other bullets, right?”
“Where’d you get them?”
“I can’t say. I’m asking you to trust me, but these may have come from a gun used in other crimes – maybe even a murder.”
I don’t know why, but I sounded melodramatic when I said the word murder. Maybe Arnie was onto something - I was melodramatic. I could start a new career doing theater voiceovers for upcoming attractions.
“It’ll take a couple weeks to get the results back. They’ll have to be sent to Pittsburgh.”
My eyes bugged. “A couple weeks! Honestly, Sergeant, this is a matter of life and death. Can’t you find a way to expedite the work?”
He eyed me while he thought for a few minutes. I couldn’t tell what was going on in his head.
“I have a guy in Columbus who owes me a favor. If I call it in, and you’ve sent me on a wild goose chase, you’ll pay for it, Ravens. I mean it.”
My relief was so great, I jumped up and threw my arms around his shoulders to give him a hug.
“Thank you. It’s not a wild goose chase. I promise.”
~ ~ ~
Three days had passed since I’d given the bullets to Sergeant Rorski. I couldn’t believe he called in a favor and it was taking this long to get answers. The bullets were a definite match to the ones that killed Tony Lucas. How hard could this be?
Pepper was nearing the breaking point, and Buck had already lost all patience. If I didn’t do something fast, not only was their relationship in jeopardy, but someone was going to get caught sneaking up to the cabin. Buck and the kids had already been up there twice, and Mama was visiting every day. A feeling of impending doom hung over my head. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called a meeting of the Blue Hat Society.
We met for lunch in the meeting room at Chummy’s. When everyone had their lunch open in front of them, I opened the meeting.
“I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. Aunt Bee, how much time do you have?”
She looked at her watch. “Forty minutes before I have to start checking meters on Main again, so I can stay for about thirty.”
I knew Rita could take as much time away from the bed and breakfast as she wanted, and Roger would cover the snack bar in the flea market for Mama. Lucille was too old to work anywhere, and I didn’t think anyone would hire her anyway. I was shocked to see her open an onion burger special with Chummy’s spicy baked beans loaded on top of the meat. Her gastrointestinal system would explode in about an hour.
“Aren’t you eating anything?” Mama asked. “You don’t look well, and you’re losing too much weight.” She looked around the room. “Don’t you all think Jo looks sick?”
Rita and Lucille quickly agreed, but I knew Aunt Bee didn’t want to give me a hard time. She had always been on my side when I was little and Mama and I had butted heads. “I think she looks fine. When this mess is over, and she and Glenn can be together again, he’ll fatten her up with his lasagna.”
I gave her a smile. She was probably right about that.
“Let me get right to it,” I said. “I want you ladies to abduct Barbie Cane. Tonight.” Of course, I used a melodramatic tone when I said the word tonight.
Aunt Bee and Rita looked dumbfounded. Mama rubbed her hands together with glee. I didn’t mean to, but I smiled with what felt like an evil smile.
Lucille farted.
~ ~ ~
I was restless and had practically worn a path in my carpet from pacing. It was getting late. I checked the time again. It was almost ten o’clock.
My phone buzzed. I snatched it from the coffee table. The text was from Mama. She’s all yours.
I ran to the half bath off my kitchen and double-checked my appearance. I was wearing all black, which enhanced my unusually pale skin, making me look even sicker. I had scrubbed all makeup from my face, causing the remains of the dark circles around my eyes to show more prominently. I ran my hands through my hair to muss it even more. Finally, I checked the pocket of Glenn’s black hoodie. I was wearing it and wanted to be sure the derringer was still in the pocket. I had only checked a hundred times in the last hour, but I couldn’t stop myself. It was loaded with the bullets Glenn had given to me earlier.
I followed every traffic law, being extra careful to drive the speed limit. Glenn said someone with something to hide was usually overly cautious and drove under the speed limit. Well, them and old people.
I was nearly to Glenn’s house when a police cruiser with flashing lights and siren came up the road behind me. I broke out into a cold sweat. My brain screamed, “Stupid! Stupid! You have Tony Lucas’ murder weapon in your pocket!”
I almost put down the passenger window and tossed the gun out, but the cooler side of my head prevailed, and I pulled over to the side of the road. I knew most of the guys on the force, and I could probably talk myself out of whatever charge they leveled at me.
The cruiser blew past me. I put my head back, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. My nerves were ready to snap. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but I did neither. I put the truck in gear and continued on my way.
It wouldn’t be right to say I was shocked to see Lucille’s black Cadillac pulled over going in the opposite direction. Nothing would surprise me now.
Mama, Aunt Bee, Rita, and Lucille were all dressed in black with the exception of their odd blue hats. They faced the car with their hands on the vehicle. The police officer who pulled them over must have called for backup. The cruiser that passed me was facing the group with the car’s spotlight shining on all of them. Mama would handle the officers, and as long as Lucille kept her mouth shut, we’d be ok, but I knew I needed to hurry.
I was at Glenn’s house a few minutes later.
After parking the truck next to the garage behind the house, I let myself in through the back door. I crept softly down the stairs to the basement. Barbie was sitting on a chair next to the water heater. Mama had handcuffed her to a water pipe. Duct tape with smiley faces covered her mouth.
When she saw me, she began gyrating in her seat. Whatever she was yelling behind the tape wasn’t clear, but I knew the words weren’t friendly. I noticed her jacket on the workbench. I checked the pockets and found only car keys. I knew the women of the Blue Hat Society had frisked her. Knowing Lucille, she would have lifted Barbie’s sweatshirt for a look while Rita and Aunt Bee went through her jeans pockets.
I turned to her and pulled the gun from Glenn’s hoodie. The sight of the weapon shut her up. Her eyes flew open wide.
“I hope those old ladies didn’t hurt you,” I said. “No one wants to hurt you. As a matter of fact, I’m here to help.” She frowned. Her eyes darkened. “I don’t care about anything you’ve done, and I don’t care what kind of scams you’re running. All I want is to tell you that you may think you’ve won by taking Glenn away from me, but he’s playing you for a fool just like he did me and loads of other women.”
I paused and pretended to be curious.
“He’s taking things slow with you, isn’t he? That’s because there’s someone else he likes better. He’s keeping you hanging on until he sees how it goes with her. He’s at her house right now.”
The movements of her head and the expressive looks in her eyes let me know my words were making an impact.
“Jean Young’s husband is out of town a lot. Did you know Glenn likes married women? He’s been sleeping with Jean for almost six months now. She’s ready to divorce her husband for him. If she does, he’ll dump you fast. Then he’ll wait a few months and dump Jean, too.”
I was pacing in front of her now. Spewing the lies was getting me worked up. She had to think I was crazy.
“She lives at 238 Boyd. It’s north of the hospital, and the house sits back off the road on a hill. No one will see you. I’ve spied on them before. Don’t mess with the front door. It’s always locked, but the back door never is. If you’re lucky, like I’ve been, you can stand on the porch and see in through the window. Jean likes to leave the curtains open, and you’ll find them having sex on the kitchen table. Does he role play with you? He does with her. He likes when she pretends to be a baker and rolls dough in flour on the table. He comes in and surprises her before he rolls her in the dough. He calls her his naughty little baker.”
It was as though fury exploded behind Barbie’s eyes. Her earlier gyrations and screaming were nothing compared to this. Maybe I had sold the scenario too well.
“I don’t care what you do,” I said when she calmed down a little. “I’m washing my hands of you, Glenn, and Buxley. Nothing good has ever happened for me here. I’m leaving town tonight and never coming back.”
I set the gun on Glenn’s workbench. “It’s loaded, and I have no idea if the safety is on or not, so be careful with it.” I held up a handcuff key. “I’m doing you a favor. Glenn Wheeler deserves whatever he gets.”
I kept my distance until I had just enough room to reach behind her and slip the key into her hand. I knew she’d be out of the cuffs soon. I raced up the stairs and out the door. I was in my truck and pulling away when I saw movement in the kitchen and knew she was already free.
Part of my brain went full-tilt panic. What if something went wrong, and Jean Young’s dogs attacked Barbie? Those dogs were trained to kill, not hold an intruder for the police to arrive. I was second-guessing my plan, but there was no turning back now.
Barbie was on foot, but she was in good shape, and she was mad. I drove to her house and parked down the street. Fifteen minutes later, I spotted her running down the sidewalk. She didn’t bother going into her house. She jumped into her car and peeled out. I followed her only long enough to see that she was headed in the direction of Jean Young’s house.
I pulled over to send a text, completely oblivious to the flashing lights behind me. Officer Carpenter rapped on my window.
I put the window down. “What?” I asked, clearly irritated by his disruption.
“Why didn’t you pull over?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you use your siren?”
“Get out of the truck,” he said.
“No. I have to be somewhere.”
He reached in, unlocked the door, and jerked it open. “The only place you’re going is to the station. Get out of the truck.”
Frankie walked up to stand beside him. “What’s the problem?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said and jumped out in front of Clay.
He grabbed my sore elbow and led me to the cruiser. I noticed my elbow didn’t hurt as much as it had a few days ago. “Frankie will drive your truck to the station.” He grabbed my bag and put his hand on my head to shove me into the back seat.
“I need my bag,” I protested. “I have to send a text. It can’t wait.”
He slammed the door and hopped into the front seat. “No texts. Not until you talk to Sarge.”
“Clay, listen to me. If I don’t send Glenn a text right now, Barbie could be in danger. The kind of danger that gets her killed. There’s a burner phone in my bag. You have to let me use it to send a message.”
He laughed. “What are you up to? Between that mother of yours and her nutso friends, I think you’ve all gone off the deep end. We stopped them earlier, and the one old lady had a gun and some weed in her purse. The gun wasn’t loaded, so I did you a favor and confiscated it and the weed and let them all go home for the night. We’ll decide what to do with the old lady tomorrow.” He looked in the rear-view mirror. “Do you know what they were up to?”
“Clay!” I practically screamed his name. “If Barbie dies, what do you think is going to happen to you when I tell a judge her death could have been avoided, but you wouldn’t let me send a simple text to a fellow officer?”
He swore under his breath. “I’ll call Glenn and ask him what’s up.”
I couldn’t stop yelling at him. “He won’t answer his phone. I have to use my stupid burner phone to text his stupid burner phone.” I calmed down a bit. “Clay, I swear, you have one more minute before it’s too late.”
He looked at me again in the rearview mirror. I knew I looked completely out of my mind, but I didn’t care. He swore again. “All right,” he said and tossed the bag back to me.
I fumbled for the phone and managed to send the text. Barbie there any second.
Glenn and Jean couldn’t be looking out the window when Barbie arrived, but they had to be alert to when the dogs made a move on her. I could only hope he received my text in time.
I sat back and once again felt as if I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I opted to laugh. My laughter sounded maniacal even in my own ears.
When this was over, I was taking a vacation. I needed to go somewhere warm and far away to bring my mental sensibilities back to normal. Hawaii sounded like a good idea.
I managed to stop laughing, and Clay asked, “Is everything ok now?”
“Hell if I know,” I muttered.
~ ~ ~
“I have half a mind to arrest you right now,” Sergeant Rorski bellowed. “Where did you get those bullets?”
I looked at the clock on the wall. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if Barbie had been mangled by Jean’s dogs and was dead - or if she had somehow managed to escape the dogs and overtake Jean and Glenn - or if Glenn had everything under control. We should have heard something by now, and until we did, I didn’t want to tell Sergeant Rorski anything.
“Where’s your sister?” he yelled. “You knew when you gave those bullets to me they were a match to the ones we pulled out of Tony Lucas. But what you didn’t know was they also matched the slugs pulled out of Barbie’s house. The same gun was used to fire the shot that hit her, and you have matching bullets. I can arrest you right now and prove the attempted murder charge, and I can have you charged with the Lucas murder, too. You’d better start talking. Five more minutes, and I’m sending you to booking.”
I looked at him defiantly. “Why haven’t you sent me to booking yet? It’s because you found one more murder matching those bullets, didn’t you?”
He frowned. “What do you know about that? No one has seen the report but me. If you know something about another murder, I’m going to assume you were involved in that one, too.”
I shook my head in disgust. “Why do you guys always try to make the first thought in your head stick? Isn’t anyone around here competent enough to find out the truth? You know me well enough by now. How could you take Barbie’s word over mine that I shot her? I was dying of a broken heart in Pepper’s basement, and then you guys come along and try to kill me sooner with an attempted murder charge.”
He was mad, but there was a slight softening to the look on his face. “Just doing my job, Jo. It was never personal. Matt’s a good attorney, and if there’s no evidence to support the charge that you shot Barbie, then a trial should go your way. What am I supposed to do now that you’ve shown up with bullets matching the ones that shot her?”
“Nothing. Haven’t you figured this out yet? She originally shot herself to frame me. She shot Tony Lucas for revenge and to frame me a second time. I missed it at first. Tony came here from Portsmouth. Barbie was on the force there before going up to Youngstown. Tony was only volunteer fire and police, so when I vetted him for Chummy last January, I wasn’t thinking of him as a former police officer. Barbie broke up his marriage. I don’t know what she does when she destroys a relationship, but something went wrong, and Tony wouldn’t have anything more to do with her. She must have been surprised to find him working in Buxley when she transferred here. She shot him with the same derringer she used on herself.”
The sergeant seemed to be listening, so I kept going with my story.
“I don’t know how she did it yet, but Barbie made sure Pepper was in the office with Tony when she shot him from the window. To top it off, she left the gun in the room. That was one more step to have me put away. She could say I was avenging Pepper’s honor by killing Tony, because he was sexually harassing her at work. Her plan would have worked if Pepper had called you, but instead, Pepper got scared and ran off with the gun.”
I almost laughed at the look on the Sergeant’s face, but it was so frightening in its intensity, I remained perfectly still.
He jumped up and slammed his fist on his desk. “Dammit, Ravens. Where’s that sister of yours? Do you have any idea how much money the two of you have cost this city? Every man has been working overtime looking for her.”
“Not as much money as if Pepper and I had lengthy trials.” I said defensively. “You didn’t ask me about the other murder.”
He sat down and rubbed both hands over his face. “The bullets match the murder of the officer’s wife in Youngstown.”
I nodded my head. “Barbie’s derringer.”
“Do you know where the gun is now?”
I knew I shouldn’t torture the man, but I still blamed him for what happened between Glenn and me. If he had allowed Glenn to tell me everything from the beginning, we would have never broken up, and we would have been able to handle Barbie together. I smiled and said, “I gave it back to Barbie. The last I knew, she was on her way to kill Glenn.”
I’d never seen the man move so fast. He bolted from the room, his footsteps pounding down the hall. His orders commanding the entire force to find Glenn and Barbie went out with lightning speed. I waited a few minutes before getting up from my chair and walking into the dispatcher’s office.
“Out!” Sergeant Rorski shouted and pointed to the door.
I ignored him. “I know where Glenn and Barbie are.”
Enough time had gone by that something had to have happened at Jean Young’s house. If by chance things weren’t under control, the police needed to show up in force anyway.
Sergeant Rorski’s face turned so red, I was afraid he’d have another heart attack. I opened my mouth to tell him where Glenn was, but he rushed past me before I could get the words out.
I followed him from the room and saw Glenn pushing Barbie past the front desk. She was in cuffs for the second time tonight.
When he spotted me, a smile spread across his face. When Barbie spotted me, she let loose with a string of swear words far better than the ones Sergeant Rorski used. She then made a hissing noise before yelling, “I should have killed that stupid sister of yours when I had the chance. Who doesn’t call the police when someone’s murdered right in front of them? And I’m suing your mother and those old women. Kidnapping at gunpoint is a federal offense. You’ll all get yours.”
Glenn handed her off to Clay. Clay shoved her into the first interrogation room. My heart soared with joy.
Sergeant Rorski hadn’t simmered down at all. Glenn moved over to stand beside me, and the sergeant turned on both of us. “Ravens, I’m not going to tell you again. Out!” He pointed with authority to the door. “Wheeler, you, too. Get out! You’re fired!”