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There I stood arms full of odds and ends for the rummage sale, the sharp tip of the envelop opener just a few feet away, and still too many steps to cross to the open office door and freedom.
"How could you kill Harmless Harvey?" burst from my lips in an attempt to stall.
Smirking, Janice exclaimed, "Harmless? What a joke. There was nothing harmless about Harvey. He walked all around town watching, listening, and digging up his little treasures. The snoop got what he deserved."
"You followed us Wednesday, looking for Harvey's treasure box?"
"I was already there. I had part of a map from Harvey's room, found it in the caboose of a toy train, but that was only half of a map. I looked all over for the other half, but never found it. Where did you find it?"
To keep her talking, I said, "There was an identical caboose in the living room. We didn't even know about the treasures then, or even where the map would lead."
"But now you know. It led to his box of things that belonged to other people. Things that should have stayed buried in the past. And here you come following in his footsteps, snooping into things that are none of your business."
"I don't snoop!" I shouted back.
What is she talking about? What did I find? What did I know? Think, Rainbow, Quick!
She laughed at me, "I've watched you. You are smart, much smarter than Harvey. One by one, you connected the items in the box to the former owners, and all you had were pictures to go by. I knew it was only a matter of time before you found my secret."
"Joe Carson." It suddenly all fell into place. I knew Joe's picture looked familiar. "He was your father. I can see the resemblance now. And the robberies in the area are just like he did. Just following in daddy's footstep, I suppose. Your shirt sleeves. They cover up a matching tattoo."
"See?" She rolled up a sleeve to reveal the same tattoo on Harvey and Joe. "I knew you would put it all together, the way you snoop into everyone's business."
I ignored that difference of opinion to keep her talking, "But Joe Carson didn't kill anyone. Why kill his former partner?"
"Late Monday afternoon, while I was working in the yard, Harvey came to me with these in hand." She waved the newspaper clippings. "He had noticed the similarities, connected the dots. He wanted me to stop. 'Robbing is wrong,' he said. 'It hurts other people.' He didn't want Joe's daughter to go to jail, like he had, but if I didn't stop, he was going to turn me in. I couldn't let him do that."
"So, you stabbed him."
"I ended that argument when he turned to walk away. One big thrust under the rib cage with the dandelion weeder I had in my hand. I just needed to get rid of the body. I wrapped him up, and called my partner. He rode with me here, and helped me tip Harvey in. He waited out the class in the mechanical room and drove home with me. It would have worked out perfectly if you hadn't found the body so fast."
"Now what to do with you?" She started walking around the desk. "I tried to warn you to stop snooping. Twice. The snake was beautiful, don't you think? I found him sun bathing on a large rock in the woods. Couldn't believe my luck. A great distraction and my first warning to back off. I loved the theatrics, by the way."
"Thank you, I think," I whispered, backing up, matching her steps.
"But you didn't learn," Janice's voice deepened. "Next came the car brakes. I thought that would stop you, one way or another. Yet here you are, still snooping."
The sharp letter opener glinting from the overhead lightbulbs, she added, "Too bad you didn't learn a lesson from Harvey's death."
Sounded like my cue to run. Aiming the lamp at her knife hand, I threw the entire basket of knickknacks into her face, and managed three out of the five steps needed to cross the office door threshold into the shop, before tripping over the cord to her personal coffee pot. Swoosh! POP! The letter opener blade landed just above my head in the door frame.
Gulp! Rolling sideways, I kicked free of the cord and half crawled out the office into the merchandise shop. There are two doorways out of the shop. I aimed for the exit to the outside, taking two steps before Janice body slammed me off course from behind. Together we fell into the air freshener oil display. The shelves collapsed, spilling the slippery oil everywhere. Whoosh! The force of her highly toned body knocked the air out of my lungs. Pain ricocheted through my already bruised ribs, I saw stars.
Try as I might to wiggle free, she tightened her grip and slammed my head to the floor. Mad as a hornet, she hauled me up and spun me around. Her hands found my throat, cutting off any returning airflow.
While I exercise once or twice a week, Janice was a professional fitness instructor with finely tuned muscles. I knew there was no way I could fight her off with my bare hands. Instead, I reached around the counter for something, anything to help.
My hand closed on a shape I recognized, chocolate sauce used for the smoothies we sold, just as the edges of my vision start to turn cloudy from lack of blood to my brain. Popping the lid was no problem for these practiced hands as I squeezed the brown stream right at her eyes.
"You bitch!" She screamed, momentarily blinded, her hands released. I kicked her to the side and rolled up, grabbing the counter for support. I followed through with a quick kick before her vision cleared, knocking her into the vitamin display. Unfortunately, Janice and the slippery mess blocked my easy exit path to the outside.
New destination was the opposite door leading into the rest of Power Fitness. Taking a few deep breaths, I scrambled as fast as I could. She came scrambling up behind, so I knocked over any loose display in my path: the towels, clothes rack, and hand grip display, as I ran the ten feet to the door.
Slipping in behind me, I heard her trip and growl, slapping her hand on the counter to catch herself, knocking the butcher block of knives to the floor. I grabbed the door handle and released the lock.
Thunk, Thunk. Two more blades we use for cutting fruit and vegetables for the smoothies hit the door frame, blocking the door from swinging completely open. Falling through the small crack, I gasped as a pair of new hands hoist me to a standing position.
"Whoa, Mrs. Bailey, What is going on here?"
"Run," I gasped to Craig Maurey.
Too late. The door behind me wrenched open. I pushed against Craig, but he just stood there.
"What happened to you?" he asked, loosening his grip slightly.
I rolled to the side as Janice grabbed my arm, twisting it high behind my back. As I spun in a complete circle, I caught a glimpse of the damage.
Chocolate sauce rimmed her eyes, creating the thieving raccoon look. Her cheek bled where a falling object had obviously taken a bite. None of the new cosmetics changed the strength of her grasp as she crushed my arm to her chest, and laid the cold steel of a paring knife next to my throat.
Tears clouded my vision, tears of pain and fear.
"Shut up!" Janice demanded. "Did you bring the bag?"
"Yes, but today? There is not enough time before I will be missed at work."
The overpowering smell of mixed perfumed oil soaked into Janice’s clothes made my eyes water.
"Not a bank job. You're gonna help me take care of her," Janice said.
It finally dawned on Craig what she wanted him for. "What? No. I didn't sign up for this. I hid Harvey, I didn't kill him."
Tears of frustration ran down my face. One adversary was hard enough, two was too many.
"Too late to back out now. She knows all of it, the robberies, the tattoos, and now she knows who you are. We are going to finish this. If we do it right, there won't be any more problems."
"That is what you told me last time," Craig started routing in the bag.
"And this is where it ends. Only if you do what I tell you," demanded Janice. "Leave the bag on the table. Get some rope from the storage room, then get the surveillance tapes in the office."
"Isn't there any other way?" Craig asked, looking at me.
"Do it. Now." Janice growled. Craig dropped the open bag and retreated into the storage room.
Lowering her voice, she whispered to me. "So, what shall it be, Little Snoop? A robbery right here? And you walked right into it and got your throat cut? That would explain the fight and the bruises. Shall we do it here, or back in the shop?"
Weakly, I tried to pry her arm away from my neck, but her arms held like steel bands as she playfully scraped my bare skin.
"You don't have to do this." I put as much positive in my voice as I could, but even I could hear it squeak without confidence.
"Come now, Rainbow, there is no way the Chief of Police wouldn't hear about this from you. Thanks to the town grapevine, I have heard about every trip you made this week to visit your new boyfriend. This explains why you fought in the town council meetings for him over your own cousin."
"He was the best candidate for the job, that is all," I said, stalling the best I could.
"And you expect anyone to believe that? I couldn't believe my luck when you ended up crashing on your way to his house! Everyone knows he took the time to inspect your injuries personally before driving you home. After all your shenanigans this week, Martin will be glad to get rid of you.
"Martin would never believe that!"
Dropping the rope on his way to the security tapes in the back, Craig's face was grim as his eyes met mine. "I am sorry."
"Just hurry up," Janice called. To me, she continued, "You know, I was thinking of moving away after this, but now I think I will stick around to hold Martin's hand as he recovers from his grief."
I exploded, "He would never hook up with a smelly rotten bitch like you!"
She removed the knife to twist my back arm up higher. I squealed in pain and bent forward, as she smacked the back of my head with the butt of the knife and pushed me into the wall.
Floating stars signified the exploding headache coming from every angle. Just as quickly, she hauled me back up, one arm around my waist, the knife back at my throat.
Smiling, she added. "Such language for someone in your condition. Is that what you teach your children by keeping them at home? Soon I will know all your secrets from them. I will discover everything your annoying children know. And if I must, I will kill them too. It gets easier, the more you do it. Harvey was a surprise, but I am really going to enjoy this one."
Hearing a sound to her right, she twisted slightly. "Welcome to the party. We were just talking about you."
"Police! Drop your weapon and put your hands up!" demanded Chief Flint, service revolver in hand, pointed at Janice's head. Or mine, it was hard to tell since she was hiding behind me.
In a blink, the knife tip was repositioned, now denting my skin.
"Drop your weapon, Flint."
"Put down the knife," the Chief insisted.
"Go ahead and take the shot, Flint. But take good aim, because I plan on taking her with me." She shifted back and forth to thwart his aim, while keeping a steady pinpoint of pressure on my neck.
I felt a tiny trickle run down my collar. It hurt no more than a paper-cut, but I was so scared, I wanted to scream. Only the realization that opening my jaw could thrust the tip of the knife in deeper kept my muscles locked.
Chief Flint must have seen it, too. "You don't want to make things worse than it already is. Put the knife down and we can talk about it."
"You want to talk? Sure. Tell me what have I got to lose, Chief?" she laughed, then I felt the knife slide a little to the right. Her voice grew colder as she added, "But you might want to put the gun down first. You are the one killing her now."
He hesitated another second before he shrugged, removing his finger from the trigger, pointing the gun down a bit. "Now move the knife, so we can talk before back up gets here."
I felt the point slide out to rest on the outside of my skin, but not any farther. I took a slow deep breath, hoping the new oxygen would inspire a few positive thoughts.
"I said down!" Janice growled. "Gun on Floor!"
The knife moved down to my chest, as his gun lowered to the floor.
"Kick it to me."
"Drop your knife first."
She thought it over, then held the knife in front of my body, aimed for my heart. Red slime on the tip confirmed my earlier assessment, sending my pulse jumping. "Down on three. One, two, three."
As she dropped the knife, he kicked it sideways under the magazine rack. Before the knife clattered to the ground, a macabre dance began. The Chief took two steps forward, while Janice dragged me two steps backward to the open bag hidden out of his view to grab a gun of her own. He paused in mid-stride finding the tables turned and a loaded semi-automatic aimed at his heart.
"I don't believe you have any back-up coming, Chief. If you did, they would have been in here by now," Janice claimed, tightening her grip of the gun.
"More deaths will not help you, Janice. One death you could claim was an accident, then you panicked. Three make you a mass murderer. You don't want that," he said.
"Said the wannabe hero," She spat at him. "You think you know what I want? You don't. You think I am sorry about Harvey? Wrong. He got what he had coming. And so will you both, for getting in the way. The question is: Heart or head."
NO! My head screamed at me, now that there was fresh blood and oxygen hitting my brain. Janice now had only one arm around me. What did my children learn to do in a library book on Martial Arts a few years ago?
I made a fist, swinging it with all my might up into the wrist holding the gun. One shot went wild. Dropping my weight like a sack of potatoes while taking a bite out of the arm around my neck, her arm then swung down too far trying to over compensate firing three more shots, and two more as she flipped over my curled body, landing hard on her back.
Janice was resilient, and as agile as a cat. Her initial shock over my actions dimmed quickly, as she moved the gun out of easy reach of my final kick. She jumped to her feet, landing right in front of the shop door as I ran to the Chief's side, noticing the dark stains forming on his upper left arm and left thigh.
Janice re-aimed, and snarled, "End of the line for the lovers. Who is first?”