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By some miracle, the bullet from Libby’s gun missed me and connected with the seat of the chair I threw at her. The bullet ricocheted off the surface while the chair hit Libby in the shoulder, knocking her to the floor.
Libby’s gun flew out of her hands, and we both dove for it at the same time. I reached it first. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Libby grabbed me by the hair and pulled with extreme force. The pain was excruciating, but I refused to loosen my grip. If I managed to survive this day, I was going to have one mother of a headache for the rest of my life.
“Let her go, Libby, or I’ll shoot!” Darcy shouted.
Libby and I both stared up at her. Darcy was holding Jacques’ revolver awkwardly in her slim hands. She pointed it at Libby while I held my breath.
“You won’t use it,” Libby sneered.
Darcy lifted her chin in the air. “Do you really want to find out?”
Reluctantly, Libby released her hold on me, and with Darcy’s help, I stumbled to my feet. I held out my hand to Darcy for the gun. Her hands shook violently. “Come on, sweetie. Let me have it.”
Darcy placed the gun in my left hand and promptly burst into tears. I kissed her on the cheek. “Go call 9-1-1 and tell them to hurry.”
She nodded and picked up my cell phone from the counter. Libby sat motionless on the floor, watching me through narrowed, slitted eyes. I put Jacques’ gun back in the briefcase and kept Libby’s gun positioned in front of my body. Darcy’s voice could be heard speaking to the operator from the living room. To her credit, she sounded calmer and more reserved than a few minutes earlier. Libby and I engaged in a stare down, waiting to see who would blink first.
The doorbell rang, and we both jumped. “Darcy!” I shouted. “See who it is. Don’t open the door until you know who’s out there.” I couldn’t take a chance of turning my back on Libby for even a split second. If Gretchen or Todd happened to be at the door, that could also change the outcome of this situation in a hurry.
As if thinking the same thing, Libby rose and began to walk towards me.
“Sit back down,” I ordered.
“You won’t use that on me,” she taunted. “You don’t have the guts.”
My throat tightened and sweat pooled on my forehead. I couldn’t speak. Libby took another step closer. I waved the gun. “I told you to sit back down.”
Libby snickered. “Come on. You don’t even know how to use it.”
“Don’t underestimate her, young lady.”
Startled by the familiar voice, I glanced towards the archway. Jacques was standing there with Darcy. He quickly moved forward and took the gun from his briefcase, then pointed it at her.
Libby’s smiled faded. She sank to her knees and began to weep, covering her face with her hands.
Darcy licked her lips in nervous anticipation. “Mom, do we—I mean, do we need to tie her up?” she asked.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” I said. “Three against one are odds she can’t beat.”
“I’m sorry.” Libby sobbed into her hands. “I never meant to hurt anyone.”
“Except for Annette,” Jacques finished.
Libby glanced up from her hands and glowered at him but said nothing. She didn’t fool me. Libby wasn’t sorry for what she’d done, only that she’d gotten caught.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Jacques put an arm around Darcy’s shoulders. “Why don’t you go outside and tell the officers what’s going on, dear. Your mother and I will stay here and watch her.”
Darcy and Libby locked gazes for several seconds. Darcy’s expression was pure misery, while Libby feigned indifference. My heart ached for my daughter. She’d lost a lifetime friend, someone that she dearly loved. Darcy had been forced to learn one of life’s toughest lessons at a young age. Some people were not who we thought they were.
“Goodbye, Libby,” she said in a tight voice. “I hope you get some help.”
Libby turned her head and pretended not to hear. A tear rolled off Darcy’s chin. The sight of it filled me with misery. Life wasn’t fair at times.
Darcy gave her friend one last long look and turned away. She went out the front door, closing it softly behind her.
***
Detective Brooks leaned across the desk to shake hands with me and Jacques’. “I want to thank you both for coming in to give statements,” he said. “We appreciate everything you both have done to catch Mac Tremont’s killer.”
Jacques cleared his throat. “No offense, Officer, but maybe if someone had taken Cindy’s claim more seriously, she and her daughter wouldn’t have been put in danger.”
“We did take it seriously.” Detective Brooks frowned. “That was never the issue. We simply didn’t have the resources to keep someone at her house twenty-four hours a day. It’s a small department, remember. And we thought the danger was over for Cindy’s family since Annette had already taken off.”
Jacques drummed his fingers on the desk. “But that seedy character Gio could still show up again.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Officer Brooks assured him. “He was arrested in New Jersey this morning on an incident totally unrelated. It seems Mr. Lombardo tried to put a hit on someone who owed him money, and that’s how we managed to nail him. He won’t be bothering you or your sister-in-law again. If you know how to reach her, it’s probably safe for her to come back home.”
“This is great news,” I said, “but I doubt we’ll see Annette again. She’s moved on.”
Detective Brooks wrote something down on a pad of paper in front of him. “Once your sister-in-law is located, she’ll still have to face charges. We have proof that she tampered with the books while employed at Night Moves.”
“Well, I hope you find her.” I had my doubts, though. “Annette is only interested in saving her own skin. She may even be out of the country by now.”
“Cin, you don’t know for sure,” Jacques remarked.
“Trust me, I do.” If we did see Annette again, it probably wouldn’t be for another twenty years, and I could care less. I was done with her. After she had walked away and left Greg to fend for himself, that had been the final straw for me.
“What’s going to happen to Libby?” Jacques asked.
Detective Brooks shrugged. “I imagine she’ll stand trial for the murder of Mac Tremont. She’s made a full confession. If convicted, she could be looking at twenty-five years or maybe even more in prison.”
When Libby got out of prison—if she got out—she’d be close to my own age. Because of her hatred for Annette, she’d managed to throw her life away. It was a sobering thought. “Do—do her parents know yet?”
“Yes, Libby called them. They contacted a lawyer for her and are most likely on their way to the station.” He shook his head with regret. “Libby will have a long time to think about what she’s done.”
“It’s so awful.” I kept seeing Libby at different stages throughout her life—kindergarten graduation with Darcy, sleepovers at my house, even the senior prom. Libby and her date had come to my house and posed for pictures along with Darcy and Ryan. I would have given anything to have changed the outcome for her.
“I’m truly sorry.” Detective Brooks’ voice was sympathetic. He rose from behind his desk to open the door for us. “Thank you again for your help.”
Jacques and I walked out to the hallway and headed for the door, not saying anything. I sucked in a sharp breath when I spotted a couple standing by the reception counter and nudged Jacques. It was none other than Gretchen and Todd.
Todd was the first one to recognize me. “You,” he muttered. “If you hadn’t stuck your nose into everyone else’s business, my daughter would have been fine.”
Gretchen put a hand on his shoulder. “This isn’t Cindy’s fault, Todd.” Her eyes were swollen and red from crying. “We’re the ones to blame.”
I wanted to say something to her. Anything. The words refused to come. It was an awkward moment for all of us. I finally found my voice when a door to a nearby room opened. A tall man in a charcoal-colored suit motioned at Gretchen and Todd. “Mr. and Mrs. Fine? You can see Libby now. She’s in here with her attorney.”
Todd put an arm around Gretchen’s shoulders as the two of them made their way past us. The detective opened the door wider, and I glimpsed Libby inside, sitting at a table with a distinguished gray-haired man. She happened to glance up at that moment, and our eyes met. The intense hatred on her face caused my stomach to twist in pain. Her gaze remained pinned on me until the detective shut the door.
Jacques patted my hand. “Are you coming back to the house with me, dear? Ed said he’s been cooking up a storm for all of us tonight.”
I shook my head. “I need to see Greg first and tell him what’s happened.”
He nodded soberly as we walked outside. “Would you like me to go with you?”
“No, that’s okay. You go home and relax. I’ll join everyone later and then let the kids know about Greg’s accident.”
Jacques’ expression was mournful. “I really hate this, Cin. She seemed like such a nice kid. I never would have suspected she was capable of doing such a thing.”
“You and I have learned the hard way that almost anyone is capable of murder,” I reminded him. “Fortunately, most people never do more than think about it.”
“Thank goodness for small favors.” Jacques opened the door to my car, but instead of getting inside, I turned and hugged him tightly around the neck for several seconds.
“To what do I owe this honor?” he teased.
“I wanted to thank you for not being perfect.”
He stepped back and looked as if I had mortally wounded him. “Jeez, Cin, you sure know how to hurt a guy. What did we say about the male ego?”
I laughed. “I’m talking about how you forgot your briefcase at my house, with the gun inside. It must have been fate because you never forget anything.”
“That’s true enough,” he admitted. “Then again, I was a bit distracted this morning because I was worried about you.”
“There’s no need to worry about me.” I kissed his cheek. “We’re a team, remember?”
He laughed. “That’s right. Holmes and Watson, back in business again.”
“As long as my sidekick is around, I’ll always be okay.”