It wasn't until Viv stood outside waiting for the cops that her knees began to shake. Still in her fluffy white bathrobe, her bare toes curled up. Then she turned to Rex.
"That was quick, your call to the police." She nodded her approval.
His look of admiration made her smile. "You really walloped him. I had no idea you had that in you." A look of respect came over his face. Then the corner of his mouth quirked as if he found her amusing.
"Oh, I can defend myself quite well," Viv insisted.
"He had a gun on me, you know. Gave me second thoughts."
"Did your life flash before you, like they say it does when you're facing death?"
"As a matter of fact…yes." Rex nodded ruefully. "But I'm also wondering about the gun. It looked familiar. A revolver."
"You put it back in the box," she paused, "but then it appeared in Joey Baker's hand."
"He waved it my face, don't forget!" Rex sounded indignant. "In a threatening manner, no less." Before he could say more, sirens wailed in the distance.
"I think that may be the cops." A look of worry came over his face. "A good thing too. Joey's probably ready to wake up by now."
"Did you grab the revolver?" Viv asked anxiously.
"Got it right here." Rex patted his back pocket. "Makes me nervous. Despite my military service, I don't like guns much."
"Me neither," Viv admitted. "Though I can shoot one if I have to. My dad taught me when I was a kid."
For the second time that morning, admiration shone in his eyes. "You're quite the gal, Vivienne Rose," he said, slapping her on her back.
At that moment Susan Farrah rolled up in her police van. She exited on the driver's side, hurrying toward them. "Where's the body?" she demanded.
"Right in there." Rex gestured.
Farrah shouted over her shoulder. "Hurry up!" Her armed partner rushed past into the bungalow as Farrah pulled out her notepad.
Rex explained how the intruder had walked inside without an invitation and pulled out a gun while his back was turned. When he got to the part where Viv came down the hallway, he stopped. "She can tell you the rest."
"Go ahead, you can finish," Viv encouraged.
It didn't take another invitation. "And then Viv snuck up from behind; she came from the hallway. She had a mallet in her hand and she looked like a cavewoman in a fluffy bathrobe. Whack! She conked him right in the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground. The first thing I did was pick up the revolver. Here you go." Rex handed it to Farrah.
"Tampered with evidence," Farrah muttered, taking a plastic bag from her jacket pocket to drop the revolver inside.
Viv felt a moment of relief. Now we won't be held responsible for finding the revolver in the locker. Farrah can do some tests and trace it back to Carmine. And then Joey will be her number one suspect. One less thing to get arrested for.
"I wasn't going to leave it with him," Rex said indignantly. "He might have regained consciousness and come after us again."
Susan Farrah ignored his protests. She turned to Viv. "So tell me, why did you happen to have a meat mallet in your hand? As far as I know, they belong in the kitchen."
Viv looked at her feet, a blush coming up her neck. "I took it with me before going to bed," she said.
Farrah looked at Rex and then back to Viv. "Don't tell me. You two play caveman and cavewoman to, you know, spice up your love life?"
"Absolutely not!" Rex did not disguise the annoyance in his voice.
Farrah grinned, appearing to appreciate his denial.
Rex turned to Viv. "You explain to her."
Viv sighed. "Like I told him earlier, I grabbed the meat mallet from the kitchen in the middle of the night. Ever since I saw Carmine Nelson dead in bed, I've been a bit nervous, especially in unfamiliar surroundings."
As Farrah wrote on her notepad, Viv watched Rex's expression. She wondered if he doubted her explanation. Maybe he thought I kept the mallet under my pillow in case he showed up in my room unannounced.
"Where's the weapon?” Farrah asked.
Viv reached inside her robe and brought out the double-sided kitchen utensil. Drops of blood still clung to the metal spikes.
"I've been keeping it under my armpit," she explained. "Just in case."
Susan Farrah took out another plastic bag and slipped the mallet inside. "We can get a sample of the blood and see if he's in our database. A quick identifier."
"We already know who the guy is!" Rex exclaimed. "His name is Joey Baker. He's on the HOA. Ever heard of him?"
Farrah's face went white. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. She turned away from Rex as if to gather her composure.
"Do you know him?" Viv asked again.
When the officer didn't respond, Viv reached out to pat her shoulder. "Everything okay?"
Farrah shrugged off her hand, eventually turning to face them. "I'm fine. Didn't have breakfast yet. Feeling a bit woozy. So you're telling me that Joey Baker broke in and then held a gun on you." She wrote furiously in her notepad. "And that this is the revolver." She pointed to the plastic bag.
The door from the bungalow opened as the uniformed officer rushed outside. "I thought I had him. Read him his rights. And then I turned my back for just a second… He escaped. Pushed his way through the kitchen window and took off toward the golf course.”
"Well don't just stand there, go get him," Farrah shouted. She turned to Viv and Rex. "I don't have time to talk to you right now. I'll give you a call later and you can come down to the station to sign the paperwork."
Bags of evidence in one hand, she bolted for the police van. With a screech of tires, the car pulled away from the curb.
Rex shook his head. "Okay then. Not your average morning. How are you feeling about now?"
Viv shrugged, but then admitted, "I've never been involved in anything like this before. I'm feeling terrified, if you must know the truth."
He agreed. "I hung out with some unsavory types in the military where people had weapons. But most of my time was spent in the IT tent. Sure, everyone had weapons, but no one ever pulled one on me."
They stared at each other. But then Rex broke in. "How about we unwind and sit by the pool. I'm starving. Maybe eggs Benedict?" She knew he was changing the subject to lighten the mood. And she appreciated him for it.
Viv glanced at her bathrobe. "Give me a few minutes."
He scratched his chin. "Are you sure that mallet was meant for intruders? I mean, when you explained to Farrah, I got a little self-conscious."
Viv looked him up and down. Then she smiled. "Oh please. You're a lightweight. Mallets are for dangerous criminals. Not mentalists."
Viv heard his laughter all the way into the bungalow.