thirty-five

Francine shoved Charlotte out of Darla’s path. As she did, she snatched the cane and aimed it at the oncoming sensei. It connected with a force that knocked the cane out of Francine’s hands, but it also momentarily stunned Darla.

Darla landed on her knees in front of the chair Charlotte had been tied to. She gripped the chair legs and jerked her head in Francine’s direction. Francine could see the shock in Darla’s eyes. Apparently she had expected this to be a lot easier than it was proving. Francine tried to yank the chair out of her hands to hit her with it, but the younger woman was stronger. Francine felt herself losing the tug of war and waited for Darla to tug again. She moved with it this time and used the momentum to shove the chair into her and knock her over. Darla pushed the chair to the side and rolled to a standing position. She kicked at Francine, who had already backed out of range.

Francine knew she couldn’t keep this up. She turned toward the door. Then she noticed Charlotte, hobbling in obvious pain, already ahead of her. Charlotte would reach the door in a moment.

Darla crossed the distance in two leaps and knocked her hand away from the knob with a chop to the wrist. Charlotte yelled in pain and sank to the floor. Darla attempted to grab her from behind, but Charlotte threw an elbow into Darla’s knee in the same place she’d whacked her before. Gasping, the sensei gripped Charlotte’s shoulders. Charlotte did her best to hit the bruised knee a third time.

Francine could see it was only a matter of time before Charlotte would be taken captive. She knew she needed another weapon and needed it quickly. She glanced around the trailer and spotted the tools hanging from the pegboard. A crowbar could do a lot of damage to Darla’s knee, but the rolling tool chest stood between her and it. Francine made a run for it.

Darla seemed to sense that Francine was looking for a weapon. She let go of Charlotte and dashed to make a cutoff, but she glanced back to make sure the door remained closed.

With Darla distracted, Francine went for the rolling tool chest instead, thinking she could push it in Darla’s way. She reached the chest and gave it a shove. No movement. She pushed again, this time with everything she had. Still nothing. The effort unbalanced her. She fell to the floor.

Her hand landed near a plastic barrel. In it were ten or so cylindrical rods of varying lengths. Like long ball bearings, she thought. She looked up. Darla was going for the crowbar, but hadn’t reached it yet. There was still time.

She upended the barrel, pointing it toward her nemesis. The rods spread out and covered the floor, rolling.

Darla stepped on them. Her feet started to skid. Her arms flailed. She attempted to regain her balance but banged into the tool chest. She tried to grab on to it. Her feet slipped out from under her again and again, but she remained upright. Francine began to wonder if Darla would ever fall.

The rods won. Darla’s legs couldn’t move fast enough. She crashed to her knees and gasped in pain.

The door to the trailer opened. Francine prayed it was help coming. “Careful! Watch the rods!” she shouted.

“Okay,” the voice shouted back. Francine recognized it as Toby’s. The stream of radius rods rolled out the door and onto the ground. Toby stepped in carefully, avoiding the few that remained. Jonathan was with Toby.

On the other side of the room, Darla let loose a string of profanities fly, not all of them in English.

Before Darla could regain her composure, Toby ran over, flipped her on her stomach, and sat on her back. He pulled her chin back in a chin lock.

“Nice crab hold,” Charlotte said. “Where did you learn that?”

“World Wrestling Entertainment. I play it on my Xbox.”

“Be careful,” Francine said. “She’s a black belt.”

Jonathan hurried to check on Francine. “Jud will be here any minute. He got the truth out of Vince Baggesen about the car. Fortunately Toby remembered about the Baggesen’s second trailer and where it was. But in the meantime,” he pulled a gun from behind his back under his shirt, “I suggest you don’t try anything, Darla. I know you’re a killer and I won’t hesitate to use this.”

Francine gaped at the gun. She had no idea Jonathan even knew how to shoot, let alone owned a gun. Another of his little secrets, she thought. But much as she hated guns, she was not upset to see him holding one right now.

Jud and Larry arrived together. Larry shoved his way to the spot where Toby had Darla’s head tilted upright. He knelt down and got in her face. “I will sue you for every last thing you have,” he said, practically spitting at her. “You tried to sabotage my son’s car.”

Francine could hardly believe what she heard. “Your son?”

Jonathan nodded. “It’s true. It’s time you all knew. Jake Maehler is Larry’s son.”