Katie watched in horror as Marilyn crumpled and fell to the ground.
Katie took the opportunity to launch herself at Eric. She knocked the rifle out of his hand and slammed him into the cabinet. His surprise only lasted a moment, and then Katie felt him spin her around so her back was against the wall. His hands circled her neck and squeezed.
“Why didn’t you just mind your own business?” Eric’s face was an inch from her own, and she saw the fury in his eyes.
She knew she only had a few moments before she passed out. Her breaths were raspy, and she felt panic set in. Her hands were on his, trying to pry them off. She dug her nails in, hard, and felt his grip loosen. She put her hands on his shoulders and used the one trick she knew. She brought her knee up and into his groin and pushed him away at the same time.
Eric fell and curled himself into a ball. Katie grabbed the gun off the floor and pointed it at Eric. She eased over to Marilyn, keeping an eye on Eric the whole time. Marilyn was breathing shallowly and winced when Katie touched her.
She looked around the kitchen for her phone and saw it on the counter next to the sink. Still watching Eric, she sidestepped to the counter and picked it up. When the emergency operator answered, she told her to send an ambulance and the police.
“Address?” the operator asked.
“I don’t know. It’s in the woods off route twenty-nine. It’s Marilyn Swanson’s cabin.”
“The old Swanson place?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“I’ll have someone there in less than ten minutes. Stay with me on the line until they get there.”
Katie wanted to help Marilyn. She could at least assess how bad things were and maybe stabilize her, but she didn’t want to give Eric an opportunity to get away. He began to sit up, and Katie stepped forward and slammed the butt of the gun into his lower back. She hoped that it would reactivate his injury enough to keep him down until the police arrived.
She heard the voice on the phone talking. “What happened? Are you still there?”
Katie put the phone to her ear. “I’m fine, but I need to check this patient—I’m going to put the phone down.”
Katie set the phone on speaker and set it next to Marilyn. She kept one eye on Eric, but he had curled into a ball again and wasn’t moving.
She carefully rolled Marilyn onto her back and saw that the bullet had entered her right shoulder. Katie grabbed a dish towel off the table and pressed it to the wound. Marilyn moaned.
“Shh. You’re going to be fine,” Katie said. “Help is on the way.”
Then she heard the sirens in the distance.
* * *
John Carlson was the first one through the door. He rushed to Katie’s side.
“I’m fine, but Marilyn’s been shot.”
John looked at Katie carefully, and his eyes cut to the gun at her side.
“I didn’t do it,” she said. She gestured at Eric, who was trying to sit up again.
Carlson went to him and pulled him roughly to his feet. Eric cried out and grabbed at his back. Katie thought about telling Carlson to be careful but decided against it.
Carlson turned Eric over to Sean Gallagher, who had followed him into the room, and stepped outside to direct the EMTs.
Katie’s hands were shaking and covered in blood when she finally stood up and let the paramedics do their job. She went to the filthy sink and ran water over her hands until it stayed clear. She wiped them dry on her jeans as Carlson put his arm around her shoulders and led her outside to his cruiser. She suddenly felt very cold as the shock settled in. John grabbed a blanket from his trunk, and she pulled it tightly around herself as she watched the stretcher come out of the house and get loaded into the ambulance.
The trees lit up alternately red and blue. Katie closed her eyes, but she could still see the changing of colors.
Finally, she heard the ambulance siren start up and disappear into the distance.