thirty-two

I went to my chest and came up with my bra gun. I snapped off a shot and got lucky, catching Lawrence in the upper arm on his shooting side. His pistol clattered to the floor. He reached for it with his left hand, but Dot was faster, kicking it out of his reach.

“Hold it right there, asshole,” I snarled in my tough gal voice. “This derringer has a round left, and I’ll be more accurate with the next one. I’ll put it right between your eyes. Dot, hand me my Walther, please.”

That’s when I noticed Dot held two guns, one in each hand. An image of Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker came to mind—well, a much older version of Ms. Dunaway.

“Can I shoot this bastard first?”

“No, not yet. Just grab my Walther. It’s there, inside the door.”

Dot did as I asked, and I felt much better armed as I slipped my derringer back into its holster.

Lawrence squeezed his shoulder, blood oozing between his fingers. “Gotta hand it to you, bitch. I’d never have expected you to be armed there, other than the weapons nature gave you, I mean.”

I looked at him, trying to decide if that was his version of funny.

Edith moaned, proving she was alive. That disappointed me. I’d have been more than happy if she were dead. “Dot, keep an eye on her. Lawrence, move over and sit beside Edith. Trust me when I say Dot will blow you to hell if you blink wrong. Don’t get the sniffles or dust in your eye.”

I remembered Dabba. She had to be the one who shot Edith. Where was she? I walked to the back door and looked. Dabba lay in a pool of blood. “Oh, damn, Dabba is down,” I said, yanking my phone from my pocket. I hit the speed dial to Chief Elston.

He answered halfway through the first ring. “Beth, you okay?”

“Yes, get your men in here to take over and call the EMTs. I have three wounded, two I don’t give a shit about and one that I do. I want someone here to patch Dabba up now. The others can wait a few hours.”

“You heard her, Mike. Get your ass in gear.”

He had me on speakerphone. If I’d known … Hell, I’d have probably said the same thing.

“Do you have Ashley?”

“Not yet, but I’m searching as soon as I get you off the phone. Tell your site watchers to move in and grab anyone that moves. There is at least one of the kidnappers at one of the sites, name of Joe.”

“Find Ashley. I’m moving now.”

I started to close the phone, but yelled, “Hold on. Tell your men to enter easy. The one holding the guns is a friend. Don’t spook her, or she might shoot the wrong target.”

“Gotcha.”

Flipping the phone shut, I said, “Dot, hold these two slugs. I’ll check Dabba, then search the house.”

“Can I shoot them?”

I looked at Edith and Lawrence. Edith was in pain and scared. It showed all over her. Lawrence held his shoulder and sneered.

“Only if they move, Dot. Watch the big asshole. He thinks he’s tough.”

“Don’t I hope?” Dot said.

I went outside and knelt over Dabba. She was unconscious, her breath ragged, but steady. The blood came from a head wound. They always bleed a lot. When I looked closer, it appeared to be superficial. I hoped so. The flow had slowed to a trickle, which gave me hope.

Since David is the only one with medical knowledge in our twosome, all I knew to do was make her comfortable. I folded her bag and stuffed it under her head. “Hang on. Help’s on the way.” In case she could hear me, I added, “I’m going after Linda.”

I returned to the inside of the house where Dot was doing a great impression of a mercenary on guard duty, lips twisted into a snarl. “I think Dabba will be okay. I’m going to search for Ashley.”

“Go on, dearie. We ain’t gonna have no problems here. Are we, crumb and crumbess?”

Edith moaned.

Lawrence glared.

I moved into the main part of the house, knowing Dot had things well under control. My fear was she might have them so well under control she’d decide to use Lawrence for target practice. No time to worry about that, though. If she did, I’d come up with a story later.

A dining room opened into the living room with a hallway branching off to the left. I took it, moving slow and cautious. I didn’t expect to meet any more of the gang, but I hadn’t expected Lawrence to be at the back door either.

A door on the right opened when I turned the knob. Woman’s bedroom. Neat, the bed made with throw pillows all over. Edith’s. No Ashley. I moved on.

A second bedroom. Messy. Men’s stuff thrown around. Unmade bed. Lawrence’s. No Ashley.

A third door. Locked. I examined the doorknob and discovered a keyhole. Somebody had installed a regular lock in place of the kind one usually finds in a bedroom. I pushed on the door. It didn’t move at all. Tight fit. Accidental or modified?

I considered retrieving the battering ram or trying to kick the door open. I was sure my adrenalin flow was so fierce, I could not only kick it open, but sail it across the room. No, couldn’t take that chance. If Ashley was in there, she was probably terrified and hiding under the bed from the noise of the gunshots. Slamming into the door would only scare her worse.

I forced myself to slow down and count to ten, then did it a second time. What I needed was a simple solution, and the simplest was the key. The answer was in the kitchen—Edith. I’d pound on her until she told me where it was.

As I turned, the obvious came into view. A small hook protruded from the doorframe with a key dangling from it. I wondered why I always think complicated, when simple is such a better approach.

I lifted the key, slipped it into the lock, and opened the door. There were two nightlights, one on each side of the room. On the bed lay the most beautiful blond-headed girl I’d ever seen in my life—Ashley. I scooted over to her and stared. I could hear her breathing, soft and regular. I wanted to scream hallelujah, but backed out of the room instead. She’d never seen me before. If I woke her, she’d probably be terrified.

In the hall, I called Chief Elston again. “I have Ashley. Get Hammonds here as fast as you can. She’s asleep, and I want him to be the first thing she sees when she awakens.”

“Is she okay?”

“As far as I can tell. Her breathing sounds right, and she has a smile on her face.”

“Her dad’s on the way.”

“I’ll stand guard until he arrives.”

I heard noises from the direction of the kitchen and realized the police had checked in. A moment later, Dot came down the hall, followed by Sargent. I held my finger to my lips in the traditional shushing sign.

When they were close, Dot said, “Medicos say Dabba will be okay. She’ll have a new part in her hair for a while, but that should go away.”

Sargent said, “Body count’s smaller this time. Or do you have some others hidden in corners we haven’t checked yet? We have things under control now. You can back down.”

“Step off a tall cliff,” I said, “but be quiet about it. Ashley’s asleep in there, and I’m not moving until Hammonds has her in his arms.”

“Agreed,” he said, surprising me. “Mind if I stay with you? I’m not needed out there.”

“Suit yourself.” I softened my tone. “Actually, I’d welcome it. Suddenly, I’m bone-tired.”

“Oh, my,” Dot said, giving me the eye. “Is this what y’all call bonding? I liked it better when you two were spittin’ at one another.”