I sat up. Perry had a persuasive-looking .38 with a short barrel.
“What the hell’s going on?” He was livid. “What happened to Kevin?”
“She hit him with a tray,” said Lena scornfully.
“Bring him around. It was worth getting into that safe downstairs but we need to clear out.”
He aimed the gun at me.
“Stay right where you are. You’ve made enough trouble. You.” He indicated Julitta. “Sit on the floor.”
“Sit,” I told her, making a downward motion. It was safer for her if our captors didn’t realize she understood English.
“Nick.” Panic edged Lena’s voice. “There’s something wrong with him.” She had turned Rice over and was staring at him.
“What do you mean, ‘something wrong’? Is he dead?”
Our captors were probably both decent shots, Lena because she’d come from a background that numbered target shooting among its sports and Perry because he’d been a thief long enough to make it practical. What they lacked was the awareness that came as naturally as breathing to experienced thugs. Lena had forgotten Julitta and me. Even Perry had taken his eyes off me briefly.
An experienced gangster would never make such a mistake. Nor would he fail to account for every gun that had entered a room. The one I’d kicked — the one Kevin dropped — lay out of my reach beneath the chaise longue. The fringed throw hanging to the floor on the foot of the chaise hid it from the pair between me and the door.
“He’s breathing, but — his eyes are open and one’s rolled up funny,” said Lena. “And – and he’s got spittle coming out of the edge of his mouth!”
Perry nudged the other man with his toe but got no response.
“Then we only have to split the money two ways.”
I scooted back an inch. He didn’t notice.
“But Kevin’s the only one who knew the name of the man we’re supposed to meet in Detroit,” Lena protested.
The forgotten gun lay six inches or more from my hand. Right behind me, however, in the things I’d dumped from my purse, was the folding ruler. Leaning on my arms, I felt for it.
“When we get there, we’ll find a fence,” Perry was saying.
My fingers closed on the ruler.
“Or maybe Nick here would just as soon not split the money at all,” I suggested. “After all, he replaced your bracelet with a fake just like he did some of the others.”
Her smirk was patronizing.
“I had mine copied two years ago. The money bought hundreds of rifles for a partisan group. When Nicky told me those Hollywood idiots were coming to the middle of nowhere, I saw a chance to help even more. America’s not lifting a finger. That cow with the diamonds and all the others — none of them care! Well, I’m going to do what I can to save Europe!”
“Gee, that sounds noble.” Shifting my weight, I began to work the ruler segments open with one hand. “Maybe you even did send money that first time.” The chaise hid some of my movements. I still had to move carefully. “But stealing from Countess Szarenski along with the others? That proves you’re nothing but a crook.”
The paling of her face surprised me with the truth: She hadn’t known.
How much of the world’s evil comes from people with good intentions? Lena was helping a cause supported by tens of thousands of decent people. The difference was, she’d resorted to theft and the murder of innocent people to advance it.
Vibrating with hate, she stared at her partner in crime.
“You... good-for-nothing...”
“Relax. We’ll count the money from the Poles in my half,” he said blandly.
I bent the ruler segments around to form a crude lasso. With luck I could hook it around the gun and pull it toward me.
“How could you steal from someone like them? How could you, Nick?”
Julitta shifted, either because she’d understood or because she was getting impatient.
Sweet Mother Mary, don’t let her move now.
My wooden lasso found the gun. It slid toward me.
“Oh, spare me your soapbox, Lena. If you want to throw away your share of what we’re going to make from this on bullets and parachutes, fine. I plan to enjoy mine. It’s too late to save Europe. Now grab that kid and let’s—”
She shot him.
Which seemed like a good time to raise the gun my fingers had closed on and put a bullet through her shoulder.
Lena shrieked like a banshee and fell to the floor. The .22 clattered out of her hand. It discharged again.
Julitta sprang to her feet.
“Don’t move, Julitta!”
Perry had doubled onto his knees, but I couldn’t tell how much threat he still posed. Planting my foot in his back, I slammed him flat. It looked as though he’d been hit in the midsection. He still held his gun. His fingers were tightening. I shot his wrist. Then, very cautiously, I removed the weapon from his unresisting fingers.
When I looked up, Julitta had the gun Lena had dropped and was pointing it at her.
“Don’t,” I said softly. “If you shoot someone here, they’ll put your father in jail. Bartoz too. Do you understand?”
It was a lie. A terrible one. But not half as bad as letting a child who’d already been through too much have another life on her conscience to wrestle with years from now.
I held my breath. My armpits were drenched. Slowly, Julitta brought the gun down to point at the floor.
Lena was bleeding profusely but wasn’t injured as much as she probably thought she was. She lay on her side and alternately whimpered and cursed. I walked around to stand between her and Julitta.
“Who was the man in the flophouse, Lena? Tell me or I’ll stand here and watch until you and your boyfriend both bleed to death.”
“He’s not my—”
“Yeah, I know. Bringing you to meet his aunt made a good excuse for you to both be here.”
“He thought she’d change her will... make him her heir...”
“The man in the flophouse.”
“Just some hobo, riding the trains. Kevin found him. I need a doctor—”
“What was his name?”
“I don’t know!”
“You killed him and you didn’t even know his name?”
“It’s war! People get killed in wars!”
“There’s no war here. You just didn’t want to get caught.”
“No! Yes. I don’t know. Ohhh!”
“Why did he go to the flophouse?”
“Money. Last payment.” She groaned.
“And the envelope the man left? The way he slipped out? That was just so the cops would think Tucker was spinning another tall tale if he noticed somebody had been in the safe but couldn’t find anything missing, wasn’t it?”
The bait Freeze had swallowed so neatly.
“Yes, yes, yes! I need—”
I turned away.
“You okay, Julitta?”
She’d come to my side.
“Yes. Okay.”
Suddenly and unexpectedly a smile brightened her features.
“Name Julie is American, yes? I like.”