Death Comes in Threes

by Marja McGraw

  “I’m going back to check on your friend.” The nurse watched us for a moment before turning and leaving. She appeared to be very thoughtful. Maybe no one had ever spoken up to her before like I had earlier. It was also possible she looked at Stanley and wondered if he could really play the part of a hero if the need arose. His hair was sticking out, like he’d just climbed out of bed. He probably had. He was wearing his thick-framed glasses instead of his contact lenses. He was wearing wrinkled plaid slacks with a white shirt, an outfit I’d never seen him wear before. In short, he looked like the old Stanley, and kind of a nerd.

  I smiled at him, knowing I could trust him under any circumstances. “Stan, you sure got here fast.”

  “I had a feeling I shouldn’t dawdle. Where have they placed Glenna?”

  “She’s in emergency treatment right now, but they’ll be moving her to a room soon. Have you eaten yet?” My watch said it was now four o’clock.

  “Not yet. I felt it was my duty to check in with you before thinking about my own discomfort.”

  “Stan, why don’t you run down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat? When they put Glenna in a room, I’ll find you and give you the room number.”

  “That sounds like a good plan of action. I am frightfully hungry. After last night I slept all day, so I haven’t eaten anything recently.”

  I smiled again, fascinated by the way Stanley spoke. “Okay, you go eat and I’ll be down to find you soon.”

  We parted and I left the waiting room, following the route the nurse had taken.

  When I approached the cubicle where Glenna had been resting, I found her in a wheelchair, about to be pushed toward the elevators by a nurse I hadn’t seen yet. She was wringing her hands and talking to herself.

  I asked the nurse to stop.

  “Glenna, I’m so sorry for what you’re going through.” For some reason I had a sudden case of the guilts – again.

  “It’s not your fault, Sandi. Besides, you’re the one who’s going to get me out of this mess. Right?” She looked so hopeful and I felt so inadequate.

  It seemed like things were spinning out of control.

  “Right,” I said, trying to sound positive. “And Stanley is here. He’ll be up to your room soon, and he’s going to spend the night right by your side.”

  “Stanley?”

  “You remember, my friend who’s been parking down the street and watching my house.”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember.” Her voice sounded even older than normal. “I’m sure he can take care of me.”

  The nurse began tapping her foot, impatient to move on.

  “What room are you taking her to?” I asked.

  “She’ll be in Room 204 in about forty-five minutes. The doctor wants her to have some tests before she goes upstairs.”

  I didn’t ask what kind of tests because the nurse’s foot was tapping so fast I was half afraid she’d take flight. One confrontation a day with a nurse is my limit, and I was suddenly struck by exhaustion. All I wanted to do was go home and relax. Ha! As though that would happen.

  I leaned over and hugged Glenna. “Stanley will be waiting for you in your room, and I’ll see you in the morning. You’ll be fine for tonight. Oh, and call him Stan, not Stanley.”

  Glenna didn’t reply, but waved her hand when I walked away.

  ~ * ~

  I arrived home to find everyone waiting for me on the porch.

  “Well. Don’t you all make great targets?” I knew I sounded as disgusted as I felt.

  Without a word they each stood up and walked into the house. I followed them.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just tired and frustrated. We’ve got to come up with a better plan. No, I’ve got to come up with a better plan.”

  Glenna’s cell phone sat on the coffee table, and it played a tune. I was pretty sure I knew who was calling. I glanced at Dolly. She was the only one with the voice of a senior.

  “Would you answer it?” I asked, handing it to her.

  “What do I say?” I could see by her face that I probably shouldn’t have asked her to answer, but she was a trooper.

  “Just play along with anything he says. I’ll push the speaker button so we can all hear him.”

  Dolly flipped the phone open, and I set it on the table after pushing the speaker button.

  “H-hello?” She sounded timid and frightened, which was actually what I wanted.

  “What’s going on?” asked the oddly high-pitched male voice. I still thought he sounded like a kid instead of an adult. “You don’t sound like yourself.”

  “It’s me.” Dolly stopped and didn’t say anything more. She seemed to realize if she said too much he’d know it wasn’t Glenna.

  “Are you ready?” Ronald asked. “I told you tonight’s the night, and I meant it.”

  “I’m not ready.”

  “Oh, I’ve got you scared, right? Well, you should be. I’ll have my knife in my pocket, and you never know what other little surprises I might have with me. You’re going to be begging me – ”

  Dolly’s eyes widened and she pushed the button to disconnect the call. I couldn’t blame her.

  Bubba growled, a low frightening sound. I glanced at him, and his hackles were up. He sensed danger with every fiber of his being, but he didn’t know where the feeling came from. He looked around, confused, and growled again.

  “That man is just pure evil.” Dolly rubbed her arms. “He’s crazy and he belongs in a nut house. And don’t tell me I’m being politically incorrect, because that’s just where he belongs.” While she spoke, I could hear the anger rise in her voice.

  My mother shrugged. “I couldn’t agree with you more.” She patted Bubba’s head and made soothing noises while she tried to calm him down.

  Felicity sat down next to Dolly. “You’re absolutely right.”

  “Now what are we going to do?” I asked. “I’ll call Rick, but he’s already got someone watching the house. I don’t know what else he can do.”

  “He could come stay with us.” My mother was angry.

  “He’s on duty, Mother. He’s got other cases to handle, too.”

  “Yeah, well…” She knew I was right.

  “On the plus side, Ronald doesn’t seem to know Glenna was taken to the hospital,” Felicity said. “Besides, I don’t think she’d be any help. She’s too nervous.”

  “Wouldn’t you be?” Dolly asked.

  “Yes, but what I mean is that she might have gotten in our way when we tried to take this guy down.”

  “Oh, I see what you mean, and I think you’re probably right. At least I have my self-defense moves if he breaks in.”

  I love Dolly. She might be frightened, but she always had her self-defense moves to fall back on. It helped give her a positive attitude.

  “Let’s get something to eat and figure this out.” I hadn’t eaten in a long time. I wasn’t starving, but I needed something.

  “How about soup and sandwiches?” Mother stood up and pointed toward the kitchen. “I think I remember seeing some roast beef in the fridge.”

  I nodded and she headed for the kitchen.

  I followed her and prepared Bubba’s dinner, setting it on the floor. “Mother, I don’t want to say anything to the other ladies, but I’m scared.”

  “You’d be a fool if you weren’t, sweetie. Where’s your gun?”

  “In my office.”

  “Go get it and keep it close. Pete told Frank that you’re a sharp shooter.”

  “I don’t want to shoot anyone, Mother. I don’t know if I could do it or not.”

  “My dear, if any of us ladies were being threatened, I know you’d do what you had to. There’s no doubt in my mind. And if you can’t, hand the gun to me and I’ll make short work of Ronald. Or David. Or whoever this maniac is.”

  My mother had actually set my mind at ease, although I couldn’t figure out how she’d done it. I retrieved the gun from my office and carried it to the kitchen. Sitting at the table, I checked to
be sure it was fully loaded. It was, and the safety was on. I shoved it in the waistband of my jeans.

  Mother smiled. “Just like a cowboy. Too bad you don’t have a holster.”

  I smiled back. “I do. Where’s Bubba?”

  “I put him outside to do his business. What kind of gun is that? It’s kind of small.”

  “It’s a 380 semi-automatic. It’ll do the job if it comes to that.”

  “It’s a necessary evil, Sandi, at least in this case.”

  I nodded.

  Opening the back door, I discovered Bubba had disappeared, which wasn’t that unusual. I just didn’t like the timing, and I didn’t want to go outside and look for him. My heart told me he was fine and he’d be back when he was ready. I had a mental picture of him walking the property line, looking for bad guys. Turning my head to the left, I saw him sitting on his haunches watching Dolly’s house. Maybe he understood that something had happened to Miss Kitty.

  We ate our sandwiches in silence, listening for strange noises. It had grown dark outside, making noises more important.

  I finally broke the silence. “Ronald said it would be tonight. We’re going to post ourselves at the front and back doors and watch for anything out of the ordinary. We’re not going to let David or Ronald sneak up on us. We’ll leave the lights out so he, or they, can’t see us watching.”

  As soon as we were done eating, my mother took up a post at the back door, leaving the lights out. She watched out the window.

  I watched out the front window, also with the lights out. Every so often, I reached back and touched my trusty little gun. I needed the reassurance that it was still there.

  The only illumination came from a street light.

  Felicity and Dolly paced, sidestepping a creaky board they’d discovered.

  By eleven o’clock we were wearing down. You’d think the adrenalin would keep us alert, but it didn’t.

  I was dozing off at the window when I heard a creaking board, and it wasn’t in the house. The sound came from the front porch.

  Turning my head, I saw that Felicity and Dolly had fallen asleep on the couch.

  Pssst

  They didn’t hear me. I tried to pssst louder. Felicity sighed and turned her head away from me.

  My mother came running from the kitchen. “I heard you. What’s wrong?” she whispered.

  “Someone’s on the front porch.”

  There was a loud bang against the wall of the house.

  Before I could throw open the front door, my mother grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  I stumbled back against my mother, and as we fell to the floor the window broke into a thousand pieces. Shoving her out of the way, I scooted back, trying to shield her.

  Felicity and Dolly jumped up and scrambled away from the windows.

  “What’s happening?” Felicity whispered loudly. She didn’t know whether to speak up or shut up. She grabbed her purse and pulled out her gun, aiming it toward the door.

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  Grunts and scuffling noises came from outside the broken window. Silhouettes passed the window, but I couldn’t make them out. I began to crawl forward. Mother grabbed my foot, but I shook her off.

  Felicity followed my lead and crawled in the same direction on her knees, gun held high, trying to avoid glass shards.

  We stood up together and carefully looked out the window.

  “What the…? ” Felicity sounded as shocked as I felt.

  Two men were fighting. I could see the light flash off the blade of a knife. But it wasn’t the fight or the knife that held my attention. It was like watching a man fighting with his reflection in a mirror.

  David and Ronald were not one man. They were separate – individual. David was David, and Ronald was Ronald. And they looked enough alike to be brothers – brothers who were fighting to the death.

  “Call 9-1-1,” I yelled at no one in particular.

  I could hear scrambling noises behind me and knew someone was headed for the phone.

  Felicity and I stood now, side by side, mouths open and eyes wide.

  I could see blood on the broken window glass in my peripheral vision, but I couldn’t draw my eyes away from the two men who resembled fighting bears. They were both so big.

  David knocked Ronald to the porch floor. Or was it David falling? I watched. There was no mistaking David once I got my bearings. He was wearing a blue shirt. Ronald wore a white t-shirt. Small details filled my mind.

  Ronald jumped up before David could stop him, his knife held tightly. He began doing a dance toward David with the knife creating circles in the air. He grinned, ready to go in for the kill.

  David grimaced, stepping back. His expression turned into a smile when Ronald lunged at him. He leaped to the side. Ronald was off balance and stumbled, losing his hold on the knife.

  Fists flew. Tempers were high. Grunts were followed by groans. Ronald got the wind knocked out of him. David took advantage and raised his hands together, fingers interlocked. He lowered the boom on Ronald’s shoulder, knocking him to the ground. In a flash David picked up the switchblade knife.

  Glancing in my direction first, he quickly turned back to Ronald. Ronald turned over just as David slammed the knife into him. The knife plunged into Ronald’s thigh.

  Sirens blared.

  David folded his fingers into the shape of a gun and pointed at me, reminding me of my own gun. I pulled it out of my waistband while he folded the knife and stuck it in his pocket, running in the direction of Dolly’s house. He disappeared from view while the sirens closed in.

  I stuck my hands out the window, left hand holding my right hand steady as I pointed the gun at Ronald.

  “Don’t move a muscle, Ronald! I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” Was that me talking? It was. I could feel my blood pressure rising, but I held steady.

  Felicity opened the front door and stepped out on the porch, keeping Ronald in the sites of her gun. “You’d better listen to her. If you move and she doesn’t shoot you, I will.”

  Mother ran out on the porch with a frying pan in her hands. “I wouldn’t move if I were you. I took out a mugger once.” She held the frying pan over her head.

  Dolly raced past me and stood next to my mother, her stance one she’d learned in self-defense class. I noticed Dolly glance at me and my gun before she looked at Felicity. Sure she was covered, she balled up her little fists, ready to swing if Ronald moved. “Make my day,” she snarled.

  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  Ronald was too busy moaning and holding his leg to care what any of us said or did.

  Three police cars slammed on their brakes in front of my house. Officers approached the front porch with guns drawn, ordering Felicity and me to put down our weapons.

  We did.

  Officer Hernandez stepped forward and took charge. While one cop cuffed Ronald, Hernandez approached me. “Is that Smith?”

  “No, but he was here.” I pointed in the general direction of Dolly’s house. “He ran that way.”

  “Who’s this guy?” he asked.

  “This is Ronald, the one who threatened Glenna.” I was glad Hernandez had shown up so I didn’t have to explain everything to the other cops.

  Hernandez stepped off the porch while another cop escorted Ronald to the patrol car. He spoke to the other officers and they took off in the direction of Dolly’s house.

  “He looks just like the guy you’re arresting,” I yelled after them. I was pretty sure they didn’t hear me.

  Standing on the porch, I watched lights going on in the neighbor’s houses. I could see curtains being pulled aside, and I wondered how long it would be until the neighbors decided I needed to move for their safety and peace of mind.

  “Mother, would you walk to the shed in the backyard with me? I need to find some plywood to nail over the broken window. And where’s Bubba? Anyone seen Bubba? He’s got to be around here somewhere. W
here’s Bubba? Something’s wrong because he didn’t come out when the two men were fighting.” My voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere outside of myself.

  Felicity put her arm around me. “Are you okay, Sandi? You don’t sound normal.”

  Dolly and my mother stood in front of me. Wide-eyed and dripping with concern, they both began to talk at once. I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  I sat down on the porch step. “Where’s Bubba?” I began to cry, and I actually began to feel better. I’d needed a good cry. The past few days had been busy and stressful to the point where I hadn’t had time to unwind.

  Mother sat down next to me and began patting and rubbing my back. “It’s okay, sweetie. You just cry it out. Sometimes crying is good for a person. I’ve done plenty of crying in my day, and it always seemed to release the tension.”

  I nodded before I turned into her and threw my arms around her, hugging the life out of her. She didn’t try to stop me. I felt a tremor run through her and knew she was crying, too. Taking a deep breath, I sat up and found both Felicity and Dolly sitting beside us, each crying her own tears.

  I jumped up, almost knocking my mother over. “No! I won’t let David destroy me. He’ll never reduce me to tears again.” I stepped off the porch steps and began pacing on the walkway. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m tougher than whatever life, or David, can hand out. He had the upper hand for a few minutes, but not anymore.”

  “That’s it, Sandi. Get it out of your system.” Felicity came to pace beside me.

  I stopped and slowly turned in a circle, taking in the neighborhood, and began to yell as loud as I could. “Do you hear me, David? Listen closely. I’m coming after you! You will not hurt me or those I love.”

  My mother placed her hands on her mouth, looking pensive. Dolly stood up and, looking around, put her little hands on her hips, feet slightly spread apart. Felicity grinned.

  Mrs. Lott, from a few doors down, walked up with Bubba in tow. She held his collar and he followed behind her, looking sheepish and wet. “What’s all the yelling about? Here’s your dopey dog, by the way. I found him in my backyard trying to take advantage of Pumpkin. I had to hose him to keep him at bay. I know Pumpkin is a big girl, but she’s sure not big enough for this monster.”