Super Chick

by Amber R. Polk

  How dare he act like an ass to her when he was the one to betray them all? In the long run, it didn’t matter because as soon as they got all the evidence they needed, Drew would be the one in prison.

  Why did the thought make her stomach twist in knots?

  “I don’t know why you’re jumping down my throat. I stuck to the plan. You don’t have to worry about me stabbing you in the back.” Megan’s eyes turned to slits and her hands fisted at her hips.

  “Alrighty then,” Laura said, raising her eyebrows as she looked between the two of them. “While we’re here, I want to pick out a shirt. So, you two, play nice for a few minutes.” She shook her head as she walked toward the far end of the floor.

  Drew made a groaning noise and shuffled his feet.

  “Trust me, I don’t want you here anymore than you want to be here.” He didn’t bother acknowledging Megan had spoken. “I do have one question, though. Did you have the diamonds all along?”

  Drew was nose to nose with her before she had the time to retreat. “I do not have the diamonds and I did not kill those guys.”

  “If you didn’t then how did they all magically end up dead with you there?” Megan asked, not backing down.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”

  “Found what I wanted,” Laura said, holding up a shirt.

  Megan turned away from Drew and moved behind the counter to ring her up. She gave Laura a ten percent discount for having an ass for a brother and handed her the receipt. “If you ever need anything at all, please call me.”

  “I will,” Laura nodded, causing her ponytail to bounce. Drew was already headed for the door and Laura hurried to catch up with him. She turned back and gave a quick wave before they stepped out of view.

  For the rest of the day and well into the evening, Megan kept busy with deep cleaning and rearranging the window displays. As much as she didn’t want to, she closed the store and left. Instead of going home, she went to Lillie’s empty apartment and ate pizza delivery.

  Megan got in the shower, making it as hot as she could stand and just as she was about to wash shampoo from her hair, the water came to a near stop. She had twisted the knobs as far as they would go when the head of the faucet flew off, barely missing her head, and water gushed like a geyser. Jumping from the shower, she wrapped a towel around her and scrambled to find something to stop the water, but she had no clue what she should be looking for.

  Running downstairs, Megan grabbed her cell phone and dialed Dwayne. After she told him what happened, he assured her that he would be right over. She hurried to Lillie’s room and borrowed a robe hanging on the back of her closet.

  Why me? Why does everything have to go crazy?

  In the five minutes it took Dwayne to arrive, the shampoo left in her hair started to dry and itch. Megan hoped it didn’t end up doing damage to her hair if she didn’t get it out soon. Dwayne used an odd T looking tool to shut the water off outside then came upstairs with her tagging closely behind. He patted his waist and turned to her. “Could you run out to my car and grab the tool belt out of the backseat?”

  “Sure,” she said, willing to do anything to hurry this along.

  Slipping on Lillie’s house shoes, Megan went into the dark night. Shampoo was getting into her eyes and her vision automatically shifted to super power mode. She opened the back door and grabbed the tool belt. To her, the car looked like seats resting in mid-air and when her eyes shifted to the trunk, she froze. Why did Dwayne have her purse in the trunk of his car? And why did he have a gun back there, too?

  Realization hit her like a freight train. Dwayne was the first person to get to Larry when Drew shot him. He lied and took the gun to set it up to look like Drew shot an unarmed man. Dwayne was part of this and Drew was an innocent man. Just like he had been saying all along.

  I was a freaking idiot.

  What in the hell am I going to do to fix this?

  “Did you find it?” Dwayne yelled from the bottom of the stairs, causing her to jump and whip around with his tool belt pressed tightly against her chest.

  She held it up. “Yeah, I found it.”

  Walking to the stairwell, she handed him the tool belt. Dwayne stared at her with squinted eyes. “You okay? You look white as a ghost.”

  “Yeah, I just… just got shampoo in my eyes.” To prove her words, she swiped at the suds on her forehead. “Do you think you can fix the shower?”

  “Oh, no problem. It won’t take but a few minutes.” Dwayne hitched up his pants and lifted one side of his mouth in a grin. He turned and moved up the stairs and disappeared into the apartment.

  Turning back to the car, Megan eyed the purse and gun in his trunk. It wouldn’t be enough evidence to get Drew of the hook. What she needed was for Dwayne to slip up and say something. The only way to do that was to get him talking. She made her way upstairs and stood in the doorway of the bathroom watching. With Dwayne’s attention on the showerhead, Megan glanced around for a potential weapon if need be, but doubted she would need one and could probably take him if push came to shove.

  “I hear you and Detective Calloway are seeing each other?” Dwayne asked before she could think of a way to make him spill his guts.

  “Hmm, no. We’re not.”

  “Really?” He continued working. “Small towns. You never know what to believe.”

  “Very true. I was wondering—”

  “Whoo hoo. Anybody here?” a woman’s voice yelled from outside.

  Megan didn’t want to leave, but if she ignored the woman yelling, Dwayne would get suspicious. “I’m going to go see who’s here.” She walked through the opened entrance to the apartment and looked down the stairs to find an elderly woman standing at the bottom next to a large yellow suitcase. “Can I help you?”

  “Well, I don’t know.” She took in Megan in her robe. “Is Dwayne Webber here?”

  Megan tugged at the ties of the robe. No telling what it looked like that she was without clothes and he was in her residence. By morning, it’ll be told she was having an affair with Dwayne. The thought made her cringe. Sadly, she hoped this woman would get it wrong and think she was the new tenant. That would be enough payback on Lillie for the pharmacy debacle with Dwayne’s mother.

  “He’s upstairs fixing the shower. Can I tell him who’s here for him?”

  “Oh, yes, please. I’m Ester Harrison.”

  Megan froze in place and fought with her body to keep her eyes a normal size. Calvin’s aunt? It had to be, but why was she there looking for Dwayne? Wasn’t Mrs. Harrison on a cruise? “I’ll let him know.” She rushed back to the bathroom to let Dwayne know about his visitor.

  Grinning like a schoolboy, he just about ran through the apartment and met Ester halfway down the stairs. “Mrs. Harrison. It’s so good to see you. What can I help you with?”

  Megan wanted to yell at the top of her lungs that he was a crook, but instead she stood back and listened for potential evidence that could transpire between the two of them.

  “Well, my Calvin told me to make sure I take this suitcase on the cruise since I didn’t have any luggage and as soon as I got back to be sure and get you the suitcase since he borrowed it.” Ester handed him the suitcase and patted his hand. Dwayne brought the case to his chest and hugged it to him like it was a long lost child.

  “Thank you so much,” he said, giving her a smacking kiss on the cheek.

  Megan found his display of graciousness over a suitcase extremely odd and she knew what she would find inside the case before she let her vision scan through. Diamonds. The way they were laid, it appeared they were sewn inside the lining of the case. Standing in anger, she watched as Mrs. Harrison said her goodbye and walked away. Dwayne walked just inside the apartment and picked up his cell phone, shoving it inside his pocket.

  “You really like that suitcase, I take it,” Megan said, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Something about him changed with her words. His smile was different, cocky even, and his b
ack stood straighter. Amazing what wealth and greed could do to a person.

  “This suitcase is going to take me places I’ve only ever dreamed of going,” Dwayne said, setting it on the floor next to his feet as he looked around like he had no clue what he was doing there.

  “That must be an amazing suitcase then. Mind if I borrow it next week?”

  “No, you can’t take it,” he said then caught himself. “I mean, I just got it back and I’ve been planning a trip for some time.” He looked around the room, wringing his hands. “I guess I’ll be going now.”

  Dwayne picked up the suitcase and was just about to leave before Megan stood in front of him, anger controlling her actions, but she needed more from him before she could let him go. She needed a confession. “Why did you do it?”

  He tilted his head in question. “Do what?”

  “Kill them all for diamonds?” The more Megan stewed on it, the more pissed off she got. This man killed three people and effectively ruined any chance of her having love in her life and he thought he was going to pick up that suitcase and walk away? No, she didn’t think so.

  He smirked. “How’d you figure it out?” Dwayne didn’t seem to care if she knew or not; he had the diamonds and he was ready to skip town.

  “Tell me how and why you did it.” Megan took a step back until she was next to the umbrella stand by the door. “And why would you pin it all on Drew?”

  “Why did I do it?” He laughed as he walked back and forth, shaking his head. “Have you ever met my mother?”

  Megan placed her hands behind her back and felt around until she found the handle of an umbrella and held it tightly to her back.

  “The old woman just won’t die! She’s like the devil. She’s going to live forever, in my house! I’m almost fifty years old and never been married because of that witch. I’ve never moved away because of her. I’ve never had a life because of that old bat.” Dwayne kicked the coffee table, flipping it over. “Now. Now I can move away and never look back. Now I can have a life.”

  “But why kill those men?” Megan’s voice sounded foreign to her own ears. She never thought she would scare easily, but the way he was walking around like a crazed man was beginning to freak her right the hell out. Anyone who could kill three men for the sake of getting away with diamonds had to be a demented soul.

  “If they’re weren’t so damn stupid to get caught, I wouldn’t have had to, but those idiots didn’t know how to do anything right.” Just before Dwayne was about to say something else, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked to Megan with an evil grin. He took a step toward her. “I think it’s time for me to leave now.”

  She needed more time. Lillie could come home at any minute and hold his crazy ass down until she could get the police. “But why set Drew up? Why kidnap Laura?”

  Dwayne shook his head. “Kidnapping Laura wasn’t my idea. It was those idiots. I lied to them. Told them I didn’t know where the diamonds were and they assumed since Calvin died with Drew that he had the diamonds.” His voice dripped with hatred. “Drew Calloway, Hope’s most available bachelor. He was just convenient.”

  “Convenient? You screwed up my life because it was convenient?” Megan yelled at his audacity.

  “Okay, how ‘bout you go ahead and get in the closet so I can get out of here.” He took another step toward her and she lost her mind.

  Yanking the umbrella from behind her back, Megan started waylaying him anywhere she could reach. Dwayne tripped and landed flat on his back, giving her the opportunity to do some real damage. Anger, frustration, hurt, all of it rushed through her. Jumping to straddle his chest, she grabbed him by the top of his hair and commenced pounding his head into the hardwood floor.

  “You screwed up my life.” Slam. “You made me think the man I love is a killer.” Slam. “Because you thought it was convenient?”

  Dwayne yelled and flung his arms wildly, but Megan couldn’t hear him from the thoughts screaming in her own head. “You bastard.”

  He managed to lift his hip and flip her on her back. “You little bitch,” he said before backhanding her across the face. Dwayne reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a syringe. “I was going to save this for dear old Mom, but I think you’re far more deserving.”

  Using both hands, Megan grabbed his wrist, fighting to keep the needle from puncturing her, but her arms were getting tired and he was closing in on her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting his face to be the last she saw. No, she wanted to think of Drew’s smile and sleepy eyes just as he woke up in the morning. Suddenly, Dwayne’s weight no longer held her down. She opened her eyes to find Drew next to her, holding Dwayne’s hands behind his back. She scrambled to her feet just as the house swarmed with uniformed police officers.

  “Are you okay?” Drew asked, out of breath as he shoved Dwayne to the officers and looked her over. “Did he stick you with the needle?”

  Megan reached for her neck with shaking hands and felt for damage. “I don’t think so.” She stumbled back and her vision began to blur as her head felt like it took a hundred spins on a merry-go-round.

  “Ambulance! We need an ambulance now!” Drew shouted and then lifted Megan into his arms and ran outside. The dark night only got darker.

  “My chest,” Megan gasped, panicked. Each time she fought to take a breath, her chest squeezed tighter. “I can’t breathe.”

  “It’s okay, Baby,” he whispered as he laid her on the sidewalk and whipped his head around. “Get a damn ambulance here now!”

  Megan reached for his hand and he grabbed hers, holding it to his chest with both of his. “Drew, I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t say another word. Save your energy.” He bent over her, protecting her, but she knew there was no use. “You’ll be fine. They’ll be here in a minute.” His eyes couldn’t hide the fear that the ambulance wouldn’t make it in time.

  “Drew,” she said the best she could between labored breaths, “don’t leave me.”

  He brushed the sides of her face with his thumb. “I’m not going anywhere, Baby.”

  The sound of sirens were faint in the background, but Megan knew there wasn’t time. She tried to keep her eyes focused on Drew, but the pain was so intense her eyes blurred and squeezed shut. At least she could feel him next to her and that’s what she wanted more than anything. She would never get to tell him how truly sorry she was and how deeply she loved him. Peeling her eyes open, Megan found his eyes panicked. She tried to raise her hand to touch his face, but her arms went limb and the world went dark around her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Beeps and whispers from unfamiliar voices sounded around her. Just as she tried to pry her eyelids open or try to open her mouth to speak, Megan slipped back into darkness. This went on numerous times before she finally managed to open her eyes. The room was dark, except for dim light coming from somewhere above her head, and her body ached. From the rails on the sides of the bed, she assumed she was still alive and in a hospital.

  “Hello?” she asked, her mouth gritty like she had been chewing on sand. “Water?”

  “Hey there,” Lillie said softly, coming under the small light above her bed. Lillie looked disheveled. Her hair stuck out every which way, and her eyes sagged from the weight of the bags under them. “Let me get a nurse.”

  Before Megan could stop her, Lillie was up and in the hallway. Megan smiled when she heard her arguing with someone outside to get her friend something to drink. Moments later, she came back with a plastic cup of water and a straw. A disgruntled nurse followed behind, checking the needle in Megan’s arm. The nurse raised her bed, causing every millimeter of her chest to feel like it was on fire.

  Lillie held up the cup for Megan to get a drink and wiped the corners of her mouth afterward. The nurse quietly wrote in the chart at the foot of the bed as she asked questions and told them the doctor would be in soon. When she left the room, Lillie turned to her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like someone
decided to use my body as the ball for batting practice.” Not to mention Drew wasn’t there which hurt worse than any physical pain could. Megan’s memory was fuzzy on what happened, but she did remember Drew knocking Dwayne off her and the look of anger and fear on his face as he put him in cuffs.

  “You scared me half to death.” Lillie brushed Megan’s hair from her face and held the cup up for her to get another drink. “Do you know how many times we almost lost you?”

  “No, how many?” she asked, batting her eyes. It really wasn’t funny, but she didn’t want to think about it right then.

  “Seriously. They didn’t know if they were going to be able to bring you back,” Lillie said, her eyes filling with tears as she sat down next to Megan and held her hand. “Drew made them let him ride in the Med-Evac helicopter here.”

  “Where’s here?” Megan asked, trying to look out the window but seeing nothing but light.

  “Oklahoma City.”

  Oklahoma City? She didn’t remember a helicopter ride. “What happened? I mean, what was in the needle?”

  “They said potassium chloride.” Lillie’s voice dropped. “If Drew wouldn’t have showed up and stopped the full injection, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “Dwayne killed them all. He was behind everything,” Megan said with a shaky voice. He caused her to lose Drew.

  “We know. Drew figured it out when Mrs. Harrison came home and told the police officer waiting at her place that she’d dropped the suitcase off with Dwayne.”

  Drew figured it all out and she didn’t have to try to get a confession from him. The thought made her queasy. What if the officer hadn’t been at Ester’s place? What if Drew hadn’t come for her? She could feel herself slipping back into sleep, but she wanted to know what happened after she blacked out. Where was Drew? Where was Dwayne? She had so many questions. “How long have I been here?”

  “Four days.”

  “Seriously?” It felt like it all happened a few hours ago. Sleeping as much as she had, it irritated her that she was still so tired.