“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“I don’t need you around anymore, Wes. Now that Frankie’s dead, you’ll just be in the way. Besides, you’re the only witness to what I’ve done. I can’t very well let you walk out of here, now can I?”
While she spoke, Destiny drenched the front of Frankie’s shirt with fluid. When she was satisfied, she walked over to the couch and emptied the rest of the can over the cushions. Finally, she tossed the can into the corner where she’d thrown the bat, her dress, and the flowers.
“You can’t do this, Destiny,” I said. “I’ve been looking after you since Bob first found you.” Even though I’d watched her kill Frankie, and listened to her while she told me about the others she’d killed, I was finding it hard to believe what she was about to do. This woman was much more cold-hearted than I had suspected.
“Of course I can,” Destiny said. “Do you see anyone standing around here that can stop me?” She picked up her suitcase, held out the lighter and flicked it. As she lowered it toward Frankie she added, “Sorry, Darling. But I gotta go.”
Chapter 23
I had an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. For the first time since meeting Destiny I was afraid of her. Death was breathing down my neck and it wasn’t a good feeling. Anyone who says they’re not afraid of the Grim Reaper is a liar.
On top of my own problems I was worried about what might happen to Tanya. She was an innocent bystander who looked upon Destiny as a friend. Now Willie was on the way over to her house and Tanya didn’t even know she was in danger.
“What about Tanya?” I asked.
Destiny straightened up and slithered toward me. Pointing the tip of the lighter in my direction, she let out a deep laugh. “She’s why you kicked me out of bed the other night, isn’t she? You’re sleeping with her.”
I ignored her question. “The least you could do is call and warn her about Willie. She doesn’t deserve what’s going to happen to her if she walks in on him.”
Destiny’s eyes hardened. “Why should I give a damn what happens to Tanya?”
“Tanya wasn’t a part of all this.” I wanted to keep Destiny talking. Even though my feet were still bound, I figured if I could get her to step a little closer, I might be able to grab her and keep her from setting the place on fire.
“From what I’ve seen, all she’s ever done was try to help you. She told me she once thought of you as a sister.”
“Is that what she told you?”
I nodded and she inched closer. For a moment, her eyes were filled with indecision. I could tell she wanted to believe me, but then she frowned and shut back down.
“That’s a lie.” Using the lighter as a pointer, Destiny swung it around the room. “You see how I live? Well this is like the Taj Mahal compared to how my mother and I were forced to live after Alvin kicked us out.”
“None of it was Tanya’s fault.”
“Bull shit.” She stomped her feet and edged a little closer. “The bitch convinced her father to throw us out. He loved my mother and would have let us stay if not for Tanya. She told him lies and he believed her.”
“She was a young girl, just like you. Neither of you were in control of your life back then. It was all between Alvin and your mother.”
Destiny stepped over Frankie’s body and stood glaring at me while I willed her to move a little closer. Instead, she slammed the butt of the lighter on the table.
“Tanya was always jealous of my mother and me. She didn’t want to share her father with us. She was a spoiled little brat who felt threatened by the fact that her father was sharing his love with us.”
“You know that’s not true,” I said. “Your mother was a drug addict. Alvin was trying to protect Tanya. He offered to take you in but your mother wouldn’t let him.”
“Those are all lies Tanya told you,” Destiny said. Again, I thought I detected a hint of indecision in her voice. “My mother didn’t turn to drugs until Alvin kicked us out. He used her, like every other man she ever knew.”
“Your mother was the problem,” I said. “Not Tanya.”
Destiny lit the lighter and swiped the tip toward my face. “Liar.”
When she lunged at me, I snapped my head to the side, swung my right hand up and clamped it around her wrist, shaking the lighter from her hand.
She threw herself on top of me and yelled, “I should have killed you the same time I killed Frankie.” While I struggled to throw her off me, the chair collapsed. Clutching her left wrist, I tried to push her away, but she reached out with her free hand and raked my face with her nails.
The scratch tore a flap of skin loose below my left eye and I could feel the blood trickle down my cheek. Reaching out, I tried to grab her other arm. I missed and she heaved herself backward, breaking my grip on her wrist.
With a triumphant laugh, Destiny flailed at me with both arms before flinging herself to one side. “I’ll kill you right now, you son of a bitch,” she screamed, and then she scrambled across the floor to where she’d thrown the baseball bat.
My heart was racing and it felt like Destiny might have cracked one of my ribs when she pounced on me, but I knew that if I didn’t free myself I was going to die. While I fumbled with the ropes still holding my legs, Destiny snatched up the bat, jumped to her feet and faced me.
“You never should have messed with me.” she said. “You’re just like Frankie. All you care about are my diamonds. Well they’re mine, and you can go to hell.” When she realized I was on the verge of freeing myself she seemed to get a burst of renewed energy. While I struggled, she raised the bat over her head and ran at me. She was completely out of control and she stumbled over Frankie’s body. That stumble probably saved my life. Instead of smashing my head in, the bat grazed my ear and slammed into my left shoulder.
My arm went numb and it took all my will power to ignore the pain and roll under the table. With my good hand I continued to work at freeing myself while Destiny moved in for the kill. “I’ve got you now, Darling,” she said.
Dropping to one knee in front of the table, she swung the bat between the legs, missing my face by inches. She made several quick, explosive jabs and cursed each time she missed.
Somehow I managed to pull my legs free. Before she could made her next thrust in my direction I slid out from beneath the table. Destiny jumped to her feet. Without hesitation she raised the bat over her head and brought it down with all her might. The wood tabletop split and Destiny screamed. Her face turned purple and like an angry ogre, she grabbed the table with one hand and flung it out of her way.
Once again Destiny gripped the bat with both hands and brought it behind her shoulders. I waited until she started her swing, then I dropped to the floor and kicked out at her with my feet. The blow to her hip sent her flying in one direction, the bat in another.
The fall would have been the end of the fight for most women. It didn’t appear to faze Destiny. When she hit the floor, she rolled toward me, struck out with the heel of her shoe, and caught me on my shin.
I jumped away from her as she lunged for the bat. When she realized she couldn’t reach it, she spun around and crawled over to where the lighter had fallen. Snatching it up, she sprang to her feet and ran past me. I grabbed at her ankle, missed, and before I could do anything else, Destiny flicked the lighter and touched it to Frankie’s shirt. The lighter fluid soaked fabric burst into flames, which spread with amazing speed down the length of his body.
My first thought was to find something to smother the flames. I gave up on that idea when she ran across the room and torched the couch. The flames raced toward each other like two lost lovers eager to meet. While I hesitated, they joined together, separating us.
Destiny watched the fire for a moment, hypnotized by the blaze, and then she threw down the lighter and ran to where she’d left her purse. She grabbed it, along with her suitcase, and made for the door.
Perhaps, if I’d reacted quicker, I might have been able t
o contain the fire. Instead, it took on a life of its own. I realized that if we didn’t both get out of there soon, we weren’t going to make it.
Destiny was on the verge of escaping and I ran after her. She beat me to the door, turned, and threw her suitcase at me. I tried to twist out of the way, but she’d taken me by surprise and the case caught me in the chest.
I stumbled three steps back, tripped on something I couldn’t identify, and landed on a piece of burning carpet. The flames singed the hair on the back of my arms, and I swore as I began to crawl over to the door. Billowing smoke descended from the ceiling and flames shot out around me.
I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it when I felt a whiff of fresh air from the open front door. I forced myself to crawl forward on my hands and knees and didn’t stop until I was outside. Once there, I took a deep breath of the clean air, stood, and found myself facing Destiny.
She opened her purse and fumbled for something inside, but as soon as she realized I was coming for her she turned and fled down the stairs.
I ran after Destiny and the lights next door went on. A tall, thin, bald man wearing only a pair of white boxer shorts stepped onto the porch and stared at us.
He watched Destiny run by, and turned toward me. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked.
“Call the fire department,” I shouted, without stopping.
I didn’t catch up to her until she reached the corner. When she heard my footsteps, she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were filled with anger, and she let out a loud, frustrated scream.
Once again she reached into her purse, and I wasn’t surprised when she pulled out Bob’s pistol. She stopped running, swung the gun in my direction, and pulled back the hammer.
I was still several steps away from her but seeing the pistol was more effective than a motivational talk. I made a record-breaking long jump. Brushing the pistol aside, I grabbed her wrist.
While I wrested the gun from her hand she kicked and scratched at me, crying out in rage.
“It’s all over, Destiny.” I stepped away and held the gun loosely pointed in her direction.
She smiled. “You don’t have the guts to shoot me, Darling.”
“I will if I have to.”
Destiny tilted her head when she heard the first sirens in the distance. She licked her lips and lowered her voice. “There’s a fortune here, Wes. We could share it. It’s a lot of money and we could have a lot of fun together.”
“Until the day you decide to take a ball bat to my head,” I said. “For some reason, I think that would be sooner rather than later.”
“I’d never do that to you, Wes. Really, I wouldn’t.” She took a tentative step toward me. “I think I’ve made it clear that I like you. And I’m a lot more fun than Tanya is, I promise.”
The sirens were getting closer and her eyes darted from my face to the gun and back again. Suddenly, she swung her purse toward the gun, but I’d been waiting for her to try something. I grabbed the purse and jerked it away from her.
“Give me that.” She kicked at me, taking aim at my balls again, but she’d used all her tricks on me before.
I turned and took the kick on the side of my leg. “You’re some piece of work, you know that?”
She kicked out again and I thought she was going to throw herself at me, but a police cruiser came skidding around the corner.
She glanced at her purse, looked back at the cop car, and yelled, “You son of a bitch,” before taking off running down the street.
I started after her, but the car slammed to a stop and a young police officer jumped out and drew his gun.
“Stay where you are and put down the gun.” His voice quivered, and I was afraid that he was going to shoot me. I hesitated for only a second before setting the pistol and the purse down on the sidewalk. As I raised my hands above my head, Destiny disappeared into the shadows.
Chapter 24
By the time Davies arrived I’d been spread-eagled, roughed up, cuffed and thrown into the back of a police cruiser. If this kept up I was liable to develop a few phobias of my own. Maybe Elvis and I could form a support group and discuss what triggered our fears. Hell, if we bonded, maybe I’d even let him read my aura. Then again, probably not.
When the officer shoved me into the back seat of his car, I pleaded with him to call Detective Davies. If I couldn’t convince her to cut me loose, I was going to spend the night in jail. Doing so could cost Tanya her life.
Tanya would be arriving home from work at any time. I was worried about what Willie would do to her when she got there. Not only was he angry enough with me to hurt her just for the hell of it, but also, he wouldn’t be able to find the diamonds because they weren’t there. I was afraid that when he couldn’t contact Frankie, he might even kill Tanya.
I decided to tell Davies pretty much everything that had happened, including most of the information I’d held back the last time we spoke. I trusted her, but I had a problem with depending on the cops. I’d done it before, and as a result, Celine Stewart was dead. True, that was the FBI, but I figured a cop was a cop was a cop.
The FBI had done everything by the book, but the book had gotten Celine killed. I couldn’t help but feel that if I’d handled it myself, she’d still be alive. Her father felt the same; after all, I’d convinced him to go to the cops.
The case had wiped out any thrill I’d once felt about being a private investigator, and any confidence I might have had in the competence of the authorities. It’s why I quit the business, and I didn’t want to be responsible for someone else getting killed, especially someone I cared for. Now, while I waited for Davies, I found myself once again in that position. I didn’t like it one bit.
I was trying to figure out how I could break out of the car when Davies drove up. She was dressed island casual; beige shorts, a white blouse, and sandals. She was still clutching her oversized purse. She spoke to the officer who had cuffed me and walked over to where I was confined.
She stopped outside of the passenger side rear door and drummed her long fingernails on the top of the cruiser. She tapped out an irritating little riff that echoed throughout the car, and then opened the door and stooped down. “You know, I haven’t had more than three hours of unbroken sleep since I met you. I’d say you’re becoming a real pain in the ass, but that would be way too much of an understatement.”
“The past few days haven’t been a vacation for me either,” I said. “Now can you quit enjoying yourself so much and get me out of here?”
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked. “Are you abrasive by nature, Darling, or do you have to work at being an asshole?”
I thought about a retort, but I didn’t have time for games. “I need your help,” I said.
Davies laughed and backed away from the door. “Get out,” she said.
I slid across the seat, swung out of the car and stretched to my full height. “Could you get me out of these?” I shook the cuffs.
She ignored my request. Leaning back on her right hip, Davies gazed at my face as if it were a road map. Without looking away she reached into her suitcase of a purse and pulled out her cigarettes. She shook one out and tucked it into the corner of her mouth. Only then did she look away from me as she dipped her hand back into the bag and rummaged for a lighter.
“Let me get this straight,” she said. “You want my help? Let me tell you Darling, you’re in no position to ask for help. In fact, you should be on your knees begging me to let you help me.” She lit the cigarette, took a deep drag and blew a stream of smoke into my face.
I coughed and turned my head away. “I’ll beg, if that’s what it takes.”
“It’s tempting, but you need to help yourself.” Davies pointed at the cop who had arrested me and at the burning house. “You need to help me understand what the hell’s going on around here.” She paused for effect, and then took another deep hit of nicotine.
“The responding officer saw you waving a gun around. H
e observed a woman running away from you and you were holding a purse. This indicated to him that you had robbed her. On top of this, you reek of smoke and look like a bum. All this leads the officer to suspect that you may have started the fire that’s only now being brought under control. What about any of this makes you think I should do anything besides throw you into a cell?”
I groaned. “It’s not like it looks.”
“It never is. Why don’t you tell me what the hell’s going on and maybe I won’t throw your ass into the slammer—and that’s a real iffy, maybe.”
We both realized that I didn’t have much choice. I started talking. I told her about Destiny bludgeoning Frankie, about her telling me she’d killed Billy and Bob. When I told her about the diamonds she flicked her cigarette butt into the road. “Stay here.” She walked over to speak with the officer that had arrested me.
She took her time, but returned with Destiny’s purse. By the time she got back I was shuffling back and forth alongside the car and wondering what my chances would be if I took off and started running. When she reached my side, she opened the purse, took out the bag of diamonds, and shook them into her hand.
She let out a whistle and raised an eyebrow in my direction. “So this is what it’s all about?”
I nodded. “It is.”
“And where’s this Destiny chick?”
“I don’t know.”
“Describe her to me.”
I gave her a hurried description and told her Destiny’s real name. When I finished, she dug into her shorts pocket, took out a key and removed my cuffs. “I’m not quite sure why I’m doing this,” she said. “I’m thinking my life would be a lot easier if I threw you into a cell and forgot about you for awhile.”
“So you believe me?” I stretched my arms and was glad to be out of the restraints. I’d spent too much time with my arms bound behind me in the last couple of days, and my shoulders were doing a slow burn while my blood surged throughout my arms.
Key Lime Blues (A Wes Darling Mystery) Page 18