Best Defense

by Randy Rawls

  “Because you’re so transparent, that’s how.”

  “Sorry,” I said, “I must be more dense than you think. How does my being transparent answer my question?” From the serious look on Edith’s face, I assumed she didn’t get my poor attempt at a joke.

  “I saw you this afternoon,” she said, “creeping up the street in your car, casing my house. Then your friend comes around the corner where you turned and starts knocking on doors. She didn’t know that everybody in the neighborhood works. When she banged on my door, I got a real good look at her.” She glanced at Dot. “Not someone I’d be likely to forget—ugly as a manatee. Tonight when the doorbell rang, I peered through the peephole, and there she was. Your plan was just too easy. If she was at the front, you had to be at the back. I sent Larry to take care of you, and I took care of your friend.”

  “How in hell did you get a PI license?” Larry said. “You’re too stupid to live. Now, move your butt that way.” He nodded toward the doorway through which Edith had entered. “It’s time for you to disappear for a while.”

  It wasn’t exactly He who runs away lives to fight another day, but it was close enough. As long as I was breathing and my heart was beating, fate could deal me a winning hand. And the same went for Dot.

  “Don’t be in such a rush,” I said, raising my voice as much as I dared. “You can tell me why you did all this. Ashley’s never done anything to you.” I was stalling, hoping Dot was right about Dabba, that she wouldn’t do anything I asked her to do. In fact, I was wishing Dabba would ignore my instructions and come crashing in, looking for Linda. I inched myself toward the back door.

  “Oh, funny girl,” Larry said. “You think—”

  “Why not?” Edith said. “She thinks she’s so damn smart. No problem in her knowing the whole story as long as she’s going to die anyway. It’ll be fun to watch her face when she finds out how dumb these rich farts are.”

  “Yeah,” Dot said. “Why’d you do it?”

  Edith laughed, then sneered at Dot. “Why the hell do you think? Look at this dump I’m living in. That damn Hammonds took most of our money to defend Herb, then let him rot in jail. That left me with a pittance. I had to sell the house and most of the furnishings. I even had to sell a lot of my jewelry. You ever tried to sell something fast? You get a few pennies on the dollar. I was lucky to get enough to buy this crap of a house.

  “And, can you imagine what it did to a gentle person like Herb to go to prison? The cretins he faced every day? The people he had to share life with? It was hell. Every time I saw him, he blubbered about the way the guards and the other prisoners treated him. The guards didn’t miss a chance to abuse him, calling him all kinds of vile names. And the prisoners beat the shit out of him at every opportunity. He was terrified of taking a shower. The guards didn’t care. They watched and laughed. I expected a message any day he was dead. When it finally came, I was not surprised at all.”

  She looked at Larry. “The only good part was Larry moving into Herb’s cell. He befriended Herb, became his friend. Herb told me he could never repay Larry for what he did. I will though. He gets a third of the ransom. That’ll buy him a new identity in Mexico.”

  She paused. “Now you know why. Won’t keep you alive any longer, but you’ll die knowing I have good reasons for what I’m doing. Hammonds is suffering, and he deserves it. And you’re powerless to stop any of it.”

  I nodded. “You’ve had a tough time of it. I can understand your grudge against John Hammonds, but why his daughter? She’s done nothing to you. Will you live up to your promise and return her?”

  “Not sure yet. At first, it was all about getting even with that lawyer-bastard. But now … well, I don’t know. It’s amazing how much some people are willing to pay for a young blond girl with good genes. Her mother was beautiful, you know. Her old man ain’t bad looking, either. Larry and I are still talking about it. We might turn her loose on the street and let some cop find her. Or, maybe we’ll just sell her to the highest bidder, and let someone else take the risk. They’ll probably have their ways of getting her out of the country.” She paused, obviously satisfied with herself. “It won’t matter to you what happens to her, though. You won’t be around to see. Nope, you and your buddy will be alligator shit before then. Now, let’s move.”

  “Give me a minute,” I said. “There’s one more thing I don’t understand. If all you wanted was to kidnap Ashley, why did you kill Ms. Hammonds and the maid? That took you from thirty-forty years in the pen to death row. I don’t get it.”

  Edith grinned. “They have to catch us first, and that’s not going to happen. We’ll be long gone before the police have any trail to follow. Seven days, remember?”

  “Yeah,” I said, wondering where the hell Dabba was. “What about Ms. Hammonds and Carmina, the maid?”

  Edith glared at Larry, then at me. “Mistake. Simple mistake. It was our only screwup. We didn’t know Ashley was in school. We thought we’d find her at home. Then we’d grab the kid and her mother. But, dear mummy decided to play heroine and try to escape. I had to kill her. That left us with the maid as a witness to murder instead of being the messenger to spread the word about the kidnapping. She had to go. Larry took care of her. Satisfied?”

  “No, not satisfied. I won’t be satisfied until I see you get the needle.”

  Edith’s smug look infuriated me, but I couldn’t think of anything else to ask—or any way to swing the pendulum my way. As long as we were alive, though, there was a chance. “Okay, Dot,” I shouted, as if Dot were hard of hearing. “They have the winning hands. We’re helpless here. Time to do what they say.”

  Dabba had had plenty of time to act. She might have wandered off to find her next meal, or maybe she saw a little girl in pink and was following her. In either case, Dot and I were in deep trouble. However, I had a hunch there was no room, closet or not, that could keep Dot contained. She had too many street smarts to stay locked in. With her by my side, I had faith we’d prevail.

  Dot had been staring at Edith during her dissertation, but now, her eyes popped over to me, saying, You gotta be kidding. But, as quickly as that happened, the look disappeared and she assumed an expression of defeat. “Guess you’re right. This fat bitch won’t fight me and they got the guns. Ain’t nothing we can do but go along. C’mon Larry, baby, move that big ass and let’s git it over with.”

  That sealed it. Dot gave in too easy. No way. I knew she had an ace up her sleeve. I might not have known what it was, but I was sure it was there. Then the obvious sunk in. Dot had a clear view of the back door.

  “You bitch, you took my Linda,” I heard before a shot sounded.

  Edith dropped her gun and grabbed her chest. Larry spun toward the doorway and fired.

  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 versio
n 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.”

  thirty-three

  Sunrise found me sitting in Hammonds’ kitchen, a fresh cup of coffee in front of me. Hammonds and Maddy sat across from me.

  Ashley slept in her own bed, surrounded by her favorite stuffed animals. The doctor had given her a thorough check and pronounced her fine. He guessed she might have been given some kind of sedative, but he wouldn’t know for sure until results of the blood test came in—later that day, the next, or it could be a couple of days. He put the rush on them, but some things can’t be hurried. In the meantime, he suggested Hammonds let Ashley sleep as much as possible. The rest would help her get through the trauma of discovering her mommy was gone.

  I was still bone-tired, but the combination of caffeine and adrenalin kept me awake. That, plus the smile I knew owned my face. It felt like it was wrapping my mouth around my ears.

  “Beth, I’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Hammonds said. “Without you, Ashley might be dead now.”

  “Not to mention saving four-million dollars,” Maddy said.

  “The money’s not important,” Hammonds said. “Only Ashley counts. I can always defend a couple of scumbags to recover the funds.” He smiled, but it was obvious it was forced.

  “How about your friends?” Maddy said. “Are they all right?”

  “Not sure about Dabba. The EMTs said they thought the worst for her would be a superficial scalp wound and a minor concussion. But they wanted a doctor to look her over. They bundled her off to the hospital. I’ll check in with her later.”

  “And �
� what’s her name, Dorothy?”

  I laughed. “Not sure she’d ever answer to that, although that’s probably her proper name. Dot. She calls herself Dot. She’s fine, just doesn’t like the bright lights. As soon as they took Dabba away, Dot gave me a hug and melted into the night. I hope I can find her tomor—uh, later today.”

  “Chief Elston said you had people at each of the ransom sites,” Hammonds said. “Hope none of them got swept up when the police descended.”

  “Not my friends,” I said. “They’re like light-colored smoke. The slightest breeze makes them disappear. But, even if any got picked up, I’m pretty sure they’re back on the street by now. I gave Bannon and Sargent a rundown on each of them.” I looked at Maddy and smiled. “If Maddy goes driving today, she will probably see some of her taxi passengers from yesterday working intersections. Be kind to them.”

  Maddy laughed, actually laughed—first time I’d heard it. I was surprised it wasn’t some kind of cackle. Maybe she wasn’t the witch I’d pictured her to be.

  “You could have warned me,” she said. “I didn’t know what to think when they came pouring out of that bar, headed for my car.”

  “Nope. My only regret is I wasn’t there to see your expression. I’ll ask them about it later. Should be some good stories.” I chuckled, thinking about this super-straight woman from NYC getting close to her first real homeless people.

  From a baby video monitor sitting on the counter, we heard sounds of Ashley turning over.

  “Look,” Hammonds said. “Before Ashley wakes up, I want to pay you.”

  “No rush. I’ll send a bill.”

  “No,” he said. “You can’t itemize what you did for me. That’s impossible. Here.” He slid a check across the table to me. The payee was Beth Bowman, and he had signed it. The rest was blank. “Fill in any amount up to the four-million you saved me. Ashley is worth that and much, much more. Money will never express how strongly I feel about you, but it’s all I have.”