“I didn’t mean to do it and I don’t actually remember doing it. But I did it.”
“I guess so.”
“Are you scared of me?”
“No. Should I be?”
“I love you.”
“You loved Wanda.”
“Not really. I just did what I thought I was supposed to do. I mean, she got pregnant. That’s what you do.”
“Oh gosh, Tanner.”
“You don’t love me.”
“I do love you and I always have. But not in quite the same way as you love me. I’ve explained this to you a million times, sweetie.”
“And now you’re with him.”
“Leonard?”
“I knew it.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think anymore.”
“It does matter to me. You’re my best friend.”
“Brenda is your best friend. Lenny is your new best friend. I’m nothing. And you keep leaving me.”
“Tanner,” Skyler said as sweetly as she could muster.
“I should go.”
“Go where?”
“If I tell you where I’m going, you’ll sic your man on me.”
“He’s not my man.”
“But you’re too good. You’ll do your duty. You’re fucking working for the Wabanaki police department now. And sleeping with the sheriff’s son. You’ll turn me in.”
“I don’t have to. You could walk out the door and get in your car and start driving. But where would you go? And can you even drive in your condition? What I’m saying, Tanner, is that I don’t think you have any other options right now.”
He glanced up the stairway, seemingly looking at something or someone on the second floor. She looked up, too, and saw nothing. That’s when he bolted forward, knocking her to the floor, and disappeared up the stairs.
Brenda and Carissa rushed into the front hall and they both helped Skyler to her feet.
“What the hell happened?” Brenda asked. “Is someone else here?”
“Tanner is upstairs.”
“Jesus Christ,” the chef said. “Did he push you down?”
“I’m okay.” Skyler couldn’t quite process the situation. “Leonard is coming over here after he gets off work. I can’t harbor a fugitive in my house, can I? I mean, he’s going to lose his shit.”
Carissa’s eyes were as big as saucers. “This is so exciting.”
Brenda and Skyler exchanged horrified looks.
“Did Tanner kill his wife?” the singer asked.
“He thinks so,” Skyler said quietly. “But I don’t think he even knows for sure. His life is in shambles. The restaurant's gone. His wife murdered. Oh my God. Brenda.”
The chef shook her head. “I don’t know, Sky. I think you have to let Leonard know he’s here. This isn’t going to get better until he’s in custody. It breaks my heart, but what choice do we have? We can’t all go down because this guy’s gone off his rocker.”
“He’s our friend.”
“And the best thing we can do for our friend is get him some help.”
“That help is going to come courtesy of the Maine correctional system. I’m going to go talk to him,” Skyler said as she started up the stairs. “Brenda, call Leonard. Ask him not to come guns ablazin’. And no sirens.”
Brenda and Carissa retreated to the back of the house where the dogs were still fast asleep. The women each immediately reached for their glass of wine.
“Is this normal around here?”
Brenda stared down the singer. “It is not. Wabanaki hasn’t seen this much action since the colonists came and massacred all the Indians.”
“Do you think it’s safe for Skyler to be up there by herself?”
“Tanner wouldn’t hurt her in a million years,” Brenda said, although she didn’t sound convincing and wasn’t so sure of that herself. “Maybe I should go up there, too.”
“Call Lenny first.”
“Oh yeah.” Brenda located her phone and tapped a few buttons. “Hey, it’s me. Yeah. He’s here. No, it’s okay. I mean, he’s not going anywhere. He’s talking with Skyler upstairs. She asked that you come quietly so as not to spook him. Okay. Okay. Okay. Are you going to call your dad? Okay. See you soon.”
“His dad is the sheriff?”
“Yeah. For as long as I can remember. I think he got the job when we were all in grade school. He’s a good guy.”
Carissa nodded. “Small town stuff. It’s so interesting to me. Where everyone knows everyone else. I couldn’t tell you who the sheriff of Denver or L.A. or Las Vegas is.”
“That’s fascinating,” a frustrated Brenda said. “I’m going to top off my wine and go upstairs. Can you let the dogs out and then bring them back in? I don’t like them being out alone in the dark.”
“That I can do,” she said. “And Brenda?”
“Mmm hmm?”
“Thanks for being my friend.”
“Um, yeah, of course.” Brenda went to the kitchen, rolled her eyes, filled her glass, and started up the stairs. She found Tanner slumped in a corner of Skyler’s bedroom. The lady of the house was sitting on a hassock staring at her friend. When Brenda entered the room, they both turned to look at her.
“Hi, Tanner. How are you, honey?”
“I’ve been better.” He seemed to be playing with something in his jacket pocket.
Brenda sat on the edge of the bed. “We’d like to help you if we can.”
“I’m beyond help, but thank you. Why don’t you go cook something.”
“Do you want me gone?”
“I want a hamburger.”
“I can do that.” She turned to look at Skyler. “Do you want a hamburger?”
“No,” Skyler said, clearly annoyed. “And he doesn’t want a hamburger either.”
“Actually,” Tanner said, using his legs to push himself up the wall until he was standing, “I really would like one because it’s probably the last hamburger I’m ever going to have. At least one that isn’t some institutional piece of rubbery crap with a mealy tomato and watery ketchup.”
The girls watched as Tanner pulled a handgun out of his jacket pocket. The air went out of the room.
“Tanner, no,” Skyler said calmly.
“Honey.” Brenda stood up.
“Go downstairs and make the fucking hamburger, Brenda!”
“I’m not leaving you two here alone, Tanner! Stop this right this minute.”
Skyler eased to her feet. “Tanner, I really need you to put the gun down and tell me what’s going on.”
“You know what the fuck is going on, Skyler!” He pointed the gun in Brenda’s direction and fired a single shot. Both women screamed and Brenda peed a little. The bullet missed her head by a foot. “Go make the goddamn best fucking hamburger you’ve ever made, Brenda. I’m fucking not kidding. Please!”
Brenda looked at Skyler, her face contorted. “I can’t leave her here.”
“If you don’t want a bullet inside you, you will.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” Brenda said as she walked backwards out of the room. When she got to the top of the stairs, she nearly leaped to the first floor. She rounded the corner and slammed into Carissa. “What do we do?”
“I used your phone and called Lenny again,” the singer said. “He’s clear across town but he’s hurrying. They’re all coming now.”
“Skyler is up there alone. I need to make a hamburger.” She pushed by Carissa and went to the refrigerator.
“You’re going to do what?! Now? Are you insane?”
“It’s what he asked for. He nearly shot me in the head.”
Carissa slammed the refrigerator door shut and grabbed Brenda by each shoulder. “You’re not actually going to do it. Let’s get out of here.”
“Ar
e you kidding me? He’s up there with a gun pointed at Skyler. I’m not going anywhere.” She ripped open the door again and pulled out a pound of ground beef. “You can go, but find me a pan first.”
“I just don’t believe this.” Carissa searched through the cabinets until she found a cast iron skillet. “This?”
“Yes.” Brenda managed to form a patty, heat the pan, and start browning the meat. “Find some cheese and a bun. And flip this in five minutes. I’m going back upstairs.”
The singer moved her body in front of the doorway. “No, you are not! Is there another gun in this house?”
“I can’t imagine so,” Brenda said. She was beginning to feel dizzy. “Skyler would never allow that. I have one in every one of my houses. Damn it! Why aren’t we at one of my houses?”
“If we were at one of your houses, Tanner wouldn’t be here with a gun.” Carissa put a hand on Brenda’s shoulder. “Don’t go back up there. Wait for Lenny.”
Brenda pushed through the doorway and flew up the stairs. The door to Skyler’s room was closed and she stopped and listened. She found herself staring at the bullet hole in the wall next to the door jam and took a step backwards. There was no noise coming from the room. She eased down the hall, careful not to allow the floorboards to creak under her feet and tiptoed into the guestroom. She put an ear to the wall. She heard muffled conversation but couldn’t make anything out.
Her heart nearly stopped when she realized that someone was standing behind her. She turned and found herself looking into Porter’s scarred face. He held a finger up to his lips.
“What are you doing in here?” she whispered.
Porter leaned to Brenda’s ear. “Trying to help. I heard the gun shot.”
“You need to get out of here. He nearly shot me.” She pulled him to the far side of the room. “Tanner has a gun.”
“I assumed. What do we do?”
“He’s got Skyler in there. Leonard and his father are on their way. I think we need to wait.”
A hair-raising scream came from the hall. A door slammed. Brenda and Porter ran to the doorway to see Skyler lying on the floor. She got to her feet and grabbed Brenda and Porter each by an arm and took them down the stairs to the foyer. “He’s got Carissa now.”
“What? She’s supposed to be flipping the burger.” Brenda rushed to the kitchen.
“Who is Carissa?”
Skyler was panting, clearly having trouble catching her breath. “She’s a singer.”
“Carissa Lamb? That Carissa?”
“Yes, yes. And I have no idea why she came upstairs. That woman just put herself in a…”
“I turned off the grill,” Brenda said as she rushed back into the hall. “He’s not going to eat that.”
“Of course not,” Skyler said. She was trembling. “Where the fuck is Leonard?”
“Call him again.”
The door flew open and Leonard came bounding into the foyer, his gun drawn. His father was right behind him. Brenda could see Leonard’s car sitting in the front lawn, his driver’s side door still open.
“Where is he?”
Skyler pointed upstairs but got between him and the steps. “Just wait a second. He has a gun and it’s pointed at Carissa.”
“Who’s Carissa?” Sheriff Little asked.
“Carissa Lamb,” the assembled said in unison.
“Jesus. He’s holding her hostage?”
Skyler had both palms facing out, her arms trembling. “I don’t know, but he made me leave my room when she came in. They’re both in there and the door is locked.”
Leonard holstered his gun. “There’s a balcony with stairs to the backyard. I’m going to go around and see what I can see. It’s dark out. He won’t see me.”
“The French doors are open, but the screen door is closed and the sheers are pretty much covering most of the door,” Skyler said. “You’ll probably be able to see them without being seen. But you need to be careful. He’s not afraid to use the gun. He already shot at Brenda’s head.”
The Sheriff turned to the chef. “Are you okay?”
“He didn’t actually shoot me. He just wanted a hamburger.”
“I’m too old for this shit,” Sheriff Little said. “Leonard, go around back. I’ll go up to the bedroom door and see if I can get him to talk to me.” He handed his walkie talkie to Skyler. “I can’t listen for Leonard on this thing. Tanner will hear me. So you listen and motion to me from the bottom of the stairs. I think I can see you from there. And the rest of you need to get the hell out of here.”
Brenda stood firm. “I’m not going anywhere. Carissa is here because of me.”
“Me either. I can help,” Porter said.
The Sheriff shook his head and started up the stairs. When he was half way up he looked back at Leonard who hadn’t moved yet. “Get going, Lenny,” he whispered.
Leonard took off through the door and he rounded the house. He let himself through the gate in the picket fence and found the bottom of the stairs. He creeped carefully up each step. When he reached the landing, he could see that the bedroom lights had been turned off. Mother fucker, he mouthed silently. He backed up into the corner under the eaves and took his radio off his belt. “He turned off the lights. I can’t see a thing.”
Skyler got the message and waved at the Sheriff. She pointed to a light switch on the wall and then made the thumbs down sign. The Sheriff understood.
Maynard Little wasn’t a trained hostage negotiator and he had no idea how to start the conversation, but he was willing to give it a try. He stood to the side of Skyler’s bedroom door and rapped lightly. “Tanner? This is Sheriff Maynard Little.”
Nothing.
“Tanner Millhouse, I know you’re in there. I need you to put down the weapon and come out with your hands up.”
“Fuck you, old man.”
“Tanner, please.”
“Sheriff,” Tanner said from the other side of the door, “I really need you to go back down stairs unless you want a dead superstar on your hands. I don’t think that’ll fair well for Wabanaki tourism.”
“Tanner. This has got…”
A bullet came flying out of the center of the door and went through the wall across the hall. The Sheriff recoiled and nearly fell down the stairs. He braced himself with the bannister.
“Go down stairs!” Tanner yelled.
He backed down the stairs and bumped into Skyler who was still holding the radio. She moved to the side and they all stared at each other.
“What now?”
The Sheriff had a blank look on his face. “I’ve never been shot at before.”
“Okay,” Porter said. He put a hand on the Sheriff’s shoulder. “You’re the oldest, maybe you should just sacrifice yourself and barrel through that door.”
Skyler slapped Porter’s hand away from Maynard.. “You’re not helping.” She pulled the radio up to her mouth. “Leonard, get off that balcony.”
He walked through the front door. “I’m right here. I can’t see a fucking thing. He closed the door and turned off the lights. The curtains are all drawn. Anyone on the balcony is just going to be a target.”
“We have to find out what he wants,” Brenda said. “How can we talk to him without being in the line of fire?”
“We can call him,” Skyler said holding up her phone. She handed the radio to the Sheriff and fumbled to find Tanner’s contact file. She engaged the call and waited. It went to voicemail. She hung up. “I don’t suppose leaving a message will do any good.”
“Text him,” Porter said. “Tell him he’s being an asshole.”
“Again, not helpful.” She pecked out a quick message and read it aloud as she typed:
Please talk to us.
This isn’t helping anyone. Call me.
As they waited, Deputy Kristin pulled up out front fo
llowed by another Wabanaki deputy named Matt, then a local CBS news van appeared. Kristin stopped her car and approached the vehicle behind her. She was shaking her head as she arrived at the driver’s side door.
“You can’t be here,” she said. “We have an active shooter situation.”
The driver rolled down his window. “We’re on a public street, ma’am. We have the right to be here and report on the situation.”
“How do you even know something is going on?” she asked.
“Well, for one, you just said so. We were on our way back from a story in Ogunquit. Heard it on the police scanner. Is Carissa Lamb really in there?”
“I have no information for you, sir,” Kristin said. “I need you to move up to the end of the block. And that’s an official order. It’s not safe for you to be right here.”
The driver gave up and put the van in drive. He pulled down to a spot in front of the mayor’s house and started raising the satellite antenna on the van’s roof. Kristin approached the house.
“I couldn’t make them leave, but at least they’re out of range. I suspect they’re going to go live with this.”
“Wabanaki wanted attention and we’re getting it,” Brenda said, “but this is just too much.”
The Sheriff stepped forward. “Kristin, you stay out front. Move your car to block the street to the east and have Matt block the west end. Leave the flashers on.” He turned to the group in the foyer. “This might take a while.”
THIRTY-ONE
Carissa sat on the floor in the corner of the dark bedroom trying desperately to control her breathing. She tried to stop herself from wondering if she’d ever see the outside of this house again. This Tanner—her captor—was unstable and waving the gun around the room like a crazy person. He’d hear a sound and point it toward the window. Then he’d twist around dramatically and face the door to the hallway. Her ears were still ringing from the last gunshot.
After several minutes, Tanner slumped down onto the floor and leaned his back against Skyler’s bed. He held the gun out in front of him, pointing it right at her. There was just enough light coming from the moon outside that they could make out each other’s face.
The Maine Nemesis Page 25