by Ronnie Allen
“Oh, my God, Ricky, that’s so beautiful, sweetheart.”
He had a huge smile on his face while Barbara sank into in her own sick little world into a daydream....
Oh no. How am I going to get myself to kill this little angel? And Vicki? At least he was rescued. I was never rescued. I never had a John or Vicki in my life. But he could have helped me. I didn’t let him. I would have been put away for life. No, I was never rescued. I can’t let that stop me. He gave me so much grief and anguish in that God-forsaken hospital, I have to get even with him. He made me tell him things I never would have said. I never should have said. I took away his two best friends. He has no reason to live now except for them. No one stayed alive for me. Both my parents left me, left me for garbage. Why should I care about them?
Vicki returned with the tea. Barbara was in her distant world. “Susan? You Okay?”
She almost didn’t snap out of it. “Oh, yes. I’m just mesmerized, looking out at the lanai and seeing all that greenery.” She took the glass from Vicki with jittery hands.
***
“Mark, its John. Get Vicki and Ricky out of the house.”
“What’s going on?”
“Didn’t Vicki tell you why I didn’t want her to come back?”
“Yeah. So?”
“You didn’t get it.”
“The only thing I get is that you’re pushing her away.”
“Damn it, Mark! A female killer escaped from custody and is probably down there now to attempt to kill your sister. Wake up! I didn’t want her back here to be an easy target. I didn’t think she’d find Vicki in Florida, but she did.”
“Jesus Christ John. If my sister gets--I’ll get the teams in place. I don’t even know if the surveillance system is activated.”
“For once, I hope it is. I’m coming down. Have a copter ready for me at the Tampa heliport.”
“Where are you now?”
“Hooked up to an IV in ICU.”
“What the hell happened?”
“This woman, Barbara Montgomery, but even that’s not her real name. She uses many aliases. She pretends to be a school psychologist. She killed Tony and Sal and three ESU guys last night and that’s not all of her kills. She’s a weapons expert and master of disguises. Be careful. She kills with a vengeance and without hesitation.”
“On it.” The phone died.
“I’m okay, really. I’ve got to get down there. Call 555-637-0122 to get me the commissioner’s plane to leave at the Manhattan center.”
“You talkin’ police commissioner? You have access to the police commissioner’s private plane?”
“Just do it.”
CHAPTER 46
Vicki’s cell jingled as she sat next to Barbara on the couch. She answered it, getting to her feet. The southern gal came flying out of her. “Be right back, darlin’. Need more ice in my tea. Want more ice, Susan?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks.”
“Hi,” Vicki said into the phone.
“Vicki, it’s Mark.”
“I know. Oh my goodness, Mark. Want to hear something great? Really great?”
“Sure.”
“John’s friend came down from New York to look for a place for her parents. She’s a school psychologist in the same hospital as John, Sheepshead.”
“She’s there now?”
“Yes. We’re having tea and Ricky really likes her. Ooh, he really does.”
“Remember what he told you about why he didn’t want you in New York?”
“Uh, yes, really? Oh my, a blizzard today? Yes, good thing I didn’t. Listen, it’s really rude of me to be on the phone with company, so can we talk later?”
“Get it on.”
“Oh, what a sweet brother you are. Is that what you’re calling to remind me? Yes it’s done, and the roast is plugged into the skewers on the pit, too. Susan is joining us for the barbeque tonight. So come well-armed to shovel a lot of food into your bellies. And tell our daddy sheriff he can bring extra friends. They’ll be so much food. In fact, I have more cooking to do now. Susan, do you cook?”
She got a negative head shake and an I-can’t-stand-to-be-in-the-kitchen, grimace. Now, Vicki knew how to irk the hell out of her. And how to keep her there.
“We’ll be there soon. Sit tight.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t frazzle myself in the kitchen.” She hung up. “My twin brother, he checks on me every day. We’re very close. But he tries to run my life when I’m here, like he runs his department.”
“And how’s that?”
“Well, he’s the Commander of SWAT down here so he’s really tough and so overprotective. Has a huge team. Helicopters and everything. And you should see their Hummer. Oh my God. Little kids just stop them every time to take pictures with them. And they love it. The cops down here are so friendly and they really care about everyone.”
Barbara became more wide eyed.
“Wanna come into the kitchen? My potatoes should be done by now. I roast them in the oven with garlic and rosemary before I make them into potato salad. So tell me about you, Susan. I totally envy women who can make it in New York. I have a hard time. And John, the darlin’ that he is, tries to give me everything I want to make it up to me. He spoils me so much. More than I ever was as a child. Come in the nook while I check on the potatoes. We can do our chatting up close and personal.”
***
Mark mobilized his team and the Crisis Negotiation Team at the Emergency Operations Center and all of their equipment had been put into the truck.
On his laptop, he observed Vicki and Barbara in the kitchen while Vicki cooked. Good place to get Barbara into. Vicki had some of her weapons in there. “Smart move, sis. We’re on our way. Be there in forty.”
***
Vicki let out a big sigh. How nauseatingly sweet did she have to be to Barbara? How much time did she have left to go along? “How about some lunch? I’ll whip up some cheese omelets and grill some turkey bacon. We have herb biscuits I’ll reheat and the potatoes are absolutely delish. Ricky and I had breakfast hours ago.”
“Oh, my God. That sounds irresistible. Yes. Thank you. You always cook for John?”
Vicki popped the biscuits and bacon onto sheets and into the oven. “John can eat. Believe me. But mostly healthful stuff. That’s how he keeps his hot body.”
Barbara laughed.
“Sorry if I embarrassed you,” Vicki said. “Yes. He has dinner on the table when he comes home every night. I’m only back down here for three weeks, visiting my folks, but I always bake for the doctors’ lounge and the precinct. So I’m sure you’ve had my pastries at Sheepshead. I stocked his fridge and freezer before I left. He has the most amazing kitchen in that condo--a kitchen a chef would die for. Oh, look at me. I shouldn’t be rambling. Tell me about you, Susan, please.”
Barbara was comfortable at the table as Vicki cooked. “Well, I’ve been a school psychologist for twelve years. The last three I’ve been in Brooklyn. My husband, Clancy, got relocated from LA to New York three years ago for a couple of film projects. He’s a cinematographer. So we moved there.”
“Oh, how exciting! From Hollywood. Look Ricky, it’s so great! Susan’s from California.”
“I’ve never been to California!”
“Me neither, honey. Brooklyn. Wow! That’s a big city! So do you know Tony, Sal, and Paul?”
“Actually, Brooklyn is a borough.” Barbara’s tone was quite condescending. “Yes. I’ve worked with them on some teen weapons suspensions from school.”
Vicki caught the attitude and taunted her more. “They’re great guys. When we get to New York, Ricky, we’ll get you together with their kids. They’re John’s bestest friends in the whole world.” She turned back to her guest. “Do you have any kids?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Well, we have one in the oven. We tried for a couple of years. But please, don’t tell John. I want to surprise him when we go back to New York.”
“You do
look a little puffy in the girls there.”
“I know, and we Skyped yesterday. I hope he didn’t notice.”
“You mean to tell me your husband doesn’t know you’re pregnant?”
“No, I want it to be a surprise.”
Barbara laughed. “John has a residency in Gyno, and you don’t think he noticed? You’re something else, girlfriend.”
They both giggled like they’d been BFFs a long time. Barbara relaxed and enjoyed herself. Vicki served and they all dug in.
“Oh my God. This is so good, Vicki. Thank you!”
“Eat to your heart’s content, darlin’.” I need you as sluggish as I can get you on all these carbs.
Barbara devoured her second biscuit.
***
Mark saw a clear view in real time on the laptop. He couldn’t believe his sister was doing so well, and she’d gotten this murderer to relax and actually laugh. But he was aware a psychopath could play any role. Any time. He had to move fast. He put on the metal scanner and scanned Barbara from head to toe.
She wasn’t carrying on her person. Her bag rested on the couch in the great room. Bingo. “Thirty-eight in her bag, Vicki. Keep her away from it. We’re right outside.”
He signaled to two of his team to go around to either side of the lanai. The kid sniper vanished to the left side, closest to the kitchen. The men remained out of view, awaiting instructions. It took time to set up. As long as it was calm, they had a few minutes.
***
Vicki fingered her hair to acknowledge she heard him through her earwig. “Now, I’m stuffed.”
“Me too, Vicki. Thank you, again!”
“Want some coffee and dessert? I made an outrageous pumpkin cheesecake. Or would you prefer chocolate layer?” Vicki took two cake trays from the ledge behind her and put them on the table, hoping this would give the team time to bust in and grab Barbara.
Without a moment’s notice, Barbara’s blood sugar spiked and her aggression mounted. “Don’t you do anything else but cook and bake?”
Vicki feigned little girl whining. “Oh, oh, that’s insulting. I happen to have a bachelor’s degree and I’m a kindergarten teacher. You’re just like the rest of John’s friends who look down on me because I’m not a doctor.”
Barbara fidgeted and struggled to find the words. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Vicki. I didn’t mean to insult you. That was so rude of me.”
Ricky unexpectedly stepped up to be the man of the house and threw them and the teams ready to bust in off guard. He stood right up in front of Barbara, blocking the kid sniper’s shot. “You’re being mean to my mom. Leave our house now!”
“I guess I better.” She backed off to the couch in the great room, grabbed her bag, pulled out her Pink Lady and pointed it aggressively at Vicki, whose arm was around Ricky. “On second thought, no. I’m not leaving till your wonderful husband is down here on his knees begging for your life. Get in here and sit down on the couch. And you, you little blond mop, get into that chair.”
That’s all she’s got! That little girly girl gun? This is going to be fun. Thank you, brothers for teaching me what you know. I have some time to think. I’ll break you down, but good.
“Don’t hurt us. Please. What do you want? Jewelry? I’ve got some diamond pieces John bought me. You can have them.”
“I don’t want jewelry. Get in here and sit down. I’m not killing you yet.”
She heard Mark through the earwig. “Vicki, listen to her.”
Vicki shoved Ricky into the chair and sat on the couch opposite it. She signaled to him to be quiet.
“Just sit there and be quiet,” Barbara said. “Call your husband and tell him to get his sexy ass down here.”
Vicki picked up her cell. Barbara paused about five feet away in between Vicki and Ricky so she could see them both.
“How do you know he has a sexy ass?” Vicki pretended to be in tears. “It’s more than sexy. And it belongs to me.”
Through a megaphone, they heard Mark’s bellowing voice. “Barbara Montgomery! We know you’re in there!”
“Oh, my God! What signals were you giving to your brother, you cracker piece of shit?” Barbara didn’t know where to look. She paced to the lanai, backward, with her gun still on Vicki, took a glance, and saw no one.
“Barbara, front door. This is Commander Mark Marin. Sun County SWAT. John is on his way here. He just landed in Tampa.”
“Barbara, I’m Lieutenant Randy Leigh. I want you to talk to me.”
“An hour and a half. I’ll wait. When John comes, I’ll talk.”
“He’s coming by copter. It’ll be sooner than that. Tell me what’s going on?”
“What did he tell you, Lieutenant?”
“Not as much as we need to know.”
“The less you know the better.”
“Not true, Barbara. You’re in our jurisdiction, now. We need to know what you’re willing to tell us.”
“All you have to know is that I have a gun on the commander’s sister and the kid.”
“Don’t hurt them, Barbara. There’s no need for that. Why are you doing this?”
“I want that bastard shrink to suffer.”
“Why?”
“He locked me in a hospital. He did things to me to make me talk with that therapy of his. It hurt, damn it. It hurt. And he didn’t care. He kept pressing and pressing and pressing until he found out what he wanted. That bastard shrink. I was just about to get what I wanted and he stopped me,” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“All I needed was two more days. Two more fucking days! Twenty-two years, twenty-two years of work, down to two fucking days! I was just about to get the revenge for my life. But he stopped me. Couldn’t mind his own fucking business. I almost had what I wanted. That bastard shrink. I was so close. I almost got that guy, but he stopped me. He made me kill more. It’s his fault I killed more. But I got even. I killed his best friends.” Vicki stared at her. “That’s right, cracker bitch! I killed Sal and Tony, but Paul did it to himself. So you won’t see them in New York. Hey, you might meet them all when you get to heaven. Even though that bastard shrink belongs in hell.”
She hyperventilated but Vicki remained still and calm. Ricky was too scared to move. Vicki calmed Ricky with her hands, moving slowly to signal to him that it’d be okay.
“Barbara, when John comes, what do you want me to tell him?”
“I want him in here. I want him on his knees. I want him to watch while I shoot his pregnant wife right in the belly, and then put a bullet in that brat’s head.”
“Do you think we can allow that to happen?”
“Well, if you bust in here, I’ll kill them now.”
“We won’t bust in. If you take some deep breaths and calm down, we’ll all wait for John to come. How’s that?”
“Deep breaths? You and John with the deep breaths. You can both fuck off!”
“You’re getting more aggravated, pacing. Why don’t you sit down?”
“How can you see what I’m doing?”
“It’s our job. I can see you didn’t hurt Vicki and Ricky. That’s good. You want me to see that, don’t you?”
She peered out the window and saw the SWAT Hummer, but not the other command vehicles. She couldn’t see the commander or the lieutenant.
“Good news, Barbara, John is coming up the path. He can talk to you. Hold on a few minutes while I read him in. Okay?”
“Finally, yes. Do what you have to do.” She looked out the side window and caught a glimpse of a haggard John with Mark and Randy.
***
Mark looked at John’s bandaged forehead. He wore a long sleeved shirt so Mark couldn’t see the rest of his stitchery. “You look like shit.”
“Yeah, suit me up.”
“You’re not going in there. That’s what she wants and she wants to kill Vicki and Ricky right in front of you. Them first, then you.”
“Suit me up.” He staggered to the trucks and selected his own gear.
His arms stung from the several places he had needed stitching and his movements were rigid. Some spots of blood had trickled though his shirt from him stretching the wounds. Vest, helmets, boots, fingerless gloves—he grabbed everything. He was wild and on the attack. It was a John that Mark had never encountered before. John had neared his breaking point. Mark and his team attempted to hold him back. “I have to end this,” John insisted. “I have to end this, now. Give me your weapon.”
“You’re out of your mind! You’re not licensed to carry down here.”
“Why didn’t you bust in there? Where is that kid sniper?”
“He’s in the back. Doesn’t have a clear shot. Can’t risk that Ricky won’t get up in the way. Vicki will know what to do.”
“You’re not putting my wife in harm’s way.”
“We’ve trained her more than you. Knock it off!”
“Then I’ll go in like I always do.”
***
“Come here, little blondie.” Barbara whisked Ricky off the chair and clutched him in front of her. “He dares to raise a gun to me and he’s dead. Got it, cracker bitch?”
Vicki pretended to nod in fear. She planned her strategy. She knew the teams required more time. She heard John and Mark arguing. Right now, she did what Mark had told her to do in a case like this--sit still and let his team do the intervention. Don’t cause the perp to have more anxiety. Don’t get them rattled. Just ‘yes’ them. But she couldn’t help herself.
“Who’s dead? Ricky or John? You didn’t say.”
“Your husband goes last. No matter what. So I guess it’s the kid. You are so stupid. How in the hell did John fall in love with you?”