Death of a Coupon Queen

by Jenna Harte

  I handed her my phone, and Vivie took hers from her back pocket. She tossed it at Ellie.

  Ellie set the phones aside. The she tore four long pieces of duct tape. She handed me a strip of the tape. “You first, Sophie. Put this on Vivie’s wrists.”

  “No,” Vivie shook her head.

  “Hands behind you, now.”

  I took the tape and gave Vivie an apologetic look.

  “You’re crazy, you know that,” Vivie spat at Ellie.

  “Maybe.”

  Vivie stalled by glaring at Ellie, until she finally acquiesced putting her hands behind her back. I wrapped tape around her wrists.

  “Make it tight Sophie. Tighter.”

  I grimaced and did a tighter loop. I folded a corner on the end hoping we’d have a chance to use it to undo the tape later.

  “Sit down, Vivie. Sophie tape her ankles.” Ellie extended a second strip of tape to me.

  I looked at Ellie. “You don’t need to do this.”

  “Yes, I do.” Ellie’s soft demeanor snapped. She waved the gun. “Stop dallying and just do what I say.”

  I took the tape, and turning to Vivie, who sank down on to the chair, I taped her ankles, trying not to make them too tight.

  “Now here, tie her to the chair.” Ellie tossed me rope from the toolkit.

  “It’s a bit overkill don’t you think?” Vivie extended her legs. “I can’t go anywhere like this.”

  Ellie ignored her. “Sophie.”

  “How?” I couldn’t tie her hands or feet.

  “Around the chair and her shoulders.”

  I had to agree with Vivie, that this was overkill. On the other hand, she hadn’t gotten away with murdering Al by cutting corners.

  “Sorry Viv.” I wrapped the rope around her.

  “Now, turn around with your hands behind you, Sophie.”

  Reluctantly, I turned around. I looked over my shoulder, wondering if she’d put the gun down and I could try to overtake her. No chance. She held the gun in one hand, while laying the tape over my wrists, and wrapping them with the other.

  “Now, sit in the other chair.”

  I took a moment to assess our surroundings again in the hopes of finding an escape. I came up with zip. In the end, we were no match for a gun. So, I sat.

  She put the rope across my chest. Holding the gun in one hand, and with the end of the rope on the other, she walked around the chair to wrap it around me. She did the same with the other end and then tied them behind the chair.

  She narrowed her eyes at me, and then, she put the gun down, I suppose deciding I couldn’t do anything. She grabbed the last piece of duct tape and wrapped my ankles.

  Our chances of survival were quickly fading.

  “People will come looking for us.” Vivie argued.

  “They won’t find you here. Y’all keep quiet or I’ll tape your mouths too.” She waggled the gun at us. Then, like Jekyll and Hyde, her menacing face turned softer. “Now, what do you want to watch on television?”

  “I don’t want to watch TV, you old bag,” Vivie spat.

  I rolled my eyes. Ellie might just kill Vivie right there.

  “Whatever is on is fine,” I said.

  Vivie gave me a look like I was nuts too. I figured if we had any chance to escape, we’d have better odds at success if the TV drowned out our hatching a plan.

  Ellie turned on the television to a soap opera. “Now, I’m going upstairs to prepare for tonight. Enjoy this time while you can ladies.” Ellie gave us one last look and then took the stairs up to the main floor.

  “You’re as crazy as her, Sophie. Since when do you watch soaps?” Vivie sat in her chair looking like a petulant child.

  “I didn’t want her to hear us, and we need to come up with a plan. I just can’t think of any ideas to get out of this. If we’re lucky, Sergeant Davis is on his way.”

  Vivie’s face lit up. “You called 9-1-1, brilliant.”

  I blanched. I hadn’t called 9-1-1, I’d dialed Sergeant Scowl. 9-1-1 would have been better since someone would have picked up. I had no idea if Sergeant Scowl answered the phone or if I left a message. Maybe it didn’t go through at all.

  “So, we need to sit here and wait?” She shook her head. “I don’t like those odds. What if Sergeant Davis can’t get in the house?”

  “If he got my call, wouldn’t he have probable cause or whatever?” I didn’t know the first thing about the law, which is probably why AJ was right and I should keep my nose out of other people’s business.

  “What if he doesn’t, Sophie? What do we do then?”

  “I think we need to wait.” I pulled at my restraints on the off chance I could free myself. All I did was make my wrists burn.

  “You want to let her put us in a car and dump our bodies in the woods?”

  “No. I think we have a better chance getting away from her when we’re not in the house. No one is going to think to look for us here. We should wait until she takes us to Marla’s car. Someone is more likely to see us.”

  Vivie sank back in her chair. “How long do we need to stay here?”

  “She said until dark.” I sagged in my chair, surrendering to the fact that at this moment, there was nothing we could do.

  “That’s hours.” Vivie’s voice was a whine, but I didn’t begrudge her. I felt the same way.

  Since the basement had no windows, our only way to know how much time was passing was by the number of shows that came on. As one soap, and then an afternoon talk show came on, it was clear to me that the call to Sergeant Scowl hadn’t gone through.

  The local news was on when the door upstairs opened.

  “She’s coming,” Vivie hissed.

  “You two having fun?” Ellie said when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Oh yeah, it’s a real blast. Dane left Sara for Joyce, except Nancy just revealed she’s having Dane’s baby.” Vivie glared at Ellie as she recapped the days’ soap opera plot lines.

  “Well, it’s time to go.” Ellie undid my rope and then Vivie’s, leaving our wrists and legs duct tapped. “We’re going upstairs and then out my back door. We’ll go through Mrs. Naylor’s side door to get to her garage.”

  This was good. It was evening when people were coming home from work. We could call out to someone in the neighborhood. Ellie wouldn’t shoot us if someone would be able to see her, would she?

  “I’ll need to duct tape your mouth.”

  And just like that, my hopes dropped. Who’d have thought such a nice elderly lady would have it in her to plot out a murder so meticulously?

  Ellie put duct tape on our mouths, cut the tape around our ankles, and led us upstairs. For a moment, I considered falling backwards, which would knock both Vivie and Ellie down the stairs. I decided that chances were good we’d all be seriously hurt.

  It was early evening, with a little light in the sky, but as I looked around for anyone stirring in the neighborhood, my hopes dimmed. The court was empty. No one was coming home from work or out walking their dog.

  We arrived at Marla’s side door with no chance of getting help. We went through the door and Ellie grabbed a set of keys hanging in the hall. Then she ushered us through another door into the garage where Marla’s black sedan was parked.

  Ellie opened the trunk of the car. She pushed me in first, and then Vivie. Because I didn’t have use of my hands, I fell in, bumping my head, and bruising my shoulder. Vivie made a noise that suggested she would be sore too. The trunk looked big from the outside, however, even though I was a small person, we were squished tight.

  “Not much longer now girls.” Then with a smile, Ellie closed the trunk.

  Immediately, Vivie started trashing and making grunting sounds, her elbows jabbing me. I ignored it for now as I pressed my cheek to the floor of the trunk and turned my he
ad, hoping the duct tape would stick to the carpet and peel enough to uncover my mouth. The first time, it pulled a little bit, though not enough. The second time, I removed enough of the tape to talk.

  “Calm down, Vivie.”

  My words only made her thrash and balk more.

  “Hold on.”

  Both Vivie and I were facing the back of the car. It took some effort because of the cramped confines, but finally I rolled onto my back, and then again to my other side facing the interior of the trunk and my back to her, putting my hands next to hers.

  “I’m going to try to get the tape off your wrists. You need stay quiet and calm, Vivie.”

  Vivie continued to make grunting noises.

  The door of the car opened, and it shook slightly suggesting Ellie was getting in. Then the door closed.

  “She’ll hear us,” I whispered.

  That seemed to have worked, as Vivie quieted down. My fingers searched for Vivie’s hands, finally finding them. I felt for the folded end of the duct tape and pulled, trying to unwind it from Vivie’s hands. She yanked a hand free.

  I couldn’t see, but she let out a gasp that let me know she’d pulled off the tape on her mouth.

  “Help me get loose too,” I whispered to her.

  There was movement behind me, and soon my hands were free. The car started, and jerked as if Ellie was putting it gear.

  “What do we do now?” Vivie’s voice was more panicked than before.

  “There must be an emergency latch that can pop the trunk.” I rolled to face her.

  “Right. I remember showing that to my kids.” She turned to her other side and scooted to the end of the trunk.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “Not yet though.”

  “Why not?” Vivie didn’t hide her annoyance.

  “Wait until we’re in town, where there are people. She still has that gun and there is no one here to help us.”

  Vivie was silent for a moment. “What if she doesn’t go into town? She said she’s taking us to a wooded area. She can do that without going to town.”

  She was right. “How about the gate? When does the gate person leave?”

  “I don’t know. There could be people driving in if it’s after work. I don’t know what time it is, do you?”

  I didn’t wear a watch because I usually had my phone. “I don’t know. I guess we have to risk it.” I imagined the gate in my mind. “There is a building and trees. We might be able to hide before she could get out of the car to shoot us.”

  “Wouldn’t she just come after us?”

  “Maybe, but people have to be coming and going. It would be risky for her to stalk and shoot us there.” It would work in the movies, although, this was real life. Even so, I liked my odds better getting out of the car at the gate than letting Ellie take us to the dark, uninhabited woods.

  “How will we know we’re at the gate?” Vivie asked.

  “She’ll have to stop to wait for it to lift,” I said.

  “She has to stop at stop signs too. How will we know it’s the gate?” Vivie’s voice pitched upward with each sentence she uttered. I hoped she could stay calm enough to pop the trunk when we had a chance.

  “How many stop signs are there between here and gate?”

  Vivie began to walk us through the route to the gate. “I think it’s three.”

  “Pull the latch at the fourth stop then.”

  The drive took forever. The engine hummed, and it was the only sound, besides my racing heart. I didn’t hear cars outside. If we got this wrong, Ellie might be able to kills us while we were in the trunk and no one would know about it.

  “I don’t want to die, Sophie.”

  “Me neither.” I squeezed her arm in an attempt to comfort. It was fruitless though.

  “Do you think Randy ever loved me?”

  I wanted to tell her to focus on the task at hand, but a part of me understood. I couldn’t help but think about my life, my regrets, and what I’d be missing if this didn’t go our way. I wished I had another chance to see AJ, his brilliant blue eyes and cocky grin. I’d like to tell him one more time that I loved him and thank him for making me feel special and loved.

  “Yes. I think he does.”

  “How do you know?”

  I didn’t for sure. I latched on to signs that he might care. “He was really upset when you were in jail and when you kicked him out.”

  “Then why does he cheat?”

  “Maybe the same reason you do. You two don’t appreciate each other enough.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “If we live through this, do you think it will be too late for us?”

  “Vivie, I don’t think it’s too late for anything. But you’ll both need to change.” And we’ll both have to survive Ellie.

  “Tracy is nicer than me.”

  That was true at one time, although lately I didn’t think so. “She’s been pretty mean to me lately. Right now, I think you’re the nice sister.”

  “That’s nice of you to say, even though you’re just saying it because we’re about to die.”

  “It’s true right now. If we live, it could change again.”

  She sniffed. I wasn’t sure if it was from crying or laughing. “Do you think Randy loves her?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. At least not romantically. They said it was over.”

  “If I die, I will haunt the both of them.” That sounded like the Vivie I knew.

  “They’d deserve it.”

  The car rolled to a near stop, and then lurched forward. “I guess that’s stop sign number one,” I said. “Can you find the safety latch?” It was pitch black in the trunk, but the safety release glowed.

  “I see it. Do you think this will work?”

  “I think it’s our best chance. By the time she realizes what’s going on, we should be able to take cover. And if someone is at the gate, I don’t see her taking a chance coming after us.”

  “Why not? She knows we’ll tell on her. She’d have nothing to lose and everything to gain to kill us.”

  Vivie was right. And that meant we were putting the gate attendant in harm’s way, if one was there.

  “I don’t know what else to try. I don’t want to be alone with her in the dark woods.”

  Vivie shivered. “Me neither.”

  “Does the security person at the gate have a gun?” I’d grown up in this neighborhood but never noticed if the gate security carried any sort of weapon. Or that one of my neighbors buried her husband in the back yard.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  The car slowed and rolled through the next stop sign.

  “I never realized how long it takes to get out of the gate.” Vivie’s voice quivered.

  “Maybe she’s a slow driver.”

  We slowed for the third time, and my heart rate ratcheted up. One more stop should be the gate, if we calculated correctly.

  Vivie’s hand gripped my arm. “This is going to sound crazy. If this doesn’t go right, will you tell Randy I’m sorry?”

  “If it doesn’t go right, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

  The car slowed, and the squeak of the gate echoed in my ears.

  “Now, Vivie!”

  She yanked the latch and the trunk popped open. Vivie scrambled to sit up. She’d put one foot over the edge of the trunk when the car lurched forward. The jerk of the car accelerating forced her to tumble out, while it slid me into the spot she’d just been thrown from. I put my hand on the edge of the trunk, hoping I could follow her out. The hood slammed down, crushing my fingers. I cried out and yanked my hand to my chest. I lay on the floor of the trunk, listening to the squeal of the tires as Ellie shot out of the gate, and watching as the trunk hood bobbed above me.

  She took a hard right turn that had my head bang
ing on the side of the trunk. The car fishtailed side to side. I stretched out in a spread eagle, trying to brace my hands and feet against the sides of the trunk to stop from sliding around. I knew she wanted to kill me, but in that moment, I thought she might kill us both. The car felt and sounded like it was going way too fast for the country road heading into the mountain woods.

  The trunk hood continued to bob up and down with the motion of the car. I was afraid to look out. She could hit a pothole or swerve and I’d be tossed onto the pavement. I didn’t think I’d survive that.

  Instead, I held on, hoping somehow, I’d survive the ride and get away. The right side of the car jerked and dipped with such force, I was lifted off the floor and hit the roof of the trunk.

  This was it. For a split second I saw the reflectors on the road and thought I was about to be roadkill, literally. I dropped down hard, and the trunk slammed shut, latching and locking me in again.

  What was she doing? The question was answered when the car slammed into something. The sound of the crunching and gnashing seemed to last forever. My body flew in slow motion forward deeper in the trunk, slamming me against the inside wall. Sharp pain pierced my back and head, and then everything went dark and quiet.

  I might have been knocked out, but finally my senses came back. At first, I didn’t hear anything. Then there was a mixture of a crunch like walking on gravel and swoosh like something was moving in tall grass.

  Instinct had me cowering deep inside the trunk, although there was nowhere to hide. I should make a run for it. If I moved fast enough, maybe I could get out and run before Ellie could react. Surely, she’d be disoriented from the crash.

  “This woman is out, but breathing.” A man’s voice drifted into the trunk. It sounded like he was at the driver’s side of the car. Did that mean Ellie was unconscious?

  “Sophie?” The latch clicked, the trunk lid opened, and a face peered in.

  I was never so happy to see Sergeant Scowl in my life. Well, okay, there was one other time when he saved my life then too. As annoying as he was, he always showed up just in time.