I had wondered what her feelings were about Oscar, but I hadn't asked. "Home to Oscar?"
She nodded. "I thought I hated him. Maybe I did, but it was only a passing emotion. The love is deeper and stronger."
"I know." I patted her shoulder as I held her. Tinkie was far stronger than I and also more fragile because she dared to risk everything. "Click your heels together three times, and say the magic words."
Tinkie closed her eyes and clicked her heels three times. "I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home."
I was so busy watching Tinkie, at first I didn't see the door of our prison slowly creak open.
24
"Ladies!" Humphrey Tatum stepped through the doorway with a million-watt smile. "What a predicament you find yourselves in."
I'd never known what to make of Humphrey, but now I did. He didn't have whiskers and a tail, but he was a rat, nonetheless. He was in cahoots with Virgie. He'd hired us only so that he could keep tabs on what we were doing. Tinkie and I exchanged angry glares.
"Humphrey Tatum, you are a low-life scoundrel." Tinkie put her hands on her trim hips and walked right up to his face. "You are lower than the underbelly of a snake. You are viler than castor oil. You are ..." Polite words failed her, and she simply slapped the stew out of him.
Humphrey stepped back and rubbed his cheek. "I hope Sarah Booth isn't as passionate in her anger."
My thought was to kick him in the tender place, but I restrained myself. We had to think, not react. "How deep are you in this?" I asked.
He did something strange with his eyebrows, like a rabbit eating. "Up to my ears. Virgie and I are partners."
He kept his back to the doorway and his face to me. His face twitched again. Something was wrong with him. Maybe he'd run out of his medication.
"What are you going to do with us?" Tinkie demanded.
"I don't know."
Great, the man with all the sexual plans had no idea what to do with his hostages. "Why did you do it, Humphrey?"
A sad look touched his face. "We were losing everything at Tatum Corner. Quentin, and her legitimate marriage to me, was our last hope. Al threw a monkey wrench into those plans."
"Your sister is going to prison. The woman she loved is dead." I wanted to slap him cockeyed.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I have to admit, I wasn't in on the plan to kill Quentin, but once the deed was done, I saw a golden opportunity with Virgie's help. We'd say Quentin died before midnight, and then I'd bump off old Rutherford. Umbria would be free to marry me, and we could divide the spoils."
"Umbria's in this, too?" I wasn't shocked; I was disappointed with myself. I'd dismissed Umbria far too quickly. I'd underestimated her intelligence and deviousness; I'd cast too small a net.
"With Allison facing a prison term, what will happen?" I kept my voice level, like a curious stranger.
"If the will stands—there is some thought that if Allison is convicted of Quentin's murder, then Quentin's will can be invalidated—but if the will stands, Allison will have to appoint someone to manage her money while she's in prison. That will be me, the noble brother who tried to save her."
Tinkie moved to stand beside me, her face pale. "What about the other murders? Were you involved in those, too?"
"I'm a Johnny-come-lately on those. I had nothing to do with them." His eyebrows shifted up and down dramatically. "Virgie is a genius, isn't she?"
"What is wrong with you?" I snapped. "Take your antipsychotic meds, and stop twitching!"
He chuckled, but there was a brittle sound to it. "Such a card, Sarah Booth. If only you'd married me, then you'd be free right now."
"Right, one prison for another."
Tinkie poked me in the ribs. "He's not talking about marriage because he desires you. A wife doesn't have to testify against her husband."
Unbelievable, but my ego took a painful pinch. "So that's what all the gifts were about? You didn't want me. You wanted to muzzle me!"
"I thought something leather would be the quickest way to your heart."
"Tell us what you want, and then get out." I found it bitter that I'd ever been flattered by the attentions of such a shallow man, but the facts were staring me in the face. Humphrey was the worst kind of cad.
"Give up on Coleman and say you'll marry me, Sarah Booth. I'll talk to Virgie about Tinkie. I'll try to work it out so that both of you live."
"Coleman is coming." My jaw jutted out of its own accord.
"I personally gave Coleman the number of a room booked in Tinkie's name at Audubon Place. Number 945. I told him you'd discovered it and left for New Orleans about ten last night. Of course, I made the reservation, but he doesn't know that."
I sat down, my legs suddenly rubbery. Humphrey had too many specific details. It wasn't just a bluff. My hopes had been staked on Coleman and a rescue. Now we were lost. There was nothing we could offer to entice Virgie to let us go. Eventually, Coleman would arrest her for the murders she'd committed, but she was right. She could only be executed once, no matter how many people she killed. Humphrey was in the same boat: he could kill the two of us at no extra penalty.
"We're stuck here." Tinkie plopped down on the sofa. She'd obviously come to the same dark corner as I had.
Humphrey cocked his head. "Since you've admitted defeat, Sarah Booth, care for a little fun?" He reached into the pocket of his sports jacket and drew out black lace panties and a bra. "We could play Victoria's Secret model interview."
I jumped to my feet. "You are despicable."
"No, Sarah Booth, I'm merely a pragmatist and a man doing his best to protect his interests."
"Go away." I sank back into my chair. From beneath the weight of my defeat, I tossed one parting shot. "I can't believe Virgie, Miss High-and-Mighty-Let's-Murder-Folks-Who-Break-My-Rules, would actually hook up with a pervert."
"I guess Virgie takes the broader view of bedroom activities," Humphrey said, not the least disturbed by my ire. "Who the heck knows what she may be into." He held up a hand to stop our comments. "Virgie has said that I can have your hound, Sarah Booth. I just want you to know that she'll be well taken care of. Should you hear a commotion, don't fret. The dog is mighty loyal to you, and I had to tie her up, but I'll make sure she's safe when the time arrives." He tossed the underwear onto the sofa.
His laughter remained behind in the room as he closed and locked the door.
"We're in big trouble." Tinkie sat across from me. "I hope you have a plan, Sarah Booth, because I'm all out of ideas."
Tinkie finally fell into a light sleep. The skin beneath her eyes looked bruised, and I thought about all of the things she'd confronted in the last few weeks, from her arguments with Oscar to her breast lump, and now this. We weren't in imminent danger, but we'd been through a rough night. Worst of all was the loss of hope in Coleman and Oscar's rescue.
I had no reason to believe anything Humphrey the Humper said, except for the bald fact that Coleman hadn't burst through the door. It was possible he'd come to the school and Humphrey had convinced him we'd gone to New Orleans. Still, Coleman wasn't stupid.
So where was he?
As the shadows outside our glass prison began to shorten toward noon, I thought about a lot of things. My romantic life had been a mess of impulses. I'd never balanced my heart and my head. Maybe Jitty, with all of her court pretensions, was right. Maybe I should've had a plan. But how did one plan for true love?
The DCs approached marriage like a battle strategy. All the small skirmishes of sex and seduction led to the ultimate goal of marriage to a man who could provide. My mother had taught me that financial security wasn't the pinnacle of existence, but for some of my friends, it had become the bedrock of their marriage. With my attitude that true love would come strolling, complication free, into my life, I'd accomplished only pain.
Coleman suffered because of me. He had obligations and commitments, and I hovered out of his reach. He'd said he wanted to talk to me, and I felt the numbn
ess of what he might say—that he was leaving Sunflower County forever. Because of me.
Now maybe he wouldn't have to.
That thought was so depressing, I rose from the sofa and went to the window to look out at the tree-shaded back lawn, which gave way to an open field and then the cotton fields beyond. Sunlight glinted on something metal near the oak where I'd first seen Humphrey.
I stared, trying to figure out what I was seeing. Vanity be damned, I needed glasses. I made a vow that if Tinkie and I escaped, the first thing I'd do was make an appointment with an ophthalmologist while she made one with a surgeon. There would be no arguing or procrastination. Like the captain of the starship Enterprise, I would simply "make it so."
Movement at the oak tree stopped my internal tirade. I caught a blurry glimpse of what looked like a man in brown. I moved to the sofa for a better look, brushing aside Humphrey's odious panty set. The silky undies fell to the tile floor with a tiny clink.
I paused. There was nothing in a panty set that should make a metallic sound. Nothing. I scooped up the lacy web of material and felt it. My fingers instantly found the hard lump in the crotch of the panties. Oh, Humphrey, you sicko! Using more care, I untangled the undies and found a key. A key!
"Tinkie! Wake up!" I kept my voice down as the entire scenario with Humphrey replayed through my mind. He'd stood in the doorway, assaying his normal posturing around the room. Then there'd been the bizarre twitching of his face. The room number—945—was a clue to the time of the rescue. His theft of my hound had been a hint that Sweetie Pie was safe. Humphrey had no use for a dog or anything else that required time and attention. He'd been trying to tell us that he was really on our side. He was our deliverer, not our executioner.
"Tinkie!" I shook her shoulder. For someone who slept lightly, she wasn't eager to wake up.
"What is it? Has Virgie come to kill us?" She rubbed her eyes, and when she took her hands down, she saw the key I held in front of her.
I dangled it like a hypnotist. "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"
"If you're waiting on me, you're late." She was on her feet with her shoes on.
I fitted the key in the back door and turned it. The lock clicked free with a minimum of pressure. Fearing an alarm system, I eased open the back door and heard the trill of a winter songbird, the first external sound we'd heard since our imprisonment.
We looked at each other and then flew out the door and began to run toward the oak tree where I'd seen movement. Halfway there, I realized who I was running to, and I put on my last burst of speed as Coleman opened his arms for me.
I hit him with enough force to fell a block wall, but he caught me against him and reached out to drag Tinkie behind the tree with us.
"I was beginning to think she'd killed both of you and Humphrey, too." He squeezed me so hard I thought my ribs would collapse.
"We didn't find the key at first," I gasped. "Humphrey had cleverly disguised it in a pair of panties."
He released me slowly and stepped back so he could examine both of us. "You're okay?"
We nodded.
"Is Humphrey still in the house?"
"I don't know, but Sweetie is."
"Don't worry, Oscar's at the front door right this minute. When you two didn't come out after two hours, we decided to force the play."
"Oscar's going in?" Tinkie gripped Coleman's arm. "We should tell him I'm okay."
"Too late for that." Coleman picked up a rifle from beside the tree. "Now if you ladies will step back out of the line of fire, I need to give Oscar backup."
"He needs more than backup! He's not trained for this." Tinkie was frantic, and I have to admit, it did my heart good to see her so worried about her husband.
"Tinkie, the plan is in effect. There's no changing it now, and we did the best with what we had. There are several Coahoma County deputies waiting just down the driveway."
"Oscar is a banker, not a law officer. We have to stop him." She clutched Coleman's arm.
"It's too late to stop him." Coleman lifted the rifle.
"We'll see about that!" Tinkie wheeled around and started off at a sprint. I didn't wait for a signal from Coleman. I had the longer legs and the more sensible shoes. I tackled her before she'd gotten twenty feet and brought her down with an angry whuff of wind.
'You're my partner!" She thrashed and tried to bite me.
"I'm your best friend." I let my full weight drape across her.
"You're suffocating me."
"That's the idea. Unless you promise to get back behind the tree and let Coleman do his job."
"After all of this big talk about me seeing a surgeon because Oscar loves me, you won't let me protect my husband."
I sighed. "Don't you see, Tinkie? I'm in exactly the same position with both of you. You want the freedom to avoid the doctor, and Oscar wants the freedom to try and save you. Whose freedom do you want me to respect?"
She fell silent, and I rolled off her. Once I was on my feet, I helped her up, and we went to stand behind the tree.
"It's terrible waiting to see what happens." She glared at me.
"Exactly my point. So now you know how Oscar feels." My attention shifted from Tinkie to the back door, which opened. Virgie stood in the doorway with a gun pointed at Humphrey's head. There was no sign of Oscar or Sweetie.
"I want a car and safe passage to Venezuela," Virgie yelled.
"This has become hostage du jour." I looked to see what showed on Coleman's face.
"Where's Oscar? I don't see him anywhere. If she's hurt him ..." Tinkie craned around me for a better view. She had a one-track mind, and it was focused on her husband.
"What are you going to do?" I asked Coleman.
"Whatever is necessary."
The fact that he wouldn't look at me told me too much. He feared Oscar was dead. "Sweetie Pie is in there." I saw in his firm focus on the house that he held little hope for her, either.
Tinkie stood beside me, tears gathering in her eyes. "This is my punishment," she whispered.
My impulse was to shake her, but instead I folded her into my arms and held her tight. "You've done nothing wrong." Over the top of her head, I watched Virgie holding the gun on Humphrey.
"Deputies are covering the front of the house," Coleman said. "I'm going to try and talk her out."
I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't. "Be careful."
Coleman stepped out from behind the tree and lowered his gun. "Virgie, we can all walk away from this."
"Not me. Everything I worked for is gone. I put my life into those girls. I put everything, and they betrayed all of my teachings."
"You have to let Humphrey go."
"He tricked me. He lied to me. He deserves to die."
Coleman walked closer. There was nothing for him to hide behind. He was in the open, moving toward a crazy woman with a gun.
"Where's Oscar?" he asked her.
"He chose the wrong woman."
'That's not his fault." Coleman spoke in a calm, reasoned tone. "Look, I understand how you feel. I know what its like to be disappointed by people. I see it every day in my work." He stepped closer. "Let's talk about this. If I put my gun down, will you do the same?"
“You're trying to trick me." She shifted the barrel of her gun from Humphrey to point at Coleman's chest.
I felt my heart squeeze painfully. Tinkie and I clung to each other, unable to do a single thing that would make a difference.
"I'm not trying to trick you, Virgie. I'm trying to help you." Coleman moved closer. He was only thirty feet away. If she was any kind of shot at all, she could hit him right in the heart.
"No one can help me. I've made my decisions. I'm prepared to do whatever I have to, to get away."
"None of this is necessary." Coleman stepped closer. "We can talk this out. Just put the gun down and give it a chance. What do you have to lose?"
"I'm not going to prison. I won't spend the rest of my life among women with no refinement, with no breed
ing. I'd rather die."
"I thought you were a woman who enjoyed a challenge." Coleman shook his head. "I thought you were a woman with a spine, but you're like all those disappointments. You just take the easy way out. Things don't go your way and you just curl up and whine."
"How dare you?" She leveled the gun at his chest. "I'm going to die anyway, and I'm going to take you straight to hell with me!"
"No!" I broke free of Tinkie and started running toward Coleman. Tinkie was right behind me, screaming my name.
The barrel of Virgie's gun swung away from Coleman and aimed right at me. I saw Humphrey's face freeze in panic. I put everything I had into running. Coleman was the prize, and I kept my eyes upon him. To my horror, he rushed Virgie. The gun moved off me and sighted on him.
There is no sound as final as that of a gunshot. I heard the shot at the same time I saw Coleman twist, red blooming on his chest.
"Coleman!" I screamed his name. My feet were suddenly bound in concrete. I tried to run, but I was locked in place. "Coleman!"
"Sweet Jesus!" Tinkie cried behind me as she ran toward Coleman, who'd fallen and was stretched on the ground, unmoving.
On the back steps my hound accosted Virgie, knocking her sideways and away from Humphrey. They both tottered on the top step and then fell in opposite directions.
Sweetie Pie cleared both of them as she bounded down the steps. She snapped up the gun that had fallen from Virgie's hand and held it in her mouth.
"Sweetie!" I called, patting my leg in the "let's play" signal. She shook the gun like some captured prey and then brought it to me and dropped it at my feet. When I looked up, Oscar was standing in the back doorway, a pistol trained on Virgie.
"Oscar!" Tinkie cried. Her heart was in that single word. "Thank goodness. Help Coleman." Tinkie snatched my hand and dragged me behind her as she ran to Coleman. He'd fallen on his face, and I could clearly see the bullet's exit hole in his back, where blood seeped out.
"Sarah Booth, get some towels." Tinkie rolled him over, and I heard myself gasp. Coleman was either unconscious or dead. His eyes were closed, and his face was pallid. I felt Tinkie's hand on my leg. "Go inside and call an ambulance. Get some towels. Do it now!"
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