by Judith Rolfs
When I finished Nick sucked in his breath. “Then Lenora’s in mortal danger.”
“Call the police and tell them to meet us at Lenora’s house. Lord, don’t let us be too late.”
When we arrived at Lenora’s, the darkness of Wooded Hill engulfed us. Our van broke the silence of the forest as it crunched across the gravel.
I pulled within fifty yards of the top of the driveway. “I’m dimming the lights for the final approach. We can find the way and creep up from here. Stay left or the sensor light on the drive will come on.”
Nick opened the glove compartment and pulled out a penlight. I turned on my I-phone flashlight. We climbed out, staying close to the ground until we reached the walk, slippery with wet leaves.
I tried the front door. “Locked,” I whispered. “Let’s try the side porch entrance.”
We crept over. I turned the door handle. So much for being sealed up tight. We slipped inside.
It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I grabbed the door frame and gasped. Tucker stood in the great room entrance not ten feet from us. In his right hand he held a revolver.
I stammered. “Why are you pointing that at us?” My insides chilled. I knew perfectly well why he held the gun.
“You two would never make it as burglars.”
“That’s right, Tucker, we wouldn’t. You’re the expert on stealth aren’t you?” Nick said.
“You shouldn’t be here.” A bitter expression formed as his lips pressed into a hard line.
“I don’t suppose you’re holding that because you’re planning to commit suicide,” I said in a shaky voice, too aware of the answer.
“Your arrival is inconvenient, but it will be easy to dispose of you.” Tucker sneered and pointed the gun at my heart. “You’re breaking into my house in the middle of the night. Because of what happened to Lenora I can’t take any chances with intruders. I’m going to shoot you. Perfectly logical.”
“We only came to make sure Lenora’s okay. Don’t be stupid.” Nick started forward.
“Stand still. Sure you came to check on her,” Tucker said sarcastically. “In the middle of the night? Forgive me if I wonder why that doesn’t make sense. She’s in my capable hands now. You know that, or you wouldn’t have come.” He laughed sardonically.
“Where is she?” Panic smashed into my chest. “You better not have harmed her.” Had he already killed her? I glanced toward the hall.
“Don’t move, Jennifer. Before I shoot you, I have a question. My pride wants to know how you figured out I shot her. I thought I had you thoroughly convinced of my innocence.”
“Pride and arrogance. That would be typical of you.” I made myself focus on his eyes despite wanting to turn away from their blackness. “I’m delighted to tell you. When you threw your jacket on the chair this afternoon, I saw the brand name, Members Only logo, on the breast. Coincidental, I thought. I noticed the frayed white edge inside the collar, but it didn’t register at the moment. I was caught up in the Chuck Denton event. My subconscious worked during the night and fit it together.”
“You played the concerned husband well, slimeball,” Nick interjected.
Go, Nick. Keep Tucker talking. I scanned the room for a weapon. Could I grab the floor lamp and hit him? No, it was plugged in. There were two of us and one of Tucker. His gun counted as a thousand. Jennifer, you must disarm him before he pulls the trigger. Could we rush him and topple him before he got a shot off? Where were the police?
“I’ve answered you. Now answer a question for me.” My voice shook, but I tried to sound in control. “I must admit, I’m having trouble figuring out why you tried to kill your wife? Why not simply file for divorce?”
“For as many divorcees that Lenora counseled, she didn’t believe in divorce. Even though we’ve led separate lives for some time. Except for my involvement with the foundation and occasional dinners on the weekend, we rarely spent time together. Plus I had another relationship, my hobbies, let’s say, and she had hers.”
Nick took a step closer. Tucker’s eyes locked on him. “Freeze.”
“Most men insist on divorce, not murder, Tucker.”
I scanned the softly lit room. If only it wasn’t so dark. I tried to remember the items in the room.
“I had my reasons.”
“How did you expect to get away with it?” I asked. Perhaps showing off would play to his pride again. If he intended to kill us, he could speak safely about his plan and reveal his motive.
Tucker sneered. “I’m not a tenured professor. I married Lenora for financial security. She had a substantial bank account and a portfolio of mutual funds. All that dwindled when she got religion and began pouring money into her various charities and the foundation.”
“For a worthy cause,” I added.
“In her opinion, not mine. Lenora had lost interest in money. In fact, she had the gall to say she’d be happy to die poor. I needed to stop her before she gave away everything except the house. I began moving funds into my private account. I have no intention of becoming a pauper. My retirement plans don’t involve a modest lifestyle.”
“You’d kill her for money?” I couldn’t conceal my disgust.
“For love and money. It so happens, I met a woman at the university who shares my interests. Tricia’s a young, pleasant research assistant with my values. She enjoys traveling and has an appreciation of the finer things life offers.”
“Did Lenora find out?” Nick asked. His eyes darted back and forth between Tucker and I, searching I was sure as I was, for a way to disarm him.
“In the beginning she was too busy tending to her ex-con counselee. She started paying more attention to me and may have sensed something was going on. I heard her setting up a meeting with her lawyer next week. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“In my counseling experience, I’ve found women almost always know if their husband is having an affair, at least on some level, whether they say it aloud or not.”
“You fooled everyone by speaking fondly of your wife.” Nick and I were on the same page. Keep him talking to stall until the police arrived.
“I was good, wasn’t I? A bit of amateur theatrics in college. One never loses the talent.” He flicked the gun at me. “I know how to shoot, too. Learned that during my hunting days. I’m not bad at fencing either. A shame you won’t be able to appreciate seeing me demonstrate.”
The rain beat the roof like a clock ticking off seconds of our lives. Out of the corner of my eye, I made out a candlestick on the table beside me. I inched closer, praying Tucker wouldn’t notice.
“One thing doesn’t make sense,” Nick interjected. “Why let Jennifer counsel Lenora’s clients and get involved?” Nick edged toward the table.
“I knew Jennifer would offer anyway.” His dark eyes riveted on me. “I’d hoped counseling Lenora’s clients would keep you too busy to do any investigating. I’d heard about your solving the murder of Albert Windemere. Efficient little witch, aren’t you?”
“Using your husbandly concern, Tucker, to throw me off was total genius. Why would I doubt you?”
“Not with suspects like Kirk and Thomas Hartford,” Nick added. “Brilliant.”
Tucker snapped, “Keep your hands where I can see them. Start walking toward the porch.”
“Why shoot her now?” My lungs ached for more air. I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
“When Kirk started his position, I knew she’d examine the books again and turn over some bookkeeping to him. She’d already started asking questions. I had to move quicker than I planned. But that’s of no consequence now. We’ve talked long enough.”
“Supposedly your alibi was airtight. You were in Illinois the night Lenora was shot? Quite clever.” Why weren’t the police here? We were running out of time.
Nick picked up my thread. “Right, how did that work? I’m curious how you managed it.”
“Having an analytical mind helps. I knew nobody would figure
it out. I left my car at the train station in the morning, took the train halfway downtown, and got off. I’d had my girl friend rent a car under her name. Then later I drove back, hiked up the hill through the woods, and shot Lenora. I had time to drive the rental back, take a cab to the train station, catch my usual late evening train, and pretend as if I just got get back from downtown when it pulled in.”
“Clever,” I interjected.
“The police did inquire at school, but the secretary never pays attention to research professors coming and going. She actually told the police she thought she’d seen me.”
I turned until I stood in front of Tucker. “You were the one who called the hospital pretending to be Lenora’s brother?”
He grinned sadistically. “Naturally, I disguised my voice. I planned to pull the plug on the ventilator in the hospital and blame it on a phantom brother, but nurses kept popping in. It never seemed safe. Your deaths will be easy in comparison. I’m glad you came tonight to join Lenora in her heavenly fantasy. She’s dying as we speak.”
I groaned. “What have you done to her?”
A siren blared in the distance. Nick bent over and head butted Tucker in one smooth motion.
Reacting swiftly, Tucker grasped my arm and pulled me in front of him, pressing the gun into my temple. I swallowed hard and held my breath. “Move again and she dies, Trevor.”
“How will you explain both our deaths?” Nick said through clenched teeth.
“Very logical. I went to bed and was awakened by you in the dark and shot in defense of Lenora.” Tucker turned me abruptly with his free arm toward him and cocked the gun.
I lowered my head. “I think I’m going to be sick.” At the same moment I kicked my leg up backward hard and fast, knocking the gun out of Tucker’s hand. Thanks God for my kick-boxing class at the Y. When Tucker bent to retrieve the gun, Nick rushed forward and tackled him.
They scuffled on the Oriental carpet. A lamp fell to the floor and shattered. Nick cut his head as he rolled onto the shards.
Nick grabbed Tucker by the neck and began squeezing. Tucker leveraged his arms against Nick until Nick was forced to loosen his grip. I struggled to reach the gun pinned underneath them. The two men kept jabbing and rolling.
The sirens were coming closer, but the police might be too late.
First Nick was on top, then Tucker. Nick’s head bled, splattering the carpet. I spotted a brass candlestick in the adjoining room. I ran for it and waited for their next roll. When Tucker was squarely on top, I smacked his head with all my might.
The blow stunned him a few seconds. He rolled off Nick. Tucker shot up and lunged at me. He missed me as Nick made a dive for his huge legs, toppling them both. Nick, nowhere near as big as Tucker, had the advantage of fewer years and a well-coordinated body. I struggled to grab the gun on the floor before Tucker could.
“Got it.” I gasped. I raised the weapon and pointed it at Tucker and screamed, “Don’t think I won’t use this.”
“You wouldn’t,” Tucker said.
“Try me. Don’t move.”
Nick scrambled up, breathing heavily. “I need some rope. I’ll tie him up.”
I scanned the room. “Get the cords on the blinds at the windows, Nick.”
I forced Tucker at gunpoint onto the desk chair. “Where is she?” I demanded.
He responded with a shake of his head.
Nick ripped off the cord and whipped it around Tucker’s wrists and arms, tying them behind his back to the chair.
With external calm that could only be grace, I punched in 911 on my cell phone and gave Lenora’s address. “Send an ambulance.” I was already moving toward the bedroom wing.
“I’ll check the lower level,” Nick called out.
We left Tucker secured to the chair and raced through the house, switching on lights, searching for my beloved friend.
My skin turned to ice outside her bedroom door when I saw the boa coiled up against it. Every snake scared me. I could never identify which were poisonous. Was this one? I held my breath, petrified it would wrap itself around me. How much time would it take to choke out life?
The bedroom door was slightly open. I inhaled deeply, slid past the snake, and barged in. My eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light. Crumpled blue sheets stuck out from a purple comforter halfway off Lenora’s empty bed. She must be in another room. I was about to leave when I heard a scraping coming from below on the other side of the bed. I walked around and gasped.
Lenora lay on the floor, stretched out on her back. A diamond-back rattler slithered less than four feet from her. Instantly, I was drenched with sweat. My mind raced. How to awaken her so she didn’t panic?
My voice spoke with a poise I didn’t feel. “Lenora, it’s Jennifer. Listen to me. Wake up and roll to your left. Don’t ask why, just do it.” She didn’t move. “To your left.” I swallowed my scream. “Move slowly.” Still she didn’t move.
Even in my terror, the perfectly spaced diamond markings of this reptile from hell registered in my brain. In the distance, another siren came closer.
I edged near the bed. Lenora’s right forearm was swollen. God help her. She’d been bitten. An antidote might be too late. The snake had already done its damage.
The snake started to slither toward me. I willed my body to move. Its head, now inches from my foot, mesmerized me. Someone from behind yelled, “Drop onto the bed. Now.”
I did as told.
A crack filled the air. I lifted my head and saw the snake wriggle its last.
Minutes later, ambulance attendants entered the room and began to work on Lenora. A vial of pills on the night table caught my eye. I picked them up—sleeping tablets. Tucker must have drugged her to sleep, then positioned the snake so it would bite her. I was sure he had total confidence in his diamond-back.
I turned as I fought faintness trying to envelope me. “Where’s Nick?”
“Right here, sweetie. I found the empty cages in the basement and grabbed this policeman to run upstairs with me.” Suddenly his arms enfolded me.
Sounds of commotion came from the living room and we headed downstairs. A handcuffed Tucker was led out. The officer who’d shot the snake came over and introduced himself. I thanked him profusely and offered the pills as evidence.
“I doubt Mr. Lawrence will be a problem any longer. Nothing to be afraid of now.” The police officer tried to be reassuring, but I couldn’t stop shaking.
Everything happened so fast, my head spun. “Nick, will you go home and get the children off to school? I need to be sure Lenora’s okay and make sure they test her blood for an overdose of sleeping pills. I’ll follow the ambulance to the hospital.”
Hours later, Lenora’s internist, followed by a resident, strode into her intensive care room. I jumped up from the chair at the side of her bed. The doctor flipped through her chart before turning to me. “She was heavily sedated, but it’ll be wearing off soon. We got the antidote in her just in time. It’s a good thing you arrived when you did. She should recover completely.”
I resumed my post in the chair beside her bed. When she awoke, I wanted to be there, needed to be. Her physical agony would be nothing compared to the emotional shock of Tucker’s betrayal.
Lenora stirred, focused her eyes, saw me, and smiled. Her lovely wide lips held a smile until she looked around the room. She struggled to sit up as a light of recognition darkened her eyes. “How did I get back into the hospital?” She started to cough.
“Would you like some water?”
“Please.”
I held a plastic cup with a straw to her lips. Then, taking her hand in mine, I spoke in the same tone that I used when Jenny awoke from a nightmare. “I have some good news and some very bad news. Do you think you’re up to hearing it now, or would you like me to wait awhile?”
“Tell me, Jennifer.”
“First, the good news is you’re going to be fine. And you can leave here soon.” I smoothed my palm over her hand. “I don’t k
now of an easy way to break this. I’m so sorry, dear friend. Tucker’s confessed to being unfaithful to you. He’s been having an affair with a woman from the university and also embezzled money from the foundation.”
Lenora gasped and fell back. “No. It can’t be true.”
I leaned over and wrapped my arms around her. “Sadly it is.”
“It’s like being slammed against a wall.”
“I can only imagine how hard this is. I wish with all my heart it wasn’t true. There’s more.”
“What else?”
“You’re here because he used one of his snakes and almost killed you last night. Tucker’s responsible for shooting you in his earlier attempt to kill you.”
Lenora sat back up. “No!” Her eyes bulged, and her mouth fell open. She seemed to age in front of my eyes.
“He’s been cunning with his affair. My heart breaks for you.”
“But the poisonous snakes are locked up. Tucker never lets them out. Are you certain you’re not mistaken?”
I’d expected she’d be in denial at first. I knew she’d need a few details to convince her. “Last night he released them all.” I gave her only as much information as necessary to support the truth. “He put the snake in your bedroom after giving you an overdose of sleeping pills. No way could you have called 911 for help. Tucker meant for you to die.”
“How did you find out?”
“It’s a long story. We got there in time to get you to the hospital where you could receive the antidote to the venom.” I bit my lip. I’d give her a full account another time.
Lenora rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead. “I remember feeling weak and groggy before falling asleep.” She stared into space.
I waited as she tried to make sense of the horrid pain of total betrayal. Was there any agony worse for a woman?
When she spoke again, her voice was a whisper. “I thought Tucker loved me. He seemed to care for me and be sincerely interested in my work. He helped me start the foundation.” Her eyes pleaded with me to agree.
“Tucker wanted your non-profit protected. He saw it as the source of his future income in perpetuity. As President of the Board he could give himself a huge salary and no one would object.”