Too Many Suspects

by E B Corbin

  “No.” Vicki kept her head down picking at the cuticles on her fingers.

  The buzzer sounded again.

  “Dammit! Answer that and get rid of whoever it is.” Henry waved the gun at the wall.

  Vicki took in a deep breath. Then she pushed herself up from the floor and staggered toward the speaker. The buzzer began to vibrate once more before she reached the button. She cleared her throat and swallowed before she pushed to answer. “Yes?”

  “Vicki! It’s John Callahan. I came to pick up Roxanne. Is she ready to go?”

  Her eyes wide, Vicki looked from Henry to Roxanne. Henry shook his head indicating she should answer in the negative. Vicki inhaled sharply then whispered into the speaker. “She’s not here. Is she supposed to be?”

  “Funny. She texted me about an hour ago that she would meet me at your place.”

  Before Vicki could answer, Puka barked. Roxanne clamped her hand over his mouth but the dog twisted out of her grip and barked twice more.

  “Is that Puka?” Through the static, Callahan’s voice took on a wary tone.

  “Uh, no… I’m babysitting my friend’s dog.”

  “What kind of dog is it? Sure sounds like a golden retriever.”

  Vicki gave a nervous laugh. “No, it’s just a little mutt. Has a big bark, though.”

  “And you’re sure you haven’t heard from Roxanne?” Callahan asked.

  “No, not a word.”

  “Okay. I’ll check with Pete. Maybe she had a change of plans and left word at the B&B.” The static emitted by the speaker died.

  Roxanne detected suspicion in his last words and hoped he sensed something off with Vicki’s response. Even if he did, she didn’t know what he could do. She and Vicki were pretty much on their own with her unpredictable brother.

  With a relieved sigh, Vicki leaned against the wall as her finger dropped from the button. Obviously, she assumed she’d pulled it off.

  Roxanne scooted to the white leather chair and rested her back against it. Even if Callahan doubted Vicki’s story, for now they were trapped on the second floor with a deranged psycho. Unless there was another trained sniper in town, there was no way into or out of the apartment except by the front stairway. And Henry had made certain the curtains were pulled shut, denying any peek into the apartment from outside.

  Their only hope lay in talking the man down. As she rolled to her side and pulled herself to a standing position, she said, “Henry, things are getting out of hand.”

  “Tell me about it,” he snorted.

  “Put the gun down. We can pretend none of this ever happened. You’re just in town to visit your sister.”

  “Like anyone’s going to believe that.” Henry scoffed. He rubbed his chin. “This has turned into a fucking nightmare.”

  “She’s right, Henry.” Vicki caught Roxanne’s intent and ran with her suggestion. “I can say you came for a family visit.”

  “And what about that dude that was just here looking for her?” Henry inclined his head in Roxanne’s direction. “He heard that damn dog bark. Unless he’s a complete idiot, he knows something’s fishy.”

  Roxanne cleared her throat. “Send Vicki out to check the street. If it’s clear, Puka and I can sneak out and go to the office. I’ll pretend we’re coming back from a walk, that I never came here at all.”

  Henry sat staring at the ceiling a few moments. “I don’t know.” Then he snapped to attention and growled, “What about my money?”

  “Neither Vicki nor I have any control over it. We told you that before. We can talk to the person in charge to see what can be done but that’s all we can do.”

  “I don’t even care about the damn money,” his sister added. “I was trying to find a way to get the funds so I could turn your portion over to you.”

  “Vicki, Vicki, Vicki… you don’t expect me to believe that, do you?” His sing-song words held nothing but contempt.

  Roxanne didn’t care what he thought. She was growing tired of the brother/sister argument and wanted out of the apartment. “Look, you must realize that holding us here at gunpoint isn’t going to get you your money any faster.”

  “You have a better idea?” Henry rubbed his forehead, keeping one eye on Roxanne and one hand on her gun.

  “Yes, let us go and we’ll make a sincere effort to get your money.”

  A scowl came over his face. “Sit down. I’m getting tired of listening to your bullshit. You seem to think I’m a fool.”

  Roxanne waved her hand at him. “No, I think you’re confused right now.”

  “The only thing I am right now, is tired of your voice. Shut up and sit down!”

  Instead, she squared her shoulders and reached for Puka’s leash. “We’re leaving. Give me my gun.”

  He laughed. “You must think I’m crazy!”

  “I think you don’t have too many choices left. Callahan will be back with the sheriff when he doesn’t find me. Do you know of any instances where a stand-off with the police ended in a good way for the hostage taker?”

  “I could just shoot you and your dog. That would take care of two problems.” The slight waver in his voice showed he didn’t really mean it.

  It was Roxanne’s turn to smile. “Except there’s only one bullet left in that gun. Shoot me first and Puka will attack you. Shoot Puka first and I’ll kill you.” Even though she knew she was talking nonsense, she locked eyes with Henry and willed him to believe her.

  “What? Are you some kind of a nut? No way you could overpower me. Besides, who walks around with only two bullets?” Henry looked at the pistol in his hand, disgusted.

  “Somebody who used that gun to shoot and kill a deputy a few months ago.” Roxanne kept up her façade of fearlessness.

  Vicki gasped and widened her eyes. “You killed Luke Meyers? I heard about that but never connected it with you.”

  “It was self-defense. The cops confiscated the Beretta until everything was straightened out. In fact, I just got it back a few days ago.” Roxanne swung back to Henry. “That’s why it only had two bullets. One, now, since you wasted a shot at the chair I was sitting in.”

  “Jesus! You are a crazy person!” Henry croaked. He slumped against the sofa and loosened his grip on the Beretta just as the buzzer sounded again.

  “Well?” Roxanne said. “Sounds like time’s up. If you give me my gun, we won’t mention this when the law arrives.”

  Henry slid the gun across the sofa cushion then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in both hands. He mumbled, “Christ, what a mess.”

  Roxanne snatched the Tomcat and stuck it in her bag before she turned to Vicki. “Answer that. Tell Callahan I just showed up a few minutes ago. I’ll go down to meet him. We don’t need him finding Henry here.”

  “What will you tell him?” Vicki moved toward the speaker.

  Roxanne ran her fingers through her hair. “I’ll think of something. Callahan’s used to finding me in strange situations.”

  Henry lifted his head from his hands. “What are you going to say about me?”

  She huffed. “I’ll think of something,” she said again, although she hadn’t a clue what it would be. With that she marched to the door and signaled for Vicki to answer the damn buzzer that had been blasting their eardrums for the last several seconds.

  Vicki took a calming breath before she put her mouth to the speaker. “Yes? Can I help you?”

  “Vicki, what the hell is going on? I’ve been buzzing you for…”

  “A long time,” she said, interrupting Callahan’s rant. “We heard it. Sorry, Roxanne and I were going over some papers and only had a few sentences left to read.”

  “So she is there?” Callahan said. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “She showed up two minutes after you left. Why didn’t you call or text h
er to find out where she was?”

  Roxanne smiled as the redhead blustered her way through the explanation. She squeezed Vicki’s hand and started down the stairs, thankful that Puka couldn’t talk.

  When she stepped out the door, Callahan pulled her into a tight hug and spoke into her neck. “God, I was afraid you were in trouble.”

  “Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you about it.” Roxanne glanced behind to make certain Henry hadn’t found his gun and followed her down the stairs. “I think I need a drink.”

  “Hold on.” Callahan stroked her hair in an attempt to tame the wild strands. “What happened upstairs? You look like you’ve been through a cyclone.”

  “Later. I need a glass of something before I get started.”

  Shaking his head, Callahan took her arm and led them to his SUV. He stopped and pointed at the law office door. “I tried to get in with my key but it didn’t work. I was afraid you were being held inside and some bad guy jammed the lock.”

  Roxanne smiled at him. “Sylvia changed the locks when the new window went in.”

  “Hmmm.” Callahan stared at the key ring in his hand. “Wonder if I’ll get a new one.”

  “I’ll make sure you do,” she told him. “Now can we get away from here?”

  Callahan clicked the car doors open without a word. Puka jumped in the back as usual while Roxanne settled in the front passenger side and inspected the windshield. “They did a good job.”

  He leaned close to flick a finger at the glass. “And it’s bulletproof. Had to be special ordered. That’s why it took two days to replace.”

  She picked up his fresh, woodsy scent as he brought his hand close and tapped her chin. Then he looked into her eyes with his crooked grin. “Just for you.”

  For the second time in less than a day, she’d been responsible for having bulletproof glass installed for her safety and she didn’t care for the significance. What could she say? “Thanks… I guess.”

  He straightened and closed her door, then walked around the hood, scanning the street behind them. When he slipped into the driver’s seat, he took her hand. “I wish we could figure out who’s been using you for target practice.”

  “Me, too. I don’t care for the feeling of a big red circle on my back.”

  He squeezed her hand before he started the car. “Ron and Tiff are waiting for us at Chester’s. Sophie made her special lasagna, spinach not meat, so Tiff can eat it. She left some garlic bread ready to pop in the oven, too.”

  “Sounds great,” Roxanne said. “But I’d like to stop at the B&B to talk to Sam, first. If that’s all right.”

  “Sure. What’s up? Anything I should know?”

  “Definitely. But Sam needs to hear it too.” Roxanne squirmed under his gaze. She should have told him about Henry the minute she left Vicki’s. He wouldn’t be happy once he found out. Still, she needed to get away from the situation and clear her head before she told anyone what had gone down.

  Together with Callahan and Sam, maybe they could come up with a solution that would solve the problem and let Vicki and Henry work out their relationship.

  When they pulled into the B&B parking lot, the windows in the room that used to be hers were dark while a welcoming glow came from the rest of the house. She longed for the old interaction with Kate and Jonathon. Even though she saw Pete and Sam nearly every day, it wasn’t like living in the same house.

  Callahan helped her out of the car. “You miss it, don’t you?” he whispered in her ear.

  She shrugged. “Maybe a little. I was getting used to Jonathon and Kate taking care of Puka.”

  “If you hate it so much at Chester’s, we’ll see you get back here as soon as the danger’s passed.”

  “I don’t dislike it at Chester’s. But it’s your place now and I feel like you need time to settle in and make it your own. You can’t do that with me, Ron and Tiffany there all the time.”

  Shrugging off her remark, he held the back door open for Puka. The dog yipped once, scrambled out and bolted for the front door. They stopped on the porch before ringing the bell. Puka did a happy doggie dance at their side.

  Desire mixed with melancholy in Callahan’s eyes. “Did you ever stop to think that I might prefer having company?”

  Roxanne couldn’t tear her gaze from him. She bit her lower lip. “I guess I didn’t. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I’m not upset. Just a little surprised at how anxious you are to get away from me.”

  “But I’m not!” she said. “I prize every minute we’re together. I just feel… I don’t know… like I’m taking advantage of you. You’d certainly be better off and probably closer to finding Pearse and Seamus if you didn’t have to worry about me.”

  He took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I don’t mind worrying about you.”

  She took a deep breath before answering. “Well, I feel like both a distraction and the source of your problems at the same time.”

  “Quit thinking like that.” He pulled her close and eased her head onto his shoulder while hugging her tight.

  Kate opened the door in the middle of their embrace. “Hey, guys, you don’t have to make out on the porch. It’s warmer inside and we don’t bite.”

  Roxanne felt her face grow hot as she jerked away from Callahan. “Sorry. I was actually coming to see Sam. Is she in?”

  Puka ran through their legs and barked a greeting. Jonathon rushed from the kitchen followed by a little ball of black and white fluff. “Puka!” he called, throwing his arms around the dog’s neck. “Come and meet my new dog, Blackie.”

  Roxanne raised a brow to Kate while Jonathon scurried back to the kitchen with both dogs in tow.

  Kate shrugged. “We picked him out at the pound. Jonathon missed Puka so much, I didn’t have the heart to say no when he fell in love with one of the new puppies that just became available for adoption. Potty training a puppy is a real treat, let me tell you.”

  Sam stuck her head around the kitchen door. “I thought I recognized that voice.”

  “They actually came to see you, not me,” Kate said to Sam. She turned to Roxanne and Callahan. “Give me your coats. You don’t have to stand in the hall like beggars.”

  “We want to see you and Jonathon, too. I miss you guys.” Roxanne gave Kate a peck on the cheek.

  “Likewise,” Kate said. “But between Sam and the new puppy I don’t have much time to dwell on it.”

  Roxanne’s attention was drawn to Puka playing with the little black and white pup. “What kind of a dog is he?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows? Heinz 57? It doesn’t matter. We’ll love him no matter what he grows into.”

  Roxanne bent down the rub the puppy’s ears while Puka butted her hand with his nose. When the retriever continued to commandeer her attention, she realized he could be jealous. After she gave Puka few extra pats, she turned back to Blackie. The pup tinkled on the floor from excitement.

  Kate grunted as she grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the floor, then she called to her son. “Jonathon, get your coat. We need to take Blackie for a walk and try to teach him some manners.”

  “You don’t need to leave on our account,” Roxanne said.

  “No, I need to leave to maintain my sanity,” Kate laughed. “Puka can come along, too.”

  When one adult, one child, one puppy and one fully grown dog were finally out the door, Sam turned to Roxanne. “Okay, now what do you want to talk about?”

  “Let’s get comfortable first. It’s a long story,” Roxanne said. Just thinking about her ordeal put her nerves on edge again. “Is there any wine?”

  “Hold on.” Sam held up a hand as she disappeared into the kitchen. She returned balancing three wine glasses in one hand and a half-bottle of sauvignon blanc in the other.

  Sam poured the after-dinner wine
then chose a high-backed chair closest to the blazing fireplace while Callahan sat on the couch next to Roxanne.

  As she described her encounter with Henry at Vicki’s, Roxanne sensed Callahan doing a slow burn.

  To his credit, he didn’t interrupt until she mentioned she felt sorry for them both. “What the hell? The man holds you at gunpoint, whacks you in the face, threatens you and you feel sorry for him?”

  “I know, it’s strange. The man is psychologically unbalanced and needs help. But I didn’t get a sense of evil from him. He was just desperate for the money.” Roxanne patted his leg.

  Sam stared into the flames not glancing at Roxanne. “I can see how he feels entitled to it. After all, a portion of it would have been his if his father hadn’t been greedy.”

  “And it changed the course of his life,” Roxanne added.

  Callahan grunted and shook his head in disagreement. “Still doesn’t give him the right to knock people around or hold them hostage.”

  “You’re right, it doesn’t.” Roxanne brought her leg up and twisted to sit sideways on the couch. Her arm rested on the back of the seat, close to, but not touching, Callahan’s shoulder. “But after the way life’s treated him, I don’t think he knows any other way.”

  “So you want to give him a pass. Let him continue to treat people like shit?”

  Sam intervened. “We don’t need to let it slide completely. He needs to pay for the way he tried to force his will on Vicki but I can see Roxanne’s point. In a way, I feel responsible for how his life turned out. What do you propose we do?” she asked Roxanne.

  Roxanne shrugged. “I don’t know. Surely we can think of something. I doubt Vicki cares what kind of solution we come up with.”

  Callahan interrupted their conversation. “So you just left Vicki to deal with him? What if he hurts her?”

  “I don’t think he will. He was kind of pathetic by the time I left.”

  “Yeah, after he held you at gunpoint for close to an hour,” Callahan growled. “I don’t like it.”

  “I think we got that,” Sam said. “But if Roxanne or Vicki don’t press charges, then I guess it’s up to me to decide what to do about returning their father’s money to them.”