Maggie put her hands on the porch rail and leaned forward. She closed her eyes and sucked in fresh air. “Sorry ’bout that, guys,” she said.
Max grinned. “I’ll go in and stitch his wounds.” He went inside, leaving the women on the porch. Jamie’s phone rang. She grabbed it from her purse and answered it. “Hello, Vera. Yes, we watched CNN. Saw the whole thing.” She paused and listened. “You’re not serious!” Jamie shook her head. “I’ll explain it when I see you.”
“What was all that about?” Maggie asked.
“Destiny is in love, might not be coming back. Abby Bradley has already applied for a job as a gossip columnist to fill Destiny’s place.”
All three women just shook their heads, and Maggie was reminded that no matter how badly somebody was hurting, life went on around them.
She looked out onto the quiet street of her neighborhood. “I’ve always felt safe here,” she said. “Even as a little girl.” She knew the bus would have been by already, but she didn’t see any of the neighborhood kids playing. She wondered if parents were keeping them inside because of Carl Lee Stanton.
She glanced across the street at Ben and Lydia’s house and was surprised to see the drapes closed and the morning newspaper still in their yard. “I don’t like the looks of that,” she said.
Queenie followed her gaze. “Ben and Lydia’s place? They must be out of town.”
“Ben’s not well,” Maggie said. “I can’t imagine Lydia taking off or putting him in the hospital without telling me. And I can’t believe she hasn’t called to see how I am. The police knocked on everybody’s door this morning. She has to know. Something strange is going on over there. I’m very worried, but Lydia doesn’t want me to interfere.”
“That doesn’t sound like Lydia,” Queenie said. “She and Ben are like family.”
Maggie nodded sadly. “They’re like a second set of grandparents to Mel,” she told Jamie. “When their little granddaughter visits, Mel acts like the big sister, and when Lydia wanted to decorate the small guest room for the girl, Mel and I pitched in. We decorated the room in Barbie. Everything is Barbie, right down to the drapes, sheets and bedspread, and rugs.”
“The bedspread?” Jamie asked.
“Yes. Barbie faces all over it.”
Jamie felt a chill run through her as she stared at the cloaked windows and thought about what Maggie had just said. She looked at Maggie. “I know where Mel is!”
“It’s too dangerous,” Zack said.
“It’s my choice,” Maggie told him. “I have no idea what my daughter is going through over there, I don’t know if she’s hurt, I don’t even know if she’s alive. Bob and Lydia could be dead. I’ll do it with or without your help.”
“I’ll need time to get things in place,” he said sharply.
“I suggest you move quickly.”
“There is no phone service going into that house,” Max said, “and Southland Phone Company can’t find a problem, which means—”
“Stanton cut the phone lines,” Zack finished for him, as Maggie grabbed her address book, searching frantically for Lydia’s cell phone number.
“I’ve got it.” She picked up her telephone and dialed.
Lydia had just come downstairs with the tray when her cell phone rang. Carl Lee had guarded it carefully by putting it in his pocket. “Only a few people have my cell number,” Lydia said.
Carl Lee pulled it from the pocket of his jeans and read the number on the caller ID. “How interesting,” he said, his words slurred. “Maggie Davenport.” He pointed his gun and handed Lydia the phone. “One wrong word and you’re dead.”
Lydia pressed the button. “Hello, Maggie,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. She put her hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Carl Lee. “It’s for you.”
The seconds ticked by slowly as Maggie waited and wondered if Carl Lee would answer. Her heart pounded so loudly that she feared she wouldn’t be able to hear him. She didn’t seem to be getting enough air; she felt as though she were living the nightmare all over again, locked in the trunk of his car. Finally, he spoke, and Maggie steeled herself. Her anger was enough.
“You have my daughter.” Her tone was cold. “I want her back. Now.”
Silence. “Why would I do that, Maggie?” he finally asked. “The longer you feel pain, the better I feel.”
She could tell he had been drinking, and she didn’t know if that was good or bad. “If you want revenge, take it out on me. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“I didn’t deserve what you did to me,” he shouted. “I’ve spent fourteen years thinking about it and wanting to kill you, but that’s too easy. There are worse things than death, Maggie. Don’t you agree?”
Maggie felt as if she were going to be sick. Her jaw muscles ached; she tried to swallow back the urge to throw up. She weighed her options.
“She’s your daughter.”
“You’re a lying bitch.”
“Look at her closely, Carl Lee. Then tell me you don’t see her resemblance to Kathleen. It’s too obvious to miss.”
“But here’s the thing, Maggie. I don’t care if she’s my kid or not, you got it? I don’t care.”
“I can get you out of here alive,” Maggie said. “Otherwise you don’t stand a chance.” Max grabbed the notepad she kept by the phone and scribbled on it. “I will go with you,” she added. “I’ll be your damn hostage! I’ll do anything.”
“I love it when you beg, Maggie.”
Max shoved the slip of paper in front of her. She read it quickly. “I have a friend here, Carl Lee. His name is Max Holt. He has a special car that we can use. It’s bulletproof.”
Carl Lee laughed.
“Ask Lydia and Ben about him,” Maggie said.
“I’m done talking, Maggie. You send one cop to this door, I’ll shoot him on the spot, and I won’t stop shooting until everybody in this house is dead, you got that?”
Maggie jumped at the loud click in her ear. She looked up at the anxious group waiting to hear. “He doesn’t care,” she said, as her stomach lurched. She covered her mouth and ran to the hall bathroom.
Carl Lee shoved the cell phone into his pocket and pointed his gun at Lydia. Her eyes were sunken from fatigue. “What do you know about a guy named Max Holt and his wonder car?”
Lydia recounted everything she’d heard about Max.
“Upstairs,” Carl Lee said. “And don’t give me any trouble. Everybody knows I’m here so gunshots no longer matter.”
Lydia hesitated. “I heard what you said on the phone. You can’t kill your own daughter.”
“Really?” He looked amused. “I sat in a courtroom fourteen years ago and listened as a psychiatrist testified that I had no conscience. I think he may have been right.”
Upstairs, Mel flinched as Carl Lee yanked the tape from her mouth. He grabbed her jaw, turned her face toward him. “Well, now, aren’t you something?” he said, his tone mocking. “Your mother is right. You look just like my sister. I don’t know how I missed that.” He pulled his hand away.
Mel looked at Lydia, her expression confused.
“Why don’t you tell Mel the good news, Lydia?” Carl Lee said.
Lydia gave a shaky sigh as she pulled the Barbie bedspread to the girl’s shoulders and patted her gently. “Honey—” She paused and blinked back tears. “This man is your father.”
Mel swung her gaze in Carl Lee’s direction. “That’s a lie!”
He laughed as he nudged Lydia out the door.
Maggie sat on the edge of the tub, massaging her stomach muscles. There had been nothing inside of her to throw up, but it hadn’t stopped the violent heaving. Fear shook her. It swallowed her. She covered her face with her hands. She didn’t bother to look up when someone tapped on the door.
Zack stepped inside the room and wet a washcloth. He put down the toilet lid, sat down, and reached for Maggie’s hand. She pulled away.
“Listen to me, Maggie,” he said softly. “Stanton is
bluffing.” She looked up. Her eyes were filled with pain. Zack tried to choke back his emotion. “Maggie, I would gladly take on your pain if I could. I would do anything if I could just take—” He paused. “I can’t hide in this house anymore. I’m going after Stanton.” He stood.
Maggie bolted from the tub. “Oh, hell no, you’re not! Carl Lee will kill you the minute you step out this front door,” she said, “and then he’ll kill everybody in his path, including my daughter. You’re all I’ve got, Zack, my only hope of ending this nightmare and saving Mel’s life. Carl Lee can’t know you’re here.”
He turned away and raked his hands through his hair.
“I am begging you,” she said. She jumped when the phone rang in the kitchen, and she blindly pushed her way past Zack and ran. She answered on the second ring.
“Okay, Maggie,” Carl Lee said. “I think we can make a deal. But first I have a little job for you.”
Zack cleared the top of the trunk, moving the laptop and everything else to Maggie’s sofa. She emptied it of books and magazines and old newspapers. While the others looked on, Maggie and Zack ran their hands along the old satin lining. “I don’t see or feel anything,” Zack said.
Maggie hurried from the room. She returned with scissors, chisel, and hammer. “If it’s there, I’ll find it.” The group watched quietly as Maggie cut the lining and ripped it out. When she saw nothing to indicate a false bottom, she slammed the chisel into the wood and pounded with the hammer. Together she and Zack freed the boards and answered the fourteen-year-old question as to where Carl Lee had hidden the robbery money.
“I don’t like this one damn bit,” Queenie said as Zack helped Maggie adjust the Kevlar vest in her bedroom. “What if he decides to shoot her in the head? Then what?”
“Let’s try to think positively,” Maggie said, knowing Zack was a breath away from scrapping her plan. She shrugged on her blouse and buttoned it. He and Maggie made their way into the kitchen, Queenie following close behind. Jamie and Max leaned against the kitchen counter. Jamie was clearly upset.
Zack’s cell phone rang. He yanked it from his pocket impatiently. “Yeah, what?” he said. His eyes registered surprise. “Um, Miss Zahn, you’ve caught me at a really bad time,” he said as Maggie sighed and gave a major eye roll. “May I call you back?”
“Okay,” Zack said to Maggie a few minutes later. “Remember what I told you. I’ll be watching every move through the scope. Everybody is on standby.”
Maggie nodded. “You’re positive the street and sidewalks are clear?”
“Yes. Once it’s done, that place will be surrounded. Ambulances too,” he added. “And don’t forget, you’ll need to—”
“I know what to do, Zack,” she said.
His gaze lingered a few seconds before he started for the stairs. Maggie swallowed and dialed Lydia’s number as Queenie and Jamie walked into Mel’s bedroom and closed the door. Only Max remained.
Carl Lee answered. “Did you find the money?” he asked. “Is it in good shape?”
“Yes, the plastic bags protected it.”
“Where is your friend’s car? Lydia has already moved hers from the garage. She’s waiting so she can close the garage door once it’s inside.”
“After I speak with Mel.”
“Watch what you say, Maggie.”
Maggie took a deep breath.
“Mom?”
Tears spurted from Maggie’s eyes. She struggled to find her voice. “Oh, honey,” she said. “I’ve missed you so much. Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh. I think Ben is sick. Lydia is very upset.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Mel.” Maggie swiped at a tear. “Do you know what to do?”
“Yes, but why are you coming over here?”
“I’m giving Mr. Stanton his money. But you are to walk across the street and go straight inside the house. Queenie and Jamie will be waiting for you.”
“Are you going to be okay, Mom?” Mel sounded afraid.
“As long as you do as you’re told.”
“Okay, but I have something very important I want to ask you later.”
Carl Lee took the phone. “I’m waiting on the car.”
Maggie turned to Max who walked out the door. “It will be inside the garage in two minutes,” she said. “I’ll be carrying a black suitcase with me. I will cross the street as Mel crosses.” She paused. “I want to be able to give her a hug.”
He hung up.
Maggie waited until Max returned through the back door. “Be careful, Maggie.”
Maggie waited on her front porch. Across the street, Lydia and Ben’s door opened and Mel appeared on the threshold. Maggie’s heart soared at the sight of her daughter. On the outside she appeared unharmed. Maggie would do what was necessary to help her with any wounds on the inside, and she took great comfort knowing how strong and determined Mel was. Finally, she nodded at the girl, and they began to walk across the opposite lawns. They met in the center of the street and hugged. Tears streamed down Maggie’s cheeks. “You know you’re grounded again, right?” Maggie said with a grin.
“Duh. Is Carl Lee Stanton my father?”
“Yes. I’m sorry you had to find it out this way.”
“Well, I hate him. If he goes back to prison I don’t have to visit him, do I? I mean, a judge can’t order it, right?”
“No.” Maggie kissed her forehead. “Go to the house, honey. Arm the alarm system. Do not come back out until I get there.” She saw the question in Mel’s eyes. “You have to trust me.”
“Don’t forget about Ben.”
Maggie stood straight and walked toward the Greens’ house. The door was open and empty. She stopped at the bottom of the steps. And stared into the barrel of a gun.
“Let me see what’s in the suitcase,” Carl Lee said.
Maggie set the suitcase on the ground, flipped the locks, and opened the lid. The money was stacked neatly inside.
“Toss one of the stacks to me,” he said.
She did as she was told. It landed inches from the door. “Sorry. Do you want me to try again?”
“Close the suitcase and come forward slowly.”
From Maggie’s upstairs guest room, Zack held the rifle steady and looked through the scope, his target fixed on the front door across the street. The window was open, a breeze fluttered the curtain, but Zack was careful to keep the barrel out of sight. “Come out, you mean bastard.”
Maggie walked up the steps slowly. She paused at the edge of the porch. She could see Carl Lee’s hand on the gun. “Don’t point that thing at me.”
“Come forward, Maggie.”
She sniffed. “I hate guns. Stop pointing it at me.”
He pulled the hammer back.
“Okay, I’m coming,” she said quickly. She stopped several feet in front of the door. “Could you stop pointing it at my head now? I’m not coming any closer with that gun at my head.” She sniffed again.
“Shut up and follow the plan!”
She started to cry. “I’m scared!” She stepped a foot closer. “Stop pointing that gun at my face. What if it goes off accidentally?”
“I’m going to count to three, Maggie,” Carl Lee yelled, “and you’d better have your ass inside this door or you won’t have a face left.”
The words floated to the window where Zack stood, gaze and rifle steady, face dark with hatred.
Maggie hesitated. She didn’t fear death; she feared leaving her child motherless.
“One—”
She inched forward.
“Two—”
Maggie cried louder. The suitcase slipped from her hands, hit the porch and fell open, tossing stacks of bills in every direction.
“Shit!” Carl Lee shouted a list of obscenities.
“It’s not my fault. This suitcase is crap,” Maggie said.
All at once, Carl Lee grabbed a handful of her hair. She yelped and tried to pull free.
“Three!” he said.
Suddenly a lo
ok of outright shock and disbelief hit his face, and he went slack. The gun fell just inside the door, and Maggie yanked her hair free. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his dazed expression, even as she wondered what was happening.
He suddenly lurched forward as though propelled by a strong wind.
“What the hell?” Zack said, finger poised on the trigger as he watched Carl Lee stagger forward, unarmed.
Maggie rolled away only seconds before Carl Lee slumped and folded on the threshold. She saw the large knife buried in the back of his neck; her doctor’s mind quickly told her the wound was lethal. She looked up at Lydia. Her face ravaged, the woman stepped over Carl Lee’s body and offered Maggie her hand. Maggie grasped it tightly. They sobbed in each other’s arms. “Ben?” Maggie managed to ask.
“He’s holding on,” Lydia said.
“Mom!”
Lydia released her, and Maggie turned and smiled as Mel flew out the front door of their house. Not wanting her daughter to see Carl Lee’s body, Maggie quickly cleared the steps and porch and met her near the street. Mel threw herself into Maggie’s open arms, and they clung together tightly. Maggie drank in her scent as the first siren wailed.
Maggie was jolted from her sleep, her heart pounding hard and erratically, stomach twisting. She bolted upright on the sofa, looked about the room, and her mind quickly flashed a rerun of Carl Lee Stanton’s draped body lying in Ben and Lydia’s doorway. Carl Lee was dead. She went slack with relief.
It was over. She and Mel were safe. Safe!
She took pleasure in turning on the table lamp. They could stop hiding behind closed drapes and stumbling about in the dark. Life would be normal again. They could go back to their old routine, and Maggie would never again complain about feeling as if she were in a rut. She couldn’t wait for her next rut. She looked forward to Mel complaining about how bored she was.
Maggie looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel. Eight P.M. Once she and Mel had pulled themselves together, answered questions put to them by the police, and said good-bye to everyone, they’d slogged to the nearest horizontal location and dropped.