Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked (29 page)

“
Ouch. This straw is poking me all over,
”
Minnie reported once she had made it through.
“
I’m getting us out of here sooner rather than later.
”
The sound of the hammer striking the screwdriver soon punctuated her words as she continued.
“
You know, I should have realized right away you’d really hurt your hand. You know how?
It was that business about having a pure heart.
”

I rested my head against a shelf.
“
The Tennyson quote? What about it?
”

“
I always thought you had a very pure heart, but the words you uttered a few minutes ago … I’ve never heard you use such language.
”

“
I wasn’t really aware of it,
”
I answered, embarrassed.
“
And I don’t usually—
”

“
Oh, don’t worry. You didn’t shock me. The books I read use all those words. I just brought it up
because of that pure heart thing.
”

“
I’m sure we both have pure enough hearts, Minnie.
”

“
Good enough. And guess what? My pure heart must have given me the strength of ten. I can see daylight.
”

“
Hallelujah!
”

“
Don’t worry, Jane. I’ll have us out of here in a jiffy.
”

My spirits rose as the hole in the outside wall grew larger. Minnie was really slinging those bricks around with a vengeance.

“
Can you climb out yet?
”
I asked.

“
Just about,
”
came the reply. The twilight from outside was abruptly cut off as Minnie forced herself through the hole, huffing and puffing with the effort. Once outside, she turned to urge me on in a stage whisper.
“
Your turn. Hurry!
”

“
I’m moving as fast as—
”

“
Stay put!
”
Minnie’s harsh command froze me in place.
“
She’s coming. Velda’s crossing the lawn.
”

Chapter 29

No way could I get out
through
the hole in the wall and away before Velda crossed the lawn, but Minnie might make it to safety.
“
Get out of here, Minnie! Quick, before Velda spots you.
”

“
Too late. She’s running this way, and … I can’t believe it. She’s not limping at all. What happened to her sore back? She was lying about that, too?
”

Minnie’s aggrieved tone suggested that in her book, lying ranked right next to murder as an unpardonable sin. I could tell she was itching to give Velda
a good talking to.

“
Probably, but for
heaven’s
sake, get to your car and go. She has a gun!
”

“
I can’t leave you.
”
Minnie’s voice wobbled.

“
You have to. I can’t get out fast enough. It’s all up to you. Remember, ‘God helps them who help themselves.’
”

“
The Bible?
”
Minnie sounded uncertain.

“
Ben Franklin.
”
I didn’t know how much weight Ben’s words would carry with her
;
she liked inspirational quotes, and that was all I could come up with. No use for both of us to get caught.

“
Bible or not, it makes sense.
”
All of a sudden, her voice came back strong, crackling with energy.
“
I have a plan.
”

Of all the things I didn’t want to hear in this terror-filled moment, that sentence was at the top of the list. A gallery of Minnie’s previous so-called plans flashed through my mind. What had she come up with this time?
“
Please, just run for help.
”

“
Follow my lead
,
”
Minnie whispered. In the next instant, she shriek
ed,
“
Jane, get out of the house now! Velda’s coming!
”
It took me about half a beat to realize she was shouting for Velda’s benefit, not mine.
“
Meet me at the car.
”

Her voice diminished as she moved away from the cellar, presumably on her way around the house to the car. I allowed myself a moment to marvel at the ingenuity of her plan, which stood head and shoulders above Operation Hollow Feather, before listening for approaching footsteps. If Velda didn’t go for Minnie’s decoy, I was trapped.

The immediate sound of labored breathing told me she had arrived. Good thing I hadn’t tried to exit. I had no desire to come face
-
to
-
face with her ever again, especially when she was holding a gun. The light coming through the hole in the wall was suddenly blotted out. Drawing back into the deeper darkness, I held my breath as Velda hesitated in the opening. Sweat tickled my back, but I didn’t move a muscle. She was panting too hard to listen effectively, but my heart was thumping so wildly that I was sure she’d hear it.

She poked at the opening from the outside, dislodging a fresh cloud of dust and hay that tickled my nose. I willed myself not to sneeze, but I couldn’t hold it back. I pinched the bridge of my nose to stifle the sound. Had she heard it?

No. After an eternity, Velda moved off toward the house. I dared to breathe again when I heard her pound up the back porch steps. The screen door screeched open and slammed shut. Why hadn’t she run around the house, following Minnie? Maybe she was trying to trick me into coming out.
No percentage in waiting.
I’d have to chance it.

I scrambled
over the hay and through the rough brick opening, protecting my injured thumb as best I could, but the need for speed trumped everything else. After stumbling outside at last, I
looked toward the back porch. No Velda. It hadn’t been a trick.

I ran to the house, wedging myself with difficulty behind an overgrown clump of Oregon grape. There I paused, drinking in the fresh air like a tonic and hugging the wall while I considered my options. Running directly away from
the house
sounded best
, but I couldn’t chance leaving Eleanor with Velda
.
The telephone was located in the central hall, but the vision of Velda standing beside it, gun at the ready, squelched that idea. Where was Minnie? I hoped her
“
plan
”
had included going for help, but I couldn’t be sure.

The crack of three shots fired in rapid succession flattened me to the ground,
even
though they hadn’t sounded close. They’d seemed to come from the front of the house, where Minnie presumably had
headed
on her way to the car.
No, wait. Minnie
had told me that Velda intended
to move both her car and mine. Had Minnie remembered? Those shots suggested that she hadn’t.
Oh, God. Please
,
not Minnie. The image of her sprawled on the driveway, covered in blood, caused my stomach to heave. I bent at the waist, sweating, until I got control of myself. No fantasy nightmares allowed. Reality was bad enough. And there was still Eleanor. I shook my head to clear it. Think, Jane.

I
f Velda was outside, this was my best chance to reach the
telephone. I
jumped
up and
scraped
my way past the prickly leaves that had formed my hiding place,
then
sprinted up the back steps and pulled open the old-fashioned wooden screen door. It gave another unearthly shriek that probably could be heard in the next county, but the bright yellow kitchen was empty, peaceful. The green oilcloth on the sturdy table showcased an oil lamp and a jaunty set of ceramic cows holding salt and pepper. Nothing overtly threatening. It could have been any country kitchen in the state, if not for my knowledge that a murderer lurked nearby.

The blood roared in my ears as I tiptoed through the room, expecting Velda to jump out at me with every step. I peeked around the door into the dimness of the central hall. Stepping into that hallway took all the courage I could muster.
I thought of Hunter. Of Velda’s father. Of Eleanor, Minnie, and me.
Logic was not in control here. A single look at the overturned table and smashed phone on the floor told me I could scrap the idea of dialing
nine-one-one
. That was the reason Velda had come through the house. The front door gaped wide at the other end of the hall, reinforcing the likelihood that Velda was outside. What now?

Minnie might have a plan, but I certainly didn’t. Eleanor’s room was directly across the hall from the kitchen, but I didn’t dare take the time to go back and free her. Instead, I crept to the open front door and poked my head around it
.
Prepared for the sight of blood and bodies, I nearly fainted with relief at the absence of either one. Minnie’s Buick wa
sn’t out front. Only Velda’s old Dodge
remained.

Distant movement drew my eye to the far end of the long driveway, where I spotted Minnie’s plump form making her unsteady way toward the road. The much younger and more agile Velda pounded along behind her.
Those first shots had apparently been fired from too far away, but
Velda wasn’t limping, and she would catch Minnie before long.

I jumped to my feet and wrenched open the closet door.
Perfect
! I snatched up the smiley-face key ring. Bolting out the front door and down the steps, I dived into the driver’s seat
as another two shots rang out.

Minnie was still on her feet, running faster than before.
“
Hang on,
”
I muttered.

I maneuvered awkwardly to insert the key without using my injured
hand.
The engine finally roared to life.
Heedless of the rutted driveway, I
stomped the accelerator and
raced toward the running women. The car bounced crazily over the uneven surface as I steered one-handed. Velda was gaining ground steadily, and she
still clutched the revolver.

Wild to distract her,
with my good hand holding the wheel,
I slammed the
other
on
the horn. Waves of pain shot up my
arm
, but I kept at it.
Finally,
Velda
broke
stride and focus
ed
on me.
Good.
T
he
car
afforded me
partial protection
,
while Minnie was out in the open, vulnerable
.

I knew what I had to do
.

Velda
showed no squeamishness
. She grasped the gun in both hands and leveled the barrel
.

I
ducked. S
he fired twice
.
The windshield exploded
.
One hole bloomed
where
V
elda had last seen my head
.
My heart was in my throat
.

Driving blind and crouching low,
I aimed the car straight at her. Blood pounded at my temples.
“
Run away, Velda!
”
I screamed.
”
Don’t make me do this!
”

She didn’t move.

At the last second,
I muscled the car
right. I wasn’t Velda. I couldn’t kill
another human being
. A
glancing blow
should stop her
, had to stop her
.
No impact.
I’d swerved too far.
One look
out the window, and my fear doubled
. Velda
ran
alongside
me
,
then stopped,
gun pointed
directly at my face
.

I
gunned the Dodge
and
shot off
in a cloud of dust.
F
ace
twisted with malice, she
fired
.
I
steeled myself for the pain
, but it didn’t come.
The Dodge
roared on
toward Minnie,
now stopped at the end of the drive, bent over, hands on knees
.
I glanced in the
rearview mirror
. Velda stood once more in shooting stance. I again braced myself, felt my blood thump through my veins
as Velda aimed and fired again.
But
nothing
happened
. She
must be
out of bullets.

With frequent looks behind me to make sure Velda wasn’t following through the swirling dust, I approached Minnie at last. From the look of hatred I had glimpsed on Velda’s face, I half-expected her to attack us
with
her bare hands
, but she wheeled and sprinted
the other way,
toward a stand of cottonwoods that bordered the f
ield.

I pulled to a stop beside Minnie and
shook
. She
could haul herself
into the car. I didn’t think my legs would hold me if I tried to stand.

Minnie move
d slowly, too
. She looked a long time to determine which way Velda had gone before she wearily crawled into the
front seat
. Even then, she rested her head on the back of the seat and closed her eyes before speaking.
“
She
must be heading
for a car.
I like being a detective, but I think I’m too old for the fieldwork.
”

“
Me, too,
”
I said.
“
Time for Bianca and Tyler to take over.
”

“
But we’ll stay on as the brains of the outfit, right?
”
She gave me a shaky smile.

“
That goes without saying
.
”
Minnie had earned full honors today.

“
Good
.
”

“
Velda smashed the phone
, but her cell must be there somewhere
. We’ll
see to Eleanor
first.
”

“
Now, isn’t that poetic justice, using her own phone? I like it.
You don’t think
… I mean, she wo
n’t come back
?
”