her middle and pinned her to the ground. 'No.'
'Oh really?' She wiggled, twisting out from under me. 'Then what is?'
My mind instantly flashed on a dark stubbled jaw, a sleek panther trailing down one thick bicep, and a pair of dark espresso eyes.
But instead of answering, I rolled to the right, twisting Wonder Boot under me and pinning her beneath its bulk. I grabbed both her hands and sat on her chest.
'Ha! Who's girly now, huh?' I asked.
She narrowed her eyes at me. Then looked to her right.
We'd rolled along the floor until we were right next to the bed. And the gun.
Oh shit.
In one swift movement she reached up and had the gun in both hands.
A wicked grin overtook her features. Made all the more creepy looking by the fact that our tussle on the floor had her white blonde hair sticking up like an Edgar Winter Mohawk.
'Get off me,' she seethed between clenched teeth.
I put my hands up in a surrender motion and slowly stood up.
'What's going on out there. Who won?' Mrs. Rosenblatt asked from the bathroom.
'Shut up!' Charlene yelled. Punctuating this by shooting at the bathroom door.
I thought I heard Mom's voice shout a 'Holy shit,' but my mother never swore.
'You,' Charlene said, straight-arming the gun at me. 'You have been more trouble than you're worth. Up against the wall.'
I complied, my hands still up, backing up until I felt my back hit the wallpaper.
'Just tell me one thing,' I said, doing a silent prayer that someone – anyone – had heard the gunshots.
She narrowed her eyes at me. 'A dying request?'
'Why kill Gisella? Was it because she was getting sloppy?'
She shook her head. 'Gisella was always sloppy. She was so obvious no one would have ever suspected her.'
'So then why kill her?'
Her eyes went cold. 'Because of Felix. I killed her because she was dating Felix. Felix was mine! He wasn't supposed to marry her. There was no way I could let that greedy little stick figure ruin everything. Felix belongs to me. That castle belongs to me!' She paused, reigning in her volume. 'And, so, I had to put an end to our business arrangement.'
She took a step forward, the gun pointed at my chest. 'Just like I'm putting an end to this farce. Goodbye – Maddie,' she said, her voice low, her eyes flat.
Chicken that I am, I closed my eyes. I know. Silly. But if my brains were going to be splattered all over this lovely Parisian hotel room, that wasn't the last thing I wanted to see.
I held my breath and felt tears well up.
And my last irrational thought as I stood there was that I was sorry. So amazingly sorry for dragging Mom and Mrs. Rosenblatt into this. Sorry that I'd ever thought the killer could be Felix. And most of all, sorry that I'd hurt Ramirez. A picture of his face as he'd stared at me through the doorway of Felix's room haunted me as the tears fell down my cheeks in wet, hot streams. I would never, ever be able to forgive myself for hurting him. I hoped though that maybe, some day, he might forgive me.
I did a little hiccup sob as I heard the chamber of Charlene's gun cock, time seeming to stand still.
I held my breath, turned my head in anticipation.
But the next sound I heard was not the report of gunfire ripping into me, but the sound of a door bursting open.
I peeked one eye open.
'Freeze!' a voice yelled.
I froze. Willing myself not to pee my pants.
Until I realize the command was not directed at me – but at Charlene.
Only she wasn't quite as compliant as I was. She turned her gun on the voice, shooting off two rounds.
'What's going on out there!' Mrs. R cried from the bathroom.
'Duck, Betty,' she told my mom.
The voice returned fire, hitting Charlene once in the shoulder and again in the kneecap. She screamed, dropping her gun and falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Then three armed officers wearing bullet proof vests ran into the room, converging on Charlene. One applied pressure to her gunshot wounds while another stuck handcuffs at her back and yet a third kept a gun trained on her.
I blinked, the air rushing out of me, the tears flowing freely again, but for a whole different reason as I looked up and saw the fourth guy walk into the room.
Moreau.
I shook my head, my mouth moving but no words coming out. Finally I managed one. 'How…?'
Moreau smiled. 'You didn't really think I suspected you, did you?'
My shoulders sagged and I crumpled to the ground.
Among cries from the bathroom of, 'What the hell is going on out there?!'
Chapter Twenty
I'm not sure how long I was crumpled like that on the floor, but at some point a uniformed officer scooped me up and moved me across the hall to another hotel room full of police scanners, walkie talkies, and other electronic devise I couldn't begin to guess the functions of. He sat me on the edge of the bed and a man in a white uniform with a red cross on it asked me a bunch of questions in French, to which I just shook my head, more tears falling. Finally he gave up, pulling out a first aid kit and checking me from head to toe. I had a few bruises, and very sore roots, but other than that I think he gave me a clean bill of health. I think, as he did it all in French. Though my leg throbbed like crazy under Wonder Boot. I guess fighting off a homicidal maniac was putting a little more pressure on it than Doctor Pontytail would advise.
I don't know long my exam took, but a few minutes later, Mom and Mrs. Rosneblatt were ushered across the hall, as well. I jumped up, giving them both a hug. For a second we kind of stuck to each other from the duct tape residue, but I didn't care. I'd never been so happy to see anybody in my life.
'I've never been so happy to see you in my life,' Mom said, voicing my exact thoughts. 'Oh, honey, are you okay?'
She finally pulled back a moment to look at me. I'm pretty sure I had long, horror movie streaks of mascara running down my cheeks, but at least I was minus gunshot wounds.
Which was more than I could say for Charlene. I could still hear her howling across the hallway as more guys in white stabilized her.
The man with the red cross did a repeat of his head-to-toe with Mom and Mrs. R, checking their persons. Mrs. R said the guy got a little fresh, but I'm pretty sure that was just wishful thinking on her part. Finally they were pronounced fine. A little dehydrated and hungry from being locked up and given drugged tea for two days. But a meal and some fluids and they'd be okay.
Which prompted another round of sticky hugging and grateful tears all around.
Finally, the guy with the first aid kit left and Moreau walked into the room.
'Madame Springer, Mademoiselle Rosenblatt,' he said, nodding in Mom and Mrs. R's directions. Then his eyes settled on me. 'Mademoiselle Springer. We meet again.'
I crossed my arms over my chest. 'Yes we do. And I think it's you who has some explaining to do this time. What did you mean back there about not suspecting me?'
The dead squirrel on Moreau's upper lip shifted and I think it might have been his attempt at a smile. He sat down on an armchair opposite the bed.
'I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark, but I knew as long as the killer thought you were the prime suspect, she wouldn't flee.'
