“Is Chris here?”
She looks them over. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
“I’m Willow Breeland, and this is Cameron Mason.”
“And how do you know my husband?”
Willow and Cameron exchange a look, then notice the concern in Kathy’s face.
“I think you should leave,” Kathy says.
She starts to close the door, but Willow wedges her foot inside the frame, pulls Bobby’s 9 millimeter from her purse and sticks it in Kathy’s face.
Kathy says, “Oh, God!” and backs into her living room.
Willow and Cameron follow her in, and Cameron locks the door.
“Jesus, Willow!” Cameron says.
“Please,” Kathy says. “Take whatever you want.”
“You told her our names!” Cameron says.
Willow sighs. “I know. Shit!”
Kathy says, “We’ve got a safe in the bedroom closet.”
“Shut up!” Willow says. “I need to think.”
Kathy backs up to the couch and sits down. She’s shaking so hard her teeth are chattering.
Cameron says, “Show us the safe.”
They head back to the bedroom, but when they reach the hall, Willow says “Shhh!” and makes them stop.
To Kathy she whispers, “Who’s back there?”
“N-no one.”
“Then why do I hear water running?”
“I was running water for my bath. I’ve been out of town and-”
“I’ll check it out,” Cameron says. “If I scream, shoot Kathy. Then come get me.”
Willow’s eyes get big, but not as big as Kathy’s.
“Want to change your story about running water for the bath?” Cameron says.
Kathy shakes her head no.
Cameron disappears into the bedroom.
“Please,” Kathy whispers. “You’re not like her. I can feel it.”
“Please be quiet,” Willow says.
“Don’t let her kill me!” Kathy says.
“We’re not going to kill you. We just want what’s ours.”
“What does that mean?” Kathy says.
Before Willow can answer, Cameron comes back in the hallway and says, “She was telling the truth.”
“You didn’t turn off the water?” Willow says.
“We’ll turn it off in a minute. First, let’s see how much money they’ve got.”
It takes three tries, but Kathy finally gets the safe open, and Willow counts out fifteen hundred in fifties and twenties.
“That’s it?” she says.
“There are some gold coins in the back,” Kathy says. “And jewelry.”
“Too risky,” Cameron says.
Willow looks at the cash, then at Cameron. Her lip quivers, thinking about the beating she’s going to get. She’s about to cry.
“You can have my half,” Cameron says.
“No. That wouldn’t be fair.”
“You can pay me back later. There’s enough here to pay Bobby and still put five hundred into our secret fund.”
“You’re the best, Cameron.”
“You too.”
They look at Kathy.
Cameron says, “She knows our names.”
“I know. I’m sorry!”
“Please,” Kathy says. “There’s no need to hurt me. I won’t say a word.”
Willow frowns. “That is such bullshit!”
She turns to her friend. “Talk to me, Cam.”
Cameron says, “Give me the gun.”
Willow says, “You can’t just shoot her.”
“No. But I can make her walk into the bathroom.”
Kathy says, “You don’t need the gun. I’ll go in the bathroom.”
The three women enter the bathroom where two of them showered ten hours ago. Willow notices a different facecloth on the shower bench, which means Chris probably cleaned up before leaving. Cameron points at the large whirlpool tub on the far side of the room and says, “Get on your hands and knees, and lean your head over the edge of the tub.”
Kathy pauses.
“Hand me the gun, Willow,” Cameron says.
She does, then turns off the water.
“Please,” Kathy says. “I’m begging you. Don’t shoot me!”
“I’m not going to shoot you.”
“I wish I could believe you.”
“We’re going to tie your hands behind your back and you’re going to give us two full hours before calling anyone.”
“I won’t tell a soul about this. Not even Chris.”
Willow says, “It’s Chris’s fault this happened in the first place!”
Kathy’s confused, but she lowers herself to the floor and gets on her hands and knees. She positions her neck over the side of the tub and puts her hands behind her back.
“What can we tie her with?” Willow says.
“They’ve got phones in the bedroom and kitchen. Remove the phone cords while I keep an eye on Kathy,” Cameron says. “But hurry!”
“Okay.”
When Willow leaves the room, Cameron smashes the side of Kathy’s head with the gun butt.
Kathy’s arms start to jerk. She tries to raise up. Cameron puts her mouth next to Kathy’s ear and whispers, “Do you have any idea what your husband did to us? It’s payback time, bitch!”
She slams the butt of the gun against Kathy’s head again, and her body goes slack. Cameron locks her arm under Kathy’s left armpit and tries to hoist her up over the edge of the tub into the water.
But she’s too heavy.
Knowing Willow will be back any minute, Cameron gets on the floor and works her shoulders under Kathy’s legs and pushes upward. Of course this action requires Cameron’s face to be pressed into Kathy’s butt, and she thinks if Willow walks in at this precise moment she’ll wonder what the hell Cameron’s doing to the lady of the manor.
It’s not pleasant, but it’s the only way she can raise Kathy high enough to get her head under water.
It works.
Kathy’s waist is on the edge of the tub, her face in the water.
Cameron scrambles to her feet and pushes Kathy’s head in deeper and holds it there. Moments later Willow enters the room with the phone cords in her hand and screams, “Omigod! You killed her!”
“I had to!”
“No! Jesus, Cam! Let her up!”
Willow turns off the water.
Cameron says, “She tried to kill me!”
