Murder of a Creped Suzette

had closed the front door. If she could get loose, she could make a run for it. But where would she go?

While Darleen was searching the second floor, Skye tried to think of a place to hide if she managed to free herself from Gary’s chokehold. Too bad it wasn’t as warm as the previous week; she could have headed for the river and swum away from her captors.

Darleen’s whiny voice broke into Skye’s thoughts. She scuttled down the staircase, complaining, “You should see the fancy bathroom this bitch has. No wonder Wally refuses to give me the money I deserve. He’s spending it all on her.”

“Hey.” Skye couldn’t let that pass. “I paid for that myself by working for my cousin. And believe me, that job was no piece of wedding cake.”

“Yeah. Right.” Gary made a scornful noise. “Now, ladies, if that’s settled, was anyone up there? Or did you spend all your time in the bathroom, Dar?”

“Oops! Sorry, Gary.” Darleen covered her mouth. “It’s all clear.”

“Then check the rest of the house.” Gary’s voice took on an impatient edge, and as Darleen ran toward the kitchen, he sneered, “What a dimwit.”

“She has a college degree, so she can’t be too dumb,” Skye retorted. She hated it when men talked badly about their girlfriends.

“That was before the coke and the weed and the pills.” Gary snickered. “That’s why I don’t take none of that shit. Did you see that commercial on TV with the egg? The one that says, ‘This is your brain on drugs’?”

“Yes.” Skye heard Toby barking. When he abruptly quieted, she flinched. What if Darleen had hurt the little dog? She knew Bingo would be okay. The cat would have fled at the first sign of an intruder. “Glad to see the public service announcement made an impression.”

“I like to be in control,” Gary confided. “If you’re high, you’re not in control.”

“Very true.” Since he was chatting, Skye tried once more to talk her way out of the situation. “I noticed your cross. Do you really think God would approve of what you’re doing to me?”

“Probably not.” Gary gave a mocking laugh. “See, I figure it like this—God may be my copilot, but the devil makes a better bombardier.”

Cripes! What was it about her that attracted all the psychos? So much for her counseling skills. Maybe if she could find out what the goon wanted, she could hand it over and get him out of there. “If you’re looking for cash or valuables, you picked the wrong person to rob.”

“You’re the valuable, sweet cheeks.” Gary chuckled at his own wit. “Your man may not be willing to pay to get that letter you two want, but from what Dar says, and from what I’ve seen this week while I was watching you guys, he’ll hand over some serious cash to get you back in one piece. That dude is so damn gaga over you he’d probably even take a bullet to save you.”

“That’s the first smart thing you’ve said.” Wally’s voice came from behind the thug’s back. “Now take your hands off my fiance, or I’ll shoot.”

Skye turned her head as much as she could, and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Wally had his gun pressed to the creep’s temple.

Gary howled a string of profanities, and Wally snarled, “Don’t give me an excuse to pull this trigger.” His .38 “accidently” slipped, clipping the creep on the side of the head. “I may not have a license to kill, but I do have a learner’s permit.”

“I can snap her neck in a second,” Gary threatened, tightening his grip on Skye.

“Not before I put a bullet in that pea-size brain of yours.” Wally’s voice was menacing. “You have until the count of three. And think about this—I’d love to save the county the cost of your trial. One.”

The guy didn’t move.

“Two.”

He wavered, his arm loosening slightly. “Come on, man. Just a little—”

“Thr—” Wally interrupted the thug’s plea.

Gary swore and released Skye. As soon as she was free, she darted behind Wally.

A second later Darleen rushed into the foyer holding her arm, which was dripping blood. “Look what that little mutt did to me when I tried to put him outside.” She stumbled to a stop, her eyes bulging. “What the f—?”

“Both of you lie down, face to the floor, hands behind your back,” Wally commanded as he waved Darleen over to her boyfriend.

“What did you do to Toby?” Skye tried to rush past Wally, but he grabbed her shoulder.

“I opened the back door and he ran out.” Darleen’s tone was triumphant as she and Gary obeyed Wally’s orders. “I hope he gets run over by a car or eaten by a coyote.”

Skye tried to get past Wally again, but he said, “We’ll deal with that later. Toby’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s waiting on the step. Okay?”

“Okay,” Skye agreed, but she cast a worried glance toward the backyard.

“Is it just the two of them?”

“I think so.”

“Here. Take my gun and keep it pointed at the guy’s head.” Wally handed her the pistol and snatched the handcuffs from his gun belt.

Once he had patted down the prone man for weapons and cuffed him, he turned to Darleen and patted her down as well, then used a white plastic strip to fasten her hands. Stepping away from the trussed couple, Wally took the .38 back from Skye and used his radio to call for backup.

Only then did he address Darleen. “Here’s the deal. Your boyfriend is going away for a long, long time. Assaulting a police employee is a felony. You, on the other hand, can do some good for yourself.”

“How?” Darleen gave Wally a calculating look. “Do I have to testify against Gary?”

The goon protested, but Wally pointed his gun at the guy’s knee and said, “If you make another sound, you’ll be limping the rest of your life.” He turned his attention back to Darleen. “Yes. You’ll need to testify, and you’ll also need to write that letter I requested—the truthful version, not the lies you threatened to write.”

“Not without the money you owe me.” Darleen’s skin was pasty and she had dark circles under her eyes. “I need it. I’m not well.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sick.” Darleen’s face had turned an unhealthy shade of red. “Isn’t that enough?”

Skye noticed Wally’s expression soften, so she quickly said, “Her boyfriend mentioned she’s been using cocaine, marijuana, and some form of pills.”

“You bitch!” Darleen screamed, tears running down her cheeks. “You’ve got my husband—isn’t that enough? His father’s a fricking millionaire. All I want is what’s rightfully mine. What I would have gotten if I hadn’t been so damn naive and signed that prenup.”

“Your ex-husband,” Skye reminded her. “I’m not trying to take anything from you, but we can’t give you money to buy drugs.”

“On the other hand,” Wally said, “if you write a letter telling what really happened in our marriage, not the false account you tried to use to blackmail me, I will pay for you to go to rehab and I won’t charge you as an accomplice.”

“Rehab is for quitters.”

“Darleen.” Wally’s voice had a steel edge.

“You win,” Darleen bleated, laying her head down on the floor. “You always win.”

After Darleen and her boyfriend were picked up by Sergeant Quirk and taken to the Scumble River jail, Skye rescued Toby, who was indeed waiting on the back step. Then she and Wally took their food to the sunroom and ate their long-delayed supper. Toby was sitting at Skye’s feet and Bingo at Wally’s. Both animals were on red alert, watching for any scraps that might fall.

“How did you know I was in trouble?” Skye asked. “Was it the strange car in my driveway?”

“There’s no vehicle out there.” Wally shook his head. “They must have hiked in. My officers found a stolen SUV parked a few feet down the road.” He smiled at her. “It was the open door that tipped me off. You’re a creature of habit and you always keep it shut.”

“Oh.” Skye pursed her lips. She was happy Wally had rescued her, but she hated being so predictable. Tomorrow she would definitely come up with a plan to be spontaneous. “Is it really a felony to assault a police