Deadly Double

“Where’s Josephine, Michelle? What did you do with her?”

A high, eerie cackle reverberated off the walls surrounding Ming. The laughter didn’t help locate Michelle since it seemed to be coming from all directions. There was no doubt in her mind the tables had just turned and she was now the hunted.

Ming drew a deep breath and reengaged in her tactical objective. “What’s so funny, Michelle? Did you harm Josephine?”

In answer, a shot was fired, and a vase exploded near Ming’s head. She turned to her immediate left and then tumbled over a glass table. As she fell sideways, she fired her weapon blindly, but she was stunned when her head banged off the corner of another table.

“Focus, focus. Stay in focus,” she whispered, but the pain raced through her head like a locomotive and darkened the edges of her vision. Michelle’s voice floated threatening in the air above Ming, and she fired at a moving blur. “Say hi to Josie for me,” Michelle cackled from the upstairs landing. A gun fired.

Michelle slammed into the wall behind her with a shriek and dropped her weapon. Slowly, her eyes lowered to her blue chemise and stared in horror at the blossoming red rose.

“Anything you want to say, you say it to me,” Josie shouted, as she kept her gun trained above her. When Michelle fell back, she also disappeared from view, but Josie waited and strained her ears for the slightest sound.

Then suddenly she saw a gun and dived for cover. Two quick shots were fired and punctured two holes in the wall, where Josie had last stood.

“You think you can take me?” Michelle’s high cackle echoed through the house.

Josie crawled along the floor, hoping to find a spot not visible from the landing above her. What in the hell is she doing? She urged herself to remain calm, but the house had gone too quiet. Where the hell is she now? Josie glanced across the room to the fallen woman. Was she another cop? Were there more? “Peek-a-boo,” Michelle sang.

Another shot rang out, and Josie felt the sting of a bullet gaze her face, but she wasted no time in firing back in the same direction bullet came. At the sound of Michelle’s startled gasp and a hard thud, Josie guessed she had hit her mark.

She inched out of her hiding place for a better view of the landing over her. She didn’t see anything. Is Michelle dead?

Her attention flew back to the Asian woman on the floor, and she decided to first check on her. She knelt and felt for a pulse. The woman was still breathing, but one of her ears was bleeding.

A couple of minutes had passed, and Josie still heard nothing from upstairs. She needed to check. She needed to see if it was finally over.

The woman stirred.

Josie lowered her weapon to ask whether she was all right and was completely taken by surprise when the woman placed a gun at her temple. “Don’t shoot.” “Come to finish me off, Michelle?” The Asian managed awkwardly to rise from the floor. “Drop your weapon.” “You don’t understand. I’m…” “Drop it!” Josie slowly lowered her gun. “You’re making a mistake. I’m Josephine Ferrell.” “Sure you are, and I’m...” The woman’s eyes narrowed, and then roamed over Josie’s attire. “She’s telling the truth,” a man voice floated toward. Josie turned to see the same police cop from lake.

The female cop lowered her weapon, but she continued to look at Josie with surprise. “Please, place your weapon on the floor,” she instructed. She glanced at Det. Simmons again and at his encouraging nod, she did as she was told. “Where is Andrews?” “Upstairs,” Josie answered. “I shot her before she could finish you off.” The woman looked to her partner. “Check it out.” He nodded and raced across the living room. “Detective Delaney.” The woman stretched out her hand. Josie glanced at it, and then accepted the handshake. “Nice to meet you.” “Got to tell you, I thought you were dead.” “I nearly was.” “We got a problem,” Simmons yelled from the upstairs’ landing. Josie and Det. Delaney looked up. Simmons met each of their gazes. “There’s a trail of blood up here, but Andrews is gone.”

#

Michelle crawled inside the red Jaguar and placed the gun in her lap as a river of sweat tickled down the sides of her face. The pain spreading across her body was nearly unbearable, but she had to get out there.

You still could have finished them off.

She ignored the voice and struggled to put her key into the ignition.

She was right there in front of us. Right there.

“I need to get out of here,” Michelle panted, still fumbling with the keys.

What are you talking about? We can’t leave until we kill them. Go back in there.

“Please shut up.” She finally slid in the right key and punched for the door of the garage to open. “I just need to get somewhere so I can think.”

There’s nothing to think about. You have to kill them all. It’s the only way.

“N-no. I can’t,” she moaned. “I have to t-think. My chest hurts.”

Stop whining. This is what you always do when the going gets rough. You wanted this, remember? You wanted to be Josephine. Suck it up and get back in there and take care of business. “Shut up.” Michelle groaned and shifted the car into drive. However, the moment she pulled out the garage she stopped. In front of her, and to her astonishment, a long trail of flashing blue-and-white lights charged up the driveway. “The police.”

The voice’s high-pitched cackle rattled her eardrums. She pressed her fingers inside of her ears and tried to block out the sound.

What did I tell you? I knew you’d screw this up. What are you going to do now?

“Andrews, get out of the car.”

Michelle glanced to her left to see Det. Delaney pointing a gun in her direction.

See? What did I tell you? You should have killed that bitch when you had the chance.

Michelle’s hand lowered and drifted the gun in her lap.

Shoot her now. We never liked her anyway.

“Shut up.” She hit her head against the butt of the gun. “I have to think. I need to think.”

“Andrews, lower the weapon.”

Shoot her, dammit.

Michelle rocked in her seat and banged her head even harder while one side her body seemed to grow numb. “Think. I just need to think.”

There’s no time to think. “Shut up,” she cried, desperately wanting some peace. “Andrews!” Michelle glanced at the cop again, and this time still noticed Josephine standing just inches behind her.

You need to take at least one of them out. It’s only fair.

“I swear if you don’t shut up.” She placed the gun’s nozzle against her temple.

I knew you’d wimp out. You’re pathetic. A lost cause.

“Please, just shut up.”

“Andrews, put the gun down. It doesn’t have to end like this.”

No. It’s going to end with you in an eight-by-ten cell with straightjacket on.

“I’m warning you,” Michelle hissed, as tears rolled from her eyes.

That’s where you belong, anyway. You know it. Your parents knew it as well.

“Andrews!”

“I said shut up,” Michelle screamed, pulled the trigger, and finally quieted the voice forever.

Chapter 39

“It’s over,” Josie whispered, and was surprised to feel the trickle of tears as she stared unblinkingly at the