Dying For Dinner Rolls Part 20

Holding Lucy's cell phone up, I said, "You're wrong. I have proof."

Scarlett lowered her voice. "I'll just take that out of your cold, dead hands and destroy it."

"You sold it to her and then must have stolen if from her. What kind of operation are you running here?" Annie Mae flung her arms open, almost knocking over Scarlett's plant on her table. She grabbed the plant. "Sorry, JC."

"JC?" I asked.

"Jim Croce. I named it," Annie Mae said.

"So, Scarlett, tell us what happened," I said.

"Stupid Zachary put the vase into the box. Idiot. That's what I get for hiring family. Stupid foo...fool," Scarlett faltered. "When I found out, it was too late. Lucy had already picked up the box."

"You knew its value, but Lucy didn't?" Annie Mae stared Scarlett down.

"She had no idea." Scarlett's lips tightened. "Imbecile."

"So you killed her to get it back?" I asked Scarlett.

"I mean, since you're going to shoot us, why not tell us the whole story? Then at least we can die in peace." Annie Mae fidgeted in her purse.

I hoped that she was making sure her phone recorder was on.

"Put your purse on the table. Now!" Scarlett glared at Annie Mae. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Well, since you asked, you are sort of a wackadoodle." Annie Mae slid her purse on the table and then put her hands up.

"You're wrong! I'm clever enough to find a vase worth millions." Scarlett's hand trembled.

"But then you sold it for a few bucks," Annie Mae said. "So I'd say you were-"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Scarlett's neck flushed a bright crimson.

I could barely catch my breath. Scarlett had her back to the door and the gun pointed at Annie Mae and me. There were no windows and no other way out.

We were ensnared in this potpourri-scented killer's lair.

My only hope was that I had just called Jose, and he was on his way. I just hoped he got here before we were corpses. I shifted my stance, my legs buzzing with tense energy.

"By the way, nice little gun there. Is that a thirty-eight?" Annie Mae's voice was soothing and steady.

With one hand, Scarlett held the gun in our direction. The other hand she used to push a chair in front of the door.

Annie Mae slid a foot closer to Scarlett. "So, what happened with Lucy? Are you a cold-blooded killer, or what?"

Thank goodness she was doing the talking. I was so terrified I heard my heart pounding in my ears. It seemed that the walls were closing in.

"No, I am not!" Scarlett waved both hands. Her voice softened. "She wasn't supposed to be home. She'd said she'd be out that night with her chubby club. But when I broke in, she was there."

I asked, "You went through the back window?"

"How did you know?" Scarlett's voice ascended.

"We have a witness," I said.

"After all, we are detectives and did our investigation," Annie Mae added.

Of course, it was pure luck that we ended up back here. If Annie Mae hadn't found that chandelier in the dumpster then decided to see if Scarlett wanted to buy it, we wouldn't have decided to return to Blue Belle. But I wasn't going to volunteer that information.

Annie Mae put her arm around my shoulder then whispered in my ear, "Hang in there. We're going to be fine."

I gave her a weak nod. My legs felt rubbery and weak. Life was not fair. My teacher was right. Lucy was dead, and now Annie Mae and I would be, too. While a killer was free.

"Then what took place once you got into her house?" Annie Mae asked.

"I don't know...it all happened so fast." Scarlett paced in front of the door, gun still in hand. "I'd surprised her. I tried to explain what was happening, but she was standing near knives, cutting up rolls. I grabbed the knife from her hand, but she fell back and hit her head. She wasn't breathing. I...I...I panicked."

"So you staged it to look like a suicide?" Annie Mae offered.

"I didn't know what else to do. I mean, I'm not a murderer. It was an accident." Scarlett's bottom lip quivered. "Really, it was. An accident. I didn't want to hurt anyone."

Poor Lucy.

Anne Mae leaned toward Scarlett. "You call stealing her vase an accident, too?"

"Um..." Scarlett stammered. "I was just swapping out one of Biddy's vases for Lucy's vase. It was fair."

Annie Mae flung her arms in the air. "Your granddaughter's vase for a million-dollar vase? That's hardly fair."

"But my Biddy's vase is priceless," Scarlett said.

Appealing to her maternal instincts, and trying to get the aim of the gun away from us, I added, "I know what you mean. I think all of my children's artwork is priceless. And it is. So I know how you feel."

Scarlett seemed to relax her hand that held the gun. She slowly lowered it to her side. Her eyes welled up with tears. "It really was her best piece."

"Maybe to you. Not to anyone else," Annie Mae said. "Why didn't you just ask Lucy to give you the vase?"

"Lucy was such a sweet lady. And she liked you so much. I'm sure you could've worked something out." I positioned myself next to Annie Mae within clear sight of the only exit. Could we maneuver around Scarlett somehow and bolt toward the door?

"No one would hand over a multimillion-dollar vase that they paid hardly anything for." Scarlett stopped pacing. She pointed the gun back at us. "This has all gotten so mixed up. Now I have to kill you two. All I wanted was the vase. Not three dead people."

"Then how about you stop at one dead person?" Annie Mae suggested to Scarlett.

Scarlett's face softened into a smile as if she was considering Annie Mae's suggestion. But then, in an instant, she hardened her face and fired in our direction.

We both ducked. The blast echoed in the room. The bullet hit a picture on the wall, shattering the gla.s.s.

"I take that as a no," Annie Mae said.

My heart beat so loudly that I thought I could hear it echoing off the office walls.

Annie Mae screamed, "Holy smokes, are you nuts, lady?"

My kids. My husband. I had to get out of this alive for them. I whispered to Annie Mae, "Self-defense time."

Years ago, Jose had taught me a self-defense move. I tried remembering the mechanics of it as I kicked my leg up, angling it toward Scarlett's hand holding the gun. Trying to sound tough, I added a fierce grunt with the kick.

Instantly, I lost my footing and slammed to the ground, hitting my b.u.t.t bone.

Scarlett fired another shot. This time, the bullet hit a file cabinet. Thank goodness she was a c.r.a.ppy shooter.

"Are you okay?" Annie Mae scurried to me and held her hand out to pull me up.

"Yes." My tailbone throbbed as Annie Mae helped me to my feet.

"I got this." Annie Mae flung herself, like a human wrecking ball, at Scarlett, knocking the gun out of her hand. The gun slid under the table. I tried to figure out how to get it before Scarlett did.

Annie Mae pulled her shoulders back. "Self-defense, my a.s.s, you just need bulk."

"You-you're crazy." Scarlett jumped on top of Annie Mae, knocking her to the ground.

Scarlett clung to Annie Mae's back. Seeing Annie Mae in trouble, I hopped on top of Scarlett. The three of us were stacked up like a monkey pile, all of our arms flailing and all of us screaming and grunting. Annie Mae freed herself from the pile. Scarlett twisted and grabbed my neck.

No one touches my neck.

Terror caused me to have tunnel vision. I pummeled Scarlett as I tried to get her hands off my throat. I grabbed her hair. A huge chunk came out in my hand. It was a scratchy, tangled, brunette mess that smelled of hair spray.

Hair extension? I tossed it aside.

Scarlett's hands were soft and tiny, but they had a vise hold on my neck. I sucked in a breath but couldn't swallow or speak.

Scarlett and I flipped over. I gasped for air.

The suffocating sensation overcame me. I felt lightheaded and faint.

Righting herself, Annie Mae yanked Scarlett's hands away from my neck.

"You're a powerful little thing aren't you?" Annie Mae held Scarlett's arms behind her back. "Do you get strength injections with all that Botox?"

Scarlett let out a bloodcurdling scream. "b.i.t.c.hes!"

"Now, now. I suggest you keep your mouth shut. If you don't, you will see me go crazy all over you." Annie Mae tightened her grip on Scarlett. Annie Mae panted, "And by the way, you don't deserve to own a plant, so I'm taking yours to keep mine company."

Sweat drenched my shirt. I was shaking as I stood, rubbing my backbone. I put my hand on Annie Mae's arm. "Thanks for getting her off me."

The door flew open, knocking over the chair. Jose ran in, gun drawn. "Freeze!"

Annie Mae kept a hold of Scarlett, both of them huffing.

Scarlett's dress was hiked up, her one shoe was off, and her hair, what was left of it...well, not so pretty.

I pointed at Scarlett, panting, and said, "She killed Lucy."

"Everyone stand still. Line up against that wall facing me. Hands visible." Jose lowered his gun. "I need to hear what is going on, right now."

We lined up against the back wall. Scarlett stood, back against the wall, straightening her dress.

"Scarlett is a killer. She has Lucy's vase." Annie Mae waved her phone in the air. "You heard it all, didn't you?"

Jose held his palm facing us. "Most of it."

"He did?" I asked Annie Mae.

"I didn't have time to set up the recorder, so I just hit Jose's number."

"Good job." I high-fived Annie Mae.

Scarlett held her chin up high and kept her mouth shut and her eyes on Annie Mae.

As we finished retelling Jose the story, Annie Mae said, "Thanks for letting us break in, or we would've never figured it out otherwise."

"Letting you break in?" Jose stared at me and then at Annie Mae. "I approved no such thing."

I held my thumb and forefinger close together. "Maybe I told a little white lie."

"You need to arrest them. They've just admitted to a crime." Scarlett thrust a bony finger at Annie Mae and me.

"I don't think you're in a position to point fingers." Annie Mae went nose to nose with Scarlett. "You're a murderer."

"You're a criminal and a pain in the a.s.s." Scarlett leaned in, almost touching Annie Mae.

To avoid a fight, I moved between them. I didn't want Annie Mae getting hurt. I looked at Jose. "Sorry about the little white lie."

Jose sucked in deep breath and looked at me. "I'll deal with you later."

"Arrest them for breaking into my office." Scarlett ran over to Jose.

My heart raced as I spit out, "Then arrest her for murder and theft and... and..."

"Over use of plastic surgery," Annie Mae added.

"What?" Scarlett bolted toward Annie Mae.

Jose held an arm up and stopped Scarlett in her tracks.

"Sorry. But, really, just look at her face. There's a lot of fillers in there." Annie Mae shrugged.

Scarlett stomped her foot. "I need my lawyer. Now."