Best Defense (21 page)

She looked at Larry. “The only good part was Larry moving into Herb's cell. He befriended Herb, became his friend. Herb told me he could never repay Larry for what he did. I will though. He gets a third of the ransom. That'll buy him a new identity in Mexico.”

She paused. “Now you know why. Won't keep you alive any longer, but you'll die knowing I have good reasons for what I'm doing. Hammonds is suffering, and he deserves it. And you're powerless to stop any of it.”

I nodded. “You've had a tough time of it. I can understand your grudge against John Hammonds, but why his daughter? She's done nothing to you. Will you live up to your promise and return her?”

“Not sure yet. At first, it was all about getting even with that lawyer-bastard. But now … well, I don't know. It's amazing how much some people are willing to pay for a young blond girl with good genes. Her mother was beautiful, you know. Her old man ain't bad looking, either. Larry and I are still talking about it. We might turn her loose on the street and let some cop find her. Or, maybe we'll just sell her to the highest bidder, and let someone else take the risk. They'll probably have their ways of getting her out of the country.” She paused, obviously satisfied with herself. “It won't matter to you what happens to her, though. You won't be around to see. Nope, you and your buddy will be alligator shit before then. Now, let's move.”

“Give me a minute,” I said. “There's one more thing I don't understand. If all you wanted was to kidnap Ashley, why did you kill Ms. Hammonds and the maid? That took you from thirty-forty years in the pen to death row. I don't get it.”

Edith grinned. “They have to catch us first, and that's not going to happen. We'll be long gone before the police have any trail to follow. Seven days, remember?”

“Yeah,” I said, wondering where the hell Dabba was. “What about Ms. Hammonds and Carmina, the maid?”

Edith glared at Larry, then at me. “Mistake. Simple mistake. It was our only screwup. We didn't know Ashley was in school. We thought we'd find her at home. Then we'd grab the kid and her mother. But, dear mummy decided to play heroine and try to escape. I had to kill her. That left us with the maid as a witness to murder instead of being the messenger to spread the word about the kidnapping. She had to go. Larry took care of her. Satisfied?”

“No, not satisfied. I won't be satisfied until I see you get the needle.”

Edith's smug look infuriated me, but I couldn't think of anything else to ask—or any way to swing the pendulum my way. As long as we were alive, though, there was a chance. “Okay, Dot,” I shouted, as if Dot were hard of hearing. “They have the winning hands. We're helpless here. Time to do what they say.”

Dabba had had plenty of time to act. She might have wandered off to find her next meal, or maybe she saw a little girl in pink and was following her. In either case, Dot and I were in deep trouble. However, I had a hunch there was no room, closet or not, that could keep Dot contained. She had too many street smarts to stay locked in. With her by my side, I had faith we'd prevail.

Dot had been staring at Edith during her dissertation, but now, her eyes popped over to me, saying,
You gotta be kidding
. But, as quickly as that happened, the look disappeared and she assumed an expression of defeat. “Guess you're right. This fat bitch won't fight me and they got the guns. Ain't nothing we can do but go along. C'mon Larry, baby, move that big ass and let's git it over with.”

That sealed it. Dot gave in too easy. No way. I knew she had an ace up her sleeve. I might not have known what it was, but I was sure it was there. Then the obvious sunk in. Dot had a clear view of the back door.

“You bitch, you took my Linda,” I heard before a shot sounded.

Edith dropped her gun and grabbed her chest. Larry spun toward the doorway and fired.

thirty-two

I went to my
chest and came up with my bra gun. I snapped off a shot and got lucky, catching Lawrence in the upper arm on his shooting side. His pistol clattered to the floor. He reached for it with his left hand, but Dot was faster, kicking it out of his reach.

“Hold it right there, asshole,” I snarled in my tough gal voice. “This derringer has a round left, and I'll be more accurate with the next one. I'll put it right between your eyes. Dot, hand me my Walther, please.”

That's when I noticed Dot held two guns, one in each hand. An image of Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker came to mind—well, a much older version of Ms. Dunaway.

“Can I shoot this bastard first?”

“No, not yet. Just grab my Walther. It's there, inside the door.”

Dot did as I asked, and I felt much better armed as I slipped my derringer back into its holster.

Lawrence squeezed his shoulder, blood oozing between his fingers. “Gotta hand it to you, bitch. I'd never have expected you to be armed there, other than the weapons nature gave you, I mean.”

I looked at him, trying to decide if that was his version of funny.

Edith moaned, proving she was alive. That disappointed me. I'd have been more than happy if she were dead. “Dot, keep an eye on her. Lawrence, move over and sit beside Edith. Trust me when I say Dot will blow you to hell if you blink wrong. Don't get the sniffles or dust in your eye.”

I remembered Dabba. She had to be the one who shot Edith. Where was she? I walked to the back door and looked. Dabba lay
in a pool of blood. “Oh, damn, Dabba is down,” I said, yanking my
phone from my pocket. I hit the speed dial to Chief Elston.

He answered halfway through the first ring. “Beth, you okay?”

“Yes, get your men in here to take over and call the EMTs. I
have three wounded, two I don't give a shit about and one that I do
. I want someone here to patch Dabba up now. The others can wait a few hours.”

“You heard her, Mike. Get your ass in gear.”

He had me on speakerphone. If I'd known … Hell, I'd have probably said the same thing.

“Do you have Ashley?”

“Not yet, but I'm searching as soon as I get you off the phone. Tell your site watchers to move in and grab anyone that moves. There is at least one of the kidnappers at one of the sites, name of Joe.”

“Find Ashley. I'm moving now.”

I started to close the phone, but yelled, “Hold on. Tell your men to enter easy. The one holding the guns is a friend. Don't spook her, or she might shoot the wrong target.”

“Gotcha.”

Flipping the phone shut, I said, “Dot, hold these two slugs. I'll check Dabba, then search the house.”

“Can I shoot them?”

I looked at Edith and Lawrence. Edith was in pain and scared. It showed all over her. Lawrence held his shoulder and sneered.

“Only if they move, Dot. Watch the big asshole. He thinks he's tough.”

“Don't I hope?” Dot said.

I went outside and knelt over Dabba. She was unconscious, her breath ragged, but steady. The blood came from a head wound. They always bleed a lot. When I looked closer, it appeared to be superficial. I hoped so. The flow had slowed to a trickle, which gave me hope.

Since David is the only one with medical knowledge in our twosome, all I knew to do was make her comfortable. I folded her bag and stuffed it under her head. “Hang on. Help's on the way.” In case she could hear me, I added, “I'm going after Linda.”

I returned to the inside of the house where Dot was doing a great impression of a mercenary on guard duty, lips twisted into a snarl. “I think Dabba will be okay. I'm going to search for Ashley.”

“Go on, dearie. We ain't gonna have no problems here. Are we, crumb and crumbess?”

Edith moaned.

Lawrence glared.

I moved into the main part of the house, knowing Dot had things well under control. My fear was she might have them so well under control she'd decide to use Lawrence for target practice. No time to worry about that, though. If she did, I'd come up with a story later.

A dining room opened into the living room with a hallway branching off to the left. I took it, moving slow and cautious. I didn't expect to meet any more of the gang, but I hadn't expected Lawrence to be at the back door either.

A door on the right opened when I turned the knob. Woman's bedroom. Neat, the bed made with throw pillows all over. Edith's. No Ashley. I moved on.

A second bedroom. Messy. Men's stuff thrown around. Unmade bed. Lawrence's. No Ashley.

A third door. Locked. I examined the doorknob and discovered a keyhole. Somebody had installed a regular lock in place of the kind one usually finds in a bedroom. I pushed on the door. It didn't move at all. Tight fit. Accidental or modified?

I considered retrieving the battering ram or trying to kick the door open. I was sure my adrenalin flow was so fierce, I could not only kick it open, but sail it across the room. No, couldn't take that chance. If Ashley was in there, she was probably terrified and hiding under the bed from the noise of the gunshots. Slamming into the door would only scare her worse.

I forced myself to slow down and count to ten, then did it a second time. What I needed was a simple solution, and the simplest was the key. The answer was in the kitchen—Edith. I'd pound on her until she told me where it was.

As I turned, the obvious came into view. A small hook protruded from the doorframe with a key dangling from it. I wondered why I always think complicated, when simple is such a better approach.

I lifted the key, slipped it into the lock, and opened the door. There were two nightlights, one on each side of the room. On the bed lay the most beautiful blond-headed girl I'd ever seen in my life—Ashley. I scooted over to her and stared. I could hear her breathing, soft and regular. I wanted to scream hallelujah, but backed out of the room instead. She'd never seen me before. If I woke her, she'd probably be terrified.

In the hall, I called Chief Elston again. “I have Ashley. Get Hammonds here as fast as you can. She's asleep, and I want him to be the first thing she sees when she awakens.”

“Is she okay?”

“As far as I can tell. Her breathing sounds right, and she has a smile on her face.”

“Her dad's on the way.”

“I'll stand guard until he arrives.”

I heard noises from the direction of the kitchen and realized the police had checked in. A moment later, Dot came down the hall, followed by Sargent. I held my finger to my lips in the traditional shushing sign.

When they were close, Dot said, “Medicos say Dabba will be okay. She'll have a new part in her hair for a while, but that should go away.”

Sargent said, “Body count's smaller this time. Or do you have
some others hidden in corners we haven't checked yet? We have
things under control now. You can back down.”

“Step off a tall cliff,” I said, “but be quiet about it. Ashley's asleep in there, and I'm not moving until Hammonds has her in his arms.”

“Agreed,” he said, surprising me. “Mind if I stay with you? I'm not needed out there.”

“Suit yourself.” I softened my tone. “Actually, I'd welcome it. Suddenly, I'm bone-tired.”

“Oh, my,” Dot said, giving me the eye. “Is this what y'all call bonding? I liked it better when you two were spittin' at one another.”

thirty-three

Sunrise found me sitting
in Hammonds'
kitchen, a fresh cup of coffee in front of me. Hammonds and Maddy sat across from me.

Ashley slept in her own bed, surrounded by her favorite stuffed animals. The doctor had given her a thorough check and pronounced her fine. He guessed she might have been given some kind of sedative, but he wouldn't know for sure until results of the blood test came in—later that day, the next, or it could be a couple of days. He put the rush on them, but some things can't be hurried. In the meantime, he suggested Hammonds let Ashley sleep as much as possible. The rest would help her get through the trauma of discovering her
mommy
was gone.

I was still bone-tired, but the combination of caffeine and adrenalin kept me awake. That, plus the smile I knew owned my face. It felt like it was wrapping my mouth around my ears.

“Beth, I'll never be able to thank you enough,” Hammonds said. “Without you, Ashley might be dead now.”

“Not to mention saving four-million dollars,” Maddy said.

“The money's not important,” Hammonds said. “Only Ashley counts. I can always defend a couple of scumbags to recover the funds.” He smiled, but it was obvious it was forced.

“How about your friends?” Maddy said. “Are they all right?”

“Not sure about Dabba. The EMTs said they thought the worst for her would be a superficial scalp wound and a minor concussion. But they wanted a doctor to look her over. They bundled her off to the hospital. I'll check in with her later.”

“And … what's her name, Dorothy?”

I laughed. “Not sure she'd ever answer to that, although that's probably her proper name. Dot. She calls herself Dot. She's fine, just doesn't like the bright lights. As soon as they took Dabba away, Dot gave me a hug and melted into the night. I hope I can find her tomor—uh, later today.”

“Chief Elston said you had people at each of the ransom sites,” Hammonds said. “Hope none of them got swept up when the police descended.”

“Not my friends,” I said. “They're like light-colored smoke. The slightest breeze makes them disappear. But, even if any got picked up, I'm pretty sure they're back on the street by now. I gave Bannon and Sargent a rundown on each of them.” I looked at Maddy and smiled. “If Maddy goes driving today, she will probably see some of her
taxi passengers
from yesterday working intersections. Be kind to them.”

Maddy laughed, actually laughed—first time I'd heard it. I was surprised it wasn't some kind of cackle. Maybe she wasn't the witch I'd pictured her to be.

“You could have warned me,” she said. “I didn't know what to think when they came pouring out of that bar, headed for my car.”

“Nope. My only regret is I wasn't there to see your expression. I'll ask them about it later. Should be some good stories.” I chuckled, thinking about this super-straight woman from NYC getting close to her first real homeless people.

From a baby video monitor sitting on the counter, we heard sounds of Ashley turning over.

“Look,” Hammonds said. “Before Ashley wakes up, I want to pay you.”

“No rush. I'll send a bill.”

“No,” he said. “You can't itemize what you did for me. That's impossible. Here.” He slid a check across the table to me. The payee was Beth Bowman, and he had signed it. The rest was blank. “Fill in any amount up to the four-million you saved me. Ashley is worth that and much, much more. Money will never express how strongly I feel about you, but it's all I have.”

“I can't—” That's as far as I got before his hand gripped mine.

“You can, and you will. Be generous to yourself. I owe you.”

Maddy sat beside him, beaming. “When you're next in New York, everything is on me—and I do mean everything.”

“But—”

“Hush,” Hammonds said. “I don't have much time, and we have other business.” He pushed a second check toward me.

I picked it up. This time, the payee line was blank, but it was signed and made out in the amount of fifty thousand dollars.

“That's for your friends,” John said. “I don't know their names, so I'll leave it up to you to spread it around as you see fit.” He stood. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sit beside my daughter until she wakes up.” He offered his right hand.

Tears threatened to overwhelm me as I remembered my first meeting with this man. I had suspected him of killing his wife and maid. How wrong could I have been? I shook his hand, then moved around the table. “A handshake is not enough. I need a hug.”

He complied, which was almost too much for my overloaded tear ducts. As he left the kitchen, he stopped, and turned back to me. “If you ever need anything, and there are no limits on that, you'd better come to me first. I'd offer you a well-paying job, but I don't think you'd enjoy working my side of the street. I'll tell your boss, Sly Bergstrom, though. He'd better treat you right.”

“I do have one other small thing, if you don't mind.”

He stopped and came back to me. “Name it.”

“The woman who was wounded at the house, the one they found outside. Her name is Dabba. She's a friend and was instrumental in rescuing Ashley. She has no money for hospital bills and no defense against the police—if they decide to charge her with anything.” I was thinking about the gun she'd been carrying—the one I didn't grab because my mind was wrapped around searching for Ashley. My last recollection was it had fallen by her side. “Can you help her?”

“Consider it done. I'll take care of her. Anything else?”

“No.” I tried to smile, but my face refused. Instead, I cracked, and the tears ran as he headed back to be with Ashley. Maddy took me into her arms, and I heard her sniffling, too. “He means it, and so do I. You're the kid sister we never had.”

_____

When I entered Dabba's room at the hospital, I wasn't surprised to find Dot sitting beside her bed. Dot looked clean and refreshed and wore her
damn greeter
outfit. Dabba appeared to be sleeping.

“How's she doing?” I asked.

“Nurse says fine. The bullet gave her a new part in her hair, then the doctor shaved most of her head so he could do some sewing. She won't be happy when she looks in a mirror.”

“Somehow, I don't think she was all that vain about her appearance. She'll probably just jam on a hat until it grows out. In fact, that could improve her looks.” I smiled to reinforce the joke.

“Hey, can't a girl get no rest in this place?” Dabba said. “I'm trying to sleep here. And I ain't got no hat. Gonna buy me one?”

“Any kind you want,” I said. “If you hadn't taken that bitch out, Dot and I would be alligator wrestling—or being digested. Now explain why you've been listening to every word we said without letting on you're awake. How do you feel?”

“Good. They got some mighty fine happy-juice here. You oughta try it. In fact, you look like you need it more than I do. Did you get Ashley back?”

I started. It was the first time she'd said Ashley instead of Linda. Whatever, I wasn't going there. “Yes. She's fine. Her father took her home. She was asleep in her own bed when I left his house.” I looked hard at Dabba. Her eyes were clear. If she was drugged, it didn't show.

“I'm glad.” A tear slithered from her eye, and disappeared into the pillow. “I ain't never gonna see Linda again, am I?”

I looked at Dot, who leaned forward and took Dabba's hand. “Dearie, she's gone. It's been too long. She ain't never coming back.”

Dabba turned her eyes on me.

I nodded.

“I s'pose I knew that,” she said. “But I been dreamin' so long, it's hard to stop. Do you reckon it's alright if I just keep thinkin' she's alive, still out there somewhere? As long as I keep lookin', I got a reason to live. It won't hurt nobody, will it?”

“No one can take away our dreams,” I said.

Dot kissed her on the cheek.

_____

My next stop was Bobby's Bar. En route, I called and Judy said he was on his corner, peddling newspapers. I asked her to have him meet me at the bar. She was reluctant until I explained that I had something for him—something he'd want.

When he came through the door, and I handed him the check
Hammonds gave me, his eyes almost bugged out. “I can't take this
. It's … it's …”

“Preposterous?” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “That's an excellent word for it.”

“Doesn't matter. John Hammonds is a rich man who takes care of those he cares about. You and your people now fall under that umbrella. Use the money to help them. He'll feel like he's paying a portion of a debt. Make us all feel better.”

_____

I went home and slept eighteen straight hours. I may have smiled the whole time. I had made mistakes in the Ashley Hammonds case, but none that affected the outcome. I was one proud private investigator. In the shower, I sang so loud my neighbors might have thought I'd lost my sanity.

David made it home Monday afternoon, and we celebrated being together again, celebrated several times that night. For reasons I couldn't understand, he seemed surprised I wasn't injured—not even a single lump on my head.

On Tuesday, David and I headed for Orlando where I introduced him to Mom and Ike.

Ike shook his hand while eyeing him like a father checking out his daughter's first date. Apparently, he still had his protective wings spread over me.

David passed Mom's inspection without a hitch. After all, he was a doctor.

the end