Lucky Charm (18 page)

Annabel smiled, doing her best to feign enthusiasm
. U
p until now
,
she had only seen guns in movies, and she would prefer to keep it that way. What if she did something wrong and broke the gun or, worse, shot somebody by accident? She did not want to go to jail for simply trying to go the extra mile for her boss.

“It’ll be my pleasure to show you around.” Francine started the
car
ignition and st
eered the
j
eep
onto the road.

Annabel had lived in
New Jersey
for a good part of her life, but she had never been this far out into it. As the car drove up the narrow road that led to the range, she was struck by how different the landscape looked from the
New Jersey
she knew
. G
one were the closely populated uniform houses and manicured lawns; instead, the stretches of land between the properties were as vast as were the differences between the houses themselves: some were relatively pristine and some barely larger than shacks. The area seemed scarcely populated and almost deserted, evoking images of the Wild West.
It looks like the kind of place where you might get shot at if you get lost and go asking for directions
, Annabel thought, shivering.

As if reading Annabel’s thoughts
,
or more likely her expression, Marlene Parker remarked, “It took me a while to find the right plot of land for the range. At first I was thinking about the City, but with the prices of real estate there
,
it was out of the question
. B
esides, I didn’t want it to be some fancy schmancy country club
.
I wanted it to have character and authenticity. I thought about
Yonkers
or
Connecticut
, but the right plot
s of land did not come up, and
then I got a call about this place. Years ago it used to be a farm, but it wasn’t used for years
,
and the kid who inherited the property from his uncle was barely out of college and wanted to get rid of it fast so that he could party with the money, I imagine. So we struck a deal fast
,
and the work began. I had to level out the whole place
,
and at some point I thought it would never get done or
would
run me into ruin, but in the end it worked out
,
and now we get all kind
s
of clients – women coming from all over the tri-state area. I think it’s the only women-only shooting range in the country so far,” Marlene announced proudly.

“I’m still amazed by how revolutionary the idea is!” exclaimed Paige. “It was definitely long overdue.”

And Paige definitely knows how to smooth talk clients
, Annabel thought, but then it would be surprising if she did not
. I
t was her business.

“We are getting close
. W
e’ll be there in less than five minutes,” Francine announced, pointing to the sign that read
“
Artemis Club
”
on the gates.

Annabel did not need to see the sign to know that they were getting close
. S
he could hear distant gunshots coming from behind the gates and felt her palms grow clammy with perspiration.

“Well, you three go on ahead
.
Franny will take good care of you, and I’ll join you shortly. I just need to go over a few things in the office,” Mrs. Parker announced once they got out of the car.

“Right this way.” Francine motioned for Annabel and Paige to follow her. “Over there is the shooting range.” Francine pointed to the open wooden construction on her right. “We provide guns and bullets, but clients have the option of bringing their guns as long as they are licensed.”

Even on a Monday morning it was busy
,
and Annabel could see several women aiming at the targets.

“Weekends are the busiest, but we get lots of housewives during the week,” Francine explained. “So
,
let’s get you over to the visitor’s center to watch the safety video.”

As Francine turned on the video, Annabel looked at her watch
. I
t was already half past two, and
she
wondered what time the range closed, hoping that the video would not leave much time for
much
actual shooting.

“I can’t wait to get out there!” Paige exclaimed twenty minutes later, which was how long the instruction video lasted. “Isn’t this great, Ann?”

Annabel nodded in meek agreement.

“I’m thinking a twenty-
five caliber for the both of you?” Francine suggested.

“Whatever you think is best,” Annabel cut in.

“Sounds like a good starting point, but after that could we move up to something a bit more powerful?” Paige asked.

“Sure thing.” Francine grabbed a larger rifle.

Once they were inside the shooting range, Francine reiterated the safety instructions that they heard earlier in the video. Then, she handed them ear plugs to protect their ears from the firing noise – a welcome addition indeed, as Annabel felt like running for cover each time the woman in the adjacent slot fired at her target
. S
he seemed to be really into it, but one would never tell
it
by her looks
. D
ressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair pulled into a no-thrills ponytail, she looked like your typical suburban housewife, but her tame appearance did not stop her from hitting the bull’s eye of her target each time she pulled a trigger.

“Why don’t you go first, Ann,” Paige suggested.

“Oh, that’s all right
. G
o ahead.”

“Go on, Annabel. Let me help you get set up.” Francine showed Annabel how to position the rifle correctly against the sandbags that she put on the parapet for stability. “Just press the back of the gun against your shoulder like this
,
and concentrate on your target
. D
on’t
think about anything else but the target. Then wait between breaths
,
and press the trigger.”

Annabel pressed the gun against her shoulder and tried to do as she was told. Even getting her finger in the vicinity of the trigger was terrifying, let alone pulling it. The target was one hundred yards away
. S
he was certain that she would never make it, but she would try anyway, to humor her boss.

“Focus on the target, Ann.” Francine reminded her.

Annabel took a deep breath and found the sound of her heartbeat. Then she pressed the trigger.

“Excellent work!” Francine exclaimed. “It appears we have a natural!”

“It must be beginner’s luck.” Annabel blushed, still in disbelief that she had hit the bull’s eye.

“
Didn't that feel good?
”
asked Paige.

“
It did.
”
Annabel nodded
. I
t felt surprisingly good.

“
Go on,
”
Francine encouraged her.
“
You can shoot as much you'd like
. T
here are plenty of bullets.”

This time it was easier
. A
sense of calmness descended upon her
. N
othing other than the rifle and the target existed in her mind. Again, she listened to her heartbeat as she pressed the trigger and hit
the
bull’s-eye
a
second time in a row.

“
O
kay
, now it's my turn!
”
Paige moved closer to her side of the parapet. With a series of fluid motions
,
she loaded up the gun and balanced it on the parapet as she leaned in close to the rifle to take aim.

“
Another bull’s eye! You girls sure know what you're doing!
”
Francine clapped her hands.

Paige's eyes gleamed with self-satisfaction.
“
I'm just glad that I haven't lost my touch. Let me try my hand at something a bit more powerful.
”

“By all means.” Francine handed Paige a larger caliber rifle.

Annabel loaded her rifle and aimed again
. I
t was the moment of taking aim that she liked the most
. I
n that moment
,
everything else vanished from her mind as her inner senses focused on the task at hand.

Just after she fired another shot, she heard a rambling of voices a few steps away and was fairly certain that one of them belonged to Mrs. Parker. After securely putting away her rifle, Annabel turned around and saw that she had indeed been correct
.
Marlene Parker was walking toward them, followed by a man dressed in jeans and khaki shirt. He looked to be in his early fifties
.
H
is longish
,
salt
-
and
-
pepper hair was slicked back
. H
is handsome face was weathered like that of a man who
has
spent a lot of time outdoors, and he had a mustache, which made him look like a cowboy from a Western.

“
For the hundredth time, you've heard me, Mr. Sunderland
.
I'm not interested in selling my shooting range to you,
”
Marlene snapped.
“
Now would you please leave me alone?
”

“
I apologize if I have offended you in any way,
ma
’am.
”
Mr. Sunderland tipped his hat.
“
I did not realize how passionate you are about your range
,
and now that I have seen it for myself, I understand why
. I
t is not only a great property that you have here
. I
t’s far more than that
. T
here’s a spirit about this place that’s unlike any of the ranges that I’ve ever been to. I promise you that you will not hear from me again,” he added solemnly.

Mr. Sunderland was about to take his leave when, suddenly, he had a change of heart. “But being that I am already here, would you mind if I extended this self-imposed visit of mine and fired a few shots?
”
Just as he finished his sentence, Mr. Sunderland cast a side glance at Paige, and Annabel noticed that Paige too was looking at him.

“Why, yes, if you’d like
.
I guess we could make a one
-
time exception.” Marlene nodded, although it was clear that she was not particularly happy about Mr. Sunderland’s presence. “Francine will show you the way.”

“Marlene, aren’t you going to introduce us to your gentleman friend?” Paige inquired, her eyes blazing with curiosity.

“Robert Sunderland,” Mr. Sunderland seized the initiative before Marlene could utter a word. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Paige Martin
,
and this is my associate, Annabel Green. Do you enjoy shooting recreationally, Mr. Sunderland?”

“You could certainly say that. I did my fair share of shooting as a young buck in the army
. T
hat was years ago, but I guess I just couldn’t get it out of my system.”

“Mr. Sunderland owns shooting ranges throughout the country
,
and he was trying to get me to sell,” Marlene cut in sharply. “I’d say his interest in shooting goes beyond recreational.”

“Please, call me Robert.” The corners of Robert Sunderland’s mustache lifted up. “I see you are quite a pro yourself,” Robert Sunderland remarked, his eyes darting at the rifle Paige had shot from a fe
w moments ago. “That’s a thirty-
five caliber
,
if I’m not mistaken?”

“You’re spot on.” Paige smiled. “Would you like to join me? I like a man who knows his guns. That is
,
of course, if you don’t mind, Marlene.”

“It is perfectly fine with me,” Marlene conceded. “I imagine that Mr. Sunderland does not need a safety instruction.”

Robert Sunderland bowed slightly by way of answer, as he took a step closer to Paige.

“So, Annabel, are you enjoying yourself?” Marlene Parker asked.

“Yes, thank you. It was a truly unbelievable experience!” Annabel exclaimed, still flushed from her earlier success.

“She is a natural,” Francine added.