Randall #02 - Ghost Writers in the Sky (33 page)

But I stayed put. I had to keep them here a few more minutes while Marva searched for Donna.

“
I think Ernesto may have intended to return that book. He might have sort of borrowed it to copy the handwriting from the inscription—so he could forge that Calamity Jane letter. I think he might have been the one who wrote it. And I think he intended to sell it to you, Plant.”

I was getting dangerously close to showing my hand, but I had to do something.

“
Sort of borrowed? You think Ernie robbed Silas to scam me?” Plant turned back to me—not angry, but surprised. “All the hero-worship—you think that was fake? Some con game?” He gave me a look that seemed oddly like relief.   

We heard a loud hello from Silas in the hallway. I thought it was directed into his phone until Walker Montgomery strode into the room—all six foot four of him, still wearing his ankle-length leather riding coat.

My throat constricted. I tried to smile.

“
Hello, Dr. Manners,” he said. “Did you get bored with the entertainment at the Maverick Saloon? Cowboy poetry not your thing?”

His too-white teeth gleamed in the firelight like fangs.

Silas came back into the room, dropping his phone in his pocket.

“
I’ve got great news! Gabriella’s going to be released. They finally know who’s responsible for those terrible murders.”

I tried to keep my face composed.

Walker
gave a stagey chuckle. “Fiscalini caught the maniacs who’ve been murdering Gaby’s hotel guests? Pretty dramatic stuff for this little town. It was that Mexican gang—right? The whole north county—we’re infested with them.”

To my surprise, Silas nodded. “Yes. The gang problem is terrible.” He gave a smile. “But I guess they’ve had a confession and the Sheriff’s people are on their way.”  

I sat in silent confusion. This seemed to mean that Walker was innocent, at least of the murders—and if I’d understood Alberto right, the guilty one was Rick after all.

I had so much not wanted to believe that.

“
A confession? Who confessed?” Plant said.

“
Some Guatemalan dishwasher. He confessed to bashing Toby with a frying pan,” Silas said.

“
Santiago?” I half-laughed his name. Partly because I was relieved to hear it was not Rick, and partly because it was so absurd. Miguel said Santiago was threatening suicide, and I could believe that. The boy was so intense. But I could not see him murdering anybody.

“
Alberto didn’t have time for details.” Silas said. “He told me this kid had given a confession to Rick Zukowski but the Sheriff hadn’t arrived yet. Unfortunately all available law enforcement is either dealing with the anti-grape people, or some crowd control problem down at the Maverick Saloon.”

“
Rick got the killer to confess?” I took a long, deep breath. Rick didn’t join the gang-bangers; he communicated with them. So that’s what Alberto had been talking about when we spoke on the phone at the Saloon: Maybe Rick got the gangster to confess by bringing up his own gang past. And the gangster was apparently Santiago. Which didn’t sound right to me. The kid really was a dork.

But Rick was all right, as Mrs. Boggs Bailey would say. That was nice to hear.

Maybe Silas was wrong about the Guatemala part.

“
Mean crowd at the Saloon tonight,” Walker said. “Good you got out of there, Dr. Manners. You and that little Mexican girl.”

Walker
’
s smile didn’t look so menacing now. Maybe he hadn’t taken Donna after all—and Walker and Duncan were just two innocent old gay men. Donna might be back at the Rancho right now, safe and sound.

Why had I believed a self-confessed blackmailer like Marva rather than these two polite, well-respected gentlemen?

“
Walker and I need to get on the road ourselves,” Duncan said as he moved us toward the door. “We have a plane to catch.”

I followed Plant and Silas out to the porch.

“
Are you going back to the Rancho now?” I asked. All I wanted now was to get out. If Duncan and Walker were innocent, the last thing I wanted was to rendezvous with the armed and dangerous Marva. “I’d, um, love a ride. I haven’t had a real drive in the new Ferrari.”

Plant gave me an indulgent smile. “I’ll give you a ride tomorrow, darling, after we’ve got Gaby out of jail, safe and sound, I promise. I think we should go to the county jail and make sure she’s being released.”

Silas opened the passenger door. “It’s a two seater anyway—a tough squeeze for just me. And you’d have to come back for your own car…”

He got in and closed the door with a thunk.

 
I gave Walker and Duncan a careful smile. “I’ll be off now, too. Have a wonderful trip!” I started on the path toward the helipad.

 “
Quite a hike back down to your car at the Maverick Saloon.” Walker’s voice was deep and menacing. “And I think you’ll probably need these…”

I turned to see him holding my pink and green Kate Spade keychain wallet—dangling it like a hypnotist’s pendulum.

Down in the road, the Ferrari lights faded from sight.

“
My keys!” I gave a silly grin, trying to keep up the clueless façade. “Did Donna give them to you? I don’t think she knew my ID and cards were in there. She can be kind of scatterbrained…” I ran back to the porch and reached for the wallet

But Walker put it in his pocket. “Where are those letters, Doctor? Your little friend wouldn’t tell me, in spite of my, um, persuasion.”

My spine went cold.

“
Donna—is she okay?” 

Walker
’
s smile looked even more feral in the moonlight.

“
Well, Dr. Manners, I guess that depends on your definition of okay.”

I glanced at the path along the house that led to the helipad and Marva’s car, trying not to think about what Walker might have done to Donna.

If I made a dash, would I be able to run in these stupid shoes?

I’d have to try. If I could make it past the tennis courts and the barn, I’d be out of sight of the house. If Walker went inside to get a gun, I might have a chance. And if he tackled me, I could probably fight him. He was big and mean, but I was a whole lot younger.

I wasn’t afraid of Duncan, standing over there under the porch light, looking as if he might burst into tears.

“
Walker,” he said. “Do we have to do this? I think…”

“
No, Duncan. You don’t think. You never do. That’s why we’re in this mess.”

“
Me? You think this is my fault?”

“
You. It’s always about you, isn’t it?” Walker turned on Duncan in fury.

I didn’t wait to hear any more. As the argument escalated, I ran along the path as fast as I could clomp. When I got past the stables, I saw a car out on the road, its lights off, moving slowly toward the house.

I ducked through a horse fence and onto the road. Running toward the dark car, I waved my arms wildly. I had to pray it was Marva. Marva and her gun.

The car moved toward me and the door swung open.

“
Inside!” Marva hissed “Where hell have you been? I’ve got to get these letters to Duncan before he takes off.”

I jumped in. I could hear moans coming from the back seat. I turned and saw Donna, her mouth and hands bound with duct tape. No signs of injury except that her clouds of perfume had been replaced by the incongruous smell of bleach.

“
Untie the poor girl, will you?” Marva said. “I couldn’t take a chance on her making any noise until I got her out of that house. Is Walker still up there with Duncan? Duncan doesn’t want Walker to know he’s buying the letters from me.”

“
They’re up there arguing. You’re going to deal with those monsters?”

“
How else am I going to get my money? Damn. Duncan made a big thing about not letting Walker know. But it can’t be helped. I’m not going to be able to get him alone.”

I reached between the seats and pulled the tape off Donna’s face.

“
Are you hurt?”

Donna wailed. “I’d be fine if you hadn’t just taken off a layer of my skin.” She felt her face. “I kept telling that old guy I didn’t know anything about any letters. He’s a total psycho.”

“
I’m so sorry.” I reached through to pull off the tape that bound her wrists. “This is my fault, I’m afraid. I gave those letters to Luci with your manuscript by mistake.”

Donna wailed again. “Bitch! Then you should have been the one back there with a psycho geezer waving a gun in your face.”

She reached through the seats as if she was going to slap me.

“
Sit down and be quiet, for God’s sake,” said Marva, “Or I’ll duct tape both of you. Keep out of sight until I finish my business with Duncan. Walker’s a guy to shoot first and ask questions afterwards, and I’m pretty sure he killed Toby and that kid. Luci too, for all I know. If he sees Donna, he could kill us all before he lets me explain I’m the one who’s got the goddam letters.”

“
You’ve go them? So you’re the bitch! Screw you.”

I couldn’t blame Donna. She wasn’t at fault in any of this.

“
You’re really going back up to that house?” I said. “When you know Walker’s a murderer?”

I couldn’t believe Marva had rescued Donna only to put her in danger again. Not to mention the two of us.

Marva sighed. “Of course I’m going back to the house. Duncan owes me twenty thousand dollars for these things and he’s leaving for Australia for like, a month. So scooch down on the floor and stay there. Once I’ve got my money, we’re gone.”

“
I’m so glad Marva found you,” I said to Donna as we slid down on the car floor. “What about Luci? Did either of you see Luci?” 

“
No sign of her,” Marva said. “I looked all over that house. Walker had Donna locked in the laundry room.

“
I think there was bleach spilled on that floor. The place stank of it,” Donna said with a loud sniff.

There was a terrible crack, and the car thudded to snail-pace.

My body went cold as I watched Marva take her gun from her pocket.

Walker Montgomery’s voice boomed outside. “Come on out, Marvin. I know you’re in there with your little girlfriends.”

In the back seat, Donna babbled loudly in Spanish, I supposed to some saint. I hoped it was a powerful one. We needed all the help we could get.

Marva flicked on her lights and floored the gas pedal, swerving wildly. I hung onto the door handle as I tried to maintain my crouch.

Another shot blasted the car. Above, I could hear the windshield shatter. Marva slumped over the wheel. The car skidded to a stop.

We were trapped.

“
Okay ladies. Out.”

Walker Montgomery opened the door and yanked me out of the car. He shoved me toward Duncan, who was standing by the hood, holding Walker’s big gun.

“
Get your hands off me, prune-face!” Donna kicked at Walker as he pulled her from the back seat. She looked okay, except for the white splotches on the seat of her Donna Karan from the bleach. Poor thing.

But when Walker opened the driver’s door, Marva lay slumped over the wheel. Walker pulled on her arm, and she didn’t move. He gave another heave and she fell from the car, landing on her side, lifeless. The hugs and kisses bracelet glinted in the moonlight.

“
Oh, my God, you killed her!” Donna screamed.

Marva, dead. It was too horrible.

I could hardly breathe as I stood by the car and stared at the deathly still body, looking more male than female now in spite of her satin trench coat and sparkling flats. Donna whimpered and ran to Duncan.

“
Duncan, honey, how could you let him do that?  I thought we were going to stay friends. That’s what you said when we broke up. You wanted to be friends. You’re such a liar.”

Walker
was down on the ground examining Marva’s body. I saw a sudden flash of silver. In an instant, Marva came to life, all kicking legs and flashing gun. I heard a pop. Now it was Walker Montgomery who slumped—clutching his arm as he fell against the hood.

Ignoring Walker’s cry of pain, Marva strode over to Duncan, lowering her gun as she approached.

“
Sorry I had to shoot him, Duncan, but you saw what a brat he was being.” She opened up her tote bag and pulled out the folder. “Here, sweetie.”

 
She waved the letters in front of Duncan. As he grabbed for them, she casually clamped her hand on his wrist and wrestled him for the big gun.

“
Duncan, you moron…” Walker screamed.

Marva turned, grinning as she brandished both guns.