Bouquet of Lies (30 page)

“But you tried.” Randy sighed. “Your pal should have already called 911. But just to be sure.” He took out his cell phone, pressed 911 and sounded excited. “There’s been a shooting. I don’t know. I don’t know what happened exactly. It looks like my wife has killed her sister. Yes, hurry.”

Still hugging Lacey, the side of her face against Lacey’s back, Darla felt Randy take her hand and put the gun in it. He reached for Lacey and she pulled her away from him. “No! Don’t touch her!”

He stood erect. “All right.”

Darla raised her head and watched Randy walk past. She heard the pipes and knew he was washing his hands in the hall bathroom. Tears wet her face and she wiped them away, streaking her cheeks red.

Twinkle, twinkle. Twinkle, twinkle . . .

The call over the radio said that shots had been fired. And when Dan heard the address, his heart bolted like a racecar at the starting gun.

“Lacey,” he said.

His uncle was at the wheel. He glanced at him. “We’re almost there.”

Dan had talked Uncle Carrick into swinging by Lacey’s house before heading to the station. The way she’d been acting all morning bothered him. And now what he’d heard from dispatch . . . “Do you think she shot him?” Dan’s heart pounded.

“As in better safe than sorry.”

“As in I’ll sacrifice my life for my sister.”

Of course, he could have shot her.
He stopped himself from thinking about that.

They were the first to arrive. The front door was unlocked and when they walked in they saw Randy two steps below the stair where Darla sat with Lacey draped across her lap. His hand was outstretched and his voice begged, “Give me the gun, Darla. Give me the gun.”

Darla was shaking her head.

“Lacey!” Dan made a dash for the stairs.

“She has a gun,” Randy warned. “I wouldn’t make any sudden moves.”

Dan froze. Terror flowed through his veins. Not because of the gun, but because of the way Lacey was lying there, limp and motionless.

“Darla!”

Dan looked behind him. Jake had entered the front door. Uncle Carrick had a hand on Jake’s arm, keeping him from running to her.

“Mr. Barber. Why don’t you come down here and stand beside me,” his uncle said.

Dan locked eyes with Randy. “Yes. Why don’t you do that?”

“Darla will listen to me. I don’t want anyone else to get shot,” Randy said.

Dan kept the urge to punch Randy in check. “Downstairs.”

“Here, Mr. Barber.”

Reluctantly Randy stepped toward the big detective. “I have to say I didn’t expect the two of you, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“Lacey. Lacey, I’m scared,” Darla said.

Dan moved closer. Was Darla off her rocker or could Lacey possibly be able to hear her? He put out a hand. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.

Darla stared at him. He’d never actually looked into those pale green eyes. They were filled with heartache.

“Be careful,” Randy called. “She isn’t stable.”

Darla looked at her husband and then she looked back at Dan.

Dan put out a hand. “I’d like the gun. Can you give me the gun, Darla?”

A tear trickled down the girl’s cheek. She looked like a waif. Frail. Scared. Dan kept his hand extended.

Darla didn’t make a move. Dan thought about snatching the weapon, but nixed the idea. No point in getting himself shot. Precious seconds were ticking away though. If Lacey was alive they needed to get her to a hospital.

“If your sister is alive, Darla, we need to get help. Every second counts. Give me the gun. Give me the gun.”

It took what seemed like an eternity, but finally Darla reached out with the firearm. Gently, Dan took it.

He heard the police arrive as he knelt down to Lacey to feel for a pulse.

Her eyes opened and he jerked with a start. She mouthed a “
Shh
.”

“Is she alive?” his uncle asked.

“I’m dead,” Lacey mouthed.

“No need for an ambulance,” Dan called. He gave Lacey his dirtiest look. She could have told him what she was planning—if this was planned. He looked at Darla. Was she together enough to have helped with something like this?

Lacey closed her eyes. Dan looked down at the group in the foyer.

“She’s dead. I felt for a pulse,” Randy said.

“God dammit,” Jake responded. “You son of a bitch.”

“What happened?” Uncle Carrick asked Randy.

“I was driving up when I heard a shot.”

Jake didn’t miss a beat. “There was a second shot. When you were
inside
.”

“She shot her twice.”

“I didn’t shoot her!” Darla cried.

“It’s okay,” Randy called to her. “Everyone will understand.”

“Why do you say that?” Darla asked.

“They have to know,” Randy said.

Dan glanced at Darla. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Randy continued. “I found her like this. She kept saying, ‘Lacey came at me. Lacey came at me.’ And then she said Lacey admitted that she killed their father and their grandfather.”

“You’re full of shit,” Jake said, taking a step toward Randy. A uniformed officer pulled him back.

“Thank you.” Randy nodded at the officer. “She dressed up like their mother to kill them. To disguise herself and to frighten Darla.”

“You’re nuts,” Jake said.

“If Darla got committed, wouldn’t Lacey be in control of Darla’s share of the money?”

“But Darla married you,” Jake pointed out.

“And that had to throw a wrench into her plans.”

“The whole story’s ridiculous.” Jake shook his head.

“No. I think, if you check, you’ll find a blond wig on the stairs. I noticed it trying to get the gun from my wife.”

Dan found a wig and a mask tucked behind Darla. He raised them into the air.

“Lacey didn’t count on the gun I gave her sister for protection,” Randy said.

“I didn’t shoot her,” Darla said.

“Oh, sweetheart. I love you. But you did. And I’m afraid there’s no escaping that hospital now. Or maybe prison,” he added softly.

Lacey let a sigh escape from her lips and rose from Darla’s lap. “That’s about as much as I can stomach.”

Randy’s jaw dropped. His eyes grew wide.

Lacey offered a smile filled with hate and a whole lot of satisfaction. “Don’t look so surprised. Sisterly love is stronger than any bullshit you can deliver.”

Randy’s eyes narrowed.

Lacey continued, “You really thought by killing me off, and getting Darla put . . . somewhere, that you’d get everything?”

“No. She shot you.” Randy pointed at Darla.

“You shot me! After you knew I was still breathing. Too bad for you, I filled that gun with blanks. Blanks I found in Daddy’s room.”

“What?” Randy looked at Darla, his expression changed to a puppy-dog appearance of love. “Darla. I was only trying to protect you. Remember? We talked. We found those things in Lacey’s room.”

“I think you put them there,” Darla said.

“See. Here’s what you don’t know about my sister,” Lacey said. “She’s really, really smart.” She took Darla’s hand and smiled at her. “People underestimate her. Have all her life.”

Randy made a move for the stairs.

“Stay away from me!” Darla shouted.

“See what I mean?” Lacey said. “Smart.”

Dan blocked Randy from reaching the two sisters. “I think you should cuff this guy,” he said to the cops.

“Like hell. I haven’t done anything.”

A cop came forward on Uncle Carrick’s direction and handcuffed Randy.

“What is this?”

“You have the right to remain silent . . .” The arresting officer rattled off the familiar rights as he guided Randy down the stairs.

“You tell me what I’m being arrested for.”

“Murder,” Dan said, following behind.

“Who did I kill?”

“A woman named Honey Rhodes,” Uncle Carrick said.

“Who? I never heard of a Honey Rhodes.”

“That’s because you thought you were killing our mother,” Lacey informed him.

Randy’s face froze in a weird sort of sneer. “You’re out of your mind.” His tone morphed to one soft as butter. “Darla. Darla, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart.” She pulled her wedding ring off her finger and threw it at him. “I’m glad we never did it.”

Everyone but Randy laughed as he was shoved out the door.

Thirty-nine

DAN WATCHED THE officers press Randy into the back of the squad car.

“You’re making a mistake,” Randy growled.

Jake suddenly appeared beside him. “That’s what they all say. Right, Officer O’Donnell . . . Dan?” Jake grinned.

The two men watched the car pull away. Jake waved.

Dan eyed Jake. The man was as happy as he’d seen anyone. Dan was happy, too, that things had worked out. But what if they hadn’t? What if Randy had discovered that the gun was filled with blanks? What if he’d thrown Lacey down the stairs or killed her with his bare hands? What if he’d held the gun directly against her head when he fired it? Even with blanks in the gun . . .  

As relieved as Dan was, he was upset more. Lacey had managed to pull this off, but what about next time? Not that she’d be facing a killer again, but what about the way she drove her car and her recklessness in general? He didn’t want to always be worried about her in the back of his head. He didn’t . . .

His cell rang. He checked. It was Lacey. He rejected the call.

“She might need you right now,” Jake said. Obviously he’d seen his caller ID.

“I doubt that.” Dan turned away.

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Dan turned back. “That was some stupid stunt they pulled.”

“Sometimes drastic situations call for drastic actions. You’re a cop. You should know that.”

“Lacey’s not a cop.”

“No. She’s a regular person who found herself in dire straits.”

“She should have confided in me.”

“And what would you have done?”

“Stopped her.”

“Now you know why she didn’t tell you.”

“But she should have.”

“Yeah. In an ideal world she’d rely only on you. And
you
on
her
. Don’t forget that part. And no one would ever screw up or do something the other person didn’t like.”

Dan frowned.

Jake continued. “You’re a motorcycle cop. You think Lacey won’t have to worry about that?”

“She didn’t have to put herself in this situation.”

“Randy put her in this situation. She dealt with it. Maybe Lacey was protecting you. Did you ever think of that? This isn’t the dark ages, pal. Sometimes women have to save themselves. But not always. She’ll need you. She needed you now. To talk to. To know you’re still there for her. To comfort her. And what did you do? You hit reject. So really, you’re just thinking about protecting yourself. Lacey’s Lacey. She has faults like anybody else. And she’s young. So a lot of things will change. But not who she is at her core. She’s a good person. She’s strong. She always has been.”

“You sound like you’re in love with her.”

“No. I love her, but I’m not in love with her. There’s a difference. I respect her. But Darla’s the one I’m in love with. And that’s tricky because she’s really still a baby. She needs to grow up. I’m going to be there for her, though. And I’ll do my best to stand back when I have to and let her find her own way. Love isn’t controlling and smothering someone. It’s caring about them more than you care about your own ego.”

Jake walked away and Dan thought about what he’d heard.