Jennifer Crusie Bundle (68 page)

“Then why did we always use condoms?” Stormy flared. “If—”

“To convince you he might give you a baby someday. He lied to you, Stormy. He lied to you to keep you, and then he dumped you for Barbara's money.” Mae watched the younger woman totter to a chair. “He told you Monday night that he was married, didn't he? Is that when he told you it was all over?”

“No.” Stormy straightened her shoulders. “No. I read it in his diary. It was just like always. He poured himself a big brandy and put it on the night table, and then he took a shower, and I read his diary to find out what was going on.”

“You read his private journal?”

“Not all the time,” Stormy said defensively. “Just when I wanted to know what was going on. Armand didn't tell me much. And I read in it that he'd married her. I couldn't believe it. It was awful. And I knew if I said anything, he'd leave.” She sniffed. “Armand didn't like it when I asked him stuff.”

Mae sank into the nearest chair. “You were with him seven years, and he wouldn't let you ask him stuff?”

Stormy nodded. “After a while, it got on my nerves, you know? And Armand said I was high-strung and got his doctor to prescribe some pills for me. And he was right. After I took a pill, I really wasn't interested in asking him stuff or having things my way.”

Mae closed her eyes. He'd kept her stoned on tranquilizers. “Good old Armand, always looking out for other people.”

“So I decided that I'd put one of my pills in his brandy so he'd stay calm and talk to me,” Stormy said matter-of-factly. “I put one on the night table and smacked it with my high heel, and then I brushed the pieces into his brandy, but it didn't look like very much, so I smacked another one. And then I thought about him leaving me, and I smacked another one, and then I sort of lost count.”

“You laced his brandy with tranquilizers?” Mae swallowed.

Stormy nodded. “And when he came out of the shower, he drank it, and then I told him I knew he was married, and that he was going to have to divorce her. And he told me not to be stupid, that he was never going to leave me. He was just going to be married to her and keep me on the side. It was like Medea.”

“Medea?” Mae said, startled. “Medea who?”

“You know, Medea.” Stormy frowned at her. “The Greek woman who was married to Jason. Armand and I saw Diana Rigg play her in New York two years ago. It was really something.”

“How does Medea—”

“Jason dumped her for another woman, and then told her that he was doing it for her and the kids.” Stormy laughed, a short, lonely sound in the stillness of the room. “Armand said he was doing it for us, for him and me.”

Mae sighed. “He was doing it for him. He was broke and wanted her money.”

Stormy waved away the idea. “Armand wasn't broke. Armand was rich.”

“Armand was tapped out, stone broke,” Mae said firmly. “It's all gone. The house, the furniture, the car…he sold everything and gave it to you and me, and then married Barbara for a new start on a fortune.”

“That's why he married her?” Stormy's voice cracked with stunned disbelief. “That's why?”

“That's why.” Mae hesitated. “I'm really sorry, Stormy. You deserved better.”

After a moment, Stormy nodded. “Yeah. I did.”

They sat silent for a moment, and then Mae asked, “How did he die?”

Stormy swallowed back the tears that were brightening her eyes. “I told him I had the diary. I told him he couldn't have it back unless he divorced her. And he got really mad and yelled at me and drank all the brandy at once, and then pretty soon he got really sleepy, and I thought he was just going to sleep, so I lay down next to him and…” She stopped, her lower lip quivering.

“And he fell asleep and died.” Mae closed her eyes. “It must have been a shock when he stopped breathing.”

“Yeah.” Stormy nodded mournfully. “That's when I called Claud. And then I cried.” She sniffed. “I really did love him.”

“I know.” Mae spared a thought for the poetic justice of Armand's death and then jerked her head at Stormy's suitcase. “You still leaving?”

Stormy sniffed once more and stood up. “Yeah. My flight's in an hour, and I got a ride coming.” She smiled woefully at Mae. “Are you going to try and stop me?”

“No.” The truth was, Stormy had about as much chance of escaping as she did of flying without the plane. She might get away for a week or a month, but they'd find her sooner or later. Stormy was never going to be able to take care of herself.

Stormy watched her, her uncertainty palpable. “I didn't kill him on purpose, you know.”

“I know.” Mae stood up to face her. “Look, I'm not going to be judge and jury here, and I'm sure not going to call the police. They'd just come and arrest me.”

Stormy was still wary. “So I can just leave?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” The buzzer rang, and Stormy picked up her suitcase and her purse. “That's my ride. I gotta go.” She hesitated. “I always liked you, you know?”

“Thank you.”

“The only reason I pinned it on you was that I knew you'd get off.”

Mae fought down the urge to be caustic. “I appreciate that.”

The buzzer rang again.

“Well, good luck,” Stormy said.

“Good luck,” Mae echoed sadly.

Stormy waved at her halfheartedly and opened the door.

“Hello, Stormy.” Mitch looked over her shoulder at Mae. “We were just looking for Mabel, and there she is. Could we talk to you for a minute?” He took Stormy's arm and walked her back into the room, closely followed by Claud, Gio and Carlo.

Stormy went with him, dropping her suitcase by the door.

“What is this, a parade?” Mae scowled at them, annoyed at the interference. Then she saw the bloody bruise on Mitch's forehead. “What happened to you?”

Mitch let go of Stormy and went to her. “Your entire lunatic family kidnapped me and refused to let me go, so I brought them along.”

“Oh, Mitch, I'm sorry.” Mae touched his temple lightly.

He closed her hand in his. “It's okay.”

Mae squeezed his hand and then dropped it to return to her current problem. She had to get Stormy out of there. “Look, Stormy has to leave—”

“No, she doesn't,” Mitch said.

“Yes, she does,” Stormy said, and Mae turned to her and looked straight down the barrel of the small gun Stormy was holding on her. “I've got nothing against Mae, but I know she's the only one you all care about. So if anybody tries anything, I'll have to shoot her.”

Mitch met Mae's eyes. “You know, nothing has gone the way I planned it today,” he said.

N
O MATTER HOW
he looked at it, things were bad. He was trapped with at least two homicidal maniacs, one of whom had a gun pointed at the head of the woman he loved. If he could only convince Stormy to shoot Carlo, life would be perfect, but that was a long shot.

The short shot was to Mae's head.

Think fast.
“You know, Stormy, we can get you a good lawyer. We had one for Mae, but he's adaptable. We'll just white out her name on all the legal stuff he's drawn up for her and write yours in.”

“If you hurt Mae, I'll kill you,” Carlo said to Stormy.

Mitch rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Shoot him, will you? I, for one, will swear it was self-defense.”

“Shut up, all of you.” Stormy's eyes went to stare at Carlo warily, and Mitch immediately took two steps to the right so that he was standing between Mae and the gun.

“What are you doing?” Mae poked at his back, trying to see around him.

Mitch put his hand behind him to keep her in place. “Listen, if I wasn't almost positive that she probably wouldn't shoot, I wouldn't be doing this.”

“I thought you had needs.” Mae sounded a little breathless.

“I did. I do.” Mitch took a deep breath himself as he watched Stormy and her wobbly gun hand. “It's just that the top of my list has changed.”

“Oh.”

Mitch felt her rest her head between his shoulder blades for a minute. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I will,” Mae said.

“Will what?”

“Yes, I will marry you.” He felt her arms go around his waist from behind. “I will definitely marry you.”

“Mae!” Carlo howled, and Stormy moved the gun to him.

Mitch tried to disentangle her arms from around him so he could move them both out of gun range if he had to. “Could we discuss this later?”

“Sure.” She held him tighter. “I just wanted to go on record in case one of us gets shot and dies.”

“Nobody's going to get shot.” Mitch tried to hold Stormy's eyes with his. “Shooting someone would be bad, even if it was Carlo. We're all going to be fine.”

“I love you,” Mae said.

“I'm gonna kill you,” Carlo snarled at Mitch and lunged at him, and Stormy squeaked and jumped back, and the gun went off and shot Carlo in the leg.

Carlo went down with one short scream, Gio dropped to his knees beside him and the buzzer rang.

“That's my ride.” Stormy motioned Gio to the door. “Get up and get that, please. And don't try anything funny, or I'll…I'll shoot you, too.” Then she looked at Carlo. “I'm really sorry. You scared me. You shouldn't have moved.”

Gio put his hand on Carlo's shoulder.

“I'm okay, Grandpa,” Carlo said through gritted teeth, and Mitch felt some respect for him for the first time. He didn't have any personal experience with getting shot, but he knew that it had to hurt like hell.

Gio stood and opened the door.

“I have the tickets, my dove,” Newton said as he came in, and then he stopped at the tableau before him. “What's this? A bon voyage party?” He went to stand next to Stormy and nodded to Mae. “You must be Mabel. I'm very pleased to be meeting you at last.”

“Likewise,” Mae said faintly.

“Newton,” Mitch said. “Could we discuss this?”

“No!” Stormy's voice was the firmest he'd ever heard it. “We have to leave now,” she said to Newton. She leaned into him slightly, and Mitch watched him close his eyes.

“So you'll have to tie them up,” Stormy went on.

Newton nodded.

Mitch sighed. He hoped Newton liked South America because coming back north was not going to be an option.

Then Newton stepped behind Stormy and jerked her gun hand up. She fired the gun once into the ceiling before he could get it away from her, and then he had it in his hand.

“Newton?” she cried, and he shook his head at her.

“I'm not going to play the sap for you, sweetheart,” he told her.

Mae pushed her way around Mitch to go to Carlo. “Newton, you bastard,” she said on her way past him. “I can't believe you betrayed the woman you love.”

Newton shrugged. “It's a tough world, Mabel.” He transferred his attention to Gio who was now standing again, satisfied that Carlo was all right. “Open the door and wave your handkerchief out there. It's a signal for the police.”

“The police?” Stormy's knees gave out, and she sat down on the floor as Gio went to the door, strangely obedient as he cast anxious glances at his grandson.

“It's okay.” Newton patted Stormy on the head as if she were a puppy. “Your lawyer's meeting you at the police station.”

Mitch gaped at him. “You got her a lawyer already?”

“Well, of course.” Newton blinked as if anything else was unthinkable. “I called Nick before I called the police.” He smiled down at Stormy. “I told him he'd be defending a beautiful woman who killed her lover in a crime of passion.”

Stormy rolled her eyes and put her head in her hands.

“And what did he say?” Mitch asked, fascinated.

“He said, ‘Mae shot Mitch?”'

“Don't think I haven't thought about it,” Mae said from her place beside Carlo, and then the town house was full of police, and someone called for an ambulance.

Fifteen minutes later, Stormy and Newton were gone, and the paramedics had Carlo strapped onto a stretcher, and the party was definitely over.

“Wait a minute,” Mae said, and they all stopped, paramedics included. “I just want to make this perfectly clear, right now, before we all leave.” She pointed to Mitch. “I am marrying this man.”

Claud turned to Mitch. “I'll ruin you financially.”

Gio glared at Mitch. “I'll ruin you professionally.”

Carlo struggled to sit up on the stretcher while the paramedics held him down. “I'll
kill
you,” he said to Mitch.