“Don’t worry, Bonnie. He isn’t dead.”
Bonnie’s eyes seemed to contract. “He … isn’t?”
“No. The bullet hit him in the arm. Hurts like hell, I’m sure, but it isn’t life-threatening.”
“You’re-sure?”
“Positive. I doubt if he’ll be in the hospital overnight.”
“Oh, Megan.” She turned her head away. “I can’t tell you what a relief it is to hear that.”
“The important thing is, he’s in custody. And after this stunt, he’s likely to stay that way for a good long time.”
She saw over her shoulder that the police were approaching. They would doubtless have questions of their own. “Bonnie, the police are going to need all the details. Do you want me to stay?”
“Do I need an attorney?”
“Probably not. But I thought you might need … a friend.”
“Oh, that would be-you must have plans.”
“Outside of feeding the dog, no.”
Bonnie hugged Megan close to her. “You’re so good, Megan. So good to me.”
“Nonsense.” Megan stood up and prepared to meet the police. “Least I can do. Especially on Christmas Eve.”
15
More than two hours passed before Bonnie finally saw the last of the police, the medics, the family counselors. Carl was hauled off to St. Anthony’s, Bonnie provided a detailed statement, and Frank remained in the upper bedroom, out of sight.
When finally she had cleared the last of the do-gooders out of the house, Bonnie made her way upstairs. Frank was smoking and watching some abysmal Christmas special, something involving talking animals and snowmen and, of course, Santa Claus.
“All gone?” Frank asked, stubbing his cigarette out in a cup.
“For now,” Bonnie answered. She threw herself across the bed. “They’ll be back day after tomorrow. And I’m supposed to go in and fill out some forms. File a formal complaint.”
“I’ve got a few complaints myself,” he said, drawing a line with his finger down the curve of her neck, across the soft curve of her shoulders. “And Carl?”
“He’s fine, more or less.” Her voice acquired an edge. “You got him in the arm, and only barely that. Just a flesh wound, as they say in the westerns. It was the shock that made him collapse, not the wound.”
“You’re joking.”
“’Fraid not, lover boy” She rolled over to face him. “’Course, the police are planning to arrest him as soon as he’s able to move. They’re going to charge him with assault and battery, resisting arrest, violating a restraining order. He’ll do some time, no doubt about it.”
Frank’s teeth ground tightly together. “That isn’t good enough.”
“I’m aware of that, Frank.”
“Jail time gets us nothing. He has to die.”
“I’m aware of that, too, Frank. Are you blaming me?”
“It was your plan.”
“It was your hand on the gun!” She sat upright. “You told me you could shoot!”
“I can shoot.”
“Meaning, I guess, that you can pull a trigger. But you couldn’t hit a man barely six feet away.”
“For your information, it’s hard to hit a moving target.”
“He was moving toward you, Frank. Tommy could’ve hit him.”
“Then maybe you ought to let him!” His voice swelled. “You can’t leave him at his friend’s house forever, Mommie Dearest. Why don’t you pick him up and ask if he’d like to shoot his father for you? Since you don’t have the balls to do it yourself!”
“Frank, don’t be angry-”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you! The man has to die, or this was all for nothing.”
“Frank-”
“Sometimes I can’t tell what you want.”
“I want to be with you, Frank. I want what you want.”
“That’s not how it sounded to me.”
Bonnie closed her eyes and swallowed. She had miscalculated, she realized, had pushed him too far. Now she was in danger of losing him. And she couldn’t allow that to happen. She still needed him. “Frank, please calm down. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”
“Didn’t mean what?”
She laid her hands gently on his shoulders and began softly kissing his neck. “I didn’t mean to blame you,” she said between kisses. She knew she had to retreat, stroke him, bring him back to the game plan. “It’s just so difficult. You know how much I lust after you.”
“Yeah, right,” Frank replied, but his voice was softening. “Me and the three million bucks.”
“It’s you I want,” she said, using her most seductive voice. “I want you right now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Frank said, but he didn’t push her away “We have work to do. When do you think Carl will be out of the hospital?”
“Soon.” She continued kissing, making her way to his head, nibbling his earlobe. “Like I said, the injury was minor.”
“But as soon as he’s discharged, the police will lock him away. And then we’ll never be able to get to him. Unless we can figure out some way for him to escape.”
“Escape?” she whispered, blowing gently into his ear. “Is that wise?”
“It’s the only chance we have. If they get him back into custody, we have no chance.”
“I see.” She was snuggling closer, pressing herself up against him. “You’re so smart, Frank. So damn smart.”
“Once he’s free, we can lure him back to the house and finish what we started this afternoon.”
“Is that possible?” She wrapped her right leg around him and squeezed. “He may be a drunk, but he isn’t stupid. He’ll never come back here after what happened today. No matter what crock I feed him over the telephone.”
“He probably won’t come back for you, true.” Frank’s hands were beginning to move, smoothing the curves of her body, searching for his favorite soft spots. “But you’re not the only ace in the hole we have with that idiot. He’ll come. And as soon as he does-” He raised his voice and adopted a near dead-on facsimile of Bonnie’s voice. “I didn’t know what to do, Officer. He was acting crazy, threatening me, hurting the boy. I had to shoot.”
“Hey, that’s pretty good,” Bonnie said. “I had no idea you were so talented.”
“Darling, you haven’t even scratched my surface yet.”
“But even if you do manage to set Carl up, won’t everyone else be suspicious? The neighbors, the police? If he comes here again, even the cops might begin to suspect a frame.”
“Not if they see him beating the kid.”
“But Carl? He would never-”
“Trust me, dear. I can arrange everything.”
“You are so bad.” She pressed herself forward, jerking his shirt free of his pants, unfastening the buttons. “And you’re so sexy when you’re bad.”
Frank smiled, wrapped his arms around her, and rolled her over. A moment later their minds were on a different subject altogether.
16
“Look, lady, if you’re not his wife or kid or close relative, you’re not getting in to see him.”
“But it’s very important.”
“There are cops on duty.”
“I’ve spoken to them. They said if I could get your okay, they’d let me in.”
“But you don’t have my okay.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here.”
Megan pressed her hand against her brow. She hated bureaucracy. There was nothing worse. She had always thought that courthouse protocol was the most abysmal, but she was beginning to alter her opinion in favor of hospitals.
For fifteen minutes now, she’d been trying to get in to see Carl Cantrell, but she’d come smack-dab up against the Iron Maiden of nurse-receptionists. Normally she tried to stay as far away from child-napping poisoners as possible, especially when they were on the other side of a case. But she had business reasons for wanting to get in there. It wouldn’t take long. It would be over in minutes. If she could just get Nurse Ratched here to give her the thumbs up.
“Look,” Megan implored, “this is critical. A woman’s life may be in danger. And that of her son.”
“Because you can’t get in to see a patient? I don’t think so, honey.”