Cherry Bomb

It’s what any brother and sister would do.

Phin found the expressway, riding the shoulder and passing cars while squinting against the wind. I figured our best shot was setting up Phin someplace elevated, far enough away that she wouldn’t see him. We’d never finished zeroing out his scope, but hopefully he’d learned enough in our brief tutorial that he’d be able to compensate.

If not, Harry and I were dead.

And, surprisingly, I realized I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live a long, happy, fruitful life, as something other than a cop. I wasn’t sure what yet. While lying in my holding cell, I actually toyed with the idea of opening up a bar, maybe with some pool tables. With a name like Jack Daniels, how could it lose?

But now I could lose. I could lose a future I never even dreamed I could have. And I was scared.

I tucked my head down and turned away from the wind screaming in at us, blowing my hair into Medusa snakes. If there was the possibility I might be killed, I needed to make a call first. I hit speed dial. She picked up on the third ring.

“Mom?”

“Jacqueline! You’ve got to come on a cruise with us! We’re having a fabulous time!”

Mom sounded loaded. Happy, but loaded.

“Mom, I want to tell you something. Something important.”

“Is it about your father? We bumped into each other at bingo. He told me he was gay. Can you believe it? I married a homo!” Mom laughed. “He never told me all of these years because he didn’t want to hurt me. What a sweet man. We’ve been having such a wonderful time together. Did you know he was at your wedding?”

“Yes, Mom. Glad you two made up.”

“There’s a senior social to night. We’re going to cruise men together. I’m letting him do my hair. He used to do that back when we were married. How could I have not guessed he was gay?”

“Is Dad there?”

“He just went to the bathroom. I wonder which one. You think it was the men’s or the women’s? We’re having such fun! They make a drink called a cherry bomb. We’ve been drinking them all morning. I wish you were here with us. The whole family together again. We simply must go on a cruise when I get back, if my liver is still working.”

More giggles. I closed my eyes. Last goodbyes were really goddamn hard.

“Mom, I need you to tell Dad that I love him. It’s important that he hears that. Okay?”

“I will, Jacqueline, but don’t you think you should tell him yourself? He told me you hadn’t said that yet.”

“I need you to tell him, Mom. And I love you too. And I…I want to thank you.”

“Thank me? What in heavens for?”

I choked up a little bit, then got it under control. “For raising me. For loving me. For being my hero. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met, and it’s been such an honor being your daughter.”

“You’re such a sweetheart. Have you been drinking too?”

“Just know that I love you, okay?”

“Okay, honey. My phone is dying, so I’ll call you later to night. If I don’t call, it means I’m getting lucky. Bye-bye.”

“Mom?”

The phone went dead.

I closed my eyes, letting the wind blow away the tears on my cheeks.

Then I reached into the backseat to check the rifles.

CHAPTER 54

“HEY! NORMA BATES! You’re the one who needs to cover up her face, not me.”

Alex sets down the blasting cap, walks to Harry-taped to his computer chair with a red velour pillowcase over his head-and punches where she thinks his nose is. His head snaps back and he makes a satisfying grunt.

“I thought we were clear, Harry. Every time you talk, I hit you.”

“If I answer, are you going to hit me again?”

Alex sighs. She has a good reason for keeping McGlade in the dark, but realizes she should have gagged him first.

“This pillowcase smells like monkey pee,” Harry says.

“Jesus, McGlade, do I have to cut out your tongue?”

“If you did, I could still make sounds with my throat. See? Wooooaaaaaaaaaoooooo!”

Harry continues to moan like a ghost, and Alex questions whether it isn’t better to simply kill him right now. Instead, she finishes hooking up the detonator and then gives Harry another punch in the face.

“If I take off your hood, will you shut the hell up?”

“I can’t make any promises. Your face is pretty frightening. I may scream.”

“You’re going to scream anyway,” Alex says, yanking off his hood.

McGlade opens his mouth, no doubt to make some smart-assed comment, but instead his eyes begin to wander around the RV. Alex has used every last bit of Lance’s explosives decorating the interior. It’s sort of like Christmas, except with dynamite, det cord, and PENO instead of tinsel, ornaments, and colored lights.

“Jesus H. Tap-Dancing Christ,” Harry says.

“Impressed?”

“No. I just forgot how ugly you are.”

Alex gives Harry’s cheek a not-too-gentle pinch.

“Don’t worry, Harry. You’re not going to die here. This is all for Jack. I’m taking you with me. We’re going to spend some real quality time together before I punch your clock.”

“I’ve got a question for you, Alex. And I’d really appreciate an honest answer.”

Alex waits.

“You’re a chick,” he says. “Do red velour sheets make you hot?”

Alex swings a leg over Harry, straddles his lap.

“Do you know what will make me hot, Harry? Using some pliers to peel all the skin off of your face.”

“But what about the sheets? They match those hooker boots you’re wearing.”

Alex gives Harry a peck on the forehead, then climbs off. His stupid jokes don’t bother her. He’s scared out of his mind, trying to use humor to cope. Once she starts drawing some serious blood, the joking will be replaced by begging. She was more impressed by how he found her than his current bravado. Tracking the cell phones through the SIM cards and a Bluetooth signal was clever. As soon as he told her, after a liberal application of the stun gun, she switched off her Bluetooth and call forwarding. Alex doesn’t want Jack to find her before she’s all set up.

She turns, going to check the bedroom one more time. That’s where the second Claymore is. But before she gets two steps away McGlade tilts his chair over, falling onto his side. He reaches out an arm-his fake hand had apparently been able to break through the duct tape-and hits the release button on the monkey’s cage door.

“Get her, Slappy! Like I trained you!”

McGlade points at Alex. The monkey leaps out of the cage, screeching like a hellspawn. Then he runs right past Alex, jumps through the side window, and tears down the street, disappearing into the distance.

Harry frowns. “There’s six hundred bucks shot to hell.”

“I think you paid too much.”

“It was him, or a gibbon with just one limb.”

“The gibbon couldn’t have run away.”

“Point taken.”

Alex checks her watch. Almost time to call. She hopes Jack is late, because Alex feels a little jumpy, and severing a few of Harry’s fingers would help take the edge off. She unclips her folder knife, thumbs open the blade.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I don’t have my blowtorch handy this time. So it looks like we’re going to get blood all over your carpeting.”

“It was pretty much ruined anyway.” Harry’s voice is an octave higher. The fear is taking over.

“Which one should we start with? The thumb?”

“I have a better idea. Why don’t you take that knife and jam it right up your-Slappy! I knew you’d come back, buddy!”

Alex checks the window, and sure enough, the monkey is perched there, teeth bared. He slaps himself in the head a few times, giving Alex a pretty good idea of how he got his name.

“Attack, Slappy! Attack!”

Slappy hops into the RV, screeches at Alex, then runs into his cage and grabs the sweater. Two seconds later he’s out the window again, dragging it behind him and ru