Mike Jastrzebski - Key Lime Blues

With blood pouring from his nose and mouth, Willie changed tactics. He rolled off me and scrambled across the floor toward where his gun had landed.

My chest burned and my head throbbed. I was having a hell of a time keeping my balance, but I knew if Willie got his gun it was all over. In desperation, I reached out, caught his ankle, and pulled him flat onto the floor.

Again, Willie was much quicker than I expected. He kicked at me with his other foot and grazed my ear. My grip was tenuous at best, and his next kick freed his leg. We both struggled to our feet. He was faster than me, but when he reached for the gun his shoe slid in a pool of his own blood. He went down onto one knee.

While Willie struggled to regain his footing, I was fighting my own battle. My head felt as if it had been split by an ax and I was having trouble concentrating. Another hit to the head and I’d be out.

I snatched up the sword as Willie dove for his pistol. It looked like he was going to win the race. I was worn down both physically and mentally. With my last reserve of strength, I thrust the blade out in front of me and sprang forward.

Willie grabbed the gun, but before he could bring it up I plunged the sword into his chest.

Willie’s eyes opened wide, he dropped the gun, and collapsed onto the floor. I was exhausted. All I wanted was to lie down and go to sleep, but sleeping wouldn’t help Tanya. Reaching down, I snatched up the pistol and made my way across the room to the office door.

I had been trained on the proper way to enter a room when someone might be waiting with a gun, but I was too tired to think straight. Instead, I fumbled with the doorknob, threw open the door, and raced into the room with the gun held out in front of me.

Destiny and Tanya were gone. Elvis was standing over Dom’s body, staring down into his lifeless eyes. When he heard me behind him, he turned. “She shot him without a second thought.”

“Destiny?”

“Yes,” Elvis said. There were tears in his eyes and a quiver in his voice. “He was the gentlest soul I ever knew.”

I knelt down on one knee and touched Dom’s neck looking for a pulse. It confirmed what I already knew.

“He’s dead,” Elvis said.

“I’m sorry.” I stood and put my hand on his shoulder. “Where’d Destiny go?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about the other girl, Tanya?”

“I thought she was going to kill us all. Gail took the girl and said to tell you to go back to Tanya’s house and wait for her call. She said if you were not there when she called, she’d kill Tanya. She said you have an hour.”

“I’ve got to go,” I said. “Do you think you can handle the police?”

“What do I tell them?”

“Tell them the truth, but don’t let them know where I’m going. I’ll call them when I know Tanya’s all right. Can you tell me why they were here in the first place?”

“Gail said they didn’t have any other place to go. Plus, she’s obsessed with those damn diamonds. She can’t seem to think of anything else. She asked me again if you were going to give them to her.”

“What did you tell her?”

Elvis let out a low laugh. “I told her yes. You told me earlier that Gail was going to kill the other girl if she didn’t get them back, so I told her what she wanted to hear.”

“You lied to her?”

Elvis nodded. “I didn’t have a choice. I thought it was the only way to keep us all alive. You know, I had a vision that Gail was going to die tonight. If I’d even suspected Dom might get hurt, I’d have sent him away. My predictions are always open to interpretation, but I had a vivid sense that she was going to get shot.”

Elvis looked up into my eyes. “I was afraid she’d kill me, but I still should have been able to do something to save Dom. I know you don’t believe it, but I’m a real psychic. I should have seen this coming.”

I started toward the door, and then looked back at Elvis. “You can’t blame yourself for this, any more than you say I can’t blame myself for Celine’s death. Now you need to call the police, and I need to make sure Destiny doesn’t kill Tanya.”

Despite the assurances I’d offered Elvis, I couldn’t ignore my own rising guilt. I knew I was the one responsible for Dom’s death, not Elvis. It had been my plan for him to make some noise and create a diversion. He’d died as a result. I was determined not to add Tanya’s death to my growing guilt trip.

Waiting for the police was not going to help anyone. Over the past several days I had seen what Destiny was capable of. There was no doubt in my mind she would do exactly what she threatened to do. If I wanted to save Tanya I had better get my ass in gear.

It was no surprise to me that the bicycle I’d left lying in the grass was gone. This left me without transportation. It only took a quick glance down at my tattered and bloodied shirt to rule out a taxi or a bicycle cab. They would take one look at me and either take off or call the cops.

Despite the fact I was exhausted and battered from my battle with Willie, I had to jog the mile or so to Tanya’s house. Because I looked like hell I chose to avoid Duval, which would have been a slightly more direct route. I ran with my head down along Simonton Street up to Olivia. The few people I crossed paths with stepped around me. I suspect they took me for one of the many homeless who wander around the island.

I didn’t give a shit what anybody else thought, all I cared about was getting to Tanya’s as fast as possible. At that point I had a solitary mission in life, making sure Tanya survived. That’s also when I decided if Destiny hurt Tanya, I was going to kill her.

The house was shrouded in darkness. The gate was half open, just like I’d left it when I hurried off after Dom’s call. The door was closed, but unlocked. I should have remembered that I had not closed it when I left. I should have looked around before entering the house. I should have taken all the precautions I’d been taught to take. But by the time I got to the house, all I could think about was getting inside, finding some aspirin, and waiting for Destiny’s call.

Tanya was the first thing I saw when I flipped on the lights. She was tied to one of the kitchen chairs, which had been moved into the center of the living room. The second thing I saw was Destiny. She wore a pair of tight shorts and an Alvin’s t-shirt that was two sizes too small for her. She was also holding a gun in her lap. It was cocked, and pointed at Tanya.

“Where are my diamonds, Wes?” She was grinning, but it was a crazy grin. When I looked into her eyes I realized that she’d been pushed over the edge. No matter what I told her she wasn’t going to let either Tanya or me live.

“I hid them,” I said. I scanned the room looking for a weapon. Things did not look promising.

“The ones you took from me?”

I nodded.

She fumbled for something next to where she was sitting, and held up the vase from Tanya’s room. “And what about the ones I hid in here? I hope for both your sakes you have all my pretties. You’re more resourceful than I gave you credit for, Wes. I can be resourceful too. I want all twenty-five of my diamonds. If you don’t give them to me, I’m gonna shoot Tanya, then I’m gonna shoot you. One bullet for every diamond that you don’t return. Who do you think is more resourceful, Darling?”

“Why are you doing this, Gail?” Tanya asked. “I watched you kill someone today. Before that, I never could have believed you were capable of doing such a thing. You should leave before the police find you.”

“Shut the hell up, bitch.” Destiny drew back and flung the vase at Tanya. Tanya pulled back her head and the vase flew past her face and slammed into the wall across the room. “I’m not going anywhere without my diamonds.”