Lisa Scottoline - Think Twice

“BENNIE! OVER HERE, BENNIE! NEED HELP?”

“Pop, no! That’s Bennie’s twin, not Bennie!” Mary shouted, too late.

“DiNunzio?” Alice struggled harder against the Rothman guards, kicking and biting so fiercely, she was able to move them closer to the building. “DiNunzio, it’s me, Bennie! That’s Alice up there! She tried to kill me!”

“Stay away from my family!” Mary held up a straight arm while Judy hustled her parents and Fiorella away.

“DiNunzio!” Alice shouted. “That was me who called you from the hospital! Remember, I wanted you to walk Bear!”

“You’re sick!” Mary got mad. “You know how much Bennie loved that dog, and the day he died, you called her about him! That’s disgusting!”

“Bear’s dead ? What?”

“Help!” Mary shouted, and the Rothman guards regained control and dragged Alice backwards.

“Ms. Connelly, you’re not permitted within a hundred yards of Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier, Grady Wells-”

“ Grady? ” Alice screamed. “DiNunzio, where’s Grady?”

Suddenly two Rothman guards appeared at Mary’s sides, took her by the elbows, and hurried her toward the building. She spotted another one helping her parents and Fiorella into a cab, and a third escorting Judy to the building. The Rothman guards left Mary in the lobby, and she joined Judy at the security desk, gathering with Steve and Herman. They were all catching their breath when they heard a new surge of noise from the crowd, and Mary turned around just in time to see Alice stick her splint into the eye of a Rothman guard, then break free and run off.

“She’s getting away!” Mary said, shocked. “They didn’t stop her!”

“They can’t.” Steve shook his head. “Rothman isn’t supposed to restrain, and the cops will pick her up in no time. She embarrassed them by escaping, and they’re not about to let that happen. You okay?”

“Fine. That Rothman guard will need a doctor. Should we call one?”

“We will, but they’re tough, those guys. Get ’em a bullet to bite on.”

Mary looked at Judy. “Did my parents get in the cab, safe and sound?”

“Yes.” Judy wiped her brow. “They were upset, though. You might want to call them when we get upstairs.”

“I will.” Mary managed a smile. “They’ll never come in town again. Sushi, and now this.”

“I know, right?” Judy smiled back. “Let’s go up and see how Bennie is. Thanks, everybody.”

“Yes, thanks, guys.” Mary walked Judy to the elevator bank, swiped her reader card, and hit the UP button. They went into the elevator, and when the doors closed, she rested against the side wall, decompressing. “That was a scene, huh?”

“Yeah, I’ll say.”

“I’m so glad we got that court order. It saved our asses, and Bennie’s.”

“You think?”

“I know. Don’t you?”

“Maybe.” Judy shot her a look, uncharacteristically grave. “I have a question for you.”

“What?”

“What if that was really Bennie, outside? And the woman upstairs is really Alice?”

“Huh?” Mary looked at her like she was crazy, because she was, if she thought that. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Not really.” Judy’s eyes were troubled, and her mouth formed an unsmiling line. “What if?”

“That’s absurd. Alice got to you with her mad scene. It’s like Bennie told me, she plays mind games.”

“It’s not what Alice said.” Judy’s tone grew quiet. “It’s what Fiorella said.”

“Please tell me this is a joke,” Mary said, incredulous. “Fiorella’s even nuttier than Alice. She’s a fake witch queen.”

“Fiorella said that Bennie was evil, the first time she met her.”

“For which she apologized, at lunch. Fiorella’s crazy, a drama queen.”

“Really? What if she called it? What if she had it right, the first time? What if that really is Alice, in our office, masquerading as Bennie?”

“Are you insane?” Mary stood up, recovering. “Then where’s Bennie? Is she that crazy lady outside, dressed exactly like Alice?”

“It’s possible.”

“No, it isn’t. Why? How? I was with Bennie on Saturday, and she didn’t look like that. She looked normal, like herself.”

“They’re identical, Mare. Maybe you were with Alice, and thought it was Bennie.”

“Judy.” Mary rolled her eyes. “Why are you saying this?”

“Because of something Fiorella said to me, before I put her in the cab.”

“What did she say?”

“Family meeting.” Judy pressed the red button with her thumb, and the elevator stopped.

Bennie barreled down the street, ignoring the pain in her feet. Sweat streaked her face. Her heart pounded hard. Her thighs pumped strong. She ran past a Burberrys, a Starbucks, a Kiehl’s. People on the sidewalk stopped talking, watching as she streaked past, driven by instinct. Her only thought was to escape. Police sirens blared in the distance, and she tore down the cross street, leaving Center City behind. She pounded past well-kept row houses to Lombard, then Bainbridge, Naudain, and beyond. The neighborhood changed, and the sidewalks emptied. The brick row houses became run-down, the parked cars broken down. Trash and garbage reeked in the heat. The sirens grew distant.

She took a left onto one of the narrow sidestreets, sprinting past boarded-up windows and lots strewn with rubble and glass. Her eyes swept right and left as she ran, looking for a place to hide. People could be calling 911 from the houses. She had to get off the street, fast. She spotted a corner tavern up ahead. It would do, for now. She slowed her pace to a fast walk, passing women drinking beer on a stoop. She had almost reached the tavern when she heard a shout.

“Yo, wait up, Al!” a woman called, from behind her.

Bennie kept walking.

“Hey, it’s me, Tiffany! Al! Alice!”

Alice? Bennie turned to see one of the women from the stoop hustling toward her, unsteady on Candies sandals.

“Yo, wait!” The woman reached Bennie, out of breath, and she had a sweet, almost deferential, manner. Her streaky brunette hair was cut in raggedy layers, and a fiery sunburn blanketed her turned-up nose. She had on a flowered camisole and shorts, and after she looked Bennie over, her small mouth formed a perfect circle of surprise. “Whoa, what the hell happened, Al? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“I know, right?” Bennie decide to play it by ear. If Alice was pretending to be her, then she would pretend to be Alice.

“You get in a fight or somethin’? Why you runnin’ like that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Caitlin’s been lookin’ for you. Kendra, too. Where you been?”

“Around.” Bennie couldn’t risk being on the street. “Hey, can I get a drink at your place?”

“Sure.” Tiffany beamed. “I’m right around the corner. Let’s bounce.”

Alice was standing in the lobby with Grady and Marshall when the elevator doors opened on Mary and Judy, who entered the reception area. They seemed unusually quiet considering the ruckus, and Alice wondered what had happened to them outside. She had to keep them on the reservation.

“Are you guys okay?” she asked, going over. “DiNunzio, you all right?”

“Thanks, we’re fine.” Mary flashed a weak smile.

“We saw everything from the window. Way to go, out there. You really went toe-to-toe with Alice.”

“But she got away, did you see?”

“We did. I hope they get her quick. She’s obviously off the grid and she needs a shrink.”

“I know, right?” Mary glanced at Judy, who averted her eyes, a movement Alice didn’t miss.