Bats and Bling (10 page)

I had hoped I was wrong but as I saw Tillie scurry up to the house the door opened for her I could see Craig let her in. I grabbed my phone and dialed Willie’s number.

“Hey, Pres.”

“I need you to get over to Craig Knapp’s house as soon as you can,” I whispered into the phone. Though why I was whispering I didn’t know. It’s not like anyone could hear me from inside the house. Though I hoped no neighbors came by and wondered why I was sneaking around in the shrubbery. That would be hard to explain.

“Presley,” he said slowly. “Why are you at Craig Knapp’s house? What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about that right now, just get over here. I think him and Tilly killed Veronica and framed Belle for it and if you don’t hurry they’ll get away with it.” I hung up before he could ask me anymore questions and made sure my phone was on vibrate before I stuck it back in my pocket. I peeked over the bushes to see if I could see Craig and Tilly in the front windows and when I didn’t see anything decided I was going to try and get closer. I reasoned that if I couldn’t see them then they couldn’t see me either. I hung along the tree line up the side of the property, thankful they had such lush landscaping in the yard. It allowed me to make my way up and stay fairly hidden. I made my way to the side of the house when I spotted them through the dining room windows. It looked like they were arguing. My fear was they’d leave before Willie got here and then they’d disappear. I couldn’t let that happen or Belle might actually go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Tilly had pulled her Volvo right up close behind Craig’s Mercedes. If I let the air out of her car’s tires she wouldn’t be able to drive it and she was too close to him and he was too close to the garage door to get that car out. It might not stop them but would definitely slow them a little. Except taking off the valve stem wouldn’t flatten the tires quick enough. I needed to puncture them. I looked around for something that might work when I spotted a small, short handled spade. The gardeners must have left it lying around. I ran over and grabbed it and then went over to her car. The spade wasn’t very sharp, even though it was pointed, and I couldn’t get it to go in. I leaned all my weight against it and my hand hurt from the handle but I kept leaning. I couldn’t let them leave. I was so intent of what I was doing that I didn’t hear anyone walk up behind me until it was too late. I felt a cold metal object press against the back of my head.

“Presley, whatever are you doing?” Tilly’s voice cut through the silence. “I think she’s trying to slash my tires, Craig. Shame on you. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to respect other people’s property?”

I slowly stood up and turned around until I was facing her and the gun was pointed directly at my face. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s not nice to point guns at people?” I tried to keep my voice steady but I was shaking like a leaf. She’d already killed once so doing it again wouldn’t be that difficult I didn’t think.

“C’mon. Let’s go inside,” Tilly said ignoring me and motioning with the gun for me to walk ahead of her. We went to the side of the garage and Craig stepped in front of us and opened the door. We walked through it and he closed it and I could hear him turn the lock. That sound made my heart race. I was no longer as worried they might get away as I was worried they might kill me. All of a sudden coming here didn’t seem like the best idea I’d ever had,

“Keep walking, Pres. All the way into the house.”

We made our way into the kitchen where it was all windows but all the blinds were down so no one outside could see. I’m sure they could hear a gunshot though by that point it’d be too late. I’d been dead. I had to get that gun away from Tilly. My life depended on it. But how?

“Sit,” she said pointing to a kitchen chair. I sat in the one closest to me which actually prevented her and Craig from standing on the same side with the way the kitchen was configured. There wasn’t much room on my side and that might be to my advantage. Tilly stayed standing in front of me while Craig moved to the side and a little behind, and it gave me an idea. Not a great one but I didn’t have time to wait until I could think of a great one. I needed to act now before it was too late.

              I started coughing. “Can I have a glass of water please?”

Tilly sighed but I kept coughing. I’m sure it was annoying and I was hoping it was. “Fine. Craig can you get her some water?”

“Why me,” he whined which is the first thing he’d said.
C’mon Craig, I thought. Be a good boy and do as she says.

“Because I have a gun in my hand,” she said exasperatedly. “Now just do it.”

To get to the sink or the cupboard for that matter he had to cross in front of me and that’s what I was waiting for. As he started walking I stuck out my foot and tripped him. He fell into Tilly who was knocked to the floor and the gun went flying.

They both fell with a thud and I heard a groan from Tilly. I winced. That probably hurt. Craig was a big guy but I couldn’t worry about that now. This was my chance. I needed to get that gun and hold them here until Willie came. God I hoped he was almost here. I scanned the room not exactly sure where the gun had flown too when I saw it lying halfway under the stove. I leaped up and crossed the kitchen on a couple strides and reached the gun just as Tilly pushed Craig off her.

“You idiot,” she screamed at him as she watched me pick up the gun.

“Both of you stay right there,” I said. My hand was shaking. I wasn’t used to holding a gun and it was much heavier than I’d imagined.

“What are you going to do, Presley? Shoot us? You don’t exactly seem like a cold blooded killer,” Tilly said.

“You’re right, Tilly. I’m not like you.”

She started laughing. “You silly girl. You think everything is so black and white don’t you? Well let me tell you. Life isn’t always that easy.”

“I don’t think your life was so bad. So bad to kill your friend and frame another friend for it.

She laughed again. “You think I killed Veronica?”

“I think you and Craig were having an affair and you wanted to get rid of Veronica and have Craig all to yourself.”

“You’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were Presley. I’m disappointed. I didn’t kill Veronica. I thought Belle did. They did arrest her for it.”

“Because you framed her. Why not just admit it. You killed her to get her out of the way.”

“Darling, I love Craig but not in the way you think. Tell her Craig.”

By this time he’d picked himself off the floor and was learning against the wall.

“Tilly’s my sister.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Yes. Craig and I are siblings. Half siblings to be exact.”

“Then if you didn’t kill Veronica to have Craig, why did you.”

“I didn’t kill Veronica,” she said exasperatedly. “And neither did Craig,” she added as she saw me look over at him.

“Then why the gun and all the secrecy?”

“I think that is meant for me,” a voice came from behind me and I spun around to see Raquel standing behind me. I was so caught off guard that she easily reached over and took the gun right out of my hand.

“Shit,” I said under my breath. What the hell was going on here? And where the hell was Willie.

“I don’t follow,” I said hoping someone would shed some light on the topic.

“Go ahead Raquel. Tell her how you killed Veronica and are now after Craig and I.”

“What? Why?” I asked.

“Because she was a no good double crossing bitch. At least I thought she was. What can I say. Mistakes happen,” she said nonchalantly.

“You killed my wife,” Craig yelled. “How can you act like it was no big deal.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Craig. You were having an affair with Belle and were in the process of divorcing Veronica anyway. I made the whole process easier for you.”

These people were nuts. “What do you have to do withal this?” I asked Tilly.

She looked at me and then Raquel who said, “Go ahead and tell her. None of you are going to leave here alive so it doesn’t matter what you tell her. Maybe if you satisfy her curiosity she’ll shut up.”

Tilly sighed and then started to explain.

“Veronica knew Craig had filed for divorce and needed to get her hands on money before that happened and Craig cut her off. They had an airtight pre-nup. Her and Raquel schemed to have the brooch made and then they were going to switch out the diamonds.”

“So that’s why Raquel gave her to Angela as a customer and why Veronica persuaded Angela to give the brooch to her without paying? To switch out the diamonds. But she would have eventually had to pay for it if it hadn’t been stolen.”

“Exactly. The robbery was also part of the plan”

It started to make more sense to me. “She arranged for the brooch to be stolen so she could sell the diamonds and never have to pay from the brooch. Leaving me to deal with the fall out.”

“Pretty much,” Tilly said.

“Only Tilly here thought she was smarter than us. Stupid Veronica bragged about what we were planning, thinking Tilly here was a friend.”

“Wait a minute,” I said confused. “She didn’t know you two were related?”

“No. Neither did we until recently. Long story,” Tilly said.

I put my fingers to my temples and rubbed them. You couldn’t make this up it was so far-fetched.

“So Tilly stole it from you guys?” I asked.

“Tilly switched the real one for the fake while they were trying on dresses for the fashion show. The fake one went into your safe and that’s the one that was stolen. The person we paid to steal it brought it to me and I could tell right away the diamonds were fake. I thought Veronica double-crossed me and I went to her home and confronted her.”

“So you killed her and Tilly has the diamonds?”

“Until now. I came to get what’s mine,” Raquel said. “Give me the diamonds, Tilly.”

“Why should I? You’re going to kill us regardless