Death of the Family Recipe (A Scotti Fitzgerald Murder Mystery Book 3) (48 page)

I nodded and whispered, "Yes."

As she pulled slowly out of the parking garage, I craned my neck to see Ted, but all I saw was the Escalade, both doors open with the engine still running.

Kathy kept the taser in her lap with her free hand over it. Her eyes dared me to make a move, and I wondered if she wanted that — so she could have an excuse to kill me. I held my locket between my bound hands and prayed I’d see my husband and my family again.

Taking surface streets, Kathy drove slowly and carefully — as though in no hurry to execute the plans she had for me. No clock on the dash, so it was hard for me to judge how long we’d been driving. No radio to distract me – just the groan of tires on bad pavement. I watched out the window, noting street signs and landmarks. If I had a chance to get away or call for help, I wanted to know where we were. But it wasn’t necessary, I recognized the neighborhood as we traveled along Alvarado Street. Just before we reached MacArthur Park, she left turned off Alvarado and turned right into an alley.

The tires grumbled over broken glass and shoddy pavement as the Buick slowly rolled forward. Then Kathy stopped behind a storefront, sporting a small sign that read; Clínica gratuita. Even my limited Spanish vocabulary told me we were at a free clinic. Understanding now what Kathy had planned for me, I broke into a sweat and trembled. I shook my head, "No."

Kathy slapped my face and growled. "Shut up!" When she pulled me out of the car my sneakers crunched over gravel and broken glass. With the taser to my belly, she unlocked the barred door then shoved me into the gloomy space that smelled of antiseptic and disease. My stomach lurched, and I started to swoon, but Kathy was strong and held me upright.

I was trembling so hard my teeth chattered as though suddenly cold. "Why are we here? What are you going to do?" She dragged me along the darkened corridor — the only sounds were the squeak of our shoes on the linoleum floor. The fluorescent lights sputtered and hummed as she flipped them on. I craned my neck. "What is this place?"

We stopped outside an exam room. She opened the door and shoved me inside. The sad, dirty little room, held an old vinyl exam table with stirrups jutting out at the sides, a rollaway stool, a tray table for instruments and an ancient metal medical supply cabinet on rollers. "Get on the damn table!"

I shrunk back and my insides turned to hot jelly. "What? No!"

She waved the taser at me. "You’ve got nowhere to run now."

I backed up until I bumped into the back wall. "Why are you doing this?

"Get on the table, or you’ll have a couple of fried babies."

If I got on that table, it was the end. She’d do what she’d done to Tina. But she wouldn’t care if my babies survived. I shook my head. "Look at me, Kathy. I’m Rory’s daughter. Remember? I have his eyes — you said so yourself."

For a moment she looked like a sad little girl. "Rory’s gone."

I shook my head. "No, he’s here. Inside of me." I put my hands on my belly. "These are his grandchildren. You don’t want to hurt Rory’s grandchildren do you? You love Rory, don’t you?"

Her eyes went soft for a moment, as though remembering, then she snapped back her head and snarled. "He dumped me for you! Now get on that damn table, or I’ll cut you open on the floor!" Face flushed and panting, she started toward me. "Do what I tell you Rose."

I rolled the medical cart in front of me. "I’m not Rose. I’m Scotti. I’m Rory’s daughter. You love Rory. Remember? You visit his grave every week and leave flowers because you love him. You don’t want to hurt his daughter."

She grunted and started toward me, leaving the door open and unguarded. My only option was to get her to chase me around the room so I could edge my way back to the door. Using the cart as a shield I moved left, drawing her in slightly. Inch by inch we moved in a slow, weird dance — shadowing each other. She sneered, "You’re going to make me work for it, huh?" She panted and sweat beaded on her forehead. "You’ve got nowhere to go little girl."

I kept the cart in front of me. She’d have to get close to use the gun and would have to chance being rammed with the cart. Eyes darting to the door, I talked fast, "Look, I know you’re pissed about Rose. She wouldn’t give you the ring, right?" I nodded toward the chain around her neck and her hand involuntarily went to it. "All you wanted was the damn ring. But Rose, she was stubborn. She wouldn’t give it up."

Kathy’s nostrils flared, and she grunted. "You don’t know shit."

But I could see I struck a nerve. Very quietly I said, "I know you didn’t mean to hurt her. You just wanted the ring. It was fair, she’d gotten Rory; you should’ve gotten the ring. But you struggled, and she fell back. It was an accident. I know you didn’t mean to do it."

Kathy looked away. "You shut your mouth." She whispered, "Get on the table."

I shook my head and inched closer to the door as she followed. "You don’t want do this. I know you don’t want to do this to Rory’s family."

She snarled. "So I should care about Rory’s family? You didn’t care about mine."

"You’re right I didn’t help Spencer, did I? And I owed it to you, after what Rose did."

Kathy moved right, but I lugged the cart around to block her. "Shut up."

I inched and talked. "Tina was bitch. She tortured Spencer, then she slept with another guy. He couldn’t take it. He snapped. And like a good mom, you helped him. You saved his baby." I searched her eyes for the human being inside. "I’ll help you get the baby back. She belongs with you, not the guy Tina cheated with. And you’re the only mother she’s ever had. She must be so scared without you. What's her name?"

Kathy rubbed her temples as though her head was exploding. "Quit confusing me."

I talked faster. "It’s not too late, I can still help Spencer. I’ll work on his appeal. He needs help, not prison. He’s your boy, I get that. You can’t stand to see him suffer. I understand. I’ll help him. I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get him an appeal. We’ll beat it. And I know we can. I promise."

Boiling over, she screamed and threw the taser against the wall. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

I rammed the cart into her as hard as I could and she went sprawling — screaming as she went down. I scooted around her and out the door. Then ran toward the front, searching for an escape, driven by pure instinct. She screamed behind me like a monster in a child’s dream. Couldn’t let her catch me. Couldn’t let her fry my babies with her evil lightning gun. The front door was just a few feet away. Arms pumping, belly flopping, running on fat swollen feet, I could only think about my babies. I had to save them. I put my hand on the handle and pulled but it was locked. I screamed, "No!"

Then Kathy grabbed me by the hair and dragged me backward. Flailing my arms, I tried to land a punch but stumbled and went down. The crack inside my head was loud, the pain sharp, and then I fell into darkness.

<<>>

I woke to a slap. Kathy’s face glared above me, red and sheened with sweat. "I told you to get on the damn table." She panted as she tightened the hand straps. "Now it’s gonna to go hard on you."

I wriggled, trying to see what she was doing. I tried to move my legs but they were tied to the stirrups. I felt the draft on my exposed belly and looked down — my shirt was cut away and I was naked from the waist down. A tray of surgical tools was next to the table. I shook my head violently. "No! Don’t do this! Please don’t hurt my babies. Please don’t kill my babies. I don’t care what you do to me. But don’t hurt them. Please, please, please don’t hurt them. They didn’t do anything to you. They’re just babies!"

Kathy slapped me so hard that my head snapped back. "Shut the fuck up!"

I screamed and wriggled and fought however I could. "No!" I cried. "Please Kathy. Look in my eyes. Look in my father’s eyes. He doesn’t want you to do this. You’re not a monster. You wouldn’t kill innocent babies. You wouldn’t do it. I know you wouldn’t do it. Rory wouldn’t want you to do it. It would break his heart. Don’t hurt my babies, please!"

She stopped and stared at me for a long moment then shrugged. "He broke my heart. Fair is fair." She turned and picked up a scalpel from the instrument tray. I followed its arc to my neck. I winced, and Kathy cut the chain of my locket — my rings and locket tinkling to the floor. She chuckled and looked down. "Have to remember to get those rings. She pulled out Rose’s Celtic wedding ring that dangled from the chain around her neck. "A lot nicer than this piece of crap." She looked down to the floor again. "Oh yeah, those babies will be worth something."

She whipped the air with the scalpel and grinned at me. "Nice and sharp. Should slice through your belly like butter."

She put the scalpel back on the tray and picked up a felt tipped pen. The ink was cold as she drew a line along the bottom of my belly. I craned my neck. "What are you doing?"

Kathy grinned like a evil cartoon scientist. "You ain’t gonna see nothing over this big belly, honey. Just lay back and relax."

I shook my head. "You can’t do this. You can’t. They’re too little. They won’t survive!"

Kathy put down the pen and snapped on latex gloves, humming to herself. A lullaby. She sat on the stool and rolled closer to the table. "I lost two kids, you lose two kids. It’s only fair."

I gasped. "No! You’ll kill them. They’re too little. Please, please, please don’t do this!" I struggled against my restraints. Sobbing, I begged her, "No, don’t kill my babies."

Kathy put her left hand on my belly and retracted it, with her right hand she took the scalpel. "Sorry honey, but this is gonna hurt like a sonofabitch."

I slammed my eyes shut. It was in God’s hands. I could squirm and wriggle but I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t stop her from taking my babies. "Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name." I felt cold steel against my belly and winced. "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven." She started the incision and I whelped and jumped. "Give us this day our daily bread."

Kathy pushed harder on my belly. "Shut the fuck up and hold still!"

The warm blood trickled down between my legs and I sobbed, trembling uncontrollably. "And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us…"

Kathy screamed. "Hold still!"

"And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil..."

"Drop it or I’ll snap your fucking head right off your shoulders."

I opened my eyes. "Ted?"

Ted had one hand on the top of her head and other on her jaw. Kathy gasped and froze. "Drop it, bitch."

Kathy dropped the scalpel and held up her hands. And he rolled her away from the table, like they were gliding on ice. Footsteps pounded down the hall. Uniforms burst into the room, and Ted passed Kathy to them. Then he snapped the towel off the instrument table and pressed it to my belly. "It’s okay baby, we gotcha." He took off his jacket and covered me with it, then turned his head toward the door. "Daniels call a fucking ambulance!"

Daniels rushed into the room took one look at me and went white. "Holy mother of God!" He yelled into his walkie. "Get me a wagon now! Pregnant woman bleeding!"

I cried. Confused. "Ted? Are you really here? Are the babies safe?"

He kept pressure on the incision with the towel and smiled at me. "Hang on baby, we gotcha. Just hang on." He turned to Daniels. "Help me get her loose."

I woke up screaming. Kathy left me alone in the dark on the table. "No! No!" My eyes searched for her. She was coming back with the knife. "Where are my babies. Where are you?"

Ted came out of the shadows and put his arms around me gently. "Scotti. It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re safe, babe. She’s gone."

I blinked. "Do I really see you? Are you really here? Am I dead?" I started to cry. "Did she kill my babies? Where are my babies?"

I struggled against him trying to get out of the bed, but Ted held on tight. "We’re all here. I’m here. The babies are here. They’re safe in your belly."

I touched my belly. "She didn’t get them? They’re still here?"

He held me tight. "No honey. Kathy can’t hurt us any more." He kissed me and gently lay me back. He laced his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand. "But you have to take it easy. Doc stitched you up and you have to lie still for a while. You copy?"

I rubbed my belly — it was big and swollen and fat with babies. I smiled and whispered, "We’re all here. You and me and the babies?"

Ted switched on the beside lamp and stroked my forehead. "Yes, my love. All here."

Confused, I looked around the unfamiliar room. "Where are we? Where is here? Whose house is this?"

The overhead lights snapped on, and Val swept into the room carrying her electronic gizmo. "Good, you’re awake. You’re in the hospital. And if I have my way, you’ll be here ‘til those babies deliver." She nudged Ted aside and lifted my gown. Gently, she checked the stitches. "You were lucky, Scotti. The incision wasn’t too deep." She pulled my gown down and covered me up. She patted my leg. "I heard you fought her. Good for you. But no dancing for a while."

I clutched Ted’s arm. "Where’s Kathy?"

Ted smirked. "In jail where she belongs."

I trembled. "Are you sure?"

He pulled me closer. "She’s not getting out, honey. It’s over."