She had edged closer to us and further from him.
“Can’t do that, Kelly. Because we’ve got a problem here.”
“Don’t make the problem worse,” I said.
He chuckled. “This where you tell me we can all walk away friends?”
“No,” I said. “But you use that gun and this whole thing goes from bad to horrible.”
“Not sure there’s anywhere else to go,” he said.
“There’s always somewhere else to go,” I said. “Always.”
“That what you learned lookin’ for your kid?” he asked, smirking. “Some sort of feel-good bullshit about moving on? Because that’s what it sounds like.”
“Bet your salary isn't the same at school as it was in the NFL, right?” I said.
He smiled an ugly smile. “Good guess.”
“So what was all this? Supplemental income?”
The ugly smile remained.
“Maybe you just liked being in charge? Missed that from your playing days?”
He stared at me.
“Or maybe you're just an asshole who likes hurting kids.”
I didn't expect him to answer and it didn't matter. There was nothing he could say to me that was going to justify his actions. Maybe he had them straight in his own mind, but it wouldn't make sense to me.
“Stricker, come on,” Kelly said. “This is insane.”
He pivoted and fired a single shot in her direction.
The noise was deafening in the house, but I heard Meredith scream. Or maybe it was Megan. I wasn’t sure. Kelly fell backward, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Her hands clutched the giant red circle spreading on her left shoulder. Her mouth was open but she didn’t say anything.
Stricker quickly moved the gun back to me. “Is there somewhere else to go now?”
I didn’t say anything.
“Gotta take care of this, Tyler,” he said, a resigned expression on his face. “As soon as you found out your friend was okay, you should’ve walked.”
“I won’t let you hurt her,” I said.
“I’ve got the gun, Tyler.”
“You’re not gonna hurt her.”
He seemed amused by my defiance. “Are you blind?”
“No. But you aren’t gonna hurt her. You’ve done enough of that.”
The amusement in his expression faded. “Oh, God. Please don’t give me some fucking speech, alright? These girls, they know what they’re doing. They aren’t innocent.”
“Either are you,” I said. “And you’re gonna have to kill me if you want her.”
Meredith’s hands were like claws in my stomach. My arm was still around her shoulders and her face was buried in my shirt, unable to look at Stricker. I could hear Megan breathing behind me to my right. I didn’t look at Kelly because I was afraid of what I was going to see.
“Not a problem, Tyler,” Stricker said and he aimed the gun at my throat.
Another explosion roared through the room and I jerked. Meredith pushed harder into me and we toppled to the ground. I lay there for a moment, my ears ringing, unsure of what had happened. Then I sat up.
Stricker was on his back, his face a bloody mess. The lower half of his face was gone, the area where his mouth had been now one large vacant space. The gun had fallen from his grip and his body was twitching, as if someone was tickling him. I popped to my knees, crawled over and grabbed the gun, then looked back at Megan.
She was holding a gun with both hands, her eyes still on Stricker. The gun was shaking.
I stood and walked over to her, carefully taking the gun from her. Her eyes were still locked on Stricker.
“Megan?” I said and my voice sounded quiet after the two gunshots.
“It’s my dad’s,” she finally said, her words slurred, heavy. “I brought it in case…” She looked at me. Her eyes were glazed over, staring through me. “In case you wouldn’t help Meredith.” Her eyes focused and she finally looked at me. “In case I had to shoot you.”
SEVENTY-NINE
The small narrow street was now packed with police officers, fire trucks and curious eyes.
“You should’ve called me,” Mike Lorenzo said.
We were standing off to the side of the Jordan’s buy-in home. Lieutenant Bazer was in the middle of the yard, directing his officers. He glanced at me, then looked away.
“I didn’t know what I was walking into, Mike,” I said. “Otherwise, I would’ve.”
That was the truth. I had learned early that it was better to let the local police handle things when the time was right. I wasn’t looking to showboat or steal anyone’s spotlight. If I’d known Meredith was inside, that Stricker was a piece of crap and that Megan was armed, I most definitely would’ve called Mike.
But sometimes you don’t know.
Mike rubbed at his jaw. “You alright?”
I nodded. “Fine. Did you call Jordan?”
“Yeah, he should be here soon,” Mike said. “Didn’t tell him everything that happened, just that his kid was safe.”
Mike’s colleagues had Meredith and Megan separated, talking to them individually. As long as they told the truth, they would be fine.
EMTs spilled out of the house, Kelly Rundles on a gurney. She was moving, alert. She would be fine.
“It was absolutely self-defense, Mike,” I said. “That girl probably saved my life.”
Mike looked over to where Megan was talking to another officer. “I’ll make sure she’s alright.”
There was movement amongst the gawkers in the street. Jon and Olivia Jordan emerged from the middle of the pack, their heads twisting and turning, eyes wide. Jon saw Meredith first and broke into a sprint toward her. One cop attempted to grab his arm, but Jordan shook him off, missile-locked on his daughter.
Meredith saw him and her body shook as she began sobbing. Jordan slowed as he approached, like she was a deer and he didn’t want to scare her away. Meredith’s chin sunk and her body shook harder. Jordan stepped in and swallowed her with his arms and they shook together.
Olivia was slower in getting to them and when she did, she seemed unsure of what to do. She put a hand on her husband’s shoulder and another on her daughter’s. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on me.
She gave a slight nod in my direction and I had no idea what it meant nor did I have any any desire to ask her.
Jordan never took his eyes off his daughter. I imagined that it would be hard for him to ever let her out of his sight again.
I was envious.
“If you wanna get out of here, go ahead,” Mike said and I knew he was reading my thoughts.
“Thanks.”
He walked with me away from the crowd and guided me toward his car. “Hang on a sec.” He opened the door and pulled out a thin envelope.
He handed it to me. “This was what I was gonna give you at breakfast tomorrow.”
I took the envelope and flipped it over in my hands a couple of times.
“It’s probably nothing,” Mike cautioned. “But it’s something I’d take a look at. Since you’re here, I figured I’d just pass it along.”
I knew by his tone and demeanor we were no longer talking about Meredith Jordan and the subject was Elizabeth.
I stared at the envelope. “Okay.”
“Like I said, it’s probably nothing,” Mike said again. “But it’s the kind of thing that I’ve been looking at over the last few years when it rolls in. You can take a look, see what you think.”
I folded the envelope and stuck it in my pocket. “Thanks, Mike. For everything.”
“That sounds like a goodbye,” Mike said with a raised eyebrow.
I nodded at Meredith and her parents. “We found her. Chuck’s clear and he’s gonna be alright. I think I’m done.”
“You gonna be alright?” he asked.
I offered him my hand and we shook.
“I hope so,” I said.
EIGHTY
I was buying a bagel the next morning when my phone chirped. I scooped the bagel off the counter and answered it, looking for a napkin.
“Hey,” Lauren said on the other end.