So far, Miranda Jessup Buckley has been jilted, fired and left to take care of her ex-lover's child.   Missy has kidnapped her and a wounded Deputy.  Now, she is telling Miranda what happened to Jason.  

 

 

                  ****************

 

All I can hear is the crunch of gravel and sand under my feet as we walk down the road towards the pond.   Think, Miranda, think.  Keep her talking.  

 

"Remember that time you spent the night and we snuck out?  That senior boy picked us up.  What was his name?"

 

"Jesse Stillwater.  He was in love with me," she says.

 

I roll my eyes.  If he was in love with you, why did he call me every night straight for three weeks?  She has changed the memory to fit her own ego.  "Yep, he was crazy about you.  What ever happened to him?"

 

"How the hell should I know?  Probably has two kids, a fat wife, a truck and a John Deere.  Just like everyone else in this God forsaken county."

 

"Why did you hate Jason?"  I take a different route.  "What did he do to you?"

 

"Oh, Miranda, he was a horrible person.  He made my life a living hell for the three and a half years we were married."

 

I can tell by the change in her voice, she wants to talk.  I may have just bought myself more time.

 

"Was he abusive?  Did he hit you?  No court in the country would convict you if he was abusive."

 

"He never gave me any money.  Said I went through money like other people go through toilet paper."  She sniffles.  "I had to get permission to buy things.  He treated me like I worked for him.  I begged for a new car for years.  He'd say "Missy, there ain't nothing wrong with what you're driving now.  You don't need a new car, you're just spoiled and want a new car."

 

She's getting wound up.  I can hear the pitch of her voice changing.  I have to make her think I believe her.  I have to make sure she thinks I see her as the victim, not a killer.

 

"A new car doesn't seem unreasonable," I say.  "To a guy like that, a new car is pocket change."

 

"Thank you.  It wasn't just the car.  He put a cap on my credit cards.  Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be told your card has been denied at the club?"

 

"I once had to put some things back at the Piggly Wiggly.  That was embarrassing," I say.  It's all I've got.

 

"What happened to you, Miranda?  It's like you just gave up after high school.   You married that joke, Farley.  You know how many times I had to turn that loser away?"

 

"I guess I should thank you," I say.

 

Missy laughs.  "I didn't do it for you.  You treated me like shit after we had that little misunderstanding.  I thought about it, but there wasn't really anything other than sex in it for me.  I have my standards, you know."

 

"About that misunderstanding, did you know they were going to do locker checks that day, or was it just a happy coincidence?"

 

"My goodness, Miranda, that was so long ago.  Who remembers, and honestly, who cares?"

 

I stop walking.  I care.  Out of all of her confessions and tainted stories, that is the one thing I want an answer to.  "Damn it.  Just answer me."

 

"Keep walking.  Who cares?  You were suspended.  Big deal."

 

"I'm not taking another step until you answer me."

 

"You would be wise not to piss me off.  Or did you forget I'm the one holding the gun?"

 

"Shoot me.  Just go ahead and shoot me.  I'm done jumping through your hoops.  If you're gonna kill me, do it right here and right now."

 

"Walk," she says with more than a hint of anger in her voice.  "Don't piss me off."

 

That's when I hear it.  The soft purr of an engine.  "Oh no."

 

"What?"

 

"Listen."

 

"Listen to what?" she snaps.

 

"That sounds like your baby.  I think someone is stealing your baby.  But there was blood all inside, so it probably was ruined anyway."

 

Something unintelligible comes from her.  Panic, and anger, mixes with the troubling decision she has to make now.  Force me to the water or try to stop whoever is taking her car.

 

"But, you've got the keys," she says.  

 

"Nope.  I left them on the console."

 

"You stupid cow."

 

I don't wait.  She's distracted and I have about five seconds to put as much real estate between her and me as I can.  

 

I can see her, looking back down the road, her eyes are off of me.  It's now or never.  If I'm gonna go down, then I'm gonna go down swinging.  

 

One, two, three.  I lunge at her, my hands landing squarely on her boyish boobs.  As she goes tumbling backwards, I take off running.  

 

I have only one place to take cover.  Behind the old washing machine.  I can hide behind it and even if she shoots, the bullets will ricochet off.

 

"I'm gonna kill you,"  she screeches. 

 

I run, my feet sliding on rocks.  And I can hear her in hot pursuit.  She's grunting like a wild animal somewhere behind me.  

 

"You can't hide from me.  You've sealed your fate, you stupid bitch."

 

I get to the thicket. It's easy to pass through since they towed those cars from the bottom of the pond.   I'm praying she won't know that.  I duck behind the washer.  I put my hand over my own mouth to muffle the sound of my heavy breathing.

 

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she says. "Actually, you don't have to.  There's only one place you can be.  Miranda, are you hiding behind my old washer?"

 

I close my eyes.  Why would she dump her washer here when she could have paid someone fifty bucks to carry it to the dump.  Unless, this was Ed's favor. There's something in this washer.  Something she tried to get rid of.

 

"I'm gonna shoot you in your stomach.  I hear that's one of the most painful ways to die."

 

The blast of the gun makes me jump.  That's two bullets gone.  I put my hand down searching the ground for something, anything to throw.  I pull a rock from the mud and throw it towards the bushes.

 

She shoots again.  That's bullet number three.  The less bullets she has left in her gun, the higher my chance for survival.

 

I find another rock.  I peek around the washer.   I can barely see her.   I need to get her to come closer.  

 

"Okay.  I give up.  Don't Shoot me, please.   I, I don't want to die."

 

I put the rock to my lips and kiss it.  Right between the eyes, baby.  If she gets too close, I'm done for.  It's now or never.

 

I pop up and throw that rock as hard as I can.  

 

"Oooowww,"  she cries.  Two bullets hiss by me.  

 

Now there is one ... or two.  Damn it.  How many bullets are in a gun?

 

"That's it.  I'm done hiding.  We're gonna finish this.  Now.  One of us is gonna walk out of here," I growl.  

 

I might be a lot of things, but I'm no coward.

 

 

To be continued ...