Murder on the Orient Espresso(69)

‘What do you think?’ Pavlik said to his new sidekick. ‘Noon tomorrow?’

Boyce nodded. ‘Don’t send anybody out alone, though. At least two people.’

A hand went up. ‘But what about snakes? And alligators?’ Missy asked in a shaky voice.

‘We’ll take my knife and Ms Edmonds’ pistol.’ Pavlik held it up, index finger carefully outside the trigger guard. ‘If anyone else happens to have a—’

With that, a dozen handguns appeared from holsters and handbags, fanny packs and pockets.

Pavlik shrugged. ‘How could I forget we’re in South Florida?’

‘Don’t leave home without ’em,’ Harvey said. ‘I think you’ll like my Glock Forty.’

‘I have a forty-five Colt,’ Prudence said. ‘Great stopping power …’

Vaguely relieved that none of The (unofficial) Untouchables had sub-machine guns, I left the group to debate the relative pros and cons of our available weapons and sat down on the stool by the door, feeling adrift. Pavlik was the only one of these people I’d known for more than twenty-four hours, and now he was leaving me here alone with them.

And one of ‘them’ was a murderer.

Yes, it was for a good reason. And, of course, he was taking far more risk than—

‘You OK?’ Missy asked quietly. I hadn’t noticed her come back.

I gave her a smile. ‘Yeah, just a little—’

‘Scared?’ She sat down on the edge of the seat nearest me, legs swiveled into the aisle so we could talk. ‘Me, too. This was all my idea and it’s my fault that we’re stranded here. And, and …’ She gestured toward the door leading to Larry Potter’s body and a sob escaped from her throat.

I tried to reassure the girl. ‘You had no way of knowing a severe storm was going to hit or that the track bed would become unstable.’

‘But that’s the point,’ she said. ‘The mystery train which I wanted us to take wasn’t up and running yet, so I, I … kind of cobbled things together.’

Hence, Theodore B. Hertel, Jr, the aged-out engineer, Pete the ‘pretend’ conductor/bartender and the incomplete and perhaps improperly built track. All to save face – and her event.

But no good would be served by reminding Missy of that now.

‘Fine mess you got us into here,’ a different voice snapped. Zoe Scarlett was standing over Missy. ‘Stuck here without any food and now we’re even running out of things to drink.’

I was thinking cause and effect. Zoe looked like she had one howler of a hangover.

‘I’m so sorry,’ the girl said tearfully. ‘If you want, I’ll go with the sheriff and Mr Boyce.’

‘You’ll do no such thing,’ I said. ‘We may need you here.’

Pavlik came up behind Zoe’s right shoulder. ‘You two ladies mind if I have a word alone with Maggy?’

Missy sniffled and shook her head, disappearing into the stinky bathroom. Zoe pivoted and went a few seats back and collapsed, palm to her forehead.

Pavlik held out a smallish gun to me, and I took it from him carefully. It was a semi-automatic, but that’s about all I could tell you. Nor, believe me, did I know or care whether the diameter of the ammunition was measured by caliber or in millimeters. ‘Loaded?’

‘It is. Plus the safety is off and I’ve chambered the first round, so if you pull the trigger, a slug flies out of the muzzle and toward whatever you’re aiming at.’

‘How many bullets in this?’

‘Seven. Just level on bad guy-or-girl’s belt buckle and fire ’til they fall. Oh, and here’s some extra ammunition.’ He handed me something the size and shape – if ten times the heft – of an old kitchen matchbox.

If I couldn’t stop the killer with seven, I somehow didn’t envision having the time, or even know-how, to reload, but I accepted the extra rounds from him. Their ‘box’ reminded me of the matchbook I’d found. ‘I know this doesn’t have any bearing on our most immediate problem, but Audra Edmonds says Titanium is a sex club her husband spent time at. Pointedly without her.’

‘A woman scorned?’ Pavlik suggested.

‘A woman cheated upon,’ I said. ‘Believe me, we’re capable of anything.’

‘Thanks for the warning.’ He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘You going to be all right here?’

I wanted to say, ‘No. Take me with you. Leave a bigger, stronger, actually trained Boyce here with these strangers, one of whom is a killer.’

Instead, I stood up. Setting the gun and ammunition carefully on the stool, I wrapped my arms around Pavlik and rested my head on his chest. ‘I’ll be fine.’