“Viktor?” she called. “It’s Margo Keyes. I have what you want.” She stopped about thirty yards from the picnic shelter. “Where are you? I want to see you.”
There was no answer other than the trees protesting the breeze that disturbed them. But after the breeze stopped, she thought she could hear the sound of someone breathing. However, no one was visible when she played the light in the direction of the sound.
“I’m going to shine the flashlight over the picnic shelter,” she said as she began to illuminate the picnic tables in front of the shelter.
“Don’t do that, Miss Keyes. Focus your light on the ground.” A man’s voice with a heavy Russian accent came from deep inside the picnic shelter. “And have your friend put his weapon on the table nearest him. I’m sure he has one.”
She turned toward the roadway. “Tony? Did you hear?”
“It’s on the table,” Tony called. She saw him shine his flashlight on the Glock he’d been carrying.
“Keep your light on the weapon, please,” Viktor said. “Now, Miss Keyes, my merchandise. Place it … ”
“First tell me why you killed that boy.”
“You asked me to take care of it. I did. Now, put my merchandise on the table closest to you and illuminate it. When I see it, you’ll get your money.”
She put the flash drive on the picnic table and shone her flashlight on it.
not to play games with me, Miss Keyes,” Viktor said in an irritated voice. “I will give you exactly five seconds to put my merchandise on that table. I don’t care who you are, you cannot get away with this.”
“I have put it on the table. That’s what I … ”
“Five, four … ” The sound of his voice was coming closer. “Three … two … ”
He was beside her before she knew he was so close. “You should know better, Miss Keyes.” He grabbed her and shook her so hard she dropped the flashlight.
Before Viktor could do anything else, she heard, “Let her go, you son of a bitch.” Tony lunged at Viktor but the Russian anticipated him and shoved Margo in his direction before taking off. She stumbled in the grass, grabbing at Tony, tripping on his feet, falling, her face smacking the root of a tree, sending ribbons of pain through her nose and around her eyes.
“Are you all right?” Tony knelt beside her, scanning the dark with his light, trying to pick out the fleeing Viktor.
She attempted to stand. “I don’t know. I think … ” She never finished the sentence. Her knees buckled and she went back down onto the grass.
What happened next was a jumble she couldn’t sort out, even later with a lot of effort. Tony barking orders, swearing in Italian and English, pacing. A gurney. An ambulance ride. Pain. Confusion.
The ER visit was clearer. After the doctor had seen her, manipulated her nose and packed it, the nurse cleaned the blood from her face and went to see if they were admitting her for observation.
Sam came in when the nurse left.
“Did you get him?” she asked.
“No, Tony lost him when he was trying to help you. My guys on Marine Drive never saw him. Viktor must have made his way back into the residential neighborhood south of the park. We had patrol cars there but there are a dozen different ways to get out.”