“You think I killed her?” Virgil asked. He looked first surprised and then amused. “You silly woman. Put on the veil. It is time for your sitting.”
Penny picked up the veil. Her eyes were filled with dread.
Amity turned toward her, partially blocking Virgil’s view. She pressed the little evening bag that she had carried to the costume ball into Penny’s hand. Penny’s fingers closed around it. Her eyes flickered in understanding. Amity knew she had just remembered the little sewing kit inside.
“Good-bye, sister,” Amity said, raising her voice to a sorrowful wail. “He will kill me as soon as he takes my photo and then he will murder you, as well. He is quite mad, you see.”
Penny hastily opened the pretty evening bag and took out the small scissors.
“Enough!” Virgil screamed. “There will be no more talk of insanity.”
“Be ready.” With her back to Virgil, Amity mouthed the words the way she and Penny had done when they were children trying to convey a silent message across the dinner table without their parents being aware of it.
Penny concealed the scissors in the folds of her skirt.
Amity readied herself. Until that moment she had been careful to move slowly, making no moves that might alarm Virgil. She could only pray that he would not be anticipating a sudden burst of energy from her.
“Put your hands outside the bars,” Virgil ordered.
Amity turned around and extended her wrists. He was obliged to set the pistol aside while he bound her a second time.
“Stand back, both of you,” Virgil ordered. Hastily he retrieved the pistol.
Amity and Penny obeyed.
Virgil stabbed the key into the padlock. It took him two tries to unlock the door. There was a feverish excitement about him now.
When the lock finally gave way, Virgil tugged the heavy door open. In that one brief moment he was forced to juggle the door, the lock and the pistol.
Amity gave a shrill, piercing scream and flung herself at the door. The force of her full weight slamming into the iron bars caught Virgil off guard. He staggered back a couple of steps.
“Lying whore!” he screamed. “Lying, cheating harlot. I’ll teach you your place.”
He used his grip on the door to slam it closed but Penny, wielding the little pair of scissors like claws, stabbed his hand. The sharp points of the blades bit into flesh.
Virgil howled. Blood flowed.
Reflexively he released his grip on the iron bars and staggered back out of range. Amity took advantage of the opportunity to shove hard against the door a second time. It swung wide open. Penny dashed out first. Amity flew after her.
Virgil fell back again, his attention fixed on Amity. He raised the gun, aiming it at her. She grabbed the only weapon at hand—the long wedding veil with its elaborate crown—and tossed it at him. The yards of diaphanous lace cascaded over his face and chest. Furious and clearly panicked now, he swiped at the billowing veil with both hands.
The roar of the gun was deafening. Amity didn’t know if Virgil had pulled the trigger by accident or intent. The only thing that mattered in that moment was that she and Penny were both on their feet. Neither of them had been hit.
Penny seized the nearest heavy object—the medical satchel—and hurled it at Virgil. It caught him on his upper shoulder. It didn’t do much damage but he stumbled again. He had evidently unlatched the satchel earlier because the contents spilled out. Small glass vials filled with medicines, bandages, a stethoscope and a number of gleaming instruments scattered across the floor.
Virgil yelled and swung the pistol toward Penny. Amity grabbed his gun arm with both hands and hauled on it with all of her strength. The second shot slammed into the wooden floorboards.
He managed to shake free of her grip but Penny came at him from behind, a scalpel in her hand. She stabbed wildly at the back of his neck, missed and struck his shoulder.
He shrieked in pain and whirled around. He still had the gun. He tried to level it at Penny. Amity hoisted the heavy skirts of the wedding dress and kicked Virgil behind his right knee with all the strength she could muster.
He screamed again, lost his balance and went down on both knees. This time he lost his grip on the gun. It fell to the floor. Amity kicked it out of reach.
Penny grabbed the big camera off the tripod. Amity realized that she intended to smash it against Virgil’s head.
A gun roared. Not Virgil’s, Amity realized. The sound had been muffled.
The studio door slammed open. Benedict and Logan thundered into the room. Amity realized that Benedict had shot the lock off the door.
