Villalobos managed to hold on to his weapon as he grabbed at his wrist. The moment it took to holster his Glock allowed red to drip on the alley floor.
Milo and Moe were thirty paces away, leaving Sean to face her alone. I thought of his near-fatal encounter years ago. Wondered if he’d overreact.
But he didn’t. Merely backed away a couple of feet while keeping his gun on the woman.
She stood motionless again, then wheeled on Sean waving whatever she’d used to cut Villalobos.
Villalobos continued to squeeze his own wrist. The blood flow weakened but didn’t stop.
The woman advanced on Sean swinging her blade slowly, horizontally. Sean kept his gun trained on her. Shouted hoarsely.
Gentle guy by nature. I’d never heard him raise his voice.
Now Milo and Moe were at the scene and Alicia, also vested and cammed, was running in from the opposite end of the alley.
Lots of guns aimed, lots of shouted commands.
I got close enough to hear Villalobos say, “I’m okay, stopped the bleeding,” without much confidence.
Milo pulled out his phone and 911’d. Slipped out of his suit jacket,wrapped it around Villalobos’s arm, and stayed with him, holding it tight.
Alicia moved closer to the woman. “Put the knife down now, or you’ll be shot!Down! Now! Now!”
Tiana Crown, once beautiful, now hardened and coarsened with mad, water-colored eyes, shrugged and said, “Okay.”
Smiling crookedly. Twice, she’d pretended to give up. I braced myself for a suicide-by-cop move.
Instead she dropped the metallic thing to the ground where it clinked, rolled, and settled.
Hobby knife with a tiny triangular blade.
A combine of arms moved in, pinning her arms behind her. Alicia cuffed her, arrested her, began Mirandizing.
Tiana Crown said, “I watch TV, not necessary, bitch.” Husky voice.
She’d remained close enough to the dumpster to kick it. Dull thud.
Laughing, she said, “So much for nostalgia.”
Alicia began Mirandizing her again. Knowing the cameras would pick up everything and wanting a complete recitation.
Tiana Crown talked over her. “Yadda yadda yadda yadda, bitch.”
Just as Alicia made a third attempt, noise filled the space behindus.
Wailing sirens.
The red bulk of an LAFD ambulance.
EMTs rushed over to Villalobos, who said, “It’s no big deal.”
Ignoring him, they got to work. As Tiana Crown watched them, Alicia completed the warning.
Tiana Crown’s eyes swung back to Alicia. “What’s the magic word, bitch? Oh, yeah.Lawyer.”
Gloving up, Alicia inspected the bag. Smiled and pulled something out.
Small saw, identical to the one Robin had found.
