“The police arrived!” someone called from the hall.
Mrs. Thomas swore violently. “Who the hell called them?”
There was a chorus of confused voices. Vivian heard heavy boots tramping up the stairs as if from a long way away.
“Florence,” she coughed. “Flo, you need to get out of here—I’ll tell them it was me, I’ll tell them he attacked me—”
But Florence had backed herself against the wall and was clutching the gun to her chest, her face utterly blank. “He was going to kill you,” she whispered. “And I killed him. God forgive me, what have I done?”
“Flo, please,” Vivian begged, throwing off Mrs. Thomas’s restraining hands to grab her sister’s shoulders. There were raised voices in the hall, the police trying to force their way through the angry neighbors. The noise made her head ring, and black spots still danced around the edges of her vision. “You can’t stay here like this, they’ll arrest you.Please.”
Florence pressed more tightly back against the wall. “God forgive me,” she whispered, trembling all over.
“Get the gun from her,” Mrs. Thomas hissed. “She’s going to fire it again in that state, and we can’t have—Vivian, hurry—”
“Flo, please—”
“God forgive me.”
“Stand aside, everyone. Now.” The deep voice sliced through the confusion. The coldness of it made Vivian shiver. “Out of the way or everyone’s getting arrested tonight.”
“You can’t do that!” one voice protested.
“I’m the law,” the policeman said, his voice rising even louder. “I’ll do what I like. Are you getting out of my way or do I have to move you myself?”
There were too many people, too much noise. Mrs. Thomas was still saying something. She grabbed Vivian’s arm and shook her, and the sudden spike of pain that shot through her head and back made Vivian want to sob. The gasp it wrenched out of her made her start coughing again. The people were parting and she could see the boots of the police coming toward her. She pulled away from Mrs. Thomas’s frantic hands and put herself squarely in front of her sister.
“It was self-defense, sir, you have to believe me,” Mrs. Thomas was saying. “I’ve known these girls their whole lives, good girls, never make any trouble, and that man comes bursting in here tonight, I’ve never seen him before—”
A stern face swam into Vivian’s vision, with a blue hat shadowing his eyes in a way that made her flinch away. Someone was reaching past her, trying to get to Florence, who was still whisperingGod forgive meand shaking. Vivian knocked the hands away and wrapped her arms around her sister, feeling the cold barrel of the gun between them. She wondered if it was still loaded. She wondered if it would go off, and which of them it would kill if it did.
“You can’t take her,” Vivian whispered, faces fading in and out of her vision as she swayed on her feet. She couldn’t tell if it was her own trembling or Florence’s that made her feel as though she was about to break apart. “You can’t take her, you can’t…”
“Viv, it’s okay.”
The gentle, familiar voice broke through her dizzy thoughts, scattering them like light reflected through a bottle of champagne.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, you’re in shock. Both of you are. No one’s taking Florence anywhere.” Gentle hands slid between them, easing the gun away from the two sisters. “Open your eyes. Let me see that you’re okay.”
Vivian hadn’t realized her eyes were closed. She blinked at the familiar face so close to hers. “Leo?” she croaked. “What are you doing here?”
“Trying to make up for my terrible timing,” he said. His voice was still gentle, but she could hear the weight of regret in it. “I didn’t get a tail on him in time, Viv. I’m so sorry.” He held out his hands. “Can you stand up?”
They were on the floor. How had they gotten there? Vivian let herself be helped to her feet, Leo’s arm strong around her waist to keep her from falling. Most of the neighbors had been cleared away, but a few curious faces still peered in from the hall. The room was a mess. One policeman was clearing two broken chairs out of the way while another settled a white sheet over Roy’s body, still crumpled on the floor.
Vivian stared at the still figure, her mouth flooding with the taste of bile. “Florence…” she whispered. Then, “Florence!”
She spun around, but the sudden movement made her lose her balance, and Leo had to catch her to keep her from falling. A policeman and Mrs. Thomas were easing Florence to her feet. “Leo, they can’t take her, it was my fault, I promise, I won’t let them—”
“It’s okay.” Leo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest, the pressure of his body easing the shock and fear. His tight grip felt like the only thing that could keep her from flying into a million pieces. “No one is taking Florence anywhere.” He raised his voice, speaking to the policeman who had just scooped the limp Florence into his arms. “Put her to bed, and make sure Herman called for a doctor. And a nurse—she’s in shock and shouldn’t be left alone.”
The policeman didn’t move.
“You remember who the commissioner put in charge tonight, I hope,” Leo said quietly.
The other man’s face tightened, then he sighed. “Yes, sir,” the policeman said, nodding as he turned toward the bedroom. “For tonight.”
In spite of the warm body holding her, thatsirmade Vivian feel suddenly cold.
