Christine changed her clothes and collected her luggage, which included one suitcase that contained Rose’s treasures. She would load them into her convertible herself.
I wouldn’t want Vivian’s help, Christine thought as she sifted through the suitcase. Good thing she’s in the back yard at the moment. Don’t come back in just yet. Christine went to the loveseat and crouched on her knees. Stay out there a little longer, if you have to. I hope you fry in the sun. Too bad there isn’t a swimming pool where you can fall in and drown—metaphorically speaking, of course.
She pulled out a shoebox from under the loveseat and lifted the lid. Inside were some more of Rose’s valuables, which Christine had hidden as an extra precaution.
Buried beneath the colorful trinkets lay Christine’s gun. She withdrew it, stashed it in the waistband in the back of her jeans, and covered it with an oversized black T-shirt she wore. She replaced the lid and put the shoebox in the suitcase, then closed and locked it.
She casually glanced around the front room and slipped an arm under the loveseat once again. She felt around within the dark confines and pulled out Vivian’s needlepoint canvas.
“Weren’t you looking for this?” Christine said with a malevolent snicker. “Well, here it is.” She hurriedly walked over to a group of boxes by the wall and put the canvas in Vivian’s embroidery bag, face down.
“Yo!” Christine said. “I’m outta here!”
Vivian met her at the front door.
“Well,” Christine said as she flashed a smile, “in all sincerity, I just want to say I apologize for all the trouble I’ve caused. All in all, I hadn’t meant it, really.”
“I know you’re not as sincere as you’d like to sound,” Vivian said, “but thanks for mentioning it. I understand you’re still young and at an emotional phase in your life. So, where are you going to go?”
Christine stuffed her hands in her pockets and shrugged.
“I’m going to look online,” she said, “and see if I can find a room to rent. I should be able to find something in no time. I’ve also got some modeling assignments and auditions to go to. I guess I’ll give you a call to let you know what’s going on.”
“I would appreciate that,” Vivian said. “Remember what I said earlier. I care.”
Christine nodded. “Oh, by the way,” she said, “where’s my gun? You said I could have it now that I’m no longer in the picture.”
“Why do you want it?” Vivian decided to go along with her game.
“Because it’s mine, damn it. I bought it.”
“Well then, you shouldn’t have brought it with you in the first place.”
“What did you do with it?”
“What would you do with it? Go after her? Tough luck, sister. You’re on your own.”
“Did you flush it down the toilet? Throw it in the trash? Take it somewhere to have it destroyed? Did you have it hocked at a pawn shop?”
“Christine, it’s a lost cause and you know it. You’re just wasting your time.”
“You’re just not going to give it to me, are you?”
“You got it,” Vivian said with a quick tilt of her head. She winked at Christine and clicked her tongue.
“Oh, yeah? Well, that’s okay. You don’t have to give it to me because . . .” Christine smiled a devious smile and her eyes twinkled with mischief. She reached behind her with an arm, withdrew her gun from behind and brought it around before her. “I found it.” Christine brandished the gun in Vivian’s face.
“Christine!” Vivian said as she flinched with a gasp.
Christine stepped back a few paces as she held the gun at eye level with her finger on the trigger. “Bang,” she whispered, then snickered. Her snickers grew to giggles, then chuckles, then gales of whooping laughter as she walked down the driveway to her convertible. She wiggled her hips, then turned around and affected a caricatured military salute and an overdramatic bow with her head nearly level with her knees. She stood up straight and flipped two middle fingers in Vivian’s direction, then jumped in her convertible, slammed the door, and laughed hard as she drove away.