Chapter forty one
When Sean and Mandy were getting out of bed the next morning, Rick and Sarah were still in bed making love. While Sean and Mandy were still lingering over breakfast, Rick was backing out of his driveway on his way to work. Sean and Mandy were turning off SR 98 onto SR 19 when Rick was returning from showing a house and Sarah was on the phone with Ann Banks.
When Rick walked though the door, Jackie shot him the smile that made her one of the best real-estate salespeople in the county, and said, “Good timing boss, your better half is on line one.”
When he picked up the receiver, Sarah said, “I love you.”
“I love you too. Is that why you called?”
“The first thing I called about was to tell you how much I enjoyed the way you woke me up this morning.”
“I bet you didn’t enjoy it any more than I did. What was the second reason you called?”
“I was talking to Ann and we were thinking that it would be a nice day for a boat ride, if you and the Chief could get away.”
“I don’t have anything this afternoon that can’t wait. If Chief can get away, it’s fine with me.”
“I’ll call you back and Rick…”
“What.”
“I love you.”
“So I’ve heard. I love you too.”
“You know if you get here before the Banks, we might have time for an encore.”
“Lord Woman, you’re insatiable.”
“I know. Don’t you just love it?”
As Rick was walking through the door from the garage, Sean and Mandy were stopping for lunch in Pinewood.
Sarah said as he walked in, “I’m sorry sweetheart, but they are going to be here in twenty minutes. It looks like the encore will have to wait.”
She gave him a kiss that brought instant arousal. Rick said, “If you don’t stop that, they are going to find us making love on the kitchen floor.”
“You animal.”
Rick went and changed out of his suit and had just finished filling the cooler when the Banks arrived. While they were loading the boat, Sean was changing a flat tire in McDonald’s parking lot in Pinewood and cussing a blue streak. As they cruised the river toward King’s Bay, Leo banks said, “I sure do like this boat Rick. If I didn’t have yours to use I might even buy one.”
“Rick retorted, I doubt that Chief, you’re pretty tight.”
Ann said, “I think he’s got your number Leo.”
“Well, if you’re going to insult me, I think I’ll drink one of your beers.”
“Point proven,” Ann said.
When Sean and Mandy were driving by the Crystal River Mall, The boaters were just returning from their ride around King’s Bay. As Sean and Mandy were turning off SR 19, they were docking Rick’s boat and unloading the cooler. As Sean and Mandy were turning onto Manatee Lane Rick, Sarah and their guests had just come into the lanai and Rick had asked them to have a seat while he got fresh drinks. Rick was emptying the cooler into the sink and Sarah was getting glasses from the cupboard as Sean and Mandy parked in front of the gate. Sarah was mopping up the mess Rick had made in the sink when Sean and Mandy scaled the low wall in front of the house. Sarah had just opened the refrigerator door, and Rick was on his way to the garage with the cooler when the doorbell rang. Sarah started for the door and said, “That’s funny, I didn’t hear the alarm. Just as she reached for the door, Rick yelled, “Don’t!”, and darted to the bedroom. He grabbed his pistol from the nightstand and ran back to the front room.
Sean had heard Rick yell and tried the door. It wasn’t locked and by the time Rick came back in the room Sean had his gun pointed at Sarah. The chief had also heard Rick and had heard the panic in his voice. The chief came through the sliding door from the lanai, at the same time pulling out his service revolver. Sean saw him in his peripheral vision, swung his arm and fired. The sound of the gun discharging indoors was deafening. Sarah screamed, and Sean panicked. He whirled and shot without thinking, the shot hitting her in the chest.
The bullet that Sean fired at Leo glanced off the side of his gun, entered his hand just below his thumb and exited six inches above his wrist. He fell backward dropping his gun and grabbing his broken arm.
Sarah stepped back from the shot to her chest with a surprised look and plopped down on the floor with her legs sticking straight out in front of her and with a widening red stain on the front of her bright yellow sundress.
Rick, in reflex mode, ran to Sarah and knelt down beside her. By the time he got to her the look of surprise had left her face. As he kneeled down beside her, her head fell forward her chin resting on her chest. Sean seeing that Rick had a gun swung his gun to cover him. Ann had come from the lanai to kneel by her husband, she picked up his gun and holding it with both hands shot Sean directly through the heart. Mandy screamed and fell to her knees beside Sean. She picked up Sean’s gun that was lying in a spreading pool of blood and swung it toward Ann. Ann had her gun still leveled and shot her through the forehead just above her left eye. Rick picked up Sarah from the floor saying, “I’m so sorry Etty, I’m so sorry. Rick calling her Etty wasn’t missed by the chief in spite of the chaos.