Rollins Hates Cops

I gave them their clue, now it was a race to see if they could find another killing, before I either found a solution to the dilemma, or she killed me. I struggled with my problem for the next two days without hearing a word from Janet. I hoped she had moved on to something or someone else, but no such luck. She showed up on my doorstep around seven in the evening on the third day"Sorry I'm late, court ran a little over.'' Not only did she show up, she brought one of those hanging dress bags with her.

She entered the house then said, "I can't find my key, I guess it's buried somewhere in my bag. I'm sorry to bother you, I know you must have been working.''

"No problem, I need to take a break anyway.'' I was trying to figure out her fantasy du juor.

She went directly to the kitchen then poured herself a glass of iced tea. "You know I am beat, how about we go out to dinner?''

"Sure, what would you like?''

"I know you hate fancy places, how about Dottie's.''

Dottie's was a family restaurant I seldom visited. "Sure, give me a minute to save my work.''

Dinner was good, and best of all Janet acted normally. All in all it was a pretty uneventful evening until we got home.

"So baby, what would you like to do?'' Janet asked in wicked voice.

"Whatever you want is fine with me.'' I said with what I hoped was a warm smile.

"Then come with me, I have a surprise for you.'' She pulled me to the bedroom and undressed. The surprise was a small tattoo on her left breast. The tattoo was a small heart with the name RON in the center of it.

This is getting too bizarre, I thought.

"So do you like it?'' she asked.

"It's beautiful,'' I said.

"I think the man who did it enjoyed it, too much. I mean he kept squeezing my tit while he worked on it.''"He was probably just getting it flat enough to tattoo.'' I didn't want her killing the tattoo man.

"You are probably right. His wife was in the room the whole time.'' She stood by my dresser mirror admiring it for a long time. I think I might have something on the other one. You know a butterfly or something.''

"What ever you want honey,'' I said going a long. I was thinking something entirely different. I was thinking this kid is really loony tunes. I knew I should roll her up for the killing in Southport, but I still felt that somewhere there was a better solution. It would come to me, if I could stay alive long enough.

"That's why I love you Ronnie; you let me do whatever I want. Do you know what I want right now?'' she asked.

"No honey, what do you want?'' I asked, but didn't really want to know.

"I want to go to bed with you.''

Just like before, she curled up against me then fell sound asleep. I even drifted off myself. The hanging clothes bag held her dress for the next day. She kissed me gently as she walked from the room. I realized, it was the first time we had ever kissed. It wasn't much of a kiss more of a wifely peck.

I thought about Janet all day. It came to me around four in the afternoon. Janet was trying to become Maggie, who was a drunk and who had screwed every man who ever asked her. I wondered why she would want to be Maggie.

I called the good doctor at home. He suggested that it was something from her childhood. He had a guess, but it was just that. "It is so vague; I am not even going to tell you. You might want to take a serious look at Maggie's relationship with her father.''

When Janet didn't show by seven, I called Maggie. I drove to her new house an hour later. I met with Maggie and her husband. I gave Eddie a dollar so that he would be bound by the client oath. I told it all to Maggie, who was, more or less, sober. At least she was sober enough not to believe it. When she finally did believe it, she begged me not to turn her sister in.

"The doctor who is helping me try to figure out something for Janet, said to ask you about your and Janet's relationship with your father.''

"What do you mean,'' she snapped. "What did Janet tell you about that?''

"Nothing, and that's the problem. There is some reason she is trying to become you. Brenner thinks it has something to do with your relationship with your father. The way you snapped just now, makes me think there was something.''

Maggie took a long time to compose herself. "I would never tell you this if Janet wasn't in trouble. Eddie honey, you might not want to hear this.''

"You know, I want to know all there is to know.'' Eddie said bravely.

Her story wasn't any better or worse than hundreds of other children. Her father was one of the few who actually stopped with Maggie. He never touched Janet. Somehow Janet felt betrayed by it.

Maggie, and I went to see Doctor Brenner the next day. She told it all to him. I asked him about an idea I had.

"Come on Ron, I can't do that.'' he said.

"Doc, you can't put her away now. You said yourself she is likely to do it again. Hell I may be the next one. This may not work, but then again, it might do something.''

"You are talking about bringing a crisis on. That would be very unprofessional of me.''

"Doctor Brenner, I love my sister. I don't want to see her in prison or worse. If this might help, I am begging you to try it.'' The sober Maggie said.

"Okay,'' He agreed a lot less enthusiastic than I would have liked.

None of us knew what might happen when we arranged the meeting in the doctor's office at six that same evening. Maggie the Doc and I were already assembled when Janet came. Seeing Maggie and me in the same room started her eyes dancing.

"What are you doing with that slut?'' Janet asked.

"Janet, why are you saying that about me? I am your sister and I love you.''

"Ron, get away from her. You know you don't love her anymore.''

"Janet, I never loved anyone else but Maggie. I'm sorry if you misunderstood. Maggie and I are going to get back together.''

"You can't take him away from me. I won't let you take another one from me.'' Janet said as she reached into her bag. She came out the straight razor, and then charged Maggie. I have to give Maggie this, she knew it might happen, but she had gone through with the charade anyway. I caught Janet from behind. I penned her arm while I wrestled the razor from her. I picked up a nasty little slice for my reward. Nobody could have guessed what would happen next.

Janet collapsed on the floor. I would have expected her to begin crying or cursing, instead she began to rock like a child. She also began mumbling to herself. The Doctor knelt beside her.

"Janet honey, are you all right?'' he asked.

"No, I'm not all right daddy. Why do you love Maggie more than me? I can do all the things she does for you. Why do you love her, and not me.''

"Janet, my name is Doctor Brenner. I am a doctor, honey; I am not your father. Do you understand?''

"Take me home daddy; I don't like it here. Take me home and I will do those things for you.''

"What things honey?'' the doctor asked.

In her child's voice Janet described what she had seen through the keyhole of the old house where she grew up. Maggie wept softly while Janet tried to convince the doctor to take her home.

An hour later, the ambulance left for a private clinic somewhere in the mountains of North Carolina. "So Doc, what are her chances?'' I asked.

"Who knows, she may come out of it and she may not.'' He turned his attention to Maggie. "Do you need to talk about what happened?''

"Not right now, maybe later,'' she said as she picked up her bag. "Walk me to my car Ron.''

As I stood beside the car door she said, "You know, I can never leave that jerk now. His money is going to pay the sanitarium bill.'

"I'm sorry.''

"You should be, you are the only one who got what they wanted. You beat the system again.'' she said it without any malice. "This time, I'm glad you did.''

I watched her drive away. If doing the right thing is its own reward, why did I feel so lousy?