on my feet now. And I was dressed. And I felt sick to my stomach.
"Time to come out," Sugar said.
I reached for my bag, hanging on the hook on the back of the door, but before I could grab it the bolt popped off and the door was wrenched open, taking my bag with it.
"I did everything for him," Sugar said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I kept the apartment clean, and I made all his favorite food. And it was working—until you showed up. He liked me. I know he did. You ruined everything. Now all he thinks about is this bounty hunter business. I can't sleep at night. I worry all the time that he's going to get hurt or killed. He has no business being a bounty hunter."
He held a gun in one hand, and he swiped at his tears with the other. Both hands were shaking, and he was scaring the hell out of me. I had my doubts that he was a killer, but an accidental gunshot wound is just as deadly as an intentional one.
"You've got this all wrong," I said. "Sally just decodes messages for me. He doesn't do anything dangerous. And besides, he really does like you. He thinks you're terrific. He's outside. He's been looking for you all night."
"I've made up my mind," Sugar said. "This is the way it's going to be. I'm going to get rid of you. It's the only way I can protect Sally. It's the only way I can get him back." He motioned to the door with the gun. "We need to go outside now."
This was good, I thought. Going outside was a break. When we walked through the Ballroom, Ranger would kill him. I carefully inched my way to the door and stepped out into the hall, moving slowly, not wanting to spook Sugar.
"No, no," Sugar said. "You're going the wrong way." He pointed to the door at the other end of the hall. "That way."
Damn.
"Don't think about trying something dumb. I'll shoot you dead," he said. "I could do it, too. I could do anything for Sally."
"You're in enough trouble. You don't want to add murder to the list."
"Ah, but I do," he said. "I've gone too far. Every cop in Trenton is looking for me. And do you know what will happen to me when I'm locked up? No one will be gentle. I'm better off on death row. You get your own room on death row. I hear they let you have a television."
"Yes, but eventually they kill you!"
More tears streaked down his cheek, but his eyeliner didn't smudge. The man knew makeup.
"No more talking," he said, pulling the hammer back on the revolver. "Outside. Now. Or I'll shoot you here. I swear I will."
I opened the door and looked out. There was a small employee parking lot to the right and two Dumpsters to the left. A single overhead bulb lit the area. Beyond the Dumpsters was a blacktopped driveway. Then a grassy lawn and the seniors' building. It was a really good place for him to shoot me. It was private and sound wouldn't carry. And he had several exits. He could even choose to go back into the building.
My heart was going ka-thunk, ka-thunk, and my head felt spongy. "Wait a minute," I said. "I need to go back inside. I forgot my shoulder bag."
He closed the door behind him. "You don't need your shoulder bag where you're going."
"Where's that?"
"Well, I don't know exactly. Wherever you go when you're dead. Climb into the Dumpster so I can shoot you."
"What are you nuts? I'm not climbing into the Dumpster. That thing is disgusting."
"Okay, fine, then I'll just shoot you here." He pulled the trigger and click.
No bullet in the chamber. Standard safety procedure.
"Darn," he said. "I can't do anything right."
"You ever shoot a gun before?"
"No. But it didn't seem like it'd be all that complicated." He looked at the gun. "Ah, I see the problem. The guy I borrowed the gun from left one of the bullets out."
He sighted the gun at me, and before he had time to pull the trigger, I jumped behind one of the Dumpsters. Bang, zing. A bullet hit the Dumpster. Bang, zing again. We were both so panicked we were acting unreasonably. I was running between Dumpsters like a tin duck in a shooting gallery, and Sugar was firing at shadows.
He got off five rounds, and then there was the telltale click again.