only a few feet away, she could still easily die if Leteisha chose.
The shouting grew louder and, suddenly, an odd parade was running across the highway. Cars honked and brakes screeched. Auntie Lil stared at the figure in the lead. It looked like Annie O'Day but, my God, what a frightening figure she made—all muscle and anger and noise. She held a scalpel straight out in front of her like a spear and was screaming, "Let her go! Back off! Let her go!" Her eyes scanned the shadows of the docks in front of her. She was still uncertain as to where Auntie Lil was being held.
Not surprisingly, given the determined figure and the outstretched scalpel, Leteisha chose to do just as Annie suggested. Cursing, she flung the knife into the black waters of the Hudson, pushed Auntie Lil to the pavement and began to run furiously south. Kicking off her heels as she fled, she dug into the sidewalk with astonishing speed and took off after the blonde. Auntie Lil fell against the rough surface, scraping her elbow and one cheek. She lay flat against the concrete, gasping for breath. Annie O'Day bent over her, the scalpel held high in the air. It gleamed in a patch of moonlight.
"Are you all right?" Annie asked anxiously, holding up Auntie Lil's head and checking for cuts or bruises.
Auntie Lil managed a small nod, and saw that others were heading her way. "Go get her," she told Annie weakly, pointing south after Leteisha Swann.
Annie took off running into the darkness, the pounding of her sneakers on the sidewalk echoing eerily in the silence between groups of cars. The shouting had stopped and there was only the sounds of heavy breathing and other footsteps approaching the dark corner of the pier. Auntie Lil wanted to meet them with head held high, but she felt so weak… the closeness of the scare had drained her of her remaining strength. She was scared, damn it, scared and angry at herself and ashamed and discouraged that her body had proved so frail. The effort was too much and, dazed, she lay her head back down on the concrete. She'd just rest for a teensy moment.
Someone was panting heavily just inches from her ear. "Oh God," she heard the gasping voice say. "Aunt Lil? Aunt Lil?"
"She's dead!" a voice shouted in sudden panic.
"Certainly not!" she replied weakly. "I absolutely refuse to die like this." Her head felt a bit better and she opened her eyes. It was Theodore, her own dear Theodore.
"Stop fussing, Theodore," she ordered weakly. "I'm fine. It's just that… just that…" She could not finish the sentence. She forgot what she was about to say. She was lost in the bliss of believing that, finally, she was safe. If Theodore was there, that meant she was safe. Struggling to sit, she curled up and leaned against him. He held her close and patted her wiry curls.
"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "They've called the cops and an ambulance. You're with me now. You're safe."
She wanted to thank him, but the relief was too much. Just then, a competent hand took hold of her arm and checked her pulse. "You're okay, granny," a melodious voice assured her. She opened her eyes again to find Nellie, the woman who owned the Jamaican restaurant on Forty-Sixth Street.
"You saw me," Auntie Lil said simply. "I thought you were going to ignore it."
"I saw you. And I should have done something right away. I'm ashamed of myself. Trying to look the other way." Nellie glanced at T.S. "Her pulse is good. She's been nicked a little in the side and there's blood, but I think that she's mostly scared."
"I thought you said all little old ladies looked alike," Auntie Lil joked feebly.
"Not all little old ladies eat three of my meat pies." Nellie waved two waiting figures over. The funny old man with the bulbous nose stepped from the darkness and looked down at Auntie Lil with deep concern.
"You saw me, too?" she asked in deep wonder. He nodded solemnly and gave her a small smile.
"Tommy saved your life. He came running into the deli," Billy explained, patting the old man on the back. "It took us a minute to figure out what he meant. Old Tommy here doesn't talk."
The man nodded again, smiling more widely this time.
A small bouncing figure darted out from behind the old man. "You okay?" Little Pete asked breathlessly. "I called the cops. They're on