Killing the Blues - Michael Brandman [55]
From the dark corner of the porch, Rollo had witnessed Alexis’s arrival. When Jesse left her alone in the living room, Rollo contemplated both his good fortune and how best to take advantage of it.
When she strolled to the French doors, opened them, and stepped outside, he knew that the voices had once again steered him correctly.
Alexis took a deep breath of sea air and gazed in the direction of the bay. The rising moon cast shadows on the landscape. She was happy to be here, she thought. She felt comfortable in Jesse’s environment.
She was completely unprepared for the ferocious attack that came from out of the dark.
A seeming giant of a man flew at her from the shadows. She lost her balance and fell awkwardly to the deck. The man jumped on top of her, knocking the wind out of her.
He straddled her legs with his, which prevented her from moving. Trying to catch her breath, she looked at his distorted face just in time to see him raise his fist and slam it heavily into her jaw. She fought to remain conscious but failed.
Rollo dragged her inside. He took a length of rope from his duffel and tied her arms behind her.
Then he went to the kitchen and picked up the pistol he had seen Jesse place on the counter.
He walked back to Alexis, took a can of lighter fluid from his bag, and emptied it on her.
Jesse heard a strange noise coming from downstairs, but he dismissed it when he realized that Alexis had probably gone onto the porch.
Still, he thought, you can’t be too careful. Realizing he had left his pistol downstairs, he reached inside the bureau drawer for his backup, a Smith & Wesson automatic. He put it in his pocket and went downstairs.
The smell of lighter fluid greeted him as he entered the living room. Alexis was awkwardly slumped on one of his armchairs, her hands tied behind her. She appeared to be unconscious.
In the darkness behind her stood Rollo Nurse, the Colt Commander trained on Jesse.
“Jesse Stone,” he said. “Remember me?”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“A lot of years. Too many to count. All of them spent in prison, dreaming of this moment,” Rollo said. “I imagined every conceivable possibility, but this is a whole lot better than anything I could’ve thunk up.”
“Tell me that when it’s over,” Jesse said.
“For you it’s already over,” Rollo said.
Alexis stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Look at me, Stone,” Rollo said. “Look at my face. This is what you did to me. This is how you left me. Now it’s my turn.”
Jesse watched as Alexis came fully awake. He saw her realize that her arms were bound. She smelled the lighter fluid. She became terrified.
Rollo stepped forward.
“Back up, Stone,” he said to Jesse, gesturing with the Colt.
Jesse held his ground.
“Back up, I said.”
Jesse took a step toward Rollo, who shied for an instant, then regained himself. With a wave of the gun, he again urged Jesse to step backward.
He took the throwaway lighter from his pocket. He flicked it into flame a couple of times to make certain it was working.
“Conflagration,” he said to Jesse. “Death by fire. Just like in the Bible. You get to watch your girlfriend burn to death.”
Rollo looked at Alexis, who was now wide awake.
“Nice of you to join us,” he said. “It’s much better to experience death with your eyes open, don’t you think? Being awake so enriches the event. Stand up.”
Alexis stared at him.
“I said stand up.”
As if to emphasize his point, he flicked the lighter. He made certain she could see the flame. Reluctantly, she stood.
“She’s not part of this, Rollo.”
“Wrong, Stone. She is. So she dies. You get to watch.”
Jesse had begun to inch closer to Rollo.
When he realized what Jesse was doing, Rollo fired the Colt in his direction. The bullet missed Jesse and slammed into the wall.
“Looking to be a hero, Stone,” Rollo said. “Try that again and the girlfriend here will get to watch you die. Next time I won’t miss.”
Rollo began to nervously flick the lighter on and off.
“All those years,” he said. “Alone in a cell. The best years of my life. Gone to hell. And the headaches. The