Megaphone in hand, Sergeant Tropper nodded to both of them. Sarge was around her father’s age, probably older. Mid-fifties, about six feet with a dense build. His head sprouted uneven strands of fine gray hair combed to the side, trying to hide a smooth, bald pate. His jaw was square, its thickness exaggerated by bulging muscle. His eyes were fixed and cold. Today, Tropper was riding with Rob Brown, who took them aside and filled them in.
“A pair of real sweethearts. She says she’s got a gun aimed at her husband’s balls. He ain’t denying it.”
Cindy looked around. “Shouldn’t we clear the area?”
“That isn’t the big picture right now, Officer Decker. There’re kids inside. Mamacita starts shooting, we’ve got real problems.”
“How old are they?” Cindy asked.
“Seven and nine.” Brown popped a stick of gum into his mouth. “Sarge is figuring out the next move.”
“Can’t you talk her down?” Beaudry said.
“Not so far,” Brown said. “She is pissed!” He looked at his watch. “Three-fucking-fifty-two in the afternoon. Couldnah waited for the four o’clock shift.”
“Decker!”
Cindy turned and saw Tropper beckoning her with a crooked finger; then he handed her the megaphone. “We’re pretty sure she has a gun. If she uses it, it would be bad.”
“Very bad,” Cindy agreed.
“I want you to talk to her, woman to woman. Keep her distracted. The rest of us are going in to rescue the kids.”
Her eyes darted between Sarge and the amplifier. “What if she hears you coming in?”
“You just make sure she doesn’t. Just keep her engaged in conversation. Keep the tongues wagging. That shouldn’t be so hard to do. Here’s a chance for you to use some of your fancy college psychology training.”
Sarge’s lips gave way to a smirk, showing straight but stained teeth. But underneath the sarcasm, Cindy could tell he was tense. At college, she had studied postgraduate criminology, not psychology. But now was not the time to correct him.
“What are their names, sir?”
“Ojeda,” Sarge answered, overenunciating. “Luis and Estella Ojeda.” Then he walked away to confer with the others.
She stood alone, megaphone in hand. Left out of the raid even though she was far slicker on her feet than Beaudry. Then she told herself to be charitable. Perhaps—just perhaps—Tropper really did feel she was the only one who could handle this woman. The situation was far too dangerous to be a simple rite of rookie passage. Even so, win or lose, she knew she was going to be judged.
Maybe Tropper wants you to garner some firsthand experience. Hmm. Did he even know what garner meant?
As much as she tried to be one of the gang, deep down, she was an elitist snob. You can take the girl out of the Ivies … Sarge was gesticulating … giving her the “go” sign. Confidence, she told herself. Show ’em how it’s done, college girl. Depressing the button on the megaphone, she said, “Hey, Estella! You know you have some clothes out here?”
No response. Sarge was making frantic motions that said, Keep talking, keep talking.
Cindy said, “Looks like pretty good stuff—”
“Eeez sheet!” Estella yelled out from inside. “All de clozzes is sheet! He give all de nice clozzes to his puta!”
Luis said, screaming, “I no have puta! She es crazy!”
“He es liar!”
“She es crazy!”
“I kill him!”
“Es true,” Luis shouted. “She kill me. I no move ’cause she kill me. She es crazy woman!”
Cindy spoke calmly. “Do you have a gun, Estella?”
“She have a big gun!” Luis answered. “She es crazy woman! Loca en la cabeza!”
Luis wasn’t helping his case. Cindy said, “Come on out, Estella. We’ll talk about it.”
“I no talk no more times,” Estella answered. “He talk. All he essays es lies!”
What next, Decker? Say something! Again, Cindy depressed the button. “Hey, where’d you get that little red dress, Estella? Over at Pay-off? I saw one just like it in the store window. I thought it was real cute. You’ve got good taste.”
A moment. Then Estella said, “You buy it?”
“Nah, I didn’t buy it.”
“Why you no buy it?”
“I’m a redhead,” Cindy said. “You gotta have dark hair for that number. You have dark hair, Estella?”
“I have dark hair,” Estella answered. A pause. “Some peoples es in my house!”
“No, I’m outside,” Cindy said.
“No, I hear peoples in my house!”
“Nah, we’re all outside!” Quickly, Cindy said, “You know, Estella, there are lots of people looking at your terrific clothes. You’ve got great taste. You ever think of doing a yard sale? You could make some real money.”
“The clozzes is sheeet!”
“No, they’re not shit. I’m telling you, you have good taste.” Cindy resisted the temptation to look at her watch. She knew she hadn’t been talking for more than a minute, though it felt like hours. “I like that slinky little purple dress. You must look dynamite in it.”
“Porple no good for redheads,” Estella answered.
“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Cindy said. “I also like the green satin blouse. Green’s good for redheads.”
“You like it, you take it. I no need no clozzes after I kill him.”
Cindy said, “I’m telling you, Estella, you could make some real money with these clothes.”
A long pause. Then Estella said, “How much you thin’?”
“Hundred bucks—”
“I no care! He gives all de money to de puta!”
“I don’ have puta!” Luis screamed. “She es crazy!”
The woman’s voice was laced with frenzy. “I no crazy!”
Cindy butted in. “Estella, come out here and we’ll talk about it.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Sarge leading the kids into one of the cruisers. Thank goodness for that! But her job was far from finished. “I’ll help you pick up the clothes—”
“You arress her!” Luis shouted. “You put her crazy ass in jail!”
Cindy said, “Luis, shut the hell up!”
“I shut him up for you—”
“No, no, no, Estella. Come on out. We’ll talk—”
“I no move, Missy Redhead. I move, he take de gun. He estrong man. I no move. I no go no place. He move, and I shoot hole in his cojones.”
“I no move, I no move,” Luis said. “Estella, mi amor. Te quiero mucho. Tu sabes que tu estás mi corazón!”
Estella was quiet and that was scary. Sarge suddenly materialized at Cindy’s side. “Tell her we’ll send a couple of men into the house. Tell her they’ll handcuff him. That way, he can’t hurt