Nicole answered, "The second Willow realized there was something in the air, we believe she would shoot Cassidy."
Leif held up a cell phone. "In a minute, I'll dial this for you. Your goal is to connect with her, just the way you must have done in the interview. We need you to slow things down and take out some of the tension. We don't need Willow to panic."
Allison felt like the panicky one. Her knees were trembling. "I can't do this!"
Nicole put an arm around her shoulders. "Look, Allison, it's just like choosing a jury. You need to build a rapport with her. Don't ask questions that can be answered with just a yes or a no. Get Willow talking. She must be tired of living a lie day after day. So give her the chance to vent. Repeat what she tells you so that she knows that you get it. But most of all, just keep her talking."
Leif said, "We need to take the pressure off her. Speak slowly. Give her a chance to think this through. Ask her if she's hungry, and if she is, ask her exactly what type of food she would like. Keep her focused on the details. That will help stretch things out and give us time to come up with a plan."
Allison touched the cross under her blouse. Dear God, she prayed, help me not to make any mistakes. Protect Cassidy and even Willow Don't let anyone get hurt.
Leif dialed the phone and handed it to her.
"Yeah."
If Allison hadn't known it was Willow, she didn't think she would have recognized her voice.
"This is Allison Pierce. How are you doing, Willow?"
"How do you think I'm doing?"
Allison decided not to reinforce Willow's panic by suggesting that she was panicked. Instead she said, "It's dinnertime. You must be hungry." She pitched her voice softer and lower than Willow's, subtly sending a signal of calm. "Would you like us to get you some pizza or something?"
"Right, and have the deliveryman jump me? No thanks."
So much for sending a signal of calm. "What would you like, then? You name it, and I'll see if I can get it."
Leif nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.
"What's the point?" Willow asked. "I killed Jim Fate. And now I'm a kidnapper. I'll be in jail until I'm old. I might as well be dead."
"Willow, it won't help anything if you die," Allison said quickly, worried that Willow was on verge of making decisions that couldn't be taken back. "It won't help your cause."
Except that maybe it actually could, she couldn't help thinking. The media paid more attention to dead bodies than it did to standoffs that ended peacefully.
"Just tell me what you want, and we'll figure out a way to get it to you."
Willow's voice strengthened. "Then bring me a car. With no tracking devices. And no one follows me. I'll take Cassidy with me. Once I'm sure no one is following, I'll let her go."
Or tumble her out of the car with a bullet in her head, Allison thought.
"Focus on the details," Leif whispered in her other ear. "Buy us some time."
"What kind of car do you want? Four doors? Two? A hybrid?" "I want your car."
"What?" Allison sputtered.
Even Leif was struck silent.
"I want your car. The one you came here in. Drive it over the sidewalk and up to the front door so that it's in full view of the camera. Back it up so that I can leave right away. Leave the keys in the ignition. And do it in the next three minutes, or I'll know you are messing with me. And I want everyone back thirty feet with their weapons holstered, or lying on the ground with their hands empty. If I see a single gun pointed at me, I'll shoot the hostage?'
The phone went dead.
"What should I do?" Allison begged. "What should I do?"
"It's a very, very bad sign that she is referring to Cassidy as 'the hostage," Nicole said, her voice grim. "She's depersonalizing her. I think you're going to have to do what she said. And you had better hurry."
A minute later, Allison backed her Volvo onto the sidewalk until it nearly touched the front door. Then she got out and joined the wide ring that waited for the door to open and the two women to come out.
The front door finally edged open. Willow had her left arm looped around Cassidy's neck, and her right hand held the gun pressed under her chin. The two of them were as close as conjoined twins, only with one dark and one fair head. Cassidy's eyes were wide, her mouth opened as if she wanted to scream, but she didn't make a sound.
One step. Two. Willow went to the passenger side door, opened it, and nudged Cassidy in with the barrel of her gun.
A grenade spun across the pavement and landed right at Willow's feet. A second later there was a huge flash of blinding light and a thunderous BANG! The concussive force of the blast sent Allison stumbling backward.
Her ears were ringing, but Allison thought she heard the sounds of a gun firing and a woman screaming. But she was still blind from the flash.
Chapter 43
Papa Haydn
Thursday, February 23