While he went inside and helped Maddie, Spike could contact the authorities because this was only ending one way: with Lisa wearing handcuffs while in a police vehicle.
“You bitch. You broke my nose.”
Lisa’s shrill scream reached him when he opened the door. Even at this distance, he wished for some hearing protection; poor Maddie stood mere feet away from her.
“Keith will make you pay when he sees what you did.” Somehow Lisa got her voice to go an octave higher. Keith wondered if Maddie’s hearing would ever be the same.
If Maddie saw him in her peripheral vision or had heard him open the door, she gave no indication. Lisa was another story.
“Keith, thank God you’re here.” She briefly glanced at the door he’d left open before turning her attention back to him. “She’s crazy. You’ve got to help me,” she begged.
He wanted to ask if Lisa had looked in a mirror lately because she was the only crazy person in the room. But he wanted to defuse the situation, not make it worse.
“Maddie’s going to kill me because she wants to keep us apart. I told her that you love me.” As if she had an on/off switch, tears filled her eyes and slipped down her face. “But she doesn’t believe me. She thinks you love her.”
“Lisa, Maddie isn’t going to hurt you.” Keith spoke as if a child stood there instead.
“She broke my nose. She is pointing a gun at me. If you hadn’t walked in, she would’ve shot me.”
“I don’t think it’s broken. I’ll get you some paper towels for the blood.”
He’d spent so much time around weapons, he could identify handguns while half asleep, and the one in Maddie’s hand was a Sig. Maddie only owned a Glock, which meant Lisa had arrived with it. If she came with a gun, she might have another weapon concealed.
Lisa pounded her fist against the wall behind her. “I don’t care about the blood. I want you to tell her the truth. Tell her we’re going to spend our lives together and that you were using her to make me jealous.”
Calm her down.
Keith slowly walked toward Lisa and pressed some towels into her left hand as he reached for her right. “Yeah, of course, we are, Lisa.”
He gave Maddie the signal to lower the weapon as he escorted Lisa to a chair. “Come on. Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell Maddie about our plans.”
Over the past few weeks and today, Lisa’s actions had proved how unstable she was. He didn’t want her suddenly lunging at Maddie or making a run for the door, so he kept his hand wrapped around hers even after they sat down.
Keep her talking.
He had to keep her there until the cops arrived. Then she’d be their problem.
Keith couldn’t capture her other hand, since she held the paper towel against her nose. So instead, he wrapped his left hand around her wrist and said the first thing that came to mind. “Maddie, everything Lisa said is true.”
He glanced at Maddie long enough to give her a quick once-over. Her standard, neat ponytail was destroyed, but otherwise, she appeared unharmed.
“I’ve only been with you because I wanted to make Lisa jealous. Lisa’s going to move in with me soon.” Smiling, he looked back at Lisa. “Aren’t you?”
Lisa nodded.
“Do you want to do it before Thanksgiving or after?”
“Before,” Lisa replied, her voice back to a normal volume.
“That’s what I was leaning toward too. I’ll ask some friends to help us next weekend. After today, they owe me. And soon Lisa and I are going to get married.”
Keith rubbed his thumb across Lisa’s palm and searched his brain for something she’d want to hear. “Last week, I picked up the ring I had made for you.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she moved the paper towel away from her nose. “You did?”
“Of course. I don’t want you wearing the same engagement ring as thirty other women. You deserve something unique.” He’d thought that in terms of Maddie, but he’d use the sentiment now if it would help.
“What does it look like?”