Free Pumped for Murder by Elaine Viets Page B

so furiously, Helen thought the bike might burst into flames.
    “ After she lost her temper,” Carla said. “Mark my words. That woman will kill someone.When she goes postal and the reporters are here interviewing the survivors, I’m going to tell them I warned everyone she was dangerous.”
    “At least there are plenty of people here with muscles if she goes ballistic,” Helen said. “They’ll protect us.”
    “Hard bodies are no protection if someone comes at you with a gun,” Carla said.
    “Gun?” Helen said.
    “Debbi’s father killed a woman in that botched holdup,” Carla said.
    “That’s unfair,” Helen said. “You told Debbi you didn’t blame her for her father’s mistakes.”
    “I don’t,” Carla said. “But I’m not going to forget what he did, either. Emotions get stirred up in gyms. People get murdered. Nearly everyone comes in here with a gym bag.You can hide a handgun or a rifle in one. Nobody checks gym bags. We don’t have metal detectors here. And it’s happened before.
    “At a competitor’s gym, a lesbian flirted with another woman. Her partner shot her. At another gym, a man thought his girlfriend was cheating on him. He hid a gun in his duffel bag and opened fire on her aerobics class. His girlfriend was shot in the leg. Four innocent gym members died.
    “Sweat, sex, ambition and half-naked people are a dangerous combination. We have cheating couples here. We have ’roid-raging bodybuilders who want to win medals. We have people working out practically naked. See that woman over there on the treadmill? She’s wearing more makeup than clothes.”
    “Is she wearing lace underwear?” Helen asked.
    “That’s lingerie; that’s no workout suit,” Carla said. “Her panties don’t cover her butt cheeks.”
    “She certainly can’t conceal any deadly weapons in that outfit,” Helen said. “Unless you count her implants.”
    “Helen, be serious.” Carla nodded toward a massive bald bodybuilder doing pull-ups with giant chains slung around his neck. The chains could have anchored a cruise ship, but he wore them like necklaces. The links were thicker than his blush-worthy thong.
    “Look at that hulk in the banana sack,” Carla said.
    “Cashew sack is more like it,” Helen said. “Doesn’t look like the guy has much down there.”
    “Steroids, probably,” Carla said. “Do you think that mastodon could move fast enough to help me?” Helen heard the fear in Carla’s voice. “He may be built like Superman, but he can’t stop bullets. When it comes down to it, we’re alone at this desk.”
    Treadmills and bicycles whirred. Basketballs thumped and barbells clanged. Workout music pounded and the television blared.
    Helen realized if she or Carla was in danger, no one would hear them. The gym was too noisy. They were marooned on a stark black-and-steel island.
    She hoped Debbi’s workout would leave her too tired to follow in her father’s footsteps.
    That thought made Helen feel guilty. Poor Debbi was right to worry. No wonder her eyes seemed stricken. She was tarred by her father’s lethal legacy.
    Helen thought of a little red-haired boy pedaling his retro car. Would Gus the Third escape his family’s sad past?

CHAPTER 10
    H elen sat up on the weight bench, gasping for breath. Her midsection felt like it had been gouged out, then wrapped with iron bands. Fantastic Fitness indeed. This place was an air-conditioned torture chamber.
    Derek kept smiling. The massive manager was a sadist in spandex.
    “Come on, Helen, you can do it,” Derek said. “One more set of crunches. No pain, no gain.”
    “What the heck does that mean?” Helen said.
    Derek ignored her surly words. “Pain means you’re achieving your goal. You have to work through your pain to get to a better body.” He flashed those blinding white teeth.
    “What idiot believes that?” Helen said.
    “Jane Fonda,” Derek said. “My mom had her exercise tapes. I grew up listening to Jane say, ‘No