A Pawn for Malice

by Cynthia Roberts

  She started to moan loudly over-and-over again. He had to remove the taping from her mouth. He just had too. She tried desperately to raise up on her knees. Jagged stones dug through the fabric of her slacks, but she did not care. She crawled forward on her knees, her eyes pleading with him to remove the tape, as she continued to moan.

  The look of sympathy that shone in his eyes told her, that he was weakening, and she continued her plea, this time whimpering.

  The young man knelt before her, placed the two lanterns he was carrying down on the ground beside him.

  “Don’t fret now. Stop squirming. This may hurt a little cause I’m gonna pull it off real fast.”

  She nodded that she understood.

  He was right. It hurt like hell, and she yelped loudly, as the tape ripped at her tender skin, making it sting. It felt as though he grated a worn razor over the entire area instead.

  “Sorry. Shit, I’m sorry!”

  She tried to work her way into a sitting position, but she lost her balance and fell to her side, slamming her right cheek against a boulder nearby. She cried out in pain and the young man moved like a bullet to help her sit upright.

  “Damn! This ain’t workin’ out too good.”

  She knew the gash was deep and could feel a stream of warm blood running down her cheek

  Shit! Piss! Tits! That hurt! Her inner voice screamed.

  “I’m … I’m just glad it’s you,” she gasped, “and not that mad man Corbat here right now.” She replied, gasping loudly again, as she leaned against the boulder.

  “Why’s that?” He asked surprisingly.

  “Because, I knew right away, when I first saw you, that you weren’t the kind of person to hurt someone, and I was right?” She shrugged her right shoulder, so she could rub her cheek against it and wipe away the blood she could feel flowing down her cheek.

  He nodded shyly and lifted one of the lanterns, so he could look at her wound closer. He grimaced at what he saw.

  “You hit yourself real bad, mam. I’ll getcha a Band-Aid and ointment, when I go back up top.”

  “Jessica. Call me, Jessica. Will you leave one of them here for me? Please.” She nodded toward the other lantern on her right. “It’s a little frightful down here alone in the darkness.”

  He nodded, that he would, and avoided looking at her.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Morris,’ he replied in a soft whisper. He chewed at his lip and his voice broke with emotion. “I didn’t want to do this.”

  The fear on his face tugged at her heartstrings again and she answered him in a soothing tone.

  “I know, Morris. I could tell that right away too, about you. Did you and he work together down here?”

  “Ah, ha,” he answered.

  Jessica knew she had to keep the conversation going. The more she got him to open up to her, the more comfortable, she knew he would feel around her. He was an innocent. She didn’t think he was a simpleton. She had a feeling he didn’t finish high school, but had enough good sense to know right from wrong.

  “How long?”

  “Been down here, since I was eighteen. Didn’t graduate from high school. Too hard for me, but Mr. Howe, he knew my grandpa and hired me right off. He was the best boss ever, real kind, and all.” He paused a moment, and a deep sadness washed over him. “He died though, and someone else bought these caves. He’s a mean son of bitch.” The boy’s head popped up, realizing a cuss word slipped from his lips. “Sorry, mam. Didn’t mean to say swear words, but he’s a cruel man, just like Sy.”

  “Where is Sy now?”

  “He ain’t here, but he’ll be back later tonight. He knows how to get underground, even when it’s all locked up top.”

  “Does the owner know he can do that?”

  He shook his head no in response.

  “Morris, did Sy threaten and beat you into doing this.”

  She could tell she hit the nail on the head by the boy’s reaction. The poor kid. She wondered about his family, if he was totally alone in the world, or whether someone knew he was being bullied.

  “Morris, did he?” She persisted.

  The boy ran his hand through his dirty hair and hesitated another moment, before he finally answered.

  “He told me … that … that …if’n I didn’t help; he’d blow up these caves with me in it, when I less expected it. He’ll do it too. I need this job and gots nowhere else to go.”

  “Morris, what if I could help you? You know I work for a State Senator. He’s a very important man, and my Aunt, is a very rich woman, who knows a lot of people in power. You like to fix things, don’t you Morris?”

  A slow knowing smile lit up his face, despite the smeared dirt, and what looked like oil all over it and the clothes he wore too.

  “I’m real good, mam, with my hands.” He raised them. “I can do and fix just about anything somebody asks me too. I can use a digger and a backhoe and a jack hammer too.” He answered proudly, as he thumbed his chest to prove his point.

  “Well, I think that’s pretty, darn awesome. I know I could help you find a job doing just that, working for someone, who would appreciate the fine work you do for them. The people we know would pay you a good salary, offer you great benefits, and treat you with respect and kindness. Isn’t that something you would like? You deserve it you know.”

  He scratched at his head, and it began to slowly shake with doubt.

  “I don’t know, mam. If Sy ever found out we was talking like this, he wouldn’t take too kind to that.”

  “Well, I won’t tell him.” She confirmed immediately. “It can be our little secret. When someone mean like Sy bully’s a person like you to do his bidding, the law will understand especially, if I tell them you helped me, took care of me, and kept me from harm.”

  “You would do that for me?” His eyes misted with tears. He wiped at them quickly, so she wouldn’t see, but she did.

  “Yes, Morris. I would do that for you, if you helped me get away. I promise, I will stand up for you in court, and help you get a better job too.”

  He started to get all fidgety and unable to contain his discomfort.

  “I really got to think about all this. Sure, sounds too good to be true.”

  “Okay. Okay. We have time.” She waited a moment and tried to get in a more comfortable position. It was difficult. “Morris, can you tie my hands in front of me instead? My arms hurt, and I can’t feel my hands. It’s so uncomfortable this way. My legs are cuffed. I can’t go anywhere with them like this. Please, just my hands. Will you do that for me.” She made a great effort to look forlorn, and it worked.

  “Ah, gee, I don’t know, miss. If you get away, he’ll -”

  She pressed harder. “Not like this, I won’t.” She demonstrated, trying to move her legs, and attempting to stand. When she toppled forward, he reached out to catch her.

  “Stop that now, before you hurt yourself again. Okay. I will.”

  He paused momentarily, as if an afterthought, had him second guessing his decision. His forehead crunched with worry and his lips pressed tightly together. He nodded curtly and stepped forward and moved behind her, careful not to tug too hard on her bindings.

  When her wrists were free, she cried out in pain, as her arms dropped to her side like heavy weight. She sat there for a moment, her arms still lifeless at her side, letting the blood slowly recirculate through her veins. The pain was excruciating, and she couldn’t stop the flow of tears.

  Morris, fell to his knees and looked terribly regretful.

  “Gee, miss. Don’t cry. I sure didn’t mean to hurt ya.”

  Slowly, she managed to move her arms, and began to massage them with her hands to help get the blood moving faster. They throbbed painfully and she did her best to try and stop from crying. She hated getting her wrists tied again, but she knew she had too. If anything, this time, she’d be able to manage getting at the contents in her bag a lot easier.

  “It’s okay, Morris. The pa
in is subsiding now. It’s just because the rope was too tight and stopped the blood flowing up and down my arm.:

  “I told him he tied it too tight. He don’t listen to no one, but the monster inside his head.”

  It was a great analogy he made. Morris wasn’t as dim-witted as he thought of himself. He was insightful and caring … good qualities to be proud of. She raised her arms and crossed her wrists in front of him.

  “Go ahead. I’ll be okay. I enjoyed talking to you, and I thank you for the lantern,” she nodded at the element to her right. “How long will the battery last?”

  The boy smiled proudly. “I just put a fresh one in fit or ya. It’s a good one too, and will last more than a week, if you keep it turned down low like that.”

  She expelled a breath loudly.

  “Well, my friend. Hopefully, I won’t be in here that long.”

  Her stomach growled loudly, and the sound bounced off the cave walls and echoed throughout the chamber. She gazed up at him and chuckled, and before she knew it, he was laughing as well.

  She snorted and remarked.

  “Guess I’m a little hungry.”

  “There’s some leftover donuts up in the lounge room where we take our breaks. I’ll go get you a few and a bottle of water too, and fix your cut.” He rose, picked up the second lantern and started to walk away.

  “Thank you,” she called out to him.

  “You welcome, mam,” he replied politely. “I’ll be back in about forty minutes or so, by the time I get up top and return.”

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” she answered, and heard him chuckle softly, as though her reply tickled his funny bone.

  Knowing she had forty minutes, before he returned, Jessica tried to work her hands into her shoulder bag. There was something to be said for women, who carried bags the size of a small attaché. She had everything, but the kitchen sink inside hers. It was her bag on the go. As her fingertips grazed along the inside, she could feel her small mist bottle of breath freshener, a packet of matches, chewing gum, two tissue packs, a protein bar she forgot about, her change purse, wallet, key chain, cell phone, and yes, her gun.

  She pulled her cell out first. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get a signal this far below the ground. She knew Bryan was smart enough to check the ping on her phone. After the last time, she was attacked, security had downloaded a GPS tracker to her phone. She prayed, that the signal would worked in this godforsaken cave. She checked the app to make sure it was active, and smiled when she noted, that the green indicator button was just that.

  She placed it on a silent mode, and put it on the ground beside her. Next, she removed her gun from her bag as well. She did not want Corbat to find either one of them, in case he eventually checked her bag. She was rather surprised he hadn’t already. Sometimes when someone, was in a fit of rage, they lost sight of the obvious, and thankfully it worked in her favor. She reached out for the lantern and held it out in front of her. Carefully, she checked around her for a good place to hide her phone and gun, yet close enough to reach it, in case she ever needed it.

  There, less than six inches to her right, was a crevice between the boulder she fell against and another one right beside it. It was big enough for just that purpose. When she raised the lantern in all directions, the shadows reflecting off the boulders, hid the crevice even better. She was rather pleased with herself and huffed with satisfaction, as she slid both items inside.

  She lifted her hand to her cheek. It was, extremely tender to the touch, and there was a pretty good size bump developing. She shimmied away from the boulder and slowly let her eyes scan her surroundings. She sighed with disbelief. She couldn’t believe, where she was right now.

  The chamber she was in, was massive. When she looked up, she couldn’t see the roof of the cave at all. The walls shimmered, where the beam from the lantern managed to reach. Despite the eeriness, being held captive down here entailed, she found herself rather awe-struck by its natural beauty.

  She didn’t know much about caves. What she had learned and read about, was that some were formed when water seeped down through the cracks in limestone rock over millions of years. Others, simply were mountainsides worn away by the crashing ocean waves over time.

  It was hard to tell, from where she was sitting, if the glimmering reflections she was seeing, were from crystals on the walls. The other formations, she was looking at, were rather hard to describe. Still, they were uniquely beautiful. They were swirled, and rippled, spiked, and textured, massive pieces the colors of an earth-tone pallet. The enormity of the chamber was not threatening, but she knew that silence for too long of time, would prove oppressive.

  She drew her knees to her chest, managed to fold her bounded wrists over them, and rested her undamaged cheek on her knees. The thought of her Aunt Florence came to mind. As much as she would love nothing more, than to have her there by her side, she wouldn’t wish this situation she now found herself in on anyone, not even her worst enemy. Well … one bastard did come to mind.

  If Florence had the chance to get a message to her, Jessica knew, that her Aunt would tell her to stay strong, not to crack, keep a smart head on her shoulders, and work every situation to her advantage.

  That wasn’t going to be easy in this case … at all.

  Her stomach growled again, and she thought about her protein bar. She tried to ignore the sound of starvation. Morris would be returning soon. She had to conserve it for later, just in case Corbat decided to be a prick and starve her.

  She would wait for Morris, as the satisfaction in knowing, that she made a friend in him, kept her company, until he did.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Bryan left word with his staff, that if Sylas Corbat called for him, to direct him to his cell phone. He just couldn’t sit around in his office waiting for that derelict to call. The clock was ticking. He had worked enough kidnap cases to know that the first twenty-four hours were crucial. It wasn’t a lot of time for him and Ayden to turn over every stone possible, and investigate every lead. They zoned in on the ones that were most likely.

  The one thing in their favor … they knew who the assailant was. Protocol was, to call in the Feds in situations like this. He wanted it contained. He wanted to run this case. He wanted to be the one to find her, and he would.

  Ayden pulled up in front of the LOB and Bryan quickly jumped into the passenger side.

  “Thanks for doing this. I just can’t sit around.”

  “Good to have you back, partner,” Ayden winked.

  Bryan sent him that ‘how did you know’ look, and Ayden’s stomach rolled with laughter.

  “I know you, man. It’s pretty god damn obvious. You found the one.”

  Bryan’s look was more serious, as he replied painfully.

  “We’ve got to get her back.”

  Ayden punched at his forearm, nodding and replied sympathetically.

  “We will, Bry. We will.” He hesitated only briefly. “This prick, Corbat, lives in a decent neighborhood up in Esperance. There’s four to his apartment house. I checked around and scuttlebutt is, no one has seen him in days.

  One of the guys in his building knew what he was driving. It’s an old 64 Chevy Corvair Greenbrier van, two-tone light blue in color. The thing is a classic, so it stands out. More than likely, it’s what he used to transport her in. It’s possible he’s living out of it too, because back then, they were manufactured as mini-campers on wheels.

  I ran footage from the security cameras outside your building, and we got a hit. One was seen exiting the back entrance of the Capitol around the time Jessica was missing, heading west on State Street. Looks like he’s got an accomplice too. A traffic camera picked up two male occupants, and one of them, was definitely Corbat. They’re running a facial on the other one. They were last scene, heading North on the Interstate, where we lost them.”

  “At least we’ve got something solid to go on,” Bryan replied. “I called my contact at the DA’s offi
ce. They had info. on next of kin. Looks like Luther’s brother had been working at Howes Caverns as an all-round handyman for years, which backs up his story. If he’s been fired though, he won’t have access any more. I still think it’s worth checking out.”

  Ayden nodded in agreement.

  “Just because he’s fired, doesn’t mean he still hasn’t got a way inside, especially after all those years he’s been there. Sounds like a great hideout to me.”

  Bryan keyed in the address on the dashboard GPS system.

  “This is a sweet ride. What is it a 15’?”

  “Yep. I confiscated it in a drug raid a month ago. This baby went for $85K brand new and has all the bells and whistles.”

  “It’ll be great, if ever you’re in pursuit off-road.”

  “Can’t wait to test and see what she’s made of.”

  Bryan’s cell rang and he answered it immediately, when he recognized Connor’s phone number flashing on the screen.

  “Hey, Connor, what’s up?”

  “I just wanted to let you know the Clerk’s office is holding the bill. It won’t be going up for a vote before both Houses, until we give them the go ahead. I leaked it to the news, and the major networks will run it, as will the three radio stations. Whatever Corbat listens to, or watches, he’ll at least know you’re trying to work with him.”

  “Awesome, Connor. Thanks. I’m incognito, buddy for the rest of the week. Clair’s clearing my calendar, as we speak.”

  “I know. I got your message. If anyone can find Jessica, Bry. You two cowboys can.”

  Bryan chuckled at the jibe. “Feels good to be back in the saddle again. Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need it,” Connor replied confidently. “I’ve seen you in your badass mode before. Fucking get that guy, and bring our girl back!”

  “I plan on it. I’ll check in later.”

  Bryan shared what Connor just told him.

  “All the stations have been notified that the bill’s been removed from both houses for a vote. At least, Corbat will know I’m cooperating and it’ll give us some time to find Jessica.”