Soul Hostage

by Jeffrey Littorno

  The old man’s back straightened, and his irritation showed the comment had completely ruined his enjoyment. Stoaffer held his expression for a few seconds. At the point he seemed ready to explode with rage, his face stretched to its limits with a huge grin and he said, “No, we didn’t come all this way for some tiny, fuckin’ envelope.”

  Louis spun back to the desk and stuck his hand in another of the spaces. This time it took a little more scratching and stretching before he pulled his hand out of the desk to reveal another envelope. He put this one on the desktop next to the first. Like a strict school teacher, he silenced us with a glare and then turned back to the desk, repeated the process three more times, and retrieved three more envelopes. He carefully lined up the envelopes in a row on top of the desk. Almost in spite of himself, Stoaffer’s face lit up with a big smile as he looked at the row of envelopes.

  “My friends, these ‘tiny, fuckin’ envelopes’ are worth a fortune!” The nervous giggling of a speed freak was back and shook the old man’s body.

  “What could be so valuable in a small envelope?” I asked without intending to say it out loud.

  My question started up a fresh round of giggles from the old man. “Inside these envelopes are documents known as bearer bonds.” He quickly noticed the puzzled expressions in response to his answer. “I’m sorry, let me explain. Bearer bonds are certificates worth huge amounts.” He looked toward Theresa as he continued, “When your father and I were starting up the business, we decided it would be a good idea to stash some seed money somewhere just in case things blew up.” Memories of those days were clearly filling the old man’s head as he paused. “I would have to say things definitely blew up but not in ways we had ever anticipated.” His smile trembled a little and lost all humor.

  “I guess killing my father counts as things blew up”, Theresa said with clear sarcasm.

  “Despite what you think you remember or have been told about that night, my dear, I certainly did not kill your father.” Stoaffer’s voice sounded tired but sincere as if he was repeating things which he had said many times before. “On the contrary, he was trying to kill me. In the struggle to defend myself, the gun went off and he was shot. It was a tragic accident despite what you may have been told. The supposed motive for killing Gary… your father was that I had discovered he was embezzling from the company. This is wrong. I never knew anything about it until the trial. What happened to your father was nothing more than a tragic accident.”

  With a snicker, Joey remarked, “Well, there was the part about you bein’ naked in bed with his seven-year-old daughter.” The remark brought murderous glares from both Louis and Theresa. “Anyways, as much as I love goin’ down mem’ry lane, we got stuff to do. So what else do you want, Lou?”

  “Well, these certificates in my desk were the main thing I was after. I don’t think you fully appreciate their value. The envelopes I just collected are worth somewhere in the neighborhood of eight million dollars.” Stoaffer again glowed with joy. He paused for the gasps and chuckles at the realization that we had just become very rich men. “However, this return to San Pietro is about much more than money. It is about restoring the balance of justice in the universe.”

  I spent a few seconds trying to decide whether or not he was being serious about his restoring the balance of justice idea.

  Before I had reached a decision, Joey said, “Whoa! Pretty cosmic shit, Lou! Back to the fong goo!” He burst into laughter. Theresa was silent at first but eventually joined him in laughing. After a moment, Louis laughed as well.

  “So can we just skip the crap about restoring the balance of justice in the universe, Louis?” My question instantly silenced the laughter. “Tell us what you want us to do.”

  Theresa’s mouth hung slightly open as if she had stopped in mid laugh. Joey’s face showed little expression. Louis smiled as one would smile in response to a child’s question.

  “Well, the answer is quite obvious, isn’t it?” Louis looked at each of us to discover the answer was not quite as obvious as he had assumed. “In order to restore balance, you have to remove the thing which knocked the scales out of whack.” He again checked the faces of his audience to find only confusion. “I already told you we have to kill Theresa,” Stoaffer said flatly.

  A puff of air escaped from Theresa’s mouth. It was impossible to tell if her reaction was a sign of fear, disbelief, or a combination of emotions.

  Trying to sound calm and logical, I said, “Whoa, Louis! Why does anyone have to get killed? Do you really believe that the universe is somehow out of balance?” I chuckled at the silly idea. “You spun some pretty good tales on the road here, and it helped to pass the time. But now we’re here and have these bonds from your desk. You say they’re worth eight million dollars! I say that kind of money could restore a lot of balance! Now I‘d love to get out of this place and start enjoying a new balanced life!”

  Stoaffer nodded slowly as if carefully considering

  my words. After a moment, he said, “Well, let’s hear what Joey has to say on the matter.”

  The room was silent for almost a minute. It was silent except for the sounds of Theresa’s sort of whimpering.

  Finally, Joey broke in, “You know me, Lou. I’m willin’ to do whatever’s gotta be done!” He turned toward Theresa and gave her a smile.

  The smile jolted Theresa, and she instantly straightened up. “Uncle Lou, what are you talking about?” She forced a nervous laugh up her throat and out of her mouth. “Oh, you’re joking, right? You must be. You would never hurt me.” Her words were clearly aimed at convincing herself as much as anyone else.

  Another awkward silence filled the house before Stoaffer said, “Of course, I could never hurt you, my dear. I care too much for you. We share a deep connection I can never break.” Theresa’s response to the words was a weak, unconvincing smile which faded as Louis continued, “Precisely the reason that I brought Joey… and Thomas with me.”

  “Hold on, Louis,” I broke in with more of a pleading tone than I wanted. “I never thought it was gonna be like this.”

  “What did you think we were going to do, Thomas?” Stoaffer’s voice sounded tired but not surprised by the objection. “Walk right in here, take the bonds, and just leave?”

  I surprised myself with a laugh as I answered, “Yes! And we still can!”

  “C’mon, Thomas, ain’t no way we can do that.” Joey said. “Blondie here uhd be on the phone with the cops before we fired up the car. She kin give ‘em a damn good descriptions. Plus, she knows all about her dear old Uncle Lou. We’d be popped before we got to the end o’ the street.”

  “No, I wouldn’t!” Theresa cried. “I have no reason to. I mean, you haven’t really done anything for me to tell the police about. I mean … uh … you came here, got some papers which belonged to you, and left. I…I… didn’t even know about those papers in the desk, so it’s not like you stole them from me. Think about it. Those papers belong to you.” Her pleas broke down into complete sobbing, and again the room was quiet except for this sound.

  Joey plopped down with a thud on the couch. Louis took a seat in the desk chair next to the spot where Theresa huddled over crying. This picture did not change for a few minutes as the weeping continued.

  Eventually, the sobs lessened into sniffles, and Louis said, “I believe you, Theresa. Never doubt that. Remember back before I had to go away?” She stayed quiet, but Louis didn’t wait for an answer. He continued speaking as much to himself as anyone else. “From the time you were a little baby, I knew you were truly special. A light shone from you. As funny as that sounds, we both know it is true. The light you gave off made me feel wonderful whenever I was touched. This is the reason I always brought a gift for you when I visited. So I would have a reason to be close to you and be touched by your light. Do you remember any of this, Theresa?”

  He looked over at her, and she answered, “Yes…I remember all the times you brought me such wonderful things as dolls
and books… and a necklace with a picture of a princess. I remember being so happy to see you. I always ran up to hug you as soon as I saw you.” She paused for moment as if remembering something more but did not continue.

  Louis watched her for several seconds before he asked, “Do you remember saying that you loved me?”

  Everything remained still and quiet for a long moment.

  Louis and Theresa completely forgot anyone else was in the room. Finally, Theresa giggled and answered, “Of course, I remember! I was child! You were my Uncle Lou who always brought me great gifts! Like my own personal Santa Claus! What kid wouldn’t love that?” She looked at Louis and smiled.

  Louis smiled back weakly and asked, “So are you saying the only reason you loved me was because of the gifts?”

  “Oh, of course not!” She laughed to show how silly the question sounded. “I loved you, because you treated me wonderfully.” Theresa shook her head and smiled at Stoaffer.

  He spent the next minutes staring at her. As this went on, Stoaffer seemed to shrink within himself. His shoul-ders sagged. His body hunched over. His breathing seemed to almost stop. When Louis raised his head to speak, his words came out like a whisper, and I found myself leaning closer to hear him.

  “Is this the extent of your love? Feelings for a nice old man?”

  “Well, I … I mean, what does a child of that age know about love?” She looked at him with a look of such incredible tenderness which gave me a pang of jealousy. “A child loves the people in her life who take care of her and treat her kindly. I’m not sure what else you expected, Uncle Lou.”

  No sound came from Stoaffer for a few seconds, and then he forced himself to his feet and stood glaring at Theresa. “What I was expecting was more than lies! I expected honesty! I expected you to love me like you promised!”

  A clear sense of shock hung in the air as Louis finished speaking. I could see Theresa’s mouth hanging slightly open, and mine might have been also. Her eyes were looking downward but moving around.

  She suddenly glanced my way, and we made eye contact. It felt like a jolt of electricity shooting through my body. It sounds ridiculous, but it is the best description of how I felt. The sensation only lasted for a split second but left a lasting impression. For the first time in a long time, I felt really good. Theresa looked away quickly.

  Turning my attention back to Louis, I saw he had recovered somewhat and was no longer looking at Theresa. Instead, his gaze was fixed on me. The old man’s eyes made me feel sick and the good feeling I had been enjoying instantly evaporated I could no longer stand his silent stare and loudly asked, “What do you want, Louis?”

  He gave me one of those looks like you give to a guy parading around confidently while unaware his fly is down or to some good-looking woman bestowing smiles upon adoring onlookers ignorant of the fact she has a big piece of food stuck between her front teeth. This was the expression of satisfaction that you have some knowledge which would easily knock that person down to earth. Whether or not you act upon the information does not matter. It is enough to have the information which puts you above the person in the natural pecking order. The skinny, screechy, old woman at Sunday school and her condescension toward anyone who had not been saved suddenly flashed into my mind.

  Louis kept looking at me with an annoying little smile until I came back to the present. “She got you, didn’t she? She touched you with her light,” Stoaffer was clearly enjoying the moment. “Feels good, right?”

  I was sensing a kind of bond forming between Stoaffer and me. We had shared a similar experience so that meant we should feel some sort of a kinship. I did not like the notion of any type of connection to the old man. Changing the subject seemed like the best idea, so I simply repeated my question, “What do you want, Louis?”

  He smiled at my discomfort and said, “I think you know, Thomas.” His smile faded away as he continued, “I want you to kill Theresa.” His words were delivered flatly like someone reading a restaurant menu; I’ll have the chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, coffee, and I want you to kill Theresa. This detachment made the words more horrifying.

  My defensive reaction was simply to mock the idea. “Louis, we already went through this game. We’ve got no reason to kill her. She has nothing to tell the cops. Think about it. We haven’t done anything to her so there is-”

  Stoaffer cut me off by saying, “Thomas, this is not about what we have done to her. This is about what she has done to me.”

  Joey snickered, and I couldn’t quite stifle my laugh at Stoaffer’s claim of somehow being the victim. Theresa started to say something, but I interrupted, “I gotta hear this! Tell us how Theresa harmed you, Louis.”

  Louis’ face filled with an expression of embarrassment which was anything but flattering, and he stammered, “It’s not easy to explain, but I will do my best. Looking at me now, you may have trouble believing I was… am a man who is used to being in power. In many ways…maybe all ways…this power is my most valuable possession. Like anyone with a possession of extreme value, I would do anything to protect it.” He paused to check if his words were making any sense to those listening and found only blank faces. “Okay, let me try this another way. Suppose you possess a huge priceless diamond you wanted to keep safe. You would do everything possible to protect your valuable possession, right? You would utilize the best defense available, the most state-of-the-art alarm system and any other potential means of insuring security. Does that make sense?” Again, Stoaffer paused to check how his message was being received.

  Joey spoke up to make it clear, “Lou, what’re you ramblin’ on about? Should we hunt for a diamond stashed ‘round here somewhere? I mean, just let me at it.”

  Theresa sat without showing any reaction. I was not quite sure what to think about Stoaffer’s ranting.

  He shook his head slowly and chuckled to himself. “No, Joey, I am not aware of any diamond hidden here. I was referring to a figurative diamond.” Stoaffer smiled at Joey’s obvious confusion. “Don’t worry. I will stick to more literal references. I mentioned before I am some-one who is used to possessing power, and I spent a substantial amount of time developing methods for holding on to my power. Overall, those methods proved effective. However, I am aware of a threat to my power which can no longer go unaddressed. I am now in San Pietro to eliminate this threat.” He straightened himself with pride at having given such a clear explanation.

  “So you’re saying you think that Theresa is some kind of threat to you?” I shook my head unable to believe I understood him right. “Really Louis?” I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea.

  Stoaffer’s laugh came out harsh and humorless and stopped my own laughter at once. “I realize how absurd this all sounds.”

  “Are you serious, Uncle Lou?” Theresa practically screamed. “Are you sure you know how absurd this sounds? It’s absolutely crazy! Until today, we hadn’t seen each other since I was ten years old! How could you think I was any kind of a threat to you?”

  Stoaffer appeared concerned about Theresa’s feelings. He started to toward her but then stopped to say, “I understand your confusion, my dearest Theresa.”

  The words enraged Theresa. Her face grew red, and she started to reply but instead snapped her mouth shut and shot an expression of pure hatred at Louis.

  If he noticed Theresa’s response, Louis showed no signs as he continued, “The threat you pose is not the result of anything you did.” He paused a moment choosing his next words carefully. “Your earlier declar-ation of no feelings for me proves this. However, your words do not alter my feelings… I love you.” The puff of air escaping from Theresa’s mouth stopped Louis for a second. “These feelings prevent me from dealing with you.”

  “Maybe I am being dense, but I don’t understand why you would have to deal with me at all.” Her appearance and voice no longer showed anger but rather a high level of stress. “The door is right there. Take your bonds and your friend and whatever el
se you want and walk right out the door. You don’t ever have to see me again, and you don’t ever have to worry about me posing any threat to you.”

  “There you go, Lou! No need to kill anyone,” I said in a bright, optimistic voice. “We can head out the door and never worry about a threat.”

  Stoaffer’s smile made it clear he was not giving any serious consideration to what I said. He regarded me as one would a child who said something ridiculous. “Thomas, thank you for your insight. I would like to agree with you, but I cannot.” He chuckled. “Sure would make things easier though.”

  “Well, shit, if we’re gonna do this, let’s do this!” Joey demanded as he moved toward Theresa with the gun in his hand.

  “Hold on for a moment, Joseph,” Louis replied. “I truly admire your enthusiasm and sense of purpose in this matter. However, Thomas must be the one to do this deed.”

  The words sent a cold blast which took my breath away. I needed a few seconds to recover enough to speak. “Louis, you know I don’t think there’s any reason to kill her. Why do you want me to do it?” I am not sure if he was considering my question or not, but Louis did not respond right away.

  “I got the gun right here, Lou! Pop! We’re done!” Joey pleaded. “I’m sick o’ all this talkin’. Lemme finish this!”

  “Joseph, stop where you are!” Stoaffer’s command froze Joey where he stood. “I need you to listen to me carefully. It is crucial for Thomas to be the one who does this.” He glanced at Theresa but was obviously not comfortable at the sight of her. “Let me try to explain. With the bearer bonds I got from my old desk tonight, we became extremely rich men. None of us will ever need to be concerned about money again. The thing about which we will need to be concerned is our trust in one another. Without such trust, we will never be able to stop looking over our shoulders and be certain ghosts from the past will not return to haunt us.”