by Kaylea Cross
She had heard through the grapevine that when Gus showed up for work the next day without them, and confessed he didn’t know where they were, he was put on suspension. Too bad for Gus, Suki thought. He was nothing more than collateral damage to her.
She dragged the heavy, metal sign out of the way and unlocked the door. Pulling a small flashlight out of her jacket pocket, she switched it on and crept into the dark, hidden storage room.
The place ran about thirty feet deep and half as wide. Originally, it had been a shop of some sort in Seattle’s early days. The room now held mostly old equipment and discarded boards. But back in the farthest rear corner, was an old metal twin bed covered with a thin, dirty mattress. A large rusty bucket sat beside it.
“Whitney?” Suki sang her name softly as she stroked her cold hand against her captive’s cheek. The girl flinched from the icy touch, but it didn’t seem to wake her. Suki gently shook Whitney’s shoulder. Still she didn’t rouse. She swept her flashlight over Whitney’s body, and she shook her again.
“Whitney, wake up!” Suki said, forcing her voice through clenched teeth.
The woman on the bed stirred. Her hands and feet were bound with rope, which was then tied to the bed frame at both ends. A piece of duct tape covered her mouth. Her blue jeans and black sweater were rumpled, likely from writhing against her restraints. Her gray hooded sweatshirt was folded under her head into a makeshift pillow.
Suki yanked the tape off.
Whitney yelped. “Ouch!” She woke with a start and tried to sit up, seeming unaware that her hands and feet were tethered.
“Where am I?” Whitney questioned, struggling to pull an arm in front of her face to shield her eyes until they adjusted to the harsh and sudden light. Her short blonde hair was mussed, her mascara smudged. Whitney went limp against the mattress, trembling.
This was not the first day Suki had come to check on her and tend to her needs, yet the total darkness and drugs continued to cause the confusion that Suki had intended. “It doesn’t matter,” she answered.
“How long…have I…been…here?” Her words came slow and slurred, as if she was drunk. She appeared to be struggling to wake up.
“That doesn’t matter either,” Suki said.
“I don’t understand. Why am I here?” Squinting, she once again tried to shade her eyes from the light, directing her gaze toward her captor. “And what is that awful smell?” Whitney grumbled.
“I’d say peanut butter,” Suki replied, trying to redirect her attention, not wanting to give away where she was being held. Anyone who had been to the Underground Tour knew there was always a damp, musty smell in the underground city.
“I assumed you must be hungry, so I brought you another peanut butter sandwich. I can’t have you dying on me.”
“What? What do you mean?” Whitney asked, still straining to look up at the shadowy figure behind the flashlight. “Please? Tell me what’s going on.”
Suki needed to keep her sedated enough that everything would just be an undecipherable fog. She couldn’t have Whitney saying anything to the police—if she survived, that is.
“Um, well…just don’t worry about it. Everything’s gonna be okay, and you’ll be out of here before you know it.”
Setting the flashlight down on the ground, she pulled the flattened sandwich out of her denim purse. She had again ground up several sleeping pills and mixed them into the peanut butter. It was easier to control Whitney if she was weak and sleepy. It was Ethan’s idea, of course, but Suki had agreed.
She also brought a partial bottle of water so Whitney wouldn’t get too dehydrated, but she wanted to minimize her fluids. She didn’t want to have to help her to use the facilities very often to relieve herself, which was what the rusty bucket next to the bed was for.
“Let me help you sit up.” She untied Whitney’s hands from the bed but left them bound at the wrists. “You need to eat something.”
Suki assisted Whitney to sit up as best she could, with her feet still tethered to the iron bed.
“I’m not hungry,” Whitney slurred, barely able to keep her eyes open. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Never mind.” The less Whitney knew the better—for all concerned. “Now, eat this sandwich or I’m going to force you to.” Suki shoved the sandwich toward her mouth. It had to be done. “Eat!”
Whitney’s eyelids were heavy and even sitting up was an effort. Suki would make sure Whitney did not have the strength to fight, and she would eat the sandwich.
Suki tore off pieces and shoved them into Whitney’s mouth, pouring water in after to make sure she swallowed.
Then, when the entire sandwich was gone, she applied a fresh piece of tape over her mouth and laid her back down on the filthy mattress, retying her hands to the frame.
“Now, go back to sleep, and it’ll all be over soon,” Suki promised as she walked away, leaving Whitney protesting weakly.
She opened the door slightly, peeking out and listening to see if anyone was out there. Not seeing or hearing anything, she quickly snuck out of the storage area. After securing the secret door, and dragging the Dino’s sign in front of it once more, Suki slipped out through the busy souvenir shop and left unnoticed.
She drove home, wondering what happened with Kate and the police. Managing to find some street parking a couple of blocks away from her building, she walked home and took the elevator up to her apartment.
“About time they got that thing fixed,” she mumbled under her breath, as she fumbled with the spare key.
* * *
Kate was on the phone, sitting at the dining table, her shoulders hunched and her hair pulled up into a large hair claw. “You didn’t find anything at all on her computer?” Kate asked, her voice quivering.
She shook her head in disbelief. “I had hoped there’d be some clue, something in her calendar or in her e-mail, anything that would give us a place to start.”
Kate sensed someone in the room and spun around to see Suki standing just inside the door, apparently eavesdropping on Kate’s side of the conversation.
“Thanks for letting me know.” Kate clicked her cell phone off and set it down hard on the table, next to her cup of tea. She looked at Suki as she walked in. “That was the police. They haven’t found anything yet on Whitney’s computer.”
“Nothing?” She shrugged her coat off and hung it on the back of a chair. She didn’t seem too concerned. “I’m sorry to hear that,” Suki said, but her words sounded hollow and meaningless.
She put a patronizing hand on Kate’s shoulder and patted it a couple of times. “It’s going to be okay. They’ll find her.”
That seems rather gratuitous, Kate thought, shrugging off Suki’s hand.
“Too much time is passing. What if they don’t find her? What if she’s—” Tears welled up in her eyes. Kate dabbed her tears with a napkin and took a shaky sip of her tea.
“They said they’d keep trying, didn’t they?”
“Yes, but…” Kate replied weakly.
“Don’t give up. I’m sure they’ll come up with something.” Suki turned and went to the stove to pour some tea for herself.
Kate stared after her, wondering if she detected a spring in her step. Just then, her cell phone rang. Startled, she pulled in a deep breath before answering it, expecting it to be the police again.
“Hello.”
“Kate? This is Ryan.”
“Ryan? Oh…hi,” she said, sitting up straight in her chair, surprised to hear from him so soon. She had barely given him a second thought after running into him outside of the police station.
“I was thinking about you this afternoon,” he told her. “Ah—I mean, because of your sister…you know?”
“I know.”
“Has there been any word on her yet?”
“No, not yet, although we’re not giving up,” Kate said.
“Absolutely not. You’ve got to hang in there and keep that optimistic attitude.”
; “Thanks, it’s just hard to sit here and try not to worry, waiting for a call from the police.”
“I thought maybe I could help you out a little, Kate.”
“Help me out? How?”
“Well, if you’re not doing anything tonight, maybe you’d let me take you out to dinner, nothing fancy, just to take your mind off of things for a while.”
“I don’t know. I want to be available in case the police find anything.”
“Raj, I mean, Detective Patel, has your cell phone number, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Then, he’ll call you if they discover anything.”
“Hmmm. I don’t know,” she said.
“You’ve got to eat, and I’ll bet you could use a change of scenery.”
“I guess you’re right—I could use a break from sitting here fretting over things.”
“I can be there in a few minutes if you’re ready to go. What’s your address?”
Kate gave him the address and thanked him for the invitation. Suki brought her cup of tea to the table while Kate was on the phone and leaned in, as if listening to her side of the conversation.
“See you soon,” Kate said, clicking off the call.
“So, I guess you won’t be here for dinner tonight?” Suki remarked, taking a seat. “I didn’t know you knew anyone else in Seattle.”
“Just Ryan. I met him on the plane from Boise.” Kate removed the hair claw and shook her tresses out to fall free around her shoulders. “It turns out he’s a friend of one of the detectives. Go figure.” She rose from the table, and her slippered feet padded softly down the hallway to change her clothes for dinner.
Doubtful they would be going anywhere fancy, she pulled on a turquoise turtleneck sweater and off-white skinny jeans. Then, after freshening up her makeup and her hair, she checked her reflection in the mirror above the dresser.
She noticed a framed photo of herself with her sister, sitting on the dresser top. Kate picked it up and stared at it for a moment, running her finger over her sister’s face. “You’re all I have left.” Struggling with the confusion of it all, Kate wiped at a rogue tear. “Where are you, Whitney?” she whispered sadly.
A sharp knock at the door caused Kate to jump.
“Ryan’s here,” Suki said, through the door.
“Already?”
“Yup.”
“Tell him I’ll be out in a minute.” Kate took one last look at her sister’s smiling face, carefully set the frame back down on the dresser, and inhaled deeply. Then she noticed Whitney’s favorite perfume, Tatiana, sitting on the dresser among her jewelry box and other personal items. She spritzed a little on her sweater, to symbolically bring her sister closer to her. She breathed in the scent to fortify herself.
Picking up her black leather jacket, she went out to greet her new friend. “Hi, Ryan,” Kate said, as she came into the living room. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”
Ryan was sitting on the sofa waiting, watching the evening news on the television. He stood as she entered, his deep green eyes lighting up and a broad smile spreading across his lips. “You look great.”
“Thank you,” she replied, giving him a grateful smile in return.
“Mmmm…you smell really good, too. What’s that scent?”
“It’s my sister’s perfume, Tatiana. It’s her favorite. So, I thought I’d try it.”
“Well, it smells nice.”
“Hey, look!” Kate pointed to the television. “They’re talking about Whitney.”
“Let me turn it up.” Ryan picked up the remote control.
Kate stood still and stared at the screen, listening to the broadcaster give details of her missing sister. The photo that flashed across the screen had been taken earlier in the year when Whitney had come to L.A. for a visit. Tears rushed to the surface as memories of their happy time together flooded into her mind.
Ryan must have noticed her reaction to the story. “Are you doing okay?” He handed her a box of Kleenex that sat on the coffee table.
“Thanks,” she said, pulling a tissue out. She dabbed under her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re up to going out?”
Kate nodded her head. “I may not be great company tonight, but if you still want to have dinner with me…”
“I’m just here to help.”
“And I appreciate it, really.” Kate looked around for the roommate, but she had disappeared. “Suki,” she called down the hallway, “we’re leaving.”
“Okay,” the answer came from the direction of her bedroom.
Kate and Ryan had decided not to wait for the elevator, instead taking the stairs down the three flights. As they were descending the final flight, they passed a teenage girl and then, a few moments later, the familiar young man in the navy ball cap going up.
“Did you see that guy?” Kate asked after the man had passed, looking up the staircase. “The one with the baseball cap that was running up the stairs.”
“I saw a young guy, maybe mid to late twenties, but I didn’t really get a good look at him. Why?”
“I’ve seen him several times. First, at the Boise airport this morning, then he was on our flight, and then again outside this apartment building earlier today…,” an uncomfortable chill ran up her spine, “…and now.”
“Do you think he’s following you?” Ryan asked, a hint of concern resonating in his voice.
“I don’t know. It kind of gives me the creeps.”
“Maybe you should mention it to Raj,” he suggested as he held the heavy door open for her. “C’mon, the restaurant’s this way.” Ryan took a few steps in that direction.
“Where are we going?” Kate asked, putting on her jacket as she followed his lead. She expected they would be heading to his car.
“There’s a great little seafood restaurant just down a couple of blocks, in one of the old brick buildings. Do you like salmon?”
“I love it.”
“Then that’s where we’re going.”
* * *
There was a rap on Suki’s front door. She looked through the peephole. Her brother, Ethan, stood outside, appearing jittery and anxious, rocking from side to side. She opened the door and he ducked in.
“You should have waited longer to call. I think they saw me,” he said, nervously, as he breezed past her. “They came down the stairs, Suki, not the elevator.” He sounded irritated at her for not knowing the route they would take.
“Don’t worry about it. Kate doesn’t know who you are. Neither does her friend.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean, I don’t think she saw me on the flight from L.A. to Salt Lake, ‘cause I was sitting near the front of the plane and she was in the back, but I had to walk past her seat on the flight from Boise.”
“I’m sure a lot of people walked past her seat, she probably didn’t even notice you.”
“But then, I was waiting outside your apartment building when she arrived this morning in a cab. I didn’t expect to beat her here—somehow I did. I think I was able to walk away before she saw me, though.”
“Ethan, you’re going to have to be more careful, or she’ll start suspecting something. She’s pretty smart,” Suki warned him.
“Well, if I would have been able to kill her in L.A., we wouldn’t have had to drag her all the way up here.”
“That was your own fault. You should have taken care of her there instead of involving me in your plan to lure her here.” He had promised to leave her out of his obsession for revenge. Not only was he involving her, Whitney was now caught in the middle of it, as well.
“I couldn’t get near her in L.A. She always had someone with her—friends, a boyfriend, her assistant. Her condo building has security, and whenever I tried to get her coming out of her condo, it seemed like there were cops constantly driving by.”
“Excuses, excuses.” Suki rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Did you have to take the same plane she was on?”
“My freakin’ seat
was way ahead of hers, and if we had come directly from L.A. to Seattle, like we were supposed to, she never would have seen me.”
She glared at him. “You’re just going to have to be careful and stay out of sight until it’s show time.”
“I will, Sis. I’m not stupid. I have this whole thing planned out.” He shifted from foot to foot again, his arms gesturing wildly as he spoke. “Besides, she’ll be dead before she figures it out.”
“Why don’t you sit down? You’re making me nervous.” Suki suspected he might be doing drugs again. He looked like he would need another hit soon.
“No, I’m good,” he said, wiping his nose on his coat sleeve.
“Ethan,” she grabbed his arm. “Are you on something? You look like you’re tweakin’.”
“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine,” he answered, yanking his arm free and sticking his hands in his jacket pockets. “By the way, where’d you end up stashing that sister?”
“She’s in a hidden storage area in the underground city, where I work…like we talked about. Don’t you remember?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, that’s right, I remember now.”
“No one will think to look for her there. I have her sedated, but I don’t know how long I can keep her down there. I checked on her today after work. I’ll go again sometime tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about it. If she dies, no one will discover her for months, maybe even years,” he said coldly.
“Ethan. It’s not Whitney you’re after. It’s Kate. Whitney shouldn’t have to die.”
“Does it really matter? C’mon, Sis, I mean really.”
“It does to me. I’m not a murderer,” Suki declared.
“Oh, but you don’t mind me killing Kate?” Ethan responded sarcastically.
“That’s different. She deserves it. An eye for an eye, you know.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. Besides, it’ll all be over tomorrow.” Ethan looked into the kitchen. “Hey, you got anything to eat in this place. I’m hungry.”