“Money laundering is one thing,” she says. “Murder is quite another. With murder come detectives and investigations and trouble. If you do exactly as I say, and keep me out of this, then I have no further business with you. You have no proof of my involvement and your life isn’t worth the trouble it would cause if it ended.”
She speaks of murder so casually, and it sends a chill through my spine. I say nothing, and she stands up.
“I’ll give you some time to think it over.”
And with that, she turns around and walks out of the room. The door clangs shut behind her with finality, and I hear the lock scrape closed. My stomach drops and I feel so weak.
She wants me to betray Elliot.
Chapter 54 - Elliot
“Thanks Mabel, I really appreciate you taking Gracie on such short notice.”
“That’s no problem, Elliot. Are you sure everything is alright?”
“Yeah everything is fine, it’s just that I’m going to have to work late for the next few days and I won’t be able to pick Gracie up and be at home as usual. Thanks again.”
I give Gracie a hug and try to stop myself from running to my car. Thankfully Mabel could take Gracie until the weekend, or until I find Emma. All going well I’ll find her tonight and we’ll be back to normal by tomorrow. I’m not sure if that’s wishful thinking but it’s all I can think right now. I need to find her.
I wind through the streets towards the place I haven’t been in years. My first stop is the old backroom poker table. I drive up to the Brass Monkey, a dingy old pub on the far side of the city. It looks exactly the same as it did years ago. Faded old facade and tinted windows. I push the door open and squint, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.
In seven years, this place hasn’t changed a bit. Old Tommy is still behind the bar, wiping glasses with a dishrag and pouring tall drinks for the regulars at the end of the bar. All three of the men at the bar as well as Tommy turn around when I walk in.
“Elliot! Haven’t seen you in years, how have you been?” Tommy’s booming voice calls out. He has a big smile on his face, a career barman. I walk up opposite him and he extends his hand for me to shake it. He pumps my arm up and down a few times before I start talking.
“Hi Tommy, how are you? I’m looking for Melodie, is she here?”
Tommy’s face darkens and he looks away. The dish rag flicks forward and he starts wiping the bar down.
“Sorry, Elliot, haven’t seen her.”
He starts walking away from me and I follow.
“Tommy, it’s important. I need to speak to her and she won’t answer my calls.”
He stops walking and turns to look at me. He stares me in the eye and speaks with emphasis.
“I don’t know where she is, Elliot. Haven’t seen her since she moved shop up to the casino.”
“The casino?”
“The Star, near Penn station. She moved a couple of years ago now. I guess she got a bit too successful for our old pub. Suits me fine, I wasn’t a big fan of the people that would come and go when she was set up here.” He pauses. “Except you, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I say, grinning despite myself. “Alright thanks Tommy, I appreciate it.”
“Come back and have a drink with us sometime, Elliot!”
I nod and turn around to walk out the door. Climbing back into my car, I take a deep breath. The casino! That’s a whole other beast. There’s security and cameras everywhere, she must have a serious operation going. I guess that explains why she needed to use the practice to clean up her money. You’d think a cash business like a casino would be able to deal with its own money laundering.
Still, I have no choice. It’s my only lead. I haven’t been able to reach Melodie at all - the only phone number I have for her is the one in her file. I had never actually called it until today, and I’m not even sure it’s her number.
I make my way to The Star and park a few streets away. I walk up to the big building. As with any casinos, there’s no windows, only a few entrances, and security everywhere. I take a deep breath and walk to the front entrance. The big bouncer is dressed in all black and holds up his hand.
“ID.”
I pull out my wallet and hand him my driver’s licence. He inspects it and then hands it back to me. I walk past him to the bright flashing lights of the casino. I wander up and down the rooms, weaving through slot machines and poker tables and bars looking for an office. She must be here somewhere.
Finally I see something. Two big men in leather jackets head down a hallway. One of them has a massive scar across his face, and the other is about as wide as a truck. I’ve seen the one with the scar before, he used to be Melodie’s muscle. They nod to two more bouncers who let them through without a word, and then disappear through a doorway down the hall.
I ignore the hammering of my heart and walk up to the bouncers at the entrance of the hallway. The mammoth of a man steps in my way before I can walk past.
“Area’s closed.” He points back towards the casino behind me, motioning for me to leave.
“I’m here to see Melodie Sanders,” I tell him. He raises an eyebrow.
“Sure you are. You and the rest of New York City.”
“Is she in there?”
The bouncer looks over to his coworker and they exchange a grin. Is he expecting a bribe?
“Listen buddy, I don’t know who you are and frankly I don’t care. People don’t just walk up and ask to see Ms. Sanders. She asks to see people. And if we don’t know you’re coming, you don’t get to go in.”
I bristle at his arrogance and take another step towards him.
“Just tell her Elliot Davis is here, she’ll -” before I can say another word, I feel huge hands grab my arms and lift me up. My feet are dangling off the ground and I’m carried for a few feet before the man launches me forward. I stumble and then regain my footing, seeing him marching towards me.
“Time for you to leave,” the man growls. I look at him, twice as wide as I am with no light in his eyes. He’s getting closer and closer and I back away. He grabs my arm and escorts me back to the front doors, pushing me roughly out.
He doesn’t even look at me before turning around and walking back to his post. I rub my arm, half embarrassed and half enraged at being tossed out like it was nothing.
“Come ON!” I yell at the bouncers outside. They turn towards me menacingly and I bristle and then turn away.
I walk down the street and sit on the curb, putting my head in my hands. I don’t know what I was expecting. Did I think I could just walk up and demand to see her and tell her to let Emma go? And that she would just… listen to me?!
She’s expanded her operations massively since I was involved in them. And all these years she’d come and see me for various procedures and I didn’t even question what the fuck she was doing.
I walk back to my car slowly, feeling the despair and hopelessness set in. I dial Emma’s number again and let it ring until the voicemail starts. Then I dial Melodie’s number and let that ring.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I can do. I head back to my house, searching every corner of my brain for an idea, any idea. I need to help Emma.
Chapter 55 - Emma
My throat is parched and my stomach feels emptier than I’ve ever felt it. The hunger and thirst is gnawing at my stomach to the point where it’s hard to think of anything else. No one has come to see me since Melodie left, and I wonder how long she’s going to let me rot here.
Long enough for me to agree to her plan, I guess. At least they untied me. For a while I paced up and down the small room, but now the dizziness is stopping me. I sit on the ground against the back wall and try to close my eyes.
I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep. My mind is simultaneously empty and frantic. The hunger in my stomach and thirst in my dry throat are unbearable, but at least it stops me from thinking about Elliot and what she’s asking me to do to him.
I have n
o more tears to cry. No more emotion, no more despair. I have nothing. I’m empty.
After what seems like days, or weeks, or an eternity, I hear footsteps. I open my eyes and squint at the door, feeling more curious than afraid. The lock opens slowly and the door swings open. I shield my eyes from the light streaming in, having been in darkness for so long.
“Well, how is our honoured guest doing now?” Melodie’s voice drifts over to me.
“Water,” I croak. It’s the only thing on my mind. I look towards her, silhouetted in the doorway and hate having to beg her. “Water, please.”
She waves and someone else appears with a bottle of water. It’s a thin, wiry man with mousey brown hair. He brings it over to me and I fumble as I unscrew the lid. My hands are so weak I can hardly hold the bottle myself. The man stares at me and finally reaches down and takes the bottle from my hands.
“Here,” he says, handing me the open bottle. I drink greedily, letting the liquid fill my mouth and spill over my chin. It’s lukewarm and stale but it’s the sweetest water I’ve ever tasted.
“She’s a thirsty one,” the man says. Somewhere in my mind his voice rings a bell. It sounds familiar but I can’t place it. I ignore the thought and keep drinking until I feel like I can talk. I take a deep breath and struggle to my feet.
“Now,” Melodie says. “Have you done some thinking?”
I look at her, and her perfectly manicured nails, her impeccable hair and makeup and designer clothes. She’s almost glowing in the light of the small, dingy room. I’ve never felt so dirty and powerless and weak as I do right now.
I keep staring at her, trying to find her voice when I notice her nose - it has a slight hook in it. I frown, distracted. I could have sworn I saw rhinoplasty in her file, and I know Elliot is the best in the country. He wouldn’t have done that to her. She must not have had it done.
“Well?” she asks, clearly getting impatient.
I clear my throat.
“I’ll do it,” I say. “Just let me out.”
A smile spreads across her face and she nods. Before I know it, I’m being led out the door into the brightest light I’ve ever seen. I have to close my eyes just to stop the stabbing pain in my head. They practically carry me down a twisting hallway and out to a van. I have no idea where I am, and frankly I don’t care.
Chapter 56 - Emma
I close the door to my apartment and lock it. I’m in shock. I look around the room, it’s exactly how I left it Monday morning. I don’t even know what day it is now. I feel like it should be different, changed. It should show the trauma that I’ve just been through.
My wrists are still raw, and I rub them unconsciously. It’s the only indicator I have that my kidnapping actually happened. They gave me back my purse with all my things in it. My phone is out of batteries but I don’t have the energy to plug it in right now.
I flop down on my sofa and close my eyes. My entire body aches with exhaustion but sleep doesn’t come.
I have no idea what I’m going to do. The thought of turning Elliot in makes me sick. I can’t do that to him, and let Melodie and Victor and Dr. Yates go free. It’s wrong. And Gracie… I could never live with myself if I was the cause for her losing her father as well as her mother.
Melodie’s words drift into my consciousness. She didn’t even bother veiling her threats to me. “If you don’t do this, we’ll go after you and everyone you love, including that blonde Valerie and her husband, Elliot and his kid. He’s fucked either way, so you might as well save yourself.” The man she was with laughed and repeated her words.
I sigh. I can’t even cry right now, I’m too exhausted. Drained. I’m supposed to go into work tomorrow and gather all the evidence I’ve gotten. If it’s not turned in to the authorities by tomorrow evening she’ll go after Valerie.
What am I going to do?
I can’t let myself break down. Not now. I take a deep breath and open my eyes. Melodie’s voice rings in my ears, and the man’s high pitched voice echoes it. I replay his words over and over in my head. I’ve heard his voice before. I don’t know if it’s my mind playing tricks on me or if I’ve really heard it before.
Then it hits me.
I have heard his voice before. He’s the accountant. He’s the one who gave me a list of names that didn’t have Melodie’s name on it. He’s the one that Dr. Yates told me to call. They’ve been setting this up together.
My exhaustion falls away and I sit up on the sofa. My back is as straight as a rod and my eyes are wide open. They’re all in on this together. They did this to me. They did this to Elliot. They’re going to ruin his and Gracie’s life, and probably mine too.
Suddenly I know what I need to do. There’s no question. I need to find a way to implicate Melodie and get her and Dr. Yates to take the fall instead of Elliot. If they figure out that’s what I want to do then I might as well be signing my own death wish.
All the paperwork is in Elliot’s name though. Why did he let them do that to him? Did he know?! Melodie said he’s not as innocent as I thought he was, was she talking about the gambling?
There’s too many thoughts going on in my head. The adrenaline starts pumping into my blood and I know I won’t be able to sleep so I stand up and start pacing. I need a plan. I have less than 24 hours.
I need to do what I do best, and that’s think like an accountant. I go to my personal computer and turn it on. I need as much information on Melodie Sanders as possible, and I need it fast.
I plug in my phone and wait for it to turn on. Dozens of messages and missed calls come through. Elliot. He’s mad at me and I don’t blame him. I tap on his name and am about to press Call when I stop myself.
I have no idea what these people are capable of. They’re obviously watching me and my friends. They could be listening to my phone calls, or following me. If I try to contact him, try to warn him, I could be putting both of us in danger.
No, this has to be me alone. I’ll work through the night and once I know if I’ve succeeded or not I can tell him everything, and I mean everything. I’ll come clean about it all. I need to be open and honest with him. I want to be! But my priority right now has to be keeping him and Gracie safe. I look at my phone and feel a pain in my chest when I see his messages. All I want to do is comfort him, call him, rush to his house and be in his arms, but I can’t. Not tonight.
I stretch my neck from side to side and look at my computer. I’m going to need to be clever about this, but most of all I’m going to have to be quick.
Chapter 57 - Elliot
I haven’t slept in three days. I’ve hardly eaten. My work is suffering, I’ve had to reschedule some procedures and feign sickness. I can’t get her out of my head. I’m sick with worry, wondering if they’ve hurt her, or threatened her, or worse.
Usually people are happy it’s Friday but every morning just fills me with dread. I walk into the office wondering who will be sitting at the front desk. A small tendril of hope is still alive inside me but I try to ignore it. It’ll most likely be crushed the minute I walk in the door.
I’ve called Melodie countless times but she won’t answer. That’s two women now that I’ve been calling constantly. I can’t take it anymore, being left in the dark like this. I’m going crazy.
Finally I’m nearing the office and I take a deep breath, steeling myself against the inevitable disappointment of anyone who isn’t Emma sitting at that reception desk. I close my eyes and push the door open, only opening them as I step through.
I gasp.
It’s her. She’s here! She’s alive!
I run forward towards her. She has her back to me, facing the wall behind her. The shelves have some boxes of files in them again, and Emma seems intent on one of them. She turns when she hears my hurried footsteps and her face breaks into a smile.
I scoop her into my arms and hold her tight. Tears are streaming down my face and ragged breaths are raking through my lungs.
“I thought you were dea
d,” I whisper to her.
“So did I,” she responded. She pulls away and I see the tears in her eyes too. Her forehead is lined with worry and she takes a step back. It looks like she hasn’t slept either. “We can’t talk, not here.” Her eyes dart down the hallway and around to the front door.
“What’s wrong, Emma? I’ll help. I know what Stuart is up to. I know he’s setting me up. You know I have nothing to do with this right?” I look down and her hands and bring them up to my lips. I want to kiss every part of her. Then I see her wrists. “Emma what the fuck happened?! Who did this?”
She looks me dead in the eye.
“We can’t talk here,” she hisses. “I don’t have much time. Go to your office and pretend nothing is wrong.”
The vehemence of her words hits me and I nod. It kills me, but I take a step away from her and walk down the hallway. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to turn around, to grab her and hold her and take her with me.
Emma and Gracie and I could run. We could go anywhere! I have money saved, we could make a break for it and leave this mess behind. I glance down the hallway and see Emma watching me. She dips her chin down once and then turns back to her files.
The frustration is too much for me. Will no one tell me what the fuck is going on?!? My life is hanging in the balance here, Gracie’s life is hanging in the balance! Emma is still looking through those files and I know she knows my name is all over them. I can’t take this anymore. I have to know what’s happened to her.
The marks on her wrists were deep red bruises and scabs. Rope burn. My heart turns to ice as the realisation hits me. I get to my office and close the door, turning around on my heels as I look for something that I can hit, something I can throw, something that I can unleash this flood of rage that suddenly boils up inside me.
I’m completely powerless.
Chapter 58 - Emma
Telling Elliot to walk away was infinitely harder than I thought it would be. He walked down the hallway and all I wanted to do was run after him and jump in his arms. Having him so close to me is torture, especially knowing that it could all fall apart in a matter of hours.
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