by Dick Waters
The sun was trying its best to poke through the clouds. Mercedes tried to put her feelings aside about Scott spending another day with Margaret. Her mind was drifting in and out of the time she had Scott immobile. She wondered how this woman fed her captives; let alone taking care of bathroom necessities. What about baths and shaving? Maybe she had help?
Mercedes spoke up, “Do you think she has help at her house? How does she take care of four people; feeding, bathing and sanitary needs?” She thought more about that and added, “It would seem like she would have considerable work to do to maintain four slaves.”
Ralph immediately replied, “If she had help, we didn’t see any sign of another vehicle at her house the night we were there.”
“Yes, but we were there at night. Maybe she has someone there during the daytime. That could be a problem, even if we get her to the dive shop tomorrow. Maybe we need to observe her house today?” Mercedes offered.
“That’s not going to work because she’s there. She wouldn’t need anyone, if she was going to be there. Today is Saturday, so maybe she has someone there at different times of the day during the week.” Mike thought about that. “Would it make sense to go to Denny Longo’s and get his support for tomorrow? We could have him follow her boat and intervene if he saw any trouble.”
Ralph’s head snapped to look at Mike. “Are you actually planning to go out on a dive with that crazy person?”
Mike answered, “Actually, I’m not sure if I want my life in her hands. I think we need to give this some more thought.”
Mercedes moved suddenly, and they all looked at her. “Maybe that’s the right way to proceed. We should talk to Denny about following us out tomorrow. We should show up as planned at the dive shop and let her head out to the diving area, and then we collectively immobilize her. There’s three of us and only one of her. She couldn’t possibly get the upper hand on three of us.”
Sam interjected, “Are you sure?”
Chapter 77
It seemed like I had been in this cell for days, but as near as I could tell it was just a day. My bladder was full and my stomach was craving some food. I needed to talk with Nils to understand what happened in these circumstances.
“Nils?”
He was slow to respond. “What?”
“I don’t exactly know how to ask this.”
“You have to go, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Nils didn’t immediately respond. He must have been listening for Margaret. “You have to hold it until she shows up. You don’t want to see her when she has to do some cleaning. Shush.”
Two breaths later, there was a loud clang on my cell door. “Talking again are we? You know there’s a harsh punishment for that.”
I didn’t reply.
“I said there’s a harsh punishment for that…didn’t you hear me? I asked you if you were talking?”
I answered quickly this time since she had my cell door unlocked. “Yes, I know, but I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Maybe I need to go back to the diapers. Would you like that?”
“No, not really.” She was standing by my bed. I could smell the fragrance of Gardenia. I thought of Mercedes. Margaret was dolled up, looking like she could be going someplace. I could even see bra straps under her sundress.
She stopped asking questions and stopped looking into my eyes. She started to amuse herself, which was dangerous in my condition. “Well, I guess you do have to go. Here’s how this works. You can pee into the urinal here,” which she held up for me to see, “or you can go to the pot at the end of the hall. Which is it?”
I thought about what I needed to do right away, and what I eventually had to do. Seconds later she swung the urinal, unfortunately it made a direct connection.
“I asked you a question, and I expect an answer.”
“I better use the pot.”
She looked pissed off. She also looked like she was weighing options. She threw the urinal against the far wall. She left the cell, coming back dragging new chains. She started putting the new chains on my ankles, and then on my wrists. She unlocked my other chains and stepped back. “Go.”
I sat up on the side of the bed, sliding off to the sandy floor. It was cool on my bare feet. I wondered if I could walk without falling over.
She was looking down at my body, smiling. “Just follow that, and the chains will guide you to your pot…and be careful…it’s a real pot. Don’t look into the other cells.”
She watched my movement as I left the cell. I passed Holly and Jules’ cells on the way. Out of the corner of my eye, I realized they were similarly attached to the walls. It was awkward to say the least, to use what looked like a portable pot, like the ones used on a boat. I took care of what I came to do and headed back to my cell. I gave a slight finger wave to Jules as I passed and he nodded. I tried to respect Holly’s privacy, but could see her watching as I passed.
Margaret hooked up the old chains, removing the new ones. She dragged them out of my cell, letting them fall on the floor. She came back in. “Now, my lovely man…that was much too long. You owe me a favor now because you took so long. I have to take care of the present you left me. I’ll give you three choices.” She bent over, whispering in my ear. “Now, which one?”
I weighed the ugly options.
“My, my Scott…for a Harvard educated person you certainly don’t learn your lessons well. Therefore the choice is mine. I will select choice number four. She brought over the scissors. For the next several minutes she paid attention to what she was doing. I was very careful not to make any sudden or wrong moves.
When she fulfilled her objectives, she stood up and gave me a very different French kiss. She smiled and licked her lips. “I’ve got to leave, so think of me while I’m gone…I’m certain you will for one reason or another.”
*.*.*
The only thing that was comforting was that I was not alone in my circumstance. However, the notion that she could easily take my life at any instant was not at all reassuring. Knowing she was Melanie, and had killed men in Boston, and now men here, left me wondering how many days, or hours, I had left. The most important thing I could do—is to do whatever I need to—to stay alive.
I recited the Lord’s Prayer over and over again. I prayed for my soul if I didn’t leave this place alive. I thought of Mercedes, what finding her again meant to me, and what I was going to do if I survived. I thought about Ralph, wondering if it was too late to tell Mercedes I loved her. I thought of my parents and how crushed they would be if I turned up dead. I was their only child. I thought of my cousin Jackie, being killed by the strangler and not having a full life. I prayed for the others here, and also for Mercedes and Mike’s safety. The emotion of everything got to me, and I started to cry. I wasn’t ashamed, but it was awful to feel so trapped, and possibly no future to fulfill some dreams.
If this is how my life’s going to end…am I just going to accept it, or am I going to go out fighting for everything I prayed about. I could hear my heavy breathing and my heart pounding in my ears. I remembered playing hockey and the only fight I ever had—the other guy didn’t know what hit him. I had taken too much of his shit, reaching the end of my rope, or in this case my chain. I was going to do everything to live and anything necessary to get rid of her. My mind immediately started racing on all the ways I could use what I had at hand to do that.
Chapter 78
Margaret was excited about her stable. She had everything she ever dreamed about, and with Holly, something more. She was concerned her ‘other’ hadn’t made an appearance recently, but maybe the excitement of all of this was keeping her where she needed to be.
She knew Mike Miller was planning something, but she didn’t know exactly what. She had to keep one step ahead of him, and her sister. Her mind was working on how to intercept Mike and the others. She was successful today, but what was she going to do about the dive tomorrow?
Twenty minutes later she pulled into the par
king lot of the Pier Restaurant. She was meeting her friend there, but she recalled picking up Roger Elliot at this very bar. She missed his tanned body. The others are nice, but there was something about Roger’s muscular, tanned body that drove her crazy. She couldn’t let herself get too excited as she had to make important plans for tomorrow.
As she entered, she could feel heads turn in her direction. She also heard the noise level diminish. All that with my clothes on. She strode over to where he was seated in the end booth, giving him a kiss on the lips, letting her tongue touch his. His eyes got wide and she knew he was already putty.
She seated herself. The waitress immediately came over for her order. While she ordered she made sure she leaned the right way to give him the best view of two of her assets. She wondered why she wore a bra. Her head turned quickly, spotting where his eyes were fixed. “Do you like what you see?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. When are you going to give me the weekend you promised?”
“If things work out, possibly next weekend.” Her bare foot went up his leg. “You seem like you’re ready for me, are you?”
He laughed. “I’ve been ready since you promised me the weekend.”
The waitress brought her drink order. “I’ll drink to that. You have no idea what’s in store for you, rest up.” She winked, holding her glass for them to touch glasses. “Here’s to whether you’re a ‘Duracell’ and not just an ‘Eveready.’”
“What’s up that you have taken the chance of meeting with me?” he asked.
*.*.*
She liked to get men excited, and she could tell she was doing a good job on him. “We’ve got to get serious here,” she finally said, already working on her second rum drink. “The man you spoke to today is Mike Miller. He and two other people are here to check what’s happened to the missing men. I committed to taking them on a dive tomorrow. Originally, as you know, they were supposed to go out on the dive today, which is where you came in. Now, it looks like I need to take them tomorrow. They’ve consented to a large fee, but that’s not the issue.”
“Here’s the problem. I’m only going to share as much as I think you need to know. Anyway, I’m concerned that they may be after the man you dropped at my house the other night. If I’m on the boat doing the dive, I can’t be at my house protecting my property. That’s where you come in. I want you to baby sit my house while I’m on the dive. That’s in case they have something planned while I’m away. There’s money in this for you, but there are also rules that you need to follow.”
“As you know, I can follow rules,” he acknowledged.
“I know you can, which is why we’re having this discussion. Once inside my house, you are not to go down to the lower level. No matter what you hear, you can’t take your eyes off anyone coming onto my property. Do you understand?”
“I understand. What if someone does come to your house?”
“If they come inside the house…do whatever you need so they don’t leave. You took care of Scott for me, I’m not even sure someone will come, but I need you to be prepared for it.”
“How much if nothing happens, and how much if I need to handle any problems?”
“How does two hundred sound just to sit and watch? How does an extra two sound for each guest you detain?”
“Sounds like I’m going to be rich like you. What if one of them is female?”
“Actually, there’s a possibility that could be the case. If a female shows up, you are not to kill her, but help yourself otherwise.”
He studied her to see if she was pulling his leg. “Seriously, you won’t mind? You said I can’t go downstairs, so what do I do?”
“I can tell you like this little game…maybe a little too much. Save some for me. To answer your question, you know where my bedroom is…help yourself, but don’t let her get away.”
“Rusty, I’ve seen when you get mad. I want to be sure I understand you correctly. If I delay multiple people, and one of them is female, I can do whatever I want with her, and do it in your bedroom, and I’m not to let her get away. Do I understand that to include tying her up?”
She moved her bare foot back to his crotch. “Yeah, exciting isn’t it? Yes, and leave her right there that way for both of us.” She moved her foot and he closed his eyes. “I am going to have a ball with you on that weekend.” She picked up her glass, taking her time to drink it. She could feel her own excitement building, wondering if she needed to take him to her truck, or would it be much better to join her guests?
The waitress came over to their table, asking if they wanted another round. “I’ll take one, but I think he’s almost had enough.”
The waitress barely looked old enough to serve drinks, and was very pretty. “Is he okay, or is he sleeping?”
Margaret was sorry the table cloth was hiding what was going on. “Well, he’s almost okay and he’s not sleeping yet,” she said with a smile.
The waitress looked confused, but left to get her drink. She was back minutes later, looking at him once more. Margaret moved her foot in an agitated manner to attract her attention.
“Oh shit, oh shit,” he cried out.
The waitress’ eyes got huge as she realized what she had just witnessed. She looked at Margaret, who just winked at her, taking a large sip of her new drink. The waitress looked shocked, putting her hand to her mouth, turning on her heels and rushed away. She moved her foot back into her sandal. Margaret leaned across the table, just in time to see his eyes finally opening. “Well honey, I presume the bill is yours now.”
She finished her drink, stood up, straightened her sundress and headed toward the exit. The waitress was talking with the bartender. Margaret gave them a wave and a smile as she headed out the door. One more thing I can check off my list.
She hoped she wouldn’t be stopped for speeding on the way home…but now that I think about that, it might be fun too. She unhooked her bra, slipped her arms out of it, and pulled it out her sleeve, putting it on the passenger seat. You never can be too prepared, and then unbuttoned two of her top buttons. That should work very nicely.
She rolled the truck window down, starting the truck. Once on the road, she was already thinking about who would be first and why?
Chapter 79
The balance of the day was spent talking about the details for tomorrow. They arranged for Denny to watch for her boat leaving and to follow it. There should be enough traffic on a Sunday not to create any suspicions on Margaret’s part.
They shared with him the potential that Margaret Orion is behind the kidnapping and recent murders. Denny had seen her around, but had never actually met her. They were actually competing for the same business, and she had ‘a leg up on him,’ as he put it.
They discussed how soon Denny could intercept her boat if something unexpected happened. He was quite proud of his boat, with the twin diesels. He said he could close the gap within ten minutes. He would try to keep a distance of four to five miles, which he felt was a safe distance where he would not attract undo attention, being able to reach her boat should he need to.
Mike kept Paddy informed of how their investigation was going. When Paddy was told what they were planning to do tomorrow, he told him he didn’t want them to do that. It was too risky and although she was just one person, she had the upper hand under the circumstances. Mike had a significant amount of convincing to do. When Paddy understood the risk involved with raiding her house, he consented.
*.*.*
All four of them were back at Ralph’s hotel room going over the plans for tomorrow. Mercedes finally indicated her concern. “If all three of us leave on Margaret’s boat for the intended dive, the only way we can rescue Scott and the others is if we can overpower her. I think too much could go wrong. I think we need to split up. Some of us go out on the boat, the others get the hostages.”
Mike immediately replied, “You know Mercedes; I was thinking the same thing. If we became captured ourselves, we could lose all hope of rescu
ing them. However, right now she expects all three of us.”
“She expects two men and a woman. More specifically she expects you Mike, but does she know who the other two are going to be?” Mercedes offered.
“I see where you’re going, but it’s risky if she knows who we all are. Can one of us back out, even at the last moment?” Ralph asked. “Whoever doesn’t go on the boat can go with Sam to rescue the hostages.”
“How the hell are we going to pull that off, and prevent her from being suspicious?” Mike questioned.
They sat in silence, trying to figure a way to be in two places at the same time. “What if we wait for her to leave, then we all converge on her house? That would give us the time it takes for her to make a round trip. Plus how long she would wait for us before suspecting something and head back home,” Mike suggested.
“That’s fine if she’s working alone, but what if she has an accomplice?” Mercedes said.
“That could put the hostages in danger and possibly us,” Ralph commented.
“What about having the police involved in the raid on the house?” Mercedes offered.
“That might take care of us, but it might still jeopardize the hostages,” Ralph retorted.
“The other thing we need to consider is what amount of effort it will take to get the hostages freed. What if they are in locked cells, or chained up or both? Mike said, with a frown. “We also have to think about booby traps.”
Sam listened to the exchange, finally offering, “You can’t all go out on the boat, because you need to rescue your friends. So, one or more of you have to stay behind. I can help whoever that is, but I don think I can do it alone.”