by John Mathews
“Are you sure that nobody saw you come out here? I found some crazy old guy living off the land out in the woods. I don’t think that he ever leaves.”
“Where did you see this guy and what did he look like? I didn’t see no one ‘round these woods.”
“Out past the row of pine trees along the right side of the cabin. There’s an empty metal cage near a large tree trunk. Keep walking past that and you’ll find him. He’s weird looking, wearing a long dirty coat, and walks with a limp.”
“From the sound of it, he probably won’t matter that much anyways, but I’ll have a look into it. Beyond that, I’m better off staying hidden.”
Tammy leaned back with a puzzled look and let out a puff of smoke. “So what the hell are we gonna do now?”
“I think Stephen is gonna keep trying until he gets to you. He musta known ‘bout the plan a long time ago. That’s ‘bout the only way he coulda been able to get out of that car alive. But I think he wants to make your death seem like an accident. Otherwise he woulda just come in and tried to kill you. So he must be staying somewhere near here that he had scoped out so he’s able to come back ‘round when he needs to.”
“What if he called the police and told them about my plot to kill him? Could he be trying to torture and kill me OR turn me in?”
“I highly doubt it. If he already knew ‘bout your plan, then he woulda been able to frame you legally long ago. I think rather than plan out how to have the law find you guilty, he wants you to suffer. He doesn’t want the police to come out here until he’s had a chance to deal with you himself.”
Tammy hesitantly nodded. “Ya, but I don’t think he could possibly be doing all of this shit alone. Could someone else be helping him? I saw where someone set up a bridge to climb on top of the roof, and there was an empty reptile cage back in the woods. Where would Stephen have gotten all of these things? He isn’t exactly the mechanical type.”
Darnell raised his eyebrows, looking startled. “Well I don’t know that neither. But I can’t imagine that anyone else is out here. I’ve been up and down that road and walked all around here, and didn’t see or hear nothin’. I just think he had a lot of things planned out long in advance. A man as important as that is not gonna just wing it for this shit if you know what I mean. And he’s got you trapped like a bug in a spider’s net. You can’t go nowhere now, and you can’t tell shit to the police.”
“Obviously. That bastard done thinks he can get me before I get him. Should I call the police back and tell them that everything is fine?”
“Nah, that will just seem fishy to them. You told me about a trap in the wine cellar. Some kind of pit filled with spikes? I went online and did some investigating of the history of this cabin – and you won’t believe what I discovered.” Darnell took out a cigar and lit it with Tammy’s lighter.
“So what exactly did you find out?” Tammy said eagerly.
Darnell took a few puffs and leaned over more to look at Tammy directly. “This used to be an old huntin’ cabin. It was built more than a hundred and fifty years ago and was just three rooms with a wood stove and outhouse. Since then, they remodeled it, and added on the bathrooms, kitchen, den, and whatnot. But back in the day, people used to live in these mountains for long periods of time. They would get isolated out here in the wintertime. They had to live off of the land by huntin’ wild game. The original owner of the cabin used it to store up meat in bulk when the huntin’ was good. Then he would salt and cure the meat to keep it fresh. People came from all ‘round to buy his fresh meats before the winter set in. He was running quite the business.”
“Ok, so he hunted all through these woods around here. I already knew that. What does that have to do with what is happening now?”
“Well, one year, a group of outlaws came through and robbed him of all of his meats. He was storing them all outside and in the night they took each and every one of them. He lost more than six months worth of food for personal use and business. He quickly became rather desperate and hungry. So what he done was he hired a Negro worker to come and live in the cabin with him. The two of them dug out a big basement full of tunnels and rooms underneath the cabin. He set it up to store all of his meats inside, safe from thieves. But he also wanted to punish anyone who tried to steal from him again. So he put in a lot of booby traps and torture devices to catch anyone else that went down there.” Darnell paused and puffed on his cigar. “But not just simple shit. He set up brutal torture methods that date back to the Middle Ages. He had a real vengeful mind and wanted people to suffer since he felt that he’d been wronged. He wanted that basement to be his own little secret. I think that the trap you discovered in the wine cellar must have come from that basement.”
Tammy squirmed on the sofa, nervously grabbing for a Capris. She replied uneasily. “So what happened after that? And where is this basement?”
“Well, from what I understand, less than a year after he dug out those tunnels, a couple of teenagers snuck down inside there, and each one met a terrible death. They were caught in his traps and tortured and mutilated beyond recognition. Then the owner started to get off on the thrill of torturing and killing. You know, Tammy, he was one of those guys that got an idea in his head and then decided to really go with it. So he went from just protecting his property to being a cold-blooded killer.”
Darnell sat back and paused for a moment to let Tammy take in all that he was telling her. “So this dude started to lure more common folk to come up to his cabin and buy his fresh meats. More and more people were disappearing. All of their corpses were left decomposing down in that basement and not discovered until many years later. Once the owner was finally caught that property went up for auction. The basement was sealed off permanently and the cabin was left empty for decades.”
“That’s some crazy damn story. But if the basement was sealed off, then what happened…”
“Wait, I’m not finished yet – there’s more. When the owner got caught, he tried to bribe the authorities to let him go. He said that he’d traveled by wagon south along the mountain ranges into the Apishipa Valley to a place known today as Las Animas, Colorado. He went there to find a buried treasure of pure gold. This is now known as the Arapaho Princess Treasure. It was a huge load of 50-pound gold bars that were being transported by Spaniards across the mountains in the early 1800’s. They got attacked by a Native American tribe, and had to hide all of their gold. Knowing they couldn’t escape with all the weight of this gold, they buried it in this area, Las Animas. They said that they buried it some 300 feet from a large rock that looked like a doll, called Muneca. The Spaniards were all killed by the tribe and the gold was never recovered.”
Tammy smirked and let out a big, smoke-filled breath. “So let me guess – the guy said he found the location of the gold and wanted the cops to go with him to get it so that he could make his escape?”
Darnell shook his finger. “No, no. He told the authorities that he found the buried treasure, and with the help of his Negro worker, hauled a bunch of it back to his cabin. He said that he hid it down in the basement in a place that nobody else could find it. So he said that if they come down there with him to retrieve it, he will make them rich. But nobody would believe him and they just took him into custody. He got hanged at high noon in front of a small crowd of locals. I think they were scared of what could be waiting for them in those tunnels. So to this day the treasure was never found and nobody knows if he was telling the truth or not. The ownership has changed hands a couple of times since then until the current owner bought the land to fix up and rent the cabin out to tourists. So if Stephen set up a trap for you, then he must have found it down in the basement. I don’t know where the entrance is since it was supposed to have been sealed off a long time ago.”
“And so do you think that he is hiding down there? How the hell am I gonna find out where it is? I done found this map here in the den. It shows these dotted lines for rooms that are not in the cabin. That must be the
basement, don’t you think?”
Darnell looked over the hand-drawn map. “You’re prolly right. You’ll need to find a way down there, Tammy. I expect you can find some interesting things in that basement and Stephen hiding down there as well. It would be a good idea to get to him before he gets to you.”
Tammy put out her cigarette and flicked it to the floor. “And then what the hell am I gonna do once I find him? What if he is ready and waiting for me? Stephen owns a M1911 semi-automatic pistol and would not be afraid to use it.”
Darnell leaned forward and extinguished his cigar. “That’s been taken care of. I found his handgun in the glove compartment of his car when I was taking care of the brakes while you guys were eating dinner. I didn’t want to leave it there, so as a precautionary measure, I took it. I am keeping it safe inside my truck.”
Tammy let out a big sigh of relief. “Can you give it to me? I may need it for protection even if I don’t plan on using it.”
“That’s not a good idea. The last thing that you need to do is try and kill him with his own gun. That would be pretty damn hard to pass off as an accident. From what you’ve told me this dude ain’t exactly too scary. Find a cruder weapon that you could only be using if desperate, for self defense.”
“I will see what I come up with. But what if he is already waiting for me and catches me by surprise? I’m in good shape and strong for a girl, but I’m still gonna have to get him from behind. Hit him with something heavy, then finish him off with this hunting knife.”
“Here’s what I think. Stephen would in no way harm his precious daughter. As long as you can keep her on your side and near you, it’s gonna be hard for him to get to you. You gotta remember that she is his pride and joy.”
“But Maria has lost trust in me. She knows that something funny is going on and I can’t count on her. I’m afraid that she’s becoming a pawn in his revenge plot.”
“So then what you need to do is use her to get to Stephen. She is still the one person that he doesn’t want to see get hurt. You might have to get rather aggressive with Maria to lure out Stephen, if you catch my drift. You need to be calling the shots. And Maria better not be ‘round when the police come since she will only incriminate you. I would think long and hard about what to do with her. Honestly…they both need to be dealt with.”
“Darnell, I need your help. You’re in on this too. Tom won’t pay you anything unless Stephen is dead. Can’t you help find him and…”
Darnell waved his finger, cautioning Tammy. “I wish I could help you more, but at this point, no – I’m only a liability. Nobody knows I’m here and I gotta keep it that way. You stand to gain a lot more from his death than I do, that’s for sure. I did what I was paid to do. I can still walk away from all of this and be totally in the clear.”
Tammy nodded. “I’ll do what I need to do.”
“I’m gonna be ‘round here in the area for a short while, but I’ve gotta stay hidden. I brought a few water bottles with me that I set right outside the front door. You can drink that for the time being. And remember – you and I have never met.”
Tammy showed Darnell out the front door and brought in the water bottles. So I just need to get little Maria to go along with whatever I tell her to do. No problem, I can get anyone to do what I need them to, I’ve done that my whole life. I think it’s time to outsmart that little brat yet again.
She went to Maria’s room and opened the door, but found the bed empty. That’s strange. Where in the hell is she? She checked the kitchen, and then opened the door to the master bedroom. As she walked around the bed, she heard some faint sounds coming from the closet. She went into the walk-in closet, saw the door opened to the wine cellar, and heard Maria screaming and crying from inside. “Maria? Are you down there?”
Maria tried to stop sobbing to speak, clearing her throat which was horse from screaming. “Yes Tammy, I’m all alone down here! I was attacked by killer bees! Please help me.” She coughed and wiped more tears away from her cheek. “I got trapped down here. The bees were coming at me. Then the lamp broke and I couldn’t find my way out.”
Tammy turned on the bedroom light and kept the closet door wide open. “Killer bees? In the winter time? Are they still down there? Did they sting you?”
Maria rubbed her eyes and squinted as even the little bit of light hurt them from having been in the dark for so long. “I got stung once on the back and it really hurts. They were attacking me so I hid myself behind the barrels. After it was dark, I stopped hearing them making noise. I don’t know where they are, but I’m scared!”
“So how the hell did you break the lantern?”
“I dropped it when the bees attacked me. It wasn’t my fault!”
“That lantern was the only source of light that we’ve got when we’re in the cellar, Maria. Anyways, look here, in the stairwell. Can you see the light? Come towards it.”
“I think I can see it but I can’t find the way to go.”
Tammy started down the stairwell until she was at the bottom. “Where are you Maria? I’m over here, can you see me? Come towards my voice.”
“But what if the bees are still…”
“Just come here, there are no bees! Come to the light in the stairwell.”
Maria got up and ran towards Tammy. A couple of moments later, they were up the stairs and back into the master bedroom.
ELEVEN
Maria wiped tears from her eyes, trying to hide the fear that she felt from what had happened. “My back hurts. I think it might be swollen.”
“Let me have a look at where you got stung.”
Maria showed Tammy her back. A small black dot where she had been stung was surrounded by a baseball-sized area of the skin that was red, puffy, and swollen.
“It doesn’t look all that bad, honestly. I think you’ll be just fine.” Tammy opened one of the water bottles and set it on the kitchen table. “Here, I found this in the back of one of the cupboards. You can drink this if you get thirsty. What on Earth were you doing down in the wine cellar anyways?”
“I got woke up early in the morning from ice hitting my window. It was the worst storm I ever heard and was so loud and I couldn’t sleep. There was even lightning right outside my window. And then I saw somebody outside, in the woods, carrying something!”
Tammy arched her eyebrows. “What do you mean you saw somebody out in the woods? What did this person look like, Maria?”
“I dunno. All I could see was his back. He was dark and black, and walking slow and kinda weird, hunched over. And he was carrying something over his shoulder.”
Tammy grabbed Maria by the shoulders. “Are you sure that this wasn’t a dream? After all, you had just woken up, and sometimes…”
“I know what I saw!” Maria cut her short.
“Okay, so you’re telling me that someone was walking through the snow outside in the middle of the morning, and you think that is WASN’T your father? What do you mean he was hunched over?”
“He was shorter than dad. He walked funny, like he was dragging his feet through the snow. It was like something out of a movie. Why don’t you go see who is out there, Tammy?”
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll look into it. But that still doesn’t tell me why you were down in the wine cellar.”
“The storm was really loud and scary so I went out looking for you and saw the cellar door open and thought you were...”
“The cellar door was open?” Tammy interrupted. “But I had left it closed. Are you sure that you didn’t open it? What else did you see down there? And where did these bees come from?”
“It was open when I went into the closet. I saw a bunch of barrels, a cigar someone was smoking, and some gas containers. The bees just appeared suddenly in the room. They were living in their nests and just came out and attacked me! One of the barrels had a sheet on it and your lipstick tube.” Maria hung her head down towards the floor, trying not to make eye contact with Tammy. “And I saw what you wrote under the sheet
.”
“What sheet and lipstick? And what are you talking about – I never brought any personal things down there! Did you also see the deadly trap that was set up there, underneath the pile of hay?”
“I didn’t see any trap. I moved the pile of hay and there was nothing else under it. Maybe you just tripped and fell.” Maria looked at Tammy from the corner of her eye. “Look, I saw what you wrote with your lipstick ok? And I found the diagram that you wrote too. I know you are trying to scare me and kill dad. I know you are crazy and when the policeman gets here I am gonna have to tell him everything.”
“Is that what you think Maria? You think you done have it all figured out now don’t you?”
Maria leaned back on the rear legs of one of the kitchen chairs while twirling her hair with her fingers. “I know what you are doing, Tammy. First you killed the owl outside my bedroom window. Then you made up all this stuff about dad and the cellar.”
Tammy sat down at the kitchen table across from Maria. “Well honey, I think it’s time that I told you the truth. I’m sorry that I haven’t been honest with you up until now but it was for your own good. After all, you’re a big girl and we shouldn’t have secrets between us. So please, accept my apology.” She lit up a cigarette and took a long swig of water. “Do you remember just after Stephen and I got married that he started doing some therapy sessions?”
Maria remembered that her father and Tammy both went to therapy sessions together. “Yes, with Doctor Baker. So what.”
“Right. Well that man was a Psychotherapist. He helps people with all of their personal problems. I’d done told Stephen to go get help with his anxiety and fears. He was seeing Dr. Baker two times a week to help him with all of his problems. Like dealing better with people he worked with, not stressing out from important meetings, and other stuff like that. Stephen was under so much pressure and always freaked out with personal things. Do you remember the time that after he came home from work he done threw the plates in the kitchen against the wall? And then he screamed at you to get downstairs for dinner? How did that make you feel?”