A Game of Greed and Deception: A Mystery Drama

by John Mathews

  Then Tammy went into the den. Reaching up, she slid one of the shelving boards out from the book case. She used the blade of the dagger to pound a couple of holes into the board with one of the long nails from the can on the shelf. Then she turned the screws into the holes until they bore through the wood. Finally, she was able to attach the vice to the long board. She grabbed one of the wooden chairs and slammed it firmly to the floor to test how sturdy it was. Then she grabbed and pulled on the legs to make sure that they couldn’t easily be broken. The chair was very well-made and solid.

  She took the chair, remaining section of rope from the chest, hunting knife, duct tape, board with vice attached, and went into the living room. She peered out the front window to see outside. The wind was still, with nearly two feet of snow piled up on the ground between the roadside and the cabin front porch. The floor of the porch was covered with a mixture of snow and ice. Tammy opened the front door, set the chair on the porch, and dropped the rope, board, and dagger. Then she went over and opened Maria’s door. “How are you doing in there? I checked out the wine cellar again. I guess you saw the cigar that I left down there. I had even put Stephen’s lighter next to it for a while, just in case he got into the cabin somehow. I wanted him to feel at home here. Safe and secure, you know what I mean? And what I wrote on the barrel was just a test again, Maria. Just something else to help Stephen overcome those fears.”

  Maria looked at Tammy and gave a little nod.

  Tammy smiled. “I need you to come with me please. We need to get your father’s attention.”

  Maria looked puzzled. “Get his attention for what?”

  “Oh, we just need to do what the doctor told us to, Maria. Come along now, it’s all for your father’s own good.”

  Maria followed Tammy to the front porch. Tammy pushed the legs of the chair down into the snow until it was securely against the porch floor. “Have a seat on the chair Maria.”

  Maria glanced up at Tammy. “Why? It’s really cold out here.”

  “I done told you Maria. Stephen is hiding somewhere outside the cabin and we have to get him to come out and overcome his fears. If he thinks that you need him he’ll come here to take care of you. Being there for his little girl only makes him stronger. Protecting you is probably the most important thing in his life. So just sit in the chair.”

  Reluctantly, Maria sat on the wooden chair. “Now, I’m gonna tie you up securely, and don’t whine about it.” Tammy cut the rope in two pieces. She pulled Maria’s hands behind the back of the chair.

  Maria turned her head quickly around to peer at Tammy. “Wait! Why do you need to tie me up?”

  “I done told you. Stephen needs to think that you’re in danger. Then he’ll see you, come out to help you, and get past being scared of anything. We have to do this.” Tammy was giggling inside at the thought of hurting Maria. The feeling that she got from holding the girl’s arms so that she couldn’t move them felt powerful. She bound Maria’s hands and then secured them to the back of the chair.

  Then she tied her feet together with the other piece of rope, put it around the chair legs, and pulled as tight as she could securing it with a knot.

  Maria winced and gazed up at Tammy. “Ouch. That’s so tight and it’s hurting my legs. Why do you have to tie me?”

  Tammy ignored Maria’s complaint. She took the board and wedged it in between the railings on either side of the porch. Then she moved the board until Maria’s head was just in front of the vice. Stephen baby, I got your little girl. What are you gonna do about it? Licking her lips, she grabbed Maria’s hair and pulled her head downwards into the vice.

  “Ouch, stop pulling my hair Tammy, you’re hurting me. Stop!” shrieked Maria.

  Tammy held on to her hair while grabbing the handle to the vice. “Now I am gonna tighten this vice some. Don’t complain if it hurts. Just show me how strong you are. You can take it.” She turned the handle on the vice until each side of it pressed firmly against Maria’s head.

  Maria winced and squinted her eyes from the pain. “Ouch, not so tight. My head is so cold and my arms hurt!”

  “Now don’t be a baby. You will stay here until Stephen comes to get you. I’ll be inside keeping an eye out for him. If you get scared, then just scream for your damn father. He’ll figure out what to do.” Tammy went back inside and closed the front door.

  Tammy went into the half bathroom and took the bottle of Chloroform along with a small towel. Then she sat on one of the armchairs in front of the living room window with the hunting knife in hand.

  All right Stephen, I’m all ready for you. You’ve done got me on edge, baby, and I’m not gonna back down now. In fact, I’m upping the stakes some. You better come save poor little Maria who is stuck out alone in the cold. Tammy leaned back in the chair a bit and giggled. He thinks he is so damn smart. Making all that money and meeting all those important people went to his squatty little head. Well I’m about to teach him a damn lesson. He’ll go nuts when he sees his little girl tied up like that and I’ll be waiting. I’ll have to save little Maria from her own father and tell her that he went crazy when I slit his throat with this knife.

  She grinned and ran her finger along the blade. And it’s razor sharp too. It won’t take much to cut right into his flesh. I want him to bleed and suffer. He can bleed out like a pig at the slaughter house. If he knew about my plan to kill him all along, then all I can do is play the part. He thinks I’m terrified and isolated. Well he is so wrong. Maria can watch her father die. Then I will have to figure out what to do with his poor little girl. Tammy peeked outside to see Maria yelling for her father. That’s it, make him come out to rescue you. Plead for your father, you little shit. Tammy lit up a cigarette and took a long drag while keeping her eye on the front porch.

  Thirty minutes passed with still no sign of anyone else outside. Tammy kept peering out the window while fidgeting in the armchair. Where in the hell is he? What is taking him so damn long to do something? Finally, she stood up and flicked her cigarette to the floor. I guess I need to up the stakes some. Obviously, Stephen wants to play hard to get. I’ll have to really get his damn attention. Fine by me, darling, let’s find out how strong you really are.

  Tammy set the Chloroform bottle and towel in front of the door and grabbed the hunting knife. Then she opened the front door to check on Maria. She quickly surveyed the area outside looking for any sign of movement. “Where’s that father of yours and why the hell doesn’t he come to help you?”

  Maria tried to move her head but couldn’t. Her cheeks and lips were frigid, and her throat ached from breathing in the ice cold air. She spoke in a whiny tone, her teeth chattering as she turned her eyes towards Tammy. “I don’t know, Tammy! It’s so cold outside. My hands and head are freezing, and my arms hurt. I really need to move them. I can’t stay like this any longer. Please Tammy, get me out of here!”

  Tammy looked up ahead at the winding mountain road with a blank stare. She marveled at the way that it ripped right through the dense pine tree forest like a razor sharp scalpel cutting into flesh. She knew at this moment that her inner strength would guide her to do whatever was necessary and that she could overcome any obstacle. “Maria, I have to do what I have to do.” She took the roll of duct tape, ripped a large piece off, bent down, and slapped it over Maria’s mouth. Maria squealed through the tape. Then Tammy took the sides of the tape and stuck them over the edge of the vice. Next, she pulled the rope around Maria’s legs even tighter, using all her strength, so that the rope dug mercilessly into her legs. Finally, she started to tighten the vice. Maria tried to scream but her mouth was taped shut. Tammy turned the vice until it had flattened Maria’s ears and pressed harder against the sides of her head.

  “All right, Stephen, get your ass over here! Maria is hurting really bad. I know you are hiding and noticing everything. You don’t fucking intimidate me!” Tammy shouted out into the still, cold air. “If I don’t see you come out, I am going to torture Maria unti
l she bleeds. I just might have to kill your little girl. Do you fucking hear me?” Tammy slowly ran the blade of the hunting knife along Maria’s neck and scalp. Maria’s heart pounded through her chest, and the sweat running down the sides of her pasty white face had frozen. Tammy took a few steps forward and looked up and around on either side of the cabin. She saw only trees covered in snow and large icicles hanging from the rooftop. She shouted again at the top of her lungs. “Stephen, where are you? Get your ass over here now. Maria is in pain and it’s about to get fucking worse. You got that?”

  Tammy walked behind Maria’s head and knelt down ignoring the muffled sounds the girl made. She grabbed the handle on the vice as tight as she could. She felt a rush of adrenaline at the thought of killing Maria to punish Stephen. Killing this little spoiled brat would be so much fun. I really, really want to. I can’t let anyone leave this fucking cabin alive. But I have to find her father first. She took a deep breath, stood up again, and shouted one more time. “Ok, Stephen, you better damn well listen to me! You’ve done got five fucking minutes to show yourself or I’m gonna make her eyes pop out of her head until it squashes like a damn tomato.” She waited a few moments and then was suddenly startled, stumbling back a few steps into the living room. A thunderous crashing sound came from inside the cabin. It was as though part of the cabin roof had fallen down into one of the rooms. She went inside, hunting knife in hand, and slammed the front door. She didn’t notice Maria reaching down into her back pocket.

  THIRTEEN

  Tammy stood in the living room panting, her eyes darting in every direction. What in the hell could have made a noise like that? She took a quick look into the small bathroom and the kitchen and found nothing out of place. Then she checked both bedrooms before opening the door to the den. She went inside and stopped abruptly. The cinder block had come falling down from the top of the window sill, smashed onto the floor, and broken into several pieces. The window was wide open with a gust of air blowing in. How could that have fallen? There is no way that the damn wind coulda done that. That block was secure on the top of the ledge and it was hard to open that window. Did he just open the window from outside but not try to come inside?

  Tammy went over to the window and peered outside as best she could. She saw only snow-covered trees and a few hanging icicles. She pushed a chair in front of the window and stood on it to get a better look. Then she put her hands on the ledge to keep her balance, stretched her head outside, and looked up towards the rooftop. At the moment that her head went out the window, two hands wearing workman’s gloves reached out from the rooftop, and threw another cinder block right down at Tammy’s head. She acted swiftly pulling her head back inside. But the cinder block crashed against the ledge and part of it hit her left hand as she was trying to pull herself back into the den.

  She shrieked in pain and continued to bellow. The block had smashed her hand against the brick ledge and possibly broken it. The pain was so intense that she fell to the floor in agony, curling up into a ball. Tammy bit her bottom lip while tears streamed down her face. She wiped her eyes, looked up again at the window and shouted. “Goddam you Stephen, you son of a bitch! I’m gonna fucking kill you! You don’t know who you are messing with, do you hear me? Stay right where you are, you bastard, I will be coming to get you.”

  ***

  Although her hands were bound, Maria was able to move them behind her back. Having done gymnastics for years, she was extremely flexible, and could pop her shoulder out of its socket if needed. She stretched and twisted with her arms until her fingers were close to the back left pocket of her pants and finally she was able to feel inside. Her fingertips touched a small razor blade.

  Maria wedged the razor between two fingertips inside the pocket, slowly slid it out, and held it firmly between her fingers and her thumb. She turned her wrist awkwardly so that the razor was touching the ropes that tied her. Then she began to move the blade back and forth to cut through the rope. She did not want to cut herself and was trying to be careful, but the pain in her head from the vice was becoming unbearable, and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

  The blade was sharp and in just a few minutes Maria was able to cut through the ropes. Not being able to see what she was doing, the blade slipped several times, cutting her wrists. She freed her hands and then she was able to untie her legs, and using both hands on one handle at a time, she released the vice that held her head.

  ***

  Tammy heaved in some big gulps of air trying to calm down. She sat down on the sofa bed, rocking back and forth with her hand between her legs. She tried to move some fingers but couldn’t. She examined the hand and saw that it was bruised, bloody, and somewhat mangled. Her heart was pumping as she felt a rage that she had never known before. That damn bastard is out on the rooftop and coming after me. I am gonna fucking kill him. Who in the hell does he think he is, hunting me down like a wild animal. This is an all out war.

  Tammy balled her other hand into a fist while grinding her teeth against each other. The pain shot up her arm and she knew that she needed to slow down the swelling. She put the hunting knife in her back pocket. Then she ran into the master bedroom, opened the window, and grabbed a large icicle hanging from the roof. She let out a piercing howl while opening her hand just enough to put part of the icicle in it. With tears streaming down her face and panting heavily, she wrapped the hand up with a towel. She bent down on her knees and took some deep breaths. Stay calm, Tammy, you’re a tough girl. This is a game of survival. I’ve gotta try and get to Stephen before he gets to me.

  Then she went into the kitchen and looked up again at the window. It was too small for someone to come through inside the cabin. There’s an overhang outside covering that window. He couldn’t possibly crawl around that overhang and try to come in through there. I can try to look outside and see if he is somewhere on that side of the roof. At least then he can’t surprise me again without me knowing where the hell he is. Tammy slowly opened the window and bent her head to glance outside. Suddenly she heard footsteps on the rooftop, moving away from the spot where she was.

  Son of a bitch, he is moving around up there like a spider. I would love to throw that son of a bitch right off of the rooftop. But I can’t go out there with one hand messed up like this. And what if he gets inside the cabin – how will I defend myself now? How am I gonna get to Stephen? Come on Tammy, think – think! He’s gotta play on my damn terms. He is controlling everything and I need to get the situation in my favor. I’m just gonna have to use the one thing that he loves most. Maria.

  Tammy walked slowly to the front door. She cracked it open just a bit and peeked outside. The chair was lying on its side. The ropes, board, and vice were on the ground, and there was no sign of Maria. Tammy took a gulp of air and opened the door wider to examine the ropes. They looked like they had been cut through. She looked around on either side of the front porch. Maria was nowhere to be found. “Stephen, you goddam S.O.B., where is she? What did you do with her?” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Who do you take me for? You don’t know who you are messing with, you damn bastard.”

  Tammy panted as she went back inside the cabin, closing and locking the front door. He’s done gotten Maria too and screwed up all of my plans. It’s like he’s always two steps ahead of me. This has gotten completely out of hand. I need some help from that guy Darnell – shit, I don’t even have a way to contact him. I guess I need to call Tom. He’ll know what to do. She grabbed the prepaid phone and called Tom Murphy. The phone rang and rang but there was no answer, and it finally went to voice mail. “Tom, can you hear me? I need help!” Tammy panted heavily while trying to calm herself down. “Darnell came here and talked to me, and we know Stephen is outside the cabin trying to get in and kill me. He’s totally onto us, do you understand? He knows all about our plan and we have to get rid of him. There ain’t nobody else out here, Tom. Please, call Darnell and have him come back to the cabin. Stephen has done attacked me and
hurt me. I need help and can’t do this all alone! The police are on their way over here and if they find Stephen then we are all in big trouble. I’m not going to jail on account of that bastard. Please, Tom, it’s an emergency!”

  ***

  Maria made her way slowly along the left side of the cabin, her feet sinking into the snow with each step. Once she was out of sight of the front walkway, she sat down on the snow to catch her breath. Her wrists were bleeding a bit from where she had cut through the rope with a razor blade. She put her arms into the snow to soothe the cuts. Then she turned her head around and looked up, seeing the window to her bedroom that she had left unlocked. It was a good five feet above the level of the snow. She stood up and reached out as best she could trying to open the window. She was only able to open it a few inches.

  I gotta jump up there to get the window open more. But there is so little room to hold onto and I’m not tall enough. Maria knew that she needed something to stand on. She started to walk back towards the front porch for the chair, but stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of footsteps coming from the rooftop. She gasped while trying to breathe very quietly so that nobody would hear her. She took some of the snow around her and started to make a pile just in front of the wall below the window to her bedroom. She kept scooping up the snow while pausing now and then to look up and be sure that nobody was there.

  When the pile of snow was high enough, Maria stood on top of it and opened the window wider. She held her breath and grabbed onto the window sill. With all her might, she jumped and started to pull herself inside. Her legs were kicking and feet kept slipping on the ice-covered wall. Keeping a firm grasp on the window ledge, she got her head inside and bent one of her legs to help keep her balance. She was climbing inside through the window when a hand in an old leather glove reached down and grabbed her by the foot. Maria screamed and kicked her feet wildly. The hand finally let go and she slid herself inside the window, falling hard to the floor. She jumped up to close and lock the window, and then lay down on the bed breathing heavily.