by John Mathews
***
Tammy put the prepaid phone in her bedroom and went into the small bathroom. Her heart was pumping and her hand throbbed from even more pain. The ice had melted from the inside of her broken hand and the towel was soaking wet. She unwrapped the towel and plunged her hand into the sink of freezing water, relishing the relief it provided. After a short while the pain eased and she gingerly patted her hand dry with a clean towel. She opened the medicine cabinet and took some cotton balls, and more of the gauze wrap. She put the cotton inside the hand, and squeezed her fingers around it while bellowing in pain. Finally, she wrapped the gauze around the hand several times and secured it with safety pins.
Tammy went back into the living room and noticed that the door to Maria’s room was closed. She went to open it and found that it had been locked from the inside. So she must have gotten back into her room. Did someone help her? How could she have gotten out of the vice by herself? Does she think that her room is safe from me now? I can get inside with the skeleton key anyways if I need to. It’s gonna be dang hard to talk to Maria now. Stephen knows she is here and must be counting on the fact that I won’t kill her. How can he be so goddam arrogant? But why wouldn’t I kill her? After all, this is life or fucking death. If I can’t use Maria to get to Stephen then what I am gonna do?
She sat down near the fireplace, resting her injured hand on her leg and letting out a big sigh. Tammy ran her other hand through her hair. Her head was pounding and she was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight. Well hell, I can’t go outside again, it’s just too damn risky. If I get to Maria again, what the hell am I gonna do with her? I need a way to get Stephen. I need to have that bastard be the one fearing for his damn life, not me! Her fingers on her right hand shook as she lit a cigarette. Tammy closed her eyes and held a mouthful of smoke in as long as she could. Intense pain shot through her head. She let out the smoke, and buried her face in her hands. A vicious migraine had taken over. She had the feeling that she was trapped – both inside her mind and body. It took her back to when she was ten, and taking swimming classes at the local YWCA…
***
“Tammy, take the center lane please. Do two laps of the crawl and two laps of back stroke.” Tammy nodded at the instructor. Then she dove into the pool and started swimming. She saw that in the lane next to her was Karen – a tall, slim girl who seemed to fly through the water. Karen had been told that she would have a bright future with the junior high school swim team.
Tammy was a good swimmer and could swim faster than most of the other girls. But not faster than Karen – nobody could beat her in a race. Tammy hated coming in second in anything. She swam as fast as she could, taking in big gulps of air, and blowing it out rapidly between strokes. Her legs kicked fiercely, and she tried not to check on what was happening in the lane next to her, so she could focus on her arm movements.
After the first two laps of the crawl, Tammy pushed herself off of the wall in the pool, and flipped over onto her back. She took a peek at Karen and saw that she was only a few feet ahead of Tammy. Tammy pushed her arms back as hard as she could, flying behind her head, keeping them stretched out and then tucked in close to her sides with each stroke. As she turned for the last lap, she saw that she was not gaining any ground on Karen and felt a rush of anger.
Tammy tried to push herself harder, and started to lose the integrity of her strokes. Some water splashed up into her face, and she blew air out of her nose to keep from inhaling it in. Frustrated and kicking more wildly, she finally pushed too hard, and gulped in a big mouthful of water. Tammy had to stop just short of completing the final lap, coughing profusely. She saw Karen get out of the pool smiling at her, seeming to mock her. Tammy had a scowl on her face that would make a clown cry.
After swim class was finished, Tammy was changing into her clothes in the locker room. Karen slipped out of her swimsuit and started to dry off. The floor was wet and slippery. Tammy knelt down behind a bench near one of the lockers, just out of Karen’s line of sight. As Karen came walking around the corner near the locker, Tammy hurled the bench out into the walkway. Karen hit her knee against the wood, and then slipped on the wet floor, falling and smacking her head against the tile. As Karen lay crying in pain, Tammy stood over her with a cruel look on her face, like a vulture hovering over its prey.
“Remember this, you little bitch. You done think you’re so damn good, now don’t you? You think you’re better than me? DO YOU?” She paused to savor the look of fear on Karen’s face. Then she cocked her hand back and slapped Karen on the face as hard as she could. “Well you aren’t, because nobody is. You better let me win next time. Got that? I don’t like to finish in second place.”
FOURTEEN
Maria sat up in her bed after catching her breath. Her wrists hurt from the small cuts she had made but not as much as her ankles did from the rope burns. She had heard Tammy moving about in the cabin and was glad that she had locked the bedroom door. She went over to the window, closed it, and locked it securely. Whoever was out on the roof was not going to get in here, she thought.
She took some razor blades out of her pants pocket and set them on the writing desk. Then she opened the drawer to the desk to take out a tissue. In doing so, she saw the tablet of paper that she had been drawing on earlier. Only now, the page that had been drawn on was missing. The next page was a long hand-written note to Maria. She looked the page over quickly and glanced down at the signature: it was signed Stephen Worthington. She stopped breathing for a moment as a lump formed in her throat, and she wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye. Oh my god, did dad come inside the room while I was outside? I did leave the window open a little. But how come he didn’t see me or talk to me? He must be scared of Tammy doing something awful. I hope Tammy didn’t see him. She trembled a bit as she started at the top and began to read the letter carefully.
‘To my darling daughter Maria,
I love you more than anything in the world and don’t want something bad to happen to you. This whole situation has gotten gravely out of hand as I am sure you have noticed. Your stepmother is completely insane and can’t be trusted. I found out that she has a long history of mental problems. Tammy brought me up here to kill me by rigging the car, so that when I drove off the other night, it would crash down off the edge of the cliff. But I was able to escape at the last possible moment. I am not injured in any way but am terribly afraid of what Tammy might do.
I realize now that she only got into this marriage for my money and has been plotting my death for a long time. She doesn’t care a bit about you either, Maria. I just want you to know that I am all right and not to worry. We can’t trust Tammy in the least bit and must consider her desperate and dangerous.
She has rigged the cabin with booby traps and wants to catch me and torture me. I know that she is using you to try and find me, right? I am asking you Maria – please – be careful with Tammy. You might have to go along with what she tells you, as long as you remain safe. She is manipulative, sadistic, and greedy, but can easily be outsmarted. I want to punish her severely for what she has tried to do. Now, I have a plan to deal with her, and will need your help.
Down in the wine cellar there is a group of old barrels. I need you to go down into the cellar through the closet in the master bedroom when Tammy is asleep or has locked herself in the den. Take the flashlight from the living room bookshelf with you. I don’t think she will sleep in that bedroom again. When you get down into the cellar, go to the back of the big room. Find the barrel on the far right and on top of the others. You will notice that it has a small sealed opening on the front and near the bottom. That hole is sealed with paraffin wax and has a wick coming out. The inside of that barrel has been filled with pure hydrogen gas. This is a very dangerous explosive when that wick is lit. There is also some gas slowly leaking into the rest of the cellar.
Once you light the wick, there will be exactly fifteen minutes before a terrible explosion occurs. You need to l
ight the wick and then get Tammy to come down into the wine cellar again. So light it, go up back upstairs, and act hysterical. Pretend that you have seen or heard me down there and that you are afraid. That will get her to go down for sure. Stay patient and just get Tammy to think I am in the cellar. Once she is down there, just close the door and wait in the den. Move the footstools in front of the door so that she can’t get back out too easily. The floor, walls, and ceilings are fire-proof so the explosion will not damage the rest of the cabin. You will be completely safe after the explosion occurs. That will take care of Tammy and then you and I can get out of here. And please honey – hurry, before Tammy does something horrible. I don’t want her to see me coming inside the cabin, as I am more afraid for your safety than I am for my own.
I know I can count on you. You are daddy’s little girl and I love you.
Hugs and kisses,
Stephen
Maria took a moment to digest all that was in the letter. Her heart was pounding with excitement, but she also had a sense of inner calm and happiness, since she was sure that she recognized her father’s signature. So Tammy is doing all of these things herself. I knew it, she is totally crazy. She was trying to kill dad all along and acts like he is the one out to get her. What a bitch, I hate her so much. And her story about the therapist was all a lie. Dad is scared for his life and hiding out from Tammy.
Maria remembered when, just before he got married, Stephen made a promise to her. He said that he would do everything in his power, no matter how busy he was or what kind of challenges he had in his life, to be there for her in any time of need. He said that he would lie in front of a moving truck if it meant saving his daughter. I need to be there for my dad, no matter what. I gotta do what he needs me to – he would know what is best. But Tammy scares me so much. I gotta be strong like the way that dad taught me to. I gotta do this for him.
***
Tammy kept the Capri stuck between her lips, and went back into the den to close and lock the windows. She took some more of the long rusty nails from the can on the shelf in the den. Using the jade dagger again as a hammering device, she pounded them into the lower part of the windows to seal them shut as best as she could. Well that is better than nothing. Hell at this point, if he wants to come inside the den through that window, there ain’t nothing I can do to stop him. He will come inside the cabin again tonight and I need to be ready for him. I don’t think I can do much with only one good arm and a hunting knife. I need another more potent weapon.
She looked up at the mountain lion head mounted to the wall. It was being supported by a thick shelf that was held in place with several smaller pieces of wood. Tammy examined the small pieces of wood and decided they were strong and solid. She grabbed the animal head with her good hand and pulled it until it came free from the mounting device. Then she took the dagger, wedged it between one of the pieces of wood and the wall, and pulled until it came free from the nails that had held it. She did the same to free up one of the other small wooden pieces.
Tammy went into the living room and brought back with her into the den one of the heavy marble book holders. She wedged the book holder between the two pieces of wood. Then she took some more of the long nails and pounded them into the pieces of wood, tightly securing them to each other. Next, she continued to pound additional nails through the pieces of wood so that they stuck out more than an inch through the other side. Finally, she took the nail-studded piece and tied a long portion of the rope securely to it. With both arms, she swung the hand-made flail weapon around wildly, ignoring the pain that is caused her. As it whooshed through the air, she pictured the sharp nails sinking deep into Stephen’s flesh. Tammy laughed hysterically in hopes that someone would hear her. For a few moments, she didn’t even remember that her hand was broken. Wow, that son of a bitch is heavy and those nails are sharp. You wanted a crude weapon, Darnell, well here you fucking go. That can definitely do some damage and it has a long reach. If Stephen even gets anywhere near me, I’ll smack him so hard with this, he’ll need a fucking surgeon to get it loose.
Tammy went and stood outside Maria’s bedroom. She pressed her ear against the door to listen for any movement. She spoke loudly so that she could be heard through the door. “You can come out anytime, Maria. You don’t have anything to worry about because I’m not gonna hurt you. Stephen is the one we have to fear. He was moving around on top of the roof. Didn’t you hear his footsteps? He’s stalking me like a fucking animal. He done tried to kill me when I was in the den. I stuck my head out the window and he threw a concrete block down at me. It hit and broke my hand. I’m hurt and in terrible pain. If you don’t believe me, come take a look for yourself!”
Tammy waited a few moments in silence without getting a response. “I know you’re in there, Maria. Fine then, have it your way. But be careful. Do you really think you know who you can trust? Don’t be surprised if Stephen comes and tries to kill you too. I’ve got the key to your bedroom, Maria, and I can come inside any damn time I want to. I think I’ll be needing you later so be ready when I come and get you. And don’t even think of leaving that room as I will be awake in the living room all night and will keep a close eye on that door. I know Stephen’s gonna try and come inside the cabin again and I’m gonna be darn well ready for him too. You will see for yourself just what kind of crazy bastard he really is.”
***
Maria knelt silently in front of the bedroom door, breathing quietly. Her heart was racing but she felt confident about confronting Tammy if she needed to. She listened while peeping through the keyhole into the living room. She was able to see Tammy standing as she spoke. She also got a glimpse of her bandaged hand. When Tammy had finished speaking, Maria sat down with her back against the door. How can she lie to me like that and think I’m gonna do what she says? She probably hurt her hand on purpose like some crazy person to fool me. At least I can just watch her this way and know when I can get out of my bedroom without her seeing me. I’ll have to keep my door closed and hope that she thinks it’s locked from the inside. I hope she goes out of the living room soon. How else am I gonna get past her and into the cellar? And what am I gonna say is the reason why I went down there? Maria sat on the bed and carefully read through the hand-written letter once more.
FIFTEEN
Tammy opened the kitchen cupboard and surveyed the variety of snack foods. She grabbed a bag of chips, a handful of ginger cookies, and some more of the bottled water. She looked in her purse and saw that she was completely out of cigarettes. She let out a long sigh and carried the food back into the living room. Then she closed and locked the door to the den with the skeleton key. She set the hunting knife and dagger next to each other on the coffee table. Now when Stephen comes into the cabin tonight, I need to be awake and ready. I’ll just have to stay up all damn night. I’ll need to know where that bastard is at any time. If he comes in through the den, I’ll hear him unlock and open that door. But what if I close my eyes and start to doze off? I don’t have any soda or cigarettes to help keep me awake. I’m gonna need something to make a sound so that I will know when he comes inside. Same damn thing if he tries to come in through the front door.
Tammy examined the bookcase and thought that it would make a bit of a stumbling block near the front door. It wasn’t too high and only had a few books in it. Knowing that she couldn’t use both hands to move it, she leaned up against the side of the bookcase and started to push. It was heavy and she winced using her body to move it. Tammy grunted and gathered her strength. Being sure to keep her injured hand down to the side so as not to bump it, she slid the bookcase along the hardwood floor until it was nearer to the front door. She moved it so that it was partially in front of the door, but left a few inches of space in between.
Exasperated and out of breath, she bent down on one knee. Goddam that was heavy. But now at least if he comes in through the front door, he’ll think I done tried to block the entrance with the bookshelf. Then he’ll be able to
move that bookcase out of the way and I’ll have time to hear it and be ready when he actually gets in.
Tammy stood back up and looked towards the door to the den. She surveyed the living room again with the sofa, loveseat, deck, armchair, coffee table, and shag area rug. I need something that isn’t too heavy that I can move more easily. I think I can just slide the rug over near the door to the den and push the coffee table more in front of it. That way if he unlocks and opens the door, it will hit against the bottom of the coffee table and he’ll have to reach in to move it. That will be enough time for me to get up and be waiting when he opens the door.
She grabbed a hold of the rug with her good hand and started to pull. It was a thick rug which was heavy with the table on top and difficult to move. She moved the coffee table off the shag rug. Then she grabbed the edge of the rug and pulled harder until it started to slide across the floor over near the door to the den. Tammy stopped suddenly and stood with her mouth hanging open in disbelief at what she saw after the rug had been moved. Underneath where the rug had been there was a section where the hardwood floor boards had been removed. Below where the boards would have been was an old trap door with a metal loop attached.
Well I’ll be damned, that must be the fucking way down into the basement! No wonder that damn map I found showed that dotted line from the living room. Someone must have run the floorboards right over that trap door intending for it never to be opened. She bent down and pulled on the metal loop. The trap door creaked as it opened revealing a metal ladder descending into darkness. She closed the trap door and stood back up.