by John Mathews
Maria turned with the lighter to see the other end of the table. There was another folded piece of paper, only this one looked new. She opened the paper and drawn on it was a diagram. The diagram showed two coffin-like boxes full of spikes. Small human figures were drawn above the boxes, one of a man, the other of a girl. Underneath the diagram was an image of the strange metal device on the table with a written description. It read: “The Heretic’s Fork, Medieval Torture Device. Place the collar around the neck of the individual and tighten. Be sure that each end of the prongs penetrate the flesh in the upper chest and chin areas.” Maria gasped and dropped the paper. She had trouble catching her breath and stood paralyzed with fear. Oh my God, Tammy has been plotting to kill me and dad all along. She plans to torture us with that thing. She is a killer just like dad said in the letter.
Maria wanted to scream but nothing would come out. She gathered what courage she had, made her way to the back of the room, and found the stack of old barrels. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, her heart racing. The foul smell was really intense in the back of the room. Looking up, she saw the barrel on top of the others to the far right as described in the letter. She stood on her toes and held the lighter up higher to see the barrel better. It was old and dusty with rusty metal trim along the bottom. She looked for the small opening and wick as described in the letter but didn’t find anything. Having trouble seeing all around the barrel, she ran her hand along the base just above the metal trim. She felt something sticking out from the base on the lower right side. Maria reached out with the lighter to get a better look, and saw that it was a long wick sealed with paraffin.
A rush of nervous energy invaded Maria. She felt light headed and her arm was not so tired from holding the lighter so she could see. She remembered a time a year and a half ago, on the forth of July when, with a few neighborhood kids playing in the yard of her father’s estate, she set off a few bottle rockets. The wicks looked long as if they would give her enough time to run away. But no sooner did she light the wick and turn to run, there was a WHOOSH of wind and smoke flying by her ear lobes.
What if the wick burns too fast? How does dad know it will take 15 minutes? Will I be able to get out of here in time and get Tammy to come down? What am I gonna tell Tammy? She crouched down on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself after putting out the lighter. I can’t believe that Tammy has been lying to me and dad this whole time. She is a killer and we had no idea. I’ve just got to do this. I know how much dad loves me. Maria stood back up and ignited the lighter. Her hands were shaking so much that it was hard to keep the flame steady. She reached up as far as she could, and held the flame in front of the tip of the wick. Here we go. Then she lit the tip.
There was a soft sizzling sound and some sparks started to move up the long, slow burning wick. Maria wanted to run but she knew this would extinguish the lighter and she would not be able to see her way out. She started to walk as quickly as she could, but the cold breeze put out the flame. Panic-stricken, she tried to light the lighter again. The flame burned once more and she moved slowly through the room, keeping her other hand in front of the flame to block the airflow. She made it back to the arch and saw a bit of light down the walkway. In another minute or so, she was heading back up the stairs into the walk-in closet, leaving the door wide open.
***
Tammy was seated on the sofa when Maria burst into the living room. “Tammy, come quickly, I found Stephen and he is down in the cellar! He tried to hurt me.” Maria was panting and out of breath. She shook violently as she spoke.
Tammy stood up to look Maria square in the eye. “You mean you actually fucking saw Stephen? Where exactly did you see him in the cellar?”
Maria shook her hands wildly to signal Tammy to move towards the bedroom. “Yes, I saw him! He was in that big room down there, over by the barrels. He was hiding and suddenly came out and tried to grab me.”
Tammy held her weapon firmly by the end of the rope. “He was hiding down around the barrels? Where was he hiding, Maria?”
“I don’t know, but somewhere behind one of them. I didn’t see him until the last moment and then he came out. He is dangerous Tammy, just like you said, and you have to hurry and go down and stop him!”
Tammy had a puzzled look on her face. She spoke sharply to Maria. “But why were you even down in the wine cellar, Maria? When did you go down there and why didn’t I see you? And how did Stephen get down there without us seeing him?”
“I heard some noises coming from down there so I went to check them out. I didn’t see you so I ran down into the cellar myself. That is when I saw it was dad doing something!”
Tammy inched closer to Maria and started to shout. “What damn noise did you hear, Maria? Describe it. And how the hell did you hear it from your bedroom if it was all the way down in the cellar?”
Maria was sweating and fidgeting nervously with the lighter. She tried not to look at Tammy when she spoke. “I heard some footsteps coming from down below my room. So I knew that someone was down there. So I went to see if it was dad.”
Tammy smiled at Maria. She looked exasperated and arched her eyebrows. “You say you heard footsteps? Maria, that damn wine cellar is insulated with hard clay walls and brick fucking flooring! You can’t hear nobody scream down there let alone some dang footsteps. Now I want to know why you went down there and what it is exactly that you saw. Give me some damn answers.”
Maria’s voice started to crack and she was fighting back emotion. “Just go down there and look for yourself if you don’t believe me. Dad is down there and I think he has gone crazy. Like you told me before, everyone has a dark side, and sometimes they lose their mind. Hurry Tammy, before he comes up here to get us!”
Tammy smirked, hearing the quavering in Maria’s voice as she spoke. “That’s fine, if he wants to fuck with me, then he can come out of the cellar and I’ll be waiting for him. If we know where he is then that makes things even easier, now doesn’t it?”
“Please Tammy, you have to go down there now! If you don’t he will do something terrible. Hurry, we can’t wait for him to come up here.”
Tammy slung the weapon over her shoulder and grabbed Maria by the arm. “Ok fine, then come along with me, and let’s just see what’s in that cellar.” She pulled Maria with her into the master bedroom. “Ok, now you go first, and I’ll be right behind you.” She shoved Maria into the opening of the closet.
Maria tried to yank her arm away from Tammy’s grip but couldn’t. “I can’t go down there Tammy, I am too scared! Dad wants to hurt me. You were right about him, he’s lost his mind. You are the only one that can stop him. Please, you have to go. I will wait right here.”
Tammy pushed Maria against the closet wall. She sneered at her and squeezed her arm hard as she spoke. “Are you trying to trick me, little girl? Why do you want me to go down in the damn cellar? What is down there that you saw? I want some damn answers and I want them now.”
Maria’s heart was racing and she felt panic exploding inside her from not knowing what Tammy might do. Her voice was shaky and she had to fight to get the words out. “I told you what I saw! He’s hiding down there. I am not going down there – I’m afraid that dad will hurt me.”
“Is that so? So Stephen tried to hurt you – his precious little girl - and yet you by some damn miracle escaped without any problem to come tell me to go down and deal with him? And how in the hell did he get down there? I’ve been here in the cabin all day. There is no other way to get down into that cellar except through the closet. And someone hurled a stone from outside through one of the kitchen windows. Do you have any idea who could have done that?”
Maria’s eyes glossed over in her pallid face like a foggy windshield, fighting back the tears. She was terrified and fumbling for her words. “Please don’t hurt me anymore, Tammy. We need to get out of here. I don’t know what else to do. I just…”
“I’ll tell you exactly what we’re gonna fucking do. You
’re gonna go down into that damn cellar right now and stay locked inside there until I find out exactly what it is that you saw. Now let’s go.” Tammy started to pull Maria by the arm.
Maria shrieked. “No, Tammy, stop! I can’t go down there – I’m afraid.” She pulled her hardest until she was able to wriggle free from Tammy’s grip. Maria scurried back into the living room with Tammy right after her. Maria stood in front of her bedroom door, too petrified to move. The door was closed and there was no way that Tammy would let her get inside.
Tammy stood in front of Maria. She raised the flail over her head and started to swing it around, faster and faster. It made a “whooshing” noise as the sharp, rusty points of the nails flew by Maria’s wide, glossy eyes embedded in her delicate features. “Ok then, you little brat. If you don’t want to give me the answers that I need, I’ll force them the hell out of you.” Maria closed her eyes and winced, preparing to be struck.
Suddenly, there was a deafening sound, like the thunderous roar from herds of horses trapped in a barn. The whole cabin shook violently, just for a few moments, and a blast of fire raged up the stone stairway. The living room bookshelf fell on its side and there was a sound of breaking dishes in the kitchen. The heat that came out from the flame blast was intense and could be felt all the way in the living room. Tammy was so shaken from the blast that she fell down backwards on the floor in astonishment. She could not fathom what would have made such an explosion. Maria tumbled against the wall but then immediately stood back up again. She took the chance while Tammy was down on the floor to open her bedroom door, darted inside, and closed it behind her. She didn’t notice that the small, brass key had fallen out of her pocket.
Tammy peeled herself up off of the floor and looked into the master bedroom. The glass on the window had cracked but otherwise it looked the same as before. She felt no urge to walk inside and check out the situation any further. She saw the brass key lying on the floor, took it, and put it into her pocket. Then she sat down on the sofa to recover from the shock and to think about her options.
SEVENTEEN
Tammy felt frazzled and craved a cigarette. Her bandaged hand was hurting terribly as she had bumped it during the explosion. Her head was pounding and her temples were pulsating. So Stephen had the damn smarts to create some kind of bomb in the cellar? He must’ve done this last night. But how in the hell did he get Maria in on it? He’s done got her totally against me now. She leaned her face against her good hand. Her teeth were grinding against each other and her mind was racing. How did he tell Maria to try and get me down in the cellar? He must’ve done it when he got her out of the vice. But why not keep Maria with him rather than let her back inside the cabin? If he loves her so damn much, wouldn’t he want to keep her safe? Could he possibly be willing to sacrifice her to destroy me? That bastard is crazier than I damn well thought. Tammy was both confused and mentally exhausted, trying to sort out in her mind what Stephen could be up to. Then her train of thought was suddenly disrupted by a knocking on the front door.
Tammy jumped up and grabbed her weapon. She moved quickly and pressed herself up against the wall so that she could not be seen through the front window. After a few moments, someone knocked again, and she heard some muffled sounds coming from outside. Tammy kept her back against the wall and then slowly moved along it closer to the door. She turned her head ever so carefully and tried to peek outside the window without being seen. Standing on the front porch was a police officer, and his truck was parked on the street in front of the cabin.
Tammy felt that bolt of pain shoot up her spine. She closed her eyes, trying to block out any sounds, and took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t afford a migraine now. Holy fuck, what do I do now? If that policeman finds me here, he’ll look around the whole dang cabin, and then take Maria and I with him. He’ll ask a ton of questions, done see everything that has happened here, and I’ll be in huge trouble. And if he finds Stephen it’s his and Maria’s word against mine. She moved her head back just out of view of the front window hoping that the officer would leave. He knocked again, only this time louder, and then spoke. “Tammy Worthington, are you in there?”
Tammy stayed motionless. If Maria sees him she’ll come running out. And what if he finds Stephen first? Goddam, that bastard will tell him that I’ve done everything to kill him and Maria. He’ll make everything look like it’s my fault. I can’t just let the officer roam around outside the cabin. There ain’t no damn way I’m going to jail. She was becoming short of breath from the tension.
Tammy was rapidly sucking in air, trying not to panic. She buried her face in her hands, unsure of what to do. Can he just come inside the cabin if I don’t open the door? There has to be probable cause for the commitment of a crime, or he needs to have a search warrant. I can just act like I’m not here and say I was outside, looking for Stephen. And Maria was just too scared to come to the door. If I open the door, there ain’t no way I can get around letting him inside.
Then there was a scream outside and a loud thud. Tammy waited and listened carefully for something else, but now there was total silence. She turned her head again and leaned forward a bit to peer out the window. The officer had fallen down on the front porch and seemed to be hurt. Tammy got closer to the front door and had a better look outside. Blood was streaming out in the snow and the policeman was not moving. Tammy held her breath as she opened the front door.
The officer was lying face-down on the porch in a mess of blood mixed with snow. He wasn’t moving and Tammy knew right away that he was dead. There was also a large cinder block next to him covered with blood. She slammed the front door shut and locked it. Tammy stumbled backwards until she collapsed on the sofa. So now Stephen is a fucking murderer! I can’t damn well believe that he killed a cop. Holy shit, now this place is gonna be swarming with police within a few hours!
Under the shock of what had just happened, she tried to keep her thoughts clear. An excruciating pain had begun in her head. Tammy closed her eyes and pressed firmly on her temples with her right hand. She dug her fingers into the sides of her forehead, praying that the pain would subside.
But if Stephen is convinced that I’m the only guilty one, why not let them find me? If he done took that kind of risk that he must only wanna kill me himself. There ain’t no other explanation. I don’t think he wants anyone except Maria to leave here alive. Tammy bit her nails nervously.
Come to think of it, I think he’s done had Maria in on this the whole damn time. He’s playing me like the damn fool. He wants me to think that she is all scared and innocent, but he’s got her playing this game too. He must have planned this all out way before we left and told her about it. But how in the hell did he know about it? All my calls were private and I never told anyone else. Well it sure as hell don’t matter now. Obviously we’re not all leaving here alive.
Tammy took a deep breath grinding her teeth from not having a cigarette between them. Despite the pain in her head, she felt that she was thinking very clearly. So that bastard has been plotting to torture and kill me. He is the crazy murderer, not me! I’m totally innocent. All I’ve been doing is defending myself. That’s right, I didn’t even do nothing wrong. I didn’t rig any car to go off the cliff, Darnell did! How can anyone prove I am not the damn victim?
Everyone is out to kill me and I need to protect myself. Both Stephen and Maria are dangerous psychos. I knew that little girl had something wrong with her. The way she smiles at everyone and acts all sweet and shy. She ain’t nothing but a black-hearted little bitch. She and Stephen think they are so damn clever. Well I’ll show them just how dumb they really are. It’s time for Tammy to take care of business.
She looked up at the living room ceiling with a smirk on her face. It’s perfect, really. Someone tried to kill Stephen for his money, and he snapped and comes to torture and kill me. I had nothing to do with it. Nobody can prove a damn thing. Tom will never admit to anything. So now all I am doing is defending myself both w
ith Stephen and little Maria. I’ll show that this was all their doing and get what I want in the end too.
Tammy stood up slowly and made her way into the kitchen. She started picking up some of the pieces of the dishes that had broken from the explosion in the cellar and set them on the table. Then she took one of the shards of glass and rubbed her finger along the razor-sharp edge ever so gently so it tickled her finger a bit. It’s a lot like life, now isn’t it? Walking one fine damn line between pleasure and pain, between life and death.
She opened the cupboard and took out the bag of ginger cookies. Then she set the bag on the table and opened the door to the tea cabinet. She was pleased to see that the tea set had not been broken. She took out a tray with accompanying tea set – two cups, two saucers, and an elegant tea pot. She put a metal pot on the stove, filled it with some of the bottled water, and turned on the flame. Tammy started to sing to herself. Poor little Maria was a naughty little bitch. Far away from home she ain’t nothing but a snitch. But all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t save little Maria from pain yet again.
After the water boiled, Tammy filled the tea pot and dropped in a bag of Rooibos. She reached into the back of the cupboard and took out the bottle of Strychnine poison. She opened the bottle and poured a bit of the fine white powder into one of the tea cups. After a few minutes, she poured the piping hot tea into the two cups and stirred the one with the poison. Then she arranged the cups with saucers, the tea pot, a small spoon, two napkins, and some ginger cookies on the tray. She carried everything with her into the living room.
Tammy slid the coffee table away from the trap door and right in front of the sofa. She wiped the table down with a cloth and adjusted the down feather pillows on the back of the couch. Then she set the tray down on the coffee table, giggling inside. Poor little Maria gets poisoned to death while Stephen is hunting down and killing people. And innocent little me? I have no idea what in the hell is going on. She knocked quietly on Maria’s door. She took a deep breath and softened her voice tone. “Maria baby, would you please come out here? Everything is gonna be just fine. I think that we’ve all let things get completely out of control and I’ve made some mistakes that I want to apologize for.”