by Dancer, Jack
sixty-two
07:32 Hours, Thursday Morning, 11 September.
The El Ravel Apartment.
"May I prepare breakfast for anyone? Or, have you consumed so much of each other that you are no longer hungry?” Madame Bovarie asks, standing in the doorway, hands on her hips like the mother who'd just caught you sleeping with your sister. "Tucker, clean up and get dressed. You have a lot to do today."
"So, Madame, what happened after Nanette and I fell asleep last night. Where's Rakim?" I ask.
"I called Señor Dick last night and he sent men over to take Señor Rakim away. He said Señor Rakim would never bother us again."
"And Tanya?"
"Tanya is sleeping in this morning. She is feeling quite sore after performing the gymnastics she did. Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes.” Before she leaves I give her the two uniforms and ask if she can alter them to fit Nanette and me. She says, yes, and will be back with us later for fittings. I roll over to Nanette and throw my leg over her and try to go back to sleep, but she awakens and jerks her body up to throw me off.
“Get off, Tucker, I've got to pee.”
“What?” I groan sleepily.
“I gotta pee.”
“Okay, pee.” I get to my knees and fall over her reaching for the key in the bedside table on her side.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting the key to unlock your handcuffs."
“Ugh.” She jerks again.” Get off, Tucker! You nearly burst my bladder. You wanna make me pee right here? Unlock these handcuffs.”
“I'm trying. I gotta get the key.” I get out of the bed and walk around to the bedside table, open the drawer and retrieve the key. As I'm unlocking the handcuffs, my eyes run the length of her incredible body. How did I stay away?
"You mean the key was in there the whole time?" she asks.
"Yeah. Now don't try to escape.” I yell after her on her way to the bathroom.
She turns and says, “You think I'm going to run into the street stark naked?”
“Wouldn't be the first time.”
“Would be for me, now leave me alone while I clean up,” she says slamming the bathroom door.
I fall back into bed and lay there re-running a mental video from last night then get back out of bed, walk to the bathroom and put my ear to the door. I hear the bath water running. Slowly, I open the door and peek in. She's lying in the tub with her eyes closed, the full length of her. I ease into the room and up to the bathtub and say, "You are my prisoner, and I order you to take care of this immediately," looking down.
She jumps with a little startle and tells me to get lost. She's talked to Monica and I'm off limits, she says. But she doesn't know I watched the video this morning and have Monica's full permission to do whatever I want, but I say nothing. She looks up at me with her charcoal eyes' dancing.
God, let me die many little deaths, just not with this woman. I give up and leave.
***
"I loaded the video from the Stealth Pen onto my computer this morning and watched the footage. Tell me about this girl talk session you had with Monica when you turned the Stealth Pen off." I didn't tell her that I had partial audio.
"What do you want to know?" Nanette asks.
"I want to know everything that was said, Nanette," I say. "But first of all, tell me why Monica thought that this little talk you two had needed to be secret. What's going on that either of you thinks I need to be kept in the dark?"
"Nothing really, Tucker. I think Monica just wanted to fill me in on what she'd told Drusilla so that whatever we said to her in terms of making a deal to rescue her wouldn't be in opposition. You know, that our stories dovetail."
"Okay, makes sense," I say. "So what is it she told Drusilla?"
“Alright, but first remember that Monica was operating with no knowledge of the lottery ticket before Drusilla brought it up so that was a shock to her to begin with. At first, Monica denied knowing anything about a lottery ticket, but Drusilla didn't believe her and wasn't going to believe her so Monica decided to give in on that and take another approach."
"Which was?" I ask.
"This is where I think, you would agree that Monica is a very smart woman. At least, that's what I think. In fact, I think what Monica did was not only the gutsiest thing she could have done under the circumstances but also, brilliant," she says, "and I can tell you that I've got a whole new respect for Monica. I would have never thought the woman was as smart and as brave as she is."
"Okay, I get it. You're a fan. What did she say or do or whatever," I say thinking, yeah, I've liked her all along. I know she's smart but this secret shit is concerning to me after some of the fragmented audio that you don't know I heard earlier.
"Don't be a jerk, Tucker. You need to keep an open mind here because this woman's probably got this whole situation under control more than you think you have."
"I apologize then, go on. What's the approach that she took with Drusilla?"
"She basically gave in and admitted that you all had the ticket and that if she wanted to get anything out of this deal, she'd have to agree to your demands. Monica switched the tables on Drusilla and put her at your mercy. If she didn't agree to your terms, she'd get nothing, and after I had already let her know about all the stuff that's coming with the march and everything else you've put into motion, I think Drusilla's a believer. So what Monica has done by being so aggressive, in effect, is taken control of the situation and put herself in the catbird's seat. Drusilla's been put on notice, and she now has no power over either of you if she expects to come out of this thing alive."
"Holy shit. That was some ballsy gamble," I say.
“Sure was. So all Drusilla has to offer up now if she wants to save herself is the safe return of Monica."
"But that still leaves us with another problem you know," I say.
"What's that?"
"I have the ticket, and I haven't cashed it," I say.
"Why is that a problem?" Nanette asks. "I'm sure Drusilla would rather have the ticket than trying to get the cash out of you and Monica."
Now I see that Nanette and Monica both are expecting for me to give up the ticket to Drusilla in return for Monica; not just a share of the winnings. She wants to see if I really do love her enough to give up the ticket, all of it. She wants me to prove that I love her. I should let this go. I said I'd give up the ticket for Monica, and I will if there's no other way. But there is another way.
One phone call to Fernandez and I can have him retrieve the ticket, claim the winnings for me anonymously and deposit the funds in the pre-assigned accounts. I can also do that and have him replace the ticket with the counterfeit Speed made, and the boys can deliver that to Drusilla. There are options. I'm a businessman, not a soldier, or a criminal. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to make a deal. The key to successful negotiations is to have the upper hand, and I think I have that covered. I hope.
The second is to do a deal where everyone comes out with something that can make them happy - all winners, no losers. That also includes Monica believing that I'll give it all up for her. Yes, Virginia, there are things that are more important than money and I'm counting on Monica believing that too.
"It's not a problem," I say. "But none of what you've told me justifies a private girls talk, Nanette. You're holding something back. What aren't you telling me?"
"Tucker, it's not important. It really has nothing to do with you or any of this."
"You're lying. I need to know, Nanette."
"It was something that Drusilla did to Monica, Tucker. Something very terrible, very personal and something that she swore me not to tell you, and I won't."
"Did she hurt her, Nanette?"
"Yes, she did. Not physically. She's not maimed or anything. It was simply a terrible experience she put her through. Can we leave it at that, Tucker? If she wants to tell you, she will."
***
"We have a lot to do today so eat heartily,” I say.
“A lot to see today too, Tucker. I don't want to miss the march.”
“When does that start?”
“Six o'clock this evening.”
“Do you know where exactly?”
“It begins at the intersection of Gran Via and Passeig de Gràcia (near Plaça de Catalunya) at 6:00 pm, goes down Pau Claris street to the Via Laietana, and ends, near the Parliament of Catalonia building in the Parc de la Ciutadella. They're setting up a big stage there, and that's where we'll hear all the speakers. That's where the party will begin.”
“Let's turn on the news and see what's happening,” I say reaching for the television remote.
". . . still missing, two Barcelona teenage girls, Elena Basso and Sophia De la Riva, last seen near the village of Puigcerda. The two girls disappeared one week ago today. Police still do not know their whereabouts. A nationwide manhunt is underway, and any persons with knowledge about the missing girls are encouraged to contact police authorities.
Today, the missing girls will be a hot topic at the Catalan Independence march, as their sudden and unexplainable disappearance will be used to remind all Catalonians of the mysterious disappearances over the thirty-six year rule of Generalissimo Franco."
(Switching to the female news announcer.)
“In other news . . .
Barcelonans awoke to quite a surprise this morning finding hundreds of wanted posters along the route for today's March for Catalan Independence, on telephone poles, utility poles, anything vertical and all places illegal. The wanted posters are for the capture - DEAD OR ALIVE - of one Doctor Drusilla Libica, otherwise known as the Raven. This is the wanted poster (A shot of the poster fills the screen) and this is Doctor Drusilla Libica. It is claimed Doctor Libica is a murderer, a pedophile, and a traitor to the movement - the Catalan Independence Movement, of course. It also claims she is the secret head of an underground guerrilla army, the Terra Lliure II, operating throughout the Pyrenees on both sides of the border. There is a five million euro reward for her capture.”
(Switching to the male news announcer.)
“DEAD OR ALIVE the second announcer emphasizes. FIVE MILLION EUROS and THAT'S a lot of denaro.”
(Back to the original female announcer.)
“It's euros today, Jose. Get with the program.”
(Back to the male announcer.)
“Euros, denaro or dollars, anyway you call it, that's a lot of Simoleons.”
(Female announcer.)
“You're not kidding, Jose. And it's also reported that Doctor Libica resides in Perpignan, France though visits by authorities to the residence have not yet turned-up the missing doctor.”
(Male announcer.)
“It's also been reported these wanted posters are standing all along the roadsides between Barcelona and Perpignan, and for the last couple of days authorities throughout the region have been inundated by mass FAXes and emails listing the many crimes committed by this Doctor Libica, also known as the Raven.”
(Female announcer.)
“Ay, caramba! Jose. I think if I were Doctor Drusilla Libica, I'd be headed out of the country just about now.”
(Male announcer.)
“Off the planet if it were me.”
(Female announcer.)
“Sure would disappoint a lot of people who could use a little extra denaro.”
(Male announcer.)
“Sure would. In other news . . ."
I flip to three other Barcelona news stations and find the same news about the defamation campaign, then turn the tube off.
“Holy shit, Tucker. Can you believe it?" Nanette says and pauses, "Well, I guess you can since you did it all. And just how did you pull off such a stunt anyway? I've been with you the whole time the last few days. When did you do all this?"
“With a little imagination and a little money, you can pull anything off,” I say. "Plus, I have a secret weapon, a helper that can get anything done anywhere. He's my backup man."
"God?" she says.
“Close but no. Speed's his name. So, you be careful because if anything happens to me, he knows where to find you.”
“And where exactly is this, Speed god?”
“Hey, Speed, you there man?”
“I'm here Bluesman. The Great Oz sees and hears all, and I see you have the beautiful Nanette with you this morning. Hello Nanette,” his voice booming from the wall speakers.
Nanette jumps, "Holy shit.”
“Holy shit is right,” I say. "There're IP cameras all over this place so Speed keeps a close watch on things.”
“You mean he sees everything we do?”
“Yep. Pretty much, right, Speed?”
“Par excellence, Bluesman. And my undying admiration to you too, milady.”
“My God. You're two pervs for sure,” she says.
“No, milady. Bluesman's the perv. Me, I'm just a simple voyeur.”
“Can we turn him off, Tucker? Please. No offense, Speed,” she says.
"None taken. I'll get back to writing the book and editing the movie. Gonna be a rich man . . ." he sings off.
“Hey, Speed. Take a break. Get some sleep. We'll be back on the air again later.”
“Roger that, Bluesman. You want to give me her tag number first?”
“Not this time, Speed. I'm not even sure she has a car.” I turn to Nanette, "You have a car?”
“Of course I have a car, why?” she says.
“I'll have to get that to you later, Speed.”
“Roger and Wilco that, Bluesman. Speedster signing off; over and out.”
“What was that all about?” Nanette asks.
“It's sort of an old joke between us.”
“So tell.”
"It's not important."
"Tell anyway."
“Fine. One time I was meeting up with a woman I'd met on Match.com. We were hooking up at a Denny's in Anaheim for brunch. We hit it off and she asked me to follow her home, so I did, enthusiastically."
"Of course, you did."
I followed her down a two-lane country road for miles and miles to her father's house - he'd died, and she was staying in his house until she could sell the place, so she said. Anyhow, along the way it dawned on me that I don't know this woman from Adam . . ."
"Or Eve," she says.
"Or Eve, and she could be leading me out to some God-awful place in the woods to murder me for all I know."
“Or, seduce you, then murder you,” she says.
“That's what I was hoping. At least, the first part. Hey, who knows? This is California, we're talking about. Anyhow, it kinda freaked me out. No one knew where I was or what I was doing or even who I was with, so there'd be no one to know - not a clue - where my dead body might be found. That's when I figured somebody should know, so I called my ole fellow bachelor buddy, Speed. I told him what was going on, and I gave him the county road number, the woman's name, and a description of her car and tag number.”
“And that's where the tag number came from.”
“Exactly, pretty smart, huh?”
“And that one little phone call led to all this - IP cameras, full audio and video? You do this on all your dates?”
“Not all. Only the special ones. Usually, it's not such a production but the IP cameras were already here and with all I've been through on this trip? I mean, look at Ebba, Terry, and Monica; and, look at who I've been hanging around with lately. Can you blame me?”
“You mean moi.”
“Especially vous.”
“I'm heartbroken you'd think of me that way, someone who loves you,” she feigns dramatic.
“People eat the vons day love,” I say in my best Dracula.
“True dar-link. It is the ultimate expression of love, don't you tink?” she swoons.
“Uh oh. Hey, Speed? Hear that?” I call out.
“Yep, better keep those shackles close at hand with this one, Bluesman,” says Speed, again launching Nanette off her seat.
“Jesus
Christ! You're still here?” she screams.
“Omnipresent 'R' Us,” cracks the Speedster.
***
“Tucker, we'd better be very careful today if we go out. Drusilla is going to be just about out of her mind by now.”
“She's been out of her mind all along,” I say.
“Maybe so, but after all this, I wouldn't doubt she has teams of men scouring Barcelona looking for you right now, and if they find you; they'll skin you alive, and if they find me with you, I'm just as skinned.”
“Funny you should use that metaphor."
“Skin you alive?” she asks.
“Yeah. Just so happens . . . Remember those two missing teenage girls they were talking about on the newscast just now?”
“Wasn't it awful about those two girls.”
“Yes. And do you remember the photo of the flayed girl I showed you Libica sent to my email - the one I showed you on our way to Llivia?”
“You think that's one of them?”
“I'm pretty sure.”
“What makes you think so?”
“Because I've been told by a reliable source that skinning someone is something Libica's dabbled in before.”
“And who's the reliable source?” she asks.
“Can't tell you that, right now." I know if I say Rakim all credibility's gone.
“Still don't trust me do you, Tucker?”
“Course not, why should I?”
"Because I'm here with you, and I'm going with you to see this deal through. Because for all intents and purposes I've turned on Pau - at least as far as she's concerned - and I'll bet anything that Pau has gone to her mother's and is doing everything she can to team up with her. They want the ticket and they'll do anything to get their hands on it and get out. If that means killing you, me and Monica, so be it as far as they're concerned.
So you see, Tucker, I'm with you whether I like it or not but I'll tell you honestly too that I do like it. I want to be with you. I'm sick and tired of living the life I have with that little sicko Pau who's had my head in a guillotine practically forever. She can drop the blade anytime. I'm sick of living like that. And to tell you another truth, since I've been with you this week and working to help rescue Monica and do the right thing for once, I feel better about myself than I have in ages. I'm in, Tucker. Whether you believe that or not, I am. I know that this is probably the last day I'll be alone with you so I want to give you one last part of me while I can," she says coming out of her chair and ducking under the breakfast table.