Bunny Elder Adventure Series: Four Complete Novels: Hollow, Vain Pursuits, Seadrift, ...and Something Blue

by J. B. Hawker

  She felt certain she would be able to reach them, somehow, but knew they were inches too small for her to squeeze through (even if she miraculously lost the fifteen extra pounds she was carrying around).

  She tried to imagine what Nancy Drew would do, but could not remember a single helpful plot line.

  Walter started to drop Max onto the bare cement floor.

  Bunny begged him to wait, while she dragged down some gunnysacks she’d noticed hanging over a beam.

  After she spread them out, Walter laid Max upon them almost gently. Even so, Max moaned at the jostling.

  He seemed to be regaining consciousness, Bunny noted with some relief.

  Walter told Bunny to sit down on the floor beside Banks.

  She settled herself on the hard, cold concrete and Walter began rummaging around among the abandoned articles on the shelves which ran along one wall.

  After a few moments he said, “Ah!” and plucked a lamp from the rummage.

  He detached the cord with a jerk, brought it over to Bunny and began to tie her hands together.

  “Oh, please, Walter, don’t do this. Don’t tie my hands. How can I help Max with my hands tied? And, what about the rats? I heard rats when we came down here. I know I did. There are droppings all around. How can I fight them off without my hands?” Bunny pleaded.

  Bunny whined and begged shamelessly, but Walter continued to bind her tightly with the cord.

  Once satisfied she was secure, he resumed his search of the basement, returning with each new treasure to secure Bunny’s ankles and then Max’s hands and feet, as well.

  It was obvious moving his left leg caused Max a great deal of pain. Bunny feared it was broken.

  She wondered what other, less obvious, injuries he had suffered.

  Satisfied Bunny and this new husband of hers were not going to be able to go anywhere, Walter started to leave.

  “How long are you going to leave us here, Walter? Where are you going? What are you going to do with us?” Bunny called out desperately.

  “God knows, Mrs. Elder. God knows,” Walter replied over his shoulder.

  Reaching the top of the stairs, he walked into the kitchen, shutting the cellar door behind him.

  There was a click and total blackness enveloped Bunny, the unconscious Max Banks, and the creatures scurrying about them.

  “Oh, Walter, not the light,” Bunny moaned and began to sob.

  Chapter 27

  They will be destroyed by fire once you are here...–Psalm 21:9

  “Ooh, man. What the...?”

  Max had awakened in the darkness, in pain and unable to move his arms and legs.

  He felt icy cold all over...no, wait, it was hard and frigid beneath him, and the hip he was lying on felt like ice. The front of him was cold, too, but he felt warmth and softness behind him. In fact, it felt like a woman lying spoon-like up against his back.

  “What’s going on? Where am I?” he asked in a weak, rasping voice.

  His throat felt parched and his head ached like the worst hangover that ever was. Had he been on some sort of bender? He had not had this sort of “lost weekend” experience in a very long time...in fact, nothing this bad, ever.

  Why was it so dark? He’d never been “blind drunk” before.

  “Max, thank God, you’re awake. Are you all right?”

  “All right? I feel like I’ve been scraped off the treads of a tank. What the hell is going on, Bunny?”

  “What is the last thing you remember?”

  Max thought for a moment.

  He remembered waking up blind and paralyzed in this walk-in freezer. Nothing more. He was getting really frightened, now.

  “Bunny, what happened? Tell me! Don’t give me memory tests, for chrissakes.”

  “I’m sorry, Max. I thought, maybe you might have remembered you and I coming to Dinks Dodd’s place to interview him yesterday. You might have even remembered finding Walter Bjorglund here, instead of Dinks, and Walter hitting you and knocking you down the stairs. You were unconscious for the rest of the story, though, so you wouldn’t remember Walter trying to kill you, again, or being carried down here to the basement where we were tied up and left alone in the dark.”

  “What in the world are you talking about? Why would Walter whatsisname want to kill me? I don’t even know the guy!”

  “I don’t know what set him off, but apparently, Walter has become my guardian angel or something. He overheard a few of our arguments and decided you needed to be eliminated in order to protect me. When you didn’t die from the fall down the stairs, he was prepared to have another go at you.”

  “After I told him you were once my husband, for some reason he decided not to kill you, but to stash us here, while he thinks things over. I don’t know how long we’ve been down here. It seems like days, but it had just gotten dark when he left us and the sun has not come up, yet.”

  “There are a couple of small windows, so we will know when it’s daytime. I guess we could scratch out a calendar like the one they do in prison movies...only we don’t have the use of our hands. Maybe the rats will gnaw through our bonds before devouring us and we can make a miraculous escape squeezing out through the windows...not before we have starved down to supermodel-size, though...”

  Bunny was rambling, but couldn’t stop herself.

  Lying there in the dark for hours, listening to the rats and mice, wondering if Max were dying, if Walter was coming back and if they would ever get out alive, she was close to hysteria.

  Only constant prayer kept her even slightly rational.

  “Bunny, get a grip, okay?” Max said, not unkindly.

  “So, we are in a bit of a spot, but it will be daylight soon. Then we can take stock of our situation and figure out what to do. Did this Walter guy take my cell phone?”

  “No, I don’t think so, but it won’t do us any good down here. I saw it on the floor just inside the kitchen doorway. I don’t think Walter even noticed it. He may have seen it on his way out, of course. It doesn’t matter much, either way, though.”

  “Right now, it may not, but once we get out of this hole, we will want to call for help as quickly as possible.”

  Bunny felt calmer just listening to Max.

  It was so typical of him to take charge of the situation, even incapacitated as he was now.

  Maybe he really would think of a way out in the morning.

  Max shifted a bit and moaned.

  “My head really hurts, Bunny. What did that guy hit me with?”

  “He had a hammer in his hand, but I think he just grazed you with it. When I saw him at the top of the stairs, I cried out in surprise. Walter was startled and you turned toward me a little just as he swung, so the hammer didn’t connect with your head. He knocked you off balance, though, and you took a nasty tumble down the stairs. That’s what did the damage, I’m afraid.”

  “My leg hurts, too...I think I’ll just rest for a bit and wait for sunrise,” Max mumbled softly and then grew silent.

  Bunny was sorry for Max’s pain. She knew he might be seriously injured and wished she could do something to help.

  Just lying there on the heat-sucking concrete made her terribly aware of her own discomfort. Even a couple of layers of filthy burlap, like those cushioning Max, would seem as luxurious as a feather bed.

  Bunny was not overly materialistic. Possessions were just useful objects to her. Unlike her friends who had cherished collections of teddy bears, frogs or crystal, Bunny thought such accumulations were useless dust collectors.

  However, there was one way she indulged herself lavishly, and that was always buying high quality bed linens. Bunny hated to sleep on rough muslin sheets.

  Feeling the clammy, gritty concrete beneath her made her just a little ashamed.

  It was not only victims of lunatics who slept that night in cold, hard beds without the comfort of a sheet or blanket.

  Bunny made a vow to donate more to the homeless ministries when she was back in
her own home. If she ever made it back.

  Bunny’s shoulder and hip alternately burned and ached with cold.

  With her tied hands pulled up against her cheek, in order to get more contact with Max, it was very difficult to shift her position to restore the blood to her cramped joints.

  She struggled to get more comfortable without waking the injured man, but he jerked awake with a low cry.

  “Who’s there?”

  “It’s me, Max. We are still stuck in Dodd’s basement, remember?” Bunny asked gently.

  “Not just a bad dream, then?”

  “I’m afraid not. How do you feel now?”

  “Rotten. But, I think I’m beginning to make out a few shapes around me. The darkness is not so complete. It must be nearing sunrise.”

  “Why, yes. I think I can see a bit, too. Thank God.”

  Even though they were still in a bad situation, the coming of light brought hope and renewed courage.

  “Max, I am going to roll away from you, now. Then you can roll onto your back. It may relieve some of your pain. I don’t think we have to worry about succumbing to hypothermia, now.”

  Bunny rolled away from Max and felt a surge of warmth flood her hip and shoulder followed by searing pain.

  She shrugged her shoulder and flexed her hips to restore circulation, then continued to roll away from Max’s pallet on the floor.

  “Where are you going, Bunny?” Max asked when he noticed her continued movement.

  “I’m just trying to get my blood pumping. I’ll be right back,” she responded.

  Once on his back, Max was able to better assess his injuries and he tried to zero in on the sources of his greatest pain. This kept him too busy to wonder about what Bunny was doing on the other side of the cellar.

  Bunny took advantage of his preoccupation to wrestle herself onto her knees. Alternately pushing at the waistband of her stretch pants (unfashionable, but, oh so practical!) with her bound hands and flopping onto her side and scooting herself forward, she managed to get her pants down around her knees.

  Pulling herself up into a squatting position against the far wall, she managed to relieve her nearly bursting bladder.

  On the other side of the basement, Max burst out laughing.

  “Sounds like all that pumping brought in a gusher, Bunny! Why didn’t you just say you were going to pee, you goof?”

  “Don’t make fun of me, Max! You know I’ve always had a bashful bladder.”

  “You are so weird. Roll back over her and keep me warm. We need to talk...now that you can concentrate.”

  It was even more difficult for Bunny to rearrange her clothes than it had been to get out of them, but eventually everything was back in place, more or less.

  After nearly toppling over with dizziness, she managed to stand up.

  Walter had tied her ankles together while they were crossed.

  When Bunny maneuvered her feet so they were side by side, the cord was a bit looser and she was able to shuffle across to Max.

  The pale dawn light forced its way through the grimy windows and began to display to Max and Bunny the cold, hard facts of their predicament.

  The only openings in the thick cinder block walls appeared to be the high, narrow windows Bunny had seen the night before. There was no way either Max or Bunny could fit through them.

  They saw no indication of a coal chute or similar opening.

  “Those windows are so small! Even if we can get ourselves untied, how are we going to get out of this cellar,” Bunny moaned.

  “I plan to try the same door we came in by. Your boyfriend might not have even bothered to lock it, since he trussed us up so tightly.”

  “Walter is not my boyfriend, thank you very much, but you’re right. I don’t remember hearing the sound of the door latch. In this old house, there may not even be a lock on the door. Oh, Max, we’ve got to hurry and get these cords off.”

  Bunny began to gnaw at the knot of the cord on her wrists, but wasn’t accomplishing much beyond sore teeth.

  “Bunny, stop. You can use your hands, even though your wrists are bound. Try to untie these rags holding my hands together.”

  Walter found an extension cord and some clothesline for their ankles, but was forced to tear up an old curtain to bind Max’s hands. Max was right. They would probably be the easiest to loosen.

  Bunny knelt down on the rough floor beside Max and began trying to free him.

  As the light strengthened, she was able to see how pale and ashen he looked.

  “How are you feeling, now, Max? Any better than before?” she asked.

  “I don’t feel too bad, other than the pain in my left leg. That just doesn’t let up. I think maybe once I can straighten it out I might feel better.”

  Glancing at his legs Bunny could see the left one was in an awkward position, but she was afraid untying it was not going to be much improvement.

  It looked broken to her.

  She hoped Max would be strong enough to hop out if the door was unlocked. She knew she could not carry him and was not about to leave him there alone. She didn’t like the way he looked.

  As Bunny worked on the knots, Max began, in a dreamy voice, to tell her about his plans for the future.

  “I’m going back to the islands, you know, Bunny. It’s so wonderful there. I can’t think why I ever left. It’s never cold and I can spend my days just sunning on the beach, sailing or diving. Why don’t you come with me? We could dive every day. You would love it, especially the weightlessness. It is as addictive as a drug.”

  “The warm water seems womb-like at first, but then it is like being born into a totally different and fascinating world, with beauty beyond comprehension, hundreds of species of fish and coral, just gorgeous beyond my ability to express.”

  Listening to Max rambling while she picked at his bindings, Bunny wondered if he was becoming delirious. She had never heard him talking like this before.

  “You would love diving, Hun, you’ve always been a good swimmer...and you would look awfully cute in a wet suit.”

  Bunny was absolutely certain she would hate scuba diving.

  The world beneath the sea Max found so fascinating frightened her. The undersea scenes in television shows and movies gave her a feeling of claustrophobia. The plant and animal life seemed like sinister space aliens to Bunny. She had even managed to avoid seeing Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

  Max wasn’t serious about wanting her to join him on his island, of course, and nothing had changed between them. Once they were out of this unbelievable mess, they would carry on with their separate lives.

  Still, it was pleasant to fantasize about a life together with no responsibilities, no religious differences and nothing but the bright sun on their backs and the warm sand between their toes.

  “Sure, Max. I’ll bet that black rubber suit would be one of my best looks, yet. What are you going to do for income on this island paradise of yours, anyway? The Clarion-Review is a nice little paper, but I can’t see it bringing the kind of sales price a person can retire on.”

  Bunny’s question distracted Max from his daydream.

  “Why, Bunny, I always thought you knew I wasn’t running the paper because I needed the money. I made my bundle long ago. When I retired on my fiftieth birthday, I had enough invested for Suzette and me to live in luxury for the rest of our lives. She got a huge chunk of it in the divorce, it’s true, but I won’t ever need to earn a living, as long as I keep my life simple.”

  “Well, that is good to hear, Max. I’m happy for you,” Bunny said with sincerity.

  She was happy for Max, even though she could not suppress just the teensiest bit of envy.

  What could her life be like, if she did not have to work to support herself?

  “There! I got one of the knots! Now we are getting someplace.”

  Encouraged by her progress, Bunny worked with renewed concentration.

  For many minutes neither of the captives spoke.
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  When Bunny eventually freed Max’s hands, he failed to move them and she realized he was sleeping.

  It would do no good to have Max unbound if he were too ill and weak to untie Bunny in return.

  She decided to let him sleep while she started working on the knotted clothesline around his ankles, being careful of Max’s left leg as she worked.

  Seen up close, the ankle was swollen and discolored. She thought she could feel heat radiating from it, as well.

  She worked as quickly as possible, with her own hands tied together at the wrists.

  It troubled her that Max’s hands remained together, just as though bound, while he slept.

  Bunny tugged a little too hard on the last knot, causing Max to cry out and wake up.

  “Sorry! I’ve been trying not to wake you. I’ve finished, though. Your hands and feet are free, now. See if you can sit up.”

  Bunny shuffled around behind Max and helped him ease to a sitting position.

  He grew very pale and swayed against her before steadying himself.

  “I’m not going to be much help getting us out of here if I can’t even sit up on my own, am I?” he asked.

  “You have been lying still too long, that’s all. You’ll feel stronger in a minute,” Bunny reassured the two of them.

  “Here, try to untie my cords, and then we can get out of this dump.”

  Bunny crouched down next to Max, so he could work on the cord around her wrists.

  His hands were weak and shaky from his injuries and from the extended immobilization and reduced circulation.

  She could tell he was becoming frustrated.

  “Tell me more about this tropical island you are running off to. I’m intrigued. Do you own it?” she prompted.

  “No, dear. I am not that well off. Bonaire is mostly owned by the Dutch, actually.”

  He calmed down and continued to educate Bunny on the history and geography of the Netherlands Antilles, while he painstakingly worked at the knots on her wrists.

  All the time Max was lecturing her, Bunny was listening intently...not to him, but to the sounds in the house.

  Every old house has a symphony of sounds it plays to itself in the stillness. She hoped the pops and creakings she was hearing now were just another movement of this particular house’s magnum opus.