by Glover, Dan
He thought the old woman might have spotted him once while he was waiting outside the tavern where Allison worked. He had followed his sister there, stalked her, and learned everything he could about her routine. Lurking in the shadows late one night he was uncharacteristically inattentive for but a moment staring out at the sky pierce with diamonds opening out over the sea.
When he looked back at the tavern, a single solitary figure was standing at the door staring his way. It was the same old bitch he had seen entering the building earlier in the day. He thought how she either worked there too or else she drank as much as Allison. Killing the old woman would have been a pleasure, but one he knew he couldn’t give in to, at least not right away. It would only serve to arouse suspicion.
Taking advantage of the ocean breeze rippling the bushes and the trees where he hid he moved deeper into the shadows like a figment of someone's imagination. She was an old woman, after all. How good could her eyesight really be?
A second later he gasped as Allison emerged from the tavern. He melted into the darkness like a dream gone bad as he watched the two of them walk over and get into a red Mercedes convertible. He knew where they were going so there was no need to follow too closely.
"The man doesn't look like the type to give me any trouble. He's like a meek little boy. They all live in an old isolated Victorian a quarter mile from the nearest neighbors. It will be easy to break into and from what I can see it's perfectly safe. No one will hear the screams."
"With two more, we'd have half a dozen women. That'd suffice to keep us both fed for a good long time. We wouldn’t have to put ourselves in harms way any longer."
"I might need your help, old man. Are you feeling up to it?"
"I've been rather hoping you'd ask me that. I feel quite amazing."
"You look good, Kirk. I'm sure I can handle my sister. I doubt she has any idea of our plans for her. The other woman might be a problem. She's older than Allison. She looks like she's been around the block a time or two. She might put up a fight, especially if she realizes her daughter is in danger."
"Between the two of us, I suspect we'll have the upper hand... especially if they don’t expect us. The element of surprise is a formidable ally, my boy. I notice you've been gone a lot at night lately. Is that what you've been doing? You haven’t been spotted, I trust."
"I've been watching them but I make sure to stay in the shadows. I'm sure no one has seen me. The women stay at home most of the time. The man works at a tavern in the evenings. There's a little girl involved. She must be eight or ten years old. I figure we can either take her or leave her. If we leave her, we'd have to make sure she wouldn’t talk."
"Ah, little girls are such precious treasures. We really should make an effort to bring her along, Oscuro."
"I've been leaning in that direction myself, old man. It's settled, then; we'll take all three of them with us."
"How far away is this place where they live?"
"It's a couple hours drive from here, but we have that show coming up next week in Orange County. That'd be the time to take them. It's just a half hour up the coast from there."
"Yes, and it's a good time to pay a visit to the cellar too. We need to check on things there, Oscuro. The oldest one will be ready any time now."
"These two we're picking up will be ready too. We'll have ourselves a feast, old man."
Kirk poured both their glasses full of cognac before offering a toast.
"Here's to plans coming to fruition."
"Here's to good friends."
Oscuro tapped his glass into Kirk's before draining it.
"I'd like to borrow some of your clown makeup when we do this thing. I'd rather my sister didn’t recognize me, at least not right away."
"We make a fine pair, my boy.
Chapter 47—Stray Dogs
“When did these headaches start, Billy?”
“A couple months ago, I guess. Well, when I think about it, I remember having them as a kid too. They come and they go… they always have.”
“And you say you’re experiencing dizziness and nausea too?”
“Yes I am, Cindy. I see colored spots when I close my eyes too. And there’s this weird smell that I think I've experienced before but I don’t remember where or what it is. I can’t even describe it.”
He hated going to his therapist. She was way too sanctimonious for Billy's liking, always finding some flaw in his character that she seemed to great delight in revealing to him, as if she knew his personality better than he did.
Each month she seemed to have bloated up even more than before... Billy noticed how she had a hard time wiggling into the chair that sat behind her desk. He wanted to recommend she get one without arms on it to make it easier for her to fit into but he knew she wouldn’t be amused.
He wondered what she ate to make her so enormous and why someone who was obviously out of control when it came to suppressing her own appetite thought she was capable of counseling others with their undisciplined issues. She didn’t seem to notice the hypocrisy or the ridiculousness of the situation.
Instead, she droned on, asking Billy the same questions she asked each month when he showed up for his appointment. He wondered how long he would be required to keep attending the sessions that seemed to do little more than take two hundred of Billy's hard earned dollars from his pocket.
It had been a year and a half since he was discharged from the hospital. Billy thought he had made great strides in his life but Cindy seemed to revel in bringing him down. Each time he related something new going on in his life a look of consternation blossomed on her face as if she was glad to be disappointed in him for his behavior.
“Are you still taking your medication as prescribed?”
“Oh yes, I’ve been taking it religiously.”
“Is there any one thing causing you more stress than usual?”
Cindy sat scribbling in her notebook as she puffed out her chest. He couldn’t help but wonder why he found her vaguely attractive, especially after Allison had come into their lives.
The older woman sitting across from him smelled of vinegar and cheap perfume. She rarely looked up from the notebook that must have been filled several times over by now. Still, Billy couldn’t help but imagine Cindy smiling at him the same way Lisa did when she planned an evening of sex and fun.
“Are there any changes in your life, Billy?”
Don't tell her. She's only fishing for a reason to stick you back in the funny farm.
He knew better than to answer the voice but lately it had become increasingly difficult to ignore the wolf. It was coming closer, growing more insistent. The pills didn’t help but if he mixed liquor with them the booze seemed to act as a potentiating agent, improving the efficiency that had dwindled over the last few months.
The drugs had never really worked. Billy had merely learned to ignore the more telling signs of his disease in order to get out of that place... he saw others inside those walls who had become habituated to the security that the concrete and steel offered. Billy didn’t want to go there, not yet. So he learned to mimic the sane.
“No, I can’t seem to think of anything right off hand… well… to tell the truth… we’ve taken another lover. Her name is Allison. Lisa loves her as much as I do. I don’t think it’s causing me any stress though… more like it relieves it.” Billy blushed as he grinned at Cindy. “The sex we have is incredible.”
“Lisa isn’t jealous about seeing you with someone else? She's your wife. Most women wouldn’t appreciate their husband being with another woman.”
Cindy had dropped her pen and looked up at him with something akin to amazement coloring her eyes. They were blue, like Allison's. Funny he had never noticed that before... Cindy's were more of a robin's egg blue... not the crystal sky blue that startled Billy the first time he met Allison.
“She’s the one who suggested it. It isn’t just me seeing Allison. Lisa sees her too. All three of us are lovers… I kn
ow that sounds weird… we’re all happy, though. Things between me and Lisa are really good… better than ever, actually. Allison completes us.”
Cindy looked back down at her notebook while imperceptibly shaking her head, as if unsure whether to believe Billy or not. She turned a couple pages and seemed to hesitate while she read her notes.
“The last time we talked you said Lisa’s daughter is coming to live with you… Jennifer Emily… is that her name? How is that going?”
“We call her Jem. She's with us now. The adoption is finalized and we’re all excited about starting a new life together. Oh... and I did remember that I had a sister who I’d forgotten.”
“That’s interesting… what do you suppose prompted that memory?”
“Lisa showed me a picture from my father’s old bible—it’s the only thing I have of his… he kept pictures in it—a photograph of a boy holding the hand of a little girl. She wondered if it was me. Honestly, at the time I didn’t know for sure. The date on the back of the photograph said 1986, which would have made me about eight years old. The boy in the picture looked to be about that age so I decided it had to be me. But I didn’t know the girl.
“Later that night I realized she was my sister. She would have been around Jem’s age when she passed away. Her name was Pearl, Pearl Ann. I had to take care of her because my mother was so into her bible studies and my father drank too much… they’d both forget to feed us or to wash our clothes. My father spent all the money he made on drinking and the dogs he kept in the back yard."
"He kept dogs?'
"Every time he saw a stray mutt he'd stop the car and pick it up. He must have had a dozen or more. I remember my mother arguing with him about them. Rather than buying food for the table he'd go out and spend his whole paycheck on booze and dog food, and then sit out there all night drinking and talking to those dogs. I remember when he left, the first thing my mother did was to go outside and set them all loose. They didn’t want to go. She had to take a stick and run them off with it.
"Anyway, the kids at school always teased me about my dirty clothes. I didn’t want Pearl to go through that too so I washed her clothes myself. I tried to look after her. One day she came home from school with a cough. It just got worse. My folks didn’t take her to the doctor. Instead, my mother had her prayer group come over to pray for her recovery. I remember how I stole some medicine from a drug store to give to her but it didn’t help. Pearl died when she was seven years old. I've been thinking that I could have done more to save her.”
“That’s not your fault, Billy. You were just a child yourself.”
“I still feel responsible though… now that I remember. Isn’t it funny how I could forget someone who I cared so much about? We grew up together. We played together. I taught Pearl how to talk and I watched as she took her first steps.”
“I suspect it's a defensive mechanism, Billy. Or a side effect of the ECT treatments you received. In a way, however, it’s good you’re remembering more of your past. I know it must be hard to relive unpleasant memories. It will help with your ultimate recovery. But I don’t think it would trigger the symptoms you've relating.”
“So what should we do? I don’t know if I can take many more of these headaches. They’re getting worse. I take aspirin but it doesn’t help.”
“I’d like to recommend that we do some tests, Billy. I’m not a medical doctor. You know that. And rather than prescribing pain killers, I’d like to first rule out any physical cause for your headaches. This is the name of a doctor who specializes in treatment of migraine headaches. And from the way you describe it, that’s what you’re having. I’d like you to make an appointment with him.”
She handed him a business card without looking him in the eyes.
“I’ll call right away… thank you, Cindy.”
“You’re welcome… and Billy…”
“Yes?”
“Be careful… it sounds to me as if you have your hands full…”
Chapter 48—Taken
"What are you doing here, Alex?"
She instantly recognized him even through the hideous haze of the clown makeup he wore. No sooner had the words issued from of her mouth than she slammed the door in his face, locking it before he could respond with a push which did little against the heavy over-sized front door.
"Billy!"
She screamed so loudly it startled her. She had no idea she was capable of making such a noise. She turned around to run and he was there.
"What is it, Allison? I heard you screaming."
"Alex is here, Billy. I thought it was Yelena. She called earlier to tell me she was stopping by. But it's Alex! He's dressed up as a clown but I know it's him."
"Go upstairs to our room and lock the door. Lisa and Jem are already up there. There's a pistol in the closet on the top shelf locked in a metal box wrapped in a pink shawl. Here is the key. The gun is loaded. Get it and wait for me. If anyone other than me tries to come through that door, kill them."
As she turned to run up the stairs the sound of glass breaking caused her to gasp involuntarily. She didn’t want to leave him alone. Billy had no idea how dangerous Alex was.
"Come with me, Billy."
"Just go, Allison! Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
She took the stairs two at a time and then bounded down the hall to their bedroom. Lisa stood at the door with Jem behind her with a look of fear coloring her eyes.
"What's going on, sweetie?"
"Alex is here. He's in the house. I heard a window breaking. I told Billy to come with me but he wouldn't. Hurry, lock the door, Lisa."
Allison rushed to the closet standing on the tips of her toes to reach the pink shawl on the top shelf. Her hands were shaking as she used the key to unlock the box. The .38 snub-nosed pistol seemed to fit her hand perfectly. She had gone to the shooting range more times than she could count with her mother so she knew she could hit whatever she pointed the pistol at. She knew instinctively she would shoot to kill even if it was her own brother.
"I didn't know that was there."
Lisa stared at the gun as if it were a thing alive, a metal menace.
"Billy just told me about it being here, Lisa. He said to wait in the bedroom. He said if anyone beside him tries to come through that door to kill them. And I mean to do just that."
"We can't let daddy stay down there all by himself."
Jem stood by a built-in bookshelf that had mysteriously pulled away from the wall.
"We can go through this secret passageway and help him. Those clowns won't expect us to come out of the wall."
"She's right, Lisa. We should help Billy if we can. But I only saw one clown, Jem."
"There are two of them, mom. One was going around back while the other knocked on the front door."
Let's go... Jem, will you lead the way?"
Lisa stepped into the passageway following close behind Jem's fast-disappearing shadow. Allison brought up the rear. She knew the little girl had been exploring the secret passages in the house for years but this was her first time entering one. The dark scared her.
"Wait for me."
She felt like a child. As Allison entered the passage she sensed the blackness of the grave close around her like a cloak. She would rather be anywhere but here. But if there was a chance to help Billy, she was going to see it through.
"I can't see, Jem."
"Hold on just a few seconds, mom."
Jem whispered from somewhere ahead of her. Allison couldn’t tell if it was five feet or twenty five.
"You'll see the light soon."
The little girl was right. Gradually a bluish haze seemed to grow around her illuminating the way. It seemed to be coming from the walls themselves.
"Where does the light come from, Jem?"
"Oh, the house makes it. This house loves us. It will never let anything bad happen to any of us. You'll see."
A narrow set of stairs appeared below Allison's feet. S
he could see Jem leading the way down the steps with Lisa right behind. She followed as quickly and as carefully as she could, dreading making any noise that might betray their whereabouts.
"I can't see anyone."
Jem whispered the words over her shoulder as light spilled into the passageway. The little girl had touched some sort of switch to trigger a panel to open in the outer wall and poked her head out. Allison watched as Lisa peeked out too.
"I don't hear anything either."
"Stay here with Jem, sweetie."
Lisa turned to talk to them both with that resolute luminosity shining in her eyes that Allison loved so dearly.
"I'm going out there. If something happens to me, take care of our girl, Allison."
"Wait, Lisa. You stay here with your daughter. I have a gun and I know how to use it. Let me go."
Without waiting for a reply Allison stepped around her lover to emerge in the downstairs hallway that split the old house in two. She heard the panel slide shut behind her as she thumbed the safety off of the .38 she carried.
The house seemed eerily quiet. Walking down the hallway to the kitchen she expected Alex to leap out at her from every doorway. The back door to the kitchen stood open with shattered glass spread on the floor.
"Billy? Are you here?"
Allison stood still listening for the faintest sound but no one and nothing stirred. The ringing of her cell phone split the silence startling her. Taking it from her pocket she saw Billy was calling her.
"Hello? Where are you, Billy?"
Chapter 49—The Plan
He didn’t feel like going out tonight.
Michelle had been on him about leaving the house too much. He imagined she was suspicious. The thing with Calli, his old lover, had taken on a life of its own. Ever since she moved back to Little River a few months ago he had been compelled to seek her out again and to renew their acquaintance from decades ago.
It was all in danger of spinning out of control, the life he had so painstakingly built for himself. He had worked at the casino for nearly thirty years never taking a day off, gobbling up overtime like he was at a fire sale. Though he told himself he was doing it to pay off the ranch he had accomplished that ten years ago.