Pay Up and Die

by Chuck Buda

  Before turning the knob, Murph paused again to listen carefully to any sounds coming from the other side of the door. He didn’t hear anything so he took a deep breath and willed himself to move forward. He knew that each door he would encounter would bring him closer to surprising Graves. And that also meant each step would be more difficult, requiring more stealth and effort.

  Murph twisted the knob slowly. The door was now free to open quietly. He swung the door wide in a gentle motion. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. Murph sensed that he was being watched. It was as if he wasn’t the only person in the room. The small room was dark but some moonlight shined through a small window to the backyard. In the dim light he could make out the shape of a person standing inches from his face. Before he could react he heard the person greet him.

  “Hello there.”

  Murph heard the swish of something swinging through the air on his right. But he never felt the pain of it hitting him. The second the object connected with his skull, everything went black.

  Chapter 35

  Michael felt uncomfortable sitting across from Derrick. He began to doubt his plan of confronting Derrick but his son’s life depended on it. Michael shifted on the sofa and gathered his words carefully. He was walking a fine line between calm conversation and an all-out brawl with Derrick.

  “My son has gone missing and I need your help.”

  “Oh, I see, we bypassed the apology for the misunderstanding at work straight to what I can do for you. I’m sorry to hear about your son but I’m not sure what you think I can do about it. Have you contacted the authorities?”

  Michael’s hands were shaking so he folded them in his lap. He strained against his overwhelming desire to lash out.

  “Yes, Stephanie and I had the police over earlier and they are searching for Andrew as we speak.”

  “Good. Now let’s get back to that apology.”

  “Derrick, it is more important to find my son.” He heard the anger building in his voice and sensed Derrick’s recognition of it in his expression. But he got himself back under control. “I need your help and I know you have access to better resources than I do.” He paused waiting for Derrick to respond.

  “By resources, you mean money. So once again you are hitting me up for money. Is there no limit to your financial irresponsibility?”

  Michael stood up immediately and took a step towards Derrick. His fists were balled up and he couldn’t sedate his anger any longer.

  “Listen, you fucking bastard. I know you are behind Andrew’s disappearance and I want you to give him back.”

  “Careful, Michael. You realize you came to MY house, asking ME for help and then you accuse me of stealing your son? Are you insane?”

  Michael took another step toward Derrick. Derrick picked up on the aggression and stood up from leaning against the book shelf.

  “YOU are the crazy one, Derrick. You’ll do anything to get that CEO job even if it means threatening people and harming their families. Well, I’m not going to let you get away with it. I want my son. NOW!”

  Derrick’s expression changed. It went from confident arrogance to feigned surprise. “I am shocked that you feel this way about me, Michael. I thought we had a good history together. I’ve helped you along the way with promotions and raises. I’ve gotten you approved for money. I mean, I know we haven’t seen eye to eye lately but that is no reason to storm into my house late at night and accuse me of taking your child. Of course I will help you find your son.”

  Michael was confused. He actually felt sorry. Maybe he was wrong about Derrick. It seemed to make sense that Derrick was behind Andrew’s disappearance after he his veiled threat earlier today. But maybe Michael got it all wrong. His emotions continued to roller coaster and he wasn’t sure if he was going to cry or start screaming. The pressure of all the thoughts were beginning to give Michael a headache.

  “I...I appreciate that. I’m sorry, Derrick. I just don’t know what to think anymore.” The air deflated from his sails. “I just want to get my son back and I’ll do anything to bring him home safely.”

  Graves stepped closer to Michael and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure it must be difficult for you. Any parent would do what you are in similar circumstances. There is no limit to what we would do to protect our loved ones.”

  Michael felt the tears welling up in his eyes. He nodded at Derrick and then looked down at his shoes. He wanted to avoid breaking down in front of Derrick.

  “Now, I have someone I can reach out to. He is a very resourceful guy and if anyone has a chance of finding your boy then it is this man.” Graves turned and walked to an end table with a cordless phone on it. “I’ll just give him a ring and see what he can do. I just want you to realize that I am still willing to help even though your behavior of late has been extremely erratic.”

  “What?”

  “Michael, you have been accusing me of horrible things at work and here in my own home but I am still willing to help you. I want you to recognize this goodwill when you feel the need to lash out at me. There will most likely be more inquiries at the bank and I want to be able to count on you to be in my corner. I have done a lot for you and I am continuing to do more.”

  Michael stared at Derrick with fire in his eyes. He had been right about Derrick all along. There was no empathy for Michael. There was no concern. This was just another ploy of quid pro quo. His blood coursed through his veins. Adrenaline was pumping throughout his body.

  “I’m just doing what anyone would do for a friend. I am helping you even though you have hurt me and my family. I am forgiving you for what you have said about me. I am doing what’s right even if it is against my moral judgments. You should think about applying these behaviors in your own life.”

  Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Derrick really think that Michael would look the other way when his business practices were illegal? Was he so focused on getting that damned CEO position that he would risk his reputation? Or worse, risk going to prison for abducting children and threatening family’s lives? It became clearer that Derrick would stop at nothing to get this position. That was all he cared about and it showed right through his words like liquid through a cheesecloth. Michael was enraged and vowed to himself that there would be no turning back.

  “Now that you see the correct path, I’m sure my guy will find your son very quickly. Andrew is probably close by. Closer than we think. Many kids run away and hide, only to be found a few hours later.”

  Derrick turned to pick up the phone. As he began dialing a number, Michael let loose a blood-curdling yell and rushed at Derrick. It happened so fast that Derrick had no time to react. Michael slammed into the back of Derrick and tackled him to the floor. The cordless phone went flying in the air and smashed against the wall. The end table was knocked over taking a crystal lamp and several silver picture frames with it. Both men thudded to the hardwood floor. Michael was on top of Derrick as he covered his head with his hands. Michael was poised to rain down blows upon Derrick’s head.

  Chapter 36

  Rachel could hear the men still talking in the living room. She felt more confident checking things out on her own now that she had the heavy handgun stuffed in her bathrobe pocket. She snickered to herself that she would be much more headstrong with the ladies at the country club if she carried the gun around with her.

  The sliding glass door in the kitchen was locked and the security bar was wedged in place. She took a peek out the vertical blind but didn’t see anything that looked out of place. It was very dark in the backyard but the moon provided just enough light to cast a shadow on anything that moved. Rachel took a few steps past the island and checked the window over the sink. It, too, was locked and again she didn’t see movement of shadows in the yard.

  The pantry door was closed. It was a light wooden door with horizontal slats on it. She always found that wooden shutter style to be very charmin
g. Derrick hadn’t liked it but she won him over using all her tricks. When Rachel pouted what he called her “boo boo” lip, Derrick would knuckle under and give her what she desired. She smiled to herself recalling the victory.

  The pantry was a walk-in of modest dimensions. Rachel kept canned goods, jarred sauces and pastas in the pantry. It was also large enough that most of the basic cleaning supplies were stored in it. The pantry was also the entryway to the garage through a laundry room. When they first bought the house, Rachel disliked the setup because of the inconvenience of having to walk through two rooms to go from the garage to the kitchen. But her opinion had changed. The functionality was better than she had originally hoped, keeping laundry and garages far from the sight of guests who might visit.

  Rachel stopped before opening the pantry door. She knew that it was unlikely that anyone was in the pantry but she still felt creeped out from the figure she saw in the backyard. She grasped the pistol in her bathrobe and then yanked the pantry door open. The pantry was quiet and dark. So she hit the light switch, lighting up the stocked shelves and containers. Everything was still neatly in its alphabetized order. She stared at the door to the laundry room. It was closed, but stood ominously against the secluded laundry room.

  Tightening her robe against the chill she felt, Rachel approached the laundry room door. As she neared the door she heard a crash. It sounded muffled, like it was from the garage and not on the near side of the laundry room. But she cowered in fear anyway. She took the pistol out of the bathrobe pocket and raised it to her eye level. Rachel shook with anticipation that her fears were coming true. Part of her wanted to turn and run to Derrick for safety. The other part of her didn’t want to embarrass him or herself by acting like a coward. She steeled herself to check the situation on her own. What could go wrong? She tried to sell herself that she had a big old gun and that whoever might be on the other end of the barrel had more to worry about then she did.

  Rachel took hold of the knob and quickly pulled the door open. The laundry room was dark. But the moonlight streaming in through the window exposed the fact that the door to the garage was open. She crept slowly, inch by inch, with the gun straight out in front of her. There was some shuffling noise and something else that she had not heard before. Rachel struggled to recognize the familiar sound because the situation and the timing were completely opposite what somebody would expect. She reached the precipice of the garage door and peered to the left towards the driveway. The sounds were coming from that direction but it was too dark to make out. She used her left hand to fumble for the light switch in the garage while keeping the gun pointed with her right hand.

  Her fingers found the switch and she flicked it up. The neon lights shined brightly throughout the garage. But what Rachel saw was horrifying. Her first instinct was to scream. Her next instinct was to run. She wasn’t able to scream or run. Rachel was rooted to the cement floor in shock. The garage was usually off-white with a dull gray floor. At this moment, everything was crimson red. A man was sawing something on the trunk of her car. The sound of the saw blade catching the car’s exterior screeched her into consciousness. The large man turned and stared at her.

  In one hand he held a bald head by one of the ears. The eyes were blueish and wide open. The mouth hung open as the tongue protruded at a grotesque angle. The large man’s other hand held a pruning saw with a short, curved blade. The hundreds of sharp teeth were covered in blood and a few pieces of rubbery skin. Behind her car was Derrick’s wheelbarrow. It had never been used until this moment. It was filled with incongruent gore. Arms and legs were piled in it, one leg half hanging off the wheelbarrow. A huge puddle of blood spread from under the utility. And Rachel noticed the severed torso resting on the blood-soaked trunk of her car.

  “Don’t be afraid. I am Derrick’s bodyguard. I saw this man sneaking into the house.”

  Rachel was still speechless. The gun was no longer pointing forward. It sagged toward the floor in her drooping hand. Her mind struggled to make sense of the scene. She still wanted to scream but found no voice in her throat.

  The large man dropped the head with a buttery slap into the disgusting wheelbarrow. He slowly approach Rachel with his bloody hands pleading for her to remain calm.

  “It’s gonna be okay. This guy won’t hurt you now. He won’t be hurting anyone. I just want to do my job and protect Derrick and your family. I am Derrick’s friend.”

  Rachel blinked the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Her vision was blurred and she began to break down. She dropped the gun on the floor and slid down to the cement. Her body shook with relief and she held herself tight. The Debt Collector wiped his hands on a towel that was hanging on the workbench. He then crouched down and hugged Rachel to his chest. She felt more secure in the big man’s arms as they swallowed her up like she was a little bird.

  “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. Just let it out. I’m here now. I’m here now.”

  Rachel smelled the blood all around her. She felt warm and safe in this strange man’s embrace. But she still had chills like something scary was lurking in the dark, waiting to get her. She shivered into his chest and she could swear that she felt his cheek rise up in a smile against her head.

  Chapter 37

  The twins started screaming in the foyer when they saw Michael tackle their father. Michael knew they were scared and confused. He would have been too if he were a little kid who saw some strange man jumping on his father. The ear-piercing screams made Michael pause and look back over his shoulder. The two little girls were clutching each other tightly. They wore matching white pajamas with pink and yellow circus animals on them.

  “Hey, uh, girls. Everything is okay. I’m just talking to your daddy.” Michael rolled off Derrick onto his knees. He held out his hands to try to pacify the girls and get them to stop screaming. A nauseating pit formed in his stomach. He felt so guilty for dragging these innocent kids into the situation. All the fire in his system deflated like a popped balloon.

  The sisters continued to scream but the continuous siren sound became a little more intermittent and less eardrum shattering. They cried in each other’s arms and looked afraid of Michael. He rose to his feet to show them that they weren’t fighting anymore.

  “I’m so sorry we disturbed you. Your daddy and I were just talking and then we decided to wrestle a bit. You know, like friends playing rough in the yard. It’s okay now. Nobody is going to get hurt.”

  As Michael tried to convince the girls that the situation was under control, he sensed Derrick moving behind him. Before he could turn to see what Derrick was doing, he felt his nose smash in. Derrick had crushed his face with a heavy pewter duck which had been on one of the tables. Michael saw stars and his vision faded into blackness as he clutched his broken face. He tasted the blood that streamed down his face into his hands. The pain was so horrendous that Michael dropped to his knees and rested his face on the floor which was pooling his blood.

  “Madison, Chloe. Go back to your room. Daddy got the bad man. He...he was here to rob us and take our money. But I got him. See? Go back upstairs and I’ll come tuck you in after I get rid of the bad guy.”

  The girls continued to cry. They had loosened their grip on each other but still held hands and cowered in fear. Madison spoke through her sobs, “Daddy, call the police to get the bad man. Why is he here?”

  “It’s okay Maddy. Listen to me. Everything is fine. You and Chloe go upstairs, okay?”

  “But where is Mommy. Why is that man hurting you?”

  “I told you he is a robber.” Derrick looked down at Michael who was still writhing in pain on the floor. “Daddy is taking care of this. Now go upstairs to your room and close the door.”

  “I want Mommy. Where is Mommy? We’re scared and we need the police to come. Call 911. Call 911 like they told us in school, Daddy.”

  “Get upstairs! Now!” Derrick yelled at the girls. They stopped crying in mid-sob. Both girls stared at their father
in disbelief as he had never raised his voice like this before. Madison grabbed Chloe’s hand and the twins went up the stairs. They began crying again as they climbed up to their room.

  Michael lifted his head enough to see Derrick standing over him. His face was throbbing and he was busy trying to stop the blood flow. For the first time since he got in the house, Michael thought about Murph. He wondered where he was and hoped that he would come in like gangbusters right about now.

  “What am I going to do with you, Michael? You come into my home and you accuse me of abducting your son and then you scare my daughters.” Derrick was furious and yelling now. He kicked Michael in the gut, putting an exclamation point on his anger.

  Michael couldn’t respond. His head was pounding, making the headache he had earlier seem like a mild annoyance. He figured the pewter duck must have weighed three of four pounds and with the velocity that Derrick brought it into his face with, it quickly became more powerful than a mule kick. He cursed himself for not seeing it coming. He should have stood in a position where he could keep the twins and their father in his line of sight. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to think about it now. He needed to get out of this before Derrick got the cops to arrest him. If he went to jail he would never be able to provide for his family and find his son. How would he take care of his daughter from a prison cell, he wondered?

  “So many ways to handle things and this is what you do. Now I have a big mess on my hands and how am I going to clean this up, Michael? How?”

  Derrick squeezed Michael’s hair and pulled his head up so he could look into his eyes. Derrick looked crazed, his eyes glaring right through Michael’s. He was breathing heavily and spittle flew from his lips as he exhaled each time.

  “A mess. That’s what this is. This could ruin me. You know what you have done to me?” Derrick let go of Michael’s hair and walked in a small circle around the upended table. “All I wanted was that fucking CEO job and you come along and fuck it all up. Well, I can’t have that, Michael. I won’t let you take this from me and my family.”