Unlawful Imprisonment

by Tracey Higgins

  “Uh-oh.”

  “No.” she smiled. “I really want to. I just need to take things slow. I rushed into my last relationship and now I’m divorced.”

  “No problem.” They kissed again and Maggie got up.

  “Alright Frank. I want you to eat this dish I made. It’s hasn’t got any fat or cholesterol.”

  “Yum.” She gave him a plate and they ate together. Afterwards, they watched television, with a few kisses in between.

  “I should get sick more often.” He laughed while holding Maggie in his arms.

  "I don’t think so.”

  Dina was still unconscious when she and Buddy arrived at the house. He took her out of the trunk and carried her inside to the basement. It was a large laundry bag so if anyone did see him, they wouldn’t have thought anything of it. He laid her on the bed and removed the bag, then removed her clothes. He was in heaven. Before he went any further, he pressed record on the camcorder. He wanted to be able to see her try and escape when he wasn’t there. He caressed her. She had perfect skin and there was not a blemish on her white, porcelain like face. Her straight brown hair went down to the middle of her back. He placed her on her back and locked each hand into the leather straps on the mattress cover. He covered her mouth and she started moving around. She had already had a good look at him, but from here on they had to wear their masks. He went to light several candles by the bed and when he was through, she awoke. Dina tried to speak and when she realized she couldn’t she open her eyes. He was at the foot of the bed, securing her ankles. Her legs were wide open for him whenever he wanted her. Dina tried to struggle but she was still too weak. He finally spoke to her.

  “Well, good afternoon sleepy head.”

  She was moaning through the tape and trying to free herself.

  “So Dina, what should we do first?”

  She was petrified.

  “Are you warm enough? You’re shaking. Let me see if I can take care of that.” He began rubbing her breasts and Dina was doing her best to scream.

  “Sh, sh. I’m trying to make you comfortable. Just relax.”

  She couldn’t believe this was happening. A million things were going through her mind at once. Why did she let this guy into her car? He had a family; he should have been safe. Dina kept her eyes away from him while he was rubbing her down. She didn’t want to believe this was happening. She had no idea where she was, but what was worse, neither did anybody else. She panicked when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

  “Did I tell you she was perfect?”

  “You did. It’s only fair that you should have some time first I live here. We’ll have all night won’t we?” He caressed her cheek. She tried to move again. “Don’t do that. I’m not going to tell you that again.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See ya.”

  A dream, she thought as he touched her, this had to be a dream, please, please, please.

  Andrea and Tony spent the afternoon together and then Tony went to his office. Andrea was so exhausted that she decided to go home early. Things seemed to be getting back to normal, until she got to her apartment. There was an envelope shoved under her door with no return address. She took out her gun and slowly checked her apartment but there was nothing unusual. She poured a glass of wine before opening the envelope.

  I’M COMING SOON.

  I CAN’T WAIT Andrea decided to see John immediately. He was shocked to see her when she got to the office.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Andrea didn’t say a wor d as she held up the note. John turned ghost white. “Where did thatcome from?”

  “That’s the question of the day. I don’t know where it came from, it was slipped under the door when I came back to my apartment.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Maybe it does.” She turned to shut the door and sat down in front of his desk.

  “What do you mean?”

  “A few days ago I got a note in the mail.”

  “What note?”

  “Here, I brought it with me.” She took out the note out of her purse and handed it to John. His eyes opened wide.

  “Andrea, why in the hell didn’t you show me this when you first got it?”

  “John,” she got up and started pacing. “I’ve been a parole officer for three years. Do you have any idea how many notes I have gotten?”

  “I see. Did any of those say you were next?”

  ‘“No. I’m used to threatening letters and hang-ups by now.”

  “Until I find out exactly what is going on, I don’t want you alone.”

  “I could go to Tony’s, but he’s got a lot to deal with right now. The last thing I want to lay on him is this.”

  “You don’t have a choice. Stay with him, and I’ll call you there later.”

  “Alright.” She turned to leave.

  “Andrea, don’t worry. This guy is going to wish he was in prison when we get him.”

  “I hope so.”

  When she reached Tony’s, Andrea used her key to get in. Tony must have still been at his office. Andrea walked around to make sure the windows and doors were locked. His house was huge. Walking around his house alone made her feel very uneasy. Every other room was separated by particians so one could not see more than two rooms at a time. She went slowly up the staircase and checked the two bedrooms and the bathroom. After receiving the note and those pictures, she was becoming paranoid. Andrea then went to the basement. Tony had a wine cellar and a bar set up down there. She remembered he had a surprise birthday party for her there and recalled how she jumped out of her skin when everybody yelled surprise. Now, her heart was pounding just like that day, except this time the pounding didn’t stop until she was satisfied with her search. She went upstairs to wait for Tony. She didn’t want to call him at the office. Andrea needed a little while to figure out how to tell him what was going on. Forty five minutes later, she still didn’t know what to say.

  Andrea didn’t start to relax until she saw the lights from Tony’s car. He looked at her car parked on the street and went inside. “Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you would be in bed by now.”

  “Nope.” She was stalling, terrified to tell him what happened. He was going to be furious, and Tony could get so angry sometimes that he looked psychotic.

  “What is it?” He put his keys down and sat next to her on the couch.

  “Tony, there’s something you have to know. I need to stay here for a while.” Her voice was shaking.

  He was getting worried. “Andrea, what’s going on?”

  “She sat up and took a drink. “A few days ago I got a note in the mail, a threatening note telling me to back off.”

  Tony stood up. “What?”

  “I didn’t think anything of it…”

  “You didn’t think anything of it?”

  “Tony please calm down. I’ve gotten letters and phone calls ever since I started this job. It’s nothing new.”

  “Maybe not for you.”

  “Well, the note didn’t bother me until today.” She took his hand and pulled him gently on the couch. “When I came home today there was another under my door.”

  Tony took off his jacket. “Okay, is John going to see David?”

  “Yeah. He told me to come here and he would call me later.”

  “Well, let’s call him now. I want to know exactly what he plans to do about this.” Tony was dialing the phone while Andrea was wearing out the carpet pacing the floor. She stared at Tony when he started talking.

  “John, its Tony.”

  “Hi. I take it Andrea told you what happened.”

  “Yes, she’s here.”

  “Good. First of all, she’s off David’s case. Right now, I’m on my way to his house to see if I can get anything out of him.”

  “That’s if it’s him.”

  “I know, but I have to be sure. It has to be either him or somebody associated with the case.”
/>
  “True. Call us back when you’re through with him.” Tony hung up the phone and anger was written all over his face.“Okay”, he sighed, “John is taking you off the case and…”

  “What?”

  “Now you sound like Frank, just listen to me. John is on his way to see David and then he will call us. So, just try and relax until he does.” She folded her arms and looked ready for a fight. “Come on.” He led her upstairs to the bedroom. They lay on the bed and he held her close. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “I know.”

  Andrea was more worried about Tony than herself. With everything going on with Frank, Tony didn’t need this stress too. Andrea had finally run into something that she couldn’t handle on her own, and that upset her more than those notes.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  John stopped by Michael’s’ office before going off to David’s. Michael was still swamped doing his reviews.

  “Michael, you got a minute?”

  “No, but go ahead.”

  “How did that visit with Reese go?”

  “Ha! Why, did you get a complaint?”

  “I take it that means you had a problem?”

  “Not with David. I did, however, have a big problem with his brother. I put him in his place and then I left.”

  “I see. Well, I’m going there now.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I’m taking over his case.”

  Michael knew something was wrong. “Why?”

  “Andrea has been getting threatening notes.”

  “Jesus! Where is she?”

  “At Tony’s. I told her to stay there so she’s not alone.”

  “Alright, good luck. I’ll hang out here for a while in case she calls for anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  John didn’t want to talk to David Reese; he wanted to kill him. His stomach was in a knot on the way to his house. At least he knew that Andrea was safe at Tony’s. John didn’t know what to expect from David Reese. One thing he did know is that he had to be extremely careful trying to get information about the notes. Before he rang the bell, Aaron opened the door. He was on his way to another date. David knew he wasn’t technically dating anyone, he was having sex constantly. Aaron never tried to hide his intentions. As a matter of fact, he flaunted them. Aaron had bragged to David about his sexual encounters, especially with virgins. They were his favorite. Aaron had grown up to be worse than his father. He gave John a dirty look before he got a chance to talk.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m John Healy with the Parole Department. Is David Reese in?”

  Aaron sighed. “There was another guy here already this afternoon that had a real attitude problem. What the hell is going on?” John made his way past Aaron and was looking around the living room.

  “Mr. Amalfitano was just on a routine check. I will be supervising David for awhile.” Aaron slammed the door shut and called for David. David came out of the kitchen and looked at John.

  “Yes?”

  Aaron spoke before John opened his mouth. “This is Jack Healy, your new parole officer.”

  “John Healy.” He flashed Aaron an irritated look. “And I’m not your new parole officer, just temporary. Ms. Stephenson will be going on vacation.” John was instigating that David was up to something.

  “Lucky her.” David smiled. John was ready to slap that smile off his face. He was surprised that Michael didn’t wind up strangling Aaron. It was also no wonder why Andrea was so uptight.

  Aaron stood next to David with his arms crossed. “So when does David start his new job?”

  “I haven’t found him one, it takes time. Your problem at the previous job is why I didn’t ask you to come to the office, since you are not allowed to leave the house.”

  “How nice of you.” Aaron retorted sarcastically.

  “Excuse me?” John stepped up to Aaron, almost begging for an argument. “I don’t think this concerns you. David, I’ll be in touch, I just wanted to introduce myself and to remind you of your curfew.”

  “I know what the curfew is, I’m not some teenager…”

  “No, you are a convicted felon who will end up back in prison if you so much as step out of line.” John was speaking to David like a father disciplining his son. “Have you left this residence?”

  “No.”

  “Didn’t go to take a walk or anything?”

  “No.”

  “I hope you realize how important this is.”

  “I know.” David was furious. His face turned red with anger.

  “Well, I just wanted to make myself clear. I’ll be in touch, often.”

  John headed home to call Andrea. He couldn’t figure out why Aaron did most of the talking. He was thinking of what Aaron’s reaction would have been if John insisted that he speak with David alone. He laughed to himself at the thought of it. At David’s house, sparks were flying. Aaron was more aggravated than David was.

  “Jesus Christ!” Aaron yelled. “Who do these people think you are, Charles Manson?”

  David was pacing. “I can handle it.”

  “That’s not the point. First you get threatened by that bitch, then they send another asshole, and now this jerk.”

  “There’s nothing I can do about it.” David went to get one of Aaron’s cigarettes. He was beginning to lose his temper. “You don’t know how much I would love to beat the shit out of Barbara Atkins!”

  “I know, I don’t blame you.”

  “No, you don’t know!” David was smoking out of the window. “I’m the one who has to deal with all this bullshit! I am the one who was convicted of rape and sent to prison and now I have to deal with somebody watching me in my own house!”

  Aaron was shocked. “I’m sorry, you’re right. When did you start smoking?”

  “There’s not much else to do in prison.” There was a long silence and Aaron turned to leave. “Are you going to be alright?”

  “Of course, I always am.” David went upstairs to his bedroom and Aaron went out for the night.

  Aaron hoped David was calming down. He never saw him act like that before. Even when David was convicted, he was more upset than angry. Aaron had always tried to get David to talk about that night, but David would never reveal anything more than what was said at the trial. At David’s insistence, Louise was not present at the trial, only at the announcement of the verdict. He didn’t want her to hear any of the facts of the trial. The last thing Louise could handle was hearing that her son was into some heavy sexual activity and practiced it with a woman he just met.

  John went home after his chat with David. He thought David was being sincere when he said he hadn’t left the house. Usually John was very talented at spotting a liar. He phoned Andrea before he took his coat off. Andrea answered the phone from Tony’s bedroom. “Hello?”

  “Hi it’s me. How are you holding up?”

  “Fine. How did it go?”

  “I don’t think he violated the house arrest. You were right about his brother, he’s a real pain in the ass.”

  “I know.”

  “David did seem very happy that you were not going to be his supervisor for awhile.”

  “I’m sure he was.”

  Tony ran into the bedroom and looked at Andrea. She pointed to the phone and nodded her head, indicating that it was John and put the phone on speaker.

  “So, the only game plan I can think of is to keep you off the case and see if the notes stop.”

  “I doubt that will happen.”

  “Why not? If you are not his parole officer anymore, why would he want to threaten you?”

  “ They were sent to make a point.”

  “Believe me, David isn’t going to be making anymore points.”

  “I really don’t think David sent them.”

  “I’m sure he could have figured out a way.”

  “I’ll go see him.” Tony yelled out.

  John stopped Tony. “No way Tony. I don
’t want any fuckups. Let me ride David’s ass for a couple of days. Then we’ll see if Andrea gets anything else.”

  “Alright, but you make sure you call after every time you see him.”

  “I will. Bye.”

  Tony came upstairs and paced the bedroom with his arms folded. “Andrea, I’m a private investigator.”

  “No Tony. Just let John watch David for a few days.”

  “I really think I should check him out.”

  “Not yet. If I get another note, then by all means go see her. Until then, let’s not do anything that seems too suspicious.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was not happy with that idea. She was putting onone of Tony’s big shirts to sleep in.

  “By the way, I don’t think we should say anything about this to Frank. I don’t want him getting sick all over again.”

  “Right, I won’t say anything. Come on, let’s get some sleep.”

  Andrea fell asleep before Tony did. He wouldn’t let her go. Every time he dosed off he woke himself up. Nobody was going to get to her with him there.

  Angel went into the dungeon very quietly. He saw Dina lying there helpless and he became aroused. When she heard somebody walk up to the bed, she tried to scream. He lit the candles around the bed and turned on the camera to record.

  “You shouldn’t be yelling, you’ll strain your throat.”

  She was whimpering. His voice made her cringe. Dina was in horrible pain. When Buddy left her there the night before, he gave her a shot to knock her out for the night. Dina’s hands were cuffed behind her back and her ankles were cuffed to the end of the bed. She tried to move away when she felt him sit next to her.

  “Don’t do that, I want to be close to you.”

  When he took her blindfold off, she was trying to look around but the light from the candle was blinding. “Consider yourself lucky. Most women find candles very romantic.” I’m sorry you were so uncomfortable all night.” He quickly released her hands. She was still weak so she couldn’t strike at him. “I’m afraid my friend is a little rougher than I. He took out the bedpan that he brought with him underneath her. Without realizing what was happening she urinated. The humiliation was unbearable.

  “There, feel better?” He wiped her clean, released her ankles and rubbed them. Her skin was incredibly smooth. He then turned her over on her stomach and secured her ankles and wrists to the mattress.