“Or you’ll what; deny a little boy food and shelter? What’s on tap for tomorrow, rob a grocery store and smash a little-old-lady over the head? Go ahead I dare you! Please say something to piss me off and I’ll whack you right here, right now. I’ll knock your slimy brains right out of your head leaving a vast and empty cavity. As your body contorts with uncontrollable impulses from your brain, now resembling Spam, your blood will gush out while a menacing crushing feeling follows.”
A powerful and verbose caterwaul surpassed the chiming melody of the wind chimes meaning the captor had Craig in the desired state; shear misery. Craig’s efforts at a feeble struggle resulted but all to no avail. Any energy spent used up what vital-resources he had left.
“Gee what’s the matter, you can’t move your arms? Go ahead try your legs. I’ll bet you can’t even feel your legs. By now I’m sure you’ve figured out you’re stapled in Styrofoam that contours every curve of your body. Trumping that, another of your relatives enjoys the same method of isolation right here behind you. Tell me where to find the original will and I’ll tell you who’s here with you and let you both go!”
“I don’t believe you.”
Low guttural moaning sounds overtake the brisk airwaves for a momentary interlude; but they did not originate from Craig.
Enjoying your visit at the spa? The gunite’s great for firming and toning sagging body parts as it contours with elasticity. Harnessing the heat of the sun increases beneficial properties for skin-rejuvenation and pore-reduction.” snickered the captor.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re demented! Who’s here? I’ll kill you if you hurt my family. Who’s there? Talk to me.”
Then changing his tune as nature called Craig said, “I have to go to the bathroom, release me.”
“Just go.”
“I can’t.” Craig said foiling his plan for release.
“Just go I said. We left you a poop shoot out the front and back of your entombment. You’re equipped with the latest state of the art device; a twenty-four inch round PVC pipe, that acts as a poop shoot and a urine tube. Just go and gravity will take care of the rest.”
“How will I wipe my ass you sick idiot? You said I a minute ago! Help, someone; anyone, they’re holding me prisoner. They’re maniacs please help me! Someone help me!” Craig screamed in desperation.
“Now tell me cowboy why should we worry about how you’ll wipe your ass? I bet you never spent one second thinking about your boy or the families you pillaged. Did you ever consider that they’d never have a serene piece of mind again? You sick bastard! Someone told me about your sick joke in a restaurant where you took your check totaling $62.00 and traded with an older couple whose check tallied $31.00. That elderly couple pays medical bills for their grandson who has leukemia. I should take this knife right now, castrate you, and then cut your hand off! However, that would deprive me the long span of pain inflicted on you; far too easy; too quick, too dead. You need to experience what you put others through; an eye for an eye like you say.” Craig’s captor said.
“Help me! Let me go.”
“Would you like some cheese with that whine?” jeered the captor.
“We’re going to take a break and let your past deeds marinade a bit in your soul. We’re in the right mind-set to drop you in the middle of nowhere in the Upper Peninsula and leave you for coyote food. Oh, by the way cowboy we’ve invited guests for dinner.”
“You’re psychotic? What the hell, that’s a bucket full of scorpions? Aren’t those poisonous? Wait! No, please I’m begging you not the small ones. Let me go! Come on man, do you want money? Name your price?” Craig bargained.
“Sorry pal I don’t make deals. I’m great at puzzles though. Take a guess; it consists of six letters, begins with the letter M and ends with the letter R. Grabbed your attention didn’t it. You ask if I want money. No. I want to see you experience the incremental torture you forced on your victims. You ponder on that a bit. When we’re through with you you’ll not even know your name. Paybacks. Fear will grip every inch of your body as the minutes lumber along never knowing when my partner will recapture you and repeat this leveraged revenge. My satisfaction comes from robbing you of rest at night and peace of mind each day for the rest of your wretched life.” said Craig’s captor.
“Please don’t leave me alone with scorpions! IT’S INHUMANE! I don’t deserve this. Come on man, everyone has a price; what’s yours?” Craig groveled.
“You just keep talking about money as you’re digging another foot deeper on your grave. In a pig’s eye you don’t deserve this! That’s precisely why I’m allowing cruelty to rule my actions. See you later alligator. Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea, an alligator, maybe, just maybe.”
“Hey come back here! You cannot leave me like this! HELP!”
“Oh I can’t can I! You think I can’t leave you like this! Hah! Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do! I give thugs back what they dish out and I’ve been doing it since before you were born son. In a pigs eye I can’t freaking do this! You’ve sealed your fate maggot! You heard of Dante’s Hell boy? Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell where your limbs grind to a halt making you incapacitated. Melting flesh from your bones will have an evil stench to it. Perhaps you will survive this. If you do, you’ll endure it for eternity. You chose your path, reducing each victim to nothing; now face the consequences! Have you ever heard of learned helplessness?”
“Get me out of here I don’t give a rat’s ass what you’re talking about! I’ve done nothing wrong! You’re deranged; a madman do you hear me! Someone help me!” Craig groveled.
“That’s unfortunate for you; I didn’t think you’d answer. You’re an ornery person. Didn’t your parents teach you to answer when asked a question? Back to the subject at hand, learned helplessness equates to feelings stemming from crimes committed against them. This haunts police officers who remain above the law. Steven Segal; have you watched any of his movies? Victims adopt this state of mind as a coping mechanism. When people taint law enforcement or judges with blackmail money so the law bends in their favor their victims never get a fair day in court. Sound familiar?” the captor asked.
“To hell with you! You have no idea what you’re talking about! Let me go.”
“Later alligator! While you hang there with bones crushed in places you’ve not felt in years ponder learned helplessness. Question what you gained when you paid-off the arresting-officer on your D.U.I. and the doctor, recently attested to your disability. Hiding the original will; that’s bad juju. Where did you and Martin hide it? When I return if the coyotes haven’t ripped your flesh from the bone, and that of your relative here behind you, we’ll talk. Where’s the rest of your family? My partner has them! Let thoughts of torture sway eerily in your demented mind. Ooh, I done good with you son! Last, Anthony Giannola knows you and Martin embezzled from him from corrupt business records; the gig is up. Survive this and deal with his wrath next.”
“Let me see your face before you walk away; you gutless bastard!”
“Go ahead and try to get me upset. Provoke me I dare you. I’ve waited years to pay you back for what you did, and I’m smiling from ear to ear. Son you’ve created my golden ticket in the pointless look plastered on your face. I know how you and Martin cheated folks, and soon everyone else will too. Your loathsome mugs will appear before the angry mob you’ve cheated. Say what you will, but a coward hangs three feet in front of me and three feet behind me. Feeling good since you abandoned your boy; how about since you stole what thousands of people worked for?”
Pulling a knife from a front pocket, an unrelenting tremor reigned supreme. Leaning over the edge of the swimming pool with arms extended in a right angle position the captor, with great restraint, placed bloodthirsty hands around Craig’s neck and edged a knife along Craig’s throat.
“At this precise moment, my inclination, to inflict multiple lacerations and watch your blood drain while your major organs fail, reigns supreme. The tip of my knife wo
uld slice through your larynx and you’d never lie again. Oxygen-deprived organs would fail from labored pulmonary functions. Blood would gush out your neck while you winced in pain as your body seized and terminal agitation set in. However, I can control my temper and desires. You remain a spineless bastard but I prefer to prolong this just as you did for your victims. No pain, no gain right. I have a gift for you; my marksmanship in the form of a large X cut on both cheeks so everyone knows you’re marked. You’ll feel what your victims felt; marked.”
Craig’s body quivered in uncontrollable episodes as the intensity of the pain level heightened. Each breath labored, each attempt at movement impossible.
“Ahh stop! Please I’m begging you to stop!” Craig said wincing in pain.
“Stop! Hell no! We’re just getting started wouldn’t you agree? What did you say when your victims begged for mercy? By the way, you may want to avoid going to the bathroom as it attracts flies. Once the flies lay their eggs then maggots hatch. They’ll crawl over your limp and pulverized extremities. Thirsty for blood and infected with bacteria they seek out oozing body fluids. Soon your skin will crawl infested with maggots. I’ll return when I can. I’m booked for a while and it’s supposed to drop to 5 degrees tomorrow; enjoy!”
Chapter 34
Driving to Vitale’s Italian Bistro, Angie’s heart beat loudly, culminating with the pulsation creeping into her ears. Meeting Anthony Giannola was questionable. However, out of options while sitting on an arsenal of criminal behavior, she needed proof. Topping that, the clock continued to peck at her frail nerves.
Proof of joint business ventures between Craig, Martin and Anthony surfaced. Anthony and his known mafia ties can’t erase this problem; however Anthony and I may find an alternate solution that benefits us both.
Angie grew tiresome while Craig’s life continued in its ebb and flow. Life for her and Lance entailed dramatic changes. Angie’s gaze became fixated upon the old tire swing in the park near the bistro. It hung in the elusive winter sun almost as if cruel intentions wove themselves between the patterns of the figure eight fibers along the elongated shaft. The tire no longer sported a new mate black finish. It began looking cracked and worn as careless intruders pulled themselves up on the swing with dirty feet. The rope had begun to unravel at the ends appearing as a bedridden convalescent.
As Angie’s phone rang, it hissed at the end of each tone.
“Hello.” Angie said.
“Angie, its Tammy I want to make sure you will not regret this tomorrow.”
“Tammy, I’ve exhausted every other option. The lone rope we have left to grab onto rests within an agreement with Anthony. I’ve got to go I’m here.”
Angie folded her phone in half, extended her hand out to grasp the door handle to Vitale’s Italian Bistro and inhaled. Inside the restaurant, the rich aroma of Sicily permeated the air. A short Italian woman appeared out of nowhere. Approaching Angie, she began sizing her up. Placing her hand against Angie’s cheek with the same touch used to handle a newborn, the woman gazed deep in the history in Angie’s eyes like a grandmother ready to give advice. Angie’s peripheral vision caught sight of three slick dressed men in Armani suits.
“Welcome to Vitales.” the short Italian woman said.
“I’m meeting Anthony Giannola.” Angie said.
“Follow me dear.”
Walking past these men sent the estrogen trains careening out of control as Angie’s senses awoke from a long slumber and remained captivated by the sultry scent of their Calvin Klein® cologne. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to walk with one slick suit on my arm.
In a rousing manner three people, all dark skinned Italian kinfolk passed by with a pungent antipasto salad, three pizza pies, pasta and marinara sauce and meatballs. The wafts of the pungent Sicilian food left Angie’s senses humming.
A slick dressed man with Versace sunglasses stood by the vestibule entrance cordoned off by a greeter’s podium; he spoke with a gruff looking woman. As Angie entered the main dining area of the restaurant, a troubled look invaded his face.
What have I done?
“Please, have a seat. Can I bring you anything dear?”
“Yes, a water with a twist of lime please.”
Various octaves of the word, salute, emanates amid the clanking of wineglasses as a group at a nearby table break into varying degrees of chatter.
Angie’s eyes fell upon a tall, dark-haired man tailored in a blue Armani suit with thin pinstripes. He greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. Hello handsome. His feet appear to glide across the floor with his velvet slipper-like shoes. Angie now understands privilege and dining among the entourage of the Don and the Mafioso in Sicily, Italy.
“Your water ma'am. Can I bring you anything else?” asked the short Italian woman.
“Nothing right now, thanks.”
“Angelina you look lovelier than I remember you. Do you remember the family Christmas gathering when you and Craig, who I like to call ‘the inconvenience’, first married?”
“I do. You bought my son Lance a red fire truck; a toy he cherishes and keeps on his dresser even today. You look well.”
A secure feeling overtook her lucid body like a newfound love. Relaxing in her chair as the clanking of forks in serving bowls rose across the cafe, she observed his posture and graceful mannerisms. His commanding presence with Armani suit and Dolce and Gabana cologne made an indelible mark on her mind. Damn why couldn’t I have met someone as chivalrous as this man before Craig?
Anthony broke Angie’s concentration saying, “Before we begin, please allow me to clarify, Candy and I aren’t blood relatives. My father and her mother married after my mother passed. When they married, we became a blended family. However, she and I share no blood nor do we share any respect for each other.”
The short Italian woman brought red wine to the table and extended a glass of Merlot to Angie. Feeling hesitant but surmising the gentle woman would not leave until Angie accepted the gesture she accepted the wine goblet meeting her new allies on common ground.
“Thank you.” Angie said.
Sipping the wine as the flavors unfolded against her palate and the spices continued to permeate her nose the wine provided a momentary reprieve for her tense nerves. With raised eyebrows Angie said, “Interesting, I did not know that.”
Vying for Angie’s attention, patrons at an adjacent table ended their lunch with a fifteen-minute farewell that resembled a Christmas Eve departure. Hugs and kisses exchanged on both cheeks in true Italian tradition, left Angie feeling a bit dejected.
Family support and camaraderie like that would have gone a long way for Lance and me.
“It seems we have a precarious business situation unfolding before us.” Anthony said.
“That we do. Anthony, I believe we can both benefit if we first establish our goals and then come to a meeting of the minds on achieving them.” Angie said.
“I’ve received word that you’re in the midst of a crisis because Craig, the inconvenience, allowed the home to go in foreclosure. Craig and Martin stole from my children’s mouths and thought I wouldn’t find out. I did and those classless idiots, dwelling alongside child molesters, will pay.” Anthony said.
“We share common interests and agree on the dynamics of the situation. Looking for a legitimate loophole in Craig and Martin’s affairs has resulted in a dead end. Bringing justice upon them both has become my mantra as they’ve stolen my son’s security. Let me elaborate; I’ll stop at nothing to inflict the pain they’ve forced upon my son. They’ve spared no expense covering their tracks. Martin continues to shelter Craig’s assets through their Aunt Hattie who works as the manager at GrowMerica Bank.” Angie said.
“Now you see why I call him the inconvenience. His behavior toward Lance and you repulses me. Lance, such a fine young man, deserves better, as do you. Picking up where you left off, to elaborate further, the key to your enigma rests within their Aunt Hattie. She has gone to great lengths to ensure her sist
er’s children appear ‘golden’. Financial records identifying the three worked in collusion will never surface; she enacted complex measures to ensure this. Take one down and watch a house of cards collapse. John’s unbalanced and worries me. His ties with their Aunt Hattie’s dirty banking business run deep. Much of our bucking heads stems from his junkie status and selling it on the streets. I disagree with selling drugs as it always reaches children and ruins their lives.” Anthony said.
“We agree on many levels.” Angie said.
“However, the matter of you needing $9,000 so you don’t lose your home still presents a crux.” Anthony said.
“Yes, that matter looms overhead like circling vultures.”
“I give you credit you for your resourcefulness. The police have not discovered all the evidence linked to Martin, Candy, Craig and John’s money laundering, but you found enough evidence to put them away for a long time. Do you have any objections on going into business with me? This way you would secure enough funds to redeem your home while I concurrently protect my business position.”
“You’ve peaked my curiosity, please tell me more about this business proposition.” Angie said.
“I can steer you in the right direction providing you evidence to land Craig, Martin, Candy and Hattie in jail. However, in return I ask you to refrain from revealing anything about their insurance business or money laundering overseas.”
“You’ve acquired enough evidence to land them in jail on something else?”
“Yes.” Anthony said.
Extending her right hand to Anthony, Angelina said, “We have a business deal. I’m glad we understand each other.”
“Lunch always tastes better after reaching a truce, now with our business concluded, let’s eat!”
The three men Angie’s eyes focused on earlier had concluded their meeting. However, before exiting, the taller of the two lowered his Versace’s, as wafts of his intoxicating cologne drifted Angie’s way, and winked at her. This man placed a card in Anthony’s hand as he passed by the table, which Anthony wasted no time inserting in his pocket. This raised questions that skidded Angie’s mind to a halt. However, they faded as thoughts of the eye-candy fed Angie’s thirsty soul.
ISOLATION: Child Support 911 Page 17