The Water

by Nancy Jackson

  He and two of his men sat outside surveying the neighborhood. There was no cop car as there had been for the last couple of days, just as Vince had said. There was no sign of any cars for that matter, even Pride’s car was gone. There was however, the faint glow of a TV on inside the house.

  Gus opened his door and motioned for the other two to follow him. He walked with measured steps toward the front door looking all around, but it was still too dark to see anything.

  He stepped up to the door and rapped with a single knuckle, then waited.

  Inside, Pride wondered if Jenny had come back. She wouldn’t answer the door. The girl had to know to leave, so Pride sat in her chair, silent.

  Gus once again rapped on the door, this time harder. He was eerily calm because he was about to feel the ecstasy of revenge, and he wanted to savor this moment.

  When Pride still did not answer, Gus motioned for one of his guys to step forward. He was a master at picking locks and he had his picks at the ready.

  Pride heard the picks in the lock and knew it was not Jenny. She hurried to push herself out of her chair and across the floor to the back of the house. She couldn’t run at her weight, but tried to hurry the best she could. If she could just make it to the back door.

  Suddenly the front door burst open and Gus was upon her in a flash. She felt the cold steel of his knife up under her chin. Her breath halted, and she stood stone cold still.

  “Where are they?” Gus asked with a lilt to his voice. It was the voice of a madman. Pride knew that no matter what, he would slit her throat. Whether she told or whether she didn’t, she would die here and now. In that case she would protect the young girl she loved as her own daughter.

  Pride closed her eyes and stood silent. “I said, where are they?” He pressed the knife tighter to her skin and a thin red line emerged.

  When the threat didn’t elicit a response, Gus shoved her away slamming her against the kitchen cabinet. He had spun her around as he pushed, and her back had hit hard against the sharp edge.

  Then he stepped right up to her, his nose nearly touching hers. “I said, where are they?” When he saw that she would rather die than talk, he backed down and motioned for the guys to take her.

  He had them sit her into a kitchen chair and tie her down. She would talk. He would make sure of that.

  Gus paced the room as a man who was in no hurry. He liked, no, loved the feeling of control, and whether Pride knew it, he was in control. Pacing quietly would add tension to the air and the more anxiety he could create in her, the quicker she would talk.

  But he only had so much patience. After a few minutes he stopped in front of her and once again pulled out his knife. He grabbed the top of her thin cotton nightgown and ripped it downward with all the force he had.

  The white cotton cloth gave way and left Pride sitting bare and humiliated. But she would not let it persuade her. She held her head high and sat stoic.

  Gus sneered and added slurring insults to her already diminished pride. Then in a burst of aggression Gus flew forward and wrapped his free hand around Pride’s throat. He squeezed and her eyes bulged.

  “Where are they?” He screamed into her face. His spittle flew across her panic rippled face, but she did not speak.

  Then Gus felt her body shudder, and confusion flooded his mind. He didn’t want to kill her… yet. The grip he had on her throat was not enough to choke her, only hurt her and scare her so she would talk.

  Her body was in some type of convulsion. Gus’ eyes grew round, and he stumbled backwards away from Pride. Her eyes closed and her head dropped to her chest.

  Panic seized Gus. She was dead. How dare she! A moment of indecision gripped him and he stood in the middle of the kitchen floor.

  “Let’s go.” He finally barked at the others and out the door they ran, leaving Pride all alone.

  Carrie wasn’t sure how long she had sat there in her car shaking, but she finally realized the train was gone and she needed to regroup.

  She had lost the SUV which held Lisa and Sandy captive. She had almost died in pursuit, and no one would have even known if she had died because she had thought she could handle this herself. If she had died, no one would even know what had happened or where to look.

  She leaned back, took a deep breath, and searched for her phone. It had been propelled into the passenger floorboard. She retrieved it and opened her phone app. Her car was still sitting perpendicular in the street, but she didn’t have the energy to move it. Thankfully, it was still early morning on a rarely traveled street.

  Her choice was to call Randy or Bracket. She couldn’t call Randy. There was no way she could deal with telling him what had happened and her role in it all.

  She clicked the button to call SAC Bracket. It was still early, and she knew her call would wake him from sleep. After only a few rings he answered with a groggy voice.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s Carrie. I have a situation and I need your help.” That sounded dumb, but she wasn’t sure what else to say. How could she explain this whole mess in a sentence or two? She couldn’t.

  Suddenly alert, Bracket sat up. “What situation?”

  “It’s a long story, but Gus' man has abducted Randy’s wife Sandy and he doesn’t know.” That would get his attention, and not in a good way.

  Bracket sat for a brief moment, trying to comprehend what she had just said. It just sounded strange and too foreign to imagine.

  “Okay, start from the beginning.”

  Carrie started her car and told Bracket in as concise as possible a manner, the story of the last few hours. Once done she wasn’t sure where to go except back to Pride’s in order to check on her and Jenny.

  She pulled up in front of Pride’s as a faint hint of light and color rose in the eastern sky. The call with Bracket finally ended as she sat there watching the sunrise.

  The beauty midst the trauma of the early morning seemed in dire contrast. But as she sat and watched the glorious display of color, she felt a sense of peace wash over her.

  She needed to exit the car and check on Pride and Jenny, but something held her to this moment. Something that seemed to want to comfort her. She felt so strange, so transfixed to the moment.

  When she could finally open her door and step into the dim early morning, she carried that peace with her. Since her parents' death, she had not felt one moment of peace, until now.

  The neighborhood was calm as most neighborhoods were this early in the morning. She didn’t hurry to Pride’s front door, but took the short walk to wallow a little longer in this new peaceful feeling that had eluded her for so long.

  Then it ended almost as abruptly as it had begun. When Carrie approached Pride’s front door, it stood slightly ajar. She knew Pride had been hyper-vigilant lately, and she would have never left her door open. It was then that Carrie noticed that Pride’s car was gone.

  She pulled her gun from its holster and gripped it, ready to shoot. She gently pushed the door open with the toe of her shoe. The television was still on, the volume low, but there was no one watching it.

  She walked quietly through the door towards the kitchen and called out, “Pride. Jenny.”

  But as she turned the corner into the kitchen, she knew Pride would not be responding to her call. Carrie dropped her gun to her side and rushed over to Pride.

  She touched the side of her neck and confirmed what she already knew, there was no pulse. She called Bracket and reported what she had found. There was no rush for an ambulance, it was too late for that. Bracket would send a crime lab and the medical examiner.

  She wanted to cover Pride, but couldn’t hinder evidence collection. Emotion welled up in her as she felt deep compassion for this lady. Then tearing herself away, she walked out to the front porch and sat on the step.

  Carrie sat thinking. Jenny was not here, but since Pride’s car was gone, she suspected that Pride had forced Jenny to take it and run. Or, Jenny had witnessed the murder of Pride and h
ad ran on her own accord. Either way, Carrie didn’t think Gus had Jenny. Had the car been here, then she would have thought otherwise.

  The morning light had grown and the sounds of the city were escalating. Carrie pondered that peaceful feeling that had comforted her in the car moments ago. It was as if something other worldly was wrapping its arms around her and giving her a hug. It would be all right, it had seemed to say.

  Soon Bracket pulled to a stop with uniformed OKC cops quickly in tow. They would secure the scene, another murder to solve. But Carrie knew who had killed Pride. She knew with certainty it had been Gus.

  Carrie stood and met Bracket mid-way in Pride’s front yard. “Did you call Randy?” Carrie asked.

  Bracket perched his hands on his hips and wrinkled his face before dropping his gaze to the ground. He looked back up at Carrie and nodded an affirmative.

  “I want to view this crime scene and then you and I will go back to the office and you will, give me every detail of what happened. It was Carrie’s turn to nod.

  The investigation techs arrived, suited up, and headed towards the house that was already adorned with yellow crime scene tape.

  She explained to Bracket that she had touched nothing except Pride’s neck to check for a pulse. He gave a few explicit orders to the crime scene techs before turning and ushering Carrie out the front door.

  Carrie had spent hours in this little house over the course of the last few days. She had come to know a sweet girl named Jenny and her surrogate mother, Pride. An abnormal family, but that is just exactly what it was. A little family of two.

  Carrie’s family had been wrenched from her years ago and she had built a wall up so thick and so high that no one could penetrate it. But what if she could feel like a family again, like Pride and Jenny? They weren’t blood, but their bond was stronger than a good deal of blood-related families she had seen.

  She got back in her car and followed behind Bracket heading to the office. He had said agents had gone to Gus’ house and that no one was there, not even his thugs. He had also sent agents to the Safe At Last’s safe house. The cook had called Beth immediately, and an agent had met her there and explained what had happened.

  When Carrie pulled into the parking lot of the OSBI headquarters, she saw Randy’s car. Her body tensed, and she dreaded the next few hours. There would be hours of interrogation and deliberation and Randy would be distraught and angry through it all. Angry at her. Angry at Sandy. Angry at the world.

  She drew in a long breath, and stepped out of her car and into the building, ready to face the music.

  Chapter 13

  Vince had taken his female cargo to an old house that Gus kept for projects. In short, it was where he could take care of delicate and illegal matters without drawing law enforcement to his residence.

  It was on the south side of Oklahoma City, but several miles to the west of where he lived. They took care of the house, with its mowed lawn, and tended flower beds. It was a house that appeared well taken care of by a loving family.

  Gus took more care of this home than his own home. The last thing he wanted was a disgruntled or nosey neighbor complaining about the upkeep of the house.

  It was still pitch-dark when Vince had arrived at the house, and with the garage door opener he could enter the house unnoticed. The large SUV barely fit, but he pulled as far up as he could to allow enough room to open the back of the SUV with the garage door closed.

  He wasn’t surprised to see two wide eyed, terrified women when he opened it up. “Good morning, ladies. Have a nice nap?” Vince grinned and reached for Sandy who was piled on top of Lisa.

  She jerked back and tried to move backwards, but there was nowhere to go. Vice laughed and stood looking at her for a moment. “What? Where do you think you’re going to go?”

  Vince was like a huge brick wall. He was six foot four inches and weighed in around 365 pounds. These two little women had no chance against him.

  Tired of messing around, he plunged in and grabbed Sandy around her waist and drug her out. He carried her under his arm into the house, flipped on a light, and plopped her in the closest kitchen chair.

  Without removing his hand, which held her down, he leaned in close and stared into her eyes. “You move, I will kill you. Got it?”

  Sandy understood and nodded.

  Vince pulled some heavy duty zip ties out of a cabinet drawer and locked Sandy down tight to the chair. He left the rag in her mouth he’d used earlier when throwing her in the back of the SUV.

  In less than five minutes, he had both ladies confined securely in the kitchen and went to use the toilet. Gus had sent him a message that he was at Pride’s. It would be awhile before Gus could meet him here.

  Once back in the kitchen, he flipped the light off and went to lie down on the sofa. He’d had a long night. He would rest while he could.

  But his rest didn’t last long. He was just about to doze off when his phone rang. It was Gus, and he was on his way.

  Vince jumped up and went to pull his SUV out of the garage so that Gus could pull in. Gus’ SUV flew into the open garage door and he was out of it before the door was halfway down.

  Standing by, Vince watched as Gus slung the contents of the garage and threw them at him. What had set him in such a rage? They had the blonde and Lisa.

  Finally, Gus’s energy spent with one final kick at the wall, he went inside. The three goons followed, waiting for further instruction.

  Seeing the two women strapped to the kitchen chairs soothed Gus somewhat. But he was still furious that Jenny and Pride had betrayed him. No one ever got away with betraying him. And now Pride was dead and they would hunt for him.

  He wanted to play with his two new toys, but he had to figure out what to do. As he walked past Sandy on his way towards the living room, he stopped and brushed his hand down her soft cheek and held her chin. He tilted her head up, removed the rag from her mouth, and leaned down giving her a long slow kiss.

  He didn’t even mind that her face was wet and salty from her tears. In some warped way, her fear excited him even more.

  Randy was pacing in a panic when Carrie walked into the room. As soon as she did, he flew around the desk and rushed at her in a desperate rage.

  Bracket immediately reached out, protecting Carrie from the onslaught that Randy was about to deliver. But it didn’t stop his screams. His vile, accusatory screams. And each one seemed true to Carrie, so she stood and allowed him to deliver them repeatedly.

  Finally, when he was spent, he turned to walk into the conference room. Carrie’s mind searched for something to say, but nothing seemed right. She could say ‘I’m sorry, or we’ll get them back’ but nothing, not one thing at all, even came close to what the situation required. So, she quietly followed him into the conference room with Bracket at her side.

  She pulled out a chair and sat quietly while Randy paced and rubbed his hand through his dark hair. Bracket sat at the end of the table and requested that Randy sit.

  Watching his agony, Carrie could feel her blood pressure pounding against the top of her skull. She felt dizzy and thought she might pass out, but forced herself to endure this horrific moment.

  When Randy finally sat, Bracket looked at Carrie, started the video camera they left in the room for just such an occasion, and nodded for her to begin.

  After an hour, it was all down on video. Carrie could have given the events much quicker, but was stopped periodically to answer clarifying questions from both Bracket and Randy.

  She was glad it was over. She had rubbed her sweaty hands together from sheer nervousness until they felt chapped and raw. Randy couldn’t make solid eye contact with her. She would catch him glaring at her, but when she would attempt to meet his gaze, he would turn his head.

  He was her best friend, and she had destroyed that relationship. Could it be repaired? She hoped so, but only if they found Sandy alive and well.

  One of their agents, Gerald, was searching for properties th
at Gus may own. He was diving deep to see if there were shell corporations or an alias he could have used to purchase them.

  The techs were still going over Pride’s home with a fine-tooth comb and the medical examiner had her body ready for autopsy. Someone had put a BOLO out on Pride’s car. Jenny would only be detained for inquiry and for her own safety. As far as they knew, she hadn’t committed a crime.

  As soon as they shut the video camera off, Randy jumped up and left the room. Carrie looked over at Bracket with pleading eyes. He had a big heart and cared for all his agents, especially Carrie. He had seen the trauma her parents' death had dealt her.

  Bracket reached out and laid his hand on hers. Let’s go into my office and we’ll talk. He patted her hand and rose to leave.

  Carrie suddenly felt exhausted. The long night of adrenaline and anxiety weighted her body down. It took great effort just to rise from the chair and take a step toward Bracket’s office.

  Another agent was already taking the camera to offload her statement so it could be transcribed and placed in the file. Carrie couldn’t look at her. They would all know the poor decisions she had made that put Sandy in danger, and which may also result in her death.

  Walking out of the conference room to Bracket’s office, Carrie couldn’t look around the room. She felt the eyes on her, first glancing her way, then quickly darting away. She could read their thoughts. They were the same as her own.

  Bracket’s door clicked behind her and the blinds made a swoosh as he pulled them closed. That was a clear sign they were not to be disturbed.

  The heaviness Carrie felt in her soul pushed her body deep into the chair in front of Bracket’s desk. She slouched so low she could rest her head on the back of the chair. One ankle lay resting on the other thigh and her hands hung straight down on each side.

  She shut her eyes for a moment and then heard Bracket say, “Carrie this is just us in here now. What were you thinking?”