Caitlin shrugged off her nervousness. He was always nice when he came in to see her, and as he pointed out, he was in a relationship with someone he clearly loved. Caitlin didn’t have many friends outside of work. She wasn’t that interested in relationships beyond her immediate family for the most part, but it would be nice to do something different. She decided, in the moment, that she deserved a bit of spontaneity. He’d asked her to a public place, after all. Nothing wrong with that. “You know what? Tea sounds great. I’ve got to call my husband and let him know I’ll be late. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll meet you out front.”
“Perfect. I’ll be waiting.” Arthur turned and headed toward the front entrance.
Caitlin finished cleaning her area and headed upstairs to the breakroom. Tendrils of nervousness tightened in her stomach, but she quickly banished them. She was being ridiculous. She was just going to have tea with someone who could potentially become a good friend. If they hit it off, the two couples could double date. This could be the beginning of a friendship for not only herself but her husband too.
She walked to her locker, pulled her phone from her purse, and called her husband. He picked up after two rings. “Hey, baby!” Henry said, sounding enthusiastic on the other line. Again, those tendrils creeped up.
“Hi, honey,” Caitlin responded, almost surprised at how normal her voice sounded.
“What’s up?”
“So, I… um… I got invited out to tea after work. Do you think you could get Elise from my parent’s house? I shouldn’t be more than an hour or so.”
“Sure, no problem. Do you even drink tea? I’ve never seen that before.”
Caitlin laughed. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
She could hear the smile in Henry’s voice when he said, “Very true. You going with people from work?”
“Yeah,” she said. Technically it was true.
“Okay, have a good time. I’ll whip up something for dinner. And by whip up, I mean I’ll get pizza.”
“I’d expect nothing less. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. See you soon,” Henry said and then disconnected.
A twinge of guilt arose for not being entirely forthcoming, but she pushed it away. She would tell him all about it when she got home. She glanced at the mirror that attached to the refrigerator, brushed stray hairs behind her ear with her fingers, and got her stuff.
As she exited the building Arthur was standing next to an expensive looking red car with an emblem made of four connected circles. Caitlin was illiterate in all things cars, but this was clearly a vehicle she’d never be able to afford. She smiled at him, “Compensating for something?” She internally facepalmed. Smooth Caitlin, she thought.
Arthur laughed from his belly and responded, “I’m just a fan of fast cars. So, do you have a preference about where we go?”
“Honestly, my tea experience is at the novice level. Generally, I like having very sweet concoctions that have just enough coffee in them to be considered a ‘coffee’ drink.” Caitlin did air quotations with her fingers to emphasize the word.
“There’s this little shop I absolutely love about a mile from here. Do you want to ride with me or follow me there?”
“I should probably take my own car, that way you don’t have to drive me back here. Even though your car looks like it would be fun to ride in.” Caitlin smiled.
“Fair enough. Lead the way to your vehicle, m’lady.” Arthur gave her a small bow and a wink. Caitlin giggled and walked to the back of the parking lot where employees parked their cars. Arthur got into his car, backed out, and followed behind her.
She walked up to her decade-old black Chevy Cobalt. The paint was peeling terribly on the trunk and the interior door handle of the driver’s side didn’t work properly. She had to roll the window down with the car running and use the outdoor handle to release herself. Refusing to be embarrassed by her vehicular transport, she entered the car and waved him past her.
A few minutes, and two stop lights later, he pulled into a small parking lot off the main thoroughfare. Caitlin drove by that location every day on her way to work. She’d never paid attention to the slightly dilapidated brick building. The window had a hand painted picture of a teacup with white paint billowing above it. Bright pink lettering above the image proclaimed the name of the establishment, “Patty’s Pastries,” and below the cup smaller black lettering said, “est 1957.” The outside of the building looked like it hadn’t been updated since then. Caitlin gave Arthur a dubious glance. He caught her eye and smiled.
“Don’t let the exterior scare you off. This place really is the best.” He walked up to the front door and held it open for her. As soon as Caitlin passed the threshold her nostrils were bombarded with the sweet, buttery scents of baked good. As if she was one of Pavlov’s dogs, her mouth produced liquid. If she wasn’t careful, she’d drool like a fool in front of Arthur. She took a quick, discreet swallow and made her way forward.
“Take a seat anywhere, sweety,” said an elderly black woman behind the counter. Her gray-black hair was tightly braided against her head, and she had a smudge of what appeared to be flour on her left cheek. She didn’t look up from the project she was working on, but her voice was friendly.
“Thank you,” Caitlin replied.
Behind her, Arthur walked in and said enthusiastically, “Martha!”
The woman behind the counter looked up, and her mouth split into a stunning grin. “Arthur!” She stopped what she was working on and made her way from behind the counter. She looked as though she were about to embrace him but reconsidered when she looked down at the dough and flour on her apron. She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek instead. “It feels like it’s been forever. How’s Elijah doing? Staying out of trouble, I hope.”
“He’s doing just great. He’s at his mom’s right now. I look forward to seeing him soon. And how is Marijke doing? Did she have her baby yet?”
Caitlin allowed them to banter back and forth as she took a seat in a booth. The place didn’t have much for seating. It was clearly a place where people stopped in the morning before work to grab a pastry and coffee. She scanned the walls. They were a pleasing seafoam green with little trinkets that symbolized different aspects of the business. Artistically painted measuring spoons hung on one wall opposite a cross-stitched image of cookies and teacups with the caption “Cookies and tea, that’s the life for me.”
As Caitlin inspected her surroundings, Arthur came to sit across from her. “I’ve known Martha for years. She’s my favorite baketress.” He said the last bit loud enough for Martha to hear.
Martha giggled and said, “Oh, you stop it. The usual?”
“Yes, please. Times two.”
“Coming right up.” She made her way behind the counter.
“So, what’s the usual?” Caitlin asked, picking at her napkin.
“Blueberry scones with a raspberry and pomegranate infused lemon tea. I promise, it’s delicious.”
“I’m holding you to your word. You don’t want to mess with my emotions when it comes to delicious food items. I can be ruthless.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said Arthur, smiling. “You look like a vicious woman.”
“Extremely vicious. You should be scared. I mean, check out these guns.” Caitlin brought her arms up and flexed her small bicep muscles.
Arthur placed his right hand on his heart and his left hand on his forehead, mimicking a swoon. “Terrifying!”
“You know that’s right. There’s more where that came from, buddy.” Caitlin laughed and then became more serious. “So, I heard Martha say something about Elijah. Is he your son?”
“Yeah,” Arthur said, pulling out a photo of a young boy from his wallet. The resemblance left no doubt the two of them were related. The boy had a tangle of the same coal black hair as his father with the same slight hook in his nose. He had a huge grin on his face as he was opening a present. “He turned five abou
t two months ago. His mother and I have joint custody.”
“What a cutie! I have a daughter named Elise. She’ll be nine in about three weeks.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled to a picture of her daughter being held up on Henry’s shoulders. They had taken the picture the previous fall while on vacation at the Redwood Forest in California.
“Looks like a good kid. The husband looks all right, too.” He smiled, and she joined him.
Martha brought over their food and drinks. They sat for quite a while discussing their lives. Arthur told her about his girlfriend, a respected real estate agent. Caitlin told him about her husband and parents. They discussed their jobs and highlights of a few favorite vacations. As Caitlin laughed about a story involving an ill-fated visit to the Brooklyn zoo, she glanced outside and was shocked to see the sun had gone down. She pulled her phone out and saw that it was 8:45 pm. She had five text messages and three missed calls from Henry. She always put her phone on silent when she went to work and had apparently forgotten to turn the sound back on.
“Shit!” she exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I lost track of time. Hold on, I have to call my husband.”
She hit his contact, her heart pounding.
Henry answered before the first ring ended. “Caitlin? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m so sorry! I completely lost track of time. I’m still out at the tea place. I’ll head out right now.”
“Jesus, Caitlin! Who the hell takes three hours to drink tea? I thought you were bleeding on the side of the road somewhere. Just come home. I already sent Elise to bed.”
“I will. I’m so sorry, honey. I’ll be home soon. I love you.” Henry didn’t respond. He just hung up. “I really have to go.” Caitlin pulled her wallet from her purse to pay.
Arthur waved for her to put it away. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Sounds like you need to get out of here,”
“Thank you so much. I had a wonderful time.” Caitlin hopped up and made her way to her car. She jumped in and turned the key, and…. nothing happened. She tried again with the same result. “Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!” She exited the vehicle. Arthur came out of the bakery, and she waved him over. “Arthur, could you come here for a second?”
Arthur crossed over to her. “What’s going on?”
Flustered, Caitlin gestured to her car. “I’m not exactly sure. My car isn’t turning over at all. I think the battery is dead. Do you have any jumper cables?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t, but I have a buddy who lives close by. We could run over to his place and grab them.”
“I don’t want you to have to go out of your way,” said Caitlin. “I’ll just call Henry and have him come down.”
“It’s no trouble. I hope you don’t mind, but I could hear him on the phone. Didn’t he say he already put your daughter to bed?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Caitlin pulled out her phone and looked at it. She knew that Henry was already mad at her for being late. She didn’t feel like calling him and explaining, so she just sent a short text: Car battery dead. Getting a jump. Will be home asap. Love you!
Within five seconds her screen lit up: Fine. Be safe. Love you too.
“Okay, let’s go.” Her pulse calmed as she walked over to Arthur’s car. Before she had a chance to reach for the handle, he pulled the door open for her. “And he’s a gentleman too. You sure are being my knight in shining armor tonight.”
Caitlin climbed into the leather seat and glanced in the back. She saw the bouquet she had arranged carefully placed in a vase on the floor. “Do you need to call your girlfriend?” she asked as Arthur climbed in on the driver’s side. “I mean, she should be expecting those flowers tonight, right?”
Arthur smiled. “No need to worry. She has plans this evening. I’m going to give them to her tomorrow.”
“Okay, sounds good. So where does this friend of yours live?”
“He’s just a few blocks down. I already texted him. He said to stop on by and he’d have the cables ready.”
“Great!”
Arthur backed out of the parking lot and pulled onto the road. After about seven minutes he turned left toward the highway. An unsettling weight began to cramp Caitlin’s stomach. “I thought you said he was only a few blocks down.”
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.” He flashed her a smile. This time something in his eyes did not calm Caitlin’s nerves. She didn’t say anything and just smiled back. She was just being paranoid. He had been nothing but a gentleman all evening.
Just before the onramp to the highway Arthur made a right turn onto a dark street. Only a few houses were on this road, and they all appeared to have their lights out. The darkness made it difficult to see much, but the neighborhood appeared to be a relatively new development with houses still in the process of being built. Arthur pulled up to one of the houses and shut off his engine.
“So, where’s this friend of yours?” Caitlin asked, having difficulty keeping the nerves out of her voice.
“We need to run in and grab the cables. It’ll only take a second.”
“I think I’ll just wait in the car, if that’s okay with you.” Those tendrils from earlier crept up in her belly and headed toward her chest.
“Don’t be like that, Caitlin. Don’t you think it would be rude of you not to come and thank him for helping you out?”
Before she could answer, Arthur exited the car and came around to her side. Caitlin felt like protesting more but kept her mouth shut and exited the car when he opened the door. He gripped her shoulder and led her slowly to the front entrance. Caitlin could just make out a soft illumination beyond the frosted glass that made up a quarter of the front door. Without knocking, Arthur walked in. “Dave!” he called. “We’re here!”
He grabbed Caitlin by her left elbow and pulled her into the house. The touch had been gentle, but his grip was forceful. She tried to figure out a polite way to remove herself from his grasp when a second man entered the room.
He was horrifying to look at. A large scar ran diagonally from his left temple to just beneath his right ear. His nose was half gone, covered in uneven scar tissue. One eye burst with red capillaries and the other was milky white. “So, what’d you bring me?” he asked in a deep, slurred voice.
Arthur said, with a slightly irritated tone, “You know exactly what I brought. You’ll get what you asked for.”
Caitlin stared at him, her nervousness transforming into gut-wrenching fear. “I want to go now.” She forcefully removed her elbow from Arthur’s grip. She turned toward the door, but he stepped directly in front of her.
“Oh, Caitlin. Don’t be afraid. We’re just having a little fun with you.”
“I’m not having fun. Please take me back to my car. I’ll find my own way home.” As she spoke, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.
Arthur snatched it away from her and tossed it leisurely over to Dave. “There’s no need for that. I said I was going to help you, and I always keep my promises. I’m just wanting a little something in return. Think of all of that extra money I give you every time I see you. I think you owe me for that and for my help tonight.”
“I’ll give you money. Take me to an ATM. I can give you all the money you gave me and more,” Caitlin pleaded, looking from Arthur to Dave and back again. A wave of nausea flooded through her.
Arthur leered at her, his friendly features taking on a menacing overtone. “Do you think I need money? Ha! You really are funny, Caitlin. I’ve been watching you for months. I enjoy the curves of your lips, the way you lower your eyelashes when you’re being shy. I feel something between us. I know you feel it, too. Why else would you have gone out with me tonight?”
Caitlin was at a loss for words. She tried to say something but only stammered. She glanced about the room, trying to find something that could help her, and her gaze landed on a large bookcase. It was covered in wilting and dried bouquets from top to bottom. S
he recognized them as the ones she had put together for Arthur.
At that moment she came to the horrific realization that everything was a lie. She couldn’t be sure a single thing he had said to her had been true. She said the only thing that came to her mind, “Do you even have a son?”
Arthur looked slightly lost at the question. “Of course, I do. Why would I lie about that? I want you to know me.”
“Enough.” Caitlin started at the sound of Dave’s voice, having forgotten he was in the room. “I have the room ready for you two lovebirds. Just don’t forget our agreement.”
“Of course not. You will get what you’re after in the morning. Come with me, Caitlin.” Once again, he wrapped his fingers around her elbow, more firmly this time.
“No!” Caitlin struggled to release herself from his grip. “Please, no!”
“Ssshhhh.” Arthur wiped a tear from her cheek, his thumb surprisingly gentle on her skin. “Don’t cry. You’re safe with me. I won’t hurt you.”
“Much…” Dave said, with a terrible grin across his dry lips. Arthur shot him a look filled with disdain.
“I don’t need to hear another word from you tonight, Dave. You’ve done your part.” Dave flipped off Arthur behind his back. Then he turned and exited the room.
“Come with me. I have set up something very nice for you.” Arthur tugged on her arm, but Caitlin stayed rooted to the spot. “Please don’t make this hard on yourself.”
In response, Caitlin screamed, praying neighbors could hear her.
“Shut up. Shut up!” Arthur yelled at her.
Caitlin pushed against him with all of her strength and kicked his shins. His grip on her loosened enough for her to break free. Just before she reached the front door, Arthur tackled her from behind. The air in her lungs was forcefully evacuated on landing. Her head smacked against the wood floor, causing explosions of lights in her vision.
Arthur picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Caitlin struggled to breathe. Dizziness aborted any attempts to struggle as her captor carried her up the stairs.
They were deposited into a tan carpeted hall. If he had turned left again, they would continue up the stairs to, presumably, a third floor. However, Arthur went forward. More decaying flowers sat on shelves carved into the wall. The walls were starkly white with no personality to speak of. If the flowers hadn’t been present it would appear as if the home were completely vacant.
A World Divided Page 2
