by Mike Faricy
“You don’t think that guy with the cane back at the harbor hasn’t already called the cops. You ask me, he looked pretty pissed off. After all, you took off without paying, Carlos. Hell, he probably thinks you stole this boat, too. Just in case he had any doubts, the moment he saw me jump onboard at the last minute most likely convinced him something ain’t right. Come on, man, the cops are probably firing up the SWAT team chopper right now. You stole enough cash to go somewhere, hell anywhere, but you’re not going to make it with those two little kids slowing you down. Let me take ‘em off your hands and then you can really make tracks.”
“No chance,” he said then cast his eyes to the sky and looked left and right. He seemed to think for a moment then said, “You know, now that I think about it, you just might be making some sense. I tell you what, I think it would be a good idea if you helped me.”
“I can do that, let me….”
“Shut the hell up. For the time being I want you to crawl over here,” he said and then opened what looked like a cabinet door exposing some steep little steps leading into a galley area.
“So here is what we’re gonna do, I need you to just lay your ass down on those steps going into the galley. No, not like that, turn around and roll over on your stomach, I want you head first, douche bag. You just point your head down into the galley, and keep those legs of yours up here on the deck.”
“I’m telling you, you’re wasting precious time, Carlos. Let me just take the kids and you can make tracks, man.”
“Will you just shut up and do it, I want any advice from you, I’ll ask for it. Now come on, move, damn it,” he said and gestured with the pistol giving me just about all the incentive I would ever need.
“Don’t do this, man.”
“Just move before I change my mind and give you another beauty treatment, only this time I’ll use a baseball bat and then throw you over the side. By the way, anyone tell you, you’re looking like shit?”
“No, I haven’t heard that from anyone.”
“Yeah, right. Come on, get your damned head down those steps before I forget about being such a nice guy,” he said and then waved the Sig Sauer at the tip of my nose as an added incentive.
Chapter Twenty-Two
With my head hanging down the steps and into the galley it was impossible to tell whether we were heading north or south. A number of small windows were along either side of the galley, but the curtains over them were pulled closed and I couldn’t see out. Occasionally, I raised my head and held it up for thirty seconds or so just so it wouldn’t explode.
The galley consisted of a triangular shaped table along one side with a carton of orange juice and a vodka bottle sitting in the middle of the table. A small cooking area and a little built-in refrigerator were just across from the table. There was a narrow countertop next to the two-burner range that was littered with a number of wrappers from McDonald’s and what looked like left over French fries.
From where I was positioned, basically upside down on the ladder, there was a door that stood directly opposite me at the far end of the galley. I guessed it was probably some sort of sleeping quarters and with any luck that was where Carlos was keeping Emma and Ava. A digital clock on a shelf above the counter with all the McDonald’s wrappers displayed the time, just in case I needed to know exactly how many minutes I’d been forced to remain upside down.
Sometime later I heard a distant noise that quickly morphed into the unmistakable sound of a helicopter passing overhead. I planted my hands on one of the steep steps into the galley and braced myself so I could look up and over my shoulder as the helicopter slowly drifted into view. It seemed to hover off to the side while they apparently checked us out.
Carlos had thrown a beach towel over my legs as soon as the helicopter came into view. A figure dressed in bright orange and wearing a white helmet leaned out the open side of the helicopter and glanced down at us. After some time he gave a wave as the helicopter drifted overhead and then circled us a couple of times.
Carlos gave an enthusiastic wave up to the helicopter, then flashed a broad smile as he groaned, “You bastards,” under his breath. A moment later the guy waved again and the helicopter took off and headed further up the shore. I listened as the sound gradually faded into the distance.
“Well, there you go, how’s that make you feel? So much for your good friends the authorities doing anything to try and find you. I’d guess they just took one look at your sorry ass and came to the conclusion you simply weren’t worth the effort,” he said and chuckled at his own joke.
“Carlos, they’re going to be looking at each and every boat they come across as they head to that little marina up in Two Harbors. Once they get there, they’ll talk to that guy at the store. They’re bound to spot my SUV and they’ll run the license plate. Then you’ll have about ninety seconds to say your prayers, the only difference is next time they swing by, you ain’t getting off with just a wave and a smile.”
He seemed to think about that for a moment or two, and said, “We’ll just see about that.” Then he took another hearty sip from his glass and let out a little satisfied gasp. Ten minutes later he gave the wheel a hard turn to the right and we were headed toward shore.
“Change your mind all of sudden? I’m guessing that helicopter is heading back out of that Marina by now and believe me, now they’ll know exactly who in the hell to look for.”
“I think it would be a good idea if you just stay put down there and shut up, smart ass,” Carlos said then he sort of leaned over and gave me an ineffective kick that glanced off my side.
A few minutes later I was aware of us riding a series of waves, rocking up and down and then the next time I looked back over my shoulder I could see the tops of birch trees.
“Not to worry, Haskell, by the time that helicopter comes back this way it’s gonna fly right past us,” Carlos laughed. “Then, they’ll probably head over to the Wisconsin side, on another wild goose chase. See how far they get with that. We’ll be long gone and they can just sit around with their thumbs up their asses wondering where in the hell we disappeared to.”
We motored on for maybe ten more minutes, only now we were literally puttering at a much slower speed along a course that seemed to veer back and forth, left and right. In short order the canopy of birch trees with their yellow, fall leaves grew substantially thicker and I could hear birds chirping. After a bit we seemed to sort of coast to a stop. Carlos slipped the engine into neutral and then just stood there looking like he was studying something.
“All right, you just hold real still now, dumb shit and don’t do anything stupid.” He held the pistol along his side, but it was still pointed at me as he opened a drawer next to the entrance to the galley. “Yeah, perfect, this should do the trick. Just don’t go getting any ideas about being some kind of hero,” he said and pulled what looked like a roll of duct tape out from the drawer.
He sort of straddled me, placing a foot on either side then he pressed the barrel of the pistol against my spine and held it there for a long moment. “Just so we understand one another,” he said.
He reached down suddenly and quickly wrapped the tape snugly around my ankles a number of times. Once my ankles were secure he tore off the end of the tape. He grabbed onto my jeans with both hands and then dragged me back across the deck, pulling me up the galley stairs until I was lying on my stomach. It felt good to suddenly be stretched out on a flat surface and I took a number of deep breaths as the pressure gradually began to fade from my chest.
“Now, I want you to place both your hands behind your back. Come on, hurry up, I don’t have all day,” he said and poked me hard in the butt with the pistol then grabbed one of my wrists.
I put the other hand behind my back and he quickly wrapped the tape around my wrists and forearms. He tore off a short piece of tape, rolled me over and placed the tape over my mouth then smoothed it down with his hands. He pulled me up by the shoulders, groaning with the effort as he mo
ved me into a sitting position. Then he stepped behind me and dragged me over against the chair bolted to the deck in front of the console.
He was whistling now, enjoying the task as he tore off a long piece of tape. He wrapped one end around my forehead and the other end around the back of the chair so that my head was held firmly against the chair. Then, he wound the tape two more times around my head and the back of the chair until I was taped up against the thing and unable to move.
“I guess that should hold you. All wrapped up nice and tight for Christmas,” he said as he stood and laughed, sounding half crazy as he did so. He reached over and drained what little was left in his glass, then he put the engine in gear and slowly moved forward. I could sense us making a complete circle and then he guided the boat back and forth a few of times, working the throttle and the wheel. A few moments later I felt a bump as we gently brushed against something. Carlos turned the engine off and grabbed his empty glass.
“Well, ‘spose its time to go meet the neighbors. I’m sorry you can’t join me, but you seem to be rather inappropriately attired. I think it might be best if you just wait here for me. Not to worry, I won’t be long,” he laughed then shoved the pistol in the back of his belt and pulled his shirt out to hide it. He gave me one last look and a little finger wave before he carried his empty glass down the ladder to the lower deck and then disappeared from view.
I could hear his footsteps as he walked along the side of the boat toward the front. He was whistling some nondescript tune for a moment and then there were a couple of quick, soft footsteps and I guessed he had probably jumped off onto a dock and tied the boat up.
I immediately started to try and wiggle my hands out of the duct tape. Not that it did much good. It seemed the harder I tried the more the length wrapped around my head felt like it was growing even tighter.
Carlos’s voice interrupted my efforts when I heard him calling in the distance, “Hello, hello there. Hi, hope you don’t mind the interruption. I wonder if you might be able to help, I just tied up at your dock.”
I lay still for a long moment hoping to make out more of the conversation, but all I could hear were birds chirping overhead in the birch trees. I attempted to try and pull one of my hands loose and then tried to simply rip the tape around my wrist, but nothing seemed to work.
After a while I heard what sounded like faint pounding coming from the galley below. Someone was pounding on the door on the far side of the galley. A moment later I could make out the sound of a soft, little voice. I figured it had to be either Emma or Ava. At least I knew they were on the boat, not that I was able to do anything about it just now.
Suddenly I heard the dull report of a pistol, two shots and then maybe a half minute later a third. The shots echoed off the sheer red granite cliffs from somewhere near by. The birds overhead in the trees stopped chirping, some crows called out and flew overhead and then everything remained deathly quiet.
Sometime later I heard footsteps on the dock and then off key whistling, Carlos suddenly appeared on the small ladder a moment later with a freshly filled drink and an idiotic grin on his face.
“Oh, shit, it looks like you’re still alive. Oh well. Hey, guess what? The nice folks who live here said it would be okay if we borrowed their car,” he said then held up a set of car keys and dangled them in front of me.
“I guess you should just stay put, I’m going to get a couple of things organized and then we’ll leave, just one big happy family. That sound okay to you? Hey, speak up, what’s wrong man, cat got your tongue?”
I looked up at him as he flashed an idiotic grin.
“Well, okay, suit yourself, anyway you just take it easy and stay put, this should only take a minute,” he said. With that he gave me another ineffective kick in the side. I acted like it hurt, but only so he wouldn’t try the same thing again and maybe next time get lucky.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Carlos whistled away down in the galley, still off key and to be honest I wasn’t even sure if it was actually a tune. With my head taped to the console chair I could barely get a partial view of what he was doing. He pulled a cushion off one of the benches beneath the galley table and tossed it on the floor. Then he lifted up the bench seat, reached in and pulled out a bright pink suitcase. He smiled, set the suitcase on the table and patted it lovingly. Then he stepped to the far end of the galley, glanced around and very cautiously pushed the door open.
“Okay, girls, its time to come out you two, come on, it’s okay. That’s right, come on out here and see the surprise. You can see who came to visit us this morning. You’ll never guess who it is.”
Ava and Emma stumbled out from behind the galley door. They seemed to be all right physically, although they looked disheveled and still wore their little flannel nighties. They were most likely confused and frightened. At least they didn’t look like they’d been beaten or hurt in any physical way. Both their faces were tear stained and little Ava hung tightly onto older sister Emma’s hand.
“We want our mommy,” Emma demanded.
“Well, I guess she’s still too busy to come for you right now, but come on I’ve got a surprise for you. Look who’s here instead, our old friend, see,” Carlos said then pulled the girls up toward the steps leading out of the galley. The two of them looked up and focused on me, not quite sure what to make of the figure wrapped up in duct tape and attached to the console chair.
“It’s your pal, Dev. Remember? He was the man who gave you to me,” Carlos laughed.
Emma jumped up the steps and Ava followed, they both landed in my lap with a thud and then wrapped their arms around me and hugged tightly.
Ava attempted to snuggle in even closer while Emma sort of pulled back and stared at my face for a long moment. She wrinkled her nose and said, “You sort of don’t look so good, Dev.”
I tried to nod in agreement, but couldn’t move my head with all the duct tape wrapped around it.
Carlos threw the pink suitcase out through the little doorway past the girls then he climbed up the steps and rattled what was left of the ice cubes in his drink. “Okay, here’s what we are going to do. The nice people who live here are going to let us borrow their car so I can drive you girls back to see your mom.”
“Our mom,” Emma screamed.
“I want my mommy,” Ava said then started to cry as she snuggled deeper against my chest.
I strained at the duct tape around my wrists until my arms ached, but absolutely nothing happened, the tape remained in place.
“I’m going to load my suitcase in the car along with you two girls and then if everyone is good, no crying and no saying bossy things, then I’ll come back and get your friend, Dev. I think it would be a really good idea to take him with us, don’t you?” Carlos said.
“Yes, he has to come with us. But, I don’t think he can talk with all that tape covering his mouth,” Emma said.
“I just had to put that over his mouth because he said some very bad words and he needed to have a time out.”
“Maybe he’ll be good now,” Emma said.
“I’m not so sure,” Carlos said.
“I want my mommy,” Ava cried.
“That’s a very good idea, honey. Come on, lets all get in the car so we can go and see your mommy. There are a few things I’d like to tell her,” Carlos said then he picked up the pink suitcase, stuffed it under his arm and ushered the little girls over to the ladder and down to the lower deck.
Once down, I could hear him helping the girls off the boat telling them to be careful jumping onto the dock. I heard them land softly on the dock and then he was asking them what their mom was going to make for dinner as his voice faded away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Some time later I heard footsteps on the dock, heavier steps than the girls, and more horrible whistling. Carlos’s fat head with that idiotic grin plastered across his face appeared a few moments later coming up the small ladder. He was holding a fresh drink and he took a l
arge sip and examined me over the rim of the glass.
“Well, just one more thing to load up and then we’ll be on our way. You, you bag of shit,” he laughed and then kicked the soles of my feet just in case I wasn’t paying attention.
“What’s that scowl for? Oh, come on, don’t be like that. I thought you’d want to go see mommy, too.” he said and laughed. Then he bent down and pulled the end of the tape wrapped around my head. He unwound it from my forehead, around the back of the chair off my forehead, around the chair once more then he stopped.
“I should probably let you know this is liable to hurt quite a bit coming off your skin this time around. Oh well, one can only hope,” he shrugged. “Who knows? It’s liable to be an improvement. Go fast or slow, fast or slow, I just can’t make up my mind. I ‘spose we’ll just have to see.”
With that he yanked the final length of tape, hard. It pulled the hair from my scalp along the side of my head then ripped about three layers of skin off my left temple, made a bloody path across my battered forehead and then ripped the hair out from the other side of my head.
I tried to shriek, but my scream remained muffled behind the duct tape over my mouth.
“Oh come on, now, admit it. That was kind of fun, wasn’t it? I mean at least I enjoyed it.”
I was snorting in an attempt to get my breathing back under control, gradually slowing down the air intake.
“Oh, you strong, silent types. Well okay, have it your way, come on, we’ve got places to go and people to see,” Carlos said then took a fistful of my shirt in either hand and urged me to my feet. I stood for a brief moment as he smiled just before he pushed me forward. With my ankles bound and my hands taped behind my back I fell face first, bouncing onto the wooden deck, banging the side of my head against the deck when I landed. I had to snort some more to get air back in my lungs and I could feel the inside of my cheek swelling where I bit it when my chin hit the deck.
