by Marnie Perry
For the first time the man’s expression changed as he said menacingly, ‘lots of things could change, Guildy old pal.’
Guildy ignored him and went into the bedroom and there was silence until Lando almost jumped when a shot was fired in the bedroom. Lando’s first thought was that he had shot Dante but he hadn’t heard a whine so quickly realised that Guildy had killed Benson. Lando realised how ruthless these two were, he just hoped Dante and the woman stayed put.
The man Guildy had called Rosie walked towards Lando and said, ‘so, Mr. Lando, now that’s sorted out let’s get down to business. Where is she?’
‘Who’s she?’
Rosie smiled, ‘you know, Lando, I like you, I really do, the way you took out three guys, two of them feds is impressive, my boss could use a guy like you.’
‘And who’s your boss?’
‘Oh, I think you know who my boss is.’
‘Glissando.’
Rosie’s face darkened, ‘Mr. Glissando to you, show some respect.’
Lando laughed derisively, ‘respect? I save that for people that ain’t scum sucking murderers and slave traders.’
Rosie stared at him as though he was mad to say such a thing about his boss then he lifted his arm and backhanded Lando across the face knocking him over the table.
Lando’s head swam and he saw multicoloured stars as blood spurted from his mouth.
Rosie yanked him upright by his hair and putting his face close to his said, ‘you badmouth Mr. Glissando again and I’ll forget that we need you to talk and cut your fucking tongue out.’
Lando had no doubt that he would do it so thought it best to stay silent. Rosie let go of his hair and he staggered backwards against the table.
Lando wondered what Guildy was doing in the bedroom and prayed he wouldn’t find Dante. He also hoped that the woman couldn’t hear what was being said but he knew she probably could; he just prayed that she remained where she was. Although she might have gone for help when she heard the men's voices, because he knew now who they were, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He deliberately hadn’t told her to go for help unless it was absolutely necessary because he couldn’t be sure who might be waiting for her in the woods.
He had to give her a clue as to what to do so he spat blood out of his mouth and said, ‘your boss mustn’t have much faith in you since he sent five of you to take down one lone man and a helpless female.’
Rosie laughed, ‘yeah, but you ain’t just any man are you, Mr. Lando. Ex -cop, convicted murderer, we came prepared for anything, good thing too.’
‘In that case are you sure five is enough?’ Lando asked.
‘It only took Guildy and me remember. Those three were just back up.’
So there were only five of them. Now he hoped the woman could hear and know that it was safe to run for help.
Just then Lando froze as he heard a loud whimper from the bedroom, a few seconds later Guildy appeared in the bedroom doorway dragging a terrified and struggling Dante by the scruff of the neck. Guildy said, ‘look what I found cowering in the shower.’
Lando tried not to tense as Guildy pulled a very reluctant Dante into the living room.
Rosie smiled and said, ‘well hello there, fella, got scared by the loud noises, hey?’ He patted Dante on the head who whined and tried to pull away from Guildy’s hold.
Rosie turned to Lando, ‘what’s his name?’
Lando shrugged, ‘no idea, he ain’t mine, just a stray that comes by sometimes scavenging for food.’ He didn’t want them to know Dante belonged to him; they might threaten to hurt him to get Lando to talk.
Rosie said wryly, ‘stray, huh? Well his timing ain’t the best is it?’
Lando shrugged again.
Rosie said to Guildy, ‘there wasn’t a woman in the shower too by any chance was there?’
Guildy laughed along with his partner, ‘nah.’
‘Too bad, it would have saved Mr. Lando and his dog here a world of pain.’
Lando’s heart did a somersault at this but kept his face impassive as he said, ‘pardon the pun, but you’re barking up the wrong tree, Mister. You’ve said yourself I’m a convicted murderer, convicted of killing a woman too, what woman in her right mind would come to me for help?’
‘That’s a good point,’ Rosie replied, ‘under normal circumstances I’d agree with you, but the woman we after was desperate like, and desperate times call for desperate measures.’
Lando said, ‘I don’t know how many more ways I can say this, I ain’t seen the woman since she left Alabama.’
Rosie studied Lando very closely then turned to his partner and nodded. Guildy lifted his foot and kicked Dante very hard in the ribs, the dog yelped with pain and fell to the floor as Guildy kicked him again. Lando heard the dog’s ribs crack and despite his attempt to remain nonchalant by the dog’s fate he instinctively leapt forward, but Rosie was ready and caught him by his handcuffed wrists and yanked him back. Lando gritted his teeth as pain shot through his arms. He turned to Guildy and considering his anger said very calmly, ‘I’m gonna kill you for that you short ass, freak fingered, gremlin faced bastard.’
Rosie laughed out loud but Guildy advanced on Lando his fist clenched. Rosie stepped in between them saying, ‘now come on, Guildy old pal, ain’t you got no sense of humour? Sides, you’ll get your revenge soon enough.’
Guildy glared at Lando with hatred then his shoulders relaxed as he smiled at the thought of getting even with him.
Lando looked at Dante who lay whimpering on the floor. Rosie followed his gaze, ‘you could end this right now, Lando, just tell us where she is.’
Lando said nothing. Rosie shook his head as though disappointed. He said, ‘look, Lando, I know you feel you should protect the woman and I admire that, but it won’t do you no good, in the end we’ll find her. Mr. Glissando won’t never stop looking for her, so you might as well save yourself and your animals a lot of unnecessary pain and tell us what we know you know right now.’
Lando remained silent so Rosie said, ‘all right, you want to play the tough guy, Lando? So be it.’ He turned and once again nodded to his partner who smiled and walked towards the door taking off his jacket and throwing it over a chair rolling up his shirt sleeves as he did so.
Rosie turned back to Lando and said, ‘Guildy will start with your little animal hospital, he’ll search for the woman. If he don’t find her I’m afraid he might get real mad and start taking it out on them poor injured critters, starting with the littlest and working his way up to the foal then his mama. But he might be a while he likes to take his time with things does Guildenstern. Then when he’s finished with the animals it’ll be my turn with you.’ He smiled malevolently, ‘I prefer the human element. Well, what do you say, Lando? Last chance.’
Lando tried not to show how sick he felt at the man’s words. He knew he was in a hopeless situation but he prayed for one chance, just one small chance, to rip this guy’s face off, as for the other one God help him if he ever got his hands free.
Rosie gave an exaggerated sigh when Lando remained stubbornly silent. He said, ‘as you wish. Guildy, I know you like to take your time but remember we ain’t got all day.’
Guildy smirked and opened the door.
**********
Adela had remained standing staring at the little door in the ceiling after Lando had slammed it shut but at the sound of the first, what she could only term as explosion, had flung herself to the floor curled up in a foetal position her hands over her ears. She stayed like this throughout the second explosion and the crashing and banging and grunting. She could smell something strange and cloying that made her want to sneeze, she dug her fingernails into her palms to stop herself. That would be the ultimate in farce, after everything she’d endured to be discovered because of a sneeze.
When she heard Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s voices and knew that they had captured Lando, her head spun and she almost passed out with fear. She tried taking deep breaths which
was difficult in the stifling little room. What would they do to him? Would they take him to Glissando if so she would have to go to the sheriff there was no question about that and damn what happened to her afterwards. Or would they do whatever they were going to do to him here, would they torture him? Despite the danger she moaned at the thought of this, then froze and listened intently but all she heard were the men’s voices. This time the men didn’t attempt to lower their voices so she could hear everything.
She heard Rosencrantz ask Lando where she was and Lando’s replies, then the sound of skin on skin and a grunt and knew that Rosencrantz had hit Lando. She almost left her hideout there and then but didn’t, instead waited for an opportunity to maybe help Lando. She heard him ask about the five men being sent to get just two people, and Rosencrantz’s reply.
She knew what Lando had done, he was telling her that it was safe to run for help but she didn’t, she couldn’t, she had to stay and help him, how she could do that she had no idea, but she wouldn’t run and leave him alone. She was racking her brain for an idea, something, anything, to help Lando when she heard the words that made her head shoot up and her throat to constrict, Guildenstern saying, “Look what I found cowering in the shower.” And knew they had found Dante. She knew they would use him to persuade Lando to comply, Dante and all the other animals. She almost screamed as she heard a thud then a heart wrenching howl of pain followed by whimpering and knew that they had hurt Dante. She buried her face in her hands as she wept quietly.
God only knew how Lando must be feeling right now; his pain and rage must be almost unbearable, some of that rage directed below him to the woman cowering under the floorboards who had caused all this to happen. She could hardly hear what was said next through the roaring in her ears but she could tell by the tone of Lando’s voice that he was trying desperately to control himself. Just as she thought her fear could reach no further heights she heard Rosencrantz tell Lando what would happen to him and his animals. She heard him say, “Then when he’s finished with the animals it’ll be my turn with you. I prefer the human element.”
That was enough for Adela just as Rosencrantz said, “We ain’t got all day.” Adela flung open the door to the crawl space and yelled, ‘no, no please don’t, don’t hurt them.’
The three men all swung startled face towards her as she emerged dirty and dusty and very pale from the hole in the floor like a ghost rising from a dungeon.
Rosie was the first to recover from the surprise, he smiled and said, ‘Miss. Faraday, I presume. Or should I say, Freu Faraday.’
CHAPTER 40.
Adela didn’t answer but was looking at Lando’s handcuffed wrists before looking up at his face. She gasped when she saw the swollen lip and the huge bruise on his cheek and his eyes still red from the tear gas. He was glaring at her and his tone was filled with rage as he yelled, ‘can’t you just once do as you’re told, woman?’
As she approached the men on shaking legs her hands raised slightly to show she was not armed and said, ‘I can’t stand by and watch them hurt you, Mr. Lando, you or your animals.’
His eyes narrowed and he spoke through clenched teeth, ‘you never thought of going for help I suppose?’
‘Yes. But by the time I got back they would have killed the animals and you too, I couldn’t let that happen. I won’t let you be killed because of me.’
He looked angry enough to strike her as he said contemptuously, ‘and you think they’re just gonna let me go after they take you to Glissando.’
At the mention of that name she shuddered and he felt a momentary guilt for bringing it up like that but he shrugged it off, it was her own fault, the stupid woman, the crazy, stubborn, soft hearted, stupid woman.
Rosie butted in then, ‘sorry to interrupt this oh so moving and emotional reunion but we do have things to discuss,’ he looked pointedly at Adela, ‘don’t we, Miss.’
It wasn’t a question so she didn’t answer, instead she let out a gasp as her eyes alighted on Dante’s prone body and before Rosie could stop her she had rushed past him and was kneeling next to the dog. Guildy grabbed her arm roughly and attempted to haul her to her feet but she threw him off, when he tried again Rosie said, ‘leave her, Guildy; as long as she’s there she ain’t trying to run.’
Guildy glared at Adela’s bent head but let go of her arm. Adela was relieved that Dante was still breathing although she could feel his broken ribs through his skin and fur. She looked up at Guildy and her eyes stinging with tears but her voice filled with utter contempt and revulsion said, ‘you vicious, cold hearted, sadistic beast, to treat a defenceless animal this way. You coward.’
Guildy looked down at her his face dark and angry as he barked, ‘watch it, lady, or I might forget you’re a woman and do the same to you.’
Instead of being intimidated Adela curled her lip and said with disdain, ‘what would it matter to a brute like you whether I’m female or male, human or animal, you treat everyone and everything the same way, with cruelty and viciousness, you’re inhuman, like your boss.’
Guildy raised his hand as if to hit her and Lando stepped forward saying, ‘don’t you dare you sonovabitch.’
Guildy looked at him and grinned as his hand began it’s descent but Rosie once again intervened saying sharply, ‘Guildenstern, leave it, that’s not our place,’ he turned to Adela, ‘but you watch your mouth or next time I won’t stop him from shutting it for you.’
Adela was wise enough not to pursue it but couldn’t help giving both men a contemptuous look. Rosie only laughed and took out his phone and began texting someone.
Lando watched the woman as she knelt by Dante stroking him. Her eyes wet with tears. But although he admired the woman’s spirit and under normal circumstances he would have laughed at the way she had berated the two men, he just hoped she knew where to draw the line with them.
But he knew he had worried unduly when she further surprised him by turning to Rosie and her voice pleading said, ‘Mr. Rosencrantz, before you take me away can I tend to Dante’s wounds please?’ She had lost her hostile and contemptuous tone and was now appealing to the less antagonistic and sadistic one. His admiration increased.
Rosie looked momentarily taken aback and before he could answer Guildy snorted with derision but it was his turn to be surprised when his partner said, ‘his ribs are broken you know how to fix that?’
‘Yes.’
Rosie said nothing deliberately keeping her hanging she knew before saying, ‘yeah sure.’
Guildy said, ‘what? You gone soft or something, Rosencrantz?’
Rosie just grinned, ‘it’ll give her something to do keep her out of trouble till the boat gets here.’
Adela gulped, ‘boat?’
It was Guildy who answered his expression cold and calculating, ‘yeah, we going for a little boat ride, gonna see a man wants to see you real, real bad.’ He made a sound like a witch cackling as he leered at her, his eyes going to her breasts. Adela wanted to hit him right in his smug, nasty mouth.
‘Why a boat.’ This from Lando.
‘Why you think? You live here don’t ya; we could hardly walk her through the town to the car now could we? Your sheriff is kinda long in the tooth but I think even he’d notice something was amiss if we tried to put a struggling,’ he turned to Adela and grinned, ‘or unconscious woman in the trunk. So we used our heads and opted for the boat to take us someplace nice and quiet for the transfer to the car.'
Lando looked at Adela who looked back her face ashen before lowering her eyes back to Dante and with an effort became all business again as she said, ‘Mr. Lando, do you have any bandages or sheets I could use to set Dante’s ribs?’
He stared at her for a moment in surprise then turned to Rosie, ‘there’s some in the bathroom cupboard, but I don’t want her going in there.’
Rosie said, ‘she gonna see a lot worse than three dead guys afore she’s through pal.’
Lando tried not to let his feelings for the cold hea
rted bastard show as he said, ‘at least cover them up.’
Rosie regarded him then shrugged and turning to Guildy said, ‘go and cover up our friends with something.’
Guildy looked ready to argue but thought better of it and stalked off to do his partners biding.
Lando said, ‘thanks.’
Rosie looked at him and smirked, ‘well I don’t want the lady to faint now do I.’
Guildy came back in and nodded at his partner and said, ‘I put Mr. Glissando’s ex employees in a closet out of the lady’s sight. Sides, someone might come by who shouldn’t.’
Rosie laughed, ‘very good partner, now that’s thinking that is.’
Guildy shot him a hostile look but Rosie only laughed. He turned to Adela, ‘just think of them as being in a better place.’
Adela cast him a caustic look and moved towards the bedroom door.
Guildy grabbed her arm and turned her round to face him, he leered at her as he said, ‘I’ll go with you, make sure you don’t try nothing funny.’
She wanted to say “anything funny you ignoramus,” but wisely refrained and still holding onto her he led her into the bedroom.
Lando tensed as they disappeared praying that Guildy wouldn’t try anything with her in there. Rosie noticed his grim expression and said, ‘don’t worry; he won’t dare touch her, not in that way anyway.’
Lando gave him a look of loathing and Rosie laughed saying, ‘ya know, you’re good, Lando, I almost fell for your lies, good thing for you though that the lady has a soft heart. But that’s the trouble with broads, that’s why they never make good cops, or even good criminals, they too emotional. But let’s see how loyal and soft hearted she remains when she’s been in Mr Glissando’s company for a few days.’
Lando looked back at him and if a look could cause a man to drop dead Rosie would be lying on the floor breathing his last. Rosie laughed again.
A few seconds later Adela and Guildy reappeared in the living room Adela looking pale and shaken. She cast a quick glance at Lando before once more squatting next to Dante, and whispering soft words of comfort, she very efficiently and deftly dealt with his ribs and the cut to his back, which to Adela’s relief was not too deep.
