“You Jory Hunger?” asked John, his gun still pointed at him. Diane turned back to face Jory Hunger and pointed her gun as well.
“Who is asking?” asked the bath robe person, still very angry. He looked at the unconscious woman on the ground and then turned back to look at the two intruders.
“Is this some kind of a movie? Start talking, bathrobe guy. We know you are Jory Hunger. Now…” John stopped talking. A phone started ringing, and it was on the table.
John picked it up and the name on that was Mr. Dragon. He showed the phone to Diane, who nodded in agreement. They both recognized the name. John figured that Mr. Dragon was probably calling to check if everything was okay. This only confirmed their suspicions. A person of extreme importance must be at the house. They only needed to get that information out of this Jory fellow. John held the phone next to the bathrobe guy’s ears.
“Tell him everything is fine. Otherwise, I will blow your brains out.” said John, in a tone that was more than just a threat.
Jory Hunger knew that John was serious. He could see that John was very angry. Jory Hunger did not know that John was frustrated. He did not know that John was severely beaten a couple of days ago and that he still had a lot of pain in his body. He did not know that John had to spend time in a private clinic as a result of the beatings. John was also angry because his assistant was kidnapped and her life was under serious threat. John wanted this to end, and he wanted it to end soon. He wanted to close this case and then show his client that her brother was alive. He then wanted to travel to Townley and spend a long weekend with Nancy. The thought of spending time with Nancy made him feel a little better. Returning to the present time, John pressed the answer button and held it next to Jory Hunger’s mouth.
“Mr. Dragon. Sir…This is Jory.” said Jory Hunger.
“Jory. Are all systems okay? Is the prisoner still intact?” asked a voice that was very recognizable to Diane and John.
“Yes, Mr. Dragon. It is perfect.” said Jory Hunger.
Without even a response, the phone clicked, and the call ended.
“By what time will he call again to check, Jory?” John asked.
“Six hours.” answered Jory.
“Good. Diane, you know that thing where you smack on some part of the neck and the person goes unconscious?” asked John.
“I know how to do that.” said Diane, her gun still pointing at the guy in his bathroom robe.
“Good. Mr. Hunger. Listen to me very carefully. We know your profession is to hold onto things and keep them occupied. I need you to tell me two things. The first thing is the name of the person you are holding for Mr. Dragon. Then, I need to know where this person is kept. You do this, and no harm will come to you. I need to warn you that, as part of my professional training to become a private detective, I have been taught some pretty serious torture techniques. It is true that we cannot kill you because we need you to tell the location and name. Still, I know things that will make you beg me to kill you. Is that clear?” John asked, in a tone that was as serious as before.
“I don’t believe you, detective. I think you are bluffing. You know no torture techniques. I am not falling for that.” said Hunger.
“Looks like he does not believe you, John, what do we do now?” Diane asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Looks like he doesn’t, perhaps I should give him a demonstration of what I am capable of doing.” said John, both their guns still pointing at their target.
“You want to try the double thread torture technique on him? I think he can take it.” said Diane.
“He does not look tough enough, Diane. I think he is just a small baby. We should go with the ugly dog torture technique. We use that for softy guys. He seems like a softy guy.” said John, observing his facial expressions out of the corner of his eye.
John was waiting for the guy to change his expression, perhaps become a little worse for the wear. What Mr. Hunger did not realize was that both John and Diane were playing a game of bluffs. They were simply rattling off random names as torture techniques. They were hoping to scare Jory into thinking that he would be tortured by these crazy torture people. That was the effect that they were hoping to have. They needed Mr. Hunger to start speaking.
They were not exactly short on time, but they only had six hours before Mr. Dragon would call again. The guys they dropped unconscious outside will probably be awake by then. All that they had done till now, would be for nothing. John could not let that happen, and neither could Diane. They had come too far to go home empty handed. They decided to continue their charade.
“I agree with you, John. He does look like a baby. Look at the bathrobe is wearing. It’s pink. What kind of a guy wears a pink bathrobe? Look at his hair cut, and that phone with all the bling. He is a baby, John. I don’t think he has enough guts to even take on the ugly dog. We should try something simpler on him, maybe the sea turtle. We use that on trainees back at the Academy.” said Diane, going along with the play.
“I am not a baby!” said Hunger, changing his facial expression for the first time.
John and Diane knew that they were getting somewhere. They just had to push his buttons a little further.
“Look at you, man. You are a baby, and nothing you say or do can change that. In fact, I think I would feel guilty if I tried any of the torture techniques on you. It would be an insult of my skills and knowledge if I did them.” said John, continuing to push this bathrobe wearing guy’s buttons.
“I am not a baby, and whatever you try, I am not going to tell you squat. You can kill me, but in a few hours they will come checking up on me. Then, your game is up, you morons. I don’t know who you are, detective. I don’t know who your lady friend is. I will find out though. Once this day comes to an end, I will find both of you and take care you. I have resources, and I have the contacts that will make this happen. You have been warned. Both of you!” said Hunger.
Clearly he was getting upset, and that was good news. John knew that calm people didn’t make mistakes. It was people who were not under complete control of their emotions who made mistakes. John was happy that their little trick was working. Hunger was now convinced that John and Diane were not kidding about being torture experts. Now that the doubt had been removed, John and Diane needed to make good on their promise. John did a face nod at Diane. She took that as a signal and moved quickly and found herself behind Hunger’s back. She smacked him on the neck and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“That was easy. What next?” asked Diane.
“We torture him. Get the information out. We did not come this far for nothing. Thanks for playing along. If our mission ends today, I hope you know that I really have enjoyed working with you. I wish you were my partner in my business.” said John.
“Thanks, detective. Hunger will be back to consciousness in five minutes. Do you know any torture techniques at all?” Diane asked.
“Actually, no. Hunger was right. They don’t teach torture techniques at the University. They are illegal, after all. What about you?” asked John.
“I know a few, but there simply isn’t enough equipment here. There are some back at my apartment, and I have used them a few times. Todd has been teaching me how to use whatever is available to torture a victim. As of now, I am out of ideas. We will have to figure something out.” said Diane.
“Figure something out. My understanding about torture is simple. Cause maximum pain to the victim without any lasting damage to his body or mind. Once we get the information out of the victim he should be able to go back to how it was before the torture started. What can we find in this room that we can use to cause him pain? Make him give what we need, which is information about the location of Todd. I have a gut feeling that Todd is right here in this building.” said John, thinking hard, trying to come up with something.
“I have an idea. It’s crazy, and I am not sure if
you will like it.” said Diane.
“If there was ever a time for crazy ideas, this would be it, Diane. Go on, I am all ears.” said John, sitting on the bed.
“I remember seeing this in a movie. The villain had just caught the hero and he wanted him to give him some kind of passcode. He removed all the clothes that the guy was wearing. Then, he took a chair, and removed the bottom of the chair. Then, the hero was tied up to the chair securely. Do you want to guess what happened next?” asked Diane, pausing her narration.
“Not really. I don’t really watch movies that much.” said John.
“Well, the villain then took a rope with a strong end. He then proceeded to smash the hero’s private area, if you know what I am taking about.” said Diane, finishing her torture plan.
“Ouch! That is going to hurt. As a guy, I am not sure I would enjoy performing that torture.” said John, with a wince on his face.
“That is why I said that you may not like it. We do have a chair over here, and we should be able to remove its bottom. Undressing this Hunger guy is not a problem. There is no rope, but we can make one with his bathrobe. He won’t need it anyway. Also, since it is a bathrobe made rope, it may not hurt him that much. What do you think?” asked Diane.
“You are sure that we won’t be causing any permanent damage to his, well, private area?” asked John.
“I am positive. If that is the only question you have, I suppose you are on board?” asked Diane.
John nodded in agreement. He walked up to the chair and used a knife from the kitchen to remove its bottom. Meanwhile, back in the room, Diane got busy with the unconscious body of Hunger. She removed his bathrobe and since he wasn’t wearing any undergarments, her job was done the moment she began. She smiled on looking at his private area, and lifted him up by his shoulders. By now, John had dragged in a chair which had its bottom removed. They placed him carefully on the chair.
John then grabbed some curtains. He used two of them to bind him securely to the chair. With another piece of the curtain, Diane made a rope. She made a strong puff at the end, to ensure that it was somewhere between hard and soft. Once everything was done, they both stood admiring the handiwork. They seemed very impressed with what they had achieved. All that remained to be done was to make sure that he would give the necessary information. Then, they could close the case for good. By now, five minutes had passed, and Hunger started to wake up.
“Where am I?” asked Hunger, recovering slowly from the smack on his neck.
“You are still in the same room, Mr. Hunger.” said Diane.
“Why is it so cold? Why am I naked? You two are some kind of perverts.” said Hunger.
“That’s not really true. I hope you understand the situation right now. You are tied to a chair. I can see that your family jewels are exposed and I have a rope in my hand. You want to guess, what all this means, Mr. Hunger?” said Diane. John continued to keep quiet.
“What is all this supposed to mean? I don’t quite understand what you are saying, lady. What is all this?” asked Hunger, still not realizing the trouble he was about to get into.
“I always believe that a demonstration is always better than an explanation. Allow me, Mr. Hunger.” said Diane.
She then swung the rope she made, and it smacked right into him, under the chair. Hunger let out a cry of pain. John winced again, experiencing sympathy pain.
“That hurt! I am going to kill you, lady. You and your friend who is sitting on my bed will both be murdered. In a few hours, my friends will be here. I will make both of you suffer, and then you will know what I am capable of.” said Hunger, screaming in pain after each word.
“You know what we want to know Hunger. Who is the person you are holding for Mr. Dragon? I will keep hitting you until you tell me.” said Diane, screaming back at his face.
“Never!” Hunger screamed back.
Diane smashed the rope under the chair and hit him again. Hunger screamed again, launching himself into a tirade filled with the choices of swear words. Diane smashed into him again, and he screamed a lot louder. She did not even wait for him to finish his pain scream, and smashed the rope into him again.
“Still nothing, Mr. Hunger?” asked Diane, now standing to his side, and whispering into his ear.
Hunger’s face was contorted in pain. He was not speaking anymore, but he did nod his head, sideways. Diane smashed the rope again, and this time, she was extremely fierce. She smashed the rope the second time and then one more time. This was perhaps the last straw, and Hunger started screaming again.
“Okay! Alright! You can stop hitting now. I am begging you to please stop hitting me!” said Hunger.
“Ready to talk, Mr. Hunger?” Diane asked, looking at John. John nodded in approval.
“I will talk. I will talk. You will have to promise not to hit me again. I need your word. I need his word as well.” said Hunger, panting from pain, his face still contorted.
“Good. Finally some sensible words instead of swear words. I am not a big fan of swear words, Mr. Hunger.” said John, breaking his silence for the first time since the torture started.
“Okay. First question, who is it that you are holding for Mr. Dragon?” asked Diane.
“I only know his name and not much else. His name is Todd Luck. He was assigned to me about three weeks ago. The instructions were clear. I am not to hurt him, but I am not to let him go anywhere either. I should not let him contact anyone outside or anything else. That was my assignment.” said Hunger, his voice improving since the pain below his waist was reducing.
John smiled, and so did Diane. Their hunch was correct.
“Where are you keeping him?” asked Diane.
“In the kitchen, there is a panel behind the oven. The key code is 266182. Use the code and that will lead you to the underground chamber. He has been jailed in that chamber for the last three weeks.” said Hunger.
“Thanks. Sweet dreams.” said Diane, pulling out her dart gun and shooting him straight in the shoulder. He went unconscious for the second time that day.
“Detective, let’s go.” said Diane, heading towards the kitchen.
John followed her and they were in the kitchen. They looked around and found a single oven. It was a large oven, big enough to be used at a commercial bakery. John opened the oven door to find that the oven was a fake. At the back of the oven, which was empty, he saw a lit keypad. Diane saw it too. She came forward and pressed the code that Hunger gave them before he was knocked out. The panel went from red to green, and a door slid open. Beyond that, they saw what looked like the luxury suite in a five star hotel.
Diane went in first and John followed after her. The moment they stepped inside, a man stood up from his chair. John recognized the face. It was Todd Luck. John’s face broke into a smile. Diane, who was right behind him, ran past him and hugged Todd. John waited for the reunion to stop, and it did a few seconds later.
“Todd, this is John Russo, the private detective who has been helping me. John, this is where I keep my promise of helping you find Todd.” said Diane.
“Thank you Diane. Mr. Luck, I am so happy to find you.” said John, shaking hands with him.
“I am glad to see you, John. Of course, I am very glad to see you, Diane. Not bad for your first assignment in the field.” said Todd.
“Thank you, Todd.” said Diane.
John was offered drinks by Todd from the attached bar. As he finished his drink, Diane quickly explained everything that had happened so far. She told him about her infiltrating Mr. Dragon’s group. She told him about John and his assistant’s capture. She helped them as much as she could. She also told him about the trip to the dock, and how they finally managed to find him at the underground chamber. Now, it was Todd Luck’s turn to talk to the detective.
“A private detective? I had no idea private detectives could be this effectiv
e. So, my sister hired you to find me? I have to hand it over to her. She has always been like a guardian angel to me. God bless her. Thank you for helping my partner find me, detective. If there is anything I can do for you, I would be happy to do that.” said Todd.
“Mr. Todd, I need only one favor from you. That is for you to come with me, so I can have your sister meet you. That was my job, and I would like to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion.” said John.
“That is the least I can do for you, detective.” said Todd, and they tapped their glasses and went for another round of drinks.
TWO HOURS LATER
John was sitting in the hotel room of Rita Luck at Hotel Trinity. They had reached her almost half an hour earlier. His client, Rita Luck, had been crying ever since they got here. Every now and then, John and Diane would look at each other and roll their eyes, unable to understand why Rita would cry so much. Todd, being a government agent that he was, could not tell her what his real job was. He had made up some story about getting into a fight with one of his colleagues and having to spend the last three weeks at a hospital. He also told her that Diane was his girlfriend, who worked as a nurse at the hospital where he was. John thought that it was a horrible lie. Oddly enough, Rita completely bought it. Ten more minutes went by, and she finally stopped crying. She then walked up to John.
“Detective, thank you for finding my brother.” she remarked, hugging him, and planting a soft kiss on his cheek.
“That is quite alright, Ms. Luck. You have helped me in so many ways, and I would like to thank you for that. Enjoy your time with your brother. I will take my leave now.” said John, waving goodbye to her, Todd, and Diane.
John stepped outside and had reached the elevator, when he heard someone running behind him. He turned around to see Diane running after him. She reached him and stopped. John gave her a few seconds to catch her breath.
“I already said my goodbye, Diane.” said John.
“I know, John. Todd says that he won’t need me for at least a week. He will need to travel to the main office to share some documents including those related to the containers that we tracked. Until then, he says, it is my vacation.” said Diane.
UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck Page 28
