Truth or Lies?

by A. Gomez

  “The Isle of the Dead, you say?”

  “Yes, sir. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to see it. Also, if you have the chance today, you must look up the music and listen to it. You’ll love it.”

  He was staring at me, his expression unreadable. Was he confused? Was I sounding too bossy? Crap! The last thing I wanted was to come across as bossy. I had to work on being more submissive with him. It could possibly win me points and my stay here could be extended if he ended up appreciating my company. I needed all the help I could get so I could stay with Betty longer.

  Chang looked at his watch and let out a loud exhale. “The time has gotten away from me, Dr. Langley. I suppose this happens when you’re having fun.”

  He was having fun? I smiled meekly and just nodded. What should I say? I wanted to say what I was really thinking… You’re a crazy sociopath that deserves to be locked up!

  He rose from his seat. I got up as well. “Dr. Langley, it would make me very happy if you were to have dinner with me tonight. I still haven’t answered your question regarding my house. I would very much like to tell you about that.”

  Was he asking me or telling me? Could I say no thank you? It took me a few seconds to process his question. Statement? He was gazing at me waiting for my response.

  “Of course. I would be glad to have dinner with you and continue our stimulating conversation,” I lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

  He smiled broadly, nodded and strode off in the direction of his office. I was left alone. I looked around the room for Debbie or An and there was no sign of them. I decided to walk toward the room where I thought I saw a cell phone jammer. Maybe I’d be able to find more on my way there. I ambled nonchalantly to an end table, spotting the rectangular black box with a few short antennas poking out of it. I picked it up and turned it around and upside down trying to find and off switch.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Isabel?” Debbie startled me, causing me to jump.

  “Oh, hi, Debbie. I was just wondering what kind of sculpture or ceramic art piece this is,” I lied, proud of myself for being able to think on my feet so quickly and effortlessly. “Would you happen to know who the artist is and what it’s called?” I was still turning it around and every which way looking for a switch.

  “Never mind what that is,” she snapped. “Put it down and leave it alone. Those aren’t any kind of artwork.”

  I did as I was told and folded my hands in front of me. “Okay then, I’m going to head up and fetch Betty now so we can finish our chores before I have dinner with Mr. Chang.”

  She pursed her lips. “That’s fine. I’ll come find you when it’s time.”

  She watched me as I left the great room and headed to the stairs. Probably making sure I didn’t stop anywhere else to inspect another black box.

  When I got to Caroline’s room, I found Betty making flowers out of colorful duct tape. Betty quickly jumped up and ran to me, practically knocking me over. I wrapped my arms around her, thankful to see she was fine.

  “Isabel Grace.” I could hear relief in her voice. “I’m so glad you’re back. I was praying the whole time and you came back.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad you’re back too,” Caroline added. “I was getting worried. I thought it was just for lunch and you took way longer than I thought. I told Lilly to step in and help once it’s time for my appointments.”

  “I’m sorry, Caroline. I don’t know why it took so long. He just kept going on about all this art he has around the mansion.” I walked over to her and held her. “And I’m so sorry you have to go to these appointments.” The word “appointment” was such an inappropriate euphemism. It was just absolutely the wrong word to use in the situation. There was nothing nice or professional about what went on there. I hated that everyone used that word, but I supposed it was better for everyone’s psyche in the end.

  “I only have two later this afternoon.” She let go of me and stepped back, looking at the floor. Her hands knotted. “I’d rather die, Isabel Grace, than be here right now. So, whatever you have planned as far as getting out of here, count me in. I’ll do whatever you need. I’m not afraid. The only thing they can do to me now is kill me and I’m okay with that.”

  “Caroline! Stop with that kind of talk!” I admonished. “No one is getting killed. Besides, I don’t know why y’all think I’m planning anything or am even able to do anything, for that matter. I’m just one person and Chang has big, burly Asian men that are willing to kill for him or beat us.” I clasped my hands together and pressed my thumbs against my forehead, closing my eyes. “Betty and I have to finish our chores before dinner time. We can talk more later tonight.”

  Betty and I finished washing and folding everything in record time. I was ironing the last of the dresses and a couple of blouses. I was never good at ironing but once I’d finished and inspected my work, I thought I did fairly well, considering the circumstances.

  We saw Caroline and three other girls leave with one of Chang’s big, burly men for her first appointment. My stomach did flip-flops as they passed us. I watched them leave and a feeling of utter powerlessness came over me. I swallowed hard, forcing the lump from my throat. Caroline was right. I did need to plan something. Maybe with everyone’s help we could manage to get out of there. I didn’t feel very confident, however.

  Betty and I went back to our bedroom. She asked me what Chang and I talked about and I let her know it was about art only. She didn’t need to know about that “special” website I was on. I educated her on a few pieces as we passed them on our way back to our bedroom. She said her favorite class in school was art and one day she’d like to be a great artist and an art teacher. She added that Caroline taught her how to make pretty flowers out of duct tape so she needed to practice doing that before she moved on to sculpting or doing collages. She sounded so positive and carefree. Not once did she ask if we were ever going to be able to leave this place, which led me to believe she thought we were. If anything, Betty Lou was optimistic.

  33

  Back in our bedroom, Betty Lou busied herself with making duct tape flowers while I rummaged through a few books that I had found from Lilly’s side of the room. I decided on one that seemed fairly interesting. I ambled toward the bed as I was reading the preface when we heard a knock on the door before it swung open. It was Debbie carrying three very large department store bags and two garment bags.

  “The boss said for you to wear the green dress to dinner tonight and the metallic heels with it.” She placed the bags on the bed and turned to leave. She paused at the door, her back to us, turning her head a fraction toward us. “And don’t think just because the boss likes you you’re not ever going to work, or your young friend too.”

  Surprisingly, she closed the door very quietly behind her. Hm, I’d bet she didn’t want to ruin “the boss’” house. Debbie had just reaffirmed what I’d been thinking from the moment we arrived… the longer we stayed, the greater the possibility that Betty Lou would start going to “appointments.” I knew from the start that I would have to work. I even offered to take Betty’s place on one of the websites, trying to protect her from those pedophiles. But for how long could I keep her safe and off the internet? Debbie just said the boss liked me. I suspected he liked our conversations and my company, not necessarily me, so if I could keep him happy, keep our conversations interesting and he continued to like me, then maybe, just maybe, I could possibly talk him into letting Betty go. It was a long shot but I had to try.

  “Isabel Grace,” Betty chimed. “These dresses are very pretty.” She had turned one of the bags upside-down and dumped everything on the bed. “The green one Debbie said he wants you to wear looks like it matches your eyes.”

  “I wonder if that’s why he made Debbie get it?” I looked at the label. Gucci. I picked up the paisley dress. Gucci. I picked up another one and it too was Gucci. In all, he had bought me seven dresses. Five of them were Gucci and two of them were Prada. The Prada dres
ses were more formal, evening dress. What the heck did he have in mind?

  “Try them on, try them on.” Betty was bouncing up and down, excited to play dress up. “And look,” she exclaimed, turning the second bag upside down. “This one has two pairs of shoes and the other bag has two pairs of shoes too!”

  I put the green dress on with a pair of metallic Jimmy Choo stiletto heels. They were the only metallic heels in the bunch. I walked to the bathroom so I could take a look at myself in the mirror. Betty kept gushing over how pretty the dress was and how pretty I looked. She especially liked the shoes. The dress had a fitted bodice with a plunging neckline in front and in back. The skirt was just above my knees and not fitted, but it did hug my hips slightly, and had a slit on either side.

  “Now all you need is some jewelry, Isabel Grace. Do you think he’ll get you that too?”

  I turned my head, meeting her gaze. “Oh, I hope not. It would definitely get more awkward if he did something like that.” I kept turning around, looking at myself in the mirror. The dress was certainly lovely and the heels with it made the outfit that much more attractive. I looked like I was ready for a night on the town or a cocktail party, especially with my new hairdo and makeup. Lilly walked in, her eyes bulging.

  She whistled. “Wow! What kind of appointment do you have? You look incredible!”

  “She’s having dinner with Mr. Chang,” Betty answered, her voice light and enthusiastic. “Doesn’t Isabel Grace look pretty?”

  “She looks more than pretty,” Lilly countered. “She looks drop-dead gorgeous.” Lilly walked into the bathroom and sat in the little vanity chair. “So, does Mr. Chang like you, Isabel? You just had lunch with him and now you’re having dinner too?”

  “No, no. I think he just likes the company and talking art with me, that’s all.”

  “Er… I don’t think that’s all,” Lilly retorted, her voice skeptical. “If it were just that, then why is he making you get all dressed up like that? Jeans and a T-shirt is good enough if you’re just going to eat and talk art. Don’t you think?”

  Lilly had a point; looking down at her, I nodded my head. She was right. All the clothes that Debbie brought were either cocktail dresses or evening dresses, no jeans, shirts or warm-ups. There was even nice lingerie. The room got quiet. I was trying to process this weirdness that was happening. I sat down on the edge of the tub, wondering where my jeans and T-shirt were. Did they get washed or did they just get rid of them? Was I supposed to do my chores in these dresses or in my PJs? Betty Lou finally broke the silence.

  “Isabel Grace, who’s going to stay with me while you’re at dinner?”

  “That’s a good question,” I answered, feeling worried. All day we had seen girls going to their appointments with Chang’s henchmen and staying away for a good chunk of the day. This horrible sex trafficking business kept all the girls extremely busy. It was despicable.

  “I can take care of her,” Lilly interjected. “I don’t have any more appointments for the rest of today. Although someone could call in and request me later tonight. The phone tends to ring off the hook around here, if you know what I mean.”

  I met her gaze, guilt and anger coursing through me for these poor girls. I felt guilty that it wasn’t me taking these appointments for them and I felt angry that Chang was the reason for all this and I couldn’t do anything about it.

  “Thank you, Lilly, that would make me feel better if you were with her. I was hoping Caroline would be back by now but I suppose she’s still busy.”

  For the rest of the afternoon we stayed in our bedroom. I fiddled with the shutters and windows for a while, trying to get them open without breaking them or making too much noise before finally giving up. There was no way of even peeking outside to see if we had any neighbors close by. I eventually decided to lay down and read while Lilly taught Betty how to do different kinds of stylish braids.

  There was a knock at the door. Lilly got up to answer it. I sat up thinking it was Debbie coming to fetch me for dinner. It was Caroline. She walked in with two other girls I saw at breakfast. They were all grinning from ear to ear when they caught a glimpse of the dress I was wearing. Their eyes went wide.

  “Isabel, we heard you’re having dinner with Mr. Chang and by the looks of your dress, I guess Debbie was telling the truth.”

  “Debbie told you?” I was surprised.

  “Not exactly,” Caroline began. “She was mumbling while she was on the computer, complaining about you and how Chang prefers to be with you over her, and Cynthia here overheard her.” She motioned to one of the girls that was with her.

  “Yeah, she’s like, totally pissed.” Cynthia giggled. “She hates it that you’re taking up all his time and distracting him. She muttered something like ‘he should be focusing on the website and the money coming in instead of looking up some stupid musical piece you told him about!’”

  “What exactly did you tell him to do, Isabel?” Caroline asked. All the girls eyed me with curiosity.

  “I didn’t tell him to do anything. I merely asked him if he’s ever heard of a painting called the Isle of the Dead and that there’s a composer who wrote a poetic melody on that piece.”

  “Well, he’s definitely researching your question,” Cynthia said, grinning. “I totally love how this is irking Debbie. I can’t wait to see what you do next, Isabel.” Cynthia sounded almost giddy.

  “Who’s your other friend, Caroline?” I asked, smiling at the girl and waving at her. She waved back, grinning shyly.

  “Oh, sorry, this is Keri. She’s sort of new, too. She got here a week or so before you and Betty arrived.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Keri.”

  “Thank you, Isabel, it’s nice meeting you too.” Keri’s voice was soft and timid.

  “So, what’s your plan for this evening?” Caroline demanded.

  “I don’t really have a plan,” I sighed and let myself fall backward on the bed. “I was trying to see if I could locate a few of those cell phone jammers but I could only find one. I just don’t know how or where to begin, Caroline, but what I do know is I… we have to do something soon. Very soon.”

  All the girls stayed in our bedroom making flowers with Betty Lou. She enjoyed having all the attention. There was girl talk in the air. I learned how to make a duct tape bracelet with little flowers. Keri suggested she could teach everyone how to make fancy braids once they were done with making flowers and everyone agreed. It was easy to start feeling safe here, in a room full of chatting girls, after a few hours of uninterrupted playtime. It almost felt like a slumber party. I was starting to feel a false sense of peace and security.

  I glanced at the alarm clock. It was almost six in the evening. I wondered what time dinner was? And I wondered if Chang and I would be eating at the same time the girls did?

  “Lilly, what time is dinner?”

  “We eat at six-thirty every evening,” she answered.

  “Don’t you have to cook dinner since you made breakfast?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I had an appointment and Debbie wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back in time to cook so she gave the job to someone else.”

  “Oh,” is all I could say.

  There was a brief knock on the door before Debbie walked in. She froze and eyed the slumber party scene. She didn’t look so thrilled to see us all enjoying ourselves. The girls didn’t stop what they were doing or bother to give her a second glance. It seemed as though that irritated her more.

  “Is it dinner time, Debbie?” I smiled wryly, remembering what Cynthia said earlier. “Have you come to fetch me?”

  She eyed me suspiciously. “Get your shoes on, Isabel. The boss is waiting for you.”

  I got up off the bed and put my designer stilettos on. I smoothed my dress and headed to the door, saying, “Ready when you are, Debbie.”

  We walked back to the same dining room and she left us once she delivered me. There were flowers on the table this time, a beautiful arrangement
of red roses. It set the mood for something but what? My stomach was in knots from nerves. I fought the urge to wring my hands. I didn’t want to let him see me nervous or scared. Overhead, I heard music playing. The melody was very familiar. It was a classical piece. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “You look confused, Dr. Langley. Do you recognize what’s playing right now?”

  “As a matter of fact, it is very familiar.” I paused to listen some more. “It couldn’t possibly be ‘The Isle of the Dead,’ could it? If it is, I don’t remember it sounding so… scary.” Did it sound scary to me because of the present circumstances I was in or did I just not remember the eeriness to it? My nerves were not letting me think clearly and my stomach was doing flip-flops. Keep it together, Isabel Grace. This is just dinner and everyone is fine.

  “As I recall, one of the words you used to describe this musical piece was ominous.”

  “So it was.” He handed me a glass of red wine, clinking my glass once as I took it from his hand. He was smiling from ear to ear. I forced somewhat of a grin and then took a long sip of my wine, trying to calm my nerves. I tried not to think about poisoned foods or drinks.

  “Dr. Langley, you look absolutely stunning. I’m so glad the clothes and shoes fit. I picked them out myself. Debbie just went to pick them up.” It sounded like he wanted credit for his fashion sense.

  “Thank you, Mr. Chang. You have very good taste,” I took my necklace in between my fingers, wishing it were Josh and I having dinner together, instead of Mr. Crazy and me. “So, not only do you have an eye for art and decorating, but you also have an eye for fashion. I’m impressed,” I said, trying to sound impressed. He smiled a ridiculous face, cracking a smile.