by Ethan Egorov
“Well, we’re making it, but only through hard work.”
“God, you sound just like your father. When you see him again, give him my best.”
“Oh I will… hey did you get his check this year?”
“No. I don’t believe I did but I’ll have my secretary double-check.”
“Nah. Forget it, you know what… I bet he forgot. He’s getting more forgetful these days. Here.”
Trent watched almost wide-eyed. He bit his lip as he saw Tommy pull out his checkbook from his jacket pocket and click the end of his pen. He quickly wrote the check and made an exaggeration of ripping the piece of paper from the rest. “Tommy… you don’t have to do that… you’re not expected to contribute anything at all.”
“Nah. It’s something that Pop does every year… I’m just sorry that he didn’t get it to you before now. I guess it’s good that I ran into you. I’m certain there’s other business he’s neglected that I’ll have to take care of tonight anyway.”
“Well you know it’s certainly appreciated Tommy. You tell your father I hope that I actually see him out and about this year. Maybe I’ll even see him at church this year at some point. Mass is also on my honey-do list at some point.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll see you soon. You have a good evening, Mayor Walker.”
Tommy extended his hand once more and the mayor patted his shoulder as he walked away to another table full of colleagues and acquaintances.”
“I can’t believe you just did that Tommy! You just wrote him a check in the double-digits! Can we afford that?!”
“There’s some zoning laws that should be changing after the New Year, so quite frankly Trent, I don’t think we could afford not to make him a sizable contribution. The costs of construction at our sites would have been almost triple that. He’ll have the commissioner hopefully skip our locations on his inspections in that neighborhood.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you have to kiss this much ass. I know I never say it often, but thanks Trent. That conversation would have went much differently had I handled it.”
“I know. You would have just broken his jaw when he made some comment about Pop and ended up in jail.”
“Haha! You’re more than likely right.” The men sat back down again and watched as the entire room was filled with men and women in their finest clothing. The salads had all been served the lights had been dimmed. As the partygoers all got seated a low hum began and the room grew quiet. As it was tradition, the mayor clinked a water goblet to get everyone’s attention as he said Grace over their meal to ring in the New Year.
While the courses were being served Trent listened to Tommy talk business with the other company owners they had been seated with. He merely politely nodded and smiled, agreeing with Tommy on any question he was asked. As he chewed slowly and enjoyed the nice meal that was set before him, he scanned the room for any signs of trouble, or at least any signs of Kristina. He didn’t see anything that looked out of place, or even out of sorts. When the main course was completed, a lavish beef Wellington with mushroom sauce, there was a clink of the water glass once more over the loudspeaker.
The mayor got back on the PA and informed the guests that over dessert and coffee they would have some live entertainment. The crowd erupted into polite applause as a woman came onto the small stage at the head of the room. The hotel’s spotlight fell on her. She was a slight woman with dark hair. She wore a long fur coat with gloves, which Trent thought was classy and of course appropriate for the weather. When she began singing an old standard, he found there was something hauntingly familiar about her voice. He nodded at the waitress who brought out a steaming warm brownie ala mode for dessert and he picked up his fork and set it down once again so he could concentrate on the singer. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to her direction. When she stretched her delicate gloved hands out and her coat parted slightly his mouth dropped open in shock. “Fuck.”
Tommy looked over at him and whispered in his ear, “What are you over here cursing about? Watch your language, remember we’re in polite company, Trent.”
“Oh fuck that. Tommy… look. Look at the singer.”
“What about her, she’s good but damn. Get control of yourself. If you want to ask her out, just wait until after her set and do it.”
“No Tommy… you douchebag. Look. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to spell it out for you. I’ve already been out with her.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah we have a problem. It’s Rachelle.”
“Oh did you see that?! Don’t you see what she’s wearing under the coat at the top of her dress?”
“Yeah. It’s Grandma Mon’s broach. It makes sense though. Think about it. I told her everything about our past. I mean… I loved her before she just went away. Now. This. I just can’t… I don’t know what to say.”
“I think it’s time you excused yourself. Get to that wine cellar before she finds out you’re here. I can always cover for you not being here.”
“Okay. Fuck. When I find Kristina I’ll meet you at the car.”
Tommy watched as his brother winded around the perimeter of the crowd and stuck to the shadows so that hopefully Rachelle wouldn’t see him exit. If she found out he was in the building she would definitely make a scene. Things hadn’t really ended on a sour note with Trent and Rachelle, they just ended. From what Trent had told Tommy one day she just suddenly stopped returning his calls. He was heartbroken about it for a long time, then Kristina came back into the picture and he saw his brother perk back up some. Rachelle almost put him into a straight up depression. Tommy couldn’t believe she was here. Singing. He saw Trent exit the room and prepared a cover story about Trent not feeling well for their dinner companions and also anyone that saw him leave.
Trent reached the elevator and rapidly pressed the button. He stood quietly and stayed as still as possible in an attempt to try to remain undetected until he could get to the wine cellar. It was their only lead to finding Kristina and judging by the fact that Rachelle was wearing his grandmother’s broach, it was obvious that he was running out of time. Rachelle killed Saul’s wife. She set fire to the warehouse building. Could she have even kidnapped Kristina? He knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. He loved Rachelle as much as he possibly could have until she just up and disappeared one day. He still struggled with it on a daily basis. God she looked so much different. She had a new glow about her, but at the same time there was an eeriness to her eyes that didn’t exist before. It was like she wasn’t all present. Tommy always said he didn’t have the ability to pick good women. Rachelle definitely fell into the psycho category it seemed. He recalled all the nights they spent together. He slept so peacefully with her at his side and at one point he even considered asking her hand in marriage. What had happened?
The elevator finally opened after what seemed like forever. On the short ride down, he decided to unbutton his jacket. He wanted full access to his gun, should the evening dinner show suddenly be cut short. He also wanted to make sure that if she were working with an accomplice that no one would get the drop on him. Trent knew that he needed to be prepared for anything and everything. The elevator door opened to the basement and to his surprise the wine cellar was unlocked. He ducked around the corner with his gun already drawn. The low lighting did give the room a creepy glow. The kid who worked the front desk was certainly right about the atmosphere. He inhaled the thin, dusty air and stifled a sneeze. The room was several degrees colder than upstairs.
As he made his way through the cases and casks of wine, his footsteps echoed in the empty room. It seemed the room was only used for storage by the staff and in addition to wine there was some cleaning equipment and several old ovens and refrigerators that had long since seen use. As Trent walked down the long room, he thought about the legend of tunnels being used under the hotel and secret passages being hidden below. “Fuck.”
Trent’s eyes landed on an old painting that seemed out of place in the room. It
was the only artwork in sight and it didn’t really seem to have any purpose in the scheme of the room. It was a Romantic piece that was a medieval knight extending his hand to his princess in danger. Trent didn’t believe in luck, but a part of him did believe in signs and this was one that definitely called to him. He looked around the room once more to make certain that no one was watching him and he removed the painting from the wall. The action sent dirt and dust all over, covering his fine black suit in grime. “Now Tommy owes me a suit,” he mused to himself. When he removed the painting he saw there was a lever turned all the way to the right.
Trent stared at it for a few minutes and considered his options. He could put the painting back and go upstairs finishing out the party and wait for Tommy’s assistance or he could go ahead and pull the lever. He knew that Rachelle would be just about finishing her set for the evening, since she was only announced as entertainment for dessert and coffee. What in the hell had possessed her to become a lounge singer anyway. When he met her she didn’t have any of those aspirations, she was a simple girl he could feel good taking to a ball game. He didn’t imagine in a million years she could have been a cold-blooded killer. Then again, he didn’t expect her to break his heart either. Trent bit his lip and decided just to go for it. He knew that if he was going to find Kristina alive this was his only chance.
He pulled the lever and heard a loud groan in the room. He watched in awe as the end of the room moved and shifted. A light suddenly appeared where there once was a cement barrier and Trent ran to it. There was a secret passage after all. He hoped the noise from the cellar hadn’t somehow disturbed the affairs upstairs. He pulled out his phone and tried to message Tommy to tell him, but was disappointed to see that he didn’t have any service underground. Of course, he didn’t expect anything less. Tommy had the lady that was luck, Trent didn’t seem to have that touch.
Trent reached the edge of the hallway and once again pulled his gun. He didn’t know what to expect as he made his way through the narrow hallway. The only light was from one overhead bulb that hung low but was enough to see that the space was tiny enough just for a couple people to walk side by side through. The fact that no one could have possibly been above him staring down seemed to comfort him though. He ran as quickly and as cautiously as possible to the door at the end of the hallway. It was a heavier door that was more modern. He found it strange that it had been renovated but everything else in the hallway seemed untouched through the years. He pulled the handle and lifted the door quickly in hopes that it wouldn’t make as much noise as the rumbling he had caused earlier. He exhaled in relief as it opened quickly and easily. He held his weapon in front of him and once again scanned the room ready to shoot at anyone that was in his path. He seemed to be alone once again. He shut the door behind him easily and walked out into the barren room. Once more it seemed abandoned and not even used for any type of storage. Of course, it had probably been decades since anyone even knew of its existence. He walked around the empty room that was so dark he could barely see a few feet in front of him. The only thing he was looking for was a sign that Kristina or hell anyone for that matter had been in the room recently.
Trent pulled out his phone once more and finding he didn’t have service instead turned on his flashlight feature. It was one modern thing on the technology he hated he found himself suddenly grateful for. The flashlight allowed him to see further. As he shined it through the room which had collected pools of water through the years and smelled of nothing but mildew, he didn’t see anything of interest save for an old radiator heater that was positioned oddly in the corner of the room.
He walked to the bulky metal object and shined his light. He squinted a few times to make sure his eyes weren’t betraying him. Blood. There was fresh blood on the heater. Someone had been there recently and it certainly didn’t look like there was any type of friendly exchange that happened. He continued shining his light from the heater, tracing the line of blood to where it pooled near the corner of the room. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw the largest pool of blood that had gathered there. Then he saw a matte of dirty and bloody red hair. Seeing the woman’s body twisted and crumpled in the middle of the cold, dirty floor made Trent physically sick. He turned to the side and lurched. He chided himself for not being able to hold in his sickness, knowing that the noise may draw company but the shock took its toll on his body. He composed himself and then rushed to the young woman’s body. He knelt down and placed a hand on her temple. She groaned at his touch and he blinked a few times silently thanking God she was at least alive. “Kristina. It’s Trent. I’m here. We’re going to get you out of here.”
Kristina looked at him through narrowed eyes. “How did you find me down here?”
“I guess the answer to that would be good honest detective work. Now tell me how bad are you hurt?”
“It’s just my head I think. I was okay until I got up and got sick.”
“Yeah. That head wound looks pretty bad, I bet you’ve got a concussion. The thing to remember about those though is they only look bad most of the time. Come on, you’ve got to get up. I certainly can’t carry you and shoot at the same time.”
Kristina grabbed for his outstretched hand and took it as she focused her efforts and pulled herself to a standing position. Trent placed his arm around her to steady her and after a few moments he watched her blink slowly and shake her head. “Okay, the room’s not spinning any longer. I think we can do this.”
“You better not just think. Come on, I’d like to get back upstairs before she figures out that you’re gone.”
Trent and Kristina quickly made their way down the long hallway to the edge of building where the secret passage was located. Trent lifted the heavy door once again and Kristina squinted against the light. As they reached the entrance to the secret passage they heard a faint click. They’d been discovered. Trent and Kristina froze. Trent knew that sound all too well, it was the sound of the hammer being pulled back on a gun. He guessed from the distinct chink that it was vintage. It was probably one from their own cache of weaponry. They really didn’t have time to do a complete inventory before stashing the rest of them in the trunk.
Trent turned to see Rachelle hovering in the shadows pointing a gun at both of them haphazardly. She had an otherworldly look in her eyes and at that point bore no resemblance whatsoever to the woman he fell madly in love with that almost seemed a lifetime ago.
Trent was the first to speak, using his body to block Kristina from any type of contact she may had had with either Rachelle or her gun. This had went far enough. He didn’t care about her motivations so much as he did ending this wicked game that she’d been playing with his entire family. “Listen… I don’t know what you’re doing, but if I were you I’d drop that gun really quickly. Rachelle… what the fuck happened to you?”
“Hahah! What do you mean? What happened to me? Oh don’t you know… you happened to me. She happened to me. Life happened to me. Do I need to go on?”
“Listen….Rachelle you don’t know how long I looked for you. When you left, I just gave up. I didn’t know what else to do. I finally had to give up. You didn’t return my calls or messages. It was just like you didn’t care anymore and if you didn’t why should I?”
“Why the fuck should I have cared about us, Trent? Both of us knew we had an expiration date. If anything I should have left you earlier. The red flags were there, but I didn’t really see them until I took a step back. That little tart that you’re standing in front of…well I really wish you had just been upfront with me. I think we both know that she’s the only one who could truly have your heart.”
“Oh God. No…Rachelle that’s not true, not for one moment. I really wanted to start a life with you, and then you just got distant. You went away and I couldn’t find you.”
“Well lucky for you, I found other things. I found someone in another family that hated you just as much as I did. Let’s just say that I should be grateful for you. I
am in a way, you’ve made me foolishly rich.” Trent took a step towards Rachelle with his hand out. “If you needed or wanted money, you should have just told me Rach… I mean, I have plenty. I would have given you everything you wanted or needed. I wish you could have understood that.”
She waved the gun in front of her pointedly again. “Stay back! I will fucking drop you right here. You have to understand, Trent I don’t want to kill you, but I do have a nice paycheck waiting for me when I do. It’s enough to go start new somewhere else. After all, that’s one of the best gifts we can get in life. We sometimes get the gift of being able to run from the past.”
Before she could continue her tirade, She had Kristina stumble out from behind Trent and tried to move toward the irate woman. “Hahah! Oh well look…how sweet. I suppose you found my pet rat after all, Trent. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of killing her. Every time you’d show me a picture of her and I’d see your eyes get that familiar twinkle in them I felt sick to my stomach. You can say otherwise all you want, but I know that you always wanted a life with Kristina. She was going to make you the marrying type. It’s a pity she won’t have that effect on anyone else.”
Trent watched in horror as Rachelle took a shot at Kristina, which she ran behind a table and quickly dodged. They were back sitting ducks and unless Trent could somehow overpower the woman, he knew their fate would be sealed in the basement. Their bodies would just decay and gather dust like the old bottles of wine which lined the shelves. Trent dared to move even closer to Rachelle. He couldn’t believe that somehow she had become something so twisted.
“Rachelle…. You just need to calm down, I mean we can talk about this. We can talk about what happened. You can tell me why you felt the need to go away, I’ll be better to you, I promise. I can be that good boyfriend you wanted. I can do that nine to five thing if you want. I can be that man who comes home every night for dinner and asks you how your day was. I can be that romantic that buys you flowers on your anniversary and remembers what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. I can completely change. I’ll stop the business. I’ll tell the boys to pull me off the roster that I can only be a front man. I can stop getting my hands dirty for you. I know I can Rachelle…if you just put the gun down then maybe we can have a chance at the happy ending you always wanted.”
