“But I’m not hungry,” Terese said. “I can’t understand it.”
“I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” Jack repeated. “I’ve been waiting for hours.”
“Get the gun,” Terese said to Richard. “I’ll unlock the handcuffs.”
Terese came into the kitchen and bent down to reach under the sink with the handcuff key.
“Sorry you didn’t sleep well,” Jack said. “You should have joined me out here in the kitchen. It’s been delightful.”
“I don’t want to hear any mouth from you,” Terese warned. “I’m not in the mood.”
The handcuff snapped open. Jack rubbed his chafed wrist as he stiffly got to his feet. A wave of dizziness spread over him, forcing him to lean against the kitchen table. Terese quickly relocked the handcuff around Jack’s free wrist. Jack wouldn’t have been able to resist even if he’d had the intention.
“Okay, march!” Richard said. He was training the gun on Jack.
“In a second,” Jack said. The room was still spinning.
“No tricks!” Terese said. She stepped away from him.
As soon as he could, Jack walked to the bathroom on rubbery legs. The first order of business was to relieve himself. The second was to take a dose of the rimantadine with a long drink of water. Only then did he hazard a look in the mirror. What he saw surprised him. He wasn’t sure he would have recognized himself. He looked like a vagrant. His eyes were bright red and slightly swollen. Dried blood was on the left side of his face and spattered on the shoulder of his uniform shirt, apparently from the blow he’d received in the car at the tollbooth. His lip was swollen where Richard had split it. Dried mucus stuck to his formidable stubble.
“Hurry up in there,” Terese commanded through the door.
Jack ran water in the sink and washed his face. Using his index finger, he brushed his teeth. Then with a little water he smoothed his hair.
“It’s about time,” Terese said when Jack emerged.
Jack suppressed the urge to give a clever retort. He felt he was walking a tightrope with these people, and he didn’t want to push his luck. He hoped they wouldn’t lock him back to the kitchen drain, but the wish was in vain. He was marched right back to the sink and secured.
“We should eat something,” Richard said.
“I got cold cereal last night,” Terese said.
“Fine,” Richard said.
They sat at the table a mere four feet away from Jack. Terese ate very little. She again mentioned that she just wasn’t hungry. They didn’t offer any cereal to Jack.
“Have you thought about what we’re going to do?” Richard asked.
“What about those people who were supposed to kill Jack in the city? Who were they?”
“It’s a gang from down where I live,” Richard said.
“How do you contact them?” Terese asked.
“I usually call them up or just go over to the building they occupy,” Richard said. “I’ve been dealing with a man called Twin.”
“Well, let’s get him the hell up here,” Terese said.
“He might come,” Richard said. “If the money is right.”
“Call him,” Terese said. “How much were you going to pay them?”
“Five hundred,” Richard said.
“Offer him a thousand if you have to,” Terese said. “But say it’s a rush job and that he’s got to come today.”
Richard scraped back his chair and went into the living room to get the phone. He brought it back to the kitchen table. He wanted her to listen in case they had to up the ante; he didn’t know how Twin would respond to the idea of coming all the way to the Catskills.
Richard dialed and Twin answered. Richard told him he wanted to talk once again about knocking off the doctor.
“Hey, man, we’re not interested,” Twin said.
“I know there was trouble in the past,” Richard said. “But this time it will be a snap. We have him handcuffed and hidden away outside the city.”
“If that’s the case, you don’t need us,” Twin said.
“Wait!” Richard said hastily. He’d sensed Twin was about to hang up. “We still need you. In fact, to make it worth your while driving out here, we’ll pay double.”
“A thousand bucks?” Twin asked.
“You got it,” Richard said.
“Don’t come, Twin,” Jack shouted. “It’s a setup!”
“Shit!” Richard barked. He told Twin to hold the line for a second. In a fit of fury, Richard cracked Jack over the head with the butt of his gun.
Jack closed his eyes hard enough to bring tears. The pain in his head was intense. Again he felt blood drip down the side of his scalp.
“Was that the doc?” Twin asked.
“Yeah, that was the doc,” Richard said angrily.
“What did he mean, ‘setup’?” Twin asked.
“Nothing,” Richard said. “He’s just running off at the mouth. We’ve got him handcuffed to the kitchen drainpipe.”
“Let me get this straight,” Twin said. “You’re paying a thousand bucks for us to come out and ice the doc while he’s chained to a pipe.”
“It’ll be a like a turkey shoot,” Richard assured him.
“Where are you?” Twin asked.
“About a hundred miles north of the city,” Richard said. “In the Catskills.”
There was a pause.
“What do you say?” Richard asked. “It’s easy money.”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?” Twin asked.
“That’s my business,” Richard said.
“All right,” Twin said. “Give me directions. But if there is any funny stuff, you’ll be one unhappy dude.”
Richard gave directions to get to the farmhouse and told Twin they’d be waiting for him.
Richard slowly replaced the receiver while he looked triumphantly at Terese.
“Well, thank God!” Terese said.
“I’d better call in sick,” Richard said, picking up the phone again. “I should have been at work already.”
After he finished his call Terese made a similar one to Colleen. Then she went to take a shower. Richard went to fill the wood box.
Wincing against the pain, Jack pushed himself back to a sitting position. At least the bleeding had stopped. The prospect of the Black Kings’ arrival spelled doom. From bitter experience, Jack knew these gang members would have no qualms about shooting him no matter what state he was in.
For a few seconds Jack lost total control of himself. Like a child in a temper tantrum he yanked inconsequentially at his shackles. All he managed to do was cut into his wrists and knock over some detergent containers. There was no way he was about to break either the drainpipe or the handcuffs.
After the fit had passed, Jack slumped over and cried. But even that didn’t last long. Wiping his face on his left sleeve, he sighed and sat up. He knew he had to escape. On his next trip to the bathroom he’d have to try something. It was his only chance, and he didn’t have much time.
Three-quarters of an hour later Terese reappeared in her clothes. She dragged herself to the couch and plopped down. Richard was on the other couch flipping through an old 1950s Life magazine.
“I really don’t feel too good,” Terese admitted. “My headache is still killing me. I feel like I’m coming down with a cold.”
“Me too,” Richard said without looking up.
“I have to use the bathroom again,” Jack called out.
Terese rolled her eyes. “Give me a break!” she said.
No one moved or spoke for five minutes.
“I suppose I can just let loose right here,” Jack said, breaking the silence.
Terese sighed and threw her legs over the side of the couch. “Come on, stalwart warrior,” she said disparagingly to Richard.
They used the same method as before. Terese unlocked the handcuffs while Richard stood poised with the gun.
“Do I really need these handcuffs while I’m in the bathroom?” Jack asked when Terese started to relock them.
“Absolutely,” Terese said.
Once inside the bathroom Jack took another rimantadine and a long drink of water. Then, leaving the water running, he stepped on the closed toilet seat, grasped the window trim with both hands, and began to pull. He increased the pressure to see if the window casing would come loose.