Oh dearLord , I thought. Snuff films made to order.
It was all I could do to keep from walking over and punching the sick bastard in the face. But I remained calm, even as Mr. Tandy broke down completely.
"I swear, I didn't hurt her!They said I could help out, participate if I wanted, or maybe watch the whole thing live and keep the tape as a souvenir, but I didn't! I wasn't there! All I did was watch the tape! I didn't tell them who to kidnap!"
"And how much did you pay for the privilege of watching somebody die?" I asked.
"One hundred thousand dollars," Mr. Tandy replied in a quiet, almost inaudible voice.
"Well, I'm glad you're doing so well for yourself," I said. "That's a pretty big chunk of money for a tape, when you canrentFaces of Death for a couple of bucks at 7th Street Video. I guess even though you didn't kill her yourself, it gave you a nice little tingle knowing that she was dying because of you." I looked him over carefully, pretending to study him to figure out what his tastes might be. "Let me guess...you picked a redhead, maybe eighteen years old, athletic build, right?"
"No. She was forty.Brown hair.Heavyset."
"Well,to each his own ." I cracked my knuckles. "Listen, what I should do is beat the shit out of you then haul you straight to the police station. But I'm not going to. In fact, things may work out all right for you, if you're willing to play along."
Of course, once the prisoners were safe I was going to make sure this guy was put away for a long time. But he'd find that out later.
"What do I have to do?"
"First off, you know the hundred grand you paid for that video? You're going to pay me twice that to keep quiet." If he thought I was nothing more than a blackmailer, he wouldn't question why I was letting him go.
Mr. Tandy nodded. "I don't have the money now. You don't know how hard it was to get it the first time without my wife knowing."
"You have exactly one week to get it. Remember, I know where you live. Now, I have some questions that I want answered."
Suddenly Mr. Tandy's eyes widened. "My wife's just pulled up! You've got to leave!"
"I'm not going anywhere," I said. "Tell her I'm an old friend,then we'll find someplace to talk in private."
Mr. Tandy lifted the bottom of his shirt and used it to wipe his eyes. The door opened and a woman entered, with three grade-school kids behind her, the youngest holding a box of doughnuts. I almost had to laugh when I saw her.
About forty.Brown hair.Heavyset.
"Oh, hello," she said to me. Her pleasant expression switched to one of concern as she noticed Mr. Tandy's distraught condition. "Ben, is something wrong?"
Mr. Tandy shook his head unconvincingly.
"I apologize for disturbing you," I told her. "I'm just here to speak with your husband about a financial matter.Nothing for you to worry about."
"I handle most of the finances," Mrs. Tandy said. "Should I be speaking with you as well?"
"No, I think we've got most of it covered. Really, it's nothing to concernyourself over."
Mr. Tandy stood up. "I'll be back in a second. I need to use the bathroom."
"Kids, go play outside," said Mrs. Tandy, ushering them out into the front yard. "Ben, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. Yes."
He walked into the hallway, moving like one of the living dead. I wanted to keep him in sight, but what was I going to do, tell him he couldn't take a leak? I heard the bathroom door close and turned to face Mrs. Tandy.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"It's a personal matter."
"I'm his wife. We don't have secrets."
Oh, was she in for a bit of a shock.
"I'm sorry, but this is between Ben andI.Whatever he wants to tell you, he can."
"I expect him to tell me everything. I hope you understand that it's very upsetting to come home and find a total stranger in my house and my husband looking like he's ready to kill himself."
Forget letting the man urinate in peace. I rushed down the hallway and pounded on the only closed door.
"Mr. Tandy, open up!"
"Go away!"
"I mean it. Open the door. We need to finish talking."
Mrs. Tandy walked into the hallway after me, wringing her hands in what seemed more like agitation than nervousness. "What the hell is going on?"
I tested the doorknob.Unlocked. I threw open the door, figuring that it was well worth the risk of embarrassment if he happened to be merely sitting on the toilet.
He wasn't.
He was standing at the sink, a razor in his hand.
Chapter 17
HE'D TAKEN a regular plastic shaver and broken the top to get at the blade, which he held pinched between his thumb and index finger.
"Stay away!" he said.
I rushed him, and he flung the razor at me. It bounced harmlessly off my chest as I grabbed him and easily pinned his arms behind his back. Mrs. Tandy screamed.
"Be quiet!" I shouted at her. "Don't make a sound! Now listen to me, I need your full cooperation, both of you! I'm only here to ask questions, nothing else! I just need you to—"
Mrs. Tandy vanished from sight, and I heard her footsteps running down the hall, probably toward the nearest phone. I shoved Mr. Tandy out of the way. His leg struck the bathtub and he fell to the floor. The razor was still on the floor, within his reach, so I gave it a good kick then followed his wife to stop her before she called the police.
I hurried down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Tandy stood next to a phone mounted on the wall. She held the handset in one hand and was punching buttons with the other.
I grabbed the phone from her and gave the cord a good yank, popping it out of the jack. "Do you want your husband to die?" I demanded. "Do you?"
She shook her head, tears spilling down her face. "No!"
"Then sit down and stay calm! If you don't do as I say you might as well slice his wrists yourself!"
I couldn't believe I'd said something like that, but this was no time for compassion. I sprinted back into the bathroom, ready for the sight of Mr. Tandy lying on the tile in a pool of blood, his wrists slashed wide open.
But he hadn't gone for the razor. He was sitting against the bathtub, his eyes vacant. "Why can't you leave me alone?" he asked.
"I'm sorry if I'm inconveniencing you," I said. "I know what a pain it is when somebody shows up uninvited and exposes you for the twisted deviant that you are."
"You just don't understand."
"No, I don't, and thank God for that. But here's your chance to redeem yourself. I need names. Besides Michael Ashcraft, who is involved in making the tapes?"
Mr. Tandy shrugged.
"Look, man, if you don't want your face plastered all over the front page of tomorrow's newspaper, you'll answer my questions. Now who's involved?"
"It was his wife," Mr. Tandy said."And some other guy."
"What other guy?"
"He never told me his name."
"What did he look like?"
"Sort of creepy.Old guy.Big white beard."
Great.The Apparition.No help at all.
"Who else?"
"Nobody else."
"You're lying. There's somebody else working for Ghoulish Delights that you haven't told me about."
Mr. Tandy's voice abruptly switched from a pained whisper to a shout. "What do you think, they took me around and introduced me toeveryone?I don't know who you're talking about! All I did was order the tape. That's all."