Tim returned with the bag. "Here it is," he said, handing it over to Rick, who opened it and began rifling through the contents.
"Ah," Rick said, smiling as he lifted a yellow bulky wallet out of the bag. He flipped through it. His features beamed. "Ah! Wonderful! Driver's license, credit cards, pictures, the whole works! Wow!" He peered at Lisa's photo on her driver's license. "Pretty lady."
Tim retreated out of Al's line of vision for a moment as Rick looked at the contents of Lisa's wallet. Al didn't know what he was doing, but he could hear the fat man fiddling around with something. Animal stood in front of him, looking psyched up for bloodshed.
"Wonderful!" Rick set the wallet down on a workbench. The room grew brighter and Al felt the temperature grow slightly warmer. He immediately recognized the source of both the light and the rise in heat; Tim had turned on the lighting equipment he used during shoots.
Al craned his head around, trying to see where Tim was. His panic was rising. "Hey, come on! I told you where the wallet was-"
"One more thing," Rick said, ignoring him as he stepped into Al's line of vision again. "What were the instructions Sam gave you?"
Al felt his stomach muscles clench; his balls wanted to crawl up into his groin. He licked his lips and tried to keep eye contact with Rick. He wanted to show the man that he was beat. He had learned his lesson. "He said to film Animal doing whatever bitch Tim brought, then get rid of the body and deliver the tape."
"Exactly!" Rick said, leaning forward. "And what happened?"
"1 fucked up," Al said, admitting his mistake. Maybe if he admitted his mistake and took responsibility for it, Rick would give him another chance. "1 know I fucked up. I shouldn't have done it. What I did was stupid, but I was thinking of how much we would all benefit from it. I wasn't thinking. I should have. I'm sorry I fucked up, and I'll not only make sure it doesn't happen again, I'll do whatever it takes to fix it."
Rick nodded, seemingly satisfied with Al's confession. "Good for you. I admire a man who admits his weakness."
"It won't happen again, I swear!" Al reiterated.
"I'm sorry, Al," Rick said, kneeling on the floor in front of him, "but I can't take the chance anymore. You're lazy. You're a weak link. I can't afford laziness." "
"/ told you it won't happen again!" Al's voice rose in panic.
Rick shook his head. "How many times have you told me that, Al?"
"77iis is the only time!" Al said, feeling his panic rise. His eyes darted from Tim to Rick, then rested on Animal, who had taken a step forward. The steel blade affixed to the dildo jutted out like a cruel penis. "1 swear to God, it's the only time!"
"You are right about that," Rick said, standing up. 'Ibis is the only time. And it won't happen again."
*1 know it won't happen again," Al said, trying to sweettalk Rick again to convince him that he should be released. "I swear to God it won't happen again, so-"
"Unfortunately, one slip is all it takes for the whole scene to collapse," Rick said, now towering over Al. "Do you know what could have happened if Lisa had been able to lead the police to you? That would have led directly to me! Do you understand?"
"No!" Al protested, his heart hammering in his chest. "I swear to God, I won't say anything!" "
"Bullshit! You'd fuck your own mother over. I know you too well, Pressman.*
No, no, I swear to God, I won't say anything!" Al was frantic now. He began wriggling again and Rick stepped on his chest, driving Al down to the floor with his weight. "Please," Al begged. "Please, I swear to God I'll make it up to you! I won't-"
"Sorry, Al," Rick said. He turned and nodded to Animal. But I can't afford to have a weak link in the business. If I don't deal with it, my clients will."
Animal stepped forward and Tim loomed in front of him. He was holding a syringe. He depressed the plunger and liquid squirted out of the needle. Tim's eyes were indifferent as he bent down and sank the needle into the side of Al's left buttock. "No!" Al yelled, eyes bugged out in stark fear. "Noooo!"
"Relax," Rick said, smiling. "'This isn't going to knock you out. It'll just… how shall I say it? Immobilize you for a moment."
Al struggled, fighting madly as Tim and Rick held him down, trying to yell and scream. Animal stepped forward and rammed a piece of cloth in Al's mouth as he screamed, stifling him. A minute later, Al felt the effect of the drug slow his movements. Thirty seconds later, he was unable to move. Oh God no!
Tim and Rick grabbed Al's legs and spread them apart.
No! Al began to sob as Animal took position between Al's legs. No, please!
And as Tim stepped behind the camera, Animal began to work the blade in, partaking in the work that he liked best.
Twenty-one
The following twenty-four hours was a whirlwind for Brad.
William Grecko spent the night on his sofa. When Brad woke up the next morning, Lisa was still asleep. Brad walked in the kitchen to the smell of perking coffee. Billy was still dressed in the clothes he had worn last night. His hair stuck out like tufts of horns behind his ears. He looked like Dilbert's boss in the Scott Adams cartoons.
"Coffee smells great," Brad said.
"Thanks" William searched through the cabinets and found two mugs. He poured them coffee and set Brad's mug on the table. They sat down at the table. "I've been doing a lot of thinking," he began.
"So have I," Brad said. He took a sip of coffee.
"I'm going to go home real quick and shower and change," William said. He took a sip of coffee and sighed. 'Tben I'm going to the office. I'm going to call Detective Orr and tell him everything you told me last night. Then I'm going to arrange to have him come here today to talk to you and Lisa."
"She's not going to like this," Brad said, clutching the mug with both hands.
"I know, but we have to do it." William's eyes were red from lack of sleep. His stubble looked rough on his cheek. "I'm going to be here when Orr comes over. I'm going to emphasize that you and Lisa are under my pro tection until the guys that did this are caught. I'm going to arrange to have you and Lisa flown out of the city by this evening."
This surprised Brad. "Bitty! Isn't that-"
"A little drastic? Maybe. But I don't want to take the chance. You have to get out of town."
"What if On has other ideas?"
"I'll handle Orr," William said. He took a hearty gulp of coffee. "In the meantime, you're going to have to get ready to be away for a while. It may take a few weeks or so to find these guys."
"It could take months, too," Brad said.
William frowned. "True."
"Suppose Orr doesn't L elieve us?" Brad asked.
"If Orr doesn't believe us, I'll enlist the services of a private detective.!
Brad sighed. He rubbed his face. "Christ, Billy, I don't have that kind of money anymore. All the money in our savings is gone!"
'Don't worry about it," Billy said gently. "I'll bear the costs myself."
"Shit" Brad felt powerless. He hated to have other people pay his way, and the situation he and Lisa were in now made him feel like they were in a bind. He wondered what would happen if he didn't know Billy. He and Lisa would be nowhere. They would have to pick themselves up and run, try to go underground and hide on their own. Brad wouldn't know a thing about living on the lam.
"Where are we going to go?" He asked.
"I'll think of a place," William said.
"What if you can't find these guys?"
`We'll find them!
"No, I don't think you understood me." Brad faced William, feeling desperation rise in him. "I did a lot of thinking about this whole snuff-film business, and the thing I kept thinking was that something so underground and taboo must be hard to crack. Shit, I never thought things like this existed. It has to be so far underground that the average person wouldn't even hear about it. We're average people, so how the hell are we going to catch a group of guys that, by all accounts, even the police can't catch?"