A Game of Greed and Deception: A Mystery Drama (10 page)

“Ya,
well it stinks for me too,” Maria retorted. “I really miss dad. But why do you
act like he would try and hurt us? He’s been gone since last night and all of a
sudden you think he is a stalker or something? My dad and I are really close.
He would never do anything to hurt me.”

Tammy
shrugged. “Well then maybe he’s just angry at me, Maria. I dunno, but I told
you about the things that have been happening since we got here. It’s not just
coincidence, that’s for sure. Sometimes people just get crazy and don’t know
what they’re doin’. You know how much stress Stephen had been under before we
decided to take this little vacation. And he was so excited about coming up
here that it was more like a dream to him. I think he’s done temporarily lost
his mind.” She patted Maria on the shoulder. “Maybe I just overreacted to
everything. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation and that everything is
gonna be just fine. I need you to be helping me find your father, not fighting
me. Fair enough?”

Maria
shrugged.

“Well
I sure hope that we’re still friends. I’ll fix up some beef and vegetable soup
for supper with some biscuits that I found. How does that sound? I can also
open up a can of baked beans and heat em up.”

“Okay,”
Said Maria hesitantly.

They
ate quietly with Tammy smiling affectionately at Maria from time to time.

When
they had finished, Tammy gathered up the dishes and announced, “I’m fixin’ to
clean up and go to bed. I’m gonna sleep in the den tonight so that I can better
survey the cabin. Do you have enough blankets to keep yourself warm in your
room?”

Maria
looked up at Tammy. “Ya, I guess so.”

“Fine.
You can take another blanket from the master bedroom if you need it. I’ll put
some more snow into the sink to melt. There are enough snack foods and canned
goods in the kitchen cupboard to make it through tomorrow.” Maria nodded. “See,
now isn’t it nice when us girls get along and think things out together?
Goodnight sweetheart.” Tammy left the room and closed the door behind her.

That should keep her ass calm enough
until I can figure out what needs to be done next. No matter what shit Stephen
tries with me, I gotta keep his little girl close to my side.
She
entered the master bedroom and opened Stephen’s luggage. Then she rummaged
around inside looking through his clothes. She removed one of his warm designer
shirts, and started to rip it at the sleeve. After tearing a piece of the
fabric off, she took it into the small bathroom. She reached up and opened the
small window in the back wall. Some tree branches could be seen extending just
outside it. She took the piece of fabric, caught part of it on the tip of a
branch, and then closed the window over the tip of the sleeve.
Perfect. I will make sure to notice that in
the morning and show it to Maria. The sooner she thinks that Stephen is trying
to hurt us, the sooner she will totally turn against him.
Tammy took the
last can of soda from the cabinet in the kitchen, and went into the den,
locking the door behind her with the skeleton key.

NINE

Curled up under the covers,
Maria was suddenly awakened by a pattering sound against the window. Still half
asleep, she rubbed her eyes in the completely dark bedroom and still couldn’t
see a thing. The noise got louder, like the sound of shotgun rounds being fired
rapidly at a still target. Frightened, she huddled under the covers with the
top of the blanket pulled up to her chin, hoping that she was dreaming. She
closed her eyes and listened. The popping sound was echoing inside her bedroom.
She slowly reached over and turned on the desk lamp. Something was banging
against the window outside. She tripped getting out of bed, wincing in pain as
her foot bumped against the side table. She knelt down on the floor, and moved
slowly over to the window before looking upwards. Large pieces of ice and sleet
were pelting the window pane relentlessly. The ice storm outside was ferocious
with marble-sized debris hitting the glass, and the noise was becoming
deafening.

Maria
looked at the clock to check the time – it was 5:00 am. She rubbed her eyes to
wake herself up, thinking that seeing the storm outside made it seem colder
inside the room. She observed the relentless pounding against the window,
wondering if it might break. Suddenly, there was a crashing sound, and a flash
of lightning illuminated the sky outside. Maria gasped for air at what she
thought she saw. It looked like the silhouette of a man outside, moving through
the snow.

She
stood up and moved close to the window, with her face almost pressed against
it, looking into the woods. She waited anxiously for a couple of minutes. Then
the lightning struck again. Maria saw the back of a man, moving through the
snow, hunched over and carrying something into the woods. The backside of his
body looked pitch black like the nighttime sky. Even from that distance there
was something bizarre looking about him, and she couldn’t imagine that it could
be her father. She fixed her eyes on the spot in the darkness until the
lightning struck once more. The image of the dark figure moving through the
fluffy white snow was gone. He seemed to have disappeared into the woods.

Maria
backed away to catch her breath. Knowing that she couldn’t sleep under these
conditions and scared that the window might break, she put on her shoes and
jacket and left the bedroom to look for her stepmother.

When
Maria got into the living room, she saw that the coffee table had been moved a
bit further away from the sofa and turned around. She went over to push it back
into place and noticed a lighter on the table marked SW.
That’s dad’s favorite lighter. But what’s it doing here? He always
carries it with him
. One side of the shag area rug had been turned up, so
she pushed it back down with her shoes. She went into the small bathroom and
opened the medicine cabinet. She found some band aids inside and put one on the
cut on her foot. Then she took some balls of cotton, a few razor blades and
safety pins, and stuck them in her pocket.

Maria
went back into the living room and noticed that the door to the den was closed.
Remembering that Tammy had said she was sleeping in there, she tried to open
the door, but it was locked. Then she saw that the door to the master bedroom
was open and went inside. The bedding was a mess and some of her stepmother’s
clothes were scattered on the floor near her suitcase. She also saw one of her father’s
finest shirts lying on the bed with a sleeve torn off. She picked up the shirt
and examined it.
And that’s dad’s shirt.
Why is it torn like that? Who could’ve torn it?
He wasn’t wearing it when we were out so it must’ve been in his
suitcase.
She looked near the bed and saw her father’s suitcase opened with
some of his clothes thrown on top.

Maria
opened Tammy’s suitcase and began to rummage around inside. She discovered the
private prepaid cell phone which she had never seen before. Also inside the
suitcase under some neatly folded clothes was a small notebook. Maria took out
the notebook, being careful not to mess up the folded clothing, and looked
through the pages. All of the pages were empty except for two. One of them had
a list of items to pack and bring to the cabin, and a list of things to do. The
other had a list of overseas travel destinations, hotel accommodations, and
rental car companies. At the end of this list were written the words “Here’s to
the good life, baby!”

Puzzled,
Maria carefully put the notebook back under the clothes just as she had found
it. Then she walked around the bed and to the entry to the walk-in closet.
There was an empty can of coca-cola on the floor. She turned a small light on
and went inside.

The
two foot stools were stacked one on top of the other and pushed under a shelf.
The oval antique mirror was leaning against the wall near the closet entry. At
the back of the closet, the pinewood door to the wine cellar was slightly ajar.
In front of the door was the brass lantern with a small wick extending, already
lit and burning. Maria opened the door all the way and gazed into the darkness
below. She called out in case someone was down there.

“Tammy?
Are you down there?” She paused for a few moments. “Hello? Dad?” There was no
reply. She took the lantern and held it up higher while peering down the stone
stairway. Not seeing anyone, she called out again loudly. “Hello, is anyone
down there?” She waited a few moments in total silence and then started down
the stairs.

***

Police officer Gerald Benson
finished drinking his morning coffee and set the mug down on his office desk.
He’d been working with the small-town police force for more than twenty years.
If something terrible had happened to a traveler, surely someone would have
seen something, he thought. People were tight up here, and he’d never even had
to deal with a single murder case. The prospect that someone would just
disappear into the mountains at night seemed rather unlikely. In fact, even in
the blizzard with most of the roads being treacherous, the local hotel was open
all night, and anyone could seek shelter there if needed. The only other
possibility that he could think of was the slim chance that someone could have
been thrown from a car during the blizzard, injured, and frozen to death under
the rapidly falling snow.

He
Googled the names “Tammy Worthington” and “Stephen Worthington”. It didn’t take
him long to find the records from Stephen’s business sales.
Forty-six years old, originally from
Washington
State
,
obtained a Business Finance Degree from
Pacific
Lutheran
University
in
Tacoma
.
Then he
moved and lived in
Los Angeles
,
and had a private capital lending business. Sold his business nine years ago
for ten million. Damn, I’m in the wrong line of work.
The officer went to
his official background check database and punched in Stephen’s name and birth
date.
No brothers or sisters, parents from
Washington
,
passed away less than two years ago.
Misdemeanor
marijuana possession charge twelve years ago, no criminal convictions. The rest
of his record looks pretty clean.

Then
he started to look up some information on Tammy Worthington.
Let’s see…originally Tammy Caldwell, married
Stephen
Worthington
a year ago, 23 years old….whoa. Half his age – I guess he likes ‘em young. From
Wilmington
, has
an older sister, high school education.
He entered Tammy’s full name into
the background check database.
Well, well
–what do we have here. Felony charge for credit card fraud and identity theft
at age 17. Suspended sentence, three years probation with no jail time.
Diagnosed as mentally unstable and required to take anger management classes
and prescribed medications.
Probation
violation for missing assigned classes. Completed required community service
assignment to avoid jail time.
He put in some more information to pull up
Tammy’s school and childhood records with accompanying notes.
Suspended from school at age 8 for
behavioral problems. Had been withdrawing socially from other children. Shoved
a child off the slide at the playground causing injury, and yet felt a sense of
satisfaction. Sent to a child psychologist at the recommendation of the school
counselor. Diagnosed with an Antisocial Personality Disorder. Shows lack of
empathy to other students and teachers. Acts in a cold, callous, and cynical
manner, and is always seeking attention and praise from others. Yet can be very
charming with the other kids and many are envious of her.

Gerald
Benson looked away from the computer screen and leaned his short, stocky body
back in his swivel chair. He ran his hands through his salt and pepper black
hair.
Well I’ll say one thing for sure –
Mr. Worthington sure didn’t marry no angel. She has quite the little history.
But there aren’t any really violent crimes listed here. She was the one who called
me to report the accident and sounded frantic on the phone. A desperate cry for
help or a scheming crazy woman? She hasn’t hardly said a thing about her
stepdaughter stuck up there with her. Is she really more concerned about her
own damn safety than that of the child, or is she that frazzled from her
husband being missing? Damn this blizzard – I need to get someone out to that
cabin.

***

Maria went down the stone
stairs taking each step slowly while nervously looking back and forth at either
side of the clay walls. She got to the bottom of the stairwell and walked
slowly along the red tile walkway. She looked up as she went, intrigued by the
carefully crafted brick ceiling. As she got to the arch-shaped opening, she
stopped in her tracks, frozen for a moment. She saw some red smear marks on the
brick around the arch that looked like blood. “Is anybody down here? Tammy, can
you hear me?” she called out timidly. She waited a few moments as her blood
pumped faster and her brow started to sweat.

Maria
hastily moved through the archway and into a larger room. She came up to a
table with a small, empty wooden box on top, next to a partially smoked cigar.
She examined the cigar which looked as if someone had been puffing on it
recently. She held it and took a deep whiff. It was a sweet fragrance that she
had never smelled before. She sat the cigar back down and turned around to
notice some wrapped meats hanging from the ceiling that let out an aroma of
fresh herbs and spices.

She
made her way past the table over to some small cubby holes along the walls, and
held the lantern up to look inside them. She felt inside a couple and then
quickly pulled her hand out from the feel of spider webs. Inside one of them
she saw a metal vice. When she got to the last cubby hole, she saw inside it a
wrinkled folded piece of paper and a pair of well-worn leather gloves. She
picked up the piece of paper and opened it. On it were a series of hand-drawn
diagrams showing the image of a person being put into what looked like a coffin
or wooden box with huge spikes inside. Maria felt a lump in the back of her
throat while looking around nervously to be sure that nobody else was there.
She tossed the paper to the ground and kept walking towards the back of the
room.

On
her right she noticed a pile of hay in front of a tightly wrapped bale with two
canisters on top. Remembering what Tammy had told her about the covered trap,
she knelt down and brushed the hay off the floor. Underneath was a large piece
of plywood. She pulled on the plywood and it didn’t budge. Then she walked
right onto the plywood, set the lantern down, and picked up the canister of
propane. The trap that was supposed to have been there before was gone.

She
shook the canister and it seemed empty, so she left it on the bale. The
canister of hydrogen gas had a “danger” symbol on it, so she left it alone. She
got to the rear of the room and saw that there was a bunch of barrels stacked
one on top of the other, with one barrel standing in front of the others and covered
with a sheet. The sheet looked like the ones that had been used in the master
bedroom upstairs. On top of the sheet was a candy-red lipstick tube.
That’s Tammy’s lipstick and bed sheet. Why
would she bring those things down here? She never said anything to me about
that. She said there was some kind of trap down here but I didn’t find one.

Maria
pulled the sheet until it slid off to see that the top of the barrel had been
written on in lipstick with the words “Now You Will Die”. She gasped, swallowing
a big gulp of air, and jumped backwards.

She
grabbed the lantern again, and headed back through the room towards the
walkway. A few steps ahead, she heard a distinct buzzing sound. Some small,
grey, paper-like nests had drifted from the walkway into the room. Each nest
was a winter hibernation cell for one black and white bald-faced hornet queen.
But these nests had obviously been taken from their colder habitat to awaken
the queens. Some warm air coming from the open duct in the cellar blew the
nests across the floor. One by one, the angry hornets emerged from their
two-inch wide hibernation cells and began flying around wildly.

Maria
recalled being stung twice a couple of years ago by a swarm of yellow jackets.
Her eyes had swelled up and throat had partially swollen shut, causing her
difficulty in breathing. The stinging queens were now flying around their nests
at the end of the room, blocking the way to the stairwell. The buzzing sound
and image of the darting, dotted insects illuminated by the light from the
lantern put her into a state of panic. She stood still for a few moments,
wondering if she could run past the imposing threat. Then the hornets began to
move towards the light coming from the lantern. Their sound became mind-numbing
as they got closer to Maria. They flew up towards the ceiling, darting around
for a few seconds, and then down at the lantern. Terrified of being stung,
Maria scurried back against the stack of barrels, knelt down, and buried her
face between her knees. In her haste, she dropped the lantern to the floor. The
glass shattered and the flame was extinguished leaving 10-year old Maria in
total darkness.