Tales of Sin and Madness (6 page)

Jerry grabbed an unopened can of Melbourne Bitter and handed it to Ray. The can had lost its icy chill, but it was the last one. Ray had been just about to go to the bottle shop to pick up some more when the kidnapper called. He popped open the lukewarm can and took a long drink. It tasted horrible, but it hit the spot. “What’s the time?” he said to Jerry.

Ray’s watch was broken. Busted one night when he had fallen to the pavement, drunk. He was trying to save up to buy a new one.

“Nine-thirty-eight,” Jerry said.

“Okay, that gives me a little over twenty minutes to decide,” Ray muttered, taking another drink.

“Twenty minutes to decide what?” Jerry said. He sat down in the single chair adjacent to Ray.

Ray gulped down the rest of the beer then threw the can across the room. It hit the wall with a dull
ting!
He looked at Jerry. “He’s going to kill either Kim or Rebecca. I have to choose which one.” He put his head in his hands and shed more tears.

He gathered his composure again, quicker this time.

 “We have to call the police, Ray,” Jerry said softly.

“He’s going to call back at ten o’clock. If I don’t answer, he’ll kill ‘em both. There’s not enough time for the police to do anything. That wouldn’t even be enough time for them to set up a tap on my phone.”

“Well what are you gonna do? We can’t sit here and do nothing. Fuck! He’s got your wife and daughter. We have to do something.”

“What can we do?” Ray said. “I don’t know who he is or where he’s taken them.”

“Well you can’t play along with his game. That’s for sure.”

“I have to,” Ray said.

Jerry stared at him, his thin face contorted so he looked like some evil little gnome. “Why? He’ll probably kill ‘em both anyway.” He winced. “Sorry, Ray. But it’s the truth.”

“I can’t take that chance,” Ray said. “He said if I don’t decide then he’ll decide for me.”

“So? It’s better than you having a death on your conscience.”

Ray shook his head. “It’s not that simple.” He breathed deeply. “If I don’t choose, or if I don’t answer the phone or if he feels in anyway that I’ve called the cops he’ll kill Kim and Rebecca in the most painful way imaginable. Torture of every kind, the kidnapper said.”

“And if you do choose?”

“He’ll kill whoever I decide quick. With a single shot to the head. And let the other one go.”

Jerry nodded slowly. It seemed the situation was becoming clear to him. “That’s fucked,” he said.

“So I have to decide which one dies, and soon.”

“How about I drive around? See if I can find them. Or at least find some clues.”

“It’ll be a waste of time,” Ray said. “You won’t find anything. Including Kim and Rebecca.”

“Well I can try,” Jerry said, and started to get up.

“I said don’t worry.”

“Hell. Why not?”

“If he hears you coming, he’ll kill ‘em both. That’s
if
you find them, which you won’t. So don’t waste the petrol.” Ray stood. He was too emotional to be sitting down. He needed to move.

“Okay, if you say so,” Jerry sighed and sat back down. “So what the hell does this guy want? He must want something? What’s the point of kidnapping your family?”

“He doesn’t want anything,” Ray said. “No money, no nothing. Just…” As he paced back and forth, what the kidnapper had said rolled around in his head.

“Just what?” Jerry asked, craning his neck so he could look at Ray.

“I did ask him what he wanted. I told him I would do anything. Give him anything. He just laughed and said all he wanted was to have fun.”

“Jesus,” Jerry said, turning back and shaking his head.

Ray kicked his old card table that sat to one side of the room, dirty from years of cigarette ashes and beer stains. He sent it crashing into the wall. One of its legs snapped off. “Fuck!” he roared. “How could this happen? How could some stranger just come into my house and take my wife and child?”

“God I wish we knew where he was,” Jerry said. “I’ve got my shotgun in the van.”

Ray continued wearing out the carpet between the TV and the entrance to the kitchen. “Okay, let me think this through,” Ray said.

“Think what through?”

“What do you reckon? Who I’m going to choose.”

Jerry made a face. “You’re not really going to decide are you? Shit. You can’t, Ray.”

“I have to. I have to pick one to save the other.”

“But…come on.”

“What do you suggest, huh?” Ray barked, stopping and gazing at Jerry. “My wife and kid are out there somewhere, trapped by this psycho mother-fucker, and if I don’t pick one of them to die, then he’ll torture them both. And do you know what he told me? That he has a boot full of tools – pliers, hacksaw, hammer, nails... Fuck man. I don’t wanna even think about what he has in mind.” Ray took a much-needed breath. He felt faint. He could really do with a beer. “We haven’t a clue where they are, and I’ve only got…” He looked down to Jerry’s watch.

“Fourteen minutes,” Jerry said.

“Fourteen damn minutes before he rings back and wants an answer.” Ray continued pacing. “Okay. Let’s make a list.”

“A list?”

“You know, one of them pro and con lists.”

“You’re not doing your fucking shopping, Ray. This is your wife and kid’s lives we’re talking about.”

“I know that,” Ray said. “but this is the easiest way I can think of to decide. You got any better suggestions? What if it was Carol and Brad who were kidnapped and you had to decide which one to kill? How would you decide?”

“That’s easy. Brad’s a loser. A drugged up fucker. I’d choose him.”

Ray let out a quick, demented laugh. “Bad example.”

“Anyway, it’s different with you. You’ve got a great daughter and a great wife.”

“That’s why I’m making this list,” Ray said. He bolted into the kitchen and grabbed a pad and pencil. He brought them back to the lounge. He sat down on the couch and drew up a rough graph. Four columns – a pro and a con for Kim and the same for Rebecca. “Let’s start with Kim,” he said. “Okay. Pro – I love her.”

“You love both of ‘em.”

“Well it’s a start. Jesus. Okay, how about this. I’ve known her for longer, therefore I’ll miss her more.” He scribbled it down.

“Fair enough,” Jerry said. “But look at it this way. Since you’ve known her for longer, you’ve spent more time with her. That’s a con.”

Reluctantly, Ray wrote it down.

“Also, she’s had a longer life. She’s seen more things and done more.”

He wrote it in the con column. “Okay, another pro. She’s my soul mate. I can’t kill my soul mate.”

Jerry nodded.

Ray added it to the pro column.

“Sex, you’ll miss the sex.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Ray said. “A big pro.”

“But you can always re-marry.”

“I can always have another daughter,” Ray said. “Forget that. Doesn’t go on the list.” He looked down at the scrap paper. “Okay, so far that’s four pro and two con. How much time do we have?”

“Seven minutes.”

“Okay, Rebecca. Pro – I love her. And she hasn’t been on this earth for as long. Only sixteen years. Hasn’t had a chance to really live.”

“Again, the other side of that is since she hasn’t had a long life yet, she won’t miss it as much.”

Ray frowned. “Pretty fucking stupid, but okay.” He wrote it down. “Con. She’ll be more affected seeing her mum die than Kim will be about seeing Rebecca die.”

“Ya think?”

“I think it’ll screw her up in the long run, yeah. Maybe I’ll be doing her a favour killing her. I mean, seeing her mum being blasted away will be like dying a hundred times.”

Jerry shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I’m putting it down,” Ray said.

“You really think this guy will let either of them go? I mean, they’ve seen his face. Heard his voice. He won’t take that chance.”

“Only a person with a really sick mind would be doing a thing like this. Who knows how his mind works? He really might be getting off on me having to choose. Maybe the killing is just an end to the more important act of making me live the rest of my life knowing I gave the order for one of my family to be killed.”

Jerry shrugged.

“Well I have to hope that’s the case, anyway. Besides, maybe they haven’t seen his face. He might have knocked them out and is keeping them blindfolded or something.”

“I suppose. So what does that make? Two each for Rebecca?”

Ray looked down at the sheet of paper. He nodded. And tried thinking of more reasons not to choose his daughter. “I can’t think of anything else for her,” he said after a bit.

“Neither can I,” Jerry said. “So what does that mean?”

In a voice that sounded more like a little kid’s, Ray said, “It means I’m gonna choose Rebecca”

“Are you sure? Christ man, she’s your daughter. Your daughter!”

“I know that,” Ray growled. “But what else can I do?”

Jerry didn’t reply.

“Exactly.”

They didn’t talk for the next few minutes. The silence was broken when the phone rang. It sounded very loud, louder than usual. Ray gazed at Jerry. “This is it.” He stood up and hurried into the kitchen. Jerry was close behind.

“He’s early,” Jerry told him.

On the fifth ring, Ray picked up the phone. “Yes?”

“That’s no way to greet your mother.”

“Mum?” Ray gasped.

He heard Jerry mutter, “Shit,” from behind.

“Yes. Is everything okay, Raymond? You don’t sound…”

“Listen Mum, I can’t talk. I’m waiting on a very important call. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Well I can’t believe you. Treating your own mother like this.”

“Sorry. But I have to go.” He turned to Jerry. He was holding up his arm and pointing to his watch.

Ray nodded quickly. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay? Bye Mum.” He hung up. “Fuck! What time is it?”

“Right on ten.”

Ray shook his head. “I hope the kidnapper didn’t try calling. He’ll probably think I was on the phone to the cops. Damn!”

“You should’ve just hung up as soon as you knew it was your mum.”

“I can’t just hang up on my moth…” The phone rang. Ray grabbed it. “Hello?”

“Hello again.” It was the voice of the kidnapper.

Ray swallowed. “You’re right on time.”

“I said I would be. Now, have you made a decision?”

“Yes,” Ray said.

“Good. Now you didn’t call any unwanted people, did you?”

“No. I swear. I kept my word.” Ray could feel hot breath on the side of his face. He turned to find Jerry leaning in close, trying to hear the conversation. “Get away,” Ray whispered, and Jerry backed up.

“Who was that?” the kidnapper said. “Is there somebody with you?”

“No. Nobody but me.”

“I thought I heard you talking to somebody.”

“Uh-uh,” Ray said, his heart practically bursting from his chest.

“I hope you’re not lying to me.”

“I promise. I’m all alone.”

Silence. Then, “Okay. I believe you. Now, the decision. Your wife and daughter are dying to know.” The kidnapper laughed.

“How do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” Ray said. “How will I know you’ll let the other one go?”

“You have
my
word, Ray.”

“And you promise just one shot? To the back of the head? No suffering?”

“Yes. Unless you try to trick me in any way. Then both of your little darlings will know the meaning of real pain. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now…who’s the lucky winner?”

Ray used all his energy to speak. “Rebecca,” he said quietly.

“A surprise choice,” the kidnapper said. “Your daughter. Okay, it shall be done. Bye.”

“No, wait. When will I see my wife?”

“Soon enough.”

The phone went dead.

Ray held onto the receiver for a long time before Jerry took it off him and placed it down.

“You did what you had to do,” Jerry said. “I’m sorry, Ray.”

It was easily the most sentimental thing Ray had heard Jerry utter.

“I can’t believe it,” Ray said. “My daughter is dead. I’m never going to see her again.”

Jerry grabbed Ray around the shoulders. Ray couldn’t help it. He just let it out. He cried for what seemed like an eternity.

* * *

They were sitting in the lounge, drinking cold beers that Jerry had gotten from the store over an hour ago when there came a quick rapping at the front door.

Ray jumped up, spilling his beer over the floor and rushed to the front door. He flung it open and saw Kim.

Kim looking old and tired and dirty. She fell into his arms, crying.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re all right.” Ray picked her up and carried her into the lounge. He laid her down on the couch. “Get some water,” he told Jerry.