The Six: Complete Series (19 page)

The others seemed so angry, so bitter. At first he was too. It was only natural. But, as he stood against the wall in the silence of the room, he had never felt more calm. His entire life was never-ending stream of chaos. For the last three years, there hadn’t been a peaceful moment in his life.

After his daughter died, he received a few sympathy cards and flowers sent over by observant secretaries. The associates at the firm came with their wives and dabbed at their dry eyes with overpriced tissues. The women hugged him tight and sent him casseroles for weeks after the service. The men presented him with basketball tickets and empty invitations for drinks after work.

But once the commotion died down and he was just Benjamin again, no one looked his way. There was no extra attention paid to him than any other partner in the firm except for the associates who came by to brown-nose and weasel their way onto one of his cases.

This was the best he’d felt in years. He had plenty of food, water, quiet and he didn’t have to see his wife’s face the moment he walked through the door.

“Milo, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just want to help.”

“We’ll see,” Milo said.

Simon looked over without saying a word. He put out a hand to shut Millo up.

The kids heard it before he did. The footsteps. They were coming back.

The door creaked open as the light flickered above their heads. The door creaked open and a pair of guards walked in. The larger of the two guards shone a flashlight directly in Dennis’ eyes as he got inside. “What’re you doing?” Dennis said as he put a hand over his face.

“Just making sure you’re not dead.”

Dennis wiggled his phone. “Got your number.”

“Adorable,” the guard said. “Maybe we’ll just take you again.”

The blonde woman walked in behind him. “Eduardo, please. Don’t bother the nice people.”

She strolled around him with her hips jutting side to side as she stepped. The light went out as she passed it. She tapped on it with her fingernail. It sprung back to life with brief electrical gasps. “Oh this won’t do. Eduardo, fix this.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said. He let the flashlight glide across the wall and straight into both Dennis and Benjamin’s eyes.

“This room is looking quite dingy, wouldn’t you say, Benjamin?”

His heart raced as she turned towards him. “It’s fine,” he said.

“Oh it’s not fine. Don’t lie to me,” she said. The woman walked over and kneeled in front of him. She put out her finger and let it slide underneath his chin. To a man locked in a room that smelled of nothing but filth, dust and old food, the floral perfume that wafted from her neck was enchanting.

“Are you taking me?”

He prayed for her to say yes.

She gently shook her head as her fingers crept up to his hair and her sharp nails raked through it. “No honey.”

Benjamin pulled his head away from her advances. “Why?” asked. “Why not? Please...”

She smiled so sweetly. “Not yet. I’ve got something very special planned for you.”

As she started to stand, he pulled at her suit jacket. “Please. Let me go.”

The woman yanked the jacket away. “Stop this,” she said. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”

He bit his tongue to keep from crying.

“Marie.” The woman crossed the room to stand in front of Marie.

She was exhausted and huddled in the corner. The woman snapped her fingers and the other guard came to Marie’s side. Without protest, she was pulled to her feet and pushed towards the door.

Benjamin ran to Marie’s side. “Let me go instead.”

The guard barely had to flick his wrist to send Benjamin back to where he came from. “Sit down.”

He would give anything to be in her place. Whatever they would give him to do, the result would be the same. Finally he would be free from the pain.

***

Marie didn’t have any more tears to shed. Her brother already buried his daughter and had walked through the fire all on his own. She simmered with anger as the burly guard led her down the hallway. The antagonistic petite woman led the crew through an endless series of corridors that seemed to delight in their obtuse design.

The guard squeezed her arm like she was a disobedient toddler ready to bolt from her mother. She was nothing of the sort. In fact, she couldn’t wait to talk to the woman. The others didn’t have her abilities or her insight. They were weak. She would get what she wanted.

Ever since Brianna was murdered, Marie had prepped for this precise meeting. Eight years of schooling had taught her how to talk to unstable and unpredictable people. If she wanted to see her brother again, it would take finesse.

She knew that the woman would mention her brother and Brianna and look for a response. It was an emotional trigger that the blonde woman hoped would send her into an emotional tailspin. As much as she wanted to avoid thinking about them, she forced herself to dwell on the details of the murder and her brother’s pain until it was as neutral to her as reading a grocery list.

The guard opened a final door to reveal a rather mundane office. It was covered with bookshelves filled with nature photographs and leather bound books. The desk was wide and covered with nothing but a small pencil cup and a small stack of red and blue manilla folders.

“Take a seat,” the blonde woman said.

Marie stood as straight as she could and walked to the chair. The woman across from her project aggressive power and she simply needed to match that intensity to win control of the situation. Marie went for a handshake and smiled like she was meeting a girlfriend for coffee. This woman was no more intimidating than other strong-willed women in her graduate programs.

“Hello,” she said with a open smile. “Nice to finally meet you.”

The woman shook back and gestured to the seat. “Thank you Ms. Vierra. Please take a seat.”

Marie mirrored the movement of the woman in front of her. If her hands were on the table and her legs were crossed, Marie followed in suit. She pointed at the a silvery jeweled frog brooch on the woman’s collar. “Your brooch is lovely. I love frogs.”

The woman looked down at it. “Oh, thank you. I just got it.”

“It’s beautiful. I never felt I could get away with wearing jewelry like that. It looks wonderful on you,” Marie said.

The woman grabbed a folder from her stack and placed it in front of her. “You know why we brought you in here?” Her smile had faded as she looked at her captor.

“I don’t,” Marie said. “Please, tell me.”

The woman fiddled with the edge of the folder. “Simon Archer was responsible for the death of your niece, Brianna Powell. You are aware, are you not?”

Hours of conditioning kicked in. Marie didn’t flinch as the woman twisted the knife. “I’m aware.”

“And you are aware that the authorities have currently not found your niece and that she is considered missing? Your brother has been pleading on the news for her return.” The woman lingered on the word ‘pleading’ like she got pleasure from it.

“I see,” Marie said. “That must be painful for him.”

“Oh very much so,” she said. “He’s not taking it very well.”

Marie sat back in her seat and recrossed her legs to reflect the relaxed posture of the woman across from her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t tell you.”

“I feel it’s only fair,” Marie said. “You know all about me. I should at least know your name.”

The woman looked around with a hint of fear. “Irene,” she said quietly.

“Thank you, Irene. Now we can talk.”

***

Benjamin sat by the door and waited for the footsteps to return. He was next. It was his turn to be released.

“What the hell was that?” Dennis asked.

Benjamin yanked at his tie. “What are you talking about?”

“Why would you want them to take you?”

He turned his body away from them. “I’m not talking to you.”

Milo rose up from his spot. “You wanted to talk to your girlfriend. They were supposed to give you a break from us idiots, huh? But they didn’t take you.”

“My what?”

“That little blonde thing that keeps coming in here. The one with the goddamn folders. She barely looks at any of us but she was practically throwing herself at you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Milo scoffed. “You liked it, you sicko.”

“Absolutely not,” he said. “I’ve never met her before in my life. I don’t know why she did that.”

“Bullshit,” Dennis said. “You ain’t any better than us. She’s just a bad liar.”

“I never said I was--” Benjamin said.

Milo sauntered over and stood right over Benjamin. “You’re going to tell us what you know.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know anything.”

Milo slowly bent down so he hovered over Benjamin’s body.

“You do. I can see it in your eyes. You liked it.”

He resisted fighting back. There was nothing to hide.

“What do you know? Are you like that stylist guy?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The guy that fixes everyone up before they go out. He gives you clothes and cuts your hair.”

“Fred,” Dennis said. “His name’s Fred.”

“Whatever,” Milo said. “He works for them. Do you work for them?”

Benjamin backed away from the hovering. “No! I’m just like you. They took me just like you.”

Milo pointed to the door. “Then why’d they take Marie, huh? You got in here after Lila and she’s long gone. Goddamn Simon’s already gone out and he came in last. I bet they loop back to me before they take you. I better get ready to go.”

“I don’t know why they haven’t taken me,” he said.

Dennis motioned to his own chin. “How come you don’t have a beard yet?”

“I don’t grow facial hair really. It’s never been a thing for me,” he said.

“Yeah but you’re like freshly shaven.”

“I’m not,” he said. “I just don’t need to shave.”

Milo looked over to Dennis. “You believe this?”

“I don’t think I do,” he said.

Benjamin could see that Dennis was fiddling with something around his waist. In a fight he could take a compromised Dennis. He wasn’t so sure about Milo.

“Please, you have to believe me.”

Dennis yanked off his belt and Milo snagged it. In one fluid motion, he grabbed Benjamin’s arms and pulled them behind his back.

“What are you doing?” Benjamin shouted.

Milo’s bondage technique was sloppy and Benjamin was able to easily wriggle out before he was trapped. The problem was that there was nowhere to hide in the room. Running to the other side only bought him a few seconds. With the two of them flanking him on either side, there was no way out of this.

Milo bent down, ready to pounce. Dennis had already gotten to his feet with his hand clutching his side. Benjamin looked over at Simon who was still huddled in the corner and oblivious to what was happening all around him.

There was nothing to fight back with. Dennis came on his right and Milo on his left. They each grabbed an arm and pinned him against the wall. He pushed against them and hoped to weaken Dennis enough to escape.

“Let me go!” he grunted.

Milo, with his free hand, pulled the belt out. “Dennis, the throat.”

Dennis hoisted his hand around Benjamin’s neck and squeezed tight. Milo quickly grabbed the other arm and began to loop his belt around Benjamin’s body. He wriggled and pushed but every motion dug the fingers deeper into his windpipe. There was no point in fighting. He let his body relax and allowed Milo to do his job. With Benjamin no longer a threat, Dennis’ grip loosened. As the hand left his neck, he gasped for air.

“Why are you doing this?”

He went to clutch his chest to breathe again but his arms were held against his body. It wouldn’t have been impossible to slip out through their slapdash binds, but there was no reason to fight anymore. He let them push him against the wall and scream.

In a few days this would all be over. This was all just a test to see if he wanted to go through with it. They’d taken him mere moments before he was going to pull the trigger. He was ready.

He’d finally get to end it all.

***

Hannah walked through the door of her apartment at ten o’clock at night. Her phone rang the entire drive back but she didn’t have the energy to answer it. The first thing she saw was Kyle as he paced in the kitchen with the phone held to his ear.

“...she’s not answering,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t know where she went.”

She walked in and silently placed her purse on the couch. Kyle caught a glimpse of her and his whole posture changed. Every muscle unclenched simultaneously. “She’s here,” he said into the phone which he promptly stuffed back in his pocket.

“Where the hell have you been?” he said.

She struggled to stay awake. “Can you give me something to eat. I’m starving.”

Kyle walked over, concerned. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Hannah didn’t have the strength to talk anymore. The events surrounding Lila felt like a Law and Order episode she’d watched days ago. It was all a blur. “I’m hungry,” she said.

He had her by both shoulders and he stared at her like she was an alien. “Why didn’t you answer your phone? I was worried sick.”

She slid out of her fiance’s grasp and wobbled to the kitchen. She grabbed the first things she saw: an overripe apple and the last mouthful of Kyle’s Budweiser. That bite of apple was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

“Hannah? What is going on with you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. She went to walk back to the living room but she tripped on her own heels. Kyle caught her before she slammed her face into the refrigerator.

“Are you on something?” he asked.

She took another large bite of her apple and washed it down with beer. “No, I’m not anything.”

“You’re acting weird. Why won’t you tell me where you were?”

The TV was on in the other room. It was muted but she could still see the familiar faces of the newscasters against the sky-blue background. She pushed past Kyle and walked to the couches.