Twisted Hunger (42 page)

“
They… know… he… kills… takes eyes. Crazy.”

Vivian glared at her. “He is
not
crazy. What he does, he
must
do… to feed his very special needs.”

“Hmmph. Special needs, indeed. You make him sound like a saint.” Teddy’s voice had a hint of whine in it.

Vivian quickly touched his chin. “There’s no need for that tone, my love. If he’s a saint, you are a god. Where would he be if you were not always right behind him, cleaning up his messes?”

Those words brought his confidence back and he smiled at Vivian. He turned his attention back to Ellery. “I had no choice but to handle the… less spiritual details for him.”

“And you always did so with finesse,” Vivian noted. “No one ever suspected you or Abraham all these years… until recently.”

Ellery had read all the facts but had come to the wrong conclusion. What she was hearing was even worse than she could have imagined. Teddy and Abraham Jones had both murdered people, and Vivian—
“You… approve?”

“Of course I don’t approve, you imbecile. But a politician’s wife must support her husband, no matter what. And our Abraham is going to be the most powerful man in the world one of these days.” She smiled slyly to Teddy. “With us sitting right next to him. You see, it is our responsibility to make certain that nothing and no one prevents that from happening.

“I usually prefer not to be told any of the specifics of what is being done to enhance Abraham’s career, but this weekend it seemed to me that the situation was getting out of control, so I had them tell me everything. There is no question in my mind that you are right in the
eye
of this sudden storm.”

She paced quickly back and forth, as though she were too agitated to stand still. “It was all their parents’ fault, you know. If their father had been more of a man—”

“I have told you before that he did the best he could,” Teddy interjected defensively.

“
Aach
! If he had been a real man, that she-devil wouldn’t have had to take a lover to get pregnant.”

“W-w-w-w-we don’t know th-th-that for certain.”

Vivian’s eyes abruptly narrowed and she turned to Ellery. “You see what she did to him? The mere thought of her handicaps him.” To Teddy, she said, “You just concentrate on the power you have today. Now, in spite of our personal plans for her, it has occurred to me that Ellery could be a valuable asset to us, in more ways than one.” She and Teddy shared a snide smile. “So I’ve decided to fill her in on a little family history. I think she may agree with my analysis of the situation and completely understand why we’ve had to do the things we have. After all, she and I share quite a few characteristics. She’s beautiful, intelligent, logical, cold-hearted and, best of all, ambitious. Like me, she has her eye on that big white house on the east coast.”

Ellery didn’t believe she and Vivian would see eye-to-eye on anything, but she was hardly in a position to argue at the moment. At least the two of them seemed momentarily distracted from interrogating her.

“Teddy’s father wasn’t a bad person, really, he just never had the drive his wife did. She had no respect for him and, when the first son was born, she took out her frustration on the child. Is it any wonder his favorite fantasy is where his mother loves him so much, she’d—”

“
Ahem!”
Teddy sounded.

Vivian accepted the warning that she was getting off track and moved on. “Then one year later, she had another fair-haired child, nearly identical to the first—a rather miraculous accomplishment since both parents had brown hair, as did all the grandparents. For reasons of her own, however, rather than torment this child as she did the first, she put him on a pedestal right from the start. Unfortunately, like her husband, driving ambition didn’t come naturally to Abraham either, so she pushed him where she wanted him to go, constantly harping at him to be perfect in every way.

“What the stupid woman missed entirely was that her firstborn was the one with the ambition and genius to become a world leader.”

“Thank you, my dear,” Teddy said. “But I think it’s time to get back to our prime objective here.”

She raised her chin stubbornly. “I’m not finished with my story yet. I want to make sure Ellery has the complete picture. Once she understands, she should be more willing to answer our questions honestly.” She paused, ran her gaze over Ellery’s body and gave Teddy a meaningful look. “She might even come around to
our
way of thinking.”

Ellery was willing to listen to anything and pretend to be sympathetic if it meant delaying whatever they had planned for her. It wasn’t very logical of Vivian to think she would be more cooperative after an explanation of totally unacceptable acts. On the other hand, it was now becoming quite clear that no one in the Jones family was hampered by sanity.

“Their father’s role in the story was basically one of passive non-resistance. Regardless of what cruelties his wife inflicted on Teddy, or how hard she pushed Abraham, he let her run the show, except in one area—the boys’ education. And that turned out to be what had the most influence on their future.” Obviously upset by what had happened to those boys, she began pacing back and forth as she continued.

“He insisted his boys be exposed to all the people of the world, not just the Americans and Brits. And not just exposed to them, mind you, he wanted his boys to befriend them and learn about their unusual cultures.

“You see, the State Department had sent their father to New Zealand, and he actually
encouraged
Teddy and Abraham to associate with the native children whose parents worked menial jobs in the area. He practically handed his children over to those savages. For some superstitious reason, they welcomed the little white boys into their tribe then introduced them to their primitive religious beliefs and rituals.”

Teddy suddenly grasped Vivian’s arm and whispered in her ear. At first she seemed prepared to argue, then she turned and stared at Ellery for several seconds. “Teddy, genius that he is, just realized something. I turned off the electricity in here before, so how did you know about the eyes…” She slowly scanned the room and noticed the mirrored closet doors were open.

Vivian hurried into the secret room and returned carrying the flashlight Ellery had dropped. Handing it to Teddy, she noted, “Very ingenious. I should have considered the fact that a woman who is afraid of the dark and enclosed spaces might carry a light in her purse.”

She guessed at Ellery’s question. “Yes, we knew that also. People can be very informative when urged to talk by a man who could soon be their superior. So where were we?

“Oh yes. You were trying to convince me that some secret group is out to ruin our Abraham. We both know that no one suspected him of any foul deeds except that detective and someone who sent him a letter from Sacramento.

“Teddy already took care of that big hunk of chocolate, but he wasn’t absolutely certain about the identity of that acquaintance. He told me that the detective’s Sacramento contact signed his letter with the drawing of a winged insect, like a wasp or a hornet. Then, like an answer from the gods, he heard a sports reporter on the news mention the New Orleans Hornets—along with the fact that they were formerly based in Charlotte.

“To be certain we had the right man, I decided to pay him a personal visit, but he wasn’t in his motel room, and there wasn’t a single thing there to suggest he was in Sacramento to obtain incriminating evidence against the senator. Our only choice was to turn to the woman he was spending so much time with for confirmation. So tell me, Ellery, the fly in our soup
is
your friend Lucas Madigan, isn’t it?”

Ellery felt a slight tingle in her lips, like when a dentist’s Novocain shot begins to wear off. She told herself to remain completely immobile and to keep her voice sounding strained so that Vivian would not know the drug was wearing off.
“No… he… wants… me… not…”

“Oh you poor deluded girl. Abraham told me that was the cover he was using. He also told me when he called this morning that you were quite smitten with your new suitor. But even intelligent women like you and me are sometimes fooled by men. Under the circumstances, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind calling and asking him to join us here.”

“Went… back… to… Charlotte.”

Teddy bashed the steel flashlight down on Ellery’s left wrist, and the bone cracked audibly. He chuckled at the squeaking sound that erupted from Ellery’s throat and the tears that leaked from her eyes.

“I thought you were more intelligent than that,” he said in a nasty tone. “She just told you she spoke to her husband after he talked to you. You had said Madigan was going back east tonight. But Abe had the feeling you were lying about that. Either way, we know he’s still around town right now. The question is where? I already tried the motel and your apartment. Where is he?”

Ellery could barely think past the excruciating pain in her wrist. At least she wanted to blink away the tears and had the feeling that she could if she concentrated hard enough, but Vivian was watching her intently.
“Don’…know.”

“I don’t believe you,” Teddy stated flatly. “Nor do I believe you were completely unaware of his true purpose for being here. Does he work with the detective, or is he a friend of his? Was he the one who convinced you to take the job in the senator’s office? What made him suspect Abraham of being The Eye Doctor? Who else has he told about this preposterous theory of his?”

Ellery decided to switch tactics.
“Not… Luke. Me.”

“Another obvious lie,” Teddy countered sharply. “Prevarication is clearly one of your worst habits. Either you’re incredibly stupid, or you really don’t know the answers to our questions and are trying to protect Madigan out of some misguided loyalty. I suspect it’s the latter.

“There’s only one thing left to do. When the drug wears off enough for you to speak clearly, we’ll try this again. If you refuse to call Madigan then, I will take a pair of pliers and rip off your fingernails, one by one, until you make the call and say exactly what I tell you to. And just to make sure you’re in a cooperative mood when we return, we’re going to leave you alone for a while again… without your flashlight. All you’ll have is your fears and thoughts of how we might force you to cooperate with us.”

Ellery’s eyelids raised a fraction before she could stop the telltale movement.

“Hmmm,” Teddy murmured, noticing the reflex and checking his watch. “I thought it would take more time to wear off. It’s just as well. We’ll be back in an hour. Or perhaps we’ll wait ‘til tomorrow… give your Mr. Madigan some time to worry about where you are, and give you plenty of time to shed your disagreeable habit of lying. How long do you suppose it will take to turn you into a whimpering child who would do anything to be let out of a dark room filled with horrors?”

Vivian’s gaze again traveled down Ellery’s body. “I can’t help but wonder what else you could be coerced into doing for us with the right inducement.”

Ellery slammed the door shut on the image that Vivian’s words created. More important was that she felt a muscle in her finger twitch awake. Any second now, she could regain the ability to move and, hopefully, attack. She had to find a way to keep them from leaving for a few more minutes.

“I… wrote… letter… to… F…B… I…telling… all.”

Teddy laughed aloud. “You must watch a lot of movies to think that I’d fall for that old trick. But even if you
had
written such a letter, no one would believe it. Everyone loves Abraham. Haven’t you heard? They think he’s perfect.”

Unable to think of any other way to delay them, Ellery helplessly watched Vivian pick up her purse, walk to the door and press one side of it. There was a soft click and the door swiveled opened.

“I’ll be right out,” Teddy told Vivian. “There’s one more thing I want to say to our guest. Alone.” As soon as Vivian was out of earshot, he knelt down beside Ellery and leaned close. “It didn’t have to be this way you know. I wanted to let you in on the family secrets slowly… after you and I got to know each other better.”

He stroked the cheek he had bruised. “I could have loved you.” His hands covered her breasts and kneaded them. “Honored you.” He slid his hands to her hips. “Cherished you above all other women. Even Vivian. I would not have allowed her to use you the way she wants to.”

Ellery noted the softening in his expression and wondered if she could take advantage of it.
“My… wrist. Please…”

He looked at the damage he had caused then came to some sort of decision. With no warning, he shoved her skirt up to her waist and pulled her pantyhose down.

Ellery clenched her jaw against the expected violation of her body. Her muscles were coming back to life but not enough to stop him.

“You shouldn’t have lied to me about canceling our date. But I might have forgiven that if you hadn’t given yourself to Madigan the very next night. That was unforgivable and you deserve to be punished. However, I had not meant to break any bones.”

To her complete surprise, he tightly wrapped the pantyhose around her hand, wrist and forearm, creating a flexible cast. “I was pre-med,” he explained simply.

Satisfied with his handiwork, his gaze drifted to her exposed crotch. He brushed his fingers back and forth over her pubic hair. “Shall I tell you one of the fantasies Vivian has about you?”

“No.”