A Game of Greed and Deception: A Mystery Drama (9 page)

Tammy
feigned a smile. “Um – thank you sir. I’m visiting from
California
. I have to ask you for a small
favor. Please, if you can help me – have you seen anyone else outside the cabin
or in these woods yesterday or today? I’m looking for my husband.”

The
hunter shook his head from side to side. “Nope. Ain’t seen no one else out here
in months til just now, talking to you. Not many people want to be out here in
this kind of weather. And why do you think your man would just be wandering
around here anyways? Don’t be wanna be inside the cabin with you?”

“Well
of course he does. What kind of a question is that? But he disappeared
yesterday and I’ve got reason to believe that he’s stuck out here somewhere and
might be dangerous. Stephen is a crazy man and I done think he’s lost all of
his marbles. Do you get what I’m saying?”

The
hunter squinted with an inquisitive expression. “Ya lady, I get it. You ain’t
been pleasing the rooster in the hen house so he had to go out for some eggs.
Hahaha. It happens every time with you damn pretty women. Always thinking your
shit don’t stink. You probably ask him for the world and then don’t show no
appreciation when you get it. Well lucky for you I’m here if you need some
practice.”

Tammy
balled her hand into a fist behind her back. She felt a bit of a headache
coming on. “Actually, that wasn’t it, but thanks for your concern.” Her tone
definitely had a formal edge to it now. “If you do see anyone out here, would
you kindly come knock on the cabin door and let me know? It’s important. If my
husband is crazy enough to do something awful to me, than he sure as hell won’t
back off from doing something if he finds you.”

The
hunter let out a big chuckle. “You think I can’t take care of myself, lady?
I’ve been living off the land for bout as long as you been
LIVING
. I don’t care nothing bout you or your husband. In the
meantime, keep that pretty little face and titties the way they are and be
ready to take care of your man when he gets back. He gonna need it.”

Tammy
decided that there was little else to gain from chatting with this strange and
demented person. She turned around and started to go back through the canopy.
She moved carefully out from under the trees and made her way back around to
the front of the cabin. Soon she was back inside the living room and had locked
the front door behind her.

Tammy
laid back on the sofa in the living room while propping her leg up to think
about her options.
So Stephen climbed on
the rooftop to put the cinder block down the chimney. Then he must’ve come in
through the den at night while we were sleeping and went down into the wine
cellar. But where in the hell did that trap in the cellar come from? And how is
he moving on the rooftop like some kind of tracking animal? He seems to know this
cabin really damn well. Why didn’t he try to come into my bedroom when I was
asleep? And if he lost a dress shoe up on the rooftop, then what is he wearing
now without his winter boots?

She
looked outside the front window and saw that the sun had finished setting,
knowing that it was getting late.
Soon
the temperature will drop even further and it’s gonna be damn cold in here. I
think the best thing for me to do will be to sleep in the den. I shouldn’t call
the police back now because when they come out here, they could find evidence
of foul play, Stephen, or both. And Maria is losing trust in me which will only
make things worse. Although she would also be an alibi since I was in the cabin
with her when Stephen left with the car. So I could play things really nice
with Maria, make sure Stephen doesn’t get inside the cabin again, and just wait
for the police and hope for the best….but I may also need to try to find
Stephen and try to handle him myself. I need to have Maria on my side if
possible. She needs to know that Stephen is the one who’s crazy, not me. She’s
a spoiled little brat anyways and needs to come to her fucking senses on her
own about what her father is doing right now.

Tammy
lit up a cigarette with the lighter marked SW and gazed upwards towards the
ceiling. Voices were echoing inside her head.
Why is everything always so hard on me? It’s so damn unfair!
I gotta do everything myself. When I was
little I had to learn to ride my first bicycle all alone. And the kids made fun
of me when I fell off. Nobody ever noticed anything special about me except for
being pretty. That’s why they all made fun of me, they were just so jealous.
She let out a long breath of smoke and watched as it disappeared into the air.
And I never had a damn anger problem either.
All those therapists were full of shit, there was nothing wrong with me, it was
everyone else around me that was screwed up. I never should have been put on
all those damn medications.

A
rush of excruciating pain shot through Tammy’s head.
Goddam it, not another migraine!
She pounded her fist on the end table.
Her thoughts were foggy and her temples felt like they were about to burst. She
leaned down, burying her face in her hands. The feeling of inadequacy and being
unfairly treated had come over her again. Her mind wandered, drifting off into
memories from years ago. It took her back to that event, when she was only six
years old, that would change the perception of her in those around her…

***

“Tammy, now don’t go
wandering off. Stay on the playground where I can see you.”

The
little girl nodded towards her mother. She ran around the merry-go-round,
pushing on it, loving to see it spin faster and faster. The other children
giggled and basked in the feeling of delight. Then Tammy went over to the
rocket ship tower with a long metal slide. She climbed up the ladder and got
inside the rocket. Two other children were in front of her waiting to go down
the slide. One of them was Bobby, a boy she had seen before and hated deeply.
He teased her relentlessly and seemed to be envious of the compliments that
Tammy received from many of the parents. Tammy stood closely behind Bobby and
nudged him a bit with her shoulder. Bobby turned around to see her.

“Trashy-Tammy,
Trashy-Tammy” he screamed in her face.

“Shut
up.” Tammy had been hearing this insult from him throughout her entire first
grade year.

“Make
me, make me.”

Tammy’s
face turned red with anger. “I said
SHUT
UP.”

“And
your mom is fat. Trashy mom, trashy mom.” He laughed at Tammy, and then turned
around and ignored her. The child in front of him got off the slide at the
bottom, and now it was Bobby’s turn.

He
walked out onto the platform at the top of the slide, some ten feet above the
ground. Before he could sit down, Tammy charged him, and launched herself into
him from behind, as hard as she could. After the collision, Tammy fell over,
landing on the slide, and coming down awkwardly but unhurt. Bobby was not so
fortunate. He went flying off the platform, falling to the ground, landing hard
on his shoulder. His screams and cries were deafening, caused by the pain of
sustaining multiple fractures.

Tammy’s
mother raced over and grabbed the little girl in astonishment. “Oh my God, what
have you done?” Tammy kept a still face and showed no sign of emotion. But
inside, she was laughing. She felt instant gratification for getting her way
and teaching somebody else a lesson. She looked up at her mother with a sweet,
innocent look, pushing her lower lip out. “It was an accident, mommy.”

***

She lifted her head up from
the palms of her hands. The pain had lessened and her head was beginning to
clear up.
Everyone has always been
jealous of me. That little boy was hateful. He made fun of me and got exactly
what he deserved. For those therapists to label me as anti-social – what a load
of crap! That’s how the world works, dad taught me that. You always get what is
coming to you. Like when mom was not giving dad the attention that he needed,
what did he do? He went out and got himself another girl. I deserved Stephen’s
money from the very beginning. If an older guy is gonna get a young, pretty
girl, he has to pay for it. Everyone knows that. All the pretty girls he had
before me were just prostitutes!
Tammy’s heart was racing and she wiped
some sweat from her brow.

And you know what else? He had so many of
those whores before me, how the hell could I let him go from them to me. That’s
a fucking insult! He never even deserved me from the beginning. I was simply
too good for him. Anyone else in my situation would completely agree with me.
And little Maria just got caught up in it all. Sorry about her luck, but she
can’t stand in my way. She’ll learn, ‘cause life just works that way.

Tammy
felt fire in her veins. When she talked her problems out to herself, she got
invigorated about what was the right thing to do.
So why the hell should I let Stephen get off the hook? And he has the
damn nerve to try and hurt me? There ain’t no way I can let any man control me
like that. So what is the right thing to do, Tammy? Get mad? No, no. I need to
look out for number one. I’m gonna get even. If he wants to play games then
we’ll play games.
She put out her cigarette and flicked it to the floor.
She started chuckling to herself.
He must
have come in through the open window in the den last night, so I think he’s
gonna try that again tonight. And with it being so cold out tonight he’s gonna
need to get into the heat. I know exactly what I need to do.

Tammy
jumped up and went over to the fireplace. Bending down, she took a deep breath,
and slowly moved the concrete hollowed-out cinder block out from inside the
fire pit. She reached up and made sure that the fireplace damper was closed.
Putting both hands underneath the cinder block, she carried it into the den
despite the sharp pain in her calf. Panting heavily, she dropped the block,
wiped some sweat from her brow, and examined the layout of the room.
That bitch is heavy. These windows are about
five feet above the floor. He’ll get on the roof from the bridge, and have to
climb down and in through that window. Then he’ll have to come inside legs
first and jump down. He’ll be looking at the floor when he comes through that
window and won’t see anything above him. Let’s leave him a little gift.
She
bent down, untied the rope from the chest, and then took it out from the window
clasps. Looking at the wall where the rope had been hanging, Tammy removed the
two large hooks.

She
screwed the hooks back into the wall, one on either side of the windows, just
below the top of the sill. Then she took the rope, wound it through the holes
in the cinder block, and put the two ends of the rope over the two hooks. She
pushed the window open several inches. Gathering all her strength, Tammy lifted
the cinder block up on her shoulder and held it with both hands to keep it from
falling. She took a deep breath and slowly got up on one of the chairs. Then
she set the block on top of the ledge above the window. It was the right size
by a couple inches to keep from falling down, with the back of the block firmly
against the wall. She placed a piece of cardboard that she had taken from
inside one of the kitchen cupboards and put it between the top of the window
and the cinder block. Lastly, she secured each end of the rope near the floor
by tying them to the base of the shelving unit, and made sure that the rope was
taught.

Tammy
looked up while licking her lips to admire her work.
That’s perfect.
He’ll have to
open the window more to get inside. If he looks up, he’ll just see the cardboard
and think that it’s sitting on top of the ledge. As he opens the window a bit,
that rope will slide the block on the cardboard. His legs will already be
halfway inside the room. Then he’ll push his head and arms inside and force the
window open all the way to climb in. Then BOOM – that block will fall off of
the cardboard and come crashing down right on top of his head. It will crush
his skull into pieces. He’s gonna get exactly what’s fucking coming to him.

She
opened up the sofa bed and then moved the coffee table, with the bloody knife
and dagger, right next to it. She went back to the small bathroom, took the
bottle of chloroform along with a couple of cloths, and set them on the coffee
table in the den next to the knife and dagger.
When that bastard tries to come inside, if that cinder block doesn’t
kill him, I’ll be able to finish the damn job myself.

Tammy
left the den, locking the door behind her, and went into the kitchen. She took
one of the cans of soda that she had hidden in the back of the cupboard. Then
she took a few deep breaths and went and knocked on the door of Maria’s room.
“Can I come in?”

Maria
spoke through the door. “Help yourself, I can’t stop you.”

Tammy
opened the door to see Maria sitting at the antique writing desk drawing on a
tablet of paper. “Whatcha drawing there, honey?”

Maria
looked up and rolled her eyes. “I’m just sketching the view outside my window.
The way the snow has covered the trees is like what I saw in movies.”

“Bless
your heart dear, that’s just lovely. It really is a great landscape.” Tammy put
her hand gently on Maria’s shoulder. “I brought you a soda to drink. I just
found it in the back of one of the cupboards in the kitchen and I wanted you to
have it. Isn’t that nice?” She paused and rubbed her hand through the girl’s
long, blond hair. “I’m sorry about earlier, baby, but this whole situation with
your father missing has done got me goin’ crazy. And we’re stuck in a cabin so
far away from anything without any running water or heat. Can you see how that
might make me upset?”