Chapter Nine: Behind the Mask
A faint, pale light filtered through from above, barely reducing the gloom of the windowless room. It was chilly, and Brian stirred, dimly aware of the dull ache pervading his normally healthy body. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to get his bearings. An unaccustomed weight shifted slightly on his left shoulder. Through thick dark lashes he gradually registered the presence of another. Long golden hair fanned across his chest; its owner curled against him, pale and unmoving.
“Honey.” He gave the sleeping girl a very gentle shake, as the truth of their situation once again hit him as forcefully as a physical blow.
Honey moaned and shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure where she was, but she pretty certain it wasn’t in her big Manor House double bed. She opened her hazel eyes blearily and tried to focus.
“Hi.” Brian smiled down at her, his dark eyes warm.
“Brian?” It was more of a question than a greeting. Honey’s confused brain seemed unable to process information, and she gave her golden head a slight shake. She glanced around, and if at all possible turned a shade paler. “I know where we are,” she said flatly, the light going out of her eyes.
Brian helped her to sit up. “No windows,” he observed. “But at least we can see something.”
The small amount of light in the room seemed to be coming from several grates located near the ceiling. There were also heavy mesh grills, high up along the opposite wall, though these admitted very little light. The room itself was empty, apart from a small suitcase-sized crate propped against one wall. Fitted closely into the wall opposite was a heavy door. Brian pulled Honey to her feet and the two stood together, swaying unsteadily. After a moment, Brian took one tentative step, then another. Thankfully, his limbs obeyed him, and the two crossed the room, taking slow deliberate steps. Brian pulled against the door with all the strength he could muster. There was not even a hint of movement in the solid frame.
“I suppose it was too much to hope for,” Brian admitted.
Honey pulled suddenly on his arm. “What about that?” she nodded.
There was a second door, slightly ajar, and the two exchanged looks of mingled hope and anguish. They were able to move more easily now, and almost hurried over to investigate. Cautiously, Brian pushed the door, peering around it as he did so.
“Good news and bad,” he reported.
Honey strained to see past him. He stood back to allow her access to the small space.
“No way out, but…” he moved aside, and Honey was able to see the contents of the room.
It contained a small fuzzy mirror set over a cracked basin. There was also a toilet, albeit minus its seat.
Brian shrugged and turned on one of the taps. There was a faint rumble, then a gurgle and a stream of brownish water shot out of the faucet. It took only a moment to clear, and Brian cupped his hands under the flow and carefully sipped the liquid. He nodded swiftly to Honey. “It seems okay,” he said, and Honey moved in to get a drink.
“Don’t gulp,” Brian warned. “Just sip.”
Honey drank slowly. It was surprisingly good. After several carefully consumed handfuls, they returned to the main room, again struck by its starkness.
Brian gazed around the room for a moment. He gave a shrug and sat back down on the floor, his back resting against the wall. Honey joined him.
“I’m hungry,” she said mournfully. “I know that might sound ridiculous, but I am.”
Brian grinned. “Well, if you’re ridiculous then so am I, ‘cause round about now I can smell Moms’ scrambled eggs and bacon.”
Honey smiled briefly before a frown crossed her pretty face. “Every bone in my body is aching,” she complained.
“I know what you mean,” Brian agreed with another grin. “I don’t think these accommodations are up to our usual standards.”
Honey nodded rubbing the back of her neck slowly. “What time is it?”
Brian glanced at his watch. “Seven-thirty; we’ve slept for around eight hours.”
“Hey,” Honey said suddenly. “We can at least take a look for my watch now.”
“Good idea.”
After a careful inspection of the room’s floor, the two returned to their former position.
“It certainly isn’t here,” Brian commented unnecessarily.
“No. And that’s probably a good thing,” Honey said. “At least if it’s not here, there’s a chance it’s somewhere that might make it useful to Trix and Jim.”
“Right.” Brian looked thoughtful. “How did they get in, Honey?”
Honey frowned again. “That’s one of the strange things. I was making the cheese sauce, so I was concentrating on that, when I heard the back door open behind me. It’s stupid really, because I didn’t automatically turn around. I said something like ‘Did you forget something?’ and I turned around to ask why you’d come in the back way.” She shuddered. “There they were—two men, both in masks. I didn’t even have time to turn the stove off. One of them stepped forward and grabbed me. I opened my mouth to scream and he slammed his hand over it.”
Brian put a strong arm around his friend and gave her a quick hug. “It must have been awful.”
“To be honest, I didn’t really have time to think,” Honey replied. “Then you came back. I heard the front door open and I tried to break free. Tried to call out. But before I could do anything useful, you were in the kitchen. You know the rest.”
Brian gave a rueful smile. “It’s not as clear as it could be. I walked in, saw some guy holding you, dashed over and then felt a horrible pain in the back of my head. As I fell, I copped another blow in the temple. I didn’t even see the second guy. After that, it’s all blank.”
“That was horrible. I got so mad I pulled free, grabbed my wooden spoon, and managed to hit the one that hit you. Actually, I think I kind of took them by surprise. They grabbed me again and then put something over my mouth. After that I don’t remember anything until I woke up last night.”
Brian’s jaw had tightened as Honey relayed her story, but as she finished, he guffawed loudly. Honey looked at him surprised, and he shook his head apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Honey, really I am, but the thought of you attacking a masked man with a wooden spoon!”
Honey considered this for a moment then shrugged. “Well, that’s just what I did. I mean I didn’t think about it. I just reacted I guess. Not very smart.”
“But pretty darn spunky,” Brian noted.
“I guess it was,” said Honey, as if the thought hadn’t really occurred to her. “I guess Trixie would be pretty proud of me.”
“She sure would, and she’s not the only one.” Brian gave his friend another hug and she smiled, pleased by his praise.
A sudden scraping at the door caught their attention, and the two scrambled to their feet, hardly even breathing.
The door slowly opened, and three people entered. There was nothing to really distinguish one from the other, save a difference in height. All were dressed in jeans and black long sleeved tops, and all were wearing plain black balaclavas. A closer examination revealed that these masks each had different colours ringing the eyes of its wearer. Brian’s strong arm steadied Honey, and captives faced captors.
“Who are you? What do you want with us?” Brian endeavoured to keep his tone even.
A harsh laugh erupted from the middle captor. The tallest of the three, who stood to one side, shook his head.
“All in good time.” He spoke directly to the young prisoners.
“I think, having dragged us from our home and thrown us into less than ideal conditions, we might be entitled to some explanation,” Brian insisted quietly.
In spite of her fear, Honey couldn’t help but marvel at her friend’s composure.
Without warning, the middle one rushed forward, and Honey found a pair of red-ringed blue eyes boring into her hazel ones. Brian pulled her away from the kidnapper and stepped into the breach.
“Just give me a reason,” the captor sneered, unoriginally.
“Back off, Neil.” This came from the tallest and steadiest of the three, who appeared to be the leader.
The other man poked Brian in the chest before he reluctantly stepped away, giving a short laugh. “Still playing the handsome hero.”
Brian didn’t bother to reply, but his gaze was level and steady.
For the first time, Honey noticed that the third man, who was slightly shorter and stockier, carried a gun. She gasped and pressed Brian’s arm firmly.
Brian, seeing it too, addressed the leader again. “I suppose that should give me some idea of your intentions.” He was unable to keep the note of anger from his voice.
“I would imagine the fact that haven’t used it yet should provide you with a clearer idea,” was the dry response. “Come on, Neil, I want that stuff in here,” he added
“Ken, keep that handy little instrument trained on our guests, won’t you?”
“Right, Lee.” The shorter man spoke for the first time, and his voice was almost squeaky.
Within minutes, Neil and Lee returned. Neil dragged a thin camp mattress, while Lee carried a tray of food. Lee placed the tray on the ground. Neil left and then returned a moment later with a couple of blankets and a small lamp.
“This should improve your accommodations somewhat,” Lee stated flatly. “And don’t bother to call for help. There’s no one to hear you, no one at all.”
They turned to leave. Neil paused and then walked over to the young prisoners, his eyes narrowed. “She sure is a pretty thing, isn’t she?” he observed insolently. “I wonder if she still will be when all of this is over?”
Honey blanched and relied on Brian’s strong arm to keep her steady. Brian’s jaw tightened and his own dark eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to protest.
“I told you to back off, Neil,” Lee snapped. “You’ve seen way too many movies.”
With a shrug and a snigger, Neil stood back, arms crossed.
“As long as you do as we ask and make no attempt to escape, you won’t be harmed.” Lee took a deep breath. “As you may have gathered, our young friend, Neil, here is not quite so amenable. It might be best not to upset him.”
Throughout this exchange the third man, Ken, had remained silent, merely following instructions and keeping the gun trained on Brian and Honey. Now, he backed toward the door, but unlike Neil, who appeared aggressive and unstable, or Lee, who seemed controlled and in charge, his stance was uneasy, almost apologetic.
“You should eat something,” he said, nodding toward the tray. “It’s okay.” He edged out of the door.
“One more thing.” Lee drew a small pair of scissors from his pocket and stepped forward to grab Honey’s arm. Brian immediately made a move toward him, and Neil hurried over, grabbing him in turn.
“Take it easy. I’m not going to hurt her.” As he spoke, Lee took hold of a lock of Honey’s golden hair and snipped it off. Honey shivered at his touch and her eyes fixed on the hand that pulled at her hair, but otherwise she did not react.
Lee gave Honey and Brian one last look. “We will be back,” he said as he left, locking the door behind him.
Honey sank down onto the floor, relieved to be alone with Brian once again. Slowly, she fingered her cut hair.
“You can’t even notice,” Brian assured her.
Honey managed a watery smile. “If that’s the worst thing they do, I won’t have anything to complain about.”
Brian joined her and dragged the tray toward them to investigate its contents. It held two mugs, a thermos, a plate with a few slices of bread and butter, and an orange. Brian opened the thermos, poured a small amount of pale brownish liquid into one of the mugs and sipped it tentatively.
“Coffee,” he announced. “Not too strong, with plenty of milk.” He half filled the second mug before adding some more of the beverage to his own. He passed the other mug to Honey and motioned toward the food. “Our new ‘friend’ is right, we should eat something.”
Honey nodded and picked up a piece of bread. Brian followed suit and the two concentrated on the simple yet much-needed fuel.
“I didn’t think anything could taste that good,” Honey admitted, draining the last of her coffee.
“Well, we haven’t actually eaten since lunchtime yesterday,” Brian reminded her. “No wonder we were hungry.”
“Is there more coffee?” Honey asked.
Brian shook the thermos. “There is, but I’m not sure if we should drink it.”
“You don’t think there could be something in it, do you?” Honey sounded alarmed.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” Brian hastily reassured her. “It’s just that I’m not sure when they’ll be back and…” He trailed off, and Honey gave him an understanding smile.
“We might need a little more reviving, and it would be wise to save it,” she finished.
“Exactly. And what little food we’ve got left too.”
The room seemed far less frightening in the daylight. The room was still not bright, but ceiling lights in the corridor outside added to the meagre natural light, reducing the gloom. At Brian’s suggestion, the two walked around the space for some time, and he even insisted on them performing a series of stretches.
“I think it’s a mistake to just sit here,” he explained. “We’re more likely to develop cramps.”
Although Honey was happy to comply, she felt a sense of relief when he motioned for them to sit down again.
“So, what do you make of our friends?” Brian edged onto the mattress and tried to make himself more comfortable.
Honey shrugged. “I don’t think I want to put them on my Christmas list or make them honorary members of the Bob-Whites of the Glen.”
Brian grinned. “Agreed. But I think it’s important for us to notice as much as we can about them. We don’t know how this thing is going to play out, so any detail might prove important.”
“Good point.” Honey joined Brian on the mattress and furrowed her otherwise smooth brow in concentration. “That’s definitely the same man who tried to grab me outside the apartment—I recognised the ring—but I still couldn’t make out the initials. Not that that really helps. Do you know anyone called Lee or Neil or Ken?”
“I don’t think so, and anyway,” Brian hesitated, “that was kind of strange, the way they used their names.”
Honey nodded. “Right, not very smart if they wanted to keep them a secret. Besides, they kept using them sort of deliberately, and people who know one another don’t really do that all the time, do they?”
“No, that’s pretty good reasoning. They were probably trying to throw us off. So, let’s concentrate on what we do know.”
“I’m guessing their voices aren’t usually gruff and gravely, so that’s no help. We do know their approximate height and build,” Honey began slowly.
“Right. And those things could help us identify them later, when we escape.”
“Okay.” Honey was grateful for the matter of a fact way Brian referred to their inevitable freedom. “The leader, or at least the one who seems to be in charge, is probably a little taller than you are. And about the same build,” Honey observed.
Brian nodded. “Say just over six feet, and his less agreeable cohort would be about two inches shorter than I am. That makes him around five-nine, five-ten. He was kind of on the lean side too.”
“And the third one, the one who seemed the nicest, even though he was the one with the gun, was pretty stocky, but probably only an inch or so taller than me. So, five-sevenish,” Honey finished.
Brian smiled at her. “I think that’s pretty clever of us.”
Honey shrugged again. “Maybe. I’m not sure what good it does, but I guess it helps create a general picture.”
“It may do more than that,” Brian mused.
“What do you mean?”
“How do you suppose they knew where to find you? Knew when you’d be alone?”
Honey shivered. “I hadn’t really thought about that.”
“I think it’s worth considering.”
Honey closed her eyes briefly in concentration. When she opened them again, her face showed a new awareness. “Obviously, they were watching us. Watching the apartment.” She spoke slowly as if her thoughts were still forming. “That means either that they were following us or they already knew where you lived. Maybe knew your class schedule?”
Brian nodded his dark head in agreement. “And they know who we are. I mean they seem to know that we’re friends rather than family.”
“Which suggests that they’ve done some research, that it was planned for sometime.” Honey’s intonation hovered between question and statement.
“It might also suggest something else,” Brian observed grimly. “That they, whoever they are, know us.”
“You mean those masks might not just be to stop us from seeing their faces, but to stop us from recognising them.” The thought was obviously distasteful to Honey.
“It would certainly give kidnappers a pretty big advantage to know their victims.”
“It’s awful,” Honey breathed. “It’s worse than strangers. To think that someone you may have passed every day in the street or at work could all the while be planning something so horrible.”
“I might be jumping to conclusions and I don’t want to do that, but let’s try and see if there’s anything familiar about them when they do come back.”
“Good idea,” Honey said, as she reached for a piece of orange. “‘Cause the middle one was especially mean, and,” she stumbled a little, trying to put her thoughts into words, “it seemed personal. Poking you and calling you a hero, which is true by the way.”
Brian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “That’s pretty good observing there, detective; the more we know, the better I’ll feel.”
“You’re absolutely right!” Honey declared suddenly.
“I am? What am I right about? Knowing more?” Brian asked
“You don’t leave the back door unlocked, do you?”
Brian was having some difficulty following the conversational drift, but he answered anyway. “No, we only use it when we put the garbage out, and I did that the night before. I even remember checking the door when I came back in.”
“Then how did they get in? You asked that before. They didn’t smash their way in.”
“Maybe they picked the lock,” Brian suggested
Honey shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think the reason I didn’t react sooner was that the noise they made was completely familiar.”
It took Brian a moment to register her meaning. “You mean…” Dark eyes met hazel, and Honey nodded.
“They had a key.”
MBW:MAIN NEXT
Author's notes: Hugs and thanks to Dana for her editing. Her specificity when commenting and fixing is working to improve my writing. All the wrong, odd and misplaced things are my own.
Word count: 3190
Disclaimer: Trixie et al belong to Random House and not to me. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
