“What did he do that was so bad anyway?”
“Always chasin’ something that doesn’t belong to him, he might have been alright before he got addicted to whatever the fuck he was addicted to. Got caught drink drivin’ and when the cops pulled him over he was carrying a shipment of the Don’s cash… We think he squealed,”
“Jesus! That’s heavy!”
“Sure was! And it was 100k too….not exactly pocket change,”
“What a dope,” was all Carl could say as he thought about the girl’s father. Slowly a little piece of the picture was slotting into place as he caught a glimpse into the girl’s family life.
“Dope ain’t even half of it. That man beat his daughter Anna black and blue her whole life…. Such a shame, she never really had a chance,”
Carl thought back to the bruises on her shins and the way she acted so demure and delicate.
“Your order, Sir,” a waitress interrupted them and the two men looked up almost offended at her intrusion.
“Thanks,” Carl said flatly.
“Well, I better let you get back to your day. We should catch a beer soon,”
“Sure!” Carl lied. He didn’t like fraternizing with the mob unless he really had to.
The two men walked back out to their cars and drove away.
That was weird… Carl thought to himself. Lucas had never been so friendly before. He hoped he wasn’t on to him. But then how could he be? He arrived back at the motel and felt hungry as he caught the smell of bacon and warm bread on the seat beside him. He couldn’t wait to eat but first…pain meds.
~
Anna was enjoying the hot water as it ran through her hair. It warmed her mind as well as her body and she couldn’t believe that such a simple daily chore could be so enjoyable if it was done alone. She had to admit though that the motel bathroom was a rather slimy and dirty room. As she looked around she noted the mould on the walls, the lime scale on the taps and the hole in the ceiling. Then she noticed something else. Something metallic and precious glimmered through the steam on the side of the sink. It looked like a necklace.
Anna reached out to look closer and saw that she was looking at dog tags. The name said Carl Reiner. Now she knew who he was! Or at least she had something to call him by. Suddenly she could hear the sound of the bedroom door opening and she placed the dog tags back before jumping in the shower again. A gentle knock sounded from the door.
“You still hungry?”
“Starving!,”
“Sure,”
Anna felt grateful that he didn’t just barge into the bathroom unannounced. In fact he had been more polite to her in the last twenty seconds than her father had ever been. She dried herself quickly and wrapped a towel around her body.
“Thanks for breakfast!” she smiled as she exited the bathroom.
“Haha!”
“What are you laughing at?” Anna seemed perplexed.
Carl kept laughing and shook his head. “I just killed your father and kidnapped you and you’re just standing there in a towel thanking me for some bacon,”
She suddenly felt silly and childish and sat back down on the bed sadly. She didn’t realize she was doing anything wrong.
“Look,” Carl took a mouthful of his sandwich. “I didn’t mean to poke fun at ya, it’s just strange that’s all. Don’t ya think?”
“Well yeah….. but… I was just being polite,” she began to nibble on the crust of her breakfast nervously.
Carl remembered what Lucas had said about her father.
“So… I’m guessing your old man wasn’t such a nice guy then?”
“You could say that again….”
“You don’t miss him do ya?”
“Nuhuh…” she shook her head.
Carl watched her eat hungrily and could see her frail body as the towel hung limply from her.
Meanwhile Anna was thinking back to the dog tags. “So you’re military?” she hit out.
“That obvious?” Carl smiled and Anna loved the sight of his happy face. He obviously had fond memories of his service days.
“Yeah I’d say pretty obvious. The backpack, the hair…the dog tags in the bathroom you left behind with your name on,” she smirked. “Rooky mistake,” she giggled.
Carl couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. She could have escaped and told the police his name. He was sleepy and sloppy, and he’d fucked up.
“Why didn’t you run? You could have escaped and told a cop that Carl Reiner had held you captive,”
“Yeah but you were comin’ back right? You said you were coming back. I was waiting for you,”
Her words were so innocent and na?ve to Carl’s ears. They were so peculiar and sad. It was as if she didn’t want to leave, that she wasn’t afraid of him at all but instead was rather attached. Like she had transitioned from her father to him in one slick move and wasn’t looking back. He didn’t realize Stockholm Syndrome could develop so quickly. He had to make a decision fast…either kill her or dump her somewhere where she could get help.
“Well….” He began to choose his words carefully. “Is there not somewhere you’d rather be?”
Anna thought for a moment and then shook her head. “Nope. I mean… I don’t have anywhere else,”