Deviation (19 page)

“Sure you will,” Dianne said. She got down on her
knees and began wrapping the tape around his wrists. He smelled like
body odor and Slim Jims, and she had to breathe through her mouth to
keep from getting nauseous.

Frank found his Wild Turkey and took another drink. “Do you
think we should put him with the others, or keep him separate?”

“Might as well keep them all together.” She finished
with his wrists and then tore off another piece of tape for his
mouth. He tried to duck out of the way as she applied it, but only
halfheartedly. He knew he'd been conquered. When she had him gagged
she moved on to his ankles, wrapping them up tightly and then setting
the tape aside.

“Good work,” Frank said. He set his bottle down.
“Let's drag him down the hall and be done with him.”

* * *

For the next couple of hours, they sat around on the couch together,
drinking heavily and snacking on assorted food products they found
throughout the kitchen. The place was very well stocked. Dianne was
eating a dish of cold chicken legs which had been prepared with
rosemary and taking hits from her quarter-empty bottle of rum. Frank
was busy with a collection of peanut butter sandwich-halves which
he'd made himself, and enjoying a cold can of Busch. There were
cases and cases of Busch, enough to last a month if they should
decide to stay that long. He doubted they would, but it was at least
reassuring to be surrounded by all that beer.

The giant wall-mounted TV was on, a cable channel, something about a
group of truck drivers attempting to cross a massive frozen lake
before it melted. There were a great many remote controls spread out
on the white glass coffee table, and neither of them knew how to
change the channel. They endured it, watching in a distracted
manner, simply trying to relax for a while following the hectic
ordeal of the past two days. They tried not to think about the
family tied up and gagged in Donnie's bedroom. They'd be fine in the
long run; it was just a temporary necessity.

Dianne yawned theatrically and glanced over at Frank. She smiled
and took a drink from her bottle. “Well, Father. I don't know
about you, but I'm getting kind of sleepy. You think we ought to
turn in?”

Frank withdrew a small bag from his pocket. “I thought I'd do
a bit more coke, but just a little. A final taste for the day. I
know you don't want any, but I'll offer anyway.”

She shook her head, her lips playing around the mouth of the bottle.
“None for me. I'm pretty fucked up. I want to brush my
teeth, wash my face and hit the sack.”

“What about a little more weed?” Frank asked.

Dianne laughed. “No thanks. I need a break. I'm going to go
change the sheets on Mrs. Cuntface's bed.” She leaned forward
and set her rum on the table, looking at Frank as she did. “Are
you going to join me?”

Frank snorted a small amount of coke from his fingers. “Of
course.”

“Should we... do anything about the people in there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, should we feed them or something? Give them some
water? Let them use the bathroom?”

Frank secured his baggie and tucked it away. “Do you want to
do any of those things?”

“I don't know. I guess I'm feeling thankful for the use of
their house. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give them a little
something to eat or drink.”

“You've got a very kind heart.”

She scowled at him. “I do not.”

“You do,” he insisted. “There's no shame in that.
We can give them whatever you'd like. We've just got to keep them
anchored down. Give them one chance to turn the tables, and they
will.”

“I just thought, you know, if it was me in there...”
She shrugged. “I could see Cliff tying me up like that and
leaving me to suffer.” She looked at him. “Maybe a
little food and water. At least the kid. He seemed kind of nice,
bringing me the tape and all.”

“He was rather well behaved. I could make a few more peanut
butter sandwiches.”

Dianne laughed. “That would be perfect! Don't use up all the
peanut butter on them, though. Save some for yourself.”

“I noticed they had several extra jars in the cupboard.”

“They've got everything in there.” She sat on the edge
of the couch, swaying drunkenly back and forth. She realized she was
happy. It almost scared her, how content she felt and how close
Frank had become to her. She didn't think she'd be capable of any of
this without him. It was a sobering thought, and one she knew she
needed to spend more time with in the near future.

“They do indeed.” Frank leaned over and kissed her on
the cheek. “Why don't you get the bed ready and I'll prepare
them a little snack?”

“Okay.” She got to her feet and lost her balance
immediately, falling onto the nearby loveseat and giggling. “God,
I'm really drunk.”

Frank was smiling at her. “You're also beautiful.”

The words touched her heart. Could her life really have gotten this
good so quickly? She felt better than she'd ever felt before. “I
know a certain priest who's going to get lucky tonight for sure.”

“This priest got lucky the minute you walked into his church.”

Dianne stood, more carefully this time. She stepped over to Frank
and bent over, kissing him softly on the mouth. “Thank you,
Frank. For everything.”

“Thank you, as well. We make a good team.”

Dianne smiled. “We do indeed.”

“I'll meet you momentarily. In the master bedroom.”

She felt a thrill at the idea of sleeping in Mrs. Cuntface's bed.
Of fucking Frank in that bed. But first she'd give the family a
little something to eat and drink. She couldn't help feeling
appreciative and didn't think having a kind heart was such a terrible
trait.

She glanced around the room, at all the lovely things. It was her
house now. At least for the time being. In this moment she was a
queen, as affluent and deserving as anyone who'd ever lived. She
loved it. As she sauntered down the hall to the bedroom she ran her
fingers along the wall, loving the very house.

Her house.

Her world.

Her perfect life.

Saturday was nearly perfect.
The two of them slept for as long as they could, waking up on
occasion and then drifting back to sleep. Dianne made several trips
to the kitchen and the bathroom, drinking lots of water to help
alleviate her hangover. When they finally woke up for good, the sun
just beginning to infiltrate the bedroom, she was well rested and her
headache was almost completely gone.

They took turns in the bathroom,
taking extra-long showers. It was a nice change from being on the
road, or even being in her shitty apartment. Everything was so clean
and new, right down to the bars of exotic soap and the thick bath
towels. Mrs. Cuntface was obviously a good housekeeper. Dianne
thought she'd mention it to her later, if she was still in the mood.

After a leisurely breakfast and
several cups of coffee, Dianne threw some food together and brought a
tray into Donnie's bedroom. The family, who hadn't moved since they
were permitted to use the bathroom at gunpoint the afternoon before,
appeared angry and sullen. The stench of urine filled the small
room, dampening her good spirits and causing what remained of her
hangover to intensify.

She set the tray down on
Donnie's desk and waited for Frank to join her. They had to be fed
one at a time with Frank holding the gun on them or they'd become
emboldened. She didn't want that. She just wanted to keep them
alive and then turn them loose in another day or two, whenever she
decided it would be wise to leave. How she was going to go about
turning them loose was still undecided.

“How can you stand it in
here with that stink?” she asked. She walked to the window and
slid it open, allowing a light breeze to filter in. “That's
really disgusting. I hope you don't expect me to clean up after
you.”

They stared at her, their eyes
filled with hatred. She could sympathize with them if she tried. It
was her desire not to try. It wouldn't do anyone any good.

She stood and waited for Frank,
who arrived a moment later carrying his gun. He glanced at the
bagels and mugs of water on the desk, and then at the family held
captive on the floor. He was frowning, the smell of the stale piss
obviously distressing him.

“Let's make this quick,”
he said.

“Good idea. Which one
first?”

“It hardly matters.”
He bent over the man and tore the strip of tape loose from his
mouth. His skin was red beneath it and he looked ready to kill.

“Fucking cocksucker,”
he snarled. “If I ever get out of this, you're going to be the
sorriest son of a bitch who ever lived.”

Dianne pressed a bagel to his
mouth. “You've got one minute to eat. Hurry up.”

He used his head to knock the
bagel out of her hand. “Fucking cunt! Get this tape off my
hands!”

“Would you like a drink of
water?” Frank asked, lifting a mug.

The man stared at him, fuming.
“You probably cost me my job already. Just get this fucking
tape off me and get the fuck out of here. This has gone on long
enough!”

“Last chance,” Frank
said. He held the mug near the man's mouth. “This is it for
quite awhile.”

The man was about to protest
further, but thought better of it. He was extremely thirsty. Doing
his best to remain as contemptuous as possibly, he slurped several
mouthfuls of water from the mug and swallowed them down. “I'll
see you dead, priest. That's a fucking promise. The minute I get
out of this tape --”

Frank tossed the mug onto the
bed and used both hands to grab the man's head and wrap the tape back
over his mouth. He thrashed wildly, snarling and trying to bite
Frank's fingers. In the end it did no good. He was once again
silenced and helpless, a failure to his family. He jerked his arms
savagely, trying to break the tape as he growled through his gag.

“Who's next?” Dianne
asked. She left the fallen bagel on the urine-moistened carpet and
took another one from the tray.

This time Frank peeled the tape
from Kim's mouth. The big woman began to gasp dramatically, as if
she hadn't been able to breathe through her nose. “Please,”
she pleaded. “Please just let us go. I swear I won't call the
police. I swear!”

Dianne held a bagel to her
mouth. It was toasted and covered in cream cheese, and Kim's teeth
sank into it hungrily. She tore off a big chunk and chewed quickly,
unsure whether she ought to savor it or gulp it down. She took
another bite before she was done chewing the first one, demonstrating
her healthy appetite and her willingness to play along.

“Very good,” Frank
said. He held a mug of water out to her, and she alternated between
snatching chunks of the bagel with her teeth and slurping from the
mug. In no time at all she was done eating, her eyes drifting to the
plate where more food still remained.

Dianne wiped her hand on the
bedspread and then fed the woman another bagel half. She ate slower
this time, knowing it would probably be her last meal for awhile.

“Please,” she said
between mouthfuls. “Can't you just let us go? What's the big
deal? We haven't done anything to hurt you.”

“We'll let you go soon,”
Dianne promised. “Give us another day. We're really enjoying
your house.”

Kim stopped chewing momentarily,
looking a bit put out by this news. “Well, isn't that nice.
I'm so glad to hear it.”

“I thought you might be.”

“You rotten little bitch!”
Food sprayed from her mouth as she scolded Dianne. “You've
got a lot of nerve! Who the hell gave you the right --”

Frank cut her off by reapplying
her gag. She continued to rant behind it, but only for a moment.
When she realized she was no longer able to communicate effectively
she hung her head and began to weep.

“Last one,” Frank
said, tearing the tape loose from Don's mouth. “Eat up quick,
son, and don't make any trouble.”

Don did as he was told. He ate
an entire bagel and drank his full mug of water without uttering a
single word. He stayed quiet right up until Frank was about to
fasten the tape over his mouth, at which time he tried to duck out of
the way.

“Wait,” he said.

“No fucking around, Don,”
Frank told him.

“Wait! Just one
question!”

Frank stared at him. “What?”

He looked at Frank, and then at
Dianne. He licked his lips, obviously nervous. “That was
marijuana I smelled you guys smoking yesterday. Don't try to tell me
it wasn't.”

“It was,” Frank
admitted. “Don't tell me you're going to disallow further use
of it while in the house.”

Don glanced at each of his
parents in turn. “No. I just... I was going to ask you...”

“I think he wants to get
high,” Dianne said.

Don looked at her. “Just
a couple hits? If you have enough to spare?”

Frank smiled at the request. At
the same time, Don's parents began to struggle against their bonds
and reprimand him unintelligibly.

“Have you smoked before?”
Frank asked.

Another nervous glance at each
of his parents. “Yes. Once in awhile. I just thought...
since I'm going to be strapped down here all day again... if it
wouldn't be any trouble...”