Creatures of the Chase - Richard. L. M. Ollie
she whispered aloud.
In one hell of a fix, that’s where.
She turned away from the window to allow her eyes to wander around the room, although she wasn’t actually seeing very much through a veil of tears that had formed in sympathy with her trembling lips and tight throat. ‘Keep calm. It’s important that I keep calm, think, find an avenue of escape; find some way out.’
Not this time, Sarah. This isn’t one of those dates gone wrong where you can excuse yourself to the Ladies then grab a taxi instead, leaving the guy behind with an empty chair to stare at, and the bill. This time you’re going to be stuck with the bill and a lot more besides. Ha Ha.
‘Shut up!’ she shouted at herself. ‘The flight: morning came too soon, which suggests ... what? Could a plane like that fly the Atlantic? Probably ... well ... just. Ergo, most likely Ireland. Of course! When the driver got out of the car, the steering wheel was on the right, not the left. Ireland! Holy cow!’
Hey babe, you’re an import! Maybe you should ask how much you cost. That would be interesting. What is the going rate these days for imported virgins? But then again, from the looks of this place, he can afford it. Maybe that’s his hobby. Some guys fix up old cars, some skydive and some collect girls and force them to have children by them. It sounds reasonable to me. Maybe he’s planning to father a whole baseball team, or would it be cricket? What a pleasant thought, sitting and watching little Freddie or Susie playing away happily with his/her half brothers and sisters. What a Mother’s Day event that would be; a regular Develin family excursion! Except, I don’t think he keeps the mothers. Sorry about that.
So, you asked and there it is. You’re somewhere in Ireland, on a private estate most likely, with a man who has lots of money and absolutely no sense of morality, who will quite happily beat you to death if you don’t behave. Does that sound about right? Have I left anything out? Oh yes, after the boss is finished with you, and assuming there’s something left, Igor gets a turn. Then what? What do you mean ‘then what’? You know what, so please spare me the denial bit. In fact, I think you’d better start practicing the yes’s, because, quite frankly, I don’t think this bastard is going to take no for an answer. And, I don’t think he’s prepared to wait long before he insists upon seeing a return on his investment, if you take my meaning.
She thought of her father. By now he would know that she had disappeared. ‘I’m sorry Dad. You see, I went on this date with this guy and well, you wouldn’t believe what happened!’ Sarah sobered. Her father already had a major drinking problem, ever since her mother died, and now this.
Then she saw the telephone on a side table near the door. Quickly she crossed the room and picked up the receiver. At first she wasn’t sure if it was working, then …
‘Switchboard.’ A male voice. There was a slight pause. ‘I am sorry, Miss Churchill, but Mr. Develin has left strict instructions not to allow you access to an outside line. My apologies.’
The telephone went dead in her hand. For a second she thought she was going to be sick but Seefan arrived just then so she wiped away the tears, squared her shoulders and smiled bravely.
They talked about all sorts of silly things. Sarah tried to amuse Seefan with several humorous stories going the rounds at med-school, but it was obvious that Seefan was not up to a rapid repartee, perhaps because Sarah would occasionally slip from the conversation to test the various doors that lead off the library.
‘Would you try to escape?’ Seefan asked, perplexed.
‘With him away? Damn right I would.’
‘You would not get far. This house, it lies in the middle of a vast tract of land, some, it is said, filled with a mud that will suck you to your death. Wild and windblown are the highlands, the forests deep and filled with wild animals. At night, dogs are set free to roam through the darkened hours.’ She shivered.
Sarah was less than impressed. ‘I’ll take my chances with quicksand, exposure and a pack of mongrels, thank you very much. At least if I die, I die trying.’ Her eyes filled with tears but she quickly wiped them away. ‘It’s academic in any case. We’re locked in tight.’ She returned and sat down beside Seefan. ‘What we need is some music.’
‘There is a machine that plays, here in the cupboard,’ Seefan volunteered as she slid off the leather sofa. Quickly she unhooked a series of wood panels then folded them back to reveal a magnificent jukebox.
‘It’s a Wurlitzer!’ Sarah exclaimed as she jumped up. ‘Who would have thought El Creepo would have something like this. Fantastic!’
‘Please Sarah, you must not call him by such bad names.’ Seefan’s face betrayed pure terror.
Sarah frowned. ‘Seefan, he’s not even here for heaven’s sake. Why are you so afraid of him? You sleep with him yet you’re afraid of him. What kind of relationship is that?’
‘The kind that allows for my survival.’
Sarah stared at Seefan in horror. ‘I don’t want to talk about it, Seef - any of it. Right now I’m in the mood for a good time. Let’s see if I can get it working. I love these things!’
Ten minutes later the library rocked with the music of the fifties. As the unit warmed, bubbles began to percolate upwards through brightly coloured glass tubes set in chrome. Sarah was delighted as she danced around the room, lost for a moment of time in another era.
Suddenly the music stopped. When she spun around to see why, Carl Emery stood just a few feet from her. ‘This machine is Mr. Develin’s personal property, Miss Churchill. Also, I very much doubt if he would approve of you cavorting around his library in bare feet.’ He stared at her fixedly.
‘Igor, how wonderful to see you although I don’t remember sending out invitations. What a pity, we were just about to play The Monster Mash if you would care to stay and listen ... maybe cavort a little?’
‘No thank you, Miss Churchill. I’m pleased to see that you are in such good humour although I doubt it will last. It is now nearly six o’clock. Chef would care to know what you would like him to prepare for you, and Miss Penjan, of course.’
‘Do you like pizza, Seef?’ Sarah asked.
‘I do not know. I have never had such a thing.’
‘Never had a pizza!’ Sarah was scandalized. ‘Igor - I mean Carl - would you see if Chef could manage a double cheese, pepperoni and pineapple pizza, Coke and maybe some popcorn too?’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Ladies night out tonight.’
Carl bowed and retreated. Sarah rubbed her hands in glee while tee-heeing triumphantly. She leapt onto the sofa beside Seefan and tickled her quickly in the ribs. ‘Oh come on, Seef, he’s not so bad. Who knows, a few more days away from Develin and old Carl might just turn into a human being. Relax, will you.’
But Seefan’s attention was on the wall behind them, her eyes carefully and methodically searching for the hidden camera she felt sure was recording their every word, their every gesture.
Sarah watched her for a moment then slid down below the level of the back of the sofa, pulling Seefan with her. ‘I know what you’re looking for,’ she whispered into Seefan’s ear. ‘How about we play a trick?’
‘A trick?’
‘See those screens behind the desk?’ Sarah nodded towards a pair of folding Chinese lacquered partitions, used perhaps to give extra privacy to someone using the library. ‘I think that between the two of us we can just about handle them, one at a time. Come on.’
As Sarah was about to move the left-hand panel, she noticed another door. ‘Where does this lead?’ She tried turning the handle but this door too was locked.
‘To