Chapter 44
“There were 8... at least that’s what they said...”
Three FBI agents, Karen Navel, Gary Peters, and Troy
Dunham, sat around the table listening to Nick Carter’s voice drone to their
questions.
“It’s a basement with no windows, and a big staircase
in the middle... it led up to a kind of kitchen area...” Nick was shaking his
head, “I really can’t remember the rest of the house, it was so blurry the
night we were brought in... and I don’t even remember leaving.” He leaned his head in his hands trying to
relax himself. A fine tremor ran through his hands. Agent Navel pushed a cup of hot tea at him and he took it
gratefully.
“Do you know how many of their own that they killed?”
Agent Peters asked tapping his pencil to his notepad. He didn’t like Carter’s color.
“How many they killed?” Nick’s face blanched, “Um...”
He tried to take a deep breath, “Um...”
“What do you remember Mr. Carter?”
“I just....”
“Look, maybe we should stop and give him a break,”
Agent Navel was saying.
“No,” Nick said shaking his head, “I can do this. I’m
ok.” He rubbed his temples and took a sip of his tea. He grimaced at the strong
taste of it and sputtered a bit.
“Not a big tea drinker I assume?” Agent Dunham smiled
at him, “You want cocoa?”
Nick nodded, “That’d be better, thank you.” Dunham got up to get the cocoa.
“Now Nick...” Agent Peters was back on the warpath.
“I... I remember sitting on the couch and one of the
ninjas... that’s what we called them ninjas cause they wear all black. But one
of them was really nice, she bought me medicine and stuff...”
“She was the girl reported, red hair, brown eyes,
tall, very pretty..”
A fuzzy face surfaced in Nick’s memory... such a
beautiful face but he couldn’t find her name... long mane of red hair, soft
brown eyes, “Ariella?”
“Is that her name?”
“That’s what they call her...” then the lovely vision
faded to a red scene. An angry face with wild curly red hair stood out, green
eyes ablaze. He grabbed her, shook her, struck her with his gun. Blood flew...
“....Carter... Mr..... Carter!”
Nick blinked and stared into the faces of the three
agents. Dunham was pushing cocoa at him, “Are you ok?”
“Huh?” Nick was rubbing his eyes. He felt a stinging in them. Dampness touched his fingers as he rubbed,
was he sweating?
“Maybe we should stop,” Agent Peters was setting down
his pencil.
“No, no.... The main guy. The crazy guy that
killed... that killed the nice girl in charge and maybe even Ariella... I know
what he looks like.”
Three heads jerked back towards him, “Do you feel you
could identify him if we gave you a book of pictures?”
Nick frowned slightly then nodded, “Um, can I get
some water instead of this. I’m kinda hot.” He removed his jacket.
“Of course,” Agent Navel got up this time.
BAP! A thick book was set down in front of Nick,
“These are mug shots, look through here and stop on the guy you saw. If you get
tired let us know, we’re not here to torture you.”
Nick nodded slightly and opened the book. After the 40th page and his 10th
cup of water Nick finally paused on someone.
That face. The green eyes seemed
to leap out at him from the page. He
gasped and sat back from the table... The laughter, he could hear Brendon
laughing at him now. The blood on the back of his pants. He heard the echoes of gun fire the soft
sickening cracks of bullets entering flesh and crushing bones.... He was alone,
alone in a maze, a dark maze.... the sky growing blacker the night growing
colder. Raindrops of blood fell from
the dark clouds covering him. He looked at his hands which were drenched in
blood... not his blood, he realized... Bodies lay around him piling up,
smothering him. They were dead, they were dead!
“Nick it’s ok. Are you listening to me? Can you hear
me?” Nick felt hands in his hair, he felt something cool being pressed against
his neck and forehead. His hazy vision cleared and he was staring into his
sister’s eyes. He shook his head and blinked, “There you go, you’re ok now...”
Hal Littrell was kneeling in front of him, “Come on. The FBI say they’ve gotten
enough from you, you can rest now...”
“But, but...”
“If they need anything else they’ll ask you for it
again later,” BJ said taking his hands, “Lets go. There’s a few chairs
outside.”
Nick sighed and reluctantly stood up, his legs were
rubbery beneath him and Hal had to take his shoulders and guide him to keep him
from keeling over.
“Good thing Mom and Dad weren’t allowed over here,”
BJ said rubbing Nick’s shoulders as he leaned over his knees in the chair. His hands shook as he accepted his inhaler
from BJ and took a hit.
Hal blinked, “You got asthma, Nick?”
Nick rolled his eyes and nodded.
“I never knew,” Hal said with a frown.
“I didn’t either. I just found out a day ago,” he
tucked the inhaler away in jacket pocket, “How’s the ransom coming? I know I just answered some questions that
sounded like the FBI are planning a raid? Do they not think the guys will be
let out after the ninjas... kidnappers... are paid?”
Hal sighed, “Why do you call them ninjas?”
“Why are you avoiding my question?” Nick fired back,
his face hardening, “What else is going on that I don’t know about?”
“Nick, calm down, please,” Hal said pushing Nick back
into the chair, “The ransom may not get paid on time.... Shhh shhh!” Nick had
tried to interrupt, “The money was gathered but it’s been mishandled. It’s
going to take longer getting here than we initially thought.”
“Too long,” Nick breathed, “Why? How was it
mishandled? Why didn’t you just go and get it from the bank?”
“Nick, not everyone was as fortunate as you to have
such wonderful parents who can dip freely into their children’s bank
accounts....”
“NOT THIS AGAIN!” Nick screamed covering his ears...
He heard AJ’s voice, AJ and Howie’s, both condemning him for being stupid...
for being childish. “Don’t hate me for
it, I’m sorry!”
“Shit, look what you’ve done!” BJ pushed Hal and
kneeled in front of her brother, pulling his hands from his ears and holding
them tight in her grasp, “Nick, look at me. You are here outside with me, BJ.
You’re not down in that basement anymore, and no one is condemning you for
anything.”
Tears fell down Nick’s face as he nodded and
hiccuped. He squeezed BJ’s hands back
and concentrated his teary gaze on Hal, “Why didn’t my parents pay off the
whole ransom? They have the money.”
Hal was still shaken by Nick’s outburst. Jerald, Tim, John, and Pollyanna had peeped
their heads inside the tent. None of
the parents had been allowed near the tent where Nick was to be questioned.
They wanted no interference from them, but they didn’t tell the others that.
“What’s going on? Honey, are you crying?” Pollyanna
was brushing tears off Nick’s pale wet face with a kleenex.
Nick shook her hands away, he shook BJ’s hands away,
“Hal?”
“My father wouldn’t accept it... no one would. They
made a deal. Everyone would pay their part and no more. No one wanted your
money... Your money Nick, not your parents. My father said he would never
accept a stolen gift.”
Nick blinked, “Stolen? It’s not stolen, it’s given. I don’t care that my parents use my
money. What the hell all could I use it for? I have what I want, materially
anyway. The only other thing I wish for is for my family to be happy, and for
them not to want. I want them to use it.”
“Our parents don’t see it that way Nick,” Pollyanna
said softly, “They don’t take from Howie.”
“God, good God! This is crazy! They’re gonna....”
Nick’s chin trembled, “Ok, ok, what if I go to the bank myself, and I go into
my own bank account. If I get it out
and buy them all no one can say anything! Am I right?”
“Nick...” Hal was trying to object but Tim was
nodding, “Yeah, yeah, why didn’t anyone...” then his face hardened as he
thought about Nick’s parents, “Your parents, that’s why. I bet you didn’t even
know that the FBI wanted to question you.”
Nick shook his head, “I didn’t. But please, don’t
blame this on my Mom and Dad... I know what they were trying to do...”
“It was selfish Nick,” Tim snapped causing Nick to
look at him sharply, “You pompous asshole. Where do you get off...”
“Now where have I heard this before?” Tim asked
sarcastically glaring at BJ who shot daggers back at him.
“What’s he talking about, BJ, what is he talking
about?” Nick was turning to stare at his sister and followed her narrowed gaze
to Tim. “Did you yell at my little
sister?” Nick rose from his chair to be eye level with Tim.
“Oh yeah, and you should have heard the words he
used,” BJ snapped, “ Called me a bitch.”
Nick’s eyes blazed with fire and his mouth dropped
open, but before he could do anything he was shoved aside and Pollyanna Dorough
was in Tim’s face, cursing in Spanish and English like no one had ever heard
before. Nick shrank back and sat gently
on his sister’s lap, as she had taken his chair to stare at the scene. They
both whistled. John was chuckling and cheering her on. “Remind me to never get Polly mad at me,”
Nick muttered to John.
“So what about the bank?” Jerald asked Nick, “We can
run it by the FBI, and not tell any parents.”
Nick looked hopeful, “Sounds good to me. I don’t have
my ID on me though..” all sorts of random thoughts ran through his head and he
ran his hands through his hair, “Lets go tell them, now.”