"All of the appropriate files have been sent," Elaina announced, gesturing to the e-mail account visible on the computer screen.
Clayton nodded,"Scan them for the basic information- no high-level stuff- and print it out. Give them to me as soon as possible so I can explain the operation to the boys, and before Simon becomes uncooperative."
"Yes, sir," Elaina said, giving a mock salute to Clayton's back as he left vicinity of her computer. She knew better than to question his authority, though at times she wished she could really let loose with her opinions and ideas. She was like his trained dog, to be blatently honest. But instead of commands such as "Fetch" and "Roll over", she responded to his requests to "Print" and "File". It hadn't been very long into the initial development of the "Operation", as it was called, that she realized her role would be nothing more than that of a very high-stressed secretary. Elaina knew she was as qualified as any of the others... Hell, Rod could barely count to 10 without beads of sweat forming on his brow... but it wasn't her skills that kept her trapped. It was something entirely unconnected...
"Elaina!" Clayton's angry growl startled her,"Print outs? Please?"
Elaina quickly gathered the papers from the printer's base,"Uh, here. Sorry..."
Clayton flipped through the pages swiftly, before giving a small nod of approval- the greatest praise that Elaina was ever given. He turned sharply and headed down the hall to his private office, closing the door with a heavy slam. Having her tasks for the day completed, Elaina shut down her computer and set to work at preparing that evening's meal. Oh yes, I'm not only that bastard's numb-brained secretary, but I also get to cook his food! Goody! she thought sarcastically. As she retrieved a package of frozen chicken breasts from the small deep freezer, she contemplated spiking Clayton's supper with arsenic... As she opened the fridge and pulled out a head of lettuce, she found herself wondering if rat poison acted faster than undiluted bleach... And as she pre-heated the oven, she wondered if he would notice the taste of an entire bottle of aspirin crushed in his drink...
No... Elaina surely didn't favour the man in any way. Nor did she have the guts to act on any of her silent ideas. It was not until recently that her thoughts had become so vile and rooted in anger. No, actually, that wasn't true. She had faced the same feelings, though not as extreme, 8 maybe 9 years ago... but that was an altogether different story. (Author'sNote:*A story which will be told in later chapters ;o)*)
As she continued to prepare the meal, Elaina became uncomfortable with the silence surrounding her. Of the five people currently housed there- Clayton, Rod, Simon, Taylor, and herself- it seemed they had all ceased to speak or make any noise whatsoever.
"Ok... I need some noise," Elaina said quietly, clicking on a small radio on the counter near the sink. She fiddled with the tuning dial until static gave way to a somewhat clear voice...
..."And in local news, C94 recently received a fax from an anonymous source stating that Taylor Hanson, of the famous pop trio Hanson, is missing. We do not know the validity of this information, though the source is said to be connected with Tulsa police. The fax states 16-year old Taylor was last seen yesterday afternoon and has not been heard from since. We are awaiting confirmation of this news from either police or the Hanson family themselves. We will bring you up-to-date on this situation as soon as information becomes available... Now in sports, a local softball team is headed to the National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Coached by Darren-"
Click Elaina turned off the radio before turning to go to Clayton's office. Only a few steps out of the kitchen area, she ran directly into Rod.
"Hey, watch it!" he cried,"You almost made me spill my beer!"
Elaina gave him a short but nasty glare before continuing on. She pounded on the office door until it was opened several minutes later.
"What the hell took you so long?!" she bellowed, pushing her way past Clayton and into the room.
Clayton placed his hands on his hips,"I was in the middle of a very important transaction, if you must know."
"Oh really?" Elaina said, taking a quick look at a few loose papers strewn about his desk,"Crossroads Women's Shelter Donation Management; 2018 Howe Street, Tulsa... Clayton, you agreed not to include any charity-associated agencies in your hit list!"
Clayton smiled,"Hey, I'm just trying to help 'em out... When they're wiped out, the incoming donations will be triple what they usually take in..."
Elaina bit her lip,"But you agreed... You said-"
"I said what I said, and now I'm saying this: It's none of your damn business!!" Clayton bellowed, "And what is so important?"
"I was just listening to C94-" she started.
"C94??" Clayton asked, thoroughly confused.
"Uh, yes. You know, the Tulsa radio station?" Elaina said. The same damn one you've listened to all of your life? she felt like adding. Sometimes she was almost convinced the Clayton and Rod were somehow connected to the same gene pool.
Clayton nodded, trying to seem as though he had only forgotten temporarily.
"Ok, so I turned the radio on, and it was in the middle of a news report. It wasn't really long, but they had a story about- about-" Elaina stuttered.
"About what?" Clayton said, interjecting as he always did when someone didn't speak with the speed of a flying bullet.
"About Taylor Hanson, Sir."
Clayton appeared unaffected,"So? The kid's famous 'n shit. What's so great about him being on the radio?"
Elaina smiled sweetly,"Hmmm, geez, I don't know... Maybe because they're saying he's disappeared???"
Clayton's eyes grew large,"It got out that fast? Shit, it's barely been 24 hours, if even that..."
Elaina nodded,"Things just travel fast in Tulsa I guess..."
"Ok, we're prepared to deal with this. We knew it was gonna leak to the press sooner or later," Clayton rationalized,"It's just this is sooner than we had expected."
"Is there anything you'd like me to do?" Elaina asked, praying he said no.
"Not at the moment," Clayton said,"Just ensure Simon & Taylor have no access to the radio."
Elaina nodded as she stepped out into the hallway,"Not a problem."
She shut the door behind her, leaving Clayton to his scheming. The boys' room was only a few feet down the hall. Upon arriving at the door, she turned the door knob. Then, realizing it was locked, she fished around in her pocket for a set of keys. After trying 3 or 4, she finally found the right one. She opened the door slowly to find the stereo on, and the two boys sitting wordless. They both looked up quickly as she entered, fear flickering briefly in their eyes.
"Hello," she said uneasily,"Uh, what's up?"
She tried to sound cool and hip, up-to-date on teen lingo, but rather felt extremely aged.
"Well Tay, should I tell her about our exciting African safari, or would you rather?" Simon said dryly.
Elaina tried to laugh non-chalantly,"Good one..."
Taylor got up to turn the volume of the stereo to an almost inaudible level,"So, what brings you to our humble home? Might I offer you some tea? Coffee? Complete boredom? Or how does a pleasant kidnapping tickle your fancy?"
Elaina didn't attempt to laugh off his remark, knowing it wasn't meant to be humourous.
"Uh, just wanted to see how you guys are doing," she said, standing in front of the stereo,"How has the radio been working?"
"Haven't used it. Just the CD player," Simon said,"Why?"
Elaina shrugged,"Oh, no- no reason. I just remember this one being really finicky, especially since the antenna is bent. Doesn't pick up anything."
She wasted no time in snapping off the flimsy antenna, ensuring they would not be able to hear even the closest station,"Uh, oops. Guess I twisted it a little too much. Oh darn..."
Simon and Taylor eyed her curiously, exchanging a confused look. Elaina noticed their curious eyes & gave a look of her own. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of uneasiness undergoing 'expection' from the boys... particularily Simon whose glare was anything but kind.
"Supper should be ready shortly," Elaina announced as she walked to the door, facing the two with the antenna hidden behind her back. She stepped into the hall, locking the door with a slight feeling of guilt. She couldn't imagine how the two boys were feeling, and being locked up surely wouldn't be helping.
Elaina paused outside the door, her ear against it.
"Hear that? Supper's on the way..." one voice, she couldn't distinguish whose, said with false cheer.
Seconds later, the other responded, "Oh be still my fluttering heart..."
~Chapter 27~
~Chapter 25~
~Home~
