Sixteen

It wasn’t until evening that the flap in the door opened and something slid onto the shelf. Stephanie hadn’t heard the car arrive. Until today, sounds from the top of the stairs had sent her rushing up to see if her captors had brought something to eat. Now, feeling ill and overwhelmed by a sense of doom, she couldn’t summon the energy to get up from the bed.

A few minutes passed before the flap opened again. “Hey, Stephanie!” a man called out, “Come up here. I’ve brought you some food.” She recognized the voice. It was the guy in the suit.

“I’m not hungry,” she yelled.

“Please come up,” he said. “I want to talk to you. I’m alone this time. I know how scared you must be, and I have good news. I also brought a really nice meal for a change. Come see.”

Slowly, Stephanie got up and climbed the stairs. The flap in the door was open, and she could see the man on the other side of the door. He actually looked cheerful, as if he really was the bearer of good news. “Your sister’s finally delivering the ransom,” he said. “This time tomorrow, you’ll be home.”

Her temper flared. “I don’t believe you. You’re not even in charge, are you? Somebody else makes all the decisions.”

“I’d never let anyone hurt you,” he said. “The guy who was with me last time wanted to throw you down the stairs, and I stopped him. Remember?”

“What about the woman in the freezer? Did you tell her she was going home?”

He was silent and looked away, as if he couldn’t face her accusation. Finally, he said. “That was an accident. One of the top steps broke, and she fell straight through to the basement floor. We weren’t even here when that happened.”

“Right.” Stephanie didn’t bother to hide her skepticism.

“It’s the truth. You don’t have to believe me, but we really are letting you go. I just want you to promise me one thing.”

“Like, what?”

“That you won’t identify me to the police.”

“How could I? I don’t even know your name.”

“Well, what if the police catch us? I don’t think they will but suppose they do, and you see me in a lineup. Promise you’ll say you’ve never seen me before.”

“I promise.” She did her best to sound sincere. Of course, she’d identify him in a lineup. How could he be naive enough to imagine she wouldn’t? “Are you really alone here?”

“Yes.”

“I believe you really do care what happens to me. Since no one else is around, why not let me go? I’m afraid of that guy who was with you this morning. If he has his way, I’ll end up with the woman in the freezer. I’ll keep out of sight until you collect the ransom. You have my word. You can tell your friends that when you got here, the door to the basement was open, and you have no idea how I got out. And I’ll tell the police you were all wearing masks, and I can’t identify anyone.”

“I can’t let you go just yet, Stephanie.” His tone was patient, as if he was explaining the situation to a small child. “We have to keep you here until we get the money. Try to understand. We’re in a lot of trouble. We have to get out of the country before the police track us down.” He paused and looked at his watch. “Oh, my God. I’ve got to go. Check out what’s on the tray. It’s from the food bar at Bristol Farms. I even brought a bottle of wine and dessert.”

“Before you leave, can you at least give me another flashlight?” she said. “The other one stopped working.”

The flap dropped shut, and she heard him walk away. Almost immediately, he was back, handing her a small flashlight. “Just remember what I said about keeping quiet.” With that, he closed the flap and locked it.

She used the flashlight to take a look at what he’d brought. A white bag contained a Styrofoam food container, plastic cutlery, and a screw-top bottle of wine. Next to the bag stood a super-sized cup of soda.

It took her three trips to carry the food and drinks downstairs. The whole time she kept wondering if the woman really had died by accident. It was true that Matt had been lucky he’d rolled downstairs instead of falling through the hole made by the displaced step. It was at least a twelve-foot drop to the concrete floor.

Maybe the man had been telling the truth. That step had been replaced recently. And it was possible that a weakened step could have given way when the woman put her weight on it. Stephanie wished she could believe this story instead of the one stuck in her head, that these men had murdered the woman because she’d have been able to identify them.

She set the food container on the bed, lifted the lid, and turned on the flashlight. The container held a generous portion of roast beef, potatoes and gravy, along with what looked like spinach soufflé. At the edge of the plate, now partially covered with gravy, was a slice of cherry cheesecake. The smell of food made her feel sick. She sipped a little of the soda. It turned out to be cherry cola, which had always reminded her of cough syrup. She unscrewed the cap of the wine bottle and took a swig. Yes, she thought, this would do the trick.

She closed the Styrofoam container and took it up to the shelf at the top of the stairs so she wouldn’t have to smell the food. For the first time within memory, Stephanie wasn’t hungry.