“For chrissakes, Mom, you probably killed him.”
Janet huffed. “At the rate you were going, it would take all night to get anything accomplished. I was sick of sitting in the bedroom and staying still. I couldn’t even watch TV.”
Gail leaned over the unconscious detective, whose scalp wore a bloody gash. He lay sprawled out—a combination of getting clubbed with a full wine bottle and passing out from the sleeping pills. Gail retreated to the hallway linen closet and got a towel so the floor wouldn’t become stained. She looked at Janet with raised brows. “What’s the plan?”
“We secure him to the radiator like we did with Mr. Hennessey.”
Gail interrupted. “We both know how that turned out.”
“Only because we didn’t realize he woke up.” Janet cocked her head toward Jesse. “We’re going to have fun with him, and we’re not about to let him play us for fools. Cops are smart, so we have to stay one step ahead of him. Let’s get started.”
Together, they dragged Jesse to the radiator. They placed several blankets under him to muffle noise, and plastic sheeting lay on top. That would come in handy when the torture began. They duct taped his hands around the cast-iron coils—he was lucky it wasn’t winter when the radiator was scalding hot to the touch. They removed his shoes and socks to prevent sounds if he were to kick, then they taped his feet together. The socks went into his mouth, and Gail watched with interest as Janet cut a small hole in the tape and placed it over his mouth.
“What’s that for?”
Janet snickered. “A straw. Then we never have to remove the tape.”
Gail chuckled “What’s the beverage of choice?”
“What mixes well with green energy drinks?” Janet winked at her daughter. “And you’re going to the hardware store tomorrow to pick it up.”
“I better go through his phone before we call it a night. The pig told me he’d mentioned to his partner, Frank, that he had a date tonight.”
“Shit!”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll text Frank now and tell him how awesome the date was. That’ll satisfy him for the time being”—she kicked Jesse in the stomach—“while we have fun with the cop.”
Plopping down on the couch with Jesse’s phone in hand, Gail scrolled through his contact list until she found Frank’s name. She giggled. “Here we go.” With the text completed and sent, she turned off the locations and powered down the phone then tossed it on the kitchen counter. “Tomorrow, the cop is in for a world of hurt. We’ll have to see how creative we can get.”
“As long as you’re going to the hardware store in the morning, pick up a few more tools.”
A smile crossed Gail’s face. “I think I will, but right now, I’m going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.”