Peter Jensen - The blackmailed wife

The taxi let her off in front of the now familiar house and Ann climbed the steps dejectedly for what seemed like the millionth time. She rang the bell and waited for Sidney's familiar face to answer. No one came. She tried again several times and could hear absolutely nothing from the inside of the house. She felt a momentary sense of panic. Suppose they had decided not to see her again until after Dave arrived and then demanded she make some excuse to get her out here. She had to get those pictures tonight.

Ann walked around behind the house to the swimming pool in hope the large glass divider separating it from the living room might be open. It was closed tight, and so were all the other smaller doors leading into the house from the back. She would just have to wait until someone did come, she had to talk to one of them tonight.

As she picked her way back around to the front of the house, Ann was suddenly frozen into immobility. The most blood-curdling scream she had ever heard pierced the cool night air! It seemed as though someone were being tortured horribly. Ann wanted to run but she couldn't, her feet were frozen to the ground in fear. Several dark figures stepped from the shadows surrounding the house and grabbed her. She was dragged kicking, into the house and up the stairs into Max's playroom.

Her eyes bulged and she had to place both hands over her stomach tightly to keep from vomiting at the horrifying sight that greeted her.

Max was chained to the wall next to the racks, his arms and legs stretched wide apart. Carlos was standing in front of him holding a glowing hot poker several inches from his stomach. Almost every inch of his nude body was covered with swollen black marks where the poker had seared into his fat flesh. The room stank of burned flesh. There was a pitiful pleading in hit eyes, not for salvation, but for death. He showed no sign of recognition when Ann was brought in, his eyes remained immobile, staring straight ahead as if seeing nothing.

Julia was shackled to the bed where Ann herself had undergone so many degrading experiences the last several months. A Mexican was standing over her with the cat-o-nine-tails in his hand. Her body was covered from her face to her ankles with nasty open gashes that had been inflicted by the murderous instrument.

"Make them stop, Ann, please – please – please!" Julia whispered through swollen lips.

Ann jumped as Julia's pleas were cut short by the whistling smack of the multi-leathered whip biting deep into her bared breasts. A low, heart-rending groan replaced the pleas.

"Shut up slut," the Mexican spat at her. He was obviously enjoying the torture and pain he was inflicting on the helpless girl. The whip snaked through the air again, this time between her wide-spread thighs. Ann choked back the sickness that was building in her throat, as Julia faded into unconsciousness.

"Well, well what have we here?" Carlos said in an amused voice when he saw Ann standing in the doorway. "Where did you find her, amigos?"

"Outside, Senor Gomez," one of the men answered. "She heard the screams."

"We should never have opened the door to let the smell from this rotten pig out. I forgot about his lung power when he doesn't have his friends around to protect him."

Ann suddenly fainted dead away, she could not take anymore of the sight of Max and Julia, or at least, what was left of them.

She awoke several minutes later on the downstairs couch. Carlos was holding her head and making her drink some raw-tasting brandy that quickly brought her to her senses.

"Hello, Ann," he said in the thick accent she could still remember from Tijuana. "I'm sorry you see that, I know it messy."

"But why, Carlos, why?" Ann asked incredulously. "How could you?"

"Don't give sympathy, Ann, they not worth it. They die for steal money from organization. In this business, pay for thief is death. I am carry out penalty."

"You – you mean you're going to kill them?" Ann almost whispered.

"They already dead. We burn house in four minutes. I have to leave you in. I have no choice, you a witness. I kill butler for same."

"Carlos, please don't," Ann begged with all her heart. She had noticed the pictures were not over the bed when she was in the room and was afraid one of his men had them. If he ever let them out in San Diego, the entire base would soon have copies. She couldn't bear to come back and haunt Dave from the grave in that way. "I promise I won't say anything. Listen to me…"

Ann quickly related the sordid story to him, telling him about Dave and what their plans were when he returned. She poured her whole heart out in her last desperate attempt to salvage something from this awful mess. She knew her chances were slim but it was the only thing she had left to hold onto – Carlos had to understand.

"That like Schroeder," Carlos said. "He tell me it to keep you from tell about organization – what you know from store…"

"No, it wasn't, I swear I know nothing!" She was sobbing into her hands now, her voice out of control.

Carlos looked at her for what seemed an eternity. She knew he was deciding between what he should do and what he wanted to do.

"Wait…" he finally spoke. "I be back."

He vaulted up the stairs and returned in a few seconds with the manila envelope.

"You love husband lots, Ann, to suffer to get this pictures." He held up the packet.

"I do, Carlos, more than you can imagine. All I want is the chance to prove it again."

"All right," he said after studying her for another moment. "I let you go!"

"And – and the pictures?" Ann asked, holding her breath.

"I give to you… but keep one. Keep honor among thieves when hold some security. Your husband important to you as my life to me. You go to police it mean – my life – it mean your husband too. Is this fair between us?"

"Oh, yes, yes it is!" She knew, with all her heart, she could trust Carlos and that they both would be bearing terrible secrets about each other. So terrible that neither dared to do anything. She leaped to her feet and gave him a warm kiss that she meant more than anything else she had ever meant in her life.

Carlos opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures. He shoved through them rapidly, taking one and shoving it in his inside coat pocket.

"You and I," he smilingly admitted. "I think much on that…"

Ann found herself gniling back at him and deep within her she was pleased with the compliment though she never admitted it to herself again as long as she lived.