Silent Night 2 (16 page)

R
eva realized she must have blacked out.

Blinking her eyes, she glanced around. She was sitting now. Beside Pam. In one of the two folding chairs. A steady throb of pain shot up her arm.

She tried to stand up. Then realized she was tied at the waist. Tied to the chair. Her hands still tied behind her.

The angry white glare had disappeared. Everything seemed in soft focus now, slightly blurred.

Tied up beside her, Pam mouthed the words,
Are you okay?

Reva furrowed her forehead. She tried to shrug, but the pain was too great.

Okay? Am I okay?

The question didn't make any sense to her. No sense at all.

How could I be okay?

Struggling to focus, she gazed around the room.

Danny hovered by the door, glancing out nervously.

The girl and Pres stood against the wall, staring back at Reva. “She's coming to,” Pres murmured.

“I've got eyes,” the girl replied sharply.

“I told you we shouldn't get Danny involved,” Pres said, eyeing his brother. “He's out of control. He could do
anything.”

Reva shuddered.

He could do anything?

He's already broken my arm, she thought, feeling the heavy dread form like a rock in her stomach. What else is he going to do to me?

Are they really going to let him kill me?

“I said I was sorry,” Danny told Pres, his eyes still trained on the door. “How many times do I have to apologize? I just lost it for a moment, that's all. I feel better now. I really do. So give me a break, Diane.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Thanks for telling them my name,” she said. “Can we stick to our plan now? Now that you've had your fun?”

“Yeah. Fine,” Danny muttered.

Diane stepped over to Reva. “You okay?”

Reva glared at her and didn't reply.

Diane pulled up a strand of Reva's hair. She lowered her gaze to examine it. Then she let it drop with a sneer on her face.

“Go find a phone,” Pres said. “This place is giving me the creeps.”

“I don't get it. Why did you bring us here, to Daddy's store?” Reva demanded, wincing from the pain in her broken arm.

“It's the
last
place anyone would look,” Diane told her, walking to the door.

“No one uses these storage rooms,” Pres confided. “No one ever comes back here. I checked it all out.” He seemed really pleased with himself.

“So go call Dalby,” Danny urged Diane. “Tell him where to drop the money.”

“Yeah. Then we can get out of here,” Pres agreed.

“But what about us?” Reva asked. She glanced beside her at Pam. Pam was staring intently at Pres, as if memorizing every pore of his face. “What are you going to do with us?” Reva repeated.

“Leave you tied up here,” Diane replied without any expression. “And gagged.”

“But—but—” Reva stammered.

“Don't sweat it,” Diane said, frowning. “Someone will find you in a day or two.”

Pres snickered. He motioned for Diane to go make her call.

“I still think we should kill them,” Danny said, waving the small pistol.

“Danny, we've been over and over that,” Diane sighed. “You've had your fun, okay? You broke her arm. Now listen to me. We just want to make some Christmas money, remember? We don't want to kill them.” She uttered an exasperated sigh.

“But why leave witnesses?” Danny demanded.
“They've seen us, Diane. They know our names. If we don't kill them, they'll help the police. We'll be caught.”

“No way,” Pres assured his brother. “We'll be so far away from here, it won't matter. Besides, I told you. No one ever comes back to this storage area. These girls could be here for a week. Longer.”

Danny rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “I guess I'm not thinking clearly. I mean, I always remember the old saying, you know?
Dead men tell no tales.”

“Danny, this isn't a pirate movie,” Diane said sharply, shaking her head. “It's a kidnapping movie.”

Was that just a slip? Or does she really think she's in a movie? Reva wondered. Does she really think it's all pretend or something?

They're crazy! Reva exclaimed to herself. All three of them. They're all crazy.

She stared hard at the pistol gripped in Danny's pudgy hand.

Crazy and dangerous.

“I'm going down the hall to call Dalby,” Diane announced, ending the conversation. “Then we'll get out of here. Pres, double-check the cords. Make sure they're tied really tight. We'll gag them when we're ready to leave.”

She started to the door, taking long, hurried strides.

“Wait a minute!” Pam called.

Her cry startled Reva. Pam hadn't uttered a sound all this time.

“Wait a minute, Diane,” Pam called. “Let me go now. Untie me.”

Diane turned at the doorway and locked her eyes on Pam. “No way,” she said coldly.

“Hey, you promised!” Pam cried shrilly. “Let me go. Come on, Diane. You promised. You promised if I got you Reva, you'd let me go!”

“H
uh?” Reva gasped in shock. She struggled to turn toward Pam, but the effort sent a lightning bolt of pain up her arm. She narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “You—you made a
deal
with them?” Her voice revealed more shock than anger. Shock and hurt.

Pam avoided Reva's eyes. “Sure. Why not?” she muttered. “Hey—Diane—wait!” she called desperately.

Ignoring her, Diane disappeared to make her call.

“Come on, you guys! Let me go. You promised!” Pam wailed.

Pres and Danny ignored Pam too. They huddled in the corner, talking rapidly in low tones. Pres had
a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny was still gripping the silver pistol in one hand.

“You
helped
them?” Reva cried in disbelief, her voice a shrill whisper. “How
could
you, Pam? How could you?”

“Easy,” Pam replied, turning to Reva with a sneer on her face. “Why do you think they let me go?”

“Because you—you—” Reva was so shocked and upset, she could barely speak.

Pam's eyes burned into Reva's. “You broke my heart, Reva,” she said bitterly.

“Huh? I
what?”
Reva felt the room tilt again. “I don't understand, Pam. You're my cousin. I can't believe you'd agree to—”

“You knew I was in love with Victor,” Pam said, her green eyes flaring, her features tight with anger.

“Huh? Victor? But—”

“You knew I was in love with Victor,” Pam repeated through clenched teeth. “And you didn't care. You went out with him anyway. You sneaked out with him. You knew how much I cared, and you sneaked out. You tried to steal him. You—”

“What are you talking about?” Reva asked, careful not to meet her cousin's eye.

“Don't lie to me,” Pam warned. “I know about you and Victor. The minute you said he broke two dates with me, I knew. I told you about only one of those dates. You knew because
you
were the one out with Victor!”

“But, Pam, it wasn't anything serious!” Reva protested.

“That's even
worse!”
Pam cried.

“Hey—keep it down over there,” Danny ordered from the corner, glaring at them. “You want me to put the gags on now?”

“That's even worse,” Pam repeated to Reva in a whisper.

“But, Pam—”

“You did that to me, and it was just some kind of joke to you?” Pam whispered shrilly. “Just some kind of casual joke? That's worse, Reva. Much worse.”

Reva winced in pain. Her arm was throbbing more. The pain tightened the back of her neck. She was having trouble focusing her eyes.

“Why did you do it, Reva?” Pam demanded. “Why? Why did you want to hurt me like that?”

“I—I don't know,” Reva whispered.

I really
don't
know, Reva thought. I don't know why I was so eager to steal Victor. It was just a game, that's all. I really wasn't interested in him. I didn't even like him very much.

“When I found out,” Pam whispered, raising her eyes to Pres and Danny, who were still huddled against the wall, “when I found out about you and Victor, I wanted to kill you, Reva. I really did.”

“I'm . . . sorry,” Reva replied, lowering her eyes.

“Then I was kidnapped. Because of you. Because you practically
forced
me to take your shift in the stockroom. The kidnappers never wanted me. They wanted you, of course.”

“I know,” Reva replied, shutting her eyes. “I know.”

“Then your father refused to pay any ransom money for me,” Pam continued bitterly. “Uncle Robert wouldn't pay a dime for me. He had his precious Reva home safe and sound. Why should he pay anything for me, a lowly niece?”

“Pam, really—” Reva tried to interrupt.

But Pam was determined to have her say. “When your father refused to pay, that's when I realized I had nothing to lose. I . . . I was so hurt, Reva. And so angry. And I didn't want to die. So I made a deal with them.”

“They offered you
money?”
Reva asked.

Pam glared at her scornfully. “Money? That's all you can think about, isn't it, Reva. Money and other people's boyfriends.” She scowled. “No. They didn't offer me money. They didn't have to.”

“You mean—” Reva started.

“They offered to let me go. They offered to let me go home safe and sound—if I agreed to help them grab you. And I thought, why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't I think of
myself for
a change?”

“But, Pam,” Reva said in a trembling voice, “I'm your cousin. I'm your family. How could you—”

“How could
you?”
Pam snapped back furiously. “Besides, I knew nothing bad would happen. So Uncle Robert will have to lose a million or two. Big deal. That doesn't mean anything to him. And you—you'll be home in time for Christmas in front of the tree and all the hundreds of presents your father showers you with every year.”

“Yeah. I'll be home. With a broken arm,” Reva muttered.

Pam glared at her but didn't reply. “You don't care about me, so why should I care about you?” she said finally.

“But you—you
betrayed
me!” Reva cried.

“No. You betrayed me,” Pam replied sadly. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “You betrayed me, Reva. You promised last year that you were going to change. You promised we'd be like sisters. You promised—” Her voice broke. She uttered an angry sob.

“I tried,” Reva said softly. “It's hard to change, Pam. It's hard to—”

“I don't want to hear about it,” Pam snapped. A tear ran down each pale cheek. She raised her head to Pres and Danny. “Untie me,” she shouted. “Come on. Untie me.”

The two brothers turned to stare at her, but neither replied.

“I'm going home now,” Pam insisted, straining at the cords that held her to the folding chair. “I delivered my cousin. Now, let me go. We have a deal.”

Danny shook his head. Pres snickered. “You should've gotten it in writing,” he said with an amused sneer.

“Let me go!” Pam shouted angrily. “Let me go!”

“Hey—shut up!” Danny ordered, taking a few steps toward the two girls.

“No! Let me go! Let me go!” Pam screamed. “I'm going to shout till you do it! Let me go!”

“She'll bring a guard!” Pres warned his brother, panic creeping into his dark eyes.

Danny moved with surprising speed.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Pam chanted at the top of her lungs.

With an angry groan Danny pulled his hand back—and swung it hard, slapping Pam across the face.

The slap was so hard, it sounded like a gunshot.

Pam's head snapped back.

The chair tilted and nearly toppled over.

Danny leaned over her, breathing hard, his big stomach heaving up and down.

Pam's eyes were open wide. Her head rolled on her shoulders.

She didn't utter a sound.

“Pam!” Reva cried in fear. “Pam!”

A gurgling sound escaped from Pam.

Then her eyes closed and her head slumped forward lifelessly.