Kaplen led Lee and Marten through a series of dark hallways and the sound of their offbeat footsteps was the only thing heard echoing against the walls, making it sound like the fixtures were applauding them as they passed. The place was abnormally dark and still for a house of its size. There appeared to be no staff working and it made Lee wonder how the Fantas Family kept up with a mansion of this size without workers. It was like having a car without oil; eventually everything would jam up and stop working properly. Lee was hoping to see a butler or a maid pop out of somewhere, but it never happened. The only life that Lee was immediately aware of was the three of them… and that wasn’t comforting in the least. The hallway felt haunted and desolate and the smell of dust and old cotton balls wafted up from the rugs on the ground as their feet disrupted the dust particles that lay dormant in its fibers.
Lee felt uneasy and did not like walking in this ugly place. He kept looking behind him for the strange, spirit-like people that would follow them but they were nowhere in sight. It was like they had disappeared into thin air. Lee couldn’t even hear their queer laughter anymore… this disturbed him most of all, because it meant they were hiding out there, somewhere in the darkness, waiting to jump out.
Kaplen looked back at the small company behind him. He could see the anxiety oozing from their features. He whispered so that they could hear him.
“Can you feel the quietness in here?” He smiled and took in a deep breath as if savoring the moment. “I love this part of the evening most of all… mainly because there is no more laughter. No more bad company and no more disturbances. The spirits know what time it is, and they act accordingly. The ones that stay behind will be seen by all… and they hate being seen by mortals. It’s almost shameful to them to be seen.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Marten as he grabbed his arms and shivered at the darkness around him. It was already nerve-racking enough walking down a hall like this without Kaplen putting in his two cents. “What spirits? I haven’t seen anything. This place is like a graveyard.”
Kaplen stopped abruptly. He turned and faced Marten.
“That’s because the spirits know what time it is. They know this place better than they know their crimes. This place has a schedule to keep, and the lights come on at six.” He looked up at the abyss above them and could see all the chandeliers rocking back and forth. They looked like gothic pendulums waiting to fall from their lofty positions.
Lee shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
“What time is it now?”
“What time is it?” Kaplen check his watch. “It’s almost time.”
“Almost time for what?” asked Marten impatiently. He was getting tired of all the creepy talk coming out of Kaplen. He wanted the bodyguard to be straight-forward with them; no more evasiveness.
“It’s almost time for this,” said Kaplen as he pointed to the ceiling. There was a sudden rush of wind, the sound of high voltage sang out like the call of wild bells. It was bizarre and bone-chilling to listen to. The chandeliers in the hall turned on and began to glow; they were warming up now. Their dangling, transparent crystals cast a myriad of color all over the place. Bright lights poured out over everything, and encompassed all the furnishings and wallpaper.
Lee jumped at the sudden change in atmosphere. The darkness had run away and left behind a long, extravagant hallway. Bright silver lacings and golden rimmed candlestick holders stood out in contrast to the magnificently red rug at their feet. Lee looked behind him and studied all the paintings and mirrors they had passed. Everything looked new and fancy. It was as if the white light had brought life to the mansion. Suddenly, Lee didn’t mind being here quite so much. Everything was different now that the darkness was gone. It was as if they had passed through heaven and not known about it. The hall seemed to extend forever.
“Wow,” said Marten. His jaw was hanging open.
“That’s not the only thing that’s amazing,” said Kaplen “Watch.”
He pointed to the walls around them and stared counting down from ten. When he got to one the doors began to open and people started stepping out into the halls. They looked alert and ready to go. Lee recognized them as the lost staff. It was weird to watch them stand at attention by their doors. It looked like they were in an army barracks, waiting for instruction from the drill sergeant. Their skin was dark and smooth; each one of them looked foreign. The men were wearing black penguin-like suits and the women were wearing dark blue dresses with stripes. They stayed at attention for only a second, then they began dusting and cleaning the tables around the hall. Some began vacuuming the rug, while others went to different parts of the Fantas house.
“Things come to life at six around here. No one misses a beat,” said Kaplen. “If they miss a beat, they get punished.” He smiled flirtatiously and waved to a few skinny maids across the hall from him. They giggled slightly and waved back. They were speaking a language that Lee couldn’t understand.
Marten was totally dumbfounded at how efficient everything was running around the mansion. It was like everyone had the same mindset and knew their place. It was synergy in motion, and it was beautiful. If Scar Co. had been this good with their staff they would have drown out the competition years ago.
“Where did you get all these people from?” asked Marten. “They’re even cleaning under the rugs! Very efficient.”
Kaplen smiled at the question. He could tell that the fat business man was amazed at the way things were working around here. He spoke up proudly.
“They are from over the seas, from a small island called Tampoo. We trade goods for them, and bring them back here to live.” With this, Kaplen turned and began to walk again.
“They’re foreigners?!” asked Marten with amazement. “Isn’t that illegal?”
Kaplen chuckled.
“It most certainly is.” He looked back at Marten and gave him a hard stare. “Is there a problem with that?”
Marten shook his head quickly. The last thing he wanted to do was talk ethics with a cold-blooded killer. That was one argument he would not win.
“No, no, there isn’t a problem with it. What do you pay them?”
“We pay them in favors.”
“What kind of favors?” asked Lee, staring at Kaplen with a wary eye. Kaplen caught the expression on Lee’s face and laughed.
“We tell them if they work they can live here. If they don’t then they go to the basement with the others. It’s as simple as that.” He walked by one of the maids and smacked her on the butt. She screamed and stood up straight. She looked back at Kaplen; her eyes were flickering with astonishment and she didn’t look happy at all.
“Wow,” said Marten.
Lee followed closely.
“Wow, indeed.” Lee looked sympathetically at the maid as they passed.
“Yep,” said Kaplen. “This place runs like a well oiled machine. Once you’re in the Fantas Family, you’re in for good. There’s no running away. There’s no starting a new life somewhere else. You’re here until you die.” He laughed aloud. “I love my job, and I love this atmosphere.” His voice sounded crazy and unsettling. “You boy’s are going to be here for a very, very long time.”
Marten frowned at this, looked over to Lee and whispered.
“He had better be joking with us. This house is the last place I want to grow old in.”
“I am sure he is, Marten,” Lee smiled halfheartedly. He wasn’t sure at all if Kaplen was kidding or not. The bodyguard was a changeling... he could be serious one second and jocular the next. He was harder to read than a foreign magazine. “I’m sure he’s just saying that to scare us.” As he said this, they stopped at a grand spiral staircase.
“This way,” said Kaplen. He started down the black marbe2le steps. Lee and Marten followed him. They studied the queer opal-like circles mounted in each step. The sparkly stones were directly in the center of each slab and appeared to be giving off some kind of soft light. The railing to their right was also interesting. It was made out of a nice white stone. Marten and Lee stared at it for a second in amazement. They couldn’t place where it was from and what kind of rock it was. It looked old and expensive.
They looked upward to see the ceiling above them. Resting in the middle of the ceiling was a massive crystal chandelier that hung by huge steel chains. The thing was made entirely out of long glass shards, some of the pieces were the size of a man.
Lee whistled at the sight.
“That is something else. It’s got to be the size of a small car, or a van, or something.” He looked over to Marten. The fat man was also looking up at the massive thing. The way it scattered light was absolutely heavenly.
“Get moving!” barked Kaplen loudly. He was more than halfway down the staircase. “You’re going to be late for dinner!”
They ran after him.
“The chandelier that you guys were so perplexed with, took twelve men and a short crane to mount into the ceiling. One of the workers at the bottom almost lost his life when one of the long crystal pieces came off and fell to the ground. It exploded into a million pieces and tore off one complete segment of the railing here. The thing weighs several thousand pounds and every point on it is as sharp as a razor. It was a heartbreaker to Mr. Tash when he heard about the incident; the crane worker lost his life that day. But Tash says it was worth it. That thing was directly imported from the island of Tampoo.” He laughed as he thought back. “We give the people guns and they give us the crystals.”
As this was said, Marten started to walk closer to the wall. He didn’t want one of the pieces to fall on his head and he didn’t want to hear anymore of the information Kaplen was telling them at this time. He didn’t want to be liable for anything that passed his lips to the authorities should he get caught by the police. He just wanted to go home and relax; maybe even pop in a movie and forget that this place even existed.
When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Kaplen led them through another hallway and into a big dining room. Dark, mahogany paneling stuck out from the walls and all over the ceiling and a large rectangular table sat in the middle of the room. Heaps of wooden chairs were resting all around its smooth surface. Four rows of polished brass candlesticks sat evenly placed in the middle of the table whilst beautiful embroidered cloth sat under them and nice porcelain plates were rested at the opposite end. Everything was set up for them and the smell of fresh food was wafting from the nearby kitchen. It smelt wonderful.
“This way,” said Kaplen. He started walking down the table to the other side of the room and extended a hand. “Please, be seated. Mr. Tash will be with you in a moment.” Kaplen made his way into the corner of the room and watched the two guests closely.
Lee found a chair right next to the head of the table and seated himself. Marten sat down beside Lee and looked at all the silverware resting by his plates and examined the many rows of sharp utensils.
“Are we having dinner or dissecting a cadaver?” he asked Lee under his breath.
Lee smiled at the amusing comment; it was good to see Marten acting like himself again, especially after the basement incident. Food was his way of coping with the world and its problems, which explained why he was so heavy and unhealthy… Marten had a lot of problems that he didn’t like to talk about; problems with family. He also had a one-track mind. It was like his brain could only occupy one thought at a time, and right now the only thing that was on his mind was dinner. Lee leaned in and was going to say something when a door swung open on the other end of the room.
Both men looked up as Mr. Tash walked in. The silver-haired man had a smile on his face as he closed the doors behind him.
“Sorry I am late, boys; I had to take care of some more urgent business. It’s my son’s birthday today and we’re having a party in the back for him. It’s our tradition.” He walked over to his seat and pulled out the chair. “It’s been hectic around here. We’ve had vans coming in and out, hauling this and that… they finally got the stage up and the band is playing. I expect some guests to be arriving right now.” He sat down and looked over toward Kaplen. “Not to mention a police unit has found its way outside the gate.” He looked back over to Lee and Marten. “They have been trying to catch me ever since I became sole owner of this place.”
Marten didn’t care too much about Tash’s business, he just wanted to eat, but he smiled politely and nodded his head.
Lee tried to hold a positive expression on his face. His uncle was acting like nothing bad had ever happened between them. He was acting like all was right with the world. Had he forgotten about the death tank in the basement? Had he pushed that horrible moment from his mind? Did he expect Lee to buy this act?
“That’s great, uncle. I didn’t know it was your son’s birthday was today.” He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. The mention of his cousin brought no real emotion to Lee. He hadn’t ever really met him, though he had known about him. But Lee really didn’t see Tash as the fatherly type. Though, he thought dryly, my own dad wasn’t even really the fatherly type either. Lee felt awkwardness between his uncle and he didn’t quite know what to say. “You’ll have to let him know that we said happy birthday, that is, when you see him next.” Lee shifted in his chair.
“You can tell him that yourself when he arrives. He went out shark fishing with my two boat captains. He said he would be back before sundown.” Tash looked down at his plate and noticed that is was empty. He looked over to kitchen doors and yelled.
“Mario! Get your butt out here, we are ready to eat… we have guests!”
There was heard a sudden stirring from inside the kitchen. A head popped out and looked all around the room.
“Sorry, sir, I am still organizing the refreshments for the party… I’ll be with you in a moment’s time.”
Mr. Tash didn’t say anything. After a few moments of silence the room exploded with activity. Waiters carrying trays and steaming pots walked over to the large table and started dishing out the food and drinks. They loaded up each person’s plate with a nice, tender roast dinner. Marten stared at the people with delight as they presented the feast. There were steamed carrots and mashed potatoes with gravy. The meat looked like it was tender and had been seasoned just right. As soon as everyone was served, the waiters disappeared, seemingly into the wood work. The room was quiet. Lee was totally blown away at their speed. They were there and gone in a few blinks of the eye.
“Well, let’s eat,” said Marten cheerfully. He was staring down at his juicy roast dinner with mouth watering anticipation. He grabbed his fork and knife and was about to dig in when Tash stopped him with a yell. Marten dropped his utensils and looked over to the silver-haired man. His heart was racing. Had Mr. Tash gone mad? There was nothing left to do but eat and be filled.
“This is a god-fearing home, gentlemen, and I would like to say grace before we eat,” said Mr. Tash firmly. His face was hard and serious. His eyes shifted back and forth between Marten and Lee. He lifted his hands and folded his arms across his chest. He bowed his head as if in reverence. He looked absolutely hypocritical.
Lee was completely shocked at this gesture. His uncles ‘god-fearing’ words had been the very antithesis of his character. Mr. Tash had said that he didn’t believe in god or miracles… he had given him an unforgettable lecture on it in the basement of the house. What game was he playing, now?
Tash closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Lee and Marten fallowed his lead, almost apprehensively. The room was very quiet and the sound of a clock ticking out in the hallway was the only thing heard. It rang through the door “ding…ding…ding…” Tash began to mumble and whisper under his breath. Lee couldn’t make out what he was saying. It sounded like jargon. Suddenly the room filled with obnoxious laughter.
Mr. Tash was in a fit. He lifted his fist and pounded it on top of the table, his plate jumped as if in surprise. His cold blue eyes shot open and he looked over to Marten and Lee.
“I forgot… I don’t believe in god. Let’s eat!” He grabbed his utensils and started cutting into his roast.
Marten and Lee laughed uneasily; the man had been totally disrespectful in every way possible. Lee regarded his rudeness behind sealed lips. They grabbed their utensils and started to eat. Marten drove his knife into the tender meat and brought a piece of it to his mouth and was pleased to find that it was amazingly moist and flavorful.
Lee sat there and pushed the mashed potatoes around on his plate as his mind raced. He wanted to know why his uncle was being so kind. Was it a trap? Was the food poisoned? Was this their last meal?
“It’s a funny thing that they did back in the day with the castles and the kingdoms,” said Mr. Tash, his voice was almost distant, as if he were talking to himself. “The king of the manor would always take the first bite, just to make sure the food wasn’t poisoned for their guests.” He cut a piece and studied it on the end of his fork. “They had a lot of enemies back then, you know. He looked intently over towards Lee. “I have a lot of enemies Lee. The Rican family is one of my biggest threats. But I am more in control than they suspect. Soon, the whole city of Aggerton will be mine.” Tash took a sip from his glass of wine, his eyes never leaving Lee. “I’m wondering if you are one of my enemies. It is your choice, after all.”
Lee let a long breath pass his lips; he had never been so nervous in his life. The air felt thicker around his head. His legs were shaking uncontrollably.
“No, uncle. I am not your enemy.” He swallowed the knot in his throat and looked down at his plate. A big red sign saying ‘do not eat’ flashed before his eyes. Would his uncle be so crazy as to poison him? Is this why he wanted them at dinner, so that he could watch them die and be entertained? They still owed a debt to him. They had lost the game.
“If you’re not my enemy, then have some dinner,” Tash said in a tone that felt threatening. He put a piece of meat in his mouth and chewed it. “It won’t kill you to have some dinner.”
Lee shook his head, and started eating. He didn’t want to argue with his uncle, especially with Kaplen so close by. If he were going to die, then it was going to be right here, right now, in front of everyone. He finished his meat and waited for the poison to set in… sweat was beading on his forehead. But nothing happened. His pulse began to settle down with each passing second. His uncle had wanted him to suspect that the food had been poisoned. There wasn’t anything wrong with the meal.
“You look concerned, nephew. Why?” Tash sat back in his chair with a smile on his face. “Did you like the meal?”
Lee grabbed his water from off the table and sipped it. He put the glass back down and looked over to his uncle.
“It was nice… thank you.” He was obviously pleased with how the food had turned out. Marten was finishing up his fourth helping. Lee watched him with wonder and was amazed at how much he could eat.
“Are you full?” asked Tash softly.
Marten looked up from his plate.
“Yes, I am.” He pushed the thing away from him and leaned back. “Thank you.”
“Not at all.” Tash pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling. “Well, let’s get to business shall we, boys?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. He studied the hands on it for a few moments. “It’s almost time for me to go back and yell at the caterers. There is just too much going on right now!”
Lee waited patiently as Tash mumbled to himself.
Marten spoke up.
“Can we go to the party?”
Lee looked over to Marten and shoved him with his elbow. He had no right asking such a question. They were still in deep water. And why on earth Marten would want to stay here another second, after everything they had been through, was completely beyond Lee.
“No, you can’t,” Tash laughed. “I want you two in my office for the evening. We have to plan for the trip… I want everything to go smoothly; I want both of my boat captains to be present as well… We need to leave before the end of this week.”
“Won’t we need time to get supplies?” asked Lee.
“No, we won’t need any of that nonsense; everything is already loaded and ready to go. I am canceling one of my usual trips, to try and find this island.” He looked over to Lee and his face got very serious. “It had better be there, nephew… or I’ll shoot you and your crew and dump you in the sea. This is an investment that I am giving to you and your company, and if they can’t hold to their end of the bargain, then it’s over. Am I understood?”
Lee nodded his head as Marten leaned over and whispered.
“I am still telling Runt about this… you have no right making decisions for Scar Co… especially with the mafia.”
Lee waved him away. If Marten truly knew why he had made the deal, he would have agreed to it one hundred percent. It meant life or death to make this deal. He had saved them both.
“I understand you perfectly uncle. But Marten, here, and myself will have to contact our friends at Scar Co. Namely Tom and Runt. Tom has the map to the island, and we have to gather our things.”
Tash stared at them, not moving a muscle. He was thinking about their request to contact someone from the outside. The police had tapped all their phone lines and had been listening in on them for months. He didn’t want anyone else knowing about this trip… he wanted complete secrecy. But they did need the map to get to the island…
“Okay, I’ll allow you to contact Tom about the map, but I want you guys to speak discreetly about this trip.” He looked over to Kaplen, and signaled him to come forward. The bodyguard walked over to the edge of the table. “Kaplen will dial the number and listen for an answer. If Tom doesn’t pick up… or if it’s a trick to help you guys get out of your situation, then you die.” Tash leaned over the table and rested his head on his hands.
Kaplen pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Lee.
“Dial the number then give me the phone. Don’t try anything stupid.” His words were rigid.
Lee took the phone from him and turned to Marten.
“What’s Tom’s number?”
Marten paused for a minute and then gave Lee a series of digits. Lee punched them into the phone and then handed it back to Kaplen. Kaplen grabbed it and put his ear to the speaker. It was ringing… then it cut off and switched to a voice mail.
“Hey, you’ve reached Tom, leave a message after the beep.”
Kaplen hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.
“I got the answering machine.”
Lee looked over to Marten.
“Does Tom have a cell phone?”
“No,” Marten chimed in promptly. “But I told him he should get one. He didn’t want to listen to me. He said they give you brain tumors or something… I thought that was crazy. I have used a phone my whole life and never had any sort of problem with–“
Tash cut him off.
“We’ll try again later.”
“I gave them your address before we came,” said Lee. “So if we don’t get a hold of them they should just meet us here.”
“Good to hear,” said Tash as he checked his watch again. “I have to be somewhere right now, but we need to discuss these matters further. I’ll have Kaplen lead you to my office. Wait there until I return.” He pushed his chair out and stood up. Lee and Marten followed his lead. They were about to exit the room when the doors on the other side of the dining hall flew open and banged into the walls. Mark came rushing into the room and made his way straight for Tash.
“What’s going on Mark?” yelled Tash. “You nearly gave me a heart attack with that boisterous entrance! I should fire you… no, I should have Kaplen shoot you.” He grabbed Mark by the suit coat and clinched his fists.
“It’s about your son, sir…” Mark took in a large, shallow breath, as if he had been running.
Tash looked suddenly concerned as he let go of Mark.
“What’s wrong? Is he hurt? Did something happen on the trip?”
“No, he’s not hurt. He’s okay, but he has a new friend with him.” He looked over to Lee and Marten. “The man says he knows these two.”
Marten and Lee looked confused.
Tash spoke softly but with narrowed eyes.
“Is he a spy?”
Mark shrugged his shoulders.
“I checked him for any weapons… he’s clean, but I don’t think we can trust him.”
“What is his name?” asked Lee.
Mark looked over to Lee.
“He said it was Tom, do you guys know a Tom?”
The group got quiet.
“Is his last name Hoffman?” asked Marten.
Mark shrugged his shoulders.
“I didn’t ask him his last name.”
“Where is he?” asked Mr. Tash. “What did you do with him?”
“He’s with Dr. Flint in the medical room.”
“Is Brian with him?” asked Tash
Mark nodded his head.
“You left him there alone with him?” Tash’s eyes started to twitch uncontrollably. He was getting angry. “I should kill you for this, Mark. You know better than to leave my son alone with a stranger… what if it’s a cover up? What if the Rican family wants to hit us where it hurts?!”
Mark was going to say something when Tash grabbed his jaw.
“Shut up, Mark, and take me to my son, you worthless piece of trash.” He let go and shoved the bodyguard backwards. Mark stumbled a bit. He glared at Tash with anger. Kaplen reached inside his suit coat and shook his head. The room got suddenly intense.
Marten and Lee’s hearts were thumping.
“Move it,” said Tash coldly. “Or I’ll kill you.”
Mark cracked his knuckles.
“Whatever you say.” He turned and began to lead the way, his hands still balled up into fists and his face looking absolutely enraged. The company followed him.
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