have attempted to betray me as you have, Mr. Barrington. There are five brick columns in this room identical to yours. I trust someone as gifted with numbers as yourself can figure out what that means.”
Nash was spreading the mortar and stacking the bricks with superhuman speed. In less than a minute, only a small opening remained at the very top of the brick tomb.
Barry cried and begged the woman for mercy. When she did not answer, he called out to his friend. “Please, Tim. Don’t let them do this to me.”
Lucifera frowned. “The true tragedy in this is that he was a very good accountant.”
Nash handed the final brick to Lucifera. She, in turn, held it out for Tim.
“Life is full of choices, Tim. Here is yours. You can take the elevator to the lobby, then walk out of this office and never return…”
Tim’s eyes settled on the brick and did not move.
“Or, you can place this brick and accept your promotion. It seems we need a new senior accountant.”
“I…I can just leave? You won’t kill me?” he asked.
“That is correct,” she said. “But the instant you even think of betraying me, I will ensure that something unpleasant happens to you, your friends, your family, and everyone you have ever known.”
Tim took a step backward.
“Consider this,” Lucifera said. “Mr. Barrington’s death would have occurred either by my hand or by the hand of those to whom he is indebted. Your conscience is and will be clear. Had he the means, it seems Mr. Barrington would have killed you without hesitation. Such treachery hardly seems like the actions of a friend, but, then I am not telling you anything you do not already know, am I?”
Tim stared at the last unfilled hole at the top of the wall.
“And there is still the matter of that picture you are holding.”
He looked down, finding the photograph still in his hand.
Lucifera extended her empty hand, beckoning for the photograph. “I believe that one million dollars is a fair price. Do you not agree, Tim? We can consider it a signing bonus.”
Barry’s muted screams drifted out of the unfinished tomb. Tim tried to ignore them as he stared at the picture. His mother had sacrificed many things for his sake—her pride being one of them. A million dollars would go a long way toward healing the wounds she took for him.
But that didn’t make it feel any less wrong.
He placed the photograph in Lucifera’s hand. Then, he took a deep breath and grabbed the brick. Without stopping, he shoved it into the final opening, locking Barry in the dark with his screams.
He stared at his trembling hands. “Now I’m a monster, too.”
Lucifera appeared in front of him and touched the side of his face. “No, Tim. As I said, your conscience is clear. Now let me remove the burden of this unpleasant memory so you can focus on your new job.”
Before he could protest, she bit into his neck. Her presence invaded his mind, erasing and twisting his memories. Pain and fear were the last things he felt before everything went black.
*****
Tim awoke in his apartment with a throbbing headache. He removed an empty liquor bottle from the night stand and stared at his alarm clock until it came into focus.
Saturday? The last day he could remember was a Monday.
Slowly, things crept back to him. Barry had wanted him to do something.
No. That wasn’t right. Barry had quit with no notice and moved down to Costa Rica to work for some acquaintance of his. It all seemed so vague and fuzzy, but that was what he remembered.
The idea of never seeing or hearing from Barry again didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Then he felt a tinge of guilt, but another dreamlike memory drove it away. He had been chosen to take over Barry’s old position and given one hell of a promotion bonus.
He picked up a black envelope from his nightstand. It was a very nice letter from the CEO, Lucille Romana, thanking him for his loyal service and congratulating him on the new position.
“Lucille Romana,” Tim said. “I hope I get to meet her one day so I can thank her in person.”
Tim put the letter aside and forced himself to get out of bed. His headache was getting worse. He knew he had to get some coffee—otherwise the lack of caffeine would make him a real monster.
Something Wrong
S.M. Reine
©2011
All rights reserved.
There was something wrong with her.
I could