A Timeless Place Ch. 04

"So, Maurice did rape Tony…" Bruce interrupted with his rhetorical question. He was more or less just thinking out loud.

"Yes, he did, twice. It was all planned, you see. He had acquired the cuffs from a shop down the street the first time he did this. At the apothecary, he had the owner mix him a sedative that would make Tony sleep soundly, but last only long enough to secure him to the bed. When Tony awoke, he was being raped. He fought him strongly, which incurred the injuries to his face and body. Maurice stuffed a sock in his mouth tying a gag around him to keep him quiet from curious neighbors. Then he did as he pleased with him the rest of the night." Peter looked down at the squares of concrete beneath their feet as he revealed this to Bruce.

"And Tony didn't kill him when he was let go?" Bruce inquired then.

"Maurice had left him unconscious. He uncuffed him and left the room staying away from him until we had to rescue him. By the time I had returned, Tony was feeling the emotional affects of this unfortunate drama of his life."

Bruce nodded understanding that completely. Having experienced the degrading emotional affects of Jim Bowman's wickedness, he could not blame Tony in the least.

"So, what happened with the little girl?" He asked, watching the many emotions that were flashing across Peter's face.

"We had just left the café and went up to the room. I had offered to tend to Tony's wounds insisting upon it to be honest with you. He was suffering needlessly. And I for one would not abide by it." Peter's voice became deeper and stronger with his emotions as he told the story.

"I had gotten the desk clerk to send someone up to change the bedding and towels in the bathroom when I finished. She was not happy until I gave her a couple rubles to quiet her complaints about having to do this. And she angered me with her comments that we had played to rough. But I kept my tongue for Tony's sake, focusing my attentions upon his comfort alone. Just as she was about to leave the politzi came to arrest Tony…"

The little cleaning lady almost jumped as she opened the door seeing them standing there. Abruptly she covered her mouth with a screech. Then she rattled at the officials making many inquiries of them and their purpose there.

Peter came to Tony's defense right away. "He has been with me all night. He has done no wrong. We sat and drank coffee downstairs most of the night. Then I brought him up here to tend the wounds his room mate left on him from the night before…"

"But you did not do this to him?" the short plump woman asked then.

"Of course not, woman. Don't be obtuse," he grumbled then.

"If this is so, the shop owner will agree you were his patrons all night?" One of the cops asked.

"Of course, he would." Peter defended with a gentle smile.

"Go and check this out…" The commanding officer requested of his junior.

"If you need him for questioning, I would like to accompany him. He is not familiar with our procedures." Peter offered then.

"We'll see…" the man looked past him and the woman to Tony who was sitting slumped forward on the bed. "It appears your story must be true. He barely has the strength to sit up. It would take much more to do what has been accused of him. I do not see that he was physically capable of doing this crime." the commander approached Tony lifting his chin from his chest staring into his distant gaze. "He is not even coherent. What is he on?"

"Nothing, sir. I promise you. He is exhausted and in much need of rest. What is he accused of?" Peter inquired now.

"Raping and beating a young girl half to death." The man answered with disdain.

The woman gasped putting her fingers over her mouth again. "But, he couldn't have! They were together when they came up to their room! I just finished changing this room! They have been right here for the past hour!" she stomped her foot on the floor strongly in protest.

"I assure you, this man did no such thing." Peter defended quickly.

The junior officer arrived with the captain of the force. "Come now…" The captain barked at the man that was inspecting Tony's wounds now. "This man is not guilty of this crime. We go back to the yard." He waved a hand at the man urgently. "We apologize for any inconvenience, sir." he said as they left closing the door.

"So, Maurice blamed Tony almost getting him arrested for something he did." Bruce chimed sarcastically.

"Yes. And if I and the cleaning lady had not been there, he would have quietly gone with them and been prosecuted for the crime." Peter volunteered then.

Bruce groaned most displeasurably. "That snake…" Peter chuckled. "I made Tony lie back and sleep until the afternoon when the woman returned to the room in a terrible dishevel."

"There's a man on the phone that says he must speak to you or this Tony! He is very upset! You must come!" she grasped Peter's arm half dragging him down the stairs. When they arrived at the desk, she shoved the handset to him. Peter put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Peter, is that you?" The gruff voice of Maurice was on the other end.

"I have a mind to hang up now, Maurice and leave you to your plight." he commented seriously.

"You do and I swear you'll never walk again." the man threatened strongly.

"Whether I walk again is not up to you, Maurice. What is your business and be quick about it. I must change Tony's dressings from what you have affected upon him." Peter boldly voiced.

"Oh, aren't you the righteous one." Maurice quipped angrily. "I need to get the fuck outta here, Peter. They mean to hang me! You have to get in touch with Mr. Bowman and tell him I'm in trouble. He'll tell you what to do."

Peter groaned most unpleasantly. "And if I don't?"

"Then Mr. Bowman will see to you when you get back to the State, asshole. He'll be very suspicious of you and Tony for whatever cover-up you might be thinking about."

"Oh, I mean to tell Mr. Bowman the truth of the matter, Maurice. You can rest assured of that. And I'm certain the man will be very disturbed that you have twice raped his little pet. Now you see fit to do the same to an innocent little girl. And, you want me to assist you in getting free?" Peter laughed sardonically at the last.

"Peter! I swear…"

The man listened as other angry voices came over the line. He could make out that they insisted Maurice end his call right away.

"No! Wait! I'm not finished yet!" Maurice shouted at them in urgency.

The line went dead. Peter chuckled at Maurice's quandary. But stood thinking about what must be done from the boss' point of view. Still, before he made that decision, he must know Tony's feelings on the matter first.

"I will return to make a call, madam. Would you excuse me." he nodded politely at her then made his way up the stairs.

The door was still open and Tony was still fast asleep. He hated to even disturb him. But he must know how the man felt about this before he made any decisions at all.

"Tony…" He lightly shook the man awake.

The man moaned, groggily sitting up rubbing his eye.

"I'm sorry, my friend. A new development has arisen in which I must know your desires." he explained.

"Oh? What's goin on?" Tony almost appeared to be drunk as he tossed his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Maurice has just called me. He said they will hang him soon and wants one of us to call Mr. Bowman and find out what to do about this." The man informed him slowly knowing his condition was not favorable for normal conversation.

"Let him rot…" Tony grumbled ardently.

Peter chuckled. "Yes, my feelings are the same, my friend. But what would Mr. Bowman say?"

"Ha! When he finds out what Maurice has done, he'll hit the fuckin' ceilin'." Tony boasted.

"Then you should be the one to tell him. He would want to hear this from you, not me." Peter advised.

"True." Tony stood staggering into the bathroom. "Let me wake up and I'll do it." he called from behind the door.

"I will retrieve you some coffee, my friend." Peter went to the door leaving the room promptly. He returned only a few minutes later with two fresh cups of coffee in hand.

Tony was inspecting the large bruise on his side that Peter had wrapped tightly.

"No, Tony. You must leave that be." the man fussed vehemently.

"But it hurts, Peter." Tony glanced up at him as the man set the cups down on a small table beside the bed.

"Then you should inform Mr. Bowman about it and seek medical attention." the man moved to him strongly tearing Tony's hands away from the bandages that encircled his ribcage.

"Oh, you want me to tell bowman that Maurice raped me? That would be a good laugh for him." Tony looked up at him grimacing as Peter tightened the ace bandage again.

"You should tell him what has happened, Tony. He will know when we get back anyway. To surprise him with this would be a worse fate for you than for Maurice. This, I assure you." he didn't look at the man's worried stare as he worked.

"You're right. Bowman would be furious with me if I don't tell him at all."

"Then you know what you must do." he clipped the bandage securely then handed him a cup of the coffee. "We must also prepare to leave right away. I'm sure he will want us home quickly."

Tony nodded moaning at the feel of the hot liquid that was exceptionally good that day. "What time is it?" he asked knowing Bowman would be up late, but they needed to call him before he retired.

"It would be ten pm for him." Peter stated looking at his watch knowing what Tony was thinking in asking.

"I need to call him right away." he set the coffee down standing.

They meandered down the stairs asking the woman at the desk to use the phone. Tony made the call to his private number that only Jim's inner circle knew.

"This had better be a life or death situation." his voice was as smooth and though it sounded non-threatening, Tony knew he was serious. He could hear Jonathan sniffling in the background and knew the man was up to his abusive ways.

"Mr. Bowman, we have a situation over here." Tony returned quickly.

"Stay…" he heard Jim command to Jonathan and move from wherever he was. "…Be quick about it, Tony." His tone changed to the demands of the moment.

"Maurice is in jail for sexual assault of a young girl. He just called a couple minutes ago and said they're gonna hang him soon."

They all stood there hearing Jim screaming through the phone a long string of profanities in his wrath. Tony held the phone away from his ear it was so profoundly heard. It was a long moment before he calmed again.

"You must tell him, Tony." Peter spoke up then.

"Tell me what!" he shouted then.

"I'll tell you when you're calmer, Mr. Bowman." Tony offered.

"Give me the phone, Tony. He must know the truth." Peter deftly secured it from the man informing him of what Maurice had done to Tony twice now.

"And he never told me the first time?" the man yelled at Peter then. "Get him back on the damn phone, Peter!"

"Thanks for nothin', Peter." Tony quipped.

Peter shrugged as he took the handset from him.

"Mr. Bowman, I…"

"Hush, Tony. You need not explain yourself to me. I know it must have been difficult for you to trust me to deal with this in the first place. But you know I would have. You can leave Maurice to his fate. He deserves whatever he gets." a short pause came then. "Better yet, rescue him and bring him to me. I will deal with him myself. He'll wish he had been hung by the Russians." His voice was most pleasant again.

"Yes, sir…" Tony understood his point completely.

"You take care of your body, Tony. Let Peter nurse you until you get home. Then I will have my doctor tend you." the man suggested. "Get here as quickly as you can. Do not meander about Russia after you have gotten Maurice out. I am calling to make reservations for you right away, so you will have a limited time to secure the wretch."

"Yes, sir." Tony kept repeating over and again until he hung up the phone. "I have work to do. Give Jim a few minutes and find out when our plane leaves." he instructed Peter as he made his way up the stairs to the room.

Less than an hour later a man with a military hair cut and a dark suit entered the precinct with orders to escort Mr. Dubois to a facility elsewhere, where the execution would take place. He was informed then that the young girl had survived the night and had positively ID'd Maurice as the perp.

Tony chuckled as the man was bringing Maurice to him. He could see he wasn't sure what was going on and why. The man that cuffed his hands behind him, he didn't recognize at all. His pulse began to race as he knew now that Tony and Peter might not ever find him once he was taken away from here. But he let the man lead him out of the building and down the steps thinking to escape if he could, once outside.

But the man was ready for him and gave him a tight pinch over the large artery in the man's shoulder. He pressed him between his body and the car keeping him secured. And soon Maurice succumbed to the blackness that swirled around him so violently.

When he next awakened, he was on the plane headed toward the U.S… Disoriented by all that had taken place he looked around him realizing Tony's disguise and disgust.

"You did it, you son of a bitch. And I thought you were one of them." he laughed.

"Don't count yer chickens too quick, Maurice. Jim is not happy with you at all." He informed him.

"Well, fuck you too, Tony." the man groaned, his smile fading quickly.

"Just tellin' ya up front, man. Mr. Bowman is pissed." He explained.

"So, Maurice actually expected to go home and not face the music?" Bruce asked with a bit of a chuckle in his voice.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. He truly believed he was immuned to the man's wrath.

"Did Jim actually punish him?"

Peter chuckled shifting to rest his arm on the back of the upright of the bench. "Let's just say, he needed some serious medical attention when the man was finished."

"Oh, I've got to hear about this one." Bruce chimed, now very engrossed in this story Peter was telling.

Peter nodded with another short laugh. "We arrived at the airport and took a cab to the mansion…"

The three men entered the office where he was seated behind his desk. Jonathan was there under the desk giving the man one of his specialties. That is until his 'enforcers' arrived.

"That's enough, Jonathan. Go and see that Mrs. Cora feeds you well, babe." he stole a kiss from the youth as he came up from under the desk.

Jonathan grabbed his shirt from the back of one of the chairs putting it on before he left the room silently. Jim stood moving to the bar making drinks for everyone, including himself.

"Have a seat, gentlemen. I know your flight must have been long and grueling." he seemed so very pleasant at the moment. "And how are you feeling, Tony." he turned with the four glasses in his hands. Giving each one a glass he went to his chair sitting again.

"I'm very sore, sir. My chest hurts maddeningly." He complained lightly.

"I'll have my doctor look at you as soon as I'm finished here." he paused for only a second. "I'm sure Peter has done an effective job at tending you, or you would not be standing, I'm certain."

"No, sir. You're right." Tony respectfully answered.

Jim smiled briefly giving a slight nod of approval. "Maurice, I hear you have been very naughty. What did you do to Tony?" He asked before the man could lie to him about it.

"I only meant to have some fun with him. He was just such a prude. That's not my fault." the man chimed with a grin.

"You also saw fit to grossly ignore my warnings to you when you are away from me." The man grumbled taking a long swallow of his drink. He then ran his thumb around the glass watching the action as though it amused him to do this.

"Mr. Bowman, I'm really sorry about the little girl. I'll send her parents something for their loss, sir."

The man suddenly tossed his head back laughing boisterously. "You arrogant prick!" he then slammed the glass on the table breaking it into large chunks.

"She lived! You fool!" he stood coming from around the desk toward him slowly. "She identified you! Of all the idiotic things, Maurice! Now, you have implicated me in your blunder! And I am most displeased with you." his tone calmed at the last.

Suddenly, he drew his automatic from the inside of his coat. Maurice looked down the barrel of it holding his breath long, waiting. Waiting for Jim to end his miserable life. Waiting to see if he had the guts to do it.

Jim pressed the end of the barrel right at his forehead. He forced Maurice's head back with his strong coercion. "I oughta just kill you now, you arrogant fool. But that wouldn't be any fun for me, now would it?" the man grinned sarcastically.

"No, sir. It wouldn't."

"I assure you, Maurice. This will not be any fun for you at all. I am so put out with you, I really would rather pull the trigger than to look at you." his tone was so very smooth.

"Then pull it, sir." Maurice haughtily stated.

"You fucking…" he eased back on the trigger quickly. It clicked causing the man to become even more incensed. Raring back he slammed the weapon against the side of his head. Blood splattered everywhere as Maurice slumped sideways abruptly.

He realized Jim was so very serious. It had never occurred to him that Bowman would actually kill him. That is until now. Hearing the tale tell click of the trigger forced him to know this truth. And now he would endure a most terrible beating from the man, because he had not loaded his gun.

Tony and Peter jumped to their feet, trying to avoid the blood that was covering Jim, Maurice and much of the furniture nearby. They did nothing to stop the man, hoping he would make an end of Dubois' life. With him dead, all of them could sleep much better.

Both of them had not ever witnessed Jim actually kill anyone. And Maurice was already unconscious having slid from his chair into the floor. That was where Jim was at the moment. Crouching over Maurice pistol whipping him to death. Unfortunately for all of them, he didn't manage to actually kill the man. He recovered after months of hospitalization and specialized care from Jim's physician.

"He probably never intended to kill the prick." Bruce grumbled strongly.

"That is what Tony believes also. But I do not. Jim has never been so angry. I had seen him angry before, but this was horrendous, Bruce. If only you had been there to witness it, you would know what I mean. Maurice actually had to undergo plastic surgery to correct much of the damage the man did to his face. He was not recognizable as the same man when he had healed the first time. After the plastic surgery, he was himself again. But he also gained a much needed respect for James Bowman afterwards."

Bruce chuckled. "You don't say?" he jested. They both laughed for a moment. Then Bruce fell silent thinking. "I wonder if that could be part of the reason he only gave him a quarter of his investments."

"I believe it is. I would almost guarantee that Maurice was originally meant to receive much more from the man's will. But it is obvious that he was sane enough on the day he changed it to recall that Maurice was no more deserving of anything at all, really. He gained a respect for the man, yes. But after his beating, he was never the same. He would not openly disobey Jim. Instead, he would devise ways to do this so that he could not find out. Or if he did, it could be covered up somehow.

"But Jim was no moron. Did you know that Mr. Bowman was planning a terrible accident for him during the shooting, or possibly right after?"

"No, I didn't." Bruce looked to him curiously.

"Yes, he grew very tired of hearing of Maurice's blatant disobedience. He had already discovered Tony. And as you heard on the tape, he had meant to lure him in completely. Thankfully, Tony was much wiser. But I was never sure he knew of me. So, I stayed. And a good thing I did. Maurice would have killed Jonathan long before he attempted to that night we chased you down in Texas."