Piper and Al

"Exactly, and here's where you come in. I want you to begin to collect one million dollars."

"That's simple."

"In denominations no larger than twenty dollars."

"That's a big pile of paper, Gordon." Carl was shaking his head. "That's fifty thousand bills. Can we go to some fifties?"

"That is a big number. I hadn't stopped to think. Shit! Okay, some hundreds and some fifties then."

"This will take a little figuring since it needs to be very secret. I transfer money around a lot. I can get it, I think."

"Thanks."

***

"Flip on the TV and see what they're saying about the kidnapping," Kit said as the four of them gathered in the family room.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's news. First of all, we have a few words from the police regarding the kidnapping of industrialist and developer Gordon Malik's daughter. Lieutenant Mueller, what new developments do we have?

Thanks for the time, David, and we do have some developments. We've traced Piper Malik through surveillance cameras to a point where we believe she was abducted in a dark-colored van. We followed the van as far as we could using other cameras but eventually lost it. We're asking everyone who has a security camera to check for a dark-colored van and let us know if you find one. It's a long shot, but could be a big help.

Thank you, Lieutenant Mueller. And now we go to an earlier recorded statement by Gordon Malik.

"Get me a paper and pencil, quick," Kit said, and Jill was back with both items. "I'm expecting Dad to give me some important information here."

This has been a very difficult TWO days for the THREE of us, but we're dealing with it the best we can. Many feelings have come to the FORE in our lives that have made us realize how much our number ONE daughter means to us. FOR most of us, it's something we could never imagine, and it's been that way for us TOO. We're happy that channel EIGHT news has given us this chance to speak to whoever is holding our daughter, and we pray, ONE, that no harm comes to her and TWO, that she's returned to us quickly.

Gordon continued talking, and Kit was able to copy down the final number from what was obviously a carefully crafted speech. He hoped that only Gordon and himself were aware of those numbers. Time would tell.

***

When the newscast ended, Al hurried to the closet, knocked lightly, and unbolted the door. He sensed that Piper was stubborn enough that she wouldn't kick the door to let him know she needed to use the bathroom.

"Hurry," she said as she held her hands out toward him. This time he unlocked both sets of cuffs, and she raced to the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.

"You can kick the door, you know," he said as she appeared in the doorway.

She shrugged. "I suppose," she said. "If you'd leave the door unlocked, I could just go and not bother you." Her nose was curled in the beginning of a sneer.

"Don't count on that."

Piper snorted. "Right," she said, then looked at Al. "Could I take a shower?"

Somehow that hadn't occurred to Al, and it took him a little aback.

"I don't see why not. But you don't have clean clothes or anything."

"I heard a female voice. Maybe I could at least get some underwear from her?"

Yeah, Al thought, a simple request that will allow Jill to heap unending shit on me. Maybe something else.

"That probably wouldn't work," he said. "Maybe just wash those while you take your shower."

Al was thinking, trying to figure out how this shower arrangement might work. And how the washing of her underwear might work too. But Piper was eying him now as well.

"I suppose you're going to stay in the bathroom while I shower and try to catch a peek."

"Yes and no," Al answered.

"So, you're not going to try to see me naked," she said disgustedly, not believing it one bit.

"Tell you what," Al said. "When you're in the shower and have those doors closed, I'll come in and wash your underwear and hang them in the closet." He was testing her, wondering what she'd say.

Piper was thinking. Maybe a peek at her naked body would give her a little leverage with Al, who seemed to want to be helpful -- and washing her underwear?

"I'm not putting them on wet, whether you or I wash them. And, it wouldn't be the first time I went without underthings. I'll shower, and you wash. Hang them in the closet when you're finished." She wondered how he'd respond to her giving him an order.

He shrugged. "Deal," he said. "Let me know when you're in the shower."

She turned and disappeared into the bathroom. He could hear her undressing and soon saw a bra and panties sail through the air and land in the sink. He heard the water running, and the doors close.

"Okay," she said.

Al entered the room a little tentatively after what Piper had said. He couldn't keep himself from glancing at the shower, the frosted glass in the door blocking his view, but not totally. He stood for moments, watching the blurred picture in front of him, then quickly turned to the sink.

The bra was thin and flimsy, and he rinsed it several times, squeezing it over and over, not wanting to "wring" it out as he wasn't sure what damage that might do.

He stared at the panties, knowing what his testosterone was telling him to do but fighting that urge for some unknown reason. He wet them, rinsed them, then used the bar of hand soap to wash the crotch thoroughly. He rinsed them over and over, remembering something about hand soap being irritating.

He hurried to the closet and hung both the bra and panties on hooks he found there. Back at the bathroom door, he took one more look at the distorted image in the frosted glass. He saw her reaching for the door and turned his back.

Piper opened the door quickly, Al's back disappointing her and foiling her expectation of giving him a peek.

"Keep your back turned, and I'll dry and get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am," Al replied.

Piper sensed a near-smile forming after what he'd said. "Yes, ma'am," was an answer she was used to getting, and it was somehow very satisfying, despite what was happening.

"Okay," she said, walking toward Al. Her blouse was tight enough that her braless condition was evident. She saw Al's eyes drop to her breasts and smiled internally. No peek, but this might be just as useful.

Her blonde hair was still wet and going in all directions as she fluffed it with her still-free hands.

"I don't suppose you have a hairdryer."

It was Al's turn to snort.

"That's a no. Let me get you shackled up, and I'll get you some dinner."

Piper grimaced but sat down on the mat while Al put the cuffs on her feet. Her hands were next, and she lay back.

"I hope you have another book. I'm nearly finished with this one."

"I'll check," Al said as he closed and bolted the door.

***

"So, Tony, what have we got?"

Sergeant Harper leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen on the desk. "We have three hundred and seventy-four tips involving dark-colored vans on security cameras. Everyone disappeared when I asked for volunteers to check them out."

"That's it?"

"We've had someone standing at the corner where she was grabbed asking everyone who walks by if they saw anything. A couple of wackos had stories but just crap. Nothing else."

Lieutenant Mueller shook his head. "So, we don't have diddly shit?"

"Afraid not."

"Something better show up soon. They've had to make some mistakes. Plus, I have a feeling that Gordon Malik will be applying some pressure if we can't show some progress."

***

"How was your day with sweetie pie?" Jill said when Al came to the kitchen.

He eyed Jill. "Nothing but endless sex all day long. I'm exhausted."

"You wish," she snickered. "I suppose you need some dinner... for two."

Al nodded and watched Jill put a TV dinner in the microwave.

"This is the hard part," she said, resignation in her voice. "Kit's plan is to wait and make her dad take things into his own hands. The hope is that he'll go outside of the police, pay the ransom, and we'll be off, and your little chickie can go home to her big cars, fancy clothes, and whatever."

Al wasn't in a mood to start anything with Jill. "Hope it works," he said.

He took the TV dinner and headed for the closet, knowing this process would be repeated over the next several days.

***

Gordon closed his office door and turned to Carl Fisher.

"How's it going?" he asked as he rounded his desk and sat down.

"Getting into it," he said. "At about one-hundred and eighty thousand now, put in several deposit boxes in a few banks. I've got three guys working on it, but before long, we're going to have to pick one guy to gather it all together."

"No problem. It's not illegal, just unorthodox. When do you think you'll have the million?"

Carl rubbed his chin, thinking and calculating. "Four more days," he said, "but what'll happen if we can't get it?"

"Five days or six days then will have to do."

"Going to get it in four," the CFO said confidently.

"Thanks for your help, Carl."

***

Al knocked, turned the light on, and unbolted the door. When he opened it, Piper lay on her mat, the blindfold on.

"It's me."

"Will the others ever come back here?"

"If you don't hear my little knock, it's someone else."

Piper nodded. "When we'd stay in a hotel, they'd always have a little blindfold to block the light, and I'd laugh. Now I'm getting used to it, and when I'm home..." She paused, looking at Al.

"Go on," he said.

"I'm still terrified," she said, "because nothing has changed."

Al could see that, for her, nothing had changed. And, it was almost the same for him, although spending time with the pretty blonde, along with her dwindling antagonism, had made things relatively pleasant. Still, there was that lingering possibility that things could go wrong with unpleasant possibilities. He pushed those thoughts aside.

"Anyway, I need to pee. Have the others gone to work?"

"They have," he said as he removed both sets of cuffs. He sat by the closet door, no longer following her to the bathroom. He noticed her bra and panties were still hanging in the closet and wondered why that was true.

Back from the bathroom, she handed him the iPod, which he plugged in.

"Did you give me that book to torment me?"

"Which one did I give you? I just grabbed it out of my bag and didn't pay attention to which one I'd gotten hold of."

"The Collector, by John Fowles," she said. "I'm still shaking."

Al took a deep breath. "Sorry. I forgot that one was in the bag."

"That poor girl," Piper said. "It could end up being me."

Al closed his eyes, hands to his forehead.

"I hope you don't think it's an omen or something."

"That thought crossed my mind. It's why I'm still trembling."

"Just a few more days, and it'll be over." Al prayed his words could somehow reassure her but knew it was a feeble attempt.

"I think you did it on purpose, to keep me, well, in line."

"Do you think I need to do that?"

"No, but I"m not sure you know that."

"My little talk about the teams, earlier I don't think we're teammates yet."

"Like the Americans and Russians," she said. "Not gonna happen."

Al nodded. "Let's go get some breakfast."

***

"How long has it been now, Gordon?"

"Seven days today. How's the collection going?"

"We'll have it all by the end of today," Carl assured him. "Then it's just a matter of gathering and delivering."

"What's it look like?"

"A couple of fairly large packing boxes. If they're too heavy, we break them down into four boxes."

"I hope they were able to decipher the phone number the other night. It was hard not to overemphasize every number."

"I heard it, and it sounded normal enough to me."

"Good. Just have to wait... and pray." Gordon sighed.

"What are you hearing from the police?"

"Lots and lots of reassuring words with very little substance. They picked up a blip from her cell phone the other night just about the time I got the call. I suspect they got my number from her phone, so it was only turned on for a minute or so. Other than that, absolutely nothing."

"Sounds like when they grabbed Piper, they did it cleanly and haven't done anything since."

"And they may be smart enough to know that someone like me gets very impatient with a lack of results. You know me, Carl. I need something to happen. Something.

"And that's about to happen, I think."

"It's about to happen... I hope. Oh, and don't forget those other boxes we talked about."

***

Al knocked softly, then unbolted and opened the door.

Piper tore her mask off, her face contorted as if she were screaming... except there was no sound.

"I can't stand much more," she said, a frantic look on her face. Her chest was heaving, her nostrils flared.

"I think today may be the day," Al said, hoping to calm her. If she had screamed, he might have joined her.

"Don't torment me," she pleaded.

"I'm not. At least I don't believe I am. Today we're supposed to contact your father directly and hope he has and will give us the money."

"He will," she sobbed, the tears beginning to flow.

Seeing her torment, Al reached out and put his arms around her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked, jerking away and glaring at him. She scooted against the back wall of the closet.

Al had thought she might protest, but not so vigorously.

"I don't know... I just can't... This has to... oh, God, I'm going crazy."

Al took a deep breath. "Want me to charge the iPod one last time? he asked.

Piper slid the iPod from under her blanket and looked at it, and then at Al.

"I guess so," she said and shrugged. She pulled her shirttail up to wipe the tears from her face, nearly exposing one breast.

Al looked away quickly.

Her turn for a deep breath.

"I guess we should have one last breakfast together then."

Al stood and, for the first time, offered his hand.

Without looking at him or saying a thing, Piper took his hand in both of hers and stood.

Al dropped to one knee and began unlocking the cuffs on her ankle, aware that she was above him with the heavy metal cuffs still on her wrists. He straightened, met her eyes, and unlocked those cuffs.

Piper sat at the table while Al prepared two bowls of corn flakes, added the sugar and milk, grabbed two spoons, and sat down across from her.

"You'll probably never eat another corn flake," he said, smiling.

"I don't know; they've helped keep me alive. And the spaghetti last night was delicious. I guess I've never been hungry before, you know. Everything I've had is different than I've had before, but it was all good."

They sat silently as they finished their cereal.

"What are you going to do with your share of the money?" she asked, surprising him with her curiosity.

Al stood and poured each of them a small glass of orange juice.

"I thought of going south, where it's always warm, but too many hurricanes, and tornados... and humidity, so I may not do that. Thought of California, too. Fires, mudslides, earthquakes, and a high cost of living. Doesn't sound too inviting. The southwest is too hot, and a lot of the north is too cold. I guess I'll take a little time and decide."

She thought for a moment. "Cost of living too high? If I weren't in college, I wouldn't even know what 'cost of living' means. Is that terrible or what?"

Al was seeing a different side of Piper, particularly after she had screamed at him in the closet.

"You didn't choose your parents. But," he laughed, "if you did, you certainly did an excellent job."

"It got me here," she said, shrugging.

"And sometime tomorrow, it'll get you back home."

"How will that work?"

"Up to me. I'm the one who'll turn you loose."

"Do I have any say in how it works?"

"No, but I'm willing to listen to suggestions. I have a plan in mind, but I can change it if I decide to."

"Maybe drop me off at the university. I have friends who could help me there."

"Too many security cameras."

"So, if I have to be where there are no cameras, that'll be out in the boonies somewhere, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah. But, I promise you it'll be in a nice neighborhood somewhere, where you won't be in any danger, and you can walk to a house and tell them who you are. If they watch TV, they'll recognize you."

"Will I have my cell phone?"

"Yes, you will."

"I'll call my dad to come get me, then. He can take me home so I can clean up before I have to be on TV. You're seeing me at my very worst. Dirty clothes, stringy hair, no makeup, ugh."

"I see you're returning to 'normal.'"

"If you're wrong about it being tomorrow, you may have to deal with a very different me. My fingernails are long and sharp, and I can kick."

"If I'm wrong, I'll just stand and take it."

Al watched a tiny smile form on Piper's face, the first he'd really seen since she'd been there. But she said nothing.

***

"It's all in the back of my Pilot," Carl said nervously, "and if you think I don't tremble, driving around with all that money. Where do you want it?"

"Will it fit in my Lexus?

"Trunk and back seat. Yeah, I'm sure it will. The boxes are heavy, though. Better get Bart to help you."

"I'm not going to transfer them here. We'll do it at my house, and I'll treat you to some nice steaks."

"Not necessary, but I humbly accept your offer."

"Were there any hitches?"

"Not really. The banks were used to having you deal in cash sometimes, so there were no questions."

"That's good. I don't care about that after it's gone, but I'm sure the police would shit their pants if they knew what I was doing."

"They don't have much time left to guess, right?"

"I hope so. But I'll just tell them that it's my job to get my daughter back and their job to catch the kidnappers. I'm doing my part, despite them doing almost nothing.

"Maybe it's a premonition, but I feel like I might get that call tonight. Maybe silly to think that, but I'm hoping. That would probably make the drop-off tomorrow. I've been thinking about that, so I think I'll let you be a millionaire for one more day."

"Shit, Gordon." Carl sighed. "Give me a call when you're ready. My heart can't stand much more being a millionaire."

"Those other boxes ready too?"

Yep. My Pilot is riding nice and low."

***

"Going to give it a shot tonight," Kit said. "With the cops finding nothing, I figure Gordon is about fed up and ready to go on his own. At least, I hope so."

"Even if he agrees, he may have to get the money together," Al suggested.

"More time," Jill said, curling her nose.

"What if he has the police monitoring that special phone." Niall seemed nervous.

"I can work around that. Picking up the money is our vulnerable time. I'm counting on Dad being worried about doing something that puts his little girl in danger. Plus, the million dollars is chump-change to the Maliks." Kit looked at Al. "Maybe tonight at bedtime, you can tell our guest that she may be back home tomorrow."

"Not sure she'll be any happier than the four of us."

"Amen," Jill said. "I'm tired of cooking for someone who'd probably starve if they had to cook for themselves."

"Okay, I'm off to give Gordon a call. Let's go, Niall." They went out the door to the garage.

"So, speaking of cooking, etc," Al said, smiling at Jill.

"It's ready. Hope you like Marzetti."

"Everything you cook is good, Jill."

She turned, lowered her head, and raised her eyebrows. "What are you after?"

"Can't I just compliment you?"

"People don't do that," she said. "They're after something."

"So, you don't think I might compliment you just because it's true?"

"You might," she said, looking as if admitting that was painful to her.

She filled two plates with Marzetti, and Al carried one back to Piper. He knocked and unbolted the door.