09: Safehouse

A story must be exceptional enough to justify its telling.
We storytellers are all ancient mariners,
and none of us is justified in stopping wedding guests,
unless he has something more unusual to relate
than the ordinary experiences of every average man and woman.

Thomas Hardy

“Tell me again what we’re doing here?” Tim glanced with trepidation at the video arcade where Peg first arrived.

“Paul can’t keep running. We need to stop Jack’s threats, as it’s making it difficult for him to operate.”

“Call me crazy,” Tim scanned the region for sign of his goons, “but I prefer not poking a hungry bear with sharp sticks.”

Paul was relaxed, his hands in his pocket. “You should know by now, if Peg says she can do something, she generally pulls it off.”

“I know, but it’s not only Jack we need to worry about. Plus, we’re standing in the middle of Seventh Avenue near Times Square, with people everywhere. It’s not like it won’t attract attention.”

“It’s simple,” Peg said. “Jack will likely to appear soon. When he does, he’ll head for Paul, who’ll move into the street. Everyone’s eyes will be on him. I’ll be standing between them, behind this hole. When he reaches me, it’ll be easy transporting us both.”

“Slim’s noticed us. He’s surely alerted him,” Paul added.

“Except, they’ll probably grab you, rather than charging after him.”

“Which will still transport us both,” Peg said.

Tim considered it. “It’s risky, but it might work. Only there are dozens of things that might go wrong. After all, there’s no reason to assume they’ll walk up Seventh Avenue. They could simply drive up and grab Paul from behind.”

“Jack’s never been into cars. He’s a hands-on guy. He likes his victims to see him approaching, so they too terrified to put up a fight.”

“If you say so. Still, I think I’ll stick by the entrance and out of the way ‘til I see how it plays out.”

“That’s fine,” Peg reassured him. “You’re not necessary for this to succeed.”

Several long minutes later, Slim exited the arcade, talking in hushed tones on his cellphone. Tim, standing unnoticed behind him, waved his hand.

“This is it,” Paul said, backing up.

“Pretty-boy Paulie,” Jack shouted, strolling up the sidewalk alone. “It’s about time you quit running like a frightened schoolgirl.”

“You don’t scare me, fat boy!” Paul yelled back, waving his arms as cabs honked at him for blocking traffic. “I’ve got your damn money. Yo’ mama gave it to me last night, after I finished reaming her ass!” Slim disappeared inside his shop, holding the door shut in case they tried to enter.

Jack sped up, but otherwise didn’t respond to Paul’s taunt. Suspicious, Paul glanced around, spotting his two associates. “Boogies from the north and west,” he announced, moving further into traffic, straddling the white line separating the two lanes.

“This complicates things,” Peg muttered.

Rather than cutting directly across, Jack did as he assumed. Slowing, he gave Paul time to balk while his associates cut off his escape. Since Paul made no attempt to, they kept their measured pace.

“You’re pissing me off,” Jack warned. “You know you can’t escape. Unless you want me to harm your little girlfriend, I suggest you stop this pointless nonsense.”

“Do your worst, you tub of lard! You don’t scare anyone, and the whole city knows it!”

He started forward, when he noticed Peg bending over, studying him from an odd angle. Not trying to escape, she was biding her time. Cautious, puzzling over what game they were playing, he hesitated.

“Lost your nerve? I told ya you was scared! You can’t do anything yourself, ‘cause ya ain’t got the balls!”

Growling, Jack leapt. As his meaty paw wrapped around her arm, she resisted, standing her ground. “Now!” Paul yelled, as the goon nearest him closed in on him.

Ceasing her resistance, Peg stepped forward and disappeared, as she pulled Jack in after her. His other associate lunged, reaching out to grab her. All three vanished.

__________
“What the?” Jack exclaimed, releasing Peg as he teetered on the side of a steep mountain trail. Throwing himself back, he clutched the stone escarpment with both hands.

Feeling someone pulling her, Peg yanked her arm free and the third man tumbled over the edge. His panicked scream was punctuated by his striking numerous rocky outcroppings before stopping abruptly, far below.

The sky was overcast, with cold wind swirling around them, the visibility poor. The thin ledge they were on trailed around the cliff face, the surface dropping precipitously thousands of feet. The path was narrow but level, though multiple small pebbles made quick fast movements problematic. Distant mountains rose above foggy clouds in the distance, though it was difficult making out the details.

“Damn, that was unfortunate.” She cautiously peered over the edge, unable to see the body below. Turning, Jack was pale, barely breathing, sweat already forming along his brow despite the chilly wind buffeting them. The temperature was frigid and the wind whipped past, causing Peg’s hair to flutter around her face.

“Listen. You’re stuck here. You might eventually find your way down, though there’s no telling whether anyone will speak English. You don’t have your passport on you, do you? Otherwise, expect to be held indefinitely by the local police.

“There’s only one way out, and it’s with my help.”

“You, you can’t leave me here.” Jack hesitated, panting and biting his lip, sweat dripping from his brow as he shivered, his eyes practically shut tight. “I’m ... I’m terrified of heights.”

“You live in Manhattan and can’t stand heights?”

“I live in a walk up. I rarely look down at anything.”

“Here’s the thing, you’re stuck here until you agree to stop threatening Paul. Remember, I can do this anytime and anyplace, without warning. I can reach anywhere in seconds and grab you when you’re unaware.”

“Done! I’ll do anything.” He fumbled in his pocket—difficult to do without leaning forward—and handed Peg his wallet. “Take it. It’s all I have, but you can’t leave me here!”

“Somehow, I don’t trust you,” she said, stepping aside. “Instead, I’ll let you sit here while you consider the situation. I wouldn’t go far, as I won’t bother searching if you’re not here when I return.” She held the billfold up. “We’ll apply this to Paul’s outstanding debt. Good luck, and try controlling your breathing, otherwise you’ll likely pass out and follow your pal.”

“You can’t leave me!” he pleaded.

“You’re perfectly safe, as long as you don’t move too fast. The footing is treacherous. But don’t worry, I’ll be back, but I’m going to check on my friends.” And she vanished once more.

__________
She reappeared where she’d been, but without Jack. Someone lay on the ground moaning, as Jack’s associate backed up, quailing at her appearance. Tim gave the guy sniveling on the cement a swift kick in the back—near his kidney. Paul was holding the other guy’s arm.

“I see you’re managing fine without me.”

“Yeah, they froze when you disappeared. Tim grabbed Slim when he stumbled into the street.” He gave him another kick for good measure, but the rat wasn’t going anywhere. “How’s Jack?”

“He’s cooling his heels, considering his life choices. He’s enjoying himself so much, he may never come back.”

“I couldn’t happen to a nicer guy but ... we don’t want to become worse than him.”

“Hey,” she surveyed those around them to determine how much trouble they were in. “I’ll get him ... eventually, once he realizes how dangerous we can be. Brute strength won’t help him where he is. Hopefully, he won’t have a heart attack.”

“But he’s still alive?” the other man asked, his hands shaking.

“Yeah, but your pal fell to his death. It’s not safe surprising someone like that.”

“Tony ... died?” he asked, swallowing.

“He plunged several hundred feet, at least, though we couldn’t see the body. There’s no chance he survived. It wasn’t planned.”

Paul handed her another wad of bills. “He offered this as ransom for Jack’s return.”

“Keep it. I’m uninterested in your blood money. But remember, you’ll never see me coming and will never know when I’ll appear or where I’ll take you. What’s more, no one will ever know what happened to you.”

“Geez, I’m terrified and I’m on your side,” Tim said, studying their captives.

Paul glanced around, too. “We’d best disappear. It’ll take a while, but someone may have called the police.”

She considered Slim curled up in the fetal position at Paul’s feet. “Let’s get him up, so we’ll know whether he needs a doctor. I doubt he wants to talk to the cops any more than we do. We’ll head inside and kill some time. Jack’s not going anywhere.” She held her arms. “I’m chilly. It’s freezing there, and I need to warm up before returning.”

__________
When Peg reappeared, Jack hadn’t moved. He’d apparently tried—unsuccessfully—but couldn’t release his desperate grip of the cliff face behind, nor glance away from the precipice before him. He was now kneeling, unable to stand, exhausted and filthy, as he’d soiled himself—either accidentally or by design. She wasn’t about to ask.

“So, are you ready to change tactics?”

“I’ll ... I’ll do anything. Just get me the hell back on stable ground!”

“You say that now, but remember, you’ll never see me coming. I can grab you from anywhere. And if you mention what I’m capable of,” she batted her eyes, “no one will believe a sweet little girl can do such things.”

“Trust me, I’ve got no desire to return, under any circumstances.”

“Good.” She pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. “This covers the rest of Paul’s loan—minus your bogus interest payments—in addition to your wallet. He was planning to negotiate the details, but couldn’t make it. I assume this is finished?”

He swallowed, not releasing his tenuous hold on the wall. “I agree. Whatever you say.”

Since he wasn’t able to take the envelope, she shoved it down his shirt and took his hand.

“You’ll need to stand for this.”

“I’m ... not sure I can.”

“Either get up, or you’ll remain here,” she threatened.

Sighing, he struggled to, pressing back against the wall—undoubtedly scraping his back—and succeeded. She pulled him gently to the side, and they were once more back where they’d started. Paul faced them, Jack’s goon standing sheepishly beside him.

“Finally, I was thinking you’d gone on another trip.”

“No, it took a while for him to grow a spine.” Peg turned to Jack’s henchmen. “As you can see, he needs a shower and a change of clothes. No more will be said of this, and I won’t need to come after either of you.”

The man nodded, ready to agree to anything.

Stumbling away, Jack turned. “If you ever want to earn some quick cash, I could use your unique talents to convince people to pay up.”

“No thanks.” She wiped her hands on her pants legs. “I’m not sure how much of this I can take. I’m too sweet for this crap!”

__________
“I don’t know about you,” Peg said, glancing at the others, “but I’m nervous. This may change our lives, but I don’t know what’s expected, what to say or how to behave.”

“I feel the same way,” Paul admitted, still clutching Andre’s hand like the young boy he was. “Yet I’m also excited. This is our first time together socially, where we can finally act normally without needing to arrange things. But I’ve always trusted Tabby. She not only listens to all my woes, she offers wonderful advice. Despite how woeful my tale, it’s never scared her away. She’s good people.”

“Not knowing anyone, I’m nervous as well,” Andre confessed. “From what Paul says, these women are skittish enough about a strange man in their presence. They’re unlikely to take kindly to the fact we’re involved. They may have some ideas for how you might escape living on the street, but if I say the wrong thing, they might report me.”

Paul squeezed his hand, looking up with adoration. “They won’t do that. Tabby knows our situation. While it’s best not flaunting it, they wouldn’t invite us if they weren’t aware of our relationship.”

“It’s certainly a huge house.” Peg stared at the imposing dark stone facade. “It’s so regal, like a row of small castles planted beside each other down the whole street.”

“They’re called brownstones,” Andre explained. “They date back to the late eighteen-hundreds to early twentieth century.” She had to admit, Andre was indeed gorgeous. Young with a wide, welcoming smile, a bushy reddish beard, no-nonsense thick glasses, and his hair neatly cut, leaving enough forehead to keep a doodler busy for hours. He was intelligent, quick with a quip or clever pun, yet still quiet and reserved. However, once you got him to open up, he was fascinating. “They’re bigger inside than you’d suspect, taking up three to four floors and extending deep into gardened yards in the back.”

“If you say so,” Peg said, staring up at the steep stone stairs. “This reminds me of an Asian staircase I had trouble with one snowy evening, not long ago.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you’ve traveled much. Where did you go?”

“Korea,” she answered with authority.

“Wait, you weren’t certain before,” Paul said. “What changed?”

She giggled. “I returned to say sorry for being so rude, and that I made it back safely—though not to my home.”

“And how did they respond?”

“About like anyone does, with odd looks—though it might have been a difficulty with the language. The only one who speaks English is Ae-Cha, but luckily she was there when I stopped by.”

“I love how you describe traveling,” Andre said, grinning. “‘Stopping by one day, no one expected me’. Somehow, I expect there’s much more to the story, but your leaving it open makes everyone want to hear more.”

“Trust me,” Paul squeezed his hand, “you really don’t, though it’s fascinating. She’s a magical storyteller.”

“So, it seems,” he responded, winking playfully at Peg, who giggled again—something she didn’t do often.

“Seriously,” Paul stressed, “you need to couch your language, rather than blurting stuff out like that. It’s wonderful trusting people—’specially when they can’t affect your life, but you’re taking it for granted lately.”

“I know, but no matter how outrageous my stories, everyone appears to love them.”

“I’ll admit, your tales are wonderfully creative and engaging.”

“He too, enjoys your originality,” Paul translated. “So you’ve been busy for the past week. I take it you’re now feeling comfortable enough with the city to take a few day trips.”

“And here he’s been telling me you’re struggling, having to ‘rough it’.”

“I’ll admit, the first night was tough. But once I survived it, I felt freer to explore and I’ve been traveling all over.”

“Just don’t get too carried away,” Paul advised.

“I won’t. I was only visiting a few friends.”

“If you see Midge again, say ‘hi’ for me.”

“Oh, I did, and she sent you a slice of cherry pie—you remember, the gooey kind. But with no way to store or carry it around the city, I ate it myself.”

“That was the smartest thing to do,” he acknowledged.

“Well, there’s no sense dawdling,” Andre said, climbing the staircase, his finely crafted shoes overlapping the steps.

“The entire street is beautiful,” Peg marveled. “It’s like a park, right outside your front door that continues on and on.”

“You should see Brooklyn, but yes, these neighborhoods are exquisite.”

“Now you see where I get my vocabulary from,” Paul said, pausing. “Now be careful, and think before you speak,” he cautioned.

“Don’t worry, I will. But like everyone else, she thinks my stories are cute.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘adorable’.” Andre rang the bell, ignoring the old-fashioned doorknocker.

“Yes I am, aren’t I?” she asked, curtsying.

“Hold on to this one,” he suggested. “She offsets your skeptical paranoia nicely.”

Tabitha opened the door, almost right away.

“Welcome, I’m glad you could all make it.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Tabby,” Paul said.

“We also brought a small gift,” Andre said, handing her a tall cloth bag. “I hope it’s appropriate.”

She glanced at it, her brow rising and a smile crossing her lips. “I’m sure it will be. We drink a lot of wine around here.”

“My father recommended it. He’s the connoisseur in the family. Me, I’m happy with most anything.”

“Nonsense. You’re the one who brought the gift, thus you’re the one who basks in the praise—or the blame. However, none of use are connoisseurs. Since we can’t afford the good stuff, we’d rather not know what we’re missing.”

“Do you mind if I put my bag here?” Peg asked.

“Sure, honey. Wherever’s comfortable.”

“Everyone,” she said, entering the main room, set off the short entrance hall before the staircase leading upstairs. “These are our guests, Andre, Paul and of course, Peg. Guys, these are my friends, Beatrice Watkins, or ‘Bea’, Linda Hoyle, or ‘Lee’ and Anna Tomkins.”

“I’m sure the ‘Bea’ stands for beautiful,” Andre said, guiding Paul to the couch facing the ladies.

As predicted, the room was deep, with twin couches, several comfortable chairs, paintings and prints on the wall and a well-maintained, inlaid wooden floor and wainscoting. The doors connecting the living and dining room even retracted into the walls.

“If you don’t mind,” Peg said, backing up. “I’ve gotta use the little girl’s room.”

Tabitha chuckled. “Trust me, with this group, you don’t have to apologize for needing to step aside now and then. It’s at the top of the stairs.”

Staring at the imposing staircase, evaluating whether it was worth the effort, Peg finally dashed up it.

“This is a gift from everyone,” Tabitha declared, placing the package on the table. Bea reached out, opening the drawstrings and taking one bottle out. “Oh, how exotic. Girls, we’ll need to polish off our open bottles and cleanse our palettes to properly appreciate the good stuff.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Lee topped off everyone’s glass.

“Is this the original woodwork?” Andre asked, turning in a slow circle, taking in all the delicate craftsmanship. “It’s a beautiful home.”

“It is,” Tabitha said. “We’ve kept it up, though it’s a full-time job. We really need to repair if not restore some of it, but we’re at least maintaining it.”

“Yeah, these old houses take a bit of effort,” he agreed, sitting.

“We got it at auction, as it needed substantial repairs,” Bea disclosed. “Tabby and I are used to hard work. We aren’t afraid to roll up our sleeves and get dirty, though we borrowed the expertise of several friends for the more precise jobs.”

“Well it’s beautifully done. You can’t tell anything’s been restored.”

“Gee, thanks,” Tabitha complained.

“No, I meant it looks like it’s all the original house,” he corrected.

“Relax, she’s pulling your leg. We both take a lot of pride in it.”

“The house is huge,” Paul observed.

“We’ll take you on a tour later. With four floors, there are plenty of spare rooms. Unfortunately, it’s really more than we can afford. The upkeep is all we can manage.”