Chapter 13

"Hold on," said Stacey. "I have an idea.

"First off, it would take too long to try to trace the hit man by going to Detroit and roughing up the Union Boss our dead friend here spoke with. We can work from the other end though. We know how he operates. A shot in the dark from a roof top and a quick exit.

"We need to catch him in the act. Also, we have to do it hoping the police haven't caught on that it was TWO employees from Randolph Industries who also just happened to be Junior Executives that were sent to Detroit on a mission. Sometimes they are pretty good at playing connect the dots. Other times, not. All we need is a surveillance team to scare him off."

"I follow you," I told her. "But with the offices closed tomorrow, they might not be able to put it all together. We don't even know if Toby is aware his nephew is dead. I'm sure he's not aware of mine. That won't come out until Monday morning when I don't show up for work.

"So I think we're OK until Monday. I know where Percy lives..." I was saying as I was abruptly cut off.

Laughing, Tammy said that magic word again, "Dufas!"

By then I was starting to get used to her calling me that, so I just casually said, "What?"

"Duh?" she said.

"Oh. Yeah. I know ... I know. You can all read my mind.

"Sheesh! I've still got a lot to get used to," I said shaking my head.

Valerie, ignoring what I said, picked up the conversation. "Well, I think we should check out Percy's place and make sure he's still OK. We are assuming this guy's a one a night man. Right?".

"Yeah," I said. "But may I remind you guys, It's Saturday Night!

"Tom was killed on Thursday and ME yesterday. If our guy works with any sort of regularity, tonight he's going to be after Percy!

Thinking of the Black Tape Bound body lying on the floor I said, "What will we do with Tom here?"

"Oh. You are in for a treat. Watch this," said Tammy.

"I want to help too," said Stacy.

"Be my guest," responded Tammy.

Tom started to levitate off the floor. He screamed, "Please don't do this to me. Please ... Please ... Please!!!"

When he was about three feet off the floor his body started to turn around like he was on a rotisserie spit. Tammy and Stacey started to chant together. "We bind you, Tom Blake. We bind you so you can do no further harm. We bind you so you cannot move. We bind you so you cannot speak. We bind you so all you can feel is pain. We bind you Tom Blake for your sins."

Black tape ribbon started to flow from their outstretched hands, sticking to Tom as he spun faster and faster. Starting at his feet, they wrapped him like a black taped mummy.

The further up his body the louder he pleaded and the more agonizing his screams became. Just as they reached his head they added one more chant, "We bind you Tom Blake with silence!"

It almost hurt me the way he sounded as they started that last chant and wrapped his head tightly. Tom was in agony and his shrill cry of "Nooooo!" tapered off to a whisper and he was finally quiet.

"We can do several things with this wrapped up monster. We can shove him inside of his own body to be buried for an eternity of suffering or we can do worse," Tammy said.

"What could be worse?" I asked.

"This!" said Stacey as she pointed to Tom's bound body and said, "SHRINK!"

Even though Tom was bound to silence, we felt his pain as he was compressed into a sphere the size of a baseball. Then Tammy reached out, took the baseball and threw it onto the floor and for at least a minute it bounced all over the reception area. It didn't stop until she reached out and caught it.

"Imagine doing that for eternity?" she asked me. "Each bounce causes more pain than a person can get in a lifetime. Only the Spirit who threw it, can stop it.

"The ball would never, never have stopped unless I caught it. Just like it will take Stacey and me together to unbind him if, of course, we EVER decide to do that."

"Enough fun," said Marilyn. "We really need to check out Percy's place. It's getting late and this guy works at NIGHT!"

Tammy told Stacey to stuff Tom into the wax fruit bowl on the credenza at the end of the reception area. "Nice place," She laughed I wonder if anyone will take a bite. Would serve him right!"

So everyone aimed for Percy's apartment. Like me, he had a top floor apartment because the rent was a little lower. I didn't mind the extra travel time inside the building. Plus, in my complex, it was quieter because families with kids liked the lower floors. No constant rollerblading up and down the hallways playing 'Catch Me If you Can!' I figured it was the same for him.

I laughed to myself as I remembered his apartment number: B-914. The ninth floor again!

We all materialized in Percy's living room. With the sounds coming from the bathroom. it was obvious he was in the shower. Stacey, the voyeur of the group, went in to check to make sure that was what he was doing.

"Be right back," she said. Well, we all knew what her interest was as live video she streamed to us showed he was giving himself a shampoo. She zoomed in tight showing the head he was taking care of was not the one resting on his shoulders.