Cat And Mouse, chapter 11
Robert had jumped into the car as fast as Pam could push him. They screeched off, racing away from an unknown, if nonexistent, pursuer. Pam was just calming down as they reached the city again.
"So, now that we're a good couple miles from our hotel, may I ask why?"
"I saw a cop in the bar." Pam's eyes were wide with fright, but soon reduced to a seething glare when she saw Robert's reaction.
"That's it? You dragged us away from our hotel for this?" He was shouting now and Alice, who had been asleep in the back, suddenly woke up and leaned forward.
"What's going on?"
"Oh. Well for starters, your sister made us pack up everything and drive off cause she saw a cop in the bar."
"Nice going Pam," Alice said smoothly, although she didn't really care, she just wanted to piss Pam off.
"Well I got scared, ok? I'm not exactly the most relaxed person right now."
This seemed to tie up the conversation as none of the three spoke as they continued down the highway back towards the city.
"Well uh," Robert suddenly spoke, stirring Alice and Pam from their deep staring out the windows, "I was thinking that since we were headed to the city anyways, we might grab a bite."
"I know I'm starving." The mention of food got Alice's full attention, she hadn't had anything since the coffee at Starbucks.
"Yeah, I guess that'd be okay... "
* * * * * *
"Hey, I was thinking--"
"Were you?" Bunny cut in.
"Yes, I was," Tom looked forward and flicked his lip at her. "And it finally hit me, none of us had tried Alice's cell phone, maybe we could try that."
"Well," she seemed to have been offended by this comment, "Since you were the only one who a) knows Alice has a cell phone and b) the only one who knows the number, maybe it wasn't our faults we didn't try it."
"I was just saying... "
Dr. Mishner turned around and put a reassuring hand on Tom's shoulder. "Yes, Bunny, the boy was only trying to help. I think it's a wonderful idea." He smiled brightly as though he were posing for the cover of his book on how to achieve a meaningful life. "Go ahead, dial it."
Tom picked up the phone nervously and paused for a moment to remember the number. He pushed the numbers and brought it to his ear shakily. It was on speakerphone so everyone in the car could hear the loud ring. Bunny seemed to be deep in thought until she snapped her fingers and reached into her bag, pulling out a camera.
"Hey Mishner!"
"Um, yes?"
"They didn't give me a camera guy, so you'll have to do."
"I don't know how to work one."
Bunny sighed and brought the camera close to his face. "Red button on, red button off. Focus on me."
Dr. Mishner fumbled around and managed to get it on by the time Tom had begun to lower it back down. A voice on the other end, however, called out.
* * * * * *
"Hello?" Alice was ducking low under the table, her cell phone having just rung. She didn't want Pam or Robert to know she had it and they were up getting drinks and talking about something. No one answered for a second and she sighed, reaching for the End button.
"Alice? Hello, Alice is that you?" Her eyes shot wide open. It was Tom.
"Tom! Oh my god, I'm so glad to hear your voice!'
"Oh Alice, are you okay? Where are you?"
"New York somewhere, a restaurant. I didn't see the name when they took me in."
"Who? Who kidnapped you?"
"Uh, these two people, P—"
"Hey there, Alice! Whatcha doing under the table?" Robert came back, drinks in hand. Pam stood behind him.
"Oh, uh, just dropped a napkin." She looked up and noticed Robert had a large stack of napkins in his hand. "I mean... uh... "
"What's that, there?" He reached for her hand, which was hidden under the tablecloth. She resisted, but he was obviously stronger and quickly had her hand and cell phone up to his face.
"Oh my! A cell phone! Look Pam, a cell phone." Pam smiled shyly and nodded. "And it's on! Our lucky day!"
Alice brushed her hair out of her eyes and sat up, swallowing hard. This could be disastrous.
"Alice? Hello?" Tom called out from the other end.
"No, Robert. But close enough," Robert seethed for no apparent reason other than he enjoyed being a jackass, "What can I do ya for?"
"You bastard! What the hell did you do with Alice?"
"Easy bud, she's right here. Didn't you just talk to her?"
"I meant in the general scope! Where are you taking her?"
"Don't worry, we won't hurt her, we just can't let her go. Not safe for us."
"To hell with you! Let her go!"
"Ugh, I really wish I could, she's a swell girl. But we'd be arrested and no one wants that."
"I sure as hell do!"
"You don't need to yell."
Another voice, softer than Tom's came on.
"Uh say Tom, could you speak up, I'm not sure the camera's picking it all up."
"Are we being filmed?"
"Yes, to be quite honest.
"Listen, I've got to go, the waitress is here," Robert stated firmly.
"No, please don't hang up, I need to talk to you."
"Okay, just hold on second."
The waitress, whose nametag spelled out a large, bold, KAREN was standing over them, possibly having overheard everything. But by her large smile, no one could tell.
"So you guys ready to order?"
"Where are you?" Tom's voice shouted out of the phone.
"What was that?" Karen looked directly at the phone and knowing exactly what it was. A voice from a phone.
"Um, just a friend of ours."
"My ass... "
Robert set the phone down on the table and picked up a menu.
"Start with you, Pam."
Pam looked up from her menu and smiled nicely at Karen, who was by now wishing she had gotten a different table. "I'll just have the Caesar salad. And a water, if you please."
Karen gave an overdramatic nod and turned to Alice.
"I'm, uh, not hungry."
"Ya sure, hun?"
"Yeah, I'm all set."
"Alice, please get something to eat." Tom shouted loud enough to be heard from the phone on the table.
Alice flashed an embarrassed smile and looked down at the menu. "Just a blueberry muffin, I guess... "
"Okay then, one muffin," Karen murmured, looking down at her pad of paper as she wrote. "And for the gentleman... " An audible scoff came from the mobile device.
"Uh, what's this here Dina's Burger?"
Karen drew in a large breath and prepared herself to give another rehearsed speech. "The Dina's Burger is a pound of pure, Angus beef served with delicious cooked onions, tomatoes and garlic power, the pride of Dina's Diner and the best in all of Western Manhattan. Make sure to visit Dina's again if you enjoyed the Dina's Burger and even if you didn't there are plenty of other delectable dishes, all available at East 15th Street in Manhattan!"
"Uh yeah, I'll get that."
Karen wrote it down and skipped away, hoping her impeccable performance would garner a sizeable tip. Robert cracked his knuckles and picked up the phone again.
"So then, where were we?" He prepared for another round of witty comments on his part. "Hello? You there? Hello?" He hung up the phone and stared at it for a minute before it finally sunk in. "Fuck!"
"So, now that we're a good couple miles from our hotel, may I ask why?"
"I saw a cop in the bar." Pam's eyes were wide with fright, but soon reduced to a seething glare when she saw Robert's reaction.
"That's it? You dragged us away from our hotel for this?" He was shouting now and Alice, who had been asleep in the back, suddenly woke up and leaned forward.
"What's going on?"
"Oh. Well for starters, your sister made us pack up everything and drive off cause she saw a cop in the bar."
"Nice going Pam," Alice said smoothly, although she didn't really care, she just wanted to piss Pam off.
"Well I got scared, ok? I'm not exactly the most relaxed person right now."
This seemed to tie up the conversation as none of the three spoke as they continued down the highway back towards the city.
"Well uh," Robert suddenly spoke, stirring Alice and Pam from their deep staring out the windows, "I was thinking that since we were headed to the city anyways, we might grab a bite."
"I know I'm starving." The mention of food got Alice's full attention, she hadn't had anything since the coffee at Starbucks.
"Yeah, I guess that'd be okay... "
* * * * * *
"Hey, I was thinking--"
"Were you?" Bunny cut in.
"Yes, I was," Tom looked forward and flicked his lip at her. "And it finally hit me, none of us had tried Alice's cell phone, maybe we could try that."
"Well," she seemed to have been offended by this comment, "Since you were the only one who a) knows Alice has a cell phone and b) the only one who knows the number, maybe it wasn't our faults we didn't try it."
"I was just saying... "
Dr. Mishner turned around and put a reassuring hand on Tom's shoulder. "Yes, Bunny, the boy was only trying to help. I think it's a wonderful idea." He smiled brightly as though he were posing for the cover of his book on how to achieve a meaningful life. "Go ahead, dial it."
Tom picked up the phone nervously and paused for a moment to remember the number. He pushed the numbers and brought it to his ear shakily. It was on speakerphone so everyone in the car could hear the loud ring. Bunny seemed to be deep in thought until she snapped her fingers and reached into her bag, pulling out a camera.
"Hey Mishner!"
"Um, yes?"
"They didn't give me a camera guy, so you'll have to do."
"I don't know how to work one."
Bunny sighed and brought the camera close to his face. "Red button on, red button off. Focus on me."
Dr. Mishner fumbled around and managed to get it on by the time Tom had begun to lower it back down. A voice on the other end, however, called out.
* * * * * *
"Hello?" Alice was ducking low under the table, her cell phone having just rung. She didn't want Pam or Robert to know she had it and they were up getting drinks and talking about something. No one answered for a second and she sighed, reaching for the End button.
"Alice? Hello, Alice is that you?" Her eyes shot wide open. It was Tom.
"Tom! Oh my god, I'm so glad to hear your voice!'
"Oh Alice, are you okay? Where are you?"
"New York somewhere, a restaurant. I didn't see the name when they took me in."
"Who? Who kidnapped you?"
"Uh, these two people, P—"
"Hey there, Alice! Whatcha doing under the table?" Robert came back, drinks in hand. Pam stood behind him.
"Oh, uh, just dropped a napkin." She looked up and noticed Robert had a large stack of napkins in his hand. "I mean... uh... "
"What's that, there?" He reached for her hand, which was hidden under the tablecloth. She resisted, but he was obviously stronger and quickly had her hand and cell phone up to his face.
"Oh my! A cell phone! Look Pam, a cell phone." Pam smiled shyly and nodded. "And it's on! Our lucky day!"
Alice brushed her hair out of her eyes and sat up, swallowing hard. This could be disastrous.
"Alice? Hello?" Tom called out from the other end.
"No, Robert. But close enough," Robert seethed for no apparent reason other than he enjoyed being a jackass, "What can I do ya for?"
"You bastard! What the hell did you do with Alice?"
"Easy bud, she's right here. Didn't you just talk to her?"
"I meant in the general scope! Where are you taking her?"
"Don't worry, we won't hurt her, we just can't let her go. Not safe for us."
"To hell with you! Let her go!"
"Ugh, I really wish I could, she's a swell girl. But we'd be arrested and no one wants that."
"I sure as hell do!"
"You don't need to yell."
Another voice, softer than Tom's came on.
"Uh say Tom, could you speak up, I'm not sure the camera's picking it all up."
"Are we being filmed?"
"Yes, to be quite honest.
"Listen, I've got to go, the waitress is here," Robert stated firmly.
"No, please don't hang up, I need to talk to you."
"Okay, just hold on second."
The waitress, whose nametag spelled out a large, bold, KAREN was standing over them, possibly having overheard everything. But by her large smile, no one could tell.
"So you guys ready to order?"
"Where are you?" Tom's voice shouted out of the phone.
"What was that?" Karen looked directly at the phone and knowing exactly what it was. A voice from a phone.
"Um, just a friend of ours."
"My ass... "
Robert set the phone down on the table and picked up a menu.
"Start with you, Pam."
Pam looked up from her menu and smiled nicely at Karen, who was by now wishing she had gotten a different table. "I'll just have the Caesar salad. And a water, if you please."
Karen gave an overdramatic nod and turned to Alice.
"I'm, uh, not hungry."
"Ya sure, hun?"
"Yeah, I'm all set."
"Alice, please get something to eat." Tom shouted loud enough to be heard from the phone on the table.
Alice flashed an embarrassed smile and looked down at the menu. "Just a blueberry muffin, I guess... "
"Okay then, one muffin," Karen murmured, looking down at her pad of paper as she wrote. "And for the gentleman... " An audible scoff came from the mobile device.
"Uh, what's this here Dina's Burger?"
Karen drew in a large breath and prepared herself to give another rehearsed speech. "The Dina's Burger is a pound of pure, Angus beef served with delicious cooked onions, tomatoes and garlic power, the pride of Dina's Diner and the best in all of Western Manhattan. Make sure to visit Dina's again if you enjoyed the Dina's Burger and even if you didn't there are plenty of other delectable dishes, all available at East 15th Street in Manhattan!"
"Uh yeah, I'll get that."
Karen wrote it down and skipped away, hoping her impeccable performance would garner a sizeable tip. Robert cracked his knuckles and picked up the phone again.
"So then, where were we?" He prepared for another round of witty comments on his part. "Hello? You there? Hello?" He hung up the phone and stared at it for a minute before it finally sunk in. "Fuck!"
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