The Evil That Men Do by Steve Rollins

would know if she did? Was he a cop, or were there crooked cops on the force? She managed her thoughts for a moment. Of course there were crooked cops on the force. Brutal, power-mad wielders of authority who pulled over black kids and busted them for drugs that they themselves had planted, and worse. But would any of them be a willing accomplice in kidnap and her own probable murder? It seemed impossible. She thought of Terry, Roberta’s boyfriend. As far as she knew, he was a decent guy. Would Roberta be able to keep him from knowing about this? Her captor evidently noticed the signs of Ricki trying to work things out.
    “Let me give you a hint. Madeline Frome. Remember her?” he said, and Ricki could tell he was smiling.
    “Madeline Frome?” Ricki said. “Can’t say that I can recall her. Is she a relative of mine?”
    The backhand slap caught her hard in the jaw, and Ricki felt the already sore skin at the corner of her mouth split open. The blow stung her cheek and forced the delicate flesh on the inside of her mouth against her teeth. She took satisfaction that she did not cry out. The man’s voice dropped to a whisper, coming close to her ear, close enough that she could feel the vibrating air and the warmth of his breath.
    “Don’t play cute with me, bitch. I know what you’re looking for, and I know that your company has been hired by Frome to find her lost diamond. I know she still has it. The senile old fool thinks that she can hide the diamond and claim on her insurance after showing that you did your very best to find it. Of course, that won’t work as you well know.”
    Ricki did know it well. Without an incident number, any insurance company would refuse to pay out. What was Frome thinking? She must really have lost her marbles. The throbbing in her cheek intensified as her capillaries swelled. The man keeping her captive clearly enjoyed the sound of his own voice, as he went on.
    “Of course, Madeline Frome will be terribly upset when she finds her diamond missing, and will obviously be unable to report it missing to the police after hiring you to find it. Pretty smart plan, if I do say so myself.” His gruffness softened with his self-congratulation.
    “You’re not that smart,” Ricki whispered.
    “Say that again?” the man said. Ricki’s retinas were absorbing no light at all through her blindfold, but there was a dull red glow, the aftershock from the blow she had received.
    “Your plan sucks!” Ricki shouted into the redness. “Did you ever think about what happens if Frome reports the diamond missing anyway, or my sisters outwit you? You might kill me, but then what? You’d still not have the diamond, and you’ll be captured.”
    “Don’t be so sophomoric,” he said. “As I said, if your sisters go to the police, you die and, well, I guess I would have to go directly to Mrs. Frome and beat the location of the diamond out of her. Remember, I will know if the police are informed. That would admittedly not be my preferred method, but I still win. If your sisters somehow find me, then first you die, and then they die. I’m pretty sure I can take out three stupid girls with delusions of being private investigators, especially with one of them tied to a chair and inhaling chloroform.”
    Ricki decided while listening to this diatribe that there was no chance of getting free from this lunatic. She listened to the direction his voice was coming from, her sense of hearing hyper-sensitive from hours of enforced sightlessness, listening to the creak of his footfalls left and right in front of her across the wooden floor. She would have at best only one opportunity, if she had even that slim chance. But it would take a little distraction.
    “I see. I guess you really have covered all the angles. Could I please have some more water, mister?” Ricki said, as sweetly as if she were asking a date for a french fry instead of speaking to the man who had kidnapped her and threatened her family