Thaddeus was having a hard time steeling his mind from the eerie desire his body was giving him. For some reason his erection was having a hard time dying down inside his pants. Each time he changed gear and floored his engine, he felt his cock nod its head surreptitiously up and down as if he had a lizard struck in his crotch. His mind conjured up weird pictures, things he reckoned would kill the sex urge his body was responding to ... but one image kept breaking through the fabric of his other assorted mind pictures.
Constance Loftus.
His thoughts conjured a vivid picture of her standing at her bedroom window gazing out towards the driveway that snaked across the compound from the main gate down to the front driveway. She had on a silk evening dress and nothing else, parted to reveal her nakedness. The look on her face was that of a longing desire. It made him step on his gas pedal harder though still obeying the speed limit as he headed in the direction of her home.
He got there a little past eight-thirty. He didn't need to say anything to the security this time for the gate came open even before he slowed down for it. Bright lamps lit the driveway as he approached the majestic abode. It was the sight of Nigel again standing like a stiff brick in his butler outfit wearing white hand gloves that shrunk his penis back to its hiding place. He stepped out of his car and he and the butler eyed each other for a moment, neither of them liking what the other saw.
"You always stand outside to greet her lady's house guests, Nigel, or is it that your ass can't think of anything else better to do?"
Nigel took the snide comment with a perfunctory smile, but it did little to dim the baleful look in his eyes that seemed to want to stab Thaddeus like a pair of daggers.
"It appears to be my esteemed duty not just for Madame Constance but even for her departed husband as well. Please follow me, she has been expecting you."
They walked up the stairs with neither person saying a word. In the foyer another servant appeared to take his jacket from him while Nigel led Thaddeus to the large dining room.
"The Madame will be with you shortly," he said. "For the sake of myself and everyone else, I hope you do nothing stupid that might jeopardize the life of young master Johnny. You will have more to answer to if you do."
"Really? And whatever makes you think I would want to jeopardize the life of a little kid?"
"Because I know your type," Nigel's voice grated at him, his eyes didn't appear to smile while he spoke. "You're either leading the Madame down a false track to nowhere, wanting to swindle money off from her. You're nothing but a pathetic excuse for a private detective. One of these days, you're definitely going to get your comeuppance, I assure you."
"That's a pretty harsh tone of voice you've got there, Nigel. I never suspected you had such in you. How about you clue me into something," Thad had his arms behind his back, though his body was ready for whatever. "The morning the kid ran away, where was your butlery ass at?"
Nigel glared at him, startled at first by his question and he seemed to stutter for a moment while he fought back his temper. "Really, detective, you do indeed have a nerve to ask me such an insipid question. But if you insist, then I'll tell you. I was attending pressing matters that involved taking care of and over-looking the working staff of Loftus Garden, as well as every intimate detail regarding its upkeep. Ask anyone around and they'll tell you."
"You use a lot of fancy words there, Nigel. You must really come from a long lost pedigree of snobbery."
Nigel left the doorway and came to a stop before Thaddeus, his features flush with anger. "My life and my resume is every bit as impeccable than you would ever thing. I will not be insulted, not will I ever be denigrated by your sarcasm and deplorable wit, detective. Mark my words, you will someday get what's coming to you."
"Oh really," Thaddeus's voice remained calm, though his body tensed under his clothes. "Why the long wait for that day to come. Why not go ahead and give it to me right now."
Three seconds of eternity passed between them before the dining room door opened and in walked Constance Loftus, looking casual yet elegant for the evening in jeans and a white turtleneck sweater. The lights in the room seemed to add brilliant colour to her hair. Nigel turned to see her entrance and in an instant the anger on his face melted away and back came the plain outlook that attached to his workplace.
"Good evening, Madame Loftus," he gave her a deferential bow. "Dinner will be served in a few minutes."
"Thank you, Nigel. We'll be here," she said to him.
Nigel approached the room's door and stepped out leaving them alone. Constance drew herself a seat and indicated Thad to take one beside her which he did, dropping his hat on the table.
"I kept the money in a bag upstairs. Once you're ready, I'll give it to you. I'm glad you called before you got here," she said. "I was upstairs in my son's room, trying to think of reasons for me not to cry anymore. I'm sorry, I just can't stop worrying."
"Nothing wrong being a mother who worries," said Thad. "Tell me something, this butler you have here, Nigel. How well do you know him?"
"I've known Nigel for as long as I've been ... I'm sorry, was married to my husband. He's been his chief butler for as long as I can remember. He's very efficient and really knows how to run things. I doubt if I would be able to keep this mansion going if it weren't for him."
"Do you trust him?" he asked the question with a straight face.
"I probably should, shouldn't I? Or is there something you're thinking?"
He shook his head. "Not really, just wanting to get a feel about how well you know him that's all."
"I can say I know him well enough to know of him. He keeps to himself a lot; even most of the servants find him impenetrable. I guess I find him that way too sometimes."
"Did he get along with your boy?"
"Oh yes, everyone got along fine with Johnny, same with him. I'm still finding it hard believing that anyone close to me might be the same person that's holding him."
The door came open and several servants walked into the room carrying trays and plates which they laid on the table before both of them.
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An hour later Thad sat in the living room waiting for Constance to return. He checked his watch. It was a little past nine. He reckoned he could make it to the site where the kidnapper wanted to meet give or take thirty minutes or thereabouts. He was weighing his options of how he figured the exchange might go down when Constance returned carrying a bag with her. She came and dropped it on the couch and sat beside it.
"It's all in there," she pushed a lock of hair from her face. "A million and three. I don't even want to think about where it's going and to whom."
Thad unzipped the mouth of the bag and looked inside. He took out a bundle and looked at it before dropping it back and zipping the bag. "I'd best be off now, Constance." He made to get up, putting his hat back on his head and so too did she.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
Thaddeus looked at her, saw the determined look in her face and knew there was nothing he would say that would dissuade her from such. "You sure you want to do that?"
"Yes, I do." She said it with such force as if he was going to talk her out of it.
"No problem. But first, you're going to need a black jacket to wear."
She smiled; her eyes seemed to say 'thank you' to him. "I won't be a minute."
"I'll be outside waiting."
Thaddeus passed Nigel along the way as he stepped out of the house and went down the steps to his car. He threw the bag into the backseat and stood by the passenger door waiting. Constance came down the steps some minutes later wearing a jacket over her white turtleneck. Thad felt the stirring return to his groin but it went away as she approached him. He opened the door for her and after she had settled in went around to his side of the vehicle, started the car and drove off. Nigel stood there by the door and watched them drive off. His thoughts were as cold as the night's wind.
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The drive towards Southbound Pier was a long one. Neither of them spoke along the way; they were too wired for that. They made sideways glances at each other, as if to reassure that they were attempting such together. The night moved past them like a dream.
The city outlook took a change for the worse as they drove into Southbound Pier. It was a seedy section of the city. Decades ago it had been one of the city's thriving ports, but a lot of government cutbacks and labour union strikes had forced much of the businesses that once had thrived around it to close up and move elsewhere, leaving hundreds of abandoned and crumbled real-estate the city was yet to do anything about. Lots of warehouses and empty cinderblock buildings. Along the nightmarish streets walked the homeless and destitute. On every street corner, brooding eyes turned to glance their way and Thaddeus told Constance to wound up her glass while his eyes scanned the streets for any lurking predators, here of which he knew they were many.
