Fat man sitting on a little stool
Takes the money from my hand
While his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket, smiles, and whispers "good luck"
Well, cuddle up angel, cuddle up my little dove
And we'll ride down baby, into this tunnel of love
CHAPTER 10: The Crucible
Dr. Gayle Seymour tensed as the first footage on the DVD played.
The scene was a bathroom. The camera appeared to be placed above the mirror and sink. From its vantage point, it took in the whole bathroom, including a shower stall, enclosed by transparent glass. Gayle suppressed a snicker.
Any action in there; the camera would capture it. Who is this James Coltez? I've heard of some perverted stuff in my time, but a hidden camera in a bathroom?
On the screen, Jennifer entered the bathroom and closed the door. She approached the sink, turned on the water, and washed her hands. Meanwhile, she looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup around her eyes was spotty.
From crying—about the boy, probably, and by extension her sister. But that's quite a bit of makeup you have on, Jennifer. That was just to visit some kids at a hospital?
Jennifer dabbed some water on her face, then dried it. Reaching into her purse, she took out her makeup kit and did a quick patch job. Then, with the water still running, she just stared at herself.
Tell me, Jennifer, what did you see when you looked into your eyes? "Was it you, baby, or a just a brilliant disguise?"
Did you know the difference? Was there a difference?
Jennifer washed her hands once more, dried them, straightened her clothes, and left the bathroom.
They watched the rest of the video from the bathroom for a long time, but nothing else happened there. It dawned on Gayle that she could have fast-forwarded. As they'd been watching, however, no one had moved a muscle nor thought to do anything but study every frame.
* * *
Mike took a deep breath as the next set of footage began.
The image was of a dark hallway from above. He'd seen footage from this camera before, but not this footage. Almost immediately, a man emerged from one of the doors off the hallway. It wasn't the bathroom door Mike had seen Jennifer emerge from on the first DVD, and he couldn't see very far past it.
Looks like a small office, maybe? And that, of course, was Coltez coming out. Interesting that the footage started where it did. He must have gone into that room to turn on the cameras.
Coltez disappeared from view for a minute, but then returned...with Jennifer. He was leading her by the hand. He gestured towards the door to the bathroom. Jennifer stepped inside and closed the door.
Coltez waited for a moment, seemingly listening. Then, satisfied of something, he pulled out his cell phone and placed a call. There wasn't much sound, though Mike thought he caught a word here or there. Coltez's back was to the camera, so he couldn't read his lips.
Probably just calling another one of his girlfriends. A guy like that wouldn't have just one iron in the fire. I bet he'd had other plans for the night, but the kid's death had given him an opening with Jennifer. So he had to call off some other tramp he was going to fuck.
Coltez hung up and quickly left the hallway. A few moments later, Jennifer emerged from the bathroom. This part, they'd seen before. Jennifer walked down the hall, in the direction Coltez had taken, until she was out of sight.
Now for a long view of an empty hallway while they have some fun in the living room.
Time passed. There was no action in the hallway. Gayle picked up the remote control and hit the fast forward button. Still, no action. As the screen went black, she hit the play button to restore normal playback. The screen remained black for several moments.
Guess that's the end of the hallway scene. So they had all their fun in the living room and didn't go to the bedroom. Or else...there's another hallway? Some other way there?
* * *
Jennifer fidgeted as the third set of footage began. The scene was a bedroom. Jennifer felt Mike's and Gayle's eyes on her. She shifted again, nervously.
No one appeared in view. Jennifer heard Gayle pick up the remote control from behind her and guessed why.
She knows nothing's going to happen while I'm in the bathroom and the living room.
Mike heard Gayle also. He turned around and shook his head. Gayle put down the remote. Again, Jennifer guessed why.
He wants to see every minute of this. Seeing is believing...for better or worse.
Jennifer felt the tension mount as the minutes ticked by. She found herself holding her breath more than once. Finally the scene ended, and the screen went black again. No one had ever appeared in the room.
Jennifer exhaled sharply.
I didn't see all of this in Peter's house. I was afraid he might have...altered the scene somehow. Well, now they know. Nothing happened...in the bedroom.
Jennifer stole a glance at Mike. If the footage of the bedroom had relieved him any, he wasn't showing it. His expression and body posture had not changed since he'd first sat down.
He knows what's still to come. Oh god, can I watch this again? I'm going to...remember what it was like, aren't I? I can't...I can't bear it...
Suddenly, Jennifer remembered something she'd brought with her in her purse. While Mike and Dr. Seymour waited tensely for the final set of footage to begin, Jennifer reached into her purse. She pulled out a small, folded piece of stiff paper. She did not open it, but gripped it tightly in her hand.
* * *
Gayle shifted in her chair, anticipating what she expected to be the final footage. As the first image appeared, the scene was indeed the living room, captured in the same wide-angle shot they'd all seen before. The first images were new to them, however.
Just inside the closed front door to the apartment was Jennifer. She stood rooted there, quietly crying. Moments later, James entered the frame from what must have been the hallway.
"Jennifer," he said, "do you need to use the restroom or anything?"
Jennifer looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise. As if she'd been lost in a trance and was wondering where she was.
"Yes," she eventually answered, "I need to...freshen up."
James took her hand and led her down the hall.
Moments later, James returned the room. He stood off, his back to the camera, as Jennifer entered. This was a part Dr. Seymour, Mike, and Jennifer had seen before.
Jennifer approached James. He hugged her and led her to a couch. She sat down, leaned her head on his shoulders, and cried. He stroked her hair and started kissing her. She started kissing him. Then came the kiss on the lips, followed by James' fondling of her breasts while she rubbed his chest, his waist, and ultimately his crotch.
She unzipped his pants. She reached in and smiled. Moments later, she pulled out his cock and gazed at it. She jacked it off a couple of times. Then, massaging it, she stared up at James, right into his smiling eyes. Without looking away, she lowered her mouth to the head.
"You want me to lick this?" she asked.
"I do," James answered.
Gayle was on the edge of her seat. She'd known this scene well, of course—too well. Still, it had captivated her once again.
