Reading Time: < 1 minute

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Fearless – A web novel

Chapter 11 – making deals

Relatives are relative but criminals are never related where the relative crime is criminally related, relatively speaking.

“Money? Me?” I scratched my scalp and stared blankly at the dwarf. I glanced at the pictures that sat in a pile on the table in front of me and let my jaw drop. I gasped and slapped a hand over my mouth. Somewhat muffled by the hand I asked. “You mean… that?” I gasped again for effect and met Garphy’s dark scowl with a bewildered look. “Money? In that?” I whispered and glanced at dinky. The big oaf avoided my eyes, just kept on inspecting the grains meandering across the small wooden table with much interest. Oh hell, what had I expected? These two were a team, of course. And Dinky did and said what Garphy told him to say or do; without thinking too hard about it no doubt. But was Dinky truly untouchable? I had a feeling that he wasn’t. Then again… I took another look at the little person, still looking at me as a cheating politician looks at the rumour mill headlines; with a mixture of disbelief and pure hate. Was he really scary? Was fear what kept poor Dinky on the leash like a well trained puppy? What was I missing? Or was there something I simply couldn’t grasp due to my lack of understanding of human nature?

Garphy really didn’t seem scary to me. Nor did dinky. Finally I shrugged, deciding to give more thought on Dinky’s loyalties later. When I needed an ally I was sure I could be scarier than a diminished crinkleroot like Garphy any day. For now I said simply. “Nope. Know nothing about any money.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded so hard my hair moved back and forth, stiff and dull it scraped my face. I suddenly longed for a hot bath with lots of bath-salts and bubbles. A bath using all of those wonderful cleaners, scrubbers, moisturizers, stuff that would smell good, and make me soft and all squeaky clean. I stared into nothing for a spell, sighing wistfully. A bath. A hot steaming fragrant bath.

Garphy jerked me out of the tub with a growl. “Don’t play innocent with me young lady.” He stabbed the top picture with a short hard finger, once, twice, each time hitting my photographed backside with a flappy thump.

“Ouch.” I protested. “Watch where you put that thing.” Then I met his eyes. They were very brown, very narrow, and very angry. I wanted to wave him off, just like I would wave away, or even squish any annoying little creature that would dare to crawl on me. And I even lifted my hand and waved it in front of him. “That’s my pretty bum you’re assaulting there, little man. Don’t do that. It’s so rude.”

“You will take us to….”

“Don’t play hard-ass with me, Mini-you.” I interrupted and yawned. A huge luxurious yawn that made my body shiver, my face scrunch up, and my jaws crack.

“Marcy Malone. The money, Miss-”

“Yes yes, sure, what the hell why not.” I was getting seriously tired of that irritating bug of a dwarf. “Fine, the money. I heard you the first time.” I leaned forward, narrowed my eyes, and pulled my lips back in something that might have been a smile, or a grimace, or a final foodstuff-between-teeth check in the rear-view mirror before a job interview. Then I stabbed him in the forehead with my middle finger, once, twice, three times a charm. “I’ll take you to the money, Barfy. On one condition.” I paused and brought my eyebrows up in inquiry, waiting for a reaction.

The thundercloud seemed to ease up a bit as he thought about it. He narrowed his eyes even more and tilted his head to the left, then the right, while drumming the table with his stubby digits. Darumdarum tap tap, darumdarum tap tap. Silence. Then Garphy exhaled and waved his hand. “Name your price Stinky thing.”

I chose not to hear his reference to my quite intrusive stink of unflushed toilet. When it all came down to it, I did stink. I wouldn’t for long though. I would remember his words and at some point the little wobbly-legged criminal would be made to eat them. I nodded. “First. A bath.” I said.

“And second?” Garphy grumbled.

“I’m not sure yet.” I’ll get back to you. Now…” I sat back in the chair and slapped my legs with both palms, eager to go. I smiled. “When are we going? And what are we driving? We have a long way to go.”

I only had one tiny problem I figured. But it wasn’t really anything much to worry bout. I mean, somewhere along the way I was sure I’d figure out where we were going.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Fearless – A web-serial

Chapter 10 – Bright-eyed and bushy tailed

Wide awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I was eating again.

After waking up, I had found myself under a blanket, staring up at dinky’s so very blue eyes, and feeling something large push my face from side to side, rattling my brain. “Marcy? Are you okay, marcy? Wake up marcy?” I waited for a second more until my head cleared, then I blinked and swatted his hand away from my face. Well, I would have if I hadn’t been so carefully tucked in that I couldn’t move my arms. I groaned instead. “Look at me Dinky!” I barked. “Do you see my eyes? If you can see my eyes, that means I’m awake, you idiot.” I started shivering and I realized I was still on the floor. Under a blanket yes, but my tender skin still lay on a somewhat gritty and cool dirt floor. How nice. “Up!” I commanded.

After Dinky backed off , I untangled myself from the blanket and made it to my feet, wobbling just a little as I wrapped myself in the itchy smelly fabric. I heard heavy, but short steps behind me and I turned to Garphy. He looked up at me for a long moment. I looked down at his compressed form, wondering for a moment what he was. Well, hell, I knew what he was but I’d never been able to wrap my head around the politics of it. I frowned at his curious gaze, bowed legs and strong arms. I extended a finger and poked him on the forehead. It wrinkled slightly, but he seemed more surprised than annoyed. “I’ve never seen a dwarf up close before.” I said. That annoyed him. He hrumphed and poked me in the belly. Hard.

“I am a little person. Not a DWARF! I am… I am vertically challenged.” Garphy spat out and a dark cloud settled over his wide face.

“I see that. Hell…” something whofted across my face and I turned aroun by pure instinct stepping back, nearly trampling Garphy in my escape from dinky’s toxic breath. I pulled a corner of the blanket up to cover my nose and mouth with it. He had done his sneaky approach number and stopped close. Too close. I retreated another half step and looked up at him. Garphy huffed and went about some unknown business around the cell but I didn’t mind if he sulked for a bit. Little people shouldn’t sit on high horses. They could fall off and get trampled. And who could blame the horse for stepping on… anyways. Dinky was smiling. It was more of a grin and I had the strong sensation of being in a situation where fear would be appropriate. If I had any. Now I was just trying to protect my mortal flesh, so I scowled and fixed him with my trademark disapproving glare. Thank you mother, for teaching me something I can use. “You.” I said very clearly and with endless patience. “Go. Brush. Teeth.”

Dinky’s smile faltered and the teeth disappeared out of sight. “Good enough.” I said. “Now, keep it closed. Don’t open until Christmas.

“Ok.” Garphy’s voice interrupted the string of other instructions I had lined up for the oaf. “Dinky! Chairs, table, now.” He said., and dinky quickly ducked his head and went to follow orders. He disappeared through the big door and a second later, another door opened. I quickly forgot about him and turned to Garphy again. I nodded at him.

“Vertically challenged huh?”

the little person ignored me. If a hateful stare could be called ignoring me, that is, but how would I know the difference? Jeez, little people with big tempers. I mentally tut tut-ed and took a good look around the cell. It took all of six or seven seconds. Stone and dirt. Chains and a muddy puddle of piss. A big wooden door standing ajar, revealing an empty corridor. Some time later, we sat at a small table that dinky had fetched from one of the other rooms. “So, where am I?” i looked from dinky to Garphy and then back again. I raised my hand and tried to look at both of them at the same time, but there seemed to be something stopping me from taking them in as a pair. My mind had difficulties believeing they both lived in the same univers as me, and they were fast buddies. I’ve had my odd aquaintances and some awkward friendships too, but… I decided not to think about it. It made my head hurt. I concentrated instead on the stone wall behind the two of them. the chain hung peacefully, steel links sparkling softly against the uneven dark stone. the open mannicles grasped at the air, waiting patiently for the next abductee. now that I wasn’t attached to them anymore, I could see the small square protrusion on each metal ring, covering the locking mechanism. Quite advanced stuff for a kidnapping dungeon,– sound activated and all– but what did I know? I mean, if I needed to program my dvd, or electronic coffee maker, I asked someone else to do it. As a rule I got my neighbor to come over; he never complains but there is usually a strange look in his eyes. I think maybe I scare him but I couldn’t be sure.

The flat electronic package on the metal cuffs had something stamped on them. Serial number? Was that “ACMe”? Seriously? I squinted to see better, but all I did was screw up my face and I felt cross-eyed from straining my eyes. Whatever it said was too small to make out. I kept staring anyways just for the hell of it for a while, then I directed my attention to a piece of spam i had finally managed to stab with my fork, waiting for a reply. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the glistening cube of processed pork. It was dead, I was sure of it. that didn’t mean it wouldn’t kill me. I put the fork down on my plate and pulled a healthy dose of root beer down my throat and evacuated the air as soon as the sweet bubbly reached my stomach, stirred around a bit, and separated bubbles from drink. Garphy looked at me but said nothing. dinky, bless his fraidycat ass, blushed and fidgeted with a patch on his vest. . He cleared his throat, about to speak, when his puny companion silenced him with a quick glance.

The little man turned to me again. Dinky is a sweet soul Miss Malone, but he wouldn’t have found his way out of here anymore than you would my dear. He is shall we say…easily influenced. But as I said, he doesn’t have the…“ Garphy stole an affectionate glance at the big oaf and smiled a little. “The imperative astuteness for desired prudence.” Dinky gave Garphy a look. Was that hurt in his eyes? Or just confusion. He grumbled deep in his throat and with a sideways wary glance at me, he pressed his lips together, and grumbled some more for good measure. Garphy patted Dinky’s enormous hand with his tiny one and said. “I didn’t call you stupid, my friend.”

I raised both eyebrows. I had never mastered raising just one. “Yes you did.” I pointed out and patting Dinky’s other hand. “He said you were an idiot. And you are.” I nodded and picked up my fork again. Then I dropped it and pushed the plate away. “Ok, so, you didn’t answer my question, Dwarf. Where exactly is this place? And, what am I doing here?” The dwarf bristled. I could almost see the quills shoot out from his hairy little body, making him even more prickly than before. ”So?” I pushed, ignoring his porky-pine impression.
After a long moment of relaxing deep breaths, he took control of himself, no less prickly though, he straightened up, as tall as he would ever be that was, and pulled an envelope from an inside pocket. He handed it to me. Inside was several blurry photos, I flipped through them, looking at them carefully, making huffy sounds, one single appreciative whistle, and a couple of disgusted grunts before I dropped the pictures on the table. I pointed at the top one. “ I like that one. See how the way I stretch out to pick up that bag makes my ass look? Awesome shot. Too bad they are so blurry, or I’d put that in a frame and send to my mother. It could give her a seizure at least. What do you think?” I looked from the image of me bending down in the process of picking something up from the ground, to Garphy, genuinely interested, but I had a feeling that the perfect shape of my backside wasn’t what he was focused on. And I suddenly knew why I was where I was at the moment.

Garphy gave me a steely stare and sighed. An exasperated strained inhalation, then a very long and calming exhale. It took so long before he breathed again that his face took on a tone of purple. I wondered if I would have to topple him backwards and jump on his chest to get his lungs going again. But then he started breathing and time started. His face returned to almost normal.

“Where is it Miss Malone? Where is my money?”

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fearless – A web serial

Chapter 9 – Simply magical

The door opened, a frame filled with brilliant light, obscuring anything else. Not nothing, but the something silhouetted by blinding light didn’t start until half way down the opening. Something too small to be a man, too wobbly to be a child, unless it was a very horse legged stumpy child. The little person carried something through the door and kicked it shut with a heal. A very small voice with a huge sound spoke through my amazement and I knew that whatever “the plan” had been, this was not part of it.
“Dinky!” The voice said, “You can turn on the light again my friend. And you don’t need to hit me over the head with that bottle either. Ms Malone here has no wish to watch you bludgeon an innocent little dwarf I am certain. Isn’t that correct Marcy dear?” The silence was complete, the darkness intact. The little person sighed heavily and snapped two fingers. The cell was bright and inescapable once more. I stared at the ugly thing standing next to a dumbfounded Dinky. Oh, that’s just great. An oaf and a dwarf. I really did know how to pick them didn’t I?

“How did you …?” Dinky pointed a limp finger in the general direction of the light bulb in the ceiling, speaking very slowly. I was almost proud of him for not stuttering or slurring which must have been very hard not to do. Judging by his awed expression it was his first ever encounter with something magical.

The dwarf looked at him for a second and then he got it. He snapped his fingers and the light blinked out.
“Oh, you mean that?” He snapped again and the light returned. He smiled and nodded towards me.
“Marcy here can shed some light in the matter I am sure.”

I raised my eyebrows as it dawned on me. I snapped my fingers. It was a bit awkward as they were chained but after a couple of tries I got the right sound out of my numb fingers and the light vanished. A strangled gasp made me pity the fool and I triggered the sound-activated switch with another snap.
“Not magic my dear fellow, only modern gadgets I’m afraid.” He looked at the shining bulb wistfully for a moment and sighed. “For now.” Names Garphy my dear little big fellow and strung up smelly lady.” He made a stiff bow and handed the tray to Dinky. Slightly flushed Dinky took it. Garphy brushed his hands together and walked over to me where he stood silently for a moment, just looking up at me. He frowned and took a closer look at my hands and wrists. He pursed his lips and clapped his hands twice.

The metal around my wrists fell away with a tiny click and a not so tiny metal clamour. My hands fell heavily with a groan and the rest of me followed right behind them. I fell forward on my face, in the dirt. Garphy’s “Oh dear me.” echoed in my head as I blacked out without even snapping my fingers.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Fearless – A web novel

Chapter 8 – Such a clever crew

“Which one of you idiots want to tell me why some little broad walked away with four million of my fucking money? You?” Jake Ponzi stabbed the air in the general direction of Matt Knight. He moved the finger sideways, pointed it at Benny, then Guy. The idiot three kept silent. Matt squirmed in his chair. “Is there something chewing your arse hole or do you have something to say Knight? Well, do you?” Jake glared at Knight for another second before he barked. “Stop moving!”

Matt jerked back and made an effort to sit still. He opened his mouth, closed it, and stared wildly at the floor between his feet. Guy cleared his throat and Jakes head whipped around to face the offender. “What?”

Guy straightened up, looked at Jake. Still dazed and with a splitting headache, Zaffino glanced at Matt before talking. “The cops were coming and…”

“No, they were not, you ignorant piece of shit!” Jake interrupted. “And how the hell would you know. You had a tumble and were snoozing it up good when these imaginary cops showed up. You.” He pointed at Matt again. “You chicken shit stupid waste of air, hearing things in your old age?” Ponzi cupped a hand behind an ear and squinted at Matt. “Oy Sonny, I tink I hear somphing over there. Is dat a meow? Is that a rat farting? Oh noooo, Sonny, dat the poooooolice I reckon. Let’s just drop all the evidence why don’t we? Eh? Let some bitch stroll by and pick up Ponzi’s stuff why don’t we. Eh? Eh?” Jake pulled back, threw his hands out in exasperation, let his glare travel from Guy to Matt until it landed on the third stooge. Benny stood at the short end of Jakes desk, shuffling his feet.

“I told them to move.” Benny said quietly, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

“Actually, I …” Zaffino said and fingered the huge bandage at the back of the head and grimaced. The grimace made the cut lip crack open, and wincing made the beautiful new shiner throb. Taking a steadying breath, Guy said. “I heard something. We would have been fine if…”

“If big and ugly here hadn’t dropped four million fucking dollars on the ground and forgot about it?” Jake screamed, spraying saliva over his perfect desk. He turned back to Benny.
“You told them to move?” Jake shot out of his chair, sputtering in fury. “You told them to move?” Suddenly he sank back down in his chair, dropped his head on the desk and covered it with his arms. What he said next could have been anything as he had his mouth pressed to the polished surface. The idiot three were not stupid enough to ask him to repeat it. Only Benny dared to press on.

“I heard em too.” Benny muttered. “And buddy hurt bad and we had to go.”

Jake just shook his head and groaned. “And why, if I may ask,” He said to the mahogany. “Was I not told yesterday?” The tone was mild and deceptively patient.

“Buddy had to go to…”

“We didn’t know until this morning that the load wasn’t all there.” Guy intercepted. “I wasn’t aware that anything had gone wrong with the money until then.”

Matt piped up. “Yeah, we had to go back, Sir. Jake.” He said placatingly. “I surely would have…”

The pipe turned into an off key flute when a fist slammed into the desk, rattling the phone. Jake shook his head. “Shut up.” He tilted his head up and fixed a weary eye on Guy. “And you came straight to me.”

Guy hesitated. “Yeah, sure. When we realized we missed one we went back to see if we had left one downstairs, and then…”

Ponzi held up a hand and sighed deeply. “Ok, so you went back to take a look, and then you came to me.”

Guy coughed. “Well, we kind of figured someone might have… I mean, there were those chicks inside, so we needed to take a look at the video. But he wasn’t there. So we had to come back later. And then when we got it, we called you.”

Ponzi stared blankly at Zaffino. “So you went back, you got the tech to dig out the video for you, and then you came to me.”

It was Guy’s turn to squirm and look away. “Yeah, sure. I just had to stitch my head, that’s all.”

Jake stared at Guy’s shiner for a long moment. “Stitched…” He said. “And what was your colleagues doing as you got your head sown up then?”

“We waited.” Benny blurted out. “Couldn’t leave Buddy, no way.” He shook his head and glanced at Guy.

“You waited.” Jake said quietly. “And while you two pussys held that cunts hand and admired his booboo… Where was the rest of the money?”

Guy looked down, Benny frowned and tried to remember, and Matt opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything that he could say that wouldn’t make things worse. The silence was interrupted by Jakes forced breathing, the barely audible wheezing from the ventilation, and three very still bodies trying not to breathe at all. “I’ve had about enough of you idiots. I’ll talk turkey with you so clear out the wax right now. I already know you left the van on the hospital parking-lot. Dumb fucking luck you didn’t fucking lose the whole lot before you got it here. Dumb! And in case you morons have a hard time with the language; dumb means stupid, brain dead, slow in the head.“ He sketched a circle in the air at his temple. “I also know…” He pulled open a desk drawer and fished out a photograph. He slammed it down on the desk and turned it the right way for his reluctant audience to see. Then he thumped it with a stiff finger. “Nobody knows this chick. Nobody knows the skank she was with. Isn’t that right Knight?” He glared at Matt, raising his eyebrows.

Matt shook his head. “Never seen them before. I don’t know.”

“Well, I’ll tell you something, that lady there has my money. And you!” He pointed at Guy. “And you!” He pointed at Matt. He let the glance slide past Benny without acknowledging the giant with more than a twitch of his upper lip. He sat back in his chair and looked up; searching for something he knew wasn’t there. Then suddenly his face split into a wide grin and he looked down at the picture of a half drenched figure carrying his money away from his restaurant through the rain and dark. “You will give me one reason not to get ugly. I can be nice.” He nodded and smiled. “You gentlemen will set up a date for me. Find her. Then I want to meet the good lady face to face. Do you piss buckets understand me?” The smile vanished. “Talk to the dwarf. If anyone can locate anyone, it’s that little basterd. Now off you go boys. Don’t come back now you hear.” He slammed his fist down again, this time on top of the picture. “Not without her. Not without my money.”

To be continued…

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Fearless – A web novel

Chapter 7 – The plan

The day was coming to an end. I don’t know for sure how I knew as the lack of devices capable of measuring such things as passing of time was just as complete as the lack of light. The dank odour of earthen floor, human fear and stale urine assaulted me in a slightly more tangible way when there was nothing to fasten my wandering eyes on. They felt hollow and dry, suffering more from a need to see than the actual missing out on seeing what I knew was there. An odd sensation of body knowing something that mind really didn’t care to ponder. I did ponder, although not seriously, the plan.

Ah, yes, the plan. I was not terribly worried about the execution of said plan, or any consequences of “the plan” failing. As I have mentioned previously I have no fear. So my heart didn’t thunder erratically and my stomach was as serene as a Master level Zen guru on chamomile.

I had no fear for my own safety simply because fear is just another four letter word to me. I had severe concerns of other kinds though. A few issues regarding what my publisher would do when I failed to submit before deadline would have to be dealt with at some point. He was a real dickhead jerk off but he paid good money for my yarn spinning. . I had no fear of starvation and homelessness. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t starve when wandering the streets of Ottawasearching for a dark alley where I could search for scraps of edible things in friendly companion with a skinny Labradorpoodle mix with mange. I was fearless, not stupid.

My mind lingered only momentarily on the M Malone financial situation, a shade longer on the landlord who had his chubby fist pounding my door at this very moment without a doubt as the rent should have been handed in a week or so ago and he was under the illusion that his pounding my door would produce cash just like that. This kidnapping had really been imperfectly timed but I shrugged it off and finally got to the point in my mental list of things I couldn’t fear but that nonetheless could become very inconveniently uncomfortable.

My brain raced hop skipping and twirling passed things like possible danger of involuntary bloodletting, eventual need for financial damage control of a possibly creative kind and complicated actions to be executed as part of “the plan” in only a few moments. Then I started to drift off, into a waking dream or simply attacked by one of my more imaginary states of mind I couldn’t say. It was an image I had cultured and nurtured in my mind for a long time, and as silence and darkness lulled me to fitful dozing, I found myself in front of it. I hadn’t seen it for some time and was mildly curious about the changes it had gone through. I walked toward it, floating more than stepping, and came to a halt at the gigantic door. The gate that protected my aware from my unaware.

The door was dark wood, about as thick as my ass, armoured with black metal bands hammered out by a big strong sweating blacksmith at some unfathomable imaginary time ago. That same leather clad hairy brute had also shaped robust looking hinges and bolts to hold the thing together and in place. Here and there, in no very orderly fashion protruded steel spikes with crusty blackish stuff covering the spear like tips. Embedded in the wood were pieces of broken glass and dismantled disposable razors. Framing the cathedral monstrosity, a razor-wire tangled vine in full bloom with toxic looking rodent eating hybrid venues fly-trap grew happily smacking its petals. As a friendly message to all visitors the ground before the door was littered with vicious looking bear traps alongside lazily rippling puddles of quicksand.

I swatted a curious flower out of my face, hopped over a toothy trap and ignored the puddle sucking my foot as I stepped to the door and opened it. It creaked and grumbled, sputtered and shivered in indignation as I stepped through. There I saw my nemesis. There I stood face to face with the image of my doom. There, on the far side of a mental block that had stood strong since I had built it when I was twelve years old and had just realized that fear was a verb as well as a noun and something that other people had all the time, was the one thing that could disconcert me. I looked upon the ultimate destruction of the me…. A whisper out of the darkness fragmented my trip into emo land and I slammed the door shut and flipped it the bird. I shuddered and closed my light deprived eyes and thrashed about with directing focus on the soothing safety of substantial peril at hand.

“Malone.” The whispered rumbling came from a bit off to my right and I turned to Dinky and then immediately towards the door where Dinky was heading sneaky fashion. For such a big person Dinky the oaf could move very quietly. I wondered if that was just a natural talent of oafs or if Dinky was somehow special. Oh, he was special alright, that’s not quite what I mean. I mean that since. The click of the lock saved me from further blundering through a newly discovered landscape of mindless gobbledygook.

I had had a long hard talk with Dinky. I had made it very clear and simple. He had looked at me with his wonderfully, oh damn, blue eyes waiting for me to talk and I glared at him. I spelled it out so that there could be no misunderstandings. He was still holding the pathetic piece of tissue and the puddle of piss had not yet quite sank down through the top soil of my cell.

“Dinky, You, me, escape, now!” Dinky had stared at me, eyes shining, jaw grinding back and forth and front to back for a second as he stuffed the paper in a pocket and smoothed his beard, considering. I could tell by then that the oaf wasn’t afraid of me anymore and a new thought was developing in one or more darkroom chemical baths in the back of his head. A blurred picture may or may not have become clear to him then. He smiled and winked.
“Ok.” He had said. As far as I knew, that was the total extent of “the plan” and now it was happening. “The plan” was coming in to play. If I only knew exactly what “the plan” was.