White As Snow

Mario marched to his room and stood in the doorway. Sandy followed. The ladies tiptoed down the hallway to eavesdrop.

He said, “Sandy, how many closets are in this room? Now, look at the placement of the closets. Where are they?” 

Sandy looked intently at the wall. “Three. One is at a forty-five degree angle on the left. The next two are parallel to each other on a flat wall.”

Mario pointed. “On the right side, the wall again changes to another forty-five degree angle.”

“I’m getting a headache.” Sandra complained and caressed her long red hair. “What am I looking for?”

“A fourth closet. Watch.” He pointed to the first closet. “One.” Then the next. “Two.” Then the last one. “Three.” He pointed to a wooden panel on the other angled wall. “Four. Behind that panel, I believe there is a hidden closet or room. Knock on it. There should be a hidden switch.”

“This is it? This will prove your integrity? I am not touching anything. Ladies. Come in here.”

The four guards appeared.  

“Search this room for a mechanism to open a secret room behind that wood panel.” 

 “Yes, Ms. Drake.” They replied. 

Bianca knocked on the panel three times. A distant echo could be heard in the room. Sandy walked over to the panel and put her ear to the questionable wall. 

“Ladies, find that switch.” 

Within five minutes, Lucy found it in a small bookcase. She knocked over a small figurine of a female angel. The wooden panel disappeared into the wall. An automatic light glowed from the secret room into the bedroom.

“Penelope and Stefanie, check it out.” Sandy ordered.

They obeyed and entered.   

Stefanie returned a few minutes later. “Boss, you are not going to believe this.”

“What is it?” 

“There is a computer monitor and several servers, which have been monitoring and reporting this entire location’s activity to an outside source.”

“Who?”

Penelope returned with a flash drive in her hand. “I cleaned out the hard drives and loaded everything on this. I put the programs in a loop before I shut down the entire program. It was all sent to one IP address.” She handed the flash drive to Sandy and whispered the address. 

Sandy’s eyes bulged but she did not verbally react. 

“Great job, Penny. All of you, job well done. Please wait in the kitchen, I need to speak to Mario, alone.”  

 They exited the room but left the door open.

Mario sat on his bed and saw Sandy’s emotional struggle.

 “Who put that equipment there?”

“Not your concern, Mario. Thank you for your honesty. I apologize for not trusting you.” 

She walked toward the door. 

“I just don’t get it. I know you have feelings for me, but you resist all my advances when we are together. Yet, when I leave you alone with four females, you can’t keep your hands off them. You gave them all massages. You realize you are my prisoner and with a single call, the goons would snatch you up and torture you. The one person who can save you, you scorn.” 

She looked out the window.

“Sandy, I am in your hands and you can do whatever you want to me. Your crew did nothing wrong. Don’t punish them. They respect and admire you. They couldn’t stop talking about what a great boss you are. How you gave them a second chance and helped them start a new life. You remember their birthdays. Sponsored them through college and provided daycare. Bruno mentioned something about a dental plan.”

“He had a cracked tooth and was in agony.” Sandy whispered and then shook her head. “Why do you even care about all that stuff? What’s your angle? What do you want?”

Mario stepped closer to her. “I don’t have an angle. I don’t want anything from you. I only want to give you something you never had and always wanted.”

Sandy half-turned and mocked him. 

“What’s that? Trying to save my soul again? I told you I am beyond redemption. What is your big insight?”

“I want to be your friend.”

The ladies in the silently awed.

Sandy stared into his espresso eyes and looked away. “No one wants to be my friend. If you knew half the stuff I’ve done….”

“I don’t know any of it, but God does. Your soul can be redeemed. Are you perfect? No, but neither am I. ‘Though your sins be red as scarlet, they shall be white as’…”

She scoffed. “As snow? Seriously? My soul, whatever. So, I am some type of project? Mario, I kill people all the time.” 

"Listen, Sandy, you could have killed me, but you didn’t. I don't know if I will live or die in the next few days. I'm ok with it. My soul is right with God. But I'm not alright with you thinking there is no chance for you."

            "What chance?” She said. “You make it sound so simple. How do….?"

           "Stop hurting people and start saving people. Like you saved me. Like you saved your crew. A new life begins with a single step in the right direction. Choose good over evil. Faith over fear.”

“I.. I..Mario, you are sweet, but naive to how the real world works.” She walked over to the secret room. 

“You can’t remain in this room. Please go to the kitchen and Bianca will take you to another bedroom. Please remain there until the morning.”

“No problem. Good night, Sandy.” Mario said and left the room. 

“Good night.” She closed the bedroom door. She turned her back and leaned against it. She studied the floor. When Sandra looked up, she saw the light streaming from the secret room. Her eyes glowed red. She punched a hole through the solid oak door.

*******

The penthouse doors flew off their hinges as Sandy walked into McMasters' apartment. His guards lay dead in a wave of destruction in the hallway. A strange mist floated throughout the flat as she entered. It smelled of lavender and lilacs. She stormed in and spotted David. He lounged in the hot tub on the terrace entertaining several bikini-clad females. She slammed open the sliding glass room. The smoky mist billowed out and covered her appearance. Smooth jazz played from outside speakers.

McMasters called to the shadow, “Place the delicacies and champagne on the table, please.” 

“Good evening, David. Having a good time, I see.” Sandy emerged from the cloud.

“Sandra! What a lovely surprise to see you.” He slowly removed his arms from around the bathing beauties. He sat up on the edge of the tub. “This beautiful fiery creature, ladies, is my fiance. Say hello. Really, she doesn’t bite. Too hard.”

The saturated women reluctantly waved to her. She did not return the gesture.

“Sandra, come join us. It will be fun. The more the merrier.”

She remained silent and walked over to the balcony railing. All eyes followed her smooth and deliberate steps. She placed her back to the railing. She pulled her scarlet locks to one side. She folded her strong arms across her chest. Her gray eyes burned red.

“I need a word with you privately, my love.” She bit each word with menace. “Your new friends need to go. Now.”

The female attendees jumped out of the jacuzzi and bolted into the apartment. They scrambled to find their clothes and shoes. Their muffled whimpers and shrieks of horror could be heard as they exited and found the decimated hallway. He exited the small pool and wrapped a towel around his waist. 

“Was that necessary, Sandra?” He walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of white wine. “You scared those poor girls. Jealousy? I thought we were past that.” He sipped the wine.

“Jealous of those uglies? Please.” She scoffed. “Don’t act like you care about them. Once you are ‘done’ with them, you feed them to your beasties.”

“What’s wrong? You are distraught. Did your little prisoner escape?” 

He poured a second class and walked over to her. He reached it out to her. She slapped it out of his hands. The glass shattered on the hard tile. The wine spilled and dribbled over the edge of the balcony. 

“No, he did not escape. David, how could you? I trusted you.”

“Is this about those wenches? They mean nothing. It was only going to be a bit of, well truthfully, an immense amount of sensual escapades.”

“David! I don’t care about your fantasies. You had me under surveillance. Watching my every move for months.”

“My dear, you are delightful to watch. It was just business. Patowski just took it too far and made it personal”

“You knew? You knew I had a stalker. He was working for you.”

“Of course. He really did capture some stunning and beautiful footage of you in your flat. How you move through the yoga poses, naked, is deliciously breathtaking.”

“David, if you wanted a demonstration, you just had to ask. You, however, invaded my privacy, recorded me, and destroyed my trust in you.”  

She removed the diamond ring and tried to hand it to him. “I regretfully decline your offer of matrimony.”

“Please, keep it. You have earned it. I mean it. You may change your mind.”

“I doubt it.” Sandy replied. 

“This, in no way, affects our business arrangement, does it?” asked McMasters.

“No. I am still fully invested in our plan and committed to the victorious outcome.”

“Excellent. Great to hear. No hard feelings, Sandra.” He smiled. 

“I won’t forget this or trust you again.” She slapped him in the face and walked past him. She headed to the exit. 

“I should have expected that.” David bragged. “I deserved that. All is forgiven, my love. Go have your fun with little Mario before the exchange.”  

She snapped and rushed him, but David was ready. An electric blue shield formed and she bounced off it. She flipped in the air acrobatically and landed on her feet. 

“Sandra, let me tell you about Asian monitor lizards.”

“You think that little shield will stop me. I’m going to rip off your face.” She screamed and pounded on the glowing and weakening protection. With each slam of her fists, the blue electric sparks flew off into the night sky.

 “These creatures not only have a poison bite, but nearly impregnable scales, perfect vision, mammoth fortitude, and lethal claws.”

“Then I’m going to rip off your arms, David.” 

“However, they have two fatal flaws. One, their hide can be penetrated and weakened through a chemical mist.”

“Finally, I will roast you alive and then tear off your pathetic head.” She kept pounding. 

“Second.” McMasters continued, “They can be hypnotized with a simple trick.”

She crushed the shield and it disappeared. She grabbed him around the waist with her left hand and hoisted him above her head. She hissed and licked him with her forked tongue.

“Any last words, doctor?” 

David remained calm. “Your parents are alive. I can take you to them.”

“You lie.” She growled and squeezed harder.

“It’s true,” He winced, “I have a flash drive in my right hand with their exact location.” He wiggled his hand. 

“Show me.” 

“Put me down and I will show you.”

“Let’s see the drive.” Sandy said.  

He lifted the monochromatic drive between his thumb and middle finger and waved it slowly back and forth. It reflected the light around the balcony. He moved his hand to a soft rhythm pulsating from the speakers. His fingers danced up and down and side to side. Sandy’s rage subsided. She lowered the doctor to the floor. Her eyes struggled to remain open. With a final flourish, David snapped his hand at her face. She fell and landed with an unforgiving thud. 

David grabbed his side and noticed the blood dripping to the floor. 

“Oh, Sandra, why does it have to be like this every time.” He stooped down and touched her face.

                                                *******

“Ms. Drake. Ms. Drake.” Penny tried to awaken her employer. 

Sandy stretched her arms, but kept her eyes closed. She usually did not wear long sleeves to bed. She felt a strange fabric on her legs. 

“Why am I wearing long itchy pants?” She yawned.

“Ms. Drake, you are draped in a circus clown outfit.”   

She bolted upright. A fluorescent green wig covered her head. Her eyes sprung open in fear. 

She yelled, “Is polyester touching my skin?! I am allergic!”  

 Sandy scrambled to remove the rainbow shirt and matching pants. Penny helped her pull off the pants and threw them across the living room. Sandy panted as she stood by the leather couch. She was still wearing her outfit from the night before. She whipped off the artificial hairpiece. Penny gasped.

“What’s the matter? Am I bleeding?” Sandy asked.

“It’s…It’s, it’s your hair. It’s been chopped!”

The fashion diva slowly lifted her hands toward her head. At shoulder length, a chunk fell on the right, but on the left, only two-inches remained. Her beautiful long fiery mane was gone. She sprinted to the master bathroom. Penny felt the vibrations from the door slamming and then a high-pitched shriek, which shattered some drinking glasses.  

With a 9mm pistol in her hand, Bianca ran into the living room. Mario emerged from his new bedroom. Bruno rushed in from the front door. 

 “What’s going on?” Mario asked, “Is it a fire alarm?”

Penny called to Bianca, “Put that thing away. No, it is not an alarm. It was Ms. Drake.”

“What’s wrong with Sandy?” Mario asked.

Bruno asked Penny, “Did she have another all-nighter with him?” 

“All-nighter?”

“About once a month,” Bianca explained, “Ms. Drake meets us with her fiance.”

“McMasters?” The prisoner asked.

“That’s right,” Bianca continued, “They go wild in the city and do some of the most ludicrous activities throughout the night.”

Penny explained, “When I found her this morning on the couch, I assumed that’s where she went last night.”

“One morning, I found her asleep in a NC State Wolf-pack mascot suit.” Bruno said. 

Bianca claimed, “I found her in a pirate captain outfit with a live parrot.”

“Wonder Woman, Betsy Ross, Margaret Thatcher, and Cleopatra.” Penny replied. 

“Betsy Ross?” Mario asked.

“It was the Fourth of July.” Bianca said.

“What was she this time?” 

Penny whispered. “A… a clown in a wig. In rainbow polyester.”

The guards and the prisoner cried out. “No.”

“It’s worse,” Penny said, “Her hair is mangled and cut short. It looks like…”

“... A chainsaw ripped it off.” Sandy called from her bedroom door.  

“Sandy, are you alright.” Mario rushed over but she stopped him.  

 “I’m fine. Really. Things got a little crazy at the circus. I got a little too close to a chainsaw juggler.” She played with her destroyed locks. “I needed a new look anyway. Bianca, contact Paolo right away. Tell him I have a hair emergency.”

“Yes, Ms. Drake.” She left the living room.

“Bruno, pick up that polyester and green thing and burn it.”

“Yes, Miss.” He gathered the materials. 

“Penny, stop worrying. Your concern is noted and appreciated, sugar.”

“Yes, Ms. Drake.”

“Mario, please make me some breakfast? I’m starving.”

“My pleasure.” 

He smiled at her and moved toward the kitchen. He noticed a reflection bounce off her blouse. He stopped.

 “Sandy, what’s on your shirt?”

“Where?” She looked down, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

Mario stood before her and unfastened the first button.

“A little frisky, Mr. Tasanari? I like it.”

He grinned and then asked her, “Why are you wearing a miniature camera on your second button?

“I am?”

Mario removed the camera. “It’s the exact same hi-tech spyware Emmy and I used.”

“I don’t remember.” 

Penny called from the kitchen, “You asked me last night, before you left, to activate it for you. You were going to see Dr. McMasters.”

“Are you sure? Why would I need a hidden camera?”

Bianca replied, “Ms. Drake, you were angry with him for spying on you.”

“David, spying on me? He wouldn’t dare. How? Show me?”

Penny called to her, “Follow me, Ms. Drake, to the back bedroom.”

Mario explained, “We discovered a secret room.”

 Sandy followed her. She turned her phone on. She halted in the hallway and handed it to Penny. 

“Is this the app for the camera?” 

“Yes.” Penny opened the app. “I can cast this into the living room.”

They rushed back to the living area and sat on the couch. Bianca turned on the flatscreen. The crew nervously waited for the video to start. The television’s vivid display of all the evening’s events at the penthouse shocked the viewers. They saw the bikini bimbos, the broken engagement, the attack, and the hypnotism . The room was silent as David’s cruel comments cut them all to the heart. When the video stopped, Sandy stood up. She plod over to a long window.

  She pulled back the black curtains. A clean snow had fallen during the night and blanketed the landscape. The fresh powder reflected the rising daystar and illuminated the dark living room. The dirty city had been buried and cleaned overnight. Her gray eyes glistened at the beautiful moment. She shut them. Lucid tears escaped and raced down her lustrous face. The sunlight radiated upon her whole body.  

She whispered, “You shall be made white…as snow.”  

After a minute, Sandy turned around and smiled at her companions. She marched over to Mario. She reached down and touched each side of his electronic leg irons. A metallic thud resonated throughout the flat as the bonds struck the hard-wood floors. She extended her hand out to him. He grasped her strong hand. He stood and they embraced.

“Ms. Drake, what is going on?” Bruno asked.  

 She separated from Mario, “I am not sure. But things are going to change.”

 She turned back to her former prisoner and smiled.  

“How exactly does this ‘friend’ thing work?”