The van drove a few more minutes. She felt for the side doors and the back door. Locked. Crawling in the darkness on her hands and knees she found the rope and plastic bucket, nothing else.
The van stopped. She heard the driver's door open, then shut, the sound of him walking around the back.
'I'm going to open the door. Don't try anything.'
The door opened, flooding the van with light. He stepped in, flicked on the roof light, and closed the door.
'Don't scream, I'm warning you.' He was a big man. He grabbed her hand and twisted it, so that she was on her back.
She kicked him as hard as she could. He leaned his knee on her chest and she hit him with her fists. Her blows did not bother him. He pulled out a roll of duct tape, tore off a piece, then put it over her mouth. She punched at him but he was big and heavy and his knee was pressing down on her. He turned her on her side. With the next piece of tape he bound her hands behind her. Then the ankles, even though she kicked at him. When he was done she lay on her back, wriggling, trying to free herself.
He took one more piece and held it over her.
'Close your eyes,' he commanded.
She did. The tape went right over her eyes, catching a few strands of her hair.
He seemed to be in no hurry. She could feel him straddling her, so close she smelled the gum he was chewing, something like cinnamon. 'You escaped me once,' he said, 'but not this time.'
His hand moved down her blouse, tore it open. She could hear him breathing loudly through his nose. The hand felt her breasts, mashed them. Then it was between her legs, pulling down her underpants, the dirty thumb hooking up inside of her, hurting her. It probed and wig gled, then slipped out. Again she heard him breathing through his nose. She wondered if he was smelling his finger.
She felt herself being turned over and tied up with the rope. It was tight, around her hands, arms, and legs. She could feel him cinching the knots.
Then came the bucket, right over her head, duct-taped to her clothes, her breath echoing in her own ears. Darkness upon darkness. He might have said something to her but she could not tell what it was. She went limp with exhaustion, her clothes soaked with sweat. She felt the van door close again and the vehicle begin to move, and she was jolted backward along the hard metal floor, trussed, helpless, with no hope that anyone knew where she was.
30
'A wheelchair gigolo?'
'Yes, he only-you know-does it with women in wheel-chairs.'
Connie lowered her voice into the phone. She didn't want anyone to hear her, including the house staff, who knew too much about her, anyway. 'Old women?'
'No, no. Young, thirties, forties, maybe fifties.'
'They pay him?'
'Well, yes. They pay him a lot, I heard. But they don't mind. It doesn't seem like much, considering.'
'Considering what?' she asked.
'Considering how good he is! You'd be surprised how many women with money there are in New York City who are in wheelchairs. You know, from falls, back problems, multiple sclerosis… hundreds, anyway.'
'I never see them, though.'
'Most kind of hide. I've got one in my building. That's how I found out about him.'
'And your friend, how often does he-?'
'Once a month, about. Her husband never touches her. Not in years.'
'Did she tell you about what-oh, God, wait, just a moment.' Connie listened for the sound of the men coming down from the roof. Her husband and the funny little Chinese man named Chen whom they'd just had to dinner were up on the terrace having drinks and smoking cigars. They'd been up there awhile already. What could they possibly be discussing now? It had been the absolutely worst dinner conversation ever-stilted and weird, mostly because the guy's English was so bad, not to mention his skills with a fork, with Bill acting as if the man was some kind of high-powered global chieftain. Well, sorry, she knew who all those guys were, especially the billionaires in Hong Kong and Singapore, and this guy didn't rate. Bill said some other men might join them later. She listened again, heard nothing.
'Sorry, go on,' she said, 'you were saying her husband never touches her and she and the gigolo guy do it and all that.'
'The neighbor heard them one afternoon, heard her.'
'Come on! Who is he?'
'Well, he's like this tall logger guy in a flannel shirt who lives outside the city. He's like maybe twenty-nine, thirty. Comes in for one week a month. Kind of just does everyone, then leaves.'
'That's-isn't that kind of sick? Or weird?'
'Actually, I think it's sweet.'
'Well, they do pay him.'
'Sure, but he doesn't have to do this! I heard it all started because he used to deliver Christmas trees and firewood into the city each winter, just a regular job, and I guess one time it was a woman in a wheelchair and one thing led to, like, another.'
'I say he's on a weirdo power trip.'
'That's what I thought. Exactly. But I heard differently. He's supposed to be gentle. Firm but gentle. A lot of these women are in chronic pain, are very stiff in the joints, weird medical conditions, the spine… you can imagine some of the problems.'
Connie felt an odd irritation and clicked her fingernails against the inlaid table she'd found in-well, wherever it had been, Portobello Road in London, Rue Jacob in Paris, maybe. 'It's got to be-'
The bedroom intercom buzzed.
'Connie,' barked her husband's voice. 'When those guys get here, send them up to the roof. Right away.'
'Yessir, Mr. Husbo.' She clicked off, returned to the phone. 'I was saying it's got to be a weird power trip thing.'
'Connie, I'm telling you that's what I thought.'
'Until-?'
'I saw him.'
'What?' she gasped.
'I talked to him.'
A gust of jealousy went through her. 'You did?'
'He's nice. Very intelligent. Maybe even a little shy.'
Why did this information torment her? 'Does he, you know, do regular women?'
'That sounds kinda desperate, Connie.'
'It is kinda desperate.'
'What happened to that guy you had?'
'He started getting close to finding out about Bill, you know, how much money there was.'
'What's, you know… going on with Bill?'
'Well, I do love him. But, you know… did I ever tell you he pisses in the tub every morning?'
'Oh-migod.'
'As long he's interested in something, one of his ridiculous deals or why some billion-dollar company is not doing well, he's bearable. He's got one like that right now, tonight. I try to encourage him, you know, give him something to do! Otherwise I'd-'
'You'd be out buying a wheelchair!'
'Don't tell anyone else about this guy! I'm serious! Pretty soon New York magazine will do a story on him and
