The Truth WIll Out

JENNIFER

I woke up slowly with a pounding headache. The first sound I heard was the rattle of chains as I tried to move my arms, the second was decidedly less pleasant, “Good of you to join us, Miss Goldberg.” Johnathan sneered.

Panic gripped my chest, and my eyes shot open as my memories started to flood back to me. “I do hope you had a good night's sleep, I thought I’d put you up in accommodation which was best suited to someone like you.”

I found his face and wished I hadn’t, the sinister smile on his face gave me the creeps and made me think of the serial killers you see in movies. I tried to take in my surroundings instead.

I was in some kind of barn, old cattle shed maybe? It looked like it hadn’t been used in years and smelled so bad I almost gagged. I was sat on the filthy ground, chained to a railing in the middle of the shed which was adorned with dried manure.

I tried to wrack my brain, I had looked at many properties in the area including some old farms, many of which had been abandoned due to changes in legislation in recent years, favouring rich landlords and making it almost impossible for farmers to get fair tenancy agreements.

I went through the different possibilities in my head, trying to decide where I most likely was being held. I could take a guess but, in the end, what good would it do if I couldn’t get out of here, I had no way of telling anyone. I knew my brain was trying to shield me from the rising panic in my chest.

Johnathan was suddenly right up in my face, “What do you want? Is it money? If that’s the case, then one phone call and I can have my banker transfer you as much as you want?”

I tried to reason, not really believing it could be that simple, but I had to try something. “Oh no, no, no, no, no Miss Goldberg, or should I say, Miss Weinstein? Nice try!” My face paled at the use of my old name.

That could only mean one thing, he knew my family. “Oh yes Claire, can I call you Claire?” He asked mockingly, using my birth name, before carrying on. “I know all about you and all your dirty little secrets.” He told me, as if reading my mind.

This couldn’t be happening, for ten years I had kept myself safe, moving to the other side of the world to get away from them. This dam money, just because I was rich it somehow made me newsworthy.

I guess I had let myself fall into a false sense of security, thinking they had given up long ago. I should have known that was a pipe dream, they would never let me go so easily. They would never let me be free.

I tried to take a deep breath; I had to focus. My head was spinning as panic was taking over, and I couldn’t afford to let that happen. I had survived then; I would survive now. I just had to think.

He was watching my every move, maybe I could get him talking? “What do you want Johnathan? If that’s even your real name, not that I really care.” I said, surprising myself with how even I made my voice come out.

“Hmmm, what do I want? Well, I want my payment of course and I only get that once mummy and daddy dearest are satisfied that your ill-gotten business has been brought down around you.”

“What are you even talking about, my business is my own and I built it through blood sweat and tears. The only fraudulent dealings I’ve had is the money which started going missing a few weeks ago, around the time you arrived!”

“Oh yes, a little miss direction of funds here, a little evidence of embezzlement there... I mean, those charities you supposedly founded, very clever by the way, they were just asking for me to hack into them and fiddle with a few numbers.

“Once the ball was rolling on ruining your reputation and putting your business under, slipping into your company so I could get close to you was like taking candy from a baby. Oh, you were so keen to hire me, it was really quite flattering.

“Maybe if I hadn’t gotten rid of any real competition then it wouldn’t have been so easy but, why take the risk?” He strolled along the dirty concrete in front of me, casually kicking piles of dust and dirt towards me on his way.

“There, that’s better, the dirt suits you.” He smugly declared. He obviously was oblivious to the number of stables I had mucked out in my time; a bit of dirt was not foreign to me.

“All you had to do was let my friends deal with you at the weekend, then this could have all been over. But no, that bloody police officer had to involve himself! Still, that would have been a small hiccup if it hadn’t been for that retard you have working in finance finding my money trail!”

His face was twisted into utter disgust as he spat the words at me. I felt anger burn through my veins at the despicable way he spoke about Cieran. The pieces fell into place as he continued to monologue like an evil movie villain. Cieran was the reason I had been let go, he had to be.

If he had found the trail, him and Conner would have compiled the evidence and got it to the station. I felt a guilt jab at my heart as I remembered that I had allowed myself to doubt their abilities to get me out of that cell and uncover the truth.

I would make it up to them later though once I had survived this! I hadn’t managed to get my hands free; my cuffs were too tight. I had managed to find a rusty bit on the bar I was chained to though and with enough friction, I was sure I could break through it.

I would need to wait until he was gone but it was a slither of hope that I needed in that moment. “Well, now we have to do things the hard way don’t we. With the warrant out for my arrest and half the police in the city looking for me, I will just have to get rid of you myself so I can return to your parents with the good news and collect my reward.”

Shit, so he did plan to kill me. I was going to have to think fast. “Well, there’s no harm in having a little fun with you first at least, can’t make this too merciful.” He bent down and brought his mouth to my ear to whisper. “Not after all I’ve heard about you.”

What the fuck had they told him? Hell, it was probably what they had told everybody all those years ago when it all came out. That their daughter had lost her mind and made up everything and that they, playing the part of the dotting parents, were just trying to get her the help she needed.

Weird how I was ‘crazy enough’ to make up something so vile and disgusting apparently but not crazy enough for them to get me any real help. A few weeks of therapy was all the ‘sympathy’ they could muster before they expected me to fit right back into their expectations.

Therapy, pfft, by that I mean sitting in a room whilst their revered leader of their little cult tried to tell me that I could be forgiven for my sins if I was a ‘good girl’ for him. Bile rose as I remembered his slimy voice and disgusting touch.

Heaven forbit the neighbours find out the cause for me attempting to take my own life so best I didn’t make a fuss. And what of the man who had abused me my whole childhood? Oh yes, absolutely nothing. He was a piler of their little cult community after all.

The fact that it was my own uncle just made it all the more sick, twisted and disgusting. I was no more than a sex doll for him to practice on so he could be perfect for his future wife, just like he was the perfect little golden boy in all other aspects of his life. It was his children I was terrified for though.

That was why I had told them. I was sixteen and he was about the get married, I was having nightmares, I realised it was only a matter of time until they would start a family. At first, they had seemed supportive, getting me ‘therapy’ and ‘helping me heal’.

Then the excuses had started when I realised that nothing was happening. ‘Oh well we don’t think you are in the right place to talk about this’, ‘let’s not bring up such things’, ‘didn’t you ever do anything that you regret when you were younger?’.

When their daughter was born it was too much for me. My family had made sure that everyone thought I was crazy and even spread rumours about me being on drugs, there was nothing I could do.

I tried to stick around for her, tried to make sure I could keep an eye on her, but they soon limited my access and began to put a distance between us. I eventually realised that I was only hurting myself further by staying.

That was when I ran away, at first, just to the next town over but soon they found me and spread their poison about me there too. So, I worked hard and saved harder and, eventually, bought a plane ticket to the furthest place I could.

A searing pain in my leg brought me back to the present, he removed his boot with a malicious laugh. “That should stop you running away whilst I go and get supplies to deal with you.”

“Fuck you, asshole, you better hope I never get free!” I screamed after him. He stopped and turned back around “Aww, and hear I thought we were becoming friends, that’s not very nice Claire.”

He punched me in the face “Let’s see you use that mouth with a broken jaw.” I spat blood as I caught my breath. “That’s what I thought, dirty little bitch, nothing to say now do you?” He sneered before booting me in the ribs as he got up and started walked back towards the doors.

Okay, note to self, don’t provoke the deranged psychopath. Not conducive to having the strength to get out of here it turns out. I managed to get some breath back in my lungs, but the fucker had broken my leg.

I heard his car start up and pull away. Thank fuck, now was my chance! I dragged myself to the right angle and started moving my chains over the rusted bar holding me. I just had to hope that it was rusted enough!