So here's the next edition of A Death In Kashmir and because I've been working hard, there will probably be an additional chapter by the end of the week.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEMANDS
Vaughn heard a noise. He turned over, opening his eyes. Irina was standing at the bars that separated their cells. He yawned, then got up. He wondered what she wanted. He glanced at his watch. It was six in the morning.
“You and I have to talk.” Irina motioned him closer. “It’s about Bill, your father.” She held his gaze. “We’re in a lot of trouble.”
“Yes, I gathered that,” he remarked dryly.
“This prison,” she paused, “is where I killed your father.” Vaughn suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Irina saw his reaction. “You didn’t believe me when I told you how and why it happened?” He didn’t speak. Her dark eyes never left his. “What’s more, you are in the cell he was in twenty-two years ago. And I,” she continued, “am in my cell.”
“Why, why are you telling me this?”
“I want you to really understand what happened here.” She braced herself with her hands on the bars, gripping them until the knuckles turned white. Irina looked through the bars at the floor of Vaughn’s cell. She remembered Bill “Gringo” Vaughn vividly. His strength and will had given her courage. He had taught her what courage was. She would never forget him, ever. She remained silent staring at the floor. Then from a distance she heard voices and footsteps. She looked at Vaughn. He looked as though he could kill her.
“Except for Jack, your father was the bravest man I knew. I want you to remember that, no matter what happens to us and, because I don’t know how much Mohammad Kabir knows about me—or you for that matter.”
Moments later, Kabir entered followed by Ali and another man, both of whom were carrying guns. “Did you have a good night’s rest?” He grinned and unlocked their cell doors.
“It would have been better if we had not been handcuffed.” Irina said flatly, moving to the bars at the door.
“Yeah,” croaked Vaughn, coming alive, “and more food and water would have been nice also.”
Kabir laughed. “I’m glad you are enjoying my hospitality. Come,” the two henchmen unlocked each cell, “we will spend a pleasant morning discussing the ransom.”
They were taken to a larger room. Irina remembered it well. But now, there was a digital video camera on a nearby table. It was the one wall she looked at…the one that had steel rings stapled into it. The rings were still there. She hoped this was not going to be painful.
“Put the woman in the chair.” He indicated one at the table. “Hang him up on the first ring.”
The handcuffs were unlocked from her left wrist. She was put in the chair he indicated and then both wrists were handcuffed again behind the chair back. Vaughn was put up on the steel ring. Fortunately he was tall enough to stand.
“So, Colonel, do I get my money?” Kabir picked up the video camera.
“Forty million dollars?” She snapped. “Don’t be a fool.”
Kabir smiled. He nodded to Ali as he turned the camera on and pointed it at Vaughn. Ali took a whip from a hook near the door. He snapped it open, then whipped it across Vaughn’s back. Fortunately they had not stripped him and his clothing kept the whip from cutting him.
“So he is to be your son-in-law?” He nodded at Ali, who lashed Vaughn again.
“Since you killed his father, I find his forgiveness interesting. If I were him, you and your daughter would be dead.”
“Who said I forgave her?” Vaughn said while pressing his head against the wall, trying not to think about the pain.
Irina said nothing. Kabir did know. She did not want to bait him. She glanced at Vaughn who was now standing still. He had taken two bad blows from the whip. Mohammad motioned to Ali with two fingers. Vaughn received two more lashes. This time he did make a sound. Still they had not cut through his clothing.
“Stop!” Irina said quietly.
“You will make the ransom video?”
She nodded. She didn’t want Vaughn to get hurt anymore. After this was over, he and Sydney were to be married. She realized there would be problems if she let them continue to beat him. After all, she had yet to meet Ginny Vaughn, his mother. It was going to be a tough enough dialogue without adding Vaughn’s beating to it. She didn’t think Sydney would like it either.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Nothing!” He smiled. He motioned to another man. “Abdullah, put her up next to the man.
She looked at him oddly. She had agreed to make the video. She looked over to Vaughn. He seemed to be breathing heavily, as though trying to shake off the experience of being whipped. “I don’t understand?” she said as the other man pulled her out of the chair. He put the handcuffs through the ring and handcuffed her again.
“I said I would pay!”
Kabir nodded to Ali, who took the whip back, then snaked it forward. It hit her with a terrible force. She grunted. The whip struck her again. She gasped. She hadn’t felt as much pain as she thought, but then she was wearing her jacket.
“Take them both down.” Kabir ordered.
Ali put Vaughn in a chair and Abdullah put her in another. Kabir smiled. “Now your family knows what will happen to you if I don’t get my money.” He looked at Irina. “You will tell your daughter to arrange to have that forty million dollars electronically deposited to this account at this bank.” He gave her a slip of paper. “Read this.”
“Sydney, our kidnappers want forty million dollars electronically deposited to account number 5590-993234 at the Bank of the New Switzerland in Lucerne. Have it there by noon tomorrow or Vaughn and I will be tortured again.” She tried to make her voice calm. She figured that gave Sydney about 15 hours to get things coordinated with Aleksey. If she didn’t—Irina’s eyes turned toward Vaughn who was watching her, his eyes angry. He knew what might lie ahead if Sydney couldn’t manage it.
Irina looked at Kabir. “I don’t keep that kind of cash around. It might take longer to gather, put in my bank and then transfer.”
“Noon tomorrow.” He grinned. “I’ll wager your children won’t let you down.”
He nodded to Ali and Abdullah. “Take them back to their cells. Leave the handcuffs off. Feed them.”
Moments later, Irina and Vaughn were put into their cells for the long wait. Ali came back with two cups of water, some dried meat of some kind and bread. He put the food outside the cell doors. They would have to get it. Evidently Mohammad had warned his men not to get too close to the pair while they were not handcuffed.
Irina took her food and ate slowly. Vaughn was doing the same. “We have to talk, Michael.” She finished the food, stood up and walked to the bars separating them. “You and I need to come to an understanding about your father.”
“You killed him.” He said flatly, and with coldness, she’d never heard in his voice before.
She didn’t flinch, but gazed at him calmly for a minute before speaking. “Your father was being tortured for information about his Russian contacts. The interrogators broke every bone in his legs, ankles and feet. Then they broke every bone in his arms, wrists and hands. They were unbelievably swollen. He was in agony, but still he did not talk. So,” she paused, remembering that awful day, “they brought me to his interrogation room. They offered to send me home the very next day so I could have my child born in a hospital if I would kill him.”
There were tears running down his face. He wanted to stop her, even kill her.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Your father begged me to shoot him he was in such pain. The KGB would never let him go either. He was dying. I could help him only one way.” She did not go further. She looked at him. “I told you what he told me to tell his family. What became of that? You rushed out before I hardly had the words out of my mouth.” She pressed.
“Nothing!” He muttered. “I thought it was about a clock my father had given to mother, but it was destroyed when an earthquake happened in 1983 and mother didn’t keep it around. She threw it out.”
“Then you are being obstinate and stupid.” She turned back to her bunk.
“And you are a lying, murdering b---h!” He snarled. “You are a constant thorn in Sydney’s life. I wish you were dead.”
“Good night, Agent Vaughn.” Irina snapped.
She sat down and drew up her long legs and crossed them. She didn’t look at him instead she put both hands out on either side and closed her eyes. She needed to mentally go away for a while. She knew Sydney and Aleksey wouldn’t be able to get that much cash together by noon. It was going to be a difficult day.
Outside the door to the cellblock, Kabir had been listening. Interesting! He wondered if he could use this growing anger in the man to his benefit. He would have to think about it some more.
Irina and Vaughn had been missing 45 hours.
*** Humm...things are not working out well with our kidnapped victims.