Jesse hadn't heard Finn coming, so concentrating was he on the ringing of the phone. He heard the shot and at the same time the phone exploded on the bedside table. He dropped the receiver with a gasp and covered his face automatically as shards of plastic flew everywhere. Then he felt a huge blow to the back of his head and it all went dark.
He opened his eyes and saw by the clock on the wall he had been out cold for about ten minutes only. His head throbbed painfully and he tried to move his hand up to rub it, but he couldn't move. As his vision and head cleared, he realised that he had been gagged and tied extremely tightly to the bed. Great, he thought. Wonderful. He remembered the gun shot and realised that the others might think he had been injured. He had to let them know he was all right, to stop them worrying.
Wait a minute, he told himself. No one's watching me. If I can get free – he pushed aside the voice in his head that said, you kidding me? You are tied up really tightly – if I can get free, I can get help.
Jesse tried rolling onto his front without much success, it only tightened the bonds round his wrists. Both his hands had been tied to the head post of the bed on the left hand side. Next he tried waggling, jigging and pulling his feet around. He got no where. He was well and truly stuck. He was lying in a very uncomfortable position, with his hands stretched out behind his head.
Jesse tensed himself and with a heave managed to pull his body further up the bed so that the strain on his arms was not quite so great. He waggled his hands around some more, lifting them up and down. All of a sudden the bonds became slightly looser. Jesse managed to turn his head enough to look round and saw the reason why. Even though both his hands had been tied tightly with one of Mark's long scarves, there was an extra length of material in the middle that had simply been looped and twisted around the top of the bed post. Jesse twisted his wrists in several directions, ignoring the painful pinching of material against his skin. After only a minute he was able to free himself from the bed. He sat up in relief and shuffled over to the edge of the bed. Sitting on the edge he was able to manoeuvre his hands underneath him and bring them forward.
"At last," he thought. "Now maybe I can get free." He tore off the gag which turned out to be a pillowcase stripped from the bed, and used his teeth to try and undo his wrists.
After five minutes his teeth ached and he had only managed to create a small gap in the bonds. "This is no good," thought Jesse. "I need to try something else." He looked around him, looking for anything that might help set him free. His eyes rested on Mark's chest of drawers which had little knob handles. If he could just get the loop of free material over that knob he might be able to pull himself free. The only problem was how to get over there without creating a noise. He didn't want Finn to hear him and come running up stairs again. Jesse put his feet on the floor and gingerly tried to stand up. However, he was tied too tightly to get any real balance and toppled over and fell backwards landing on the bed again.
It creaked loudly under his weight and he held his breath, but there was no sound from below. He decided to try a different approach. Drawing his legs up onto the bed he rolled over onto his stomach. Then, shuffling forward he put his hands on the floor and inched himself forward, keeping his feet on the bed. When he felt he was about to fall off he quickly turned over and lowered his back onto the floor. Then he was able to draw his legs down onto the floor. He then shuffled forward commando style until he reached the chest of drawers. I must look like a worm on the end of a hook, he thought with a wry grin. He slipped the loose knot over the handle and pulled downwards. The knot came free and Jesse did the same thing again until at last he was free. He grimaced as pins and needles shot through his hands and he rubbed them to encourage the circulation. Then he set about untying his legs.
X X X
Back downstairs things were not going so well. Mark, Steve and Amanda couldn't stop thinking about what Jesse must be going through, if he wasn't already dead. Amanda sat just staring coldly at Finn. She was vaguely aware of talking going on around her but she was not really paying much attention. She channelled all her fear and anger into glaring accusingly at Finn. How dare he shoot Jesse? Jesse who never hurt anyone. It was all her fault, it had been all her idea. It was her fault if Jesse had died, she was to blame. She didn't even realise she had tears trickling down her face. She was vaguely aware of raised voices and she thought one of them may even have been saying her name but before she could respond she heard a loud smack and a burning red heat spread across her face, bringing her back to her senses with a sharp shock. She gasped and put her hand up to her cheek. Mitch was standing before her.
"I said, make us some coffee!" he yelled and raised his hand to slap her again. Amanda flinched and covered her face with her hands. Just then Steve's arm appeared out of nowhere and took hold of Mitch's wrist.
"Don't you dare hit Amanda," he said with fury in his voice. Mitch shoved his gun into Steve's chest. "I'll hit her if she doesn't do as she's told," he said as Finn came up and gave Steve a shove back into his seat. Mitch turned back to Amanda.
"Now will you make us some coffee? Or do you want another slap?" Glaring at him Amanda got to her feet. "Good," said Mitch. "Finn, you go with her this time and if she pulls another stunt shoot her." Finn grinned evilly and, holding Amanda by the elbow, he steered her into the kitchen.
X X X
As the kettle boiled, Amanda stood with her back to Finn. She tensed as she sensed him come up behind her.
"You know, you're very beautiful," he whispered into her ear. Amanda seized the kettle and turned around.
"You better back off a bit. It would such a shame if my hand slipped and I dropped boiling water down you."
Finn clicked the safety off his gun. "Well you better hope you don't slip."
"Milk?" she asked coldly.
"And two sugars," he added grinning at her.
Amanda went to the tall fridge to get the milk. When she was partly concealed by the open fridge door she quickly extracted a small bottle from her pocket that she had taken out of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. According to the bottle, two drops would have you constipation free in twenty minutes. Amanda stealthily emptied the entire bottle into the milk jug and carried it back to the work surface where she finished making the coffee, ensuring that it was nice and milky.
X X X
Upstairs Jesse stood silently in the bedroom thinking. He had managed to free himself and after waiting for the tingling to stop he now decided to made a quick search of the upstairs. Looking at the phone on the bedside table he found that it was completely destroyed; he had hoped it might still be working. He suddenly remembered that there was also a phone across the landing in the study. If he could get to that he might be able to phone for help again. Jesse inched the door open, all the while listening to sounds from below. All he could hear were the murmuring of voices but he had no idea what they were saying.
He tentatively made his way across the landing and opened the study door. Looking in he felt elated. Yes, there was the phone on the desk! He hurried towards it and picked the receiver. There was nothing but silence. Jesse pressing the dial button repeatedly feeling frustrated but there was no response. The phone was dead. "Damn, they must have cut the phone line. Now what?" He headed back to the bedroom to think. Looking around he realised that Mark's bedroom led onto the balcony, maybe he could climb down from there are go for help. "No," he thought. "I can't leave them here." But then he remembered Steve's gun, which had been thrown into the bush by the front door. If he could get that, it would make him feel safer and give him the element of surprise. There was one slight problem though. The doors leading onto the balcony squeaked loudly every time they were opened and the noise was bound to be heard. Instead Jesse opened one of the little side windows. He then clamoured up on top of the bedside table and wobbling slightly, stuck his head and shoulders through the window. It was quite a tight fit. "Being small has its advantages," thought Jesse as he wriggled through. "There's no way Steve could have made this."