CHAPTER 2: Family Dinner
It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the new room. Flickers of candle light bathed the walls in dark shadows that made her feel ill at ease. The back room was lavishly decorated despite the sparsity of furniture. A long table with marble accents took up a majority of the space, with mismatched chairs carefully placed along its sides. Her wrists were bound to the arms of her chair; and despite her best efforts to break the restraints, she remained firmly stuck in her place. Behind her she could make out a heavy velvet curtain that separated the room from the rest of the club. She was thankful for the privacy until Victor pulled back the shade to allow her captor a regal entrance. Oswald hobbled along the edge of table, trying to look dignified despite his crippled leg. He took his place at the head of the table, the oversized throne made him seem even more diminutive in stature. Victor remained standing, a little too close to her for comfort. She could feel his eyes boring into her, the tension rising with each passing moment.
Oswald cheerfully started dissecting his entree, his wild hand gestures with the knife read as threatening even from across the room. She could only stare at her plate, a richly prepared piece of yellow tail tantalizing her. Victor must have noticed her hungry gaze as he chuckled underneath his breath. She glanced back at him, feeling more venturesome on an empty stomach. Although he had cleaned up his face, she noticed three deep gashes that started on his temple, curving over his eye and ending on his cheek. She was pleased with her handiwork and couldn't resist taunting him with a quick wink and a silent snarl. Victor pressed his lips together, reaching for his gun. She was fairly certain Oswald wouldn't allow him to kill her. At this point, it was worth the risk just to see the assassin squirm. In a flirtatious tone she mocked: "I like your new beauty marks."
Victor slammed his gun on the table causing her to jump in her seat. He hunched his shoulders at Oswald and through gritted teeth beseeched his boss "Please let me work on her?" She had started to relax back into her seat, reveling in her ability to enrage the revered hitman. Oswald raised his hand, his knuckles were shaking as she started to regret her juvenile taunt. "ENOUGH!" his hand swept across the table, scattering the dishes onto the hardwood floor. Even Victor looked taken aback by this sudden show of aggression.
Oswald rose from the table and began searching for something on the floor. "You know-" his voice contained a hostile edge as he reached for his fallen dinner knife "-I've done my very best to be hospitable" he let the blade drag along the table as he slowly made his way toward her "-but you're not making it easy." He face beheld a pained grimace as he stopped before her. For the first time since she had been in his charge, she felt scared. Oswald wrinkled his nose as he began twisting the knife deep into the table, "There are worse places you could be" he said with a sneer. She didn't know if this was a threat or a promise of what was to come.
Her thought was cut short as Butch hastily slid past the curtain. Oswald adamantly displayed his annoyance with the disruption. His usual calm demeanor was giving way to a curt flourish in his tone - "What is it now?" Butch whispered something to his side, she could only make out a name - 'Gordon'. Apparently it was of dire importance, because his mood shifted considerably to meet the man on the other side of the curtain. Oswald motioned for Victor to keep her quiet as he exited the room.
Oswald tried to put on his best airs of civility as he slinked through the curtain. "Old friend-" he stopped short when he noticed Harvey Bullock standing at Jim's side. His patience was already razor thin, as he tried to appease the pair: "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" Jim looked weary, annoyed at having to come to Oswald for another favor - "We're here about a missing girl." Oswald twitched as he eyed the pair, trying to conceal his guilt. "But...I thought you were with homicide?" He was a master of misdirection but Jim was quick to offer details, eager to end the conversation. "Apparently she has connections to some very important people in Metropolis" he rubbed his temple before continuing "-the commissioner has everyone on this case right now." Oswald nodded sympathetically, privately heaving a sigh of relief that there was no direct evidence for the pair to investigate his domain.
"Mind if we have a look around, junior?" Bullock never passed on the opportunity to shoot off a demeaning remark as he started making his way toward the curtain. Oswald quickly shot back "Wouldn't you be more interested in what's at the bar, Detective?" It was much easier to deter Harvey, his vices made him an easy target. "You know what?" Harvey stared Oswald down before giving him a quick flick on the nose "That's the best idea I've heard all night". While Harvey helped himself to the back of the bar, Jim attempted to offer a minute courtesy to his host. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I thought you might have heard something on the street."
Oswald dismissed the apology with the wave of his hand and gave a falsified assurance: "Think nothing of it. I'll be sure to let you know if I hear anything." His saccharine smile served to stifle his own nerves. Jim seemed satisfied as he went to collect his partner. Harvey had managed to stuff his trench coat with three bottles of top-shelf whiskey before Jim could usher him out of the lounge.
She had strained to catch bits and pieces of the conversation in the other room. Victor made it difficult to concentrate as he traced the tip of his gun against her cheek. This gesture seemed tame after experiencing Oswald's outburst.
She heard the uneven pacing of his footsteps as Oswald reentered the dining room. His rage had been replaced by a markedly different attitude. He appeared smug, a sly smile snuck across his face as he leaned against the table. Victor shot him a curious glance as he backed away from her chair. "Apparently-" Oswald leaned in close to her face, their noses almost touching "-some very important people in Metropolis are looking for you" Her heart sank hearing the name of the city she had left behind. The devious grin on Oswald's face only added to her despair. She knew who was looking for her, but she refused to speak his name. Her eyes betrayed this private dread, as Oswald tried to reconcile her reaction with the news.
He could sense her growing discomfort and offered a compromise - "It would be in your best interest to discuss this matter with me, upstairs" She nodded helplessly as Victor began unbinding her ties.