Collin
Franklin stood before the jury with his hands in his pockets. He seemed so casual, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Collin knew it was because he didn’t. Franklin knew the jury would find him guilty. This whole “trial” was a sham. The old man was going to get his way in the end, but by allowing the so-called jury to make the decision for him, he could place the responsibility for Collin’s death at their feet, rather than at his own. At least, that was the only explanation he could come up with as to why Franklin didn’t just go ahead and kill him and be done with it. Especially since he knew that detective was looking for him and might show up any minute with a SWAT team.
As Franklin gave the jury their admonition about how to deliberate and not-so-subtly hinted at the outcome he was hoping for, Collin found himself praying for the first time in a long time. He prayed the police would find him before this whole farce was over with. He prayed that, by some miracle or act of God, the jury might actually find him not guilty. He prayed that if he was found guilty, the penalty they imposed would at least be swift and painless. But deep down, he knew all his prayers were futile. Franklin was going to get what he wanted in the end, which meant Collin’s hours were numbered.
When Franklin finished his dramatic soliloquy, he turned to Collin, jerked him up by the elbow, and led him past the jury and toward the door at the back of the warehouse.
“Where are you taking me?” Collin asked. His heart was racing as Franklin dragged him through the doorway.
“Don’t worry,” Franklin said with a satisfied smile. “I’m not going to kill you. Not yet, anyway. We just need to give the jury some privacy to deliberate.”
Franklin opened another door which led to what had apparently once been an office of some sort. He shoved Collin down into a padded chair in the corner of the room, then walked around a large desk and sat in the black leather rolling chair behind it.
A large metal filing cabinet sat behind the desk, many of its drawers open and empty. On top of the desk was an old, green lamp. There was nothing else in the room besides a clock hanging on the wall which had apparently stopped telling time at twelve thirty-five many years prior.
“So,” Franklin kicked his legs up on the desk and crossed one foot over the other, “how do you think the trial is going so far?”
Collin didn’t answer. The last thing he wanted to do was chit chat with the man who wanted to kill him slowly. He stiffened his jaw and looked toward the window to his left. When he saw it, he instantly wondered if he could break the glass and escape before Franklin could stop him.
The old man must have read his mind. “I wouldn’t even bother if I were you. It’s tempered glass. Not easy to break. And besides, Bruno’s waiting right outside this door with a gun. He’ll shoot you in the back before you get through to the other side. Not quite the way I want you to die, but I guess if you push me, I’ll have no choice.”
Collin looked at Franklin with contempt burning in his eyes. His nostrils flared, and he felt heat emanating from his skin. He balled his hands up and squeezed them tightly. There was nothing else he could do.
“Oh, calm down, Collin. It’ll all be over soon enough.”
“Just kill me and get it over with,” Collin growled.
“I would,” Franklin said with a Cheshire Cat grin, “but what would be the fun in that? Besides, you deserve much, much worse than a quick and painless death.”
“Why do you care? Those girls meant nothing to you.”
“First, I do care. I didn’t know those girls, but I know what it feels like to lose someone you love to a monster. Second, it’s not just about them. You thought you could use my granddaughter to manipulate me into doing what you wanted. That was your worst mistake.”
“I didn’t kill her.”
“No,” Franklin said with a tilt of his head. “You didn’t kill her. But you kidnapped her, took her to your creepy little lair, and chained her to the wall like an animal. Not to mention the fact that you would have killed her, had I not shown up when I did. I can’t let you get away with that.”
Collin’s shoulder throbbed, and he wondered if it was becoming infected since he’d had no antibiotics and barely any bandaging. He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “All right. You win. What do you want from me?” He hated to grovel, but it might be his only chance to get out of this alive if that detective didn’t find him in time.
Franklin threw back his head and let out a deep, throaty laugh. When he was done, he shook his head. “There’s nothing you can say or do to stop this, so accept your fate. It’s your best option. You must pay for everything you’ve done.”
“And what about you?” Collin asked, anger suddenly overcoming his nervousness.
“Me?” Franklin put his hand to his chest. “What about me?”
“What about what you’ve done? You’re no innocent victim. You killed my father in cold blood!”
“I only did what any man in my position would have done. Any man with balls, that is. Most people talk about getting revenge when their loved one is murdered, but I took action.” He lowered his feet to the ground and leaned forward with his palms on the desk. “Your father kidnapped, raped, and murdered my girlfriend. She was only eighteen. You might not know what it’s like to love someone, but I do. She wasn’t only the love of my life, we grew up together. And your father treated her worse than an animal. He used her and killed her and dumped her body in the river. Now, you tell me that your father didn’t get exactly what he deserved.”
Collin couldn’t argue. He knew what his father had been. But that didn’t give Franklin Cartwright the right to execute him. All the grief and misery Collin had experienced throughout his life came as a result of this man’s actions.
“What? Cat got your tongue?” Franklin asked.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? Would it make a difference?”
“It might,” Franklin said matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, Collin felt as if there might be hope for him. Could it really be that simple? He wasn’t sorry. Not one bit. But if saying he was meant staying alive, why on earth would he not at least try? He sighed heavily.
“All right. I’m sorry.”
“For…”
“I’m sorry for what my father did to your girlfriend. I’m sorry for taking your granddaughter and for hurting her.”
There was a moment of pregnant silence. Collin stared at his feet. He couldn’t look up at Franklin, afraid he’d see how insincere he was. The more time that went by without the detective banging down the door and rescuing him, the less likely it became that he would make it out of this warehouse alive. Not only that, he knew he would suffer tremendously. So, if it meant he got to live, it was worth it.
After a few more seconds dragged on, Collin lifted his head and looked at the old man. He was staring at Collin with squinted eyes as if he were really considering what he’d said. Maybe it had worked. Maybe that was all he’d wanted to hear all along. For the first time since Franklin had dragged him out of The Vault, he felt like there might be hope for him.
Finally, his eyebrows narrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak. “Do you really think sorry is enough? Do you really think there are any words you could say that would make up for the pain and misery you’ve caused, not only me and Addie’s family, but six other families, as well?”
So, he’d just been toying with him. Buying time while the jury deliberated his fate. He never had any intention of letting Collin go. He just wanted to hear him apologize. He probably wanted to hear him beg too. Well, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Collin lifted his chin and pursed his lips.
“Nothing else to say?” Franklin asked. “Well, that’s okay. Unless you want to give your last confession. You’re a Catholic, right?”
Collin didn’t answer him. What was the point of saying anything? The old man was just playing with him the way a cat played with a mouse before he finally sank his teeth into its neck.
“Okay, fine. Be that way. You don’t have to say another word if you don’t want to. But I’m going to tell you a little secret. Something no one knows. Maybe once you hear what I’m about to tell you, you’ll understand exactly why I killed your father. Are you ready? It’s kind of a big deal.”
Collin didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore. He was going to die soon, and probably in a slow and painful way. The past was irrelevant. So was the future.
“You see, Addie wasn’t just my girlfriend. She was carrying my child. I was going to be a father. So, you see? It makes perfect sense. Not only did your father steal away the best thing that ever happened to me, my reason for living, but my child as well. So, I stole him away from his child. It’s kind of poetic, don’t you think?”
Collin lunged out of his seat, over the table, and crashed into Franklin. He was seeing red, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. His hands, which were still bound together by rope, just managed to fit around Franklin’s neck. Collin squeezed with all his might. He was exhausted from lack of sleep and food, and the pain in his shoulder was unspeakable, but the rage that poured through him in that moment made him stronger than he’d ever been. If he was going to die, he was going to do his best to take the old man out with him.
The door crashed open and Bruno bounded across the room, wrapped his arms around Collin’s waist, and pulled him off Franklin. Collin’s heart was beating a million beats per minute and his pulse pounding at his temples as Bruno slammed him back down into the chair. Franklin struggled to breathe normally again and pulled at the collar of his shirt. It was satisfying to see the old man so rattled. Now maybe he’d have Bruno put a bullet in his head and be done with it.
The brute held Collin down with all his body weight and turned to his boss. “Want me to kill him? I’ll shoot him right now. All you have to do is say the word, boss.”
Franklin shook his head. “No. Don’t kill him. His time is coming. He’ll get what’s coming to him. Now I’ll just enjoy it even more.”
Collin turned to see Oliver standing at the doorway looking confused and nervous.
“What is it, Oliver?” Franklin said, still breathing heavily.
“The jury, sir. They’re done deliberating.”
“They have a verdict for me?” Franklin asked as he stood upright.
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, all right, then. That was fast.” He turned to face Collin. “Let’s go see what the jury has decided. Are you ready to find out exactly how you’re going to die?”