Choke: A Thriller Page 3

  16.

  Vicki Lee has a noose around her neck. She is crying. The man, his hand clad in a black leather glove, holds a phone to her ear.

  Her voice trembles.

  “Vincent. Please help me. Hurry. I'm at thirteen...thirteen forty East Wright Street. Don't call the police. I'm in big trouble. Just come, please. I need your help.”

  The phone is taken away from Vicki and the man clicks the disconnect button. Vicki starts sobbing.

  17.

  “Vicki!”

  Vincent runs from his desk, yells to Nancy as he races by the receptionist's desk.

  “Call the cops, tell them to meet me at thirteen forty East Wright Street.”

  “East Wright Street? That's just a few minutes away.”

  “I know where it is, call the cops, Nancy!”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Vincent sprints to the Mercedes, drives quickly, gunning the powerful engine of his car, and taking corners with abandon. His tires squeal as he takes a corner, then he guns the engine again.

  He quickly passes into a neighborhood with older buildings and a lot of vacant lots.

  He slams on the brakes in front of thirteen forty East Wright Street. It is a tall, dilapidated brick building. There are iron bars over the windows, as well as the main doors.

  Vincent gets out of his car and looks around.

  The numbers 1340 are clearly visible over the main door of the building.

  Vincent rushes up the stairs and pushes against the doors. They are unlocked. He crashes through them and rushes inside.

  Inside the building, Vincent sees that it is completely deserted. There are no signs of anyone anywhere.

  Long hallways lead off from the main entrance, and a set of thick wooden doors faces Vincent. He approaches them.

  Vincent puts his hand tentatively on the door handle, it opens partially. He takes one more look down each hallway, then pushes the doors open.

  At first glance, the gymnasium seems empty. Vincent lets the door close. As it swings shut, he hears a sound from above.

  He looks up and sees an elaborate rope and pulley system that leads to the center of the room, high above Vincent's head. There, perched precariously on a beam, is Vicki Lee.

  The rope leads to her neck and duct tape covers her mouth.

  The rope, triggered by the closing of the door, is snapped upward, and it whiplashes, tightening along a line straight to Vicki Lee.

  The place is booby-trapped, Vincent thinks.

  As the rope takes up slack, the board beneath Vicki's feet shoots out from under her, and Vicki drops three feet, hitting the end of the rope with a vicious jerk.

  Hanging by her neck, with her hands tied behind her back, Vicki's feet start kicking wildly.

  Vincent is frozen by the sight. He starts shaking. Vicki's terrified eyes blaze at him, willing him to move.

  Finally, he snaps out of it.

  He looks at the rope above him, and tries to jump for it, but it's at least ten feet over his head. He starts to move in one direction, stops, then moves in another.

  He looks around the room, but there are no chairs, no ladders, nothing to help him reach the rope.

  Vicki continues to kick and thrash. He can see her face. It's turning blue.

  Vincent races to the big double doors, throws them open and screams down the hallway.

  “Help! Help!”

  He rushes back into the room and starts shaking again. His eyes follow the rope back to the door.

  He looks back at Vicki. She has stopped kicking. Her body's only movements are momentary convulsive jerks.

  Vincent opens the door, and locks it open, then climbs, using the door’s wide handle as a foothold. He reaches the top of the door, and stretches across it, teetering and nearly falling. He brings one leg up to the right, and manages to bring himself to a kneeling position on top of the door.

  He stands upright and gauges the distance to the rope overhead. Sweat has begun to pour down his face.

  He jumps and his right hand catches the rope. He swings his left hand up and starts climbing his way, hand over hand, toward Vicki.

  Halfway there, he throws his feet up and hooks them over the rope. Now he can climb faster.

  Vicki has stopped moving.

  With ten yards to go, Vincent sees that the rope runs through a hook in an adjoining beam. He studies it momentarily, then shifts one hand to the section of rope opposite the beam.

  He is now a good twenty feet above the floor.

  Vincent swings his feet up and braces them against a ceiling beam. Sweat is pouring down his face. The muscles in his arms and legs are burning. Straining, he manages to create a hint of slack in the rope.

  “Come on, come on!” he yells at himself.

  He pulls harder and now there is just enough slack in the rope to slip it from the hook. Vincent does just that and, now free from the hook, Vicki falls to the ground with a thud that sickens Vincent.

  Vincent manages to reach the same rope and slides down it fireman-style, landing next to Vicki.

  His hands are shaking and he's crying as he works to loosen the noose. Her eyes are wide open and unblinking. Even though the noose is off now, her face remains blue.

  “Vicki! Vicki!”

  He begins mouth-to-mouth.

  “Come on Vicki! Come on!”

  He keeps trying mouth-to-mouth, but Vicki shows no signs of reviving.

  Vincent hears the sound of sirens but they seem far away.

  He checks for Vicki’s pulse, but fails to find one. He hangs his head and starts sobbing.

  18.

  Vincent is sitting at a table while Detective Ponko paces in front of him. It is a typical interrogation room with a single overhead light and empty walls, save for a two-way mirror on one side.

  Ponko is a black woman with a hard, cynical look to her. She has neatly trimmed hair and her lips are thin.

  Vincent has already told his story to her at least three times and he is now waiting for his attorney to arrive.

  “So you won't tell me what you two talked about in your last session?” Ponko asks. Her tone is both sarcastic and suspicious.

  “Look, we've been over this, Detective,” Vincent says. His voice is hollow and all he wants to do is go back to his house, drink a huge glass of Scotch, and cry.

  “Humor me,” Ponko says, and folds her arms across her chest.

  “I'm a psychologist specializing in peak performance,” Vincent says. “Vicki is, was, a world-class figure skater. What do you think we talked about? Global warming?”

  “So you didn't get into her personal life? Wouldn’t that have to do with how well she was skating?”

  Vincent saw the obvious leading question for what it was. He looked toward the interrogation room door. “Where's my lawyer?”

  “He's on his way.”

  “You’ve been saying that for the last two hours. I'm not answering any more questions until he gets here.”

  “This is all off the record, Doctor. So tell me, did you get into her personal life?”

  Vincent knew nothing was off the record. He was sure the whole conversation was being recorded.

  “Look, I've already told you, when I treat a person, I treat the entire person, not just the athlete. Who a person is affects everything they do. So if someone comes to me wanting to improve their performance in whatever they do, you’re goddamned right we get into personal issues.”

  “What were Vicki's issues?”

  Vincent drummed his fingers on the table. He knew Ponko was just trying to wear him down, but it was working.

  “Look, I told you, she was a confident, happy, well-adjusted woman. Her dream was to go to the Olympics and bring home a medal. I was doing everything I could to help her achieve that.”

  “So you're saying she didn't really have any personal issues?”

  “Look, Vicki's personal issues, as you call them, were issues of organization, time management, not the kind of stuff you're
looking for.”

  “What exactly is it I'm looking for?”

  “Well, obviously not the killer otherwise you wouldn't be wasting your time with me.”

  “Sounds like I need some peak performance training, right? You wanna sign me up? You give seminars or something like that?”

  “Sure. The first thing we'd work on is to get you to start doing your job.”

  She stands and laughs, then looks at him.

  “I am doing my job.”

  Just then, the door to the interrogation room opens and in walks Ken Lamm, Vincent's attorney. He is sharply dressed and carrying an expensive briefcase. He looks at Ponko and Vincent, then holds the door open.

  “Come on Vincent, we're leaving.”

  “Thank God,” Vincent says, getting to his feet.

  The attorney looks at Ponko. “Everything you two talked about is inadmissible since you kept me cooling my heels out there for the last hour,” Lamm says.

  “I know. I know,” Ponko says. She hands Vincent a business card.

  “Here's my card. If you think of anything you may have forgotten, call me.”

  Vincent angrily snatches the card from her hand and is about out the door when the detective speaks again.

  “And Dr. Keyes?”

  Vincent stops at the sound of her voice.

  “If I find out you've got anything to do with Vicki Lee's death, you better hope your lawyer here is at the top of his game. 'Cuz you're gonna need him.”

  19.

  Vincent and his lawyer are standing on the sidewalk in front of the police building. In the background, there is a statue of Justice.

  “Talk to me, Ken.”

  “They've got nothing,” Lamm says. “They have no idea who did this, but they know they’re going to be under a ton of pressure to solve this one fast. Christ, Vicki was the hope of America in the Olympics. Can you imagine the publicity?”

  Vincent nods while his attorney checks his phone.

  “So why did she say that my lawyer better be good?” Vincent asks.

  “She meant nothing more than to intimidate you, Vincent. They don't think you did it, I mean come on. You get a call from Vicki, have your secretary call the cops, go there, then hang her? It makes no sense.”

  Lamm slides his phone back into the inside pocket of his suitcoat.

  “You don’t think they have any leads on who might have done this?”

  “I doubt it, otherwise they wouldn’t be putting on this big charade. Besides, I overheard someone saying that Vicki’s boyfriend has an alibi.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  Lamm looks at Vincent strangely.

  “Yeah, her boyfriend.”

  Vincent tries to appear nonchalant.

  “What's wrong?” Lamm says.

  “Nothing.”

  “No other suspects. Just you - the witness.”

  “Me the witness or me the suspect?”

  Lamm shrugs his shoulders.

  “Believe me, Vincent, the cops are looking into whether or not this was about you. In their minds, if you didn't do this, then the killer was probably there with Vicki, forcing her to make the call to you. Why you? They don't know. They do know, however, that the press is going to be all over them. With all the hype over her recent performances and the attention figure skating has been getting, Vicki was starting to become an icon for Asian Americans. Cereal boxes, endorsements, the whole thing.”

  “So what am I supposed to do, Ken?”

  “Sit tight. Let them do their jobs. At some point, the cops will want to sit down with you and take a formal statement. I'll be with you when that happens.”

  “Let me ask you something.”

  Lamm concentrates, as if he knew something was coming.

  “Let's just say that Vicki and I had...had more than just a doctor-patient relationship.”

  Lamm has his poker face on and shows no signs of surprise. “Well, for starters, there are no laws prohibiting that kind of relationship between psychologists and their patients, at least not in California,” he says. “So no legal trouble there. Ah, was there anything unusual about the extracurricular relationship? Was the boyfriend jealous? Did he threaten you?”

  “I didn't even know there was a boyfriend.”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “No.”

  “Then I think we should be open about it when it comes time to make your statement. If in fact, there was a relationship.”

  Vincent puts his hand on Ken’s shoulder.

  “Thanks, Ken. And thanks for getting here so quickly.”

  The two men start walking toward their cars.

  Another thought occurs to Vincent.

  “What about the incident with my car where Rachel and I almost died?” he asks. “Did the cops say anything about that?”

  “Just that they called the mechanic and he confirmed there were no signs of tampering,” Lamm says.

  “Of course not. Whoever's doing this is too smart for that.”

  “Like I said, the cops are considering all the angles. Don't get upset about Ponko giving you shit, she was trying to see if you'd get pissed and say anything she could use. It's not personal, she's just doing her job.”

  “I didn't do it, Ken. I didn't kill Vicki.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “This is about me. The car, the phone call from Vicki. Someone's doing this to me. And I have absolutely no idea why.”

  20.

  Rachel is sitting on her couch, watching the television. Her apartment is modern chic and very sparse.

  A Special Report is being broadcast.

  “There are no witnesses or suspects at this time, according to police sources,” the newscaster says. “Again, figure skater Vicki Lee, an Olympic hopeful, was found dead this afternoon. Although the police won't confirm, sources report that she was murdered.”

  Rachel looks oddly at the television set, as if she's thinking about something. She grabs the remote from the small glass table in front of her and clicks off the television set.

  She continues to stare at the television even though it's turned off.

  21.

  The basketball star's living room reflects Demetrius’s ten million a year salary. Bearskin rugs, expensive leather furniture, exotic African sculptures combined with Roman style columns between rooms. A big fire is going in the fireplace and the sound of loud hip hop music pounds throughout the house.

  The house is full, but because it's so big, it doesn't seem crowded. Partiers range from Brooks Brothers clad businessmen to hipsters wearing unlaced sneakers and gold chains.

  Demetrius is stretched out on a big couch, watching two of his friends play foosball. A gorgeous black woman is snuggled up next to him.

  The friends playing foosball are nicknamed Hamburger and Hot Dog. As expected, Hamburger is short and extremely fat, while Hot Dog is tall and thin. Both are dressed like they're from the street; sweat suits, gold chains, gold rings, and beepers.

  “I'm tellin' you, D, index funds are the shit. Instant diversification, low expense ratio. No 12b-1 fees. No headaches. You go as the market goes,” Hot Dog says.

  Hot Dog slams a shot on the foosball table to punctuate his point.

  “That’s bullshit. With an index fund you’re just playing it safe. Blue chips are the way to go.”

  Demetrius ignores the financial advice and gives the woman a long, deep kiss, then breaks apart from her. He stands up and lifts the girl into his arms.

  “Let's go somewhere private, baby.”

  He carries her into a bedroom as one of her stiletto heels falls to the carpet.

  22.

  Vincent is standing in front of a bookcase. In his hand is a glass of wine. The picture he is looking at is one of himself and Vicki, their arms around each other, standing in front of a beautiful sunset.

  It was taken in Cabo on a secret getaway. Vincent shakes his head, tries and fails to put the images of Vicki dying out of his mind.

 
; The phone rings, and Vincent puts the picture down, looks at his cell. He doesn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello,” Vincent says.

  “Vincent.”

  The voice is male. Vincent doesn’t recognize it.

  “Who is this?”

  “What took you so long, Vince?”

  “What are you talking about, I got it on the second ring. Who is this?”

  Vincent feels a tremor inside.

  “No, I mean what took you so long to help out our little friend Vicki,” the man on the other end of the line says.

  At the sound of her name, Vincent freezes.

  “The way I arranged it, if you had thought quickly, you had time to get her down safe and sound.”

  “Who is this?”

  Vincent feels himself panicking. He wishes he could call the cops.

  “What'd you do, stand around with your thumb up your ass?” the man mocks him.

  “I'm hanging up now,” Vincent says, even though he has no intention of doing so.

  “You probably froze, like you always do.”

  The man on the phone laughs.

  “Fuck you, I'm hanging up,” Vincent says through clenched teeth. “Who are you and why are you doing this?”

  “So what took you so long to get her down Vince? You didn't freeze up, did you? Did you choke just a little bit? Did your palms sweat? Breath get shallow? Did your hands shake, Vince?”

  “I don't know what you're talking about. I'm calling the cops right now.”

  “I'm sure Detective Ponko would love to talk to you.”

  Vincent, about to hang up, suddenly brings the phone back to his ear.

  “What did you say?”

  The killer laughs again.

  “Yeah, I know all about you Vincent. This Detective Ponko? I think she thinks you killed that little figure skater. And you know, technically, she's right.”

  “Who are you, you bastard?”

  “I'm the man who's going to teach you how to conquer your fears. I'm the man who's going to help you be the best that you can be.”

  The man laughs again, and then all Vincent hears is a dial tone.