S2W18: “Caught”

© 2022 Phylicia Joannis

Ryan poured Carmen another round of tequila in the staff quarters. He’d caught her at the end of her shift and was charming enough to convince her to have a drink before she went home.

They’d been drinking the better part of an hour now. He didn’t know quite where her stopping point was, but he needed information. So long as she kept talking, he kept pouring.

“So Carmen. How’d you end up working for the Ellisons?”

Carmen shrugged as she downed another shot. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She grinned, hair slipping gracelessly out of the bun on top of her head.

“Try me.” Ryan’s voice oozed with charm as he poured her another drink.

“I got this job by accident.” Carmen shrugged and reached for her drink, swirling it around before bringing it to her mouth. “Oh!” She put the drink down in a flurry of excitement. “Ryan, did you know I’m a writer? Pfft, trying to be, anyways.”

Ryan shook his head. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yes. I was trying to write a piece for a telenovela. You ever heard of La Pasion de los Ricos? I’ve been trying to join their writing team forever, but when I got an interview, the woman in charge called my writing naïve. She said I needed more, um.” she paused as Ryan poured her another drink. “Gracias. She said I needed more life experience. So I decided to do an immersion piece, you know, on a rich person’s life. I got a friend of mine to connect me with an agency, and she sent me to the Masons. But I got the address wrong, and I ended up here. I tried to explain to Mr. Ellison, but he took one look at me and said he’d find a spot for me here, no need to worry. I thought, one rich person is as good as another, right? No one told me Mr. Ellison is a pig.”

“Your interview didn’t give it away?” Ryan couldn’t help the jab.

“I should have known, right?” Carmen made a face as she sipped her drink. “I hate this place. But now I’m worried they might not let me leave.”

“Why’s that?”

Carmen shook her head as two other staff members entered the room. They both waited in silence until they left.

“I saw something today,” Carmen continued. “Something I shouldn’t have.” She looked earnestly at Ryan. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone?”

Ryan placed his hand on hers. “Of course, Carmen. You can trust me.”

“Sometimes I think you’re the only one I can trust in this house.” Carmen sniffed. “You and Janet, that is.”

Ryan leaned in closer. “What did you see?”

***

Philip closed the door to the staff quarters, careful not to alert Ryan and Carmen to his presence, then made his way down the hall toward Mrs. Ellison’s sitting room.

He thought he’d been careful, but apparently Carmen had seen him wrapping Miracle’s body in a bag. Mrs. Ellison didn’t like loose ends. He’d need to take care of her. He’d have to speak to Greg about his errand boy, too. He asked too many questions.

Philip grimaced as he stood in front of the door leading to Mrs. Ellison. He was used to doing her dirty work. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked him to get rid of a body.

But it was the first time she’d asked him to get rid of a kid.

It hadn’t set well with him. He’d packed her in the trunk of one of the cars and headed to the river, but when he got there, he couldn’t do it. He didn’t know who she was, but maybe she had a family. Maybe someone was looking for her. It’d take years to find her body, if it were found at all. A hard pill to swallow for someone looking for their kid, never knowing if they were dead or alive.

She’d said something that set off Mrs. Ellison. That made her dangerous. Still, Philip couldn’t just toss her away. At the very least, he could try to give her family some peace. He’d taken her body downtown instead, dropping her into a near-empty dumpster. It’d be a few days before a garbage truck came around. If nobody found her before then, too bad. He could only do so much.