AZOTUSLAND Chapter Ninety-Six

When Jim and Maugham got back they parted quietly with a hug and Maugham slung his bag over his shoulder and started up the hill. Jim diverted to the North side and swung through the Gallery. Hans was still sweeping up.

"Hi Hans, how are you?"

"Just Perfuckt," Hans said gruffly.

When Jim entered Silo two he was tired. He walked to his desk but on the way called out down the way to Ted "Big enough desk?"

Ted started to protest and explain and Jim held is hand up and said "It's fine Ted...I told you to pick out what you wanted. Looks fine. Now I am tired. Please do stay but I'm gonna watch the news and have a drink.

He had a glass of Bordeaux and slumped into his chair and grabbed the controller and made HAL dish up CNN.

***********

When Maugham walked into their place Martine came and hugged him and he felt awkward. She could see his troubled sadness and she tried to be upbeat "Hey Jim wants us to take some days off and go to the coast." Maugham slumped back on the bed and said "could you just come lay down next to me and hold me?" Then he fell asleep for an hour and she lay there wondering what had happened to her man and what he had possibly done.

The next morning they got up early and packed quietly and got in her Cabrio without talking to anyone and headed for Inverness to a place Rich had mentioned to Martine while Maugham was gone.

Martine had been with other men but not one as good but also complex at Maugham. She tended to let him come to it on his own. So they just drove.

In the morning Jim came into the Big Room and asked Manfred to meet him for lunch and said that Dirk would fill in. Then Jim went down and visited with Andy for awhile just lounging.

Ted showed up early and enjoyed that he had a key. He went through the books and started to stack a bunch on his new desk and setup. He brought in his laptop and setup his wifi connection in a secure fashion.

Templar showed up after a week's hiatus and was soundly greeted. He had been in the Bahamas on a "case" and all had worked out well, so he was back now. Jonathan came by and Templar agreed to come and see him on Saturday at the Comedy Club with a date.

Hans walked out of the gallery, which had not been visited much lately and went and sat on the cement wall and smoked a cigarette. Then he took some croquet balls and started to roll them down the ramp. He wondered what it was he was looking for. He liked Azotus and his job, but he felt unfulfilled on other levels. Just then Jonathan walked by and in a perfect impersonation did both Bond and Q "Balls Q? Bollos 007, bollos."

*********

When they got to the retreat house in Inverness it was still early and foggy. Martine and Maugham walked in the bottom door and she went and used the bathroom that was made of stone.

Maugham walked around and a lot of books were on the shelf. He looked at the titles and they seemed pretty boring and of no real interest. Jack, the caretaker came in and introduced himself and Maugham told him they had been sent ahead by Rich and that seemed good enough. They asked for the room above the chapel that Rich had recommended and when Martine returned jack walked them up past the "quiet floor" to the top room. It had too beds and once Jack had excused himself Maugham pushed them together.

She shut the door and looked out what was like a captains cabin of an old pirate ship. Hardwood, glass windows all around. Maugham looked at her hungrily and she came over and lay on top of him and kissed him. "Don't you mind we are over a chapel?"

"Jim says God invented love and sex," Maugham said, then kissed her hard and wrapped his long arms around her and she moaned. Then suddenly he stopped and fell back and looked up with some torment.

"What is it? Talk to me Maug."

"Yer not gonna like it," he said, "cuz I hate it."

She got up and sat on the floor and said "I'm here."

He got up and sat on the floor to the side of her and he groped for words.

"It was ugly Marty," he said finally. "She was laying in wait for Hart and I showed up, only she had turned out the lights. She didn;t know it was me at first. I freaked out in the dark. I mean I did and I didn't. I don't do well with the dark, you know that. You know how we always argue about leaving the candles on?"

"Yeah."

"Well this was like being in a dark, very dark place with a malevolent spirit..like confronting your own death or something...plus I knew from Hart that she had a gun nearby."

She took his hand and stroked it lightly. "What happened?"

"I pretended to be Hart for a moment." he said looking off.

"What does that mean? Did you sleep with her?"

"No, I didn't no way. But I felt a rage well up inside me...one I do not understand and it's fucking me up in the head."

Maugham noticed that Martine had not removed her hand. This gave him more courage.

"It was dark and she wanted "Steven" (he did the quotes motion) in bed and she was obviously naked. I had expected her clothes in the light but I had Hart's gun so I pretended to be him and slipped the gun under the bed."

"You got in bed with her naked?"

"I had my shorts on," he said quickly.

"Well thank God for that," she said and took her hand back.

"I didn't say this was easy," he said defensively. Look I am deeply disturbed by this, so can I just finish? I just need you to be my friend for awhile, okay?"

"Okay," she said wiping away a tear.

"Things went bad once she knew it was me. I switched on the light and held her at bay."

"Naked."

"Yes...look she came that way."

"Here is the worst part," he said sadly.

"Twice she tried to bite or fight back in a violent manner. The fiorst time I had her arms and I gave her a warning shot with my forehead. The second time I kinda lost it and game her a real knock."

"So you were on top of her while she was naked and you head-butted her?"

"Yes. But it gets worse."

Martine got up and paced the room and started to cry. "How could you?!"

Maugham started to cry as well and held his face in his big hands.

"Can I just finish and get it over with? If you like I can take you home afterwards but I love you and I need to tell you the truth. You can do with it what you will!" he said in a moment of self-pity.

"She looked at him in anger but then softened and sat down. He tried to wipe her face "Don't!" she said. "Just talk."

"I know she had the gun but not where it was in the room, just in her purse. I knew if she got it she would simply shoot me. So I rolled off and got to mine first. I have no idea if I could have shot her but my whole demeanor had been somewhat savage."

"I'll say."

"I had to deliver the message so she would go away for good," Maugham said tersely. But she was still dangeous...very dangerous and the gun was still in the room. I could not afford a mistake, so I tied her up."

"Naked?"

Maugham felt that best to clean it all out and let it be. I she was gonna hate him then so be it.

"I pointed the gun at her and ordered her to roll over then I used my belt to tie her hands behind her back and used a long pillow case to gag her."

"Well aren't you fun on a Sunday night...got plans for me?"

"This was serious...she would have shot me if I made the least mistake...that what you want?"

She bite her lower lip and said nothing.

"Look once I had both guns it went a lot smoother," he said.

"Right, naked tied up woman who has been head-butted twice and you have two guns. I could see why you felt you had the upper hand," Martine said. She, somewhere sensed she was being unfair, but she was hurt.

"Then I negotiated with her and untied her and asked her to get dressed, which she did."

"Then what?"

"There was a heated exchange, then she tried to come on to me."

"Yes, well some women like that stuff a lot...just not me."

"I told her she was like death, then what we had all agreed upon before hand and she bought it. Hart had everything cancelled and we left her with no options as agreed. I was not dealing with a total human being...more like a dangerous animal...you know that."

Martine stood up and said "You're a pretty dangerous animal yourself," and left out the door and down the stairs.