Chapter 5 - No Proscenium (Greg Huff's POV) F/M, M/F [Part 6 of 7]
Greg looked down at the sight of his eldest daughter bound and gagged on the floor in the corner of the room. He now understood exactly what Lexi had gone through when she’d first seen him cuffed up and gagged in the storage room on the first floor. He was pretty sure that his face probably went through a lot of different expressions as he processed what he was seeing. He also had to admit that Harris and Jane were certainly right. Not many people ever got the chance to walk in on a bound and gagged hostage that needed rescuing. It was shocking. He certainly hadn’t expected it. And he KNEW that it could happen. He knew that he was at an immersive theater show where people could get tied up. He knew that his daughter had checked a box on a release form allowing herself to be captured and tied up. He knew that his daughter had come to a side room where these sorts of things happened, just like he had with Hazel. And he STILL wasn’t expecting this. It was still shocking to him. He felt a little foolish for not expecting it. But he figured that one doesn’t just walk into a room and expect to see a restrained captive. That’s not in the normal purview of most people’s lives. Certainly not his.
So the sight of his daughter tightly tied up on the carpet in the corner of this weird office / game room was certainly jarring to him. She looked like she had been putting up quite a struggle. Her blue dress was certainly a little more wrinkled than it was when last he’d seen her. Her stylish updo was starting to come undone and she looked to be sweating and panting. His daughter was a practical young woman. So since she knew that she’d be doing a lot of running around this evening she’d opted for a set of strappy black flats for footwear. The straps held the shoes to her ankles but her energetic struggling had dislodged the left shoe from her foot and the right one was well on it’s way to slipping off also. He also noticed that she looked to be tied up significantly tighter than he had been.
He'd had his hands cuffed over his head. And he’d been gagged. But there wasn’t a lot of rigamarole to his restraint. Lexi’s was different. She was hogtied. It seemed like a little bit of overkill for an unimposing, young woman who was a guest at your theatrical event. The hogtie didn’t look overly tight. But he couldn’t imagine how a human being would find such a position to be comfortable. He consoled himself with the notion that this is probably what Lexi wanted. Before he’d found out that his escape room employees were hosting their own little interactive bondage extravaganza behind his back, he couldn’t even have told you what a hogtie was. But now he knew. It looked like this. And it’s how his daughter had been instructing her co-workers to tie her during the escape room games that she was co-hosting. Despite the fact that all five of his day-to-day employees had agreed to be tied up for the part. Not all of them agreed to be hogtied. Kristin wouldn’t allow herself to be hogtied and Hannah and Luke usually went with a less restrictive tie-up. But this was apparently what Lexi liked. Greg found it to be insane. But that was Lexi.
As much as he thought that this might be something that she had been looking forward to, she did not look like she was enjoying it all that much. Her slightly disheveled appearance gave him the impression that she had been trying pretty hard to escape her restraints. And her eyes were beseeching him now to help her out. In case her eyes weren’t asking him efficiently enough, she let out another low, pathetic moan to try and invoke pity in her father’s heart
Lexi: Mmmppphhh hhhhmmmmmppphhhhh mmmmmmppphhhhhh.
Greg looked at his helpless, hapless daughter. Of course he was going to untie her. He wasn’t going to toy with her too much. But he hadn’t forgotten that she’d been a little snide with him when the roles were reversed.
Greg: I couldn’t quite catch that, Daughter. Was that an “Un Tie Me.?”
Lexi: Mmmmpppphhh hhhmmmmpppphhhh.
Lexi nodded vigorously in the affirmative. She apparently would VERY much like to be untied.
Greg: Shouldn’t there be a fourth syllable in there?
Lexi looked at him quizzically.
Lexi: Hhhmmmpppphhhh???
Greg: I meant. Shouldn’t there be a “please” in there? I know I taught you manners growing up. I remember doing it.
Lexi looked at him sheepishly before grunting a drawn out, apologetic “please”.
Lexi: Mmmmmppppppppppphhhhhhhhh!!!!
Or at least Greg thought it was supposed to be a "please". Good enough. He noticed that Lexi’s clutch and her phone were lying next to her on the ground. She had taken some compromising pictures of him on her phone. Maybe now was the time to delete those. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it in her current state. He picked up the phone and tried to swipe open her screen. It needed identification to open. Greg wasn’t sure if Face ID worked with a tape gag on. He wasn’t going to find out now. He knew her phone would open with her thumb print. He took his daughter’s bound hands and straightened out her thumb before pressing it over the appropriate sensor by the home button on her phone. The screen popped open. Lexi wiggled around in a panic, confused as to what he was doing.
Lexi: Hhhhmmmmmmpppppphhhhh?!?!!? Mmmmmmpppphhhhh hhhhmmmmmpppphhhh nnnnnmmmppppphhhhhh mmmmmmppphhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Greg: Relax, Daughter. I just have some compromising photos that I need to delete before I get you out of this.
Lexi’s eyes went wide. She shook her head vigorously and began to whimper and whine into her gag.
Lexi: Mmmmmmppppppphhhhh!!!!! Mmmmppphhhhhh mmmmmppppphhhh mmmmmmppphhhhhhh.
Greg was taken aback by her visceral reaction. Her eyes had gone very sad. She looked as though she might actually be about to tear up. Why? He had to stop. He couldn’t make himself delete the photos. He was in her camera roll. He took a look at them. They weren’t quite as humiliating as he thought. He did look ridiculous, but they were actually a little bit funny. And clearly his daughter did NOT want him deleting them. He looked at her and decided that he could maybe let her keep them assuming she followed some rules.
Greg: You don’t want me to delete these?
Lexi: Nnnnmmmmpppphhhhh mmmmmpppphhhhhhh.
She shook her head sadly and pleaded with him with her bright blue eyes.
Greg: Fine. But you don’t share these with anybody that you shouldn’t. Family and CLOSE friends only. And you don’t send them to anybody. They stay on this phone. Do I make myself clear, young lady?
Lexi: Mmmmmpppppphhhh hhhhhmmmmpppppphhhhh!!!!
Lexi’s eyes immediately rebounded from panicked to delighted. It was that easy.
Greg: And I’m sending one of you to your mother also. She’d never forgive me if I didn’t capture this important life moment for you.
Lexi glared at him but nodded her ascent. Greg took the phone and aimed it at her. Lexi’s eyes shot wide and she began to grunt loud yelps of trepidation into her gag.
Lexi: Mmmmmmmmmppppphhhhh!!!!! Mmmmmppppphhhhh!!!!! Nnnnmmppppphhhh!!!!!
Greg knew that she was just acting. Trying to give her mother a good picture. Greg snapped a couple and then opened her texts. He put the best picture in the text field and typed “Another fine mess I’ve gotten myself into.” below it. Then he sent the text. He put down the phone and began to peel the tape off of his daughter’s mouth. What he had thought had been a single strip of tape was actually about four overlapping strips. There was little wonder as to why she was almost entirely unintelligible. As he slowly peeled the very sticky tape off of her cheeks she spat out a dark purple rag onto the carpet.
Lexi: I’m really sorry. I now realize the error of my ways. I shouldn’t have played all bratty with you earlier. Could you please untie me quickly? Please. Please. Please. Father.
Greg: Of course.
Greg began to untie his daughter. Starting with her wrists. He figured that if her wrists were free, they could untie her quicker together. Greg couldn’t help but notice that his daughter appeared somewhat despondent. He now was growing a little worried. He didn’t like it. She’d been so into the events of the evening earlier. Her giddy excitability had been contagious. But now she looked beat. She looked spent. She looked defeated. And he couldn’t help but think that it had to do with the bondage ordeal that she had just endured. He was growing angry. Sure, she thought that she’d wanted it. But No Proscenium had rattled his little girl. This was not OK.
Greg: Is everything alright, Daughter?
Lexi: Yeah. I’m fine.
Greg: Really? Because you look like somebody just kicked your puppy. I thought you wanted to be tied up. I thought that was part of the thrill for you.
Lexi: I did. I really did.
Greg: Did the person who did this get too rough? Because I will show them what it-
Lexi: No. Father. That’s not it. They were a perfect gentlemen. It’s just WHEN they tied me up. I thought I was SOOOO close. I’d figured out most of the puzzle. I was on the right track. But then I got captured and I’ve spent the last twenty minutes uselessly rolling around and struggling in here. We’ve only got about ten minutes left and I won’t have nearly enough time to chase down my leads. I’ll have to take some sort of educated stab in the dark. I’m going to LOSE. And I’m going to lose because I got captured. I can’t help but think that they KNEW I was close and were trying to stop me. Drew and I already attended the later show and I already didn’t win that one, the 9:15 show. I really, really wanted to win this one. It was my last chance. They aren’t going to write a new show for like two to three more years. Until enough people have done these two.
Greg had just finished untying his daughter’s wrists and hogtie. He now moved down to her ankles while she was shaking off her upper body ropes and grabbing at the knots on her upper legs.
Greg: Sounds like a good business model to me. Offer your customers a prize and then trick them into allowing you to physically stop them from claiming it. That’s why you DON’T check the box.
Lexi: But you get better clues if you do check the box. Like the deed that Delilah slipped into your pocket.
Greg: You tracked that down?
Lexi: I sure did. I really felt like I was closing in on things. I know the HOW. I’ve narrowed the WHO down to three suspects. But I only know part of the WHY. It has something to do with providing for their family. I think it’s got to be either Senator Fox, Owen Grant, or Betty Dumont. But none of them are from San Diego County and I can’t make the motives match up. The thief has to have been born in San Diego County. That was one of the major reveals. Only Delilah Forsythe, Rita Duvall, and Colin Woods are from San Diego County and all of them have airtight alibis.
Greg: What about Clyde Holloway?
Lexi: Clyde Holloway!?!? The host. Why would he rob his own trust? I told you I found out that the thief stole the money to help out his family. Holloway would be robbing the trust that goes to his own children.
Greg: His own LEGITIMATE children. But it was set up by their grandfather. His father-in-law. Maybe he wanted to give some of it to his secret child.
Lexi: What secret child?!?! Holloway has a secret child?!?!
Greg: Yeah. I think it’s Delilah. I think he’s the secret benefactor that paid for her piano lessons growing up and that secretly sent her money.
Lexi: Father. That makes ABSOLUTELY no sense. He’s only like 16 years older than her.
Greg: I know. It was a teen pregnancy. Her mother died in child birth. She was a high schooler here in San Diego County. She told me while she was frisking me to leave that envelope. I thought it was kind of weird that you’d tell a man about your dead mother with your hand on his hip and whispering all seductively…but this shit is weird.
Lexi: And she told you that Clyde Holloway is her father?!?!?!?
Greg: No. Of course not. She has no clue who her father is.
Lexi: So. What makes you think it’s him?
Greg: Context clues. Various little things throughout the night. It just kind of makes sense to me.
Lexi: It makes NO sense. NO sense whatsoever. She was born down here in Southern California in 1944. Clyde Holloway didn’t even move out here until 1960. He attended prep school, university, and law school in Massachusetts. He was born in Boston.
Greg: No. He was born here. In El Cajon.
Lexi: What!?!?! He told me he was born in Boston. Like a dozen people have confirmed it. Including every single actor in the company. They wouldn’t give you information like that and have no way of revealing it as false. I’ve spoken with every actor about their relationship with Clyde. He’s from Boston. Did he tell you he was from El Cajon?
Greg: No. He told me that he was from Watertown, Massachusetts. Basically Boston. But let’s be specific.
Lexi: OK. Watertown. So why do you think he’s from El Cajon?
Greg: Because he told Monty he was from El Cajon. He told him that he likes to hide his true background from all of the stuffy blue bloods at these parties. They care about heritage and upbringing and legacy so he pretends like he’s one of them. But he’s really just a poor kid from a broken home in El Cajon who made it out. That’s also where I got the information that he had a high school girlfriend who died during childbirth. I just kind of GUESSED that that might be Delilah’s mom. I’m not basing that on anything else really.
Lexi: Ho. Lee. Shit!!
Greg: Language, Daughter.
Lexi: That is genius.
Greg: What is genius?
Lexi: I’ve been going around focusing on the paid actors. I knew one of them had to be the culprit. I knew that they had the information I needed. I didn’t bother to think that some important information would ONLY be released to certain guests. There’s only like six blue collar characters and they’re ALL paying guests. In order to solve the mystery you NEED to talk to the other guests. Engage with them. You can’t just chase the actors that you know are part of the main story.
Greg: That is pretty genius.
Lexi: So your chat with Monty WASN’T a tremendous waste of 45 minutes. It was the KEY!!
Greg: Hey. I made a friend, Daughter. There’s nothing wasteful about that.
Lexi: What time is it?
Greg: Let me check my totally non-anachronistic pocket watch.
He pulled out his cell phone and saw that it was 8:23.
Greg: 8:23.
Lexi: We’ve got seven minutes. I have to get to Clyde Holloway. Come with me.
Lexi shook the last of the ropes off of her. She then hastily slid her shoes back onto her feet properly and bolted up to a standing position. Greg followed his daughter as they made a mad dash out of the side room and out onto the upper landing. She scurried down the stairs holding the hem of her dress so she didn’t trip on her way down. Greg already knew what they were looking for. Lexi got to the bottom of the stairs and turned right. But he’d already seen Clyde at the other end of the room.
Greg: Lexi.. Crap… I mean Lillian. Ms. Fuller.
Lexi turned. Greg pointed.
Greg: He’s that way. Back corner.
He’d seen Clyde’s trademark mustache from a distance as they were descending the stairs. It didn’t hurt that he was standing near Hazel LeFontaine. He promised himself he wasn’t scanning for her…but she was exceedingly eye catching. And Clyde Holloway had been the closest person to her. They were talking with a blonde woman. Lexi and Greg approached the actor right as the blonde woman began to walk away. She had a disappointed look on her face. Lexi sauntered right up to him and spoke in a hushed tone. Greg stood silently right next to her.
Lexi: Mr. Holloway. While I appreciate the invite to such an exquisite party such as this one…I don’t think it’s very nice of you to steal from your own family’s trust fund. And I’m sure the insurance investigators won’t think that it’s too nice either.
The actor playing Clyde Holloway smiled at her condescendingly. But there was a noted sense of intrigue in his gaze. He replied to her in a hushed whisper.
Clyde: That’s quite an accusation there, Ms. Fuller. But I’m afraid that I was having dinner with Senator Fox and Lady Henderson when the money was stolen.
Lexi: The money wasn’t stolen Thursday evening. You forged fake orders to the courier which caused him to accidentally switch the money with a delivery to Mr. Stewart. You then broke in and took the erroneous delivery from Mr. Stewart’s house the next evening and made a drop to Mr. Demetrio to have the money laundered and distributed.
Greg wasn't following any of this. Clearly Lexi had figured A LOT out on her own.
Clyde: Why would I do that? Not all of the money was insured. Surely, a rapscallion like Vinny Demetrio would take a cut. I’d be stealing from my own family to provide for my own family. It doesn’t make fiscal sense. And you can have the investigators check all my bank accounts. They’ll find no extra money or payments from Vinny Demetrio or anybody else that doesn’t make total fiscal sense.
Lexi: That’s because the money isn't going to you or any of your accounts. It’s going to your illegitimate daughter Delilah Forsythe. If she can finally fund her tour this summer, she’ll get to travel the world and have the life she always wanted. You’ve always wanted to be able to take care of your daughter without revealing your true sordid past to all of your high society friends.
Clyde smiled maniacally as Lexi laid all of this out for him.
Clyde: I see, Ms. Fuller. You’re quite the smart cookie. You’ve been on to my scheme for quite some time. I was hoping that convincing Colin Woods that you were the potential whistleblower on his counterfeiting operation might slow you down. But I see you managed to wriggle your way out of that danger somehow.
Greg was guessing that Colin Woods had tied up his daughter on the erroneous intel from Clyde Holloway.
Lexi: I may have had a little help.
She elbowed Greg in the ribs. He beamed proudly.
Clyde: Well. If I can’t beat you, then I guess that I have no choice but to negotiate with you. You’re the only person so far that has figured me out. And I’d like to offer you a little hush money to not tell any of the other guests. But I have a feeling that they’re all going to find out just how smart you are in about 3 minutes. So please take this as a bribe if you will. I’ll be making my escape as soon as the clock strikes 8:30.
Clyde pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to Lexi. She opened it and Greg could see that it was a letter of Congratulations and two free vouchers to a future No Proscenium show. Lexi was absolutely beaming. He’d been her father for 24 years and he’d only seen a smile this big from her maybe a dozen times in his life. She turned and gave him a big hug.
