In harsh, hushed tones one of them explained we were going downstairs and if I struggled in any way they wouldn't hesitate to slash my throat. To dramatize his point, he simultaneously jerked my head back by my hair, exposed my neck, and applied a tad more pressure on the edge of his weapon against my skin. Barely able to stand, I was dragged down to Steve and Louise's dressing room. Once there I was thrown down and ordered to lay with my face towards the floor; I felt someone's foot smash into my back and my hands being bound by some sort of strong, sticky tape. Now constrained, I was allowed to sit up and face my assailants. In trying to digest my situation, I began to hyper-ventilate and shake uncontrollably; finally able to find a coherent voice I asked what they wanted. They replied by turning their heads toward the vanity table. Uncomprehending, I stared back with questioning eyes. The air was thick with a menacing silence which snapped when the scrawnier of the two stood over me and delivered several stinging slaps across my face. The larger one sat down at the console and popped open a secret door: there stood a very important looking safe. .
The next couple of hours I was interrogated thoroughly by the tiny, masked man. It was obvious they'd been watching the house for a few days because of the various details he questioned me about. I tried to clarify my position as a houseguest and my naiveté to the existence of the safe, much less the knowledge of how to gain access into it. Somehow I was able to prove that none of the family members were even in the country. I attempted to further reason with them by explaining that, given the Kornfeld's prolonged absence, anything of value was most likely in a bank vault. I was rewarded by additional physical abuse and the announcement that he was just going to wait for their return; or figure out a way to open the supposed treasure chest.
