Dead Man's Grip

81

‘You’ve really upset my wife,’ Lou Revere said. ‘She’s pretty distressed already and so am I. I don’t know what you thought you’d achieve by coming, but we don’t want you here. You’re not welcome in our house.’ He stabbed his cigar at her. ‘I’m gonna show you out.’

‘Please just give me a chance,’ Carly said, her desperation making her sound on the verge of tears.

‘You had your chance, lady, when you were deciding whether to get into your automobile drunk or not. That’s more chance than my son had.’

‘It wasn’t like that, Mr Revere. Please believe me. It wasn’t like that.’

He stopped and for a moment Carly thought he was going to relent. Then he stabbed his cigar in even greater fury. ‘Sure it wasn’t like that, lady. We’ve had the toxicology report on our son from your police. He had nothing in him. Not one drop of alcohol, not one trace of any drug.’ He lowered his head like a bull about to charge. ‘How was your toxicology report? Huh? You wanna tell me how your toxicology report read? Tell me. I’m listening. You got my full attention.’

They faced each other in silence. Carly was trying desperately to find a way through to him. But he scared her. It was as if beneath his skin there was something venomous and feral. Outwardly he might be playing the role of a grieving father, but there was something truly chilling about him. She had met difficult people in her time, she’d had to deal with deep dislike, but she had never encountered anyone like Lou Revere. It felt as if she was in the presence of total, inhuman evil.

‘I’m listening,’ he repeated. ‘I’m not hearing anything, but I’m listening.’

‘I think maybe I should come back tomorrow,’ she replied. ‘Can I do that?’

He took another step towards her, quivering. ‘You come back,’ he said. ‘You come back – if you dare come within one hundred miles of my home, I’ll tear you apart with these.’ He held up his trembling hands. ‘You understand what I’m saying?’

Carly nodded, her mouth dry.

He pointed. ‘That’s the way out.’

Moments after she stepped out into the night, the front door slammed behind her.