The Dead Room

64

Jamie could no longer see clearly. Kevin Reynolds had wasted no time in hitting her after she’d refused to answer his questions about the whereabouts of his partner, Ben Masters. Reynolds had hit her face so many times her eyes had almost completely swollen shut. When she still refused to answer, he kicked her in the chest so hard her chair had toppled against the floor, where she screamed the word ‘stay’ the entire time.

Thank God for Michael. Michael had kept his cool. Michael was still hiding, protecting his brother instead of trying to be a hero.

Reynolds had kicked again and again – in the stomach, in the shins; he had slammed his foot down against her hand and broken several of her fingers. Finally her mind snapped from the excruciating pain and she admitted to killing Ben Masters. It shamed her, admitting this. Reynolds wanted details. Wanted to know how she had killed him and where she had buried him. She came close to saying it. She was delirious with pain and could no longer think clearly. And in the midst of all of this her mind clutched the brass ring, the only thing that was keeping her alive: the location of Ben’s body. She had to convince Reynolds and Humphrey to take her out of the house so they could drive to the location of the body. Once the house was empty, the kids would be safe, and Michael could call the police.

Jamie lay sideways against the floor, struggling to breathe. She was pretty sure Reynolds had broken several of her ribs.

‘Take… you,’ she said.

Reynolds stood somewhere in front of her. She could hear his sneakers pacing the carpet near her head, and he was breathing hard – not from the physical exertion but from anger.

‘Take,’ she said again. ‘Take… ah… ah… you.’

Humphrey said, ‘She’s speaking.’

Jamie cracked an eye open and saw Reynolds’s blurry shape leaning close to her.

‘What’s that, hon?’

‘Take… you… ah… there.’

‘I want you to tell me where he is.’

‘Take… take… you.’

Humphrey said, ‘Let her take us there, Kevin. What’s the harm?’

‘I still don’t believe her,’ Reynolds said. ‘I think she’s got him stashed away somewhere. I’m smelling a trap. This cunt is real crafty, was going to ambush me this morning. Ain’t that right, sweetheart?’

Reynolds leaned in closer. ‘You were a cop. You know who Ben is, don’t you? Your husband told you, I know it. Ben’s worth more to you alive than dead. You call one of your friends on the force and tell them what you saw in the basement?’

Jamie licked her lips. It took a great effort to speak. ‘No.’

‘You’re more stubborn than your husband. But I’m aiming to fix that.’

Jamie thought she heard a car door slam shut.

Humphrey said, ‘Clean-up crew is here.’

‘Tell them to pull into the garage,’ Reynolds said. ‘I want to load her into the van.’ Footsteps walked past her and then she felt Reynolds grip the back of her chair and pull her up into a sitting position.

Now she felt his breath, heavy with booze and cigarettes, against her ear. ‘I’m going to get you to talk. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do, one way or another, you’re going to tell me every little detail.’