Read Online Fuzzy Navel by J. A. Konrath - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J. A. Konrath
Tags: thriller
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right, because the unscarred half of her face smiles.
“Dr. Panko. Shorter than me, but the same hair color. She was a Freudian. Kept wanting me to talk about my parents. Saw me as a victim, a weak little girl who had been abused by the world. I had to fake a lot of tears in front of that bitch. It paid off.”
“You got her to trust you,” I say. As long as Alex is talking, she isn’t shooting.
“So much that she allowed me to get a job in the laundry room. On our next session I snapped her neck and put her body in the laundry cart. Not easy to do in handcuffs and ankle restraints. When I did laundry rounds that night, I dropped her off in my room, switched clothes with her, and set her on fire after spraying her with three cans of Lysol. Then I walked out of prison while everyone stood around watching the blaze. How did I do that, Jack?”
“You took her keys. Her ID.”
“Good. What else?”
I stare at Alex’s cheek. “You also took her makeup.”
“I needed a whole tube of concealer to cover up the scarring, and it wouldn’t have stood up to close inspection. But no one even bothered to look at me. They were all too jacked up about the tragic suicide. I found Panko’s car by pressing the alarm button on her key chain. She had this cute little gun in her glove compartment. A Freudian with a gun. I wonder if she ever thought about how ironic that was.”
I steal a glance at Mom. She seems out of it. In contrast, Latham appears alert and determined. I try to tell him how much I love him using only my eyes.
“So how did I convince the authorities that Dr. Panko was me?” Alex asks.
I think about my earlier calls to Heathrow, how they insisted the dead body was Alex.
“You somehow switched dental records.”
“Wrong.” Alex holds up the revolver. “Who do you want me to shoot, your mother or your fiancé?”
My stomach falls to my ankles. “Give me another chance. You’re smarter than I am.”
“No. Choose.”
I’m tempted to say
please
, but begging Alex won’t help the situation. She feeds off of weakness. I promise myself I won’t beg, no matter how bad it gets.
I look at Mom. She doesn’t meet my eyes. I wonder if she’s being strong, or if she’s gone someplace in her head. Then I look at Latham. He nods at me. My sweetheart is giving me permission to shoot him.
“I refuse to decide,” I say.
“Fine. Then I’ll do both.”
“Wait-!”
Alex points the gun at Latham and fires, then turns it on Mom and fires.
Two empty chambers, but something inside me breaks. The panic worms its way to the surface, and a soft whimper tears loose. I don’t want to cry, don’t want to let Alex see it, but some tears make it out anyway.
“Hmm,” Alex says. “What were the odds there? A forty percent chance one of them would die? Looks like you got lucky, Jack. Now try again. How did I convince the authorities that Dr. Panko was me?”
I have no idea. My brain is mush, scrambled eggs. I’m being forced to watch the people I love get killed. Alex will keep going until they both are dead, then she’ll start on me. How am I supposed to be able to think?
“The clock is ticking, Jack. You have five seconds.”
I make myself focus, make myself reason it out. If Alex didn’t switch records, there’s only one other possible way to get a positive dental ID.
“You… you pulled some of your own teeth, put them in her mouth.”
Alex claps her hands together.
“Bravo, Jack! But you make it sound so simple. It isn’t easy, yanking out your own teeth. Especially without any anesthetic. Those suckers are in there tight! I used a toothbrush. Rubbed the handle against the cement walls until it got sharp. Then I jammed it into my jaw and pried the roots out. Does this look infected to you? Be honest.”
Alex sticks her pinky into her mouth, pulls her cheek back. I see red, inflamed gums where teeth used to be, and her breath smells like meat gone bad. I turn away.
“Why did I do that,
“Dr. Panko. Shorter than me, but the same hair color. She was a Freudian. Kept wanting me to talk about my parents. Saw me as a victim, a weak little girl who had been abused by the world. I had to fake a lot of tears in front of that bitch. It paid off.”
“You got her to trust you,” I say. As long as Alex is talking, she isn’t shooting.
“So much that she allowed me to get a job in the laundry room. On our next session I snapped her neck and put her body in the laundry cart. Not easy to do in handcuffs and ankle restraints. When I did laundry rounds that night, I dropped her off in my room, switched clothes with her, and set her on fire after spraying her with three cans of Lysol. Then I walked out of prison while everyone stood around watching the blaze. How did I do that, Jack?”
“You took her keys. Her ID.”
“Good. What else?”
I stare at Alex’s cheek. “You also took her makeup.”
“I needed a whole tube of concealer to cover up the scarring, and it wouldn’t have stood up to close inspection. But no one even bothered to look at me. They were all too jacked up about the tragic suicide. I found Panko’s car by pressing the alarm button on her key chain. She had this cute little gun in her glove compartment. A Freudian with a gun. I wonder if she ever thought about how ironic that was.”
I steal a glance at Mom. She seems out of it. In contrast, Latham appears alert and determined. I try to tell him how much I love him using only my eyes.
“So how did I convince the authorities that Dr. Panko was me?” Alex asks.
I think about my earlier calls to Heathrow, how they insisted the dead body was Alex.
“You somehow switched dental records.”
“Wrong.” Alex holds up the revolver. “Who do you want me to shoot, your mother or your fiancé?”
My stomach falls to my ankles. “Give me another chance. You’re smarter than I am.”
“No. Choose.”
I’m tempted to say
please
, but begging Alex won’t help the situation. She feeds off of weakness. I promise myself I won’t beg, no matter how bad it gets.
I look at Mom. She doesn’t meet my eyes. I wonder if she’s being strong, or if she’s gone someplace in her head. Then I look at Latham. He nods at me. My sweetheart is giving me permission to shoot him.
“I refuse to decide,” I say.
“Fine. Then I’ll do both.”
“Wait-!”
Alex points the gun at Latham and fires, then turns it on Mom and fires.
Two empty chambers, but something inside me breaks. The panic worms its way to the surface, and a soft whimper tears loose. I don’t want to cry, don’t want to let Alex see it, but some tears make it out anyway.
“Hmm,” Alex says. “What were the odds there? A forty percent chance one of them would die? Looks like you got lucky, Jack. Now try again. How did I convince the authorities that Dr. Panko was me?”
I have no idea. My brain is mush, scrambled eggs. I’m being forced to watch the people I love get killed. Alex will keep going until they both are dead, then she’ll start on me. How am I supposed to be able to think?
“The clock is ticking, Jack. You have five seconds.”
I make myself focus, make myself reason it out. If Alex didn’t switch records, there’s only one other possible way to get a positive dental ID.
“You… you pulled some of your own teeth, put them in her mouth.”
Alex claps her hands together.
“Bravo, Jack! But you make it sound so simple. It isn’t easy, yanking out your own teeth. Especially without any anesthetic. Those suckers are in there tight! I used a toothbrush. Rubbed the handle against the cement walls until it got sharp. Then I jammed it into my jaw and pried the roots out. Does this look infected to you? Be honest.”
Alex sticks her pinky into her mouth, pulls her cheek back. I see red, inflamed gums where teeth used to be, and her breath smells like meat gone bad. I turn away.
“Why did I do that,