though my entire brain
casing had shifted.
‘Bastard!’ I screamed. ‘You
murdering bastard! ’
He had released one of my arms. I
darted my hand at his face, scrabbling for his eyes. I had the satisfaction of
seeing a line of blood run before he brought the crushing weight of his arm
across my throat. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. My eyes felt as though
they would burst.
‘You stupid little cunt! You’ve got
everything screwed up! You think I’m going to let your crap ruin my
life? Think I don’t know about the stuff you used to say about me behind my
back to Mona? Think I don’t know how much you’d like to see me take the
rap for this?’ He had my head in both hands, squeezing. ‘Gonna fix that mouth
of yours, baby shoes. Gonna make you squeal.’
There was a shadow, like a great
bird flying over us. I thought my vision was failing. Then a noise like a
cricket ball hitting a bat.
With a grunt Brent jerked and rolled
to the side. I slithered away as he tried to rise to his hands and knees,
shaking his head like a wet dog.
The black shadow swooped again and
struck him in the face. I heard his neck snap back. With a strangled noise, he
fell face first into the gravel.
And lay very still.
For a long moment I watched him
warily, too frightened to let my gaze waver in case he rose up again. But he
was intensely still.
I looked up.
The girl who had been with Max and
Ron was standing there, her suitcase clutched in both hands, long, silvery hair
hanging like a torn curtain.
The dark, slanted eyes looked at me
without emotion.
‘I am sorry,’ she said. ‘He would
kill you.’
2 AM
We sat on the side of the road while the girl wiped the blood from my face
with a ready-moist travel tissue. I was trembling so much, I couldn’t do it
myself. I looked at the bloodied, soggy mess in her hand.
‘Not all your blood,’ she advised
comfortingly. ‘Most his.’
We looked at the inert figure in
the middle of the track. Blood ran from under his face which was pressed into
the dirt. Inexpertly, the girl had used her coat belt to tie his hands behind
his back.
I spoke through lips that were
already beginning to feel fat and tight. ‘Is he dead, do you think?’
She shook her head, shrugged. ‘Maybe.
Maybe nose broken.’
I sat for a moment trying to
realign my vision which kept shooting out of focus. I felt beaten; bruising was
rising everywhere. There was an acute pain in my neck if I turned my head too
quickly. I tried not to do this.
I asked, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘They put me out of car at end of
road.’
‘They threw you out?’
She stared at me. ‘They not take me
back. Difficult for them.’
‘So they just dumped you in the
middle of nowhere?’
She shrugged again, apparently used
to disappointment and disaster.
I was disgusted. ‘Were you making
your way back to the cottage?’
‘Nowhere else to go. I think you
will help me.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’
I said with some rancour. ‘Seems I can’t even help myself.’
The chill breath of the forest
slunk around us. The girl shifted, politely anxious.
‘We go back now, yes?’
I knew she wanted to move for
safety’s sake, but I was feeling as though the stuffing had been knocked out of
me. I just wanted to rest.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Galina.’
I waited but she wasn’t giving any
more. So I offered, ‘I’m Casey.’
She glanced at her suitcase.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Like a case. A
nutcase.’
Something moved in her eyes that
might have been a vestige of amusement. A thought occurred to me. I turned my
head quickly – too quickly. Pain clamped behind my ear. ‘Do you have a phone?’
She looked blank.
‘You know, a cell phone?’
‘No.’
I looked across at Brent
Sedgeworth, still facedown in the dirt. ‘Maybe there’s one on him.’
Galina looked understandably
reluctant.
I stood on wobbly legs. Warily we
approached Brent’s still form. I patted his jacket pockets, his
casing had shifted.
‘Bastard!’ I screamed. ‘You
murdering bastard! ’
He had released one of my arms. I
darted my hand at his face, scrabbling for his eyes. I had the satisfaction of
seeing a line of blood run before he brought the crushing weight of his arm
across my throat. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. My eyes felt as though
they would burst.
‘You stupid little cunt! You’ve got
everything screwed up! You think I’m going to let your crap ruin my
life? Think I don’t know about the stuff you used to say about me behind my
back to Mona? Think I don’t know how much you’d like to see me take the
rap for this?’ He had my head in both hands, squeezing. ‘Gonna fix that mouth
of yours, baby shoes. Gonna make you squeal.’
There was a shadow, like a great
bird flying over us. I thought my vision was failing. Then a noise like a
cricket ball hitting a bat.
With a grunt Brent jerked and rolled
to the side. I slithered away as he tried to rise to his hands and knees,
shaking his head like a wet dog.
The black shadow swooped again and
struck him in the face. I heard his neck snap back. With a strangled noise, he
fell face first into the gravel.
And lay very still.
For a long moment I watched him
warily, too frightened to let my gaze waver in case he rose up again. But he
was intensely still.
I looked up.
The girl who had been with Max and
Ron was standing there, her suitcase clutched in both hands, long, silvery hair
hanging like a torn curtain.
The dark, slanted eyes looked at me
without emotion.
‘I am sorry,’ she said. ‘He would
kill you.’
2 AM
We sat on the side of the road while the girl wiped the blood from my face
with a ready-moist travel tissue. I was trembling so much, I couldn’t do it
myself. I looked at the bloodied, soggy mess in her hand.
‘Not all your blood,’ she advised
comfortingly. ‘Most his.’
We looked at the inert figure in
the middle of the track. Blood ran from under his face which was pressed into
the dirt. Inexpertly, the girl had used her coat belt to tie his hands behind
his back.
I spoke through lips that were
already beginning to feel fat and tight. ‘Is he dead, do you think?’
She shook her head, shrugged. ‘Maybe.
Maybe nose broken.’
I sat for a moment trying to
realign my vision which kept shooting out of focus. I felt beaten; bruising was
rising everywhere. There was an acute pain in my neck if I turned my head too
quickly. I tried not to do this.
I asked, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘They put me out of car at end of
road.’
‘They threw you out?’
She stared at me. ‘They not take me
back. Difficult for them.’
‘So they just dumped you in the
middle of nowhere?’
She shrugged again, apparently used
to disappointment and disaster.
I was disgusted. ‘Were you making
your way back to the cottage?’
‘Nowhere else to go. I think you
will help me.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’
I said with some rancour. ‘Seems I can’t even help myself.’
The chill breath of the forest
slunk around us. The girl shifted, politely anxious.
‘We go back now, yes?’
I knew she wanted to move for
safety’s sake, but I was feeling as though the stuffing had been knocked out of
me. I just wanted to rest.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Galina.’
I waited but she wasn’t giving any
more. So I offered, ‘I’m Casey.’
She glanced at her suitcase.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Like a case. A
nutcase.’
Something moved in her eyes that
might have been a vestige of amusement. A thought occurred to me. I turned my
head quickly – too quickly. Pain clamped behind my ear. ‘Do you have a phone?’
She looked blank.
‘You know, a cell phone?’
‘No.’
I looked across at Brent
Sedgeworth, still facedown in the dirt. ‘Maybe there’s one on him.’
Galina looked understandably
reluctant.
I stood on wobbly legs. Warily we
approached Brent’s still form. I patted his jacket pockets, his
Similar Books
