The Mute and the Liar (12 page)

Suddenly
the
ground
swirls
around
my
feet.
The
concrete
floor
is
suddenly
much
closer
than
I
imagined.
And
then
I
get
the
strange
feeling
I’m
falling.

Looks
like
that
plan
failed
too
,
I
think,
as
I
slowly
realise
I
am
sprawled
out
on the floor
of
the
pavement.

A
figure
looms
over
me,
then
crouches
down and
starts
pulling me up.

“
Don’t
try
to
run
away,
Love.
I
had
hoped
you
were
a
little
smarter
than
this.
Looks
like
you’re
even
more
predictable
than
I
thought,
”
he
hisses
into
my ear.

I
look
behind
me
and
see
I
have
tripped
over
a
gap
in
the
pavement,
which
I
hadn’t
noticed
in
the
darkness
and
in
my
haste.
I
turn
my
attention
back
to
Jayce,
but
he
has
gone
incredibly
still,
his
face
empty
of
any
emotion,
but
his
green
eyes simmering
with rage.

“
You
still
haven’t
realised
it
yet,
have
you?
You
have
no
idea
just
who
you
are
up
against.
”
I
give
him
a
blank
look,
not
understanding.
“
I
knew
you
were
going
to
try
that,
”
he
stresses,
drilling
every
letter
into
my
mind.
“
I
know
your
every
move.
”

His
voice
sounds
raspy
and
cracked.
Deadly.
His
chilling
whispers
echo
around
the
empty
street,
shivering
through
the
air
and
crawling
across
my
neck.

“
You
haven’t
even
worked
out
why
I’ve
stolen
you
yet.
”
His
shaking,
unstable
voice
is
slowly
getting
louder.
“
And
you
call
yourself
a
detective?
Ha!
”
he
shrieks
the
last
word,
a
sound
so
shrill
and
piercing,
you
would
think
he
was
being strangled.

And
you
call yourself
a
detective?
Did he just... Did he just
say that?
How does...
How
does
he
know...

It’s
impossible.
It’s
just
impossible.
No one knows
anything
about
me. No
one
knows
about
the
cases.
This
can’t
be
happening.
In
fact,
probably
none
of
this
is
real.
I
must
be
imagining
all of
this.
He
doesn’t
know
anything.

I
must
have heard
him
wrong.
It’s
from all this
fear.

“
So
go
on!
”
he
screams,
suddenly
reaching
out,
grasping
my
shoulders
and
shaking
me,
reeling
me
back
into
reality.
Electricity
seems
to
sizzle
across
my
skin
the
moment
he
touches
me.
His
words
shudder
right
through
me,
sending
ice
rattling
over
my
bones.
“
Work
it
out!
Use
your
pathetic
notebook
and work
it
out! Why have
I
stolen
you?
”

The
colours
around
me
slide
into
focus.
The
sounds
around
me
erupt
loudly
and
clearly,
like
up
until
now
I
have
been
underwater,
and
now
I
have
finally jumped up
for
air. It
all
makes
sense now.
I
finally
understand.

Tiger
Kidnapping:
Taking
a
hostage
to
make
a
loved
one
or
associate
of
the
victim
perform
another
crime.

It’s
perfect.

Father
is
in charge
of
solving
crimes.

So no one
would
ever
accuse
him of
committing
one.
Jayce...
Jayce
is
a
genius.

And
for
the
first
time,
I
am
terrified.
Absolutely
shivering,
nauseous,
screaming-inside terrified.

I
silently
mouth
out
the
words,
and he watches
my
lips
kiss
the
air.

Tiger
Kidnapping.

This
time he
is
completely
silent. He
doesn’t
say
anything.
He just
smiles.

7:50
PM

H
e takes
my
hand
and
leads
me
down
the
street.
He
didn’t
need
to
take
my
hand.
I
would
have
followed
him
anyway.
I’m
already
terrified
of
him.
What
more
does
he
want?
After
a
long,
eerie
silence,
broken
only
by
the
sounds
of
traffic
and music
in
the
distance,
he
eventually
clears
his
throat
and
once
again
begins
talking
calmly
and
cheerfully.

“
Come on. Let’s
go for
a
walk.
”

That’s
it.
That’s
all
he
says,
then
he
grasps
my
arm
and
he’s
marching
me
along
the
street
again,
as
though
that
never
happened
at
all.
Once
again
he’s
dragging
me
along.
I
swear
I’m
going
to
get
bruises
from
all
of
this.
Bruises
and probably insanity.

“
Walkies!
”
he
calls
as
if
he’s
calling
a
dog.
But
no,
he
doesn’t
just
leave
it
at
that,
he
decides
to
take
it
one
step
further
and
squash
my
dignity
into
a
pancake.
He
tightens
his
grip
around
my
arm
and
chimes
at
the
top
of
his
voice:
“
Walkies
walkies
walkies!
”

And now he’s
skipping.

Skipping.

Someone help me.

“
I
used
to
walk
to
school.
Just
like
you!
I
hated
it
though,
because
everyone
else
was
like
‘I
take
the
333
bus
to
school!’
and
‘I
take
the
334
bus
to
school!’
Saying
‘I
take
the
pavement’
didn’t
really
have the same ring
to
it.
”

Does
he hate
silence?
So
he
just
says
whatever
is
on
his
mind
to
kill
it?

Now
he’s
mumbling
something
about
how
he
used
to
do
biology
in
school,
and
learnt
about
how
scientists
had
taken
a
gene
in
a
jellyfish
and
placed
it
into
a
pig
embryo,
which
in
turn
made
the
pig
glow
in
the
dark.
(Although
this
apparently
didn’t
lead
to
glow in
the
dark
bacon.)

Actually,
I’ve
noticed
something.
He
always
seems
to
mention
how
he
“
u
sed
to
do
this
random-pointless-cat-litter
at
school.
”
It’s
never
“
I
do
this
at
school.
”
So
he
may
have
already
left
school,
and,
from
the
looks
of
it,
doesn’t
have
any
ambitions
or
desires
to
do
anything
else.
I
know
it’s
not
much,
but
at
least
it’s
something,
and
.
t
he
more
I
know
about
him,
the
closer
I
can
get
to escaping.

We’ve
stopped
walking,
and
we’re
now
standing
in
front
of
a
bright
red
phone
box.
Jayce
pushes
me
inside
and
then
squeezes
in
behind
me
to
make
sure
I
can’t
get
out.

“
But
do
you
know
what
the
best
part
of
this
plan
is,
Love?
You’re
going
to
be the one
to
tell your
father
about
all of
this.
I’m
going
to
make you speak
again
if
it’s
the
last
thing
I
do.
”

He
lifts
the
phone,
pays
the
money
and
begins
dialing
numbers.
I
crumble inside as
I
realise he
is
dialing the
numbers
of
my
home
phone.

I’m
starting
to
wonder
whether
he
is
a
mind
reader.
I
urge
myself
to
think
nice
thoughts
about
him
just
in
case:
his
hair
is
looking
particularly
standing-up
today.
I
like
it.

I
would
wonder
how
he
seems
to
know
everything
about
me,
but
honestly,
I’m
too
scared
to
find
out.

He
holds
out
the
phone
so
I
can
hear
it
ringing,
and
almost
feel
relief
as
I
hear
father’s
voice
on
the
other
side,
and
almost
smile
as
the
first
thing
he
says
is
“
Alicia?
”

“
Hello
there,
Detective
Inspector
Lewis!
”
Jayce
greets
cheerfully,
and
for
a
moment
it
sounds
like
he’s
trying
to
advertise
something.
“
Ah,
I
see
you’re
having
some
problems
with
your
daughter...
”
he
says
this
much
slower,
in
an
almost
patronising
tone.
“
How
is
she?
”

“
Who... who is
this?
”
Father
asks
uncertainly.

“
Why
don’t
you
ask
your
sweetest
Alicia?
She
knows
all
about
me.
”
Jayce
is
drawling
the
words
now,
elongating
every
letter,
making
sure
they
cut
right
through
father’s
skull.