“Yes, it was all true. I’ve never lied to you about anything. There were just things that…. I couldn’t….”
I trail away…. my supply of words exhausted.
Richard looks at me under lidded eyes. “And in all that time, no-one queried you about the death of this man?”
I almost whisper. “No. And I never dared ask.”
“What was his name?”
“We just knew him as Supervisor Jenkins.”
“And this all happened, when?”
I count backwards. “Er… about nine years ago.”
“And you’ve told no-one about this since then?”
I shake my head.
My Master is staring at me. “Charlotte, why not? Didn’t you feel you could tell me? Didn’t you trust me enough? Or Michael?”
“Oh, I do trust you. I do. Both of you.… but…. but.… I tried, but the words wouldn’t come out. And it was sort of locked away in my head. I never thought about it if I could. Not until I saw that model of the City, and what was happening in my old neighbourhood… then it all started coming back….”
I stand up, gathering my nerves, still trying to control my breathing. Head held high, my chest heaving, I lock eyes with Haswell. “So, what happens now? Have I made myself too much of a nuisance at last? You want me to get my stuff and go?”
He regards me, over steepled fingers.
“No. I want you to call Michael and go with him. I need to talk with James here, make some phone calls.”
He addresses my Master. “You’ve been staying at the beach house?”
“Yes.”
“Get Michael to take her back there. I want to be able to say that I know where she is.”
My Master nods, silently, then calls Michael, talking to him urgently but quietly. Strain as I might, I cannot pick out their words.
Waiting for Michael to arrive, I sit sipping water. Haswell says nothing, simply tapping at his keyboard, reading his screen, occasionally glancing over at me.
paces up and down,
I tried to tell you when you asked me at
my way, says nothing, I
Master’s face twists between compassion, anger, and frustration. “You picked a hell of a way to break your silence,
the floor, sipping
the door bursts open. It is Michael. He strides straight up to me, scoops me
is finally too much for me, and I
of here.” says my Master. “Take her to the
my
the office, my
a sob. “I won’t. Whatever happens now, I just want it to happen. I want my
*****
occasionally, stroking my leg
at the house, I sit, staring out to sea. Michael puts food in front of
night, my sleep is haunted, broken
Run….
Run…. Where?
Anywhere…. Just run….
Is he there….?
City. Thousands of
Run….
traffic. Car horns blaring. Taxi drivers, screaming abuse
Keep running….
The knife!
God! I’ve still got the
The blade, bright,
Dripping…
Run…….
“Charlotte…. Charlotte!”
There is a face over me in the dark, shaking me at the shoulders, and I
I see the hurt, the bewilderment, in his
around me, he rocks me
*****
out, up into the mountains. I think a change of air
“Let’s
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