The Mute and the Liar (40 page)

STOP!
JUST STOP!

“
And
you
are the most
incredible
person
I’ve
ever
met.
”

*****

6:10
PM

Wordlessly,
we
head
back
to
the
Victoria
Art
Gallery
to
meet
up
with
Kit
and
Nick
and go
back
to
Kit’s
house.
It
has
been
quiet
since
Jayce
said that
in
the
café.
He
filled
the
silence
with
singing
Karma
Chameleon
by
Culture
Club.
Now that stupid
song
is stuck in my head.
Great.

I
don’t
know
what
he
is
playing
at.
I
don’t
know
why
he
would
say
that
about
me.
He’s
probably
scared
I’m
catching
up
with
him.
Slowly,
but
surely,
I
am
speeding
up,
running
faster,
pulling
towards
him
as
he
races
in
front
of
me.
He’s
probably
worried,
and
has
resulted
in
making
me
feel
uncomfortable
to
throw
me
off
his
scent,
to
flatter
me
enough
so
I
think
I
am
safe.
Perhaps
just
to
confuse
me
even
more,
so
it
will
truly
be
impossible
for
me
to
guess
what
he
is
thinking.

The
problem
is,
I
think
it’s
working.
You
are
the
most
incredible
person
I’ve
ever
met.
That
jolted
something
inside
of
me.
I’ve
never
been
complimented.
I
have
never
been
told
I’m
anything
more
than
a
nuisance.
Hearing
him
say
that… It
sent
chills
in my
chest.

Eventually
Nick
and
Kit
arrive
with
about
a
hundred
shopping
bags
hanging off
their
arms.

“
What
did you get?
”

“
Well
there
were
so
many
pots
of
paints
and
I
couldn’t
decide
between
the azure or
the
brandeis
blue-
”

“
Which
are
exactly
the
same,
by
the
way,
”
cuts
in
an
obviously
irritated
Nick.

“
So
we
just
got
both
of
them.
”
Oh
yeah,
I
forgot
that
Kit
is
rich.
How
lovely
it
must
be
when
your
greatest
problem
is
choosing
between
colours
of
paint,
which
can
be
easily
solved
with
a
snap
of
your
purse.
“
And
then
we
just
did
the
food
shopping
and
I
got
plenty
of
pasta
for
Alicia.
”
Hmm.
She
got
me
pasta.
Okay then,
I
forgive her
for
being
rich.

Jayce
takes
some
of
the
shopping
bags
from Kit,
and
I
do
the
same
out
of
politeness. We start
to
head
back
to
Nick’s
car.

Unexpectedly,
Jayce
stops.
I
stop
too,
confused
about
what
he
is
doing.
He
is
staring
at
something
in
the
distance.
I
follow
his
line
of
eyesight.
He’s
not
staring
at
a
‘something.’
He’s
staring
at
a
s
omeone.
More
specifically,
he’s
staring
at
a
woman
dressed
in
a
black
dress
with
her
blonde
hair
scraped
into
a
bun
piled
on
the
top
of
her
head
and
her
expressionless,
almost
perfect,
Barbie-doll
face
the
giveaway
of
years
of
plastic
surgery
and
religious
worshipping
of
cosmetics.

“
Oh
no,
”
he
breathes
and
suddenly
dashes
to
the
right,
pushing
himself
against
the
wall
of
a
shop in
an attempt
to
hide from
her.

Nick
gasps
as
he
sees
her
too.
She
draws
nearer,
notices
them
and
breaks
into
a
smile as
she
recognises
them.

“
Nick?
Kit?
What
a
surprise!
It’s
great
to
see
you!
How
are
you?
”
she
has
a
pinching voice; it’s
more
like
squawking than
speaking.

“
Auntie
Lauren!
We
didn’t
expect
to
see
you
here
either.
We’re
all
fine,
yeah.
”

Auntie
Lauren?

“
Goodness
it’s
been
so
long!
You
have
grown.
I
haven’t
spoken
to
Theresa
in
months.
Is
she alright?
”

“
Yeah,
mum’s
okay.
She
started her
new job.
”

“
Oh
yes,
I
was
meaning
to
speak
to
her
about
that.
And
Kit!
How
are
you?
How’s
your
mother?
”

“
Fine,
fine.
Everything
is
fine.
Actually,
she
was
asking
about
you
the
other
day.
”

“
Was
she?
I
will
definitely
call
her
as
soon
as
I
can,
”
she
lowers
a
voice
and leans
in.
“
And…
Is
Jayce
here?
How…
How
is
he?
”

Her
name
is
Lauren...
Could
this
be
Lauren
Janice
Cobalt?
The
woman
Jayce
is
trying
to
get Father
to kill?

“
Yeah, he’s okay. He’s still in Elmview.
”

Nick called her 'auntie.' Does that... Does that mean she is Jayce's mother?

He’s trying to kill his mother?

That’s psychotic. That just pushes any boundaries of sanity. I don’t even
know
how
insane
he
must
be
to
even
think
about
doing
this.
I
have
to
get
away
from
him.