The Mute and the Liar (83 page)

“
You still
haven’t
answered
me. Why didn’t
you give
them
to
me?
”
I
snap,
my
croaky,
uneasy
voice
suddenly
hitting
a
nerve
of
warning,
a
nerve
that
clearly
says
“
tell me
or
else.
”
He notices
this
and
immediately
straightens
up.

“
Alicia.
That
criminal
has
been
nothing
but
a nuisance
since
the
beginning.
He
kidnapped
you,
put
us
both
through
Hell
and
now
has
the
cheek
to
try
to
contact
you,
even
after
I
so
kindly
let
him
go.
”

That’s
when
it
hits
me
for
the
first
time
how
strange
it
all
was.
The
kidnapping.
Father
letting
Jayce
go
just
like
that.
I
hadn’t
thought
about
it
before
because
I
didn’t
want
to
think
about
it.
It
made
my
stomach
plummet
and
my
chest
heavy.
But
now
that
I
think
about
it,
it’s
strange
that
Father
would
have
let
him
go.
Crimes
like
that
don’t
just
get
overlooked.
Especially
when
it
directly
involved
my
father
–
Jayce
was
making
him
try
to
kill
someone
for
goodness’
sake!

“
Why
did
you
let
him
go?
After
everything
he
did?
That’s
not
like
you
at
all.
”

“
I
didn’t
get
orders
to,
Alicia.
That’s
how my
job
works.
”

“
For
a
kidnapping?
Why
wouldn’t
they
give
you
orders
to
arrest
someone
who
kidnapped
someone
else?
He made you try
to
kill
his
mother!
”

“
His
mother
is
safe
and
very
much
alive,
you
are
safe
and
very
much
alive,
so
there
really
is
no
point
pursuing
the
matter
further.
I
just
want
to
forget
about
this
whole
ordeal
now.
”

“
How did you even find
me?
”

“
You
were
staying
with
Jayce’s
old
piano
teacher.
It
was
hardly
that
big
a
jump.
”

“
We
were
in
the
middle
of
nowhere
when
you
found
us!
Miles
away
from
Kit’s
house!
”

“
I’d been following you.
After
I
escaped from Kaylie
and
Jory
I
managed to
track
you
down.
”

That
answer
throws
me.
It
makes
sense.
And
then
I
remember
something.

Something
that
sends
me
cold
and numb
and
questioning
everything.

Yo
u
k
no
w
whe
n
I
t
ri
ed
to
c
all
h
ome
a
nd
yo
u
p
i
cked
up
the
pho
n
e
?
Yo
u
sai
d
somet
hi
ng
a
bo
u
t
ty
i
ng
u
p
my
fa
t
her
to
t
hr
e
at
e
n
me
to
go
al
o
n
g
w
i
t
h
Ja
yce
’
s
p
lan
.
Was
all
o
f
t
h
at
t
ru
e
?

And
Kaylie’s
exact
words
ring
out:
“
No.
Jayce
told
Jory
and
I
that
your
dad
would
leave
the
house
soon
and
we
had
to
wait
until
he
was
gone
and
then
go
inside
and
wait
for
a
phone call from you.
He
told
us
there were
a
spare pair
of
keys this girl Becky had left for us
under
the
plant
pot
outside,
so
we
waited
for
your
dad
to
leave
the
house
like
Jayce
said
and
used
those
keys
to
get
inside.
You
phoned,
I
picked
up,
and
made
up
that
whole
story
about
having him tied up.
We
left straight after that.
”

Kaylie
said
she
and
Jory
had
never
attacked
my
father.
Father
just
said
that
they
had
tied him
up.
She
lied
to
me! She did
tie him
up after
all.

The
living
room
door
unexpectedly
slams
open.
I
almost
can’t
believe
it.
I
swear I’m going mad or dreaming; everything happens in fast forward, spinning
out
of
control
and
out
of
focus
so
fast
that
only
whirling,
tumbling
colours
are
left.

I
see
him.
It’s
almost
right
out
of
a
film,
him
crashing
through
the
living
room
door.
The
person
I
wanted
to
see
most.
That’s
what
makes
me
think
I’m
going
mad.
Jayce.
He’s
standing
right
there,
solid
and
real
as
I
am.
And
I
want
nothing
more
than
to
run
over
to
him
and
hold
him
and
know
for
certain he really is
real and
that
he really has
come
back.

And
then
time
catches
up
with
the
rest
of
the
world,
and
so
does
my
mind,
and
it
slowly
tells
me
that
something
isn’t
right.
He
looks…
angry.
Furious.
And
that
he’s
holding
up
two
things.
A
key
in
his left
hand and
a
gun
in
his right.
A
gun
that’s pointed straight
at my father.