The Bone House - Brian Freeman [95]
Katie would wonder where she was. Hilary would try to reach her. One of them, both of them, would send the police here. She had to stay alive until then, and that meant not giving Gary what he wanted.
It was as if he could read her mind.
'Rescue's not coming,' he told her. 'If that's what you're hoping for, give it up. By the time you're missing long enough for the police to care, this will all be over. I don't want to be ugly. Sooner or later, you'll tell me the truth, so you're only hurting yourself the longer you wait.'
'Go fuck yourself.'
Amy cringed, expecting another blow, but it didn't come. He sat in the chair silently, not moving.
'Unless you tell me, I'll have to start choosing for myself. I'll start with the people you care about. Your parents. Your friends. Maybe you don't care what happens to yourself, but what about them? Do you want them to suffer too? They don't have to, Amy. You can spare them. Tell me.'
'I didn't tell anybody. That's the truth.'
'You're lying,' Gary said. 'That's not going to save you.'
'Why the hell are you doing this?' Amy asked him. She felt blood bubbling out of her mouth. 'Why? Is it because of your wife? You killed her, too, didn't you?'
Gary inhaled loudly. 'I loved my wife.'
'So you pushed her off a cliff. Did Glory find out about it?'
'Don't try to understand me,' he advised her. 'This isn't psychology class. This is about life or death for the people you love. Believe me, I know how painful it is to watch someone you love die.'
'Everyone knows you were having an affair.'
Gary leaned in closer. 'Everyone? Who's everyone? Who told you that?'
Amy bit her lip and said nothing. She cursed herself in her head. She didn't want to give him a roadmap that would lead him anywhere near Katie. Or Hilary. Tell someone, send someone.
'OK, Amy, we'll do it the hard way.'
He stood up, and she could feel his presence above her, growing more ominous. She tensed, waiting for whatever was coming next, knowing it would be bad. Even so, she swore to herself that she wouldn't cry and she wouldn't beg. Not to him. Not in front of this monster. She just had to buy time and hope that someone would look for her. Come to the door. Find her.
At that moment, someone did.
Downstairs, she heard a muffled noise, and she realized it was the sound of the antique doorbell chiming. Gary flinched. Amy sucked in a breath to scream, but he anticipated her intention and was on her immediately, clapping a hand over her mouth. He squeezed her jaw, forcing her lips open, and jammed the ribbon of wet cloth back inside, choking her, cutting off any sound from her throat. When he was done, he slapped tape back across her mouth. She was mute again, other than a low squealing through her nose.
'I'll be back,' Gary said. He slammed the door of the room shut as he left.
She heard his muffled footsteps as he ran down the stairs. She fought, trying to move the bed and make a noise that would be heard below her, but she was running out of strength. She kept breathing through her nose, struggling to swell her lungs, but she began to cough bile into the thick gag. Panic made her gasp for air. Help me.
Somewhere in the house, she heard him talking. Gary had answered the door. She wanted to cry, knowing help was so close and yet out of her reach.
Find me.
* * *
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cab held up the folder with his Florida badge to the man who opened the door.
'Mr Jensen? My name is Cab Bolton with the Naples Police. I'm investigating the murder that occurred at the hotel where you were staying last Sunday. I believe you talked to someone in my department about the events you witnessed from your room that night.'
Gary Jensen looked flustered by Cab's arrival. His face was flushed, and he peered nervously