Sticks and Stones (39 page)

‘You poisoned Guess.'

‘Good guess,' he chuckled, the sound bizarre. ‘Get it? Good guess.'

‘Where's Ashley?'

He sighed again, but this time a little crossly. ‘I told you, she's fine.'

‘I have a nosy neighbour.' Maddie stood up slowly. ‘He'll ring the police.'

‘Let's recap, shall we?' said Jake, as if she hadn't spoken. ‘You promise till death do us part and all that, and then you throw everything away as soon as it starts getting a bit like hard work. But just to shut me up, you
then
promise that we'll keep trying. Give it a go. Next, and this is the bit
I
really like,' he smiled, as if inviting her to join in, ‘you tell me you're coming back home. You even give me a date!'

‘I only did –'

‘That's a whole lot of promises, isn't it? And more fool me for still trusting you! What a fucking idiot!' He shook his head, as if amazed. ‘So there I am. It was a Thursday. I finish work early and rush home. All excited. Get dressed up to the nines because we're going out. Remember? To celebrate? And then I sit in the lounge room, waiting, wondering why you're late. Do you know I even started to worry? Thought you'd been in an accident?' Jake laughed flatly and then stared at her, his face suddenly grey. Like cement. ‘You really
are
a fucking class one bitch, aren't you? I mean, who the fuck
does
that?'

‘Jake.' Maddie got his name out but it tasted thick and damp, like soggy bread.

He held his hand up, smiled, but it was if his lips were forced. Stretching into an oddly frightening caricature. ‘But wait, there's more!'

‘Jake . . .'

The smile quivered, and then vanished, as if the effort had been too much. He took a step into the lounge room and then stopped. ‘So for six years I spend every last minute, and almost every last cent, hunting you down. Putting my life on hold, living through every Christmas, every birthday. Until I finally find you. Them. And I get my day in court, get my kids back. But even then there's no fucking happy ever after, is there? Not with you in the picture. No, you just keep on brainwashing them and now you're after my fucking
house
as well! Christ all fucking mighty!'

Maddie found her voice. ‘What did you expect?'

‘What I
deserved
, that's what!'

‘Oh, you'll get that,' said Maddie softly, almost under her breath, while moving slightly to her right behind the couch. ‘Don't worry about that.'

‘What did you say?' Jake took another step forward, so that he was beside the computer desk. He took the swivel chair by the backrest and rolled it smoothly across the carpet until it was in front of him, like a guard.

‘Nothing.'

‘Come on,' he pushed the chair forward and then pulled it back again. And now his grin seemed genuine. ‘Give it a go. Make a run for it.'

Maddie watched him intently, tensing every time he moved. It was like he was a matador, and the chair his red cape.

‘If I'd had enough time I'd have gone home, got the rifle. Made it easier on you.'

Maddie glanced up from the chair to his face.
And she was staring straight into the barrel of the gun. A ring of smooth, cold steel that was perfectly steady, with not even a tremble to indicate doubt. But she didn't drop her gaze, couldn't drop her gaze, because that was all she had.

‘Except this time it would've been for real. No blanks.'

‘You gave it up,' she said hoarsely. ‘The rifle. Years ago. At that amnesty.'

‘You'd believe anything. But it doesn't matter anyway. It's not here so it has to be the hard way. Sorry about that.'

Maddie felt a whisper of cold moist air massage the back of her neck, from the broken window, where the masking tape had come loose. It invigorated her, sharpened her senses. ‘It doesn't have to be like this. It never did.'

‘Oh my god!' Jake moved forward with the chair, stopping just in front of the couch. ‘You are
such
a little liar! You know as well as I do that you've backed me into a corner. Turned my kids against me. I can just imagine what you would've had them say at this thing tomorrow. All lies and exaggeration, that's your style. Oh, and the pièce de résistance, let's not forget that. Traipsing straight down to the cops.'

‘You hit him!' said Maddie, instantly incensed. ‘Gave him a black eye!'

‘And that's a reason to go to the fucking
cops
?'

‘Yes!'

‘No!' he roared, and quite suddenly thrust the chair to his left and lurched forward, so that it seemed he was about to vault straight over the couch.

Maddie reared backwards, automatically, and then made her move. Bounding to the right around the couch and leaping forward. Seeing the brightly lit kitchen, the open back door, all just ahead, almost within reach. She stretched a hand out, as if that would help her speed, and then suddenly she was flying sideways, hitting the television with force, crumpling to the ground. With the swivel chair on top of her, its castors rotating uselessly in the air.

‘Got you!' said Jake, laughing as though this was a mutually enjoyable game.

Maddie groaned and then rose slowly to her knees, trying to push the chair off her. Her shoulder throbbed painfully and she also knew her hip was badly hurt, from where she had hit the television. And then suddenly the chair was lifted clear and she looked up, stunned, almost grateful, to find Jake holding it poised in the air. Grinning. And she had just enough time to crouch and cover her head with her hands before it hit her again, across the back this time. She cried out, a high-pitched whimper that sounded animal-like, desperate.

‘Having fun yet?' asked Jake cheerfully. ‘Want to ring the cops?'

Maddie shook her head, then twisted so that she could look at him through the armrest of the chair. Her back ached sharply. ‘Have you thought about the kids? If you hurt me?'

‘Oh, I've thought of little else.' Jake hoisted the chair off her yet again, but this time even as she flinched, preparing herself, he tossed it casually back towards the computer. It struck the desk, gouging the soft pine, and then rebounded off to settle with a wobble, ridiculously upright. ‘And the truth is that I couldn't do them a bigger favour if I tried.'

Maddie struggled to her feet quickly. The painful effort well worth it because she felt so much less vulnerable upright. ‘That's not true.'

Instead of answering Jake took a step towards her, grinning when she took an automatic step back. Another step, and she was now pressed against the wall. He stood there, only centimetres away, staring at her with that odd, horrible smile.

As she maintained eye contact Maddie thought furiously, assessing her options. There was no point trying to run as he was far too close. Which left fighting back, which would delay and probably even exacerbate the inevitable but at least give her a small degree of satisfaction. Or she could try and extricate herself with words. Promises, whatever it took.

‘So how many men have you fucked?'

Maddie blinked, stunned. ‘Pardon?'

‘You heard me.' Jake wasn't smiling now. ‘How many in the past six years? Huh?'

‘None.'

‘Christ, you really are a fucking liar. There's no way you'd last that long. Not you.'

Maddie shook her head, not wanting this conversation.

‘So how many?'

‘Not as many as you,' she shot back. ‘Not with your Natalie.'

He raised his eyebrows, lowered them again. ‘Actually you could take a few lessons from her. Pretty good in the sack, that one.'

Maddie stared at him, letting the words bounce off her. Like a cartoon she had once seen, years ago, with Gulliver brushing off the Lilliputians' tiny arrows.

‘Gives great head. Amazing.'

She elongated her spine, despite the pain in her back, making herself taller.

‘Loyal too. Do anything for me.'

‘Well, I hope you two are very happy together.'

‘Shut the fuck up.'

Maddie flinched, surprised by the sudden turn. She watched him warily, trying to anticipate what would come next. Knowing she had never had much idea, and she had even less now.

‘You ruined my life.
You
ruined my life.'

Maddie shook her head. ‘No, I didn't.'

‘Taking my kids. Turning them against me.'

‘No,' she said softly, staring. ‘
You
did that. You stupid fool.'

His fist shot forward and connected with the left side of her chin, bouncing her head back against the wall. The plaster caved with the force, retaining a clear oval impression as she whipped her head back again and lifted her arms to protect it. But the next blow was to her stomach, a full-force clenched fist that folded her in two, hands now clasped around her waist as she heaved. Trying to draw breath and throw up at the same time. And now the blows rained down, head, chest, stomach, arms, so that she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, knees up and arms over her head. Making herself as small a target as possible. Groaning, moaning, grunting, yelping as the heavy, relentless punches found their marks across her body.

They stopped, quite suddenly, and Maddie could hear him breathing. But she barely had time to regroup before she felt his fingers entwine themselves through her hair and she knew, without any doubt, what would happen next. Sure enough she was lifted, by the hair, scrabbling to her feet to ease the pressure and then stretching onto her tiptoes. Sliding her eyes across to meet his, hating him so much at this moment that it felt as if it had seeped through her veins in place of blood. So that she was
fuelled
by her hatred, given
life
by it. And she had to give back, she had no choice. Lashing out with her foot with as much force as she could muster from this position, kicking him hard in the shin.
Feeling
the bone through the toe of her boots, and getting a huge amount of joy from the way he sagged, albeit briefly.

Her joy was short-lived. Almost as soon as he straightened, Jake backhanded her across the face with his free hand. Holding her hair tight with the other so that her head hardly moved at all, despite the force of the slap.

‘Where's Sam?'

Maddie tried to shake her head, unwilling to verbalise her refusal.

He backhanded her again, even harder. ‘Where's Sam?'

She stared at him, eyes flicking to the back of the hand poised in the air. And she closed her eyes.

The hand flew down and Maddie felt her lip split, like watermelon, blood trickling into her open mouth. She sucked it in, mixing it with saliva, and then spat into his face, opening her eyes to watch it hit his cheek and then dribble down like a thick, bloody teardrop.

‘You just don't learn,' he said matter-of-factly, as if her attempts to retaliate were more pitiful than annoying. ‘And I have to accept that you never, ever will.' As soon as he finished talking he slipped his right hand out of her hair and then ran it gently down the side of her face, almost sensuously, finishing at her neck where his left hand was now positioned on the other side. Circling her neck with them both, fingertips touching at the back, thumbs at the front, and then staring into her eyes. Watching the terror slowly build as realisation dawned, feeding off it.

Maddie knew what was next, knew that this time there would be no reprieve. She thought fleetingly of Sam, sitting down at the vet clinic, waiting for her, and of Ashley, god knows where. How would they grow up now? Who would take them? She ached with the unfairness of it before his hands started to squeeze and then the ache around her neck took precedence. It blossomed, becoming rapidly huge, terrifying, all-encompassing. She lifted both her hands and clawed at his, feeling her eyes begin to bulge, her knees to cave. And everything blurred into two Jakes, both grim with concentration, and it seemed terribly ironic that they would be the last thing she saw. Then they became shadows also as everything went grey, fading into black.

And she was free. Sliding down the wall in a jumble of loose limbs to collapse at his feet. Stretching one arm out for support as she sucked in air, trying to drag it down past the dry, grinding ache within her throat. Staring at the carpet because she couldn't, wouldn't, look at him.

‘You really thought I was going to kill you, hey?'

Maddie put her other arm forward and tried to pull her body towards the kitchen, where the light shone so brightly.

‘You should be so lucky.' His voice still had that rational pragmatism that was actually scarier than his anger. ‘No, killing you would be doing you a favour.'

If she could scream then Tom might hear. She dragged in more air, swallowed, trying to lubricate her throat with saliva, and then let out a hoarse rasp. A death rattle. ‘Now I asked you before where he was. Sam?'

A dribble of bloody saliva suspended itself from her mouth, and then plopped down onto the carpet. Maddie watched numbly as it soaked into the fibres, and then she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

For a few moments nothing happened and then Jake kicked her, casually in the leg. ‘Doesn't matter, one'll do. Now look at me. I want to see your face when I tell you this.'

Maddie stared fixedly at the carpet, not even bothering to shake her head.

‘I said to look at me.' He waited for a moment and then kicked her again, harder this time. And again. Finally she turned her head slowly, looking up at him. ‘That's better. You never were a quick learner, were you? Same as you believed me when I said I'd come here to kill you. But why the fuck would I kill
you
?' He nudged her thigh with his foot, as if she was roadkill. ‘Where's the punishment there? No, what I've got in mind is a whole lot better. Something that'll stay with you forever.'

Maddie tried to focus on one of his features, to drown out the words. The grooves bracketing his mouth, or the tic pulsing softly under his eye, or the way his bottom lip softened, almost petulantly. Anything but the eyes, with their oily flatness.