The Mute and the Liar (59 page)

Oh ok.
I
was
just trying
to
help.
I
just
want
you
to
be
happy,
that's
all :’)
xxx

*****

19th
February
2009

Jayce
Cobalt
-
Becky
Meyer

I
was
already
happy,
Becky.
No
matter
how
bad
things
got, no
matter
how
badly
Ryo
hurt
me,
I
was
always
happy.
Because
everyday
there
was
a
chance
I
might have
seen
you.

*****

28th
February
2011

Becky
Meyer
-
Jayce
Cobalt

I
hope
you're
ready
to
put
the
plan
into
action xxx

*****

His
message to her
must
have
been
sent
after
her
death.
She's supposed to
have
been
beaten
to
death
two
years
ago.
And
yet
only
three
days
ago
she
sent
him
a
message. 28th
February
2011.
The
day
I
got
kidnapped.

T
his
is… this
is
impossible.
What’s
going on?
I
keep staring at that
message,
trying
to
figure
out
if
I've
just
read
it
wrong.
But
no,
it
was
definitely
sent
on
the
28th.
It can’t be…

I
click
back
to
the
menu
and
tap
the
button
for
text
messages.
It’s
just like
I
thought.
The
last
message
he
received
was
from
no
other
than
Becky
Meyer.
Again,
I
scroll
up
so
I
can
read
as
many
messages
as
possible
chronologically
and,
worried
that
I
don’t
have
enough
time
before
Jayce
comes
back,
start
reading
from
about
midway.

*****

12
th
February 2011

Did
you
see
her?
I
did.

And?
What
do
you
think?
Can
you
do
it?
I’ll try.

Pop
quiz.
Go.

She
only
eats…

Cereal for
breakfast,
almost
always
cornflakes,
but
she
had porridge
every
morning
from
the
12
th
December
leading
up
to
17
th
December.
She
misses
lunch
but
she
has
pasta
for
dinner, always
ASDA’S
£1
Napolina
Farfalle.

Where
does
she
go
at
lunchtime
at
school?

She
goes
to
the
library
and works
or
reads,
although she
sat in
a
classroom
November
2
nd
.

What’s
she
currently
reading?

She was
reading
Hobbes’
Leviathan
from
the
14
th
to
the
30
th
of
January,
but
commencing
5
th
February
she
has
been reading
Dostoevsky’s
Crime
and
Punishment.
What
did she
wear
January
22
nd
?

£28 grey
ASOS
skinny
jeans
and
a
black
t-shirt with three
quarter
length sleeves
and
a
picture
of
a
moon
and
the
silhouettes
of
three
howling
wolves.

*****

14th February 2011

Are you there? Yes
.

Interesting
breakthrough.
You
know
the
diary
she
writes
her
cases
in?
Yes.

Yesterday
she
was
writing
in
it
like
a
diary. Not just
to
solve
crimes.

You
want
me
to
get hold
of
it?

Take
it
tonight
and
read
it to
me
over
the
phone.
I
wish
you’d
let
me
hear
your
voice.

You
know
I
can’t.
It’s
still too
risky. I’ll call
you
at
11.30. You
should
have
the
diary
by
then, right?
I
can’t
say
anything
over
the
phone,
but
just
read
me
what
it
says.

*****

16th February 2011

Her ambition?

To
become
a
detective
or
private
investigator.
Interesting
because?

She
dislikes
her
father.
Favourite
number?

Seven. Hey,
Becky. I’ve
been
thinking.
Why
is
Alicia
so
important?

I’ve
told
you. Her
father
is
a
detective
chief
inspector.
He’s
the
only
person
who
could
get
away
with murder. And
we
need
your
mother
dead.

Does
it
have
to
be
like
this,
though?
What’s
the
point?
What’s
it
all for?
You’ve
always wanted
to
get
rid
of
your
mother.

But
why
does
it
matter
to
you?
What’s
in it for
you?

I
have
my
reasons.
Come
on,
Jayce. Don’t get cold
feet
on
me
now.
We’ll be
together
soon.
That’s
what
you
want,
isn’t
it?

Becky. You
know
I
do.
I
just
don’t
think
I
want
all this.

We’ve
been
through
this.
It’s
the
only
way.
Now
remind
me,
what
is
our
ultimate
goal
with regard
to
the
girl?

I’ve
got
to
make
her
speak
somehow.

Good. And
tell
me,
what are
you trying
to
find
out?

I’m
trying
to
get to
her
to
tell
me
whether
she
somehow killed
her
mother,
and
to
get
her
to
tell
me
what
she
said
to
her
mother
the
day
before
her
mother’s
suicide.
Actually,
Becky, why
do
you care
about
that
as
well?

It
just interests
me,
that’s
all.

And
how do
you
know
so
much
about
Alicia
anyway?

Jesus, this
is
starting
to
sound
like
an
interrogation. I’m
the
one
asking
the
questions,
not you. Now,
back
to
the
quiz.
Tell me;
where
did
she
go
December
11
th
?

*****

It
goes
on
like
that.
It’s
been
going
on
for
months.
The
first
message
was
sent
on
5
th
December
2010.
That’s
almost
three
months
ago.
The
thing
is,
these
messages
actually
do
appear
to
have
been
sent
by
Becky,
or
at
least
the
person
sending
these
messages
is
using
her
phone.
I
know
this
because
before
the
5
th
 
December
there
are
loads
of
other
conversations
between
the
two,
but
these
took
place
in
the
time
she
was
still
alive.
So
it
seems
like
an
open-and-shut
case:
someone
has
taken
hold
of
Becky’s
phone
and
is
manipulating
Jayce.