The Mute and the Liar (73 page)

“
I’m
not
scared
of
you,
”
Jayce
insists,
his
voice
wavering
slightly.
“
You
can’t
shoot
me. You’ll
miss
and shoot
your
daughter
instead.
”

“
True.
I’ll
give
you
that
one.
But
that
line
of
thought
isn’t
going
to
work
when
my
backup
arrives.
When
all
twenty-four
police
officers
join
in
this
fun
little
game
of
yours.
”
Jayce’s
face
falls
at
this.
“
You
heard
me
right.
Twenty-
four. We take it
to
heart
when
it’s
one
of
our
own.
”

“
I’ll shoot
her,
”
he
repeats
again.
“
Rebecca
Louise
Meyer.
”

Jayce
loosens
his
grip
around
me,
giving
me
enough
time
to
move
my
neck
away
from
him.
I
can
finally
breathe
normally
again!
I
inhale
the
cool
air
around
me
and
then
crane
my
neck
to
look
at
Jayce.
His
face
has
completely
dropped,
looking
drawn
and
solemn,
and
his
mouth
is
parted
slightly
in
a
half-gasp.

“
What
did you say?

“
Rebecca
Louise
Meyer.
A
bright,
cheerful
girl,
naturally
good
at
whatever
she
tried.
Perfect
attendance.
Class
prefect.
Predicted
all
As
and
A*s.
She
died
on
the
18
th
February
2011
from
knife
wounds,
aged
just
fifteen.
Her
battered
and
bruised
body
was
found
in
a
ditch
on
the
twentieth.
Donald
Owen
and
Alex
Hall,
then
also
fifteen,
pleaded
guilty
to
the
murder,
claiming
they
had acted
independently.
Both
were
sentenced
to nineteen years
imprisonment.
This is her death certificate.
”
Father fishes in his pocket and
pulls
out
a
folded
piece
of
paper
and
throws
it
at
us.
It
falls
on
the
ground
in
front
of
us.

“
Look
at it.
Really
look
at it.
She’s
dead, Jayce.
”
“
Liar!
”

“
She’s
dead,
Jayce! Dead!
”
Father
says,
raising
his
voice.

“
Liar!
”
Jayce
shrieks
again,
even
louder.

“
She’s
alive,
and
we’re
going
to
be together-
”

“
The person
who
has
been
contacting you
is
just
an imposter.
”
   

“
Shut
up!
Just
shut
up!
”
Jayce is
screaming
at
the
top
of
his
voice now.

Calmly,
Father
tries
to
reason
with
him.
“
You
don’t
have
to
be
our
enemy.
We
can
grant
you
immunity
if
you
help
us
find
out
who
this
impersonator
is.
They’re
the
real criminal here.
”

“
Liar! You’re all
just
lying
to
me!
”

It
all
happens
so
fast.
Jayce’s
knife
clatters
to
the
floor,
he
lets
go
of
me
and collapses
to
the
ground
on his
knees.

He
grabs
the
death
certificate
and
clutches
it
against
his
chest,
cradling
it.

He
makes
strange
animal
sounds
similar
to
sobbing,
but
it
sounds
forced
and
inhuman,
more
like
gasping
for
breath.

His
whole
body
heaves
with
every
breath he takes.

I
hurtle
away
from
him
and
run
to
my
father,
who
puts
his
free
arm
around my
shoulder, still keeping his
gun
steadily
pointed
at
Jayce.

“
She
can’t
be
dead.
We’re…
we’re
going
to
be
together…
”
he
trails
off,
his
breathing
getting
shorter
and more
forced with
every
second.

I
know
exactly
what’s
happening.
Jayce's
panic
attack
has
started
up again.

And
I
know
it's
crazy,
but
after
all
this
has
happened,
there
is
still
a
small
part
of
me
wants
to
hold
him
and
h
elp him
like
I
did
back at
Kit’s
house.

“
Let’s
go
now,
”
Father
says
coldly.
The
words
come
as
a
surprise
to
me
and
I
look
at
him
incredulously
–
can’t
he
see
what’s
happening?
Can’t
he
see
that
he’s
hyperventilating?
We
can’t
just
go
now;
we
need
to
help
him.

I
turn
to
Jayce for
a
moment,
then
to
Father,
then back
again.

I’m free now.

But
I
can’t
just
leave him
like
this.

Father
looks
at
me,
turning
his
head
to
the
side
slightly,
tapping
his
foot
repeatedly.
The
lines
in
his
forehead
have
slipped
right
down,
sinking
into
his
narrowed
eyebrows
and
pulling
his
whole
face
down.
He’s
glaring
at
me.
It’s
a
burning
and
impatient
glare.
The
unsettling
kind
that
makes
you
look
away
without
realising.

“
Let’s
go,
Alicia.
”
The
words
string
themselves
out
coldly
and
devoid
of
tone and
emotion.

I
catch
movement
from
the
corner
of
my eyes.

Jayce
has
twisted
to
face
me,
his
body
heaving
with
the
weight
of
his
jagged
breathing.
His
mouth
is
parted
to
make
way
for
his
breathing
and
his
teeth
are
gritted
tightly.
His
skin
looks
paper
white in
this
light
and
his
cheeks
look
suddenly
gaunt
and
drawn
in.
He’s
looking
right
at
me,
with
wide,
pleading
eyes.