Page 57 of The Serial Killer's Sister
Relief surges through me and I sit, more because my legs have turned to jelly than because he’s asked me to.
I close my eyes and all of a sudden I feel exhausted. ‘Thank you. Thank you.’
‘I’m not cuffing you because I don’t have any cuffs.’
My eyes spring open to see him reaching into his inside pocket. My heart skips. What’s he doing? I don’t have long to ponder, because he’s already tearing a strip of duct tape off and coming towards me. Shit. No handcuffs – so he’s going to use that instead. He did say he was always prepared – although my mouth is itching to remark that he wasn’tthatprepared, or wouldn’t he be carrying a set? I swallow that smart-mouthed comment and instead hold my hands up again.
‘Fine,’ I say, letting out a deep sigh.
He laughs as he wraps it around my wrists. I wince atthe sounds it makes as it peels off the roll. Another layer wraps around me, tighter than the last.
‘That hurts,’ I say, trying to pull away from it. ‘You can stop now; I think you’ve made your point.’
‘Like you did, you mean? By not reporting a death. That’s a hell of a point. If it were an accident, like you said, why didn’t you say something?’
‘In hindsight, there was likely a better option. At the time, I was young and really afraid and I couldn’t see one. And Henry—’
‘Oh, Henry, Henry, Henry!’ DI Walker blurts out, and I reel. ‘If I hear his bloody name one more time. You can’t blame him for it all, Anna. He was your younger brother. He looked up to you.’ He shakes his head vehemently.
‘I – I’m sorry, I don’t …’ I want to say I don’t mean to anger him, but I can’t finish my sentence. This situation suddenly feels all wrong. His demeanour is different. ‘Are the rest of your team going to be here soon? Or are you taking me to the station yourself?’ My voice quivers. Adrenaline begins to course through my veins, sensing the fear before I actuallyfeelit.
‘No one’s coming, Anna.’ DI Walker brings the roll of tape towards me – but this time, he slaps a piece hard against my mouth.
Chapter 40
I’m usually a nose breather. Very rarely a mouth breather unless I’m congested with a cold. But now, with tape over my lips preventing any intake of air, panic sets in and I can’t get enough oxygen through my nostrils.What is happening? Why is he doing this?
My trust in the police force was knocked when I was a teenager, but while I may have questioned his tactics, I never once questioned DI Walker’s authority, his authenticity. Because why would a member of the police – a detective inspector, for God’s sake – be someone to be afraid of? They are there to protect the public – to help, inspire, reassure, uphold the law – not to break it themselves; not to induce fear by binding and gagging innocent people.
I kick out, then freeze. I don’t want to give him reason to bind my legs too. I bring them back close to my body. Hot tears sting my eyes as confusion clouds my mind and tendrils of fear wrap around my lungs, compressingthem. DI Walker crouches in front of me. I could kick out again now, but I doubt I’d do enough damage to get away. And with my hands taped, even if I managed to make it to my car, how would I drive? He gently sweeps a piece of hair from my forehead and looks into my eyes.
‘You don’t have a clue, do you? Don’t you recognise me?’
I can’t breathe. My heart rate doubles in an instant. I see black dots in my field of vision. I cry, try to scream, but can’t.
Henry.
DI Walker is Henry? The sky spins as the air in my lungs decreases.
‘Don’t think that I’ll remove the tape if you pretend you can’t breathe, Anna. I’ve seen enough to know when someone is going to die from lack of oxygen.’ He smiles, then puts his hands on my upper arms, pulling me into a sitting position from my slumped one. He takes a wet wipe and dabs my nose, clearing it of the snot. ‘Slowly breathe in through your nose, Anna. Hold it, and release – again, slowly.’
If I ignore his instruction, I will pass out. I don’t know how long it’ll take. Maybe seconds if I panic enough, increasing the level of carbon dioxide in my system. If I’m really lucky, perhaps I’ll kill myself before he does.
‘If you don’t calm down and do as I say, then you’ll never know the “why”, will you? Come on, breathe.’
I begin hyperventilating to spite him. He slaps my cheek.
‘Do as I say, or you won’t be the only one to die today.’ His voice has taken on a different tone. Harsh, angry.Unrecognisable from the one he used when he first stood in my house on Tuesday.
My eyes widen and a strangulated groaning noise emanates from deep in my throat.
‘In through your nose.’ He glares at me until I do it. ‘Out through your nose.’ I continue until I’ve got a more natural rhythm going. Seemingly pleased with me, he stands and paces around the well again.
Then it hits me. Henry already knew there was a body at the bottom of the well. He had been here. He’d been part of it. I scramble to bring my legs underneath myself and use my bound hands to push myself onto my knees. I make a noise to get his attention.
‘Finally,’ he says when he catches the look on my face. ‘I said it before; I’ll say it again: call yourself a teacher?’ He shakes his head. ‘You’re a bit slow, Anna.’
I’m inclined to agree, and if I were able to speak, I’d say so. But I’m still not getting it. Who is this man? Who is Detective Inspector Walker?
