Page 81 of Witness 8

‘They are leaving after the trial.’

Kill the boy, kill the boy, kill the boy . . .

Raising her eyes to the ceiling, she imagined Tomas upstairs, sleeping peacefully, and the priest’s murderous mantra faded back into so much buzzing.

Ruby opened her laptop and logged into her deposit account. The money should be in by noon. Ruby needed that money. She had worked hard for it. Killed for it.

She checked the balance.

One dollar.

She kept refreshing the screen. At first every ten minutes. Then every eight minutes, then every five minutes and so on, as the clock ticked down and it got closer to noon.

11.55 a.m.

Refresh.

Balance one dollar.

‘Ruby, can I have a sandwich, please?’ asked Tomas.

The boy stood at the kitchen counter, still in his pajamas, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. She had let him have a lazy morning. His parents were in court, facing the end of a nightmare and, Ruby hoped, the beginning of a new one when John was convicted. Courtrooms were frightening places where trauma, pain and death collided in a war of words. Ruby was not looking forward to being in court either. But she had no choice. She had to go, and make sure John was convicted. She needed the family gone from her life.

‘You haven’t even had breakfast yet,’ said Ruby.

11.56 a.m.

Refresh.

One dollar.

‘I don’t want breakfast. I just want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And some juice,’ said Tomas, the crackle from a night’s sleep still in this throat.

‘Just go wait in the living room, honey bunny. I’ll bring it to you.’

‘Can’t I just have it right now?’

11.57 a.m.

Refresh.

One dollar.

Ruby ignored him, all her focus on the laptop screen. Her mind rolling through possibility after possibility. They had both paid, but there was a delay in the transfer. Neither of them had paid and it was going to be a fight – one she couldn’t win because Ruby’s time was almost up. She needed to run. And she needed that money.

Goddamn it, why hadn’t they paid? Did they want to get their lives ruined? Or get themselves killed?

‘Ruby . . .’

11.58 a.m.

Refresh.

Screen loading.

One dollar.

‘Ruby! I’m hungry!’ Shouting. Whining.