Page 156 of D for Dead

He screamed and let go, and it was all the time she needed to grab the knife she’d seen sitting on the table and plunge it at his shoulder. She caught flesh, enough to have him howling again, but not inflict any real damage. As she pulled back for a second shot, his fist flew out, catching her in the face. Amy stumbled back, losing her balance and landing on the floor, the knife still in her hand.

She tasted blood, put her hand to her cheek and tried to get up, her head swimming. Rivers reached down, plucked the knife from her fingers and yanked her to her feet.

‘You’ll pay for that,’ he snarled, dragging her across the room to the spot where Danielle had once stood.

No, God, no.

She screamed, still trying to struggle as he forced her arms above her head, and she felt hard, cold steel lock around her wrists. She yanked hard at the chains, knew it was too late. Rivers reached out with the knife she had attacked him with, ran the blunt edge of the blade down her cheek and smiled gloatingly, and Amy’s heart jumped into her mouth.

Stay strong. Don’t show fear.

She drew her head back, spat in his face. His expression turned dark, but he didn’t react.

‘He’s in love with you,’ he said conversationally.

Who was he talking about? David? Troy? She didn’t ask; waited for him to elaborate.

‘But then I guess you know that. It’s why you tried to trick him and turn him against me.’

He was talking about Troy. ‘It’s not the kind of love you think it is. He doesn’t want you in the way you think he does. He’s infatuated with you and has been ever since he saw you and Danielle Colton down here.’

What?

Rivers caught the shocked look on her face, smiled.

‘You didn’t know, did you? That he had followed you into the woods; was in the basement when you found Danielle.’

Was he being serious? Had Troy seen? On one level it made sense. How would Rivers know if no one had been here? Amy thought back to that night, remembered being in the basement with Danielle, and Tucker Johnson coming in. It had just been the three of them, hadn’t it?

She remembered the scent of damp, the taste of fear, the horrifying sight of Danielle. And then she saw eyes, watching, staring from the darkness.

Someone else had been there.

‘He’s obsessed with you, Amy, and yes, he wants to fuck you. I will let him, but what you have to understand is for Troy pain and pleasure go hand in hand. He wants to fuck you, but he also wants to hurt you, to kill you. And we will, but we’ll take our time. He’s waited a long while for this. By the time we’re done you will be begging to die.’

Amy shuddered, tried to take a step back as Rivers raised the knife; pointed the tip into her chin. The chains stopped her.

‘You’re a sick fuck,’ she whispered. ‘You won’t get away with this.’

‘But we will. We’ve been killing for years and no one realises. David is going to take the blame for your murder. Everyone knows he has a jealous streak and has been bitter because you dumped him. He made it easy for us, following you around and taking your picture. The police will think David snapped. He remembered what you’d told him about the basement, about Danielle’s murder–’

‘I never told him about this place. I didn’t even remember it had happened until a couple of weeks ago.’

‘Really?’ Rivers ran the blade down her throat. ‘I don’t believe that. I think you knew.’

‘I didn’t know. I swear.’

‘Well it’s irrelevant anyhow because everyone already believes you’ve been lying. They’ve found the letter I planted upstairs in Johnson’s bedroom, the one they think David wrote to him trying to blackmail him over what he had done. David wanted Johnson to help him kill you, get you back for dumping him.’

‘What?’

Amy knew Hickok and Angell thought she had lied about not remembering the basement. But did Sullivan believe that too?

‘You see, David killed all those people to get back at you and when I call this in, your boyfriend and his pals are gonna think he killed you too. I will find the scene, take him down, and save Troy’s life. He’ll be badly injured, but alive. The police have already found blood in his house, know someone hurt him. He will tell them that Gavin showed up a few nights after killing Nadine, stabbed him and brought him here. So your ex-boyfriend will go down in history as a serial killer, Troy will be his surviving victim and I will get a fucking gold medal.’

‘You’re sick.’

‘Maybe I am.’ Rivers nodded in agreement. ‘I prefer creative, but we can go with sick. Rather sick than dead, Amy. Like you’re going to be.’