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“Bryn, times up, baby,” he commanded. “Make your choice.”
I stared in disbelief as she cleanly sliced the blade across her wrist, and a thin red line appeared before blood began to pour out. She looked up at us, her eyes wide with fear, and the knife fell to the floor.
“Good girl,” Morgan crooned, letting go of me. He knelt in front of her and kissed her gently on the mouth. “It will be all right now,” he said, cupping her face. “There will be no more pain. You’ll get to see your mother.” He picked up the knife and walked away.
Bryn slumped over and fell off the chair, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she lost consciousness.
I ran to her and held my hand over her wrist, trying to staunch the bleeding. “Help her,” I cried. “Oh God, please help her.” I needed something to use as a tourniquet. I pulled my shirt off and, taking one of the sleeves, wrapped it around her upper arm as tight as I could. Morgan picked up one of the kitchen towels and wiped the blade of the knife on it before closing it and putting it in his pocket. He came over to me and kicked me as hard as he could in my stomach. I doubled over, trying to catch my breath as he untied my shirt. “You shouldn’t have interfered. You’ve only prolonged her death. Get up,” he said, pulling me by my hair. I staggered behind him as he took me back to the cell and shackled me to the wall. Tears streamed down my face.
“You think me a horrible person, but I understood them. I felt their sadness. I helped them come to terms with it. I only led them to an avenue where they no longer had to feel those things.”
“You’re sick.”
“No, they trusted me, just as you trusted me and will trust me again in time.”
“You groomed them. You sick fuck. How did you do it?” I heaved.
“I saw the beauty inside them when others only saw problems. Maureen would come home from work, always complaining. She didn’t know how to help them. So, I began to read their files on her computer. I wanted to see if things were really as horrible as she said. Then Maureen left me, and I had no access to their stories, so I sought them out in person. A compliment here and a smile there, and they began to open up to me. I was the one making them better, not her. They were mine.”
“So, you took them, and you raped them.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I made them feel special for the first time in their lives.”
“What about the girl in Newham?”
“I never touched her.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, still trying to catch my breath.
“Your lot was closing in, and I remembered the case from London. The letter ended the search for the girl instantly. I chose to recreate it, so I tore a page from Bryn’s journal and had her write it.”
“And then you hid it in the house the next day.”
He nodded. “You’re smart. Troubled but smart. You’re going to be my greatest triumph.”
I laughed. “I won’t kill myself.”
He shook his head. “You’re so lost. You need a savior more than anyone I’ve met, and you don’t even realize it.”
I slid down to the ground, the brick wall of the garage scraping my bare back. “That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t need anyone. I never have, and I never will.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
RHYS
Iwas walking back from my morning surf when I found Sam knocking on the door to the caravan. “How can I help you?” I said, coming up behind him.
Dark circles rimmed his eyes. “I need to talk to Navy,” he said. “She’s not answering her phone.”
“She’s not here.”
“Have you heard from her,” he asked, stroking his brow.
“I’m not exactly on the top of her list.” I wasn’t sure how much she told him. Harry opened the door and popped his head out. “Everything okay?”
“Navy is missing,” I said, concerned. “When was the last time you saw her?” I asked Sam.
“Yesterday morning. She had an appointment to see DCS Davies, but he said she never showed up. I assumed she was with you, but she’s still not answering, and now her phone is going straight to voicemail.”
