Alex Barclay - Darkhouse

Shaun pushed the door closed against the force of the wind. It smashed back against him, knocking him to the ground.

Joe looked up towards the noise and saw Duke Rawlins through the trap door, his face tight against Shaun’s, the dried blood of his knife wound flaking onto the boy’s skin.

‘You just don’t fuckin’ learn, do you?’ said Duke. ‘Things just don’t fall into your lap, detective.’ He grabbed Shaun harder, jerking him back, pushing a curved blade against his throat.

‘Oh,’ he said, reaching down to Joe, handing him a string. Joe took it and looked up to see a silver helium balloon floating at the other end. Duke smiled. ‘Happy birthday.’

As Frank Deegan drove away from the mountains, his mobile beeped back to life. It stayed in coverage long enough to tell him Myles O’Connor had tried him seven times. But not long enough that he could do anything about it.

Richie closed the car door gently behind him and stepped across the ditch and through a gap in the hedge. He crouched low and moved towards the lighthouse and the shadows dancing high in the tower.

‘She tried to help that fat bitch,’ said Duke, nodding towards Anna, her tiny body slumped against the wall. ‘Sheba.’

‘Siobhán,’ muttered Anna. ‘Her name was Siobhán.’

Duke snorted and made a face like he didn’t care. He nodded at Anna again. ‘She even got away from me... but just for a little while.’ He smiled.

The lighthouse lens rotated above them, sending out a sound like a giant blowtorch. Joe looked at the brass vents that ran around the room at floor level and at six feet. He knew from Anna that either the north- or south-facing vents should have been open, depending on the direction of the wind. But they were closed and there was no way to suck out the fumes from the kerosene that were filling the cramped space.

‘OK. This won’t take long,’ said Duke. ‘It’ll be one of those quick decisions, you know, like whether or not to shoot an unarmed man, for example. Yup, I know he was unarmed, detective, because all poor Donnie was holding was the pin. And that was for a reason. He was keeping that close to him for a reason that you will never understand. Loyalty...’ He closed his eyes.

‘A loyal man wouldn’t sleep with your wife, Rawlins.’

‘Well, that’s just the thing.’

‘The file,’ said Joe, pulling it out, staining the cover with Anna’s blood. ‘It’s here. Her name is in this. She was in New York the same day in the same park. Can you explain that? She has admitted to the Grayson County D.A. that Donald Riggs was getting that ransom money for them, not for you — for her and Riggs so that they could be as far enough away from you as possible when you became a free man.

‘Donnie wanted to die holdin’ that pin—’

‘No, he did not,’ said Joe calmly, setting the file gently on the floor between them. ‘He wanted to throw it away.’ He nodded down at the stack of photos, witness statements, autopsy findings, court reports, all held in their light cardboard folder. Duke flashed a glance at it, but he was shaking his head.

‘No,’ he said. ‘No.’

They stood in silence like that for some time, Duke swaying gently as he stared into space. Joe held his breath as he watched him, unnerved by thoughts of what could explode out of the growing calm.

‘You can leave now,’ he said. ‘You won’t be caught. You won’t have to spend the rest of your life in jail for all those murders.’

‘What murders?’ said Duke, shrugging. Then something snapped in him again and when he spoke, his voice was ice.

‘Look, I’m not wastin’ my time here, detective. I’m givin’ you a chance. Real quick.’ He clicked his fingers. ‘You gotta be quick.’

Richie Bates could see now that Duke Rawlins had arrived... and had brought with him an opportunity that could change everything.

Shaun stood on the three-inch ledge that ran outside the railing to the balcony. Duke’s arm was gripped around his chest.

‘Shaun, hold tight,’ shouted Joe through the noise of the lens above him and the wind rushing in from the balcony. The pain seared through his jaw and he jerked his hand to his right cheek reflexively.

‘Somethin’ hurtin’ you?’ said Duke, a smile breaking out across his face. He took a step towards him. Shaun rocked back and forth.

Joe’s breath caught. He tried to shake his head.

‘Somethin’ like this?’ said Duke, smashing his fist against Joe’s fingers, driving the pressure deep into his skull. A sharp spasm tore through Joe’s stomach. He doubled over. Water streamed from his eyes.

‘Now, shut your mouth,’ said Duke. He pulled out a mobile phone with his free hand and punched in a number with his thumb. He held it up for Joe to see: 999.

‘I think your wife could use an ambulance,’ said Duke. Joe turned around and looked at Anna. She was in a pool of blood, her face grey, her eyes closed.

‘So here’s your choice,’ said Duke. ‘I drop the phone or I drop your son. Which is it?’

Joe was rooted to the floor. He looked around the room for something, anything that could help his decision or help him kill the man standing in front of him. His eyes fell on the file again.

‘Please,’ he said. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Duke stepped forward, but instead of bending down, he kicked the file open with the toe of his boot. Then he kicked again and the wind caught the sheets and blew them into the air.

‘No,’ said Duke, kicking again. ‘One more time: I drop the phone or I drop your son. Which is it?’

Joe looked again at Anna. For just a second, her eyes flickered open. She shook her head, a tiny movement that took all her energy. Joe stepped towards her.

‘Get the fuck away from her,’ said Duke as he hit SEND on the phone. ‘Ambulance, ma’am,’ he said. He locked eyes with Joe. ‘OK. Time up, detective. Which do I drop — the phone or the boy?’ He stretched his arm out, the phone hovering over the balcony.

‘The phone,’ Joe said quietly.

‘Can’t hear you,’ said Duke. ‘What’s that you said?’

‘No, Dad, no!’ roared Shaun. ‘No!’ He bucked against the railings.

‘What’ll it be, detective?’

‘The phone,’ roared Joe. ‘Drop the fucking phone, you sick son of a bitch.’

‘Ambulance, hello, can I help you?’ The voice was tinny and distant as Duke leaned over the balcony and let the phone fall thirty feet onto the ground below, shattering on impact.

Shaun cried out as Duke released his grip on his chest, then jerked him back quickly towards him at the last second.

‘Oh, I’ve cut the line from your house too,’ said Duke. He spoke to Shaun, ‘Hook your hands into the railing. Then you can come in and say hi to your dad. He’s just killed your mom.’

Shaun climbed back over and as soon as he turned to walk back in, Duke put a foot in the small of his back and sent him forward, landing against Joe, who stumbled backwards with the weight. Shaun staggered away and Joe lunged for the door, but Duke was too quick, out onto the balcony and gone.

Joe turned to Shaun. ‘Get help. Tell the police what’s happened. She’ll be OK.’ He went outside, pushing against the wind. It whistled through his mouth, finding the gaps to create more agony, layering it on top of pain he had never before experienced. When he looked around, the balcony was empty and a lone rope swung in the wind. Joe turned to run back through the lighthouse when he was lit from behind by flashes of blue and white.

‘It’s the guards,’ he shouted to Shaun. ‘They’ll send an ambulance. I have to go.’ He looked down as someone climbed out of the car. ‘Fuck,’ he said. ‘It’s Richie.’ The guy would never believe him.