Alex Palmer - Blood Redemption

‘Luce?’

‘Hi, Greg. He got you out, did he? He said he would.’

‘Yeah, he did. Those fucking pigs put me straight in the van. Look, I … What are you going to do?’

Lucy put her hand on her waistband and felt her firearm, hidden under her baggy clothes. She did not leave her room without carrying her gun.

‘Whatever he wants, Greg. Did you get my message? The one I asked Ria to give you?’

‘Yeah, I did. I can’t talk, you know, I — ’

‘Then you know you have to be as careful as you can. You watch everything he does. I’m going to do what he wants. Everything I have to. You remember that. I’m still out here. I haven’t forgotten you.’

‘Yeah, I will. You okay, Luce?’

‘Yeah, I’m okay. What about you? Did they shave your hair off, take away your beanie like they always do?’

‘Yeah, I got no hair any more but I hung onto my beanie this time.

It’s all I got left, everything else has been ripped off me. Look, I got to go, he wants the phone.’

‘I’m here. You remember that.’

Lucy listened to the sound of traffic down the line as she waited for Graeme. She glanced across the national park towards the vicinity of the northbound expressway, wondering where they could be. All she saw was the curve of the sky and the clouds massed on the horizon.

‘You see, it’s just the way I told you, Lucy,’ the preacher said. ‘I have my contacts too. You should remember that.’

‘I hadn’t forgotten. But I don’t mind coming to see you, Graeme.

Because I’ve got my insurance.’

‘Do you think you’ll use it?’

‘Why wouldn’t I? If you’ve used one of these things once, you can always do it again. Because you really know how to then. It’s not like shooting at a tree any more.’

There was silence.

‘Graeme?’

‘I was just thinking that’s not quite how you talked about it the last time we spoke. Are you changing your mind? Do you feel a little easier with it all now?’

Lucy felt frightened down into the pit of her stomach.

‘I just do what I have to, Graeme.’

‘I see. Well, why don’t we all get together this evening? I thought we could meet at the garage.’

‘Not this evening,’ Lucy snapped back. ‘I haven’t got any way to get there. And anyway, I don’t want to go there. I don’t like it there. Last time I was there I … there are ghosts in there, Graeme, I heard those kids’ voices last time. I’m never going back there again. No, I want to say where and when we meet. Okay? Me. I say.’

‘Just as you like, Lucy. You set the terms.’

‘I’ll meet you out the back of Central there. In that warehouse.’

‘Isn’t that a little too public?’

‘No one sees you in a crowd, Graeme. If you’re in a big enough crowd, you just disappear.’

‘Yes, that’s true. So. When?’

‘I don’t know. I’ve got to get a car.’

‘Where are you? Perhaps I can help.’

‘I’m nowhere, Graeme, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I’ll ring you back. And when I do, I want to talk to Greg. Okay? Every time I ring you or you ring me, I want to talk to him.’

‘You will. I promise you, you will. And I promise you, he’ll be with me when you and I meet.’

Lucy did not speak. There was an implication in his tone that she could not puzzle out, and if she asked him what he really meant, she knew he would only play more word games with her.

‘I’m hanging up now,’ she said.

‘I’ll wait for your call.’

‘Graeme … ’

‘Yes.’

‘Don’t do anything I won’t like.’

The connection went dead.

‘What am I going to do, girl?’ she said aloud to the bitch.

The dog only nuzzled closer, drinking in the attention, the closeness of another presence.

Lucy went back to her room, logged on and went out onto the Net.

Turtle, are you there?

Firewall I told u We are being watched

I don’t care. I’ve got to ask you something.

Wotzup

I’ve got a friend in bad, bad trouble and I don’t know how to help him out without getting in deeper myself. Is that possible? Can I get in deeper than I already am?

Yes u can Easy Wot do u want me 2 do U just have 2 ask I just need to know what you think.

Firewall I already said U’ve got 2 go 2 the police What can they do? They can’t help my friend.

Why can’t they??

For one thing, they don’t know where to find him.

Do u know???

There are some places I know about where they might take him. But I think what they’ll probably do is move him around. I’m not really sure.

They???

Oh, yeah. There’s more than one person out there, Turtle.

Go 2 police Do it now

Why are you so sure that’s the right thing to do?

There’s nothing else u can do Because they are not going 2 stoptill they find u Firewall I know they won’t U go 2 them amp; u won’t gethurt I promise u I do

You don’t know that. Anyway, I’m not frightened of them, I don’t care what they do to me. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I could go looking for my friend myself if I had a car. Maybe that’s what I should do. I need a car. I could -

U could do wot????

I could take my gun and go and see the people who’ve got him.

Say to them I’ve got a gun, they’ve got to do what I want or I’ll use it on them this time. But for all I know, they might be waiting for me to do that. I’m not the only one with a gun. Maybe I’ll just end up getting shot myself. That’s what I’m expecting to happen really, when I think about it.

No don’t do it U just get in more trouble The more u do things likethat the worse it gets Don’t Firewall U stop now What am I going to do, Turtle?

Ring the police amp; wot about the people u shot Have u forgotten????

No, I haven’t forgotten them. I don’t think I ever will. It’s like they’re always there, it doesn’t matter what I do. They’re with me all the time.

I wake up in the morning and it’s like, ‘Oh, hi, guys, it’s you again.’

They never go away. I am going to see those people and hear those shots for the rest of my life. I’ve got to go and think now. I’ll be back, okay? Talk to you later. Love you, Turtle, love you always.

Firewall u go 2 the police NOW ok???? U have 2

I’ll think, Turtle.

U wait don’t go U got 2 believe me I’m your friend I am 4 ever I loveu always 2 U go 2 the police before something really bad happens Turtle, I’ve got to think. Okay? I’ll be back.

She closed down and then, feeling the enclosure of the room, opened the door. As she sat on the bed looking out into the hallway, she saw Melanie go past in the direction of her father’s room, carrying a tray of medications. A little afterwards, she saw Stephen come back the other way, limping on his bad leg.

‘Stevie,’ she called.

‘Yeah. What do you want, Luce?’

‘How’s Dad?’

‘He’s as sick as a dog. Why? Are you going to go and see him? He was just asking if you were still here and I said you were.’

Lucy stood in the doorway, glanced down towards the closed door of her father’s room.

‘What does Mel do in there?’ she asked.

‘What do you think she does? She washes him. She feeds him. She gives him his pills and his shots. Listens to him whenever he’s raving on about something. I don’t know how she does it.’

‘What about you?’ she asked, suddenly sharper. ‘How are you?

How’s your knee? Do you still get that pain the way you used to?’

‘Don’t worry about my knee, Luce. I can deal with it.’

‘Oh, yeah. You can deal with it. We can all fucking deal with it.’