Half Life (13 page)

  As there were some houses nearby this seemed to have the desired effect.  He slammed my door shut angrily then got back in the driver
’
s seat, slamming his own door.  We drove home in silence and when I got out he didn
’
t say a word.

 
“
Your stubbornness may have saved your life,
”
said Paige.

 
“
I think so.  I didn
’
t hear from him for a few days after that.  I knew he was sulking but there was no way I was going to apologise.  Then he turned up at my flat with a bunch of flowers and an apology, which I accepted.  I thought it was just a stupid joke that got out of hand.
”

 
“
How were things between you after that?
”

 
“
Fine.  We did normal stuff together; the cinema, meals, that sort of thing.  I
’
d almost forgotten about the cemetery incident.  Then one night he was driving me home after a party when the car suddenly broke down.
”

 
“
Another ruse?
”

 
“
Yes, although I didn
’
t realise it at first.  He said the battery had run flat and he didn
’
t have his mobile on him to call anyone.  We
’
d broken down by this big old abandoned house.  The Charming
’
s house.
”

 
“
The site of the multiple murders?
”

 
“
Yeah.  I thought it looked familiar at the time but it was only once we were inside that it struck me where we were.  I wanted to leave immediately, I was freaked out but he said we had no choice.  We were stuck in the middle of nowhere at night.  He said he
’
d walk to the nearest village at first light to find a phone, so I agreed to stay.  What else could I do?
”

  Paige nodded in agreement.

 
“
It was like the house had some weird effect on him.  He walked through the rooms where the murders happened.  Do you know the story?
”

 
“
It was a bit before my time but I
‘
ve heard the legend.  In the nineteen seventies the owner, Doctor Charming stabbed his wife and parents-in-law to death before cutting his own wrists.  No one knew why.  The house has been derelict ever since.
”

 
“
Well Alex knew every detail of those murders.
”

 
“
Mrs Charming, Alice her name was, died in here,
”
he said, leading me into the kitchen. 
“
Dr Charming really went to town on her.  The police report said it looked like she
’
d been attacked by a wild animal.
”

  I felt sick at the eagerness on his face and followed him reluctantly into the large desolate living room.

 
“
He got his father-in-law in here.  He was watching TV on the couch and they think when he heard his daughter
’
s screams he got up to investigate.  Dr Charming came through from the kitchen covered in blood.  The two men fought but the father-in-law was an old man and was overpowered easily.
”

  He took my hand and led me to the stairs while I followed.  I couldn
’
t believe this was real, I thought it was a dream and soon I
’
d wake up.  All the time Alex talked, never stopping his horrible monologue.

 
“
Last was the mother-in-law.  Dr Charming really must have hated her because she was hacked up the most, torn to pieces, in here,
”
he said, leading me to the bathroom doorway.  He took my hand again and led me to the master bedroom. 
“
When they were all dead Dr Charming laid down on the bed that he
’
d shared with his wife for eight years and opened up his wrists.
”

  The whole house was empty, the family
’
s belongings long ago having been removed but there was a strange atmosphere, as though the former residents still lived there and were due to return at any moment.  It felt like we were intruding upon their privacy.

  I snatched my hand out of his grip and ran back down the stairs, just wanting to keep running but the pitch blackness outside kept me indoors. 

 
“
You set this up didn
’
t you?
”
I demanded angrily. 
“
You sabotaged the car so it would break down right where you wanted it to so I
’
d be stuck here.
”

 
“
Of course I didn
’
t.
”

 
“
Don
’
t lie to me.  What
’
s wrong with you?  First you try and get me into a graveyard, now here.  Why?
”

 
“
I
’
m just trying to keep you entertained.
”

 
“
You consider the slaughter of an entire family entertaining?
”

  We argued and he spent the rest of the time in that house sulking.  The moment the sun came up he walked to the village to phone a friend who came out to jumpstart the car.  Alex was still in a mood when he dropped me off at home.  Once again I didn
’
t see or hear from him for a few days and to be honest I was relieved.  I
’
d found out what he was really like and it wasn
’
t pleasant.  Then he phoned me.  He wanted to meet up, so I agreed.
”

 
“
Why?  After everything he
‘
d done?
”
said DI Paige, trying to keep the incredulity from her voice and failing.

 
“
I just wanted to say goodbye properly.  Things felt
…
unfinished.
”

 
“
So what went wrong?
”

 
“
We arranged to meet at a nearby caf
é
.  He apologised, said it was a stupid prank that he took too far.  He was so much like the Alex I thought I knew that I started to wonder if I hadn
’
t gone over the top.
”

 
“
Did you take him back?
”

 
“
No.  On that I was adamant.  I told him it was over.  He was nice about it, understanding so when he offered to drive me home I said yes.  It was broad daylight and there were lots of people about so I felt safe.
”

  Mercy broke off to take a sip of water, her hand shaking and spiky heels tapping harder on the floor.

 
“
Are you alright to continue?
”
said Paige.

  Mercy nodded. 
“
I just want to get it over with.
”

 
“
Okay.  In your own time.
”

 
“
He was his nice chatty self until we were just a couple of streets from my house.  Then he suddenly veered onto another road.
”

 
“
Where are we going?
”
I said.

 
“
You
‘
ll see,
”
he replied in an eerily calm voice.

 
“
Stop the car and let me out right now.
”

 
“
No,
”
he said quietly, staring out at the road with dead flat eyes.

  I tried to open the door but he put the central locking on.  When I saw he was driving us out of town into the countryside I started to panic.

 
“
Alex take me home, please.
”

 
“
No.
”

  I wrenched at the door again, even tried to wind down the window but it wouldn
’
t budge.  I pulled my mobile out of my pocket but before I could use it he snatched it from me and smashed it against the dashboard.

 
“
What are you doing?
”
I cried.

  Silence.

 
“
Please Alex, talk to me.  Where are we going?
”

 
“
It
’
s a surprise.
”

  That was all he
’
d say.  When he pulled up outside the Charming house I knew I was in serious trouble.  I was in the middle of nowhere with someone who was clearly deranged and it was starting to get dark.  I
’
d never felt fear like it.  We just sat there in the car for ages in silence.  He stared out of the window, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

 
“
Alex?
”
I said gently, still hoping to reason with him. 

  He reached under his seat and pulled out the biggest knife I
’
d ever seen.  When he looked at me again his eyes had the same dead look and I knew then that this was the real Alex.  The one I
’
d fallen for had been an illusion.

 
“
Get out,
”
he said in that same creepy monotone. 

  I spotted my chance.  The moment he released the central locking I opened the door and ran but I had my heels on so he caught up with me easily and pushed me over.  I tried to fight him but he put the knife to my throat.

 
“
Get up,
”
he said quietly.

  There was no anger or even fear in his voice.  In fact there was nothing, which was more frightening than had he shouted.  He marched me up to the house with the knife pressed to my throat so hard I felt a trickle of blood run down my neck.  No one was around, there were no cars.  It was just me and him.

    He shoved me through the door and I fell, hitting the floor hard.

 
“
Alex, what are you doing?
”

  He stood over me, staring down at me as though I was nothing.  His eyes were cold and he looked as though he was capable of anything.

 
“
I want to see what
’
s inside you,
”
he said quietly.

 
“
What do you mean?
”
I screamed.

  He indicated my stomach with the knife. 
“
I want to see what
’
s inside you.
”

  When he raised the knife into the air I kicked him.  I was panicking so I
’
m not sure where I hit him but he fell backwards.  I ran for the front door but he grabbed my legs and the next thing I knew I was back on the floor.  He rolled me onto my back and raised the knife again.  I lashed out with my feet and the heel of my shoe caught him in the face.  Blood burst from his nose and he dropped the knife.  I snatched it up and stabbed him over and over until he stopped moving.  Then I ran outside.  Thank God a car was passing.  They nearly crashed when they saw me run out in front of them covered in blood.  The driver called the police and the rest you know.
”

 
Her story told, Mercy slumped back in her seat, exhausted.

  There was a long drawn out silence as Paige regarded her thoughtfully across the table.

 
“
What do you think he meant when he said he wanted to know what
’
s inside you?
”

 
“
Who knows?  He
’
s a lunatic.
”

 
“
You stabbed him thirteen times and not one of those blows hit anything vital.  Did you do that on purpose?
”