A Dance of Cranes by Steve Burrows

Author:Steve Burrows
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786075765
Publisher: Oneworld Publications

28

The figure was silhouetted against the window on the far side of the room, but the man was not looking out. He was staring in Lindy’s direction. But not at her. His face was expressionless, his eyes still, as if he were alone in the room. Perhaps he was. Perhaps this woman he had abducted and brought here and tied to a chair was as irrelevant to him as his unfocused gaze seemed to suggest.

The fear was still with her, as it had been from the moment she was seized. But the raw, naked terror of her abduction had given way to something calmer. At first, in the stifling confines of the Volkswagen’s boot, she had truly believed that she was going to die. But the fact that he’d brought her here, to this place, meant something. She recognized that, and the thought brought her some small measure of reassurance. He could have killed her in the car park, if he’d wanted to. He had overpowered her so quickly, she would have been able to offer little resistance. So, yes, even though there was still fear, even though she recognized she was still in danger, and was uncertain of what might be awaiting her, there were tiny shards of light in her darkness. And this room, in this place, was one of them.

Lindy wasn’t sure whether to speak. She ran the risk of letting him hear the fear in her voice, confirming it for him, even though he must already suspect it. Should she remain quiet, in the hope that he might take her silence as strength, a sign of resistance she knew she would have no hope of ever summoning in reality? Detachment or engagement? Her life might depend on getting the answer right.

Lindy played her tongue over her lips. They felt rough and cracked. “I wonder if I could have a glass of water. Please.”

The man showed no signs of having heard her. He remained motionless, as if his stare was simply to assess whether the rope binding the woman’s arms to the back of the chair was fit for purpose.

“I’m not sure what this is about,” she began again, her voice finding lightness from somewhere, “but I give you my word I’m not planning to try anything. I’m just really thirsty. For some reason, my lips feel sore.”

“They reacted to the adhesive on the tape I put over your mouth. It’ll clear up now the source of the irritant has been removed.”

The man’s straightforward response left Lindy struggling to come up with a reply. But his composure was no act. There had been no signs of nervousness at all since they’d arrived — no pacing, no checking the curtains, no shallow breathing — just a steady, meticulous preparation of the room for a long stay with a captive.

“You were put in the car boot with minimum force,” he said in the same flat tone as before. “And taken out. There might be a couple of bruises on your arm.

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