The Wrong Suspect by Russell Leigh

Author:Russell, Leigh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

28

AGAIN AND AGAIN, HE paced around his cell, feeling his way along the walls. By counting his steps, he thought he had worked out that the room was square, although it was difficult to be sure. Two of the corners were indeterminate, which made it difficult to tell if he was actually changing direction, but he judged the space to be approximately twenty paces by twenty paces. It seemed to be growing colder. Stamping on the ground and flapping his arms as he walked helped reduce the cramp in his hands and feet.

Every so often, he would stop and talk to the woman when she appeared unexpectedly behind him, eerily lit up in the darkness. The first time he turned and saw her, he was so startled he nearly fell over. It was odd that he could see her face clearly when it was so dark. He realised she must be illuminated by her torch, although he couldn’t see it anywhere.

‘I didn’t hear you come in,’ he said.

He took a step towards her and stopped, momentarily deterred by her manic grin. It hadn’t occurred to him until then that she was insane. As soon he realised that she was crazy, everything fell into place and he understood why his continued incarceration made no sense. Now that he knew the situation, he had to work out how he was going to persuade her to release him.

‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he went on gently, taking a step towards her. ‘I knew you’d come back. I’ve been keeping your money safe for you. You must have been wondering why I took it from you in the first place, but I can explain. The fact is, I thought the police were on to us. I hid the money to make sure they couldn’t find it. That’s the honest truth.’ He mustn’t give any indication that he was lying. He tried to sound confident as he continued. ‘So come on, let’s go and you can have it all back. I don’t want to keep any of it for myself.’

Shaking her head, she slipped out of the cell. He didn’t see her go. One second she was there, the next she had gone. Bitterly disappointed, he resumed walking round the cell, wriggling his fingers to check they weren’t completely numb.

The second time, she appeared just as suddenly.

‘You again,’ he said, attempting to smile at her. ‘I was hoping you’d be back before now. I’ve been growing impatient waiting for you.’

She didn’t answer, but stood grinning at him silently out of the darkness. He didn’t know if she was even listening to him. Before he could decide what to say next, she vanished, leaving him frustrated. The next time she turned up, he resolved to be ready for her. Whatever happened, he wouldn’t let her leave without him. At the risk of being shot, he would grab her by the arm and refuse to let go, however much she protested. He waited for her, determined not to be caught unawares again.

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