A groan rattles deep inside her.
‘Take me. You can have me.’
‘Why would I want you when I have little Alice? She’s young. You’re old. She’s clean. You’re a slut.’
‘Please take me.’
‘Can you hear her breathing? I am resting my head on her chest. Her heart is going, “Pitter patter, pitter patter”.’
‘Take me, please. I’ll do anything you want.’
‘Oh, be careful what you say, Sylvia. Will you really take her place?’
‘Yes.’
‘Could you… would you…?’
‘Yes.’
‘How do I know that I can trust you?’
‘You can. Please. Let her go.’
A second mobile is cradled in my hand. I dial a new number. I can hear it ringing in the background. Sylvia covers the mouthpiece and answers her mobile, whispering urgently, ‘Help me! Please! Call the police. He has my daughter.’
I pronounce each syllable: ‘Syl-vee-a. Guess who this is?’
She groans in despair.
‘Alice gave me your mobile number. It was a test. You failed. I can’t trust you any more. Sylvia, I’m going to hang up now. You won’t see Alice again.’
She wails. ‘No! No! No! I’m sorry. Please. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.’
‘I’m putting the phone next to Alice’s ear again. Tell her you’re sorry. I was going to rape her and send her back. Now you’ll never see her again.’
‘Please don’t hurt her.’
‘Oh, look at that! You’ve made her cry.’
‘Anything. I’ll do anything.’
‘I’m lying on top of her, Sylvia. Relax, little one. Don’t be frightened. It’s Mummy’s fault. She couldn’t be trusted.’
‘No, no, no, please…’
‘Open your thighs, little one. This is going to hurt. And when I’m finished I’m going to bury you so deep Mummy will never find you. The worms will. Your body will taste so sweet to those worms.’
‘Take me! Take me!’ Sylvia screams. ‘Don’t touch her. Don’t hurt my baby.’
‘Say you’re sorry, Sylvia. And then say goodbye.’
‘No. Listen. I’ll do anything. Don’t hurt her. Take me instead.’
‘Are you worthy, Sylvia? You have to prove to me that you’re worthy of taking her place.’
‘How?’
‘Take off your clothes.’
‘What?’
‘Alice is naked. I want you to be naked. Take off your clothes. Oh, look! Alice is nodding her head. She wants you to help her.’
‘Can I talk to her again?’
‘OK. She’s listening.’
‘Baby, can you hear me? It’s OK. Don’t be scared. Mummy is going to come and get you. I promise. I love you.’
‘That was very touching, Sylvia. Are you naked, yet?’
‘Yes.’
‘Walk to the window and open the curtains.’
‘Why?’
‘I can see everywhere, Sylvia. I can tell you all about your bedroom and your wardrobe, the clothes on the hangers, your shoes…’
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m the man who’s going to fuck your daughter to death if you don’t do exactly as I say.’
‘I just want to know your name.’
‘No you don’t. You want to make a connection. You want to develop a bond between us because you think I’ll be less likely to hurt Alice. Don’t play mind games with me, Sylvia. I’m a professional. I’m a mind-fuck expert. I do this for a living. I did it for my country.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I know what you’re thinking. I know all about you. I know where you live. I know what friends you have. I’m going to give you another test, Sylvia. Remember what happened last time. I know one of your friends: her name is Helen Chambers.’
‘What about Helen?’
‘I want you to tell me where she is.’
‘I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in years.’
‘Liar!’
‘No, it’s true. She sent me an email a few weeks ago.’
‘What did it say?’
‘She-she-she said she was coming home. She wanted to meet up.’
‘Syl-vee-a, don’t lie to me.’
‘I’m not.’
‘YOU‘RE A FUCKING LIAR!’
‘No.’
‘Are you naked yet?’
Tearfully, ‘Yes.’
‘You haven’t opened the curtains.’
‘Yes I have.’
‘That’s good. Now go to your wardrobe. I want you to find your black boots. The ones with the pointy toes and fuck-me heels. You know the pair. I want you to put them on.’
I hear her looking for them. I imagine her on her knees, scrabbling on the floor.
‘I can’t find them.’
‘You can.’
‘I have to put the phone down.’
‘No. If you put the phone down, Alice dies. It’s very simple.’
‘I’m trying.’
‘You’re taking too long. I am going to take the blindfold off Alice. Do you know what that means? She can recognise me. I’ll have to kill her. I’m undoing the knot. When she opens her eyes, she dies.’
‘I found them! They’re here!’
‘Put them on.’
‘I have to put the phone down to zip them up.’
‘No you don’t.’
‘It’s not poss-’
‘Do you think I’m stupid, Sylvia? Do you think I haven’t done this before? There are dead girls up and down this country. You read about them in the newspapers and see their pictures on the TV. Missing teenagers. Their bodies never found. I did that! It was me! Don’t fuck with me, Sylvia.’
‘I won’t. You will let Alice go. I mean, if I do what you say, you’ll let her go?’
‘One or two get spared, but only if someone is willing to take their place. Are you willing, Sylvia? Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint Alice. Either you do it for me or she does it for me.’
‘Yes.’
I direct her to the bathroom. In the second drawer of the vanity there is a lipstick. Glossy. Pink.
‘Look at yourself in the mirror, Sylvia. What do you see?’
