The Value of Life
Page 14
Chapter 14: K
K arrived at the cottage in good time, the roads had been empty and he'd missed most of the rain. Bryan was not awake yet so K took the time to carry the supplies into the cottage and put them away. By the time he wheeled the box containing Bryan in on the sack barrow the boy was stirring inside. He wheeled Bryan to the third cell. This one was built at the other end of the cottage away from the first two and had once been a small bedroom. K opened the box and helped the boy out, as he did this Bryan came round fully.
"What's happening? What're ya doin'?" he asked.
"Listen Bryan just relax," K said, "This is a kidnapping, you know what that is?"
The boy nodded drowsily.
"Well everything is ok. You're going to stay here for a few days until your parents give me some money. I'm gonna look after you because all I want is the money. See there's TV and games and food and everything you need right here," he said showing Bryan the room. "There's plenty to eat and drink here but don't pig out because I'm not going to be around tomorrow, but I'll be back on Friday OK." Bryan took a look round the room taking it in for the first time. It was small but not as compact as the others, it gave the impression of a crowded bedroom.
"You're not gonna hurt me or anyfin' then?" he asked, his eyes pleading.
"I promise all I want is the money," K said. "Now get changed into those pajamas and get comfortable, I'll make you a sandwich."
"I feel sick," the boy said. K took a plastic beaker from on top of the fridge and filled it with water from the tap.
"Drink this," he said. The boy took a sip. "I'll make a sandwich, you'll feel better after you've eaten something."
K locked the door and left the boy sat stunned on the bed, it really was amazing how these kids managed to deal with trauma. K checked in on Daniel first, he found the boy asleep with the TV on. K switched off the TV and locked the door. Jamie was awake and playing a game, he wasn't at all surprised when K came in.
"Hello there," K said, "everything OK." The boy looked like he was about to cry,
"I want my Mum," he said. K sat on the bed next to him.
"It's OK," he said. "I sent your Mum the ransom note today. She's going to pay me on Saturday. Then I can let you go, just three more days." The boy looked hopeful but said nothing.
"I'll leave you to play," K said. "Pancakes for breakfast?" he smiled. Jamie nodded and managed a half smile. K left and locked the door. Back in the kitchen he made one ham and one cheese sandwich, took a can of coke from the fridge and took it into Bryan. The boy was on the bed already playing the PlayStation 2. K put the sandwich on the bed next to him, Bryan paused the game picked up one half, checked the filling and took a bite.
"You're not gonna let me go are you?" he said, mouth full.
"What makes you say that," K said.
"I've seen your face," he said, staring at the paused game, not looking at K.
"That's OK," K said, "it's hard to remember a face after a few hours and I always wore a hat so you don't know what my hair looks like, besides you weren't really looking before. Go on," he continued. "Try to remember what I look like."
"Is that why you're wearing that mask now?" the boy asked.
K had spent a long time looking for the right mask, he'd opted for a rubber witch's mask that was too silly to be scary, especially on a man and it had a hat and hair that covered his entire head. Each boy had seen him at least once, maybe more times but kids seldom notice people unless they want to, and he figured with the mask they wouldn't really be able to give the police a good description of him. Daniel hadn't even commented on the mask and Jamie hadn't seen his face during the actual kidnap.
"Yup, and it makes me laugh when I look in the mirror," he said. "My real face looks just like it." The boy laughed.
"Pancakes for breakfast?" K asked.
"Cool," the boy answered, took a big bite of sandwich and unpaused the game.
K left the room, locking the door, and went into the study. He removed the typewriter and pulled a laptop from the drawer. He plugged it into the power and into a USB hub, to which both a printer and CD burner were connected. Then he went through the whole process of using fresh paper, envelopes, and stamps from a new book. He wrote the ransom note the same as the others and printed it out. Using gloved hands he printed the address on an envelope from a new packet and used a new, clean damp sponge to wet the glue. He used the same sponge to wet the glue on the stamp. When everything was done he put it into a clean freezer bag and left it on the table. He figured it would take the police at least one day to find out the gum on the stamp and envelope had been moistened with water.
K spent the next half hour playing solitaire on the laptop, unwinding, before he was tired enough to sleep.
K woke very early next morning and made a big plate of pancakes. He separated them onto three plates, covered them in blueberry syrup and tin foil and put them beside the bed in each room. When K left it was barely four in the morning but he needed to be sure to catch first collection. K stopped again at the postbox outside the sorting office in Vicarage Lane. He dropped the envelope out of the freezer bag straight into the letterbox. When K got back in the van he checked the clock, it was just after six and he needed food, so he drove to a local café on his way home. After a slap up breakfast with an extra cup of tea he drove home, put the van away, fell into the big soft leather sofa and was asleep in minutes.