This is my chance to set things right. There are always new beginnings. Another fresh start. That’s what happens when you’re washed in the blood of the lamb. Thank you, Jesus.
I steel myself as he approaches. The smell of dead fish and bugs clings to me in the damp heat hanging over us like a blanket. We used to dare kids to jump across the swamp when we were younger. The ultimate dare was to see how long you could stand in there before you freaked and jumped out. It’s not the water snakes or the crawfish squirming around your toes that’s terrifying—it’s the alligators. Rumor has it Buck Heeler lost two toes the summer of 1989, but nobody knows if that’s true or an old wives’ tale used to scare us off. Either way, it feels strangely powerful having it behind me.
“This place smells like shit.” His voice is muffled behind a nylon mask that’s got his eyes and mouth looking like dark holes.
“You picked it,” I remind him with so much more confidence than the last time I saw him and he hijacked me in the parking lot. It’s easier to feel strong when the gun from my daddy is tucked in the waistband of my jeans. I finally figured out the combination on the security cabinet. The digits to our first date. John was always such a romantic.
“I’m glad you made such a wise choice,” he says, and there’s no way to tell if he’s smiling or frowning underneath there. It’s like talking to a scary blank slate.
“You didn’t leave me much of one.”
He points to the duffel bag slung across my chest. “Is it all there?”
I drop it at my feet. “You want to see? Count it?” I’d kick it over to him, but it’s too heavy.
His eyes dart around before he hurries over and grabs the bag. He pulls it away from me like it’s already his. He fumbles with the zipper like he might be nervous. Maybe he’s never done anything like this before. That’s okay. I haven’t either.
He crouches on his heels while he paws through the money. I’m still amazed I got it all and super proud of myself too. Who knew I had it in me? It took forever to get because I had to be so careful not to trigger any kind of suspicions. That’s why I withdrew it from different banks zigzagged across Birmingham. I didn’t dare do it in one lump sum in case that flagged me or made me have to wait for it, so I did it in three smaller withdrawals. So far, so good.
“It’s all there,” I say, getting annoyed. It’s taking him forever to count it. I eye the woods and strain my ears. There’s always a chance he didn’t come alone. I wish he’d hurry. This needs to be over.
“I’m almost finished,” he says. He takes his time sorting through it and stands, slowly pulling the bag up with him. He slings it across his body like I had it on mine. Pieces of leaves stick to it from my run through the woods. Hiding the car was harder than I thought, so I had to slog through lots of the brush. “You’re right. All there,” he says like everything’s settled, and he straightens up like he’s about to head back to the truck.
“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?” I hold my hand up to stop him.
“We’re done here.”
I shake my head. “No, we’re not. We haven’t talked about Simon or the video.”
“We already talked about Simon, and I told you that he’d leave you alone as long as you gave me the money. What were you expecting? A signed contract that says he won’t come after you or tell anyone that you paid him to attack Annabelle?” He lets out a huge laugh, but I’m not amused.
“I want you to call him right now and tell him to stay away from me. I want to hear you say it.” I point at his black skinny jeans. He’s got to have a phone tucked in one of the pockets.
“That’s not happening. Believe me, as soon as he gets his cut, you’ll never hear from him or me again.”
“But what about the video?”
He lifts his hands, palms up. “What about the video?”
“You don’t get to just keep the video. I’m going to watch you delete it from your phone and the cloud,” I declare definitively like he doesn’t have any say in the matter. There’s no way to know if he’s already sent it to someone else or made copies, but it’s all I’ve got, and I’m not leaving here without at least that much. I’ve got to tie up as many loose ends as I can.
I’m dying to know which video he’s seen and how he got it, just like I was when John confronted me all those years ago. At least with John I knew how he’d gotten it. He found my office hidden in the back of the guest suite closet, along with all the recordings of my training sessions with Mason. I studied those videos like coaches review game footage. I’ve never seen John as upset as he was the day he found everything. He wouldn’t stop looking at me like I was an evil person. He kept calling me one too. I tried explaining things to him—my groundbreaking research with Mason and how we were going to change the world—but he just didn’t understand. He said he would turn me in, but I took care of that before he had a chance. I thought I took care of everything.
“I bet you’d like to erase all those images of you hurting that poor boy. Teaching him how not to talk instead of the other way around. Or what about those candles? That’s some twisted stuff right there, Mrs. Hill.” He shakes his head. The black hoodie tight around it. “Something must really be wrong with you.”
“Shut up, you have no idea who I am or what you’re talking about,” I snap. Greatness is always misunderstood by people who don’t have it. Or the amount of sacrifice it requires. That’s all I ever wanted for Mason—a chance to make a huge difference in the world. “I gave you the money; I want the video destroyed.”
“Nope.” He shakes his head again. Much more forcibly this time. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I said I wouldn’t show the video to anyone. I never said you could do anything with it.” He takes a step closer to me. His features flattened and distorted from the mask’s pressure. “You just can’t let go of control, can you?” He steps even closer. “The video is my insurance that you never come after me. I’m not stupid.”