The Sound of Broken Ribs(66)

“Are you going to kill me?”

“What part of ‘I don’t know’ confuses you, Belinda?”

The author got out, went around, and let her out. Belinda expected the gun to jab into her back, but nothing happened. She was allowed to walk in at her own speed.

They entered through the back door, which opened up onto a kitchen. There was an island in the center of the open space with a burner and single-compartment sink with a faucet in the shape of a question mark. A two-compartment sink sat under a window across from the island. The fridge and dishwasher were both stainless steel and spotless. Everything that wasn’t silver or chrome was natural wood. Not that fake stuff, but real wood. Belinda would have loved a kitchen like this.

The author moved into the living room and Belinda followed. The walls here were bare wood with a glossy coat. A wood-framed loveseat with red cushions that looked about as comfortable as a medieval torture rack sat in the middle of the room, facing the window. To the left of the loveseat was a red leather recliner. A flat screen television was anchored into the wall between the window and the front door. Posted on the inside of the door was the fire code and exit strategy, along with the emergency contact info for, Belinda assumed, the people who owned and ran the cabins.

The author pointed to the loveseat. “Sit down.”

*

Belinda dropped onto the sofa as if her skeleton had been snatched from her.

Lei thought she was looking at a woman far past gone, someone who had given up long ago. Whatever Lei had wanted to accomplish here—she still wasn’t sure what her end game would be—there was no telling if she’d get the reward she had so desperately struggled to find.

As if she resided in Lei’s head, Belinda said, “What now?”

Lei didn’t answer right away. Instead, she shoved the recliner with her foot, spun it around to face the couch. Then she sat down and aimed the Glock at the woman on the loveseat. Belinda didn’t react other than resting back against the cushions. She put her arms out, as if she’d been crucified, and said, “If that’s why we’re here, just get it over with.”

“I don’t want to kill you.”

“You don’t?” Belinda’s chuckle was one of the saddest things Lei had ever heard. “Then what the fuck do you want?”

“I want you to start with why you ran me over and we’ll move on from there.”

Something changed in Belinda’s face. A flicker of hope maybe? Lei couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t like the look of it. She rested her gun hand on her knee but kept the Glock pointed in Belinda’s direction. Lei’s finger wasn’t on the trigger, though. It was over the trigger guard. No matter what happened next, Lei doubted she would shoot Belinda. Everything depended on what Belinda said next.

“My husband left me.” Belinda’s tone was oddly playful—jovial, even.

“What?” Lei said in astonishment.

“I was married to this guy named Daniel Walsh—”

“I know that. I couldn’t find him. Well, Jack couldn’t find him.”

Belinda laughed. “That makes two of us, then. One morning, I woke up to a knock at the door. I was being evicted. I thought maybe Dan was fucking around on me with his secretary—I know, I know, clichéd as hell, but it’s the truth. I wasn’t thinking right. I know that. But that’s how insanity works. When you break, you don’t hear the snap.”

Unless it’s your ribs breaking. Clickety-clack, clickety clickclickclick go the maracas in your chest…

Lei said, “What does that have to do with me?”

“I was on my way to see my brother that morning when I came across you walking. And I ran you over.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“You said you wanted to destroy something. That you wanted to know what it felt like to ruin a life.”

“I did?” Lei thought the look of bewilderment on Belinda’s face was real. It was likely that the woman had no idea she’d said anything to Lei at the time of the accident. That possibility made Lei very angry.

“Are you telling me you don’t remember saying any of that?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Why would I lie about that? I’ve obviously pissed you off by admitting it.”

“Why would you mow down an innocent woman in the middle of the road?”

“Innocent women don’t hold other women at gun point, and you weren’t in the middle of the road. You were on the side of the road.” Was Belinda challenging her? Did she really want Lei to shoot her? It sure as hell felt that way.

Lei said, “Watch it.”

“Watch what? Look, bitch, either you’re going to shoot me or you’re not. At this point, it doesn’t fucking matter. That’s why I didn’t run when you went to check in. Like you said, either I die out in the woods or I hang around and find out what you’re going to do to me. You know why I hit you, so get this show on the road. I’m ready.”

“I don’t want you ready.” Lei didn’t know those words were going to come out of her mouth until she parted her lips and said them. “Killing someone with nothing to lose gains me nothing.”