Jack turned left onto a rough gravel road and they moved away from the water, leaving pillars of dust in their wake. After a few hundred yards, he took a right fork on to a more rutted dirt track winding deeper into the forest. Trees rose up on either side like iron grilles and although it was the middle of the day, it didn’t seem like that anymore. They passed a sign saying ‘Private. No Trespassers’ and Kate shivered.
When Jack pulled up and switched off the engine, there was no road left to follow. They were in a dirt yard, knee-high in dried grass and weeds. On one side was a closed-up split level ranch house. On the other was a shed with a rusty basketball hoop fixed above its double doors. Straight ahead between the trees was the glimmer of water from another lake. Kate could see no phone line, no neighbors. The house wasn’t dilapidated, but it had an air of desolation as though it had lain empty for a long time.
Jack opened the doors to let them out of the car and although Tommy climbed into his arms, he squirmed free to stand on his own. Kate shivered. It was cold and she only wore a thin yellow dress, stiff with dried blood and sticking to her skin.
“Cold?” Jack rummaged in the back of the vehicle and threw her a sweater.
Kate tried not to cry out as she pulled it on.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Echo Lake.” Jack stared at the house. “I used to come here with my mom.”
“Mommy?” Tommy called and headed toward the house.
Jack yanked him back. Tommy yelped and Kate bit her lip.
“How many times do I have to tell you? We’re your mommy and daddy.” The boy’s face crumpled like a screwed up ball of paper and he burst into tears.
Kate lifted him and Tommy clung to her, pressing his face into her shoulder, making her wince and bite her tongue from the pressure on her back.
“It’s okay, Tommy, don’t worry, everything will be okay.” She spoke quietly, rocking and patting him. “We’re on vacation and we’re going to have fun. Don’t cry. Hey, no more time in the car. That’s something to be happy about.” Jack walked around the side of the house and re-emerged waving a set of keys.
He unlocked the shutters, clicking them back in place. Tommy’s long shuddering breaths gradually subsided as he turned in Kate’s arms to watch Jack. The door and screen were protected by a rusty lattice frame secured by a padlock. Jack unfastened the frame, stood it to one side and then pulled open the screen and secured it on a hook.
“Come here.” He unlocked the door.
Kate went to his side. Whatever she decided to do, she wouldn’t be doing it that day. She had to think this out.
“I want to go home.” Tommy began to cry again.
“This is home,” Jack said.
They stepped into a cabin larger than it looked from outside. A central stone fireplace stood open to rooms either side. Drab rugs bearing the hint of brighter colors lay scattered over the pine board floor. A basic kitchen ran down one side with a sink and old fashioned stove. Four chairs sat around a heavy wooden dining table. On the other side of the room, mattresses covered in plastic leaned against two doors. A new refrigerator stood in its packing case by the sink. A thick mat of dust covered everything but the mattresses and the fridge. At their feet, footprints stood out as clearly as if they’d been made in snow.
Jack moved the mattresses to one side and opened the first door. “Bathroom.
The other one’s your room, Tommy.”
Tommy responded by clinging tighter to Kate’s neck.
On one side of the fireplace, wooden steps rose to the next level and on the other side, an archway led to the living room. Jack took Kate’s elbow and guided her past a washing machine and clothes dryer to the far end of the house.
Through a grimy picture window, Kate saw broken patio furniture lying in a heap in one corner of the moss-covered decking which stretched across the back of the house. A hundred yards away, a lake glittered in the sunshine.
“What do you think?” Jack asked.
“It’s beautiful.” Kate guessed she needed to sound impressed. She turned away from the window to look at the room. Two dark red couches stood face to face at right angles to the fireplace. A gray veil of spiders’ webs covered the legs of a wooden coffee table. Jack stood staring through the window. Kate put Tommy down and kept hold of his hand.
“Can you climb stairs, Tommy?”
“I’m not a baby.”
Even so, Kate stayed close behind. She was surprised Jack didn’t follow.
Upstairs, a door opened on to a king-sized bed, the focal point in the room, set under a timbered cathedral ceiling. A massive pine wardrobe and matching chest of drawers stood against the wall. Kate walked over to a picture window that gave another view of the lake. No sign of life. No fishermen, no smoke from chimneys, nothing.
A door on the far side opened onto a bathroom with a large white tub. Tommy pulled at her hand.
“I want to go home.”
“Me too,” Kate whispered.
“Tommy, come here,” Jack shouted.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs and when Tommy was part way down shouted, “Jump.”
Tommy threw himself at Jack before Kate could stop him. Jack laughed and swung him onto his back. She followed them to the room Jack said was Tommy’s.
“You can sleep in here. It used to be my room.” Bunk beds, Kate noticed. Did he have a brother?
Jack handed Tommy over. “I need to go and turn the water on. Don’t drink it until the pipes are flushed through.”
Tommy nestled his head into her shoulder. When Jack walked out the door, she released a deep sigh.
“Why doesn’t Mommy want me to live with her anymore? Have I been bad?”
“No, you haven’t been bad.”
He pressed his mouth to her ear. “I want to go home.”
“I know, sweetheart,” Kate whispered. “But we have to stay here for a while. I’ll take you back to your mommy and daddy as soon as I can. I promise.”
“Promise what?” Jack asked from the door.
Kate’s heart pounded. “Promise we can make this place look nice again.”
“Tommy, you know what a hammer looks like?” The boy nodded.
“Then you’re the guy for me.” Jack held out his arms. Tommy wriggled free and ran to him. Jack picked him up. “What did Mommy really promise you?”
“That I can go back to my mommy and daddy.” Fear swept over Kate in an overpowering wave, crushing her chest. She braced herself.
“I guess Mommy doesn’t understand things yet. I’ll have to do some explaining later.”
Kate kept her eyes averted. She was scared enough without having to see the look on his face.
“I’m hungry,” Tommy whined.
“We can eat soon,” Jack said. “We have to get the house cleaned while it’s still light. Let’s go see what we can find.”
They left and Kate breathed out. A stupid mistake and she wouldn’t make it again.
Jack came back with a box of cleaning materials. He’d given Tommy a small bag to carry.
“You are a strong boy. Thank you, Tommy,” Kate said.
“There’ll be water soon. Electricity might take me a little longer. Clean what you can.” Jack squeezed her shoulder.
Kate yelped. Jack smiled, then took Tommy’s hand and led him outside. Part of her wanted to keep Tommy with her, but she was afraid of making Jack mad.
Though it was cold, Kate opened all the windows. She tackled the hearth and cleared the debris of an ancient fire. After she’d swept the floors, she was filthy and exhausted, but the mundane work to make the place habitable offered an unexpected refuge from the living nightmare that was her life. Jack would make a mistake. She had to wait for that moment to grab the car keys and drive her and Tommy out of there.
Tommy appeared at the door. “You can turn on the water.” Kate tried the faucet in the kitchen. After a considerable amount of banging and clanking, there was a sudden trickle, followed by a gush o
f water. Jack stood at the door.
“All the other taps need to be turned on,” he said.
“How does the stove work?”
“Wood burning. I’ll look at it tomorrow. The generator’s more important. We can cook on the fire tonight. My mom and I used to do that sometimes.” He walked over and lifted his hand to Kate’s cheek. She flinched, but he rubbed her skin with his thumb and pushed her glasses up on her nose.
“You need a bath.”
Kate took a reluctant step in a sensible direction and mustered a smile. “So do you.”
He took Tommy back outside and Kate continued to clean. She moved the single mattresses into the room downstairs, and put them in place on the bunk bed, closing her mind to the fact that he’d bought two. Did he plan to take another child? She shut the windows as the house started to chill. While she worked on the downstairs bathroom, the generator started up.
Tommy came in, his face smudged with dirt. “Daddy got this for me.” Kate cringed. Tommy dragged in a space heater decorated with a dinosaur.
“It’s to keep me warm in the night but Daddy says we’re going to make a fire to keep us warm.”
He jumped up and down. Kate wished she had some of his energy. She set the heater in his room and paused in the doorway when Jack came into the house. He put a box on the table.
“Tommy, unpack this while Mommy and I take this mattress upstairs,” Jack said.
“Okay.”
It was heavy and awkward around the corners, but by a combination of pushing and pulling, they heaved it into the bedroom and onto the bed. As Kate moved past him toward the stairs, Jack caught her arm and pulled her close.
“Looking forward to me fucking you in that bed?” Kate jerked out of his grasp and bolted down. Jack laughed behind her.
Tommy stood on a chair taking the last few items from the box. He’d arranged everything in a row: firelighters, matches, paper towels, toilet paper, flashlights, detergent, soap.
“Good boy.” Jack smiled at him. “There are sheets, pillows, and comforters in those bags over there, Kate. Sort out the beds while we make the fire and get the fridge set up.”
Kate paused in the doorway of Tommy’s bedroom and watched them. She bit her lip as Jack let Tommy strike the match and drop it in the kindling. They built up the fire slowly, letting the flames strengthen. As the light played on their faces, Kate thought how normal it looked—a kidnapper, rapist, and murderer playing a husband and father.
It didn’t take long until there was a warming blaze in the hearth. The wood was so dry, it burned fast and hot.
“The beds, Kate,” Jack called.
She made Tommy’s bed on the bottom bunk. Jack had bought matching comforters covered with spaceships and child-friendly non-allergenic pillows.
She didn’t understand Jack at all. Thoughtless and thoughtful. Cruel and kind.
“Come see what I did.” Tommy came to get her. “I was cold and now I’m hot.”
“Clever boy. Well done.” Kate put her arms around him.
“Do I get a hug, too?” Jack asked.
Kate made herself put her arms around him. When she felt his arms begin to squeeze, she pulled away and turned to Tommy.
“I want you to promise something, Tommy. Never try to do this on your own.
You mustn’t touch the fire.”
“I know about fire. My daddy told—”
“Your daddy told you not to touch fire and he’s right.” Whichever ‘daddy’
Tommy meant. “Fire is dangerous. You could easily hurt yourself. You mustn’t play near it. We don’t have anything to keep you safe from it, so you have to be really careful.”
“Mommy’s right. It’s important we keep the fire going but don’t go near it and never touch it on your own.”
“Okay. I’m hungry now.”
Jack laughed. “How does spaghetti sound?”
He lifted a rusty iron frame from under the sink and handed it to Kate. “Use this on the fire; the saucepans rest on top. Get the meal started while Tommy and I get more logs.”
Kate found dried spaghetti, a large bottle of sauce, a box of soy burger, a tub of grated parmesan, salt and pepper. How long had he planned this? The cupboards held pans, plates, mugs and a variety of cooking equipment, but it was all dusty.
The water coming out of the faucet was clear now and she washed everything she
needed, then set a pan of water to boil on the fire. Kate wiped the table down and laid out three plates, forks, and glasses.
She read the instructions on the soy burger and improvised, guessing how much water she needed to add and finally emptied the bottle of sauce into a smaller saucepan before she went upstairs with the other linen and pillows. Kate knew what would happen in the room, but leaving the bed unmade wouldn’t make it not happen. She unwrapped the pale blue sheets and pillowcases and shook out the yellow and blue checked comforter. He’d even bought new towels.
Her own bag sat at the foot of the bed. A step too far to unpack that.
By the time Kate went downstairs, the water was boiling. She added the spaghetti, took off her sweater and sat by the fire stirring and thinking. They were miles from the town, but there could be a place closer, maybe a lakeside home.
Just because the road they’d taken only led here didn’t mean there were no other houses. They might have their own access roads.
Her best chance lay in taking the car. Jack had kept the keys, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get them. She had to be patient, but above all, she had to think of Tommy. In the meantime, she’d play Jack’s game.
Chapter Sixteen
Jack and Tommy were even dirtier when they came back, logs piled in their arms.
“Look what I’ve got,” Tommy said.
“Well done.” Kate glanced at Jack. “Daddy too. You’re big strong guys.” They stacked the logs at the side of the fire. Jack carefully slotted another piece of wood under the frame. “We’d better get washed, Tommy. It’s time to eat.” Kate used a new kitchen cloth to wipe Tommy’s face and hands. She was alarmed by how cold he was, his cheeks bright rosy apples.
“He’s freezing,” she said.
“It’s not my fault. I told him to come in if he was cold,” Jack snapped.
“He needs mittens and a hat and coat.”
“Okay, okay. What would you like to drink, Tommy?”
“Soda.”
“You’re only going to get that as a treat. It’s bad for you, isn’t it, Mommy?”
“It’s not good for your teeth.” Kate resisted the temptation to say some things were a lot worse for you than fizzy drinks. She sat Tommy at the table and wrapped a cloth around his neck as a bib.
“Because you’ve been a good boy, I’ll get some lemonade from the car,” Jack said.
Kate drained the spaghetti and forked it out. Jack came back with a can and a bottle of red wine. He was like a magician, Kate thought, pulling more and more out of an empty carpetbag. Had he thought of everything? He locked the door and the key went in his pocket.
“Looks good, Kate.” He opened the wine and poured it.
“I want some, too,” Tommy said.
Jack added a splash of wine to his lemonade. Kate nearly objected, but it wasn’t enough to hurt him. She hoped Jack noticed she’d co-operated rather than argued.
“To our new home.” Jack lifted his glass.
Kate knocked her glass against his and against Tommy’s. “To the future.” Without you.
Tommy began to eat, but struggled with the spaghetti. Kate cut it for him and gave him a spoon.
“This is good, isn’t it Tommy?” Jack said.
“It’s okay. Not as nice as my mommy’s. Can I call her? But I don’t know the number.”
“It’s not as nice as my mommy’s either,” Kate said. “How about yours, Jack?”
“No,” he muttered.
It didn’t stop him wolfing it down, Kate noticed. But they were all hungry and eating a meal at a table inste
ad of snacking in the car was a relief. Food and wine soon disappeared. Kate felt light-headed from the alcohol.
“I’ll clean up while you run him a bath,” Jack said. “There’s a toothbrush and paste in that bag plus soap, shampoo, and a pair of pajamas.” While Kate filled the tub, Tommy stripped.
“You look funny,” Kate said. He was white where his clothes had covered his body and dirty everywhere else.
“Show me.”
She hesitated. She’d never touched a naked child before but he held out his arms and Kate scooped him up so he could see himself in the mirror. Tommy burst out laughing. Kate put him down and tipped a little of the shampoo under the running water to make bubbles. Tommy immediately reached out for a handful and blew them at her. Kate did the same back at him.
Finally, she lifted him into the tub. He looked smaller without his clothes, more fragile. He was so cute. His skin was soft and even though he was dirty, he smelled sweet. She couldn’t let anything happen to him. Kate took hold of his hand as he sat in the tub, marveling at each small finger. Tommy pulled away and splashed her.
“Do you mind having your hair washed?” she asked.
“I don’t like soap in my eyes.” Tommy screwed his eyes up tight. “If I keep them closed like this, then it’s okay.”
“Keep them closed then.” Kate tipped him back so that he was lying with his head in the water. She felt clumsy, but managed to wash and rinse his hair without him protesting too much.
She turned to see Jack at the door. He’d shaved.
“Leave the water in the tub. We can use it. Are you all done, bud?” Tommy nodded. Jack picked him up, wrapping him in a fluffy blue towel and cuddled him dry in his arms. Tommy giggled as Jack made putting on his pajamas a tickling game.
“Ooh, cool,” Tommy said when he saw his bed, “but I want to go on top.”
“You’re too little,” Kate said. “I’m scared you might fall out.”
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