BooksBarbecue
Back 55
Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. Acknowledgements
  59. About the author
  60. Copyright

Gabriel continued, ‘We went on for another half hour, the scenery turning to dust. I was starting to wonder how anything could survive out there never mind a herd of cattle. It got me feeling thirsty. Even with the windows cranked down the air was boiling. He must have read my expression. He told me there was water in the back if I wanted it. That’s how he got me.’

‘The water?’

Gabriel nodded. ‘It tasted a little chalky, but by then I didn’t much care. It was water and I was desperate.’ He looked at Chandler wanly, as if disgusted with himself. ‘I began to feel drowsy almost right away. At first I thought it was exhaustion or the heat, but it got worse and worse. I tried to lift my arms and couldn’t. They didn’t feel attached to my body. I remember turning to look at Heath. He was staring at me, as if there was nothing wrong. Just a process he’d watched many times before. He didn’t even look at the road, or where we were going, just at me, for what seemed like hours. A shadow passed over his face until I could only see the outline of his skull. Then I passed out, I think. He must have poisoned the water with something.’

Gabriel’s eyes danced around again. Chandler recognized the look. The confused victim attempting to fill in the blanks and failing.

‘I woke up in a wooden shed. Dunno how long I was out but there was still light poking through the slats so I guessed I’d only been out a couple of hours.’ Suddenly worry drew over his face. ‘Unless this is Friday—’

‘No, Thursday,’ Chandler assured him.

That seemed to bring Gabriel some relief. The fact that he hadn’t lost a day of his life. The fact that he still had his life at all.

‘He’d shackled my wrists to the roof beam.’

‘Shackled?’ asked Chandler.

‘Yeah . . . with these thick iron things. Two D-shaped loops linked by chain that was attached to the wall. The same just above my ankle. Those weren’t attached but they were impossible to move in. Not that I was going to get away. He’d made sure of that.’

‘Were you on a farm? In the forest? An outhouse?’

‘Up there,’ said Gabriel. ‘That hill you said. I could see the trees through the slats. Shackled in a woodshed with saws and hatchets and stuff. Nothing that shouldn’t have been there but ’cause I was chained up they all looked lethal.’

‘Can you tell me anything more about it? Sounds? Smells?’