The view of the camera was suddenly jerked away from the room and back to Alice. Rusty was clearly excited now, and as he talked, the camera shifted again as he squatted or knelt down on the basement floor. That’s when I realized he was proposing to her.

She seemed to realize it at the same time, and her expression turned from pleasant curiosity to concerned dismay. She took a step back as she interrupted him.

“Russ, no. You need to stop this. Look, you’re a great guy, but I’m not interested in marrying you. I’m probably never going to get married at all. I thought I made that clear.”

Rusty’s voice was softer when he responded, but the hard, waiting anger coiled underneath his words made my stomach clench. “So you’re saying this is the wrong time or that you just don’t want to marry me?”

Visibly upset, Alice ran her hands through her hair and stared at the ground for a minute before looking back up, her expression sad. “Fuck. I didn’t want to do this like this. Look, we need to stop seeing each other. This isn’t working out for me and I’m just keeping you from…”

Rusty had stood back up as she spoke, and I gasped as his leg flashed into the bottom of the frame as he kicked her in the stomach and cut off her words with an audible whoosh of air. The force of the kick didn’t knock her down, but it did cause her to stumble back into the circle.

The next moment she was silently thrashing and trying to scream as she tried in vain to get more air. Then she was still and Rusty was sitting the phone down as he moved to pick up a wide push broom from where it was propped against the wall. I couldn’t see what was going on, but I could hear the scritchscratch of the broom bristles as he used the wide head of the broom to pull her body back outside the boundaries of Harvey’s prison. I could also hear the last words he said before the video ended.

“That's good, Harvey. That’s a real good boy.”

Part Four

You: So I watched the video you sent. I’m ready to meet and talk.

Rusty: Good. We have a lot to talk about. I’ve been doing a lot of work out at Aunt Karen’s house lately. You want to just meet out there?

You: No. I’m not ready to go back there. Not yet. Let’s meet somewhere neutral and just talk for now. Want to meet at the mall in Glen Cove?

Rusty: Don’t trust me, eh? Well, I get why the video might freak you out a little. But you’re safe with me, little brother.

You: Glen Cove tomorrow at about noon in the food court?