The putrid scent hit Vivian so hard that she immediately doubled over and vomited. She stood back up, coughing and spitting and wiping tears out of her eyes.

Then she stepped inside the room.

She clasped her hand over her mouth as she gazed around at the cages.

Dropped to her knees.

"Please!" Gertie shouted. "You have to help me!"

Ken walked over and slammed the bottom of her cage with his fist. "You shut up! Say another word and I'll skin you alive! I'll take bites out of your fucking stomach! You understand me?"

Without waiting for her to respond, he returned to Vivian. He took her by the hand and tried to help her up.

"C'mon, Viv. You've seen it now. Let's leave, okay?"

Vivian pulled her hand away, then slapped at his hand when he tried again. She got up on her own, then staggered out of the room. Ken went after her, closing and locking the door behind them.

She sat down on the stairs, breathing like she'd just finished running a marathon. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand then wiped it on the stair. Finally she looked up at Ken.

"You said you strangled them."

"I know."

"You lied to me."

Ken nodded. He was suddenly very self-conscious of his hands. He put them behind his back and just stood there. Vivian was silent for an excruciatingly long time.

"I need to understand this," she said. "Tell me what you get out of this."

"I'm not sure I can explain it."

"Try."

Ken looked at the floor. "I don't know."

"You don't know? What are you, seven years old?"

"It's not something I can articulate! What, you think I can just give you a quick summary of why I did this?"

"It doesn't need to be a quick summary. Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."

"I...I can't. It won't make sense." Ken's cheeks were burning and sweat trickled down his sides. He'd taken great precautions to avoid ever having to have this conversation with Vivian. He felt sick to his stomach and ashamed. Once again he considered running away. Pushing past her, running up the stairs, and getting as far away as he possibly could.

Would she let him go? Would she call the cops?

One thing was for sure: he'd never see Jared again. And he'd rather go down in a hail of police gunfire than lose his son. He wouldn't take his own life like that dumbass who'd turned Charlene and Gertie into heroes, but he wouldn't go easily.

"We're not leaving this house until we've finished this conversation," said Vivian. "I don't care how long it takes. So you can either use your grown-up words and explain to me why you keep women in cages, or we can sit here until we get caught."