He laughed again, as if she was amusing him. ‘You? You’ve never done anything to me, you silly girl. Like I said, this is not about you.’ He stood up abruptly. ‘By the way, I’m not going to be bringing you food any more. I think it’s only fair to tell you that. You deserve that much from me, Jessie. You deserve to be treated decently. It’s all in the Bible. John chapter eight, verse thirty-two: then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Never forget that, Jessie Flynn – it’s a statement of fact. The truth is important, the truth is worth dying for.’

Jessie shouted angrily, ‘But I don’t want to fucking die! I have a little boy. He needs me.’

The man smiled once again. ‘You see? You’re lying again. It’s the truth you need to hang on to, Jessie. You’re just a fucking trollop. Your little boy is being brought up by your mum and dad. Everyone knows what a fucking piece of shit you are. I’ve done my homework, Jessie Flynn.’

Jessie was unable to answer the man; he was without reason. There was nothing she could do to make him listen to her.

The man looked at her sadly. ‘I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I think you need to know the truth, Jessie. I sent your mother a number to ring me on – that was last week. I was going to torture her, to be honest. I had no intention of ever letting you leave here. But do you know something? She didn’t even call me. Three thirty that day, there I was, ready and waiting, and nothing – not a fucking peep. That is a truth you need to acknowledge. I gave her that one chance, a chance to contact you. Your mother didn’t even bother herself. Now your dad, on the other hand, from what I can gather, has been looking for you all over. There’s even a fifty grand reward for information about your whereabouts. See what I’m saying? The truth will set you free, Jessie.’

She watched him as he walked away from her, and she knew that she was without hope. She was bloodied and bleeding and this man didn’t care. She was nothing to him, her suffering meant nothing to him. She heard the door slam, and the scraping noise as he pulled the bolts into place, and she wondered if this was it for her. Was this how she was going to die, alone and frightened, starved to death, and without ever having the chance to tell her little son how much she had really loved him?

Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

Chapter One Hundred
and Eighteen