Page 23 of The Accomplice
‘Shit. You think she’s still here.’
She bent low, shone her torch beneath the pick-up.
‘Lake ! Seong ! Get over here,’ she called.
I dropped down to my knees. Beneath the flat bed of the pick-up there was a pool of dark liquid that curled into the drain. There was a drip coming from the back of the truck. It didn’t smell like oil.
By the time I got to my feet, Bloch had already torn away the tarp covering the bed of the pick-up. Paige Delaney lay on the steel floor.
I’d seen a lot of hurt. The very worst of what human beings can do, but the shock of seeing someone I knew ripped apart made me flinch. I closed my eyes for a second and looked away.
A huge wound in her stomach had drenched her in blood from her knees to her neck. He had taken her eyes.
Bloch called for a paramedic, she had one hand on the stomach wound, the other at Delaney’s neck. She took her hand away from her throat, said, ‘I can’t find a pulse.’ I climbed in beside her, helped keep pressure on the wound. Soon as I laid my hands on her stomach, I knew we were too late. She was cold to the touch.
A lot of things seemed to happen all at once. The underground lot became flooded with noise. I heard the calls and footsteps of a handful of feds running over to the pick-up. One was screaming into a radio for a paramedic, Seong was barking orders, thedrip,drip,dripof Delaney’s life’s blood faded away.
Her hands were bound behind her back. Through the blood, I could see a large circular bruise on her neck and in the center of it – a needle mark. She had been sedated. I prayed she never woke from that.
Bloch started chest compressions as I leaned down on Delaney’s stomach. The panic all around us seemed to slow down time, and I watched Seong reach into the flatbed and pick up an envelope. His name was on it. The rest of the feds were either barking orders at Bloch or talking on the phone.
Every time Bloch pumped Delaney’s chest, fresh blood spilled over the back of my hands. I glanced to my left and saw Lake. He had leaned against an exposed steel beam, but it wasn’t enough to keep him upright. His back slid down the beam until he sat on the floor. His hands covered his face and I could see his body heaving with grief.
I heard the sirens in the distance. Breaking through the night.
But I knew they were too late.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Extract from the Journal of Carrie Miller
May 22
It’s Danny’s birthday today.
I’d really wanted to make the evening special for him, to show just how much I love him and to maybe recapture some of the chemistry we had when we first started dating. God, I make it sound like we’ve been married for ten years. We’re almost a year into our marriage and I’m already worried and panicking (slightly) that I’ve failed at this. Like I kinda fail at everything.
What do you get the guy who has everything ? I’ve even Googled that exact question. In the end I found a calligraphy artist online who sent me a framed vellum sheet with ‘I’m happiest when I’m with you,’ in beautiful old handwriting. I wanted him to know that I didn’t need his money, or this house, or the fancy car, that all I really wanted was him – his time. One year together means it’s a paper anniversary, so I had that gift covered, but I couldn’t give it to him on his birthday. I needed something else.
He’s always surprising me with thoughtful gifts that are just perfect. I wanted to give him something really nice too. I found a watch dealer, because Danny has some nice watches, but they’re a bit flashy and I wanted something for him with a bit more class. The Panerai Submersible watch the dealer suggested was just gorgeous. The color of the brass would deepen over time and I hoped our relationship would do the same. Danny is so special to me. I wanted him to have something special too, something that no one else would have and the watch was just right on the money.
After it was delivered, I remember having just a touch of fear. I’d remembered something my grandma used to say whenever my gramps complained about her old wind-up watch that always ran slow. She forbade him from buying her a new one – said a watch puts a time limit on a marriage. Like a ticking bomb.
My grandmother also thought Elvis was alive and working in a Walmart in Reno.
I bought the damn watch.
It was worth it to see the look on his face as he opened the box at the breakfast bar. He put it on while I made eggs this morning. This is the Danny I love. When we’re together I have such a feeling of warmth. I feel safe.
But we seem to be spending less and less time together. I thought that when we got married it would be just the opposite. I’ve tried to make the house more comfortable, you know, putting my own stamp on the place here and there. Nothing major, just soft touches to make it more homely and warm – a space he would never want to leave.
It didn’t work last night. I heard him come in at four a.m., found him in the guest bathroom showering. After I got him some fresh towels he apologized for waking me up. I was going to grab his suit and shirt for him, but he said he’d already bagged it up for the dry cleaners – said the clients he’d been with had smoked cigars all night. He’d wrinkled his nose and laughed as I toweled his hair. Part of his job is making connections with investors, and I reminded myself he was doing all of this for me. He once told me he would give me the world, and I believed him.
This morning, after he ate his eggs and he sat at the kitchen bar, admiring his watch, he told me to close my eyes and open my hands. He had a surprise for me. Typical Danny. Even on his birthday he’s thinking about me. I felt something in my hands and when I opened my eyes I saw a beautiful pair of antique earrings. Silver, each one in the shape of a rose. My favorite flower. Simple and stunning. No presentation box. He said he found them in a little store and couldn’t resist. They were perfect.
He was perfect.
When I met Danny, my life changed.
