The television blared from the front room as he made the coffee. ‘I hope it’s not too loud for you. It’s just that I enjoy this reporter. She doesn’t pull any punches.’ He wondered if she’d heard him, but just in case she hadn’t he popped his head through the doorway and called through, ‘It is pretty loud, isn’t it? I’ll turn it down a notch. I don’t want to give you a headache.’ She seemed more responsive today.
Her head lolled to the side. ‘Oh no. Hang on a minute. I’ll just pour the coffee and then I’ll help you out. Two secs, my princess.’ He whistled as he poured their drinks and then shuffled back into the front room, placing the cups on the coasters. ‘OK then. Here we go.’ He tilted her head back and repositioned her in the chair. ‘Are you thirsty?’ He pointed to the coffee mug. ‘It’s a little hot at the moment, but when it cools, I can help you if you want.’
No answer.
‘Come on now. How am I supposed to know what you want if you don’t answer me?’ He nudged her shoulder and her head fell backwards, hanging over the back of the chair.
‘Oops. Sorry.’ He straightened her again. ‘Why won’t you talk to me? I need you to say something.’ He brushed the hair off her face. ‘You feel hot. I hope you don’t have a fever.’ He went up to the first floor via the stairs and looked in the cupboard under the sink in the spare bathroom. He pulled out the small bag and inside he found the thermometer.
He returned to the living room. ‘Open wide.’
Nothing.
He placed two of his fingers on her lips and used his thumb to prise her mouth open. ‘Good. Now don’t let this fall out.’ He placed the thermometer underneath her tongue and gently closed her mouth. He sat opposite her, and while he waited he picked up his mug and focused on the television.
‘Do you see why I like her? So feisty! I suspect the police aren’t always thrilled with her reporting of the crimes in the community.’ He chuckled to himself. His interest was piqued when the reporter mentioned Tracy Holloway. ‘Oh. This should be good.’ He turned the television up again.
‘In other news, the police still don’t have any leads in the case of Tracy Holloway. Ms. Holloway was found face down in Granger Park by two teenaged boys. When I spoke to the family, they expressed concerns about how little information was being shared with them by the police. My questions to the police have remained unanswered.’
‘I think I need to speak to this reporter. Maybe I can give her some of the answers she’s looking for. What do you think?’ She could be my voice.
No response.
He placed his mug back on the table and shook his head. What am I going to do with her? He stood, walked over, and pulled the thermometer from her mouth. ‘One hundred and three. Shit.’ He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers. ‘You definitely have a fever. I’m sure I have some antibiotics around here somewhere. I’ll get you a cool cloth for your forehead too. You need to rest.’ He removed the rope from around her chest. He had stopped tying up her wrists and feet when he realized she wouldn’t be struggling. ‘Let’s get you back to bed.’ He lifted her in his arms and hummed a soothing lullaby, one his mother used to sing to him when he was poorly, as he struggled to carry her upstairs.
He pushed the door to her room open with his foot, walked over to the bed and placed her on top of the covers. ‘I’ll get a light blanket to cover your legs.’ He left her and went into his own room.
‘Now, where did I leave those meds?’ He rummaged in the top drawer of his dresser until he found the bottle he was looking for. He checked the date. Not expired yet. These will do. He went over to his closet and pulled out the throw he had washed the other day. He sniffed it. ‘Perfect’.
He went back to her room and dropped the blanket and tablets on the floor.
What the hell?
Her hand was clenching the bedsheets. She had moved! A smile formed across his face. He picked up the items he had dropped and, placing them down on the nightstand, he opened the small cupboard by her bed where he had stored the ropes and a leg chain. The reality was, she had probably spasmed because of the treatment and her infection. He didn’t care though. Better safe than sorry. He didn’t want to hurt her because he knew she was unwell, so he loosely tied her hands and feet to the bedposts. ‘I’ll be back.’
He returned to the room a few minutes later with a cool, damp washcloth and wiped her face. He folded the cloth and placed it on her forehead. He popped two antibiotics from the bottle, raised her head and held the glass of water from this morning to her mouth as he popped a pill into her mouth and let her head go back to swallow. The gag reflex took hold and he was pleased that she did not have dysphagia, which suggested to him there wasn’t brain damage. Maybe it was just an infection and once it was gone, she would be back. His living doll …
He massaged her throat and when he felt her body shake his heart sank. Shit. She was choking. He sat her up and thumped her back. After three hefty thwacks, something shot out of her mouth. He lay her back down and sat on the edge of the bed as he dissolved the contents of the medicine in her water. It may not work, but he would try it until he could get his hands on something else.
It took almost fifteen minutes to get the liquid inside her. He watched her for a further fifteen minutes to make sure she didn’t convulse again, gently caressing her hair. She stared at the ceiling and he wondered what was going through her mind. Was she thinking of him? Did she want to speak but her body refused to do what her mind was screaming? He hoped so. He needed her to stay alive as he wasn’t ready to lose her just yet.
‘Sleep well, princess. I have something special planned for you soon. Something that will bind us together for all eternity. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ He traced a symbol on her arm with his finger. ‘I’ll leave the light on for you, just for tonight mind.’ He stood and stretched his legs. He wished he could share his plans with her, but that would ruin the surprise.
He needed a nap but he still had one task he wanted to do. He rubbed his eyes and gently closed the door as he left her room. He went back downstairs to his desk. He was feeling excited as he sat down and took out a black envelope, a black sheet of writing paper, and his gold pen, and began to write.