Chapter 25. Alice
ALICE
Simon slid the nose of the handgun into the front pocket of his jean shorts and picked up the rifle. He studied it, rolling it one way, then the other. He lifted it to his shoulder, sending Alice’s heart into her throat until he pointed it at the back door, squinting down the barrel.
Simon lowered the rifle, but she felt no relief. Now he was opening a box of ammunition, and smoothly slid a bullet into the chamber. Alice flinched at the scrape of metal on metal. He pushed in another bullet. A third, and a fourth. She imagined them all lining up, ready to go.
William was watching with narrowed eyes. Ruth had turned chalk white. Alice prayed that William wouldn’t try to wrestle the rifle away from Simon. They had to stay still, stay calm.
Alice had counted eight bullets by the time Simon was finished.
He walked to the fridge and opened the door, studied the shelves. “Okay,” he said, before closing it loudly. “Enough to get us through.”
Alice pulled her shirt from her damp collarbones. “What about Tom? It’s way too hot to leave him out in the RV.”
“I’ll get him later.”
“No,” Alice said. “Now, please.”
William and Ruth listened to their exchange but said nothing.
“Chill out. I have to deal with you all first.” Simon was rummaging through cabinets and drawers, opening them, shutting them. He shook a coffee can, then dumped it out. Coins rolled across the counter. He stuffed the bills into his pocket.
The screen door clattered, and Jenny’s sandals smacked against the floor as she hurried through the living room into the kitchen. She was flushed and breathing fast. Alice stared at her, willing her to look at them, to fight back against Simon, but she held out the roll of twine.
“Hang on.” Simon passed Jenny the handgun. “I’ll be right back.” He picked up the rifle. Nobody spoke as he stomped up the stairs.
Jenny stayed by the fridge, watching them with furtive glances.
The floorboards squeaked overhead. Doors opened and slammed shut.
Simon came back down the stairs and turned in to the hallway.
More doors opened. The last one sounded closer to the kitchen.
Drawers sliding. Cupboards banging. A long scraping noise, like he was lifting a window, then a thud.
A moment later, Simon appeared at the entrance to the kitchen.
He switched guns again with Jenny, who held the rifle awkwardly.
Simon gestured to William and Ruth. “Come on, old people. Time to get tied up.”
“You have to let them use the bathroom,” Jenny said.
Simon frowned, looked at Jenny, then jerked his chin at Ruth.
“You first. Don’t lock the door.”
Ruth put her hands on the table and pushed herself up. They sat in silence as she slowly passed Simon and went down the hall. Alice heard a door softly close, a toilet flush, water run.
Ruth returned and Simon pointed at William.
“Make it fast.”
William was watching his wife, waiting for her to sit, and when she did, they looked at each other and his expression softened. He stood and went down the hall. Ruth rested her hands together on the table, her head lowered. She rocked slightly in her chair.
William came back, and Simon nodded at Alice.
The hall was lined with family photos. Alice caught a glimpse of Ruth and William, younger and smiling formally at the camera. She let herself into the bathroom.
A pink-and-white space, the enamel fixtures shell pink, the tiled floor a mosaic of white and pink. On the back of the toilet, a pink knit poodle covered an extra roll of toilet paper.
Alice used the toilet and left the tap running while she eased one of the drawers open. Maybe she could find a razor or tweezers, but it was empty. Same with the next. She checked under the sink. No cleaners or sprays. Simon had probably tossed everything out the window.
God he was fast, always one step ahead of her.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Simon held his hand up. He motioned to William and Ruth. “Okay, on your feet.”
“They’re elderly,” Alice said. “Please don’t do this to them.”
“Old doesn’t mean harmless. Either one of them would shoot me if they had a chance.”
Alice heard the squeaking of chairs being pushed back, and the scrambling of Bones’s toenails as he crawled out from under the table.
“Your bedroom,” Simon said to the couple.
The couple walked past her, Bones trailing behind.
“You too,” Simon said, and Alice followed them into a large bedroom. A wide window, curtains drawn. A sitting chair and small table, with a pair of eyeglasses on top. A blue flowered quilt covered the bed. The headboard was against the wall, the mattress parallel to the window.
They halted in the middle of the bedroom, Bones circling around, tail wagging, tongue lolling.
“Old people, on the bed.”
William sat on the edge of the bed, then lifted his legs and lay back. Ruth walked around to the window side and lay down beside her husband. Bones dropped onto a braided rug in front of the corner chair.
Simon tied their feet together, then their hands. He made Alice sit in the chair in the corner. He tied her up too, then he left the bedroom door open and walked down the hall.
The fridge opened and shut. Was he eating? Were he and Jenny making themselves snacks while Tom sweltered in the RV?
Ruth was pale and shaking. William was trying to stroke her hand with his fingers.
“It’s okay, Ruthie,” he said. “We’re going to be fine.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alice whispered. “I wanted to warn you, but my husband, Tom, is inside the RV. Do everything Simon says. They killed her parents—and he’s hurt other people too.”
“Good Lord,” Ruth breathed out.
Alice tested the knots at her wrists, wincing as the rough binding cut into her skin. Simon and Jenny were talking, their words inaudible. Simon sounded insistent, confident. Jenny’s voice was higher pitched. Scared. Was he telling her what happened at the church?
Finally, footsteps walking through the living room. One person. Simon. The front door banged shut. Alice breathed for what felt like the first time since they’d gotten there.
“The police after them?” William said.
“Their photos were in the paper—that’s how we found out.” Alice kept her voice low in case Jenny was listening.
“You all don’t know each other?”
“We met them at a campground and offered them a ride. We were worried about their safety.” She couldn’t help her bitter laugh. “They’ve held us captive for days. My husband’s collarbone is broken, and this morning Simon beat a man so badly I’m afraid he might not make it.”
“Gather that’s why he wants my truck,” William said.
“Yes. Some people saw the RV. Will the truck take long to fix?”
“Depends on if he knows what he’s doing,” William said. “Maybe a day or two. More if he messes it up. I was planning on getting help from a neighbor.”
Alice didn’t know if Simon had ever worked on a truck. He only talked about boats, but he had known how to repair the radiator in the RV, so he must have had some mechanical sense. If he couldn’t fix it, she guessed he’d make her keep driving the RV until he found something else.
“Do you have any neighbors or family who might check on you?”
“Our daughter lives in Vancouver,” Ruth said. “But she calls every day, and she’ll notice if we don’t answer the phone. She’ll think we’re outside at first, but she’ll keep trying.”
Good. That was something. A concerned daughter might call the police.
“Do you think he’ll let us care for the animals?” William said. “The horses and the cows graze during the day, but we put them in the barn overnight. The chickens go into the coop.”
“I hope so.”
The front door opened. Low voices. Footsteps. Water running in the bathroom, the flush of a toilet. Tom appeared in the doorway, Simon behind him. Alice sucked in a sharp gasp. Tom looked like he could hardly stand, his face flushed deep red and his body shiny with sweat.
“Are you okay?” he asked Alice.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“Sorry, folks,” he said to William and Ruth.
“Get on the floor,” Simon said.
Alice glared at Simon. “I told you it was too hot! He needs water.”
“Chill out. He had some.”
Tom lowered himself near Alice and leaned back against the wall. Simon tied Tom up, then he moved over to Alice in the chair and began loosening the twine at her wrists. She tried to watch, to understand how he was able to undo the knots so easily, but his hands blocked her view.
“Why are you untying me?”
“Time for you to earn your keep.” He laughed, and she recoiled at the smell of beer on his breath. He crouched to untie her ankles.
“Leave Alice alone,” Tom said. “You’ve made her do enough.”
“How about you shut the hell up or I won’t bring her back.” Simon yanked Alice to her feet by her wrists and pulled her out of the room.