Terror in the Night

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

Harington prison was large and grey and made Faye feel nervous about getting too close to it. But she forced herself to calm down as she pulled over to the side to struggle into green coloured contacts, scooped her hair up and placed the fake glasses on top of her nose, before she got too close for the guards to notice her.

She phoned the prison days ago for interviews with the other two kidnappers under the alias of Katy Bennett who was working on a column about those who kidnap children and why. The guard on the phone bought it, but if they researched Katy Bennett, they would find that she was married thirty years ago; changing her name when she did, and died twenty years ago.

The guards outside the gate checked her in, checked the inside and outside of her car and waved her through all the check points and some minor flirting from one of the younger guards.

She was part of a large group of visitors, most looked like lawyers and family but Faye invisible in the large-ish group. No-one seemed to notice that she wasn’t a family member or a lawyer amongst them.

Everyone was lead into a long room with a long table separated into private booths. Their guide lead them to their individual booths that looked more like a phone booth with a small stool inside and phones with no keypads.

Faye fidgeted about on her stool while she waited for her first kidnapper. She already had a notepad in case she needed to remember any details and for the effect to look like a writer, but she felt as if someone was watching her, ready to throw her out at any moment.

Leo Marsh was the first kidnapper to be arrested and when he slumped in the seat the other side of the glass, Faye could tell he was regretting being caught. He was in his late thirties with receding hair, the orange uniform he wore seemed to drown his skinny frame and his eyes were hooded and shifty.

They both sized each other up for a moment before they both reached for the phones.

“So you’re the writer wanting to know what makes me tick,” he drawled.

Faye shook her head, she wanted to check if anyone behind her was watching, but she felt that if she did that then someone would know she was hiding something. “I just have a few questions I think you can help me with,” she murmured, hoping to keep her voice low enough for no-one else to hear.

“Will I be mentioned in your investigation?” he asked, he nervously chewed on his lip and Faye wondered if he knew what happened to Tate when he almost revealed too much.

“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” she replied, she wasn’t going to explain that she wasn’t writing anything that would be published; he might be more co-operative if he thought she was writing a column that wanting to pull the group down.

He frowned at Faye’s answer while he thought for a moment. “I’ll see what I can say; I still have the right to remain silent.”

“Why did you take the boy?” she asked.

“For the money,” he answered like it was the stupidest question he had ever heard.

“What were you going to do with the money?”

“I can’t answer that,” he grumbled.

“Were you going to give it to a woman?”

Leo scowled and studied Faye a little bit more. “I’m not saying,” he replied cautiously.

“Were you blackmailed into kidnapping by a hooker who was going to tell your family if you didn’t?” she asked slowly.

Leo growled and slammed the phone down as he scowled at her.