The Cunning

102

Jase drove in silence, heading away from the bridge where he and Sam had disposed of Charlie's body. Once they heard the splash as he hit the water, they got back into the car.

As was routine, they pulled down a quiet side street, parking up and waiting, just in case someone had seen them, they didn't want to lead them to the house. The engine was cut and the night consumed them.

"This is going too far, Jase," Sam said, his words feeling too loud in amidst the quiet.

"At which point did you start thinking that?" Jase replied lazily as he lit a cigarette.

"Killing Peter is one thing, but letting her kill someone and then dumping the body? Benny's going to lose his fucking mind." Jase glanced at him sideways.

"What the fuck was I supposed to do? Call the police?"

Sam rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean and you know how it looks. Mitch is already using her against you, every time you let her get away with something it encourages that." Jase was annoyed at Madison, of course he was. Every person killed that was tied to him was another thing looming over his head, making him wonder whether this is the time he gets caught, he didn't need the stress.

But Madison's actions were justified, it was self-defence, that was obvious. And whilst Benny would be pissed off, he'd be more pissed off that Charlie had tried to get his rocks off under his roof for free.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Jase asked, watching the smoke from his cigarette wisp up towards the ceiling of the car and split when it hit the roof. Sam didn't have an answer. He couldn't call shots for Jase when he wasn't the one emotionally entangled in Madison. Jase looked at him. "What would you do if it was Janine?"

Sam couldn't answer that, either. Or at least, not one that would help because truth be told, he'd probably do the exact same thing Jase was doing. He'd cover for her. What's one more body? But it wasn't Janine, it was Madison, and they'd already topped the bloke that had caused their paths to cross. So it wasn't just one more body now, it was two. How long until it was three and who was next?

"There is no easy way out of this but she's becoming more and more of a liability every day. Benny doesn't know about Peter yet, let alone Charlie. What about when Ramon starts asking questions because of all the talk, and there will be talk, Jase." Jase said nothing. Sam sighed, feeling guilty for what he was about to suggest but knowing that someone had to say it and he was the least likeliest to suffer at Jase's hands for speaking his mind. "She has to go."

Jase rolled his window down further to flick his cigarette out.

Madison was in Annabelle's old room, where Jase had left her, when he returned. The windows had been left open for days to get rid of the sour tang of vomit, they'd put the mattress in the garden and replaced it with the one Tia had slept on. Adam had torn up the carpet a few days after Annabelle had died, leaving an old rug to cover the floor boards but besides the wardrobe, the room was bare. It had always been bare, another tactic to drive the girls to insanity.

He closed the door with a soft click. Madison didn't pay him any attention, busy plaiting her hair as if nothing had happened. The blood was gone, her nails were clean as were her clothes. Besides her pale complexion, she looked normal. No stress lines, no sunken eyes, no shakes. Just a steady rhythm to her hair styling, weaving one strand over the other.

Jase was trying to find the right words to say but after the night he'd had with the party, getting rid of Charlie and then arguing with Sam who had gently tried to convince him that feeding her to the wolves was their only option, tiredness had rendered him speechless. Madison recognised the look of confliction on his face and decided it would be best to get whatever discussion he had on the tip of his tongue over and done with.