CHAPTER
20
TO RETAIN HEAT INSIDE THE CABIN, ALL THE draperies had been kept drawn. When the lights went out, the bedroom was plunged into darkness.
“That was inevitable,” Tierney said.
Lilly gave her eyes a few seconds to adjust, then went to the windows and pushed back one of the drapes. The premature gloaming outside provided Tierney with a fresh argument.
“It’ll be full darkness by midafternoon,” he said. “Which means there are only a couple hours of daylight left. It’ll take me at least that long to get to the car and back if I leave now.”
Lilly placed the heels of her hands against her temples. “I can’t . . . argue . . . anymore.”
“So don’t. Just unlock the handcuffs.”
“You’ll kill me.”
“I’m trying to save your life.”
She shook her head, laboring to inhale. “I can . . . identify . . . you . . . as Blue.”
“You can’t identify me as anything if you suffocate.”
“A note.”
“Oh, I see. You’d leave a note, telling them that I’m Blue. You’d place it where they’d be certain to find it.”
She nodded.
“If that happened, I’d say that you became delusional from oxygen deprivation, that you were also convinced elephants were dancing inside the walls. They’d believe me. As for that”—he nodded at the blue ribbon, now curled on the seat of the rocking chair—“I’d tell them what I told you—I found it and was taking it back to town with me to turn over to the authorities.”
She motioned toward his hands.
“Yeah, explaining the cuffs would be tricky, but I’d have a day or two to think of something plausible. And just possibly I would be able to work my hands free before anyone got up here.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, nodding toward his bloody wrists. “Even if . . . I was dead . . . they’d have you.” Ending her argument there, she turned to leave the room.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
She stopped but didn’t turn around.
He pressed on. “If you release me, what’s the worst that could happen, Lilly? Say I am Blue. Say I kill you so you can’t finger me to the authorities. You’re going to die anyway. In a matter of hours, if that long. So how could my murdering you be any worse?”
She turned to face him. “Save another . . . victim . . .”
“Ah, I see what you’re saying. You don’t want to unleash me onto an unsuspecting public, leaving me free to victimize more women, do to them whatever I’ve done to the others. Is that it?”
She nodded.
“Okay. That’s reasonable. Very altruistic, too. You’re placing the lives of others above your own.” He thought on it for a moment, then said, “Once I’m back with your medication, once I’ve carried in enough firewood to last for another day, I’ll let you handcuff me again. I’ll remain handcuffed until we’re rescued.”
She tried to laugh but didn’t have adequate breath. “I’m . . . not that . . . gullible . . . not that . . . oxygen deprived . . . yet.”
“You don’t trust me to keep my word?”
“No.”
“You can, Lilly. I swear it. You can trust me.”