He grabbed my arms. “Julie, someone is after me, and if they’re after me, they must be after you too. It has to be connected to what happened to my boy. He mentioned someone called Bennett, and now… I think they’re coming for me too.”
I led him to the living room, sitting him down, and then I brought him a glass of water, sitting beside him.
“Take a few breaths, Jeff. I’m sure nothing of the sort is happening. You were mugged?”
He sipped the water briefly, setting the glass down again.
“Someone attacked me by the hotel, threatened me with a knife, and took my phone and wallet. Then he punched me. I thought it was just random violence, you know? Just really bad luck.”
I nodded, trying to keep quiet, and not question everything out loud. Had the Bennetts sent someone to attack him? Or had Adam?
“I thought it would be easily resolved, because I got a new phone, and asked the guy in the shop to help me retrieve everything from the cloud. That’s what Harvey would have helped me with. My… my boy…” He looked like he wanted to cry, so I patted his hand.
“So at least you got everything back.”
He suddenly looked angry. “Well, strangely enough I didn’t. You see… somehow the one thing I needed to make sure I kept track of, was missing from the cloud. I know I backed it up. Probably did it more than once. But it was gone.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “Was it a picture of Harvey? Oh god, did you lose something you can never replace?”
He stood up, pacing my living room. I didn’t like the energy he was giving off. Edgy. Frantic. Unnerving. I’d never felt unsafe around him before, but now I really wanted him out of my house.
“Um… I have to go out in a minute, Jeff. I’m sorry.” I stood up, hoping he’d take the hint, but he just stared at me.
“Do you know them, Julie?”
I sighed, straightening my clothes absently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jeff. The people at the phone shop?”
“Don’t fucking bullshit me.” He snapped, and suddenly I really was afraid of him. Was this grief and fear, or was there something more sinister about Jeff Clarke?
I backed up toward the hallway.
“I’m not. Jeff, please calm down. I don’t know who you mean.”
“The fucking Bennetts. The bastards behind all of this.” Oh shit. A day ago I could have quite honestly told him I’d never even heard of them. But now I was in this too. I not only knew who they were, they’d been in this room. I’d spent time with them. My best friend was in love with them.
I held my hands up. “Jeff. I don’t-”
“Don’t LIE TO ME!” He roared, charging across the room, and lunging at me, so fast that it seemed impossible for a man of his age.
He gripped my throat, pressing me against the wall. His face was full of rage, and frustration. It occurred to me then, just how much bigger than me he was. He’d never seemed intimidating, or dangerous before, but now? Now I was very afraid of how easily he’d overpowered me. I couldn’t move him away from me.
“You people are all in on it. Killing my boy, and making sure nobody finds out the truth!” He was right in my face as he yelled.
“Please, Jeff. I don’t know what… I don’t know who you mean.”
His fingers tightened on my throat, and I found that I couldn’t swallow, or breathe. I started frantically pulling at his hands, terrified that he’d kill me. How was I suddenly afraid of dying, at the hands of a man I thought to be kind and gentle, and never saw as a threat?
“First they took my phone, and then they made sure that the photo was gone from there, and the cloud. And then I speak to my neighbours, asking them to send a new picture, and what do I find out? They can’t find the postcard, Julie. Now why do you think that is? It’s suddenly missing. And so I say to them, ‘well, you sent me a picture, you must have it’. And then I find that they never kept the damn thing on their phone, because they had the original. So you see, there’s suddenly, miraculously, not a damn shred of evidence of those bastards anywhere.”
I stared at him, feeling weaker and weaker, as lack of air started to make me feel faint. Panic overwhelmed me, as I realised that I had no chance of surviving this. He was killing me. He’d clearly lost his mind.
“Please…” I choked out soundlessly. His eyes fixed on me, as I struggled to breathe, struggled to stay conscious, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“It’s been too long, since I saw the light drain from a woman’s eyes as she died.” WHAT? I struggled harder, kicking out at him, catching him somewhere that made him wince, and move one of his hands.
Air. Sweet, delicious air. No wait… burning, painful air. I almost blacked out, and then my throat started to burn, my lungs practically devouring the air, while fighting it at the same time. I retched, as he removed his other hand, adjusting his pants.
“Back off.” I hissed, and he stared at me, the man I’d thought he’d been no longer even visible. The man in front of me looked like a monster. His rage was still so visible, his eyes fixed on me, burning with hate. He reached back over, and crowded me against the wall.