Wild Fiction

Page 45 of 199 | Previous Page | Next Page

Rebecca felt Conrad’s hand on her shoulder. He was trying to pull her back. She placed her hand on his and gently removed it. She was determined to stay and listen through to the end of the conversation. She then felt his lips next to her ear and heard his controlled whisper: ‘She’ll catch us here when she finishes her call and walks out. We should leave now while we can.’
Rebecca stepped back and pulled his head down to hers. ‘Go to the other end of the hall and when she comes out create a distraction. Rebecca was slightly surprised when Conrad listened to her and moved to the other end of the hallway. She put her head back to the door and listened:
‘…if I get caught I’ll never see you again…’
There was a short period of silence. Rebecca strained her ears and thought she could hear Genevieve crying. She suddenly felt an empathetic urge towards her and wanted to go in and console her. Then the crying stopped and the whispering became harsher and more direct. ‘This is your last chance, if you don’t succeed this week I’m going to the police and they’ll deal with you – and don’t think they’ll believe an ex-convict’s story over mine so don’t even think about blackmail.’
Rebecca heard the receiver slam down, took her cue, and headed for the top of the stairs. She had just managed to glide down the first flight and out of sight before Genevieve appeared on the landing. Conrad was nowhere to be seen. Rebecca headed into the kitchen where she knew she could safely escape to the basement if she heard Genevieve coming.
There was no sign of anyone coming from the top of the stairs. She pulled up a stool next to the breakfast bar and sat down. The house had fallen silent and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands were shaking from the adrenaline that now surged through veins and prepared her body for flight or fight. She placed them on the counter, and closing her eyes, took three deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. It did not work. She thought about the snippets of conversation from the phone call she had just overheard. She wondered where Genevieve was now and what had happened to Conrad. As far as she could figure out, Conrad must be stuck at the other end of the hallway. He had no means of getting past Genevieve and down to where she was without being caught. She gave up the meditation, opened her eyes, and looked around the kitchen.

Page 45 of 199 | Previous Page | Next Page