‘Yourcrueltyis astounding, Randall, because even after helping a man rape a woman you still can’t see how you, nor Hamish, could possibly have been wrong.’
Randall pushed himself away from the door and his repellant nature made Fawn retreat against the windowsill but her voice still held steady. ‘I’m forever marked by that man,’ she said, the tears catching in the corners of her lips.‘It’shimthat owesme. He’s taken far more than what may have been indebted to him and he just… keeps… taking.’ Fawn walked over to her dressing table, her breathing getting faster and shallower.
‘Fawn —’
‘And he’s never going to stop, Randall.’ She could barely see for her tears now.
‘Fawn, you’re hysterical.’ Randall watched her fumble her way around the room, like a cagedand injured animal trying to remain strong in the face of adversity. He moved around the other side of the room, always maintaining his position opposite her, wherever she went.
‘And he’ll just keep going and going because nothing’s ever enough for him.’ She put her back against the door and gently unlocked it behind her, hoping to make some kind of escape. ‘He’ll take everything I haveuntil —’
‘Fawn, Iwillkill the boy,’ Randall said softly and she stopped fiddling with the lock and the room fell silent.
‘No!’ she sobbed.
‘If that trigger is pulled and Hamish dies as a result, I will be waiting to pull the trigger of my own gun which will be pointed right between the eyes of your little man.’ Randall stubbed the last of his cigar on the ledge and threwit out the window.
‘You can’t.’
‘I can, and I will.’
‘You’re a monster —’
‘Says the girl plotting the death of her own future husband. And forcing someone else to pull the trigger for you.’
‘Lawrence…’ Fawn’s lip trembled.
‘Don’t tell me it’s only just dawning on you? Definitely not as sweet as you look. Your friend could go down for murder.’
‘No– no, it’d look like an accident.’ She tried to wipe the thoughts away along with her tears.
‘Would it?’ Randall raised an eyebrow and let the question hang in the air for a moment.
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Neither of us is any better than the other.’ Fawn clutched a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs. ‘Stop Lawrence from pulling that trigger and Walter won’t be harmed.’
‘But Hamish will find out…’
‘I’ll make sure he doesn’t. I’ll make sure Walter gets out of this theatre safely and he can live his life elsewhere and you and Hamish can figure out whatever needs figuring out between you.’ There was a hint of kindness to Randall’s voice. A glimmer of fondness in his eyes and Fawn couldn’t have hated him more in that moment.
‘You think you’re doing mea kindness, don’t you?’ she sniggered. ‘You don’t realise that by stopping this from happening tonight, by saving the man who has caused so much misery and harm, you are sealing my own fate. By saving him you’re killing me.’
‘No one will die tonight, Fawn.’ He sighed, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, having had enough of such girlish drama.
‘A life with Hamish is my death,’she hissed.Why can’t he understand?she thought.
There was a knock at the door. ‘Miss Burrows. This is your call to stage!’ Danny called.
‘Thank you, Danny.’ She couldn’t quite raise her voice loud enough to call out. Her stomach was somersaulting, and she could feel the bile starting to rise in her throat. Randall strode to the door and gently pushed Fawn aside so he could takethe handle. He opened the door while she desperately tried to push it closed again.
‘I’ll stop the show. I’ll faint onstage. I’ll cause a scene.’
‘No. The show continues as normal, Fawn. We don’t want the punters upset. It’s bad for business.’
‘Randall, that’s the only way…’
‘Stop Lawrence from pulling the trigger —’
