“Come on, Kane,” she appeals, squirming against the restraints of the rope. “Let me go. You don’t want to do this.”
If I wasn’t so mad, I’d smile at the deliberate use of my name, like we’re old friends. “You’re an expert on what I want now? Pity you weren’t earlier.”
Amy bites her lip, looking up at me with big blue eyes. Even in her disheveled state, the delicate symmetry of her features radiates a frail and breathtaking attractiveness. But I can’t allow her beauty to soften me.
I say flatly, “You’re getting treated to a slide show.”
Amy raises her chin. It’s absurdly easy for me to read the thought that blazes like a neon-lit sign in the tilt of that pretty head. I hunker down in front of her. “If you close your eyes, I’ll simply start the slide show from the beginning.”
For an instant, it seems she’ll plead her case some more, but she presses her lips mutinously together.
As I set up my laptop, there’s a moment where doubt creeps in, where I question just how far over the line I’m leaping here. She deserves this, I reason. So far she’s displayed no redeeming qualities.
What about you?whispers a little voice in my head.What qualities have youshown so far?
I shake off the voice. Amy’s cushioned life has been heading toward a hard lesson and it falls to me to administer it. Dismissing any lingering qualms, I click on the first photo.
23
AMY
––––––––
A wave of panic hits me.What is he planning on showing me? Why tie me up?
The temptation to shut my eyes and deny him the satisfaction of my reaction is almost overwhelming, but he’s positioned himself so he can watch my every move. Hatred for him and his stupid cause chokes me.
The first picture flashes across the screen. In an emotionless voice, Kane says, “This monkey—fully conscious, by the way—had his skull split open so scientists could extract parts of his brain.”
I suck in a shocked breath. “That’s enough. I don’t want to see anymore.”
Ignoring me, he projects another picture onto the screen.
“This infant rhesus monkey was put in a cage with a surrogate mother, a cloth object designed to periodically shoot out spikes through the fabric. In spite of her injuries, the infant monkey persevered in trying to cling to the ‘monster mother.’ This proved to the scientist conducting the experiment that children retain the capability to love abusive parents.”
“No more,” I say shakily, trying not to let the revulsion and distress I’m feeling show in my voice. Trying not to let him know I’m experiencing the first glimmer of understanding of his cause. “Please, no more pictures. You’ve made your point.”
His eyes connect with mine. “Not yet, I haven’t.”
Another picture flashes onto the screen. Kane’s remorseless, hateful voice drones on as he subjects me to a relentless onslaught of horror upon horror.
At certain intervals, I can’t help closing my eyes, needing a space in my head that doesn’t feature a tortured animal staring back at me. Only when Kane softly threatens to return to the beginning do I reluctantly open my eyes, blinking back tears, stiffening in readiness for the next picture.
“Please stop,” I beg at one point, my mind screaming from the overload. “I’ll read anything you give me, I promise. Just...stop.”
“We’ve barely scratched the surface,” Kane tells me, no yield in his tone. “There are thousands of photographs out there similar to the ones I’ve shown you.”
“I understand now, I do. And I’m sorry for tearing up your books. I’m sorry.”
Kane gets to his feet. “You know the worst of it?” he continues coldly. “These are only the labs animal rights groups have managed to access. There are still labs all over the world we can’t get into, labs so tightly guarded because of the experiments they’re doing in there.” He stands in front of me, big and furious. “These are images I have to live with every day. Now it’s your turn.”
“I didn’t know,” I whisper brokenly. “I didn’t know about any of this.”
Kane sits down again. “It’s time to take a look inside Daddy’s torture chamber.”
That’s it. The mental and physical assault, it’s all too much. I hunch forward as far as the restrictions of the rope will allow and throw up.
Kane’s words come back to me.You’ll get to experience the hell those animals are living in your father’s lab.
