But this? This was deeper than that.
“I found your safe,” I blurted out before I could help myself. “I saw what you and Gregory have been doing to those girls. How could you?”
He looked stunned. It was obvious he never expected those words to come out of my mouth. He sat on the island stool and stared at me.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“You’re mistaken, Lissy. Those aren’t me in those videos. They’re just people.”
“Don’t lie to me!Don’t!It was you. I know it. What about those ribbons I found? Those girls were wearing them, and the night in the club, I thought it was all as a result of the drugs, but the more I thought about it, the more it came back to me… you were entertaining clients, and I walked in on it.”
“Well, well… ever the lawyer. I got to hand it to you. You got it all figured out.” He clapped. I hated the patronizing tone he used on me.
“All except why, Malcolm? Why’d you do it? It’s the one part I don’t get.”
“It’s simple, really,” he said confidently. “They all deserve it. Each and every one of them deserved the treatment they got,” he said through gritted teeth.
“What the fuck do you mean? You don’t know them. They’re likely underage. This is sick.”
“They’re collateral, Lissy. People need money, they crave it, and sometimes, they’re willing to give up just about anything or anyone to make that happen. Those girls are faceless and nameless. They’re nothing.They’re nothing.”
“Those girls have families out there frantically looking for them. They do not deserve this. You’re a monster, Malcolm.”
“Don’t you call me that! How do you think some of them get here? Their families, Lissy. They bring the girls to us to settle a debt or to grow their income,” he shouted, his hand suddenly trembling. “I am not a monster. Have I ever hurt you, Lissy, or Gracie?”
I looked at the man I’d known for most of my life and realized I didn’t know him at all. How could I have missed the signs? Yes, he had never hurt Gracie or me, but it didn’t make what he was doing right. He was insane to think it was.
“Why are you doing this?” I hated how desperate I sounded, but the truth was I needed answers.
“I never fit in, Lissy, not like I did with you. I never belonged. Everyone shunned me, mistreated me, bullied me. Even my own father wanted nothing to do with me until I got into thefamily business. Things didn’t always go my way, and I had to prove myself, to my father, to you. Nothing just got handed to me.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to me. “Do you remember this?”
I recognized it. I’d seen it somewhere.
“I’ll tie a red ribbon in your hair,
To compliment your cheeks and your nose so fair,
I’ll tie a red ribbon around your heart,
I’ll tie so tight, we’ll never part.”
“High school, sweetheart,” he reminded me.
It still didn’t ring a bell.
“I carry this with me as a reminder. Do you remember the girls who cried wolf? Well, that is what everyone thought until one of them went and killed herself.” He got up and stood at the basin, looking out of the window. It was dark outside, but the back porch lights were on.
“That was the price I had to pay to get accepted into all this.”
I did remember. Three girls in my year claimed they were physically and sexually assaulted by someone they could only describe as a monster. Nobody believed them because they were girls with a reputation. We attended an exclusive school despite it being semi-government owned, and there was no way one of the students, or God forbid, a teacher, would ever do something like that.
But one of the girls committed suicide, jumping from the third story and landing in the middle of the courtyard. In her hand was a piece of paper and a red ribbon which the teachers put up on the notice board. Her parents said she was a troubled child, and even though her actions shook the town, we accepted these things happened, and everyone moved on.
“Yes.” I hated the way my voice shook when I answered him. I dreaded the words I knew were going to come from his mouth.
“They were attacked, Lissy. Nobody believed it was possible. But I knew.” He laughed. “I knew because it was me. I did that. Their screams still excite me. Those selfish bitches thought they had one up on me because I was the outsider. Well, I showed them.”
I gasped. The way he said it made me cringe. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t they report you? You were just a kid like they were.”
