A Room Full of Killers, Michael Wood [best books for students to read txt] 📗

quid in my hand. I pulled but it wouldn’t come. There was so much junk in the drawer that it must have been stuck on something. I pulled harder and the whole drawer came open. The cabinet wobbled and a pen fell off a puzzle book, rolled to the edge of the table and dropped onto the floor. Shit!

I closed my eyes. The pen landed on the carpet but it sounded loud as it was so quiet in the bedroom. I could hear the clock in the hallway ticking all the way up here. There was no movement in the bed so I opened my eyes and looked across at Grandad. His eyes were wide open and staring straight at me.

I remember him saying: ‘Who the hell are you?’

Shit!

I didn’t know what to do. If I spoke, he’d recognize my voice. The bedroom door was open. I was pretty sure I’d be able to outrun an old man. I stood up and headed for the door, but Grandad was on me before I could do anything. He grabbed my arm. His grip was tight for an old man. I tried to pull away but I couldn’t. I just froze. I heard Grandma stirring. Grandad reached out with his other hand and yanked the balaclava off my head.

Grandma sat up and turned the light on. The orange glow from the bedside lamp filled the room and almost blinded me.

‘Ryan!’ Grandad shouted.

Grandma screamed. I tried not to look at them. I couldn’t face them. I knew they’d be disappointed in me. I knew Mum and Dad would kill me. This was going to be a nightmare for our family. Nobody would ever trust me again. I tried to run but Grandad’s grip was really tight on my arm. It was the first time I’d ever heard him swear.

‘Oh no you don’t; you’re not going anywhere, you thieving bastard.’ He told Gran to call my mum.

I reached out for something and swung it at Grandad. I looked at the bed and saw him laid out there with a massive gash on his head where I’d hit him with the green glass paperweight in my hand. Blood was pouring from his head. Grandma looked and started to scream. She had her mobile phone in her hand. I ran over to her and hit her too, not as hard, just hard enough to stop her from calling Mum, and screaming, and waking the whole neighbourhood.

The room was suddenly quiet again. Standing in the doorway I looked back. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. They should have been out. I would have been back home by now, sitting on my bed with the door locked.

I was just about to leave when I realized my fingerprints would be all over the bedroom. I’d be caught in no time. If Mum and Dad found out what I’d done they’d disown me; I know they would.

I ran downstairs and out to the garage where Grandad kept a plastic can of petrol for the lawn mower. I went back into the kitchen, grabbed a box of matches from the side and took them up to the bedroom. I sloshed the petrol all over the bed and my grandparents. I tried not to think about it. I really did love my grandparents but there was no other way out of this mess. I lit a match and threw it onto the bed. The fire took hold straightaway. I stood back for a few seconds but the heat was intense, so I left.

I was halfway down the stairs when I remembered I’d left the money in the bedside cabinet. It had probably burnt to ashes by now. All this had been for nothing.

FORTY-SIX

‘We’ve found these in two of the boys’ rooms,’ Christian Brady said upon entering Kate Moloney’s office, holding up five pornography magazines.

‘Which boys?’

‘Craig Hodge and Lewis Chapman.’

‘Oh my God.’ Kate slumped into her chair. The gradual falling apart of Starling House was having an adverse effect on her. Her hair, usually tied back in a severe ponytail, was a tangled mess and she hadn’t put any make-up on this morning.

Matilda had been in conversation with Kate when Christian interrupted. ‘Where did they get them?’

‘I asked them both separately and they said Richard Grover sold them to them.’

‘He sold them?’ Kate again. ‘How was he paid?’

Christian looked down at his feet. The answer must be difficult if even Christian Brady struggled to find the words. ‘Ma’am, do you think I could talk to you alone?’ he asked Matilda.

Matilda nodded to Rory to remain in the room with Kate. She led Christian out of the room and into the small office next door. ‘Come on then, out with it,’ she said after taking a deep breath, preparing herself.

Christian was obviously uncomfortable. ‘Richard has been supplying Craig and Lewis with pornography magazines and in return they’ve been allowing him to perform oral sex on them.’

‘What?’

‘He’s really been abusing his position here, ma’am.’

‘Jesus. And they let him?’ The look on her face changed to one of disgust.

‘At the end of the day they were getting something out of it too. They were getting porno mags and they were being … you know … sucked off.’

‘I don’t believe this. Why hasn’t this come up before now? We’ve interviewed all the boys and not one of them mentioned it.’

‘We didn’t ask though, did we? You know what convicts are like; they’ll only answer the questions they’re asked. Why help the pigs?’

‘True. Bloody hell. Kate is going to go through the roof. Right.’ Matilda ran her fingers firmly through her hair, pulling hard at the brittle strands. She needed to feel some pain to focus her mind. ‘The boys are going to have to be interviewed again, and I don’t care what the ACC said, I want them at the station. I want them taped and filmed. I also want Richard Grover and Fred Percival formally questioned.’

‘Until the water clears we’re still trapped here.’

‘Then