Page 133 of Killing Mind

‘That’s not true at all, is it, Britney?’ Kim asked, stepping out of the shadows.

Both Tiff and Britney turned to stare at her, one expression bathed in relief and the other rage.

In a split second Britney whirled around, grabbing Tiff’s hair and forcing her to the ground.

‘Get away from us,’ Britney cried out. ‘You’re just trying to take her away from me.’

Tiff cried out in pain as Britney wound her hand further and further into her hair. Britney reached behind her and took a knife from her back pocket.

‘Take one step and I’ll slice her throat.’

‘Like you did with Sammy?’ Kim asked, not moving an inch. ‘Was she your best friend too?’

The fog had cleared in her mind as she’d left Bryant behind. She remembered Kane’s words about newbies being flattered and showered with love. How potent that was and the power it had on the individual receiving the attention; but how powerful for the person showering the love, especially if they themselves were vulnerable too.

‘You recruited Sammy, didn’t you, from the college?’

Britney said nothing.

‘There was no way she wouldn’t allow you into her flat. She trusted you and you killed her.’

‘She left me,’ Brit said, as though that explained everything.

‘And what about Tyler? You liked him, didn’t you? Even though you weren’t supposed to find love at the farm, you fell in love with Tyler?’

‘He loved me too,’ she growled, pulling tighter on Tiffany’s hair.

‘But he left after Sammy went, didn’t he? He followed her into the cult and he followed her back out again. He may have loved you but he was obsessed with her, had been for years.’

Britney began pulling back and forth on Tiff’s hair. The hand holding the knife was flailing around all over the place.

‘He shouldn’t have left me,’ she said, her face creasing into an ugly sneer.

‘Like your father did?’ Kim asked, glancing at the butterfly hanging around her neck.

‘Everyone leaves me,’ she said. ‘And Tiff was going to leave me too. I saw the messages between the two of you. She never liked me from the first—’

‘Is that what you think?’ Kim asked, trying to divert Britney’s hatred away from Tiffany. She tried to think quickly and prayed Tiff had said nothing.

‘You read the messages and so you know why Tiff was here, but did you look at the call register?’

Brit’s face creased in confusion.

Thank God.

‘She called me earlier,’ Kim said, being as vague about the time as she could. She didn’t know when Britney had gotten hold of the phone.

‘Yeah, she called. She told me she didn’t want to leave. She said she’d met a new friend and she wanted to stay here for a while. She said she wanted to be with you.’

‘No, no, she hates me, just like…’

‘Britney, no one hated you,’ Kim said, realising that she had to keep talking. She had to throw as much doubt and uncertainty at her to douse her rage at Tiffany before she did something stupid.

‘Even your father didn’t hate you. Yes, he left when you were young. He was in a bad state but he came looking for you, didn’t he? Bought you that necklace. He told all his colleagues about you, about how…’

‘I don’t believe you,’ Brit said, as the strength returned to her voice.

Too abstract, Kim realised. It was a man she had never really known. She’d veered too far off track but she had one last ace to play.