his eyes and weeping and whispering, “I’m sorry shhh I didn’t stop now I didn’t mean to please don’t please.”
“I know!” said Goss again.
“Stop it!” Goss giggled. “It’s a secret, you’ll ruin it, stop it!” He breathed out smoke.
He pushed the officer at Jason with a whispered word, and the man not even opening his eyes felt for Jason’s screaming mouth and blocked it with his hand and whispered, “Shhhh shhhh stop stop you have to you have to.” Jason ran out of breath to make sound behind the palm. The policeman and prisoner held onto each other.
Someone’s going to come, Jason thought, there are cameras, someone’s going to, but would Goss be here without crossing those ts? Dotting those is? He tried to scream again.
“You two are terrible,” said Goss. “You said we was meeting at the bus station, and then Mike came and I didn’t know where to look!” He sat on the bench and sidled up to Jason. “Hey,” he whispered shyly. He tapped the cop on the shoulder. The man whimpered. “Subby wants to show you something. He found a beetle. Go on and take a look, there’s a love.”
“Shhh, shhh,” the man kept saying, weeping from under closed lids. He took his hand from Jason’s mouth and Jason could not make a noise. Subby took the officer’s hand. The man shuffled at the child’s pace to the corner of the room and stood facing away from Goss and Jason, facing the cement angle.
“I was all over the place,” Goss said. “I was out on holiday. Got a nice tan. Was looking for stuff. Not seen the waiter? The waiting boy in the dollhouse? I had a present for him.” Goss put a finger to Jason’s lips.
“So,” he said. “Clarabelle said she fancies you.” He pushed his finger harder onto Jason’s face. Pushed him to the wall. “I said to her what? And she goes ‘Yeah, can you believe it?’” Pushed the lip into Jason’s teeth. Subby swung the policeman’s hand like they were going for a walk. “She’s going to be at the park tonight. Are you coming down later?” Goss split the skin so blood welled into Jason’s mouth. “Where’s Billy? Where’s Dane?”
“Oh God oh God I don’t know I swear Jesus …” Jason said. Goss did not move his finger, so Jason sputtered past it, sputtering his blood and spit onto Goss, who did not wipe himself. Goss pushed and pushed and Jason whined as his lip was ground against his top teeth. The policeman stood where Subby held his hand obediently facing away, whimpered and seemed to clutch the boy’s hand harder as if for comfort.
“Do you remember when she was in Geography with us and he kept nicking all the pens for the overhead projector?” Goss said. “I knew you liked her then. I know you did stuff for Dane, that’s why you’re here, where is he?” Pushed and Jason whined and then shrieked as with the crunching snap of a ruined pencil Goss pushed an incisor out of its socket so it dangled into his mouth.
“I don’t know I don’t know,” Jason said, “Billy called me, Jesus, please I don’t know …”
“I didn’t even know she was still in our year. Look at me. Look at me. You alright, Subbster? Are you looking after my little brother okay, mister?” Goss smiled and met Jason’s eyes. Kept his finger all blood-wet on Jason’s lips. “Clarabelle said she might bring Petra so we could all four of us go into town. Your friend took something I want back. Where is he? Otherwise I’m going to have to call off tonight.”
“Oh God I don’t know I don’t, listen, listen, he gave me a number, that’s all, there’s a number, I can tell you it …”
“Numbers rumpus schampers grampus orca Belinda. Where’s them lads? I think I can see what you want to say down in your mouth, shall I get it? Shall I get it? Shall I get it? Tell me or I’ll get it. Where is he? I’m going to get it. Where is he? I’ll squeeze it out of you, you rubber duck!”
“I swear, I swear …”
“I will! I’ll squeeze you till you squeak!” Goss began to push. Tooth roots creaked in Jason’s head, and he screamed again. The policeman in the corner exhaled shakily and did not look around. Goss put his other hand to Jason’s stomach.
“I will push if you don’t tell me, because I want it back. Hurry,