You Cut The Brakes...

"I did it for us, you know," Lucy explained, offering Brett a
cigarette. But he didn't even notice. He was sitting beside her in the
bed, staring straight ahead, seemingly entranced. Lucy noticed he was
shivering.

"Brett? Are you okay?"

"You cut the brakes&;#8230;"

Lucy swung round, breaking into his field of vision. They were now face
to face. Lucy took up both his hands. She looked into his eyes.

"I did it for us, Brett. We talked about it."

"You cut the brakes&;#8230;"

"We talked about it. Remember?!" Her voice was growing ever more
desperate. He wouldn't raise his eyes to meet hers. He was looking
through her, not at her. All she could manage now was a whisper:
"Remember?"

Slowly he brought his gaze up to lock with hers. His face was blank,
but his eyes said it all. She drew back, claiming a gown from the floor
and wrapping herself in it. She backed off to the doorway, but stopped
there, hugging herself.

"I-I know David was your best friend&;#8230;" she said. "But you
don't know what he was really like! There was no other way!"

Slowly his eyes panned across to her, settling on her face. He
frowned.

She ducked her head guiltily, "That's why I left early. Said I had a
headache. I waited until you were with him. I knew he wouldn't come
with me then. I-I cut the brakes, then caught a taxi&;#8230;"

Suddenly there was a sound downstairs, and Lucy jumped. She'd heard the
noise a thousand times before, but couldn't quite place it. Then she
knew why: it was the sound of the key in the lock, and of the two
people who had the key, the only one still alive was in this room. She
heard the front door open. She dared not even breathe.

"Lucy..?" came a voice.

It was David.

Something came over Lucy. Her hands shaking, she charged over to Brett
and hurried him out of bed. Her breathing fast and shallow, she pulled
open the cupboard door and urged him in.

"You cut the brakes&;#8230;" came a muffled voice from within.

And then David appeared in the doorway.
She slipped down onto the side of the bed, pressing back hard against
the headboard. She knew David had used the car. He'd only been drinking
orange juice all evening. She knew David was dead.

"Lucy, are you okay?" said David, coming to the end of the bed and
sitting down. Lucy immediately stood up, and backed off to the
cupboard.

David sighed and began rubbing his forehead, "Sorry I'm a little late.
I wanted to show Mr Randall the new proposal and sent Brett to get it.
Dunno what happened to him, but I waited until Randall and his partners
had to leave. Jeez, if anything's happened to that car I'll kill
him!"

It took a second for Lucy to realise, but then she swung open the
cupboard door. She found it empty, and began to cry&;#8230;