by Jane Harper
She looked over the edge. The bank was steep, but it had one or two rocks and tufts of weeds that could be used as hand and footholds. She took a breath, unsure how to approach the task. Finally, she sat down and twisted to lower herself over the edge. The ground was cold and gritty against her palms. She felt a couple of pairs of hands holding her forearms and jacket as she scrambled down, the toes of her boots sliding against the muddy bank.
‘Good. We’ve got you,’ Alice said.
Lauren didn’t look up. She kept her sights on the canister, and the running water underneath. She stretched out her hand and her fingertips scraped air. Nearly. A gust of wind shook the branches and she saw the canister loosen in its nest.
‘I need to get closer.’
She stretched again, leaning against the pull of gravity, her toes sliding in the mud. She was close. Her fingers had just brushed the smooth metallic finish when something gave. A slip of the foot and suddenly she was weightless as she plunged through the branches. A crack and she was in the water.
She managed a single sharp exhalation before the river closed over her head. The cold made her lungs seize as the water flooded thick and earthy into her mouth. She tried to kick but her feet were heavy in her boots. Without warning, she broke the surface, sucking at the air, blinded by water.
‘Help!’ The word was lost as she swallowed another mouthful of river.
‘Reach up! Reach up!’
Lauren heard the muffled shout above her as someone clambered and skidded down the bank. Something was being held out to her and she grabbed it with both hands, feeling the clack of movement inside canvas as her fists tightened. It was the tent pole bag.
‘Hold on, we’ll pull you in.’
She forced her wrist into the handle strap and twisted it until it was tight. The silvery glint of the canister swept by her face, carried along by the current, and Lauren snatched at it.
‘I can’t –’
The hunk of wood came from nowhere. Solid and slimy with sodden leaves, it surfaced in the rushing water and careered into the side of her skull. The last thing she saw was the bloodied piece of wood ricochet away and disappear without a trace back into the water.
Lauren was freezing. She was shaking so hard her joints were knocking against the hard ground. She forced her eyes open. She was lying on her side. Everything seemed painfully bright, but the daylight had a different quality from before. How long had passed? She thought she could hear crying followed by a harsh whisper. The noise stopped.
‘You’re awake. Thank God.’ Alice’s voice.
‘Is she all right?’ Jill.
‘I think so.’
I’m not, Lauren wanted to say, but couldn’t find the energy. She struggled to sit up. Her head was pounding. She touched the pain. Her fingers came away bloody. She was draped in a coat that wasn’t hers. Underneath, her clothes were soaked through.
Next to her, Bree sat huddled knees to chest, a camping towel around her shoulders. Her hair was sopping wet. A pool of watery vomit lay between them. Lauren wasn’t sure which of them was responsible. Her own mouth tasted dank and foul.
Jill and Alice stood over her. Both were white-faced with fear. Beth hovered behind, shivering, her eyes red-rimmed. She was not wearing her coat and Lauren realised she was lying under it. She wondered vaguely if she should offer it back, but her teeth were chattering too hard to speak.
‘You’re okay,’ Alice kept saying, a defensive note in her tone.
What happened? Lauren wanted to ask, but couldn’t form the words. Her face must have said it all.
‘Bree pulled you out,’ Jill said. ‘You were breathing, but you took a knock to the head.’
It felt like more than a knock. Lauren felt dizzy simply sitting up.
‘Did we at least get the canister?’
Their faces gave her the answer.
‘What about the tent pole bag?’
More bleak faces.
‘Lost in the river,’ Jill said. ‘It’s no-one’s fault,’ she added quickly.
Well, it’s not my fault, Lauren thought immediately. ‘What do we do now?’
Alice cleared her throat. ‘There should be spare supplies at the campsite.’ She was trying to sound optimistic. It came off as false.
‘I’m not sure I can make it.’
‘You’ll have to,’ Alice said. Her tone softened. ‘I’m sorry. But we can’t stay here without the tents. It’ll get too cold.’
‘So light a fire.’ Every word was an effort. Lauren could see Jill shaking her head. ‘Please. Jill, I know we’re not allowed, but –’
‘It’s not that. The lighter got wet.’
Lauren wanted to cry. She felt sick again and lay back. The cold ground made her headache worse. She felt a drop of liquid run across her forehead and down her temple. She couldn’t tell if it was river water or blood. With effort, she lifted her head a fraction. Alice was still standing over her.
‘Phone for help,’ Lauren said.
Alice didn’t move.
‘Call someone, Alice. On your mobile.’
Jill looked uneasy. ‘She’s already tried. We couldn’t get through.’
Lauren let her head drop back against the ground. ‘So what do we do?’
No-one spoke. Something scurried in the bush.
‘Maybe we aim for higher ground,’ Alice said at last. ‘See if we can get a signal.’
‘Will that make a difference?’ Jill said.
‘How would I know?’
There was an awkward pause.
‘Sorry.’ Alice unfolded the map and leaned over it. Finally, she looked up. ‘Look, I’m pretty sure this river is this one here, in the north. There’s a low peak with a path over here, to the west. It doesn’t look too steep. The campsite’s in that direction anyway. We can check for a signal on the peak. How does that sound?’
‘Can you get us there?’ Jill said.
‘Yes. I think so. That way is west. Once we get on that path it should be obvious.’
‘You’ve done this before?’
‘A few times.’
‘At school camp? Or recently?’
‘At school. But I remember how. Nothing’s changed since then.’
‘And it worked back then?’
Alice gave a grim smile. ‘Well, I didn’t end up dead in the bush. But look, Jill, if you’ve got a plan you prefer . . .’
‘It’s not that.’ Jill took the map and squinted. With a frustrated noise she thrust it to Lauren. ‘You did this camp as well. What do you think?’
Lauren’s fingers were so numb she had trouble holding the paper. She tried to work out what she was looking at. She could feel Alice looking at her. There were a couple of peaks. She couldn’t tell which one Alice had been referring to. The cold made it difficult to think.
‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I want to stay here.’
‘Well, you can’t.’ Alice bit her lip. ‘Look, we need to get some help or at the very least, get to the campsite. Come on, Lauren. You can see that.’
Lauren’s head was pounding and she found she didn’t have the energy to do more than nod. ‘Yeah. Okay.’
‘Yes? So we’re agreed?’ Jill sounded relieved. ‘We’ll go with Alice’s plan?’
As Lauren got unsteadily to her feet she was reminded again of that day at McAllaster. Unsteady on her feet then as well, and blinded for the trust challenge. The overwhelming feeling of relief when Alice had taken her arm, her firm grip solid and steady. ‘I’ve got you. This way.’ Lauren, disoriented and unsure, had felt Alice’s hand warm against her skin and, one foot after the other, followed her through the unfamiliar territory.
Now, as she passed the map back to Jill, she wished she didn’t once again feel quite so blinded. But at least they had a plan.
‘Let’s do what she says.’
You could say what you wanted about Alice, but the woman always knew exactly what she was doing.
Chapter 11
‘What did Dani
el say to Alice on that first night that scared her?’ Carmen was staring out of the car window as the trees sped past, the hospital far behind them.
Falk didn’t reply straight away. He could think of a few things, none of them good.
‘Whatever it was, he obviously felt it was worth traipsing through the bush in the dark to get to her,’ he said finally.
‘It must have something to do with the reason why he missed the bus,’ Carmen said. ‘Otherwise he’d have told her – warned her, whatever – earlier.’
Falk thought back to what Bailey had said the day before in the carpark. A private family matter.
‘Could it have been something to do with his sister?’ Falk said. ‘Maybe it was Jill he needed to see urgently. I don’t know. Maybe we should just ask him outright.’
‘Speaking of sisters,’ Carmen said. ‘What did you make of the twins? I know Bree’s got the plush job upstairs, but I reckon Beth’s no fool. She’s got her head screwed on just as tight.’
That had been playing on Falk’s mind too. ‘And I wouldn’t be surprised if she understands those documents that pass under her nose better than she was letting on.’
‘Great. That doesn’t bode well for us, does it? If even the girl in the data room noticed Alice behaving strangely.’
‘I don’t know,’ Falk said. ‘I could see Alice seriously underestimating Beth. I mean, we kind of did as well. Alice might have let her guard down around her. Been sloppy.’
Or desperate, he thought. He remembered their last conversations with Alice. Get the contracts. Get the contracts. Pressure from above, pushing down.
‘Say Beth was suspicious about Alice,’ Carmen said, ‘would she even care? It sounds like she needs the job, but an entry-level post hardly inspires undying company loyalty. And she’s the type to be an office outsider.’ She paused. ‘Although outsiders often want nothing more than to be insiders.’
‘Maybe Beth wouldn’t care,’ Falk said, ‘but she might have told Bree.’ Bree seemed like someone who might care a lot.
‘Yeah, it’s possible,’ Carmen said. ‘Weird dynamic between them, though.’
Falk turned the car onto the final approach to the lodge. ‘I know. I couldn’t tell if they love each other or hate each other’s guts.’
‘Both, probably,’ she said. ‘You haven’t got any siblings, have you?’
‘No. Have you?’
‘Yeah. Loads. The love–hate relationship is very fluid. It’s probably worse with twins as well.’
Falk pulled into the carpark and into the first space he saw. Something seemed out of place as he slammed the driver’s door shut and he looked around, unsure, until he saw it. Or more accurately, didn’t see it.
‘Shit.’
‘What?’
‘His bloody car’s gone.’
‘Who? Daniel?’ Carmen twisted around. No black BMW. ‘Would he go back to Melbourne before Alice is found?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe.’ Falk frowned. ‘Maybe especially if he knew it was going to be a long wait.’
The rain started up again and by the time they reached the entrance of the lodge, heavy drops had already spotted their clothing. At the door of the lodge, Falk wiped his boots and ran a hand over his damp hair.
‘Hey. In there,’ Carmen said under her breath, nodding towards the lounge area.
Jill Bailey was sitting alone with a mug of coffee in her hand and a glazed expression on her face. Her eyes flicked over them with surprise, then faint annoyance, as they came in and sat down opposite her. Up close, the bruise on her jawline was turning a dirty yellow at the edges, and Falk could see her lip was swollen where it had been split.
‘If it’s about the action, you’ll have to take it up with our lawyers,’ she said.
‘Sorry?’ Falk realised too late he’d made the mistake of sitting on an ancient couch so squashy he had to fight to keep his feet on the floor. He clutched discreetly at the arm to stop himself sinking further.
‘Aren’t you from Executive Adventures?’ Her words came out a little thick and she touched her swollen lip with the tip of her tongue.
‘No. Police.’ Falk introduced them by name only. ‘We’re assisting Sergeant King.’
‘Oh. Sorry. I thought I saw you yesterday with Ian Chase and assumed . . .’ She didn’t finish.
Carmen looked at her. ‘You’re taking legal action against Executive Adventures?’
Jill swirled her mug. No steam rose from the liquid. It looked like she’d been holding it for some time.
‘Not BaileyTennants, directly. But the insurance company covering the trip has sent a letter of intent. I can’t say that I blame them.’ She looked from one to the other. ‘And that’s separate from any action Alice or her family may choose to take, obviously.’
‘Has Alice Russell’s family come up here?’ Falk asked.
‘No. She has a teenage daughter who’s staying with her father. He and Alice are divorced. We’ve offered them assistance, obviously, whatever they need. But apparently it’s better for Margot – that’s the girl – to be somewhere familiar than wringing her hands up here.’ She looked down at her own hands. The nails on her right hand were broken, Falk noticed. Like Bree’s.
‘Is your brother still here?’ Carmen said. ‘His car’s not outside.’
Jill took a deliberate sip from her coffee mug before answering. Definitely cold, Falk could tell from her expression. ‘No. You’ve missed him, I’m afraid.’
‘Where’s he gone?’ Falk said.
‘Back to Melbourne.’
‘Business demands?’
‘It’s a family matter.’
‘It must be something urgent, to call him away with all this going on as well? Not ideal.’
Jill’s face tightened with annoyance before she could help it, and Falk suspected she agreed. ‘He didn’t make the decision lightly.’
‘You don’t need to go too?’
‘His immediate family. Not mine.’ Jill went to take another sip, then thought better of it. ‘Sorry, where did you say you were from again?’
‘AFP.’
‘I thought the state police were handling this? I’ve already spoken to them.’
‘It’s multi-agency,’ Falk said, looking her in the eye. ‘We’d be grateful if we could go over a couple of things.’
There was a tiny pause. ‘Of course. Anything to help.’
Jill put the coffee mug on a side table next to her mobile. She checked the blank screen of her phone, before turning it over with a sigh.
‘It’s like a phantom limb, isn’t it?’ Carmen said.
‘I think having that bloody phone with no coverage was actually one of the hardest things out there,’ Jill said. ‘It’s pathetic, isn’t it? It would have been easier having nothing, at least it wouldn’t have been such a distraction.’
‘Did you know Alice had taken her mobile with her?’ Falk said.
‘Not until the first night. I wasn’t completely surprised, though. Alice is a bit like that.’
‘Like what?’
Jill looked at him. ‘Like someone who might bring her banned phone on a retreat.’
‘Right,’ Falk said. ‘And do you know who she tried to call out there?’
‘Triple zero, obviously.’
‘No-one else?’
She frowned. ‘Not that I know of. We needed to save the battery. Not that it made any difference. We never got through.’
‘At all?’ Falk said.
‘No.’ She sighed. ‘God, I was so angry when she disappeared with the phone. We were relying on it, even though it was useless. But it seems ridiculous now, sitting here. I’m glad she has it. I hope it helps her.’
‘Will you be staying up here while the search goes on?’ Carmen said. ‘Or are you heading back to Melbourne as well?’
‘No. I’m staying until she’s found – safe, I hope. Daniel would have stayed as well, but –’ Jill ran a hand over her face, flinching a little as she touched her bruise.
‘I’m sorry. This is all new territory for us. I’ve been with the company twenty-nine years and we’ve never had something like this happen. Honestly, these bloody retreats.’
‘More trouble than they’re worth?’ Falk asked, and Jill managed a faint smile.
‘Even when they go right. Personally, I’d rather people got on with the job they’re being paid for, but you can’t say that in this day and age. It’s all about a holistic management approach now.’ She shook her head. ‘But, Christ, this is a nightmare.’
Behind her, the large picture window rattled and they all looked over. The rain spattering against the pane, distorting the view.
‘How long have you known Alice Russell?’ Falk said.
‘Five years. I hired her, actually.’
‘She’s a good employee?’ He watched Jill carefully, but the woman looked back with a clear expression.
‘Yes. She is good. She works hard. Pulls her weight.’
‘Was she happy to go on the retreat?’
‘No more or less than anyone else. I don’t think it was anyone’s first choice of the way to spend a weekend.’
‘We heard that Alice asked to leave after the first night, but you talked her out of it,’ Carmen said.
‘That’s true, but honestly, I couldn’t let her go, could I? I’d have to have taken the whole group back and there would have been questions to answer and costs involved and we would have all had to do it on another date anyway. I mean, in hindsight, of course I wish I’d said yes. It would have saved us all this.’ Jill shook her head. ‘Alice told me she felt ill and I didn’t believe her. Her daughter had an event at school and I thought that was why she wanted to go back. And she’d tried to get out of the retreat the week before as well, but at the time I felt she just had to put up with it, like the rest of us. None of us really wanted to be there.’
‘Not even you?’ Carmen said.
‘Especially not me. At least Alice and Lauren had done a bit of that sort of thing at school. And Bree McKenzie is very fit. Her sister – well, I don’t think she enjoyed it much either.’
There was a clatter of boots in the hallway and they all looked up through the open lounge door. A group of searchers had returned. They headed for the kitchen, their exhausted faces saying everything.