by Anna Willett
* * *
“Harper?” It had been ten minutes since she’d called triple zero. “Harper,” Judith whispered and touched her girlfriend’s face. “I called the police. They’re coming. We’ll be okay now.” Judith tried for a smile.
Harper’s eyes fluttered open. “There’s two of them.” Her voice sounded raspy, as if the words caught in her throat.
“I know, sweetheart. Lucas told me. Now…”
“Lucas is one of them.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Milly wrenched her shoulders free and tried to stand. Lucas grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her back down. Her eyes moved back to the tattoo on his chest. Drew 2006 in black cursive above his heart. It can’t be. How could he possibly know Drew?
“He was my brother,” he said, as if answering her unspoken question.
Milly let out a moan. Things fell into place. The feeling of anxiety approaching the cliffs – not because she was with Judith again, but because Lucas’s voice, so like Drew’s, triggered her memory. Watching Lucas drink from the water bottle, the way his throat moved – in that moment, she’d felt old memories stirring. Time and again her mind had been trying to warn her but she’d been too anxious and worried to put the pieces together.
“You and your sister killed him,” his voice shook. He pulled her close, until his face filled her vision. “You took him away from us and then went on with your lives.”
Milly could feel his breath against her face. He still held the front of her shirt, the fabric bunched in his fist. She tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t fuel his anger. “It was an accident. We never meant…”
“I heard you. You told your sister you pushed him.” He laughed. A dry humourless sound that made her stomach clench. “All these years, I knew you’d both had a hand in killing him, but I guess I blamed her more than you.” He gave her a shake to emphasise his words. Milly felt her teeth clang together and the pain in her head exploded. “I almost felt sorry for you yesterday.”
“Lucas, please.” She grabbed at his wrist. “I never meant to hurt him. It’s the truth.”
“Your truth is lies,” he roared into her face, spraying her with spittle and hot breath. “My mother killed herself six months later and they put me and my little brother in foster care.” His eyes filled with tears and a purple vein pulsed on his temple.
Milly slumped in his grasp. She deserved his hate and anger. A small part of her had always known she’d have to pay for what she’d done. Maybe that’s why she’d failed at every relationship she’d ever had, because a part of her knew she didn’t deserve happiness.
“You’re right,” she managed around sobs.
Lucas’s mouth dropped open and he released his grip on her shirt. Milly tumbled back onto her butt. “There’s nothing I can say to make it right. I … I killed him.”
Lucas stood. He towered over her, his fists clenched at his sides. Milly waited for the blows to rain down. Maybe it’s better this way. At least the pain and grief will end and I’ll finally have some peace. Yet even as she tried to reconcile herself to what was about to happen, a small stubborn part of her didn’t want to die. The buzzing in her ears kicked in again and she clamped her hand to the side of her head.
Lucas stepped back and his shoulders slumped. “They put me and Archie with a couple who lived in Midland.” Milly tried to listen and keep track of what he was saying but a static, fuzzy line of light blurred her eyes and her head felt as if it were vibrating. “The husband, Allan, he seemed okay at first, but then he started messing around with Archie.” He caught his breath.
“I’m sorry,” she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Lucas bent and lifted the leg of his black pants. A knife in a black nylon sheaf was strapped to his shin. He pulled the knife free, its long blade picked up the light. Milly winced and shrank back.
“Stand up,” his voice sounded flat, the tremor of minutes ago vanished. It was as if he’d made up his mind and all the emotion had been swept away.
“Please,” Milly spluttered. Her nose ran and tears joined the fuzzy light in her eyes. “I’m sorry for what’s happened to you, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Get up.” He took a step towards her.
“Okay.” Milly held her hand over her head as if it could shield her from the huge blade. “Okay, I’m getting up.” She found her feet and stumbled to her knees. A shaft of agony spliced through her head. For a second, she thought Lucas had stabbed her, but then her vision cleared enough for her to see him still standing a couple of metres away.
“Get to your feet! Don’t make me say it again.”
She climbed to her feet on sandbag legs. Milly swiped a hand across her nose and her arm came away bloody. She thought of running, but the thought was only brief and fleeting. It seemed all strength had drained from her body. She faced Lucas, swaying slightly to keep her balance.
“You and your sister took everything away from us. Archie was always a messed-up kid, but Drew knew how to handle him. He loved Drew.” The cords in his neck bulged. “We all loved Drew.” He pointed the knife at her. “You took him away from us!” His voice rose to an angry roar. He rushed forward.
Milly didn’t have time to react. She took an awkward backward step, then he was on her. She gasped expecting the pain of the blade, instead he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her off her feet. His fingers sent ribbons of pain down her arms. She felt herself being swept backwards then crashing into something solid and the back of her head crunched against what she guessed was a tree.
Milly groaned. The pain in her head sent shivers through the length of her body. Lucas held her there, her feet barely scraping the ground.
“I’ve waited years for this,” he drew his lips back in a grimace. “This is for Drew.” He dropped her to her feet and held her around the throat. Knife drawn back, prepared to strike.
“Just don’t hurt my sister.” Milly managed to get the words out around the pressure on her throat. Tears ran down her cheeks mixing with blood and mucus.
He hesitated, “What did you say?” His face little more than a blur.
“Do it, but don’t hurt Judith. None of it’s her fault.”
His fingers loosened and then released. Milly gasped in air. The lights in her eyes grew brighter until she could see nothing but red and gold. It was beautiful. Her legs folded under her and she toppled to the side.
Chapter Twenty-five
“You mean Lucas is part of this?” Judith waved her arm towards the killer.
Harper grimaced and nodded. Her skin looked grey as if the life had been drained from her body. Judith leaned over her and put her face on Harper’s shoulder. Her ear brushed against her girlfriend’s neck. Her skin felt chilled. What now? Her mind raced. She’d left her sister with a killer. He could be doing anything to Milly right now. Judith pulled her head back.
“I… I left Milly with him.” Judith felt tears building up. She wiped at her nose. She could hardly believe what she was about to say. She’d fought so hard to find Harper and now she was thinking of leaving her. “I have to go and help her.” She searched Harper’s eyes for any trace of hurt or disapproval.
“Help her.” Harper’s lips were stained with blood.
Judith kissed her cheeks and forehead. She wished she could tear herself in two so that she didn’t have to leave Harper alone again. She cupped her girlfriend’s face in her hands. She’d been through so much; Judith wanted to stay with her and cradle her head until the medics arrived, but how could she turn her back on her sister?
Milly’s face flashed in her mind: cheeks stained with dirt, eyes raw and red rimmed. She’d begged Judith not to leave. We’ll talk when this is over, that was the last thing she said before walking away and leaving her sister with a killer. A crow screeched from a nearby tree. Soon others joined it until the branches were filled with the evil-looking black birds. A murder of crows. Judith shivered.
There was no telling how
long it would take the police and medics to arrive, by then Milly could be dead. If she acted now, there might be time to save her. She couldn’t sit and ignore the chance to save her sister’s life. Not when we’ve just found each other again. Judith forced the tears back. She wouldn’t waste time crying, she had too much to do. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions overtake her.
“I’ll be back,” she said to Harper and scampered out of the pit.
Judith didn’t want to look at the old man again so she gave him a wide berth. The small pack was where it had been when she first found the body. She crouched down over it, keeping her back to the old man’s body. William. Harper called him William. Inside, she found a light weight jacket and a half empty bottle of water. Judith pulled out the jacket and took a gulp of the water. She thought about giving some to Harper, but wondered if she ought to wait until the medics assessed her injuries.
At the bottom of the pack she spotted a packet of crackers. Judith’s stomach groaned. The last thing she’d eaten was an energy bar, hours before. She tore the bag open and stuffed a few crackers in her mouth before washing them down with a swig of water. The crackers were dry and tasteless, but it felt wonderful to have something in her empty stomach.
Back in the pit, Judith pulled the damp hoodie off Harper’s upper body and replaced it with the dry jacket. She folded the hoodie and slipped it under Harper’s head. “Better?”
Harper gave a nod. “Be … careful.” Harper’s eyes were wet with tears. Her mouth trembled. Seeing her this way brought a lump to Judith’s throat.
She glanced over at the man laying with his hands bound. He’d done this to Harper. The urge to run over and kick him in the back swept through her. She watched his back and shoulders. His body looked slack, she hoped he was dead. About to turn away, Judith noticed something black against his back. It stuck up from under his pants and bulged out the back of his vest. She wondered why she didn’t notice it earlier. Probably because she’d been too distracted by his caved in skull and bulging eye.
She left Harper and crouched behind the man’s back. His shirt had come untucked and caked in dirt. The thought of touching him again set her teeth on edge. She pulled the edge of his shirt with the tips of her fingers and lifted it up.
“Jesus,” Judith gasped out the word. A large black nylon sheaf was strapped to his back. In it, a hunting knife with a maroon handle.
She pulled the blade from the sheaf and held it up. It felt fairly weighty for a knife. The blade was large with a slight curve; it looked like something used to kill big game. Is that what we are to him? Judith noticed there were dark stains around the base and handle. William’s blood? The idea of holding a knife used to kill someone made her stomach lurch. She took a deep breath and fought back the urge to vomit. She wanted to drop it, but if she were going looking for her sister, she might need more than a penknife.
She leaned over his body, her fingers brushing against the skin on his belly and coming into contact with a patch of coarse damp hair. Judith cringed and pulled her hand away, deciding she would make do without the sheaf. She cut a section off the back of the man’s white vest. The blade sliced through the fabric so easily that Judith grimaced. The pale skin of the base of his spine lay exposed. Judith wondered what it would feel like if she drove the hunting knife into that patch of skin. It might be safer to just kill him. The thought frightened and appealed to her at the same time. She imagined herself grabbing his shoulder with one hand and driving in the blade with the other. He’d probably scream and thrash. She realised the urge to kill him had nothing to do with safety, she wanted to do it. He deserved it.
“What are you doing?” The slushy voice startled her.
“Shut the fuck up,” Judith snapped. She wrapped the fabric around the knife then slid it into her back pocket. Hopefully the wrapping would stop the knife shifting and slicing into her butt.
Snuffling laughter came from the heap on the ground. Judith stood up and stepped around him so she could look into the bulging glassy eye. She opened her mouth to tell him the police were on their way when he spoke again.
“Shut the fuck up. That’s what I said …” He drew in a wet breath. “To your mother just before I pushed her down the stairs.” His eye blinked.
Judith’s mouth dropped open. It felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She wanted to scream and call him a liar, but her thoughts wouldn’t connect with her voice. How could it be? Had he killed her mother? Was he lying? But how did he know her mother fell down the stairs? Her mother had been something of a celebrity, but only to readers dedicated to her romance novels. Judith supposed this mad man could have looked her up, but the public were told she’d fallen while home alone. No other details were given.
He made that snuffling sound again. It reminded Judith of the noise a pig makes when it eats. He was laughing at her. She had the urge to pull the knife out of her pocket and stab him. She reached around the back of her shorts and gripped the handle. It felt slick and cold in her hand. She was about to slide it out when another more horrifying thought occurred to her.
If Lucas was with this man and they were involved in her mother’s death, then all that had happened wasn’t just random or opportunistic. The two of them had to have planned this. Judith let go of the knife and tried to block out the wet snuffling sounds. How could I be so stupid? Of course they’d planned it. Lucas had been manipulating them all along. It was his idea to bring Milly to the National Park. His idea to abseil. She tried to remember the first time that the notion of not just getting Milly alone but frightening her came into play. Her heart fluttered at the memory; they’d climbed a rock face in some bushland near Kalamunda. Harper said something about losing her footing and how scary it felt. The moment so unimportant at the time, became the spike on which everything hung. Lucas nodding his head, leaning back on his muscular arms agreeing with everything they said. Judith caught her breath.
She could almost hear his voice, “That’s why abseiling is such a good idea.” Then, like a sound bite from a movie clip. “Nothing bonds people like a near death experience.”
“You bastard.” The words slipped off her lips. If she hadn’t been so focused on Milly and forcing her to admit the truth, she’d have seen it sooner. She’d been hell-bent, not only on getting Milly where she wanted her, but on punishing her.
Judith clamped her hand over her mouth. Was it ever about the truth or did I just want to make her suffer for letting me take all the blame? Her tunnel vision had ultimately put them all in danger. She’d let Lucas get the three of them out here alone. Then he’d arranged for his buddy to join him for some sick fun in the bush. It made perfect sense, but didn’t explain why they would have hurt her mother.
Judith stooped down. “You’re a liar.” Her voice came out as little more than a strangled whisper.
“Am I?” he asked in that mushy voice she’d come to loathe.
Being close to him made her cringe. The thought of him in her mother’s house, his face the last thing she might have seen; it was almost too much.
“Why?” she asked, hating even giving him the satisfaction of her curiosity. But as much as he made her skin crawl, she had to know the truth.
“When my brother gets here, you’re gonna’ wish you ran away as fast as your sweet legs could carry you.”
His brother. So this animal was Lucas’s brother. That didn’t explain why they were doing this. Why they’d hurt Harper, killed William and terrorised Judith and Milly. Then there was her mother, what possible reason could they have for killing her? Judith longed to bombard the man with questions, but he seemed to enjoy playing with her. She felt certain he wouldn’t give her any real answers and she didn’t have time to waste.
“I’ve called the police.” Judith tried to keep her voice unemotional. “They’ll be here soon, if you live that long.”
“Your bitch won’t last another ten minutes,” he took a slurpy breath. His one staring eye blinked with excitement.
<
br /> Judith pulled back. Even in the chilly afternoon air, her face felt hot. Hot with anger and hurt. She thought of saying something smart back but time was short and nothing she said would penetrate his madness.
She made her way back to Harper. The phone lay on the ground beside her. Judith checked it and found it dead. “Damn.” To Harper she said, “I’m going now. It won’t be long before the medics get here.” She kissed Harper’s chilly skin. “You hang on. I love you.”
Harper managed a half-smile half-grimace. “Be careful. I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Harper listened to Judith’s boots scuffing the earth as she climbed out of the pit. She could feel the tears streaming down the side of her face leaving icy trails on her skin. Her body felt chilled as if the cold ground beneath her had seeped through her skin and touched her bones.
Part of her felt high with elation. Judith was alive and help was on its way. But another part of her felt numb with fear. What would Lucas do to Judith? What had he already done to Milly? Harper remembered the moment when Milly fell while climbing down the cliff. Even then there’d been something suspicious about the accident. She’d felt it in her bones. God how she wished she’d spoken up then, done something. In her mind she could see the moment as clear as if it were happening all over again.
Standing behind Lucas, Harper could see him working the ropes. He looked relaxed, his voice confident. Harper knew the plan, to wait until Milly was a metre or so off the ground and then let her drop. She didn’t like the idea, but she’d let Judith talk her into it. You could have just said no, she reminded herself. But she hadn’t said no. She’d agreed to go along with Judith’s plan.
She’d taken a step closer to Lucas, trying to watch Milly’s descent. She took her eyes off Lucas’s hands and leaned over to get a better view. Suddenly Milly dropped. Her mouth formed a shocked circle, her eyes wide and panicked. Then the smack as she hit the ground. Harper heard herself scream, a raw pained noise.