Force of Nature

by Jane Harper

  ‘I’m sorry about before.’ Her voice had been hard to hear. Alice’s apologies, when they came at all, always managed to sound begrudging.

  ‘It’s okay. We’re all tired.’ Lauren had braced herself for another argument, but Alice had continued fiddling with the fire. She’d seemed distracted, putting sticks into small piles, then breaking them down to rebuild them.

  ‘Lauren, how’s Rebecca?’

  The question had come out of nowhere and Lauren had blinked in surprise.

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘I was just wondering how she’s coping after that photo thing last year.’

  That photo thing. It made it sound like nothing. ‘She’s all right,’ Lauren said, finally.

  ‘Is she?’ Alice sounded genuinely curious. ‘Is she going back to school?’

  ‘No.’ Lauren picked up the lighter. ‘I don’t know.’ She concentrated on the task in front of her. She didn’t want to talk about her child with Alice, sitting there with her healthy daughter and her prize nights and her prospects.

  Lauren could still remember the first time she’d seen Margot Russell, sixteen years ago at the maternal health centre’s vaccination clinic. It was only the second time Lauren had crossed paths with Alice since school, but she recognised her straight away. She’d watched as Alice wheeled a pink bundle in an expensive pram up to the nurses’ desk. Alice’s hair looked like it had been washed and her jeans were not straining at the waist. Her baby was not crying. Alice was smiling at the nurse. She looked rested and proud and happy. Lauren had slipped out into the hall and hidden in the toilets, staring at the contraception advert on the back of the cubicle door while Rebecca screamed at her. She had not wanted to compare daughters with Alice Russell then, and she certainly did not want to now.

  ‘Why are you asking?’ Lauren focused very hard on flicking the lighter.

  ‘I should have asked ages ago.’

  Yes, you really should have, Lauren thought. But she said nothing and flicked the lighter again.

  ‘I think –’ Alice started, then stopped. She was still fiddling with the kindling, her eyes downcast. ‘Margot –’

  ‘Hey, here we go!’ Lauren breathed out as a spark bloomed, rich and bright. She cupped her hands to shelter it, feeding the small flame until it caught, just in time for nightfall.

  Jill and the twins came out of the cabin, relief visible on their faces, and they all stood in a circle around the flames. Lauren glanced at Alice, but whatever she’d been going to say had been lost with the moment. They stared at the fire for a while and then eventually, one by one, they spread their waterproofs on the ground and sat down.

  Lauren felt the damp start to lift a little from her clothes. The way the orange light danced on the others’ faces reminded her of that first night, back at the first campsite with the men and the booze. And the food. It seemed very far away and long ago now. Like it had happened to someone else.

  ‘How long do you think it will take for them to realise we’re lost?’ Bree’s voice broke the silence.

  Jill was staring glassy-eyed into the fire. ‘Not long, hopefully.’

  ‘Maybe they’re already looking. They might have worked it out when we didn’t make the second campsite.’

  ‘They don’t know.’ Alice’s voice cut through the air. She pointed upwards. ‘We haven’t heard a search helicopter. No-one is looking for us.’

  The sound of the spitting fire was the only reply. Lauren hoped Alice was wrong, but she didn’t have the energy to argue. She wanted to sit there and watch the flames until someone came out of the trees for her. Until searchers came out of the trees for her, she corrected herself, but it was too late. The thought had already planted a rotten seed and she glanced around.

  The closest trees and shrubs glowed red, with the campfire giving the illusion of twitching movement. Beyond that, it was like staring into a void. She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Still, she didn’t look in the direction of the horrific dent in the ground, which really wasn’t so horrific at all when you considered it was probably soil erosion. Alice was right, though, a little voice in her head whispered. There had been no helicopter.

  Lauren took a few deep breaths and dragged her gaze away from the bush, instead looking up to the sky. She felt a rush of surprise as her eyes adjusted, blinking to soak in the sight. The clouds had cleared for once, and stars spilled across the inky night in a way she hadn’t seen in years.

  ‘Everyone, look up.’

  The others leaned back, shielding their eyes from the low fire.

  Had it been like this on the other nights? Lauren wondered. She could remember only oppressive cloud cover, but perhaps she simply hadn’t bothered to notice.

  ‘Does anyone know any constellations?’ Alice was leaning back on her elbows, staring up.

  ‘The Southern Cross, obviously.’ Bree pointed. ‘And you can sometimes make out one of the main stars in Virgo at this time of year. Sagittarius is too low on the horizon to see from here.’ She noticed the others staring at her and shrugged. ‘Men like to show me stars. They think it’s romantic. Which it is, a bit. And original, which it’s not.’

  Lauren felt the hint of a smile.

  ‘It’s amazing,’ Jill said. ‘You can see why people used to believe their futures were written in the stars.’

  Alice gave a short laugh. ‘Some people still do.’

  ‘Not you, I’m guessing.’

  ‘No. Not me. I think we all make our choices.’

  ‘I think so too,’ Jill said. ‘Sometimes I wonder though. I mean, I was born into BaileyTennants. I followed Dad into the business like I was told to, I work with my brother like I’m expected to.’ She sighed. ‘Every day I do what I need to do for the business, and for our family legacy and everything Dad worked for. Because that’s what I have to do.’

  ‘You have a choice, though, Jill.’ Alice’s voice had a quality to it Lauren couldn’t identify. ‘We all do.’

  ‘I know that. But sometimes my hand feels a bit –’ Jill flicked something into the fire. It flared and hissed. ‘Forced.’

  In the dark, Lauren couldn’t quite tell if there were tears in Jill’s eyes. It had never occurred to her that Jill might be unhappy with her lot at BaileyTennants. She realised she was staring and looked away.

  ‘I know what you mean,’ Lauren said, because she felt she should. ‘Everyone likes to feel in control, but maybe –’ She pictured Rebecca. So controlling with what she ate, but so out of control with the illness that was destroying her. Something that no number of therapy sessions or hugs or threats or mindfulness bracelets seemed able to touch. Lauren ran a finger over the woven bracelet on her wrist. ‘I don’t know. Maybe we can’t help how we are. Maybe we’re born a certain way and there’s nothing you can do about it.’

  ‘People can change, though.’ Beth spoke for the first time. ‘I have. For the worse and for the better.’ She was hunched forward, lighting the tip of a long straw of grass in the flames. ‘It’s all bullshit anyway, that astrology and destiny stuff. Bree and I were born three minutes apart under the same sign. That tells you everything you need to know about your destiny being written in the stars.’

  There was a soft laugh at that, from all of them. Later, Lauren would remember it as being the last time.

  They fell quiet, looking up at the stars or down at the fire. Someone’s stomach rumbled loudly. No-one commented. There was no point. They had managed to fill their water bottles partway with rainwater, but the food was long gone. A cold breeze rushed through, sending the flames dancing and all around, in the dark, invisible trees rattled and groaned in a collective chorus.

  ‘What do you think will happen to us out here?’ Bree’s voice was small.

  Lauren waited for someone to reassure her. We’ll be all right. No-one did.

  ‘Are we going to be okay?’ Bree tried
again.

  ‘Of course we will,’ Beth answered her this time. ‘They’ll be looking for us by tomorrow afternoon.’

  ‘What if they can’t find us?’

  ‘They will.’

  ‘But what if they can’t?’ Bree’s eyes were wide. ‘Seriously? What if Alice is right? Forget having choices and being in control, what if that’s all bullshit? I don’t feel in control at all. What if we don’t have any choice in anything, and we’re actually all destined to stay lost out here? Alone and scared and never found?’

  No-one answered. Overhead, the stars looked down, their cold and distant light blanketing the Earth.

  ‘Bree, staying out here is absolutely not our destiny.’ Across the fire, Alice managed a small laugh. ‘Not unless one of us has done something really terrible in a past life.’

  It was almost funny, Lauren thought, how in the relative privacy of the flickering half-light, every face looked a little guilty.

  Chapter 17

  ‘That was uncomfortable,’ Carmen said.

  ‘Which part?’

  ‘All of it.’

  They were sitting in their car outside Lauren’s house. It had grown dark while they were inside and the glow from the streetlights gave the raindrops on the windscreen an orange sheen.

  ‘I didn’t even know what to say to Margot back at her house,’ Carmen said. ‘I mean, she’s right. What on earth is she supposed to do now those photos are out there? It’s not like she can get them back. And then Rebecca. That was shocking. No wonder Lauren’s so on edge.’

  Falk thought of the skeletal teenage girl and her nest of mindfulness bracelets. How much worry and stress was tied up in those threads? He shook his head.

  ‘So what now?’ He checked his watch. It felt later than it was.

  Carmen checked her phone. ‘The office has given the okay to visit Daniel Bailey at home, assuming he’s actually there, I suppose. But they say to tread carefully.’

  ‘Great tip.’ Falk started the engine. ‘They say anything else?’

  ‘The usual.’ Carmen glanced sideways, with a tiny smile. Get the contracts. She sat back in her seat. ‘I wonder if his son’s come home yet.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Falk said, but he doubted it. He’d seen the look on Daniel Bailey’s face as he’d stormed away from Alice’s house. Falk didn’t have to know Joel Bailey to know that he’d likely be lying very low indeed.

  The Baileys’ home was hidden behind an elaborate wrought-iron gate and hedges so thick it was impossible to see through them from the road.

  ‘It’s about Alice Russell,’ Falk said into the intercom speaker. The red light of the security camera blinked, then the gate swung open silently to reveal a long smooth driveway. Japanese weeping cherry trees bordered the way, looking like manicured toys.

  Bailey opened the door himself. He stared at Falk and Carmen in surprise, then frowned, trying to place them. ‘We’ve met before?’ It was a question, not a statement.

  ‘At the lodge. Yesterday. With Ian Chase.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’ Bailey’s eyes were bloodshot. He looked older than he had a day earlier. ‘Have they found Alice? They said someone would call if they found her.’

  ‘They haven’t found her, no,’ Falk said. ‘But we’d like to speak to you anyway.’

  ‘Again? What about?’

  ‘Why you were banging on the door of Alice Russell’s house a few hours ago, for starters.’

  Bailey went still. ‘You went to her house?’

  ‘She’s still missing,’ Carmen said. ‘I thought you wanted to see no stone unturned.’

  ‘Of course,’ Bailey snapped, then stopped. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, then opened the door wider and stepped back. ‘I’m sorry. Come in.’

  They followed him down a spotless hallway into a large, plush sunroom. Polished wooden floors shone beneath leather couches while low flames in the fireplace warmed the room gently. It was showroom neat. Falk had to fight the urge to remove his shoes. Bailey gestured for them to take a seat.

  A professional family photo hanging over the mantelpiece showed Bailey smiling broadly next to an attractive dark-haired woman. His hand rested on the shoulder of a teenage boy, all smooth skin and wholesome white teeth and sharply ironed creases in his shirt. Joel Bailey, Falk guessed. He hadn’t looked quite like that on Margot Russell’s phone screen.

  Bailey followed his gaze to the portrait. ‘I went to the Russells’ place to see if my son was there. He wasn’t, or at least I don’t think he was, so I left.’

  ‘Did you try to speak to Margot?’ Carmen said.

  ‘She was in there, was she? I thought she might have been. No, she wouldn’t answer the door.’ He looked up. ‘Have you spoken to her? Does she know where Joel is?’

  Falk started to shake his head when there was a movement in the doorway.

  ‘What’s that about Joel? Has he been found?’ a voice said.

  The dark-haired woman from the family photograph stood watching them. Like her husband, worry appeared to have aged her. She was dressed carefully, with gold jewellery gleaming at her ears and neck, but her eyes were slick with unshed tears.

  ‘My wife, Michelle,’ Bailey said. ‘I was just saying I went to Margot Russell’s looking for Joel.’

  ‘Why? He’s hardly going to be with her.’ Michelle’s mouth was rigid with disbelief. ‘He doesn’t want anything to do with her.’

  ‘He wasn’t there anyway,’ Bailey said. ‘He’ll be hiding at one of his friend’s houses.’

  ‘Did you at least tell Margot to leave him alone? Because if she bombards him with any more of those pictures or videos, I’m going to the police myself.’

  Falk cleared his throat. ‘I don’t think there’s any risk of Margot sending anything more. She’s very upset that they’ve ended up online.’

  ‘And Joel isn’t? He’s more upset than anyone. He’s so embarrassed he can’t even face us. He didn’t ask to be caught up in any of this.’

  ‘He asked for the photos, though,’ Carmen said. ‘Allegedly.’

  ‘No. He didn’t.’ Her words were brittle and hard. ‘My son would never have done that. Do you understand me?’

  Bailey started to say something but his wife waved him down.

  ‘Even if there was some sort of a mistake –’ Michelle’s eyes darted to the family portrait. ‘Even if they’d been flirting, for example, and he said something that Margot misconstrued, why would she send him something like that? Doesn’t she have any self-respect? If she didn’t want those pictures to end up online, maybe she should have thought of that before acting like such a little whore.’

  The words were barely out before Bailey had jumped to his feet and ushered his wife out of the room. He was gone for a few minutes. Falk could hear the muffled sounds of a firm, low voice and frantic higher-pitched replies. When he came back, he looked even more tense.

  ‘I’m sorry about that. She’s very shaken up.’ He sighed. ‘She was the one who discovered the photos and videos. We’d got a new tablet for the family room and Joel’s mobile phone had somehow synced with it. Probably by mistake when he was downloading something, but it saved his camera roll and she saw everything. Michelle called me. I was already on my way to catch the bus to that bloody retreat – I had to turn around and come back. Joel was here with a couple of friends. I sent them home, made him delete the images, of course. Gave him a talking to.’

  ‘That’s why you were delayed getting up to the retreat?’ Falk said, and Bailey nodded.

  ‘I didn’t want to go at all, but it was too late to cancel. It’s a bad look for the boss to drop out. Besides –’ He hesitated. ‘I thought perhaps I’d better warn Alice.’

  Falk saw Carmen’s eyebrows rise.

  ‘Even though you’d already deleted the photos?’ she said.

  ‘I felt it was importa
nt.’ There was a hint of martyrdom in his voice.

  ‘And did you manage to? Warn her?’

  ‘Yes. On that first night of the retreat, when we went to the women’s campsite. I’d tried to phone her from the road but hadn’t been able to get through. By the time I got to the retreat, the women’s group had already started walking.’

  Falk thought of their own mobile signals, dwindling to nothing as they approached the ranges.

  ‘But why the urgency?’ he said. ‘You said the photos had been deleted, so why not tell her after the retreat? If at all?’

  ‘Yeah. Look, personally I would have been happy to wipe the images and for that to be the end of it but –’ He glanced at the doorway where his wife had stood earlier. ‘Michelle was – is – very upset. She knows Margot Russell’s phone number. While I was driving up, I started to worry that Michelle might, I don’t know, feel the need to say her piece. I didn’t want Alice to come out of the retreat three days later and find a string of messages from Margot complaining about my wife and Alice knowing nothing about it. She’d have legitimate grounds for a complaint in that.’

  Falk and Carmen looked at him.

  ‘So what did you tell Alice?’ Falk said.

  ‘I thought she probably wouldn’t want everyone else to know, so I took her aside.’ A ghost of a tight smile. ‘To be honest, I didn’t want everyone else to know. I told her that Joel had some photos of Margot but they’d been deleted.’

  ‘How did Alice react?’

  ‘At first, she didn’t believe me about the pictures. Or didn’t want to believe me.’ He glanced at the doorway where his red-eyed wife had stood. ‘But perhaps that’s to be expected. She insisted Margot wouldn’t do something like that, but when I said I’d seen the photos myself, her reaction changed. She started to take it in, asking if I’d shown them to anyone else, or if I was planning to. I said no, of course not. I think she was still trying to understand. I couldn’t really blame her. I was having enough trouble with it myself.’ He looked down at his hands.