Ebb Tide

by Leah Murray

  He saw her freeze, the pupils in her eyes widen as she shook her head and he could tell she had guessed what he was about to say. `No, it’s not possible,’ she said, backing away from him.

  `There’s a white rose on top of the body.’

  `Oh God.’

  She buried her face in her hands, started trembling violently, her breathing uneven.

  `How? How did he know I’d be here? Why is he doing this?’ she asked, anguished.

  `Did you tell anyone we were coming here? Mention the hut?’

  She shook her head, bit her lip. `Not that I can remember. Maybe I mentioned it to Julia or Gus at the pub. I think I told Ian but I’m not sure. None of them can be involved in this, can they? Will?’

  He shook his head. `No, of course not. But anybody who was around at the time may have overheard. Damn. I wish I could place that woman from the dance. I’ve seen her before, I know it.’

  `You think there’s somebody actually telling him where I’ll be so he can do this? Somebody I know?’ she asked, her voice horrified.

  `Maybe not deliberately but how else can he know so much? How did he get my number?’

  `But Will, he’s killed someone. I can’t believe it. How could he do something like that? I mean, I know he’s violent and … and, well, obviously, with what he did to me but … but that’s just so cold blooded. And it’s all my fault. Oh my God, someone is dead because of me.’

  Her voice rose alarmingly and he reached out, sighed when she simply slapped his hands away, stood up, started pacing anxiously, wringing her hands and muttering to herself.

  He didn’t want to deal with this. Really, he didn’t. He wished he could erase the image from his mind, forget everything and simply walk away. He couldn’t handle this. Didn’t know what to do or say to stop her guilt. And not knowing made him angrier than ever.

  Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the hut again, stepped inside, found another rose and slammed his fist through the rough wood of the door. Spurred by anger he upended the table and chairs, kicked at the walls, yelled as he felt someone grab at his arms. Turning, about to beat the living crap out of whoever it was, he saw Shaun and somehow managed to stop himself, instead stormed out the hut, breathing heavily, sat down on the grass and tried not to notice the shocked look on Jo’s face.

  She’d stopped pacing and was staring at him warily.

  `I hope you’re proud of yourself. Who knows what evidence could have been in there,’ Shaun said, stepping out the hut and glaring at him.

  Will clenched his jaw, didn’t reply, stared fixedly at Jo, who stared right back, her eyes wide and shocked.

  It was her reaction more than Shaun’s comment that kicked off the regret and he forced himself to calm down. He hadn’t lost his temper that badly in two and a half years. Not since the night he’d found out about Helen and almost landed himself in jail.

  `I’m sorry,’ he said, looking at Jo.

  `Jesus Christ.’

  He turned, saw that Shaun had joined Rob at the bushes, seen the body.

  Shaun turned to face him and he felt somehow vindicated in his anger as he saw Shaun’s expression, recognized a kindred rage.

  `She’s not to be left alone at all anymore. Not till we get him. Do not let her out of your sight. For any reason whatsoever,’ Shaun said, walking over to him.

  Will snorted. `As if I would after seeing that.’

  Shaun nodded, looked over at Jo. `Okay, we’ll be busy here for a while yet. You two go down to the launch, get back home. I’ll come round later tonight, we need to talk this over again. See if there’s anything we’ve missed.’

  `Come over to the pub. We’ll have dinner there. I don’t want to take her back to the farm. It’s too isolated,’ Will interrupted.

  `Do I have any say in what I do?’ Jo asked, her voice angry.

  Will simply sighed, left Shaun to sort it out.

  Shaun joined them at around six pm. They were sitting in the booth at the far corner in an uncomfortable silence. Jo couldn’t help but feel wary around Will. The intensity of his sudden rage had scared her; it was a side to him she hadn’t wanted to see, wasn’t sure how to deal with. She didn’t want to know he was capable of such violence. It was too similar to Jack.

  For his part, Will had been fuming most of the day, helping Gus behind the bar. She’d seen him watching her but had deliberately avoided his gaze, would still be doing so if he hadn’t finally come over and sat down across from her. Not that she saw the point in that as he hadn’t said anything.

  Shaun looked from one to the other of them, obviously recognized the tension but luckily didn’t comment. Instead he took out a manila folder and a thick envelope.

  `Right. We are going to go over all the statements, all the photos. And we’re going to see what we’ve missed. He must have slipped up somewhere,’ he said.

  `What photos?’ Jo asked.

  Shaun hesitated, looked at Will.

  `I didn’t tell her,’ Will said.

  `Didn’t tell me what?’

  Shaun cleared his throat. `We found the cottage he was staying in until a week or so ago. He’d packed up everything but left this,’ he said, indicating the envelope. `It’s photos of the farm, the pub, that sort of thing.’

  `Let me see.’

  Sighing, Shaun pushed the envelope over and she opened it, felt the anger grow, the fear, as she saw how many photos there were of her. Shopping, sitting in her car, walking in the front door of her house, lying on the beach, God, asleep in bed.

  She dropped that photo, huddled back against the booth, couldn’t say anything. Couldn’t put into words the terror the sight inspired. The sense of violation it rekindled in her stomach.

  Her skin crawled. She looked up, met Will’s gaze, felt the tears welling up, was grateful when he reached out, grabbed her hand and held it.

  Shaun picked up the photos, started sorting them.

  Stopped when he came to several of Christine.

  `Damn. We should have seen that. He was warning us right then.’

  He shook his head, rubbed at his temple.

  `Okay, this isn’t going to help. We need to start at the beginning. When was the first time you knew he was here Jo?’

  She sighed, tried to remember. `I suppose I knew right from when that guy approached me on the beach.’

  `Hempsey?’ Shaun asked.

  `Is that the man who … who Jack shot?’

  `Yes.’

  She nodded. `Yes, it was him. Next thing I remember noticing was a few days later, the day Will took me out on the yacht. When I got home it looked like some of my stuff had been moved around but I wasn’t sure. I also found ashes in my bin, I thought maybe he had found me then so I … I changed the locks the next day.’

  `As I told you before, he was watching her. I saw his car parked at the corner of her road almost every night that week,’ Will added, `that’s when I asked her to stay, took her over to you.’

  Shaun nodded. `Okay, then there was the phone call, the night he shot at Nemo. Actually, that probably wasn’t him. Forensics have matched Hempsey’s gun to the bullet.’

  `What more have you managed to find out about Hempsey?’ Will asked.

  `It seems he was in New Zealand a few weeks ago, shortly before Nemo was shot, flew into Auckland. I think it was most likely him who set the fire at your parent’s farm Jo, but we haven’t been able to prove it. Anyway, he didn’t bother using a false name or passport. He seems to have visited there regularly. Oh, that reminds me. We’ve found the connection between him and Jack.’

  `What is it?’ Jo asked.

  Shaun grimaced. `I’m afraid Jack wasn’t simply in sales, Jo. The police in New Zealand are busy working it all out but the link with Hempsey suggests Jack may be someone they’ve been after for a long time. There have been a number of unsolved sexual assaults throughout the country, sometimes they involved two men. Three of the victims identified Hempsey. Given the new information about his connection with Ja
ck, they tracked some of the others down. Two women have since confirmed Jack’s involvement and a check on Jack’s credit card statements proved that every motel he stayed at when he was supposedly on sales trips was within a few miles of each assault.’

  Shaun grimaced. `Also, airline records show Hempsey flying in and out of the country within a week of each attack. He was paid each time too. Money from a company we’ve since traced to Jack.’

  Jo paled, leaned her head in her hands and started trembling.

  `He actually paid someone to … to fly over and attack innocent women? Why?’

  She couldn’t get her head around it, couldn’t understand what would make someone do that.

  Shaun looked uncomfortable. `You won’t believe some of the things we see with sexual crimes like this. It seems most of these assaults were revenge crimes. Men the women had jilted paid Jack to … well, Jo just try not to think about it.’

  Jo sat back against the booth again. Revolted. `I let him touch me,’ she said, disbelieving.

  `You didn’t know,’ Will said, squeezing her hand.

  But it didn’t help, she couldn’t erase the awful feelings, how dirty she felt.

  `I want to shower.’

  Shaun looked over at Will. `I’ll go get a drink, lock myself in the back office and see if I can find anything in these statements. Come get me when you’re ready,’ he said, standing up.

  Will nodded, shifted over to Jo’s side of the booth and hugged her against his chest.

  `I feel so dirty Will,’ she said, her voice low, quivering. `I … I don’t want to be me. I don’t want to know he’s touched me. I can’t wipe him off. No matter how much I try, I can’t … I can’t get out of my skin. I can’t get clean.’

  Jo was so caught up in the feelings of guilt, shame, and humiliation that she didn’t notice Laura walk into the pub, didn’t feel Will tense as she walked over to their booth, a slender, dark-haired woman walking beside her. But she looked up as they stood directly in front of her and she met the woman’s gaze. Her eyes were green, slanted. Her hair immaculate.

  `If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have a talk with my husband,’ she said.

  Jo frowned. `What?’

  The woman smiled. `Will?’

  She shot Jo one last amused look before sauntering off in the direction of the bar, Laura in tow.

  CHAPTER 31

  Jo tried to swallow, choked, could feel Will’s heart racing. She didn’t dare move.

  `Will?’ she asked, her voice shaking.

  He didn’t reply, took a deep breath and she sat up, stared at him in shock.

  `Will!’

  He met her gaze, his eyes anguished. `Jo, this isn’t what it looks like,’ he said.

  She reared back, her hands trembling. `Are you married Will?’

  He hesitated before replying. `Yes and no.’

  She shook her head, tried to steady her breathing. `It’s a simple question. Was that your wife?’

  He sighed. `Yes but …’

  `Okay, that’s all there is to say then,’ she said, angrier than she’d ever been in her life. More humiliated than she could ever have thought possible. She slid out the booth, her eyes locked on his, filled with hurt, stood up and started walking, not knowing where she was going, not caring.

  He came after her, put his hand on her shoulder but she swung round to face him.

  `Don’t touch me!’ she snapped and he stepped back, had the audacity to look hurt. As if she’d done something to him! She stormed out the pub, pushing blindly past Gus, not seeing his shocked expression, and was halfway down the road by the time Will caught up with her, grabbed her elbow.

  `Jo.’

  She turned and slapped him, hard. Her ring caught the corner of his lip and a drop of blood appeared. She stepped back, suddenly scared as his face darkened and he grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip.

  `You’ll pay for that,’ he said.

  She momentarily wondered if she could knee him in the groin and start running but he seemed to read her mind and pulled her closer to him, walking her backwards so she was trapped between his body and the wall.

  `Let me go Will,’ she said, trying to sound calm.

  `No.’

  She took a deep breath, let it out in quivering sigh. `Will. Let me go or I’ll scream.’

  `You scream and I swear I will not be responsible for what I do to you.’

  She swallowed at the obvious threat, knew he was serious. `Fine,’ she said, leaning her head back against the wall and staring up at him, eyes blazing. `What are you going to do? Keep me here all night? Why don’t you run back to your wife Will? As I recall she wanted to have a chat with you.’

  `Don’t be bitchy Jo. It doesn’t suit you.’

  She actually laughed at that, a high-pitched hysterical laugh that almost turned into a sob before she got herself back under control. It was amazing how she was the one who was suddenly in the wrong.

  `For God’s sake Jo, just think will you? You’ve stayed in my house, met my sister and my parents and all my friends. I’ve done nothing but bloody well look after you for the past month and a half. Fine sort of marriage I have if I can do all this without my wife even noticing.’

  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes. Tried to ignore the logic of his words, lose herself in the buzzing in her ears.

  `Jo,’ his voice was gentler now and he had relaxed his grip. She pulled her wrist back and rubbed at it with her other hand.

  Will sighed. `I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

  `Why stop at lying,’ she retorted and his eyes flashed at her again.

  `I never lied to you.’

  `No Will. You simply forgot to tell me. Is that it? Something like a wife just wasn’t worth mentioning.’

  He had the grace to look ashamed. `Okay, I should have told you earlier. It just never seemed to be the right time and with everything else that was going on …’

  `You coward.’

  `Careful Jo,’ he said, his face darkening again.

  `Or what? What are you going to do to me Will?’ she asked, trying to stop the wobble in her voice. `What can you do that can possibly hurt more than this?’

  She was horrified as the words spilt out, the tears started running down her face. She raised a hand and brushed them away angrily, mortified at having let him see how much he had got to her.

  `Jo,’ his voice softened and he ran a finger down her cheek but she turned her head away. `Jo. Listen to me. Please let me explain.’

  `Nothing you can say will fix this, Will. Nothing!’

  He sighed, stared down at her for a minute, his jaw clenched. `Okay, but I’m still going to tell you. Just so you know. Yes, I was married Jo. That … woman …’ He broke off, took a deep breath. `Do you want to know what happened? All the months I was in Iraq, thinking only of how I had to get home, back to my family and living through hell, watching people suffer and die. Do you know what she was doing? Fucking my so-called friend.’

  Jo flinched at the violence in his tone. `Will …’

  `Three months, Jo. I’d been gone three months.’ His voice broke and he took another deep breath, stepped back, not meeting her gaze. `Just go if you want. I’m not stopping you,’ he said.

  She stood staring at him, her chest heaving with angry breaths. Simultaneously wanting to run and curl up in a ball, shout and scream, and huddle up and cry. `Was that Helen?’ she asked eventually.

  He nodded, still staring unseeing across the car park, out to sea.

  `And was she what your mother was hinting at the other day?’

  He met her gaze then, nodded again.

  `Why is she here?’

  `I don’t know Jo. She’s been living in Europe, I don’t know why she’s back here.’

  `Did you ever hit her?’

  He frowned. `What?’

  `When Laura saw my eye. She said you were up to your usual tricks. What did she mean?’

  `Oh, that. No, I didn’t hit her. When I
found out … well, when I found out about what had been going on I was angry, I …’ he sighed. `I was leaving, she came after me and tripped. Fell onto the fucking table and conveniently bruised an eye. When I made it clear I wasn’t going to take her back, she started spreading rumors, made out I’d fucking attacked her.’

  `How can you not have told me any of this? After everything we’ve been through Will ... It hurts.’

  `Jo,’ he reached out, drew her into a hug and she stood in his embrace, stiff, still wary. `I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I know it. I would have told you soon. You have to believe me.’

  `Are you … are you divorced?’

  He sighed. `Not yet. The damn law is awful that way. You can’t divorce in the first year of marriage and we’d only been married six months. I had to wait until it was past a year and then because the … well … the affair was more than six months previous to that, and I was stupid enough to let her stay in my house, I couldn’t get a divorce on that basis. It’s taken two years already and if she signs the papers now it will all be over but so far she’s refused to do that. If she doesn’t sign, I have to wait another three years.’

  `God, is it that complicated?’

  `Unfortunately.’

  They looked up at a sudden scream from the direction of the pub, saw Laura pick herself up from the road, start yelling at Julia, who simply pulled Helen out the door after her.

  `Oh Jesus.’

  Will started over to the pub and Jo followed, caught the tail end of Julia’s yell.

  `You’ve caused enough damn trouble in his life now fuck off. You’re not welcome here. Either of you.’

  Helen paused as she saw Will, ran her eyes over Jo. `So this is the woman you’ve replaced me with,’ she said, her tone cutting.

  `She’s more woman than you’ll ever be Helen. She has a heart.’

  `And she’s far better looking.’

  Jo turned, saw Gus standing in the doorway and smiled as he winked at her. It was a lie, but it was comforting.

  Helen’s eyes narrowed. `Whatever. I still need to talk to you Will.’

  `I’m not interested in anything you have to say.’

  `No? What about signing the divorce papers? You want that don’t you?’