He waited for one more wave to hit up ahead then put the van into gear and revved on to the barrier, his shoulders hunched, neck knotted, hands tight on the wheel as the van threw up spray on either side. The thump of the wipers was a primal drum in his ears, his body tense, waiting for the sea to sweep over him. The van rocked under a gust of wind and spray splashed on the driver’s side, then a larger wave swooshed over the bonnet, sounding like rocks hitting the metal. He eased off the accelerator and tapped the brake, then sped up again, forty yards to go, the water on the road shallower now as he emerged on the other side and up the hill away from the barrier, safe on the Mainland.
Finn concentrated on the road in the shitty weather, kept the van steady, the wipers still on full blast. On the outskirts of Kirkwall he took the back road to Orphir, heading past Greenigoe and Hobbister. He didn’t pass any other car on the road, everyone had more sense than to be out in this. It was daylight now but you couldn’t tell, grey cloud pushing down from above, shrouding everything.
As he got close to Orphir he slowed and squinted, looking for road signs. He saw it, Swanbister, and turned left down a bumpy track full of potholes. The road widened into a dead end and turning place at Swanbister House, just like Maddie said, and he pulled up and killed the engine. The rain hammered on the roof of the van, filling it with noise like gunfire. He couldn’t see Ingrid’s car anywhere.
He got out and hunched against the weather, turning his collar up for all the good it did. He carried the torch just in case. The waves in the bay were ferocious, swathes of rain sweeping in from the west across the expanse of Scapa Flow. He got to the pier and spotted three boats. The two fishing boats locked down for the season and the third, the Maddie, tarpaulin cover still over the deck like it was hibernating for winter. He climbed on board at the back, rain dripping down his neck. Looked around but there was no hint of activity, no sign of Maddie, no sense of anyone having been here.
He glanced round one last time then jogged back to the van. He slumped into the driver’s seat and ran a hand through his hair, water spraying over the dashboard and seats. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called her. The rain still thundered on the roof and the windscreen, so he could only just hear the ringing sound down the line. The phone rang for a long time, fourteen rings, but no voicemail message came on. Eventually it stopped ringing as if she’d answered it, but he didn’t hear a voice.
‘Maddie?’ Finn said.
No reply.
‘Are you there?’
He stuck his finger in his ear, trying to drown out the noise of the rain.
‘Maddie, say something.’
Nothing.
‘You need to speak to me,’ Finn said. ‘I’m at the boat but you’re not here. If you don’t tell me where you are, maybe I should call the police.’
She said something but he didn’t make it out.
‘What?’
‘No police.’
‘Are you OK?’
‘No police.’
‘Where are you?’
A long silence again.
‘Tell me, Maddie.’
She spoke again but he wasn’t sure he heard right.
‘Did you say Stromness?’
‘Yes.’
‘You mean the ferry terminal?’
‘No.’
‘Then where?’
Another reply, again muffled by the noise in the van. ‘What was that?’
‘I’m at Claire’s.’
Finn wiped a hand down his face and it came away wet.
‘I’m on my way.’
She said something else but he couldn’t hear clearly. He hung up, threw the phone on the passenger seat and started the engine.
36
The MV Hamnavoe was at the pier, a giant lurking behind the gable-end cottages in the murky light. A handful of cars were queuing up to board the ferry as delivery trucks rumbled off the ramp from its gaping maw, headlights slicing the gloom. He took the back way and came down the hill to Claire’s place, spotted his gran’s car parked across the road and pulled in behind. The rain was heavy but the gusts of wind had subsided a little, which made the rain seem more determined somehow, daggering straight to ground instead of blowing into your face.
He got out and bleeped the van, crossed the road and knocked on the door. He thought about Maddie’s voice on the phone, detached or distressed, impossible to tell down the line with the thumping rain. He tried the doorbell, a sing-song chime that felt out of place in this dark, sodden end of the world. He knocked again and waited. Nothing. Eventually he tried the door and it opened.
He was about to shout out but stopped himself. He crept along the hall, rain dripping from his jacket on to the carpet, his feet leaving wet prints. No lights were on and the gloom from outside seeped into the house. He passed a blurry seascape in a cheap frame on the wall, land, sea and sky undifferentiated, all part of the same chaos.
He got to the living room and stopped.
Maddie was sitting on the sofa, hands in her lap, looking into the centre of the room with a vacant stare.
Lying on the floor in front of her was Claire, motionless, curled up as if she had cramp.
The curtains were drawn. Finn’s eyes grew accustomed to the half-light and he saw a knife sticking out of Claire’s chest. Her hands rested on the end of the handle in a way that could’ve been trying to push it in or pull it out. Her eyes were open, seeing nothing, and the spread of her blood had taken the shape of an unknown continent on the pale carpet. Her knees were pulled up to her stomach like a baby in the womb and she looked as peaceful as that, nothing could hurt her any more.
Finn knelt down and pressed his fingers to her neck. No pulse, her skin warm. He had no idea how long bodies took to cool down, whether that meant anything.
He looked at the knife. It was a heavy-duty serrated thing, like a farmer or fisherman might have for cutting rope or gutting fish. Not a kitchen knife at all. It seemed out of place in this setting.
‘What happened?’ Finn said, his eyes on Claire’s face. He noticed a smudge of eye shadow. The idea of a corpse wearing make-up made him feel queasy.
Maddie didn’t speak, just sat with her head trembling.
Finn turned to her. ‘I asked you what happened.’ His voice was firm.
The movement of Maddie’s head increased. ‘I don’t know.’
Finn stood up and walked into her eyeline. She lowered her head.
‘Don’t look away from me,’ Finn said. ‘Tell me what happened.’
She kept her head down. ‘I don’t know.’
Finn grabbed her chin and forced her head up.
‘What the hell happened here?’ he said through his teeth.
She pulled away. ‘Don’t bully me. I’ve had that my whole life. I don’t need another man who thinks he can boss me about.’
Finn raised his eyebrows. He leaned in, towering over her. ‘I’ve just found you in a room with a dead body. Your supposed best friend. The woman who slept with your husband. I think I deserve an explanation.’
She gave him a defiant look. ‘I found her like this.’
Finn put his fingers to the side of his head. ‘That’s the best you’ve got?’
‘It’s the truth, I swear.’
‘Swear on what, your best friend’s life? Your husband’s life? In case you hadn’t noticed, they’re both dead already.’
‘Don’t.’
‘I’ve been led around by my dick since day one. You are up to your neck in shit and you’ve dragged me into it. What for? What did you need me for?’
Maddie looked up at him, big eyes. ‘I just liked you.’
Finn laughed. ‘Did you like Claire? And Kevin? Because they both ended up with knives in them.’
‘I haven’t hurt anyone, you have to believe me.’
‘I don’t have to believe another word you say, it’s all bullshit. I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet.’
Finn got his phone out of his pocket. Two
missed calls from Ingrid and two from Amy, they were tag-teaming on his whereabouts.
‘What are you doing?’ Maddie said.
‘I’m calling Linklater.’
Maddie got up and put a hand out. ‘Wait.’
Finn began pressing numbers. ‘No, I’ve had it up to here with doing what you say. It hasn’t exactly done me any good.’
‘Please, I’ll get charged with murder.’
Finn stared at her.
‘You know I didn’t do it,’ Maddie said.
Finn shook his head. ‘All I know is that you leave a trail of bodies behind you.’
Maddie reached for his phone but he pushed her away.
‘Are your fingerprints on that knife?’ he said, pointing. The sight of Claire made him flinch again.
‘No.’
‘Then you’ve nothing to worry about.’
‘Why don’t we just go?’
Finn nodded sarcastically. ‘Good idea, let’s leave a crime scene. Again. Because no one could possibly have seen us coming in, like Claire’s neighbours. The Tomb of the Eagles van is parked outside with its massive logo. You think anyone will remember that? You think the police might work it out?’
‘We can escape together.’
Finn laughed. ‘You’re deluded. I’ve done nothing wrong, I don’t need to escape.’
Maddie narrowed her eyes. ‘What if I say you did it?’
‘What?’
‘Maybe I came round here and found you over the body, wiping your prints off the knife.’
‘Why would I kill Claire?’
‘I don’t need to answer that,’ Maddie said. ‘I just need to put doubt in their minds.’
‘They wouldn’t believe you.’
‘They might not, but they might. It would get them off my back for a bit.’
Finn examined her. Still beautiful, even in the middle of all this. Still playing him like she did that first day in the airport lounge. If she threw enough doubt into Linklater’s mind he would get sucked in with her. But he’d had enough. Enough scurrying around after her, enough running scared of the police and the press and everyone else. Enough of the whispers and stares in the supermarket, at the memorial, in the pub, everywhere he went.
He looked at the knife sticking out of Claire’s chest and imagined pushing it into Maddie. Or himself.
The phone rang in his hand. Amy. He pressed answer with no idea what he would say to her.
‘I want the money.’ A man’s voice, thick Orcadian accent.
‘Who is this?’
‘I want my money.’
Finn looked around the room for Maddie’s holdall.
‘Why are you on my girlfriend’s phone?’
The man laughed. ‘Your girlfriend, that’s funny.’
‘Where’s Amy?’
‘She’s here.’
‘Put her on.’
‘She’s a little busy at the moment.’
‘You’d better not have harmed her.’
‘Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t. Yet. What are you going to do about it?’
‘I’ll call the police.’
‘I don’t think so.’
Finn raised his eyebrows at Maddie, indicating the phone. She just stared at him. ‘Why not?’
‘Because if you do, I will definitely hurt her.’
Finn ran a hand through his hair. ‘Look, who is this?’
‘You know who it is.’
Finn looked at Claire’s body, blood still oozing from the wound. ‘Lenny.’
‘Give the boy a fucking prize.’
Maddie’s eyes went wide and she shook her head, signalling for him to hang up.
Finn turned away from her. ‘Amy has nothing to do with this.’
‘But you do, don’t you?’
Finn pictured the guy now, crew cut, tattoos, muscles, standard small-town hardman. He looked at Claire’s body. Maybe he was more dangerous than that.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I presume you’re with Her Highness.’
Finn looked at Maddie. ‘Who?’
‘That fucking bitch Maddie.’
‘I haven’t seen her.’
‘Bullshit, you’re with her now.’
‘I’m not.’
‘If you’re not with her then she’s fucked you over already, just like she did me and Kev.’
‘Did you kill Kev?’ Finn said.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘What happened to Claire?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m looking at her right now.’
A pause. ‘She was fine when I left home.’
‘Right.’
Lenny sighed. ‘Why not ask your friend Maddie what happened, she might know.’
Finn pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, then open again. Floaters darted across his vision.
‘Let me speak to Amy,’ he said.
‘Do you have the two hundred grand?’
Finn looked at Maddie. She’d told him one hundred.
‘Let me speak to her.’
Muffled voices on the line. Finn kept his eyes on Maddie. He wondered where the bag was, maybe outside in Ingrid’s car, or hidden somewhere else.
‘Finn?’ Amy was crying, her voice cracked. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Are you OK?’
‘Don’t make a deal with him, he won’t stick to it.’
She screamed then sobbed. Finn heard a scuffle.
‘Don’t hurt her.’
‘I’ll do whatever I have to,’ Lenny said. His voice was more agitated. ‘You think I like this? You think I like hurting women? If I don’t get the money I’m a dead man. There are bigger things happening than you and your fuckbuddy. I need that money and you’re going to get it for me, or your girlfriend and your gran are going to die.’
‘Ingrid?’
‘Didn’t I mention?’ Lenny said. ‘She’s here too. I started on the girlfriend first, thought that would get quicker results, but now I’m thinking that smacking the old bitch might work better.’
‘I’ll get the money,’ Finn said. ‘Just leave them alone.’
Maddie was inching towards the door. Finn moved to block her.
‘Bring it to me.’
‘Where?’
‘The Italian Chapel. Half an hour.’
Half an hour was pushing it.
‘Bring the money and you can have your family back,’ Lenny said. ‘If you get the police involved, they die. You know I’m not pissing about.’
He hung up.
Finn put his phone away and looked at Maddie. ‘I need the money.’
‘It’s mine.’
‘He’s going to kill Amy and Ingrid if he doesn’t get it.’
‘He’s bluffing.’ Maddie lowered her head. ‘It’s all I have.’
Finn gripped her arm. ‘You never had it, you never had a chance of getting away with it.’
He pushed his hand into her pocket and felt around.
She tried to pull away. ‘What are you doing?’
He went into her other pocket and pulled out the key for the Skoda.
‘Give me that,’ Maddie said, voice shrill.
‘I presume the money’s in the car.’
He headed out the front door and across the road in the rain. He could hear her steps behind him. He unlocked the car and looked inside, and there was the bag in the front passenger-seat footwell. He grabbed it, unzipped, and felt through the clothes for the cash at the bottom. It seemed like the same amount as he’d seen before.
He got into the car and threw the bag under his own legs, put the key in the ignition. The passenger door opened and Maddie climbed in.
‘Get out,’ Finn said.
‘Come on.’
‘Get out of the car.’
She gave him a look. ‘You were right about the money, of course their lives are more important. Maybe I can help.’
‘You’ve helped enough.’
‘I kno
w how Lenny works,’ Maddie said. ‘I can make sure he sticks to his side of it.’
Finn looked at her for a long time. The engine grumbled and rain thrummed on the car roof. The wipers swished the worst of it away in heartbeats. He shook his head and pulled on his seatbelt.
37
They got stuck behind a truck and a tractor. Finn thumped the steering wheel. The atmosphere in the car was toxic as they crawled over the high ground outside Stromness and down to the Loch of Stenness. Finn darted glances at Maddie but she stared straight ahead. He kept reaching down with his right hand and touching the bag under his knees, tugging on the zip to make sure it was closed. The radio was on low, an incongruous pop station playing top forty hits with a tinny rattle.
Eventually the tractor turned off on to the low road south and they all speeded up.
Finn looked at Maddie.
‘Just tell me,’ he said.
She turned to look out at the loch. The rain had stopped for now but the surface rippled and chopped, the water a murky grey, a handful of geese and ducks dipping their heads under the surface for food. Finn had always thought these lochs in the centre of the Mainland were the bleakest spot in Orkney. There was something lonely about them, bodies of water cut off forever from the sea by the thinnest strips of haggard land.
‘Tell you what?’ Maddie said eventually.
‘Everything, from the beginning.’
She tucked her hair behind her ear. It could’ve been flirtatious in other circumstances, but those times had long gone.
‘You know,’ she said. ‘I’ve told you everything.’
Finn shook his head as he pulled out to overtake the truck.
‘I don’t know what to believe any more.’
‘Believe me.’
She placed her hand on his as he changed gear, another move that might’ve been suggestive in another life, in a parallel universe where people didn’t keep dying around them. Finn imagined Orkney suddenly full of all the people who’d died, all somehow back to life and going about their business, the oil workers heading to their shifts on Flotta, the pilot of the plane arriving home after a hard flight to his wife and young kids.
Crash Land Page 17