He came to the door and opened it and she threw her arms around him. ‘Oh my God, I thought you were dead. What were you doing?’
‘I was listening to music.’
He held out a hand to show her a pair of AirPods. Wireless headphones.
‘Why the hell were you lying on the floor?’
He shrugged. ‘I always do that. Do you want to come in?’
She wanted to punch him.
‘Yes. I mean, no. I have loads to tell you. You’ll never guess who Buddy and Darlene’s dad is.’
‘Satan?’
It wasn’t that funny, but she was so relieved he was alive she laughed anyway.
‘It’s Greg.’
‘What? You’re kidding.’
‘No, I’m not. And I’m pretty sure it was him wearing the crow mask earlier. And my dad and me tried to retrieve my messages on Instagram so we’d have something to show the police – because you actually deleted those photos – and my whole inbox has been wiped.’
‘Shit.’
‘Yeah, shit. And now my dad’s talking to that woman from the bookstore and trying to find out more about Greg before he goes to the police.’ She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to see her dad coming up the path, but there was still no sign of him. ‘So yeah, I do want to come in because I think it would be safer if we were together, you and me, but Dad is going to expect to find me at our cabin, so . . .’
‘You want me to come over there.’
‘Yeah. Is that okay?’
‘Of course. Let me just grab my phone and a jacket. It’s gotten cold out here.’
He went back inside and reappeared a minute later with a jacket on. Ryan locked the door of his cabin and they walked across to hers.
‘We’re going to have so much to tell our friends about when we get back to civilisation,’ Ryan said.
‘I know, right.’ She paused. She didn’t want to sound needy. ‘Do you think we’ll stay friends when this is all over?’
‘Yeah, of course. You’re going to come to California to learn how to surf, remember?’
She smiled.
‘I’m so glad you’re not dead,’ she said, and they both laughed.
‘Me too.’
Frankie opened the front door and they went inside.
Buddy was sitting on the couch facing them, his goat mask in his lap.
Frankie and Ryan saw him at the same time. She grabbed Ryan’s arm and let out a little gasp. Ryan gasped too, and they both scrambled to turn and get the hell out of there.
But there was nowhere to go. Darlene – who had been standing beside the door – stepped into their path, shutting the door in their faces.
Frankie backed away from her, realising the kitchen knife she was still carrying would be of no use whatsoever.
Because Darlene was holding a gun.
Chapter 34
‘So what did you do?’ I asked Nikki. ‘How did you step things up?’
She didn’t reply. She lit yet another cigarette and I saw that her hands were shaking.
‘I never thought this would come out,’ she said. ‘Not . . . not after all this time.’
She seemed nervy again now. It was clear that it was hurting her. That this had weighed heavily on her for a long time.
‘What are you going to do with this information?’ she asked. ‘Because I’m scared, Tom. Scared of what’s going to happen to me.’
I liked her. I really did. But I wasn’t a priest listening to a confession. I couldn’t absolve her of her sins, and I couldn’t stay quiet if she had done something terrible.
‘It depends what you did,’ I said. I glanced around, ensuring nobody could overhear. We were concealed by shadows on the edge of the lake. The closest people were twenty metres away. ‘Whatever it was . . . you were a kid.’
She sucked on her cigarette. ‘That’s what I’ve been telling myself for twenty years. I was a kid. A dumb kid. But it doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to be punished.’ She swallowed and coughed, like she was choking on the words. ‘I’ve had to live with myself ever since.’ With what seemed like an enormous effort, she pulled herself straight. ‘But maybe it’s time it all came out. You know, I’ve been scared of being punished for a long time. But this secret . . . it’s like a tumour, you know? I’ve been letting it grow inside me. Maybe it’s time to cut it out and face the consequences.’
‘Tell me what happened,’ I said.
She met my eye and seemed to make a decision. ‘I will. And I can give you evidence. You’re going to need it. Greg’s a highly valued and respected member of this community. His family has lived around here for generations. And the tale itself, even though it’s the truth . . . Well, without proof I think they might laugh you out of the police station.’