Will had referenced it a few times, described how the old school had been constructed from limestone quarried on the island. He’d repurposed some for the build—in the interiors, the reception and communal areas.
Mieke continues: “I suspect she picked the powder up from somewhere or someone. Some kind of transfer.”
Elin mulls it over, Seth’s potential involvement in Bea’s death.
It’s possible that he could have transferred the powder somehow. But if that’s the case, why would he have been in the quarry? Somewhere to stash the drugs?
“Anything else?”
“Yes. Hard to see probably, initially, given the lividity, but I’m pretty sure we’ve got some bruising on her arms. The pattern is faint, but it looks to me like fingermarks. I need to take a proper look, but . . .”
Elin pulls in her breath: fingermarks that might have resulted from pulling Bea Leger over that balustrade.
“I’m taking from the pause that this makes things more complicated,” Mieke says softly.
“A little. Let me know if you find anything else.”
Saying goodbye, Elin thinks it through, a chill working up her spine. The evidence is overwhelmingly pulling her in one direction: Bea Leger didn’t simply fall. She, too, was murdered.
If that’s the case, then Mieke’s observations might be one of the few leads Elin has to understand what and who is behind these deaths. Once she’s spoken to Will, they need to go to the quarry.
Despite what had happened with the rock a few moments ago, her unease with the island, the thought gives her a sharp frisson of excitement, the same she’d had on the beach.
Every fiber in her body is jangling with energy. She feels alive. Vibrantly alive.
48
The wanderer returns . . . I’d given up on you.” Will pulls out a chair for her.
Elin glances around. The restaurant is quiet—empty tables, only a few staff milling about near the bar. “Sorry. I was going to call again, but things have become a little more complex.”
His forehead is beaded with perspiration and he roughly wipes it with the back of his hand. “The missing guest?”
“Actually, no. False alarm. He’d gone snorkeling.”
“Good news.”
“Not exactly.” Elin’s voice sounds strained. She doesn’t want to tell him. Knows that the minute she does, any hope he had of it not affecting the award, LUMEN itself, is gone. “But we’ve found a body in the water. A different guest.”
Will blanches, leaning forward in his chair. “Another accident?”
“Can’t say, not yet.” Her words are vague, but she can tell he isn’t fooled.
“Well, not sure the keep it quiet approach is working. Farrah’s told me that we’re bleeding guests. People have got wind that something’s going on.” He makes an incoherent sound.
“People are leaving?”
“Who’d have thought it, eh? They don’t like a few random deaths pissing on their holiday.” Will gestures around; one big swooping arm movement. “Can’t you tell? Not exactly buzzing, is it?”
Elin turns. He’s right, the retreat has emptied out: the holiday acoustics distilled down from a vibrant hum to a single shout, a sudden, solitary burst of laughter. The beach is empty, and though there are a few people in the pool, the daybeds surrounding it are deserted.
“The boat hasn’t stopped going backward and forward. Some people have taken their own water taxis.” He bites down on his lip. “It’s been picked up on social media too.”
Elin shakes her head, dismayed. The last thing they need.
A sigh. “I think I’m going to cut the weekend short. I’ve got loads of work anyway. Should have known it wouldn’t be straightforward. Our trips together never are.” Will’s eyes meet hers, a shared awareness passing between them. For a moment, there’s a closeness between them, but as quickly as it appeared, it’s gone. He looks away. “If I’m being honest, I’m too involved. A shitty thing to say after what’s happened, but . . .”
“I understand. It’s personal for you.”
“Yeah. It’s like watching something precious blow up in your face in slow motion.” His voice splinters. “Everything I’ve worked so hard to do with this place, changing people’s perceptions—it’ll all be for nothing. Once the press gets hold of it, they’ll trawl it all up. The Creacher murders, the school. LUMEN will be a footnote.”