Even now, as I write this, I struggle to comprehend her cruelty in that moment. It was so out of character; I couldn’t believe it of my friend, of Lana. But perhaps I could believe it of that other, hidden person; that frightened girl lurking beneath the skin, so full of pain and wanting to lash out.
I would forgive her, of course. I had to. I loved her. Even if, sometimes, she could be cruel.
I was lost in a cloud of thought, and I didn’t see Jason coming. I collided with him at the bottom of the steps.
Jason shoved me back. “What the fuck—？”
“Sorry. I was looking for you. Did you search Nikos’s place?”
Jason nodded. “Nothing there.”
“Where is Nikos now?”
“In his cottage. I told him to wait there until the police get here.”
“Okay, good.”
Jason tried to pass me and climb the steps. I stopped him.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I have good news. Agathi just spoke to the police.”
“And?”
“The wind has dropped. They’re on their way over right now.”
A look of relief appeared on Jason’s face. “Oh, thank Christ for that.”
“Shall we go and wait for them on the jetty?”
Jason nodded. “Good idea.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“Wait a second.” He gave me a suspicious look. “Where are you going?”
“To tell Kate.” Unable to resist, I added, “Unless you prefer to?”
“No.” Jason shook his head. “You do it.”
Jason turned on his heel, heading toward the beach—and the jetty.
I watched him go, smiling to myself.
Then, keeping a firm grip on the revolver in my pocket, I went to find Kate—to finish this.
* * *
As I made my way to the summerhouse, I felt grimly determined to continue with my plan—whatever the cost.
I won’t lie and say my anger toward Lana at that moment didn’t spur me on. But there was no way I could stop this now, despite Lana’s objections. No more than you can stop a boulder you’ve sent rolling down a hill. It was bigger than all of us now; it had taken on its own momentum. We had no choice but to let this drama play out. As an actor, Lana should have understood that.
I neared the summerhouse and saw the door open. Leo came out. I quickly hid behind a tree. I waited until he passed by. Then I crept over to the summerhouse window and peered inside.
Kate was alone inside. She looked a mess. Scared, paranoid, upset. It had been a rough night for her.
Unfortunately, it was about to get worse.
I walked to the door. I reached out to open it—then, unaccountably, I froze.
I stood, motionless—paralyzed by a sudden and unexpected attack of stage fright. It had been many years since I’d done any acting—and never before had I played such an important role. Everything depended on my performance in this scene with Kate. This was the final magic trick I had to pull off. I needed to be 100 percent convincing—everything I said and did had to seem entirely innocent and believable.
In other words, I had to give the performance of my life.
I steeled myself, then knocked loudly on the door.
“Kate? It’s me. We need to talk.”
6
Seeing it was me, Kate unlocked the door. I pushed it open and went inside the summerhouse.
“Lock it.” She gestured at the door.
I did as she asked, sliding the bolt across. “I just saw Leo outside. I told him to meet us at the jetty.”
“The jetty?”
“The police are on their way. We’re going there, to wait. All of us.”
Kate didn’t reply for a moment. I watched her closely. There was a slight sway to her movements, a slur to her words; but hopefully she was sober enough to take in what I had to say.
“Kate, did you hear me? The police are coming.”
“I heard. Where’s Jason? Did you find anything? What happened?”
I shook my head. “We searched the island, top to bottom.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
“No boat?”
“No boat. No intruder. No one’s here but us.”
This clearly didn’t come as much of a surprise to her. She nodded to herself. “It’s him. He killed her.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Nikos, of course.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not Nikos.”
“Yes, it is. He’s crazy. You just have to look at him. He’s—”