One of the Girls(90)

Then suddenly there were other hands – small, warm, strong hands – grabbing for her, holding tight, pinning her to the terrace, and to them.

Ed’s fingers slipped as the red wrap loosened, pulling free.

She watched his arms begin to windmill, the wrap swirling above him like a blood-red ribbon display.

Her brother, not flying – but falling.

She saw the whites of his eyes as his gaze swivelled, taking them all in – the circle of women holding tight to his sister – imploring them to help.

But they could do nothing.

If Eleanor could’ve reached out, caught him, she would have.

One of them would have.

Wouldn’t they?





89

Lexi

Lexi’s hands were clamped over her mouth. She could feel the heat of her breath against her palms. Her thoughts were fragmented, like jagged shards of broken glass reflecting distorted images.

Ana was still slumped on the ground, fingertips pressed to her swelling cheek. Nearby, Eleanor was rocking on her heels, arms hugged tight to her body.

Fen rushed onto the terrace. ‘Was that Ed?’

Robyn nodded urgently, her feet making tiny frantic steps as she stared over the edge.

Lexi raked her fingers through the roots of her hair, nails digging into her scalp. Just seconds ago, Ed had been standing right there.

She’d been talking to him.

He was there.

And now …

He wasn’t.

She was aware of her feet moving, carrying her across the terrace, stopping in front of the stone wall. The scent of oregano lifted from a nearby terracotta pot, strange and earthy. She placed her fingertips to the chalky surface of the wall, leaned forward. A dizzying rush of blood to her head made her lurch.

There was a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

Someone was saying her name.

She looked.

‘I can’t see him.’ Was she speaking? Or someone else?

She blinked. The oceanic roar of blood in her ears.

She angled her head. A vertiginous wave of nausea gripped her, knees buckling, saliva slickening her throat.

‘Breathe,’ someone said, the pressure on her shoulder increasing.

She drew air into her lungs.

Continued to stare down, down.

There. The pale shadow of his white shirt. A darkening on the rocks. Moonlight catching against something silver. A watch?

Ed.

Unmoving.

She knew it. Felt it in her body.

Dead.





90

Bella

Bella held Lexi firmly by the shoulders. She seemed like a spectre, as if she might drift over the edge, dissolve into the night.

‘Come away,’ Bella instructed.

Lexi allowed herself to be guided across the terrace, her body boneless and yielding as she was ushered towards a chair. She collapsed into it, spine rounding. Her expression was vacant, unreachable.

Bella crouched at Lexi’s feet, her wet dress clinging to her spine. She placed her hands on the cool skin of her knees. ‘I’m right here.’

Lexi’s eyes were wide, unseeing.

‘It’s okay, Lex,’ she said. ‘I’m here. I’ve got you.’

‘Is this real?’

‘Ed went over the terrace wall. No one could have survived that fall. He’s dead, Lexi. I’m sorry, but he’s dead.’

Lexi’s head shook from side to side, refusing the information. She blinked rapidly, her breath fast and shallow.

Bella gathered Lexi’s trembling hands. She squeezed, pressing them to her lips. She felt the cold edges of the diamond engagement ring. There was nothing Bella could do to make this better, other than hold Lexi.

Behind them, Robyn spoke in a rushed, frayed tone. ‘We need to call the police! An ambulance!’

Ana was beside Eleanor now, a gentle hand on her back, rubbing in slow smooth circles, like a mother soothing a child. She spoke in a calming voice, whispering words to try to reach her, but Eleanor made only a low, keening wail.

Earlier, in the rowing boat, when Eleanor had chosen to save Bella, hauling her out of the dark sea, she’d witnessed her capacity for love, for forgiveness.

I won’t forget, Bella had promised her.

‘We need to call the police!’ Robyn repeated, her tone growing shrill, hands rising around her face.

‘Yes,’ Bella agreed. Her voice was steady as she said, ‘They need to know there’s been a terrible accident.’





91

Robyn

Robyn stared at Bella.

No, she can’t mean what that statement implies.

Could she?

Bella was crouched beside Lexi, her wet dress ruched. Her expression was calm, focused as she returned Robyn’s questioning gaze. ‘He is dead,’ Bella said slowly. ‘How he fell changes nothing.’

Silence.

Even the cicadas had stopped their symphony. All Robyn could hear was the thunder of her own heartbeat.

‘I agree,’ Ana said clearly, locking eyes with Bella. ‘We tell the police there was an accident. If we say Eleanor charged into him … if they think she did it on purpose …’ She didn’t need to finish the sentence. They all understood: Eleanor would go to prison.

Robyn was shaking her head. ‘We’ve got to tell the truth! Tell the police what happened!’ She always told the truth. That was how she’d been brought up. She looked to Fen, who was staring over the wall, her expression unreadable in the darkness. But then Robyn had also been brought up to believe many things that needed questioning. Her thoughts whirled. ‘There’ll be a police investigation. Interviews!’