Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)(29)

‘Hold on, up there,’ Jill called. ‘Let’s break here for lunch.’

Bree breathed out with relief but Alice checked her watch. ‘It’s still quite early,’ she called back.

‘It’s not that early. This is a good place to stop.’

It wasn’t really, Bree thought as she set her backpack down. The ground was muddy and there was no view other than the trees towering over them. She shivered and sat down on her pack, her legs a little wobbly. It was colder now they’d stopped moving. Quiet too, without the sound of footfall. She could make out the chirp and squeak of invisible birds. Bree heard a rustle in the bush behind her and spun around, her thoughts plunging down a black hole and landing with a thump before the spectre of Martin Kovac.

There was nothing there, of course. Bree turned back, feeling silly. It was silly. She was too young to remember the stories from the time, but she had made the mistake of stumbling across them online while looking up information about the Giralang Ranges. She’d been at her office desk absorbed in the fate of the last alleged victim – Sarah Sondenberg, eighteen and never found – when the junior accounts manager had come up behind, startling her.

‘You be careful out in Giralang,’ he’d said with a grin and a nod at the screen. ‘She looks a bit like you.’

‘You be careful I don’t report that kind of comment to HR.’ Their mild flirtation had been ramping up over the past month. Bree thought she would probably say yes when he finally asked her out for a drink.

Once he’d gone, she’d looked back at the screen. Did Sarah Sondenberg really look like her? Maybe a little around the nose and mouth. The girl was pretty, there was no doubt about that. But in her own way. Besides, Sarah Sondenberg was blonde, blue-eyed. Bree had shut down the website, and thought no more about it, until now.

She checked once more over her shoulder. Nothing. Still, perhaps it would be best if this were a short break. She took a gulp from her water bottle to try to ease the ache in her head, and closed her eyes.

‘Could you please move away if you’re going to do that?’

Bree winced at Alice’s voice and prised her eyes back open. Alice wasn’t talking to her, of course. Not like that. But she was looking at Beth, who was leaning against a tree, lit cigarette in hand.

Christ, all this fresh air and her sister couldn’t wait to pollute it. Immediately, she heard their mum’s voice in her ear. Leave her alone, better she’s addicted to the ciggies than . . . Her mum would always trail off then. She could never bring herself to say the word.

Beth shrugged and Bree watched her trudge away, the trail of smoke mingling with the scent of eucalyptus in the air. Alice fanned her hand.

‘Lunch,’ a voice said.

Bree looked up to see Lauren standing over her, holding out a cheese roll wrapped in cellophane and an apple.

‘Oh. Thanks.’ She tried to smile, but her stomach lurched at the thought.

‘You should eat.’ Lauren was still standing over her. ‘It’ll help.’

The woman made no attempt to move until Bree had unwrapped a corner and nibbled a bit of crust. Lauren watched her swallow before moving on.

Alice shot a glance at Bree as if seeing her properly for the first time that day. ‘Too much to drink last night?’

‘Just tired,’ Bree said. ‘I didn’t sleep well.’

‘Join the club.’

Alice did look pale, Bree saw now, surprised she hadn’t noticed before.

‘Are you okay to navigate?’ Alice said.

‘Yes. Definitely.’

‘Are you sure? It’ll eat up a lot of time if we go wrong.’

‘I know. We won’t.’

The words came out a little louder than she’d meant and Jill looked up. She was sitting on a rock further along the path with one boot off, fiddling with her sock.

‘Everything all right?’

‘Good, thank you,’ Bree said at the same time as Alice said: ‘Bree’s tired from last night.’

Jill looked from one to the other. ‘Right.’

‘I’m not. I’m fine.’

Jill said nothing for a minute, but something in her face made Bree think she may have seen more last night than Alice had. Bree felt her cheeks grow hot.

‘Do you want someone to take over with the map for a while?’ Jill’s voice was light.

‘No. Not at all. Thank you. I can do it.’

‘All right.’ Jill turned back to her sock. ‘But please say if you do.’

‘I don’t. Thank you.’

Bree bit the tip of her tongue in irritation. She could feel Alice still watching her, and she tried to focus on the sandwich in her lap. She took a small mouthful to stop herself from speaking, but found it hard to swallow. After a moment, she rewrapped the sandwich and stuffed it into her backpack.

‘I wasn’t trying to drop you in it,’ Alice said. ‘But we have to get back on time on Sunday.’

Something in her voice made Bree look up. She flicked through her mental calendar. What did Alice have on? Sunday. Prize night at Margot Russell’s school. Bree closed her eyes rather than roll them.

She had met Margot only once, two months earlier. Alice had asked her to pick up her daughter’s formal dress from the drycleaners and drop it at her house. It was well outside Bree’s job description, obviously, but perhaps as a personal favour? Of course, no problem. The dress was beautiful. Bree had worn something similar, if less couture, to her own formal. Even without the photos in Alice’s office, she would have recognised Margot as soon as she opened the door. A younger version of her mother. She was with a friend, sipping kale smoothies from one of Bree’s favourite health stores.