Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)(31)

‘I don’t.’

‘Okay. So, which way . . .?’

‘Turn right.’

‘Are you sure? That looks a little rough and ready.’

Bree held out the map. Pointed at the fork. The red line. ‘Here. Right turn.’

‘We’re there already?’ Alice sounded surprised. ‘Yeah, okay then.’

Bree snapped the map shut along its folds.

‘See, we’re making good time. There’s nothing to worry about.’ Or bitch about, for once. Bree forced a deep breath into her lungs and a smile on her face. ‘Follow me.’





Chapter 9



It was like stepping into a funhouse mirror. Two faces, each a distorted reflection of the other, looked up in unison at the knock on the hospital room door.

‘Breanna McKenzie?’ Falk said.

The woman in the bed had lost the healthy glow she’d had in her staff photo. Dark circles now hung under her eyes and her lips were pale and cracked. Her right arm was heavily bandaged.

‘We’re from the police. Did the nurse tell you we’ve been waiting to see you?’

‘Yeah.’

Falk had been speaking to Breanna, but it was the woman sitting on a plastic chair next to the bed who answered. ‘She said you had some more questions about Alice.’

‘That’s right. It’s Bethany, is it?’

‘Beth’s fine.’

It was the first time Falk had seen Beth McKenzie in person and he looked at her with interest. The likeness was a strange one, almost as though Breanna’s neat features had melted in the sun, becoming slacker and fleshier. Beth’s skin was ruddy with broken veins around her nose and jawline. Her hair had the harsh flatness of a poor home dye job and hung in a style that was neither long nor short. She appeared ten years older than her twenty-something twin, but when she looked at him, her gaze was firm.

A tray with the remains of lunch lay waiting to be cleared by the side of the bed. It didn’t look like much had been eaten. They had found the community hospital two streets behind the service station. It seemed to be one step up from a GP clinic, designed to cater for everything from locals’ ailments to tourists’ injuries. The nurse behind the reception desk had firmly pointed them back towards the door and told them to return in ninety minutes when Breanna’s sleeping pills should have worn off. They walked up and down the town’s row of shops three times, then sat in their car for seventy-eight minutes. When they went back in, they were informed that lunch had just been served.

‘No visitors during meal times. No exceptions.’

Finally, the nurse crooked a finger and beckoned them to the reception desk. They could go in. Breanna McKenzie was in the shared overnight ward at the end of the hall, the nurse told them, but she was the only patient. Winter season.

In the room at last, they dragged a couple of chairs to the bed.

‘Have they found Alice yet?’ Beth was watching Falk and Carmen closely. ‘Is that why you’re here?’

‘Not yet,’ Falk said. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Oh. So what was it you wanted to ask?’

‘It was your sister we wanted to speak to, actually,’ Carmen said. ‘Alone, preferably.’

‘I think I should stay.’

Bree shifted against her pillow. ‘For God’s sake. It’s fine, Beth. Go and let them get on with it.’ She winced. ‘Are there any painkillers?’

‘It’s not time yet.’ Beth didn’t appear to glance at the clock.

‘Ask the nurse.’

‘It’s too early. They won’t give you any more until tonight.’

‘Jesus. Go and ask. Please.’

Beth hauled herself out of the chair. ‘All right. I’ll be out the back having a smoke. And yes –’ she said as her sister opened her mouth, ‘I’ll ask the nurse. It’s too soon, though, I’m telling you.’

They watched her leave.

‘Sorry. She’s upset because they don’t trust her with the medication in the room,’ Bree said as the door swung shut.

‘Why not?’ Carmen said.

‘It’s not a big deal, really. She had a couple of substance abuse issues in the past, but she’s been fine now for more than a year. I guess the nurses feel they can’t be too careful. It would probably be easier if she weren’t here, but she . . .’ Bree looked down. ‘Wants to stay, I guess.’

‘Is anyone else coming up to be with you?’ Falk said. ‘Boyfriend? Your parents?’

‘No.’ Bree started picking at her bandage. Her nails had at some point been painted a deep bold pink. Several were now chipped or broken. ‘Mum’s got MS.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay. Well, it’s not, but it is what it is. She can’t make the trip. Dad has to stay with her most of the time these days. Anyway –’ She tried for a smile. ‘I have Beth.’

There was a heavy pause.

‘We wanted to ask you about Alice Russell, if you don’t mind,’ Falk said. ‘How long have you worked for her?’

‘Eighteen months.’

‘As her assistant?’

‘Administrative coordinator.’