Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)(42)

‘That’s nice,’ Carmen said. ‘You must be proud.’

‘Thank you, I am.’

Falk looked at her. ‘Getting back to the retreat, your brother and the men’s group came to your camp on that first night. Did you know they were planning to do that?’

‘No.’ Jill shook her head. ‘And I would have told Daniel not to if I’d known. It was . . . unnecessary. I didn’t want the other women to feel like the men were checking up on us.’

‘And your brother spoke to Alice Russell that night.’

‘There were only ten of us. I think most people spoke to each other.’

‘Apparently he spoke to her privately,’ Falk said.

‘That’s allowed.’

‘Do you know what it was about?’

‘I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask him.’

‘We’d love to,’ said Carmen. ‘But he’s left.’

Jill said nothing, but the very edge of her tongue flicked out again to touch the cut on her lip.

‘So you didn’t notice Alice seeming particularly upset or uneasy after they spoke?’ Carmen said.

‘Of course not. Why would she be?’

‘Because she asked you to let her leave,’ Carmen said. ‘At least twice.’

‘Well. Like I said, if I’d let everyone leave who wanted to, there would have been none of us left.’

‘We understand it created some tension between the two of you.’

‘Who told you that? Everyone was tense out there. It was a very difficult situation.’

Jill picked up her cold coffee cup from the table and held it. Falk couldn’t quite tell if her hands were shaking.

‘How did you bruise your face?’ Falk said. ‘It looks quite bad.’

‘Oh for God’s sake.’ Jill set down her cup so hard it sent the liquid sloshing over the edge. ‘What is that question supposed to imply?’

‘Nothing. It’s just a question.’

Jill looked from Falk to Carmen and back again. She sighed. ‘It was an accident. It happened on the final night in the cabin when I was breaking up a stupid argument.’

‘What kind of argument?’ Falk said.

‘A lot of fuss over nothing. I’ve told the state police this. Frustration and fear bubbled over and got the better of us. We’re talking shoving and hair-pulling for a couple of seconds at most. Schoolyard stuff. It ended almost as soon as it began.’

‘It doesn’t look like it.’

‘I was unlucky. I was standing in the wrong place and I took a bit of a knock. It wasn’t deliberate.’

‘Who was the fight between?’ Falk watched her closely. ‘All of you?’

‘God, no.’ Jill’s swollen face was a picture of surprise. ‘It was between Alice and Beth. We were all cold and hungry and Alice was threatening to leave, and that’s when things boiled over. I blame myself, I should have seen it coming. Those two never got along.’





Day 2: Friday Afternoon


Jill’s teeth chattered as she walked. She had changed into dry clothes back at the river – they all had, turning their backs on each other while they shivered and stripped – only for another sheet of rain to sweep through twenty minutes later. She would have liked to have walked a little faster to warm up, but she could see Lauren was still shaky on her feet. The plaster from the first aid kit kept peeling off her forehead, exposing a bloody gash.

Alice was out in front, map in hand. Bree had surrendered it on the river bank without a word. Beth, as usual, was bringing up the rear.

It was strange, Jill thought, how much the bushland started to look alike. Twice she’d spotted something – once a stump, the other time a fallen tree – which she was sure she remembered from earlier. It was like walking in a semi-constant sense of déjà vu. She shifted her pack on her shoulders. It was lighter without the tent poles, but their absence was weighing heavy on her mind.

‘Are we still all right?’ Jill said as they slowed to pick their way around a muddy ditch.

Alice took out the compass and looked at it. She turned to face the other way and looked at it again.

‘All right?’ Jill said again.

‘Yes, we’re fine. It’s because the track curved back there. But this is right.’

‘I thought we were supposed to be reaching higher ground.’ The ground beneath their feet was overgrown, but stubbornly flat.

A voice came from behind. ‘We need to check the compass more regularly, Alice.’ Lauren had her hand pressed to the plaster on her forehead.

‘I just did. You saw me do it.’

‘But you need to do it often.’

‘I know that, thanks, Lauren. You’re free to step up and take over at any time, if you want.’ Alice held the compass in the flat of her hand, like an offering. Lauren hesitated, then shook her head.

‘Let’s keep moving,’ Alice said. ‘We’ll be starting to climb soon.’

They walked on. The ground remained flat. Jill was on the verge of asking how soon was ‘soon’, when she felt the telltale burn in her thighs. They were ascending. Gently, but on a definite uphill slope. She felt like crying with relief. Thank God. With any luck there would be a phone signal at the top. They could call someone. They could pull the pin on this whole mess.