Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2)(81)

‘I’m told it’s probably actually advanced mould,’ King said. ‘So nowhere near as bad as it looks.’

‘It would look bad enough if you were stuck out here,’ Carmen said.

‘Yeah. I can imagine that would look very bad indeed.’ He sighed. ‘As I was saying, so far there’s no obvious indication of what’s happened to Alice. The other women said she took her backpack, and, sure enough, there’s no sign of it, so hopefully she did at least have that with her. But it doesn’t look like she found her way back here, or if she did, she hasn’t attempted to leave any kind of message that we can see.’

Falk looked around and thought of the message left on his voicemail. Hurt her. He pulled his mobile out of his pocket. The screen was blank.

‘Anyone been able to get a signal in here?’

‘No.’ King shook his head.

Falk took a few steps around the room, listening to the cabin creak and groan. It was an unwelcoming place, there was no question, but at least it had walls and a roof. The nights had been wild enough outside the windows of the lodge. He didn’t like to think about what Alice may have faced exposed to the elements.

‘So what happens now?’ he said.

‘We’re combing the surrounds, but it’s an absolute bugger to search,’ King said. ‘You saw what it was like walking in and the bushland’s the same in every direction. It could take days to cover the immediate area. Longer if the weather gets worse.’

‘Which way did the women walk out?’ Carmen said. ‘The same way as we came in?’

‘No. We came in by the most direct route from the road, but that’s not the one they took. There’s a northbound trail running behind the cabin. You have to push through the trees to find it, but once you’re on it, it’s clear enough. They were already on that path when they stumbled across this place. If Alice did try to walk out, best guess is that it would have been along that route.’

Falk tried to focus on what King was saying. But even as he listened, he knew that a small part of him had been holding out hope that when the cabin was finally discovered, Alice Russell would be too. Hoping that she’d found her way back to it, afraid and angry maybe, but alive. But as the damp walls creaked, he thought of the tight-knit trees, the graves outside, the bloodstain on the floor, and he felt the last remaining shred of hope for Alice Russell tear and scatter.

The cabin was empty. Whatever had happened to Alice, she was out in the open, exposed. Somewhere, beneath the howl of the wind and the groan of the trees, Falk thought he could almost hear a death knell toll.





Day 3: Saturday Night


The aftermath was quiet, mostly, apart from ragged breathing. Particles of dust swirled in lazy circles in the torchlight as Jill probed her mouth with her tongue. The flesh felt swollen and tender and a tooth on the bottom right wobbled a fraction. It was a strange sensation, one she hadn’t felt since childhood. She was suddenly reminded of the kids when they were small. Tooth fairies and dollar coins. Her eyes felt hot and her throat went tight. She should call her children. As soon as she got out of here, she would.

Jill moved and felt something by her foot. A torch. She bent to pick it up, wincing, and fumbled with the switch. Nothing happened.

‘This torch is broken.’ Her words came out muffled through thick lips.

‘So is this one,’ someone said. One of the sisters.

‘How many have we got still working?’ Jill said.

‘Only one over here.’ The yellow beam flashed as Lauren passed over the torch she’d been holding. Jill felt the industrial weight in her hand. Beth’s, she realised. Maybe it had been the best choice to bring camping after all.

‘Any others?’ No answer. She sighed. ‘Shit.’

Across the room, Jill saw Alice wipe a hand over her eyes. The woman’s hair was tangled and she had dirty track marks on her cheeks. She was not crying now.

Jill waited for her to say something. Demand an apology, probably. Threaten to press charges, possibly. But instead, Alice simply sat down and brought her knees up to her chest. She stayed there, near the door, hunched and very still. Somehow, Jill found that more unsettling.

‘Alice?’ Bree’s voice came from a dark corner.

There was no answer.

‘Alice,’ Bree tried again. ‘Listen, Beth is still on probation.’

Still no response.

‘The thing is, she’ll have to go back to court if you –’ Bree trailed off. Waited. No response. ‘Alice? Are you listening? Look, I know she hit you but she’ll get in a lot of trouble if any of this is taken any further.’

‘So?’ Alice spoke finally. Her lips barely moved. She still didn’t look up.

‘So don’t take it further, okay? Please.’ Bree’s voice had an undertone that Jill hadn’t heard before. ‘Our mum’s not well. She took it really hard last time.’

No reply.

‘Please, Alice.’

‘Bree.’ Alice’s voice had a strange quality to it. ‘There is no point asking me for a favour. You will be lucky to be employed this time next month.’

‘Hey!’ Beth’s voice rang out, hard and angry. ‘Don’t you threaten her. She’s done nothing but work her arse off for you.’