The Survivors(21)

Sean frowned. He didn’t know what the right answer was either, Kieran thought.

‘You should tell Sergeant Renn about that.’ Ash’s voice was oddly light and Sean’s eyes flicked over. He stared at his friend, trying to gauge his tone. Ash pretended not to notice.

Kieran looked from one to the other. He couldn’t read Ash either, which was a little unusual. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I will.’

Sean turned back to the horizon, his head tilted in the way Kieran knew meant he was thinking. At last, he opened his mouth. ‘Listen, guys, about Liam –’

He was cut off as Olivia’s phone rang. They waited as she answered, listening and occasionally nodding at the voice on the other end.

‘Okay. Thank you.’ She frowned as she hung up. ‘That was Chris Renn. He needs me back at the house.’

Ash looked at her. ‘What for?’

‘I don’t know. He sounded –’ Olivia shook her head. ‘I’m not sure. I’d better go.’

‘Hang on,’ Sean said as she got to her feet. ‘About Liam –’

He waited until they were all facing him.

‘Liam wouldn’t do this. Okay? He wouldn’t.’

Olivia stood hand in hand with Ash, neither quite meeting Sean’s eye. The already strange atmosphere had taken a sharp awkward turn. Sean looked to Kieran.

‘You heard Liam and Bronte talking together last night, right? Not arguing or shouting. Did Liam say anything at all that sounded like a red flag?’

He waited until Kieran shook his head.

‘So if Renn or someone asks,’ Sean said, ‘can you tell them that?’

Kieran hesitated. ‘I suppose I can tell them what I heard. But, mate, I didn’t really –’

‘But you did hear them. I mean, if Liam had been acting weird or aggressively or whatever, you’d have noticed, right? But you didn’t. You said yourself last night that it was fine. So all I’m asking is that you tell the police that. Mate? Please?’

The wind sent the boats rocking and creaking again as Kieran looked at his friend and made himself picture Liam.

Not the Liam of last night, sullen with his grease-stained apron and the mop in his hand. But Liam of twelve years ago. Still a little boy then, dressed in a black shirt that had been bought especially for the occasion. Liam’s tears had run under his chin and soaked into the stiff collar as he was handed flowers to place on his dad’s coffin.

‘Kieran?’ Sean was pleading now. ‘If the police ask?’

Kieran was trying hard to think of Liam, but his mind instead kept circling back to Sean. Not Sean at the funeral, though. A few days before that. Standing in Kieran’s living room, both of them eighteen and face to face for the first time after the storm.

It was an accident, Kieran had started to say. Somewhere in the family house that now felt too big were Verity and Brian, both so odd and strained now, even in silence. Kieran had made himself try again. He’d forced himself to speak, knowing there weren’t enough words in the world to fix this. Hating it, hating himself.

Sean had stopped him.

I know, mate. It’s okay.

The relief had been blinding.

Kieran looked at Sean now. His friend was still waiting.

‘Listen, if the police ask –’ Kieran heard the deck groan as Ash shifted his weight, but he ignored it. Ash knew how things were. Whatever his problem was, he’d get over it. ‘If the police ask, yeah, I can tell them that.’

‘Thank you.’ Sean’s face cracked a little. ‘Thanks, mate. It probably won’t be enough to get him out of the shit, but it might help.’

Kieran doubted it would even do that. ‘No worries.’

‘And look, I know Liam can be a bit –’ Sean stopped, and gave a helpless shrug. ‘But I appreciate you doing this for him.’

I know, mate. It’s okay.

It wasn’t Liam he was doing it for, but Kieran didn’t bother to correct him.





Chapter 9


Kieran thought Ash and Olivia might want to walk alone to Fisherman’s Cottage, but when he hung back to give them the chance, Ash waited for him.

‘You’re going this way, aren’t you?’

Kieran nodded. Mia had texted to say she had got back to his parents’ house safely. While he hadn’t truly expected any different, he still felt relieved.

They left Sean pulling on his wetsuit.

‘You’re going out to the wreck?’ Kieran asked in surprise and Sean shrugged, his face grim.

‘I can’t see any of this putting off the Norwegians. I’m fine, seriously,’ he said when he saw Kieran glance at the oxygen tanks. ‘Check them over yourself if it makes you feel better.’

Kieran had followed Ash and Olivia out of the marina and onto the road. No-one suggested going the beach way.

‘So, Liam,’ Ash said as soon as they hit the tarmac. Sand blew across the road, crunching underfoot. Behind them, Sean and the Nautilus Blue were well out of sight but still, Ash kept his voice low. ‘The thing about Liam –’ Ash stopped again, choosing his words. ‘Look. I get it. He’s Sean’s nephew. They’re close. But don’t get sucked into saying anything about him that you don’t want to.’

‘I’m not planning to, mate,’ Kieran said. ‘Why? Something I should know about him?’