Ellie had left the car parked at the other end of the marina, so they had to take the high road round the busy centre, avoiding the clubhouse and coastguard. The car was sitting in an isolated corner of the overflow car park, in the shadow of the bridge. The noise from there now was morphine to Ellie’s mind, calming her, making her feel at peace, like she belonged. She realised right then that she would always feel at home here.
The car park was uneven gravel and it hurt her feet as she picked her way across. No one else was around. Just her, Ben and the bridge. She looked at the enormous legs supporting the structure and imagined trolls heaving round from the other side, smelling their blood and coming to gobble them up.
She reached the car and pulled the door open. She’d left it unlocked, the key in the glove compartment. She opened it and took the key out. Ben opened the passenger door and got in. The wet arses of their suits made damp patches on the seats as they sat down. She pulled her door closed and put the key in, turned the ignition and felt the engine bump into life, vibrations through her body.
She laid her head back against the headrest and turned to Ben. He looked so tired. She couldn’t imagine what she must look like to him. She wiped gravel off the soles of her feet then revved the engine and put it into gear.
38
Ellie stood at the front door and wavered. Despite what they’d done, it felt good being out on the water, just her and Ben, like old times. As soon as she opened this door the real world would come pouring back in.
Ben put a hand on her back. ‘Come on, we’re almost done.’
She turned to him. ‘You think?’
He shrugged. She loved that he didn’t even try to bullshit her, another reason they were meant for each other. She opened the door and they went in. Sam met them in the hall, looking at their wetsuits and dirty feet.
‘Are you OK?’ he said.
Ellie touched his shoulder and ushered him into the living room. Libby was sitting on the sofa watching a cartoon. She turned and frowned.
‘We need to talk,’ Ellie said. ‘But Ben and I have to get changed first. Wait here.’
They went upstairs and stripped out the suits, dumping them in the bath. They towelled themselves off then threw on joggers and T-shirts. The stink of brine was all over them. Ellie rinsed her feet with the showerhead, then Ben did the same.
They went downstairs and Ellie headed into the kitchen and filled the kettle, a reflex action. As it began hissing, she walked through to the living room.
Not my family, she reminded herself. This is not my family.
The end credits were rolling as Libby switched the television off.
‘Sit down,’ Ellie said to Sam.
Sam felt for the arm of the sofa and lowered himself.
‘We got rid of the problem,’ Ellie said.
‘You dumped his body?’ Libby said.
Ellie nodded.
‘Out at sea,’ Ben said.
‘Won’t he just float back to shore?’ Sam said.
Ellie rubbed her cheek, felt the burns on her hand. ‘We weighed him down.’
‘What with?’ Libby said.
Ellie frowned as Ben spoke. ‘Don’t worry, he won’t be found.’
Sam stared at Ellie then Ben. ‘Why were you in wetsuits?’
‘We had to ditch the boat,’ Ellie said. ‘Too much evidence.’
‘You sank your boat?’ Libby said.
‘Yes,’ Ben said.
‘And swam to shore?’
Ben nodded.
Libby pointed out the back window. ‘Just out there?’
Ellie shook her head. ‘Further along the coast, away from prying eyes. I’m pretty sure no one saw us.’
Silence for a long moment.
‘Thank you,’ Sam said.
Libby looked awkward. ‘Yeah, thanks.’
Sam stood up. ‘So what now?’
Ellie glanced at Ben. ‘You two go home,’ she said.
Libby shook her head. ‘I want to stay here.’
‘That’s impossible,’ Ben said.
‘Why?’
She was really just a kid, didn’t get the way things worked.
Ellie sat next to her on the sofa. ‘Alison is your mum, your legal guardian, you have to go back.’
‘I don’t want to,’ Libby said. ‘She knew what Dad was doing.’
Ellie shook her head. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘Trust me, she knew.’
‘It’s not that simple,’ Ellie said. She didn’t want to defend Alison, but found herself in that position all the same. ‘Maybe on some level she suspected, but you can’t say she knew. She’s your mum, Libby, think about that.’
‘And he was my dad,’ Libby said, hands in her lap. ‘Think about that.’
Ellie placed a hand on hers. ‘Look, you have to go back. It’s the only way. At the moment, no one even knows your dad’s missing. And there’s no law against going missing, not for grown-ups. If he chose to wander off and start a new life, that’s that. That’s what we play up to.’
Sam frowned. ‘I don’t know how this is going to work.’
Ben looked at Ellie.
‘You and Libby go home,’ Ellie said. ‘Sam, you say you’ve been sleeping rough since the day Jack was stabbed. You could say you were in that old warehouse, that way it’s more like the truth. Say you panicked in the morning when you came downstairs and saw your dad had been stabbed by an intruder, and you ran away. Say you’ve been confused and worried this whole time.’
Ellie turned to Libby. ‘You say you got in touch with him, then went to make sure he was OK. You stayed last night at the warehouse with him. Now you’ve both decided to come home.’
‘It won’t work,’ Sam said.
Ellie stood up. ‘It will as long as they don’t suspect you. At the moment, why should they? Your dad didn’t tell them anything. You ran, but you were scared. That’s a reasonable reaction for a teenager. Especially one with your issues.’
‘I don’t know.’
Ben turned to Sam. ‘What’s the alternative?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘If you don’t go home, what are you going to do? You can’t stay here. You’ll have to keep running forever. Start a new life somewhere people don’t know you. Never see your sister again.’
‘I could go with him,’ Libby said.
‘Then you’d really be in trouble,’ Ben said. ‘That would be abducting a minor, you’d definitely have the police after you.’
‘It’s the only way,’ Ellie said. ‘It won’t be easy, but you can ride it out. Just don’t say anything, keep the information to a minimum. Don’t tell them about the abuse, don’t tell them about the stabbing, don’t tell them about me or Ben. Just don’t say anything you don’t have to.’
‘And what about Mum?’ Sam said.
Ellie held out her hands. ‘What about her?’
‘What do we tell her?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Really?’
Libby spoke up. ‘Are we supposed to keep up the lie forever?’
Ellie walked to the mantelpiece and looked at the picture of Logan, ran a finger along it and shrugged. ‘The alternative is to go to the police station and tell them the truth.’
‘Then what would happen?’ Sam said.
‘God knows,’ Ben said. ‘But we’d all be in a lot more trouble.’
‘I’d happily go to jail for you both,’ Ellie said. ‘For all of you. I couldn’t give a shit. But you have to decide, Sam, you and Libby. You have to make a decision and stick to it.’
Sam shook his head and looked at his sister. ‘What do you think, Lib?’
Libby stood up.
‘I’m not going to the cops,’ she said.