‘Go on.’
‘This might sound paranoid but hear me out.’
‘Okay.’
Miles takes a deep breath. ‘A tracking device. Do you have any idea what one looks like? And how we’d find it if someone fitted one to the bus?’
George places a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘I’ll help you check over the vehicle, if you like, just to be on the safe side. But I’m afraid youarebeing paranoid, mate.’
Miles shakes his head. ‘I need to show you something,’ he says, digging into the pocket of his shorts. Miles reveals an object lying on his palm.
George’s eyes go wide. ‘Crikey. Where did you get that?’
‘It was in an envelope left for me at reception at the hotel.’
‘It looks real,’ George says, examining it.
‘That’s what I thought.’
George turns it over in his hand. It appears to be a piece of live ammunition. But it’s not the type he’s used to dealing with – game cartridges filled with shot pellets. This is more compact, with a pointed front end. A more sinister kind. He’s never held one of these before, and it sends goosebumps flaring across his skin. A bullet.
Chapter 36
Reubyn
‘Are you ready?’
Faith grins. ‘As I’ll ever be.’
She stands on the trail, sheltering underneath the golf umbrella Reubyn bought in Queenstown. She grips it with both hands, and it trembles in the wind. His Lumix is clamped to the shaft, to keep it dry from the rain. Faith stares out from under her hood, eyes shining with mischief and excitement. She’s gorgeous – even with her body hidden beneath the borrowed cagoule.
‘Stay close,’ Reubyn says. ‘Keep the same sort of distance as we are now. And don’t worry if the camera’s a little shaky – it all adds to the effect.’
‘Roger that.’
‘Here we go. Take one.’ He walks slowly down the trail, looking back over his shoulder at the camera. ‘Okay, guys, we’ve left the camp in the centre of the forest and are heading east. We reckon we heard the call of the kakapo last night, coming from somewhere around here, so let’s have a look.’ They reach a straight bit of path, and Reubyn turns around to face the camera, walking backwards along the trail, his feetsquelching in mud. ‘One thing’s for sure, though – there is a strange aura in this place. It feels ancient, somehow, like we’ve gone back in—’
Reubyn’s standing foot slides and gives way, and before he knows it, both his feet have left the ground and he’s going down. He lands heavily on his side, his hip and shoulder slapping into the mud, sending splatters flying in all directions.
Faith is silent for a second, then the sound of her laughing tears through the air. She hurries to him, but she’s laughing so hard it’s difficult to tell if she’s bent in concern or simply doubled over from hysterics. After a few seconds she manages to gasp out the words: ‘Are you okay?’
Reubyn waves away her outstretched hand and hauls himself up. He assesses the damage; his shorts, socks, raincoat – pretty much all items of his clothing – are smothered with mud down one side. He sighs. ‘A small dent to my pride, maybe, but I’m otherwise okay.’
‘One for the blooper reel,’ she says, and then her face opens again in laughter – great, shuddering laughs that shake her whole body.
Reubyn chuckles too; lightly at first, but Faith’s laughter is contagious and soon he’s lost control of himself as well. And they’re laughingtogether. She’s not laughingathim – they’re just two people enjoying the moment, reacting to the absurdity of their situation.
She ushers him towards her, holding the umbrella out. ‘Do you want to watch it back?’
Reubyn moves in and they stand shoulder to shoulder. Their arms are pressed together, through their coats. As she sets up the clip, Reubyn realises this is the moment. Although, he hasn’trealisedit – he’s been informed by his heart, the way it’s thumping so fiercely it might burst free of his chest.
Faith’s eyes are misty, and even as she concentrates on the viewfinder, her smile remains. ‘All right, here it is,’ she says, and presses play.
The clip starts. Reubyn only knows this because he can hear the audio. He’s not watching the screen. Just her. Faith’s smile broadens as the video goes on, getting closer to his fall. Then Faith tilts her head back and laughs.
She turns to look at him, and her smile relaxes a touch, the plumpness returning to her lips. They’re ripe and red, like summer fruit. Reubyn’s skin tingles all over, from his ankles all the way to his scalp.This is it.
He tilts his head to the side and leans in towards her. All noise seems to cease in that moment, the world put on mute. He puckers his lips and braces for contact with hers.
