‘I’m not asking you, George.’ Tim is assertive but not unkind. ‘I’m telling you. Let me do my job.’
George swims to join us and swaps places with Tim.
Tim rushes to the spot where George surfaced. He sucks in a deep breath and goes under. George holds me from behind, resting my head on his shoulder so I can breathe freely. ‘What are you doing here?’ I ask, confused.
‘I saw your email. I called Tim – couldn’t get hold of him – so I came.’
That email finally got sent then.
George shifts my head along his shoulder. ‘I was scared something had happened to you.’
I’m suddenly freezing cold. The wail of the ambulance siren stops. My body shudders.
George tightens his grip. ‘It’s going to be OK,’ he reassures me. ‘You’re going to be OK. Tim called for backup. Look – the police are here.’ He swivels me around to the flashing lights of two patrol cars sitting at the water’s edge. Beth is lying on the grass. A police officer kneels beside her.
Tim appears, wheezing for breath. His eyes find mine. ‘It’s no good. He’s gone.’
68
BETH
I’m drifting away, in and out of consciousness.
‘Beth, open your eyes.’ Loud voices are a blur, fuzzy around me. An ambulance siren grows louder, slicing through the air. ‘Help. I need help over here.’ A hand slaps my face.
I open my eyes. Blue is licking my hand, quietly whining, his tail still. DC Wiggins slaps my other cheek. ‘That’s it. Keep those eyes open, Beth. I’ve got you. You left a message for DS Porter, calling us back here. What do you need to tell us?’
‘I can’t,’ I murmur. ‘It’s… too… late.’
Hattie cries, somewhere around me. I try to find her. She was going in the lake. ‘Hattie,’ I try to scream, but only a pathetic whimper emerges from my dry mouth.
‘Hattie’s fine. My colleague’s with her.’ The urgency in the DC’s voice pierces through me. ‘Keep those eyes open, Beth. Listen to me, Beth. Hattie told me that she recognised the girls in the photos I showed her. Scarlett and Daisy. Did they come here, Beth? Answer me.’
‘Yes.’
A tear slips down my face. I’m becoming breathless. Blood seeps through the sleeves of my cardigan. This cancer has eaten me from the inside out. ‘Where’s Connor? I need… to see him.’
‘Who’s Connor, Beth?’ She slaps my cheek again. ‘Come on, stay with me.’
‘My boy.’ I feel so sad. So goddamn sad. ‘Get him for me.’
‘I’m not sure where he is, but I can find out,’ the DC says. ‘We’ll get Connor here for you. Just hang tight. Then you can see him.’
‘Tell Immy. I’m sorry.’
‘Immy? Who’s Immy?’
‘The girl. In the photo. Scarlett.’ Water splashes. I try to look towards the lake but the officer blocks my view. I want to push her out of the way, but I can’t even lift my hand. All my strength has gone. My body is finally giving up on me.
Mandy Malone, the first girl I killed, sweeps through my mind. The night I followed her after I’d caught her and my childhood sweetheart making out. She must have sensed someone was behind her. She kept looking over her shoulder. Even to my dying day, I can’t explain what was going through my mind at that point. Or when I quickened my pace and pushed her, helping her to find her resting place in the depths of that fast-flowing river. Accidental death, the coroner concluded. A teenage tragedy born out of underage drinking. How I wished they’d done a better job. Made the police probe a little further into that tragic accident. They could’ve caught me. I’d have spent time in prison. But at least I’d never have met Justin. And I might be living a decent life now. As decent as can be for a murderer. But then I’d never have had Connor. Life deals wins as well as losses.
The DC waves a hand in the air. She shouts across the grounds, ‘Over here.’ She turns back to me. Her eyes are soft and steady despite the chaos flying around her. Another slap acrossmy face. Harder this time. ‘Help is on its way, Beth. Come on, stay with me, darling.’
Darling. She doesn’t mean it. Just like Justin hasn’t meant that word all these years.
Blue nudges my shoulder. The officer strokes his head.
‘So how do you know Scarlett?’ she asks. ‘Beth, keep those eyes open.’
