The Darkness Beneath, page 31
The place was smaller than she remembered, but she guessed everything seemed bigger when you were looking at it through a child’s eyes. It seemed comfortingly familiar though, even if it was years since she had been there. She took time reacquainting herself, checking into a cheap hotel, walking along the marina, paddling in the surf, enjoying her first weekend, knowing that by Monday she would need to find both a job and somewhere to live.
The two came to her as a package.
Sarah had exhausted the main street and marina, asking in the bars and restaurants if anyone was hiring before approaching store owners. Most places had already hired for the summer and she was worried she had left it too late, that perhaps she wouldn’t find anything, when she entered the little bookstore at the end of the main road.
She enquired politely, her smile that had started the day so bright and earnest now wilting, expecting a no before the woman behind the counter had spoken. She was already learning from the way people looked at her as she asked they were readying themselves to deliver bad news.
The ‘no’ came and, confidence ebbing, Sarah thanked her before turning to leave the store.
‘Wait a moment. Bella, didn’t you say your help had fallen through?’
Sarah glanced up, spotting a middle-aged blond woman look over at the counter clerk.
‘You mean Daphne? She quit on me last week.’
‘This lady here is looking for work.’
Bella gave Sarah an appraising look. ‘Have you ever worked in a hotel before?’
‘No,’ Sarah admitted. ‘But I’m a fast learner.’
‘It would involve mucking in. We’re a small guesthouse, so it’s all hands on deck.’
‘I’d be happy with that.’
‘It’s sometimes long hours, hard work. One day you might be cooking and serving guests in the restaurant, the next you might be cleaning windows and scrubbing out toilets.’
‘I’m not shy of hard work or getting my hands dirty.’
‘Where have you worked previously?’
‘I just left my job in Richmond. I was a legal secretary.’ At Bella’s raised brow, she quickly added, ‘But I worked in a bar all through college and I’ve waitressed before.’
‘You’re new to the island?’
‘I arrived a couple of days ago.’
‘Why here? What brought you to Purity?’ Bella was direct, blunt almost, but Sarah didn’t mind, preferring to know where she stood with people.
‘I just got divorced and I needed to make a fresh start. This seemed like a good place to do it.’
Bella studied her. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Sarah. Sarah Treadwell.’
‘I can give you a room at the guesthouse, and meals, twenty-five percent off your salary. I will need details of your former employer for reference purposes and I’ll warn you now, I can only offer summer work. We don’t get many guests once the tourists have gone, so you would need to find something else come end of September.’
‘Okay, that’s fair enough.’
‘You drive a stick?’
‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Good. And it’s Bella.’
‘Okay, Bella.’
‘Why don’t you come on up to the guesthouse tomorrow and I’ll show you around. We can both be sure you’re the right fit.’ She gave Sarah the address and directions.
‘So, did he cheat on you?’
Sarah’s mouth gaped at the directness of the question. ‘Yes,’ she said, finally finding her words. ‘With my best friend.’
‘Asshole. Men – trust me, you’re better off without them.’
*
Sarah had fallen in love with the place the first time she saw it, set back from the clifftop, nestled amidst pine trees and approached by a steep driveway that overlooked a more rugged part of the coastline. It was perfect.
Within two months of living there she felt like part of the family. Bella had a sixteen-year-old son, Clarke, and Sarah bonded with him quickly, soon learning he was a gentle giant, incredibly intelligent, but socially awkward. He had kind eyes and a big heart and, after some initial wariness, he welcomed her into his home, as did his mother. Bella was a straight talker, but one of the least judgmental people Sarah had ever met. She proved to be a fair boss and gradually become a friend. Sarah was true to her word, putting in long hours and working her butt off to help keep things running smoothly, and for the first few weeks she was the happiest she had been in a long time.
It was while she was food shopping that she first ran into Luke Trainor.
She had just left the store and was making her way back to the car when the bag split and her groceries spilt everywhere. Feeling flustered she had quickly bent to retrieve the lost items and he had suddenly been there, helping her scoop everything up and fixing her with a wide grin, his azure blue eyes intent on hers.
‘Thank you,’
‘You’re welcome. It’s Sarah, right?’
‘It is,’ she confirmed, amused everyone seemed to know who she was. Beauty of living on a small island she guessed.
‘I’m Luke.’ He offered his hand, held on a second longer than necessary. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.’
He insisted on helping her carry the groceries to Bella’s car, winked at her as she pulled away causing her to grin like a loon on the drive back to the guesthouse. She had received a fair amount of male attention since arriving on Purity Island, guessed maybe the fact she was getting her confidence back may be behind it. Luke Trainor was the first man to flirt with her though who she wanted to reciprocate with. Therefore, it embarrassed her when she learned from Bella later on that evening he was only eighteen, having just graduated high school.
He had looked older and, although eighteen was breaking any laws, flirting with a kid who wasn’t yet even in college felt wrong.
The age gap didn’t appear to bother Luke and it seemed from that moment on he was everywhere she was, trying to get her attention, flirting outrageously with her and trying to charm her into a date.
Sarah had laid her cards on the table with him, told him she was uncomfortable with the age difference, that the flirting was going nowhere. He had smiled and agreed, made a joke about how he would keep pushing his luck and he would get a kiss out of her before he left for college. She played along. It was all harmless fun and she had no intention of letting him get his way, especially when she learned he had a girlfriend.
It had never occurred to her he might be involved with someone and it sat uncomfortably with her, especially after she had been cheated on herself. She made a point of cooling her friendship with Luke after that point, avoiding places she knew he might be, even changing the times she did the grocery trip.
Even though nothing had happened between them, never would happen, she would not be responsible for hurting his girlfriend. Her plan seemed to work, and the rest of the summer passed without incident.
As September arrived and the guests dwindled, Sarah began hunting for a new job. Bella offered her a brief reprieve when the hospital appointment she had been waiting for came through. As the timing clashed with the scheduled building of the new conservatory, she asked Sarah to stay on while she was away, to keep an eye on things and look after Clarke.
It was a couple of days after Bella had gone into hospital that Sarah emerged from the grocery store to find the car wouldn’t start. She had been fishing in her purse for her phone to find a number for the local garage, when Luke had appeared, coming to her rescue. Although she had been avoiding him, she had to admit she was grateful when he looked at the engine for her.
‘I’ll give you a ride home,’ he told her when he couldn’t get it started.
‘You don’t have to do that. I can wait for the mechanic.’
‘The mechanic could be hours. Haven’t you got stuff that needs to be refrigerated?’
He had a point. She couldn’t risk the food she had bought spoiling. ‘Well, I guess okay then.’
Luke had grinned like a Cheshire cat and warily she had transferred her groceries to his car, climbed in the passenger seat.
She told herself to stop being stupid. He was helping her out and she would have been in a muddle if he hadn’t have shown up. He was giving her a ride and it was in no way a betrayal of his girlfriend.
And she was right; it had been an innocent ride home. He had joked with her, making her laugh and talked about his plans for college. As they pulled up in the driveway of the guesthouse, Sarah had relaxed, was annoyed she had overreacted.
But then he had leant over, catching her off guard as she turned to thank him, to say goodbye, and he had kissed her, snaking his hand into her hair and holding on tight when she tried to break away.
Eventually he released her, and Sarah pulled away, shocked.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘Kissing you.’ He grinned. ‘I told you I would before I left for college.’
‘You have a girlfriend.’
‘Jenna?’ He looked a little surprised it was a problem. ‘I’m about to break up with her. We’ve been coasting along for far too long and now I’m off to college…’ He trailed off, seemed distracted for a moment. ‘I should have ended it a while back, but you know how it is, these things are never easy to do.’
Sarah stared at him for a moment, still reeling that he had kissed her and feeling sorry for Jenna that she had such a shit of a boyfriend, that he would disrespect her like that.
‘I have to go.’
‘I’ll help you with the groceries.’
‘Don’t bother. I’ve got them.’
Luke started to get out of the car anyway, but then the front door opened and Clarke ambled out. ‘Hey, Sarah, you’re back. Hey, Luke, how are you?’
‘Fine.’ Luke scowled at Clarke, slammed his door shut. He waited, and Sarah was aware of him watching her as Clarke helped her with the groceries. Without glancing back at him she kicked the door shut.
She kept herself busy in the house that evening and the following day, not wanting to venture out for fear of running into Luke. He would be gone to college soon and at least the problem would have removed itself.
Tommy showed up later that afternoon, he had been staying at the guesthouse as company for Clarke. ‘How are you?’ he asked, finding her in the kitchen where she was busy scrubbing the floor. ‘You seemed a little sad when I saw you this morning.’
Sarah glanced up, surprised a teenage boy would have picked up on her emotions. ‘I’m okay. Nothing for you to worry about.’ She wondered if Clarke had said anything to him about seeing her with Luke.
‘Well, I brought you these. My friend baked them earlier.’
Sarah glanced at the box of brownies. ‘That’s sweet, but they’re yours.’
‘I’ve already had about six. I can’t eat anymore. Please help me out.’ When she hesitated, he smiled. ‘Tell you what, I’ll leave them on the counter and you can have one later.’
‘Okay, thank you.’
She indulged in a couple of brownies with a cup of coffee later that afternoon while taking a break from housework. It wasn’t until about an hour later she started to get belly cramps, but she didn’t connect it to the brownies, assuming maybe she was getting her period early.
The cramps grew in intensity and another hour passed before she decided to give up on cleaning. She had had one more load of washing to collect from the machine then she would go lie down. Tommy and Clarke had a friend over, she had heard them answer the door a while ago and knew they were upstairs, no doubt playing video games. While they were busy she would have a break before starting dinner.
Not that she thought she would be able to eat anything as the pains in her stomach seemed to be getting worse. Maybe it wasn’t period cramps and she was coming down with a bug.
She hit the light to the basement laundry room, descended the stairs and switched off the machine, keen to stop the annoying beep. As she opened the door, started to pile damp clothes into the basket, she heard a click behind her then the sound of footsteps.
Sarah started to turn, felt someone grab her from behind. Startled she screamed, but the sound was muffled as a hand clamped over her mouth.
‘Hush.’ The voice brushed against her ear, as a gleam of silver flashed in front of her. She felt something sharp pressing against her throat. ‘We don’t want to disturb the kids.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
‘Was everything okay with Luke tonight?’ Alex asked, his tone deceptively casual as he started the engine.
Nell thought back to the time they had spent waiting in the kitchen. She knew Luke wanted her, was aware at some point she would have to broach the subject with him, tell him she didn’t feel the same way, but tonight hadn’t been the right time.
And it wasn’t anything she needed to involve Alex in. She knew Luke was his friend and didn’t want to cause a rift between them. Luke might have feelings for her, but he hadn’t acted on them. Although she felt uncomfortable around him, knew they needed to clear the air, he was still a nice guy and she didn’t want to hurt him.
‘Yes, of course,’ she lied. ‘Why?’
‘You seemed uncomfortable around him and you pretty much balked at the idea when I asked him to give you a ride home.’
Had she been that obvious?
It would explain what had happened between them while she had been upstairs because Alex had abruptly changed his mind about Luke giving her a ride home, and left the crime scene to take her himself. He had been cagey with her about it though and she had known there was more than he was letting on.
‘I’m fine, Luke is fine. I’m just tired and jumpy, and I didn’t want to leave you.’
‘You guys talk about what happened today at all?’
‘No, I think we were both too shell-shocked by what happened tonight.’
Alex had seemed satisfied with that, dropping her off at his place and checking all of the locks were secure and she had her cellphone close by, before heading back to the guesthouse. Although Nell understood why he was being over-cautious, it did nothing to soothe her already frazzled nerves. She drew all the blinds before pouring a large glass of wine and curling up on the couch, jumping at every little sound, knowing it was going to be a long night.
*
Tommy didn’t arrive home until two in the morning, physically exhausted, but his mind far too alert to sleep.
He had lived in fear this day would come eventually and had spent the last twelve years bitterly regretting what had happened, wishing they had called the police the night Sarah had died. He was still angry he had allowed himself to be talked into covering her death up.
Sure, there would have been consequences, but nothing like the shitstorm that was about to unfold. They had been stupid kids, knew nothing about covering their tracks, and burying all of Sarah’s belongings in a suitcase beside her meant she had already been identified. It would be a day, maybe two if they were lucky, before Alex started to connect the dots.
Tommy had worked the crime scene, saying little, part of him wanting to confess, to get it over with, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead he dutifully followed instruction, feeling numb as Sarah’s skeleton was removed from the grave they had made for her, helped bag the items he had long ago helped pack in the suitcase, all the time thinking about his parents and his sister and how disappointed they were going to be when they learned the truth. Alex had cut him a glance when he had looked at Sarah’s driver’s license, and although he hadn’t said anything, Tommy recalled pretending that he hadn’t known her and could tell that Alex knew it was a lie.
As he drove home it occurred to him he could pack up his things and leave the island, get away before he was found out, but he was smart enough to know it would never work out. He would get caught eventually. Running away would only make things worse.
He called Jenna from the car, figuring he should warn her Sarah’s body had been found.
She was already in a mess and still trying to come to terms with the news that Curtis had been charged with Lizzie Kent’s murder. The discovery of Sarah’s body just about tipped her over the edge.
‘Oh my god, Tommy, what are we going to do?’
‘I think we should turn ourselves in.’
‘Are you crazy? We’ll go to jail.’
‘I don’t see where we have a choice. Maybe the courts will go easy on us. We were kids at the time.’
Jenna started to cry. ‘I can’t go to jail, Tommy. I can’t. After everything else that has happened today I really don’t need this. You have to make it go away.’
‘We killed a girl.’
‘It was an accident.’
‘It was a prank and it went wrong. We buried her, Jenna. We hid her body and made it look like she took off. We have to pay for that.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Look, I’ll call you tomorrow.’
Tommy ended the call before she could protest, not in the mood for her whining and self-pity. He had loved Jenna once, but now he found her self-obsessed and pathetic. He had thrown his life away to help her that night and all she could focus on was her own fate. What he would give to go back and redo things. He would have refused to go along with her stupid prank and never would have found himself in a position where he was helping to get rid of a body.
He cursed Nell O’Connor too, wished to hell she had never come back to Purity Island. If Clarke had still been alive and living in the guesthouse everything would have been okay, but instead Nell had returned and started renovating the place. She was going to be the one responsible for destroying his life a second time round and he wished to hell he had never laid eyes on her.
*
Nell had been unable to sleep after Alex dropped her off. She was still trying to come to terms with Curtis killing Lizzie, and today had brought fresh shock.
