Cruel Summer (19 page)

Ben lifted one of the seats. ‘There’s rope in here. We can use that.’

Katie peered out from under her fringe, dark shadows circling her usually sweet eyes. Through gritted teeth she muttered, ‘You don’t have to use rope and rocks. In the cabin
there’s all my dad’s diving stuff. You can use his belts and weights.’

‘What belts and weights?’ Alisha asked.

‘For deep sea diving.’ Greg’s eyes lit up. ‘They stop you floating back to the surface. That’s awesome. Thanks, Katie.’

She said nothing, but turned away from them and laid her weary head on the steering wheel.

Greg was already rummaging around in the cabin. He emerged a second later carrying a bag overflowing with diving tackle. ‘This weighs a ton.’ He threw it onto the boat floor. Ryan
got stuck in. There were three or four belts tangled together. He pulled at one until it fell away from the others. At the bottom of the bag were square yellow weights of different values.

‘Won’t it be a bit suspect if the police find Rox’s body with a diving belt attached?’ Ryan suggested.

‘They won’t find her,’ Greg said confidently. ‘Sharks will be able to smell the blood from miles away. In a few days there’ll be nothing left to find.’

‘Oh, my days!’ Alisha threw her hands up. ‘Could you at least try not to sound so excited about this?’

‘I guess we should unwrap her then,’ Erin said, changing the subject and getting to work with no complaints – as efficient as any surgeon and without a trace of squeamishness.
Ryan assumed this wasn’t the first corpse she’d ever seen if she was studying medicine.

‘This is sick.’ Alisha twisted her body away, refusing to look.

In the moonlight, now unwrapped, Roxanne glowed. She was otherworldly, ethereal. Her skin and lips were bleached white, and only her eyelids looked dark. Her face already appeared sunken, her
cheekbones more prominent. She belonged to the dead now.

The first pangs of guilt struck Ryan like lightning bolts. Suddenly, he didn’t want to do it. This was too much. He thought of Rox’s uncle and aunt in Telscombe Cliffs. There
were
people who’d miss her. He steeled himself, gripping the rim of the seat behind his back.

Get it together!
a harsh voice in his head told him. It was too late to save Roxanne. Guilt wasn’t going to achieve anything. Nothing he did was going to bring Rox back from the
dead. It was over for her. It didn’t have to be over for him. He tried to draw strength from Greg, who seemed so cool, so strong.

Greg clipped the belt around Roxanne’s waist and pulled it as tight as it’d go. There was no further need for cumbersome ropes and bed sheets; the sleek belt would be sufficient to
weigh the body down. ‘There.’

There was a moment of silence. Everyone knew what came next.

‘What do you want to do?’ Ben looked to Greg.

‘I don’t bloody know. It’s not like I do this shit every week, you know. I guess we just tip her over the side.’

‘Wait,’ Ryan said. ‘Don’t you think we should all make a pact or something? Like swear that we’ll
take it to the grave
?’

‘You watch way too much TV,’ Alisha said bitterly. ‘As if any of us are
ever
going to bring this up.’

Katie was still in the drivers’ seat, quietly resigned. ‘You know, it’s still not too late. The police don’t ever have to know we brought her out on the boat. We could
put her back in the pool.’

‘No,’ Erin said matter-of-factly. ‘They’ll know now. They’ll be able to tell how long she’s been dead, and then they’ll know we’re
lying.’

‘So we’re stuck,’ Ryan concluded. ‘We’ve gone too far to back out now.’

‘Exactly. We need to finish the job.’ Greg loaded the rocks he’d placed on the boat earlier onto the sheet that had been wrapped around Rox. Then he tied the corners together
to create a sack and threw it over the side of the boat. ‘That takes care of the sheet,’ he said. ‘Now, come on!’ He manoeuvred himself to Roxanne’s head and once more
slipped his hands under her arms. ‘God, she’s heavy, now!’

‘That’s the idea,’ Ryan said as he and Ben helped to haul her to the left side of the boat. Ryan had no idea if that was starboard or port, but it was the side furthest away
from the villa and the shore.

‘Do you think we should say something?’ Katie wondered. ‘Like a prayer, maybe?’

‘Was she religious?’ Erin asked.

‘I don’t know.’ Katie shrugged.

Ryan looked at Roxanne. There was so much they didn’t know about her and never would. They all paused because a pause was required. The three men looked at each other. There wasn’t a
word for what Ryan was feeling. It was dark, it was
awful
, but it was as exciting as any taboo ever is. There’s always a thrill in going too far.

‘Just do it,’ Greg breathed.

And, between them, they lifted Roxanne’s body over the edge of the boat and let her fall.

The sea was hungry. Blackness swallowed her. It all happened so fast and Ryan couldn’t help feeling that something so huge shouldn’t be over so quickly. The speed made it seem
inconsequential. The weights at Roxanne’s waist tugged her down at once so that, within a second, her body had vanished, followed by her lovely face. Her hair trailed above and, finally, her
ice-white hands sunk out of sight.

The sea claimed Roxanne Dent, but the last thing Ryan saw going under was Katie Grant’s charm bracelet.

SCENE 22 – RYAN

H
e was so entranced by the weird beauty of Roxanne sinking, that Katie’s scream almost tipped him over the edge.

‘She’s wearing my bracelet!’ Katie leaped to her feet, rocking the boat.

It took a moment for the information to sink in, longer than it had taken the dead girl to sink in, anyway.

Greg shrugged. ‘It’s only a bracelet.’

Ryan jolted to his feet. ‘No! It’s got Katie’s name on it. If someone finds it . . .’

‘Shit!’ Greg exploded.

After what they’d just done, there was no way Ryan was letting a bloody bracelet ruin everything. Without a word, he pulled his hat off, climbed up onto the edge of the boat and dived
in.

He held his breath and waited for the cold to hit him. Hit him it did.

To say the water was cold didn’t do it justice. He had to resurface. The ice water hurt his bones and his jaw shook with a violent judder. ‘Oh, my God, that’s cold!’ he
cried before diving back under. How quickly would she sink? The weight belt had been heavy. He kicked down with all the force his legs could muster. He could just make out Roxanne’s
white-blonde hair below him. She was going down fast.

But she could no longer swim and Ryan could. As he kicked further, deeper, the water became blacker and more claustrophobic. It was like swimming into a vacuum. In the darkness, Roxanne was a
beacon.

Ryan’s chest felt swollen. His cheeks puffed out and he started to release precious air one tiny bubble at a time. He was
not
letting her get away. As stiff as she was, her arms
floated at her sides, the gleaming bracelet almost mocking him.
Can’t catch me
. . . His leg muscles burned and his eyes stung. Salt water caught at the back of his throat.

Fingers outstretched, he grazed her hand, but then it slipped away again, like gas. Another kick and he caught hold of her hair. Harsh, but helpful. He almost climbed down her body, taking hold
of the bracelet. There was only one way it was coming off.
Sorry Katie
. . . Ryan yanked on the chain as hard as he could, but it didn’t budge. The first whispers of panic fluttered
in his head. He needed to breathe. He needed to get back to the surface.

That was when it brushed against his bare legs – something smooth, slick and muscular. Something moving. Something swimming.

Air tore from his lungs in horror. Not caring whether he ripped the girl’s hand off, Ryan wrenched his arm back. The bracelet broke and links scattered. He palmed what was left and flailed
around, looking for whatever had grazed him. He saw only black water.

But Ryan was certain that there
was
something in the water with him. He kicked for the surface with frantic vigour, hoping to scare whatever it was away. The white rectangle of the boat
was right overhead. He would have to swim out to avoid coming up directly underneath. He steered himself diagonally, the water thinning with moonlight as he neared the surface.

He broke into the air with a scream. ‘Get me out! Shark!’

That did the trick. About ten arms shot over the edge of the boat. He seized whichever were nearest and allowed them to drag him out of the water. He fell into the boat and panted, waiting for
his vision to stop whirling. He couldn’t move. He was spent.

Questions came thick and fast, but he couldn’t focus.

‘Ryan?’ It was Katie. ‘Ryan?’

He coughed, the taste of salt all the way to his stomach. ‘I got it.’

‘Where is it?’ Katie’s eyes were full of hope. Ryan realised they’d wanted the bracelet back for very different reasons.

‘I’m sorry, I had to break it to get it off.’ He handed her the remains. Katie nodded, but couldn’t completely hide her disappointment.

‘There was a shark?’ Alisha asked, helping him upright.

‘I don’t know. There was something. It felt big.’

‘That’s good,’ Greg said. ‘Sharks are good.’

Ben ignored them all, gazing out over the sea. Who knew what he was looking for? ‘We did it. We actually did it,’ he muttered.

An awful silence followed. Somewhere in the distance a buoy clanged, reminiscent of church bells. Ryan couldn’t bear it. It wasn’t that he was scared of awkward silences— Oh,
who was he kidding? He was
terrified
of awkward silences. ‘So!’ he said brightly. ‘Who’s for sangria?’ The others ignored him. ‘Just me,
then?’

‘Come on,’ Greg shouted. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here before the coastguard sees us.’

Katie didn’t move for a second, fixated on the sad remains of the bracelet in her hands. Then, coming back to life, she returned to the pilot’s seat and started the motor.

‘Wait.’ Erin unfolded her legs. ‘What about the bottle?’

‘Oh, yeah. Chuck it over the edge.’ Greg looked at Ryan.

‘Well, I haven’t got it,’ Ryan replied, sopping wet and clutching his body for warmth. He should really get the wet clothes off before he caught hypothermia and they had
another body to deal with.

‘Mate, I told you to bring it.’

‘No, you didn’t.’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘You didn’t.’

Katie spun the wheel as hard as it would go, making the boat swing round so violently that both boys staggered, close to going overboard. ‘For God’s sake! It doesn’t
matter!’ Katie snapped. ‘The sodding bottle doesn’t matter! And will someone please give Ryan some dry clothes before he freezes to death?’ The tone of her voice silenced
them.

‘I support that notion.’

Greg picked himself up off the floor of the boat and threw Ryan his hoodie. ‘We’ll get rid of the bottle with her stuff.’

‘How are we going to do that?’ Erin asked. She looked so different. Without her make-up, she had tiny little eyes, puffy from crying.

‘We’ll have another bonfire. Tomorrow night,’ Greg replied.

Nothing more was said. They’d all said way too much already. Greg wrapped an arm around Erin. Katie drove in silence, her hair blowing behind her. Ryan sat next to Alisha, but she looked
out over the ocean, unwilling to engage with the rest of them.

The boat chugged back towards the jetty, the coastline coming back into focus. Ryan worried that someone
must
have seen them. A lone boat in the empty bay must stick out a mile, even
without lights. The clean, white vessel probably shone against the inky sea. Ryan hoped any onlookers would just think they were a load of drunk kids having a party-boat night. If they’d been
really clever, they’d have brought some beers out with them. The coastguard would have frowned upon it, but probably a lot less than they frowned on dumping corpses.

Because that was what they’d just done.

Suddenly, Alisha sprang up like an excited puppy. She leaned over the side of the boat, looking towards the villa. A mane of curls blew around her head. ‘Oh, my God! Look!’

‘What?’ Everyone seemed grateful for the distraction.

Alisha pointed to the shore. ‘There’s someone outside the villa.’

Ryan felt his heart drop through the bottom of his stomach. ‘Katie, stop the boat.’

She twisted the key in the ignition and the boat choked to a halt.

‘There can’t be!’ Ben exclaimed.

But there was. The outside lights were all off, but the interior lights had been left on, and now a silhouette could be clearly seen, making its way around the outskirts of the property. The
shadow moved from window to window. Dark hands traced the glass, trying to get in.

‘We’re screwed,’ Greg breathed.

‘It’s fine,’ Ryan said. ‘It’s fine. We cleaned everything up.’

‘Everybody get down.’ Ben ducked beneath the side of the boat. ‘They might just go away.’

They were too far from the beach to see properly. The figure was nothing more than a stick-man prowling around the house. The ghost-like figure peered inside, like Cathy looking for Heathcliff
– only it was looking for them.

‘Can they see us?’ Erin whispered.

‘No way. We’re too far out, right?’ Ben replied, his forehead creased with worry.

The silhouette slunk down the side of the house, moving closer to the beach with every step. ‘Katie, were you expecting anyone?’ Ryan asked.

‘No. I have no idea who it is.’ In the pale moonlight, Katie’s fraught face took on an almost blueish tinge. It was quite beautiful.

‘Did you call the police?’ There was a hint of a threat in Greg’s voice.

‘I swear I didn’t.’

As the figure neared the sand, moonlight lit her. It was a woman. A breeze blew dark hair around her face – long, chestnut hair. The wind chime played a tuneless, haunting song as she
stood in front of the patio doors, looking out to the sea. The mystery girl held a hand to her eyes and scanned the horizon.