by Jane Harper
She stepped back quickly. Her mouth was gritty and she felt unbalanced, like she’d crossed a line she hadn’t known existed. She thought she wasn’t the only one; she could see her surprise and shame echoed on the faces around her. The water churned in her empty stomach and she had to bite her lip to stop herself vomiting.
One by one, they edged further away from the stump, avoiding eye contact. Bree sat down on her pack and watched as Jill pulled one boot off and peeled back her sock. Her heel looked bloodied and raw. Nearby, Lauren was checking the compass for the thousandth time. Bree hoped it was telling her something.
There was the flick of a lighter and the faint hint of cigarette smoke.
‘Seriously, do you really have to do that now?’ Alice said.
‘Yes. That’s why it’s called an addiction.’ Beth didn’t look up, but Bree felt an uneasy ripple run through the group.
‘It’s disgusting, that’s what it is. Put it out.’
Bree could barely smell the smoke.
‘Put it out,’ Alice said again.
Beth looked over this time and blew a long plume of smoke in the air. It hung there, taunting them. In one swift movement, Alice’s hand darted out and grabbed the cigarette packet. She pulled her arm back and hurled it into the bush.
‘Hey!’ Beth was on her feet.
Alice was standing too. ‘Break’s over. Let’s go.’
Beth ignored her and without a backward glance, turned and waded into the long grass, disappearing through the trees.
‘We’re not bloody waiting for you,’ Alice shouted. There was no response, just the tap of water on leaves. The rain had started again. ‘For Christ’s sake. Jill, let’s go. She’ll catch up.’
Bree felt the swell of anger, tempered only by the sight of Jill shaking her head.
‘We’re not leaving anyone, Alice.’ Jill’s voice had an edge Bree hadn’t heard before. ‘So you’d better find her. An apology is in order, too.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘I’m absolutely not.’
‘But –’ Alice started, when there was a shout from behind the solid curtain of bushland.
‘Hey!’ Beth’s voice was muffled. She sounded far away. ‘There’s something back here.’
Chapter 14
The morning sky was a dirty grey when Falk knocked on Carmen’s door. She was packed and waiting. They carried their bags to the carpark, treading carefully where overnight rain had made the path slippery.
‘What did the office have to say?’ Falk reached across their car windscreen and fished out a handful of dead leaves that had caught beneath the wipers.
‘The usual.’ Carmen didn’t need to spell it out. He knew it would have been a virtual repeat of his own conversation the night before. Get the contracts. Get the contracts. She dumped her bag in the car boot. ‘Did you tell King we’re off?’
Falk nodded. After leaving Carmen last night, he’d left a message for the sergeant. The officer had rung back on Falk’s room landline an hour later. They’d exchanged updates – a depressingly short conversation on both sides. It sounded like the lack of progress was taking a toll.
‘Have you lost hope?’ Falk said.
‘Not entirely,’ King said. ‘But it’s feeling more and more like a needle in a haystack.’
‘How long do you keep searching?’
‘We search until there’s no point anymore,’ King said. He didn’t spell out exactly when that would be. ‘But we’ll have to start scaling back if we don’t find anything soon. Keep that to yourself, though.’
Now, in the morning light, Falk could see the tension on the searchers’ faces as a group climbed into the waiting minivan. He dumped his own bag next to Carmen’s and they headed into the lodge.
A different ranger was behind reception, leaning over the desk and issuing instructions to the woman hunched over the ancient visitors’ courtesy computer.
‘Try logging back in again,’ the ranger said.
‘I have. Twice! It won’t let me.’
Lauren, Falk realised. She sounded close to tears. She looked up when she heard them slide their keys across the counter.
‘You’re checking out? Are you driving back to Melbourne?’ She was half out of her seat already. ‘Can you take me? Please, I need to get home. I’ve been trying to find a lift all morning.’
In the harsh morning light, her eyes were red and lined. Falk wasn’t sure whether it was due to lack of sleep or if she’d been crying. Both, perhaps.
‘Sergeant King’s given you the all clear to leave?’
‘Yes, he said I’m allowed.’ She was already at the door. ‘Don’t go without me. Please. I’ll get my bag. Five minutes.’
She disappeared before he could say anything. On the reception counter, Falk noticed a fresh stack of printed fliers. MISSING, was written in bold letters above a reproduction of Alice Russell’s smiling work headshot, along with key details and a description. Below was the last group photo Ian Chase had snapped at the start of the Mirror Falls trail.
Falk looked at it. Jill Bailey stood at the centre, with Alice and Lauren to her left. Bree was on Jill’s right, with Beth a half-step out from the rest of the group. It was easier to make out details on the flier than it had been on Chase’s phone. Every face was smiling, but, on closer inspection, he thought every smile seemed a little forced. With a sigh, he folded up the flier and put it into his jacket pocket.
Carmen used the ranger’s radio and by the time she’d confirmed what Lauren had said with Sergeant King, the woman was back. She stood in the entranceway, clutching her backpack. It was filthy, and Falk realised with a jolt that it would be the same one she’d taken on the retreat.
‘Thank you so much,’ she said, as she followed them across the carpark and climbed into the back seat. She pulled on her seatbelt and sat upright, her hands clutched in her lap. Desperate, Falk realised, to leave.
‘Is everything all right at home?’ he said, starting the engine.
‘I don’t know.’ Lauren’s face creased. ‘Do either of you have kids?’
Falk and Carmen both shook their heads.
‘No. Well, every time you turn your back, there’s bloody something,’ she said, as though that explained it. Falk waited, but she said nothing more.
They passed the marker signalling the official boundary of the park and as they headed into the tiny town, Falk could see the familiar glow of the service station sign up ahead. He checked the gauge and pulled in. It was the same guy behind the counter.
‘They haven’t found her then,’ he said when he saw Falk. It wasn’t a question.
‘Not yet.’ Falk looked at the guy properly for the first time. The beanie cap hid his hair, but his eyebrows and stubble were dark.
‘Haven’t found any of her stuff? Shelter? Bag?’ the man asked, and Falk shook his head. ‘That’s probably a good thing,’ he went on. ‘You find the belongings or shelter, the body’s always next. Always is. You can’t survive without equipment out there. I reckon there’s a good chance they’ll never find her now. Not if there’s been no sign so far.’
‘Well, let’s hope you’re wrong,’ Falk said.
‘I’m not wrong.’ The guy glanced outside. Carmen and Lauren had got out of the car, their arms folded across their chests in the cool air. ‘You planning on coming back this way again?’
‘I don’t know,’ Falk said. ‘If they find her, maybe.’
‘In that case, hope to see you again soon, mate.’
The words had the finality of a funeral.
Falk walked back to the car and got in. The park and the town were ten kilometres behind them before he realised he was well over the speed limit. Neither Carmen nor Lauren objected. When the horizon of the ranges was small in the rear-view mirror, Lauren shifted in the back seat.
‘Apparently they think the cabin we found might have been used by Martin Kovac,’ she said. ‘Did you know that?’
Falk glanced in the mirror. She was staring o
ut of the window, chewing her thumbnail.
‘Who told you that?’
‘Jill. A searcher told her.’
‘I think it’s only a suspicion at this stage. It’s not confirmed.’
Lauren winced and pulled the tip of her thumb from her mouth. The nail was bleeding, a black half-moon crescent welling around the bed. She looked down at it, then started to cry.
Carmen twisted round to hand her a tissue. ‘Do you want to stop? Get some air?’
Falk pulled over on the hard shoulder. The road in both directions was empty. Woodland had finally given way to farmland and he was reminded of the drive out to the ranges. Only two days earlier, but it seemed like a long time ago. It was a week tomorrow since Alice had first plunged into the bushland. We search until there’s no point anymore.
Falk climbed out and got a bottle of water from the car boot for Lauren. The three of them stood by the side of the road as she took a sip.
‘I’m sorry.’ Lauren licked her lips. They were pale and dry. ‘I feel bad leaving while Alice is still out there.’
‘They’d let you know if there was anything you could do,’ Falk said.
‘I know that. And I know –’ She gave a hard little smile. ‘I know Alice would do exactly the same in my position. It doesn’t make it easier though.’ She took another sip of water, her hands a little steadier now. ‘My husband called me. Our daughter’s school is contacting parents. Some photos of a student have been leaked online. Explicit, apparently, whatever exactly that means.’
‘Not of your daughter?’ Carmen said.
‘No. Not Rebecca. She wouldn’t do anything like that. But – I’m sorry, thank you –’ Lauren took the fresh tissue Carmen offered and wiped her eyes. ‘But she had some trouble last year with this kind of thing. Not explicit stuff, thank God, but a lot of bullying. Other girls were taking pictures of her getting changed after sport, eating her lunch, stupid things. But they were sharing them on their phones and on social media. Encouraging students from the boys’ school to comment. Rebecca –’ Lauren paused. ‘She’s had a difficult time.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Carmen said.
‘Yes, well, us too. It’s unbelievable really, when I think of the amount I’ve paid to send her to that school. They wrote to us saying they’d disciplined a couple of the girls responsible and held an assembly about respect.’ Lauren wiped her eyes a final time. ‘I’m sorry. When I hear something like this, it brings it all back.’
‘Girls can be real bitches at that age,’ Carmen said. ‘I remember. And school was hard enough even without the internet.’
‘It’s a whole different world, what they get up to now,’ Lauren said. ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Delete her accounts? Take away her phone? The way she looks at me, I may as well be asking her to cut off her hand.’ She finished the water and wiped her eyes once more. She managed a watery smile. ‘Sorry. I think I just really need to be at home.’
They climbed back in the car and Lauren leaned her head against the window as Falk started the engine. Eventually he could tell from her breathing that she’d fallen asleep. Curled up, she looked like a husk, he thought. Like the bushland had sucked the spirit out of her.
He and Carmen took turns driving and dozing. The rain spots on the windscreen grew lighter the further they travelled, as they left the bush and its weather in their wake. The radio crackled softly as stations came back into range one by one.
‘Hallelujah,’ Carmen said when her phone buzzed. ‘The signal’s back.’
She hunched down in the passenger seat and scrolled through her messages.
‘Jamie looking forward to having you home?’ Falk said, and immediately wondered why he was even asking.
‘Yeah. Well, he will be. He’s away on a course for a couple of days.’ She unconsciously fingered her engagement ring and Falk found himself thinking of the night before. Her long legs unfolding on the bed. He cleared his throat and glanced in the mirror. Lauren was still asleep, a worried frown line still visible between her eyes.
‘Sounds like she’ll be glad to be back anyway,’ he said.
‘Yeah.’ Carmen glanced around at the back seat. ‘I know I would be after all that.’
‘Have you ever had to go on one of these teambuilding things?’
‘No, thank God. You?’
Falk shook his head. ‘I guess it’s more a private sector thing.’
‘Jamie’s been on a couple.’
‘With the sports drinks company?’
‘It’s a fully integrated lifestyle brand, thanks very much.’ Carmen was smiling. ‘But, yes, they’re really into that kind of thing.’
‘Has he done anything like this?’
‘I don’t think so. It’s mostly bonding through adventure sports. Although once he and a group had to tile a bathroom in a disused warehouse.’
‘Really?’ Falk laughed. ‘Did they know much about tiling?’
‘I don’t think so. And they were pretty sure the next day’s group was going to be told to tear it down. So it went about as well as you’d imagine. To this day, he still doesn’t speak to one of the other blokes.’
Falk smiled. Kept his eyes on the road. ‘You all set for the wedding?’
‘Pretty much. It’s come around fast though. Still, we’ve got a celebrant, and Jamie knows where and when to show up, so we’ll get there.’ She looked over. ‘Hey, you should come.’
‘What? No. I wasn’t fishing.’ He really hadn’t been. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to a wedding.
‘I know. But you should. It’ll be good. It’ll be good for you, anyway. I’ve got a few single friends.’
‘It’s in Sydney.’
‘It’s an hour’s plane ride.’
‘And it’s in three weeks. Isn’t it a bit late for seating plans and all that?’
‘You’ve met my fiancé. I literally had to put “no denim” on the invitations for his side of the family. Does that sound like the kind of event with a concrete seating plan?’ She stifled a yawn. ‘Anyway, I’ll give you the details. Think about it.’
There was movement in the back seat and Falk looked in the mirror. Lauren had woken and was looking around with the wide-eyed surprise of someone who had forgotten where they were. She seemed bewildered by the passing traffic. Falk didn’t blame her. After only a few days in the bushland, he felt a little bewildered himself. He and Carmen swapped seats, and they each sat lost in their own thoughts as the city grew nearer, the radio playing in the background. The news came on at the top of the hour. Falk turned up the volume, then immediately regretted it.
It was the lead story. Police were investigating a potential link between the notorious Martin Kovac and a cabin where missing Melbourne hiker Alice Russell was last seen, the newsreader informed them.
Falk wasn’t surprised that detail had been leaked. With the number of searchers involved, it had only been a matter of time. He twisted around and Lauren met his eyes. She looked scared.
‘Do you want me to switch it off?’
She shook her head and they listened as the newsreader recapped details that had hit the airwaves two decades earlier. Three female victims, with a fourth never recovered. Then Sergeant King’s voice filled the car, stressing the historic nature of the Kovac crimes. An assurance that full efforts were being made, a fresh plea for information from anyone who had been in the area and, at last, the bulletin moved on.
Falk glanced over at Carmen. There had been no mention of Kovac’s son. It looked like King had managed to keep that quiet so far.
Lauren directed them to a home in one of the leafier suburbs, the kind that estate agents liked to call aspirational. Carmen pulled up outside a house that was obviously cared for, but carried the faint whiff of recent neglect. The patch of lawn at the front was overgrown and no-one had bothered removing a scribble of graffiti on the fence.
‘Thank you again.’ Lauren unbuckled her seatbelt, relief visible on her face. �
��Someone will let me know straight away if there’s any news, won’t they? About Alice?’
‘Of course,’ Falk said. ‘I hope everything’s okay with your daughter.’
‘Me too.’ Her expression hardened. She didn’t sound at all sure. They watched as Lauren took her bag and disappeared into the house.
Carmen turned to Falk. ‘So, what now? Should we warn Daniel Bailey we’re on our way, or surprise him?’
Falk considered. ‘Let’s warn him. He’ll want to be seen helping the search effort and it’ll keep him on side.’
Carmen pulled out her phone and put in a call to BaileyTennants. She was frowning by the time she hung up. ‘He’s not in the office.’
‘Really?’
‘His secretary was insistent. He’s on leave for a few days, apparently. Personal reasons.’
‘While an employee’s missing?’
‘I suppose Jill did say he’d come back for a family issue.’
‘I know, I just didn’t believe her,’ Falk said. ‘We could try his house?’
Carmen started the engine then paused with a thoughtful look on her face. ‘You know, it’s not too far to Alice’s place from here. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a helpful neighbour with a spare key.’
He looked over. ‘And crisp copies of the documents we need printed out and left on Alice’s kitchen counter?’
‘That would be ideal, yes.’
Get the contracts. Get the contracts. Falk’s smile faded. ‘All right. Let’s see what we can see.’
Twenty minutes later, Carmen rounded a corner into a leafy street and slowed the car. They had never visited Alice Russell at home and Falk looked around with interest. The neighbourhood was a picture of expensive serenity. The pavement and fences were spotless and the very few vehicles parked on the road gleamed in the light. Falk guessed most were safely tucked away under protective covers in locked garages. The neat trees lining the nature strip looked like plastic models compared with the primal lushness that had lurked over them for the past three days.
