The day had warmed up even more and two staff members were carrying archery targets out onto the lawn. She walked along the row of bunks, her eyes raking over the bunks’ names, looking for the one that Eric Newman was staying in. What name had he given her? Pinehaven, she thought. She spotted it, the second-to-last along the row, and walked rapidly past, not looking toward its windows, hoping that he wasn’t inside, looking out.
Somehow, the threat from Eric Newman had lessened in her mind. It was partly due to the Jill incident from the night before, and partly due to the way he had acted down at the cove with her and Bruce. She was now convinced he was just a sad, obsessive creep, more bark than bite. But what if he had seen her walk past his bunk? What if he followed her into the woods? Well, let him. It was far less terrifying than what she’d seen the night before. Besides, if he followed her it would give her someone to yell at, maybe even punch. Somehow, she’d stopped being particularly frightened of her stalker.
After finding the place where she was pretty sure Jill, or whoever she was, had entered the woods, Abigail saw that there was actually a path, poorly marked, that led into the scrubby woodland. She took a few steps in, then pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She’d brought it with her because the compass still worked, even without service. And the flashlight would work, too, if she needed it. She was pointed east, and figured she’d walk straight ahead for a while, then turn back, going directly west. That way she wouldn’t get too lost and wouldn’t spend time searching the same area again and again. She began to walk, keeping an eye out for any signs of footprints or drops of blood. In the woods, the ground was almost a luminescent green at times, its mossy surface broken by complex patterns of emerging tree roots. Once she’d gone about a hundred yards she began to occasionally call out, “Hello,” but her voice sounded strange and lonely, so she stopped.
Something moved high up in the trees and Abigail looked up to see a large bird, maybe the eagle she’d seen earlier with Bruce, wheeling away against the blue of the sky. She was suddenly exhausted, and overtly aware that what she was doing was not only futile but maybe dangerous. Even if she’d been imagining things, she was still alone in the woods. And it had grown congested the farther she’d walked, the ground thick with bushes she couldn’t identify, some with clusters of dark, poisonous-looking berries, some with sharp leaves.
She went a little bit farther, spotting a break in the trees marked by a pool of light, and went to it, stood in the sun, letting it warm her skin. The ground was blanketed in the strange green moss, and she sat for a moment, leaned her back against the crook of a tree. It was time to turn back, she told herself, find Bruce, make sure he had booked the flight, and get off this godforsaken island. Once she was back on the mainland, with service on her phone, she could call Jill Greenly herself and make sure she was all right. And she would be, wouldn’t she? Back in California like Chip Ramsay said she was. And if Eric Newman ever got in touch with her again, she would immediately notify the police. She’d even tell Bruce about it, not about the affair, but about the way he claimed they’d had one. She was now willing to lie, she realized. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Bruce clearly didn’t really believe what she’d told him about seeing Jill. If Bruce didn’t believe her when she was telling the truth, then maybe it would be okay to tell him one major lie, just the once. It was a rationalization, she realized, but she was okay with it.
She shut her eyes and listened. There was the faint sound of trees moving in what little wind there was, the clicking of limbs and the creaking of trunks. She could hear gulls in the distance. And that was it. She felt like a child again. The height of the trees, and their constant slow-motion movement—as though the woods were underwater—made her feel small and insignificant. Something was happening, and it was beyond her comprehension. And no matter how quietly she sat on the cool ground, the woods would never let her in on their secret.
It was time to go back.
She stood, wiping the dry pine needles from the back of her jeans, and saw a figure moving quietly through the woods toward her, about fifty feet away. Eric Newman, his head swiveling from side to side, clearly looking for her.
She froze, her body going still like a deer sensing danger, and just when she was wondering if she could outrun him back to the lodge, he spotted her, and stopped walking.
“Don’t run,” he yelled, putting his hands above his head, as though she were pointing a gun at him.
“What do you want?” she said, her voice loud but shaky.
“Just to talk. Sorry. I saw you pass my window and watched you enter the woods. I followed you in, but I won’t come any closer. I’m not trying to frighten you.”
“Too late for that,” Abigail said.
“I’m sorry. Really, I just want to talk.”
“What do you want to talk about?” Abigail said.
“I saw her, too. The woman in the nightgown last night.”
CHAPTER 19
Abigail took a breath. “How do you know about that?”
“Everyone here knows. That private detective interviewed me this morning. He didn’t mention you, but I saw you follow her last night. Across the lawn. I haven’t been sleeping and I was looking out the window. I know it’s strange.”
“Did you tell them that? Did you tell them you saw someone?”
“Of course. They asked me if it was someone I recognized, but it wasn’t.”
“You hadn’t met Jill Greenly?”
“She was a guest here?”
“Yes. That’s who I saw last night, but they told me she left the island yesterday afternoon, that it couldn’t have been her I’d seen.”
“They told you she’d left?”
“Yes.”
“How did they tell you she did that?” Eric said.
“What do you mean?”
“Did they say she flew?”
“Yes. That’s what they said.”
“She didn’t,” Eric said.
“How do you know?”
He took a step forward, and Abigail said, “Stay there. We’re close enough.”
“Okay,” he said, stopping. “Unless she left by boat, she didn’t leave the island, because no plane came to this island in the afternoon. After I saw you and your husband by the cove, I walked over toward the landing strip. There’s a spot where you can sit, and if you look really hard you can see a lighthouse on one of the islands in Casco Bay. I sat there till it was almost dinnertime. There were no planes. I’d have seen them.”
“Maybe you—”
“I’m telling you, there weren’t any. There’s something wrong with this place. I felt it the moment I got here.”
“The moment you stalked me here.”
“I’m sorry … sorry for everything I’ve put you through. There’s no excuse for it now, I realize, but that’s the real reason I followed you here today. I wanted to tell you that I won’t bother you anymore.”
“What changed your mind?”
“When I saw you and Bruce yesterday, as you know, on that beach. I felt your anger, and I realized … I guess I realized that I was wrong about us. I really did think that we were meant to be together, the two of us. I think I went a little insane.”
“You think?” Abigail said.
Eric smiled, then looked down at the ground. His hands were now in the pockets of his jeans. “I went a lot insane. The thing is, you look like her. You look like …”
He hesitated, and Abigail said, “I look like your wife.”
“Not her coloring. She had bright red hair, and her skin was very pale, but your eyes are the same, and the way you talk is the same.”
“Well, we’re not the same,” Abigail said.
“I know. I’m sorry I came here. I’m sorry that I didn’t give up when I got your email, but I thought that if you saw me again …” He shrugged.
“You followed me to New York, didn’t you? A few days before I got married.”
“I did. I just wanted
a chance to see you, to let you see me. I thought you might be having second thoughts about the wedding.”
“Let’s get out of the woods, okay?” Abigail said, and began to walk back the way she had come.
“Can I come with you?” Eric asked.
“Just walk over there,” Abigail said. “I still don’t know if I trust you.”
“What are you doing out here? Are you looking for that woman?”
“I guess. I’m looking for any evidence that what I saw last night really happened,” Abigail said.
“Well, now you have me. I saw her, too.”
“But you didn’t recognize her?”
“I didn’t see her face, and even if I had, I didn’t know her.” He was walking parallel to Abigail, his hands still in his pockets.
“Why did you say that you think there’s something wrong with this place?” Abigail asked.
“Because there is. I may be insane, but I know that much. First of all, this resort is not a viable business. It can’t be. There are far more staff members than there are guests. And everyone seems to know each other—all the guests, I mean. I just think it’s some kind of front for something else altogether.”
“And all the guests are men.”
“Yes, I noticed that, too. Something’s off.”
“I know what you’re saying,” Abigail said. “But if it’s financed by billionaires, I guess they don’t care if they lose money. And I guess most billionaires are men.”
“Your husband is one of the financiers, I guess.”
“I actually don’t know too much about it, but yes. I think it was created as a place for tech people to go that doesn’t have screens. A place to get back in touch with nature, and even though it’s open to other people, it’s not really a regular business.”
“That makes sense,” Eric said. “But I still think there’s something else creepy going on. What if it really was Jill Greenly we saw, and they’re lying about her?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Abigail said. “If it really was Jill, then maybe she was attacked by her husband, and maybe he followed her into the woods and killed her and the resort is covering it up because they don’t want a scandal. Or maybe because her husband paid them off. I just don’t know. All I know is that I need to get off this island.”
Abigail was aware that she hadn’t mentioned Porter, Jill’s old boyfriend, who was, coincidentally, on the island as well.
“When are you leaving?” Eric said.
Abigail turned to look at him and realized that he’d slid a little way toward her so that they were only about ten feet apart. She didn’t say anything, but she began to walk a little faster.
“Bruce is making arrangements now. We’re leaving this afternoon.”
Eric nodded. “That makes sense.”
They walked in silence for a moment. Abigail could now see the open lawn through the trees, and she heard a noise, a whoosh followed by what sounded like an ax hitting wood. She realized almost immediately that it was someone shooting arrows at the targets she’d seen being set up.
“How long will you stay?” Abigail asked Eric as they stepped from the woods back out onto the lawn.
“Two more days, I guess. Do you want me to let you know if I find out anything more?”
“Sure,” she said, not knowing if it was the right thing to say, if he would read it as an invitation to continue their relationship. But she didn’t really care. If he found out something, she’d want to know. And all the fear and anger she’d felt toward him earlier seemed to have disappeared.
She heard another whoosh, followed by the thock of an arrow hitting the target. There were two men holding bows, and two staff members watching them. She was suddenly annoyed by the whole existence of this resort, the idea of adults coming to a place to pretend they were at some kind of summer camp, but a summer camp with gourmet food and constant alcohol.
“Is that your husband?” Eric said. Abigail looked up the hill and could make out Bruce coming down, recognizable by his awkward, long-limbed gait.
“Yep,” Abigail said. They were alongside Eric’s bunk now and he was heading toward the door.
“Again, I’m sorry for all I put you through,” he said. “I hope you get home safe.”
“What do you mean?” Abigail said to Bruce.
“They’re booked, but they can come early tomorrow morning.” They were back in their bunk together. Bruce was changing his shirt. He’d already let her have it for going out into the woods by herself, and now he was letting her know that the plane couldn’t come that day.
“I don’t understand,” Abigail said. “It’s such a short flight. I mean, there must be some way to get off this island today.”
“I’m sorry. Chip felt terrible, too, but apparently one of their planes is out of commission, and they’re backed up.”
“Jesus,” Abigail said.
“Don’t have a fit, Abigail. They’re coming early tomorrow morning. You’ll just have to rough it here one more night.” He smiled sarcastically at her, and Abigail felt an urge to rush at him, shove him in the chest. It wasn’t that the plane couldn’t come, it was the way he was so nonchalant about it. “Why don’t we go swimming, or, hey, I’ll even go back into the woods with you if you want,” he said.
“Look,” Abigail said. “Listen to me for a moment.”
Bruce, who had been rummaging through his suitcase, turned and looked at Abigail, his lips pressed together and his brow furrowed.
“This place is freaking me out. It’s not just seeing Jill last night—and, yes, I am pretty fucking sure that the woman I saw was Jill—it’s everything else. First of all, there’s no way that this place is a viable business. There’re about twenty guests, all men, all your friends, and every time I turn around there’s some new staff person coming out of the woodwork. I mean, tell me what this place is all about.”
Bruce said, “I already told you. Chip wanted to start a place for people in the tech world—a getaway—a place to unwind. And women come here all the time, just maybe not right now at this moment. And, yes, they’re mostly rich women. That’s the purpose of this place. People in demanding positions who need to shed some of their worries and anxiety.”
“It’s not working. Not for me.”
Bruce reached out a hand. “Hey, honey. Honey, relax.”
“That’s not helping, either.”
“So, tell me what will help, okay? I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I want to leave here. There can’t be just one plane service. I mean, if there was a medical emergency then you’d get someone here, right?”
“Well, if there was a medical emergency then the Coast Guard or someone would come, but that’s not the case. It’s less than twenty-four hours. That’s nothing.”
“I don’t want to spend another night here.”
“It’s just one night,” Bruce said. “I’ll be here with you. You don’t even have to leave this bunk if you don’t want to. We can have our dinner here, then go to sleep, and in the morning the plane will come and get us. I don’t know what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is that I saw a terrified woman—the only other woman on this island, by the way—who was bleeding and ran away from me, and now you’re telling me that I have to spend another night here. It just doesn’t make sense. All I’ve been told since I’ve gotten here is that anything I want they can get for me. Now I want to leave, and suddenly it’s a whole day’s wait.”
Bruce didn’t immediately say anything. He was breathing through his nose and bouncing almost imperceptibly on his toes.
“What?” Abigail said.
“I think you’re being a spoiled bitch.” He said it in a low voice, but she heard every word, and immediately tensed. It wasn’t just the words but the hushed tone. He sounded very different. “Excuse me?” she said.
“You heard me.” He was looking at her, but his eyes were resting just a little bit off to the side, not quite making eye contact. Wor
ds raced through Abigail’s head, but she was still shocked at seeing this side of her new husband. Part of her was scared as well.
“Fine,” she said at last, her voice a little shaky. “You do what you want to do, but I’m going to leave today. There’s got to be another flight service.”
“Be my guest,” he said, now definitely not looking at her.
“What’s going on with you?” she said, taking a step forward, even though she didn’t want to.
“I could ask you the same question. I bring you to this amazing place, and you don’t appreciate it. It’s all about you, all the time, isn’t it?”
“I did appreciate it,” Abigail said, spacing the words. “But because of what I saw last night I would like to leave. If you don’t understand that, I don’t know what else to say.”
“Fine,” Bruce said, and walked toward the kitchen.
CHAPTER 20
Abigail left the bunk and began walking up toward the lodge. The men were still at their archery, and every time she heard the sound of an arrow hitting its target her body tensed. As she climbed the stone steps that led to the entrance to the lodge, the doors swung open and Chip Ramsay was exiting. “Abigail,” he said. Then, after really looking at her, he added, “Everything all right?”
“Bruce said there’s no way to get off the island today,” she said, stopping in front of the doors.
“I’m so sorry about that. He told me how much you wanted to leave, and I get it, but I’ve been talking with Sean all morning at Casco Air and there’s just no way. They’re down two planes, and they’re totally booked. Bruce told you they’d be here first thing tomorrow morning, right?”
Every Vow You Break Page 14
