Force of Nature

by Jane Harper

  ‘Is there a signal? Did you get through to someone?’ Lauren reached for the phone but Alice snatched her hand away.

  ‘It’s too weak. I don’t think they can hear me.’

  ‘Call triple zero.’ Lauren reached out again.

  Alice stepped back. ‘I did. It kept cutting out.’

  ‘Shit. So who were you speaking to?’

  ‘It was a voicemail. I don’t think it got through.’

  ‘But who was it?’

  ‘It was no-one. Just something about Margot.’

  Lauren stared until Alice met her eyes.

  ‘What?’ Alice snapped. ‘I told you, I tried triple zero already.’

  ‘We have almost no signal or battery left. We need to save it.’

  ‘I know that. But this was important.’

  ‘Believe it or not, there are some things more important than your bloody daughter.’

  Alice said nothing, but held the phone closer.

  ‘All right.’ Lauren made herself take a deep breath. ‘How did you get the phone without waking Jill, anyway?’

  Alice almost laughed. ‘That woman slept through a thunderstorm yesterday. She was hardly going to stir because her jacket’s moved.’

  Lauren could believe it. Jill had always seemed to sleep better than any of them. She looked down at Alice’s other hand. ‘And you’ve taken Beth’s torch.’

  ‘I need it.’

  ‘It’s the only one we’ve got that’s working.’

  ‘That’s why I need it.’ Alice wouldn’t meet her eye. The light from the torch bobbed in the gloom. The rest of the path was in darkness.

  Lauren could see Alice’s backpack leaning against a rock. Ready to go. She took another deep breath. ‘Listen, we need to get the others. They’ll want to know about the signal. I won’t tell them you were leaving.’

  Alice said nothing. She tucked the phone into the pocket of her jeans.

  ‘Alice. Jesus. You’re not seriously still thinking of going?’

  Alice bent and picked up her backpack. She slung it over one shoulder. Lauren grabbed her arm.

  ‘Let me go.’ Alice shook her arm loose.

  ‘It’s not safe on your own. And we’ve got a signal now. It’ll help them find us.’

  ‘It won’t. It’s too faint.’

  ‘It’s something! Alice, it’s a better chance than we’ve had in days.’

  ‘Keep your voice down, will you? Look, I can’t wait around for them to find us.’

  ‘Why not?’

  No answer.

  ‘For God’s sake.’ Lauren tried to calm herself. She could feel her heart pounding. ‘How are you even going to do it?’

  ‘Walk north, like we should have been doing today. You know that’ll work, Lauren, but you won’t admit it because then you’d have to try.’

  ‘No. I don’t want to do it because it’s not safe. Especially on your own. You’re walking blind, you haven’t even got the compass.’ Lauren could feel the plastic disc in her own pocket.

  ‘If you’re that concerned, you could give it to me.’

  ‘No.’ Lauren’s palm closed around it. ‘No way.’

  ‘Thought not. Anyway, we know this track’s heading north. I can work it out if I have to. I did it at McAllaster.’

  Bloody McAllaster. Lauren felt her chest tighten and her blood start to pump a little faster at the mention of the name. Thirty years ago, standing in the middle of nowhere as close together as they were now. The trust challenge. Lauren, homesick, sad and blindfolded, and the feeling of sheer relief at Alice’s firm hand on her arm and her confident voice in her ear.

  ‘I’ve got you. This way.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Alice leading and Lauren following. The sound of footsteps around her. A giggle. Then Alice’s voice in her ear again. A whispered warning: ‘Watch out.’

  The guiding hand on her arm lifted, suddenly as light as air, and disappeared to nothing. Lauren had reached out, disoriented, her foot catching on something right in front of her and she felt the sickening sensation of falling through space. The only sound was the distant sound of a muffled laugh.

  She had fractured her wrist on landing. She was glad. It meant that when she lifted the blindfold to find herself completely alone, surrounded only by dense bushland in the encroaching dark, she had an excuse for the tears in her eyes. Not that it mattered. It had been four hours before the other girls came back for her. When at last they had, Alice had been laughing.

  ‘I told you to watch out.’

  Chapter 29

  Falk stared at the red and silver thread caught in Alice Russell’s jacket zip, then turned the screen to face Carmen. She blinked.

  ‘Shit.’ She had her hand scrabbling in her own jacket pocket and before he said a word had pulled out Rebecca’s woven friendship bracelet. The silver threads glinted in the light.

  ‘I know Lauren said she lost hers, but was she definitely wearing it out there?’

  Falk grabbed his own jacket, rummaging through until he found the crumpled Missing Person flier he’d picked up from reception. He smoothed it out, ignoring Alice’s smiling face and instead focusing on the last shot taken of the five women together.

  They stood at the entrance to the Mirror Falls trail, Alice’s arm around Lauren’s waist. Alice was smiling. Lauren’s arm was placed around Alice’s shoulders, hovering rather than resting, Falk thought now as he leaned closer. At the edge of Lauren’s jacket sleeve, a clear band of woven red encircled her wrist.

  Carmen was already reaching for the room phone to dial Sergeant King. She listened for a moment then shook her head. No answer. She dialled reception. Falk had his jacket on by the time she’d checked the room number and wordlessly, they went outside and walked the length of the accommodation block. The late afternoon sun had dropped behind the trees and darkness crept in from the east.

  They reached Lauren’s room and Falk knocked on the door. They waited. No answer. He knocked again, then tried the handle. The door swung open. The room was empty. He looked at Carmen.

  ‘In the lodge, maybe?’ she said.

  Falk hesitated, then glanced past her. The start of the Mirror Falls trailhead was empty, the wooden sign barely visible in the growing dark. Carmen saw where he was looking and read his mind, alarm crossing her face.

  ‘You go and check,’ she said. ‘I’ll find King and follow.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Falk set off at a brisk pace, crunching across the gravel driveway, then sinking a little as he reached the muddy path. He was the only one around, but he could see boot prints underfoot. He entered the trail.

  Was he right? He didn’t know. Then he thought about the thin girl and the red thread and her mother’s bare wrist.

  Never underestimate how far you’d go for your child.

  Falk’s steps grew faster and faster until, with the roar of Mirror Falls growing louder in his ears, he broke into a run.

  Day 4: Sunday Morning

  ‘I’ll be able to find my way out. I did it at McAllaster.’

  Lauren looked at Alice. ‘You did a lot of things at McAllaster.’

  ‘Oh God, Lauren. Not again. I’ve apologised for what happened back then. So many times.’ Alice turned. ‘Look. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go.’

  Lauren reached out, grabbing Alice’s jacket this time.

  ‘Not with the phone.’

  ‘Yes, with my phone.’ Alice pushed her away and Lauren staggered back a little. The tall shadows around her seemed to waver and she felt a thrill of anger as Alice turned away.

  ‘Don’t leave.’

  ‘For God’s sake.’ Alice didn’t turn back this time. Lauren lunged again, feeling a little unsteady on her feet. Her hand closed around Alice’s bag, jerking her back. ‘Don’t leave us.’

 
‘Jesus. Don’t be so pathetic.’

  ‘Hey!’ Lauren felt something bloom and burst in her chest. ‘Don’t speak to me like that.’

  ‘Fine.’ Alice waved a hand. ‘Look, come, if you want. Or stay. Or walk out when you finally realise they’re not coming for you. I don’t care. But I have to go.’

  She tried to pull away, but this time Lauren kept her grip.

  ‘Don’t.’ Her hand ached from holding on so hard. She felt a little light-headed. ‘For once, Alice, think about someone other than yourself.’

  ‘I am! I need to get back for Margot. Look, something’s happened and –’

  ‘And God forbid anything should trouble precious Margot Russell,’ Lauren cut her off. She heard herself laugh. It sounded strange in the night. ‘I don’t know who’s more bloody self-centred, you or her.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. She’s as bad as you. You pretend you’re sorry for how you were at school – how you are now – but you turn out a daughter who acts in exactly the same way. You want her to follow in your footsteps? You’ve certainly achieved it.’

  Alice gave a cold laugh. ‘Oh, really? Well, snap, Lauren. You’d know all about that.’

  There was a silence. ‘What –?’ Lauren opened her mouth but the words evaporated.

  ‘Forget it. Just –’ Alice lowered her voice. ‘Just leave Margot out of it. She hasn’t done anything wrong.’

  ‘Hasn’t she?’

  Alice didn’t reply.

  Lauren looked at her. ‘You know she was involved, Alice.’

  ‘What, with that problem with Rebecca? That’s all been dealt with, you know that. The school investigated. The girls responsible for the photos were suspended.’

  ‘The girls they could prove were responsible were suspended. You think I don’t know they were all in Margot’s group? She was involved, no question about it. She was probably the bloody ringleader.’

  ‘If that were true, the school would have said.’

  ‘Really? Would they? How much extra did you donate to the school this year, Alice? How much did it cost to buy Margot that blind eye?’

  No answer. Something rustled in the bush.

  ‘Yeah, I thought so.’ Lauren was shaking so hard she could barely draw breath.

  ‘Hey, I have tried my best to help you, Lauren. Didn’t I recommend you for this job in the first place? And haven’t I covered for you – how many times lately? – when you’ve been distracted and stuffed up.’

  ‘Because you feel guilty.’

  ‘Because we’re friends!’

  Lauren looked at her. ‘No. We’re not.’

  Alice said nothing for a minute. ‘Okay. Look. We’re both upset. It’s been a really hard few days. And I do know how difficult everything is with Rebecca. For both of you.’

  ‘You don’t know. You can’t imagine what it’s been like.’

  ‘Lauren. I can.’ Alice’s eyes were shining in the moonlight. She swallowed. ‘Look, apparently there might be some photos of Margot and –’

  ‘And what?’

  ‘So I need to get back –’

  ‘And you expect me to care now that it’s your girl on the wrong end of a camera and not mine?’

  ‘Oh Christ, Lauren, please. Your daughter was bloody miserable long before any of those stupid photos got sent around –’

  ‘No, she wasn’t –’

  ‘She was! Of course she was!’ Alice’s voice was an urgent whisper. ‘You want someone to blame for Rebecca’s problems, why don’t you take a good hard look at yourself? Seriously. You honestly can’t see where she gets it from?’

  Lauren could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Alice was standing close but her words were distant and faint.

  ‘No?’ Alice was staring at her. ‘You need a clue? How about sixteen years of her watching you get pushed around? Letting people walk all over you. You’re never happy with yourself. Bloody yo-yo dieting for years. I bet you’ve never taught her to stand up to anyone in her life. You wonder why you always end up with a raw deal? You asked for it at school and you still let it happen to you now. We could all be walking out of here with your help, but you’re too scared to trust yourself.’

  ‘I’m not!’

  ‘You are. You’re so bloody weak-minded –’

  ‘I am not!’

  ‘And if you can’t see the damage you’ve done to that girl, you’re a worse mother than I thought, and honestly, I already think you’re a complete mess.’

  Lauren’s head was pounding so loud she could barely make out her own words.

  ‘No, Alice. I have changed. You’re the one who’s still the same. You were a bitch at school and you’re even worse now.’

  A laugh. ‘You are kidding yourself. You haven’t changed. You are who you are. It’s just your nature.’

  ‘And Rebecca isn’t well –’ Guilt rushed up Lauren’s gullet so fast she nearly choked. She swallowed it down. ‘Her problems are complicated.’

  ‘How much do you pay your therapist to make you believe that?’ Alice sneered. ‘It’s not that complicated, it’s the way of the world, isn’t it? You think I don’t realise that my daughter can be a scheming little bitch? And aggressive and manipulative and everything else that comes with it? I’m not blind, I can see what she is.’

  Alice leaned in. Her cheeks were flushed. She was sweating despite the cold and her hair stuck to her forehead in a clump. She had tears in her eyes.

  ‘And God knows, she does some stupid, stupid things. But at least I can admit it. I can hold my hand up and accept my part in it. You want to waste thousands of dollars trying to find out why your daughter is sick and starving and sad, Lauren?’ Their faces were so close their cloudy breath mingled. ‘Save your money and buy a mirror. You made her. You think my daughter is just like me? Your daughter is just like you.’

  Chapter 30

  The trail was slippery and damp underfoot. Falk pounded along as fast as he could, his chest heaving as overgrown branches reached out, catching and clawing at him. The thunderous sound of rushing water drew closer and he burst from the tree line, panting, the sweat already cooling and clammy against his skin.

  The wall of water tumbled down. He made himself stop and look properly, his breath ragged as he squinted into the failing light. Nothing. The waterfall viewpoint was deserted. He swore under his breath. He was wrong. Or too late, a small voice whispered in his head.

  He took a step onto the bridge, then another, and stilled.

  She was perched on the jutting rock face at the top of Mirror Falls, almost invisible against the craggy backdrop. Her legs dangled over the edge and her head hung down as she stared into the churn of white water crashing into the pool below.

  Lauren sat, sad and shivering, and very much alone.

  Day 4: Sunday Morning

  Your daughter is just like you.

  The words were still echoing into the night when Lauren crashed hard into Alice. The move took even Lauren by surprise as her body rammed against the other woman’s and they stumbled, their hands scrabbling and flailing. Lauren felt a scratch of pain as fingernails raked down her right wrist.

  ‘You bitch.’ Lauren’s throat felt hot and tight and her voice was muffled as they twisted and fell back as one, smashing against a boulder by the side of the trail.

  A smack resonated in the air and Lauren felt the breath forced out of her lungs as she smashed into the ground. She gasped and rolled over, feeling the rocky trail bite into her back and her heart pounding in her ears.

  Next to her, Alice groaned softly. She had one arm over Lauren’s and was lying close enough for Lauren to feel the body heat through her clothes. Her backpack had fallen by her side.

  ‘Get off me.’ Lauren pushed her away. ‘You’re full of shit.’

  Alice di
dn’t reply; she lay there, slack-limbed.

  Lauren sat up, trying to breathe deep. The adrenaline spike had plummeted, leaving her shaky and cold. She glanced down. Alice was still on her back, staring at the sky, her eyelids fluttering and her lips slightly parted. She moaned again, lifting one hand to the back of her head. Lauren looked at the boulder by the trail.

  ‘What? Did you hit your head?’

  No answer. Alice blinked, her eyes closing and opening slowly. Hand to her head.

  ‘Shit.’ Lauren could still feel the anger, but it was more muted now, washed over with a layer of regret. Alice might have gone too far, but so had she. They were all tired and hungry and she had lashed out. ‘Are you okay? Let me –’

  Lauren stood up and put her hands under Alice’s armpits, hauling her to a seated position. She propped her up with her back against the boulder, and her backpack by her side. Alice blinked slowly, eyes hooded and hands slack in her lap, her gaze focused on nothing. Lauren checked the back of her head. There was no blood.

  ‘You’re okay. You’re not bleeding, you’re probably dazed. Just take a minute.’

  No reply.

  Lauren placed her hand on Alice’s chest, feeling for the rise and fall. Like she had when Rebecca was a baby, standing over her cot in the dark of the early hours, strangled by the tightness of their bond, trembling under the weight of responsibility. Are you still breathing? Are you still with me? Now, as Lauren held her own breath, she felt the shallow rise and fall of Alice’s chest under her palm. Her sigh of relief was audible.

  ‘Christ. Alice.’ Lauren stood. She took a step back. Now what? She suddenly felt very alone and very scared. She was exhausted. With everything. She felt too tired to fight.

  ‘Look. Do whatever you want, Alice. I won’t wake the others. I won’t tell them I saw you, if you don’t tell them –’ She stopped. ‘I just lost my temper there for a minute.’

  No reply. Alice stared at the ground ahead through half-closed lids. She blinked once, and her chest rose, then slowly fell.

  ‘I’m going back to the cabin now. You should too. Don’t disappear.’