Hide and Secrets

by Sophie McKenzie

  ‘No.’ He stares at me, shocked. ‘Of course I’m not.’

  I hesitate. Take a quick look around. The water is rising fast, now splashing against the rock face that leads to the next bay. Talking to Tyler will have to wait.

  ‘The tide’s coming in.’ I dash forward and grab Bess by the arm. ‘We need to go back.’

  ‘No, we don’t,’ Tyler says, still frowning at me. ‘Bess and I passed a couple of girls a few minutes ago. They said there are steps up the cliff out of here in the next bay.’

  I hesitate again, unsure whether to trust him.

  ‘Come on,’ Tyler urges.

  ‘Okay,’ I say reluctantly.

  The three of us hurry along the beach. The wind is building. The spots of rain become thick, fat drops. The waves are bigger than ever, crashing against the rock face that we need to pass to get to the next bay. The three of us stand, watching for a second as the water pulls back, sucking at the stones, then rolls forward again. Bess looks anxiously up at me.

  ‘Fancy going on my back?’ Tyler asks.

  She nods. I hesitate. Should I let Tyler take her? But Tyler has already crouched down. Bess clambers on. Her little legs in their blue leggings stick out on either side of his jacket. She’s squinting into the wind and rain, strands of hair blowing out of yesterday’s plaits. There’s a grubby smear down one cheek and her hands, clutching at Tyler’s neck, are filthy. I feel a pang of guilt. I’ve put Bess in this position. I should never have brought Tyler, or let Bess stay with us.

  I should never have come myself.

  Tyler sets off, bracing himself as a wave smashes against his legs. His trousers are wet from the knees down. I follow, wading into the ankle-deep water. It’s hard to balance when the waves pull back. I keep my eyes fixed on Bess, willing her to hold Tyler tightly. Seconds later and we’re through to the next bay. There’s a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning. Rain comes at us like arrows, thrown from every direction, stabbing at our faces. I shield my eyes and look for the steps Tyler mentioned, as Bess scrambles down from his back.

  This bay is even narrower than the last, only a thin strip of beach separates the sea on one side of us from the high, sheer rock face on the other.

  ‘I can’t see the steps!’ I yell, grabbing Tyler’s arm. ‘Where are they?’

  He peers through the downpour. Points to the far corner of the beach. My stomach clenches in horror. Tyler’s right. The steps are there, but we’re cut off from them by the water. I glance back, at the way we came. The sea is already flowing over the area we’ve just walked across.

  ‘You’ve put us in danger!’ I yell over the wind.

  Tyler throws me an angry look. ‘I’m trying to get us out of it!’ he shouts back.

  I take a deep breath. Whatever Tyler has or hasn’t done, I should have spotted the rising water levels before encouraging him to take Bess for a walk along the beach. Dad warned me a million times how fast tides can come in.

  ‘We’ll have to wade through the water to the steps,’ I say. ‘We can swim if we have to.’

  ‘What?’ Tyler’s eyes widen. ‘I can’t swim.’

  Is he serious? Panic rises inside me. Is this another trick?

  ‘Okay,’ I say, trying to focus. ‘You’re taller than us, you can probably walk all the way. It shouldn’t be that deep.’ I grab Bess’s salt-sticky palm. She is freezing. ‘You go ahead. We’ll follow.’

  Tyler nods, puts Bess down and sets off. Bess looks up at me. Her jaw is clenched, her expression determined, but I can see the fear behind her eyes.

  ‘We just need to get to the steps.’ I point across the bay. ‘It’s going to be fine.’

  So long as the water is shallow and the current is weak.

  I don’t say these thoughts out loud.

  Ahead of us, Tyler is already wading through the first bit of water. He turns and gives us a thumbs up. Clutching Bess’s hand tightly, I follow Tyler’s route, watching where he goes. Another few metres and we’re almost at the steps. Ahead of us, Tyler sinks, suddenly, into the water. It’s up to his thighs. I gasp, gripping Bess’s hand more tightly. Tyler’s thighs correspond roughly to Bess’s neck. Rain pounds on our heads. My clothes are plastered to my skin. Bess’s fingers are slippery with wet and cold. I glance down at her. Her little face is screwed up with concentration.

  ‘Come on!’ I yell. ‘We can do this!’

  I take the next step. The seabed disappears from under me. I lose my footing. Sinking below the water. I’m clutching for Bess’s hand but it’s gone. Sea in my mouth. Churned up grit masking my vision. I flail, trying to find my feet – to find Bess. The current sucks at me, pulling me away. Where is she? Panic whirls like a tornado in my head. I claw at the water, fighting for the surface. For air.

  For Bess.

  The dark wetness covers me. Arms and legs flailing. I find my feet. Stand. The water is only to my thighs, I’m okay. Panicked, I look around. Tyler is still ploughing ahead, almost at the steps. But there’s no sign of Bess. My eyes sting with salt.

  ‘Bess?’ I yell. ‘Bess!’

  She must be underneath the water.

  I draw air deep into my lungs and plunge under again. I scrabble around with my arms, wild with fear. I can’t see a thing; it’s too dark from the grit churned up by the waves. I have to find her. I can’t come up for air until I find her. A silent scream sounds from the depths of my heart.

  Bess!

  26

  Black water. Blood pulsating at my temples. Dirt, salt and fear in my mouth. I am desperate to breathe, but I’m not giving up. I scrabble and pull at the water. Bess must be here.

  She has to be.

  Strong hands grab at my hair. Find my shoulder, my arm. Hands under my armpits, lifting me up. I can’t fight against them.

  I stand up, spluttering.

  Tyler stands in front of me, sea water rolling off his face.

  ‘Bess!’ I shriek, pulling away.

  ‘I’ve got her. She’s okay.’ He points behind him, through the rain.

  Bess is there, shivering on the steps that lead up out of the beach. I blink the water out of my eyes.

  ‘She’s fine,’ Tyler says. ‘She’s safe.’

  I set off, wading fiercely towards her. The rain is still pummelling at my face, my soaked clothes clinging to every bit of me. I don’t care. Bess is okay.

  I don’t know how long it takes to reach the steps, but at last I clamber on to the slippery rock. Bess falls into my arms.

  I hold her tightly. There are no words for the relief.

  ‘Come on!’ Tyler yells above us. ‘The tide’s still rising. We need to keep moving.’

  I grip Bess’s hand again and lead her up the steps. They are steep for her small legs and, at first, the wind buffets us so hard we have to keep stopping to brace against it. I try to position Bess on my inside, but she slips constantly on the steps, her hands red from scrabbling for purchase. We’re both crying, tears streaming down our faces. Below us, Tyler climbs watchfully, constantly looking up to check Bess is okay.

  It feels like hours pass as we climb, but it’s only minutes. And then, as we’re almost at the top, the wind drops and the sun comes out, glistening on the sea spread out beneath us. I stop to enjoy the warmth on my face.

  ‘Okay?’ Tyler asks.

  I turn and look deep into his eyes, at the gold that glints in the brown. And suddenly I know that, whatever else is true, I should never have doubted Tyler. He’s a friend. A good friend.

  On top of which he, literally, just saved my life. And probably Bess’s.

  I open my mouth to say ‘thank you’, but before I can speak an urgent shout cuts through the air.

  ‘Hey there! Are you all right?’

  A moment later we reach the top and the steps turn into a path that winds away in a gradual slope.

  A dark-skinned, tanned, slender man in a V-neck T-shirt and jeans is peering down at us from the path at the top of the cliff, a blanket in his hand. ‘We saw y
ou on the steps, the little one struggling,’ he calls out. ‘Did you get cut off by the tide?’

  I nod, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. The man hurries down to us. He puts the blanket round Bess and picks her up, carrying her up to the top. A woman with flame-coloured curls is waiting at the end of the path. Two small boys fidget beside her, shifting from leg to leg as they watch us. The man turns as he reaches them, beckoning us on.

  ‘Are you okay?’ The woman bustles forward, her boys clutching at her legs. ‘I’m Emma. This is Roshan.’ The man gives us a broad, warm smile.

  Tyler and I say our names. Bess, of course, doesn’t speak. She’s still lying in Roshan’s arms, her eyes tight shut.

  ‘And that’s my sister, Bess,’ I say.

  Emma stares at us, frowning as she takes in how soaked we are. She’s got a kind, round face, and a smile as warm as her husband’s.

  ‘Come on,’ she says. ‘Our holiday place is just around the corner. You can’t stay in these wet things. And you’ll be wanting to call your parents. Let them know you’re okay.’

  Tyler and I exchange a look. As we follow Roshan and Emma across the dry earth, past the shrubs that lead to a little lane, I realize that my backpack is gone along with everything inside it.

  ‘I’ve lost my phone. My purse. Keys. Everything,’ I whisper to Tyler.

  ‘Me too,’ he says.

  Emma and Roshan’s holiday cottage is set back from the lane. Emma ushers us inside, pointing me to the bathroom upstairs. She fetches clothes – her oldest boy’s for Bess and a pair of cream shorts and a striped top of hers for me – and starts a bath running.

  I have no idea where Tyler is, but Emma assures me Roshan is sorting some dry clothes for him. ‘He’ll be using the downstairs shower,’ she says. ‘I’ll leave you now. Get some porridge on for you. You look like you could do with some warm food inside you. Do you have your mum’s number? Or Tyler’s parents’? I can give them a call, if you want, to let them know you’re safe.’

  I shake my head. ‘I don’t know her number off by heart, but I know where she is. When you get hold of her, will you ask her to let Tyler’s dad know he’s okay too?’

  Emma nods, then looks at me expectantly.

  ‘My mum’s at a convention… at Alexandra Palace in London,’ I say. ‘Her name’s Petronella Mooney.’

  Emma’s eyes light up. ‘The astrologer?’

  I nod.

  ‘That’s… Wow, that’s amazing. Gosh, I remember seeing her on TV years ago.’ Emma grins, wrinkling her freckly nose in delight. ‘Aren’t you lucky having a mother like that? But what are you doing here on your own?’ She eyes me with intense curiosity.

  I mumble something about a day out and how we got lost and had to spend the night in the open. Horrified – but apparently satisfied by my explanation – Emma scuttles away, leaving me to wrap Bess in one of the big fluffy towels on the rail. Bess is as excitable now as she was terrified on the steps up the cliff, just a little while earlier. She keeps jumping up and down, refusing to co-operate as I try to persuade her into the shorts and cotton top Emma has left for her.

  Not for the first time, I get the strong sense that she is dying to open her mouth and speak, but I’m too tired to work out how to help her find a way to do it. At last she’s dressed and I’m free to put on dry clothes myself. Emma’s top is only a bit too big for me and I can hold up her shorts with the belt she left.

  The two of us head downstairs. Tyler is already sitting at the kitchen table, in a brown V-neck jumper that looks really weird on him. The two small boys wriggle on their chairs, gazing up at him. Bess sits next to me, suddenly shy again. She yawns and I’m guiltily aware of how exhausted she must be: her face is pale and there are dark shadows under her eyes.

  Emma presents us with steaming bowls of porridge. It’s not until I’m eating that I realize how hungry I am.

  ‘Thank you so much,’ I say. ‘This is really kind of you.’

  ‘Of course,’ Emma says.

  ‘Couldn’t leave you out there in the elements,’ Roshan adds. ‘Are you here on holiday?’

  ‘Cat’s mother is the astrologer Petronella Mooney.’ Emma says, bursting with enthusiasm. ‘I’ve just put in a call to the convention she’s speaking at. Hopefully they’ll find her and she’ll call back soon.’

  Great.

  Roshan looks confused. One of the little boys starts banging a toy car against the table top.

  ‘Mum’s in London,’ I explain, giving Tyler a sideways gaze. I hope he understands that I don’t want to explain the whole story, however nice Roshan and Emma are.

  ‘We just thought it would be fun to come to the seaside,’ Tyler says, instantly getting it. I smile at him.

  Roshan chuckles. ‘That’s backfired a bit, I’d say.’

  ‘Let them eat, Roshan,’ Emma urges.

  By the time we’ve finished our porridge, Bess is almost asleep, her head drooping towards the table. The two little boys are now both running an entire racetrack of cars between the various plates and bowls.

  ‘She’s dead on her feet, poor thing,’ Emma says. ‘Roshan, take the boys up to the playground. Let the little one here get some rest.’

  A few minutes later, Roshan and the boys leave. The little holiday cottage is suddenly silent. Emma settles Bess on the sofa, covering her with a blanket. As she comes back into the kitchen, Tyler and I offer to help clear up the meal we’ve just eaten, but Emma shoos us outside.

  ‘Get some sun on your face out front,’ she says. ‘You’ve had a shock. I’ll be here with Bess. I’ll come and get you when your mum rings.’

  Outside the sky is clear and the sun shining brightly. The terror of the rising tide and the earlier storm seem like a dream.

  Tyler and I sit down at the little wooden table in the front garden. My whole body feels bruised and wrung out.

  ‘That was intense, earlier,’ Tyler says quietly. ‘In the water, I mean.’

  I nod. I’m not intending to speak, but suddenly the words in my head are flowing out of my mouth. ‘I thought Bess was dead.’

  Tyler looks at me, then reaches across the table. His fingers curl over mine: warm and muscular. My skin fires with goosebumps. ‘I thought you were.’ He shifts a tiny bit closer. ‘And before that I thought you’d gone mad. You were ranting about me spying for Rik or something? What on earth did your dad say to you?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I mumble. ‘I was just upset.’

  ‘Okay.’ Tyler is still looking at me. ‘So what happened with your dad?’

  I tell Tyler everything Dad said. Tyler listens, his eyes widening with shock as I outline the full extent of Rik’s lies.

  ‘So,’ he says slowly, when I finish. ‘So… your dad had to disappear in a hurry. He couldn’t bear the idea of Rik having the Blue Fire diamond or of dumping it at sea, so he hid it somewhere in your house?’

  ‘Exactly,’ I say. ‘And now Rik knows Dad’s alive, he’s convinced Dad still has the diamond and he wants it back. If he finds Dad, he’ll force him to hand over the diamond.’

  ‘Right.’ Tyler sits back. ‘But rather than hand it over, your dad says he’s going to “deal with” Rik.’ He hesitates. ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I admit. ‘I’m scared Dad’s going to get hurt. But he won’t go to the police. He says Rik’s too dangerous. He… he says Rik had our dog – Pirate, I told you about him – killed while he was in jail.’

  Tyler’s eyes widen in horror. ‘Seriously?’

  I nod. ‘That’s why Dad doesn’t want to give Rik the diamond,’ I explain. ‘Rik’s too angry. Dad says that Rik will want revenge whatever happens now.’ I hesitate, an idea occurring. ‘Unless…’

  ‘What?’ Tyler raises his eyebrows.

  ‘Maybe I can do a deal with Rik,’ I say.

  Tyler stares at me sceptically. ‘A deal? With an insane and violent con man thief?’

  ‘If I could find the diamond, maybe I could convince Rik to leave Dad
alone,’ I say.

  ‘But…?’

  ‘Think about it,’ I persist. ‘Rik still doesn’t know where Dad is. And he won’t find out now that Dad knows he’s on his tail. So maybe if I offer Rik the diamond, on condition he stops looking for Dad, he’ll agree.’ I bite my lip. ‘I can’t see a better option. It’s the only possible way we get Rik to leave Dad alone.’

  Free to come home to me and Mum and Bess so we can be a family again.

  I don’t speak this last thought out loud, but it’s what Dad said he wanted earlier. And the hope of it fills me.

  ‘Okay.’ Tyler still doesn’t sound convinced. ‘Where in your house did your dad leave the diamond?’

  I make a face. ‘He wouldn’t tell me,’ I say. ‘He doesn’t want me involved. Says it’s too dangerous.’

  ‘What do you want?’ Tyler asks.

  I turn to face him. ‘I want to get Rik out of our lives once and for all,’ I say. ‘I want to find the diamond and save Dad.’

  ‘Okay,’ Tyler sits up. ‘What did your dad say about the diamond, exactly?’

  ‘He just said it was “at home, under the stars”.’ I look hopefully at Tyler. ‘Do you think that means it’s hidden outside, in the garden?’

  Tyler laughs. ‘Under the stars literally means everywhere, doesn’t it? But, yeah, I guess outside, though it would take months to dig up your entire garden.’ He makes a face. ‘I can’t see your mum letting that happen. As it is, she’ll probably be so mad with me for coming on this trip, she’ll give my dad the sack.’

  He looks genuinely worried.

  ‘No,’ I say, ‘she won’t blame your dad. Or you. She’ll just be furious with me.’

  There’s a long pause.

  ‘I don’t regret it,’ Tyler says softly. ‘Any of it.’

  ‘Cat!’ Emma’s voice from the cottage door makes us both jump. I spin round. She’s holding out a mobile phone. ‘It’s your mum,’ she says. ‘She wants to speak to you.’

  27

  My whole body is tensed for Mum to explode down the phone at me. I take the mobile Emma offers. She slips back inside the cottage, a sympathetic smile on her lips.