He sprayed body mist liberally over his bare chest, and flung open his wardrobe. Automatically he reached for the grey shirt she’d admired once. Luke checked his reflection in the mirror and flashed his teeth as he buttoned it. He liked what he saw, but he knew from experience that meant bugger all. It took a mind-reader to know what was going through those girls’ heads half the time.
Today, for example. The image of Ellie pressing her hot mean mouth on Aaron in the classroom popped into his head and his reflection frowned. Was that the first time it had happened? Somehow he felt sure it wasn’t. Luke felt an intense flash of something like jealousy and gave his head a sharp shake. What did he care? He didn’t give a stuff. But Jesus, Ellie Deacon could be a little bitch sometimes. Ignoring him and then running off to Aaron. Not that it bothered him, but Christ, you only had to look at that picture to know there was something seriously wrong.
Deacon’s long fingers gouged painfully against the flesh of Falk’s cheek and Falk grabbed his wrist, wrenching him off. He flipped Deacon onto his back and stood up, stepping away. It was over in a matter of seconds but both men were panting, the adrenaline kicking into overdrive. Deacon stared up at him, the corners of his mouth white with spit.
Falk leaned over him, ignoring the dog as it bared its teeth. He stood over an ill man lying on the ground. Later he would hate himself for it. At that moment, he didn’t care.
Aaron’s arms were aching under the box of plants by the time he got home, but the grin was still fixed on his face. His good mood was tempered onlyby a pang of mild regret. Maybe he should have followed Ellie out ofthe classroom. That’s what Luke would have done, he thought. Kept theconversation flowing, convinced her she did want that Coke after all.
He frowned and dumped the box on the porch. Ellie had definitely smiled at Luke as she left the room. They were barely speaking these days, but she still managed a smile for him?
Aaron had braced himself for a smirk and a cheeky comment from his friend after Ellie left, but Luke had merely raised his eyebrows.
‘Careful with that one,’ was all he’d said.
Aaron had suggested they head to the main street, hang around for a while, but Luke had shaken his head. ‘Sorry, mate, got somewhere to be.’
Ellie had said she was busy too. Doing what? Aaron wondered. If she was working she would have said, wouldn’t she? He forced himself not to wonder too hard what both his friends were doing without him.
Instead, for something to do, he fetched his fishing poles. He’d head to the river. Upstream, where the fish had been biting. Or, he thought suddenly, he could go to the rock tree, just in case Ellie was there. He debated. If she’d wanted to see him, she would have said. But she was so difficult to read. Maybe if they spent a bit more time together one on one, she’d realise. He would be good for her. If he couldn’t even make her see that, something was seriously wrong.
‘You think I killed your daughter that day?’ Falk said, looking down at Deacon. ‘You think I held her body under water until she drowned, then lied to everyone, to my own dad, all these years?’
‘I don’t know what happened that day.’
‘I think you do.’
‘I loved her.’
‘Since when,’ Falk said, ‘has that ever stopped anybody from hurting someone?’
‘Give me a bloody clue then. On a scale of one to jail, how much shit have you stirred up?’
Raco was shouting down the phone. Falk realised he’d never really heard him angry before.
‘None. Look, it’s fine. Leave it,’ Falk said. He was sitting in the police car a kilometre down the road from Deacon’s place. He’d had eight missed calls on his phone from Raco.
‘None?’ Raco said. ‘You think I came down in the last shower, mate? You got a complaint against you. You think I can’t guess exactly where you are? I’m just some thick country plod who hasn’t got a clue?’
‘What?’ Falk said. ‘No. Raco, mate, of course not.’ He was shaken up by his own lack of control. It felt wrong, like he was wearing a costume.
‘You bugger off the minute the interview’s over – I know you listened in, by the way – and I can hear in your voice you’ve been up to something with Deacon.In a police car.So it’s not fine, is it? I’m still in charge round here last I checked, and if you’ve been harassing someone who’s already complained, for God’s sake, then we’ve one serious problem, mate.’
There was a long silence. Falk could imagine Raco pacing around the station, with Deborah and Barnes listening in. Falk took a few deep breaths. His heart was still pounding, but common sense was starting to return.
‘We haven’t got a problem,’ Falk said. ‘I’m sorry. I snapped for a minute. If there’s any fallout, I’ll cop it, not you. Promise.’
The line was silent for so long Falk wasn’t sure if Raco was still there.
‘Listen, mate.’ Raco’s voice was lower. ‘I think all this might be getting too much for you. With your background here.’
Falk shook his head even though there was no-one to see it. ‘No. I told you. It was a moment of madness. No harm done.’ No further harm, anyway.
‘Look, you’ve done everything that could have been asked of you. More,’ Raco was saying. ‘We’ve got further than I ever would have alone. I absolutely know that, mate. But maybe it’s time we called it a day. Call in Clyde. I blame myself for that, I should have done it ages ago. This isn’t your responsibility. It never was.’
‘Raco, mate –’
‘And you’re obsessed with Deacon and Dow. You’re obsessed with pointing the finger at them. It’s as if you need to get them for the Hadlers to make up for whatever happened to Ellie –’
