‘Do it,’ I begged. My mouth was full of blood. Russell got off me, and I coughed it onto the ground. I waited for a devastating punch to the back of the skull. Pleaded for it to come. It didn’t. I was lying on my snake-bit arm, and it was prickling and pulsing now, right to the shoulder. ‘Russell, please.’
‘Howcouldyou?’ Russell dropped down beside me. I heard tears in the man’s voice. ‘I don’t understand it. You … you asked me if Bridie was coming with me!’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘You could have killed her!’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t say you’re fucking sorry!’ Russell had a handful of my hair, was grinding my face into the dirt, spittle on the rim of my ear as he roared down at me. ‘Don’t say that!You were covering for him, Evan!I know you were covering for him!’
‘He was going to come after Chris.’ I swallowed. ‘He said he’d take Chris down with him. That’s why he was there. That night.’
‘Did Chris do it?’
‘No.’ I tried to get up.
‘Did he help at all? Did he see it?’
‘No.’
‘Where is he? The old man. Did he run?’
‘He …’
Russell waited. I drew a few long breaths, let them out slowly. ‘He was going to take Chris from me. He told me so. I couldn’t …’
‘Evan,’ Russell said. ‘Evan … what did you do?’
I couldn’t speak.
‘Evan, did you kill Dad?’
I lay in the dirt and cried. Another boat went by. In the white, stuttering light from its search beams, rolling over the other side of the river, I saw Russell hiding his face in his hands, gripping his skull.
‘He told me what he did, and he threatened my son,’ I said. ‘And I … I … I just lost it.’
‘How many were there?’ Russell asked. ‘The girls. How many. Did he tell you?’
‘I never gave him the chance.’
‘Oh my god.’
‘I know.’
Russell watched the water, restless, his eyes searching the black surface. We fell into silence, trying to catch our breath.
‘You’re not going to get out from underneath this,’ Russell said. The fire was slowly leaving him. ‘You can tell the cops whatever you want, Evan. Tell them you were afraid of Dad. That he threatened you, or Delle, or Chris. It won’t matter. You’ll do jail time. You’ll just … you’ll have to. They’ll make an example out of you for trying to cover it up. Those families have been waiting for fifty fuckingyears. Fiftyyears. Linda Special had just had a fucking baby. Marian was right on the verge of really starting her life. And Chloe … You saw her, Evan. She was akid, and so is Bridie, and I’m so …I’m so angry at you right now!’
‘I know.’
‘You deserve to go to jail, Evan. And to have everyone see you go.’
‘I know.’
‘Where’s the body?’
‘Dad’s?’
