‘Jessie, let me explain.’
Faith responds by lurching at him. ‘Stay where you are.’
Miles retreats and sits back down. He doesn’t look at Jessie, but he can hear her all right. She’s wailing, now. Letting it all out. There’s no attempt to conceal her distress. Faith is stroking Jessie’s arm – a soothing motion. ‘You better start from the beginning,’ she says, her eyes lasered on Miles. ‘Leave nothing out.’
Miles sits, head bowed. And, for the next half an hour, he explains it all, in a gloomy monotone: who Caira was, where and when she was killed, how he became the accused. The whole thing sounds unreal, even to him, and, under the shadow cast by Elis’s death, he’s aware that the story seems even more sinister. Faith stares at him impassively as he tells the story, but Jessie only takesoccasional glances as she sobs. And each time she does, she quickly averts her eyes, as if he’s too hideous to look at for more than a second. Faith questions him on Jessie’s behalf, and he has that feeling once again of being on trial. To his left, Polly, George and Reubyn say nothing. Several times, Miles stands and attempts to approach, to get close to Jessie, to comfort her. Each time, Faith warns him off.
Eventually, when Faith runs out of questions, Miles ceases his explaining. For a while, no one speaks. The explosive secret Miles has been carrying so heavily for the last few days is no longer contained, and now all they can do is sit among the rubble and consider the fallout.
For maybe twenty minutes, the only sounds are the light tapping of rain and Jessie’s occasional sobs. Although she’s calmed slightly, Jessie still won’t look at him. Whatever fondness was growing between the two of them, it’s over. If he’d volunteered this information himself, maybe it would have been different. Miles remembers what Polly told him on the beach.You’ll tie yourself in knots, deceiving people like this. Well, now the knots are tied. Good and tight.
In the context of Elis’s death, their short-lived romance seems an absurdly trivial thing to get upset about. But, even if the seeds of their relationship have been crushed, he has an overwhelming desire to try to get her to see his point of view. It’s so exhausting being hated, especially by someone he really likes. Whatever it takes, he needs her to forgive him.
Miles stands and takes tentative steps towards Jessie and Faith.
He’s only managed a few yards before Faith blocks the way. ‘Keep away from her. She needs space.’
‘I just want to talk to her.’
‘And I’m just telling you that she needs space.’
Miles grits his teeth. ‘Surely it’s up to her, if she needs space?’ He cranes his head to the side to see past Faith. ‘Jessie, please, I just want to talk.’
‘Guys.’ George is on his feet now. ‘Can you both chill out a bit? This isn’t helping.’
‘And you,’ Faith says, jabbing a finger at George. ‘I don’t trust you, either.’
‘Me?’ George scowls. ‘What have I done?’
‘If no one else is going to say it, then I will. He’ – Faith is pointing at Miles – ‘might be a lying arsehole, but he had no reason to kill Elis. There’s only one person here with a motive. And that’s George.’
Chapter 45
George
‘How dare you?’ George scowls at Faith, his pulse rapidly rising. She’s really starting to grind his gears now. ‘It was Elis who punchedme, remember? Not the other way around.’
‘Yeah, after you provoked him. And you were pretty bloody angry afterwards.’
‘I’m sorry. Was I supposed to sing his praises? Oh, yeah, that Elis, he’s a top fellow. Spiffing chap. Just gave me a haymaker to the eye. Absolute gentleman.’ George hears his words land heavily in the silence. It’s unbecoming. He ceases his sarcastic line of defence, sensing it’s not doing him any favours. They’re all looking at him with varying degrees of seriousness. ‘Look, just because I was angry doesn’t mean I wanted to kill him. That’s one hell of a leap.’
‘Actually, I think I remember last night yousayingyou wanted to kill him, or words to that effect.’
He wags a finger at Faith. ‘Thatis a post hoc fallacy of the worst kind.’ George feels his temperature rising. He needs to keep a lid on his anger, but it’s not easy when Faith is coming for him like this. ‘We all use that kind of language figuratively, and you’ve twisted it to make a fatuous allegation. It’s nothing short of outrageous.’
Faith laughs humourlessly, then shakes her head. ‘Your fancy words might work on them, mate, but they aren’t going to work on me. I don’t know what a post hoc fallacy is, and, frankly, I don’t give a damn. All I know is, I spoke with Elis last night.’ Her eyes move around, addressing everyone but George. ‘He was anxious. Like he knew something bad was about to happen.’
‘Oh, this is ridiculous.’ Again, George abandons his outburst.
‘He told me he felt uncomfortable here, and that he was going to leave at the first opportunity and fly home. Elis was trying to get away’ – she points at George – ‘fromhim.’
George’s hands tremble with anger. He balls them up into fists. He’s not going to put up with this. Faith and Jessie aren’t even meant to be on this trip. And now, because Miles hasn’t been honest with them, Faith is throwing accusations at George. ‘All right. This has gone on long enough.’ He turns to Miles. ‘I’m sorry, mate. I’ve got to tell them, okay? It’s not fair that people keep accusing me.’
‘Oh, my God.’ Faith throws her arms in the air. ‘You can’t be serious. Are you telling me there’smore?’
Miles says nothing, but closes his eyes, and his face assumes a look of weary resignation. George takes it as permission to spill the beans. ‘There isoneminor thing left that he hasn’t told you.’
‘Oh, right. Let me guess. He’s a terrorist? A known paedophile? A goddamn serial killer?’
