For another twenty minutes or so, she and Alice talked through their memories of Ben. She walked back with her then to the small parking lot. And as she drove away, Ella tried to sort her thoughts and feelings into a pattern that made sense. It was a puzzle that had troubled her nearly every day and there was only ever one clear way out of the maze—vengeance.
For the first few months, that need had been focused on the imagined shadowy figure who’d done this to her family. That figure had taken on a form now, a name and a face, all too familiar, but the need remained the same, and if anything, her resolution was firmer.
And now she knew something else too. As she thought of Ben and Alice, imagining them together, imagining the whole cycle of their relationship being played out, and all the others that might have lain ahead, she understood for the first time the full cruelty of the act she was avenging.
The pain he’d caused them wasn’t just the pain she felt, but the pain that Alice Shaw felt, the pain of everything that had been buried in that churchyard, and even if it was the last thing she did, she’d return it to him in full, every last ounce of it.
Chapter Nineteen
The day had stretched beyond itself, her nerves eating away at each other. It was the waiting; she’d waited six months and yet this final day, in sight of her goal, was the hardest to bear. It felt like her heart had slowed, her blood thickened.
Dan had seemed perfectly at ease, sitting out on the terrace with a drink, an air of repose like he’d gone into some sort of meditative trance. It had come as a relief when he’d finally stirred midway through the afternoon and headed off to take up his position down at the jetty.
An hour later he’d phoned to say he’d spotted the boat and time had notched down another gear. It had been at least thirty minutes now, and she was beginning to worry—that something had gone wrong, that Simon had seen through her plan, that Dan had double-crossed her.
She walked around, trying to glimpse the jetty from the upstairs windows, even though she knew it was out of sight, checking her appearance in the mirror, stopping at the sound of imagined noises.
The stillness in the house was eerie. At first she’d put it down to its emptiness, the fact that the staff were all off for the night, that there was no one else around. But the silence was total: no birdsong or insect noise. She’d heard plenty of times about the way nature paused before hurricanes, earthquakes, and that’s how it felt, like a portent.
Finally, the phone rang, so loud against this supernatural hush that it startled her and she had to let it ring a few times to get her composure back. It was Dan, cheery and unconcerned. ‘Okay, we’re ready for you.’
‘See you in a minute.’ She hung up the phone and walked over to the mirror again before walking out and through the gardens. She was trying not to think about what he’d meant by that—we’re ready for you—telling herself he’d meant nothing at all, that it was just the way he spoke.
Something wasn’t right, though, something she couldn’t put her finger on, the stillness like an omen. It was hot and the sun hadn’t set but that stillness was skewing everything like a dream. Only the tops of the tall palms were finding any movement in the air.
Clouds were stacking up on the horizon. They’d bring an early dusk, and as she reached the jetty and saw the boat, she felt the first touch of the developing breeze. Maybe that was it, a storm, and she wanted a storm. It would help them and seemed right for what was about to happen.
She could already see Dan on the deck, leaning nonchalantly against the open door, wearing his beach shirt and surf shorts. She’d never seen him look less like a hitman. He smiled and waved with his gun as she got close.
Stepping aboard, she noticed the boat rocking gently, the beginnings of a swell. Dan looked through the open door into the lounge, checking on the captives, then took a step towards Ella and spoke quietly.
‘Bit of a problem. He’s gone and brought the whole family with him.’
‘I know.’
‘Oh. Well, I put the kids in the front cabin so they don’t see you. I guessed you’d wanna do the wife. I mean, we have to, really; you don’t know how much she knows.’
‘Of course.’ She was glad she’d kept Dan in the dark on the full scale of her plans. He could bail out on her once this was done but she hadn’t wanted him following Lucas before she’d had her retribution. ‘Did you have any problems?’
He shrugged and said, ‘I had to give him a crack. I told them not to do anything stupid but he tried one on.’
She nodded and walked into the lounge, hot and airless even with the air conditioning. Simon and Lucy were sitting on one of the long cushioned seats, hands and feet bound, gagged. Lucy looked briefly hopeful and then confused at the sight of Ella, the first hint that she’d known nothing about it. Simon had a wound on the side of his head, the cheek run with blood. He didn’t look surprised when he saw her, just resigned.