The brutal tide, p.27
The Brutal Tide, page 27
‘I told his wife about the abuse, giving her every detail. She never let him come to the islands alone after that. It was one of my conditions.’ Her head has dropped now; she’s unwilling to meet my eye. ‘I regret involving Faith now; it was cruel of me. The bastard had managed to hide everything from her.’
‘How many more kids did he hurt?’
She hesitates before replying. ‘Nathan Kernow, Christian and Lucy Boston. I can’t be sure how many more.’
‘He should have gone to jail instead of you punishing him. You could spend years inside for shoving him down those stairs.’
‘I didn’t kill him.’ When she leans closer, violence simmers in her voice. ‘Hayle treated us all like rubbish. That’s why I put those bones in his recycling box and delivered them to his door.’
‘I don’t see why you came back to Bryher. You’re successful, and you’d stolen his cash. There was no need to risk it.’
‘These islands are our home. I still love it here, no matter what happened. The landscape’s not to blame.’ There’s sadness in her eyes as well as fury. ‘Danny’s always been the sensitive one, keeping everything locked inside. Watching him suffer has been the worst part.’
‘Why did you go to Hayle’s house the night he died?’
‘For an apology.’ Her face hardens again, but she’s talking faster now, finally ready to tell the truth. ‘Louis was such a coward, he tried to escape, but I followed him upstairs.’
‘You pushed him, didn’t you?’
‘He tripped. All I did was turn him over to check if he was alive after he fell. He died without ever facing his guilt; that’s what made me lash out. I couldn’t help myself.’ She’s on her feet now, backing away, her eyes darting towards the door.
‘I think you took a weapon up there, a hammer or a crowbar, after realising Danny was suicidal. You chased Hayle up those stairs so you could push him down then watch him die.’
‘He was a monster, for fuck’s sake. You’re lucky he never touched you or your brother.’
‘I pity everyone he hurt, but the law will settle this now.’
Reality appears to be hitting home. She’ll be dragged through a long murder trial. It seems unfair that she and Danny will pay dearly for getting even, while Louis Hayle’s reputation never suffered during his lifetime. It’s possible that both the Trenwiths will go to jail as a consequence of his terrible crimes.
Eddie barges through the door while I’m deciding where to keep Maeve locked up for the night. He’s panting for breath as he delivers his message.
‘The hospital’s been ringing you, boss.’
‘I left my phone at the pub. What’s wrong?’
‘Nina’s in labour. She needs you there right now.’
I tell him to guard Maeve and Danny until morning, then rush outside, where Kinsella is still keeping watch. Shadow chases ahead as I take a shortcut through the woods. My head is empty of thoughts, except how to reach the mainland fast.
81
Ruby is hiding when Kitto runs out of Maeve Trenwith’s house, followed by his guard. The older man is slower, already struggling to keep up. Her father’s blood pulses in her veins as she gives chase, and Kitto’s torch beam is easy to follow. She keeps pace with him until she meets an obstacle. The dog has doubled back to find her. It blocks her path, its muzzle gaping in an ugly snarl. She backs away, but it jumps up at her face, jaws snapping. When she pulls out her knife, the blade slices deep into its flesh. The creature yelps as a spurt of blood soaks her sleeve.
‘That’ll shut you up,’ she hisses as it limps away.
There’s no need to chase the dog through the bracken – such a deep wound will soon kill it – but the encounter has left her shaken. Kitto is further ahead now, and she’s lost track of his sidekick. She’ll have to run fast to overtake them, and the wind is picking up from the sea, blowing hard in her face. Her father’s voice whispers in her ears, still calling for revenge, which gives her an idea. Kitto’s instinct to protect could be his downfall.
She lets out a wild scream, and the effect is instant. The cop’s torch beam wavers in the distance. When she cries out again, the streak of light arcs back to find her, shining brighter through the trees.
82
Instinct tells me to keep running, even though I heard Shadow yelp in pain. If he’s caught himself on barbed wire, any of the islanders will help him, but that shrill female voice can’t be ignored. I should head for the quay, yet my legs aren’t following my instructions. Trees surround me as I retrace my steps; there’s no sign of a victim anywhere.
The next cry comes from directly ahead, making me tear through high brambles into a clearing. A woman is lying between tree stumps, so petite she looks more child than adult. It’s Billy’s new kitchen hand, cowering on the ground, eyes terrified. One sleeve of her denim jacket is dark with blood.
‘You’re safe now, Chloe. Tell me what happened.’
‘Help me, please. It won’t stop bleeding.’
Her face contorts when I lean down to take her hand. I only see the knife a moment before she lashes out. Its blade skims my jaw, triggering a lightning flash of pain.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’
The knife glints in the moonlight as she lunges at me again. When she kicks the torch from my hand, I’m in trouble. Whoever she is, she’s used to the darkness, while I’m night-blind. Instinct makes me spin round: she’s two metres away, just a thin silhouette, laughing at me.
‘Who the hell are you?’
‘Take a guess.’ She moves fast, her blade slicing through my jacket.
I grab her wrist to shake the knife from her hand. When moonlight floods the clearing, I realise why she looked familiar. I see a glimpse of the innocent child that used to play video games while I waited for her father’s next command, but it’s buried under a new facade. Her features are pinched by misery and spite, her hair blonde instead of black.
‘Craig sent you, didn’t he, Ruby? He’s gone now, you don’t have to follow his orders.’
‘Lying bastard, you betrayed both of us.’
Somehow she slides from my grasp. When she lands a drop kick on my chest I reel back, winded. Now she’s scrabbling for her knife among fallen leaves, until I stand on her wrist, making her release a piercing scream, but I’m dealing with an expert fighter. Ruby frees herself in moments. The blade glitters in her hand, inches from my chest.
‘Never forget my father, will you?’ she hisses.
A shot rings past my face, the sound deafening. It misses me by inches, but Kinsella has missed his target too. Ruby is already sprinting through the trees, at a pace neither of us can match.
83
Ruby heads for the quay. Her father’s disappointment floods her mind, even though he’s left this world, she can feel his spirit guiding her. Escape is her only option. She can’t reach Kitto with a gunman at his side, and next time she might not be so lucky.
Joe is waiting on his boat, about to start the motor. He looks concerned by the blood on her sleeve, but she reaches for his hand.
‘He’s armed, Joe. We have to leave.’
‘Let me check you’re okay first.’
‘Cast off, please, before it’s too late.’
The boat powers through the sound. Ruby can see the compass pointing due east, towards the mainland.
‘It’ll be a bumpy ride, Chloe. The weather’s turning.’
When she looks back at Bryher, the boat’s wash leaves a ragged trail. Kitto is on the jetty, with his guard doubled over at his side, catching his breath. She hoped her last knife blow had finished Kitto, but she missed her mark. At least he can’t touch her now. It’s only when she faces the open sea again that fear enters her mind. The ocean’s immensity unrolls for miles. She’s beyond the sound’s protection, with waves peaking in high crests.
Craig Travis’s voice echoes through her thoughts. Kill their families if you can’t reach your target. She’ll get to Penzance hospital before Kitto, to kill the woman he loves, and their unborn child. It will be the cruellest punishment imaginable. Her father would be ecstatic.
84
Kinsella is catching his breath as I jump aboard my uncle’s boat. My bowrider wouldn’t cope with waves like this. Ray has left the keys in the ignition as usual, thank God, but the engine won’t start. It gives a sick cough before fading into silence. I try again, still with no result. The powerful motor only kicks into life as Kinsella climbs on board. The lights of Joe Trescothick’s converted fishing boat are pinpricks in the dark, already far ahead. The boy must have swallowed Ruby Travis’s charade. He’s taking a big risk carrying her to the mainland when the gale could overwhelm his small vessel.
‘Take the wheel, can you?’ I yell at Kinsella as the wind gathers force. ‘Give me your phone, and keep the compass pointing east.’
When I glance back at the jetty, there’s no sign of Shadow. He’s been glued to my side for days, but I can’t help him now, if he’s hurt. I use Kinsella’s phone to call the hospital, telling them I’m on my way. The signal fades as we leave the islands. The line’s even worse when I ask Eddie to alert the coastguard and let them know we’re chasing a converted fishing boat that’s heading for Land’s End, with a killer on board. I tell him to call Joe Trescothick as well, to warn him that his girlfriend is dangerous. My last instruction is to keep a lookout for Shadow.
I should have checked how much diesel was in the tank before setting out. The gauge shows it’s half empty. That’s not enough for the three-hour journey to Penzance, but at least we’re narrowing the gap. Kinsella is struggling to keep us on course, so I take the wheel again. His face is so full of tension he’s a liability.
‘Don’t shoot again,’ I tell him. ‘I want her alive.’
‘What else could I do? That bitch would have killed you, you’re covered in blood.’
‘It’s only a scratch.’ I’d forgotten the cut on my jaw, blood still dripping down my neck. It must be deeper than I thought. ‘She’s just a teenager.’
‘What difference does that make?’
The heat in his eyes worries me. He seems to have a score to settle with the past, after witnessing too much violence, like Ruby. The waves are higher now, slowing our progress, and Trescothick’s boat is pitching to starboard with breakers smashing over its prow. Everything I care about hangs in the balance: Nina, the baby, my job. I’ve put all three in danger, but there’s no turning back.
85
Ruby can feel the storm winning, the boat’s engine straining under her feet. There are no lights on the pitching sea, except from Kitto’s boat, which is drawing closer all the time. If only she’d managed to kill him, her work would be complete. It doesn’t matter what happens to her now. The wind screams as it passes overhead. Rain falls in hard pellets that batter her face whenever she glances back, and Joe is wrestling the wheel.
‘That crazy bastard shot at me,’ she says. ‘I had to run through the woods.’
‘He won’t hurt you now, I promise.’
‘Go faster, Joe, please.’
‘This is top speed. My boat’s not built for water this rough.’
Ruby’s feelings overwhelm her when she looks at him again. There’s determination as well as naked fear on his face. He’s risking his life to save hers. They might have stayed together for years if things had been different.
‘I’m sorry, Joe. You don’t deserve this.’
He shakes his head. ‘Don’t apologise. We’re in it together.’
‘You’ll hear about my past. It’ll change how you feel.’
‘Nothing could.’
‘You won’t believe it at first. Then you’ll grow to hate me.’
‘How could I, Chloe? It was love at first sight.’
The other boat’s lamps look brighter as a huge wave lifts them above the breakers, like they’re riding a roller coaster. Ruby presses her lips to his, taking comfort from his words, but her enemy is so close, they’ll soon be overtaken. She’s not prepared to languish in jail, her decision made in a split second. Before Joe can stop her, she dives overboard.
The shock of freezing cold water is followed by terror. A wave crashes over her head as the sea’s raw symphony throbs in her ears. When she resurfaces, Joe’s boat looks tiny as the current drags her away. She can hear his voice in the distance, yelling her name. The next wave knocks her under again, yet instinct makes her keep on fighting back to the surface.
A breaker rolls her onto her back and she’s granted a last moment of peace. The sky’s glitter seems endless, and her father’s words reach her again. We’re the stars and the moon, Ruby, looking down on them all. But what if he was wrong? She could have loved someone and been loved in return. The question haunts her as currents swirl in a vortex, dragging her under, into water that’s far blacker than the sky.
86
I see her leap overboard, then Trescothick’s frantic attempts to throw her a safety ring. I can tell he’s about to dive after her, stripping off his waterproofs as our boats draw level.
‘Stay on deck, Joe,’ I yell. ‘You won’t make it. Let the coastguard find her.’
He’s on the prow as the boat pitches, clinging to the handrail. He looks terrified, too afraid of losing his girlfriend to value his own life. His boat should be facing the oncoming waves, but with no one steering, it’s spinning like a cork in a whirlpool. My only chance of saving him is to get on board, before it capsizes.
I have to wait until we’re alongside before making the leap. I steer as close as possible, then let Kinsella take the wheel. There’s a deep gulf between the vessels as I stand on the bow, waiting for the right moment. If I fall, I’ll be crushed like a butterfly, the two boats grinding together with the next high wave. It’s a leap of faith when I take my chance, overbalancing as I hit the deck. I try to guide Joe’s boat into the oncoming sea, but he’s still in danger. His waterproofs have washed overboard, rain soaking him to the skin as he yells for a girl who never really existed.
Relief floods my system when I hear the rescue helicopter’s engine, until it dawns on me that their first duty is to find the killer, despite the lives she’s claimed. They won’t carry me to Nina. The symbol Ruby carved into her victims’ skin has a different meaning now. Craig Travis used it as a warning to his gang: three strikes and you’re out. But the square slashed through with vertical lines looks like a cell window too, covered in bars. Ruby’s father died behind them, but she never intended to suffer the same fate.
I only start to relax when the lights of a second helicopter arrive. Eddie must have scrambled the Cornish police to send their only chopper. The RNLI are on their way too; the lifeboatmen will sail both boats back to harbour safely. Joe Trescothick is in no state to get home alone. I can’t imagine how he’ll feel when he learns the truth about his girlfriend, whether she’s dragged from the sea dead or alive.
I’d enjoy the adventure of being winched into a helicopter, on a normal day, but Nina’s my only thought as I dangle from the rope, with the sea sprawling below me. Even the revelation that Maeve killed Louis Hayle as revenge for his abuse drifts from my head. The medic’s face is compassionate when he puts a silver blanket round my shoulders, even though I’m too numb to register the cold. I tell him not to bother dressing my wounds, but he does it anyway, swiping iodine into the cuts on my jaw and shoulder, then covering them with bandages.
‘We’ll get you sorted properly at the hospital,’ he yells over the engine’s scream.
The sea’s still churning fifty metres below us as Land’s End comes into sight, but I may already have missed the birth. Over an hour has passed since Eddie told me to go to Penzance. My hands are shaking with delayed shock.
When the helicopter lands on the hospital’s roof, I run under the spinning rotor blades towards a nurse who’s beckoning me. The chopper’s engine is deafening as we rush down the emergency stairs, then through brightly lit corridors and wards reeking of bleach. Then I hear a woman’s scream, the sound low and guttural.
Nina is surrounded by monitors, yelling at full blast, when I crash through the doors of the delivery room. The sight of her makes the skeleton on Badplace Hill and Ruby Travis’s killing spree vanish like mist. I feel calmer when she screams at me. Anyone who can curse that loudly can’t be in danger.
‘You bastard. You almost missed the whole fucking thing.’
‘I’ll never leave you again, I promise.’
‘Get me an epidural, before I kill you.’
A consultant appears in the doorway, looking concerned. I watch as she checks the monitors then turns to Nina.
‘Your blood pressure’s still a little too high. I’ll give you some more pain relief then take you to theatre for your C-section. Everything’s set up.’
Nina barely responds while she battles the next contraction, and a wave of panic hits me. She must have signed consent forms already if they’re doing a Caesarean.
‘You got here just in time,’ the medic says. ‘Scrub up now, please, if you want to see your baby born.’
‘He does,’ Nina says through gritted teeth.
When I catch sight of myself in the mirror above the hospital sink I see a giant with wild eyes, sea-blown hair, and a bandage on his jaw that’s saturated with blood. I look more like a Cornish pirate than an expectant dad, but I’m determined to see our kid arrive, so I pull on the blue scrubs the doctor hands me.
Calmness settles over us once Nina gets her epidural, but her exhaustion shows. Her olive skin is grey with tiredness. It takes ten more minutes of grovelling until I’m forgiven. My feelings for her slip from my mouth unedited for once.
‘You’re all I want. We’re getting married this summer, whether you like it or not.’
My announcement seems to amuse Nina, but her smile fades when she’s wheeled into theatre. I focus on her instead of the surgeons working behind their screen. Something about her reactions worries me. Her eyes are glassy; she barely responds to the nurse who stands opposite telling her how well she’s doing.
