Page 12 of She Saw What He Did

Jared lifts the camera and scans the beach.

‘He’s not there now.’

He takes a sharp breath.

‘I see the body,’ he says.

I pull my phone from my bag. Please God let there be signal, but there’s nothing.

‘He’s coming for us,’ I panic. ‘That’s why he’s not on the beach.’

I’m struggling to stop my body from shaking. Jared’s hand is clammy in mine.

‘Come on,’ he says, and I have no choice but to follow.

Damn this place. How can there be no phone signal? The beach is now deserted. The sun beats down on the back of my neck as I follow Jared down the steep incline. The rucksack feels ten times heavier than it did earlier. The path is uneven and several times I stumble. My legs feel like jelly and I’m afraid I won’t make it.

‘Jared,’ I say breathlessly, ‘I’m scared.’

‘It’s okay,’ he says, but he doesn’t sound convinced.

Flies buzz around our faces and I wonder why I didn’t notice them when we were climbing up. We inch our way down slowly. Jared stops and looks through the camera viewfinder at the beach below.

‘Shit,’ he groans.

‘What?’ I ask, my shoulders tightening.

‘He’s coming this way,’ he says hoarsely.

I’m pulled along the uneven path, loose rocks shifting beneath my feet. My neck feels prickly from the heat. Tears blur my way and I rub angrily at them. I’m furious with us both for leaving Sam. We should have known better.

He puts a finger to his lips, telling me to be silent. I hold my breath and wait but nothing happens. Then I see him. He’s climbing the path we have just left. He’ll get a better view of the island and a better view of us. Soon there will be nowhere for us to hide.

‘Why isn’t he coming after us?’ Jared whispers.

‘I don’t know,’ I say, puzzled. The sun is getting hotter. My body is drenched in sweat. We’ve not travelled far but fear is exhausting me.

‘We’ve got to go for it,’ says Jared. There’s a tremor in his voice and I squeeze his hand.

‘It’s going to be okay,’ I say.

The path is rocky and uneven. We make slow progress in our effort not to make any noise. The path is so overgrown with weeds that often the trail seems to disappear. Every sound makes me jump. Even the leaves crunching under my feet unnerve me. I hear a crack behind me and turn sharply, missing my footing. My ankle twists beneath me and I slip down the slope. Jared reaches out and grabs the rucksack on my shoulders. I grasp his outstretched hand. I know I daren’t cry out, no matter how bad the pain is.

‘Are you okay?’ Jared whispers.

‘I’m not sure.’

It’s now difficult to lift my foot and I have to fight back a yelp as Jared carefully helps me down the incline.

‘I think I’ve sprained it,’ I whisper.

I can feel the skin tightening where the ankle is swelling.

‘I can’t go any further,’ I groan.

Then I remember.

‘How long is it since you have eaten?’

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