Page 9 of She Saw What He Did

‘Okay,’ he laughs. ‘I get the message that you’re hungry. I’ll shoot up.’

I take several pictures with my standard lens. The views are breathtaking, and I feel sure my photos won’t do them justice. The camera bleeps and I curse.

‘Bloody hell,’ I groan on seeing the low battery symbol. ‘There must be a problem with the battery. I only charged it last night and it’s almost dead again.’

‘We can always come back,’ he says casually, rummaging in his rucksack.

‘It’s annoying.’

‘Are those seals?’ Jared points to some cliffs to the right of us.

I switch to my telephoto lens and peer through the viewfinder. Sure enough, lying on the rocks below us are two seals. They’re basking in the sunshine, oblivious of us onlookers. Sam would have loved seeing them. I force her from my mind and shoot a few pictures and then turn the camera to the beach, where our boat is moored. I see another speedboat has arrived on the island and I watch as a stocky man, wearing a full-length raincoat leaps from it and walks purposefully towards another man who is wearing shorts and a flowery shirt. I smile. What an odd couple, I think. The man in the shirt is shaking his head. It looks like they’re arguing.

‘Whoops, there’s trouble on the beach,’ I laugh.

‘Is it Germans with their towels?’ Jared chuckles.

‘There’s a guy in a raincoat, can you believe that?’

I’m about to lower the camera and turn to Jared when the man pulls something from inside his coat. For a moment I’m unsure what I’m seeing and then I realise.

‘Oh God,’ I gasp.

The man in the raincoat is pointing a gun at the other man who stumbles as he steps back, his hands held up in surrender.

‘Are you alright Abby?’ Jared asks.

‘He’s got a gun,’ I say, my voice hoarse.

‘Who has?’

I feel Jared’s breath hot on my neck. My hands have turned clammy. I try to pull my eyes away from the two men, but somehow I can’t. I’m rooted to the spot. The men turn and start walking towards the boats.

‘What do we do?’ I say, stupidly lowering my voice to a whisper.

I watch with my breath held as they walk up the jetty. Maybe they’ll get in the boat and go.

‘Let me see,’ Jared leans forward to take the camera.

I’m about to hand it over when the man in the shorts grabs an oar from the boat, spins around and feverishly pounds at the man with the gun. Shock holds me rigid. I can’t press the shutter on the camera. It’s as though my hands are paralysed. The man’s screams carry on the still air as the oar crashes down on him. He falls to his knees and a sob escapes my lips.

‘Oh God, he’s killing him.’

‘Abby?’ Jared asks anxiously.

There’s the crack of gun shots. I feel my legs tightening. My body is getting ready to run but somehow I can’t pull my eyes away.

‘Stop, stop,’ I cry as the oar comes down over and over again. A man is being bludgeoned to death and there is nothing I can do to help him. I watch mesmerised as the man finally drops the oar and falls onto the jetty. I’m breathing faster than an Olympic runner. My heart pounds madly in my chest. Then the man lifts his head and our eyes meet through the viewfinder. I gasp and quickly turn the camera away and find I’m focused on the body. I scan back to look for the murderer. My hands are shaking so much that I can barely get the camera to focus, and then I see him. He’s looking up at us through binoculars. I tumble shakily into Jared’s arms.

‘He’s seen us,’ I say, adrenalin coursing through my veins.

He takes the camera from my trembling hands.

‘Let me see,’ he says.

‘No,’ I yell.

My chest hurts from clenching the camera so tightly.

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