Page 21 of She Saw What He Did

‘Maybe there’ll be another,’ she said.

‘As you’re so sure there won’t be mass murder on the island tonight, I’ll get you a large Coke.’

To drown my sorrows, Ellen thought.

*

‘We should have a holiday,’ she said when they found an empty table. ‘I’ve got two weeks.’

‘Where would we go?’ Peter asked.

Ellen looked into his heavy-lidded eyes.

‘I don’t know, abroad somewhere. What about Spain?’

He laughed.

‘Spain?’ he repeated as if it was Outer Mongolia. ‘What do you want to go to Spain for? You won’t get views better than here.’

Ellen sighed and looked down at her chipped nails. She kept meaning to paint them, but somehow, she never seemed to find the time. God knows why. It wasn’t as if she did much with her life.

‘But I’m sick of here. Nothing ever happens here. There’s no life.’

‘Hey Ellen,’ someone called.

Ellen turned to the voice.

‘Evening Breen,’ she said.

Breen Maldon, the island’s butcher, strode towards her.

‘What’s going on over at Laslow Island then?’ he asked, placing his pint on the table. Ellen hoped he wouldn’t sit down. She really wanted to discuss the holiday with Peter.

‘Nothing as far as I know,’ she replied. ‘Why?’

It was hot in the pub, even with the doors open. Thunder growled outside but it hadn’t brought any welcome rain.

‘We were coming back from fishing. Ned and I,’ said Breen, nodding to a man at the bar. ‘Ain’t that right, Ned?’

‘Yeah and we saw this flashing light from the old lighthouse. Never seen that before,’ agreed Ned.

‘What flashing light?’ asked Ellen, feeling mildly curious.

At that moment her phone rang, and a strange feeling of unease crept over her.

‘P.C. Burden,’ she said.

‘Hi Ellen, it’s Roy down at the quay. Sorry to bother you. A boat trip just got in and they mentioned seeing …’

‘A light flashing from Laslow Island’s lighthouse,’ she finished for him.

‘Yeah, that’s it. Most likely kids but …’

‘I’ll check it out,’ said Ellen.

‘We wouldn’t want abandoned tourists, now would we?’ he chuckled.

‘Absolutely not,’ she agreed, smiling.

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