The Drowners (28 page)

‘Reckon they’s gone,’ she said, sounding more convinced than she really felt. Where could they have gone, after all? Perhaps they floated away on the breeze …

A sudden thought struck her and Ada suppressed a chuckle. Taking a few steps back towards the yard she peered at the layout of the workings. Nodding to herself, she hurried back to where Lily was scuffling around in the mud, retrieving her fireworks.

‘Don’t be worrying about that,’ said Ada firmly. ‘Just keep them fuses dry, you hear?’

Muttering beneath her breath, Lily fished the last of the brown paper wrapped cylinders from a rut in the road and straightened up with a soft groan.

‘I’m getting too old for all this,’ she grumbled. ‘Running around the Levels in the middle of the night. Don’t know why I agreed to all this.’

Ada held up a warning hand, cutting off the flow of complaint as a faint cry, a desperate call for help floated
across the Levels from the direction of the hidden track. Lily opened her mouth to speak but Ada’s gesture cut her off.

‘Hush now!’

They stood in silence, straining their ears as the shout came again.

‘This way,’ said Ada and set off towards the bank that led down to the edge of the marsh. Lily followed behind, dragging her illicit load and wondering just what, exactly, she’d got herself into.

Ada stood at the very edge of the mud, leaning forwards as she strained to pick up the slightest sound, but all was still once more.

‘Maybe a fox or summat?’ ventured Lily hopefully.

Ada fixed her with her best withering glare. ‘A fox?’ she said. ‘A
fox
? ’Ent nothing like no fox. Is someone out in the marsh. Someone caught out there, in trouble. Give me that now.’ She held her hand out for the bag of fireworks. ‘And go break some of them withies off. Get a dozen or so and bring ’um back. Go on, look sharp will yer? If some poor bugger’s in the marsh they’ve only got a few minutes.’

Lily trotted back up the bank and began twisting at the young branches on the trees. A number were already snapped and hanging down, marking Derek Johns’ escape through the window a few days previously, and she was able to twist them free quite easily. The new growth was another matter as the twigs were smooth and supple but extremely tough, and she cut her hands a couple of times before Ada’s urgent voice sent her stumbling down to the water’s edge. She stared in astonishment at her friend who was, miraculously, walking on the liquid surface out towards a large clump of reeds some twenty feet away.

‘Don’t stand there gawping,’ Ada snapped. ‘See that bit of a stump there? No, over a bit, there – right, now just keep facing me and walk out towards us. Slow now, feel with yer feet. Come on woman!’

In the biggest leap of faith in her entire life, Lily stepped out onto the slick, liquid surface and made her way towards
where Ada was standing, sure in her heart this was either suicide or a miracle.

From the little mound on which she stood, Ada reached back, helping Lily to the dubious safety of relatively solid ground. In silence they switched loads, Lily happy to pass over the bundle of cumbersome withies. Peering around the edge of the reeds, Ada located what she hoped was the next track. Selecting a branch from the bundle, she poked through the slime before stepping gingerly out on to the second section. Lily hovered behind her, uncertain whether to follow.

Desperately cold in the darkness of the marsh, Tom was sinking very, very slowly into the mud, his body almost entirely encased in the slime. He still had one hand on the surface and his shoulders were not fully submerged but he could feel the tickling of the water as it flowed around his neck. As the first trickle flowed into his ears he almost jerked his head away, desperate to clear them, but the tiny reflex flickered through his body, losing him another inch as the mud flowed around him. Why, he wondered, why was he prolonging the agony? There was no-one coming and there would be no miracle. His shoulders and neck were aching abominably as the tension of his rigid muscles pulled at his spine. It would be easier just to relax, let his hips go and sink down into the marsh, but the horror of that final moment kept him fighting even though he knew it was hopeless. The water continued its inexorable rise up around his face and he decided to give one last shout, a yell of defiance before it reached his mouth.

Ada almost fell off the track as the shout rang out.

‘Who’s there?’ she called, hurrying towards the voice. ‘Hold on – we’m coming.’

Tom heard her above the sounds of his own breathing, a roaring in his ears as the surrounding water rendered him close to deaf. He was gripped by conflicting emotions. Hope, impossible hope was followed in an instant by fear for Ada and Lily. They didn’t know the track was down and unless he could alert them, they too would be lured into the marsh,
floundering and dying in the mud. He didn’t hesitate and used the last of his breath to shout a warning.

‘No! The track is broken – don’t come any closer – please.’

‘Tom?’ came Ada’s voice. ‘Tom, that you out there?’

Each time he called out, he slipped a tiny bit further into the mud and the water rose a fraction towards his mouth and nose. He knew it was close to the end now but he had to make sure Ada and Lily were safe.

‘You stay away,’ he shouted. ‘’Ent nothin’ you can do, not from that side any road. You get outa here Ada.’

Ada swung round and beckoned Lily towards her.

‘You follow me now and we’ll see if’n we can keep ’um afloat for a bit,’ she said.

Lily trotted after her, across to the central hump that lay just a few scant yards from where Tom was stranded,
spread-eagled
in the marsh.

‘Gimme one of them fireworks,’ Ada said, placing it carefully on the ground and as far away from them both as the tiny island allowed.

‘Close yer eyes Tom,’ she ordered, as she lit the waxed string that acted as a fuse. For a moment it seemed the firework was a dud, but then with a brilliant flash and a bang that left their ears ringing it exploded, lighting up the surrounding area.

‘Bloody hell, woman, what you doin’?’ shouted Tom, blinking and trying not to flinch as he struggled to maintain the delicate balance that just kept him above the water. Bereft of his night vision, he had a horrible feeling he was rocking from side to side. Ada had only a brief glimpse of his face, white and tense as it just protruded from the surrounding mire but the sight filled her with horror.

‘Don’t you move now, Tom,’ she called. ‘We’s going to get you out. Just stay still!’

‘Well now, woman,’ muttered Tom to himself, ‘Why didn’t I think of that. Just stay still eh?’

‘You watch it, Tom Monarch,’ came Ada’s voice. ‘Don’t you be bad-mouthing me. Specially considering the predicament you’s in right now.’

Despite the predicament he was in, Tom managed a grin. He’d forgotten just how much he liked Ada over the years. He wished now he’d tried to keep in touch with her. It was a bit late now – such a waste, he thought sadly. He was startled out of his fleeting moment of self-pity by something nudging his arm as it lay just on the surface of the mud. Fighting every instinct to flinch, to lift his head to see what was crawling towards him through the ooze, Tom kept his body rigid.

‘You got that then?’ Ada’s voice floated over to him.

‘Got what?’ he managed. His breath was coming in short, harsh gasps now and the cold was so intense he could no longer feel his legs. The first ripples of a shiver ran through him and he knew any moment he would start to shake, disturbing the fragile surface tension that held him just clear of the water.

‘Just slide yer arms on this, use it to keep yer head up, man,’ snapped Ada, pushing a hastily woven raft of withies across the swampy surface. As his vision cleared, Tom focussed his eyes on the frail-looking mat. It was
inconceivable
such a weak looking thing could save him but Tom inched his arm over and carefully slid it across the rough surface. Despite its futility, Tom was overwhelmed with gratitude. He would not die alone, nor would the marsh be his final, unmarked resting place. Someone cared about him, cared enough to risk their own life for his.

‘I got it,’ he called. ‘Now, you get clear. And – Ada?’ There was a pause.

‘What?’ came the reply.

‘Thank you, girl. I wish …’

‘Don’t you start getting soft on me now,’ hissed Ada. ‘We ’ent done yet. You just stay still till we get round your side.’ And with that she was gone, leaving him to float in the cold, dank water, clutching at the little mat of willow, alone in the dark.

Sue felt guilty. It was not an emotion she indulged in very often and quite frankly she didn’t much like it, but as the
hours passed and there was no sign of Alex she was starting to think perhaps she should have insisted on accompanying her friend. She flicked through the offerings on the television but none of the four stations held any appeal. Getting up to turn off the set she glanced out of the window at the night. It was clear, with no sign of the heavy rain that had made the last few weeks miserable, but it was still unseasonably cold and Sue suspected Alex was too tired to drive safely,
especially
at night. Her brush with meningitis had done something to her eyes and she still struggled to focus properly in dim light.

Sue thought of the bottle of wine on the side and cast an eye longingly at her half-finished book lying open on the little table, but she could not shake a nagging feeling something was wrong. With a sigh she fished in her bag for her car keys and then picked up the phone. There was a pause as she waited to be connected to the Highpoint police station and then a five-minute wrangle with the constable at the other end of the line before she slammed the receiver down in frustration.

‘Not a missing person until they’ve been gone over 24 hours. What the hell use is that?’ she muttered, tapping her foot angrily. After a moment she picked up the phone again and dialled another number.

‘Hi, Lauren? It’s Sue. Look, sorry to interrupt your evening but is Dave there?’

Lauren’s answer was muffled by the sound of the phone being dropped at that end but Sue made out enough to leave her blinking in surprise. She didn’t realize Lauren even knew some of those words. The sound of raised voices came down the line before a decidedly testy Dave said, ‘Yes?’

Sue explained her problem as clearly as she could, trying to inject some of her anxiety into her voice. There was a pause when she had finished.

‘Look,’ said Dave finally, ‘she’s an adult and the rules are quite clear – and actually quite sensible. Virtually all adults just come back in less than 24 hours. It’s a total waste of
police time looking for them when they’re not lost or missing at all.’

‘Dave, please – this is Alex we’re talking about. Alex, out on the Levels in the dark, trying to find her way? She could drive in circles for hours and run out of petrol without ever finding a village or even a farm. You know what she’s like.’

There was another silence before Dave asked, ‘What’s she doing out on the Levels anyway? It’s not safe until we find Derek Johns – she must know that.’

Sue felt her mouth go dry.

‘We phoned through a warning this afternoon,’ said Dave, anxiety now echoing through his voice. ‘The station should have called to let you know we have evidence Johns is still alive and possibly implicated in at least one of the recent deaths.’

‘Well, she didn’t get the bloody message!’ Sue snapped back. ‘She doesn’t know anything about this and now Alex is out there, alone, with a mad stalker on the loose!’

At the other end of the line Dave was torn between concern for Alex and his almost overwhelming desire to stay with Lauren. He could hear her in the next room, slamming the fridge door and banging the crockery on the side. ‘Dave?’ came Sue’s voice, and he took a deep breath. He owed Alex and Sue a lot for their support and friendship over the past year and, besides, he was a policeman. He had dedicated himself to the job, promising to protect and serve the public. There was no way he could refuse and still look himself in the eye tomorrow.

‘I’ll be over in about twenty minutes,’ he said softly. ‘Don’t do anything silly – you wait for me. See if you can dig out a torch or two and some decent shoes as well. You’ll need something a bit more substantial than those sandals if you’re heading out on to the Levels.’

He replaced the receiver softly and turned to meet Lauren’s angry stare.

‘I have to go,’ he pleaded. ‘Look, they’re your friends too. I can’t leave Alex out there, on her own. She’s not been well and after everything she went through last night …’
His voice trailed off as Lauren just glared at him without speaking.

This was not how he had imagined his evening, Dave thought, as he climbed into his car, fastened his seatbelt and drove off down the road towards Highpoint. Although he tried to concentrate on his driving, Lauren’s voice kept echoing in his head.

‘This is how it’s going to be ’ent it?’ she had asked.

Unable and unwilling to lie, Dave had just nodded.

‘Well, I reckon is goodbye then,’ said Lauren, closing the door before he could offer anything in the way of a defence. He had stood there for a moment, cold with shock. Reaching out he touched the bell but withdrew his hand without ringing. Maybe she just meant for the evening, he thought. That must be it. She couldn’t really mean … For the first time in a number of years Dave found himself questioning his own ambitions but, despite that, he knew he had to go to Alex’s aid. He had a nasty feeling, a sense of foreboding that he could not shake off as he sped through the night.

Alex waited in the ditch, cold and wet, with no real way of telling how long she had been there. She tried judging the time by the pale moon as it crept across the sky but that was only likely to be successful if she knew how fast it moved – or even what the time had been when Simon left. She squinted at her watch but it was too dark to make out the hands, even if she could have focussed on it without her glasses which were currently lying beside the useless map on the front seat of her car. She clenched her teeth, partly in frustration and partly in an attempt to stop them chattering with the chill that was creeping through her body. She didn’t know exactly how long Simon had been gone but it was surely longer than necessary if he had just been going to fetch help. There was always the possibility he had forgotten about her, or lost where she was. She had to admit she really didn’t know an awful lot about how Simon’s mind worked and she was worried she might freeze to death out here, waiting for help that never arrived.