The Street by Susi Holliday

Author:Susi Holliday [Holliday, Susi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

Thirty

ANNA: TUESDAY

The Street was swarming with emergency response vehicles. Four police cars and two ambulances so far. One for Anna, one for Beth. But Anna didn’t need hers, and really, Beth didn’t either. But they put her on a stretcher in a bag and took her away, to the mortuary, presumably. This was after the police had cordoned off the beach and attempted to erect a tent, but they had soon given up when they realised that the priority was to get Beth away from the shore before the sea took her for them.

Anna let them give her some diazepam for the shock. There didn’t seem to be any reason not to take it. The co-codamol and the sleeping pill would be long gone from her system, and she hadn’t had any alcohol. But if the purpose of it was to numb her, she didn’t really need it. Because from the moment she’d worked out that it was Beth that she’d found on the beach, her whole body and mind had gone into some sort of numbed paralysis, where all she could do was exist on autopilot. Come over here with us, Anna. Sit here, Anna. Drink this sweet tea, Anna.

Beth. Poor, lovely Beth.

Anna was suffocating in guilt. She had meant to tell Beth about the news of the escaped prisoner. Beth hadn’t seemed worried when Anna had mentioned seeing the man on the beach, but maybe Anna hadn’t been specific enough. Maybe if she’d described him, then Beth would’ve known what to look for. She would’ve known to avoid him.

Because the police had already let it slip that this was no accident. Beth hadn’t drowned. The back of her head had been smashed in with something heavy. Possibly a piece of driftwood. It seemed opportunist, they said. Anna had overheard all of this while sipping her sweet tea. They thought they were whispering, but they didn’t realise they were in the presence of a writer – someone with a finely tuned ear for other people’s conversations. Peter had always told her it was a skill – to be able to sit in a noisy restaurant and remain engaged in a chat with him, while simultaneously picking up juicy details from the couples sitting at the tables on either side.

Should she tell the police that this might be connected to her? That Lars had sent someone after her? She was still pondering this when a tall man in a smart navy suit started walking towards her. His shock of red hair and his friendly face were at odds with the official-looking clothing.

‘Mrs Clarke? I’m Detective Sergeant Russel McLean. Is it OK if I ask you a few questions?’

Anna took a deep breath then returned his smile. ‘Of course. Although I’m not sure what else I can tell you . . . I explained to the uniformed officer earlier—’

‘Constable Wilson has filled me in. But it would be good if you could just tell me too? Helps us get things straight. Sometimes people remember something significant when they tell their story again.

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