‘That’s not going to cut it,’ Abbey growled. ‘You were searching for something specific.’
‘Go fuck yourself.’
Without warning Anthony went for the Australian, wrestling him to the ground. Sol writhed beneath him, squirmed, cried out as a jab landed. Anthony was heavier, tougher, and he battered Sol mercilessly, emotionlessly. Nobody interjected.
‘You can make him stop, Sol,’ said James. ‘You can make this go away.’
A sickening crack echoed along the bay as Sol took a flattened fist to the jaw.
Abbey stepped in. ‘Isn’t this a little extreme?’
The camp watched hypnotically as Anthony climbed to his feet and swung a vicious kick to the Australian’s ribs, another crack signifying a second breaking bone.
‘James!’ Abbey cried. ‘Stop this. Whoever’s out there, this is what he wants.’
Sol rolled into a fetal shape, the sand absorbing his wracking sobs. ‘Okay!’ he screamed. ‘Stop, please. I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!’
Stepping back, Anthony gasped heavily and turned his back on the group. James watched him walk past Eric and disappear into the shadows along the bay.
Holding his ribs, Sol climbed tentatively to his knees. ‘You guys are so fucking warped, do you even know who you are anymore?’
James grabbed his hair and yanked. ‘Where do you go, Sol?’
‘I get high, okay!’
James wasn’t sure he'd heard right. ‘High?’
‘Yes,’ Sol cried. ‘That’s it. Fuck, dude!’
Releasing the man’s hair, he peered down wearily at the Australian.
‘Where do you get drugs out here?’ Abbey interrupted. ‘Unless…’
Sol looked nervously from face to face.
‘You’re a smuggler,’ James confirmed.
Massaging his tender jaw, Sol said, ‘Not quite. I mean I was smuggling, this time. But it was only a one-off.’
‘That’s why you were looking for your case.’
‘What were you smuggling,’ Abbey asked.
Sol sniffled. ‘Just Class C's.’
‘Class C's?’
‘The chronic…weed, dude! Whacky baccy, skunk, resin, pot, draw, marijuana. Look, I’m a dealer back home, okay. A couple of months ago, a friend of mine comes to me with a proposition. He knows some guy in Durban with this real killer stuff, but it’s only a one time offer. All I’ve to do is get from South Africa to Australia. I got the stuff dirt cheap, no way I could’ve passed it up!’
‘Great,’ she murmured. ‘A scumbag drug dealer.’
‘Not at all, what do you take me for? I sell to my mates and surfers on Bell’s Beach, and never anything harder than weed.’
‘Oh, you're a regular saint.’
‘You arseholes can scoff all you like, but that’s all I’ve been doing, smoking my own product. It takes the edge off. You don’t believe me, that’s your business. Like I give a fuck.’
‘What does this prove?’ Abbey said firmly. ‘He could be getting high and killing people, it’s possible to do both.’
‘Killing people!’ Sol gasped. ‘Just what the fuck are you people into here?’
James crouched. ‘Somebody was murdered tonight, Sol. Teri is still missing and you keep vanishing. Do you see our dilemma?’
Sol glanced around looking for support where there was none. ‘Why are you hassling me?’ he moaned. ‘Where’s that big South African, I don’t see him anywhere. Go and bother that guy.’
As if on cue Sebastian came striding along the beach, buried beneath the tattered grey pinstripe he’d refused to change. Around the fire, the girl continued to appear vacant and Oli had turned a pale shade of green, like he'd eaten something he shouldn’t have.
‘Where’s my mum?’ Eric said more urgently.
‘Sebastian,’ James began,’ you need to tell us where you’ve been.’
Sebastian blinked in confusion. ‘For a walk,’ he said simply.
‘Convenient,’ Abbey grumbled. ‘Not much of a cover story.’
‘Why would I need a cover story?’
James said, ‘Just tell us where you’ve been, Sebastian.’
‘Nobody’s kicking the shit out of this prick, I notice,’ Sol moaned. ‘Why don’t you let the freak loose on this one, huh?’
‘Let the freak loose?’ Sebastian echoed. ‘What is it you suppose I’ve done?’
Sol climbed gingerly to his feet massaging his side. ‘I’ve just been given a kicking for smoking some weed, man, no reason you should get off scot-free.’
Sebastian looked bewildered. ‘Free from what exactly?’
‘Does that matter?’ Sol moaned. ‘Didn’t for me!’
‘You think you frighten me?’ Sebastian said calmly, convincingly. ‘Any of you, you think you can intimidate me? I’ve seen things you could never imagine.’
‘Is that right, Sebastian?’ James challenged. ‘Like what?’
Sebastian swallowed hard. ‘The kind of things no one should ever have to see.’
‘A walk along the beach, Sebastian?’ said Abbey. ‘You can’t do better than that?’
‘I don’t have to. You asked me where I’ve been, I told you.’
‘For two hours?’
‘Two and a half actually. Couldn’t sleep.’
The story was weak, there was no denying that, but that didn’t make it untrue. Another brutal headache was brewing between James’s eyes.
‘Somebody want to tell me what I’m accused of? Last I checked, walking along a beach isn’t a crime.’
‘Oh no?’ Anthony had reappeared and moved stealthily back amongst them. ‘And how about murder?’
Sebastian’s eyes widened, his gaze wandering carefully.
‘Now doesn’t that look like a guilty face?’ said Anthony.
Sebastian failed to defend himself. Instead he stood silently, apprehensively.
‘Nothing to say?’ Anthony urged.
James didn’t know who that question was aimed at.
The decreased number of survivors matched the South African’s quiet. Their spirit had taken a hit and nobody seemed to know what to do next. Gradually, quietly, the assembly began to disband, and like the Sebastian interrogation, the crackling fire was abandoned.
James noticed Abbey walk to the water’s edge, her shoulders visibly shuddering. He went to her, wrapped her in his arms. She hugged back fiercely. For what seemed like an eternity they stood like this, unmoving, James whispering assurances, Abbey accepting them, not believing them. Further up the beach, Eric had vanished.
47
The fire blazed. Taking solace
