There were bigger problems for the moment. No one had replaced the Governor General because no one in England knew he was dead. But it made no sense to keep it a secret.
“I don’t understand.” She directed her question to the ruins, barely loud enough for Steve to hear. “Why do they pretend he’s still alive?”
“Somebody ought to be in charge. It’s unbearable otherwise.”
Chapter 3
– I Am With You Now –
The next morning Emma stood on the pier while two men hauled Evan’s body onto the dinky charter vessel bound for Perth. He was wrapped in a plastic tarpaulin to preserve as much evidence as possible. One of the men couldn't remember Evan's last name when asked, and the other seemed reluctant to let go of such a nice tarp. The captain huffed and crossed his arms at the idea of loading a cargo that didn't pay. Emma watched from a supervisory distance. She tried to remember something nice about Evan and came up with nothing. The wind whipped the morning fog into pretty little spirals that smelled like seagull shit.
She turned and approached Zoe, who was hanging back by the chip shop. The young woman met her halfway and started talking without offering to shake her hand.
“Yesterday brought to today so lightly, a yesterday I find almost impossible to lift.”
“Come again?”
“Nothing. Just some old rot.”
“Miss Hall, right? Sorry we had to give you a welcome like this.” She attempted a smile. Zoe smiled back.
“It's alright. You're Ned's second, I understand.”
Emma's smile flickered and Zoe's eyebrows wrinkled in the middle.
“Yes. P.C. Emma Cambourne. Emma. I guess there have been a lot of developments since you left.”
“I got a bit of it from Jessie.”
“Word travels quickly.”
Zoe’s eyes circled the harbor. “Well, it doesn't have far to travel on South Alderney. It's funny. Ned tries to off himself. Then his best friend visits Evan, and Evan kills himself. And now I suppose the closest thing Evan had to a friend... is me.”
“I wouldn't think too hard about it.” Emma tried to sound reassuring. In police dramas they would put a hand on a person's shoulder, but surely nobody does that sort of thing in real life.
Zoe reflected her concern perfectly. “Oh, I know sometimes these things just happen.”
“Right. Mind you, we are going to consider everything. Once the lab reports come back, we'll know for sure if there is any evidence of foul play. But I doubt it.”
“Must be a red-letter day for village gossip. Let me guess. Someone has put forward the theory that Evan was overwhelmed by guilt at having stolen Greg's nice telly.”
“No one has mentioned it to me so far.”
“Give it time. On this island, everyone has time to think. I love it. Has anyone tried to convince you the devil did it?”
“Not yet. Should I be worried?”
“Do you believe in the devil?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then you have no reason to worry.”
Emma chuckled. “There was one woman who tried to convince me that murderers are afoot. Showed me some bones bitten in half to prove it.”
Zoe’s smile flickered. “Bitten?”
“I guess she thought a person did it? Probably just some local carnivore.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I’m not a scientist.” Emma paused, unsure what to say next. “I'm going to the station. We could walk there together.”
The two women walked side by side up the hill. Zoe was the sort of person Emma expected to work for the Antarctic Survey: confident, unflappable, probably water resistant to a hundred meters. After a minute she noticed Zoe's steps were perfectly in sync with her own.
“Did you have a chance to meet everyone since you came to the island?”
“Not really. I haven’t had time.”
“Really? That’s interesting. Well, you’ll have plenty of opportunity. You’ve met Jessie, at least. What about Red?”
“Big man at the pub? Yes. Why?”
“I like Red. He’s a barrel of laughs, isn’t he?”
“I don’t know that I would describe him that way.”
The ensuing silence struck Emma as a question. “I can’t say I’ve fully enjoyed anyone here.” Emma’s shoulders jerked. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“Yes you did, and it’s fine. Would you like to hear a secret?”
Emma stared at her.
“I feel the same way.”
Emma regained a sliver of her composure. “What kind of scientific work do you do at the station?”
“Not much science, not much work. Mostly we try to keep the beer supply from piling up.”
“Yeah, I got that impression from Evan.”
“Not really your speed around here, is it?”
“I don’t like feeling like I’m standing still.”
“I couldn't agree more. The sun and the wind move around the island, but none of the people ever go anywhere. Do you think it ought to be lonely here?”
“I think most people from the outside would go crazy doing what you and Evan do. Did. The locals seem reasonably well adjusted.”
“Yes and no. I take it you left friends back home?”
“Of course. And a cat.”
“And you'd say they were a big part of your life?”
Emma’s fingers fussed at the buttons of her coat. “Are you trying to make some kind of point? Because I don't see where this is going.”
“I'm trying to figure out how much of yourself you leave behind when it's just you. What's left of Emma when she's stuck on an island? Is it the good parts?”
“I think you'll find I'm not the sort of person who needs a lot of social validation. Good try, though. Does that usually get under people’s skin?”
“No. Not the first time.” Zoe didn’t wait for a reply before changing the subject. “Jessie tells me you've got a ball and chain with you.”
“Yes, David is my husband.”
There was a pause.
“I hope I'm not prying, but is your husband well?”
Emma sighed. “Jesus, does that woman put out a newsletter? He
