“Hello?”
“Sorry.”
“Still thinking about Evan?”
“No. Zoe.”
“A little off, that one.”
“More than a little.”
“But also strangely normal. You know she's the only person on this island who doesn't pretend there's a Governor General? Somehow that makes her almost stranger. And did you notice where she was from?”
“Barking and Dagenham?”
“Nobody says that. If she was from Dagenham, she would have said Dagenham. And if she was from Barking, she would have lied and said somewhere else.”
“You sound like you know her already. Why is it so easy for you to understand people, David?”
“It's not hard for you either. You're just no good at pretending. When someone's being a tit you can't smile politely and wait for them to go away. I've seen you try. It looked like you were trying to pass a stone without anyone noticing.”
“Thanks for that. But you make it sound like it's impatience. That’s not it.”
“What is it then?”
“I don't like them.”
“Who?”
“Any of them. I'm supposed to protect people, but when they talk to me all I can do is wait for them to shut up.”
“Emma, what did that woman say to you?”
“Maybe nothing. Maybe something.”
“What kind of something?”
“Well...”
“Yes! There she goes.”
“Drugs.”
“She said drugs.”
“No, hear me out.” Emma narrowed her eyes and tried to work out all the details. David always accused her of showing the same lurid thrill that regular people felt when dissecting a violent crime. The numerous times he caught her in bed looking at crime scene photos stolen from DI Acharya’s desk would seem very damning evidence. But now Emma was too focused to care what it looked like.
“I neglected to search that glorified tugboat this morning. And she and Evan were completely unsupervised in the station. Except for Ned, who by all accounts treated his job like a suggestion.”
“It doesn't match what I've heard, though.” David leaned in as he walked. “Jessie was telling me that Zoe's one of you lot. The, shall we say, socially reserved type. Painfully shy and frightened of her own shadow is what Jessie said. Struggled to get two words out of her since she came to the island.”
“That's not incompatible with a criminal enterprise. It's actually a point in favor. And that's certainly not the girl I met this morning. Wouldn't shut up. Kind of annoying, actually. She said something very strange about Gregory being Ned's friend, and her being Evan's friend. Out of nowhere. It felt like she was trying to tell me something without coming right out and saying it.”
“She's winding you up.”
“No. This wasn't a joke. She smiled when she said it. You people don't smile when you're tricking Americans. It spoils the fun.”
“Then she's manipulating you. Trying to get you on the back foot for whatever reason.”
“I can guess the reason. God, why didn't I check that boat?”
“Ah, the wheels are turning again! Glad the gerbil is getting some exercise.”
“I'll keep an eye on her. I know something isn't right.” Emma trailed off and stared into an overgrown back garden. David, lost in his own calculations, scowled at his shoes.
“There's something about the way she was looking at you that I didn't like. That wasn't the look of someone trying to hide a secret from the police. She looked almost disappointed when you left.”
“You're seeing things.”
“Yes, troubling things to be specific. This place would make anyone a little nervous, but this whole thing could be more dangerous than a couple of tossers selling meth to sheep farmers. Let me poke around. I can find out what's going on. If you’ll let me in on the secret.”
“What secret?”
“Don’t be cheeky with me, Em. I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re hiding something.”
“I don’t hide. You’re projecting because you’ve been sneaking around the village trying to do my job.”
“Well, someone has to.”
“I’ll have you know-”
“Kidding, Love! Kidding. But not about the secrets. That’s written all over your face.”
“David…”
“No, no, let me guess. More sporting that way. Let’s see… you’ve gotten me a seal carcass for Christmas! No, that’s not it. I know. There’s a scary cave and it’s full of pirate gold.”
“Well obviously there’s a scary cave full of pirate gold. But I’ll be damned if I know where it is.”
“Then there’s one possibility left. You’ve got a lead and you’re not telling me what it is because you want to keep all the fun for yourself.”
“This isn’t fun, David. It’s a mystery. Possibly of a criminal sort.”
“Do you listen to yourself when you talk, Em?”
“The point is, it’s professional.”
“Not personal.”
“Not recreational. Of course it’s personal.”
“Glad you can admit that.”
“I’ve never denied it.”
“But it’s gotten more personal, hasn’t it?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Most people do a job for a paycheck. Some people do a job because it makes a difference. You do this job because you need it. And it’s gotten worse.”
“Worse? That’s what you call being invested in my job?”
“Don’t play word games.”
“…said the pot to the kettle.”
“Touché. You know what? I think I know why you need this so badly.”
“Good for you.”
“Do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Emma. Tell me. What do you think is going to happen if you stop moving? Why couldn’t we stay in London?”
“I thought you said you knew everything.”
“I know this isn’t going anywhere good.”
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe you’re full of shit, David? You get to say ‘everything’s going to be fine, Em, if you just calm down.’ And as far as you care it will be. You get to think about today and be infuriatingly chipper when you’re not being a sarcastic asshole. I’m the one who has to be realistic.”
“You think what you’re doing is realism? You’re not planning for the future; you’re hiding from the present. The whole reason we’re here is because you’re scared. You’re scared of what’s going to happen to me, and what’s going to happen to you.”
“The whole reason we’re here is because you’re not scared. I can’t be the only one who
