Steve’s voice was quiet, but perfectly steady. “I think I’m the one who put him there.”
“I don’t believe it was really you.” Emma forced herself not to look in the direction Zoe had gone. “I think somebody else did it.”
“I like that. That’s a nice thing to believe.”
“It’s the truth.”
Steve shrugged. “Maybe that too, if you care about that sort of thing. Point is, we know which way they went, Ned and Evan. What about you? Where are you going?”
Emma heard the question echo in a rhythm, like a metronome getting louder and louder.
“I don’t know.” She stumbled through the last word and ended on a whisper.
“I hope it’s somewhere good.”
“Why? You shouldn’t.” These words came out clear. She forgot about the other people at the bonfire, forgot to care if anyone heard.
Steve looked past her into the fire.
“You remember I told you my mum died? I think that’s when things started to turn to shit around here. Once she was gone, there weren’t any foreigners around, except His Excellency. And me, sort of. People talked about the outside world less and less after that. I think people lost track of what was real.
“I would have done anything to keep her a little longer. I always think of that when I remember Ned. Do you have a best friend, Emma?”
“Not really. No. No, not at all.”
“David, then. If someone said to him the things that you’re saying to yourself in your head, what would you do?
“I would kick their teeth down their throat.” She answered with no indication of hyperbole.
“That’s about what I expected.”
The idea pinged back and forth through Emma’s mind, like a tiny question mark coaxing her through a chain of thought. She thought about all the fight in her, and how little of it had been on her behalf.
She had botched more than a few things in her time, but she had yet to give up even once. It was time to fight for herself now, figure things out later.
Don’t listen to doubt, just act. Keep moving, but this time not away from some unspecified danger. Toward something else. Figure it out later. It wasn’t much of a plan, but she had gotten by with less.
She raised a finger, lowered it, then raised it again. “I have to do something.”
“OK. What?”
That was an excellent question. Emma knew there was a narrow window of opportunity before Zoe got in her head again. She was the threat, the only one who could really get to her.
“Zoe.”
“What about her?”
“Does she seem different to you lately? Her personality, I mean?”
“Of course. She never came out like this before. Barely left the station, and never said a word to anyone.”
“That’s what I thought. Listen, Steve. I may have to deputize you.”
“What’s that now?”
“You ever watch American TV? It’s not important. I need to know everything you can tell me about Zoe. Habits. Social connections. Anything we can use to find evidence of illegal activity.”
“Is Zoe mixed up in something?”
Emma considered how candid she dared to be, then decided on total honesty. “I don’t know. I just need to detain her. I need to know where she will be at all times. Keep her at arm’s length.”
To her surprise, Steve did not look shocked.
“Jessie could help you. She’s the only person who might know something about her. And Darren. If there’s anything illegal happening on this island, Darren will know about it.”
“Got it.” Emma searched the faces around the fire with fresh eyes. For the first time she saw a platoon of potential allies. She could fight her. Fight it. Whatever. She needed room to breathe, enough time on her own to process things. The best chance Emma had was if Zoe couldn’t ambush her whenever she wanted with a scalpel to the brain. Get things sorted with David, the Met, and herself. Then deal with her.
Emma circled the fire looking for Darren. The fire was dying, and a few people were already trickling away, back to the village. The light faded. The smell of the paddock took over. Emma fought the instinct to whisper her conspiracy.
“Darren, I have a job for you.”
“Is Steve not letting you use the shed anymore? Because I need my shed. It’s where the wife keeps her newspapers.”
“No, I need you to come with me to the station tomorrow morning. We’re going to do another sweep, and you are going to help me find out what it is I’m looking for.”
“Right.”
“It will all make sense. Trust me, I’m a police officer. Not a word to anyone until I come to you first thing in the morning.”
She turned without addressing the confused look on his face and introduced herself to a few revelers who looked useful in a fight. Before the fire was down to embers, she was on her way down the hill. Jessie would be at The Rock. David had already gone back. Time to rally the troops.
Emma didn’t think to look out for Zoe on the walk into the village. In the total darkness between the little stone houses she felt clever and invisible. The chill of the wet, salty air followed her all the way down the street, into The Rock, and up the stairs.
The room was as dark as outside, but she could see the bed was occupied. The thin slice of light from between the curtains traced a lumpy shape across the covers. Emma turned on a lamp, careful not to subject David to the blazing and humming of the overhead light. He lay on the bed, fast sleep. Emma moved to the chair as quietly as the buckling floorboards would allow.
“Always the well-adjusted one, aren't we? I don’t even blame you. Get some sleep. Tomorrow we go hunting.”
She heard the background noise of the faucet and realized it wasn’t coming through the wall. She tip-toed to the bathroom to turn it off and noticed one of David’s pill bottles was missing,
