Chapter 48 Polly
Polly
‘Burnfield Court,’ Polly whispers.
Miles’s eyes go wide at the mention of it. ‘From the documentary?’
‘Yeah. Burnfield Court was the estate where that horrible drug house was. The one Caira had to keep visiting. Remember?’
Miles slowly nods.
‘It was awful. And judging from the documentary, there were some horrible people there.’
Polly watches Miles’s face twitch and tense as he thinks it through.
Again, he says nothing, just turns his head to stare out of the window, where the forest is reappearing under the red glow of dawn.
‘I wouldn’t read too much into it,’ Polly says.
‘The people in that house were mostly addicts and drifters. There is no way they’d have the guile or the means to follow you all the way here. Whoever it is, they’re just a troll.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’ Miles gets up and grabs his walking boots, then sits back down and starts lacing them.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m going to find a signal and call the police.’
‘Really?’ Polly raises her voice so everyone can hear. ‘I think it would make more sense if somebody else went.’
‘I’m going,’ Miles repeats, firmer this time. ‘Come with me if you want.’
Polly puts some weight on her injured ankle and winces. There’s no way she can walk for miles. ‘I can’t. But you mustn’t go on your own.’ She raises her voice and looks around. ‘Who’s going with my brother?’
‘I’ll go with him,’ George says.
The sight of George getting to his feet and reaching for his coat is a relief to Polly. He might be the most annoying man on Earth, but at least he’s loyal to Miles. ‘Thanks, George,’ Polly says.
‘Of course.’
‘Wait,’ Faith says, also rising. She jabs a finger at George. ‘He’s not going anywhere.’
‘Why on earth not?’
Faith ignores George’s question and addresses Polly. ‘George is the only one with a motive for Elis’s murder. The cops won’t be happy if they find out we let him just wander off into the bush.’
George scowls and his eyes dart around, searching for support. ‘For heaven’s sake. Being punched in the face isn’t a motive for murder. I didn’t do anything to Elis. I’m not a criminal.’
‘Maybe you didn’t. But the point still stands. And besides, you and him’ – pointing at Reubyn – ‘are apparently the guys who know how to do a jump start. I reckon you should focus on that.’
‘Well, he can’t go on his own.’
Faith glares at George. ‘Why not?’
‘Apart from the obvious . . .’ George pauses, and the image of the hideous wound to Elis’s neck claws its way back into Polly’s mind.
‘You’ve obviously never done orienteering,’ George continues to Faith, ‘but the number one rule is you don’t do it alone.
What if he fell and injured himself like Polly?
Even if you don’t take into account what happened to Elis, it’s a bloody long walk out of this forest.’
‘Fine.’ Faith folds her arms. ‘I’ll go with him. I’ve done plenty of bushwalking.’
Jessie shakes her head, and makes a pathetic, whimpering noise of discouragement.
‘Don’t worry,’ Faith says to Jessie. ‘I’m not scared of him.’ Then to Miles: ‘No offence.’
‘None taken,’ Miles says, miserably.
Miles walks over to the door and bites his nails as he waits for Faith, who dons her boots and jacket, and packs sunscreen and bottled water into a backpack.
Polly has mixed feeling about Faith going with Miles.
She would rather that the person accompanying her brother was a bloke over six feet, like George.
But, begrudgingly, she concedes. When the police arrive, everyone will be interviewed, and they’ll all have to tell the cops about the tension that’s been growing between George and Elis.
In light of that, it would seem pretty weird if they’d chosen George to go off and find help.
Also, Faith is one of the only ones who has hiking boots and some remaining phone battery life.
They could’ve sent Reubyn instead, but he would be no more useful than Faith in a crisis.
The light outside is a now a fiery yellow. There’s enough visibility to see far into the forest. When Faith is ready, Miles unlocks the door and opens it with a haste that Polly finds alarming. ‘Be careful,’ she tells him.
Miles gives her a tight smile. ‘Don’t worry, we will.’
They leave, and Polly watches from the window as Miles and Faith walk side by side across the car park and on to the road.
This is all happening too fast – the decision was made too quickly.
She’s slightly reassured to see them regularly turning their heads, being vigilant.
They walk at a brisk, purposeful pace – also good.
But a heaviness in her gut tells her there’s something wrong with this plan.
The doomy feeling rises in her with such force that, if she physically could, she would jump to her feet and run after them with a warning.
Instead, she watches helplessly as they disappear into the trees.