Page 79 of The Sunken Truth
“Because it doesn’t make any difference,” Benji said. “I’ve watched it hundreds of times and you can’t see what happens, only that he fell in the water. Which is what everyone assumed. They thought he’d either had a heart attack or got hit by the boom… and you can’t see properly in the video. The boat was too far away. I tried different programmes to see if I could zoom in, but you still can’t see anything.”
“You still should have shown someone,” Ryan said. “How could you keep this to yourself?”
“Because I was right there!” Benji’s voice rose to an emotional shout and he jabbed a finger at the screen. “I was right there when he went in the water. If I’d been paying more attention instead of being in a rush to get home, I might have seen him go in the water. I could’ve helped him.”
“Oh my god,” Ryan muttered, before burying his head in his hands.
Flynn’s gaze was on Benji. “What’s this got to do with Kurt?”
“He’s the only one who knew about it.” Benji moved back to the other side of the desk and sat down. “I think about it a lot, but I never told anyone. Until a few weeks ago when we were in the pub. I had too much to drink and I told Kurt about it.”
“He had the USB stick,” Flynn surmised. “That’s what hemeant when he said he gave you something… it wasn’t money, it was the video.”
Benji nodded. “He was cool about the whole thing when I first told him about it. He told me not to blame myself. A few days later, he asked if he could see the video. I didn’t think much of it, but after I showed it to him, the USB stick went missing. He swore he knew nothing about it. I was panicking because I thought I’d lost it and was worried someone would find it and look at it.”
Flynn perched on the edge of the desk. “Kurt had it?”
“Yes. After Eustace had been around offering a reward for anything from the ship, Kurt told me he had the video and would give it back if I helped him find something at the wreck. He started talking about uploading the video to the internet and letting everyone know I could have saved Terry.”
He looked solemnly at Flynn. “Everyone loved Terry. And it wasn’t just that I was concerned about what people would think of me. In some ways, it might be a relief if people know. No one could say anything that I haven’t already thought of myself.” He paused and glanced at Ryan, who continued to have his head bent. “I’m friends with the Trenearys. I drink with them frequently. I know how hard it was for them when Terry died. If the video came out, it would stir everything up for them. That’s what I was scared of. It’s why I was so desperate.”
“So desperate that you stood by and watched Kurt cut Ryan’s air hose, then covered for him afterwards?” Lily asked plainly.
His eyes were sorrowful, but he wasn’t looking at Lily. He stared at Ryan.
“Is that what happened?” Flynn asked when Benji didn’t speak.
“I’m sorry,” Benji whispered. “I really am.”
Finally, Ryan lifted his head. “This would be a good time for you to tell us it was Kurt,” he said gruffly. “Please tell me it was Kurt who tried to kill me and not you.”
“No one was trying to kill you,” Benji said in a rush. “I was nearby the whole time. Even if Lily hadn’t been there, we weren’t so deep that you couldn’t surface in time. I knew you’d be fine, and I watched you surface to make sure.”
Flynn stood straighter and took a step towards Benji. “Who cut the hose?”
At Benji’s hesitation, Ryan swore loudly.
“I saw the object at your feet even before you noticed it,” Benji told Ryan. “I wasn’t thinking straight. All I saw was a chance to get the video back. I kicked up sand to limit visibility and I slipped behind you and cut the hoses. Then I grabbed the cigar box and hung around to make sure you were okay.”
Ryan stared at him with a look of complete disbelief. He opened his mouth but clearly couldn’t find words. Instead, he switched his attention to Flynn.
“Can you please get him out of here before I do something I regret?”
Flynn nodded and tipped his head to indicate Benji should get up. “I need the memory stick,” he told Ryan, who removed it from the laptop for him.
“What’s going to happen to me?” Benji asked.
“First, we need to go to the station and you’ll be formally interviewed. After that I’m not sure.”
“I thought I could trust you,” Ryan said, jaw tensing. “I said there was no way you’d have done it.”
“I’m sorry,” Benji said. “I just wanted to get the video back.”
Flynn tipped his head towards the door. “Let’s go.” As he held the door for Benji, his gaze flicked to Lily.
She gave him a reassuring nod and told him she’d talk to him later. They’d figured it out together, but it was his job from here.
Hopefully, the superintendent would be impressed.
