Page 44 of The Girls in the Lake
He lurched for Ethan, swinging his arm. Ethan, who wasn’t able to move fast enough in the confined space and was too drunk to duck in time, felt knuckles connect with his eye socket as a blast of hot pain shot through his brain. He stumbled back, falling onto the sofa he’d been sitting on, clutching his eye.
‘Police! Stay where you are.’
Ethan looked up to see two police officers standing at the top of the steps that led below deck. He blinked his good eye and wondered if he was hallucinating. When he opened it three officers were coming down the steps towards him; one of them had a Taser drawn. He put up his hands.
‘Not me, I didn’t do anything.’ He pointed towards Marcus, who was nursing the hand he’d punched Ethan with.
The woman with the Taser spoke as she aimed the yellow gun at him, and two red dots appeared on his chest.
‘Marcus Johnson? You are under arrest; do not move or make any sudden actions.’
James also threw up his hands. ‘What is this about? You have no right to come at me like this. My solicitor will have a field day with you lot.’
‘You’re under arrest for assault and the attempted murder, contrary to section 1 (1) Criminal Attempts Act 1981, of Tamara Smythson. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?’
‘What the hell?’
Before Marcus could move, two officers had his hands cuffed behind his back. He began to laugh, and James and Ethan watched in horror.
James stood up. ‘This is my boat, what’s going on? He didn’t attempt to murder anyone.’
The female officer nodded, and the other two began to lead Marcus towards the steps, where he stumbled, struggling to stay upright. He’d stopped laughing when he realised they were serious.
‘We’re taking him to the station. The best thing you can do for your friend is get him a solicitor.’ She turned to Ethan. ‘Do you want to press charges?’
‘No, not at all. I mean he’s an idiot, but we’re drunk. It’s been a pretty crap night.’
They watched as Marcus was led up on the deck and taken away. The officer turned around.
‘Don’t go anywhere in case we need to speak to you both as well.’ She left them standing staring after her, mouths open in shock.
James ran his hands through his hair.
‘I need to get off this damn boat and back home. I’ve had enough of it. You should go home too, Ethan.’
‘How? Actually, can I borrow your rowing boat? I can row across the lake to my cabin.’
James shrugged. ‘You can do what the hell you want. I’m going home to sleep in my bed for a few hours, then I’m going to shower, get dressed and go find that Chloe girl who works at the Hydro. I need a shoulder to cry on and a pair of breasts to lose myself in.’
He laughed, but Ethan knew he was being serious. Standing up, Ethan wobbled his way onto the deck and to the back of the boat where the smaller wooden tender was tied up. He heard James shout, ‘Try not to drown, I’m in enough trouble as it is.’
Ethan smiled to himself; he hadn’t drunk nearly as much as the other two. His eye was swelling shut, making it even harder to see in the rain and the dark, but he didn’t care. He wanted to get home.
Clambering down into the boat, he picked up the oars and struggled to put them into the rungs to keep them secure. He leant too far and felt himself toppling backwards, landing on his back with a thud. As he lay there in the lashing rain, he stared up at the small motor and realised his prayers had just been answered. He didn’t need to row; it had an engine.
Forty-Nine
The sound of the front door slamming shut in the wind awoke Beth from her slumber on the sofa with a jump, all her senses on high alert until she heard Josh’s voice.
‘Sorry, I didn’t realise how windy it was.’
He walked into the lounge where she was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She did a double-take; he looked dreadful. There was two-day stubble across his chin, his eyes were bleary, and his shirt was crumpled.
‘What happened?’
She didn’t miss the glance he cast at the empty wine glass on the coffee table, then around the room to see where the bottle was. She’d already hidden the empty bottle in the recycling container, not that it was any of his business how much she’d had.
‘Can I get you a drink?’
