Page 56 of The Girls in the Lake
Beth realised that she probably hadn’t told him she’d been in charge of a group of boys when one drowned. She walked away from the bar, tucking her phone under her ear and sat at a table as far away from the other couple as she could.
‘Now is fine, I appreciate you phoning me back. I’m investigating three drownings in the lake, and when I was researching previous drownings a news article popped up about Tyler Johnson. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened?’
There was a sharp laugh on the other end of the line. ‘I wish I knew. Did you read the article? There really isn’t much more to tell.’
‘I understand, but I’d really like to hear what happened in your own words. It really is just research; I can assure you it’s nothing more than that.’ There was a lengthy pause and for a moment Beth wondered if she’d hung up on her. The voice on the end of the phone began to talk, though now there was more background noise than before.
‘Sorry, I’ve come out to the car. I don’t want Michael to hear this; it’s not my proudest moment. There were nine boys that day on the geography field trip. It was really just an excuse for a day out though; it was hot, they’d finished their exams and I’d had enough of sitting in stuffy classrooms. I thought it would be nice to have a little trip to Fell Foot, buy ice creams, let them mess around and burn off some of that teenage energy. I never told them they could go into the water. Even if they’d asked, I never would have given them permission. One of them just decided it would be a good idea to race across the lake and they all jumped in at the same time. I was mortified. You know what it’s like, risk assessments until they come out of your ears. Well, there was nothing in place for nine fifteen-year-olds going for a swim. I screamed at them to get out of the water.’
‘I’m guessing they never heard you, or didn’t listen.’
‘Oh, they heard me all right. I was frantic. There was so much splashing and noise it was hard to keep track of them all. Tyler and his twin brother Marcus got into a bit of a scuffle with another boy, James, in the water over some girl they’d all taken a liking to. Ethan said he’d tried his best to split them up, bless him. He took it very hard, almost as hard as I did. I never particularly liked James; in fact he was a bit of a bully. His parents were by far the wealthiest in the group and he wasn’t ashamed of flaunting it whenever he could. He let his father buy him out of many a scuffle. It was a disgrace really, but back then I was young and very impressionable. I should have been much stricter with the boys; maybe if I hadn’t let them walk all over me Tyler would still be alive.
‘When they finally reached the lakeside and climbed out the other side, I counted them off one by one and realised Tyler was missing. I counted them again, praying to God I’d counted wrong. That was when I realised something terrible had happened.’
There was a loud sob, and Beth felt bad for making the poor woman drag it all back up again.
‘It wasn’t your fault.’
‘Wasn’t it? If I’d stayed at the school, it would never have happened. I’ve had to live with that day, and it hasn’t been easy.’
Beth thought about the things she’d had to live with and felt nothing but compassion for the woman.
‘Thank you, I’m sorry.’
‘Yeah, me too.’
‘How did the boys cope after that? Marcus, Tyler’s twin, must have been in a terrible state?’
‘I thought they’d all blame one another and distance themselves from each other. They didn’t though, they stuck together. If anything, it brought them closer. James took Marcus and Ethan under his wing; those three boys spent all their spare time together. Look, I have to go. Was there anything else?’
‘Just one thing, can you tell me the full names of the boys on the field trip?’
Jude began to recite the boys’ names, though they meant nothing to Beth: ‘Ethan Scales, Marcus Johnson…’, until she said, ‘and James Marshall.’
Her pulse began to race at the mention of James Marshall.
‘That’s very helpful. Thank you for your time. I’m sorry to have dragged up so many unpleasant memories for you.’
The line went dead, and she stared out of the window that overlooked the darkened marina, the rows of boats out there in the dark swaying in the wind. This was more than just coincidence.
Sixty-Three
Ethan left the police station; he had no car and was going to have to see if there was a bus this time of night to get him back home. It was doubtful on a Sunday night, but he didn’t fancy the walk. He felt better now he was out in the fresh air, crossing the car park with his hands tucked in his pockets and head down against the wind. A car horn blared behind him, making him jump. He turned to give whoever it was a piece of his mind and was surprised to see the pretty girl, Grace Thomas, from last night grinning at him. She put her window down.
‘Fancy seeing you here. Wait a minute, you’re not a copper, are you?’
He shook his head. ‘God, no. Definitely not.’ He didn’t want to tell her why he was here. She looked even lovelier today than she had last night. Her face was clear of make-up and her long hair was piled up on the top of her head in a messy bun.
‘I lost my car keys. I came to see if anyone had handed them in.’
‘Oh no, what a shame they don’t do lost and found any more. You’ve had a wasted journey. Where is your car?’
‘Back home, I was just passing anyway.’
‘I’m just dropping something off for my mum. Where are you going?’
He felt bad when the lies tripped off his tongue so easily. ‘I was supposed to be meeting a friend to grab a bite to eat, but he’s messaged to say he can’t get here now so I’m just going home.’
