Page 13 of The Girls in the Lake
Ethan didn’t have to think twice; he took the Coke. James sat opposite him, passing a menu his way.
‘You need some food inside you. You’ll feel better when you’ve eaten.’
‘Is that it? Steak and chips and the horrific images of the girl whose life I didn’t save will float away forever. You should take up counselling, James.’
‘Bugger off, I’m trying to help. So why don’t you stop acting all weird and feeling sorry for yourself. It wasn’t your fault, it wasn’t my fault. It was an accident. If it was anyone’s fault then it was hers. What was she doing stripping off and jumping into the lake in this weather?’
‘I don’t know, you tell me. Did you give her any drugs? They’ll do a tox screen at the post-mortem.’
‘No, I bloody didn’t,’ James hissed, realising they were talking a little too loudly and the other customers sitting not too far away who had come out for a smoke were watching them. ‘I’m just as shocked about it as you are. Okay, maybe not as much as you because you were there. You tried to save her; not many people would have. I know it’s all been a bit of a shock for you, but you did what you could. Don’t take it so hard.’ James reached out his hand and grabbed Ethan’s shoulder, gently patting it. ‘Let it go, pal. Sometimes life can be totally shit, then sometimes it can be wonderful. Don’t let the bad stuff get you down.’
Ethan let out a sigh; his fists, which had clenched into tight balls under the table, released and he felt his shoulders drop as all the tension left his body. James nodded.
‘Sorry, you’re right. It’s a stupid accident; it wasn’t our fault.’
‘See, that’s better.’
James took a long swig of the beer, so long he drank half of the bottle in one mouthful. Ethan sipped his Coke. His stomach let out a loud growl; he was hungry. In fact, he was bloody starving. Picking up the menu, he scanned it for the most expensive meal on there; if James was paying there was no point holding back. His friend might have many faults but being mean wasn’t one of them.
‘Can we go inside to eat, Ethan? It’s freezing out here.’
Ethan stood up and they both made their way inside.
Fifteen
Beth watched as Abe gently inserted the biodegradable bag containing all of Leah Burton’s internal organs back into her stomach cavity and left him to begin the painstaking job of sewing her body back together. She needed to type up the post-mortem report while it was still fresh in her mind. Toxicology, bile, heart blood, liver tissue, stomach contents, spleen and brain samples had all been taken and submitted to the lab for a full, comprehensive screen. Beth could find no evidence of major trauma.
She typed ‘accident’ under the manner of death on the report, but when she read it back to herself something made her pause before pressing save. A feeling of unease settled over her. There wasn’t anything specific she could put her finger on, no evidence, apart from the tiny paint chip under her fingernail, to suggest anything other than death by accidental drowning. But it bothered her that a girl would voluntarily strip naked on a bitterly cold night and decide to go for a swim, alone. She was well aware of the statistics that state it is very rare for women to die by suicide in the nude. So why did Leah Burton decide to jump into the lake in nothing but the skin she was born in? Picking up the phone, she selected Josh’s number and waited for him to answer.
‘Hey, how are you?’
‘I’m good, I’ve finished the PM. I thought you’d want to know how it went.’ She didn’t wait for him to answer. ‘There was nothing remarkable about it. Everything substantiates Leah drowning; the only trace evidence I found was a tiny paint chip under her little fingernail. She must have caught the boat as she went into the water. I’ve sent all the relevant samples off, and we should hear back in a couple of weeks. Have you spoken to all the witnesses yet? Is there anything I need to know about?’
‘Just the one that pulled her out of the water: an Ethan Scales. I’m on with that now. We’re trying to locate them to get statements. I’ll let you know what they say. What did you put down as her manner of death?’
‘Accidental; I don’t foresee it changing once the test results come back.’ She paused.
‘But something is bothering you?’
‘It’s probably nothing, but can you check the colour of paint onThe Tequila Sunrise? I didn’t really pay it any attention, I was too focused on the body.’
‘It’s blue, I’m pretty sure it is but I’ll double-check and let you know.’
‘I know this is stupid, Josh, but something doesn’t feel right. Even though there’s nothing to suggest that it isn’t. Do I sound paranoid?’
‘No, not at all. What do you mean, though, Beth? You’ve said yourself there is nothing to suggest anything other than an accident.’
She let out a sigh. ‘I don’t know, I don’t understand why she removed her clothes for one thing.’
‘Us humans are a strange species. We often do things for no reason. The only person who knows why she took her clothes off is the victim. Don’t let it get to you. I’ve seen some tragic deaths over the years because of poor judgement on the victim’s part, deaths that could have been avoided. I’m sure you have too. Thank you for letting me know. I have to go and track down the owner of the boat. I’ll see you later, yeah?’
‘I suppose so, yes. I’ll speak to you later. Bye, Josh.’
‘Bye.’
The line went dead.
The door opened and in walked her colleague Doctor Charles Wilson. The look of surprise etched across his face told her that he hadn’t expected to see her sitting behind the desk.
