“I had a thought,” Alex ventured as Josiah dunked one of the biscuits in his tea. “Supposing Tyler got her out at some point in the past seven years? Supposing he buried her somewhere else?”
“It’s possible, but unlikely,” Josiah mused. “It wouldn’t be easy, for a start, and it’d involve more people in his secret. Bad enough that there were already witnesses. The last thing he’d want was even more people knowing.”
Alex nodded, but he still looked anxious.
“I get it,” Josiah said softly. “This is the culmination of everything you’ve worked towards for so long, but you’ve done your bit, Alex. You can do no more. Leave it up to me now.”
Alex shot him a wan smile. “I don’t know what to do with myself now that it’s actually happening. For all these years, I’ve known how to be,whoto be, but now…” He gave a helpless shrug.
“You’re the bravest man I’ve ever met; that’s who you are,” Josiah told him firmly. He knew Alex wouldn’t believe him, but he meant it.
Tyler set up camp on the part of his own land nearest to the lost zone, surrounded by his lawyers, and watched their every move. Josiah waved to him cheerfully every so often, but Tyler’s face was set in rigid, baleful lines, and he didn’t react.
The divers had found nothing by the time darkness fell, so Josiah ordered in huge arc lights to prevent anyone messing with the area and posted guards on it overnight. The diving team would resume their work in the morning.
“It’s a bit of a let-down,” Alex sighed as they drove home. “After all the drama of the last few days.”
“I know, but look at it this way: at least we can get some damn sleep.” Josiah grinned at him.
“And more?” Alex asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“We’ll see. I’m knackered.”
A delicious smell greeted them when they entered the house, and Sofie appeared, brandishing a spatula. “I’ve made dinner,” she announced. “I hope you don’t mind.” She’d washed her blood-stained clothes and looked much brighter now that she’d slept.
“Mind? It’s a relief.” Josiah gave a heartfelt smile at the prospect of a warm, home-cooked meal after the day they’d had, and then almost tripped over the rucksacks still in the hallway.
Alex picked them up. “I’ll take care of these,” he said, starting for the stairs. He paused, looking down on them ruefully. “Were we ever really going to do this?”
Josiah sighed. “No. One of us would have stopped it, even if Elsie hadn’t called. Despite the risks, neither of us could have really walked away from this, could we?”
“No,” Alex said softly. “I suppose we just wanted the fantasy of escape.” He disappeared up the stairs with the rucksacks.
“How’s Sem?” Josiah asked, following Sofie into the kitchen.
“He’s doing really well. Much better than I expected, given how much my hands were shaking when I operated on him last night.”
“Well, you’re more used to sewing up the dead than the living.” Josiah leaned against a kitchen cupboard, grinning at her.
“Yes. Talking of which… no luck today?”
“No, but it’s early days.” Josiah moved his neck from side to side and was rewarded with a loud cracking sound.
“You must be exhausted. Eat – then go straight to bed,” she ordered.
“Yes, sir.” He shot her a perfect army salute.
She laughed. “You’re so different to who I thought you were.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly go out of my way to be welcoming to you,” he sighed. “I was having a bad day when we met – it was the anniversary of Peter’s death, I had all these mixed feelings about being called into work when I felt I should have been honouring his memory, and I didn’t know you. Then I saw you were wearing that ID tag, and it threw me. I haven’t exactly been much fun for the past few years, so I’m sure I came over as pretty damn unpleasant. It’s taken Alex to remind me of who I used tobe. Now, don’t go acting all nice to me when you return to work. People will be confused.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not as good at hiding how I truly feel as you are – and him.” She glanced in the direction of the stairs. “That poor man, he’s been very brave.”
“Yes, he has – which is why I’m going to do everything in my power to bring Tyler and his cronies to justice.”
“And what of you in all this?” she asked. “It’s obvious how much Alex means to you, but what happens when it’s over? He’ll still be an IS, even if you succeed in bringing Tyler down.”
“I know.” Josiah’s shoulders tightened miserably.
