44. Alicia

It was getting late, and Alicia was tired. Beside her on the couch, Jessica looked wrecked. Meanwhile, Norah continued to hound Anna with questions.

Even though the idea that Amy was not imagined had crossed Alicia's mind in the past few days, it felt too enormous to process. Alicia could have spent a hundred years reflecting on it, and it still might not have sunk in. Norah, meanwhile, had already moved on to what it meant for them now.

"What I don't understand," she was saying to Anna, "is how we'd even know it was Amy's remains under Wild Meadows. How could they identify her, if there are no records?"

"Given what you've told us, there is a way," Anna said. "If the child had six toes, that will show up in the coroner's report."

"Of course!" Alicia said quietly. "I hadn't thought."

"And if it is Amy," Norah continued, "Miss Fairchild will be charged?"

"Not necessarily," Anna said. "When a body has been buried for so long it can be hard to determine the cause of death, so it is often very difficult to make a case for murder or manslaughter. If, indeed, Miss Fairchild did murder her."

"But the fact that she denied Amy's existence…" Norah said.

"Is compelling, definitely," Anna said. "But let's take this one step at a time."

"Okay but… are you… feeling confident?" Norah asked. "I mean, you don't think we could be blamed for anything, do you?"

"My job is to make sure you aren't," Anna said. "Oh, one more thing: Does Dirk Winterbourne continue to deny having seen Amy?"

"As far as we know," Alicia said. "That was always the weirdest part for me. If Dirk had seen her, why didn't he say anything? The only thing I can think of is that Miss Fairchild had something on him."

Anna paused, looking thoughtful. "What if I told you I knew a reason he might lie?"

"What?" Alicia said.

"You weren't the only one talking to the police at lunchtime. I also had a conversation with a cop I know who has connections in Port Agatha. He told me that the detectives have been speaking to known sex offenders in the area at the time." Anna raised her eyebrows. "And one of them is Dirk."

Alicia, Norah, and Jessica were in the living room of their cottage, gathering their things before setting off on the two-hour drive back to Melbourne.

"It's so strange, talking about Amy after all this time," Alicia said.

"Strange" wasn't the right word. She wasn't sure what the right word might be, but "harrowing" felt closer. All day, she'd felt on the verge of tears, and after yesterday's episode the last thing she wanted was to start crying again.

"Were we stupid, believing we'd imagined Amy?" Norah asked. "I remember thinking it was ridiculous, at first. But it seemed to be settled. Maybe we should have tried harder to make them listen?"

"We were kids," Alicia said, to herself as much as Norah. "We had to believe what they told us."

"Maybe this body turning up is a good thing?" Norah said. She looked anxious even suggesting it, wringing her hands. "I mean, if she has six toes…"

"Then it's only the beginning," Jessica said. "You heard Anna. Even if they prove Amy existed, it doesn't mean that Miss Fairchild killed her. And the body's so old, it might be impossible to prove."

Alicia frowned at Jessica. It wasn't what she said; it was that her tone was off. The lack of emotion. She seemed… flat. She seemed dazed.

"Are you all right, Jess?" Alicia asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"You look kind of spaced out."

"Thanks a lot."

A phone began to ring.

"It's been a long day," Alicia said as she rummaged in her bag. "Why don't we stay here another night and drive back home tomorrow when we're fresh?"

Norah nodded her agreement, but Jessica shook her head. "Let's just go home," she said. "We'll feel better when we're back in our own beds."

Alicia located her phone and raised it to her ear. "Alicia Connelly speaking."

"Alicia, hi, it's Sonja—Jessica's business manager?"

"Hi, Sonja." She raised her eyebrows at Jessica.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but is Jessica there?" Sonja asked. "I haven't been able to reach her."

"That's weird," Alicia said. "Maybe her phone's on silent. She's right here—I'll put her on."

Alicia held the phone out to Jessica, who, oddly, took a step back. "It's just Sonja," Alicia told her. "She said she hasn't been able to reach you on your phone."

For a moment, it looked like Jessica wasn't going to take the call, but then she did. "Hi, Sonja."

Alicia couldn't hear what Sonja was saying, but she could make out her high-pitched tones of worry.

"Sorry about that," Jessica said into the phone. "Um… yep… Okay… I don't know… Hmmm."

Usually Jessica sounded so authoritative and commanding when she was in business mode. Today she sounded detached. Her posture was that of a teenager—slumped and uninterested.

"Oh," Jessica was saying. "Ah… Okay." Then, as she noticed Alicia and Norah watching her, "Sonja, I'm sorry, but I… I can't do this right now."

Then without so much as a goodbye, Jessica ended the call.

"What's going on?" Alicia said.

Jessica waved her hand airily. "Work stuff. Too boring to go into. You're right—it's been a long day, and I'm tired. Let's stay the night."

"I'll get my stuff from the car," Norah said, heading for the door, presumably before Jessica could change her mind.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alicia asked Jessica.

"I'm fine; I just need a good night's sleep."

"All right," Alicia said. She could use that herself. "I'll just call—"

"Meera," Norah said.

"Yes," Alicia said, surprised. "How did you know?"

"No, I mean… Meera." She pointed.

Alicia turned to the doorway.

And there she was. In jeans and a trench coat, her hair was pulled up in its signature messy bun. "Thought you could use a lawyer on the ground," she said, smiling. "Or a friend."

The tears Alicia had been holding at bay all day didn't stand a chance.

To Alicia's relief, her sisters played it cool—even Norah. They greeted Meera, thanked her for recommending Anna, and refrained from commenting when Alicia suggested they go into her bedroom so they could talk (although Norah's facial expression did speak volumes).

"I can't believe you came here," Alicia said, closing the door behind her.

"Why not?"

Meera sat on the bed, while Alicia paced the room. She felt rattled by Meera's unexpected arrival. Panicked. Thrilled. "Because… because why would you?"

Meera shrugged. She looked like a doll, with her long curled eyelashes, her high cheekbones, her bow lips. "Because we're friends. That's what friends do."

"Are we friends?"

It wasn't like Alicia to be like this. She chalked it up to the emotion of the weekend.

Meera chuckled. "Sure. Stop pacing, would you? You're stressing me out. Sit down."

Alicia caught her reflection in the mirror on the wall. She was a wreck. She ran her hands through her hair to try to smooth it, but the effort proved staggeringly ineffective. Then she sat next to Meera on the bed, but her heart continued to race. It was Meera's presence. Somehow it both comforted her and made her nervous simultaneously. Her knee began to jiggle. "Sorry."

Meera laughed. "For God's sake," she said, shaking her head. Then she leaned over and kissed Alicia on the lips.