Chapter 66

66

Athreat. It's the only interpretation.

A heavy pressure settles on Elin's chest.

"Looks like someone else thinks she lied in her testimony," Steed murmurs.

"Yes." She's unable to take her eyes off the blocky letters. "The timing of this... it can't be a coincidence. If someone's threatening her now and it does refer to her testimony, it's more proof that this case links to the Creacher murders."

Steed gives her a sideways glance. "They always say, don't they, that a lie comes out in the end."

She nods, knowing there's only one reason for Farrah to tell a lie of that magnitude. She had something so important to hide that she was willing to take Creacher down in the process.

A false conviction will have huge ramifications for this investigation.

Only one person might know what Farrah lied about.

—

You're sure she's not somewhere else in the retreat?" Will's voice is muted, and while he might have been able to conceal how he was feeling had it been an ordinary call, the rapid blinks, the tight set to his jaw, visible on FaceTime, give him away.

"I'm certain. We've spoken to all the staff, they've radioed out. No one's seen her. Her phone keeps going to voice mail. I've got people looking inside and Steed's taken a group out to search the immediate vicinity."

"Maybe she's taking a break, overwhelmed by what's going on."

Elin hesitates, wanting to offer reassurances but unable to. After seeing the inside of that cave, she's frightened for Farrah. For Will. "I'm sorry, but I don't think so." She takes a breath. "Will, the reason I'm concerned is because things have escalated. The deaths this weekend, we're pretty sure they're not accidental. Possibly linked to the Creacher murders."

A pause, his face conflicted as he processes it. "And you think"—he falters—"you think Farrah going missing is related?"

"I'm not sure." Elin clears her throat—a delay tactic. It's hard to find the words for what she's about to do: break open a decades-old lie, expose it to the light. "Will, when Steed and I went to her office, we found a torn-up photograph in the bin of when Farrah was on the island as a kid. One of the Outward Bound courses."

His face freezes. For a moment Elin thinks the signal has dropped, but no. A sudden intake of breath. "So you know."

She nods. "It wasn't just the photo. I spoke to a detective who worked the Creacher case. He told me that Farrah's testimony was a key part of the prosecution's case."

Will's gaze shifts away from the screen to the floor. A long silence, before he finally looks back. "I'll be honest, all this is something I hoped would never come up. Farrah was traumatized by the whole thing. Still is. One of the few topics we don't really speak about." The idea jars as his family always makes a thing of their openness: We don't hide things. We talk. He looks back to her. "If you knew what she went through..."

"I'm sorry," she says quietly.

"Not your fault. They should never have bloody let kids on that island with that creep. People had reported him, you know? Years before the attack. The sicko had been photographing the kids while they were at the camp."

Elin hates hearing the pain in his voice. It's still raw for him. "I get it, but you can't blame yourself. Every family will have felt the same. Easy to say in hindsight."

He meets her gaze. "I know what you're about to ask. Why I pressed the button on LUMEN, why Farrah would want to work there."

She shakes her head. "You don't have to explain. People cope with trauma in all sorts of ways."

"No, I want to tell you, explain why we were so touchy the other night. LUMEN, it was meant to be a fresh start for us both. When our team got the job, at first I couldn't even contemplate working on it, but in the end, I decided to put my hand up, turn the negative into a positive. I never imagined Farrah would want a role there herself, but when she suggested it, I thought, That's my sister . Doesn't run from a fight, but toward it. Ballsy."

He's right, but Elin knows all too well that there's a fine line between ballsy and stupid. If it becomes a trigger... She hesitates. "Look, I know this is hard, but we found something else, an odd screen saver on her laptop. Pretty threatening. Something along the lines of I know what you did. I know that you lied. " His face darkens. "I'm wondering whether this note and Farrah's disappearance link to her testimony. The fact that I found a photo from her time on the island as well—"

"I don't get it," Will says flatly.

"Maybe what it's implying about her lying connects in some way to her testimony." She stumbles over her words, hearing how it must sound.

"Ahh, now I understand." He makes a small noise in his throat. "Just come out and say it. You're asking if Farrah lied in her statement."

"No," Elin says quickly, floundering. She's doing this wrong. "I'm just wondering if there's something about that night that she might have had doubts over."

"Elin, stop. I can read between the lines. You've found this note and you've done what you always do with people. Immediately seen the worst."

She doesn't reply right away, not because he isn't right; she is judgmental, but that's not the case here. "This isn't about judging Farrah, it's about trying to find her. If she did lie, then it's important, because her testimony was central to Creacher's conviction. If that conviction was based on a lie, then it might mean he wasn't responsible. If that's the case, it means that whoever was might still be out there. On the island now."

Will briefly closes his eyes. When he opens them, his expression is resigned. "You're right. Farrah did lie about Creacher in her testimony, but it's not for whatever messed up reason you think. It's because of me."

"You?" Her hand tightens around the phone, fingertips briefly eclipsing Will's face.

"Yes. Farrah did lie, but it was nothing to do with her. She did it to protect me."