Deep Water by Mark Ayre (best free ebook reader txt) 📗

she held the spade, Abbie was content to hold her tongue. The more effort Ana expended trying to conceal Abbie's story, the more likely Alice believed the truth when it came. By the window, watching, Abbie allowed her face to betray no feeling, no opinion.

From Ana, Alice turned to Abbie. Their eyes locked. Alice's steel glare was designed to unnerve. Many strong men and women would have broken their vow of silence and begun to babble under that glare—a fatal error. Babbles are revealing not because of their content but because they are babbles. More often than not, they are indicative of a guilty conscience.

Abbie said nothing.

"One question," said Alice. "You answer it yes or no. You say nothing else. Do you understand?"

Abbie waited several seconds, then said, "Sorry, is that the question?"

"Now is not the time to mess me around, Abbie. Not the time for jokes. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"The question: did you attack my daughter?"

"How can you ask her that?" Ana blurted. "Don't you believe me? Mother, you can't take her word—"

"Shut up," Alice cut in. "For once in your life, use your head, Ana. You're my daughter. I love you. Remember that."

Ana's confused, frustrated expression displayed a clear misunderstanding of these words, a warning that Alice's maternal love was Ana's most potent weapon in convincing her mother to believe her over Abbie. Ana's constant arguing did not augment this motherly love's persuasion, but diminished it. In other words, shut up if you want to win this mock trial.

Abbie got it. It further helped her cause that Ana did not.

"I don't understand why—"

Alice spoke to Abbie over her daughter. "Did you attack my daughter? Yes or no."

"She's going to—"

"Yes," said Abbie. Shock almost knocked Ana over. Alice showed no reaction but noted her daughter's. Another point in Abbie's column.

"Ana," Alice said. "Why did this woman attack you?"

"I don't know," said Ana at once. "Could have been random, but I reckon she's working for Louis. He won't leave us alone. Not until he's broken you completely. We warned you, ma, you've got—"

"Enough," said Alice. "Were you alone when Abbie attacked?"

Ana looked at Abbie, who could see the younger woman's mind whirring with a similar conundrum to the one Abbie had faced. There was no chance Ana would tell the whole truth. She was trying to decide how dishonest she should be.

"It was Gray and me," said Ana, at last, offering her mother a half measure of truth in terms of how many people had been there. "We were in that little crevice just down the beach. We were… well, you know…"

"Unfortunately, I do," said Alice. "Moving past that, Abbie attacked you both?"

"She jumped us, yeah. Got the better of Gray and took him out. She's an incredible fighter; I'll give her that."

"Thank you," said Abbie, and Alice shot her a dark look. Okay, that had been a mistake.

"She knocked him out and attacked me. Then, it's like I said, she ran when my friends arrived. Smashed my head first, though.”

Alice gave her daughter a piercing look. To Abbie, Ana's guilt was plain to see, but maybe she saw only what she knew or wanted to see.

"I love you, darling," said Alice. "Before I talk to Abbie, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Mum," Ana said, and Abbie saw she was about to put the final nail in her coffin. "I'm begging you, if you love me, just believe me. If you love me, you wouldn't need to ask this cow why she did what she did. Please."

Ana's eyes were wet, but Abbie sensed they were the tears of a crocodile rather than a human. Stepping forward, Alice outstretched a hand and tenderly cupped her daughter's chin.

"Don't you see, sweetheart," Alice said. "It's because you keep saying things like that I have to ask for Abbie's side of the story. You're my daughter. If this was a random attack, what do you have to fear from me speaking with your assailant?"

"She'll lie," said Ana.

"So?" said Alice. "Why would I believe her over my own daughter?"

"She'll be convincing."

"Oh, sweetie," said Alice. "If Abbie lies, I'll know, and she will pay for what she’s done. If you've been honest with me, you have nothing to fear from me hearing Abbie out. Before I do, I ask again: is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Ana looked her mother dead in the eye. "If you believe her over me, I'll never forgive you."

Abbie had been wrong before. That was the final nail in the coffin.

Shaking her head with disappointment, Alice turned to Abbie. "Talk. Keep it brief."

Abbie intended to.

"This morning, right after arriving in town, I walked along the beach and entered the crevice your daughter describes. I saw Ana, Gray, a man with a camera, and a teenage boy I later found out was Jacob Gravenbach. Ana had forced Jacob to his knees and told him she would cut off his penis and make him eat it if he did not perform fellatio on her boyfriend. Either scenario, Ana warned Jacob, her friend would film. Gray began to undo his trousers; Jacob had made his decision. At this point, I lost my temper. I rendered unconscious both the cameraman and Gray. Your daughter came at me with her knife, and I grabbed her by the throat, shoved her against the rocks. I took her knife and, I must confess, came close to killing her. I don't remember the last time I was that angry. It's been many, many years."

Having finished, Abbie turned her head towards the sea. She had tried to deliver the speech without emotion, but as she recalled the scene from the cave, fury once more began to take over. She felt her mouth twitch as her hands began to shake. From Abbie's eyes, Alice looked to those trembling hands, then back.

Still holding Abbie's eye, Alice addressed her daughter.

"Is she lying, Ana?"

Ana was looking over her mother's shoulder at Abbie. The younger woman was incandescent with rage; it took time to get ahold of herself.

"Of