The Woman in Coach D by Sarah A. Denzil

Author:Sarah A. Denzil [Denzil, Sarah A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

On Christmas Eve, I research the lake in question and find some not particularly comforting information. Two people have died trying to walk on the ice. One in 2005 and the other in 2018. It tends to ice over but not enough for it to hold a person’s weight. Susie doesn’t actually want me to walk on the ice. She wants me underneath it. I shiver at the thought.

Liam is right not to like Susie. There’s an element of cruelty about this challenge. She knows me and knows my fear. I told her about the dog I saw fall into the icy water and now she’s using it against me. But then it wouldn’t be a challenge if it wasn’t easy, would it?

I pre-book a very expensive Uber for Christmas Day. Then I eat a whole box of mince pies and watch Home Alone. Susie and I had a crush on Macaulay Culkin the first time we watched it. That was when we were six, before everything went sideways.

I think about calling Dad again. But what am I going to say? He didn’t even send me a card. I guess I didn’t send him one, either. He’d sounded pleased to hear from me when I last called, but not enough to reach out to me again. Either he’s stubbornly waiting for me to go back to him, or he cares less than he makes out, or he’s given up. Though, I have no idea what to do about it if I figure out which it is.

Sleep doesn’t come easy. As my eyes drift closed, I hear giggling. I’m back in the woods with Liam, listening to the tapes. Dare me, dare you. Follow me, follow you. She always wanted followers. I was her first.

I wake before my alarm on Christmas Day. This is it. Every part of my body is numb. I pull on my new wetsuit and layer it up with warm clothes over the top. I choose boots that are easy to lace and layers I can peel away. I pack a towel and a flask of scorching hot tea. There’s no eating breakfast, I’m too worried I’ll throw it back up. Then I get into the taxi.

“Happy Christmas,” the driver says. “Are you going to meet family?”

“Yes,” I lie. “We have a family tradition. We meet by the lake every Christmas day for a nice walk. Only my car needs new tyres.”

“Nightmare,” he says.

I get lost in my story. “Yeah. I ran over a nail on the road. It’s going to cost a fortune. My dad’s lending me the money, though, so it’s all good.”

A strange kind of thrill runs through me. It’s similar to the spike in adrenaline I had when Susie and I stole the car, or when I ran over the train tracks. I’m bolder and braver than I once was. I’m finding her again, the Jenny that died at Hangman’s Cave.

The taxi driver concentrates on his Sat Nav. I get the impression he’s done with small talk.

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