Accusation

Dave and Bethan walked in the direction of the quarry, Bethan letting Dave lead.

"I don't know how you can think that I killed her, Bethan." Dave acknowledged to himself that he's not a great man but he's still reeling from Bethan's accusation.

"I don't know how you think that I can't," Bethan retorted, abruptly. The land is starting to become more rugged, the field contorting into rougher terrain, boulders visible amongst tufts. The smoothness of pasture is giving way to the ruggedness of rock. "Something doesn't stack up here, Dave. I'm going to get to the bottom of it." Or die trying, she thought, her mind citing exactly the same thing as Dave's.

"What I don't get is why, if you're so innocent, you didn't take this 'evidence' " - here Bethan used air quote marks with two fingers on each hand -" to the police? Why keep it hidden all these years?"

Dave didn't know how to answer this without giving anything away and so he stayed silent. Bethan felt this was ominous, the weight of his chosen silence descending, like a toxic fog. Should she push him to explain?

She chose to stay silent, knowing that his quietness reeked of guilt - but was it for filicide?

She should have just turned and run but some instinct confided in her that she was closer to Laney than she had ever been. This quarry is significant - if Dave was telling the truth. She admitted that she did believe him about the quarry and visiting it when she was grief-stricken. She couldn't see beyond herself and her distress and thoughts of Laney. She'd lost sight of Dave completely. She was sad about this. Their life had been good before Laney disappeared.

An image of Katie entered her head unbidden.

She was about to ask him about her when the ground changes and he surged ahead.

Stones, gravel, weeds hanging out in crevices, like teenagers in alleys, recalcitrant and scrappy.

Below her, Bethan saw rocks, slopes, scree, a landscape torn by machines, distorted and rough. There was a deep pool at the centre of it, darkest blue, rippling in the wind.

Dave announced:

"Here we are. Axton Hill Quarry."

***

365 words

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