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‘That’s Boones for you,’ I mutter.
‘Your dad, right?’ Mac says, making me grind my teeth. Whenever someone says “your dad” like that, it makes it sound like they think I’m somehow responsible for his actions. I’m about as responsible for him as I am of a grizzly bear in the woods.
‘Hang on, wait. Where was Adri when Nabil went down?’ Pete asks. ‘Weren’t she and Nabil running close together? I was following their GPS tags on the website.’
I pause. ‘She arrived before him at the checkpoint. I was there, taking pics. She – she gave him some of her water, then they left more or less at the same time.’
Pete’s eyes go wide. ‘Wait,herwater was spiked?’
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ I interrupt him. ‘You think it was meant for Adri.’
‘It sure fucking looks like it.’
‘Or she was the one to give him the dose,’ says Mac. ‘Gotta admit, the woman has form.’
Pete’s on his feet so abruptly his chair hits the ground. It looks like he’s about to punch Mac in the face. But I can’t let him. We need to work together.
‘Guys, come on, we don’t know anything for certain yet,’ I say, using my arms to keep the two of them apart, and Pete exhales sharply. ‘Mac, this Matthew Knight – did Jason have a picture of him anywhere?’
Mac shakes his head. ‘There’s nothing in his files. I checked. I tried Google but Matthew doesn’t have any socials and it doesn’t look like the mainstream media followed his trial, so no photographs online.’
‘Shit.’ I pause. If Glenn’s son is here, then I bet my dad knew about it. It couldn’t be a coincidence. I think about all the promises he’s made. His meticulous planning, as evidenced by the mountains of paper in his trailer. Then it strikes me – that’s what was familiar about that photograph I’d see pinned on his wall. ‘Wait, a second. What was the Knight Academy logo?’
‘A sword, I think.’
I snap my fingers. ‘We need to get to Boones’s trailer. I think we can figure out who Matthew is from there. Fuck Glenn, hiding the fact he had a son from all of us.’
‘Wait, you knew Glenn?’ Pete asks me.
‘Of course I did. I was with Yasmin and Adrienne in Ibiza. Atthattraining camp –’
It’s like someone steals the air from the tent. Neither Pete nor Mac breathe – they only look at me. I never planned for that information to come out of my mouth. Not like this. But I also thought Pete had come back for me. Not for her.
‘You were there?’ Mac asks, his eyes wide. ‘I read all Jason’s notes and there was no mention of you.’
‘Yes, but not as a runner. I was supporting my sister,’ I say. I don’t look away from Pete. I see the penny dropping in his mind, but there’s no time for long conversations, explanations. I have to keep him focused. ‘We need to see that photo. There’s someone in the bivouac I suspect. Presumably if this Matthew Knight is here, he’s using adifferent identity.’ I dip my hand into my bag and pull out the ketamine. ‘I found this last night in one of the medic’s bags. More than powerful enough to sedate someone – or kill them. I took it to give to the authorities to see if it matched what was given to Nabil.’
‘My God, Stella. Which medic?’
‘Dr Emilio. The one who took your blood test.’
‘Which got me kicked out of the race.’ Pete’s eye twitches, his fury evident. ‘He could be in on it?’
‘But if you got hold of these, someone else could have, right?’ says Mac.
‘I guess.’ I clamp my hand back round the drugs and drop them back in my bag. ‘The police can figure out if it’s connected.’
The door to the tent flies open, and three burly men walk in, wearing Hot & Sandy vests. Part of the security team.
They scan the tent, spotting us with the laptop open. It’s too late for us to hide.
Behind them, Henry emerges. ‘Over there,’ he says, pointing at us. ‘Get them out of here.’
31
Adrienne
Sleep does eventually dig its claws into me, as sharp as the acacia thorns in the desert. It’s the deep, heavy, dreamless sleep of the completely exhausted – another sandstorm could hit and I would have been unaware.