Page 6

It had been a long wait on Dock 38, made all the longer by an ever-present biting March wind coming off the ocean that seemed intent on slicing through Tara’s very soul.

Dock 38 was quieter than she’d expected, tucked away at the far end of the harbour. By the afternoon, the damp had crept into Tara’s bones, and her patience was wearing thin. She hated waiting.

She used the time to shop the article around, calling every editor she knew. Most nationals said no. So, with regret, she called a guy from The Sunday Scoop.

‘Hey, you interested in stuff about that weird commune island off the coast, Solhaven?’ she asked him.

‘Why would I be?’ Jeff replied. She could tell he was eating.

‘Because no one has set foot on that island in about a hundred years,’ she told him.

‘Is it a cult?’ he asked.

‘Could be.’

‘We do like cults. Especially weird sex cults.’

‘Well, I can’t swear to weird sex, but it’s probably weird,’ she told him.

‘Hmm… You ever sold to us before?’

‘No,’ she said, which until today had been a point of pride.

But she needed money. And no one else was interested. That was becoming a disturbing trend in Tara’s career. And now she was pitching to the bottom feeders.

‘Alright, well, if it’s weird enough, I’ll have it.’

‘How much?’ Tara asked.

He said a number. Tara laughed. ‘That’s under market.’

‘It’s what we pay.’

‘It’s not enough.’

‘Then sell it to someone else.’

The bastard knew he had her.

‘Fine,’ Tara said. ‘But I want rights retention.’

‘You hoping to squeeze a book out of it?’ he asked without interest.

‘Who knows?’ Tara said. Then she saw something coming on the water, a trawler. Its name came into view as it idled closer: The Selkie’s Whisper. Tara’s heart quickened as she watched the boat putter into the dock. ‘OK, Jeff, I gotta go. I’ll be in touch soon.’

‘Whatever.’

Tara hung up as the boat docked, her sharp eyes locking onto the gangplank. But the person who appeared didn’t have the stooped figure of an old woman. She moved hesitantly, carrying a large leather bag in one hand and an envelope clutched tightly in the other.

Tara would have defined her as a wholesome beauty, a thing she’d never had much interest in. Her skin was pale as milk, and her eyes were wide and dark. Waves of auburn hair escaped a loose braid. The woman’s cardigan and long skirt were knitted, but they looked made by skilled hands, giving them an expensive look. If Tara hadn’t known better, she’d have thought the woman was a cottage-core hipster.

But something about her—a certain innocence, or maybe the hesitancy in her step—screamed a lack of worldliness.

Tara watched as the woman took a few tentative steps onto the pier. She hesitated as if unsure where to go, and Tara felt a pang of sympathy for her. How could you not? She was a lamb in the lion’s den.

Tara suddenly remembered what she was there to do. She was still going to do it. She went after the woman, hoping to snag her quickly. But before she could, the woman veered toward the street.

Tara followed, keeping her distance as the woman wove her way through the bustling crowd. She was struggling to navigate, clutching a little envelope tighter as people jostled past. She turned as if she was going back the way she came and, for some reason, thought better of it.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the obvious to happen. Some dirtbag took one look at her, noted her guilelessness, and started hassling her.

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ Tara muttered, her heels clicking against the pavement as she hurried toward them.

She’d been here five minutes, and she was getting mugged already?

‘Hey! Get away from her!’ Tara barked, her voice cutting through the noise.

The man shot her a glance before yanking the envelope from the woman’s trembling hands and bolting. Tara swore under her breath.

‘Are you hurt?’ Tara asked the woman, who shook her head, looking terrified and confused.

Did she even understand the concept of mugging?

Tara sighed, slipping her hands into her coat pockets. ‘You don’t look like you know where you’re going.’

‘I don’t,’ the woman admitted, her voice barely audible. She glanced down at her empty hands. ‘Even at the best of times.’

Tara wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she brushed past it. ‘You’re not from around here, are you?’

‘I... I come from Solhaven,’ the woman said, voice wavering slightly. ‘It’s an island a few miles from here. I’m a bit out of place on the mainland. You can probably tell…’

Well, here was Tara’s segue. Should she explain that she knew exactly what Solhaven was and, in fact, would love to interview her about it?

‘I’ve heard of it. It’s the place without tech, right?’ Tara began. She needed to get the woman calm before she could even think of what came next.

‘Tech?’ The islander repeated.

‘Technology. No phones, no cars,’ Tara clarified.

She nodded. ‘That’s right. Oh, I haven’t introduced myself! My name is Amelia Wells.’

Hmm. Different name than Tara had been given. Right island, though, so it didn’t much matter.

‘Amelia Wells, hello,’ Tara said. ‘I’m Tara Blake.’

‘Tara. Good to meet you. Thank you, by the way, for chasing that man off,’ she said gratefully.

‘It didn’t do you much good,’ Tara said. ‘He grabbed that… What was it?’

‘An envelope. A very, very important envelope,’ Amelia said with a ragged breath.

Tara tilted her head, watching Amelia for a moment. She realised that if she explained who she was and what she wanted now, she was apt to completely overwhelm the woman. And if Amelia decided that Tara was just a different brand of mugger, the informational type, that would be that. She’d be locked out of this source before she’d gotten anything.

But it wasn’t just that stopping Tara from proceeding with her plan. Amelia was simply a little too vulnerable. Tara felt something like sympathy flood her system. That was annoying, but not the end of the world to a top-class compartmentaliser like Tara. She could put it aside.

There was a serious prize at stake. Exposing a dangerous cult could be a career maker if she played it right. If that rag promoted the article right and it got traction, it could be something big. And she needed something big.

Yet somehow, the woman in front of her was making it hard to fix her eyes on the prize. She was so bloody… what was it? Na?ve? Not exactly. Her large, dark eyes were pretty sharp. Maybe it was the lack of guardedness? That was surprising.

Tara had thought anyone sent here would be a pretty closed character, someone trained to protect Solhaven and all its secrets. But Amelia didn’t seem closed. She was just… bright. Confused and scared but also interested in the world around her.

‘Alright,’ Tara said, her tone brisk. ‘You’re coming with me.’

Amelia blinked at her. ‘What?’

‘I’m not leaving you out here in this street,’ Tara replied, gesturing at the chaos of the street. ‘You look like you’re about two seconds away from fainting.’

‘I don’t even know you,’ Amelia said, a hint of suspicion creeping into her voice.

Tara shrugged. ‘You don’t have to trust me. Just trust that I’m your best option right now. Unless you want to wander around here hoping that fucker doesn’t come back.’

Amelia looked shocked.

Tara realised her error. ‘Oh, sorry. I bet swearing isn’t something you do on Solhaven?’

‘I’ve heard swearing,’ Amelia said quickly. ‘We’re just not so casual about it.’ And then she started laughing. ‘Gosh. I only just got to the mainland, and I’ve already been held up and heard the eff word. What next?’

Tara heard herself laugh. She was quite surprised. But there was something about Tara that was kind of funny. In a good way.

Amelia hesitated, her gaze darting between Tara and the street. ‘OK. I’ll come with you.’ Finally, she nodded, clutching her bag as if it were the only solid thing left in the world.

‘Good choice,’ Tara said, already turning. ‘I’ve got a place not far from here. You’ll be safe there. We’ll figure the rest out later.’

As they walked, Tara cast a sidelong glance at her new companion. This wasn’t what she had planned. But maybe it was better?

Tara wanted to help Amelia, and she would help her. But it just so happened that if she could gain her trust at the same time, everyone could win.