Page 46 of Below the Deck

Mark’s eyebrows arched even higher. ‘Well, are you?’

‘Am Iwhat?’

‘Are you sleeping with Rory?’

Lucy’s jaw dropped. The idea – theimageof it in her mind – was so off-putting; so preposterous that she burst into horrified laughter.

‘Jesus Christ, Mark, no! Of course not. I’d never cheat on you – ever. And if in some alternate universe I wanted to have an affair – please. Come on, I’ve got some standards, haven’t I? He’s old enough to be my dad, and he’s … he’sRory. Is that really what you thought – is that why you’ve been acting like such a … such adick?’

Mark lifted his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes. ‘Oh, fucking hell, Lucy, I don’t know. Maybe not – not really. And I’ve not been that much of a bellend, have I? I’ve probably been drinking too much – but like I said, it’s been bothering me, how distant you’ve been since you started working there …and the way you didn’t even tell me about the trip! I only found out about it because I saw the email. Were you even going to invite me?’

Lucy’s chest constricted at the hurt in his expression. Truthfully – no, shewasn’tgoing to invite him. She didn’t want him here, seeing what she was up to, interfering with things, distracting her. And she’d been right – he’d done exactly that. Walking in on her rifling through Rory’s cabin on their second day, casting suspicious glances at her ever since, making it nearly impossible to hunt for evidence again. But she couldn’t tell him that – at least, not yet. He wouldn’t understand.

‘Of course I was going to invite you,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘So this is why you’ve been so weird, then … is that why you got up in his face like that the other night? You thought I was cheating on you – with him?’ It made a horrible, sad kind of sense. ‘And is that where you went in the middle of the night afterwards – to confront him again?’

At that, Mark looked stunned. ‘What? Of course not. I told you where I went, when you asked me the next morning. I woke up feeling sick, and I needed something to soak up the booze. I got Johanna to make me a toastie – ask her, I’m sure she’ll remember. Jesus, what did you think I’d been doing? That I’d gone after Rory in his cabin in the dead of night?’

She stared back at him in silence, shame now starting to bloom in her chest. Her suspicion sounded ridiculous, now he’d explained it like that.Oh God, what was I thinking? This is Mark – my Mark. When did I stop trusting him – with everything?

‘You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m not thinking clearly – I don’t think I’ve had my head straight for a while, to be honest …’

Mark’s hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. ‘Thank God. Are you finally going to tell me? I’ve been waiting so bloody long. I’ve given you so many chances, Luce.’

A band of tightness squeezed across her chest. ‘Chances? For what?’

‘To tell me the truth.’

She flinched. ‘The truth aboutwhat?’

‘About why you wanted to work at Ashworth so badly. I know there’s something else – something you’ve not been telling me. I know you better than anyone. You can’t keep lying to me.’

His eyes were locked on hers; Lucy felt the heat crawling up her neck, her throat. She wrenched her gaze away, pulled her hand free and stumbled to her feet, moving away from the bow and towards the staircase.

‘Lucy, don’t. What are you going to do? Get on a tender and sail off into the South Pacific? You’ll have to come back to the yacht sometime. You’ll have to come back tome.’

She stood still.He’s right. I can’t escape him. I can’t escape any of it.She turned back to look at him; his hands were shaking, and his expression was all heartache. Lucy’s stomach churned.This is why I didn’t want to tell you.She couldn’t bear the hurt, the confusion, the anger. She couldn’t bear him trying to help her, or protect her, by convincing her to change her mind.

But she also couldn’t keep lying to him; holding him at such a lonely distance.He’d have worked it out eventually, anyway. This man, who’d earned himself a reputation as the reporter who missed nothing, who could sniff out the truth like a hound tracking blood. He probably even read the pressrelease three years ago – maybe it was filed away in his memory just like it was in Lucy’s:

APD is delighted to announce the acquisition of Willowbrook Lodge, a long-established residential care home in North London, with plans to redevelop the site into a collection of high-specification luxury apartments … The developer will work closely with local authorities and care providers to ensure all residents transition to alternative facilities that meet, and in many cases exceed, their current level of care … their wellbeing remains APD’s absolute priority …

‘Okay,’ she said, and sat back down, close to him. ‘If you want the truth, I’ll tell you. None of this is about me having an affair. I’d never, ever do that to you.’

‘Then what?’ His eyes were pleading with her. She had to tell him; it was now or never. She’d already left it too long.

She exhaled and said: ‘I joined Ashworth because of my brother. All this is because of Alfie.’

GENDARMERIE MARITIME DE POLYNÉSIE FRANÇAISE

CASE NUMBER: 247849

DATE: 11/06/2026

INTERVIEW EXCERPT FOUR

Interview subject: Leilani Bambridge, chef on boardLusso di Marecharter

Interview conducted by Chief of Police Henri Robert