It took all his strength to drag himself from the drain and up the bank. He flopped down on to the muddy path and stared, wide-eyed, out over the silver expanse of water, searching for a tiny splash of red.

He stayed there, watching, for what seemed like an eternity. She had always said she would never leave Whisper Fen. Now she had her wish.

The fragrant scent of flowers drifted back to him from the sea. Lilacs! Essence of Kate. He had always thought it might be lilacs.

He dragged himself up, his wet clothes heavy, and turned his back on the Wash. Unconsciously, he took the soaked letter from his pocket and as he walked, ran it gently over his lips. Salty tears met with the river water and blurred the carefully written words.

Will smiled forlornly.

Yes, it was good news about the rabbit.

* * *

Some quarter of a mile away, up on a high part of the sea bank, Matt Ballard lowered the binoculars. It took him a few moments to realise that he had stopped breathing. He drew in air. He had to have been mistaken. Surely . . . ? Matt closed his eyes and, for a brief moment, fervently wished he had never noticed Kate Stonebridge standing by that rotting wooden pier.

Matt swallowed hard, then pulled out his phone and dialled 999. In a voice he hardly recognised as his own, he reported a terrible accident.

Then he was running, his lungs burning, to where Will now sat slumped on a wooden bench that looked out over Whisper Fen. His closest friend had just lost the love of his life.

But as he ran, he wondered what he had really witnessed. She fell, didn’t she? Will jumped into the water to try to save her, didn’t he? Of course he did! What he thought he saw, well, it had to be a trick of the light. Didn’t it?

THE END

OTHER BOOKS BY JOY ELLIS

THE BEST-SELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES

Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS

Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS

Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS

Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS

Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS

Book 6: CAPTIVE ON THE FENS

Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS

Book 8: THIEVES ON THE FENS

Book 9: FIRE ON THE FENS

Book 10: DARKNESS ON THE FENS

Book 11: HIDDEN ON THE FENS

JACKMAN & EVANS

Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON

Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS

Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND

Book 4: THE GUILTY ONES

Book 5: THE STOLEN BOYS

Book 6: THE PATIENT MAN

DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD

Book 1: BEWARE THE PAST

Book 2: FIVE BLOODY HEARTS

Book 3: THE DYING LIGHT

STANDALONES

GUIDE STAR

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