“Can I get you anything?” Noah offered, looking out from a face that was more gray than tan.
“No, I’m good, mate. You know why I’m here. Let’s cut to the chase, huh? I don’t have a lot of time.”
Noah huffed a breath. “Yeah, time. I seem to have all too much of it.”
“You’re not guiding anymore?”
“I did a few trips after that day, but to be honest, since then...” His voice petered out and he shook his head.
Noah reached for a packet of cigarettes on the table. His hand shook as he tapped one out and raised it to his lips to light it. He drew deeply on the cigarette, taking his time to blow out the smoke before talking again. It was a habit Raif had never seen the man indulge in before. He’d always thought Noah was like him, testing himself against nature and the elements. Taking his highs from the thrill of living, not through stimulants like tobacco.
“He paid me.”
Raif sat up a little straighter. “Burton?”
“Yeah.” Noah took another long drag on his cigarette. “I’m so sorry, mate... I accepted the money. I said I wouldn’t tell what really happened that day. He was so forceful. I could see her—lying there, at the bottom of the water hole, and he was arguing with me, physically holding me back from getting down to her. He told me he’d send me over the edge, too. He was actually holding me right there on the lip, with my back to the falls, telling me how much money he’d pay me if I just kept my mouth shut. In the end I said yes so he’d let me go...so I could attempt to retrieve Laurel...but I was too late. Once I realized she was gone, I guess I figured it didn’t matter what I said, one way or another. The truth wasn’t going to bring her back.”
Conflicting emotions swelled and ebbed inside Raif. Noah had lied to save his own life, that much was clear. As much as it went against Raif’s sense of honor, he could accept that, under the circumstances, Noah had felt as though he had no other choice.
“You said Burton held you back from checking on her. Did you think she might have still been alive at that point?”
“I couldn’t be certain. She hit her head pretty hard on the way down, but there was still a chance. If I could have just gotten her out of the pool, I could have at least tried to save her. We were all trained for that kind of rescue. You know the saying. Train for the worst, expect the best. I lived by that, mate. And he wouldn’t even let me try.”
Raif considered Noah’s words. “Tell me how she fell. You checked the equipment, right?”
Noah nodded. “I did. In fact she had been laughing at me, teasing me a bit for being so cautious—you know what she was like. Kind of flirty and fun, even when she was about to drop off a cliff face. I guess Burton didn’t like that too much. He took her aside before she went over. I couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying, but he didn’t sound pleased. I did hear her reply, though. She told him to stop acting like a jealous child and to lighten up. I could see that made him mad.
“She’d already set her own anchors, Raif, three of them. He said he’d check them and her rope, and then she went over.”
“It was the rope that came undone, wasn’t it?”
“The knot slipped, yeah.”
“Did you see him touch it?” A sick feeling gripped Raif’s gut. “Or loosen it?”
Noah stubbed out his cigarette, lit another. “Yeah. I didn’t realize it at the time or I’d have done something. You have to believe me on that.”
Raif barely heard him, though. He couldn’t quite come to terms with the shocking truth. Burton had knowingly tampered with Laurel’s equipment. His actions had directly led to her death—a death he had further ensured by making certain Noah was unable to rescue or revive her. The ramifications were huge.
Raif rubbed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. He’d always known Burton was driven, dangerous even, but this was an entirely new level, even for him.
“He told me he’d just wanted to teach her a lesson. Give her a fright, you know. He didn’t expect the knot to fail completely.”
Raif had to swallow down his anger and frustration. A beautiful life lost, and for what? One man’s ego? It was beyond comprehension.
“Are you willing to swear to this, Noah?”
The younger man nodded. “Look at me, man. I can’t live with myself any longer. Yes, he gave me money and I spent it, but since that day I haven’t slept a full night or been able to work. Every time I tried to guide a group I’d have a panic attack and relive that day all over again. I’m done with that. I lied to the police and I’ll take the rap for what I did, but he has to be held to justice, too. For Laurel’s sake.”