Half Moon Bay (23 page)

The sound of an approaching siren intensified. ‘Not much longer,’ he said, his voice more gruff than he wanted. The little boy peered at him from under his matted blond curls, but the girl hid her face in Ellie’s neck. Ellie nodded, then closed her eyes and rested her chin on Mikey’s head, one lone tear spilling down her cheek. Nick wondered if she was reliving that day in Kandahar when she hadn’t been able to save Nina, when her world had irrevocably changed. This time they’d had a win. That would make her previous loss even harder to take.

With a sigh that came from the bottom of his soul, he moved closer and wrapped them all up in his arms. He had nothing else to offer them right now. The truth was still out of reach.

Nick watched Ellie lean into the car. They’d pulled up in the almost deserted school car park. Only the teachers were still there. ‘Come on guys. Ready?’ she asked.

‘Ellie, will Mum be mad with us?’ Sarah hung back, looking uncertain. Mikey didn’t look much better.

‘I absolutely cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise you that your mum and dad will be so happy to see you,’ Ellie replied.

Nick heard a shout behind him. Dan and Felicity were sprinting across the driveway.

‘My babies, my babies. Oh my God!’ Felicity got there first. Ellie stood aside as her friend hugged the twins with a fierce desperation. Dan’s strong arms pulled them into an even tighter huddle, tears streaming down his face, his eyes closed.

When they snapped open he looked to Ellie.

‘They’re fine, Dan. No one hurt them, but they’ll still need to be checked out by a doctor. The police are doing their best to locate one in the chaos of flooding.’ Her voice was steady, but Nick sensed her pain.

‘Dan?’ Nick strode round, hand outstretched. ‘Nick, Nick Lawson.’ The two men shooks hands awkwardly. Dan’s grip was hard, callused. Nick had worked with many such quietly competent men in the army.

Felicity was showering kisses on her children who were competing to tell their story, their tears forgotten in the safety of their parents’ arms.

‘Sorry to meet you like this, Dan. I’m just glad your kids are safe. They’re a couple of little champions. You should be very proud of them.’

‘Thanks.’ Dan looked down as the emotion ripped across his face. He swallowed, finding his voice again. ‘Thanks for finding them. Did you catch the bastards that did this?’

‘One of them, yes. And he’s given us names so we should pick up the others in the next couple of hours.’

‘I’d kill them if I could,’ Dan said, rubbing Felicity’s shoulder.

‘Daddy?’ Sarah tugged at her father’s overalls. ‘You’re not mad at us, are you?’ Her bottom lip quivered.

‘No, my sweet, I’m not mad at you.’ He bent down and scooped his daughter up in his arms, burying his nose in her hair. ‘You’re safe now.’ Mikey sidled closer to his father, still clinging to Felicity’s hand.

Nick realised with a jolt that he was envious of the close family bond he was witnessing. He wanted this for himself, but had no idea where to begin. He glanced at Ellie to find she was watching him intently. He managed half a smile. Before he could think of anything to say, Sarah reached over and touched his arm. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, her blue eyes wide, her cheeks still tear-stained.

He couldn’t stop his tiny smile. ‘You’re very welcome, Sarah.’ When he caught Ellie’s look he realised she’d seen right through him.

Felicity straightened up. ‘Thanks, Nick, Ellie. We owe you both.’

‘No.’ Ellie shook her head. ‘You owe us nothing. I’m so glad they’re safe.’

‘I can organise minders for you until this has been sorted out,’ Nicholas offered.

Felicity and Dan looked at each other and nodded their heads in unison.

‘Yeah, we’d appreciate that,’ Dan said. ‘And I’ve got information that will help with your other investigation as well. This bullshit has to stop, and stop now.’

‘Oh, Dan.’ Felicity grabbed his hand and he squeezed her fingers tight.

‘You made me ashamed that I didn’t have the courage to do this, Flick. I took that anger out on you. I’m sorry. We’re in this together and we’ll finish it together.’

Tears spilled over Felicity’s lids as she wrapped her arms around her husband’s chest. ‘We will. And we’ll be stronger for it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything from the start. No more secrets.’

‘No more secrets,’ Dan echoed, pressing a kiss to her temple, his eyes closing.

Nick didn’t want to interrupt, but he still had work to do and the depth of this scene rammed home the emptiness of his life. The wind was freshening. More showers were coming. Night wasn’t far off either. It had been a long day.

‘Guys, I think we should get you out of the rain. I can see Bob waving from the door. They’ve probably found a doctor by now.’

‘Sure, sure.’ Dan shepherded his family ahead of him and into the foyer, a shield at their backs.

Nick and Ellie were left alone. He looked down at her. The crumpled cargo pants and loose shirt couldn’t hide the curves of her body. With her hair tied straight back from her face in a messy ponytail and smudges on her face from the rescue, she looked barely more than a teenager herself, but her eyes held the sorrow of a lifetime.

‘How are you doing?’ he asked, keeping his hands by his side. He couldn’t afford to give in to the urge to hold her close and never let her go. He had nothing to offer her but more pain.

‘I’ll be okay,’ she replied. ‘They’re safe. That’s all that matters.’

‘Yeah, that’s all that matters for now.’

‘Can you give me a lift back to Ron and Mavis’s? My car’s still there.’

‘Of course. Are you ready to go now?’ He was torn. Right now he wanted to sit with her, talk to her, comfort her . . .

‘Yep.’

In silence they sloshed across the car park. The rain had petered out to a drizzle but the run-off from the last downpour was sweeping all before it as it headed for the roaring maelstrom in the stormwater drains.

Nick opened the door for her, still searching for words. Ellie waited until he’d clipped his seatbelt in and his hand was on the ignition.

‘So, is it finished now?’

‘Ellie, I don’t know.’ He half turned in his seat, propped his elbow on the windowsill. The windows were already steaming up on the inside. ‘I wish I could give you a straight answer. This was always a complex case, but I think the development was really only a tiny part of it.’

‘And Nina? What has my sister got to do with all this?’ Her mouth thinned. ‘The story she was working on . . . I know you were in Afghanistan. So was Jason O’Sullivan. What are the odds on us all ending up here? I can keep digging, but maybe you already know the answers I’m looking for.’

He couldn’t stop the jut of his jaw. ‘Both O’Sullivans are part of the corruption investigation. I don’t know what your sister was investigating in Kandahar, so I can’t help.’

She looked saddened. ‘I never mentioned Kandahar.’

He gave a shrug, knowing she’d played him. ‘I made an assumption. Someone told me that’s where she was shot. Leave it be. You can’t bring her back and maybe it wasn’t such a great story anyway.’

‘Maybe.’ She was watching him with those crystal-clear eyes that seemed to strip him to his core. He reached forwards and cleared a patch in the condensation on the window, hoping she’d let the conversation drop.

‘That’s exactly what it’s like.’ Ellie nodded at the distorted view of the playing fields through the smeared circle. ‘I know there’s a whole lot more to this, but all I can see is a blurred picture. It’s like having a damaged lens. Only a matter of time until I sharpen the focus and see the truth.’

Uncomfortable now, Nick started the car and music filled the cabin. He turned the air-conditioning on to clear the windows and turned the volume down enough for
Khe Sanh
to be bearable.

They were halfway to Ron’s house when Ellie reached out and turned the CD off. ‘You need to know I have connected Nina to three significant players in international crime – one in Afghanistan, one in Asia and one in Australia. Soon I’ll have their names and then I will find out what she was working on and this time I won’t be silenced.’ She’d clearly been seething for the last ten minutes. He needed to end this now.

‘Damn it, Ellie. Do you want to end up dead? How the hell will your father feel then?’ He couldn’t stop the outburst, but he was surprised at how white she went. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘Tom would understand. He wouldn’t rest until he knew the truth.’ She was defiant, the blood rushing back to flush her face. She’d never looked more beautiful or unattainable.

The fight drained from him. He couldn’t be responsible for everyone’s lies. He pulled up in front of Ron’s house and turned the engine off. He sat for a moment, then leant forward, resting his forearms on the steering wheel. He turned to look at her across the dimly lit car, needing to see the effect of his words.

‘And what if your father already knows the truth?’

Ellie left the engine running and the headlights on so she could see the back door clearly. She hadn’t meant to come home in the dark, but Mavis had insisted on feeding her before she’d allowed her to leave. She was now dead on her feet. All she wanted to do was fall into bed. It felt as though she’d lived a week in one day.

She was functioning on automatic and her shutter speed was in slow motion. Nick’s parting words had sliced into her heart. Could Tom be hiding secrets from her too? Surely her dad wouldn’t have kept something so big from her. But then he wasn’t returning her calls and she hadn’t had an email from him since she’d returned to the Bay.

The house, still dishevelled from being ransacked, seemed shabby and sad, as though it too was worn out by all the lies. Tomorrow she’d start looking again. Tonight she just wanted to weep and sleep. Once she’d made sure Shadow was comfortable, she crawled into bed and pulled the doona up to her chin. Did she really know her father and her sister?

She was still mulling it over when she heard a car pull up outside. She tiptoed into Nina’s room and edged the curtain open. Nick’s four-wheel drive was parked across the driveway. In the kitchen she heard Shadow trying to scrabble to his feet.

The dog was swaying and she had to work hard to convince him to lie back down. She checked outside again. The rain was continuous. She’d be soaked if she ventured out. She rang Nick’s number and he answered immediately.

‘Nick here.’

‘What are you doing?’

‘Keeping watch over you, Ellie.’

‘You can’t sleep out there.’

‘I can. I’ll see you in the morning.’

He disconnected before she could reply. She stood there, vacillating. One half wanted him inside the house, safe with her. The other half was still angry, hurting at his insinuations, and scared about the safety of her friends. Yet today she’d seen another side to Nicholas Lawson, another piece of the puzzle. That decisiveness, the steadfastness under pressure and the considerate gentleness drew her in against her will. It was as though the black-and-white image from their first meeting was gathering colour with each day.

But her hurt held her back, and her fear. She didn’t want to see accusations or pity in his eyes, not tonight. She crawled back into bed. Knowing he kept watch made the noises of the night easier to ignore.

The sun bathed the ocean in pink as the clouds did their best to smother the day. ‘Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning,’ Ellie murmured, cradling her first cup of tea. Nick’s car was empty. She’d checked as soon as she woke. Nothing in the car looked disturbed and the doors were locked. The rain had let up for now so she guessed the bobbing head in the surf was his.

She walked inside, her toes curling from the cold floorboards. The computer screen glowed as she waited for the internet to find a connection. In the half-awake moment before dawn, she’d figured out a way to determine what the numbers were in Alex’s email.

She logged onto her online banking site and clicked on the ‘Pay Anyone’ option. The first row of numbers filled the BSB slot, and the next set fitted the account details. She set up a money transfer and hit submit. The confirmation page listed the details and with fingers that weren’t quite steady she confirmed the transaction.

It went through and her breath came out in a rush as the account details appeared on the screen. Georgina Wilding, Citibank. How the hell did Alex have her sister’s bank account details? Why didn’t she or Tom know it existed in the first place? They’d had to deal with everything else after Nina’s death. How did they miss this one?

The BSBs were identical on two of the numbers so presumably they were bank accounts. The last one didn’t fit the pattern.

Ellie leant back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the bench. ‘You already know the password.’ She re-read the message out loud.

Only one way to find out.

She googled Citibank and found their online log in. The first attempt rejected her. Ellie figured she had three attempts at the most before she was locked out. She studied the numbers again. Could the last set of numbers be the user name? The second attempt rejected the password. She blew out her cheeks. One guess left. What would Nina use as a password? It wasn’t her birthday. Tom’s or Ellie’s birthday?

Ellie’s smile was sad. No, it would be their mother’s birthday. She typed the details in and the system accepted it. The new screen opened and there were the two accounts. Ellie gasped. She’d never seen so many noughts. She did a quick calculation. There was over two million dollars sitting there in her sister’s name. The information along the top listed the last deposit transaction. It was over two years ago, just before she died.

Ellie dropped her forehead to the table. ‘Oh, Nina . . . Is this drug money? Or hush money?’ The only other activity for the last two years was a monthly direct debit to Australia Post. She scrolled back. That payment had been coming out for years. Could it be a post office box? She rummaged in her backpack and flicked through the bunch of keys. There it was. A distinctive coppery-coloured key with its round barrel. Where was the box it fitted? Something stirred on the edge of her memory. She captured it before it escaped. Fifteen years ago? Maybe longer? She could see the scene so vividly.

Nina, an empty bottle of tequila in her hand, was holding court as only she could. ‘The bastards probably have files on all of us. Subversive students, that’s what we are. We need a drop box, somewhere safe, just in case.’

Alex laughed. He was there in his leather jacket, hair brushed back from his forehead. ‘Why would they bother with us? We’re small stuff, Neens.’

‘We may be small stuff writing the student union mag, but one day we’ll write the story that brings a government down or stops a war. You don’t become great by aiming low, Lex, my friend. We need protection.’

Ellie sat back. It had been a wild night. Her first proper hangover. The next day Nina had dragged them all along to the main Sydney post office. Ellie remembered throwing up in the nearby public toilets and wishing she were dead. Hangovers didn’t get better with age. No wonder she’d forgotten about it.

She saved the site to Favourites and opened another tab to look for Australia Post’s phone number. The ABC online news loaded and she froze, the key forgotten. The photo accompanying the lead story was of Teisha, Alex’s girlfriend. It was a shot taken from her Facebook page. Ellie had looked at it several times since Alex had left. Police were appealing for any information to assist in the investigation into her disappearance.

‘No,’ she breathed. ‘No, this isn’t right.’

She reached for the phone and dialled Alex’s number. It diverted again to voicemail. ‘It’s me. Ellie. Call me. What’s going on?’

Restless energy forced her out onto the verandah. The ocean was murky with all the run-off from the rain. Seaweed littered the beach, brown stains on the sand. White caps fled across the surface of the water, whipped up by the harrying wind. A week ago this view brought comfort, now it seemed to hem her in. She couldn’t stay here, cooped up with no answers.

She needed to be in Sydney and she had a way of making that happen.

If she was brave enough . . .

She scrolled through her phone contacts and found Palmer Island.

The caretaker answered just as Ellie was about to give up. ‘Hey, Dave. It’s Ellie, Ellie Wilding. Sorry to call you so early. How are you?’

‘Ellie, good to hear from you. You want to take the little lady for a fly?’ Her pulse leapt at his words. Nina used to call their aircraft the little lady.

‘Do you think the strip’s dry enough?’ she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt.

‘Yeah, now the rain’s stopped it’s drained pretty quick and your little Cessna doesn’t need much runway to get going. You’ll be right. Just a local flight?’

‘No. Off to Sydney. I need to get there today and I figure the roads are cut so this is my only chance.’

‘I hate to sound like an old nag, but tell me it’s not been two years since you last flew, has it?’

‘No, Dave. I flew in Africa a couple of weeks ago. I’m current. I’ll be fine.’

‘The weather’s improving, I guess.’

‘I’ll be careful. Plenty of places to stop between here and Sydney if it gets too bad.’

‘When do you want to leave?’

‘In an hour or so. Have you had a chance to fly a circuit in her recently?’

‘Yeah, I took her up last week. When I heard you were back I thought you might call. I’ll go and fill her up now. Full tanks?’

‘That would be great. I’ll see you soon. Thanks, mate.’

Ellie disconnected and as she leant closer to the computer she caught a flash of movement on the glossy screen. She spun around to find Nick with his hands on his hips, his mouth a straight line. With his hair standing on end, and a damp T-shirt clinging to his shoulders and chest, he looked ten years younger. The argument in his eyes spoiled the effect.

‘Going somewhere?’

She lifted her chin, determined not to be intimidated.

‘Sydney?’ His voice was flat, but the anger in his eyes was raw, fierce.

‘Perhaps.’

He slapped his hand on the table. ‘Ellie, for God’s sake! Leave it to the authorities.’

‘What, so they can put out alerts in the media?’ She pointed at the screen. ‘Teisha, Alex’s girlfriend, went missing days ago, and they are only just looking for her? God knows what’s happened to her or Alex, and I can’t wait here doing nothing. I may as well be dead myself.’

She regretted her angry words when he flinched as though she’d slapped him. She was angry with Nina, angry with Alex – overflowing with anger, and she had no outlet. Shadow appeared, walking more slowly than usual, and he subsided with a groan beside her.

Nick looked down at his hands. ‘Ellie, listen to me, please. I can keep you safe here, but in Sydney? Where will you stay? What will you do with Shadow?’

‘He can come with me.’ She wasn’t going to admit she hadn’t thought that part through.

‘Then let me come too. You and Shadow can stay at my house.’ He held up his hands when she started to interrupt. ‘There’s a guest room and bathroom. I’ll be busy, too busy to annoy you, but at least I’ll know where you are. Please. Let me help you. You don’t need to do this alone.’

She sensed he’d made a huge concession to be asking her to do something for him. He was far more comfortable giving orders. ‘We leave in an hour and I need to see Ron and Mavis before I go.’

‘I’m ready.’

She looked him up and down. ‘You’d better have a shower. Get changed into something warm. It’s going to take a couple of hours’ flying at least. The Cessna’s not an executive jet.’

‘Right.’ He crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his hands into his armpits.

‘What?’ She sensed he had something else to say.

‘Last night.’ He was uncomfortable. ‘I’m sorry I made that crack about your father. I want to be able to tell you the truth, but it’s not possible yet. I will, I promise you I will, as soon as I can.’ His eyes caught and held her gaze, the compelling insistence capturing her.

She looked him up and down again. ‘With or without you, I will find the truth.’

Almost an hour later Ellie ran her fingers over the polished paint. It was more a caress. The little lady was in immaculate condition, despite her age. She gave the wing strut a final tap and ducked her head to look at Nick through the open door, trying to ignore the sadness. Shadow was secured in the rear section of the aircraft, asleep on his mat. He was an old hand at this.

‘We’re good to go,’ she said.

‘Right.’ Nick folded himself into the seat, his head almost touching the roof lining. Ellie hid a smile as she made sure his harness was secure. She could feel the warmth of his shoulder across the tiny gap. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Her sadness grew as they donned their headsets.

‘Can you hear me?’ she asked.

‘Yep, got you loud and clear.’ His grin belied his earlier tension. ‘I’m in your hands. Treat me gently.’

‘Are you flirting with me?’

‘Something sexy about a lady pilot.’

‘Oh, please!’ She rolled her eyes, inordinately flattered by his compliment. His chuckle made her blush.

‘It’s okay. I promise not to interrupt. Just here for the ride.’

She cast a sideways glance at him. He looked far too comfortable.

‘Great. Maybe you can get some sleep.’

He grinned again. ‘Maybe. Long night last night.’

She turned her focus to the aircraft. For an instant she hesitated with her hand on the key, her thoughts returning to Nina. Time to move. She turned the key and the engine roared into life. Taxying sedately down to the end of the strip, she completed engine checks as she went.

‘Run-ups,’ she said by way of explanation as she tested both magnetos. Nick nodded. It felt good to have the little motor burbling under the cowls, the aircraft rocking gently as she turned on the end of the runway.

Lined up on the strip with its neat white gable markers running along the edge, Ellie hesitated again, lost in the moment. Then she pushed the throttle in and they accelerated down the grass strip, bumping over the ground until the aircraft leapt into the air, engine purring.

She banked left as they passed five hundred feet. Palmer Island was a green lily pad in a muddy swamp. All around it roads crisscrossed with yellow barriers disappeared into swollen rivers. Flashing lights of emergency vehicles formed clusters where people needed help.

Instead of distracting her from her memories it opened a floodgate and her vision blurred. As they levelled off at one thousand feet she engaged the autopilot and headed to the coast. Tears dampened her cheeks.

‘You okay?’ Nick asked.

It was pointless to lie. ‘Not really.’ Ellie used the back of her hand to wipe the tears away. ‘I knew this would be hard, but it’s worse . . .’

He didn’t push her and she appreciated the space. It took a couple of minutes before she was ready to talk. They were over the coast now and she looked down on the beach and the patchwork of fields as they flew south. It always looked so different from the air. The colours seemed more vibrant, the headlands more majestic. The demarcation between the land, sea and sky was never more clear, more compelling. The world was distilled into colours. Today with the rain they were more muted than usual. She sighed. Nick deserved an explanation.