by K T Bowes
“I want to go home,” Hana protested as one nurse pulled the blankets over her feet and another glared at her. “Look, I’m ready to go now.”
“Do we need to sedate you?” she threatened and Hana glowered.
“Yes please.”
They left her alone, but not before threatening all manner of medical mayhem if she left her bed again. “I mean it!” the ward sister said, wagging her finger at Hana. “Behave yourself.”
Bored, Hana entertained herself by flicking through the television channels. She settled on an English chat show and watched two lie detector tests and a DNA result. Four toothless men fought over a fat woman with tufty hair, flab piling over the top of her leggings. Hana shuddered and flicked to an infomercial advertising a revolutionary ladder. She watched as the man demonstrated different ways of using it and sighed in defeat. She almost fell off the kitchen steps hanging curtains. Logan wouldn’t permit her to own such a contraption.
“Mum?” Bodie hovered in the doorway, the frown on his face conveying his uncertainty. He looked rumpled and careworn, dark shadows beneath his eyes.
Hana smiled and patted the bed. “Come and entertain me. I’m confined to barracks.”
“So I hear.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. He sank into a chair near the window, putting distance between them. Then he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and raking the floor with his gaze. Hana braced herself.
Her mind strayed back to Vik’s funeral and she remembered her gangly son with his arm around Izzie’s shoulder. He shielded his sister from the well-meaning, pitying glances of Vik’s colleagues and friends. Marcus shivered and shook throughout the service, wounded to the core by the suddenness of the loss. Hana sighed, recognising the day she lost her son’s confidence but not understanding why. She remained silent and waited, flicking the channel back to the chat show. The man with more teeth than the others won the prize; a set of defenseless children and a lifetime to ruin them.
“When’s the baby due?” Bodie’s voice sounded husky and cracked. Hana tensed.
“Around the end of January. I don’t have an exact date yet.”
Bodie sat up straighter and rubbed his hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as though staving off a headache. He blinked in a series of rapid, jerky movements. “Is that why you married him? You didn’t need to. I could’ve helped.”
Hana swallowed and gritted her teeth. “I married Logan because I love him and no, the baby came afterwards.”
A movement in the doorway caught her eye and Hana’s heart sank. Logan leaned against the doorframe, his face dark with anger and his body language radiating danger.
“Hey.” Hana spoke to warn Bodie before he made a worse mess of their conversation. He jerked his head up and his expression clouded at the sight of Logan.
“Does Izzie know about the baby?” he demanded.
“Not yet,” Hana replied. “Please let me tell her.” Her good hand strayed to her stomach as she imagined the conversation.
Bodie turned to gaze through the window. “Pete gave the detective heaps of information. He remembered the registration plate, type of car, and described your attackers down to the last freckle. Then he passed out. When he came around again, he remembered nothing. Fascinating. The guy is obviously more in tune after a bang on the head.”
Hana winced at the memory. “I’m still sorry I crashed into that man. Do you know how he is? Will the detective take action against me?”
Logan stepped into the room and leaned against the wall next to Hana. He kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets and remained silent.
Bodie sighed. “Not unless you hit him on purpose. I know we get a hammering in the media, but we do know what self-defense looks like when we see it.”
“But I didn’t hit him in self-defense.” Hana shook her head. She opened her mouth to finish the sentence but Bodie didn’t give her the chance. He stood and held his hand up to silence her.
“Mum! If you’re about to confess you did it on purpose, then don’t! I would have to arrest you and I don’t have the energy!”
“No, no,” pleaded Hana. “It was accidental! I thought I put the gear lever into reverse and he ran towards me. I didn’t know I’d found first gear instead until he hit the windscreen.”
“Fantastic!” said Bodie, with an edge of nastiness in his voice. His eyes narrowed. “Dangerous driving is just as bad. Stop talking, Mum.”
Images of prison drifted through Hana’s mind as Bodie backed away from her. She covered her sob with a shaking hand. Logan moved so fast, Bodie missed the warning cues. In blue jeans and a denim jacket, he looked every bit the capable cowboy. “Get out!” he hissed, putting his body between mother and son. “You’re done here.”
Bodie shook his head numerous times before finding his words. “You can’t make me.”
Logan snorted. “Is that the best you came up with? Goodbye.” His lips curled upwards on one side as he watched the younger man wrestle with his emotions. Hana covered her eyes and turned sideways in the bed.
“She’s my mother!” Bodie gritted his teeth and his fingers balled into fists. He objectified the tall Māori into a monster capable of stealing away his surest anchor pin. The prospect of losing Hana terrified him.
“Then treat her with respect, man! You’re behaving like a jealous little kid.” Logan leaned forward for emphasis, not intimidated by the venom flashing in his stepson’s dark eyes. “Grow up,” he whispered. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, his face softened at the sight of Hana with her hand over her eyes.
“I don’t want to have the baby in prison,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I messed the gears up.”
“Hana, stop.” Logan sat next to her on the bed and ignoring Bodie, pulled her head against his shoulder. “It’s all gonna be fine,” he promised.
Bodie blanched at the intimate moment, feeling like a boat which slipped its mooring and scraped along the harbour wall. He gritted his jaw and turned away from the touching scene, stomping from the hospital in a temper.
Hana’s phone rang half an hour later and Logan answered it. He glanced sideways at her as she stared at the television through glazed eyes. “It’s Amy,” he said. “She’s at work and needs to be quick.”
Hana pressed the phone to her ear and sighed. “Hey, Amy. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Bodie,” Amy whispered. “I just sent him home.”
“Why?” Hana groaned. “What now?” Logan’s body tensed and he slipped an arm around her shoulder.
“He slammed in here, throwing his gear around and I pulled rank. I sent him home sick. If he goes out on the road in that state, he’ll end up on a disciplinary.”
Hana’s chest heaved in a ragged breath. “Okay. I don’t know what you want me to do, sweetheart. He’s a grown up. I’ve done my time in the headmaster’s office with him.”
“Yeah, I know.” Amy sighed. “He found out about the baby, didn’t he?”
“Yes and he’s unhappy.” Hana lay her head back against Logan’s arm and closed her eyes. “I’m meant to remain alone and miserable. That’s his plan for my life.”
“Na, he’s just thrashing.” Amy paused the conversation and spoke to someone else in the background. “Gotta go. He wouldn’t tell me what upset him but he’s gone home to sulk.”
“Thanks. Have a good day.” Hana forced a smile onto her lips, communicating her gratitude without words.
“Hana?” Doubt crept into Amy’s voice and Hana tensed. Her elbow twinged and she winced. “Be careful. He’s entertaining strange ideas about what Logan might be involved with. He’s threatening to do some serious digging and turn up dirt about him.”
“But he won’t find anything.” A whine crept into Hana’s voice and she felt Logan’s gaze settle on her face. “My husband is a teacher. What dirt does he think he’ll find?”
“Then don’t worry about it. He’ll get over it. Logan’s good
to you and he’ll see that eventually.” Amy bid her goodbye and ended the call, leaving Hana feeling confused.
“Just say it.” Logan’s sigh sent her mood spiralling lower.
“Bodie’s determined to cause trouble.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I don’t deserve this from him. I accepted his son and Amy without question. Why can’t he do the same for me?”
“I don’t know.” Logan gnawed his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed. “He hates me, Hana. You need to get used to it.”
“I want to go home.” Her chest heaved against the return of the misery he soothed away earlier. She yearned for the peace and lofty isolation of Culver’s Cottage. “I want to go right now.” Her childish wail sounded like nails on a blackboard. She should have felt ashamed but the pressing need for escape overrode dignity.
Logan held her, kissing her temple and soothing her with gentle strokes of his hand against her hair. “You aren’t ready to go home,” he said, his voice quiet but determined.
“I helped you break out of here.” Her lips turned down in a pout. “And the careers event is coming up fast.” Hana turned to logic to reinforce her demands. “Sheila needs me.”
“No. Sheila needs a two handed assistant who can type and take phone messages, Hana. You need time to recuperate.” His fingers strayed to her stomach and he smoothed her tee shirt over the outline of his child. “And my baby needs you to take it seriously.”
Hana pushed her face into his armpit in protest, breathing in the scent of him. “I still want to go home,” she muttered and he snorted.
“No surprise there. But you’re not.” He pressed his lips against her forehead and Hana stuck her tongue out.
The sound of feet scraping against the tiles made Logan jump and Hana cried out in pain. “Sorry.” Odering held his hands out in front of him and his face creased with guilt. “I need to clarify some points in Mrs Du Rose’s statement.” He flapped a piece of paper in her direction. “I made notes from what you said yesterday, but there might be gaps.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed as the man sidled to the visitor’s chair and sat down. Odering rested the paper on his knees and picked lint from his trousers. “So, get on with it then,” Logan bit and Hana stared sideways at him in surprise. The detective leaned forward, forearms against his thighs.
“We charged the injured man with kidnapping and assault. The other men fled the scene and our officers are looking for them. The damage to your property appears superficial and a friend of yours was putting it straight as I left earlier.” He sighed and his gaze flicked to Logan. “I’ll level with you but this must remain confidential.”
Hana glanced at her husband and he conceded the faintest nod. Odering seemed satisfied for the moment and directed the conversation towards her. “The blonde man you’ve met a few times now is a nasty character. His nickname is Flick because of how often he uses a switchblade to make his point. Our investigations suggest after his release from prison last year, he started working for Michael Laval.”
“Oh.” Hana pursed her lips. “Mrs Bowman’s gentleman friend. That’s what we thought.”
Odering pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket and flicked the pages. “Laval is linked to criminal activities involving vulnerable women. He’s amassed quite a fortune and slipped through our net several times over the last few years. Changing his identity helped to add to our confusion, although in his latest few ventures he got sloppy and didn’t bother.”
“His last few ventures?” Hana’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You mean robbing Mrs Bowman?”
“And others. You might not think so, but your friend proved fortunate just to lose her house. A lady in Northland lost her life.”
Hana nodded in silent agreement. Her brow knitted. “Why come after me though? I’m no longer a widow and never owned a fortune.”
“From questioning Mrs Bowman and adding what we already know, his interest in you seems linked to something he thinks you’re hiding.” Hana’s eyes flicked to Logan and she gnawed her lower lip. If the detective noticed the silent acknowledgement pass between them, he said nothing. “After your attempted mugging at the school back in February, another staff member identified the young man we arrested. We think he hid something on your vehicle, which is why many of the incidents involved it. He pleaded guilty to assault amongst other crimes but refused to implicate anyone else.”
“What sentence did he get?” Logan demanded and Odering narrowed his eyes.
“You weren’t informed?”
“No! Nobody tells us anything!” Hana snapped. “Your officers never return phone calls or keep me updated. I feel as if I don’t matter.”
“That’s not the case, I promise.” Odering licked his lips. “The boy received community service hours.”
“Cleaning graffiti off toilet walls?” Logan swore and rolled his eyes. “Big deal. Who is the guy you arrested the other day? He broke my wife’s arm. What will he get? Gardening duties for old ladies or more graffiti cleaning?”
Odering shook his head. “We just take the cases, Mr Du Rose. The court decides the sentences. He works for a local money guy. We’re not sure why he subcontracted to Laval, but think it relates to a gambling debt he ran up.” He turned to Hana. “Back to your car, I know our forensic officer checked it after you called them to a rear shunt at your address. We haven’t ignored you, but the pieces don’t fit. They will, but it takes time.”
“Your guy didn’t find the scratches underneath though, did he?” Logan pushed a pillow behind Hana and stood. Agitation showed in his jerky movements. “It looked like something was fixed to the underside. I imagined one of those plastic, magnetic boxes spent time fixed to the chassis, but Hana didn’t put it there.”
“When I moved house, I found a metal box in my garage.” Hana’s cheeks pinked with embarrassment. “I didn’t realise its significance and put it in my handbag. Later, I let my grandson play with it.”
Odering’s eyes widened and he stood. The paper and his notebook fell to the floor. “You found it? I need you to give it to me. It’s evidence.”
Logan closed and opened his fist, ordering his words before he spoke. “We can’t find it.”
“No, I couldn’t find it.” Hana took the blame, watching the colour fade from the detective’s face. “I searched my grandson’s room and found the box, but it was empty.”
Odering shrugged. “I still want it. It’s evidence.” He gritted his teeth and turned away from them, letting the rain against the windowpane distract him. “You don’t understand. I’ve followed Laval from one end of this country to the other.” He whirled around. “I’m getting desperate.”
Odering’s jaw flexed and he slapped his thighs, the slump of his body pitiful. “You need to find the contents of that box,” he demanded. “And soon.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The detective asked numerous times for the address where Hana last saw the box. She refused. “No, I’ll get it. I don’t want you upsetting my grandson.”
“I can get a warrant,” he threatened and Logan stood.
“It’s time you left. My wife is tired. We’ve told you we’ll get it and I expect you to be satisfied with that.” He moved close enough to Odering for the other man to take a step back. “If you interfere, we’ll disappear and you’re on your own.” Logan’s jaw worked in his cheek and Odering blanched.
“Okay.” He side stepped Logan and nodded to Hana. “I’ll see you soon, Mrs Du Rose,” he said, his voice containing a veiled threat.
As his heels receded along the corridor, Hana slumped against the pillows. “I need to use the bathroom.”
Logan helped push the drip stand into the bathroom and leaned against the wall. “How’s your arm?” he asked, keeping his tone casual.
“Exhausted like the rest of me,” she sighed. She yanked her pants and underwear to half-mast before pausing. “Turn around!” she insisted. “I can’t pee with you watch
ing.”
Logan turned to stare at the door. “Don’t be scared of Odering,” he said. “I can see he’s upset you.”
Hana sighed. “I made a deal with Jas. He has such little faith in adults already that I wanted to prove some of us were different.”
“You can’t search his room,” Logan mused. “I’ll need to do it.”
Hana nodded and hauled her clothing back in place one-handed. “Then let me speak to him on the phone or bring him here. I promised.”
“I’ll organise it.” Logan turned around to face her and gave her a towel as she washed her hand. The slippery bar of soap plopped into the sink and she cursed. “I think you should recuperate at the hotel.” He turned his head to gauge her reaction.
“No thanks.” Hana spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to.”
“Be sensible,” he urged, increasing the pressure. “Mum and Leslie could help you and I’ll know you’re safe.”
“No,” she repeated with more force. “I’d rather meet Laval than become a captive of a different kind.”
“You don’t mean that!” Logan snapped and Hana swallowed, refusing to confirm her foolish point.
“I always help with the expo and I refuse to change my life because of a spiteful old man.” She stuck her nose in the air and squared her jaw, daring Logan to challenge her.
“Yeah. Fair point.” Logan slumped down onto the closed toilet seat. “Can’t Pete help?”
Hana snorted. “You aren’t serious? Last year, Sheila asked him to take photographs of the stallholders talking to boys. He went up to the mezzanine floor in the hall to get a better angle and dropped the departmental camera over the balcony.”
“Ouch.” Logan winced. “Did you retrieve the memory card?”
“Nope.” Hana grimaced and amusement backlit her green eyes. “Because he dropped it into the power company’s display tank. It soaked more than thirty people in a ten metre radius. It wasn’t just water either. They stained it blue for effect. Sheila went mental.”