by Cassie Hart
‘No.’ Jena snapped the word out, tugging him back in the other direction. ‘We’ll ask Will. I bet Rose gave him a list of things we’ll need. She was always really organised, knew exactly what was in the shed and how much, too.’ Jena would put money on that not having changed, despite Rose’s illness. ‘Come on, I want to show you something,’ she said, wracking her brain for an offering, a snapshot into her past that she could share to distract him from the barn.
‘About time we got to the good stuff,’ he said with a laugh. ‘Shame you weren’t here as a teen, I bet there would be juicier stories to tell if you were.’
Jena shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘Well you’re shit out of luck, Mister. There’s nothing juicy to see here. But if you want to hear a spooky story ….’
‘Spooky works.’ He squeezed her hand and she caught the look of surprise on his face. It took a few seconds for her to realise that for most people the fire was probably scarier than anything else, but that wasn’t what she was thinking about.
Jena led him back to the front of the house, towards the tallest tree on the front lawn. There had been rose bushes here once; she’d seen them in photos from when her mother and Pat were really little. At some point before Jena was born, they’d been replaced by a bed of peonies, which she always thought of as Rose’s favourites. Though she couldn’t say why. Their pink heads would wave around in the wind; the sight had been hypnotic to her as a child.
The flowers weren’t blooming now; it was the wrong time of the year. Jena was surprised by the pang of sorrow that washed over her. She might never get a chance to see them again.
And that was when it hit her – that while she might have come here looking for answers, she also needed to say goodbye. Once she left, she was never coming back.
There would be nothing to come back to. This was the end of the line for their family on this property, and she couldn’t understand why that stung so much. But it did.
‘So, what’s this story?’ Cade prompted her. They’d walked past the garden and were now under the canopy of the tree. Jena approached it, running her fingers over the rough bark, remembering the times they had tried to climb this one, never getting very far because it was just too big. Her mother had always rejected the idea that they nail rungs into its trunk; maybe, if they’d all lived longer, they’d have been able to persuade her.
‘Living in the country is wonderful, but you also know this deep sense of isolation – no one is going to hear you screaming from next door. You can’t call for help and expect to be heard. Anything could happen and no one would know about it.’ She looked over her shoulder at Cade, capturing his gaze with hers. She could see the flash of fire in her mind, because of course, they didn’t hear the screams, but so many had seen those flames against the dark sky. ‘Rose always used to tell us the story of the Dark Man.’
‘Dark Man? Like, an actual man?’ Cade raised an eyebrow.
Jena shrugged, then shook her head as she turned to face him. ‘I don’t know if he was an actual man, but he was our bogeyman. He lived out here, in all the places we weren’t really meant to go. Like in the gardens.’ She grinned. ‘Rose would tell us that if we walked through her flowers, he’d come for us. That if we weren’t good, if we weren’t careful, the Dark Man would steal our souls.’
‘Well that’s cheery,’ Cade said with a laugh. ‘And were you a very good girl?’
‘Actually, I was.’ She leaned back against the tree as he stepped towards her.
‘That was a long time ago though, wasn’t it,’ he murmured, leaning in to nuzzle her neck.
Jena giggled, the soft brush of his lips tickling before he kissed her clavicle, his body pressing against hers, a delicious crush with the roughness of the tree at her back.
‘Mmm, can’t say I’ve ever done that here,’ she said, gasping when he nibbled her skin.
‘I bet there are a lot of things you haven’t. We can fix that.’ He moved up, capturing her lips and kissing her deeply.
Jena let herself get lost in the sensation. This was something Cade was always good for, helping her forget anything but the here and now, the feel of his skin against hers.
He drew back with a grin. ‘Where could we go?’ he asked, eyes full of lust.
Jena heard something – the scrape of a shoe? The call of the Dark Man? She glanced over Cade’s shoulder and tensed up. Will stood at the top of the steps. It didn’t look like he’d spotted them yet and she was tempted to duck behind the tree and hide, the same way she and Joel had when they were kids.
Except that maybe Rose was awake. Maybe it was time.
She pushed Cade back a bit and the movement caught Will’s eye. He called out, but she couldn’t hear what he said, his beckon enough to get her moving.
‘Looks like she might be awake,’ Jena said. She bit her lip, torn between the urge to move forward and the urge to run away. She wasn’t ready. Yet she’d been waiting for this for years.
Cade let out a frustrated sigh, but slipped his hand into hers. ‘He’s a real killjoy, that one.’
‘Yeah, yeah he is,’ she said absently. And then they were walking across the lawn, past the peonies and onto the driveway.
Will met them at the bottom of the steps, his face a blank canvas.
‘Is she awake?’ Jena asked, gripping the railing.
He shook his head. ‘She is, but she’s not up for visitors. She’s in a lot of pain today.’ He frowned. ‘I’m sorry, I know how much you wanted to talk to her.’
‘I can’t even see her?’ Jena took the first step, but Will moved to block her way.
‘Jena, please. Don’t make me have to intervene. I will if I have to, but I don’t want to.’
‘Don’t worry, you don’t need to get involved this time,’ she said, pushing past him. ‘Come on, Cade, let’s go for a drive.’
‘But we only—’
‘Cade!’ She didn’t wait for him to respond, just moved into the house, stripping off the borrowed jacket and hanging it on the hook.
‘Right.’ He followed her in, mimicking her motions. ‘Are you sure about this?’ he whispered.
‘Yeah, let’s get some fish and chips. We can get a few supplies while we’re out. I just ….’ She slumped then, shoulders curving over.
‘It’s okay. Come on,’ he said, tugging her up the stairs so they could get their wallets.
CHAPTER FOUR
WILL
Jena wasn’t what Will had expected.
She was more abrasive, more scattered than he’d imagined from the information he’d gathered. But then, it was always a little awkward getting to know someone you’d researched, and in this case, someone you’d looked into intensively.
He’d lived a few towns over when the fire had happened. Had heard rumours. Knew she’d been sent away and always wondered why. It just seemed strange, sending a kid off into the world right after her whole family had died. It was one of the things that had always niggled at him about the events here on this farm.
Will was determined to get to the bottom of it.
He watched as Jena and Cade headed to the blue Toyota with the surfboard strapped to the top and drove down the driveway, the battered vehicle kicking up dust in its wake. He felt a little bad for lying to Jena; he could see how much she needed to speak with Rose, but Rose was his boss. They might get along well, but he had to toe the line on this.
He closed the front door and walked back down the hallway to the second lounge that was now Rose’s room. He fished the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door to step inside.
‘I heard the car start. Told you she’d leave, didn’t I?’ Rose coughed as she tried to struggle into a seated position.
Will walked across the room to help, plumping her pillows as she leaned forward, hooking the spare one off the chair next to the bed to put behind her head. When she was comfortable, he took his customary seat.
‘I actually thought she’d try to come in here, which is why I locked the door
.’ He looked at Rose differently now, seeking some change in her face, her demeanour. But it was the same as it had been every day of these past few weeks.
Rose was giving him nothing.
‘It was a possibility, but my little bird, she runs. She always has, even before ….’ Rose shook her head, sorrow making the many fine lines around her eyes crinkle together.
Will ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, weighing his words. ‘Why didn’t you want to see her today?’
Rose let out a long sigh, sinking into the pillows as she did. ‘I’m not ready.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘I know you don’t understand, but there’s a lot of time and distance between me and the girl. She’s like a bull in a china shop sometimes, and I wasn’t ready for her to come in here and charge around.’
‘Yeah, I bet she’s got a lot to say to you.’ He tried to temper the words with kindness, but it was hard.
Rose caught the tip of his accusation and turned her glare on him. ‘You need to treat your elders with respect, Will. You’re only here by my good grace. Remember that.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ he said, scooting forward on the chair so that they were closer. ‘I can tell there’s a lot of history there, and pain. In my line of work, I see it a lot.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Why are you in this line of work, Will? You’re good at your job, but it’s not the norm for men. Not that I’m complaining.’ Rose smiled to herself and let her eyes drift shut.
Will swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to push down the memories of his own tragedy; the one that had prompted him to get into caring for those close to death. He needed to see their eyes, to know if what he’d seen at his own mother’s passing held true for others. ‘I just want to help out, to make the hard times easier for those in their last days.’
‘Far from my last days, boy.’ Rose coughed and he grabbed the cup of water by her bed, offering it to her. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the straw, her tongue sliding out to capture it. He held the cup steady, knowing she wasn’t up to doing it herself. She let the straw go with a sigh. ‘I’m not done for yet, but I appreciate the help all the same.’
Will pressed his lips together. People often thought they had longer than they really did, but it wasn’t his place to say that. They realised soon enough. He reached for another pillow, grabbing an end in each hand and considering the weight of it as he fluffed it up and then tucked it behind her head.
Maybe she’d make it to the rest home, maybe not. From what he knew of Rose, he had a feeling that what she really wanted was to die in this house. Her daughter, Pat, wasn’t having a bar of that, though, and as much as Jena said she wanted to be here for Rose, the rift between grandmother and granddaughter was too big right now.
It didn’t really matter to him whether they healed that wound; what mattered was that the truth would come out in the process no matter the result. It wasn’t a lie that he found comfort in helping those in their final stage of life, but what he really yearned for were the secrets that came out when people were dying. Secrets that might explain the mysteries he’d found no reasons for. Yet.
And the Benedict Farm mystery was in his top five.
CHAPTER FIVE
JENA
Jena crept downstairs to make herself a coffee. Cade was still sleeping and she didn’t want to wake him yet; she just wanted some space, some peace, to trace the paths of her childhood and reacquaint herself with this place. It was so weird to move around in this kitchen. Hardly anything had changed since she left, but that didn’t mean she knew where anything was. At ten, she’d been of some use in the kitchen, but between her mother, Lucy, and Rose there hadn’t been a lot to do other than peel potatoes and carrots.
She was just taking her first sip of coffee when Will appeared in the doorway.
‘She’s awake,’ he said, giving her an awkward little nod.
Jena had no idea what that nod meant, but she shot out of her chair and headed towards the hallway, brushing past Will.
‘Hang on a second,’ he called, though he didn’t grab her. ‘You can’t just charge in there like a bull.’
Jena spun to face him. ‘I am not a bull. Not even close to it. But let’s get one thing straight.’ She raised a finger, pointing it at him like it was loaded and ready to go off. ‘She’s my family, and I am sure as shit not going to let you keep me from her. You got that?’
Will rocked back on his heels, eyes widening in surprise. ‘Got it.’ A frown flickered across his brow so quickly that she almost missed it. ‘But if we’re being clear, I’m here for her, not you. And if I think you’re putting her at risk or causing her unnecessary stress then you’re gone. Have you got that?’ His tone was pure professional; there wasn’t a trace of emotion on his face now.
Jena huffed out a breath, almost wishing he was angry like she was. ‘Loud and clear.’
She spun back around and headed for the second lounge, tossing a look over her shoulder and, of course, there was Will, following behind her.
Why couldn’t he just go away?
When she got to the lounge door she paused, her fingers on the handle, an aching hesitancy making her breathless.
Was it going to be like this for every room in the house? Like the world was on hold as she anxiously anticipated what she might find on the other side.
All her irritation at Will disappeared, leaving her drained. She heaved a sigh and forced herself to relax her shoulders.
Will came to a stop just behind her. ‘It’s okay,’ he said softly.
She whirled to face him, surprised by his sudden change in demeanour, but still annoyed by his presence. ‘Yeah, I know it’s okay,’ she snapped.
He chewed on his bottom lip, his eyes sliding away from her before they came back, tinged with grief. ‘I’ve been where you are before and I know it’s hard. That’s all. I know you don’t like me, but I just want you to know that I get that this isn’t easy. I’m not going to hold anything that happens here against you.’
Jena scowled. Hold it against her. What the fuck. As if there was something wrong with the way she was behaving.
Though, she had been kind of a jerk to him, and he hadn’t really done anything wrong. Yet. Other than be kind of creepy.
‘Okay,’ she conceded with a sigh. She opened the door, giving him one last look before pushing it to behind her and facing the room.
The curtains had already been opened and pale sunlight flooded into the lounge. It was almost the same, aside from the hospital bed in the middle of the room and the smell of cleaning products, as if they were trying to win a war against the dusty drapes and the old cream-and-gold Axminster carpet. The only big difference was the new wallpaper, a bold red flower design she’d never have picked for herself. It really didn’t go with the carpet, but maybe they were planning to work on that next. She could see the ranges out the window. Their peaks were dusted in mist, and she knew that Taranaki would be shrouded too. Jena took a breath, and then turned her gaze to the old woman in the bed.
‘Jena,’ Rose said, the word a whisper. She sounded almost as frail as she appeared. Her grandmother was wearing a deep blue nightdress. Propped up in bed she looked light enough that she might float away, had it not been for the old blanket weighing her down and the pounamu necklace resting on her chest.
‘Rose.’ Jena crossed the room and sat down carefully beside the old woman, right on the edge of the bed. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she realised that until this moment, right here, she’d done a really good job of forgetting the fact that this woman might not be around much longer. Of forgetting that they’d wasted years not talking to each other about anything important, or not talking at all, and it was almost too late.
Which was why she had to do this right. It was why she had to find a way to get the answers she so desperately needed.
‘It’s good to see you, little bird. It’s been a long time.’
Jena nodded. ‘Too long. I’m sorry.
Sorry for being a brat and—’
‘Hush now. No need to say sorry. We’ve both made mistakes. Let’s not waste time on apologies when we’ve got so much work ahead of us.’ Rose gave Jena the same look she’d always given her; the one that was simultaneously encouraging and admonishing.
‘Are you sure you want to sell this place?’ Jena glanced around the room then, taking in the details she hadn’t seen before. It had changed more than she’d thought at first glance, new books on the bookshelf, half the older ornaments gone. ‘It’s home. It’s been part of our family for so long.’
Rose shook her head, sorrow in her eyes. ‘It hasn’t really been home since I sent you away, little bird.’
‘I didn’t mean my home, but yours—’
‘Not mine, either. It’s been hollow without you here.’ Rose sighed and leaned back against the pillows. ‘I don’t know why I didn’t sell the place years ago.’
Jena didn’t know what to say. Rose had never let on that she’d been conflicted over the decision to send her away. She’d always denied Jena’s requests to return, even had her uncle come and drag her back to their place that one time she’d hitchhiked out here.
She sighed. None of this was how she thought it would go.
‘But you’re here now.’ Rose reached out and patted Jena’s arm. Jena slipped her hand into Rose’s grip, feeling the feather-fine skin beneath her fingers, wrinkled but so soft to the touch. ‘And we can work together, get this place on the market and help you create a new future. I want to make sure you’re looked after when I’m gone. I know it might be hard to believe, but it’s the only thing I’ve wanted. Ever.’
Rose locked eyes with Jena. The deep blue seemed to have faded to a milky hue, greying with age, but she was still sharp and aware. Her brain wasn’t slowing down just yet, which would make it both harder and easier for Jena to get the truth from her.
But there was plenty of time for that on another day. Right now, Will was hovering just outside the door and she knew he wouldn’t stand for raised voices.