by Bowes, K T
“I dunno.” Logan rolled his eyes. “Let’s attempt to put these kids to bed, not that I think they’ll stay there after tonight. I need a chance to think.”
“You also need to talk to your brother.” Hana watched as Mac’s head lolled against Logan’s shoulder before he jumped awake and gave a strangled cry. She gave Logan a wilted smile. “I bet there’s five of us in our bed tonight.”
Logan quirked his lips up on one side, revealing a hidden dimple beneath the stubble. “Yeah, well it’ll stay at five too. If Leslie crawls in, I’ll get out.” He set off towards the kitchen door and Hana let out a shaky sigh. Something told her she wouldn’t do much sleeping either.
Chapter 56
A Big Mess
“That’s a big mess.” Leslie watched over Logan’s shoulder as he squatted in front of Hana and daubed her eye with cotton wool soaked in saline. He glared up at her.
“Thanks for that. Really helpful.”
“Well, it is. Big, big mess.” Leslie shook her head and continued to crowd Logan until he snapped at her.
“Why are you here?” he demanded. “Why are you living in my house, eating my food and sticking your nose into my business?”
“I help Hana.” Leslie looked scandalised. “And I left your father. He’s a big pig.” She tapped Logan on the top of his head. “I take my mokopuna to school and pick them up. I’m doing helping.”
“Doing helping? That’s not even English.” Logan shook his head and Hana watched the patience drain from his eyes. She tensed, waiting for the inevitable fight to begin. Her gaze drifted across Leslie’s face until she registered the peculiar lumps dotted along her forehead and the side of her face.
“Are you having an allergic reaction to something?” Hana squinted through her good eye as Logan sealed an ice pack over the painful right one. “You’ve got strange lumps sticking out of your face.”
Logan stood and looked down on his step-mother, trying to peer at her olive complexion. “Yeah, come to think of it you look different. What’s going on?”
Leslie jutted out her chin and set her jaw in a determined line. “I don’t like to be old and wrinkled.” She glared at Logan in challenge.
“It’s a bit bloody late to turn that ship around,” he snorted. “It sailed years ago.”
“Shut up, nasty boy!” She slapped his chest and touched a lump with tentative fingers. “I got buttocks in my face.”
“Ha!” Logan spat in victory. “I could’ve told you that. Face like a cow’s ass.”
“Logan, stop it.” Hana stood, keeping the ice pack over her eye and squinting at Leslie. “Do you mean Botox?”
Leslie waved her hands and took another swipe at Logan. “That’s what I said. Buttocks.”
“Is that where you keep disappearing to with our ute?” Hana let her fingers drift up to the sore patch near her right ear where Anahera ripped out the biggest chunk of hair.
“No, not all the time.” Leslie swung her hips. “I take the wee boy to those gardens at the bottom of town. We feed the ducks. He likes it when they flap their wings and do handstands in the lake.”
“Handstands!” Logan threw his hands up in the air. “Botox. Bloody hell, woman. What’s wrong with you? Just take your hundred-year-old face back to Alfred and sort your life out.” He jabbed an index finger at her. “Everything was fine until you turned up with that drop-kick in tow. Just go back to the mountain and stay away from me.”
“Can’t.” Leslie pouted and stuck her chin in the air. “I’ve got one more appointment with the doctor.” She plumped up her breasts by shoving her forearms beneath her wobbling mounds and jiggling them. “Then I’m gonna bag me a fit dude who can take me dancin’.”
“But what about Alfred?”
“What about him?” Leslie looked at Hana in surprise as though her husband possessed no authority over her life decisions. “He told me to leave and I did. He’s on his own from now on and I’ll be getting jiggy with a younger model.”
Hana laughed, but the smile died on her lips at the sight of Logan shaking his head. “Don’t encourage her!” he said, his tone edgy. He turned back to Leslie and slapped her hands away from her breasts as she peered down her own cleavage and admired the view. “While you’re here, you can tell us what you know of a prostitution ring involving men from the township.”
“Why would I know something like that?” Leslie puckered her lips and Hana sighed.
“Because you know everything, Leslie. Did you know Anahera’s sister performed sex acts for cash?”
“I can hear te pēpe crying.” Leslie sounded convincing as she turned and ran for the kitchen door and Hana listened, hearing nothing. The monitor on the kitchen counter showed no change in sound level which meant Mac still slept. Logan got there first and body blocked Leslie, his grey eyes flashing like a stormy sea.
“No, you can’t!” he snapped. “Answer the question.”
“Yes, I knew,” Leslie admitted. “She started while you were away and managed to keep it quiet. Lincoln Haines was only one of her regulars; I know there were others.”
“Who?” Logan’s biceps tensed as he anticipated Leslie’s onslaught, but she stayed a good metre away from him, fearful of what he might do if she touched him again. “Who were the others, Leslie? Was Nev part of it?”
Leslie’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know. Why are you asking me that? He’s your brother and Pania was his sister-in-law. That’s disgusting!”
Thoughts of Caroline and Kane went through Hana’s mind. “It’s not the worst I’ve heard about this family,” she muttered and Logan raised an eyebrow and gave her a warning scowl.
“Tell me the names, Leslie.” Logan tipped forward to allow his threat to hit home. “You tell me right now or I tip you out of here and I don’t care where you go.”
Leslie swallowed and Hana saw her spine tense through her flowery blouse. “Fine then! But two of thems is dead.”
“Reuben?” Logan named his father and his expression looked sick.
Hana pressed the dripping ice pack to her face in an attempt to hide her surprise at not having even thought of Reuben. Her mind strayed to her single meeting with him before he died, tall, still handsome and in possession of the X factor he’d handed down to his son. She shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Logan. Reuben wouldn’t get involved with a sordid arrangement like that. He didn’t need to.”
“Sure didn’t.” Leslie’s eyes grew dreamy and Logan recoiled in disgust.
“Euwgh!”
“What? Your father was a fine figure of a man but he had Miriam so no, he wasn’t involved.”
“Who then?” Logan ground his teeth and Hana saw the bone work through the skin of his jaw.
“Jack.” Leslie put her hands on her hips. “And don’t you be castin’ no judgement on the dead.” She crossed herself and drew the action out for maximum effect. “Lincoln. Then there was your cousin who runs the restaurant near Rangiriri.”
“Alex!” Horror flitted across Logan’s face. “But he’s been married for years!”
“Yep, him.” Leslie looked unrepentant. “The other one was a boy from the town who worked in the mechanic shop. You remember him, don’t you, Logan?”
Logan ran a hand through his hair. “The Irish guy? Did he die? You said two of them died.”
“Yeah, youse remember! He got in a car accident and died from his injuries.”
“I didn’t know. That sucks.” Logan’s shock looked genuine and Hana felt his sadness vibes from across the room. “So, who’s the fifth?”
Leslie shook her head. “Na, only those dudes.” She shrugged. “Pania looked hot and she offered it. Do you think she put buttocks in her face?” Leslie’s glance at Hana looked hopeful and she pretended not to see. The idea of Leslie’s voluptuous body being ridden for cash heated her cheeks and made the ice pack melt faster.
“This is so messed up.” Logan forgot his sentry duty and stalked across the kitchen, hurling himself into a chair next to
Hana. “How did I miss this?”
“You weren’t here.” Leslie continued to face the door despite Logan’s defection, looking like a naughty child from behind. A very round, naughty child. “You lived in England tāne and then when you came back, you lived on the north shore.” She turned then, her eyes wide as she regarded Hana.
“Don’t mention that woman’s name!” Hana pressed the ice pack to her head with more force than necessary, focussing on the external pain to distract her from mention of Logan’s former fiancé. “I’m having a dreadful week and I don’t need reminding of her, thanks.”
Logan chewed his lip and skirted over Hana’s outburst. “We must find out who that fifth guy was.”
“Where’s Nev? Let’s ask him.” Hana took the ice pack away and turned towards Logan. “Does this look better?”
He wrinkled his nose. “A little. Nev went outside with the crash team; I didn’t hear him come back in. Did you?”
“I’ll find him.” Leslie’s pudgy fingers clasped the door handle before she finished her sentence and she rushed out, banging herself on every piece of architrave in her haste. Hana let out a snort, but extinguished it when Logan didn’t see the funny side.
“Nev?” He turned to Hana, an agony of emotion in his voice. “Not Nev. He’s dead straight, Hana. He wouldn’t cheat on Anahera, especially not with her sister and I can’t imagine him killing someone. Na, it’s not right.”
“Then he’ll say so and we can look elsewhere.”
Hana looked up as Leslie wobbled back into the kitchen. “His car’s gone. Maybe he went to the hospital.”
“Well, I hope he comes back,” Hana said, her tone grave. “Wiri needs him right now, especially after tonight. I can’t imagine how he feels; seeing his mother go loco like that.”
Leslie shrugged. “Well, Nev’s gone now.” She pointed at the ice pack in Hana’s hand. “Are you done with that? I has got a big pain in my face.”
“Is it killing you?” Logan’s lips quirked upwards and Hana willed him not to add the punch-line. Too bad. “Coz it’s bloody killing me. You should be knitting wahine, not sticking bacteria in your face!”
“Bacteria?” Poor Leslie looked sick. “It’s not bacteria.”
“Yeah, it is. It’s made from the bacteria that causes botulism. It doesn’t get rid of the wrinkles; it paralyses the muscles that move and create the wrinkles.” He squinted across the room at his step-mother. “You look like a stegosaurus. Are you sure you used a registered doctor?”
“Yes! Shut up nasty boy!” Leslie flounced from the kitchen without the ice pack which Hana held out to her.
“That’s mean,” Hana chided Logan and he shrugged.
“You have no idea what a bitch that woman was to me as a kid. If she didn’t quit, I would have fired her; marrying Alfred is an unwelcome complication.” He turned to Hana. “When’s she leaving? She’s doing my head in.”
“Let’s deal with things one at a time.” Hana chewed a corner of her lip and reached out a tentative hand, stroking Logan’s tense thigh with gentle fingers. “You need to talk to Nev.”
Logan looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. “Really? I know, I’ll call him up and ask him if he shagged his sister-in-law and then killed her. What should I do when he says yes, Hana? Call the cops?”
“I don’t know.” Hana put her head in her hands and then remembered her sore eye. “I don’t know.” She stood up and left the room, pulling the door closed behind her. Leslie wasn’t in the lounge or any of the other downstairs rooms they used. Hana put one foot on the bottom step and felt the vibration of her phone buzzing in her jeans pocket.
“Hello?” Not recognising the number, she spoke with caution.
“Mum.” Bodie’s voice emerged from across the airwaves and Hana’s heart clenched, knowing this conversation could go either way.
“Hey.” She kept her tone light. “How are you?”
“Good. Thanks. Look, I wanted to apologise for the other night. You’re right; I take you for granted. I hate being at odds with you.”
“Me too.” Hana sat on the bottom step and massaged her left temple. “What’s going on, Bo?”
He sighed. “I borrowed money from Logan a while ago and haven’t paid him back. I feel embarrassed when I see him.”
“He’s never said it was a problem from his side. Obviously you need to repay him.”
Silence filled the airwaves before Bodie spoke again. “I know. I’m trying to save it up, but stuff keeps happening and eating into it. So now, I feel I need an excuse to see you so it’s not awkward but then it makes it worse. I know you dread seeing me.”
Hana swallowed. “I don’t dread seeing you, Bo. I struggle when you walk in, say hello and then dump the children on me. I’m getting older and I have two small children of my own. I adore Jas and Hope, but it might be nice to see you at the same time so we can interact as a family.”
“Okay, fair enough.”
“I know you resent Wiri.” Hana tested the sentence in her head first, not sure how long lasting Bodie’s repentance would prove to be.
“Na, not really,” Bodie protested and she cut him off.
“Bodie, I know you do. Jas is unkind to him and pushes him around whenever they’re together. He gets that anger from you.”
“I didn’t know.” Bodie sounded contrite.
“It’s because you’re not here. I spend hours keeping the boys apart and stopping them from fighting. Last time I tried to talk to you about it, you didn’t want to know. Jas picks up the resentment from you. When I visited last month and only brought Phoenix and Mac, he commented how much nicer it was without the other fake son. That’s straight out of your mouth, Bodie. You’re not a little boy anymore and it’s ridiculous to be jealous of a six-year-old child who just watched his mother carried out of our kitchen by the mental health crash team.”
“I guess.”
“We’re supposed to be friends, you and I by now, Bo. I shouldn’t need to parent you anymore, not at your age.”
“That’s what Allen said.” Bodie sighed and Hana bit back her surprise.
“You saw Pastor Allen? How is he?”
“He’s counselling me, actually.” Bodie sounded embarrassed. “Amy threatened to leave and take the children if I didn’t get help for my anger issues. Allen thinks it stems from guilt in that last year before Dad died. I knew he was cheating on you and should’ve said something. It eats me up that I didn’t.”
“Oh, Bodie.” Hana sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve gone back to church and I see Allen twice a week at the moment. You should come while you’re in town; I know you go to that church which meets in Rangiriri school hall, but just while you’re in town, it would be good.”
“I will; it’ll be great to see everyone again.” Hana blinked her right eye and the scratchy feeling made it water. “I wish you’d told me all this the other day. Neither of us needed a bust up.”
“I meant to.” Bodie clicked his tongue. “But then I saw Logan and I felt embarrassed about the debt. It popped into my head on the way over that we needed someone to mind the kids the next day and before I knew it, the argument began.” The smile in his voice sounded genuine. “You’re stronger than you used to be, Mum. I don’t want to admit it, but I think Logan’s good for you. Being a Du Rose suits you.”
“Thanks, Bo. I feel it does.” Hana thought of the confidence her husband gave her. She closed her eyes and let her fingers trace the tendons and sinews of his forearms in her memory, bulging veins feeding the work hardened muscles. Love bubbled up from her centre and she stood and turned, wanting to go back to the kitchen and sit on his knee.
Her forehead crashed into a hard chest and the strangeness of his scent told her it wasn’t Logan’s, even before she looked up. The phone slipped from her fingers, skittering into the panel at the bottom of the stairs and popping the back open. Hana opened her mouth to scream but a meaty hand covered her mouth. She felt a draugh
t from the open front door behind her and a piece of cloth passed before her eyes. Feeling momentarily stunned robbed her of immediacy and she failed to use any of the defense strategies her son taught her. Too late she kicked back, contacting a hard shin and achieving a grunt from its owner. But the white cloth descended over her nose and the hand over her mouth blocked oxygen from any other route. A heady chemical odor filled her sinuses and made its way into her lungs.
The last thing she saw was Wiri’s frightened face peeking down from between the bannister rails at the top of the stairs. Tears streaked his cheeks and glinted in the lamp light and trauma filled his eyes. She wanted to reach out to him and tell him not to cry, but her feet went out from under her and she left the old gatehouse backwards.
Chapter 57
Friends and Enemies
Hana opened her left eye after lying awake for a while. The right one felt swollen shut. The drowning sensation faded enough for her to stop feeling nauseous and she peered around at white walls and a dirty ceiling. Her moan of discomfort at the pain in the side of her head evoked movement within the room.
“Hana, are you okay?” Caleb’s voice sounded fearful and he used one crutch to scoot across to her, sitting on the bed beside her feet.
“Where am I?” she asked, her throat scratchy and sore. “What happened?”
“They came back for you.” Caleb patted her sock and Hana cast around further, trying to sight her shoes.