Berry was silent for a moment. ‘I think my father might have come to that same conclusion.’
Berry went over and over what Young Ned had said as she drove back home. She didn’t want her imagination to run away with her, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to believe that her father had found a clue about the elusive gold.
It was a dark night with only a sliver of moon hanging in the sky and Berry tried to pay extra attention as she left the bitumen and turned down the dirt road that led home. She was always wary of the kangaroos. Sometimes she’d see them on the side of the road, hopping parallel to the car—the frightening thing was never knowing if they would change direction and jump in front of the car.
Berry slowed a little as she caught sight of a shadowy outline of a roo in the nearby paddock. She kept checking the road ahead and the paddock as she headed towards Stone Gully, when out of nowhere she was blinded by oncoming headlights on high beam. She flicked her own lights on and off high beam to tell the other driver to turn theirs down but they ignored her. She put her foot on the brake and used one hand to try to shield her eyes from the intense white light.
‘What the hell,’ she said. ‘Turn your damn high beam off!’
But the driver didn’t, instead they sped up and seemed to head straight for her. Berry tried to pull off the road but the car came at her and purposely swung into her vehicle, causing a sickening thud. Berry’s car was catapulted off the dirt road and into one of the metal fence posts of the bottom paddock. The impact made her slam her head against the wheel, and it hurt like hell as she tentatively reached up and saw that her fingers were covered in blood. Trying to focus, she looked out the window to see the other car tear off down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust as it went. She screwed her eyes shut for a moment in the hope that it would clear her vision; then, she unbuckled her seatbelt and slowly opened the door. Berry dragged in a couple of quick breaths and brought her eyes back into focus. She reached out a trembling hand to grab her phone.
Berry managed to climb out of the car. She was a little light-headed, but she steadied herself against the open car door and managed to scroll through her phone until she landed on Nate’s number. Three rings felt like an eternity.
‘Hey, what’s up?’
Perhaps it was the relief of hearing his voice, but a lump formed in Berry’s throat and she just couldn’t seem to get any words out.
‘Berry? Honey, is everything all right?’ Nate asked quickly.
‘I … I …’ Berry stammered.
‘Berry? What’s happened? You’re scaring me.’
‘I was run off the road. Can you come?’
‘I’m on my way. Where are you?’ Nate said. ‘Are you hurt?’
‘I’m okay, just a bit shaken up. I’m somewhere near the bottom paddock.’
‘Okay, hold on—I’ll be there in a minute.’
Berry ended the call, stuffed the phone in her pocket and waited. She was sore and shaken but above all having a hard time stopping the tears from flowing. The night was cold, her breath palled in the still air. Maybe it was the shock of the accident but she couldn’t stop shivering.
When she saw Nate’s headlights in the distance just minutes later, she thought she’d managed to pull herself together, at least a little. He pulled up and clambered out. Before he said a word he took her in his arms and held her tight. It could have been the physical contact or the flash of worry in his eyes, but it was too much for Berry and as soon as she leaned against his chest she started to cry.
He was silent for a minute, just holding her tightly and letting her cry. Then slowly he started rubbing her back. ‘Can you tell me what happened? Did you skid on the soft edge of the road?’
Berry shook her head. ‘No, there was another car. It ran me off the road.’
He took her by the shoulders and gently eased her away from him, so he could look at her. ‘Geez, you’re bleeding—you should have said something,’ he said.
‘It’s okay. It hurts but I don’t think it’s very deep,’ Berry assured him as she looked him in the eye. ‘But there was another car, it had its lights on high beam and it ran me off the road.’
She hadn’t even finished her sentence before Nate took out his phone.
‘Who are you calling?’ Berry asked.
‘The police—you were run off the road and the other car didn’t stop.’
When the patrol car arrived twenty minutes later, Berry and Nate were leaning against his ute. Berry had stopped shivering thanks to Nate’s presence and the fact that she was wearing his jacket across her shoulders.
Senior Sergeant Rob Mendez walked towards them and raised his hand in greeting. ‘Hi Nate, Miss McCalister,’ he said.
‘Hey Rob,’ Nate replied.
‘So, are you guys alright? What happened?’
Berry took a breath and nodded. At this point all she wanted to do was go home, have a cup of tea and crawl into bed. ‘I was run off the road by another car. They had their headlights on full, they rammed into the side of my car and then took off.’
‘I see. And did you manage to recognise the car or anything about it?’
‘No, I was blinded by the lights. I flicked my lights on and off a couple of times just in case they had just forgotten to turn them down, but that did nothing.’
‘And you’d slowed down?’
‘Yes, and I started to pull over to the side of the road. I thought he was just being a jerk who wanted to drive down the middle of the road, but then he hit me and sent me into the fence,’ Berry said as she pointed in the general direction of the accident.
The policeman looked towards where Berry pointed and nodded. ‘And you’re sure that you can’t think of anything else about the car?’
Berry closed her eyes for a moment and frowned. Maybe there was something when she saw it drive away. ‘I can’t be sure but I think it was a dark colour and it wasn’t a ute. Sorry I can’t be of more help.’
‘That’s fine, you’ve had a shake-up. It’s always hard to remember details when things like this happen.’
‘Listen, Rob, do you mind if I take her home?’ Nate asked as he slung his arm around her shoulders. ‘I need to check out that cut on her forehead.’
‘Sure. Don’t worry about the car, I’ll get Kev from the garage to come and get it after we’ve finished collecting evidence. Take care, Miss McCalister and I’ll be in touch sometime tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ Berry said with a smile as Nate opened the door of his ute.
Senior Sergeant Rob Mendez handed Nate a business card as Berry climbed in. ‘Just in case she remembers something else.’
‘Sure thing,’ Nate answered as he pocketed the card. ‘See ya later.’
Nate got into the ute and flashed a grin at Berry. ‘How does a cup of tea sound?’
‘Like heaven,’ Berry said.
‘Good, let’s go,’ he answered as he turned on the ignition and pulled out onto the dirt track.
They were only a couple of minutes from the house and Berry couldn’t wait to get home, but as Nate turned into the driveway she was hit with a sinking feeling. As the ute bumped up towards the house its headlights flickered over the front door.
‘What the hell!’ Nate cried as he looked at the house.
Berry reached over and grabbed his hand. ‘Oh, my God—is that blood?’ she whispered as her eyes fixed on the large red word scrawled across her newly painted front door.
The word was simple enough but it sent a chill through Berry.
LEAVE.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Senior Sergeant Rob Mendez walked back to where Berry and Nate were standing. ‘No, it’s paint, not blood, but I get why you thought that when you drove up.’
‘Do you think the car that ran me off the road had something to do with this?’ Berry asked, thankful that she had Nate’s warmth beside her. Things had gone from bad to worse and she was rattled.
‘We won’t rule anything out
. Have you had any altercations with anyone?’ Mendez asked.
She shook her head. ‘No, everyone has been really welcoming since I arrived in Harlington.’
‘Maybe not everyone, honey,’ Nate said as he glanced down at her. ‘What about what happened yesterday, with Worth?’
‘Oh? What happened?’ Mendez asked.
‘Laurie Worth came around and tried to pressure me into selling Stone Gully Farm to him,’ Berry explained. ‘I told him the other day that we weren’t selling, but clearly he thought he knew better.’
‘So, he turned up yesterday to try to convince you?’
‘That’s right. He got annoyed when I said that it wasn’t going to work, and then he implied Nate was trying to “romance” the place out of me.’
The Senior Sergeant looked at Nate. ‘I see. I suppose if you bought Stone Gully it would expand Tarantale Downs.’
‘What are you getting at?’ Nate’s eyes narrowed. ‘Yeah, it probably would be a bonus if we bought it—only because it would make for a pretty horse trail. It’s not like we need more land.’ He paused before continuing. ‘But for total disclosure I should tell you that Dad said if Berry was stuck, he’d buy the place.’
‘I’m just following a line of questioning, that’s all. We have to know the details so we can start eliminating some of them,’ Mendez said. ‘So, why would your dad make Berry an offer if you didn’t really need the land?’
‘I asked him the same question,’ Nate said, relaxing a little and taking Berry’s hand in his. ‘He said that Jordy McCalister had been his friend and buying Stone Gully Farm seemed a way he could help the family.’
Mendez’s eyes widened. ‘I hadn’t realised they’d been that close. I know he was upset on the night of the … well, you know,’ he said, looking away from Berry.
‘Yeah, I hadn’t known that either, but apparently they were friends,’ Nate said, turning to Berry. ‘Tarantale was going through a bit of a rough time and your dad helped.’
‘Really?’ Berry said. ‘I had no idea.’
‘What sort of trouble?’ Mendez asked as his dark eyes fixed on Nate.
‘Financial, I think, but I’m not a hundred percent sure—I was just a kid. I remember something about an accident and some of the horses got hurt.’ Nate rubbed his head as if trying to stir up old memories.
Berry looked at him for a second as a frown flitted across her brow. ‘If it was financial trouble, I’m not sure how my father could have helped. From what I can remember, we weren’t great in that department.’
‘Maybe it was emotional support. My dad is a very private person, but if they were mates maybe he was just able to share his troubles with a friend,’ Nate said. ‘As it was, my grandmother was able to help us out. She sold up everything and saved Tarantale.’
Berry smiled. ‘That’s incredible.’
‘I know. It was just the type of woman she was. She lived with us for a long time—we only lost her last year. I still miss her,’ Nate explained.
‘She sounds like she was a wonderful person. But that thing with our fathers, giving each other support is really precious. I don’t know why but it kind of makes me happy to think that they were friends,’ Berry said before turning to Senior Sergeant Mendez. ‘Would it be all right if I go in? I think I need to sit down.’
There was a flash of concern in his eyes. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is a crime scene, and besides that, I don’t think you should be alone tonight.’
‘It’s all right, Berry can stay with me for a couple of days,’ Nate said as he reached down and took her hand.
‘Are you sure?’ Berry asked. ‘I could go to the Cumquat, but it’s getting late and I don’t want to disturb Andrea.’
‘Of course it’s okay. Besides, I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.’
Berry looked up at him and, despite the shock and drama of the evening, smiled.
Nate and Berry drove in silence all the way to Tarantale Downs. Nate spent most of that time trying to get his emotions in check. He figured that the last thing Berry needed tonight was him ranting. Instead, he played out a whole lot of scenarios in his head about what he would do to whoever was responsible for this. He was fairly sure that it was that oily Laurie Worth who was behind this, but he wanted to be sure before he slammed the bastard up against a wall. As they turned into the driveway of Tarantale he glanced over at Berry. She was staring out the window as if in a trance—she seemed a million miles away.
‘Hey, how are you holding up?’ he asked.
She turned to look at him. ‘I’m okay, really. Are you sure this is all right—I mean, about staying here?’
‘Of course it is—why wouldn’t it be? My place isn’t as grand as the main house but I like it better,’ he said as he pointed to the elegant lines of a two-storey house, which loomed in front of them.
They drove for another minute or two, past new stables and a riding arena. Nate veered the car away from the main drive and turned down a small track. Ahead a large peppercorn tree gently swayed in the night breeze and behind it stood an old brick building. It was two storeys but not particularly big. An outside staircase ran up the side of the building to a glossy black painted door. On the ground floor, two separate horse stalls were still evident.
‘It’s amazing,’ Berry said as she looked up at it.
‘Yeah, I love it—it’s got so much character,’ Nate replied. ‘Come on, I’ll show you around.’
He led her up the staircase to the small landing at the top, then opened the door and stood aside as Berry walked in.
‘Basically, it’s a one bedroom, but I pretend it has two because there’s a small room over there that I use as an office,’ Nate said, pointing to a door off to the right. ‘Other than that, there’s the bedroom, bathroom, and this is the kitchen/living space.’
‘It’s gorgeous, I love all the exposed brick walls,’ Berry said.
‘Take a seat,’ he said as he gestured to the dark grey couch. ‘I’ll make you a drink and then organise where you’re sleeping.’
‘Please don’t go to any trouble. I could just stay here,’ she said as she sank into the couch. ‘It’s really comfortable.’
‘No, you take my bed and I’ll crash on the couch.’ He held up his hand as she opened her mouth in protest.
‘I insist. You’ve had a shock and an awful night—just take the bed.’
She gave him a smile and nodded her head. ‘All right. Thank you.’
‘Not a problem,’ he said as he walked into the small kitchenette to switch on the kettle.
Nate left her sipping her tea as he headed into the bedroom and did a quick tidy up and changed the sheets. It didn’t take him long, but by the time he got back to the lounge room, Berry had fallen asleep. Nate sighed and took a moment to watch her. Her quiet breathing seemed to accentuate the soft lines of her face, and he felt a warmth inside, and a basic desire to protect her, and hold her close. He closed his eyes for a moment to clear his head before lifting her up and taking her into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed and marvelled at the fact that she didn’t even stir.
He removed her shoes and covered her with the thick doona, taking another second to brush a strand of hair from her face before leaving her.
Berry woke with a start as the sound of the front door banging open resounded through the entire place. For a moment she was confused, unable to remember where she was. But almost instantly the events of the previous evening flooded back. Sitting up, she looked around the room and realised that she was in Nate’s bed—the problem was that she couldn’t remember how she got there.
She smiled as she stretched her arms above her head. He had been there for her when she needed him the most and there was something very comforting in that. However, her warm and fuzzy feeling evaporated as she heard angry voices waft into the bedroom.
‘Where the hell have you been? We’re going to be late if we don’t leave in the next twenty minutes.’
‘Da
d, can you keep it down! I messaged you and told you I’d be a bit late. Not that it should matter—everything’s ready for when Constantine arrives.’ Nate’s voice was lower than she had heard it, as if he were trying to placate his father.
Berry threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed in confusion.
‘I know the stable’s ready for him—I double-checked it last night,’ his father snapped. ‘We’re meant to be on the road already if we’re going to get to Heritage Stud by midday and pick him up.’
‘Look, can you take Justin or one of the other stable hands with you instead? There was a bit of trouble last night and I think I should stay here,’ Nate said.
‘What sort of trouble?’
‘I did send you a message explaining everything, but I guess you didn’t read it,’ Nate said, and Berry could hear the thinly veiled frustration in his voice.
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Berry was run off the road last night,’ Nate said.
‘What?’ his father snapped. ‘Why am I only hearing about this now?’
‘Well, if you’d read your messages …’ Nate started and then stopped. ‘She was run off the road and called me to come and get her. It wasn’t an accident.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Unfortunately, yes, I am,’ Nate answered. ‘Some jerk purposely ran into her car. Thankfully, except for a cut on her forehead, she’s okay. I thought that was enough, but when I drove her back to Stone Gully, someone had painted a warning over her front door in red paint.’
‘A warning?’
‘They wrote Leave. It looked like blood.’
Berry listened—though she didn’t really have a choice as both Nate and his father’s voices carried.
‘God, who would do such a thing?’
‘I don’t know for sure, but probably someone who wants her to sell up and leave Harlington,’ Nate said.
‘You’ve got someone in mind?’
‘The police will have to look into it but, yeah, I have my suspicions.’
‘Like who?’
‘Anyone who offered to buy the place and was annoyed when she turned them down—the top of the list has to be Laurie Worth.’
The McCalister Legacy Page 17