‘Daddy said they didn’t love me anymore.’
Allison took a deep breath. Would Gracie keep stumbling over the lies she’d been told? But her mother just brushed it aside.
‘Oh, silly Daddy got it wrong. They still love you.’
‘I like Granny’s chocolate cake.’
‘I’m sure Granny will make a great big one for you when we get home.’
It was as if, upon seeing her mother, Gracie’s memories had been released. Luke must have forced her not to speak of the past.
Later, when Chelsea asked about booking a hotel in Manly, Allison quashed the idea.
‘Stay here for a few days,’ she said. ‘I’ve got plenty of room. And Gracie can play with Marmalade.’
Allison had said it without thinking. Done it again. Invited a complete stranger into the house.
Well, she refused to change her own kindness. If she and the community closed their hearts, then Luke would’ve won.
Over dinner, Chelsea helped Gracie with her peas and made sure she didn’t spill her drink. She was a good mum, Allison could see that. Luke had executed the ultimate betrayal on her—marriage and a child. But the questions would have to wait until Gracie was in bed. Although Felix couldn’t help himself as he chewed his steak.
‘How did you meet him?’
‘In hospital. I had a bad fall from a horse.’ Chelsea didn’t seem to mind answering. ‘I was in there for months. He was my physiotherapist.’
Targeting another woman in a time of vulnerability. And he had a medical background, just as the detective had guessed.
‘I was studying to be a vet,’ Chelsea continued. ‘But I postponed everything after the fall. Then my grandfather died and left me a house in Nicklin Creek. So we moved there. I got pregnant almost straight away and we married fast.’
Keen to get his hands on a free house. That sounded like Luke.
But he’d been so clever that Chelsea had had no clue she’d been scammed until the call from Detective Sergeant Rejman.
When Gracie and Felix went to feed the puppy, Chelsea opened up.
‘For the past seven months, I’ve had nightmares of them in the fire.’ Chelsea shook her head, as if to dislodge the images. ‘I thought he’d drugged Gracie and shot himself. Used the fire to burn the evidence of his murder-suicide.’
‘Why did you think that?’
‘I had a portfolio—my family are quite wealthy.’ Chelsea sipped on her glass of water. ‘After Gracie was born, he started managing the funds but he lost almost a million in bad investments. He was devastated that he’d ruined our future. Apologising, desperate to make it up to me. I tried to be supportive but I was also very angry.’
‘So afterwards, you blamed yourself when they died?’
‘Absolutely. The horses were the only thing that kept me going.’ Chelsea sighed. ‘On my darkest days, I thought about following my family.’
‘Thank God you didn’t. He certainly knows how to manipulate people.’
They sat in silence, contemplating the horror of what Luke had done.
‘I assume you’ve told all this to the detective,’ Allison said.
‘Yes, and he has the account numbers for the investments,’ Chelsea said. ‘He’s trying to track the money trail.’
‘Did Luke—Mike—ever talk about his life before he met you?’
‘He said his mother died when he was younger than Gracie. The family fell apart and he was shipped off to foster homes.’
Presumably another lie.
‘I wonder why he took Gracie.’ Allison had been trying to understand his motives. ‘Was it just to get sympathy?’
‘He always called her his mini-me. Said Gracie was just like him as a kid.’
Over chocolate pudding and coffee, Chelsea started crying again. Allison understood it would take a while for her to seize hold of the truth. While Chelsea had been mourning two people she’d loved, Luke had simply finished his scam with her and moved on to a new one in Wirriga.
‘We all fell for his lies,’ Allison said, reaching out to hold her hand. ‘He was very convincing. I can’t believe you’re alive and I’m talking to you. Luke and I bonded over the pain of losing our partners.’
Allison had felt his distress. The bastard should be acting in Hollywood.
‘His name isn’t even Mike Carter,’ Chelsea sniffed. ‘I married a man with a false name.’
Chelsea agreed to be photographed by Curtis the next morning. He turned up after breakfast and gave Gracie a big hug.
‘Can I wear my purple fairy tutu?’ Gracie asked.
‘Sure,’ Allison and Chelsea answered at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.
The photos were taken in the backyard, with the gum trees behind. Sitting on the grass, Chelsea and Gracie cuddled and giggled. Marmalade escaped from Allison’s grip and bolted over to join in the fun.
‘Thanks for doing this, Chelsea,’ Curtis said. ‘I know it must be hard, but everyone’s so angry about Luke’s fraud. Your reunion with Gracie is the good news story that we all need.’
50
MAZ
The story of Maz’s ‘heroics’ was all over the news, thanks to Curtis; he’d dramatised it as ‘a sting, a pursuit and an arrest’. He made Maz into a wonder girl who’d taken down a con man ‘double her size’. Mum and Dad were super impressed. At the gym, the reaction was mostly disbelief. Not about her fitness levels but about Luke. Nico spent half an hour smashing into the punching bag after he’d heard. ‘I treat him like family and this is how he repays me,’ he yelled.
Em-Jay whispered that one of the instructors had asked if Maz was in on it, taking a cut of the cash. Flipping hell, as if she hadn’t been through enough.
Maz met Curtis for a quick lunch at Raw. He’d thought the debacle would ruin his career but it was doing the opposite. While Curtis was concentrating on the actual story now, he wanted to do a longer piece later about how Luke had managed to convince them all.
‘Guess what?’ He didn’t wait for her to answer. ‘The editor said we might do a podcast. Wouldn’t that be cool! Can I interview you for it?’
She was exhausted by it all but he seemed energised.
‘I guess so,’ she said.
If I’m not in jail for selling illegal supplements.
‘We’re starting a campaign to find more of Luke’s victims,’ Curtis said, taking out his laptop to show her the website.
It had photos of Luke with different hairstyles and clothing. The headline shouted: Have you been scammed by this man?
‘Have the police worked out his real identity yet?’ Maz asked.
‘His name’s Kyle Pritchett.’
‘He doesn’t look like a Kyle.’
Maz tried to picture Luke with that name. It was all wrong. He had inhabited Luke Branson so well.
‘His family’s from Adelaide,’ Curtis said. ‘Just an ordinary family. His parents thought he was in Africa.’
‘Why Africa?’
‘He told them he was an aid worker in South Sudan, helping kids. He has a Facebook page with photos. His parents are so proud and they send him money every month. Obviously it’s dangerous and he can’t get home much.’
‘Scamming his own parents? Seriously?’
‘And his two brothers and sister. None of them knew about Chelsea or Gracie.’
‘It’s just plain wrong.’
When they’d been waiting in the police station at Tweed Heads, Allison had said: Luke’s the tin man. He’s lacking a heart. To betray his own parents seemed particularly cold-hearted, as bad as betraying his daughter.
‘And there’s more.’ Curtis paused for effect. Maz could already see that he’d be great on the podcast. ‘His brother’s son has leukaemia. The boy is six years old and being treated at the children’s hospital in Adelaide. It’s all on Facebook.’
‘So, he stole a cancer story from his own nephew.’ Maz groaned. ‘What about the physiotherapy and the swimming?’
&
nbsp; ‘Those bits are true. He trained as a physio and he almost made it into the Olympics.’
Separating the truth from the lies made Maz’s brain hurt. And her heart.
Colin—Dr Simmons—had asked to see Maz in his rooms at the hospital. Diagrams of the heart were stuck to the walls. On his desk sat a huge 3D version that came apart. A long shelf of medical textbooks filled another wall. Maz folded her hands tight against her stomach to stop the queasy feeling.
‘I’ve got five minutes so I’ll be quick,’ Colin said. ‘I had the results from the laboratory on the diet pills.’
‘Right. Here’s the letter from Border Force like you asked.’ Maz passed it across the polished desk. ‘It’s all about liver damage.’
Colin held the letter without reading it. ‘Actually, Maz, I have to apologise for jumping to conclusions. The pills didn’t contain any banned substances. It’s unlikely they caused your father’s attack.’
‘What? I don’t understand.’
‘I assumed the appetite suppressant would include the banned substance, Sibutramine. It was withdrawn in 2010 because it can cause cardiovascular toxicities like tachycardia, palpitations, hypertension and tachyarrhythmia.’
Maz didn’t know what any of that meant but they didn’t sound good.
‘So the lab found no traces of this banned drug?’
Maz jiggled her legs. The queasy feeling was evaporating.
‘No, it didn’t contain Sibutramine. Let me look at the letter.’
As Colin scanned the piece of paper, Maz glanced at the book shelves which contained more medical knowledge than she could ever imagine. The words in the letter still hurt. They pose a risk to your health. They show an increased risk of liver damage, hepatitis and acute liver failure causing death.
Colin frowned and rubbed the letterhead. ‘Is this the original letter, Maz?’
‘Yep.’
‘The chemical compound listed here isn’t right for a diet pill. And it says Therapeutic Goods Association instead of Administration. It’s a bit odd all round.’
Maz stared at the piece of paper in his hands. ‘You mean it’s not really from the government?’
‘I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem quite right.’
She remembered Luke’s reaction in Tweed Heads when she’d been talking about the letter. How he’d been encouraging her to run away with him, away from the threat of prosecution.
‘Oh fuuuuuck, I bet Luke sent it.’
Implicating her in Gracie’s death. Playing mind games. He couldn’t have foreseen Dad’s heart episode—that was a perfect coincidence to make her feel even guiltier.
‘I read the articles in the paper,’ Colin said. ‘It sounds like something Luke could do. But, Maz, even if that’s the case, please don’t buy pills from overseas. You really don’t know what’s in them.’
Wow, she was off the hook for Dad’s medical episode.
‘Dad can get fit and healthy with diet and exercise alone.’ She laughed, relief flooding through her.
‘I’m still keen to understand what caused your father’s coronary vasospasm. It may well be extreme stress from the concern about his work. I’m seeing him next week for a follow-up. By the way, I was wondering …‘ He smiled. ‘That offer of a drink is still open. I’m guessing you might need a night out after these past few weeks … and that letter.’
Despite everything, being with Luke had made her appreciate an older man. In this office, surrounded by medical books and his framed certificates on the wall, Colin seemed especially handsome. Clean-shaven, a blue-and-white-checked shirt, chinos. The opposite of Luke’s sportswear. She imagined the sort of place he’d take her—expensive, tasteful.
‘You’re right. The last couple of weeks have been totally insane.’
Beaming at him, Maz considered which night they could go out. Maybe Saturday week; she’d be free then. As she was about to speak, Maz caught sight of a silver photo frame on the shelf behind the doctor—a mother with a baby.
‘Wait a second. Is that your … wife?’
It reminded her of someone. Helena. Although, she’d only glimpsed the woman for a moment that night at Allison’s house. Was Colin her ex-husband, the man she’d fled from in terror?
With an embarrassed grimace, he turned and reached for the photo frame. When he brought it closer, she could see that it wasn’t Helena. Oh shit, was he married with a baby and asking her for sex on the side?
‘I’m single. No kids. Too much work and not enough play.’ Colin let out a short laugh. ‘Of course, I tell my patients that they need a work-life balance but joining your gym was the first proper exercise I’ve done in years.’
She gestured towards the photo. ‘So who’s this woman?’
‘It’s the picture that came with the frame.’ Colin handed it to her. ‘My dear mother gave it to me. She thinks that my older patients will feel more comfortable if I appear to be married.’
Maz stared at the model behind the glass. Yes, definitely a pre-printed photo.
‘How funny. It must get awkward when people ask about your baby.’
‘It’s usually in the drawer. Mum was here yesterday so I had to put it on show for her.’
Maz’s snigger became a chuckle and, suddenly, she burst into hysterical laughter. While Luke was pretending to have a dead wife and sick child so people would trust his motives, Colin’s mother was pretending he had a real-life wife and baby so people would trust him in the hospital.
‘This world is bat-shit crazy,’ Maz said and he started laughing with her. ‘I think we need to have that drink.’
At Allison’s house, Gracie was out in the garden playing with Marmalade. The puppy really did distract Gracie from everything else.
‘Maz, this is my Mummy,’ Gracie announced proudly.
She’d been wondering about the real wife—the one who’d been deceived by Luke for years.
‘Oh my God, you look like me.’
They both spoke at the same time. Curtis had shown her a photo but Maz hadn’t picked up on the similarities in the flat image. It was more about the way Chelsea moved—bounced on her toes, grinned, tossed her ponytail. No wonder Gracie had accepted Maz’s friendship so easily; she’d been reminded of her mother. But was Maz supposed to apologise for sleeping with Chelsea’s husband?
Allison saved them from the awkwardness, coming out of the back door with a bottle of champagne and an apple juice.
‘Let’s celebrate.’ The teacher popped the cork and sent it flying into the air. ‘I want to thank Chelsea for being here with us. I want to thank Maz for her bravery. And I want to congratulate Gracie on starting school this year.’
After they’d clinked glasses, Maz told them Curtis’ latest idea.
‘He wants to do a photo shoot of us all together—the women scammed by Luke Branson.’
‘Is he photographing himself as well?’ Allison snapped. ‘Along with Nico and Declan and Emmanuel. The men scammed by Luke? Or he could just film Wirriga’s main street. He’s scammed us all.’
51
FELIX
On Friday, they did their last lesson on Othello. Mrs Smythe asked the class for two paragraphs explaining Iago’s quote when he convinces Roderigo to stab the lieutenant. A double-crossing bastard, that Iago. Getting others to do his dirty work as revenge on Othello, who never saw what was coming. Most of the main characters ended up dead thanks to Iago’s machinations.
Surely Felix would get an extra mark for using Mrs Smythe’s favourite word, machination. She also liked the word Machiavellian but that was harder to spell. Could he write about Iago’s Machiavellian machinations?
Machiavellian—manipulate, deceive and exploit others to achieve your own goals.
Definitely Luke.
Although Luke would probably argue that he hadn’t killed anyone in real life. Only online.
Gracie was here in the house, hanging out with that ball of fluff, Marmalade. Along with her real mother, Chelsea. When Mum had introduced
Chelsea to the rest of Gracie’s Gang, she said, ‘We will not be Luke’s victims. We will not be bitter or scared. We’ll come out of this smarter and stronger.’
As Mum was talking, Felix had a lightbulb moment about that quote. It makes or it mars us—it was exactly what Mum was saying in modern-day words, not Shakespearian ones. He should’ve written Mum’s quote in his assignment, hers was much better.
The socials had gone mental with Gracie’s sudden reappearance. As if Luke’s behaviour wasn’t wacky enough, the conspiracy theories were flying around.
—Gracie was poisoned. Luke gave her cancer.
—Gracie’s mum was in on it.
—Mrs Walsh collected the money for herself.
—Luke started the fire in Hythorne.
—Gracie was in a cult and came back from the dead.
—Curtis, the journalist, was the mastermind.
And Felix’s favourite: Gracie was a cyborg.
On the bus, in the school grounds, at soccer, Felix had become a celebrity. Everyone wanted the inside story. Darcy said he should start charging for interviews. Pearl suggested he write a blog. But Felix avoided as much of it as possible by playing soccer during lunch and after school. It was harder for them to ask questions when he was running.
He couldn’t believe that Luke had done the stalking, terrified them all, tried to put the blame on Mum, basically hounded Helena to New Zealand.
At home, Gracie was her usual self, apart from missing her dad.
‘My mum and dad don’t live together either,’ Felix said, as some kind of reassurance.
Gracie liked it when Felix lay on the carpet and let her and Marmalade clamber all over him. Sometimes she sat on his knees and pretended to ride a horse.
‘Giddy up, giddy up.’ Gracie held the imaginary reins.
Soon, Gracie would be riding a real horse. In Victoria. With her mother. Another community which had thought Gracie was dead.
‘Will you come and see me, Felix?’ Gracie asked. ‘Lally, will you come?’
Mum answered before Felix could. ‘Oh yes. You’re not disappearing on us again. We’ll be coming to visit.’
The Good Teacher Page 30