Danni spent most of that night thinking about Mia and David, and whether he truly was helping her. Mia and Jane seemed to think so, that he had pulled her back from the brink of depression. Danni felt guilty that she hadn’t noticed what was going on with her own child. She guessed she thought that Mia could take care of herself, but that wasn’t the case, she’d been drowning and Danni hadn’t been there for her.
It was another sleepless night for Danni, one more night of being ignored by Mia. It hurt her so much that Mia hated her. She knew she hadn’t been the best mum to her but she was trying to make up for it now. She was the only child she had left; she loved her and needed to prove it to her.
The next morning, Danni kept an eye on the time. Half an hour before the funeral began, Danni sat on the end of Mia’s bed. She was staring at the wall, blinking slowly. Danni wondered how she’d react if she knew David was dead. Would she blame her? Probably.
‘Mia? Mia love, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be about an hour, okay?’ Danni didn’t expect an answer and she didn’t get one.
Danni stuffed the article about David into her bag – it wouldn’t do for Mia to read it. She quickly dressed and headed out the door. Turning the key in the ignition, Danni couldn’t help but relive the hand she had played in David’s death. Overcome with exhaustion, it was all she could do to drive to the cemetery where the graveside service was being held. Her question was answered on whether he had many family or friends. There was barely anyone there. It was sad and depressing. While Danni hadn’t felt totally responsible yesterday, she had seeds of doubt inside her. Did her confrontation with him drive him over the edge? She would never know the truth of her role in David’s death, or Mia’s role either. She looked at the gravel, the small bouquet of flowers and a few people milling around wearing sombre expressions.
There was one face there she recognised. Oliver Marks. He put his camera up to his face and snapped a series of photos of her. She glared at him from across the fake grass until he put down his camera, which then hung loosely from his neck. He saw her looking at him and looked away. Danni recognised the principal. He nodded at her and she looked away. This was the principal who’d refused to do anything about Mia’s stalker, who now stood not ten feet away from her. She glared at him again as she caught him watching her. At least Oliver wasn’t taking photos of her any more. The service was short and to the point. No one hung around afterwards to say a personal goodbye, which Danni found sad, so she stood there, standing awkwardly until someone gently touched her on the shoulder.
‘Mrs Brooks?’ said Oliver tentatively.
She spun away from him, pulling away from his touch. ‘What do you want?’ she asked coldly.
‘I just want… I want… I need to confess something.’
Danni stared at him. ‘Confess what? I know what you did to Mia. And I know how you lied about everything, the photos, the affair.’
‘No, not Mia, Mr Simmonds. David.’
‘Mr Simmonds?’ she said, surprised and confused. ‘I’m not sure what you mean. Oliver, what did you do?’
Oliver looked down at his feet, shuffling them backwards and forwards in the dirt. ‘I blackmailed Mr Simmonds. I showed him the photos I showed you and he gave me four thousand dollars to erase them.’
‘You did what?’ she whispered, incredulously.
‘I wanted the money to get my mum out of… our house. But I downloaded the photos before I erased them. I put them on a thumb drive.’
‘Oliver,’ she breathed, shaking her head. ‘How could you?’
He looked close to tears as he confessed, his hands clenched in front of him. ‘My dad found the money, worked out what I was going to do with Mum. He has the photos. He was blackmailing Mr Simmonds after I did. He must have been asking for a lot more money.’ He seemed relieved that he had finally got it off his chest. His father was the bad guy here, not him.
‘Is that why he killed himself?’ demanded Danni, knowing he couldn’t possibly know the answer to that question.
Oliver began to cry. Danni felt nothing for him, no empathy, just… nothing.
‘Is that why he killed himself?’ she asked again, stepping towards him. ‘You helped do this? Did you?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t want this to happen, he was a good guy. I just wish… my dad, he found out and I couldn’t stop him.’
‘So, you did to him what you did to my family? You destroy the innocent? Do you get off on that?’ she demanded, thinking of Mia.
Oliver dropped his gaze from Danni’s eyes. ‘I didn’t do that thing you accused me of. You know… the fire that killed your family.’
‘I know which fire you’re talking about, you arsehole!’ she said, pushing him backwards, palm flat on his chest. The rage was building inside of her. He may not have set the fire, but she believed he set it in motion. Danni still wasn’t sure if Mr Simmonds had set the fire. If he did, Oliver’s actions had driven Mia into his arms.
‘I didn’t, Mrs Brooks. I didn’t set that fire. I promise.’
‘Admit it, you helped kill them!’ The stinging slap she delivered to Oliver cracked loudly, throwing his head backwards. The electricity that coursed through her veins needed an outlet, and she found it in Oliver. She pulled back her hand to slap him again.
‘Admit it!’ she screamed at him.
Suddenly, the principal was there, grabbing her hand. ‘Mrs Brooks, get a hold of yourself. What do you think you’re doing? He’s just a child. You can’t slap a child,’ he said, shocked and horrified.
Danni suddenly let go at his words, paused for a beat then began to laugh. Both of them looked at her like she was going insane.
‘How do I know you didn’t burn down my house for sure? You could be lying; I don’t know you.’
‘Because I didn’t. I couldn’t have. I was across town taking footage of… a girl… another girl. Her name is Felicity and her dad caught me. I was at the police station. You can call and check if you want.’
Danni looked deflated by this information. It was obvious now that it wasn’t Oliver. He wouldn’t lie about something that could be confirmed with one phone call. It must have been Mr Simmonds. Maybe she should call the detective and tell him of her suspicions, but how would that help now? He was dead, by his own hand. Was it just the blackmail or was it a guilty conscious? She’d never know now. Never know if and why he murdered her family.
27
The affair continued. Mia wondered if it could be called an affair when David wasn’t yet married. He did have a girlfriend, though. Mandy. And damn if she wasn’t lovely. Sometimes they would study at David’s house, a quaint little cottage with two bedrooms and lots of stained-glass windows. Mandy had decorated it tastefully, each room housing carefully selected pieces that matched the theme of country chic. A small square whitewashed table sat in the middle of the dining room, where they’d set up their textbooks and notebooks, ready to study.
Yes, they’d start off studying, David teaching her about trigonometry and the like. Mia wondered if, with all their extracurricular activities, she’d ever pass the exams at the end of the term. David would have to change the answers to help her at this rate.
They sat at the table, Mia moving her chair close to David’s, so close that her thigh touched his. He tried to concentrate on the work, bending forward to show her the best way to work out the answer. She ran her finger down his cheek, but he ignored her.
‘Let’s just concentrate on the work, Mia, you won’t pass your test otherwise.’
‘I don’t give a shit,’ she said. ‘I just want you.’ She slowly leant forward and grabbed his face with her hands. ‘You’re so beautiful,’ Mia said playfully, kissing his lips with the softest of touches. Then they heard the key in the lock and they pulled apart before Mandy came bounding into the house.
‘Mia! I didn’t know you’d be here. How are you?’
It hurt that she genuinely liked Mandy. It hurt that she couldn’t have David and it hurt that h
e wanted her and couldn’t have her either.
‘I’m great, thanks. Just hitting the books, trying to pass my maths test, the usual.’ Mia noticed her lip gloss on David’s lips and when Mandy had her back turned putting away groceries, she quickly swiped her finger across them.
‘What was that?’ demanded Mandy in a quiet voice.
‘Oh, I’m sorry Mandy, David had food on his lips, I was just removing it.’
Mandy stared at them both for a long moment. ‘How stupid do you think I am?’
‘Babe, you’re blowing this way out of proportion. There’s nothing going on, Mia was literally just getting cookie crumbs off my face.’
‘How many times, David? How many times are you going to do this to me?’ Mandy cried angrily, her hands on her hips, leaning in towards them.
Mia looked at him with fire in her eyes. ‘You’ve cheated on Mandy before?’ she asked, now knowing that she was just another girl in a long line of girls. It stung – she thought they had a special connection.
‘Of course not,’ he said indignantly. ‘All Mandy has are suspicions and paranoia.’
Mia stood, grabbed her books and bolted from the dining room door, David calling after her.
‘Bye, Mia,’ called Mandy sarcastically. Mia could understand her hostility. She deserved everything Mandy could dish out to her. She’d take it. She deserved it. How could she have thought that no one would get hurt by this?
Mia slammed the front door, hearing them begin to yell at each other. What a toxic relationship. How could she have been so blind? Thought she was so special? She loved him, why would he not tell her there were others? Why did Mandy stay if she suspected he cheated? She didn’t realise she was crying until she was two blocks away from David’s house. Luckily she knew her way back into town. She would call her dad to come and pick her up, no questions asked. And he did just that. Picked her up and stayed quiet the whole ride home. Didn’t ask her why her eyes were filled with tears or her face splotchy from crying. She appreciated that but she also felt a little sad that it had been so long since anyone had said, ‘Are you okay?’
They pulled up in a cloud of dust, stopping just shy of the house. Mia’s dad got out and slammed the door of the truck, looking at his phone, frowning. She wondered what he was frowning at, then realised it probably had to do with his mistress. Whatever her name was. She had no desire to know who he was screwing. Maybe he was organising a rendezvous to escape from the shitty life he obviously thought he had. Thinking about her father’s betrayal just set her off again.
Mia barrelled through the screen door, letting it slam behind her. She swiped at her eyes, the tears leaking down her pretty face again as she thought about David.
‘Mia, is that you?’ called out her mother.
‘Yes,’ she replied.
‘You’re home early,’ she yelled from the kitchen. ‘How’d the session go?’
‘Fine,’ she said, only capable of one-word answers.
She heard her mum bustling in the kitchen, making dinner for her family. Her mum came out of the kitchen suddenly and Mia looked away. She held her breath, waiting for her mother to say something, anything.
‘Mia…’ she began.
Mia stepped off the bottom stair and threw her arms around her mum’s stomach. Her mother wrapped her arms around Mia and hugged her tightly to her, her hand patting her on the back, surprised.
‘Tell me what’s wrong, honey.’
At the sound of the term of endearment, Mia let loose. The floodgates opened and her tears washed down her face to splash on her top.
‘Oh Mia, tell me, what is it?’ It was the first time someone had asked what was going on.
Of course she couldn’t tell her, not like this. Nor could she tell her about David. ‘It’s Dad…’ She left the sentence hanging, unable to do that to her mother.
Danni pulled back from Mia. ‘What do you mean, your dad?’
Mia realised her error. She just meant that he hadn’t cared enough to ask if she was okay. What if her mother probed and she caved? The mood she was in, it was just a matter of time before she told her mother about the affair, about the two-year-old son, about the duty he felt towards his new family. She had dropped herself and her father into the shit. Now what?
‘Is there something going on with your father?’ Her mother’s dark eyes piercing her daughters.
‘No, Mum, I’m just having a bad day is all. I have to go and do my homework.’ Mia ducked back up the stairs, not looking back at her mother. She realised that she and her father needed to get their stories straight for when her mother asked for an explanation. She was going to go outside to find him but then decided that it was a terrible idea. Her mother would be watching her. So she went to her room instead. She picked up her phone and sent a message to her father.
Mum saw me crying. Told her I had a bad day but you’re going to have to tell her soon. I’m not covering for you any more.
She pressed send and waited. Her father must have had the phone in his hand because he immediately replied, begging.
Please Mia.
He still hadn’t asked her what was wrong with her and she wanted to tell him, fuck you very much for not caring. He didn’t want to get involved; clearly he had his own shit going on.
David. How on earth was she supposed to sit in his class and not say something? What would he say to her? How would he treat her? As if she didn’t have enough going on with her father and his bullshit. She looked around her room and had the strong urge to destroy the entire thing. Pull the photos from the wall and smash the glass against the edge of the bed, tear her posters down and shred them into a million pieces, but that would bring her mum running, so she settled for screaming into her pillow. She heard footsteps running and she froze. Her mother had heard that. The door burst open and Alexandra stood there, naked fear on her face.
‘Are you okay, Mia? What’s wrong?’ Her eyes were wide and her mouth open.
‘Yeah,’ she said wearily, ‘I’m just tired is all. Bad day at school.’
Alexandra came over to her and hugged her tightly. ‘You can always talk to me,’ she said, sounding older than her nine years.
‘Thanks, sis.’
Alexandra walked out the door, and Mia knew that she would have to do something sooner rather than later. She could just tell her mum and be done with it, let the chips or pieces or whatever fall where they may. Could she do that to her mother and her siblings? Could she do anything to stop it? She’d yet to talk to her dad properly about what he would be giving up, yet from the conversation she’d overheard him have with his mistress, he already knew what he was giving up and he didn’t care about them enough to stay. He was leaving regardless.
Mia was devastated over the future loss of her father and it hurt her deeply that he hadn’t just cut the cord and left already. It would make it so much easier, rather than not knowing when the axe was going to fall. On top of all the David stuff, she felt betrayed by the two men who were the closest to her. One was leaving and they both were lying to those they loved the most.
28
Joe paced the gravel square near the front door. He kicked the grey chunks of rock, sending them flying in random directions. His text message had gone unanswered, so he decided to call her.
It rang and rang. ‘Answer, God damn it!’ he whispered angrily. The phone went to voice mail and he left a terse message to call him back as soon as she could. He stayed outside, waiting for her to call back. He knew that she was punishing him for taking his time leaving his family when he said he would, but it wasn’t as cut and dried as she thought it was. His phone, on silent, vibrated in his hand. He turned it over so fast that he almost dropped it in his haste to answer it.
‘Hello?’ he said breathlessly.
‘What do you want, Joe, because you seem to be making your choices very clear.’
‘It’s not like that, you know it isn’t.’ He hated the pleading quality to his voice.
‘Tick to
ck, Joe, this offer goes away soon and so do I and our son.’
‘I want you,’ he growled into the phone.
‘Then prove it. Leave her, leave them. I won’t wait around forever.’
‘Yes, I know and I don’t want the two of you to go anywhere. I love you.’
‘I love you too,’ she said before abruptly disconnecting their call.
Joe wanted to smash his phone, much like his daughter wanted to smash her room.
The day his son had been born was one of the happiest of his life. He’d been waiting for the phone call all day, and when it had finally come, he had no one to share it with. He had told a suspicious Danni that he was just in an extremely good mood. His kids rejoiced that their father was happy again for a day. It didn’t last long, of course, as he worried about how the hell he was going to see his son. He loved his kids, all four of them, but it was time to make a choice. He’d had nearly two decades with Danni and their children, now was the time to leave. He wanted Joe Junior, he wanted her.
Joe tried to spend weekdays with her as much as he could, but weekends were the hardest. It’s when she wanted to see him the most, but Danni knew that he didn’t work weekends and, with no extra cash coming in, he couldn’t say he was working. Danni worked some weekends and he tried to get away then, but she asked him to watch the kids.
‘I don’t want to babysit,’ he had whined.
‘It’s not babysitting when it’s your own kids, it’s called parenting.’ And with that, she had stormed off to work. The best Joe could do was a phone call, which she was less than impressed with. Of course, when he did manage to disappear, Mia now knew where he was going. But he didn’t think she would say anything. Not yet, anyway. He had a little bit of time left.
The Silent Daughter Page 18