by Jennie Jones
Rachel tightened her stomach muscles and took a breath in an attempt to control her emotions. It was still weird, looking at Peter. Part relief, part worry, and the most unexpected description of all—happy. Happy to be rid of him. Happy to think he was now well and truly in her past and that she had a future to look forward to.
‘Now out of the OIC’s office, please,’ Donna said to the Agatha Girls. ‘If you three won’t stay in your cell, why don’t you sort our kitchen out? You said it could do with it.’ Donna ushered them down the corridor, then walked Rachel and Jax back into cell two.
‘Sorry, girls,’ Donna said. ‘But we can’t hang around Luke’s office and he doesn’t want you out the front.’
‘No problem,’ Jax said, sitting. ‘I’ve never been in a lockup before.’
‘Can’t believe he’s a cop,’ Donna said as she sank to the hard seat beside Jax. ‘That Sam guy.’
‘I can’t believe how none of this would be happening if I’d spoken out years ago and Peter had been caught,’ Rachel said, sitting on the other side of Jax.
Both women looked at her but neither spoke. They were studying her, trying to determine her mood or her emotional state. So Rachel gave them a shrug and a wan smile.
‘It is not your fault,’ Jax said, speaking the words slowly and patiently. ‘Is it, Murray?’
‘Not your fault,’ Donna confirmed.
‘Look,’ Jax said, ‘if it hadn’t been for you telling Luke about your ex-husband and your situation, that Morrison guy wouldn’t have interfered so soon and we wouldn’t have Rosie back.’ Her eyes watered. She blinked rapidly to clear the tears. ‘She might have been hurt and I can’t think about anything else. Except my animals.’
‘Will they be all right?’ Rachel asked. ‘Until later? Or tonight?’ Or whenever it would be safe for Jax to go home.
Jax nodded. ‘They were fed this morning and there’s plenty of water. I just want to see them. But that Maxwell man won’t let me go home.’
Neither would Luke. Rachel had heard her ask him and he’d refused.
‘What about you and Jack Maxwell?’ Donna asked, turning to look at Jax. ‘What’s the history?’
‘There’s no “about” and therefore no history.’
‘Come on, there is. It’s obvious,’ Donna said. ‘How did it all start?’
‘It ended before it started,’ Jax said. ‘Anyway. Jack and Jax—that’s a no-go for a start. We sound like a nursery rhyme.’
Donna spluttered a laugh. ‘Pretty good looking though, aren’t they? All three of them.’
‘They’ve all got big feet,’ Rachel said.
‘What does that mean?’ Jax asked, with a frown.
Rachel smiled. ‘It’s a story for tomorrow.’
‘Your husband’s good looking too,’ Jax said, turning to Donna and watching her perceptively. Waiting for a response to more than the observation.
Donna didn’t answer.
‘Spill it, Murray,’ Jax said, nodding at Donna’s cheek. ‘Did Rob do that?’
Donna shrugged, although Rachel saw pain behind her eyes. ‘And I never saw it coming.’
‘Oh, Donna,’ Rachel said softly.
‘He’s a bully,’ Donna said. ‘Mostly emotional stuff, and I wanted out. I would’ve put up with that until I got myself sorted, but one punch was enough. I’ve seen enough to know that. Sorry, Rachel,’ she added. ‘I’m not saying that I know best, because I don’t.’
‘It’s all right,’ Rachel said. ‘I understand. No situation is the same.’ There were more sides to a round coin than anyone would ever see—unless they’d been on the curve. It didn’t matter if you were abused physically or verbally, once or consistently, it all still hurt. It left marks on your mind.
‘Why us?’ Donna asked. ‘Why any of it?’
‘We didn’t do anything, they did,’ Jax said.
‘You?’ Donna said. ‘What the hell happened?’
‘My daughter happened,’ Jax said with a small smile.
‘You have a daughter?’ Rachel and Donna asked, suddenly alert and sitting straight on the hard seat.
‘Lives with her father. I know,’ Jax said, raising both hands. ‘Odd scenario, given I hadn’t wanted to have a child with him in the first place.’
‘Oh, Jax,’ Donna said, putting her hand on her friend’s. ‘You’re not telling us it’s Jack, are you?’
‘Hell, no!’ Jax threw out a laugh. ‘Dislike him though I do, he’s not that sort.’
‘Thank God. I like him,’ Donna said. ‘So what happened to you?’
‘Long story,’ Jax said. ‘And one I’m going to have to face pretty soon.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ll tell you about it later. But you,’ she said, turning to Rachel, ‘are about to be a shining light in the aftermath of brutality and abuse.’
‘Me?’
‘You and Luke,’ Donna said. ‘You’ve got a happy ever after.’ She grinned. ‘He can’t keep his hands or his mouth off you.’ She looked at Jax. ‘Suddenly I’m jealous.’
‘Me too. So what’s the whole story?’ Jax asked Rachel. ‘You and Luke.’
The cell seemed quieter suddenly, the settled feelings inside Rachel moving back to unsure.
‘It might have nowhere to go,’ she said. ‘Not if people hate me for the trouble I’ve brought to town.’
‘No way,’ Donna said.
‘That’s defeatist talk,’ Jax said. ‘What are your feelings for him?’
Jax was Luke’s friend and Donna was too—although she was under his command there was a connection between Luke and Donna that spoke of friendship. Both these women would watch out for him. ‘I love him.’ There, she’d said it to someone other than Luke. There was no other way to explain to her new friends—the friends she might be forced to give up—that she cared for Luke’s feelings and for his safety.
‘Aw,’ Donna said. ‘You love my boss. That’s great.’
Jax smiled, a dimple appearing at the side of her mouth. ‘Totally great.’
Rachel leaned the back of her head against the wall. She’d never believed she’d fall in love. Perhaps she’d run from the idea, dismissing it and turning her back on it. But she wanted the ideal with Luke.
‘It will work out,’ Jax said. ‘I’m a believer.’
‘I’ve never had any friends before,’ Rachel said, annoyed that her voice caught as she said it. She’d never been good at showing her emotions but over the last twenty-four hours she’d pretty much pulled all of them from a hat and spread them out for everyone to see.
‘You have now.’
‘You’ve got us.’ Donna stood and reached a hand out to Rachel. ‘Stand up and give me a hug. I need one and so do you. And so do you, Isabelle Brown.’
‘Don’t call me Isabelle. That Maxwell jerk calls me Isabelle.’
‘It’s good of him to recognise that the Jack and Jax nursery rhyme doesn’t work for you,’ Donna said, giving Jax a tug to make her stand.
A small grin appeared on Jax’s face and she put herself between Donna and Rachel, her arms around both of them.
The closeness sank into Rachel’s skin, right to her muscles and to the core of her being. It was the most poignant touch from any woman Rachel had ever received. They smelled so good, these women. Jax’s perfume a sexy fragrance with a sweet aroma at its base. Donna’s was more like thick cotton and cop gear but her hair smelled of apples.
‘I can see us now,’ Jax said, ‘in thirty years’ time. We’ll be the next Tidy Town ladies, organising everybody’s flowerpots.’
Rachel laughed, unable to halt the picture in her mind of the three of them in old age. Jax wielding a cast-iron frypan from the café, Donna threatening people with handcuffs, and herself—well, she didn’t know what she’d be wielding yet. It was still to be determined. Hopefully it wouldn’t be her suitcase.
‘Hey.’ Jax drew back and they broke the bond of the hug but only physically—Rachel still felt the friendship of these two women pouring over her.
‘Look at us,’ Jax said to Rachel. ‘We’re both in pink. It’s my favourite colour.’
‘Mine too now,’ Rachel said, wiping tears of love from her eyes.
‘And you, Murray?’ Jax asked. ‘Anything pink?’
Donna looked down at her pale blue police officer’s shirt, the dark equipment belt and all its accessories, and at her thick cotton navy-blue trousers. ‘My G-string,’ she said when she looked up. ‘Will that do?’
‘I wish I hadn’t heard that, Senior Constable Murray,’ a male voice said from the doorway.
All three women turned to the cell door where Sam Leyton stood, looking at Donna with a gentle smile on his face.
Donna lowered her eyebrows. But beneath her scowl and the bruise, Rachel noted her cheeks were tinted with a blush.
‘Go away,’ Donna told him.
‘And take Maxwell with you, please.’
‘But leave Weston where he is,’ Rachel said with her first heartfelt, mentally healthy grin in years. ‘He’s mine.’
* * *
Luke and Will followed Jack and Sam into the bushland off an old track behind the mine museum, the four of them kicking at the dead mulga wood in their path and scuffing red dust and gravel with their boots.
‘This should be good,’ Will said quietly.
Luke cleared his throat but didn’t answer.
‘It’s just up here,’ Sam said, ducking beneath a branch.
A few seconds later they were in a small clearing at the end of a fenced-off section.
Luke and Will paused but Jack kept walking, following Sam towards the four builders. The aggressive foreman, the nasty piece of work who’d fronted Donna, and the two who’d been drunk and partying up at Mt Girra.
‘Found them like this,’ Sam said. ‘Crazy. But they’re in the shade. I gave each of the bastards a drink of water when I found them earlier, but I had to leave them. I needed to get Rosita back.’
‘I’m pretty sure that’s not regulation,’ Jack said, pointing at them.
Luke inhaled and tried to hold onto his smile. The builders were tied at the wrists, tied at the ankle, and tied together, back to back. Each were gagged. None of them had trousers. Or jocks. Only their boots, their shirts and their hats.
‘Who the hell did this?’ Jack asked.
‘No idea,’ Luke said.
‘How odd,’ Will said and Luke noticed he was grimacing in order to cover his smile.
Jack put his hands on his hips. ‘I’d like to meet him, whoever he is.’
‘Whoever he is, he ought to hope we don’t catch him,’ Sam said. ‘Let’s hope he’s not a cop.’
‘Not one of mine,’ Luke said.
‘I can second that,’ Will offered.
‘Let’s get them out of here and into the van,’ Jack said. ‘All right, gentlemen, stop squirming. Police are here to assist.’
Luke made his way back to the van with Will at his side. He got blankets to cover the naked bastards, and handed them over to Will. For a second, they shared eye contact. Then Will grinned, and Luke couldn’t hold onto his grin either. This particular capture hadn’t gone by the book, but since neither Luke nor Will knew what had happened or how it had happened, they wouldn’t have to write it up in a report.
Will returned to Jack and Sam, and Luke glanced at the bush. Solomon would be long gone but Luke gave him a mental salute anyway.
* * *
Rachel folded her arms across her chest as Jimmy winked at her on his way to the counter. ‘So who fancies a beer later?’ he said.
‘I just want to go home,’ Jax said.
‘Don’t run off though,’ Jimmy said. ‘You’ll have to make a statement too.’
Rachel looked at Sam, Donna and Luke, who were standing by the cop shop window, watching as Davidson wrangled the Agatha Girls into the patrol car so he could drive them home. Rosita had been freed too, and Billy, both with stipulations not to skip town in a hurry. They’d all been sent to the front office while the builders were brought into the station via the back door and secured in lockup.
Rachel couldn’t help wondering about her statement. The one that would go on for longer than anybody’s here—except maybe for the officers’.
‘Three detectives from my op are driving up from Kalgirri now,’ Jack said as he came into the front office from the corridor. ‘They’ll take Fletcher and the builders. Wiseman will be getting a visit too. They’ve got a lot of questions for him.’ He looked across at Sam. ‘Leyton, two of your op people are flying in from Melbourne via Kalgirri. They’ll handle your debrief. Should be here in around six hours.’
Sam pulled his hands out of his pockets. ‘Good. That gives me time to catch up on some sleep. Can I pinch someone’s chair?’
‘No,’ Luke said. ‘But you can kip in cell two.’
‘Thanks.’ He rubbed a hand over his abdomen. ‘Any chance of a scone?’ he asked Donna.
‘Kitchen’s that way,’ she said and looked away.
‘I’ll get you a meal from my café,’ Jax said.
Jack caught her arm as she passed. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘Not if you want to live.’
‘Luke,’ Will said, pushing through the front door from the street, the station mobile in his hand. ‘Lake Laura—they’ve got over a hundred bikies now and they’re kicking up the dirt.’
Luke swiped a hand over his head. ‘All right. Will, you and Louie are coming with me. Donna, you’re in charge.’
‘Got it.’
‘How’s the gastro situation?’ he asked Will.
‘Easing. The doctor’s being flown back to Kalgirri. Our paramedics and nurses can cope. And the doc gave the okay for Wiseman to be moved.’
‘Okay. Grab your gear, guys.’
‘You ought to stay,’ Jack said. ‘The op guys will want to talk to you.’
‘Tell them to come find me.’ Luke took hold of Rachel’s hand. ‘Come with me.’ He led her into his office, where he pulled an overnight bag from a locker and checked the contents. It looked like a change of uniform and some civilian clothing.
‘Are you going to get into trouble for leaving?’ she asked him.
He smiled. ‘I’m a cop. And while I’m still OIC of Mt Maria’s Police Force, I’m doing my job.’
‘Still OIC? What does that mean? Will you get in trouble?’
‘I’ll have things I have to account for. Not to mention a pile of forms coming my way. But everybody’s safe. Nobody got hurt. So don’t worry about it.’
‘I’ll miss you,’ she said, then wished she could take the words back. This is not what he needed. Not now. Not after everything he’d dealt with. And now he was about to be at the forefront of another problem.
He left the bag on his desk and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. ‘I’m sorry about this, Rachel, but I have to go.’
‘I know.’
‘I won’t be back to help you through the next round.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘The op guys will be here in a couple of hours. They’ll ask you a lot of questions. They’ll need a statement. I’ll tell Donna to run through the procedure with you, so you know what to expect.’
‘What about me stabbing Peter?’
‘Self-defence, Rachel. It was nothing more than that. You tell them everything that happened, as it happened. You’re innocent—don’t forget that. And they always knew it.’ He put his hand on her cheek, cupping it as he looked deeply into her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry I have to leave you.’
‘I can handle it,’ she said, looking for bravery. If they stayed together, she’d have to get used to this. He’d always have to go as soon as the telephone rang—whether it was midday or the middle of the night. ‘I’m an old hand at talking to the police, remember?’ She said it with a smile.
‘You may have to testify in court. But I’ll be with you for that. I promise.’
‘I can do that. I want to do it.’
‘What’s going to happen next, while I’m away,
is procedure and paperwork. Nothing more. Nothing to worry about.’
‘I get it,’ Rachel said. ‘I’ll be fine. Call me if you get a chance?’ She didn’t know how long he’d be gone for and he’d be up against the worst of it. But this was his job. He loved his job. And she loved him for loving it.
‘Of course I will. Any worries, I want you to call Donna. In fact, I’ll ask Jax if you can stay with her tonight. I don’t want you on your own.’
Rachel put her hands on his chest. ‘Go.’
‘I need to talk to you about so much,’ he said, caressing her hair. ‘I want to talk to you about us and where we’re going. Where I want us to go.’
She tried not to frown but it happened anyway.
‘I’ve been thinking about whether or not to get out of uniform,’ he said, his expression serious.
Rachel inhaled slowly. ‘Back to Homicide?’ Did she want that? Did it matter what she wanted when the only thing she cared for was Luke and being with him?
‘I’ve made a decision,’ he told her.
‘Okay.’ She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. If he got out of uniform they’d have to leave Mt Maria straight away.
‘Luke,’ Will called. ‘All set. You ready?’
‘Ready,’ he called over his shoulder before looking back at Rachel. ‘There are two very important conversations I need to have with you when I get back.’ He bent and kissed her. ‘I love you.’ Then he picked up the bag and his cap and moved to the door.
‘Hey,’ Rachel called.
He paused.
‘Be careful,’ she told him.
His smile started softly then turned into a beam. ‘That’s the first time somebody other than my commanding officer has said that to me. I like it. I’ll be back, Rachel Meade. Be good while I’m gone, eh? Don’t forget I love you.’
She found her own smile as a sweet sensation of being cared for, respected, regarded, and loved ran through her. She wouldn’t forget. ‘Copy that, Luke Weston.’
And then he was gone.
Twenty-Four
Rachel gathered the makings of a chocolate milkshake for the customer who waited at the Brown Café counter, scrolling through text messages on her mobile. It had been the longest forty-eight hours she’d ever known and possibly the most exhilarating. Certainly the most life-changing. Not that she knew what her future would involve yet, but she’d been forced into making a change, and so far—she loved it.