Legacy of Hunters Ridge

by Sarah Barrie

  The corners of his mouth lifted. ‘You forgot the chickens. They’ll probably …’ He made a sweeping gesture along his throat. ‘But Chester will be okay – hey, you’re really not all right, are you?’ He went to the sink and filled a glass with water. ‘Here.’

  She shook her head, ignoring the glass while her heart raced. ‘I can’t do this. I shouldn’t have come. I’ll pay you. Deal with it, would you? I’ll pay you anything.’ She got quickly to her feet, swayed.

  ‘Whoa.’ He pushed her back into her chair and handed her the water. ‘What’s wrong?’

  He had that look of puzzled concern on his face – the one everyone got when she acted crazy. Her stomach rolled, she bit down hard on her lip and forced herself to get it together. She attempted a smile. ‘Sorry. It’s just been a long day.’ She needed her pills. Really needed them. But she wasn’t taking anything in front of Cameron William Blakely the third. ‘Thanks again. I – I should let you get back to … whatever.’

  He walked to the door. ‘Just give me some time to talk to Mavis, would you?’

  ‘That’s fine. I can stay a little while.’

  ‘In the meantime, dog and cat food’s under the sink, the livestock feed is in the shed. I’m –’ he waved a hand at the house on the hill visible through the window, ‘– up there if you have any questions.’ He hesitated again, pulled a card from a wallet in his back pocket. ‘My number’s here.’

  She followed him out onto the veranda, watched him open up his black Ranger ute. The idea of being left alone with all this had panic twisting in her gut. ‘Um, do you think … now that you’re here, could you possibly, perhaps …’

  ‘You want me to feed for you?’

  ‘Would you mind?’

  He nodded reluctantly. ‘I suppose I could. You are going to be able to look after everything though, aren’t you? I really don’t have time to keep this up.’

  She gave him a grateful smile, then, as soon as his back was turned, she rushed into the house, located her pills, and swallowed one down. Sinking into a chair, she put her head in her hands. Hell. Alissa Morgan at her most unhinged. Showing off for the neighbours. Not that it mattered. He was bound to find out sooner or later.

  A horse. David had never mentioned a horse – had he? She scanned her memory. She’d pretty much shut down every time he mentioned Mavis, so perhaps he had.

  ‘What was I thinking?’ she asked herself. The place was too quiet again and the sudden feeling of isolation, even knowing Cameron was still outside, was almost overwhelming.

  The cat meowed at her feet, snapping her out of it. ‘Hi buddy, who are you?’ As she bent down to pat it, the pup raced towards them and the cat took off, scuttling over the floorboards, pup in pursuit. Ally found herself smiling. She really was a cute puppy, all ears and tail and feet. As though reading her mind, the puppy trotted back over and flopped on her feet with a little sigh, so she stroked the soft head.

  She’d gotten herself here – that was more than she’d have thought possible, her biggest act of independence since the fire. The rest – well, it was worth a try, wasn’t it?

  The pup lifted her head and chewed at Ally’s fingers, grumbling playfully. The smile returned to Ally’s face.

  ‘We’re gonna be all right, gorgeous girl. Aren’t we?’

  So that was the daughter-in-law. He was less than impressed that Alissa Morgan had finally decided to turn up, only to be helpless. Cameron Blakely kicked off his boots and headed straight into his office. A glance at the clock made him scowl. Damn, he’d missed cut-off for worksite orders today, which meant now he’d have to spend what was left of the afternoon reorganising contractors or they’d be standing around twiddling their thumbs – and that cost money.

  He leant on the windowsill and stared at the pretty farm down the hill. His house sat so high on the ridge that only the tops of the tallest old trees below interrupted his view. It was one-point-three kilometres from the top of his winding driveway, across the road and along the tree-covered drive into Mavis’s. It was a drive he’d made twice a day for close to two weeks. Enough was enough. The woman was going to have to get her act together, and fast.

  It wasn’t that he minded looking after the animals – particularly. It was that he had too many other things to do. At least now that she was here, she could take care of the arrangements for when Mavis passed away.

  Mavis. The woman was eccentric and difficult, but her animals were quite endearing. All but the cows. The stupid animals kept breaking through fences and getting out. And the goat had destroyed the Akubra he’d worn in over the four years since he’d moved out here. The new one just wasn’t as comfortable.

  None of it was his responsibility. He’d only met Mavis because of those cows – had helped her secure them enough times. And then, when the scouts had come out to do their jobs and called the ambulance, he’d been home, seen the commotion from his office window and headed down. Mavis had had a fall, been stuck on the floor at the bottom of the staircase. The scout master had called for help, but Mavis hadn’t wanted to go. Not in an ambulance. Call the doctor, she’d complained – loudly. The doctor could treat her from home. But they’d taken her, once Cam had promised to look after the place, and now the poor old bat wasn’t coming home. Ever. So she’d told him to summon her late son’s wife. She’d come, Mavis had said, she had a duty. Well, here Alissa Morgan was. But could she handle it?

  The funky tune his sister Ebony had loaded onto his mobile began to play. He found it mildly frustrating, the way she kept changing it. Which is exactly why she did it – little sisters were always little sisters, even grown-up professional ones. The display told him the caller was his business partner, Lee Dalton.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘You snuggled up with any sexy women?’

  ‘Not yet, but make it quick, they’re about to break down the door.’

  Lee chuckled. ‘So I’m thinking I’ll call in. I’ve got some council crap to hand over.’

  ‘Fine, but give me half an hour, I’ve just got back from Mavis’s.’

  ‘Has the daughter-in-law put in an appearance yet?’

  ‘Yeah, but she doesn’t come across as very capable.’

  ‘I think I’d reserve judgement. Be nice. We want first bid on that property.’

  ‘It might be a bit late for that.’

  ‘So use that killer charm of yours and fix it. See you in thirty.’

  Killer charm? That was more Lee’s department; once he got a look at Alissa Morgan, he’d be down there flirting with her every chance he could.

  Maybe he might like to feed the animals while he was at it.

  CHAPTER

  5

  Ally struggled from the dream, sobbing at the ruined image of her husband behind her eyelids. As she opened them, David’s image remained, for an instant merging with the reality of wakefulness as first light touched the lounge room windows. His staring form in the doorway confused her, but the effects of the drugs were still too heavy to fight, and she slipped back into oblivion.

  The next time Ally awoke, it was to the pup’s loud yapping. She was in the pounce position, chest down, tail wagging, as she tried to convince the cat to join in a game. The cat was side-on to the pup, back arched, mouth open in a threatening hiss. He swept out a paw and sprang past the pup and up the stairs. Undeterred, the pup went bounding playfully after him.

  Still pulling herself together, Ally managed a half-hearted chuckle. ‘You really are a lunatic. That cat will scratch.’ She was betting the cat was hoping to escape from the upstairs window, but she’d locked it last night when she’d put the cat out because she couldn’t stand the smell.

  Except, somehow the cat had gotten back in. He had slept on her lap. She’d tried to shift him a couple of times, but his claws were razor sharp and began a rhythmic kneading every time he resettled. In the end, she’d given up.

  With a long stretch, she untangled herself from the chair and sniffed her clothes, grimaced. Not only was
the lounge chair uncomfortable, it smelled worse than the cat. Now so did she.

  A loud, strangled sound just outside the window startled her and she tripped over the edge of the chair. As she attempted to regain her balance, one foot landed heavily in a puddle of puppy pee, sending her slipping again. ‘Gross! Damn it – yuck!’

  The noise outside repeated itself, was accompanied by the beating of wings. A quick look out the window revealed a large red rooster. It stared arrogantly back at her and performed again.

  ‘God. So much for the peaceful life. What self-respecting rooster makes a sound like that?’

  She hopped to the tiny bathroom and shoved her foot under the pathetic trickle of freezing water in the bathtub. Shivering, she made a detour to the laundry for the mop and bucket.

  The phone rang shrilly beside her as she started on the mopping and she almost upended the bucket in surprise. An orange blur streaked down the stairs between her legs, the puppy falling down the last few steps in her chase and landing in a heap at her feet. Beyond bemused, Ally picked up the phone.

  ‘You were supposed to call me yesterday.’

  ‘Mia. Hi. Sorry, I had a lot to do.’

  ‘Are you all right? What’s it like?’

  ‘It’s … interesting. Mia, I have an epic puddle of puppy pee to clean up. Can I call you back in a sec?’

  ‘A pup? Ah … what other animals live down there?’

  Ally frowned slightly as she picked up a little carved figure from the table. She didn’t remember it being there yesterday. It fitted in the palm of her hand and bore a striking resemblance to Mavis. It was exquisite. She placed it gently back on the table.

  ‘The question should probably be, what doesn’t live here. Mia –’

  ‘Are there any …?’

  ‘Apparently,’ she replied. ‘Mia, I really have to go.’

  ‘Okay, but Ally –’

  ‘I’ll handle this, call you back.’

  ‘I have to get to work – might not be able to pick up. Are you coming back today or tomorrow?’

  ‘Depends on what’s got to happen with the animals. I don’t know, but it could be a bit longer. I’m going to see Mavis today.’

  ‘Don’t let her upset you. She starts on with the crazy shit, you leave. Just walk out. Got it?’

  ‘Yeah, you don’t have to go there.’

  ‘If you have to stay, let me know. I think I can get down there in a few days. Will you be all right until then? I’m having trouble clearing it with Adam.’

  ‘Sure, that would be great.’

  ‘Keep in touch.’

  Ally ended the call and after cleaning up the rest of the mess, took the bucket outside to empty it.

  Chester was sitting on the veranda near Bess, but got to his feet at the sight of her. Bess stretched from her dog bed and, with a lazy wag of her tail, lumbered over to stand beside Chester, before being accosted by the lunatic puppy.

  As Ally made her way carefully past the chaos to tip the water in the garden, the cat darted past the dogs and leapt onto the veranda railing, trotting along the narrow space until, with a clever shimmy up an old passionfruit vine that covered the corner of the house, he was on the bullnose roof and back in through the upstairs window.

  A ripple of nerves raced up her spine. How did that happen? Maybe the cat knows how to get it open … Not wanting to ponder it too much, she headed back inside. She had an appointment to take care of. And visiting Mavis was going to be unsettling enough.

  The hospice and adjoining nursing home were tucked tidily into a quiet corner on the edge of town. It was an unimaginative block building in cream-coloured brick with a high fence, electronic gate and too much of a prison atmosphere for Ally’s liking. But the gardens were pretty, making the place somehow peaceful and depressing at the same time. She checked the key code she’d been given and pressed the buttons. When the gates slowly opened, she drove at a crawl past a row of what looked like small bedrooms and into a tight car space. The door to the complex required another key code and when she stepped inside, half-a-dozen elderly residents stopped shuffling around to look up, some hopeful of company, some just curious. She gave them a smile as she found the office.

  The desk was manned by a kind-eyed, fifty-something woman in a pale blue uniform.

  ‘Hi. I’m here to see Mavis Littleton.’

  The nurse smiled brightly. ‘It’ll be nice for Mavis to have a visitor. Sign in here, please.’

  Ally signed in and the nurse’s gaze swept the page before looking her over with fresh curiosity.

  ‘Alissa? Mavis has been expecting you for a while.’

  ‘It’s been difficult to get away.’

  ‘Sure. As it turns out you’ve come in on a good day. She’s been quite coherent this morning. Room nineteen, just down the end of the hall.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Three times on the way down the long hallway, Ally stopped and put some consideration into turning around and walking back out. At Mavis’s doorway she paused again, took a couple of steadying breaths, and talked herself into going in.

  The bland and functional room was painted in soft lavender and smelled like disinfectant, but a large window overlooked a blooming garden of annuals and an ancient golden elm tree.

  ‘Mavis?’ She looked older than Ally remembered – old and drawn and sick.

  Mavis slowly opened her eyes. ‘Oh, good. About time you got here.’

  She ignored the automatic bristle and nodded. ‘I came as soon as I could. You wanted to see me?’

  ‘We need to talk about the farm.’

  ‘Sure.’ She sat on a plastic chair beside the bed and when Mavis struggled to sit up Ally instinctively leapt to her feet. ‘Do you need help?’

  ‘Don’t fuss, just need to reach the gadget.’ Locating it, she pressed a button and the bedhead lifted. Comfortable again, Mavis looked her over. ‘You haven’t changed.’

  She didn’t think it was a compliment. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘I’m dying, Alissa, how do you think I’m feeling?’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Why? You didn’t have anything to do with it, did ya?’

  Another deep breath. A forced smile. ‘What would you like to tell me?’

  ‘I need to know you’re going to honour my wishes that Montrose be left to the church.’

  ‘Mavis, I think at this stage it’s more important we talk about what you want me to do with your possessions, and with the animals. Have you made any arrangements for them?’

  Anger flashed across the old woman’s face. ‘I’ll tell you what’s important, girlie! What’s important is getting you out of my house! My cousin Gus will take care of the animals. My things will stay where they are. Money’ll go to the church to help with the upkeep. The animals stay.’

  Ally played nervously with her fingers. ‘I can’t afford to give the property to the church, Mavis. I –’ The beeping of a nearby machine increased. Mavis’s heart rate? Ally felt her own panic rise. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Why not? You got your fancy place, some money, don’t ya? You’ve never shown any interest in coming out here. Greed’s a sin, Alissa. David wanted me to have the place, he’d want me to decide what to do with it after I was gone.’

  Alissa’s own heart rate went up. ‘I had to sell my house. I have bills to pay, nothing’s coming in. I’m still paying off your house.’

  ‘You were always going to be useless without him. Lost everything, did ya? Everything he worked so hard for.’ With a weak shake of her head, Mavis closed her eyes. The beeping slowed.

  Ally swallowed the pointless hurt and got up to leave.

  ‘The devil will get ya. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.’

  Ally reminded herself to ignore the rambling – she knew what Mavis was like, but Mavis’s tone sent something uncomfortable and cold crawling down her spine. ‘Mavis, I just want to make sure the things you love end up in the right places. If you can’t help me with that, I’ll wor
k it out some other way.’

  Mavis’s eyes opened, but her voice was weaker. ‘Gotta be some reason you’re here, some purpose. You were meant to be with David, Alissa.’

  ‘So you said. Thanks for that.’

  Mavis stared vacantly at the wall. Her eyes remained unfocused, but her tone changed, was stern. ‘You’ll have to follow the rules.’

  ‘What rules?’

  ‘Don’t sell the animals. Just eat or barter the offspring.’

  ‘But –’

  ‘No bleach in the house. It’s the devil’s implement. Stay away from the gates of hell.’

  Oh shit, here we go again.

  Mavis’s eyes snapped back to Ally, surprising her with their sudden, chilling intensity. ‘The farm’s got to stay exactly as is. One of them for sale signs goes up, all hell’s gonna break loose. Don’t mess with the devil.’ Again her tone softened, and Ally strained to hear. ‘Play the music … Billy likes the music.’ This time the old woman’s eyes remained closed.

  Ally shivered. Talking to Mavis was like having a conversation with a possessed person. She knew the old woman’s mind was affected by illness and disease, but the feeling she was left with as she gratefully slipped from the room was far from comfortable.

  She played the conversation around in her mind on the way back to the house, finally resigning herself to the very real probability that Mavis wasn’t going to allow her to rehome her animals. Legally, there had to be some way around it, but did she have it in her to start a fight with a dying woman? No matter what her opinions of that woman might be, she didn’t think so.

  There would have to be someone around town she could pay a small amount of money to take care of the place in the short term. Who had Mavis mentioned? A cousin, Gus, and a Billy – whoever that was. Cameron had mentioned Gus. She’d ask.

  At the thought of her new neighbour, her pulse did a quick scramble. She pictured him up there on his hill with a perfect wife or some gorgeous girlfriend; a man like that must have one or the other. She wondered what he had thought of her, the crazy lady that had hid from him in her bathroom.

  Actually, she probably didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about that, so she set her mind firmly back on her mission. With her other house sold, she supposed she could afford to put off the sale of Montrose for a few weeks. She’d find a caretaker, and she’d find an estate agent, have it all sorted so that when the time came, everything would be ready. She’d wait Mavis out, then the for sale signs would go up and she’d get on with her life.