‘It’s hard to catch someone doing these things over such a big area,’ said Rupe. ‘Cath had tyres slashed over near Willoughby and Rita was complaining about trespassers and her fences knocked over and then there’s Frank’s thing. They’re a long way apart. Must be fifty k’s between Taylor’s Creek and Willoughby.’
‘You can’t set much store by what Rita says,’ said Ben.
‘I know, but I don’t think she’s wrong about everything. Which reminds me, has anyone seen her today? She was sick when I called in about her trespassers but told me to clear off because I got her out of bed, so I haven’t been back today.’
‘Don’t blame you,’ said Graham. ‘She’s a cranky old biddy. I saw that old blue ute of hers on the road this morning so she must be well enough to drive.’
‘That’s good.’ Meant he wouldn’t need to check on her when he went to tell Abbie about the phone line repairers. There was still some follow-up to do with the accident and a community liaison meeting with Father Chris’s youth group tomorrow afternoon so he’d have to nip out to see her in the morning, if he found the time. For supposedly part-time hours he was pretty busy, not that he minded. He enjoyed the youth group and he might gain some insight into the identity of the local troublemakers.
***
Kaelee kept out of the way. She hung up her washing and sat in the sun with a book from Abbie’s shelf until lunchtime, then took the book and went for a walk up the mountain to see if she could phone Aaron. She was gone for quite a while, which suited Abbie. Georgia had a sleep then did some more work and when afternoon tea time rolled around she announced she was nearly finished her assignment.
‘It’s so peaceful here,’ she said. ‘It’s easy to concentrate.’
‘I know. I got a lot done too. Is Kaelee back yet?’
‘Don’t know.’
Abbie got up, tea in hand, and went out the back door. ‘No sign of her,’ she said. ‘I hope she hasn’t fallen over. There are some slippery bits on that track. That’s all we need. Kaelee stuck here with a sprained ankle.’
‘Or a broken arm. Want to go up and see?’
‘Okay. I can give Rupe call and see if the phone company is doing anything.’
Abbie finished her tea and went inside to collect her phone.
‘Are you locking the house?’ asked Georgia when Abbie put the key in the lock.
‘Yes, shouldn’t I?’
‘Kaelee might come back and wonder what’s happened.’
‘Can’t she wait on the verandah?’
‘I suppose so.’
Abbie locked the door and slipped the key into her pocket. If Aaron was still hanging about, she didn’t want him making himself at home.
Halfway up the slope, Georgia stopped, puffing. She stood with her hands on her hips staring out across the trees. ‘God, I’ve got so unfit since that dog bite.’
Abbie smiled. ‘Exercise is good for you when you’re pregnant. The fitter you are the easier the birth.’
‘I’m not taking up running up mountains, Mum. I’d drop dead.’
‘Walking regularly is fine.’
‘Is that your neighbour’s roof over there?’
‘Yes, Rita’s.’
‘Has she got a fire going? It’s a bit warm, isn’t it?’
‘She cooks on a fuel stove. Rupe said she was sick yesterday but she must be better if she’s got the stove going. That’s good.’
‘Doesn’t she have the power on?’
‘Of course she does, she just prefers the fuel stove for cooking.’
‘She’d rather chop wood than turn a switch? Must be hell in summer. She’s crazy.’
‘She is a bit odd but she’s not crazy. She’s nearly eighty so I suppose she likes her old ways. Maybe she can’t afford a new stove. Have you recovered?’
‘Yes, let’s go.’ Georgia led the way up the track.
At the rocky outcrop Abbie turned on her phone and dialled Rupe’s number while Georgia sat on a rock, checked her email and sent text messages.
Rupe’s phone was off so she left a message saying she and Georgia would be going to Wagga tomorrow to take Kaelee to the train station and had he called the phone company yet. Just before she disconnected, she added that Rita was okay because smoke was coming from her chimney.
‘No sign of Kaelee,’ she said. ‘I wonder where she went.’
‘Farther up the hill, maybe? How far does this track go?’
‘Not far. I don’t see why she’d head off into the bush.’
The unmistakable sound of Jet’s barking floated up on the clear afternoon air.
‘That’ll be Kaelee,’ said Abbie. ‘Finished?’
‘Not yet. You go on and let her in.’
‘Let’s leave early in the morning.’
‘Yep. I’ll try to throw up at a reasonable hour.’
‘Ohhh, sorry, sweetheart.’ Abbie pulled a sad face.
‘You’d better go, that dog’s having a fit.’
‘Be careful on the way down, love. It’s very slippery on that steep bit.’
‘Go, Mum.’
When Abbie reached the house, Kaelee was nowhere in sight. Abbie let herself in and went through to the front door where Jet was still barking like a lunatic.
She stopped and wagged her tail at Abbie when she opened the door, but the hair on her neck was raised and she continued with a low grumbling growl.
‘What’s up with you?’ Abbie stroked her head. ‘Good girl.’
Still no sign of Kaelee anywhere, but her clothes flapped on the washing line so she must be about somewhere. Perhaps she’d walked down the drive and set Jet off on the way. Wherever she was, Abbie wasn’t going to waste time looking for her. Maybe she’d talked to Aaron and gone to meet him along the road somewhere, but if she expected Abbie to agree to let him stay the night she had another think coming. They could both pack up and leave.
Abbie gave Jet one last pat and went inside. As she closed the front door, the back door opened. Georgia must have finished messaging her friends.
‘Any sign of Kaelee?’ Abbie called. ‘I don’t know what set Jet off but she’s calmed down now.’
No reply. Abbie went down the hallway to the kitchen. ‘Georgia?’
But it wasn’t Georgia who’d come in the back door; it was Aaron, dirty and dishevelled, his face paler than ever, his expression tense.
Chapter 11
Abbie froze, breath coming fine and shallow as her throat tightened. ‘What are you doing here?’ The words scraped in her throat.
‘I’m looking for Kaelee. We had a fight and she stormed off.’
‘She’s not here.’
‘Her clothes are on the line.’ His expression darkened. ‘Why are you lying?’
‘I’m not. I don’t know where she is. She was here but she went up the back after lunch to phone you and I haven’t seen her since.’
He wiped a hand across his face and suddenly became tired and vulnerable. ‘Oh. Could I have a drink of water, please?’
Abbie hesitated then gestured to the kitchen sink. He moved across, limping badly. He took a tumbler from the draining rack and downed two full glasses without pause.
‘What happened to your leg?’ The jeans had a dirty brown mark and a redder stain. Blood.
He looked down at the damage. ‘I hurt my knee. I fell.’
‘Kaelee said you went bushwalking after you left here.’
He turned. ‘Did she?’
‘Yes, she did. Didn’t you?’
‘No.’
‘Why would she say you did?’
He shrugged. ‘She tells lies. You should know that. You knew her before I did.’
‘Not very well. I only met her a couple of times. She was at school with my daughter.’
‘Georgia.’
‘Yes. You both lied about meeting her, didn’t you?’ What on earth was going on here? Where was Georgia? She should help sort this out.
‘Kaelee thought you might not remember her so she s
aid we should say that to convince you.’
‘But you only wanted to talk about art so why should you have to convince me?’
‘She didn’t think you would want to waste your time with us. She said you were only focused on your own work, that you weren’t interested in anything else. You hated being interrupted.’
‘Most artists do,’ Abbie said mildly. ‘You should understand that.’ Aaron certainly seemed disturbed. Humour him.
‘Could I possibly use your bathroom?’ His brow crinkled, worried she might refuse a basic need.
‘Go ahead. Does your knee need a bandage or something? Disinfectant?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Check while you’re in there. There are bandaids and antiseptic cream in the top drawer of the cabinet.’
‘Thanks, Abbie.’
He hobbled to the bathroom.
Abbie waited in the kitchen where she could keep an eye on him when he came out. What the hell was going on? Where had Kaelee got to and what had they been doing since they left here last week? When was it? Thursday? And today was Monday.
Steps sounded outside. Abbie rose to her feet. Kaelee? Georgia opened the screen door, took one look at her and said, ‘What’s up with you?’
‘Aaron’s turned up and Kaelee’s disappeared,’ hissed Abbie. She glanced over her shoulder. No movement, water was still splashing in the basin. ‘He’s looking for her. It’s weird. I’ve no idea what’s going on with them. Did you see her?’
‘No. She mustn’t have phoned him.’ Georgia plumped down on a kitchen chair. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘He looks pretty rough and he’s hurt his knee. Said he fell over.’
‘Hiking?’
‘He didn’t say. Not exactly. He seemed surprised when I said Kaelee told us they’d been camping and bushwalking. He said she tells lies and that I should know because I’ve known her longer. Does she tell lies?’
‘Not that I remember.’ Georgia frowned. ‘Although … Sophie always thought she was a bit secretive. She used to say she didn’t trust her but it sounded like a joke the way she said it.’
The bathroom door opened. Aaron limped into the kitchen.
‘You must be Georgia.’ He held out his hand. Georgia stretched across and shook it briefly. Neither smiled. Both eyed the other like a rival dog.
‘Yes, I am, and you must be Aaron.’ He held her gaze for a long moment but Georgia stared him down.
‘Why are you here?’ she asked in a voice dripping with anger. Surprisingly so.
‘Have you any idea where Kaelee is?’ He, by comparison, sounded oddly apologetic.
‘None. Why should I? Mum was just telling me she’s disappeared.’
‘I don’t mean disappeared as such,’ said Abbie. ‘She just hasn’t come back yet.’
‘Well, at least when she does come back we won’t need to take her to Wagga,’ said Georgia. ‘He can.’
‘Why were you taking her to Wagga?’
‘So she could catch the train home. She thought you’d driven off and left her here.’
‘I didn’t drive off. She ran away from me.’ He turned to Abbie. ‘See? She lies.’
‘Where’s your car?’ asked Georgia.
‘It’s up the back in the bush somewhere. On one of those dirt tracks. Out of petrol. That’s why I had to walk.’
‘Well, we can easily get some petrol. I’ll drive you in to town and we can get a can, take it back to the car and you’ll be on your way.’ Georgia stood up. ‘I’ll get my keys.’
‘I don’t want to leave Kaelee here.’ He threw a worried glance at Georgia.
‘But she left you, didn’t she?’ asked Abbie.
‘Yes but …’
‘You can’t drive the car without petrol, Aaron, whether she’s with you or not,’ said Georgia. ‘Mum can stay here and we’ll get the car sorted. Okay?’
‘If you insist. All right. Thanks. I hate to be a nuisance.’
Georgia caught Abbie’s eye. ‘Right. This shouldn’t take long.’ She strode out of the kitchen to her bedroom and returned with her handbag. ‘Let’s go.’
When the door slammed behind them, Abbie heaved a sigh. What a gigantic pain these two were. Poor Georgia, having to chase about after petrol. But she was right. The sooner that car was mobile the sooner they’d be gone. As long as silly Kaelee reappeared. She looked at the clock. Quarter to five. It’d be getting dark in an hour and a half. The last thing she wanted was those two here overnight again. Better make a start on dinner so when Georgia got home they could eat.
Moments later, the door opened and Georgia came in. ‘My car won’t start,’ she said. ‘It’s weird. It’s like the battery’s flat but I got a new one three months ago.’
‘Take my car.’ Abbie took the keys from the bench and handed them over.
‘Thanks. I’ll phone the NRMA when I’m in town. I forgot, I’ll need the key to the gate.’
‘It’s on the key ring.’
‘Okay. Back soon.’
But she was back even sooner with Aaron right behind her. ‘Your car won’t start either. Same thing.’
‘What? That’s bizarre.’ Startled, Abbie looked up from taking potatoes from the vegetable basket.
‘Kaelee,’ said Aaron.
‘What do you mean, Kaelee?’ asked Georgia. Angry, scowling at him.
‘She did it. Disabled your cars.’
‘How would she know what to do and why on earth would she?’ Abbie demanded. For god’s sake, this was insane.
He shrugged. ‘She’s a bit mental.’
‘Mental? What does that mean?’
‘She scares me sometimes. Like when …’
‘When what?’
‘She put eye drops in your dinner. That’s why you were sick.’
‘She said you did.’
‘That’s what she does, tells lies,’ he said. ‘That’s why we had that fight and she got so angry. She gets into uncontrollable rages and … I don’t know what she’s capable of.’
‘How close are your neighbours, Mum?’ Georgia cut firmly through the rambling.
‘Rita is closest but she wouldn’t be much help. Tim and Connie are a couple of kilometres farther along the road. Half an hour walk, I’d say. Tim knows all about engines and things.’
‘Okay, I’ll go and ask them for help,’ said Georgia.
‘You’ll have to go along the road. There’s no track over the ridge and it’s way too rough to try.’
‘All right.’ She went to the sink and downed a glass of water. ‘I’ll see you later.’
‘No,’ said Aaron.
‘No, what?’ Georgia swung around to stare at him, then at the door where footsteps sounded outside.
The screen door swung open and banged against the wall. Kaelee walked in holding what looked like a shotgun and wearing a loose-fitting brown anorak she hadn’t had on before. It looked like …
‘He means you’re not going anywhere. You’re not leaving.’ She sounded like someone in a soapie on TV but her eyes glittered with manic intensity. A new Kaelee had appeared—one manifested by drugs? Or pure insanity?
‘What are you talking about?’ Abbie stepped forward but stopped when the gun barrel turned her way, two nasty round dark holes aimed at her chest.
‘Why not?’ Georgia gave a disbelieving snort of laughter. ‘What are you going to do with that? Shoot us?’
‘Georgia,’ Abbie hissed softly. ‘Don’t.’
‘Maybe she should.’ Aaron walked across and took the gun from Kaelee. She surrendered it without a murmur. His limp had improved remarkably as he strolled across to block the way to the hall. Kaelee stayed in the doorway, blocking it.
‘But why? I don’t even know you and I haven’t seen Kaelee since school.’ Georgia gave him the full force of her disdain, honed over her teenage years. ‘Who the hell are you and what do you want?’
‘I’m your nightmare.’ He snickered and Kaelee giggled.
‘Oh for god’s sake.
’ Georgia turned away, shaking her head. ‘They’re both crazy.’
The blast of the gun was deafening. A shower of plaster fell from the kitchen ceiling. Abbie flung her arms over her head and Georgia let loose a stream of abuse.
‘Shut up, Georgia. For once in your life just shut up,’ screamed Kaelee.
Abbie brushed plaster and dust from her hair and shoulders with wobbly fingers, then clutched Georgia’s arm. ‘Are you hurt?’
‘I’m okay.’
Abbie looked at Aaron. He’d just reloaded.
‘What do you want?’ Her voice shook but she managed to keep a semblance of control while Georgia fumed beside her. Where had that gun come from? Not theirs, surely. Stolen from a local? Rita? Not likely, she’d be over here accusing Abbie of theft if it was hers.
‘I want dinner,’ said Aaron. ‘I’m hungry. You cook for us and Georgia can pour us some wine.’
‘Pour your own wine,’ snarled Georgia.
‘I’d much rather you did.’ He smiled. ‘The glasses are in that cupboard. Two are enough.’ He gestured with the gun. ‘Come on, Abbie, get to work.’
Abbie went to the sink and began peeling potatoes while Georgia grudgingly took glasses from the cupboard and an unopened bottle of red wine from the pantry. She poured and stepped away. Kaelee handed one glass to Aaron and sipped her own.
‘What are we having?’ he asked.
‘Chicken pot roast.’
‘Sounds delightful.’
‘Make yourself useful, Georgia, help her,’ said Kaelee. She pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Aaron did the same, with the shotgun resting across his knees.
Georgia opened the fridge and took out the chicken. ‘What do I do with it?’
Abbie gave instructions, Georgia obediently followed them while Kaelee and Aaron muttered together at the table. Abbie strained her ears to hear but only caught odd, meaningless words.
‘I’m getting out of here,’ whispered Georgia under cover of leaning across Abbie to stir the onions and garlic sizzling in the pot.
‘When? How?’
‘Do you have parsley in your garden, Mum?’ she asked in a normal voice.
‘Yes.’ Abbie met her eyes. What was she thinking? Running for it? What would that pair do to her, left behind? What would they do to Georgia if they caught her? At the moment they were relatively calm but anything could set them off, as evidenced by Kaelee’s hysterical outburst and the blast from the gun. Guns were dangerous enough, but in the hands of unstable people who weren’t used to the handling them …
The Secrets that Lie Within (Taylor's Bend, #1) Page 14