Secret Memories

by Horsnell, Susan

  SECRET

  MEMORIES

  By

  Susan Horsnell

  Lyndsay Richards is an experienced Park Ranger so, why is she missing in a National Park she knows as well as the back of her hand?

  Rick Masters is a Detective, a man who had a huge crush on Lyndsay in high school. A poster showing she is missing brings secret memories flooding back. He is determined to find her.

  Does Rick still have feelings for Lyndsay? Will this be his chance to capture the girl of his dreams?

  Set in Kuringai National Park and Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

  Secret Memories

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2014 by Susan Horsnell

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. It remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author and publisher. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed. If you enjoy this book, then please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy.

  Email: horsnells@yahoo.com.au

  Twitter: @susanhorsnell

  Blog: http://susanhorsnell.com

  Web: http://horsnells.wix.com/susan--1

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Real name places are used throughout this book but, events occurring in these locales are purely fictitious and for the benefit of the story only.

  Chapter One

  The wind blew hard, the sky darkening and threatening a storm when Lyndsay left the marked track and quietly followed the baby kangaroo along the edge of the mountain. The baby was moving with an unsteady gait, it appeared to be injured. I’ll only follow for a few minutes and then I’ll hurry back to the car, she told herself.

  The clouds burst without warning, torrential rain had her drenched within seconds. Lyndsay shivered as she tried to push into the wind, trying desperately to return to the marked track. Fear raced through her body as the ground rumbled. Landslide! She started to run, adrenalin pushing her forward. It was too little too late. The ground slid away beneath her, she tumbled head over heels down the mountainside. Acres of mud and rubble assisted her fall, pushing her along. Gallons of water washed over her, she spluttered and coughed, trying desperately to breathe. Her backpack pounded into her back as she rolled. She was in a great deal of trouble.

  A branch, attached to a tree stump seemed to reach out and grab her by the ankle, it stopped her from tumbling off a ledge and into the river below. It would have been certain death. Lyndsay clung onto the stump with half frozen, numb fingers until the landslide finally ceased. She glanced around at the rearranged landscape. She was perched precariously on the cliff edge, her ankle was at a strange, unnatural angle and pain wracked her body. She had no idea how she was going to get back to safety.

  I have to get away from the edge and find somewhere safer. Lyndsay unpeeled her fingers from her savior and crawled upwards dragging her leg with the broken ankle behind her. Tears mixed with the rainwater which relentlessly pelted down on her.

  Why did I stray from the track? She asked herself for about the hundredth time, but she knew why, an animal appeared to be in distress and she had to try and save it. An experienced hiker like her knew anything could happen when you were out in the bush. How many times had she drummed into her Boy Scout team, you must stay on the marked paths? But she had been prepared to take the risk to rescue the little kangaroo. An animal lover all her life, what else could she do?

  A cave opening caught her eye and she crawled towards it. She pulled herself out of the rain and flopped onto her back. The five minutes of crawling had exhausted her. She was wet, freezing, and covered in mud. She was a long way from the marked track which led to America Bay and the waterfall, what if no-one found her? She would never see her three year old son, Dylan, again. He was her last thought before she passed out.

  ***

  Rick pushed the button at the pedestrian crossing lights. While he waited for the lights to change, he squinted, taking a closer look at the picture attached to the pole. Weather had taken its toll and the paper was tattered but he could still make out some of the pretty face gazing back at him. She looked familiar but why? He fought the wind to straighten the paper so he could read what was written. Missing since June 10. Lyndsay Richards. Aged 22.

  Lyndsay Richards. He hadn’t heard that name since they’d been students at Narrabeen High, four years ago. He’d had a crush on the pretty, blonde haired, blue eyed girl who had represented the school in Netball. He’d spent many hours sitting in the stands admiring her as she ran from one end of the court to the other. Her skirt dancing over her rear end, showing off her long, slender legs. It had been painful leaving his crush behind when they’d left school. He, to head into the Police Force. Her, he had no idea. People like Lyndsay Richards didn’t give people like him the time of day. While she had been tall, slim and beautiful, he had been short, chubby and dorky.

  An old lady patted his hand. “Sir, the light’s green. We can cross now.”

  He was startled from his thoughts and dropped his head to gaze onto a small, feeble-looking old lady. “Sorry, ma’am. Would you like me to assist you?”

  “No thank you, Officer. I just didn’t know if you realized the light had changed. You seemed to be a million miles away.” She began crossing the road.

  Rick hesitated before going back to the poster. Lyndsay had been missing since June 10, it was now June 14. A description of her was in bits and pieces and half of the Crimestoppers contact number had been ripped away. Four days. She could be anywhere. I’ll check on the computer back at the station and see if there has been any news of her whereabouts.

  He spun on his heels and headed back to the Police station in Manly. Lunch could wait.

  ***

  “Gavin, do you know anything about a girl missing in the Narrabeen area?” Rick asked his partner who was sitting at his desk. He munched on a salad sandwich while reading a report. At Rick’s question, he put down the report and looked up.

  “That pretty blonde on the posters that are stuck up everywhere? As far as I know she’s still missing. What’s your interest?”

  “I used to go to school with her. I noticed the poster when I was crossing Central Avenue. Do you know who’s looking after her case?”

  “No idea. I guess a couple of Detectives from Narrabeen station.”

  “I might give them a call. See what information they can give me.”

  “We’re quiet at the moment and you’re due to knock off anyway, why don’t you go over and see them? We have the next couple of days off, you could offer to help out?”

  “Yeah, I will. Thanks mate.”

  “Rick.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who exactly is she? Were you a couple at school?”

  Rick laughed. “Me? No way. She was tall, absolutely gorgeous. Blue eyes, hair like gold silk. She wouldn’t have given me a second glance. To be fair, I never had the courage to approach her either.”

  Gavin was puzzled. Rick was the tall, dark and handsome guy that every girl dreamed about. He worked out every morning and night and had the muscular torso to prove it.

  Rick laughed some more at the puzzled expression on his partner’s face. “In high school, I was short, overweight, pimply and a dork.”

  Gavin raised his eyebrows at his partner and best friends’ confession. “I didn’t know.”

  “No, it’s not something I brag about. I worked hard to get a decent body, nature took care of the rest.”

  “Go find her, mate.”

  Rick patted Gavin
on the shoulder. “I’ll certainly try. I only hope she’s alive. Have a good couple of days with Sandy and the kids. Say hi for me.”

  “I will. I can’t wait to tell her you were an ugly duckling that turned into a swan.”

  Rick laughed before he headed for the lift to take him down to his car in the underground carpark. As he unlocked his bright red Mazda MX-5, something gnawed at his gut. Something wasn’t right, was Lyndsay still alive?

  ***

  Rick waved to the Sergeant at the front desk as he strode through to the Detective’s part of the station.

  He passed through a glass door into the large area and glanced around. Two detectives huddled over a computer screen, no-one else was around. He cleared his throat as he approached. The man and woman finally looked up.

  “Can we help you?” the female asked as she raked her eyes over the incredibly handsome man now standing before her.

  Rick twirled his police cap in his hands. “I’m Senior Constable Rick Masters from Manly.” He presented his hand and the female shook first.

  “Senior Detective Janine Kelly.”

  “Senior Detective Mark Greene. Have a seat and tell us what can we do for you?”

  Chairs scraped across the tiled floor as they pulled three into a circle and sat down.

  “I noticed a poster of a girl who has been missing for the past four days,” Rick began.

  “Lyndsay Richards,” Mark cut in.

  “Yes, that’s the one. I was at school with her and wondered what progress had been made in the case.”

  “She disappeared while bushwalking in the Kuringai National Park. Apparently her and her boyfriend had an argument and broke up. She was really upset and her parents said she mentioned going hiking for the day. When she hadn’t returned, her parents began to worry and went to search for her. They found her car in the parking area at the entrance to the America Bay Waterfall track. This was her favorite spot to go hiking when she was sad, her father said.”

  “I assume you’ve searched the length of the track?” Rick asked.

  “Yes, we have but bad weather and a landslide has prevented us searching the surrounding area. There are dozens of aboriginal caves in the area and to be honest, it will take us weeks to find them, let alone search them.” Janine said.

  “I have the next two days off and I know the area well. Do you mind if I take a look?”

  “No, we appreciate any help we can get. With the bad storms of the past few days we haven’t been able to utilize the Emergency Services because of all the damage to homes in the area. National Parks and Wildlife are short staffed but they have been helpful. They were the ones that told us there are dozens of caves that haven’t yet been found and documented.” Mark told him.

  “What about the local Aboriginal Tribe?” Rick asked.

  “The Garrigal people. We have spoken to some of their descendants but none of them are familiar with the complete cave system in the area.” Mark answered.

  “Do you have a contact for them?”

  “Adam Bertana,” Janine wrote the contact number on a sheet of paper and handed it to Rick. He folded it and placed it in the top pocket of his uniform shirt.

  “Can I speak with Lyndsay’s parents?” Rick asked tentatively. He didn’t want to step on the Detective’s toes.

  “Can’t see why not,” Mark wrote their numbers on another sheet of paper.

  Rick folded it and placed it with the other one. “Anything else you can tell me?” he asked as he stood.

  “That’s about all we know. We’ve checked with the boyfriend and her other friends but no-one knows anything. Calls to her mobile phone haven’t been answered but she probably wouldn’t have had any reception and the battery would be flat by now. We had tracker dogs in the area but they came up empty as well. We’re stumped. It’s like she’s vanished into thin air.” Mark stood and offered his hand. “I’ve written mine and Janine’s number on the sheet with Lyndsay’s parents’ numbers. Call us if you find anything.”

  “Will do.” Rick again shook their hands, thanked them and left.

  Chapter Two

  Tears streamed down Lyndsay’s face. She was cold, wet, hungry and in pain. The sun was dipping beyond the horizon again. She’d lost track of how many days and nights she had spent in the cave. Thank heavens she had managed to crawl to this cave, without it she would have been exposed to the storms of the previous nights and would not have survived.

  The food she had packed in her backpack had almost run out but she still had one and a half bottles of water. By careful rationing, and leaving empty bottles out in the rain, she had managed to keep going for this long. Was she only delaying the inevitable? A fresh batch of tears cascaded over her cheeks. Her ankle screamed in pain, the joint lay at a strange angle. Gut instinct told her, if she attempted to walk on it, she would be in danger of losing her foot. With this in mind she’d been holed up in the cave with her foot elevated on a rock. When she had needed to relieve herself, she crawled out of the cave to one side and then back again.

  Surely her parents would have reported her missing and a search would have been instigated? If they were, how would they find her? She was so far from the original track.

  ***

  Rick knocked on the door of the Narrabeen home. A middle aged man appeared, the minute he set eyes on the police uniform, he paled.

  “Mr. Richards, please don’t be alarmed. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions. I’m Senior Constable Rick Masters. I know your daughter from school.”

  Alex Richards exhaled with relief as the men shook hands. “Come on in.”

  Rick followed him down a hall and into the living room where he was offered a seat. He folded his body into a soft, velvet chair. He placed his hat on his knee.

  “Can I get you anything?” Mr. Richards asked.

  “I’m fine thanks.” Rick answered.

  “I’ll get my wife, Joan. Won’t be a minute.”

  Rick observed his surroundings while he sat waiting. The living room was beautifully decorated in shades of off white and beige. Sumptuous chairs matched a three seater lounge and the coffee table and display cabinet were in solid white oak. Money oozed from his surroundings. He had always suspected Lyndsay’s family were wealthy, not that it mattered.

  A little boy rushed into the room and plonked his arms across Rick’s knees. “A real live Policeman!”

  Rick laughed and set his hat on the little boy’s mop of blond hair.

  “That little bundle of energy is our Grandson, Dylan. We have been looking after him for the past few days.” Alex said.

  Rick didn’t miss the cloud of worry that crossed the older man’s face.

  A woman, an older version of Lyndsay gracefully entered the room. Rick stood and addressed her.

  “Mrs. Richards, I’m Senior Constable Rick Masters from the Manly Station.”

  Joan darted a look of alarm at her husband.

  “It’s okay dear. The Senior Constable is a friend of Lyndsay’s from school. He wants to ask a few questions.”

  “Rick Masters, you said? I don’t recall Lyndsay having a friend by that name.” She took a seat by her husband and admired the hat Dylan insisted on showing her.

  Rick sat back down. “I wasn’t a friend but I did know her.”

  “Pity, she could have done well knowing you instead of that rat-bag she was with. Got her pregnant then disappeared leaving her with nothing. Even cleaned out her bank account. Oh well, I guess we wouldn’t have this little fellow if she hadn’t met him so it’s not all bad.” Joan said.

  Dylan is Lyndsay’s son. I should have known with that blonde hair and her blue eyes. I have to find her, he can’t lose his mother. Rick had lost his mother in an accident when he was only four years old. His stepmother had been wonderful, but it wasn’t the same.

  “What can we help you with Officer?” Alex asked.

  “Call me Rick, please. I have a couple of days off and I know the park better than most people do. I
thought I’d spend some time up there searching for Lyndsay. If you don’t object, of course. It would be as a Civilian not as a Police Officer.”

  “Of course we don’t object,” Joan said eagerly.

  “I was told her car was parked in the carpark on West Head Road. Do you know if she was definitely going along the America Bay track? There are a couple of tracks from there and I want to check the most likely track first.” Rick said.

  “She was terribly upset when she dropped Dylan off to us. Her boyfriend had broken up with her, he didn’t want her and Dylan. She said she needed some quiet to think and was going to hike down to the waterfall.” Her dad told Rick.

  Rick stood. “I won’t take any more of your time. I only needed to make sure before I head out. I promise, I’ll find her for you and for Dylan.”

  Dylan crooked his finger at Rick, who knelt down. The little boy gazed into his face. “Mr. Officer, are you going to find my mummy?”

  Rick’s heart thundered in his chest and he gathered the little boy into a hug. “I’ll find your mummy, I promise.”

  Dylan set the hat back on Rick’s head before running to his Grandma. “See Ganma, the Policeman is going to find mummy so you don’t have to be sad now.”

  Joan scooped him up onto her lap. Tears pricked her eyes. “Yes darling, the nice Policeman will find mummy.”

  Rick said goodbye and descended the steps to his car. He slipped behind the wheel and fired up the engine. Please God, help me find her and let her be okay.

  ***

  Rick drove his car into the car park of the unit block, switched off the motor, got out and locked up. He pushed the button on the lift for the fifth floor, the bell dinged when it arrived at the destination.

  His unit was cozy, two bedrooms, spacious living room and a kitchen. Although not large he loved it. He could sit on his balcony and both watch and listen to the waves as they crashed onto the shore. It had been a legacy from his Grandmother and he could still feel her spirit within. He often spoke to her out loud when he was troubled and he felt she had guided his decisions on more than one occasion. He needed her now.