“The police said they’ll have a patrol car around here in a few minutes,” reported Simone, as she rejoined Gai in the kitchen after making her phone calls. “And your Mum is on her way here, too.”
“Thank you, Simone,” replied Gai, her composure slowly beginning to return.
“Would you like a cup of tea, while we’re waiting, dear?” offered Simone. “I know I could do with one!”
“Oh, yes, please,” replied Gai, with a faint smile of appreciation.
The two were soon settled down over their tea, awaiting the arrival of Marj and the police.
“I’m a bit worried about my girls, too,” continued Simone, after a time, anxiety colouring her voice. “They’ve gone out to a rock concert, and will be coming home later by bus. Come to think of it,” she added, more thoughtfully, “Sasha mentioned a scruffy looking guy trying to chat her up on the bus the other day. She changed seats to get away from him. With your new hair do, you look just like her from the back. In fact, I thought you were her when I saw you through the security peep hole, and you had your head turned away looking back up the street.”
Just then, the doorbell sounded again.
“That’ll be your mother now, Gai,” said Simone, as she rose to greet her new arrival. Gai rose with her, and was at her shoulder as she opened the door to Marj, who bustled in, looking very anxious. She quickly took her daughter in her arms, and almost crushed her in a strong embrace, to which Gai responded, as tears again began to well in her eyes.
“Are you OK, darling?” asked Marj, tightening her embrace for a moment, before relaxing it slightly to take a long, close look at her daughter’s face.
“Yes, Mummy. I’m OK, now. But it was awful! I’m so glad Simone was home.”
“So am I! Thank you so much, Simone, for taking care of my little girl for me,” responded Marj, a note of relief now evident in her voice.
The three then made their way into the kitchen, mother and daughter still in each other’s arms. Only after Simone had poured an extra cup of tea for her did Marj release Gai from her protective embrace.
“George will be here shortly,” announced Marj. “He is just saying our apologetic goodbyes to Harold, Emily and some of their guests.”
The three barely had time to finish their tea, and for Gai to recount to her mother the details of her experience, before the doorbell sounded again. As Simone was admitting a slightly annoyed looking George through the door, she saw a police patrol car pull up in the driveway. Keeping the door open for them, she directed George to the kitchen where his wife and step-daughter were waiting. She then greeted the male and female police officers, who disembarked from the police vehicle, and ushered them through to the kitchen.
After appropriate introductions, the police proceeded to question Gai about her experience, seeking to fix the time and place of her attack as precisely as possible, and to obtain as much detail of the appearance and behaviour of her attacker as she could recall. They seemed particularly interested in her description of the dress of the attacker, and in Simone’s account of Sasha’s previous encounter with a scruffily dressed man on the bus, especially when she also told them that she had at first mistaken Gai for Sasha, when she saw the back of her head through the security peep hole in her door. Throughout this process, George constantly butted in, in his usual obnoxious manner, much to the irritation of the police officers, and the embarrassment of his step-daughter.
When they had obtained as much information as they could, the female officer handed Simone her card, and asked her to have Sasha call her, as soon as she could, to give them some more direct information about her encounter on the bus. She also gave her card to Gai, and asked her to call to set up an appointment at the police station to give a more detailed, formal statement, and perhaps to complete an identikit picture of her assailant. Before departing, they assured Gai, and her mother, that they would patrol the area regularly that night to keep an eye out for any suspicious characters lurking about.
As the police car drove off, Simone looked anxiously up the street in the direction it had departed.
She wished her girls would get home soon, Gai’s account of her recent encounter with her scruffy assailant being still uppermost in her mind. She also wished the two would come home together, so they would have each other for support. She decided to give Lee a call now, to at least help take her mind off these troubling events.
Her call to him was shorter than she had intended. He had seemed somewhat distracted, and had ended the call before she could tell him about Gai’s frightening experience and its aftermath. Perhaps he was attending a post-seminar function, she surmised. She comforted herself with the thought that he at least seemed very pleased, and surprised, to hear of Sasha’s apology to the Braithwaites. It would be soon enough to tell him about the night’s events when he arrived home from his seminar tomorrow night.
Soon after, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her doorbell ringing, once again. To her great relief, it turned out to be Sasha and Delia returning from their concert. As usual, both had forgotten to take their front door keys with them.
They burst through the door, opened for them by their mother, chattering excitedly to each other, and to Simone, about one of the bands at the concert. However, Sasha quickly noticed that her mother was distracted, and had not taken in anything they had said. She noticed that Simone seemed more concerned with her daughters’ physical wellbeing, and whether either of them had seen any strangers hanging around as they approached the house.
“What’s up, Mum?” she asked, giving Simone a searching look.
“Well, we had a bit of a drama here earlier, involving Gai,” said Simone. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s something you need to be aware of, as it concerns you both, especially you, Sasha.”
In the kitchen, as the two girls raided the refrigerator for snacks, Simone recounted to them the events of the early evening, leading up to the visit of the police.
“The police want you to contact them, Sasha, and go in to give a statement about your contact with that scruffy looking man on the bus. I think they may want you and Gai to help prepare separate identikit pictures of the man each of you saw, to see if they look like the same fellow. Here’s the card of the officer in charge, with her phone number,” she continued, handing her daughter the card the female police officer had given her. “Give her a ring sometime tomorrow and arrange a time to go in.”
The two young women listened to their mother’s account with increasing interest and, when it was finished, the three remained in the kitchen for some time, talking. Both daughters were obviously shaken by what had happened to Gai, so close to their home.
“I’m not coming home by bus anymore!” said Sasha, emphatically, a note of concern in her voice.
“Well, for the time being, you’d both better avoid the bus,” suggested Simone. That caused both Sasha and Delia to spark up, noticeably, and they began to chat about other things.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t really listening before, when you tried to tell me about the concert in the park. How was it?” asked Simone, after a time.
“It was awesome,” replied Delia, “but I had to spend too much of my time trying to cheer up Anita. She’s been so down, lately! There’s a girl in our class at uni who has the hots for her, but Anita thinks she sucks, and keeps trying to brush her off. She’s becoming a bit threatening, which is freaking Anita out. She’s also paranoid about her parents finding out about her being gay. And, while we’re on that subject, when are you going to tell Dad about me?”
“Sometime after he gets home from his seminar, and I think he can handle it,” replied Simone, with a look of resignation.
“The shit will really hit the fan, then!” commented Sasha.
“By the way, I heard something interesting, today, about his assistant, Nadine,” continued Delia, quickly changing the subject. “I was talking to someone at the concert who used to be a patient of Dad�
��s. She said she knows Nadine, and knew her de facto, who used to work with her at the bank. She said he was sent to gaol for embezzling money from the bank to feed his gambling addiction. “
“I’m sure your father is under a completely different impression about her child’s father,” said Simone, with a raise of her eyebrows. “He surely would have mentioned it if she’d told him the guy was in prison!”
“I can’t stand that uppity bitch,” interjected Sasha. “Whenever she comes in for a hairdo, or whatever, she acts all superior, and seems to be trying to pump me.”
“Anyway,” continued Sasha, changing the direction of the conversation again, “how did it go at the Braithwaites’ party?”
“Surprisingly well, thanks to your apology,” responded Simone.
“What? An apology! I find that hard to believe,” said Delia, with a snigger.
“Brodie suggested it,” responded Sasha.
“I’m surprised you haven’t tried to latch onto him, Sash,” teased Delia. “He’s certainly tall, dark and handsome enough for you.”
“Yeah, but I think he’s more cut out to be a priest, with his love of humanitarian causes. Mind you, his latest documentary certainly highlights man’s inhumanity to man, or at least to woman, and makes you think.”
“A priest?” said Simone in disbelief. “I don’t think so! Not the way he was chatting up Teale’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend at the party today.”
“Did you say Teale?” asked Sasha, her interest clearly pricked by the sound of that unusual name. “Is that the same spunky young client of yours, by that name, that we ran into at Zoot’s the other night?”
“Yes, it is,” replied Simone, instantly regretting her mention of that name to her daughter. “As it happens, he is Harold’s nephew.”
“His nephew!” responded Sasha, excitedly. “When I went over to apologise, Harold mentioned something about a nephew coming to house-sit for them while they’re away, soon. Did you know this guy was his nephew?”
“No, not until today,” replied Simone, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the trend of the conversation.
“Invite him over for dinner one night, when he comes to house-sit, Mum,” demanded Sasha, with mounting excitement.
“I already have,” lied Simone, “but he said he will be pretty busy preparing for an upcoming trial. He’s a barrister, you know!”
“Well, you could make him a casserole, and I could take it over to him,” continued Sasha, refusing to be put off.
“I’m sure Emily will have a stack of pre-cooked meals in the freezer for him,” offered Simone, trying desperately to deflect Sasha from her obviously intended course.
“Mum! You don’t get it!” admonished Sasha. “This guy’s really hot. I’ve been fantasizing about him ever since I met him.”
“Oh, alright, alright, Sasha,” responded Simone, impatiently. “Let’s wait and see.”
Then, quickly, she added, “I’ve got a bit of a headache, after all the drama this evening. I think I’ll go and lie down, with a cold pack, and maybe read a book. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
After taking a cold pack from the freezer, she walked away, her mind in turmoil. The very last thing she wanted was for her daughter to get close to her secret lover, and yet there she was now, chatting away animatedly with her sister about him, and planning how she could gain his attention. A feeling of impending disaster followed Simone all the way to her bedroom.
CHAPTER 13
Whether it was the effects of the pain killers they had been given (which both had had further recourse to during the night), or just sheer exhaustion from all that had happened, Lee and Nadine both slept late next morning. Lee awoke first, and rose quietly, so as not to disturb Nadine. To his pleasant surprise, he found that his back, apart from a little stiffness and some mild discomfort, was much improved by the long night’s rest. As he tiptoed from the bedroom to the sitting room, he again felt the vibration of his mobile phone, which he had returned to his trousers pocket after Simone’s call the previous night. He answered it, after first quickly observing that it was she, again, who was calling.
Simone proceeded to tell him of the events of the previous night, involving Gai and the police. She conveyed to him that she and their daughters were concerned about the fact that Gai’s experience may have been a case of mistaken identity, with Sasha the intended victim. He came to share that concern, and told Simone that he would cut short his attendance at the conference and return home as soon as he could.
“Oh, thanks Lee,” responded Simone. “The girls and I would appreciate that. I’m sorry to interrupt your conference activities again.”
That parting apology from Simone caused Lee another sharp pang of guilt, as he ended the conversation with his wife. No sooner had he done so than he heard Nadine’s voice, from the bedroom.
“Lee, Where are you? Come and help me get up. I’m hungry,” she called, in a pleading voice.
Responding immediately to her call, Lee re-entered the bedroom. As he bent to assist her from the bed, she looked intently at his face and, with a puzzled expression, enquired, “What’s up, Lee? You look worried.”
“No, it’s nothing,” lied Lee. “My back’s just still a bit sore, that’s all ... How’s the ankle?”
“Very sore, and I’m starving. Let’s order something to eat.”
Later, as they partook of a very late breakfast, served in their unit, an uncomfortable silence settled over the pair. Nadine looked at Lee, silently and absently nibbling on a piece of toast, and taking intermittent sips of his coffee, while she tried to enjoy the lashings of bacon, scrambled egg and fried tomato that she had eagerly piled onto her plate as soon as the food arrived.
“You look preoccupied, Lee,” she said at last, between mouthfuls. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, Nadine,” replied Lee, after a pause, during which he took a long, slow breath. “I received a phone call from Simone this morning, and there were some dramatic events over there last night. I’m worried.”
He then proceeded to relay to her all that Simone had told him of the previous evening, taking care to emphasise the fact that the police were taking very seriously the possibility that the attack on Gai may have been intended for Sasha. He concluded by saying, “I’m sorry, Nadine, but I think I need to go home as soon as I can. I want to hear more, directly from Sasha, about what happened to her on the bus, and whether she has any inkling who the bloke was who pestered her.” Then after a brief pause, he added, “Do you think you’ll be up to driving yourself home today, with your crook ankle?”
“Shit, Lee!” she responded angrily, after a long, stunned pause. “I realize, now, what I should have known all along. You’re never going to leave Simone, because, deep down, you still love her. But, in any case, I couldn’t handle all the baggage you bring with you, especially about those two spoiled brats of daughters of yours! And yes, I’m sure I can drive myself home. Luckily for you it’s my left ankle. You’ll have to help me get myself, and my gear, into the car, though – if that’s not too much trouble for you! Then you can run back to your precious family as fast as you can!”
She did her best then, despite her sprained ankle, to storm out of the room, back into the bedroom, after first throwing her knife and fork onto the table, scattering the remnants of her now forgotten breakfast over the starched white tablecloth. On arrival there, she threw herself back down on the bed, and gave herself over to tears of anger and frustration.
“I’m really sorry,” said Lee, again, having followed her into the bedroom. “I’ll drive behind you on the way home, to make sure you make it OK.”
“Sorry!! You will be!” she mumbled into her pillow, between sobs.
Not long after talking to Lee, Simone’s mobile phone rang again.
“Simone!”
It was Teale’s voice, the mere sound of which caused her pulse rate to rise, dramatically.
“I have to see you again, soon!” he pleaded.
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br /> Before she could respond, Sasha appeared at her bedroom door, and gave her an inquisitive look.
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” said Simone into her mobile, “My daughter needs me just now.”
As she snapped her phone closed, Sasha enquired, “Who was that?”
“Just a friend. What is it, Sasha?” replied Simone, a note of impatience in her voice.
“When are the Braithwaites going away?”
“In a few days, I think. Why?”
“I was just wondering when that handsome barrister nephew of theirs is going to be there.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Simone, with an impatient shrug.
“Well, I think I might go over there to do some more penance by asking them if there’s anything I can do for them while they’re away and, while I’m at it, I’ll do some pumping about him,” continued Sasha with a devilish grin.
Before a flabbergasted Simone could respond to that unsettling statement of her daughter, the doorbell rang, and Sasha hurried off to answer it.
“Make sure you check through the peep hole, before you open it,” called Simone after her, as she, too, headed in that direction.
As Simone neared the vestibule, Sasha had already admitted Brodie.
“I just came over to see if you’d like to do some more work on my doco with me today,” he announced to Sasha. As he spoke, he could not help looking her up and down, obviously appreciative of her appearance. She was still dressed in her night attire, of silk brief boxer shorts with a matching silk singlet, through which her nipples were tantalizingly apparent. Her blond hair tumbled down loosely around her face which, although devoid of makeup, looked fresh and full of vitality.
Tearing his eyes away from her, as Simone joined the two near the front entrance, he continued.
“I also came over to see how you all are after last night’s drama, and to thank you, Simone, for taking care of my baby sister. It’s all a bit worrying, isn’t it?”
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