Nothing to Fear

by Claire Boston

  She continued to the station and carefully got out of the car, balancing the box of pastries and her coffee while Joe jumped out. She hesitated outside the station door, not sure how she was going to manage, but it opened of its own accord. Ryan smiled. “Need a hand?”

  Her face warmed. “Thanks.” She slipped by him, inhaling his rich musky scent. Giving herself a bit of space she said, “I brought a little thankyou gift courtesy of Mai.” She walked through the side door to the back of the station where the offices were.

  “Is there a bee sting in there?” Lincoln called from his office.

  “Of course.” Hannah grinned. “Mai chose it herself.” She distributed the goods before asking Ryan, “Which would you like?”

  “You didn’t need to do this,” Ryan said.

  “Mate, don’t refuse,” Lincoln said. “Mai is the best baker in Australia.”

  Ryan grinned and Hannah’s stomach fluttered. His face lit up like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. He was gorgeous.

  “Do you have a preference?” he asked Hannah.

  She shook her head, unable to form words as Lincoln called, “She has the lamington.”

  Ryan raised his eyebrow and chose the eclair.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks and she stepped away. She was being foolish. She wasn’t sure what to do about her attraction to Ryan. She didn’t like it, didn’t trust it. She needed some distance. “What did you want to speak to me about?” She moved towards Lincoln’s office.

  He gestured her to the spare chair. “Take a seat.”

  Her skin tightened as she entered the room. It wasn’t large and the furniture was like most government buildings – grey and functional. She sat on the chair that was closest to the door.

  “Ryan, you come in too and shut the door.”

  Hannah tensed as the door closed behind her. She was trapped in here with two men – without Joe. He was begging for dog treats from Adam. There was no way she would be able to escape on her own. Ryan and Lincoln were too strong, too fast. Her breath rushed in and out quickly, painfully. It was all right. This was Lincoln. Lincoln was her friend, he wouldn’t hurt her.

  “Hannah, are you OK?” Lincoln asked.

  She nodded, not daring to look at him, her hands clenched as she tried to relax.

  “Do you want me to open the door?” Ryan asked.

  Yes. She desperately wanted to say yes. But damn it, she was sick of being scared like this. She shook her head. “Give me a second.” She shuffled her chair so she was a bit further away from Ryan and took a moment to compose herself. Finally, the tightness in her chest eased and her hands unclenched. Her cheeks hot, she met Lincoln’s concerned gaze.

  “What was that about, Hannah?” His voice was soft, calm.

  She considered lying for a moment, but she couldn’t. Not any longer. Not to Lincoln. It was time she told the truth. Maybe it would help her heal. “I, uh, don’t like being alone in a room with men.” It was a relief, as if a weight had been lifted from her.

  Lincoln frowned. “We’ve been alone plenty of times.”

  She shook her head. “Not with the door closed, not without Joe with me.”

  Hurt crossed Lincoln’s face and she felt like a bug. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “I do! It’s not you, it’s me,” she assured him. “I haven’t felt safe with any man since …” The words stuck in her throat.

  “Since when?” Lincoln asked.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. What would he think of her after she told him? Would he find her pathetic, disgusting, a fool?

  “Would it be easier telling someone you don’t know so well?” Ryan asked.

  She opened her eyes. “No.” She didn’t want Ryan to know either. He wouldn’t want to be involved with someone as damaged as she was. She swallowed. She had to say it – fast, like ripping off a band-aid. “Since Justin raped me.”

  Lincoln swore. “What? When? Did you report him?”

  She shook her head.

  “Why not, Hannah?” He’d tensed, his face red.

  She knew he’d be upset, knew he’d think her weak.

  “Do you want to tell us what happened?” Ryan asked.

  She was grateful he was staying calm. “There’s not much to tell.” She hesitated, the tension back in her chest. Where did she start? How much should she say? “I was dating Justin and went back to his place one night.” Heat rushed to her cheeks and she cleared her throat. She couldn’t think about it, she had to pretend she was recounting someone else’s story. “We started, uh, fooling around, but it didn’t feel right. I asked him to stop and he didn’t.”

  A slight twitch over Ryan’s eye suggested maybe he wasn’t as unaffected as she’d thought.

  “I hope you made him hurt,” Lincoln said.

  “No,” she whispered. She stared at the ground. Did that make it her fault? Did she have to fight until it was over for it to be really rape?

  “Why—”

  “Shut up, Lincoln,” Ryan ordered. “Saying no should have been enough.”

  Relief filled her. Maybe she had done the right thing. Maybe it wasn’t her fault.

  Ryan gave her an encouraging nod. “What happened next?”

  “I called Fleur. She came and picked me up.”

  “And Justin?” Ryan prompted.

  “I didn’t speak to him again.” She’d never been so grateful for caller ID.

  “Did he contact you again or drop around?” Ryan asked.

  “He left a couple of messages, but I didn’t answer them,” she said. “It was the end of semester and we were doing final exams, so we were both busy. As soon as the exams were over I came home.”

  Ryan made a note. “You haven’t seen or heard from him since?”

  “Not until Monday.”

  “I don’t understand why you didn’t press charges, Hannah,” Lincoln said softly.

  “What would be the point?” she snapped, the guilt sharp. “It was my word against his as to whether it was consensual. His roommates would testify that I didn’t scream or yell.” Her hands shook and she clasped them together, hating that she was yelling at Lincoln, hating that she was being so defensive, hating that some part of her still thought she was to blame.

  He shook his head, and glanced at Ryan as if not sure what to say.

  She pressed her lips together, a heavy weight in her gut. She didn’t want to tell them the reason she’d frozen, but it might show Lincoln that she wasn’t a complete fool. She sipped her coffee, which had gone cold, aware that they were waiting for her to speak. She needed to give Ryan some background, and wasn’t entirely sure how much Lincoln knew of her past.

  “My parents had a passionate relationship,” she began. That was the word her mother had always used. “Fiery, you could say. When everything was going well the house was full of music and laughter and my parents would be so affectionate – kissing, hugging and it was a joy to be with them.” Those were the times she missed the most, the memories she tried to hold on to.

  “And when things weren’t going well?” Ryan asked.

  “Loud arguments, accusations, often tears. I never understood what they were arguing about, but it was usually when my half-brothers were there.” It was one of the reasons she had hated when they came to visit.

  Lincoln frowned. “You never mentioned you had brothers.”

  “I haven’t seen them since I was eight. They were from Dad’s previous marriage.” She hadn’t trusted them – one day they were nice and the next they would be horrible. They’d gang up on her when her father wasn’t around – pinch her and push her around.

  Lincoln shifted in his seat. “Did your dad hit your mum?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It was never more than words until that last night.” She still saw it so clearly in her head, like a movie playing in front of her.

  They were both waiting for her to continue.

  “I was asleep and something woke me up,” she said. “I heard yelling and got up to chec
k what was wrong.” She remembered peering down the corridor, a little afraid of being told off for being out of bed.

  “What happened?” Ryan asked.

  “Mum was lying on the ground, blood on her chest, her eyes open.” The way she’d lain was unnatural, her eyes wide but unseeing, and the sight had halted Hannah in her tracks. Her heartbeat slowed as she remembered the fear, the shock, the confusion. She swallowed. “I was going to go to her, but Dad walked into view. He was holding a knife and crying, yelling something in Croatian as he knelt down next to her. I was so scared I ran back to my room and hid under my bed. I didn’t move until a police officer found me there hours later.” For years she’d regretted her decision. What if there was something she could have done to help? What if her mother hadn’t been dead?

  “Jesus, Hannah.” Lincoln looked horrified. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that.”

  Her breath hitched and she blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears. She had to get the rest out. “Mum must have made Dad so angry. I didn’t want to make Justin angry.” Could he understand that?

  “Of course not.” Lincoln came around the desk and gently pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got your back now. Always,” he promised.

  The relief that he didn’t blame her, that he understood, was too much. She began to sob.

  Ryan moved back to give Hannah and Lincoln some space. He ached for the woman sobbing in his best friend’s arms. She’d been through a lot in her life, seen too much. It was no wonder she hadn’t fought back when Justin had assaulted her. He rubbed his chest. He couldn’t watch this. It hurt too much.

  He walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him, and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When he came back, Adam asked, “Everything all right in there?”

  Ryan nodded. “I’ll fill you in on the necessary details afterwards.” Adam didn’t need to know everything. “Any issues out here?”

  “No,” Adam said. “Though Shirley Jameson reported that three of her chickens are missing.”

  “She’s right across from the caravan park,” Ryan said. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  Adam nodded.

  “We’ll go and check it out after we’ve finished talking to Hannah.” He went back into Lincoln’s office and Hannah was blowing her nose. He handed her the glass.

  “Thank you.” Hannah took a long sip of the water and sat back down. She squared her shoulders. “Is there anything else you need to know?”

  “We don’t need to go through it now.” Ryan didn’t want to add to her pain.

  “No, I’d prefer to get it all done at once.” Hannah braced herself. “What did the note say?”

  Lincoln scowled. “Stay away from him.”

  Hannah’s face paled. She glanced at Ryan. “Do you think it’s Justin?”

  It was unlikely Justin had followed them, but he could be leaving the gifts. “We don’t know. We’ll interview him and his friends later today,” Ryan said. The other concern was that today’s note was different – it was typed not handwritten, and the ribbon was red not silver.

  “But if it’s not him, then who?”

  “We were hoping you might be able to help us with that,” Lincoln said.

  She shook her head.

  “Any guests at the park who have been overly interested?” Ryan prompted. “Any people around town you’ve run into regularly, anyone who has asked you on a date recently?”

  “You and Lincoln are the only men I’ve seen regularly over the past few days,” she said.

  Ryan didn’t want his friend on the suspect list, but Lincoln did have a strong bond with Hannah. No, Lincoln knew their date had been fake.

  “What about over the last month or so?” Lincoln asked. “Anyone stay at the park for that length of time?”

  “No. The most anyone stayed was three weeks, and they’ve all left to get back home for Christmas.”

  “Might be worth checking them out in any case.” They could have changed their plans, could still be in the area.

  “I’ll get you a list.”

  “And write down everyone who has asked you on a date in the last six months,” Lincoln added.

  Hannah laughed, the sound brittle and disbelieving. “I don’t need to. No one has asked me out.”

  Lincoln raised his eyebrows. “Not even someone from the motocross club?”

  “No. Fleur and Kit get all the offers.”

  What was wrong with the single guys in Blackbridge? Why wasn’t anyone asking her out? Ryan would if he wasn’t working on her case and was interested in dating again. Which he wasn’t. The thought of making another mistake as bad as Paula had him grimacing.

  “Anything else out of the ordinary?” Lincoln continued. “Things going missing or being moved, odd phone calls, that kind of thing?”

  “Aside from the break-ins?” Hannah asked. “I did get a call the other day where no one spoke, but it was probably someone dropping out of mobile range, or one of those call centres.”

  “What day?” Ryan asked.

  She frowned. “I’m not sure … Monday maybe.”

  He made a note.

  “Is this stalker dangerous?” She clenched the arms of her chair.

  “Killing chickens isn’t a great start,” Lincoln said. “We got some fingerprints from the card, so hopefully we’ll find a match and get this resolved fast.”

  Ryan hated the fear on her face. Hadn’t she been through enough? “Keep Joe with you,” he said. “He’s a good deterrent.”

  “I always do. Is there anything else?”

  “No. You’re staying at Fleur’s, aren’t you?” Lincoln said.

  She nodded.

  “If you think of anything else, let us know.” Ryan handed her one of his cards, even though he knew she would call Lincoln before she called him.

  “Will do.” Her smile was forced. Ryan resisted the urge to hug her and tell her everything would be all right. He couldn’t get involved in that way.

  “Holy shit,” Lincoln said after she left. He ran a hand through his hair. “I never realised what Hannah had been through.”

  “Do you want me to take lead on this?” Ryan asked. “You might be too close to it.”

  Lincoln hesitated and then nodded. “As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. Plus, I’ve got a whole heap of administrative bullshit to deal with.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he promised. “We should make sure her father is still in jail and I’ll take a look around her shed when I head home tonight. Check whether there are any signs of anyone being around.” First Justin and now this. Hannah it was having a rough time.

  “Good idea. Then take Adam and go interview Justin and his friends.”

  Ryan nodded. “We’ll stop by Shirley’s as well. Apparently, she’s missing three chickens.”

  Lincoln raised his eyebrows. “All right. I really hope it’s that bastard.”

  So did Ryan. Because if it wasn’t Justin, then there was another psycho in town.

  Ryan and Adam pulled up at the cabin where Justin and his friends were staying just as they were returning from the beach, surfboards tucked under their arms. There were four of them, all in their mid-twenties, wetsuits pulled down around their waists. Ryan frowned. There had only been three guys at the restaurant last night. Two sedans were parked in the driveway, one black and one grey.

  Ryan examined Justin, taking a moment to control the anger coursing through him, before he got out of the car. Part of him wanted to punch the guy in the face for what he’d done to Hannah.

  The dislike was mutual as Justin glowered when he saw Ryan. “What do you want, Officer?”

  Ryan kept his voice steady and professional with some difficulty. “We’d like a few words with you all, if we can.”

  “Give us a second to wash up,” the blond guy said.

  Ryan nodded, and he and Adam waited on the porch while the guys stacked their surfboards and stripped off their wetsuits, taking turns under the outd
oor shower next to the cabin.

  “What’s the problem?” Justin asked as he came up the steps with his mates, towel drying his hair.

  “There was a bit of trouble over at Blackbridge Holiday Park last night,” Ryan said.

  “Is Hannah all right?” Justin asked. His immediate concern seemed genuine, but Ryan wasn’t buying it.

  “She’s fine,” Adam replied. “You must have driven past the park on your way back from dinner. Did you see anyone hanging around?”

  “No,” Justin replied, looking at his friends. They shook their heads.

  Adam made a note. “What time did you get back?”

  “About ten,” Justin said.

  “There were only three of you at the restaurant,” Ryan commented.

  “Smithy got the trots.” Justin nudged the blond guy.

  “Did you stay here?” Adam asked.

  Smithy nodded. “Barely left the bathroom. Must have eaten a dodgy chicko roll.”

  “What time did you leave the restaurant?” Ryan asked.

  Justin scowled. “Not long after you and Hannah did.”

  That was around eight-thirty. “Where did you go from there?”

  “The pub,” Justin said.

  The pub was a big, old, traditional country place on the corner of the main highway and the road that ran alongside the river. It was walking distance from the restaurant. “Do you all know Hannah?” Ryan asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Justin glanced at Smithy. “Were we roommates when I was dating Hannah?”

  “I met her a couple of times before you broke up.”

  That was interesting. “Did you get on well?”

  Smithy shrugged. “Didn’t really see much of her. She seemed nice though.”

  “So, what happened last night?” Justin asked.

  “Hannah’s been receiving gifts from a secret admirer. Do you know anything about it?”

  Justin shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”

  The other men shook their heads. Ryan handed Justin his card. “If you think of anything else, give me a call.”

  Justin reluctantly took it. “Will do.”

  Ryan walked down the steps next to Adam. His gut told him Justin was telling the truth, which was a shame – he wanted to pin something on the son of a bitch. But there was also Smithy to consider.