Hannah swallowed, and then nodded. She would be fine. She had Joe.
Lincoln made the call and then gave the go-ahead for them both to leave. Hannah drove slowly to the caravan park, hating the fact that it had become a place she didn’t feel entirely safe in. Her mobile rang when she was almost there. “Blackbridge Holiday Park, Hannah speaking.”
“It’s the Hutchinsons from site twenty. We want to check out.”
Hannah relaxed. “I’m just around the corner. Or you can leave your key in the drop box outside the door.”
“We wanted to get some brochures.”
“I’ll be right there.” Someone would be with her until Ryan arrived. She parked and rushed to unlock the office, apologising to her guests for the inconvenience, and offering some suggestions on where they could go next. The normality of the process soothed her, and by the time Ryan walked in the front door with Felix she was almost calm again. One look at Ryan changed that. The way his blue shirt stretched across his chest made her heart beat faster. She wasn’t sure what to do about these strange emotions.
“Hi, Hannah,” Felix called. “Is Joe here?”
At his name, Joe’s ears perked up and he got to his feet. Felix was here, Joe was here, Lincoln trusted Ryan. “He sure is. Why don’t you both come around the back?”
Ryan raised his eyebrows. “You OK with that?”
She nodded. She’d survived – and enjoyed – a date with Ryan, she could do this. She went to the back door to let them in. Felix greeted Joe like a long-lost friend. “Can I take him outside and play?”
Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. In the hallway everyone was much too close. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the panic. Why was she fine one minute and terrified the next?
“Maybe a little later, mate,” Ryan said. “Why don’t you do some drawing in the kitchen, while I talk to Hannah?” He moved into the kitchen and put the small backpack he was carrying on the table.
Felix pouted. “All right. Can Joe stay with me?”
“Joe will go where he wants to go,” Hannah said, breathing a little easier now. Ryan wasn’t going to attack her. She was fine. The front door chimed. “Excuse me for a minute. Help yourself to a drink.” She hurried out.
She had two people check out in rapid succession, and Ryan stayed in the kitchen with Felix. Their back-and-forth conversation was sweet.
She wrote out her plan for the day. The school term had ended yesterday so she was expecting a number of people today, before the influx of people tomorrow who were getting away for the week before Christmas. It was going to be busy, but she had both Shirley and Lynette coming in this morning to make sure everything was clean and ready.
“Are you all right in here?” Ryan’s voice made her jump. He was leaning on the low cupboard across the room, his feet crossed, his hands either side of his body, keeping his distance, though his gaze on hers made her aware of how male he was. Her body wanted one thing, but her brain wouldn’t concur.
“Yes. Just preparing for the day.”
“What do you need to do?” he asked, seemingly interested.
“We’ll be full by Sunday afternoon, so I need to make sure all the bathrooms are cleaned and mow the grass around the sites. I’ll also check the pool area, the pH and such.”
“Is it a lot of work?”
“It can be, but I’ve lived here for so long it’s just part of life.”
“Your grandparents own the park, don’t they?”
She nodded. “They’ve owned it for thirty years,” she said. “They’re thinking of selling though. It’s one of the reasons they’re on their own caravan trip around Australia. They want to experience what it’s like on the other side, decide whether to take off permanently.” She was glad they were out enjoying life, glad they realised she was a grown woman and didn’t need them around all the time. Even glad they’d pushed her into taking the first step on her retreat. She’d been hiding for too long.
“Do you miss them?”
“Yes, but I’m happy they’ve taken the time for themselves.” They’d put their lives on hold to raise her and given her a job when she’d left university, not questioned her desire to stay here too much. Perhaps they’d suspected she needed somewhere she felt safe.
“Where do they live when they’re here?”
“The cabin across there.” Hannah pointed.
He frowned. “So why are you living out on your property?”
“I like my space,” she said. “If I stay here, I’m constantly alert, constantly working, but if I go out there, I can work on my own project and enjoy the solitude.” She’d been surprised at how safe she’d felt out there by herself. She’d always thought no one would find her there.
“Until some guy and his son ruined it for you,” Ryan said with a smile.
“You didn’t ruin it – the guy sending me presents did that.” Now that she knew Ryan a little better, she felt safer having him close by.
Ryan scowled.
“Any news from Lincoln?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
Before she could ask more, Mrs Zanetti walked in. “Good morning, all.” Her smile was large and friendly.
“Morning, Mrs Z.” Hannah grinned.
“Thanks for coming in,” Ryan said.
Hannah glanced between them and then remembered that Mrs Z was looking after Felix while Ryan was at work. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m messing with your routine.”
“You’re not messing with anything,” Mrs Z said. “It’s far better that Ryan is here with you and you’re safe.”
Hannah smiled. “Would you like a coffee?”
“No, thank you. I need to pick up Felix and get back to the farm. Harold promised to show him how to make cheese today.”
“I’ll go and get him.” Ryan headed out back.
Hannah clenched her hands together. With Felix gone, it would be just her and Ryan, and there was still half an hour before any of her staff would arrive. But she had Joe as well.
“It’s so nice to have Ryan back in town, don’t you think?” Mrs Z asked.
Hannah nodded.
“You had a crush on him when you were little if I recall correctly.”
Heat flooded Hannah’s cheeks. “How did you know that?”
Mrs Z laughed. “You girls always appeared when Ryan was at our place. If he wasn’t there, Jamie would go over to Kit’s instead.”
She glanced towards the back, but Ryan was outside with Felix. She let out a sigh of relief. “That was a long time ago.”
“Indeed,” Mrs Z agreed.
Felix came back inside. “Hi, Nonna. Are we really going to do cheese making today?”
“We really are. Are you ready to go?”
“Yep.”
“Great.”
“I’ll pick him up after five.” Ryan turned to Felix. “You be good, and listen to what Mr and Mrs Z say.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Hannah and Ryan watched them go.
“Did the Zanettis visit you in Karratha?” Hannah asked.
“Lincoln did. Felix met Lincoln’s parents when we arrived here.”
Hannah smiled. “They’ve taken a liking to each other.”
“Yeah.” He faced her. “It’s a relief. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with him while I worked. Lincoln asked his mum if she knew of a child minder and she said she’d do it – wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“That’s Mrs Z.”
He nodded. “She welcomes everyone.” He cleared his throat. “Do you want to pass me a chair, and I’ll sit on this side?”
The impulse to agree was strong, as was the rush of warmth that he understood how she was feeling. But she wouldn’t improve if she kept avoiding the situation. “You can come back around.”
“Are you sure?”
No. “Yes. I want to get better at this.”
“All right.”
She busied herself filling up the printer paper tray, but was aware the moment h
e walked into the room. Joe trotted in behind him and went to his bed. She gestured to a chair. “I, uh, was thinking about taking some self-defence classes. Do the police offer any community-training sessions?”
“We did in Karratha, but I’m not sure about here. If not, I can teach you. I used to give the classes up there.”
The thought of getting up close and personal with Ryan set her heart racing, but it wasn’t fear she was feeling. “Thank you.”
Ryan’s phone rang and Hannah focused on her work while he answered it. It sounded like it was Lincoln. By the time he hung up, her skin was tight.
“What is it?”
“He got a good print from the envelope and he’ll send Adam to the Albany station to run it. He’s going to drop around and talk to you.”
“What was in the envelope?”
He was silent.
“Ryan.”
He sighed. “Four business cards.”
“Huh?” That wasn’t as bad as dead chickens and nowhere near as bad as the poisonous substances she’d been imagining.
She ran through the song in her head, but couldn’t remember what was supposed to be on the fourth day of Christmas. She searched the internet. “It should be four calling birds.” She turned and Ryan was right behind her, peering over her shoulder. She stilled, willing herself not to panic. He wasn’t touching her, wasn’t even looking at her. She was safe.
There was a knock on the back door and Ryan went to let Lincoln in. When they reached the office, Lincoln handed her four clear plastic bags with the cards in them. She flicked through them: the Blackbridge Holiday Park, Mai’s bakery, the Blackbridge Hospital and Kit’s dairy farm. She glanced up at Lincoln, her eyes wide. “Calling cards. He’s using our business cards as calling cards.”
Lincoln frowned at her. “What?”
“Back in Victorian times, you used to leave a calling card when you went to visit a friend.” She paused. “But theoretically, he should be leaving his card, not the other way around.”
“This means he’s been visiting all of you,” Ryan said.
Hannah’s blood chilled. “But why? It makes no sense. Did he leave a note?”
Lincoln nodded. He handed her another plastic bag.
The note was typed in red ink.
I know who you care for.
The impact of the words was like being stabbed. Someone wanted to hurt her friends. She gasped and sank into her seat. “It’s got to be a local. No one else would know we’re such close friends.”
Ryan shook his head. “You’ve been staying with Fleur, and spent the day with Mai yesterday. Could be he’s following you.”
“But what about Kit? I only saw her Monday and that was before this got nasty.”
“It wouldn’t be hard to find out,” Lincoln said. “We’ll ask around, see if anyone’s been asking about you or the other girls.”
“It’s probably some stupid prank,” she said. “Someone I’ve annoyed who is getting back at me.”
“Who have you annoyed lately?” Lincoln asked.
She shrugged. “No one that I can think of.”
“What about your business card? Who have you given it to this week?” Ryan asked.
“They’re here for the taking and there’s a stack over at the tourist centre. He could have got it from anywhere.”
“You all need to be vigilant over the next week or so,” Lincoln said. “Could be you’re right and after the twelve days are up, this all goes away.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Fleur’s house is big enough for you all to stay in.”
Hannah shook her head. “No, damn it. That won’t work. We all work different hours and Kit works alone half the time. She doesn’t need a twenty-minute commute to start her day. There are always going to be times when we’re alone.”
“Kit can stay with my parents,” Lincoln said.
She looked at him. They both knew how well Kit would take being dictated to.
He swore.
“Let’s be rational about this,” Ryan said. “It might be nothing. We’ll meet all the musketeers this afternoon to discuss options. In the meantime, we’ll check if we’ve received any matching prints.”
“OK.”
“What time do you finish this afternoon?” Ryan asked.
“Three. Shirley’s staying back to check in the late arrivals.”
“All right. Come over to the station and I’ll teach you a few basic self-defence techniques,” he said.
Was she ready for that? Ready to be manhandled by Ryan? She tried to focus on the part of her that was excited, not the one that was freaked out. She nodded. She would be fine. They’d be at the station. She’d be safe.
That was her new mantra.
Chapter 9
Shirley waltzed into the office with Fairy Floss right on her heels. Her steps slowed as she noticed Lincoln and Ryan and her hand came to her mouth. “Not more hens.”
“No, Shirley,” Hannah reassured her. “He left a couple of business cards today.”
She frowned. “Business cards?”
“Yeah, nothing to worry about,” Lincoln said with a smile. “Though you may be able to help. Has anyone been asking about Hannah?”
“Asking what?”
“Anything.”
“There were a couple of people who asked me what was happening at her retreat. I didn’t tell them anything.”
Hannah smiled. Probably because she didn’t know. Only Hannah’s grandparents, the musketeers and now Ryan knew the whole plan. She hadn’t wanted to tell too many people in case she failed, and Shirley was a bit of a gossip.
“If you hear someone asking questions, please tell us,” Lincoln said. “We’ll be going now, Hannah,” he continued. “Call us if you need us.”
Hannah nodded and walked them to the door.
“I’ll see you at three?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.” It would be good to learn to defend herself. After letting them out, she wandered back to the office, noting that Fairy Floss was curled up next to Joe on his bed. Shirley was already glancing through the plan for the day. “Do you want to begin in the office?” Hannah asked.
“Sure,” Shirley said. Then she hesitated. “Tonight, when I’m waiting for the late arrivals, is it OK if I have someone with me?”
Surprised, Hannah said, “You mean in the office?”
Shirley nodded.
After what had been going on, she could understand why Shirley was a little nervous. “Sure, as long as they don’t use the computer. Who is it?”
Shirley blushed. “I’ve met a guy,” she gushed. “He’s down for the week, but we spent the evening together yesterday and talked until late. He completely gets me, even if he’s a bit younger.”
Hannah grinned, pleased for her. Shirley was lonely. She had no children and her husband had died five years ago. “What’s his name?”
“Mark. You’ll have to meet him. He’s a dish.”
“Who’s a dish?” Lynette asked as she walked in.
“Shirley’s new man.” Hannah checked the time. “I’d better start cleaning. Lynette, do you want to do the garden stuff to keep an eye on your boys?”
“That would be great.”
Hannah called Joe to her side and left them talking about Mark. As she stepped outside, she took in a deep breath and rolled back her shoulders. Lynette’s kids were playing on the big bouncy pillow cushion, and some other kids were playing at the playground. As she walked to the storeroom, a family was discussing hiring the kayaks to take up the river. It was normal, holiday stuff. But her life was anything but normal at the moment.
With a sigh, she grabbed what she needed and headed to one of the two big toilet blocks. She cleaned the women’s side first, and then walked around to the men’s side. She hated this part. Her shoulders tense, she hammered on the door and yelled, “Cleaner! Everyone decent?”
There was no response. She put up her sign to say the room was being cleaned and opened the door.
Cautiously she walked in, listening. There were no showers running and no toilet doors shut. Making sure Joe was with her, she locked the door, keeping the key in it, and then walked down the long aisle to make sure each stall was empty.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she pushed open doors, always alert. It would be so easy to get trapped in here. When she finally got to the end, her shoulders relaxed. She was alone.
Quickly she got to work.
Ryan had been on his feet all day and had achieved next to nothing. He and Adam had spoken with people all over town to check if anyone had been asking questions about Hannah and her friends. No one remembered anything out of the ordinary.
When they’d arrived back at the station, they’d had to go out and deal with a complaint about a farmer and his firearm, and then there had been a report of kids throwing rocks at cars on the highway and he’d had to play bad cop to get them to stop. First day of the school holidays and they were already bored. That didn’t bode well.
“You knocking off, now?” Lincoln asked.
Ryan checked the time. “Yeah. I need to get down to the hall to give Hannah her lesson.”
Lincoln had made some phone calls and arranged for a room at the community hall to be available. They had floor mats, and in exchange Lincoln had promised to put together a six-week self-defence course that anyone could attend.
“I spoke to the others while you were out,” Lincoln said. “They’re going to join you there.”
“Others?”
“Fleur, Mai and Kit. They could all do with a lesson.”
The relief was immediate – he wouldn’t be alone with Hannah, and Hannah would be far more comfortable with her friends around. With a nod at Lincoln, he left the station.
He could admit to himself that he admired Hannah. After what she’d been through, she was trying to help herself. When it had been just the two of them in the office this morning, she’d been tense, so he’d kept his distance and slowly she’d relaxed, had even smiled at him. He’d been thrilled.
Yeah, sure he wasn’t getting emotionally involved.
As he pulled into the car park, he spotted Hannah and Fleur greeting a small Asian woman. That had to be Mai. He wandered over. “Afternoon.”
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