“When is Jamie coming down?” Fleur asked.
“Christmas eve,” Kit said.
“Make sure you drag him along to my Boxing Day barbecue,” Fleur said. “It’s been far too long since he’s visited.”
“Will do,” Kit promised. “What are you guys doing?”
“The usual Christmas Eve at Mum and Dad’s,” Mai said.
Fleur sipped her wine. “Dad and I are heading to Walpole to my aunt’s.” She turned to Hannah. “You haven’t said if you’re coming or not.”
Hannah shrugged. She’d be welcome at any of her friends’ places, but after all that had been going on, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. “It’s a Sunday, so I’ll be cooking pancakes for the park in the morning. I’ll probably have a quiet one afterwards and save my energy for your party.”
All three of her friends stared at her.
“You can’t be alone on Christmas,” Kit said.
“I’ll hardly be alone. The park is full.”
“You know what she means,” Mai said.
“Yeah, well I’m not feeling very festive this year.” Her mobile rang, and she got up to answer it. “Hello?”
Silence. She checked the screen to make sure it was still connected and then said, “Blackbridge Holiday Park. Hannah speaking.”
No response, but there was heavy breathing on the other end.
Was it the stalker? Had he heard her message? Her bravery left her and she hung up, goosebumps breaking out over her skin. Maybe she shouldn’t have confronted him.
“Who was that?” Fleur asked.
“No one.” She dumped her phone on the table and got Joe some dinner while she was up. She closed the curtains above the sink.
“Mrs Z won’t mind if you crash Christmas lunch at their place,” Kit said. “It’s the more the merrier with her.”
“Or you could spend it with Ryan,” Mai said with a mischievous smirk. “I hear you two were quite the couple when you came into the bakery today.”
“What’s this?” Kit asked, staring at Hannah. “Why haven’t you told us already?”
Hannah smiled, remembering her lovely day. “Well it’s a matter of where to start.”
Ryan walked into the police station on Monday morning eager to begin work. Lincoln was already in his office and had dropped in the night before to tell him about the surveillance camera Hannah had found. Ryan was pissed. It was time they caught this son of a bitch.
“Did you get any time off over the weekend?” Ryan asked, placing a takeaway coffee and a small white box in front of his friend.
“A bit.” Lincoln took a long sip of his coffee. “Thanks.”
“What’s the latest?”
“Justin’s prints aren’t a match for the gifts or the break-in.” Lincoln scowled. “I’d hoped it would be him.” He sighed. “The camera we found is a fairly common model, but can you check if there have been any recent sales in the area? There aren’t too many places around here to buy them.”
“Sure.” It was good to have something to do, even though the chances were high that the guy had bought it online. “Did you check out Dan?”
“On my list to do today.”
Sue walked in. “Morning.” She dumped her keys on her desk and switched on her computer. “Hey, Ryan, did your sister find your place all right?”
Ryan frowned at her. “My sister?”
“Yeah. I heard her talking to Erin at the cafe on Saturday. She said she’d lost your address and couldn’t get you on the phone. Erin told her where you were staying.”
Dread washed over him. There was no way it had been his sister. He hadn’t told her he was living back here. “What did she look like?”
“Bleached blonde hair, short, kind of petite with big boobs.”
Ryan closed his eyes. “That sounds like my ex-wife.” What the hell was she doing here? Ryan didn’t like the idea of Paula being anywhere near him and Felix. “Felix thought he saw her yesterday,” he said. “I guess he was right.” Now, he had to find out where she was staying and make sure she didn’t see him with Hannah. He wanted to avoid that kind of chaos.
He froze. If Felix had seen her, chances were good that she’d seen them as well. Perhaps she’d already exacted her revenge. The destruction at Hannah’s shed had looked a lot like the aftermath of one of Paula’s rages. Could she have thought Hannah’s place was his?
He swore. “Lincoln, we need to check those fingerprints from both Hannah’s break-ins against Paula’s.”
Sue frowned. “What happened to Hannah?”
Lincoln filled her in. “We’ll need something more than your hunch to get Paula’s fingerprints,” he said to Ryan.
Ryan shook his head. “They’ll be on file,” he said. “She was arrested six months ago for assaulting a woman I had drinks with.”
Sue gaped at him.
“Could she have seen you with Hannah on the weekend?” Lincoln asked.
He nodded. “Hannah ran into us on the beach on Saturday. We went for a walk together while Felix played with Joe.” That was more than enough fuel to light Paula’s fire. She wouldn’t bother to find out who Hannah was, or what their relationship was, she’d skip straight to the assumption that they were sleeping together. “And she could have easily seen us shopping together yesterday.”
“All right. Sue, I need you to call Albany and get them to check the prints against Paula’s record,” Lincoln said. “If it’s a match, we’ll find out where she’s staying. I also need you to run the prints from yesterday’s break-in to Albany. Ryan, you can work on tracing the camera.”
Ryan stared at his computer screen while the other two got to work. He’d travelled as far south as possible to get away from Paula. But it hadn’t helped. She’d come to find him. What would she need this time? What excuse would she use? Would he ever be able to escape her completely?
Could she even be responsible for Hannah’s gifts? Paula’s normal MO was to make a scene, but perhaps she was trying to scare Hannah instead.
He blew out a long breath.
How was he going to tell Felix that his mother was in town?
And how was he going to tell Hannah that it was his fault her house and cabin had been destroyed?
Hannah woke feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. Her friends had all crashed at her place, after an awesome girls’ night of chat and laughter. Mai had got up at an ungodly hour to work and Kit had left before sunrise to milk her cows.
She poked Fleur, who was on the couch. “If you want a lift into town, you’d better get up.”
Fleur groaned. “It’s my day off.”
“Sucks to be you,” Hannah said with a laugh. “If you’re fast we can swing by Mai’s.”
That got Fleur moving. They both showered and headed into town, stopping by the bakery for breakfast before continuing to the holiday park. There were no gifts waiting anywhere at the office and Hannah hoped that meant her verbal attack had worked. When Lynette arrived at nine, Fleur walked home and Hannah headed out around the park. Her whole body felt lighter. Perhaps things were finally going to get back to normal.
It was mid-afternoon by the time she was sitting in the office, flicking through the mail. There was a postcard amongst the letters with black swans on it. She flicked it over to see who it was from.
The typed black text almost glared at her.
Today. 3:30pm. Community Park Bridge.
Come alone.
She slowly turned the card back around and counted the swans on the front. Seven swans a-swimming. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. Her stalker wanted to meet.
She took in a deep breath, her hands a little shaky. The community park was on the edge of town and right next to the river. The pedestrian bridge led over the river to a walking trail and was surrounded by paperbark trees, which blocked the view of the park.
She checked the time.
Three o’clock.
She called Ryan and it went straight to voicemail.
/> She tried Lincoln and his harassed voice answered. “What now?”
“Where are you?” she asked.
“There’s been a major crash on Mortimer Road. We’ve had to close it and I’ve got the whole team here.”
They wouldn’t be able to help her. “It’s not urgent.”
Nerves played in her stomach. She couldn’t let the opportunity pass – not if she could resolve it. Fleur was at work, but she’d call Mai and Kit. There was just enough time for them to get to the park with her if they were free.
She jumped to her feet and called for Joe, scribbling a “back at four” sign for the door.
She went out the back and locked up, and as she walked around to lock the front door, she found an older man on the porch.
She hesitated, checking the time. She had to speak to him, had to lock the front door. Hopefully he wouldn’t need much. “You almost missed me,” she called cheerfully. “I’ve got five minutes if you need a hand.” She was at the front step when the man turned.
He was in his sixties, his hair almost all grey and starting to thin. His frame was wide, a little stooped, and as she met his eyes her heart leapt into her throat. She took a step back, hand to her mouth and dread filling her stomach as she stared at those familiar green eyes.
The man gave a small smile. “Hello, Princess. It’s been a while.”
Chapter 13
Ryan didn’t allow himself to dwell on Paula and why she was here – he didn’t have time. He spent the morning ringing around to find out whether the surveillance camera had been purchased in the area, and addressing a number of calls that came in.
Mid-morning Sue called from Albany. “Prints from the cabin and Hannah’s shed are a match for Paula.”
Ryan squeezed his eyes shut as disappointment filled him. It had been pointless to hope it hadn’t been Paula. He knew better than that. “All right. I’ll call and ask her where she’s staying.” He hung up and rang Mrs Z to tell her Paula was in town. There was a small chance Paula could track Felix down there and he didn’t want Mrs Z involved in any unpleasantness.
When that was done, he braced himself and called Paula, his chest tight.
“Ryan,” she gushed. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” She was bright and chirpy, as if she spoke to him regularly.
“Paula, where are you?”
“I’m in Karratha of course. Where else would I be?” Her carefree laugh set his teeth on edge. She lowered her voice to a sultry tone and asked, “Do you miss me?”
He wasn’t touching that question. “Felix saw you on the weekend.”
“He must have been imagining things. Perhaps he misses me. It was cruel to take him so far from his mummy.”
“So you’re not in Blackbridge?” Like always, he gave her another chance to redeem herself.
She didn’t take it. “Of course not.” She paused and then lowered her voice. “But if you need me, babe, you just call. I can give you what you like.”
He grimaced. “Stop playing games, Paula. I know you’re in the area.”
“Honest I’m not. Felix is trying to turn you against me.”
He’d had enough. “He didn’t need to, you did a good job of that yourself.” He hung up on her gasp of outrage. The tightness in his chest disappeared. He didn’t need her, he didn’t want her and he’d be damned if he let her hurt either Felix or himself again. He brought up the list of accommodation available in Albany. It was a very long list. Finding Paula was going to take a while.
But nothing about Paula was ever easy.
After Ryan returned from attending a vehicle crash out of town, he managed to find Paula at one of the highest-rated motels in Albany. After a discussion with Lincoln, Ryan called the Albany station to pick her up.
“How are you holding up?” Lincoln perched his hip on the edge of Ryan’s desk.
Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Like crap,” he said. “Hannah’s place was trashed because of me.”
“That’s bullshit. It’s Paula’s fault and no one else.”
He couldn’t help feeling responsible. “I want to know what she’s got to say for herself.”
Lincoln nodded. “You can’t be involved in the interview.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “She’d go crazy if I was there.” She wasn’t going to like being arrested. He’d warned the cops going to pick her up.
“All right. I’ll wait for Albany to call. Why don’t you knock off and go get Felix?”
He did want to see Felix, reassure himself that his son was fine. “You need to take a break too, Lincoln.”
“I will after this is sorted.”
Ryan wasn’t sure which “this” Lincoln was referring to, but he recognised the stubborn expression on his friend’s face. “Call me in if you need a hand. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Now, he needed to tell Felix about his mother.
“No.” Hannah shook her head, unable to believe her eyes. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. He was supposed to be in prison. Her heart raced so fast she thought it would drill right out of her chest. She swallowed hard to get some moisture back in her mouth. “Dad?” she whispered.
“I tried to call …” he said. “But I couldn’t figure out what to say.” He stepped towards her and she stepped back. He grimaced.
She took a great gulp of air and then another one, her head light. She wasn’t ready for this, wasn’t the least bit prepared. Surely, someone should have contacted her to tell her he was out.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
Hannah stood where she was, unable to move as he walked towards her and then past. She couldn’t let him leave. At the last moment she reached out, brushed his arm. He stopped.
She swallowed. “Give me a minute.”
He nodded and she shifted away, needing space, needing to move. Joe was next to her, alert, keeping an eye on her father, who had sat on the small garden bench outside the office.
She examined her father. He’d aged, but of course he had. He’d been in prison for … eighteen years. He’d been sentenced to twenty years for killing her mother.
One part of her mind was yelling that he was evil, that he’d murdered her mother, that he was a very bad man. She recognised the words as those of her grandparents, the ones who had lost a daughter because of him. Hannah was so glad they weren’t here, because her grandfather would likely go ballistic.
The other part of her mind echoed his words, hello, Princess. They brought back a flood of memories of being loved and cherished, of playing soccer in the backyard with her father and half-brothers, of riding on his shoulders when her legs had been too tired to walk. She had so many good memories and one so very bad one. A lump formed in her throat and she blinked back tears. She hadn’t seen him since that night. She had to talk to him. She needed it for her own peace of mind.
But what the hell should she say?
Slowly she walked over. He gave her a tentative smile. “Shall we go for a walk?” she asked.
“I’d like that.” He got to his feet and she gestured for him to follow her.
She walked towards the beach. “When did you get out?”
“A couple of weeks ago,” Ivan said. “They gave me early parole for good behaviour.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Phillip lives in Albany,” he said. “I’m staying there until I can sort my life out.”
She’d had no idea he lived so close. She hadn’t seen either of her half-brothers since her mother had been killed. The boys’ mother hadn’t liked her, had blamed Hannah and her mother for breaking up their family, and her grandparents hadn’t wanted her to have anything to do with her father’s side of the family. There was a little pang of jealousy that her father had gone to his sons first. “Have you seen both the boys?”
He nodded. “They visited me regularly while I was in prison.”
She stopped walking. “You weren’t allowed visitors.” That’s what her grandparents had always to
ld her.
“Of course I was.”
Hannah shook her head, not willing to believe it. “No. What you did was so bad, they wouldn’t let anyone visit you.” As she said the words aloud they sounded ridiculous. She’d been lied to. Of course she had. There was no way her grandparents would let her visit the man who had murdered their daughter. Still, the betrayal stung. She continued towards the beach.
“Ah,” Ivan said. “I suspected your grandparents kept you from me, but I had hoped you would come on your own accord when you were old enough.”
The guilt was sharp. She had considered it briefly when she’d been in Perth at university, but it had been too hard. What did she say to a man she hadn’t seen in ten years? A man who had destroyed her childhood. It had been easier to believe what she’d been told. “You killed Mum.”
“I loved your mother.”
“You used to argue all the time.” How could that be love?
“We were passionate people. We used to drive each other crazy, but I loved her with all my heart.”
“Then why did you stab her?” It was the question she’d wanted to ask for such a long time.
He was silent for a while. Finally he said, “It was an accident.”
Hannah closed her eyes. “How could it be an accident? What were you doing with that knife?”
“It doesn’t matter now.” He sounded so thoroughly defeated.
“Yes, it does,” she argued. “I have a right to know. Haven’t you ever considered how I felt seeing Mum dead on the floor?”
“What?” He stared at her, his face pale. “You were in bed that night. You didn’t see anything.”
“I saw it all. I came out of my room to beg you to stop yelling. I saw you holding the knife, Mum bleeding on the floor. You were shouting and I got so scared I hid under the bed.”
“That’s all you saw?”
Wasn’t it enough? “Yes.”
“I’m so sorry.” He reached out to touch her and she backed away. He held up his hands in apology. “I’ve regretted my actions every night since.”
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