“Thanks.”
“I want you to still keep Joe close.” There were only a few days left until Christmas. Would the gifts stop if they still hadn’t caught him by then?
“I always do.”
After she had eaten and calmed down, he walked her to her car. She insisted on going to the park to check the damage for herself. “Call me if you need anything.” He wanted to be there for her, wanted to be the one she called when she needed someone, and that surprised him. Hadn’t he learned anything from Paula? He shouldn’t be so needy.
She smiled. “I will.”
He wasn’t quite ready for her to go. “Maybe we could do dinner again this week.” If she was with him he wouldn’t need to worry about her safety.
“I’d like that.” She kissed him and drove off.
Ryan lifted a hand in a wave and then rubbed his chest. She stirred up all of his emotions; the desire to protect, the urge to nurture, plus he lusted after her too. He wanted to spend more time with her, wanted to watch her with Felix, make sure they were fine together. The way he ached as she drove away wasn’t a sensation he was comfortable with, but still he wanted more.
Was he going to make a fool of himself again?
Hannah set up the gazebo and a table outside the office, while Lincoln and then later Ryan investigated. There wasn’t much to find. The front door had been smashed and several litres of milk had been tipped all over her desk, over the tourist brochures and computer. In the hot summer heat, it was already beginning to smell. She didn’t know whether the paperwork and computer would be salvageable.
Lynette arrived as Ryan and Lincoln were packing up.
“What the hell has happened now?” Lynette asked.
“Break-in,” Hannah said. “I’ll clean it up if you do the bathrooms around the site.” She scribbled a note to stick on the front verandah, directing people to the back door again.
“Are you all right?” Lynette asked, her expression sympathetic.
She clenched her hands to stop them from shaking. “No, but I’ll deal.” There was too much going on in her life right now. She wanted to find this bastard so she could concentrate on whatever it was that was happening between Ryan and her. She wanted time to dwell on last night, wanted to savour being in a relationship with someone.
“We’ll ask the guests if they heard or saw anything,” Ryan told her.
“Thanks.” She gave him a quick kiss before heading inside to clean.
Whoever it was, they had been thorough. Although luckily, the collection of files that were kept on the desk had protected most of the computer from being damaged. The carpet was soaked and everything had an off-milk smell that would be a bitch to get out. But as the saying went, there was no use crying over spilt milk.
By midday, she had the majority of the mess cleaned up and had a dozen incense sticks burning – courtesy of Shirley – to mask the stench. When the computer booted up without an issue, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She spent her afternoon on the phone to the insurance company and catching up on paperwork.
She’d had little time to work on her retreat in the past couple of days and she still had to assess how much the damage Paula had done was going to set her back. The insurance assessor hadn’t been yet and she didn’t want to do further work on it in case someone else broke in. There was no way the cabin would be completed by the end of the year. She sighed.
The money from Ryan’s rent had to go towards the hard fixtures – being up at the lookout had reminded her how crumbly the limestone was, and fencing it off was a priority. At least she could borrow the fencing gear from Kit.
Who was she kidding? The whole idea was doomed to fail. She shouldn’t have given in to her grandparents. She’d been caught up in their positivity. She had nowhere near the money she needed to complete her vision.
Disgusted with her negativity, she cursed the stalker again. He was messing with her head. She would make her retreat work. Just as she would find out who was stalking her.
Could it be her father causing all the damage? She hadn’t allowed herself to think about it, hadn’t wanted to. But he could have hired someone to leave the gifts – he’d have the necessary contacts after all his time in jail. And he had been upset that she hadn’t visited him.
The message today had simply read, Lying, selfish whore. She hadn’t lied to her father, though maybe he thought her selfish for not greeting him more enthusiastically. Was he simply toying with her?
Lynette came through the back door. “How are you holding up?”
Hannah lifted her head. “I’m coping.”
“Are you going to call your grandparents about the damage?”
She swiftly shook her head. “There’s no need,” she assured her. “The insurance is going to cover it.”
“It’s not just the damage to the building,” Lynette argued. “Shouldn’t you tell them that some arsehole is targeting you?”
“No. I don’t want them to worry. And anyway, there’s nothing they can do about it.”
“They’d want to know.”
They would, and they’d pack up and drive back to Western Australia from wherever they currently were. She really didn’t need them here while she was figuring out what to do about her father. They wouldn’t understand at all. “It’s better if they don’t.”
Lynette opened her mouth and Hannah interrupted. “Please don’t push it.”
“I’m worried about you too.” Lynette squeezed her hand. “This is plain creepy.”
“There isn’t anyone in Blackbridge who has a problem with me, is there?”
“Not that I know of.” And Lynette knew most of the gossip.
“If you hear of anything tell me.”
“Will do. Lincoln put a picture of the guy who broke in here on their Twitter feed. People will be keeping an eye out for him.”
Hannah opened the social media site. The picture was dark and grainy, not much more than an outline of baggy clothes and a hoodie covering the face. It could have been male or female and was no one she recognised. She glanced at Lynette. “Are you finished for the day?”
She nodded. “I’m going to take the boys down to the beach.”
“Felix has been asking to play with Jacob,” Hannah told her.
“He’s coming around tomorrow afternoon and then he’s sleeping over on Friday.” Lynette shuddered. “I might be regretting agreeing to that come Saturday morning.”
Hannah chuckled. “You love your boys.”
Lynette nodded and then smiled slyly at her. “You kissed Ryan before he left,” she said. “Perhaps you and Ryan can arrange a sleepover of your own.”
Hannah’s face flushed. “Ah …”
Lynette laughed. “Something to think about. I’ll catch you later.” She headed out the back door, passing Fleur as she arrived. The timing couldn’t be coincidental.
“This totally sucks.” Fleur gave Hannah a hug.
“Yeah. Did Lincoln call you?”
“No. Ryan was at the hospital.”
Her mouth went dry. “Is he all right?”
“Yes. Felix somehow managed to run into a barbed wire fence and needed a couple of stitches.”
“Oh, the poor thing,” Hannah said.
“He was pretty chuffed with himself after he’d got over the tears,” Fleur said. “He thinks stitches are manly.”
Hannah laughed. “How was Ryan?”
“A bit pale when he first ran into the ED, but he coped well.”
“Good.” Ryan was a fantastic father and the way he cared for Felix made Hannah like him all the more.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Fleur demanded.
“You were at work,” Hannah said. “And there was nothing you could do.”
Fleur nodded. “So fill me in on the latest.”
Hannah put a “closed” sign on the back door, before going into the kitchen. “You’re going to want to take a seat.”
“That bad?”
“Yo
u be the judge.” Hannah smiled and proceeded to tell her friend about Paula and her father.
“Bloody hell,” Fleur said. “Your father’s out of jail and you didn’t ring me?” She stood with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised.
Guilt stung Hannah. Fleur had always been there for her, had always been the person she shared things with, but yesterday it had been Ryan instead. She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “I was upset, not thinking straight, and then I ran into Ryan and he invited me to dinner.”
Fleur’s anger faded and she grinned. “OK, I completely understand. So how are you now?”
“I honestly don’t know what to feel.” The hopelessness of the situation scuttled back into the forefront of her mind. “Ryan said they were going to question Dad because of the twelve-days-of-Christmas connection. That won’t go down well I’m sure.” Being on a suspect list only weeks after getting out of jail couldn’t be good. “I hope it won’t cause problems with his parole.”
“It’s not your problem,” Fleur told her. “You didn’t ask for this, and if it is him, then he deserves to be questioned.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now tell me about dinner with Ryan.”
Hannah’s face heated.
Fleur chuckled with glee. “It was more than dinner, wasn’t it?”
She nodded.
“Awesome! How was it?”
She didn’t want to go into detail, didn’t want to express all the emotions in words. She wanted to treasure them, keep them to herself a little longer. “Amazing.”
“He was, you know, careful?” Fleur was concerned.
Hannah smiled at the memory. “Yeah. Completely careful.”
“That’s good. I didn’t want to have to ask Kit to bring her rifle over.”
Hannah laughed. “Don’t go all Neanderthal on me. It was good. We didn’t have sex, but he understands I need to take it slowly.”
“He’s a keeper right there,” Fleur declared. “How about we give the other musketeers a call and do dinner at my place? You can all sleep over and we can get an early start on our shopping trip.”
She didn’t want to be alone tonight. “Yeah, let’s do that.”
Chapter 16
Ryan was tired even before he walked into the police station by mid-morning. None of the park residents had seen anything, though one had heard glass smashing sometime during the night. The smell of off milk lingered in his nose and he wanted a shower. He greeted Adam as he turned on his computer.
“Did you find anything?” Adam asked.
“There was a bit of blood on some glass,” Ryan said. “We might get something from it.” But it had to be sent to Perth to be analysed and it could be weeks before they got the results.
“How’s Hannah?”
“Angry, but coping.” He was impressed with how well she was dealing with it. The Hannah he’d first met would have crumbled and hidden, but she’d changed over the last few days, grown stronger, become a fighter. He was glad. “Did you find an address for her father?”
“Yeah. His son’s place is in Torbay, just this side of Albany. Are we going to pay him a visit?”
Ryan nodded. It was the best lead they’d had so far. “Get your things. We’ll go now.”
Lincoln walked in and dumped his gear on the table. “This is getting beyond a joke.”
“Yeah. We’re going to question Hannah’s father.”
“Great. When you get back I’ll head into Albany with Sue and question Paula.”
Ryan had forgotten about Paula in all that had happened. He didn’t envy his friend.
“We’ll swap notes this afternoon,” Lincoln said.
“Yeah.” He headed out the door with Adam right behind him.
It took about half an hour to reach Phillip Novak’s place in Torbay. He lived on the top of a hill in a two-storey wooden house surrounded by garden and bush. The nearest neighbour was a kilometre down the road. “How big are the blocks out here?” Ryan asked.
“I reckon about five acres,” Adam said. “Maybe more. We can check when we get back to the station.”
Ryan pulled up in front of the house and they both got out. Two boys were playing in the garden, and when they saw the police car they ran inside, calling their mother.
Ryan was curious about Hannah’s father. Would Hannah resemble him? Would he show compassion to Hannah’s situation? Or was he the stalker?
He walked up to the front entrance and knocked. A woman about his age opened the door, with two young boys behind her. “Mrs Novak?” Ryan asked.
She nodded.
“I’m Senior Constable Kilpatrick and this is Constable Marshall. We’d like to speak with Ivan Novak if he’s at home.”
“What is this about? He checked in with his parole officer yesterday.”
“It’s an unrelated matter,” Ryan said. “We’d like to speak to him about his daughter.”
“Hannah?” The voice was accented and clear as an older man stepped into the hallway. He was stocky but stooped with greying hair, and when Ryan looked him in the eyes he jolted at how alike Hannah’s they were.
“Yes, sir. Could we have a few minutes of your time?”
He nodded and the woman at the door gestured them in.
The house was light and airy and they were led into a lounge room that had large windows framing the view down the hill towards the ocean. Ivan sat on the maroon sofa chair and motioned for them to sit. Adam took out his notepad.
“Is Hannah all right? Is she hurt?” Ivan asked.
“She’s fine,” Ryan told him. “Someone has been damaging her property over the past week.”
“And you think it’s me.” The statement was flat.
Ryan ignored the comment. “The acts of vandalism have all been themed around the twelve days of Christmas and Hannah mentioned today that the song held particular significance for you and your wife.”
Pain crossed Ivan’s face. “It was my wife’s idea. We used to get little presents for each other in the lead-up to Christmas.” He hesitated, but didn’t say any more.
“Is there anything you want to add?” Ryan prompted.
“Have all the gifts been vandalism?” Ivan asked.
Adam checked his notebook. “The first two weren’t.”
“Do you know who gave her those gifts?” Ryan questioned.
After a long pause, Ivan shook his head. He might not know, but Ryan could see that he had his suspicions.
Anger stirred in Ryan, but he kept it under control. Ex-prisoners often didn’t trust the police. He had to show Ivan that he was there for Hannah. “Who else knows about your Christmas tradition?”
“Hannah’s grandparents, I guess.” He pursed his lips. “I might have mentioned it to my boys when they were kids.” He shrugged. “I don’t know many people anymore. You lose contact when you’re in jail.”
“Are either of your sons here?”
Ivan shook his head. “Phillip’s at work and Marko isn’t coming down from Perth until tomorrow.”
“Where does Phillip work?” Adam asked.
Ivan frowned. “Now wait a minute. You’re not suggesting either of my boys had something to do with this, are you?”
Ryan kept his expression pleasant, although it was exactly where his thoughts had headed. “Not at all. I need to cover all the bases. After I establish their alibis I can continue with other lines of investigation. You want me to be thorough for Hannah, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“What time does Phillip normally get home from work?”
“About half past five.” Ivan called Phillip’s wife into the room. “Where does Phillip work?”
“At a doctor’s surgery in Albany.” She gave the name.
Adam took a note.
“In the last week, has he been out at night at all?” Ryan asked.
“He had a work Christmas party last Wednesday night,” she said. “But aside from that he’s been here to spend time with his
father.”
Wednesday he’d gone on the date with Hannah.
“He never went out again after he got home?” Adam asked.
“Only to take the kids to the beach with me,” Ivan said.
It didn’t fit. All of the gifts had been left at night. Still, he’d check Phillip’s alibi for Wednesday. “Are you a deep sleeper, Mrs Novak?” Ryan asked.
She frowned at him. “No. I suffer from insomnia, so some nights I don’t sleep at all.”
That was a little too convenient. Could they all be in it together? “Have you ever met Hannah?”
“No. I didn’t know Phillip had a half-sister until Ivan came here.”
Adam took the image they’d got from the surveillance camera and showed it to Ivan. “Do you recognise this person?”
Ivan’s eyes widened for a split second before he shook his head. “No. Who is it?”
“It’s the person who broke into the holiday park last night,” Ryan said.
Adam showed the picture to Phillip’s wife.
“It’s kind of blurry.” She squinted at it and then glanced at Ivan. “No, I don’t think so.”
Ryan didn’t believe her. “Are you sure?”
She straightened. “Yes.”
He got to his feet. “Thank you for your help.”
Ivan stood. “Hannah’s not in any danger, is she? These things are just pranks, right?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Ryan told him.
Real worry flashed in Ivan’s eyes. “Then you’d better be protecting her,” he demanded. “I couldn’t bear for anything to happen to my princess.”
The man seemed genuinely upset, but still Ryan suspected that Ivan wasn’t telling him something.
“We’re doing our best with the information we have.” Ryan waited for him to offer more insight.
Ivan said nothing.
As they drove back to Blackbridge, Adam said, “He knew something about those gifts.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s got to mean it’s one of the brothers, right?”
“Maybe it’s all of them.” But why? Hannah had mentioned she hadn’t got along with her brothers, so perhaps that antagonism had resumed now that Ivan was out of jail. “Can you call the surgery and confirm Phillip was at the Christmas party? Find out what time it started and what time he left.”
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