Little Girl Lost

by Gover, Janet

  He took another swig from the water bottle and looked up at the sun. At this rate, the unloading would be finished very soon. There was plenty of daylight left. He would drive back to the Isa immediately and try to see if there was another load waiting for him. He had to make up some of the money he’d lost during the search and those long days at the hospital with Linda, although that seemed less important now that he no longer had to think about supporting a family.

  A short distance away, some workers were coming off shift. He saw Tia immediately. Her height and the femininity that she exuded even in protective work gear made her stand out from her workmates. As she always seemed to be, she was walking a little away from the others.

  He raised a hand to catch her eye and she walked over to him.

  ‘Hi, partner,’ he said.

  ‘Hi. How’s things?’

  ‘All right,’ he said. ‘Did you get a chance to say goodbye to the Haywoods? I didn’t and I’m sorry I missed them.’

  ‘I missed them too,’ Tia said. ‘Max said they dropped by to say goodbye and sent their thanks to both of us.’

  ‘That was nice of them.’

  The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, watching the last of the load being removed from Pete’s trailer.

  ‘So, life is back to normal around here,’ Pete said.

  ‘I guess. But there are times I wonder what normal really is.’

  With that she walked away. Pete watched her go, wondering if he too really had any idea of what normal was. His life had been a rollercoaster for the past few weeks. It wasn’t like being physically tired. He worked hard and knew what exhaustion felt like. This was worse. This was an emotional burnout. He couldn’t see any joy in the days, weeks and months ahead, if he couldn’t find a way to mend his bridges with Sarah. One thing he did know, any life that didn’t include her was not going to be a happy one.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Tia removed the rucksack from its hiding place and put it on the table next to the newspaper cutting with the garish red slash across the photograph. She opened the bag and the old Christmas card fell out. The colours had faded over the years and now it looked more sad than cheerful as it lay on the Formica tabletop. Tia picked it up and looked inside. The writing had faded too. The card represented her last contact with her mother. The day after she received it, Tia had run away from home and never returned. If she had known then what she knew now, perhaps she might not have run so quickly. Or so far.

  She set the card to one side and emptied the rest of the rucksack’s contents onto the table.

  Even encased in its plastic bag, the gun lay there looking exactly what it was. Deadly. A threat to her and everyone close to her. She glanced nervously over her shoulder. The light inside her trailer was dim, due to the closed curtains. She was safe from the prying eyes of her workmates. But not from Ned. She had no doubt the prowler disturbed the previous night was her former boyfriend. Well, boyfriend wasn’t the right word. He was a gang leader who ruled his gang with an iron fist, and he had decided she was his. She’d had no say in the matter. Not that she would have said no. At the time, she had been thrilled and flattered to be the gang leader’s girl. That gave her some power and prestige. More than she’d ever had before in her life. To a teenage runaway, that was important. She hadn’t seen the dark side then.

  She was equally certain Ned had left the newspaper cutting. It was his way of telling her how he had found her. His way of telling her she had been careless.

  She opened the small velvet box lying next to the gun. All those months at the bottom of the rucksack had not dulled the ring’s glamour. The huge square-cut diamond shone like a star even in the dim light. How Ned had coveted this ring. From the moment he’d seen it in the window of an exclusive jewellery store, he had wanted it with an obsessive passion. He said it would give him the status he demanded. Like some American gangsta leader. It hadn’t taken Ned long to decide to acquire it the only way he knew how. With violence.

  Which was where the gun came in.

  Tia flinched as the memories of that day came crowding back. The shop and the terrified faces of the staff and customers. The triumph and joy on Ned’s face as he pulled the trigger and the deafening sound as the shot echoed around them. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the red blood against the cream marble floor. Lying in her bed in the silent darkness of the small hours of the morning, she had relived those traumatic moments a thousand times.

  And she had run away. Escaping from Ned and his gang had been as terrifying and dangerous as that day in the jewellery store. Running away now would be easy by comparison. But she was no longer the frightened girl she had been back then. She had changed, and a large part of the change was due to this town and the people in it. Especially Max. She wasn’t going to run away again. Ever.

  Tia thrust everything back into the rucksack and returned it to its hiding place. It was time she told Max the whole story.

  As she left, she locked the trailer behind her. Not that a simple lock would ever stop Ned. But it might discourage him, at least while the sun was shining and other people were moving around the compound. She decided then that whatever happened, she did not want to be alone in her trailer tonight.

  It would be far too dangerous.

  Forcing herself not to look over her shoulder, she slipped her helmet on and swung her leg over the Harley. As she pressed the starter, she couldn’t help but wonder if Ned was out there somewhere watching her. The distinctive sound of the bike’s engine would no doubt add to his fury, making him even more dangerous. She slipped the bike into gear and headed into town.

  As she approached the police station, she noticed several cars parked in and around the town square. The police station itself was overflowing with people and it seemed tempers were running a little high. Tia paused just outside the door.

  ‘… his fault. He was tailgating me. Then when the roo jumped out—’

  ‘I was not! Your brake lights—’

  ‘Enough!’ Max’s voice cut through the hubbub. ‘We will sort this out, but I am only going to listen to one of you at a time. So, Mr Taylor, go and sit over there and be quiet! Mr Coupland, that chair there. If I catch either one of you even looking like talking, it will be the cells for both of you. Got it?’

  The silence that followed seemed to indicate they had.

  ‘Good. Now, ladies. Please go and sit by your husbands and join them in their silent meditation.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘No buts. Go and sit down. Everyone will get a chance to say their piece, but one at a time and when I ask them to.’

  Tia stepped through the doorway to see Max standing at his desk dividing his attention between two smartly dressed middle-aged couples, who were seating themselves at opposite ends of the room. There was a definite chill in the air between them. Max glanced over to the doorway and when he saw Tia, his face lit up.

  ‘Right. Nobody so much as move. I’ll be back in a minute.’

  He stepped to the door and gently eased himself and Tia outside, but not so far away that he couldn’t keep a watchful eye on proceedings inside the police station.

  ‘What’s that all about?’ Tia asked.

  ‘A couple of dents and some scratched paintwork,’ Max said, shaking his head. ‘Unfortunately both men are classic car buffs, so the cars concerned are apparently worth a lot of money. They are at each other’s throats over who is to blame. And the wives aren’t helping either. The silly thing is, they are all friends and this accident happened during a long drive they were taking together.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll sort them out,’ Tia said.

  ‘I will, but it may take a while. Was this business?’ His eyes twinkled. ‘Or did you come here to ask me out to dinner tonight?’

  How she wished it was just the latter.
r />   ‘Actually it is business.’

  Max nodded. ‘I did want to talk some more about that prowler. ’

  ‘Yes. It’s about that.’ It wasn’t a lie. But there was more to it than Max could even begin to guess.

  Max glanced at his watch. ‘It’ll probably take me an hour or more to sort this lot out. Why don’t I come around to see you after that? It’ll be about five-ish, I guess. We can get the business part done, and then maybe share a meal. I can cook if you don’t want to. And I’ll bring a bottle of wine.’

  That sounded so good. Like a normal date. The sort of date she had never had.

  ‘And,’ Max continued, ‘To be honest, I’d like to check out your security. I could set up a stakeout outside in my car, but I’d rather be inside. With you. For your own safety, of course.’ He actually winked at her.

  ‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’m fairly new to cooking, but if you are willing to take a risk, I can try to make us an edible meal.’

  As she spoke, another shouting match began inside the police station. Max raised his eyes to the heavens with a sigh. ‘I have to go. I’ll see you later.’

  Tia left him returning to his role as referee and walked towards the store. She was a bit confused. Was the evening going to be her confessing to a policeman? Or was it going to be her telling her … whatever Max was to her … about her past? Both had to be done. Would blurring the lines make it easier or harder, she wondered?

  Sarah was counting the cash in the register when the door opened and Tia walked in. She put the cash back and shut the money drawer.

  ‘Hi, Tia. I haven’t seen you for a couple of days.’

  ‘I’ve been doing extra time at the mine. Giving a break to the guys who worked double shifts during the search.’

  ‘I heard there was some sort of problem out there. A prowler. In the accommodation compound. Were you there?’

  ‘No. I was working.’

  ‘I also hear Max was out there all night. I wondered if maybe you had something to do with that?’ Sarah watched Tia’s face closely, and was rewarded with a faint glow of colour.

  ‘You’re blushing,’ Sarah said triumphantly. ‘Trish was right. Of course. When is Trish ever wrong?’

  ‘He’s coming out after work tonight – to talk about the prowler,’ Tia said. ‘I thought it would be nice to cook him dinner.’

  ‘Well, at least things are working out for the two of you.’ The bitter words were out before Sarah could stop them.

  Tia frowned. ‘You and Pete … it’s not …’

  ‘It’s not anything.’ Sarah sighed. ‘When I was a little girl, all I wanted was a knight in shining armour to come driving down that road and sweep me away. Like in the fairy tales. There was a time I thought Pete was that man. I was wrong. That sort of thing only happens in fairy tales. Real life isn’t like that.’

  ‘Don’t say that. I want to think maybe it can be,’ Tia said softly.

  Sarah hid her surprise. Something had certainly changed for Tia, and she was sure Max was responsible. She’d seen the way the two of them had looked at each other out there during the search. She was glad for them both. And a little bit envious.

  ‘So, dinner,’ she said, trying to send the conversation in a direction that would not threaten her own composure. ‘I suppose a tuna casserole is not quite what you are looking for.’

  ‘No. It’s not.’ Tia smiled.

  ‘Good. I’m sure I can help you do better than that. We have some candles, too, if you want them.’

  No sooner had Tia left than the front door of the shop opened again. Sarah felt her heart skip a beat as she instantly recognised the tall figure blocking most of the sunlight in the doorway.

  ‘Hi, Sarah.’ His voice was hesitant. ‘I wanted to see how your mum was doing.’

  ‘She’s going much better now, thanks. She’s home. I would have thought you would be back in the Isa by now.’

  ‘No. I hung around. I need to talk to you. But if this is still a bad time, I can wait.’

  He was inside the shop now, and she could see his face clearly. The look he wore was a mixture of pleading, determination and something else. The same something she had seen on him during the search. In the moments before he kissed her. That look was tugging at her heartstrings. But she was a grown woman now, not a child. She had to deal with reality.

  ‘I haven’t asked you, Pete. How is your girlfriend? And the baby? I hope everything is all right.’ She didn’t even try to disguise the bitterness in her voice.

  ‘That’s what I need to talk to you about.’

  ‘Pete. You don’t have to explain anything. It was just a kiss.’ A kiss that had changed everything for her. ‘You don’t owe me anything—’

  ‘Sarah. Stop. Listen. It’s not my baby.’ He blurted it out and then stopped, his eyes searching her face as the words seemed to hang in the air between them.

  Sarah blinked, struggling to fully understand what he was saying.

  ‘Not your baby? But your girlfriend—?’

  ‘She told me it was my baby. But it’s not. She was … well, it’s enough to say that the real father is back with her. They are going to make a life together.’

  She tried to speak, but there were no words. Her mind was blank.

  ‘I’m glad things have worked out for them,’ Pete continued, his eyes never leaving her face. ‘I know I should never have kissed you like that. Not without telling you what was happening. I guess it wasn’t a lie as such. But to me it felt like one. These past few weeks have taught me two things. The first is that I like the idea of being a dad. My mother will be so pleased to hear me say that. She’s been on at me for ages about settling down. I think maybe it’s time. I was ready to take responsibility for the baby. Be there to support Linda and the baby financially and any other support I could give them. But any future I plan has to be with the right person. I was going to tell Linda that she was the wrong person. But she told me her truth first.’

  ‘Oh.’ Sarah shook her head, trying to take in everything he was saying. Pete wasn’t normally a big talker. But now, it was as if he couldn’t stop. Maybe he’d been holding all this inside for too long.

  ‘When I settle down, I want the sort of life my parents have. Your parents, too. That’s why I’m here, Sarah. Because you are the right person for me. You were the little girl I was fond of, and somehow you’ve become the woman I’m in love with. I want to take the time to be with you and see where these feelings lead me. Lead us.’

  He paused then, waiting for her to say something. Her mind was racing but somewhere deep inside her, joy was beginning to wash away the despair of the past few days. She was still struggling for words, and slowly she began to shake her head.

  She took a deep breath, but before she could speak the door of the store swung open, and a mother with kids in tow walked in.

  ‘I guess I’d better …’ Sarah said, indicating her customers.

  ‘I know. Look, think about what I said. I’ll be across the road. Waiting for you. If you don’t come, I’ll have my answer.’

  ‘I …’ She already knew what her answer would be.

  A woman’s voice interrupted her. ‘Sorry to butt in, Sarah, but can you tell me which is the better brand of dry cat food?’

  Pete turned and left her to her customers.

  Chapter Thirty

  For the very first time in her life, Tia was cooking dinner for a guest. Not just any guest: a man. A good man who had never hurt her or used her or caused her to cry.

  She was cooking for Max.

  She was excited and nervous. This must be how it felt to be a schoolgirl on a first date. That was just one of the experiences denied her. Until now. It felt good.

  The dinner ingredients she had bought from Sarah at the store were all laid out in her tin
y kitchen. Since coming to Coorah Creek and having a home of her own, Tia had discovered that not only did she like cooking, she was actually pretty good at it. Especially considering her late introduction to the culinary arts. At least, she hoped she was pretty good at it. The meals she had cooked for herself were always tasty and filling. But cooking a meal for Max was still a bit scary. Would he like what she made? It seemed very important that he did.

  She laid out the piece of lamb on her small work surface and began rubbing the dried rosemary and garlic that would add some Greek flavours to the skin. There would be lemon and rosemary potatoes to go with it. And Max was bringing wine. Red wine would make this a proper Greek meal. Her very first. She’d really love to go to Greece one day. See the ruins she had read about. The thought caused her to pause in her work. That was another first for her. The idea that one day she might actually travel to somewhere like Greece. She might visit places she had seen on TV. There was a whole world out there that she could now believe was waiting for her.

  All she had to do was break free of her past. And the first step was to talk to Max.

  She turned around and looked at the rucksack that was waiting on the table. Lying next to it was the newspaper cutting with the vivid red slash. She had put them there so they would be the first thing Max saw when he walked in the door. Then she wouldn’t be able to back down. She would have to go through with it.

  She returned to her task, and placed the lamb in a baking dish. Then she turned on her small oven and slid the dish inside. She had a few minutes to kill before she needed to start on the potatoes. Maybe she should change out of her jeans into something more … what? Something sexier? That wasn’t what this evening was about. It was about her confession.

  But after she confessed, would they even get to eat the lamb? It suddenly dawned on her that Max might arrest her. After all, she was confessing to a crime. Several crimes, in fact; some of them very serious. He was an honest cop and he couldn’t just turn a blind eye to what she had done. She hadn’t even considered that.