by Toni Pike
“Are you Joshua Byrnes?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” I replied with downcast eyes.
“Please don’t stand out there staring at me,” she said, but she didn’t sound angry or afraid.
It took all my courage to ask her the next question. “Could we have a chat over a cup of coffee? I’d like to talk to you.”
“In a cafe?”
“Yes, somewhere quiet so that no one can overhear.”
Letitia gave that some thought and then said she’d meet me at two o’clock at her favourite cafe in Manuka. There was a section at the back that was usually quiet.
I arrived early and waited, then couldn’t believe it when she finally arrived with Charlie in a stroller. She sat down and ordered coffee for both of us.
“Charlie is so adorable,” I said, watching his tiny face light up as I smiled at him. “I love babies and I’m very good at taking care of them.”
“Do you have any children?” she asked.
“Never had the chance,” I replied, “but there was a child once that I was close to for a short time and helped to protect.”
“I’m sorry, Joshua,” she said with a sad look, realising that I was referring to you.
Then, from behind my chair, out came my surprise – a cute little teddy bear for Charlie. He was thrilled, and I said that the bear’s fur was the colour of the desert. Then I looked straight into her eyes. “Are you upset with me about that interview with Natasha Curry?”
She shook her head. “You were only telling the truth. I know you were innocent and it’s not fair that you spent all those years in jail. Tyler told me recently and I’m very angry and disappointed with him.”
“I’m not angry,” I said. “He was only a child and I just wanted to help him. But I don’t understand why he blamed me, why he stood up in court, yelled out and accused me. I suppose he was frightened, but his voice has stayed in my head for twenty-five years.”
Letitia held my hand for a moment and asked what life was like in prison. I told her that it was terrible, that there was always someone trying to hurt you. All I wanted was the freedom to enjoy the way I’d been living for years.
“What are you doing now, where are you living?” she asked.
“Just a boarding house in Queanbeyan,” I said. “It’s not very nice but at least it’s better than nothing. No one wants to rent an apartment to an ex-convict, and besides the rent would be too high.”
“That must be very difficult,” she said with tears in her eyes.
I had to agree with her. “I work helping in the kitchen at an Indian restaurant and the owner likes me. One day I might go back to the way things were, living in the outback. It was nice to talk to you, Letitia, and Charlie is gorgeous, but I don’t want to disrupt your life any more.”
Then her face brightened. “Joshua, would you like to live in the townhouse with me, just for a while until you get back on your feet? There’s a spare bedroom.”
I nearly fell off my chair. “Live with you?” I repeated.
“That’s the least I can do when you’ve lost so many years. It has to be better than the boarding house.”
“But why are you living there?” I asked. “Aren’t you meant to be in The Lodge with your husband?”
“I’ve moved back there for a while, without Tyler. After he told me the truth, I needed to be by myself.”
I didn’t waste time before accepting her invitation. “Thank you so much, Letitia, and I’ll be so helpful, cleaning the house and helping to look after Charlie – if you don’t mind.”
I moved in the next day and it seemed so luxurious to have a comfortable bedroom and bathroom to myself. I did as much as I could to help her: washing clothes, cleaning and helping with meals. Charlie adored me.
That night when you knocked on the door, I heard you begging Letitia to talk. That was a Monday, the only night of the week when the Chowpatty Indian Restaurant was closed. I deliberately dropped a shoe, and after that she shut the door in your face. She was so upset, I offered to make her a cup of tea. Letitia was wiping tears away when I handed her the cup. “Thank you, Joshua, I’m so glad you’re here,” she said. I told her that it was my pleasure to help her as much as possible.
Strange, isn’t it, to think of me living in your townhouse with your wife? A few days later I looked out the living room window and gazed up at the night sky. “What are you thinking about, Joshua?” she asked.
“I was thinking about camping in the outback,” I replied. “I’m in a beautiful house with you, but I dream about sleeping outside and looking up at a million bright stars. Do you like camping, Letitia?”
“You won’t believe this, Joshua, but I’ve never been camping.”
“You’ve never been, not even once?” I asked. “Everyone should go camping.”
“You’re probably right. I grew up in Perth. My father was an accountant and we always went to a beach resort for our vacations.”
“What are they like?”
“They have big swimming pools and activities like water sports and boating.”
“That’s no way to have a family holiday. You need to see the Australian bush and spend the night beside a campfire. That’s living.”
She nodded her head. “When I graduated from university I moved to Broome so that I could see a bit more of the outback. I was born there.”
“That’s where I was in jail all those years. Did Tyler want to take you camping?”
“We always said that one day we’d try it. He bought a tent, but we never got around to using it. It’s still in the garage, next to the Christmas decorations.”
“I can take you and Charlie camping. I can sleep outside, you and Charlie can have the tent to yourself. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about the bush.”
Her eyes lit up. “But isn’t Charlie too young?” she asked.
“No, not at all. He’ll love seeing all the plants and animals. Far away from the city lights you can see the stars shining brightly, and you can stare at a campfire all night and never get bored.”
“It would be nice to have a couple of days away, somewhere peaceful, so that I can have some time to think. Perhaps it might help me make some decisions about my life.”
“We could go somewhere close to Canberra, and I can mind Charlie while you have some time to yourself. After that, you’ll be able to take him on camping trips all through his childhood.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said with a delighted smile.
We started to plan a couple of days away and I reassured her that we would be safe. “There’ll be nothing dangerous,” I said. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
***
Tyler
With trembling hands I put his letter down on the bed. His last sentence echoed in my head, adding new layers of meaning that gripped me with terror. He had carefully drafted all that for me to read. While I’d been at The Lodge and in Brisbane, he ingratiated himself with Letitia, acting like her friend and a kind old uncle to Charlie. Imagine hearing that your family had afternoon tea with Jack the Ripper – that was how it felt.
My heart was pounding as the blood rose to my cheeks. It wasn’t only fear that gripped me, but overwhelming fury. I read the letter a dozen times and the truth slowly sank in. Letitia had invited him to stay and let him care for our little boy. He was there when I knocked on the door and begged her to talk. He was upstairs when she slammed the door in my face.
I stood up and lunged out with my fist to punch the wall. That sent spasms of pain through my hand and it shocked me to see the dented plaster, knowing I had done something like that.
My body heaved with a sob as I collapsed onto my knees. “Why, Letitia?” I cried aloud. “Why did you let him into the house?”
I was right next to the bedside table and pulled open the small drawer. I didn’t expect to find anything of interest. But my breathing rate soared at the sight of one large envelope. It was addressed to The Hon T
yler Thompson MP Prime Minister.
Another message – or perhaps this was a letter bomb or poison.
I took it out and ripped it open.
There was a plain white card inside with embossed printing on the front cover. In deepest sympathy.
Inside was a neatly printed handwritten note.
I sat back on the bed and read it over and over.
Dear Tyler,
I’m not one to plan anything, not really. I’m no genius, not like you seem to be. I just made it up as I went along and everything fell into place. I never expected Letitia to ask me to stay at her place. Who would have expected that?
But she wanted to make amends for your betrayal and for all my suffering.
We’re on a camping trip and Letitia has never been camping before. We’re a long way from Canberra in very dense bush so you won’t be able to find us. At least in the desert you can see for miles, but in country like this you can shelter under a tree or in some remote gully and never be discovered.
You have to do something for their sake. Make an announcement to tell everyone the truth or we won’t be coming home. Tell them what you did and say that it wasn’t my fault. I looked after you that night.
If you tell the truth, I’ll bring them back to The Lodge. I want to see where our esteemed Prime Minister lives, so wait for me there.
I’ll bring Letitia and Charlie back as soon as you make the announcement. I have a satellite phone, so I’ll know straight away when it happens.
Don’t tell the police – that would be a very stupid thing to do.
Best wishes
Joshua Byrnes.
My head was spinning so that I almost blacked out.
That was when I saw my security detail through the window as the patrol car screeched to a halt in the driveway.
I ran downstairs and out the front door to find Stan Wickowski marching towards me. “Good morning Stan,” I said, trying to sound calm as if it was just another ordinary day.
“Are you all right, sir?” he asked, bristling under his compulsory veneer of politeness. “We’ve been looking for you yet again. You seem to have a high propensity for losing us lately.”
“I’m sorry, Stan, I’ve had a few personal issues to deal with recently. I want to work here for a few hours this morning and then I’ll head back to The Lodge. I’ll be making an important announcement this afternoon.”
“Very well, we’ll be waiting out here for you. Please remember that we’re responsible for your safety.”
“You won’t have to worry about me any longer,” I said, knowing how grim my future was looking.
“I’m pleased to hear that,” he said.
I walked back inside and shut the front door. Wild with fear, I took out my phone and rang Letitia. It buzzed once but then went straight to that unbearably irritating voice. The person you’re calling is not available, please leave a message. I tried four more times and groaned in frustration.
Then I sent three text messages and an email, but of course there was no reply. Her phone was sure to be out of range if they were in dense bushland.
Somehow, I had to find out where they were so I could race there and rescue them. But how likely was that? They could be almost anywhere. If they were within a three hundred kilometre radius, that still represented a huge area. An even worse possibility entered my head, that he had taken them prisoner and locked them in some grisly dungeon or attic. The endless possibilities were driving me crazy and the task of finding them seemed hopeless.
I went from room to room looking for clues, anything that had been left for me to find or any evidence to indicate where they might be. I searched frantically, tearing open cupboards and drawers but found nothing.
Maybe Letitia had told someone, such as her friend, Sarah Cohen. She was a lawyer who was at university with her, and they chatted on the phone at least once a week. I gave her a call.
“Hi Tyler,” she said with a surprised tone in her voice.
“I was just wondering if you knew where Letitia was headed,” I said. “She’s gone on a camping trip with some friends and I need to ask her something. She didn’t tell me exactly where she was going.”
“No. I’m afraid I haven’t got a clue. Letitia told me a couple of days ago that she was going away on a minibreak to a mystery location. That’s all I know. I thought it was with you, Tyler.”
“I couldn’t get away at the last minute, you know how it is.”
“Of course, well, let me know if you hear from her.”
“Sure, thanks, Sarah,” I said and ended the call. How could Letitia have agreed to let Joshua take her to a so-called mystery location? My blood ran cold at the thought.
I rang Ranjit and gasped with relief when he answered the phone. “Sorry to call you on a Saturday,” I said, “but I really need you this morning, more than I ever have before. Would you come around to my townhouse as soon as possible?”
“In Kingston?” he replied.
“That’s right. I’m just here by myself, apart from the security detail outside. It’s very important, and urgent.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Hang on and don’t worry.”
***
Waiting for Ranjit to arrive, I covered my face with my hands and was about to burst into tears of anger and frustration. But instead, I thrust out my arm and knocked a pile of books off the coffee table. The crash as they hit the floor brought me to my senses.
I saw Ranjit arrive and opened the door so that he could come straight in. As he followed me into the living room, he saw my dark face. “What’s wrong? You look like hell,” he said.
“I don’t know what to do, Ranjit. Joshua Byrnes – he has Letitia and Charlie.”
He wrinkled up his face in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I just broke into the house, searching for Letitia. He left two letters here for me to find, telling me he’s taken them into the bush. He’ll only bring them back if I tell the truth about the night my parents died. I don’t know where’s he taken them and he would know how to stay hidden. It’s like his home out there.”
“Tyler, the police are just outside and they can organise a massive manhunt. They can use dogs, helicopters and heat-seeking radar. Last week they found a man who’d been lost for days in the Blue Mountains.”
“If Byrnes sees the police coming, he might kill them straight away. I have to do what he says – I trust him to keep his word. Please don’t tell the police, not till this is all over.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can do that. I’ll be lying to them, and that could be a serious offence.”
“Please Ranjit. This is the last thing I want you to do for me and I’ll take all of the blame. You didn’t know anything.”
“But what does he mean by telling the truth? Not the tale he told in that interview?”
“Ranjit, there is something I have to tell you and you’re not going to like it. You’ve been a brilliant adviser, but now I’m scared.”
There was confusion in his eyes. “What is it, Tyler?” he asked.
This time he wouldn’t be able to find a solution for me, a way to spin the story to achieve a positive outcome. I sat on the sofa, my head buried in my hands, and told him about the night at Eighty Mile Beach and everything that had happened since then. All the years when Joshua was in jail and how he had followed me since his release. Then I showed him Joshua’s letters.
He didn’t speak until he’d read every word, his face held in a grimace. Then I could tell by the spark in his eyes that he had an idea. “Well?” I asked.
He looked at me but there was now a distance between us. “A telecast from your office in The Lodge,” he said. “What time would you prefer? It will take a few hours to organise, especially on a Saturday. I need to ring the journalists and get the production crew together.”
“Three o’clock this afternoon. Is that enough time?”
He stood up. “Yes, that will be fine.”
“D
oug Lapsley will have to take over my role for the time being and the Party needs to be informed,” I said, with a tight throat that choked my voice.
“I’ll phone them, let them know they need to be prepared.”
“I’ll head back to the Lodge,” I said. “Just one more thing. I broke a window here, the french door at the back.”
“Not a problem, I’ll arrange to have it repaired,” he replied. “Tyler?”
“Yes, Ranjit?”
“I was proud to work for you.”
I thanked him and felt overwhelmed with shame for letting him down.
The security detail escorted me back to The Lodge and the housekeeper brought me a cup of coffee and sandwich. I asked Ranjit to take my black Mercedes, the car I’d owned for several years, out of the garage and park it in the narrow street near the back gate, just in case I needed to make a quiet exit later. He organised a full production crew, a team of four people who arrived at two o’clock, set up lights in my office and put some make up on my miserable face.
My stomach turned to ice as I prepared to face the most humiliating moment of my life. But that meant nothing to me compared with making sure that Letitia and Charlie were safe.
I wondered how other disgraced politicians may have felt before their resignation speeches, who may have been guilty of obstructing justice or withholding evidence. But I was a hundred times worse than that, guilty of those things plus the heinous crime of murder and the sin of letting another man take the blame. Now I was about to confess every sordid, despicable detail to the world.
Ranjit walked into the room, cool and professional with none of his usual relaxed friendliness. We had suddenly become like strangers and I knew that he must despise me.
“The TV channels and radio stations have sent out an alert that you’re making an important announcement,” he said. “And it’s all over the Internet. We’re ready go live at three o’clock, so everything is running to schedule.”
“Thanks Ranjit. I’ll never forget everything you did. You have a great future ahead of you.”
“Katie and I are engaged. I wanted you to know.”
“Congratulations, that’s wonderful news. I’m sure you’ll be very happy.” Without thinking, I blurted out that Letitia would be thrilled. He didn’t reply.