by Lois Kay
* * *
Despite the late hour, there was another couple that was still awake. Without too much trouble, Jody and Sam had managed to find their way into the bedroom, where they had crashed on the bed and indulged in a session of passionate love making. It had left them spent and tired, but they were so happy and content neither of them wanted to go to sleep. Jody was snuggled against Sam’s side, her head on her chest and one leg draped across Sam’s.
“Is it very hedonistic of me to say that I love the feel of your naked body against mine?” she asked with a sleepy voice, rubbing her foot against Sam’s leg.
“Hedonistic?” Sam’s voice sounded lazy. “Um...I don't know, my love. Let me think. Nope.”
“You're too kind,” Jody mumbled.
“Thank you,” Sam replied. “You're not so bad yourself.”
Jody chuckled and thought about pinching Sam, but she was so sated and relaxed she could hardly lift her arm. “Do you think we woke anybody up?” Jody's voice held a hint of concern.
“When?” Sam asked with a laugh. “When we bumped into the kitchen table, nearly knocking that vase off, or down the hall, when you begged me to stop, which I actually took as an encouragement?”
Jody grunted. “I didn't beg.” When Sam didn't answer, she lifted her head and risked a peek into a pair of twinkling blue eyes. “Did I?”
“I’m not sure, honey.” Sam chuckled. “You did sound a bit urgent.”
Jody hid her face against Sam's shoulder to hide her blush, but Sam could feel the heat radiating against her already warm skin. “Don't worry about it,” she whispered, pressing a kiss against Jody’s temple. “You were adorable and very....um.... inspiring.”
Jody tightened her grip on Sam’s body. “I love you, Sam. Even though you’re the world’s biggest tease.”
* * *
“It's a good thing you convinced me to buy such a big table last year,” Sarah grinned. She peered inside the kitchen, where all their guests were assembled for breakfast. “At least we can fit all of them in there now.”
“Well, honey,” Megan answered, shooting Sarah a fond look. “You just admitted I have good ideas from time to time.”
Sarah winked and opened the kitchen door. “I knew that,” she said wryly. “The past five years you have proven yourself repeatedly.”
“It’s in the job description.” Megan mumbled, following Sarah into the kitchen, where Joan McDonnell was cooking breakfast for everybody.
“Mom, you make the best pikelets,” Jody complimented her mother, with a mouthful of the pancake like breakfast item. “They’re the best I’ve ever tasted.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice when she remembered all those mornings away from home, trying to live with the knowledge that she didn’t know if she would ever have any contact with her family again. Sam and Megan heard the subtle change in her voice and they exchanged a knowing glance, before Sam reached out and gave Jody’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“What are your plans today, Mom?” Lucy asked, sipping from her hot coffee.
Joan McDonnell turned around and glanced at her three daughters, who were looking at her expectantly. She was tired after a, mostly sleepless night. The room and bed Megan and Sarah had so generously provided her with had been very comfortable, but her waking hours had been occupied by worrying, while the few hours of sleep had been plagued by restless dreams. “I think I should let your father know that I’m alright,” she answered, ignoring the soft snort coming from Fiona. “I have to consider your brother as well. I don't want Michael to think I abandoned him. God knows what your father might have told him already,” she added bitterly.
“So, is your plan to go over there?” Jody asked, her eyes full of worry.
“Don't you think that would be the best way to handle this?” Joan McDonnell answered with a question of her own.
Jody bit her lip and nodded. She wasn’t pleased at all that her mother was going to confront their domineering father on her own. As if Lucy had read her mind, she put down her coffee cup and turned to fully face her mother. “I'll come with you,” she said in a tone that didn't leave much room for arguing. “I’m not letting you go by yourself.”
“But—”
No, Mom.” Lucy was insistent. “I’ll come with you. If you insist, I'll stay in the car, or outside the door if you really want me to, but you’re not going alone.”
Fiona, who had been uncharacteristically quiet looked from Lucy to her mother and back. She had put down her fork and had not taken one bite since the start of the conversation. She used her fork to push around the food on her plate. When Jody looked at her she saw the pained expression on Fiona’s face.
“Are you going to leave him?” Fiona finally asked, not daring to look at her mother.
Joan McDonnell put down the spoon she was holding and leaned against the kitchen counter for support. The question Fiona had asked her was the same one that had been floating through her mind all night. She tried not to see the hurt expression on her daughters’ faces when she gingerly touched her bruised cheek. “I have thought about it,” she answered truthfully. “It depends a lot on your father. We have some very important issues to resolve, but if he.... if he is.... if he doesn't see we have a problem, I....might....I think I will leave him.”
“If you do, what will happen to me and Mike?” Fiona asked, her voice was unsteady and Jody and Lucy could hear the fear. “You’re not leaving us with him, are you?”
“No, sweetheart. I will never leave you, or your brother,” Joan promised. “If your father and I decide to.... split up, it will be your decision where you want to live. I promise.”
“But where will we go?”
“If Mom decides to leave Dad, we’ll help,” Jody answered. She looked from her mother to Fiona. “We’ll find you a place. Don't worry about it.”
“And if you want to, you can stay here for a while,” Sarah added, after exchanging a look with Megan who had given her a nod. “As you may have noticed, we have lots of room.”
Joan McDonnell blinked away tears when she shot the two young women, who had been strangers to her until the previous day, a grateful look. “I don’t feel I deserve your kindness, but thank you. Thank you very much.”
* * *
“I’ll only drive down to the main road, pick up the mail and come back up.” Megan sent Sarah a pleading look. “Believe me, I won't go any further and besides, I’ll take the dog with me.”
“It's a great dog,” Jody said with a grin. “But he'd sooner lick a person to death than attack him.”
“Hey! Don't you start insulting my dog,” Megan warned, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.
“It's perfectly safe, Sarah,” Sam spoke in Megan’s defense. “Somewhere down the road, there's a police car hiding. I know it's there, even though we didn't see it last night.”
“Maybe they didn't show up,” Sarah mumbled.
“They did,” Sam answered. “Inspector Wong promised they’d be there. But if it makes you feel any better, I can go with Megan, so she doesn’t need the dog. We'll be back in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Sarah relented. “But still, I have this......never mind. Go get the mail. We need to continue our lives like it's normal, right? Next week we’ll have our anniversary party and I'd like to know who’s coming, so, go get the mail. It's about time we make a list of guests.”
“We’ll be back before you know it.” Sam smiled at Jody, her blue eyes were clear and alert, despite the lack of sleep.
Jody felt her cheeks go warm when she remembered the previous night and blushed when Sam winked at her, knowing they were having the same thoughts.
Of course, Lucy noticed and with a grin she shot Jody a look. “It’s warm in here, isn't it, Pea?”
She laughed when Jody shot her a lethal look and decided to torture her some more. “You and Sam came back home late, didn’t you? I can't remember hearing you come home, or.... wait!” Lucy suddenly sat up straight, her dark eyes were full of mirth. “
Maybe I did hear. See, I woke up because I heard a thump and—”
Sarah, who witnessed the teasing, popped up behind Lucy and covered her mouth with her hand. She leaned forward and winked at Jody, who sent her a grateful smile and decided to take the opportunity to get out of the kitchen.
“Lucy,” Sarah said in a no-nonsense voice. “There’s a time to speak and there’s a time to shut up. This is a time to shut up.” She uncovered Lucy's mouth and sat down in the empty chair next to her. “I know you like teasing, but believe me, this is not the right time. Of course, you heard them,” there was a laugh in her voice. “I think we all did, at least, when they came in and nearly broke down the kitchen. But Jody is very sensitive about these kinds of things.”
“Okay, point taken.” Lucy stretched and yawned. “And I guess you're right. Besides, I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of Sam’s paybacks.” She felt Fiona’s eyes on her and with a raised eyebrow she looked up. “What’s on your mind, Red?”
Fiona shrugged. “I was thinking you’d probably like to go with Megan and Sam.”
Lucy frowned. “Why would I want to?”
“There’s supposed to be police presence somewhere down the road.” Fiona paused and smirked when she saw the comprehension slowly dawn on Lucy’s face. When her face turned pink, Fiona laughed out loud. Before Lucy could respond, Fiona exited the kitchen. Unseen to Lucy’s eyes, Fiona high-fived Jody who had been outside the door and had heard the entire conversation.
* * *
“I’ve seen this view several times now and it is still breathtaking,” Sam said as she and Megan drove down the road.
“I know what you mean,” Megan responded. “We’ve been living here for almost five years and the scenery never gets boring. I love living here. We are close to, so called civilization, but it feels like we live way out in the bush. And the wildlife on our property is so diverse. We even have Koalas around.” Megan glanced to her left, before focusing on the road again. Sam missed the sparkle in her eyes. “I could have sworn I heard a few of them last night. Their grunting is very distinctive.”
“Really?” Sam answered. “I didn't hear—” She fell silent and looked at Megan through narrowed eyes. Megan noticed the look and laughed out loud when she saw the annoyed expression on Sam's face, mixed with embarrassment.
“Don't worry, Sam, I’m just teasing.” Megan grinned. “We only heard you two come in, that's all. You apparently forgot that most of the bedroom doors are in the hallway behind the kitchen. Once you got to the bedroom we didn't hear anything anymore. I swear.”
Sam grinned sheepishly and tried not to blush, which failed miserably. “I guess we were carried away by the moment,” she explained. “I'm sorry if we—”
“Don't apologize,” Megan interrupted. “You two are crazy about each other, so don't apologize for moments of passion. Enjoy them. I’m thrilled to see Jody so happy.”
It did take Sam and Megan less than five minutes to reach the bottom of the hill. There was a large pile of mail shoved in the mailbox and while Megan was trying to organize it into a neat stack, Sam took the opportunity to check her phone for messages. With a few taps she opened her email and raised an eyebrow when she saw she had three emails from her brother. The first one was a request to give him a call whenever she had a moment. It wasn’t urgent. The second email reminded her to send their father an update. When she opened and read the third and last email, Sam nearly dropped her phone.
From: [email protected]
Hi, Sam,
There’s something I need you to know. I had the IT department track any online activity in regards to The Reef. This afternoon (my time) an HR file was accessed. It was Jody McDonnell’s. I should be really pissed at you for not telling me about her, but I’m sure you have your reasons. Don’t let me worry too long, alright? And no, I won’t tell Mom and Dad. I’ll leave that up to you. I hope you know what you’re doing. Anyway, do you have any idea why her HR file was accessed since there seem to be no changes?
Be careful, Sam. I mean it.
Love ya,
Tom
After having read the message for the third time, Sam slid her phone in her back pocket. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she could lose her breakfast at any moment.
“Sam?” Megan asked. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Sam took a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. “Megan. Jody…I…Are you Jody’s emergency contact?”
Megan nodded. “Yes, I think I’m the first one. Lucy is the second one. Why?” Megan took a step closer. “Sam, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“We need to get back to the house,” Sam replied, already getting back into the car. “Right now, Meg.”
Megan slid into the driver’s seat and turned the car around to travel back up the hill. “Sam, talk to me. You’re scaring the crap out of me.”
“Someone accessed Jody’s HR file.”
There was a brief silence in which Megan let what Sam had told her sink in. “Oh, shit,” she said. When she glanced at Sam her eyes were dark with worry. “They have our address.”
The road was narrow, wide enough for only one car, but Megan, who had been driving that road every day for years, knew exactly how to navigate the bumpy surface. Her foot pressed down on the gas and for a moment, the back tires were aimlessly spinning, before they gripped the surface and propelled the car forward. They were halfway up the hill when Megan suddenly hit the brakes and brought the car to a full stop. She pressed her hand against her mouth and muffled a scream. Sam followed her glance and immediately the hairs on the back of her neck rose. A chill ran down her spine and all her senses were on alert. About twenty meters in front of them a dark car they had not noticed on the way down was visible through ferns and shrubs. The doors were open and two slumped figures were sitting in the front. They were not moving.
A cold fear gripped Megan’s heart. “Sam,” she whispered. “Why didn’t we see this on the way down?”
Sam swallowed and her eyes frantically scanned the area. The bush was eerily quiet. Nothing moved, even the breeze was absent. It was a green wall of deadly stillness. “Because, whatever happened, only happened a few minutes ago.” Sam opened the door and swung her legs outside of the car. “Stay here Megan. If something happens...get the hell out of here. Put the car in reverse and make a run for it and don't stop until you reach the police station.”
“But—”
“Megan, please.” Sam's voice was strained with emotion when she realized the situation had escalated into something that was life-threatening. Her chest constricted when she thought about the five women in the house. They were defenseless. The thought about Jody being in danger made her sick to her stomach. Sam cautiously stepped out of the car. Her senses were on full alert. She felt the blood pumping through her veins and her breathing increased. Perspiration formed on her forehead and the palms of her hands were sticky and wet. She pushed the car door close with a soft click. Her heart was pounding when she approached the dark car with the two still figures. As soon as she came closer she could see blood on the inside of the windscreen and she took a few deep breaths. With a dry, crackling noise a little twig broke under her foot and she held her breath, listening for any sound that would indicate they were not alone. Only after a few minutes of dead silence, Sam slowly resumed her walk toward the car, which she was sure was an unmarked police car. She finally reached the back of the sedan and it took all her courage to look inside.
In the front of the car two men were slumped in their seats. There was no movement and Sam could clearly see neither of them was showing any signs of life. The blood on the windscreen was much more than just that and reality hit her with an almost physical blow. Both men were shot in the back of their head. Sam had to turn away and take a few deep breaths to avoid throwing up.
Megan, who hadn't taken her eyes off Sam, could see the horror in her eyes and she felt her blood run cold. “S
arah,” she whispered.
With a few long strides, Sam arrived back at the car and opened the door. Her face was pale, even her lips were white. “Megan,” she said, her voice cracked. “I need you to turn around and go to the police station. I’ll call them and let them know you’re on your way. Lock your doors and don’t stop for anyone.”
“But Sam, what about you?” Megan asked with a quivering voice. “What about Sarah and Jody and the rest. Sam, I—”
“You need to get out of here and tell the police what we found, Megan,” Sam stressed. “You’ve got to keep it together, okay? I’ll call the police right now and make my way back up to the house.” She gestured toward the car on the side of the road. “This has just happened. If I take the short cut I may be able to beat them to it and get everyone out of the house before they get there. I’ll go straight through the bush and skip the corners.”
“What if you run into them?”
“I’ll try to avoid that, but if I do, at least it will give me the opportunity to buy some time. Go, Megan.”
Sam turned around and sprinted toward the side of the road, disappearing into the green wall of bushes, shrubs and trees. Megan swallowed hard, turned the car around and headed down the hill with breakneck speed. She tried hard not to think about all the things that could happen to Sarah and their friends.
* * *
As soon as she reached the tree line, Sam pulled out her phone and quickly punched in the already too familiar phone number of Inspector Wong. Her call was answered on the second ring.
“Broadbeach Pol—”
“Inspector Wong. This is Sam Stevens. They’re here.”
“What?”
“They’re here. I found two of your men, inside the car. They—” Sam swallowed hard. “They were shot.”
Sam heard a sharp intake of air. “Are they—”
“I’m sorry, yes.” Her voice cracked.
Only years of experience made it possible for Inspector Wong to pull herself together as fast as she did. “Where are you?”
“On my way, back up to the house. I sent my friend, Megan, to the police station. We had gotten the mail and found the car on our way back up the house. It…it just happened.” “You’re on foot?”