by Sarah Barrie
‘That man destroyed the family business and turned my own son against me.’
‘No, you did that.’ Cam stood in the doorway, his shadowed face evidence of a long night.
Their father stiffened, his expression sliding into a professional blank canvas. ‘Cameron.’
‘It’s Cam. It’s always been Cam.’ He sighed in resignation and kissed his mother’s cheek. ‘Hi, Mum.’ He dropped into the remaining seat. ‘Lee’s been helping. He deserves gratitude, not hostility.’
‘It appears I can’t be in my children’s company for ten minutes without Lee Dalton walking in and causing all this tension. What are you going to do about your sister?’
‘Do about her?’
‘She’s refusing to come home.’
Cam ran a hand over his hair. ‘Ebs, Ben doesn’t want you back in Hunters Ridge until he’s found Martin.’
Traitor. ‘I’m not running home!’
‘The surgery is going to have to stay closed until the damage is repaired anyway.’
‘It’s not closed. Carla’s got it sorted.’
‘Then it’s sorted. But you can’t go back yet.’
‘Why don’t you come and spend a few days at my place?’ Mia offered. ‘It would be fun. We can do girl stuff.’
‘Now there’s a sensible offer. If you won’t come home, at least recover at Mia’s,’ her father said, and checked his watch. ‘Charmaine, we need to get moving.’ He touched Ebony on the cheek, an old sign of affection. ‘Perhaps while you’re in the city you might at least visit?’
‘Sure, Dad.’ She accepted a hug from her mother and said goodbye.
‘So you’ll come?’ Mia asked.
‘I don’t like the idea of running away.’
‘You’re not running away, Ebs,’ Cam said tiredly. ‘Just taking a few days to feel better while we get you back on track.’
She wasn’t going to win. ‘Okay, then. Thanks, Mia.’
Cam’s phone rang. ‘It’s Ben again.’ He got up to answer it, wandering out into the corridor.
Mia sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed Ebony’s hand. ‘I’m sorry, Ebs. This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t found those puppies.’
‘No, but at least we found – the puppy! Jasper was –’
‘He’s at Ally’s place. Cam grabbed one of your recovery room pens for him. He’s fine, though he’s desperate to play with the big girls.’
‘Not yet.’
‘Lee left in a hurry.’
‘Yeah – he and Dad don’t generally spend time in the same room.’
‘It probably could have been more uncomfortable, but I’m not sure how. It was the same at Cam and Ally’s wedding.’
‘I still can’t believe Dad even came.’
‘He loves you both, Ebs. It’s easy to see that much.’
‘Cam reckons he was just doing it for appearance’s sake.’
‘I don’t think your father does anything he doesn’t want to do.’
‘You have a point. I just wish they’d all get over it.’
‘It must have been pretty bad. Ally said Lee mistakenly arrested some guy and your dad ruined his career over it.’
Ebony nodded slowly. ‘I’d forgotten that’s what I told her. Because it was before I knew her very well. I dulled the story down, because it wasn’t my story to tell and I wasn’t sure I should.’ She sighed. ‘He wouldn’t mind me telling you the real story, not anymore.’ Ebony sat up a bit more, had a sip of water. ‘Lee didn’t arrest the guy, he shot him. Because he thought he was going to kill two policemen. But it turned out he wasn’t armed.’
‘Ouch. Did the guy die?’
‘Yeah. It was his family my father represented in court to get them compensation. He made out Lee was an incompetent police officer, went so far as to suggest he could have been in on it – that he’d been paid by the drug cartel to shut this guy up before he could talk. With all the speculation and pressure on him, Lee turned in his badge.’
Mia grimaced. ‘That’s horrible. No wonder there’s tension there.’
‘Cam managed to prove there was good reason for Lee to believe the information he’d been given was accurate, and that under those circumstances his actions were justifiable. He had the notion Lee was involved with the cartel squashed. Lee was cleared and he could have been reinstated, but the damage was done. Dad – he’s good at what he does. There was still doubt in some of Lee’s colleagues’ minds. So he walked away. That was it.’
‘Well, that gives Lee good cause to dislike your father. It doesn’t really explain the animosity from your father’s side though.’
‘Cam sided with Lee. Left the practice to represent him. Doing so made our father look bad and broke up the family practice. But at the heart of it, I think Dad’s ashamed of himself. He could never admit it – he was doing his job. But Cam stood up against him and did the right thing, despite his job. Who was unethical? Depends on your point of view. But the relationship is broken now. And I don’t know if they can fix it.’
Cam knocked briefly, stepped in. ‘Martin’s taken off. They don’t think he’ll get far. He hasn’t been back to his house to collect anything, his bank account has been frozen and his car is pretty distinctive. They’ll find him.’
‘Dad said to expect that. He must have known he wouldn’t get away with it.’
‘Word is he’s been drinking a lot. Maybe he just snapped. Ben believes he may have already been planning on disappearing and couldn’t resist the chance to get his dogs back and hurt you at the same time. I’ve told Ben you’re staying at Mia’s. He’s happy with that. He’s going to let the Surry Hills police know, just in case. I’ll call Ally back – get her to throw a few more things in that bag of yours so you can head to the city from here. Can you wait around for a while, Mia?’
‘Of course,’ she said brightly, and squeezed Ebony’s hand again. ‘This will be fun.’
‘Here we are.’ They were driving along a typically busy Sydney street. Mia pointed out a terrace house painted in a pretty pale blue, one in a long line that sat along a concrete path bustling with pedestrians and the occasional cyclist. She turned her little car down a narrow laneway bordered by tall fences, then somehow manoeuvred it into a garage.
‘Come through.’ She opened a door that led into a small stainless steel kitchen and a slightly larger living area that was decorated in bright colours. ‘That’s my messy room,’ she said, though Ebony didn’t see much mess, just a bit of happy clutter. Mia continued up a level. ‘This is the main living and dining area and out there is the terrace. There’s a little bathroom through there.’
The whole house was no wider than one medium-sized bedroom but Mia had decorated it carefully to maximise space. The décor was chic and simplistic, white walls and timber floors with bright splashes of fabric, modern artworks, flowers, delicate decorative touches and an overall feminine feel.
‘Moving on.’
Another set of stairs and they were on a tiny landing with just enough room for two doors. ‘This is me.’ Mia threw open one of the doors. A four-poster bed dominated the space and a fireplace sat in one corner. Beyond that, ornate double doors opened to a little balcony.
‘Nice,’ Ebony said.
Mia closed the door, opened the one to the right. ‘Thanks. There’s another level but Dex has already started moving some stuff in, so you can have this one.’
Another little fireplace, a double bed with cool white linen and comfy cushions. Just enough space to squeeze around the side of it. Double doors sat open on the right, revealing a smaller room full of camera equipment and a view of the street. ‘I just have that bit of stuff to stack up in the smaller room upstairs. Dex doesn’t need the space.’
‘Who is Dex?’
‘Oh, I didn’t mention that? Remember I was going to advertise for a boarder? Turns out I didn’t need to. Dex is the son of a friend. He’s studying at Sydney Uni and needed a place to stay.’
‘Where is he?’
> ‘Who knows? You might not even see him. He crashes here most nights but that’s about it. He’s a bit of a party boy.’
‘Oh, okay. Well, I’ll get my stuff.’
They headed back down the stairs, and the next flight, and the next. ‘You’ll get used to it,’ Mia said, guessing Ebony’s thoughts.
She wondered if she would, as she trekked back up them again a minute later.
‘What would you like me to do while I’m here?’
‘Rest and recover. Watch TV, read … whatever you like.’
‘I can’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs.’
‘Ebs, you’re walking like a robot. You’re hurting. I have a particularly comfortable chair on the terrace that is perfect for doing nothing but getting better.’
‘What if I do the cooking?’
Mia grinned. ‘You know how sparkling clean my brand-new-looking kitchen is?’
‘Yes, I noticed that.’
‘That’s because it hasn’t been used. Ever. I had it put in to look the part, but other than storage and tea and coffee, it doesn’t do anything.’
‘So … no?’
‘There are certain advantages and conveniences to the city, such as eating without cooking. What do you feel like? Chinese, Japanese, seafood, Indian, Thai, Italian, Malaysian, Lebanese, Turkish, Mexican –’
‘I get it,’ Ebony laughed. ‘I did used to live in the city, you know.’
‘You just need to get back into the swing of things.’
‘You know what I miss? Tapas.’
‘I can accommodate that later, if you’re up to a short walk. In the meantime, dig out one of your books and try out the chair. I have to play with some images on the computer for a while.’
There was some sort of commotion outside and a car roared off down the street before a young man stumbled through the door. He was tall and strongly built, with olive skin and a riot of dark hair. Green eyes in an attractive face looked over Ebony with interest, before he grinned cheekily at Mia.
‘Guess I’m late.’
Mia’s mouth twitched on a smile. ‘Only by a few hours.’
‘Sorry, Mum.’
‘You call me that again, I’ll kick you out.’
‘Dad said you’re in charge, that you have ultimate authority in all things … and that if I’m ultra-nice you might do the odd load of washing for me,’ he said. ‘Who else would you be?’
‘I’m not doing your washing,’ she replied, but the smile was still on her face. ‘Ebs, this is Dex. He was going to be in and out this morning so he didn’t interrupt you when we arrived.’
‘Yeah – sorry. Nice to meet you,’ Dex said with an endearingly boyish smile. ‘I just got a bit caught up. I’ll, um … go sort a few things, grab a shower. I have a – thing. Uni.’
‘You sure you haven’t missed it? It’s getting late.’
‘Nup.’ He looked sheepish. ‘Just a few of us getting together to … study.’
‘Uh huh. Better get moving then.’
‘Yep. Nice to meet you, Ebony. Wait – I said that already, right? Well, it really is. Bye.’ He went bounding up the stairs.
‘This is Dex’s first year at uni. He’s having his own personal social revolution. He’s been living on campus but Bear’s hoping moving in here might curb some of the partying. I have my doubts.’
‘Bear?’
‘His dad. The old friend of mine I mentioned.’
Ebony raised her eyes. ‘I see.’
Mia pulled a face. ‘Not that kind of old friend. Go settle in. Have a sleep. I’ll get this work done and we’ll go to that tapas bar later if you still feel like it.’
CHAPTER
21
Ebony added another layer of pink nail polish to her toes and studied them with satisfaction. ‘You realise this is the most I’ve had to concentrate on anything for three days?’ she told Mia, who was out on the terrace with her, checking her emails.
‘I don’t know, you seemed to be putting quite a lot of consideration into what you were – and weren’t – saying to your parents last night at dinner.’
‘True. I’m so used to that I didn’t even take it into consideration. Thanks for coming.’
‘I enjoyed it. You’ve got good parents, Ebs.’
‘I love them but they suffocate me.’
‘You’re too independent for them. They want to wrap you up in cotton wool and spoil you.’
‘Yeah, like a doll. Or a five-year-old.’
‘Someone just attacked their daughter, whom they happen to adore. Give them a break.’
‘You’re right.’ She got up and grabbed the catalogues from a pile of mail Mia had beside her. ‘I’m feeling better, but a bit stir-crazy. I need something to do.’
‘Why don’t you exercise that brain of yours then and figure out what you want to do for dinner tonight?’
‘I reckon I must be putting on a kilo a day. Living here with so much choice of food is borderline sinful.’
‘Hasn’t hurt me.’
‘No,’ Ebony agreed. ‘And if I didn’t love you so much I’d hate you for that.’
Footsteps on the stairs had both women turning in their seats. ‘Probably just Dex – oh, hello!’
Ally, Cam and Lee poured onto the terrace. Jasper was wriggling in Lee’s arms.
‘We came to visit,’ Ally said, giving her sister a kiss. ‘Hope you don’t mind.’
‘Well, of course not. Hey, Jasper, hi, baby.’
‘Take him, please.’ Lee pushed the puppy into her arms. ‘I’ve had him all the way here. He didn’t vomit, bonus, but he’s drooled, needed to pee, and chewed my fingers into prunes. He probably needs to pee again.’
‘Can I let him down out here with us, Ebs?’ Mia asked.
‘He should be right. If he starts to get too boisterous, he’ll have to be contained,’ she said. ‘Did you bring his pen?’
‘I’ll go get it,’ Cam offered.
‘What’s happening at home?’
‘Carla and Nick are going okay,’ Ally told her. ‘They’ve set up a temporary exam room in the new building and Nick’s still taking care of call-outs, so the surgery’s still functioning – at least part time, anyway – and your new doors are being installed on Monday. I’ve got Bec looking after my place for the weekend so we could come down.’
‘It’ll be a squeeze,’ Mia said, ‘but you and Cam take the sofa in the messy room, and I’ll make Dex’s bed up for Lee – he won’t be home tonight anyway. We’ll fit. What’s going on with Martin?’
‘Ben’s back here in the city. He said he’ll meet us tonight and update us on the latest,’ Cam said, returning with Jasper’s pen.
‘Right, then relax, bring out that little lounge from inside. I’ll make some drinks.’
‘Before you do, where do you want the pen?’
‘Let’s just put it out here with us for now.’
Jasper settled into his pen and everyone found a spot to sit on the terrace. Someone in the next house over had music playing, something smooth and easy. Mia brought up drinks and snacks.
‘What have you got there, Ebs?’ Ally asked.
She looked up, grinned. ‘Catalogues.’
‘The novelty of junk mail,’ Mia teased. ‘She’s obsessed with them.’
‘Oh look!’ Ebony turned one of those catalogues around to reveal a pretty library of fairy tales. ‘That’s so sweet. Do you want an early baby present?’ she asked Ally.
Mia’s glasses slid down her nose and she stared at Ebony over the rim of them. ‘You should be careful what you put in a kid’s head – especially if this one turns out to be female.’
Ebony frowned in confusion. ‘What’s the harm in fairy tales?’
‘Are you kidding? Fairy tales teach little girls that a woman’s greatest aspiration is to get married – to wait around miserably for some thinks-way-too-much-of-himself male to rescue her, and then she’s only too grateful to tie herself to him for the rest of her life.’
�
�Well, for the rescue and a big fat diamond,’ Ally said.
‘A pink one,’ Ebony said. ‘In my fairy tale, it would have to be pink.’
Mia just rolled her eyes. ‘You know how they get married and that’s the end? Well, there you go – you should think about that. No offence, Ally.’
‘None taken.’
‘Where’s your sense of romance?’ Ebony complained.
‘Based in reality.’ Mia crossed one long leg elegantly over the other and sat back in her chair. ‘Name one truly romantic scene in a fairy tale.’
Ebony tried to think of the best one. ‘Cinderella at the ball.’
‘Uh huh. Blondie tries to hook a prince through lies and deceit, then does the bolt before he finds out who she really is.’
‘That’s a bit harsh.’
‘Ever heard the term “if the shoe fits”?’
‘Mia, that’s terrible,’ Lee said, laughing.
‘Any others?’ Mia asked Ebony.
‘Sleeping Beauty, when he wakes her with a kiss?’ She was asking now, not telling, Ebony realised. Damn Mia.
Mia made a noise of disgust. ‘Some oversexed stranger turns up and starts molesting me while I’m sleeping, my first thoughts are pepper spray and a restraining order. If you’re thinking true love and marriage at that point, you’ve been deprived of oxygen while you were out. You’ll notice too that the so-called heroines are mostly poor, simple folk. You come across a woman with means and power in one of those stories and how are they portrayed? As evil witches. These stories were written by men with an agenda and a fear of strong women. Don’t perpetuate the lie, Ebony.’
Giving up, Ebony glanced down at the pretty story collection again and sighed, flicking the page. ‘Before I continue, does anyone have any moral objections to stuffed animals?’
There were a few smirks, a chuckle. ‘So what’s the plan for the weekend?’ Lee asked.
‘Right now? There is no plan,’ Mia said. ‘What time do you meet Ben?’
‘Whenever he finishes up.’
‘He’s working Saturday?’
‘He’s working every day. He wants the son of a bitch and every day he doesn’t work is a day Martin can slip further through his fingers,’ Cam said.
‘Fair enough.’