It was a team effort, she acknowledged. They’d need all their combined skills to stop O’Sullivan by legal means. And Nick Lawson? The truth about his connection to O’Sullivan must be there, perhaps hidden in plain sight. It galled her to think she may have misread him. She’d always prided herself on accurately reading people’s characters. Everything in her life came down to distilling the truth through the photo. She was seldom wrong. Her first impression of Nicholas Lawson had been one of arrogance and power. He didn’t fit the crime.
But maybe she’d become harder, more immune to the subtleties around her as she struggled to keep her life on an even footing. Immersing herself in her work had been a necessary diversion after Nina’s death. The memory of that desperate medivac was still vivid. It was a photographer’s curse that she could see every detail of that frantic flight in brilliant colour. She closed her eyes and in an instant she was in the jet again, heading away from Kandahar.
Nina’s hand was cold now. Ellie rubbed it for the umpteenth time, trying to bring some colour back to the skin. Her sister’s face hadn’t changed – still serene, at peace, pale as sand in the moonlight. The nurse was hovering.
‘Ellie, you need to get some sleep too. Jacob can give you a sedative.’
‘No point in you collapsing also,’ he added, his accent clipped and European.
‘No. Thanks, but I’m staying put. I’ll move if I’m in your way.’
‘You’re all right.’ The nurse patted her shoulder and headed to the tiny galley in the rear of the jet. They’d been flying for two hours and Ellie could see the rising concern in the frown on the doctor’s face.
Tears spilled over her lids. She bent forwards and rested her damp cheek on Nina’s hand. ‘I’m sorry, Neens. I should have been there for you,’ she whispered. ‘You were always there for me. You never let me down. Not once.’
She felt a movement in the fingers she was clutching so tightly and her head shot up. Was Nina coming out of the coma? Was that a spark of something in her face? Was she trying to open her eyes?
‘Jacob!’
He hurried to her side just as one of the monitor’s alarms started beeping.
‘Damn,’ he muttered and the nurse strode down the aisle. ‘We’re losing her.’
Suddenly, Nina gripped Ellie’s hand with surprising force. Ellie returned the pressure, remembering Nina’s strength. She was strong enough to haul her little sister through the breaking surf. She was tough enough to wave a protest banner in one hand and cling ferociously to Ellie’s wrist with the other as the demonstration against the invasion of Iraq eddied around them, threatening to drag them apart. Yet for all that strength and determination, Nina could be tender enough to dry her sister’s tears with a touch that was gentle and soft.
And then the pressure vanished.
‘Nina? Nina!’ Ellie squeezed hard even as the nurse leant in beside her, fiddling with the tubes from the machines which were now both beeping constantly.
‘Ellie, you need to move.’
Reluctantly, so reluctantly, she unwound her fingers from her sister’s and placed Nina’s hand back on the sheets. It was unresponsive.
‘Nina!’
Ellie knew she was gone. With one last show of her courage, Nina’s spirit had flown.
‘May the angels guide you to Mum,’ Ellie whispered, as the medical staff tried frantically to revive her sister.
They were over the Arabian Sea, no longer in Afghanistan, but Ellie couldn’t see anything as the sobs robbed her of breath. After twenty-four hours of hell, her control snapped.
Ellie opened her eyes to find Shadow licking her hands. Tears were streaming down her face and she palmed them off. ‘Hey, buddy.’ She stroked the big head as he burrowed into her thigh. The memories weren’t quite finished with her.
It had taken another week to get Nina back to Australia and Ellie had, after her meltdown in the aircraft, functioned on autopilot. No tears, no grief until she finally touched down in Australia. And even then her father had needed her, needed her to be strong. Only Alex had seen her crumple, shatter under the strain.
It seemed surreal. Time really was a healer, but still there were moments when the grief forced those memories back to the surface.
Shadow followed Ellie from room to room, aware as only animals can be of the inner turmoil in his mistress, as she sought out the keepsakes of Nina’s life. She ran her finger along the back of a tiny Scotty dog statue on a bookend. Nina had given her the pair for her eighth birthday. Several years later a stray bouncing ball had clipped the edge of one, sending it crashing to the floor. Ellie ran her toe over the dent in the polished floorboards, remembering how Nina held her as she sobbed for her lost dog.
Next to the bookend rested a banksia cone holding a twisted beeswax candle. It was Nina’s one and only attempt at craft. The vanilla perfume lingered still.
In Nina’s bedroom she touched the imprint in the dust on the dressing table. Today she’d collect the film from Garrison. Would it contain more memories of Nina?
She and Ron had been waiting almost twenty minutes, coffees drunk and the small talk drying up when the waitress approached them. ‘Message from Nicholas Lawson, Ellie. He’s running late and will be here in half an hour.’ She smiled at Ellie. ‘He said to say he was really sorry, but something’s come up and he couldn’t get away. He sounded annoyed.’
‘Thank you, young lady,’ said Ron.
‘Another coffee while you wait?’
Ellie declined. ‘No thanks, Amy. I didn’t really have time for him today anyway. I can’t wait any longer. Here’s ten for the bill.’ She turned back to Ron. ‘Come on, let’s get going to Garrison. I’ve got to be at Barry’s photo lab in an hour.’
Ron barely waited for her to start the car as he struggled to get the seatbelt fastened. ‘So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?’
She shot a quick glance at him. ‘You mean Lawson?’
‘Yep.’
‘Right. But don’t get cranky with me.’
‘Depends.’
Ron listened as she poured out the whole story. He shifted his big bulk in his seat and ran a finger around his collar when she spoke of having Nick over for dinner.
‘I said to Mavis that I couldn’t understand why you did that and all she could do was laugh. She reckoned she could understand why. For once I agree with your mate, Alex. You were only asking for trouble.’
‘Thanks, Ron. It’s great to have another dad in this world to save my soul from moral damnation. I’m a grown woman. It seemed like a good idea to get more information. The usual channels aren’t exactly providing truckloads of information, are they?’
‘You know, I always thought you were different to Nina. One little move and all the boys came running.’
‘Of course they did. She was so beautiful. Every photo of her, right from when she was little, shows this gorgeous girl with a brilliant smile.’
‘Sure, but you were always more caring, more trusting. I don’t want to see you hurt again, Ellie.’
‘Thanks, Ronnie. I love you guys for looking after me and for giving me a reason to come home, but I’m not little Ellie any more.’
His smile was sad. Ellie was reminded of a spaniel as Ron shook his head, the bags under his eyes and the swing of his jowls emphasising his age. He should have retired years ago. ‘You’ll always be our little Ellie.’
Her eyes misted as the road meandered up through lush dairy farms. Black-and-white cows watched them go by with soulful brown eyes.
Ellie shot a wry smile at Ron. ‘I’m just sorry I didn’t manage to get any useful information out of him. An underpass for echidnas is hardly earth-shattering. We need more.’
‘Bloody grandstanding to the greenies. That’s all that is.’ The conversation shifted to the legal documents they’d lodged with the courts. Ellie was amazed at some of the insider information Ron had gathered from the council. She wasn’t sure how he’d come by it, but the contents were gold. It m
eant their protest was more likely to have a positive result. The proof connecting Jase, The White Bird and O’Sullivan with the developers was still circumstantial, but she hadn’t given up on it.
They came around the final bend into the jacaranda-lined streets of Garrison where the fallen leaves laid a golden carpet beneath the graceful branches, the sunlight filtering through to warm the ground.
‘Drop you at the council chambers, Ron?’
‘Yeah, that’ll be great. Know where to find me when you get back?’
‘Of course, drinking tea and networking.’
‘You and your networking,’ he snorted, straightening his tie.
‘Sounds better than guys gossiping, doesn’t it?’ she replied.
‘Off you go and leave me to do some work. I’ve got councillors who are as worried as we are about what’s going on. Everything’s off the record, though.’ He waved at her as he shut the door.
She pulled back out into the traffic, pondering his words. How did councillors end up scared of O’Sullivan? A movement caught her eye. Was she imagining it or had a white Commodore been behind her since Half Moon Bay? She took the next turn to the left. The car stayed on her tail. She thought she could see two heads inside. She grinned. Bring it on, boys. Don’t think you can follow me around to make me change my mind. Patience was a necessary virtue in photography and Ellie had it in spades.
She slowed down as she approached a corner and watched as the Commodore’s indicator flicked on a moment after hers. She eased her Honda over the speed bumps, and the Commodore was forced up behind her. She slitted her eyes, trying to make out the features of the men in the front seat. Black sunglasses and nondescript hair.
She weaved her way through the vast undercover car park, slowing at each turning and peering up the lanes, ostensibly checking for parks. The Commodore had pulled into a lane further back and she wondered if they’d grown tired of her ramblings. Time to give them something to whinge about, she thought. She accelerated out of the car park, cutting across the traffic and turning right, heading for the photo lab. They didn’t follow.
‘Hi, Ellie. Some lovely shots here for you. I’ve run the proof sheet and done a couple up that looked spectacular. Black and white really is your medium.’ The dapper little man who ran the lab was a huge fan of Ellie’s work, but even to her critical eye, several of the photos were superb.
‘Barry, you’re a darling. How long if I need a couple of others printed up?’ She ran the magnifier over the sheet, assessing the photos.
‘Go and have coffee with that big hunk of yours and be back in two hours.’
‘Since when was Ron a big hunk to anyone other than Mavis?’ She looked surprised.
‘God, not Ronnie, you silly girl. That big He-Man who strode in here in his suit and barked, “Ellie. Where is she?”’ The technician had his hand on his heart. ‘Of course, I couldn’t see him walk out of here without giving him the once-over. So,’ he paused dramatically, ‘I took him out the back and showed him some of your work. Very impressed he was too. He’s gorgeous, and those big brown eyes. So who is Nick?’
‘Nick? Barry, you’ve clearly been living under a rock. Nicholas Lawson is the engineer in charge of that bloody development at Half Moon Bay and he definitely isn’t gay, so don’t waste your energy there. Anyway, which photos do you still have of mine?’ she asked, half amused, half annoyed.
‘You know I have the biggest collection of your early art shots and several of the war in Afghanistan. You’ve seen them. Oops, speak of the devil, here he is again. Can’t keep a good man down. I’ll look busy, shall I?’
Ellie swung around, half expecting to see the white Commodore, but instead Nicholas Lawson was standing by his LandCruiser with a mobile phone in his hand. Now, that’s a face of thunder, thought Ellie.
26
Ignoring the rain, Nick strode towards the door of the photo lab and paused before he opened it, brushing the droplets from his shoulders. Inside Ellie had her back to him and the guy behind the counter was pretending not to have noticed him. When Nick did open the door, he had a pleasant smile on his face.
‘Barry, thanks. You were right on the money with your timing. Ellie, sorry I missed you in Half Moon Bay, but I couldn’t get away. Amy told me where to find you.’ He kept his grin amiable.
‘What was it you had to talk to me about that’s so urgent to make you drive to Garrison?’ Ellie wasn’t smiling.
‘I’ll buy you a coffee. Barry, too, if you feel the need for a chaperone still?’
‘Ooh, I couldn’t possibly leave the lab, but thank you so much for asking.’ Barry was beaming from pierced ear to pierced ear.
Nick didn’t miss a beat. ‘Right, you choose, Ellie.’ He waited while she fought her inner demons. ‘I can drive or as the song says, I can follow where you lead.’ The words brought a snigger from Barry. Every wit needs an appreciative audience and Ellie was still ignoring him. ‘Anywhere close by you’d recommend, Barry?’ Nick asked.
‘A lovely place three blocks back towards the main street – has the dandiest little courtyard. It’s covered so the rain won’t bother you,’ Barry gushed.
‘So, Ellie. Stop thinking about it and jump in your car. I’m following you, okay?’
She scowled. Her turned shoulder dismissed him. ‘Barry, can you do me seven by tens of numbers six, nineteen, twenty, twenty-two and twenty-four? I’ll be back this arvo.’
Nick followed Ellie’s four-wheel drive back up the road, half wondering if she’d simply keep driving. She didn’t. She stopped outside a renovated cottage. He could read her irritation in her stomp across to the café, shaking the rain from her hair once she reached the porch.
‘So, I was being polite in front of Barry, who incidentally thinks you’ve got the cutest butt, so if you need another dinner date, I’m sure he’s free.’
‘I’m not in the market so you don’t need to set me up.’
‘I can’t believe you had the nerve to track me down here.’
He shrugged. ‘It seemed like the sensible thing to do. If you’d said this morning you were coming to Garrison, I could have met you here. When I rang back to tell you I was on my way, the obliging Amy told me you’d already left for Garrison. She even gave me directions to the photo lab.’
He waved at the waitress as they stood inside the doorway. ‘Just coffees, if that’s all right? A couple of cappuccinos. Table out the back? Cheers.’ He touched the middle of Ellie’s back as he steered her through to the courtyard. Sitting across from him, she avoided his gaze. Last night’s intimacy was still so real in his mind, he felt sure it would show. Ellie looked around at the photos on the wall, her expression remote.
‘None as good as yours,’ he said.
‘And you’re a critic now too, are you? Barry should never have shown you any of my work. He was out of line.’ She glared at him.
‘He’s very proud of you. You have a legion of fans. I’m your latest convert.’ His eyes locked with hers. She looked unmoved.
‘Whatever. What did you want to see me about?’
‘I owe you an explanation, an apology, more than just a brush-off. You deserve that much at least for your commitment to your cause.’
The emotion that flashed across her face gave him hope that she was going to listen. Her gaze stopped on the vee at the top of his white business shirt. He could feel his pulse beating and he wondered if she could see it, if she realised how much he wanted to reach out and kiss her fidgeting fingers, one by one. Startled by the eroticism of his thoughts, he touched his throat with his hand. The blush went all the way to the tips of her ears. The relief he felt was disproportionate. She was no more immune to this misplaced attraction than he was.
He smiled at her as he sat back, trying to reassure her. ‘My work is varied. As part of that I’m given assignments with little knowledge of who’s involved until I’m immersed in it. I carry a gun because sometimes I end up in places I wouldn’t send my worst enemy. I am a consulting engine
er, but I’m more of a troubleshooter. I deal with local governments who sometimes get nasty, subcontractors with real or imagined gripes and union thugs who can be aggressive and have an interesting line in standover tactics.’
He stopped to gauge her reaction. Ellie was doing a good job of keeping her face expressionless, arms crossed tightly across her chest.
He looked up, smiling at the waitress as she placed the two coffees on the table. ‘Thanks for that.’ He turned back to Ellie and pushed the bowl towards her. ‘Sugar?’
‘Yep.’
They stirred their coffee in silence until Ellie looked up again. ‘And?’
He shrugged. ‘What else can I tell you? My boss gets flighty when things get messy. He heard some news last night and thought I should have a heads-up on it. He wanted me back in Sydney and I wanted to stay here. With you.’ He met her eyes, willing her to believe him, but conscious that he was still only giving her a sanitised version of the truth.
She looked down, the coffee cup cradled in her hands. ‘I want to believe you – I do – but there are too many contradictions, too many loose threads . . .’
‘Ellie, please believe me. I can’t tell you everything to do with this development. You are the opposition and I still need to do my job. But once that job’s done,’ he reached across to touch her hand, ‘I will be back.’
Ellie jerked her hand away. She lowered her eyes, but he saw the struggle there. He was still the enemy.
‘Nick, I’m not going to deny I’m attracted to you.’ Her laugh was brittle. ‘Last night proved that, but I don’t need that complication right now. Let’s just do our jobs and get on with it.’
Nick sat back in his chair. ‘Ellie, if I have to walk away from you to prove I care, I will. When it’s all over, just promise me you’ll listen to me then. Please.’
‘When you decide you can be totally honest with me, come back and see me.’ She shrugged, sitting up straight. ‘Until then, I’ll carry on doing everything in my power to stop your developer. If I bump into you after we win the court case, I’ll buy you a drink. Oh, and tell those idiots in the white Commodore they shouldn’t have graduated from spy school.’
Half Moon Bay Page 17