As they crossed the road, Daphne giving the perfect impression of a well-behaved traffic-aware pooch, Erica shook her head with consternation. ‘So, have you played me – you just wanted a walk and there’s no big emergency?’ she whispered. As Erica strode along with Daphne beside her, she wondered if the dog was looking for the perfect spot for her smelly deposit – so far she hadn’t even done a wee, so that seemed the only reason left for being woken up and practically dragged out of the house. Erica relaxed and took in her surroundings. Oh well, it was actually nice out – cold but not freezing – and there was an energetic hum to the suburb but no traffic was rushing past. Erica liked how safe she felt having the dog beside her.
She walked Daphne to the park and the dog didn’t object when she sat on the bench. ‘You don’t need a poo either, do you, missy?’ she said, reaching down and patting the dog, who was now contentedly lying at her feet. Maybe there is a ghost in the house, she thought. Is that it? Was the atmosphere too tense for you? Erica had always thought it was the thunder that terrified dogs in thunderstorms, but maybe it was the electricity in the atmosphere too. Was that similar to what surrounded ghosts? As she sat, the tiredness began to creep in again. She yawned. She checked her watch and was surprised it was only a little after midnight.
She was too heavy to move, so she stuffed her hands into her pockets and shuffled back into the seat. After a few moments she pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through Facebook and then, when she didn’t see a post from either of her daughters in her feed, brought up Mackenzie’s profile. No new postings for the last day or so. Most likely they were out of range or having enough fun to forget social media. When the grittiness of her eyes became unbearable, she tucked the phone back into her pocket. Daphne chose that moment to get up, walk to the end of the lead and squat. She then turned and stood gazing at Erica and waving her tail slowly back and forth.
‘Finally! Can we go back now, naughty girl?’ She stood up and gave the lead a gentle tug. She was pleased when Daphne happily fell in beside her.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Erica turned the corner at the end of her street and then stopped at seeing flashing red and blue lights ahead. It looked like three police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck were parked in front of her house or the next one on or back this way. God, she hoped nothing serious had happened. She suddenly felt bad again for not having got to know the neighbours. Could she have lent assistance if they’d had her number to call?
‘Come on, Daphne, something’s happened. Let’s see what’s going on.’ She strode forwards, her heart beginning to match her quickening pace, both increasing the closer she got.
Erica got to the first police car, which was a few houses back from hers at the cross street. A young woman officer was standing speaking into a walkie-talkie. What’s with the bright blue disposable gloves – is that part of their uniform now? she thought. As Erica waited for her to finish, she noticed another uniformed officer come out of her gate. What the hell? Hang on, could be a doorknock in progress. She went to rush in to let him know she was there now. God, though, it must be serious to be doing it at this hour. Or perhaps it’s an evacuation. Has an ice lab been found nearby? It was happening more and more these days. That would explain the protective gloves. But as she moved past the young officer beside her, she felt her arm taken hold of.
‘What’s going on?’ Erica asked.
‘I’m going to have to stop you there.’
‘But I live there, at number fifty-three – just where he came out of,’ Erica said, pointing. The officer seemed a little startled to see her there. Not surprising given it was now well after midnight. Who walks their dog at that hour?
‘Oh.’ The look on the officer’s face threw Erica. What was it – concern for her? Pity? ‘You live at number fifty-three?’
‘Yes. I just had to take the dog out – it’s not my dog. I’m Shut up, Erica. Facts. She doesn’t care if it’s your dog or not. Just answer the questions.
The officer held up her hand as if to silence Erica or indicate to one of the other officers nearer Erica’s gate – she couldn’t tell which. And then she spoke into her radio. Erica stared at the hand clad in disposable glove, the blue colour of which appeared almost neon and a little mesmerising to her tired eyes.
‘Sarge, I have the home-owner here.’
‘Roger that. Can you bring them over?’ came the response. Erica strode forwards, her legs a little quivery.
‘Do you normally go walking at midnight?’ the woman beside her asked.
‘No. She insisted. Woke me up.’
The officer was looking at Daphne. ‘She’s lovely,’ she said, looking down at the dog.
‘Yes. She’s not mine, though. Please tell me what’s going on,’ she said, peering from the young woman to the older male officer now just in front of her.
‘Sarge, this woman said she lives here,’ the younger officer cut in, nodding towards Erica’s house.
‘Right,’ the sergeant said. ‘And you are?’
‘Erica Cunningham. I’m Erica Cunningham. What’s happened? What’s going on?’ Erica’s insides were winding tighter and tighter.
‘And you live here – at number fifty-three?’
‘Yes.’ Christ, how many times do I have to say this? What the fuck is going on? ‘And I’d appreciate you telling me what’s going on, thanks.’
‘Can I have your keys and permission to access your house?’ the sergeant said, holding his hand out.
‘Why?’
Erica wanted to hold them for ransom, make them tell her what was going on, but instead pulled her bunch of keys from her pocket and placed them in his hand while she nodded.
‘We’ve found an intruder inside your home.’
A what? Oh shit. Erica opened her mouth, but no words came out.
‘Which one is to the front door?’
‘Oh. Um.’ Erica’s brain froze. She’d used the same key most days for nearly a decade and suddenly couldn’t remember what it looked like.
‘It’s okay, there’s no rush. I’ll figure it out,’ he said, turning away.
‘Yellow. The one with the yellow rubber on it is for the main door and the black one is the security screen,’ she called. ‘But the screen should be unlocked,’ she added.
Hang on, how can you have found an intruder inside if you couldn’t get in? Confusion and dread engulfed her.
At that moment Erica noticed that her driveway gate was open and firefighters were coming out carrying a ladder. What the fuck! Tension and fear now rushed around inside her. She was also suddenly very cold.
Is my house on fire, too? She looked up and couldn’t see any smoke. I’ve only been gone less than half an hour or so and I was asleep, so I couldn’t have left a hot plate or anything on. She’d meant to say this aloud, but the words hadn’t come. Erica wrapped her arms around herself; Daphne leant against her leg and she looked down, grateful for the warmth and support.
Suddenly there was a burst of muffled chatter on the radios, and Erica noticed her front door open.
‘It’s okay – looks like we won’t be needing them after all,’ the officer said, handing Erica’s keys back.
Erica’s eyes bugged and her heart thudded hard when two female officers came out onto her verandah with someone between them. As they moved down the steps and then into the orange glow cast by the streetlight, the shape of the figure, clothed all in black, looked a little familiar. Erica tried to remember where she knew the slight woman from. And then it hit her.
‘What the fuck? Kayla? What the hell is she doing here?’
Kayla looked up at hearing her name. Her gaze wandered over Erica’s face, paused for a brief moment and then moved on. The smooth, pale skin she’d made up just weeks earlier seemed drawn and colourless and was dotted with a few angry-looking sores.
‘Oh. Do you know her?’ the sergeant asked.
‘Yes. Well, not really. I’ve met her a couple of times. At work.’
She watched as they put her into the back of a paddy wagon parked just the other side of her gate.
‘Right. Did you give her access to your home?’ asked the sergeant beside her.
‘No. Of course not. How did she –?’
‘Your neighbour over the back called it in – said they’d seen what they thought was a trespasser accessing your roof space via the tiles.’
Via the what? Oh. What the absolute fuck? Erica opened her mouth. Her heart was now threatening to squeeze between her ribs and jump right out of her chest. And right then the source of several of the noises clicked into place in her mind. That’s what she’d heard. She knew the sound of roof tiles being moved because of when they’d had some repairs done to the roof.
‘She’s been inside my house?’ Erica whispered.
‘Yes. I’m afraid so.’
‘But why?’
‘Could be any number of reasons. But from a guess, I’d say drugs might be involved – most likely meth – ice – from my experience. So, you weren’t aware you had a stalker?’
‘A what? No. Oh my god.’ Erica sensed the blood draining from her face and then all the tension rush from her. She put her hand out to the police car and steadied herself against it. ‘I’ve been hearing noises, but … Honestly, I thought I had a possum or was going mad, or something. I’m terrified of heights, so I didn’t go up the ladder to check. There’s floorboards in the rafters but it’s not a proper fitted-out attic or anything. Meth is what they cook, isn’t it? Was she doing that up there?’
‘No. If that had been the case, we would have had to evacuate you and your neighbours due to the risk of explosion. So that’s something.’
‘It’s probably just as well you have that fear and didn’t go up,’ another uniformed officer said, appearing beside them, apparently overhearing. ‘Is this your knife?’ she asked, holding up a plastic bag with large knife inside.
‘Yes.’ It was the one she’d noticed missing from the set on the bench. ‘Oh my god. Did she have it? I couldn’t find it the other day. Has she, has she been in my house, not just my roof?’ Erica began to shiver uncontrollably.
‘It looks that way, yes. I think you’d better sit down. You’re looking very pale.’
‘Here, take a seat in here,’ the first younger officer said, grabbing Erica’s elbow and gently guiding her into the back seat through the door that had somehow magically opened without her realising. She suddenly remembered Daphne when the dog clambered in onto her lap. She hoped the police wouldn’t mind, but she couldn’t muster enough energy to ask. She wrapped her arms around the dog as she sank into the firm upholstery. A few tears fell.
‘I think she might have just saved my life,’ she muttered.
‘Sorry?’ the younger woman officer said from outside, leaning in towards Erica.
‘She woke me up and made me leave the house.’ The tears turned into a trickle.
Erica detected movement outside the car and then heard one of the officers’ voices: ‘No, I’m sorry, but you can’t go any further.’
Erica stared out of the car, not really seeing, focussing on getting her breathing under control and then wiping the tears away. As her vision cleared, she realised two different people, dressed in civilian clothing, were standing a little way away facing the house with their backs to her. She frowned, thinking the young woman closest to her looked like Mackenzie. But she must be mistaken. She blinked several times in an attempt to clear her mind and vision. And when she opened her eyes again, the person had moved closer and it was definitely Mackenzie standing nearby, with her hands on her hips in a defiant stance. And just the other side of Mackenzie stood Issy with her arms wrapped protectively across her stomach. Erica gently pushed Daphne from her lap and out of the car, being sure to keep hold of the lead, and then clambered out herself and onto shaking legs that could now barely hold her up.
‘Mackenzie? Issy?’
‘Mum!’ Mackenzie said, rushing into Erica’s arms.
‘Thank god you’re okay!’ Issy said, joining the crush. Erica held on to them against the dizziness now engulfing her. Am I dreaming? Having a seizure? A stroke?
‘Mum, what’s going on?’ Mackenzie said.
‘Is it really you?’ Erica said, standing back from them and putting a hand to each of their faces.
‘Of course it’s us, silly,’ Mackenzie said.
‘Yep. It really is,’ Issy said.
‘But you’re meant to be overseas. What are you doing here?’
‘We came back,’ Issy said.
‘I can see that. But why? Has something happened? Are you okay?’ She scrutinised them. Other than seeming much older – unbelievably so – they looked fine.
‘God, Mum, we should be asking you. The woman down the road said a stalker was captured in the roof or something,’ Mackenzie said.
‘Yes. But hang on. Why didn’t you say you were coming back early?’
‘We didn’t want to worry you,’ Issy said.
‘But why? Has something happened?’
‘No, nothing. And we wanted to surprise you,’ Issy said.
‘Well, you’ve certainly done that. Have you had a fight?’ But as she said it, Erica realised that if they had they probably wouldn’t have both come back. And there didn’t seem to be any tension between them, just a collective concern for her. They looked to have an even tighter bond, if anything. Though coming home to a shocking situation like this might do that.
‘We missed you too much, Mum,’ Issy said.
‘Oh, darling, Issy. I missed you, too. Both of you,’ she said, opening her arms wide again and hugging them.
‘Yup. A couple of weeks in and we’ve come home not because we ran out of money or couldn’t stand each other but because we were homesick,’ Mackenzie said. ‘Shortest gap year in the history of gap years.’ Erica looked for the glint in her eye that said her words were an attack on her sister, but there was nothing but kindness. ‘And no, it wasn’t Issy. It was me.’
‘It was me too, Mum,’ Issy said.
‘I don’t think we’re cut out for travelling,’ Mackenzie said.
‘And that’s perfectly okay. It’s okay to change your mind.’
‘We’ve probably set some sort of record,’ Mackenzie said.
‘Oh, who’s this?’ Issy said, suddenly noticing the red kelpie standing nearby at the end of her long lead. ‘Did you get a dog?’
‘No. This is Daphne. Michelle’s dog. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.’ The three of them patted the dog. ‘Hang on a second. Were you going to wake me up in the middle of the night banging on the door?’ Erica said. ‘You know that would have scared the crap out of me, right?’
‘Yeah. Sorry. We didn’t really think that bit through,’ Mackenzie said.
‘We just wanted to get home,’ Issy said.
‘To be fair, we were held up in customs. Otherwise it would only have been ten-thirty. Which isn’t actually late,’ Mackenzie said.
‘Oh my god. What’s happened?’ They looked up to see Steph in front of them.
‘Steph, what are you doing here?’ Erica said.
‘I recognised your house on the news. Mackenzie, Issy, what the hell are you doing here?’
‘Got sick of travelling,’ Issy said.
‘Yeah. Needed our mum,’ Mackenzie said, shrugging. They all hugged again.
‘The news? Huh?’ Erica said.
‘Yes, there’s a contingent of media back there. A whole bloody swarm of them – both sides,’ she said, tossing her head.
God, how long have I been standing here? Erica looked around to see cameras and journalists standing behind the police car on the other side of her house where they’d taken Kayla. She looked back behind her and saw more – or at least a small crowd of people holding mobile phones up.
‘Mum had a stalker in the roof,’ Mackenzie said after hugging Steph.
‘What? Bloody hell. Hang on, has something happened with you two as well? Are you ok
ay?’
‘Yeah. We just missed our mum,’ Mackenzie said.
‘Yep, that’s all there is to it.’
‘Oh, bless you,’ Steph said, hugging them.
‘Pathetic, huh?’ Mackenzie said.
‘Nope. Not at all.’
Chapter Twenty-eight
‘Which one of you is the home-owner?’
Erica looked past Issy and Mackenzie to find a firefighter standing in front of her. ‘That’s me. I’m Erica.’
‘Just to let you know, we’ve put the tiles back in place on your roof, but you really should get someone in to double-check. Just to be on the safe side.’
‘Okay. Thanks. Thanks so much.’
‘All part of the job. Lucky for you it isn’t raining,’ he added and waved as he walked away.
Erica nodded in response.
‘What’s with the ambulance being here?’ she asked.
‘Precautionary, I should imagine,’ Steph said.
So many parts of this could have been so much worse. Erica didn’t want to think about it. ‘Makes sense. God, I’m exhausted,’ she said, rubbing her eyes.
‘I can’t believe she was in your roof.’
‘Yeah.’
‘But at least it means you’re not going mad.’
‘Yes. Thank goodness. That’s a relief.’
‘Do you want to come back and stay at my place?’
‘That would be good. Oh, but all Daphne’s things are inside.’
‘She can come too.’
‘Honestly, I’m not sure I have the brain capacity to organise me, let alone her too. And now the girls are here …’
‘Fair enough.’
‘What do you think I need to do? I’m not sure I’ll get to sleep, but I wouldn’t mind going inside.’
‘Yeah. We’ve been on a plane for like forever,’ Mackenzie said.
‘I’m knackered,’ Issy said.
‘I still can’t believe you’re here,’ Erica said, smiling up at them.
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