Kiwi Strong (New Zealand Ever After Book 3)

by Rosalind James

  I said, “What, other than that I’m rubbish today?”

  “Migraine again, eh,” Drew said. Luke just looked at me, steady and silent as always. Kane’s face was more sympathetic. But then, Kane hadn’t invested as much as the others.

  I was responsible for this. Nobody else.

  I said, “Yesterday. It happens a couple times a month. Odd that I’d get another one just before this meeting. Or,” I forced myself to go on, “maybe not so odd, because I’m under the pump and no mistake. I’m training a new foreman, but he’s not there yet. We haven’t fallen further behind, and I’ve got nine new fellas on, but it’s still going to be a stretch. And …” I took a breath and said it. “It looks like we’ll miss the deadline for foundation completion on the music studios.”

  Drew asked, “What does that mean?”

  I said, “Means we forgo the bonus.”

  “So not a penalty,” Luke said. “Monetarily.”

  “In fact,” I said, “it is. You count on the bonus when you calculate profit.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be late?” Drew asked.

  “Unless something changes fast,” I said, “yes. There’s something worse than forgoing the bonus, and that’s cutting corners. I’ve got to do it right, even if that means being late. No choice.”

  “Not worth getting somebody killed,” Luke said.

  “No,” I said. “It’s not. Or having problems down the road, either. It’s got my name on it. We’re doing it right.”

  “So,” Drew said. “You’ve told us. Did Hayden come up with some answers?” he asked Luke.

  “Yeh,” Luke said. “Some good ideas, I think. It’ll mean another investment, though. He’s prioritized things that he thinks will bring maximum reward for minimum outlay, but it’s still outlay.”

  Everybody was silent as they digested that. Whether to sink more into this, or to cut and run.

  “If you go on like this for the entire project,” Drew said. “Or for both projects. If nothing changes. Will you be late on the final?”

  I had to say it. “Yes. I would be. But I don’t plan to go on like this for the entire project. I’ve taken on more men, and I’ll be putting in whatever funds I need to in order to recruit more. Time to get a hiring firm on it, though, and have them do the checks, so we can get them hired faster. I should’ve done that sooner. I’ll be getting them onto it on Monday.”

  “And the migraines?” Drew asked. “What does the doctor say?”

  “I haven’t gone,” I said. “I’ve got tablets. Not much they can do, otherwise.”

  Drew didn’t say anything, but he may as well have. That’s not why. It’s because you don’t want to know.

  “What kind of triggers do you have?” That was Kane, talking for once. “Victoria gets migraines. My wife. I can predict them before she does, because they happen when she’s not paying attention. When she’s too stressed, too busy at work, stops taking care of herself.”

  “Well, yeh,” I said. “Stress, lack of sleep, not eating.”

  “That’d be the answer you want it to be,” Drew said. “Make sure it’s not the answer you go to, just because you want it.”

  Bloody hell, this was uncomfortable. “Got it,” I said.

  “Tell us in a week,” he said. “Listen to Hayden’s presentation, and make a plan. Then tell us what you plan to do. And we’ll decide about the money. Vote, eh.”

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  Drew stopped pulling the cart and turned to face me. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, “I’ve known you a long time. I trust your judgment. I always have. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have put my money in. You’re not saying you’re going down the tubes. If you were, you’d tell us.”

  “I would,” I said. I had too much emotion to say more. “And I’m not.”

  He went on, “You’re saying you could be late on an interim deadline. That’s not good, but you’ve told us. And I’d say—take care you’re not blowing this out of proportion. A bad game isn’t a bad season, and a bad training session isn’t a bad game. Which is this?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It could be a bad game. But it’s not going to be a bad season.”

  “Right, then,” Drew said, pulling out his driver. “Let’s golf. Maybe now that you’ve got that off your chest, you could try not sucking. I’d like to finish this round before morning.”

  It wasn’t as mad as I’d thought it would be when we got back to the yurt. Just Mum and Daisy in the kitchen, Mum chopping pumpkin with mighty thwacks of the knife, and Daisy beside her, all bare feet, summery white dress, and swinging dark hair, dispatching a pile of veggies.

  I gave Daisy a kiss and asked, “Sleep well?”

  “Brilliant,” she told me. “Until about half an hour ago, to tell you the truth. I’m pretending I’m helping now. Hi,” she told the others. “I’m Daisy. I work nights.”

  “RN,” I told them. “She’s brilliant.”

  “You don’t know that,” she said.

  “Oh,” I said, “I think I do.”

  I did the introductions, then gave Mum her own peck on the cheek. She waved her knife at me and said, “I’ve got Jamaican jerk chicken marinating in the fridge. You’re going to barbecue it for me at the last minute. Also prawns for starters. Get the barbie ready for six or so, and we’ll be good.”

  “Got it,” I said, and pulled out the beers. Luke refused, but the others indulged. I asked, “The others not back from the art show yet?”

  “Half an hour or so,” Mum said.

  “Where are the girls?”

  “They took Drew’s kids on a walk to Tunnel Beach.”

  Daisy said, “My sisters came out of Mount Zion a couple weeks ago. I came out of there myself when I was sixteen. I guess you all know that.”

  Drew said, “No. I didn’t. Good on ya.”

  Luke said, “I did.”

  “Because you’ve been guarding Honor’s house,” Daisy said. “Thank you for that. I’m sorry you’ve had to.” Standing so straight, her voice so firm. Maybe my courage hadn’t been up to the mark this past week, but Daisy’s had never faltered.

  “No worries,” Luke said. “I was glad to do it. Only sorry he never came around.” His face was even more wooden than usual, which was the clue that he was serious.

  Daisy said, “My ex-husband, Gilead. He’s married to my sister now. She’s seventeen. He’s abusive. And he’s been trying to find us.”

  I had an arm around her. Trying to think of what to say, and failing.

  Kane said, “Reckon you’re glad to be there, then, Luke. And that Gray is, too.”

  Mum said, “Nibbles in the fridge, Gray.” Calmly, like always. “You could take your friends down to the garden in a bit, if you like, and find me some rocket and lettuce. Radishes, too, and asparagus. I invited Iris to dinner. Not sure if she’ll make it, but I think she’s coming around to the idea.”

  I would have answered, but a wild tattoo of knocks at the door delivered Hayden, Victoria, and Hannah, Drew’s wife. More introductions, more discussion, and we were gravitating out to the deck, overflowing the confined space of the yurt, when the door burst open again and Oriana ran in. She had Grace, Hannah and Drew’s middle kid, by the hand, and their youngest, Madeleine, on her hip. Their son, a kid named Jack, skidded after her, nearly cannoning into her when she stopped.

  It was one hell of an entrance. Oriana really had embraced life Outside.

  Daisy said, “Shoes off, Oriana. Geez, you’re noisy.”

  She paid no attention. She said breathlessly, “Frankie isn’t here? She didn’t come back?” And everything suddenly got very quiet.

  54

  The Calm Zone

  Daisy

  All the blood had left my head. I forced myself into the Calm Zone, the Emergency Zone, and could see Gray doing the same thing.

  Drew took the little girl from Oriana, said something quiet to his older daughter, and took both of them into the bathroom. Oriana barely see
med to notice she wasn’t holding the baby anymore, because she was saying, “I thought maybe she’d just … run away, for some reason. She’s been odd all day. But she wouldn’t leave me with the kids, so that can’t be it.”

  I went over to her and took her hands. They were sandy, and they were freezing. I sat her down on the couch and said, “What did you see? What happened when you went to the beach?”

  “We were just … doing things, you know,” she said. “Paddling, but not much, because the water’s too cold. Looking for pretty stones. And then she wasn’t there, and I realized she hadn’t been there for a while. I don’t think she could have gone into the water, though. It was flat. It was flat!”

  “Right,” Gray said, sitting on Oriana’s other side. “Where were you? Over by the waterfall, or on the other side, near the tunnel?”

  “By the waterfall,” she said. “I thought she was just around the corner, but we looked and looked, and we didn’t see her. And I couldn’t think of what to do.”

  “Didn’t you have your phone?” I asked.

  “No. I forgot. I usually forget. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  She’d started to cry, and I held her hand tighter and said, “It’s not your fault. But you need to be very strong now. You need to help us think. You didn’t see any waves, and you didn’t see her wade in the water.”

  “No,” Oriana said, choking back the tears. “She doesn’t like to be cold. She hated the Punishment Hut, because it’s so cold. Gilead used to … She wouldn’t go into the sea.”

  The boy, who was eight or so, a sturdy fella with his father’s watchful gray eyes, said, “I don’t think she went into the sea. She was talking to that guy.”

  Gray got still. So did I. I said, “What guy?”

  He said, “There was a man. He was behind us when we walked down to the beach, on the track.”

  Oriana said, “Why didn’t you say?”

  He said, “Because people do walk behind you. I didn’t think it was anything bad.”

  Hannah came over, then, and said, “Jack. Can you tell us exactly what you saw?”

  “You’re not in trouble,” I said, when he looked worried. “You didn’t do anything wrong. But we need you to tell us.”

  He said, “He was over by where the tunnel comes out. Just standing there. He was dressed weird, not like for the beach.”

  “How do you mean?” I asked. “What was weird about it?’

  He considered. “He had shoes on. And long trousers. People usually wear shorts to the beach, and they don’t wear shoes.”

  “And he talked to Frankie?” Gray asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jack said. “I think so, because she was walking over there, and he was sort of walking toward her, too. But then I was chasing Maddy, and I didn’t look anymore. I didn’t know it was important.”

  Gray said, “You did well.” He looked at me. “What else?”

  “Could you tell what color of hair he had?” I asked. “What kind of trousers he was wearing?”

  Jack said, “He was just a regular person.”

  “Was his hair blond?” I asked. “Like your mum’s? Shining, in the sun? Or more like mine?”

  “It wasn’t shining,” Jack said.

  “And was he wearing jeans?” I asked. “Track pants?”

  Jack screwed up his face, trying to remember.

  “He’s standing near the tunnel,” I said. “Where it’s darker. And then he’s walking toward you across the sand. Running, maybe.”

  “He wasn’t running,” Jack said. “He was walking. And he wasn’t wearing track pants. It was regular trousers. But I don’t remember.”

  We sat and looked at each other. Sometime in there, Drew had come out of the bath with the little girls. It was a crowd, and I wanted to think of something, to do something, but I couldn’t think of what came next.

  Gray said, “Uncle Aaron.”

  Oh. I went for my phone, and then I stopped and asked him, “Which of us should call?”

  “You,” he said. “All I can do is try to scare him, but he loves you. Love’s better leverage.”

  The phone rang five times before Uncle Aaron answered. He said, “Yes?” Cautiously.

  I said, “Is Gilead there?”

  He paused a minute without answering, then asked, “Why?”

  “Because he’s taken Frankie. Fruitful.” Was I sure that was true? No, except in my bones. In my bones, I was a hundred percent sure.

  Why hadn’t she called out, though? Why had she walked toward him?

  Aaron said, “I don’t know if he’s here. I saw him at lunch, though.”

  “Can you find out?” I asked. “Please? It’s important.”

  He said, “If she’s with him, are you sure she didn’t want to go?”

  I said, “Yes.” Even though I wasn’t one bit sure.

  He said, “The marriage vow is sacred, Daisy.” His voice was gentle. Understanding. And I was trying so hard to stay in the Decision Zone, not to cry. Not to give in to the fear. My fingers were on my forehead, my hand clutching the phone so tightly, it hurt.

  Gray came over to stand beside me.

  I said, “I don’t believe she went willingly. Just tell me if he’s there. If he is, she was abducted by somebody else, and I need to ring the police.”

  He said, “I will. But if she came back to be with her husband, there’s nothing you can do.”

  I didn’t say what I thought. I didn’t tell him, There’s everything I can do, because I’ll stop at nothing. But I thought it. I said, “Will you call me again if you see him? Or if you see her? If he brings her back?”

  Another long pause, and Aaron said, “Yes.” And rang off.

  Gray had his own phone out, was hitting a button. I asked, “Who are you calling?”

  He said, “Gilead.”

  The knot of anxiety twisted up even higher as I waited, and nobody else was saying a thing. After a minute, though, he hit the button to end the call. He tried twice more, rang off, and said, “Nothing. It’s turned off, or he’s not picking up.”

  “Oh. Why didn’t I—” I’d totally forgotten. How had I forgotten? I dialed Frankie’s number. And heard the ring from inside the house. From the bedroom.

  They’d taken a walk down the road, and they weren’t used to carrying a phone. They wouldn’t have imagined a need.

  After that, we all looked at each other while Oriana sat on the couch, hunched and miserable and sandy and cold.

  Cold. I said, “Go take a shower.”

  “I can’t,” she said. “I can’t. I didn’t … Frankie …”

  Another knock at the door, and everybody jumped. Honor headed over, but Gray was faster, flinging the door open. To reveal Iris. Wearing another skirt.

  She said, “What? Honor invited me to dinner. It’s not just your house.”

  Oriana was running across the floor and throwing herself into Iris’s bony arms. Iris reached up awkwardly to hold her and said, “What the hell?”

  Gray said, “Gilead took Frankie. We think.”

  “Oh,” Iris said. “Then what are you sitting here for?”

  Gray said, “You’re right. We need to go get her.”

  Honor said, “You’ll need to eat dinner first.”

  I said, “No. We need to go.”

  Honor said, “It’s four hours’ drive up there. You need to eat. Do you want Gray to get another migraine?"

  "What?" I said. “No. Of course not.”

  Hayden said, “Wait. Back up. Explain.” He was sitting on one of the stools at the island with Luke beside him. Kane and Victoria were standing in the kitchen drinking beer, and Drew was holding his littlest girl and frowning.

  And Honor? Honor was still slicing pumpkin.

  Hayden said again, “Explain. Or—wait. I’ll explain, and you can tell me if I’ve got it wrong. Daisy left Mount Zion when she was sixteen.”

  “With my brother,” I said. Why weren’t we moving?

  “With your brother,”
Hayden said. “Whom we don’t see in this picture today. Huh. Interesting. Anyway, you ran, making your name mud. Damned to hell, I imagine, et cetera. And a couple weeks ago, your sisters left, too. Helped along by you and Gray, making your name more mud, presumably.”

  “You’d have that right,” Gray said.

  “And the sister’s husband,” Hayden said, “Frankie’s husband, is a nutter. Stalker, and so forth. Abusive.”

  “Oh,” Victoria said. “That’s bad.”

  “Not just Frankie’s husband,” Kane said. “Daisy’s, too.”

  “What,” Victoria said, “both of them? Plural marriage? I thought Daisy was sixteen when she left.”

  “I was,” I said. “That’s how old you are when you get married there. I divorced him the minute I could. And, yes, he married Frankie. He’s thirty-five now.”

  Victoria said. “Well, that’s appalling. I prosecute sex crimes, and that’s a red flag. So he took her. You think. He’s been … doing what, exactly, that makes you think it was him?”

  “Stalking,” Hayden informed her. “Like I said. Broke into Daisy’s flat. Set a fire in Gray’s house.”

  “Called my landlord,” I said, “impersonating my brother, and cast doubts on my character. The fire was the main thing, though.”

  “I agree,” Victoria said, “though the break-in’s pretty bad, too. No boundaries. So, yes, he almost certainly took her, which makes me wonder—why are we just sitting here? Why aren’t we ringing the police?” Which I was wondering, too.

  “Don’t you think we’d better make a plan first?” Hayden asked. “Mount Zion is private property, and we don’t have any proof that he took her against her will. Just the opposite, sounds like. But if we wait for the police, who knows how long that will take? Legally, she has a right to go where she wants, and a woman who walks off with her husband isn’t going to be top of their priority list. And what if they do go up there and see her, and she says she’s happy to stay? They aren’t going to take Daisy along to help convince her sister to leave again.”