Rupe remained deep in thought until Georgia and Ben came in through the back door.
Ben took his bag in the direction of her room. Georgia sat in the chair her mother had been in. ‘Rupe, Ben and I have been thinking. We really shouldn’t stay here with you while this is going on. Yesterday it was different, we were victims, but now … it’s awkward. You’re not sure about me, are you?’
Rupe licked his lips and looked at her, sitting opposite, pale and earnest with her shaved head and her haunted eyes. Still a victim.
‘As a policeman I have to be sure. I can’t commit myself one way or the other until I am. I’m sorry.’
She nodded slowly. ‘I think we should move to the hotel or somewhere tomorrow. It’ll be better for you.’
‘Your mother just told me the same thing but she was … a bit more forceful.’
To his surprise, Georgia smiled. A little flicker, but still a smile. ‘Mum really likes you. She’s just trying not to because she’s scared. And she also thinks you think I stabbed Kaelee.’
He raised his eyebrows while his heart did a secret little skip of delight. He was scared of how he felt about her too. ‘Did you?’
‘No.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘So you believe me?’
He smiled but didn’t answer. He wanted to say yes, of course he believed her, but didn’t dare.
Georgia stood but leaned down quickly and deposited a kiss on his cheek.
‘Don’t give up on Mum. Goodnight.’
‘Night.’
He knew she had no real motive for killing Kaelee beyond the events of the last few days, and if she did strike out against someone it would be in self-defence, in the heat of the moment. There’d been no signs of a fight, no yelling or screaming, she’d only been in there a matter of minutes and this was hardly an opportunistic murder. And by the amount of blood on the bed, Kaelee had been stabbed earlier and left to die. Possibly Aaron had been interrupted by the arrival of Abbie’s car and hastily tried to cover his crime by washing then smearing more black residue on himself.
He’d had time, Abbie hadn’t gone straight into the studio, she’d shown Georgia and Ben what to water in the garden. He could have stayed hidden but when she entered the house he probably thought he’d try the ‘frightened of her’ story. He’d at least manage to get away from the house.
Whatever the truth of Aaron’s movements and thinking, it was a far more likely scenario than Georgia being a murderer. He wasn’t sharing that feeling with Abbie until an official result came through, which wouldn’t be very long. Surely she understood his position. Georgia did. He couldn’t allow his feelings for Abbie to interfere with a murder case. Especially one she was involved in.
***
Abbie woke before dawn after patchy, restless and unrefreshing sleep. An uncertain future stretched before her whereas less than two weeks ago she’d been secure in the knowledge that Taylor’s Bend was her home and becoming more so every day. Her work was going well, she was happy, the past was receding rapidly and only the estrangement from Georgia marred a perfect existence.
And there was Rupe with a kiss that surprised and promised far more than she’d thought possible. He was a quiet man, well-liked and respected but private without being secretive.
What a misjudgement that was on her part. She sat up abruptly and flung the bedclothes away from her legs.
Rupe didn’t trust her or her daughter. He thought they were both lying and he suspected Georgia could be a murderer. His reasoning was understandable in a way but neither she nor Georgia were dodgy teenage boys with questionable backgrounds. Surely he could see the difference and the fault in his logic? Caution was good but taken this far was too much.
If he couldn’t trust his instincts where she was concerned over something as crucial as this, what chance did she stand as a possible woman in his life? Couldn’t he see how insulting that was?
Abbie whipped the curtains aside, letting in pallid grey light. A light mist wreathed itself around the trees across the back fence, obscuring the upper branches and turning the trunks into stark black silhouettes. The sun hadn’t gained enough strength or height to penetrate the remains of the darkness yet but faint streaks hinted of an impending breakthrough.
An image popped into her head. A misty morning, shadowy and still, predawn with just the faintest promise of the sun. Trees, some ghostly, others clearer.
After a quick trip to the ensuite, she flung on some clothes and hurried to the makeshift studio.
***
‘Like some tea?’ Rupe’s voice startled her.
‘Hello. What time is it?’
‘Seven. What time did you get up?’ He studied her canvas. ‘That’s new.’
‘Yes.’ The sun had just cleared the treetops, rapidly disintegrating the remnants of mist. ‘I had an idea.’ She put the brush down, acutely conscious of what she’d stated so categorically last night about not being able to paint. ‘I hardly slept. I must have got up around five-thirty. It was just getting light.’
He nodded. ‘Breakfast?’
‘Yes, please.’ If she expected awkwardness between them this morning, she was wrong. Rupe acted as though last night’s stiff conversation and her abrupt departure for bed had never occurred.
He withdrew and she began packing up. The urge to paint had come strong and unbidden. Is that what Georgia meant about her selfishness. How nothing came between Abbie and her painting? Not even a death? Now Rupe would see how callous she was.
She shoved the paint tubes into the box and wiped her fingers. After breakfast she’d get this stuff packed up. She had nowhere to store it but Rupe would probably let her leave it here until she was ready to make a final decision. Or she could ask the Bensons. How would she transport it all back out there?
Rupe said not to decide anything too quickly. She couldn’t anyway. She had to talk to the insurance people first and they would take a while to come up with any money. They’d send an assessor and he or she would write a report.
Just thinking about it made her tired.
Rupe had made a pot of tea and a stack of toast. His half-drunk mug of tea sat on the bench and the tantalising smell of frying eggs and bacon filled the kitchen. Always smelled better than they tasted but she wouldn’t say no. She was hungry.
‘Thanks.’ She sat at the table and poured her own tea. ‘You must think I’m really callous,’ she said. ‘Painting this morning.’
‘No. People react in different ways and it’s a natural outlet for you. One egg or two?’
‘One, please.’
‘Bacon?’
‘Yes.’
He set a plate in front of her and sat opposite. She watched him surreptitiously as she ate.
‘Was your car insured?’ he asked. ‘It’s a write-off.’
She swallowed the mouthful she’d been chewing. He’d been right. Painting had cleared the horrible images from her mind. The ones that had clawed for her attention all night—Kaelee’s lifeless form; a red-stained bed; a vegetable knife; Georgia’s blood-smeared shirt. They flooded back in now along with the memory of that poor boy, Aaron.
‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘I can’t take it all in,’ she said. ‘It’s too much. Those two, sad, mistreated …’ She sucked in air.
‘Don’t forget what they did, Abbie. They had their reasons but it doesn’t excuse their actions. Or what Kaelee said she did.’
Her hand trembled as she picked up her tea. ‘No, I suppose not.’
‘I think you should stay around for a while,’ he said after a moment. ‘It’ll be easier than trying to handle things long distance.’
‘But Georgia and Ben can leave, can’t they?’
‘DS McGrath has the final say on that.’
‘Right.’ Still not willing to commit himself one way or the other. She hacked a piece of bacon in half. ‘You know she’s not a murderer, don’t you, really? You must have come across lots of criminals. You can tell Georgia isn’t one of them. You saw her yesterday, she was stunned, in shock.’
He piled egg on his fork and ate studiously. Didn’t reply, didn’t give any indication he was going to.
Abbie ate the bacon and followed it with toast and the last of the egg. She drained her tea.
‘You have a good appetite when you’re angry,’ he said.
Abbie shot him a swift look but he was refilling her mug from the teapot. Was that a slight lift to the corner of his mouth? He couldn’t be laughing at her, not now, not in this situation.
He wasn’t. When he’d refilled his own mug he said, ‘Detective Sergeant McGrath wants to talk to her again.’
‘Why? She already gave a statement last night.’
‘She rang me earlier.’
‘Why would she? Did you tell her you were suspicious,’ Abbie demanded. ‘Is she coming to arrest her?’
‘I told her exactly the facts as I know them. She has all your statements, she talked to you all yesterday. She probably wants to clarify a few things. It doesn’t mean anything one way or the other.’
Abbie stood and began collecting the dirty plates. She took them to the sink for washing up.
‘I should find a place to rent,’ she said as she sloshed the dish mop about in the water, whipping up suds. Rupe stood next to her with a tea towel, taking the plates from the rack as she finished them.
‘Here?’
‘If I’m supposed to be staying around, yes. You’re probably right about it being easier to sort stuff out. I need to empty the house and see what I can save.’
‘You won’t be able to go in for a while now.’
‘I know. I’ll have to get a car first.’
She pulled the plug.
‘Borrow mine if you need to.’
‘I don’t think so.’ That sounded rude. Too abrupt. ‘Sorry. Thanks but I can hire one for a while.’
‘Check with your car insurer. They might lend you one.’
She dried her hands and stood helpless as the combined weight of all the recent events landed on her, crushing all thought, freezing her in place.
‘Abbie?’ Rupe said softly.
‘I don’t know what to do first,’ she whispered.
He hesitated for a brief moment then his arms were around her, holding her close, soothing, comforting. She leaned against his solid bulk, eyes closed, an intense weariness draining her brain and body of energy.
‘Don’t do anything,’ he murmured. ‘Stay here until you’re ready. Stay right here.’
She’d love to stay right there, nestled in his arms, closed off from the problems swirling about her, devoid of thought, devoid of responsibilities. It wouldn’t last. Reality always won. What appeared to be safe and secure and everlasting was, as she had twice discovered, an illusion based on false information and deluded, naive expectations.
‘I wish it were that simple,’ she said, easing herself from the embrace.
‘Isn’t it?’ He stepped away and leaned against the bench, arms folded.
‘Rupe … no.’ She shook her head. ‘Not until Georgia is cleared of this ridiculous suspicion and even then …’
‘Even then what?’
‘You didn’t believe her. Or me.’
‘Abbie, don’t you understand? I can’t categorically state that she’s innocent. I wasn’t there. I don’t know. Neither were you or Ben.’
‘We both know she wouldn’t do that.’
He tilted his head with a little shrug. ‘It doesn’t matter if I think that or not. If I’m personally involved with the case, I can’t comment.’
‘Mum, leave poor Rupe alone.’ Georgia, rumpled pyjamas, face pale but with more colour in her cheeks than yesterday evening. She took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap. ‘It’s his job and he barely knows me.’
‘Darling, good morning. How are you feeling?’ Abbie hugged her hard. Georgia succumbed for a moment then eased herself away.
‘Bit queasy but not too bad.’
‘Breakfast?’ asked Rupe. He filled the kettle and switched it on.
‘Just toast and tea, thanks. I can do it.’
‘Is Ben up?’
‘In the bathroom.’
‘DS McGrath has a few more questions,’ Rupe said. ‘Sometime today.’
‘Okay.’
‘Use my bathroom, if you like,’ said Abbie.
‘I’ll leave you to it.’ Rupe smiled from one to the other and headed for the office.
Georgia found plates and cutlery then put bread in the toaster. She dropped a tea bag in a mug.
‘Aren’t you worried about what she’s going to ask you?’
‘No. Should I be?’
‘No, of course not. I just … it’s all such a mess. And things can go wrong. We both know that. The police can make assumptions and then …’
‘Rupe doesn’t.’
‘He’s being overly cautious. It’s driving me nuts. He won’t even say he thinks you’re innocent when he clearly does.’
‘How do you know he thinks that if he won’t say?’
Abbie exhaled out an exasperated burst of air. ‘You’re as bad as he is.’
‘But I could be guilty, couldn’t I? I was in there alone for a few minutes. You and Ben didn’t come in until later.’
‘Georgia, don’t even joke about it. I don’t think for a second you could do that.’
‘Thanks, Mum, but I’m not joking. You can’t change the facts and that’s what he’s going on. He should. We never thought Dad could do what he did.’
‘All right.’ Abbie held up her hands in surrender. ‘I give up.’
The toast popped. Georgia poured boiling water into the mug and took her breakfast to the table where milk, butter, vegemite and marmalade still sat waiting.
‘I looked up Aaron’s name,’ she said. ‘I wondered why they pronounced it the way they did.’
‘I thought it was just some arty affectation.’ Abbie sat as well. ‘Being pretentious.’
‘I think it’s Arawn, a Celtic god of the underworld.’
‘Sounds about right. I wonder how he spelt it. I always assumed the normal way.’
‘Don’t know.’
‘I won’t come to Melbourne with you when you go. I should stay here and get myself sorted.’
‘Okay.’
‘It’ll be easier. Dealing with insurance and that sort of thing.’
Georgia took a tiny bite from the corner of her vegemite toast. ‘Sure.’
‘You don’t mind?’
‘No, why would I? You’ll have heaps to do.’
‘I thought you … yesterday you seemed really happy that we could share a house. You wanted me to come to Melbourne.’
‘Yesterday was … we were all in shock. I wasn’t thinking properly. I’d just seen a friend die.’ Her eyes flicked up, read the reaction Abbie couldn’t hide. ‘She was a friend once … not that long ago.’
Abbie nodded. ‘It’s horrible.’
‘I would like help when the baby comes,’ Georgia said. ‘But we don’t have to move in together tomorrow. Later. Whenever.’
‘Right.’ Second thoughts? Didn’t want her mother cramping her style?
Georgia dunked the tea bag up and down then deposited it carefully on the side of her toast plate.
Abbie’s head thrummed with things she wanted to say but couldn’t, not in the face of this shutdown. If she kept on, they’d end up where they were before. Not speaking at all.
‘Have you told Aunt Susan?’ Georgia studied her, piece of toast suspended on the way to her mouth.
That was the last thing she expected to be asked, and calling her sister hadn’t entered her head as a course of action. Phoning the insurance company was on top of her list. That said everything about their relationship.
‘No.’
‘Will you?’
‘I hadn’t thought of it …’
Georgia took a bite of toast. Impossible to tell whether her answer was acceptable or not. Too bad. Abbie stood up abruptly.
‘I need to get myself organised.’
‘Use my car if you need to.’
‘Thanks but this will be phone stuff.’
‘Ben and I are moving to the pub today. We fixed it up last night.’
‘Did Rupe tell you to?’
‘No. We want to.’
Her expression didn’t invite questions.
***
After a session with the insurance company during which Abbie discovered that they couldn’t do anything about her house until it was cleared by the police as a crime scene, but that her car insurance did cover a replacement hire vehicle for a few days, she phoned Marlene to thank her for the clothes.
‘We have a room here if you need it,’ she said. ‘For as long as you like.’
‘That’s very kind, thank you, but I’ll need to find somewhere relatively long-term, I think.’
‘So you’ll be staying in Taylor’s Bend? That’s good news. We were wondering if you’d hightail it out of here back to the city. No-one could blame you if you did after what’s happened. Give Kylie a call. She said her neighbours are moving out soon. They’re looking to rent so you might be able to get in first. Not that there’ll be much competition. It’s across the road from her house. The white one with the dark blue guttering.’
‘Okay thanks. I will.’ Kylie from the book group. Abbie couldn’t recall the house but anything would do for a while.
‘Word is they were a couple of drug addicts on the rampage. Terrible to think people like that are roaming about.’ Marlene was back with Kaelee and Aaron, not Kylie’s neighbours.
‘Oh! Goodness, I’m not sure they were drug addicts …’
‘Well they must have been on something to attack Rita and do what they did to you. Then turn on each other. Drugs do that to young people, you hear about it all the time on the news—cracked ice, that what it’s called, or something like that anyway. Terrible, simply terrible.’
‘Yes.’
Abbie put the phone down after the call with a mixture of relief that the grapevine hadn’t figured out there was a personal connection and astonishment that the gap had been filled with drugs. She opened her bedroom door and headed for the station office at the front.
Rupe was alone, sitting at his desk working at the computer. He looked up with a smile.
‘How did it go with the insurance?’
She filled him in on the details. ‘I’ll ask Georgia to take me to Wagga to collect the hire car. Marlene offered me a room for as long as I like. She’s so kind. Everyone is. Do you know the word is that Kaelee and Aaron were a couple of drug addicts gone on a crazed ice rampage?’
Rupe smiled. ‘What did you say?’
‘Nothing except that I didn’t think they were drug addicts. No-one knows the real link.’
‘They won’t ever hear it from me.’
‘I know. Thank you.’
‘It will come out though. The press will be onto it pretty fast.’
‘All the more reason for me to move into my own place. Imagine what they’d make of me being here.’
‘You’d be a sitting duck on your own somewhere. They have to go through me if you stay here.’
‘Rupe, they’ll drag up our past. All that horrible mess … I won’t be able to look anyone in town in the eye ever again. They’ll all know I’ve lied to them all this time.’
‘You haven’t lied.’ Rupe stood up and moved to where she stood by the door. ‘You’ve kept your private life private. Who knows what personal secrets people have in this place. You have friends here who’ll stand by you.’
‘Maybe I should tell them. First—before it comes out in lurid detail in print.’
‘You could. But wait a bit until the case is closed.’ He touched her cheek gently. ‘You might be surprised, Abbie. People don’t like outsiders coming in and asking prying questions about their friends and neighbours. Especially if it’s about someone they like and respect.’
‘But they gossip about everyone.’
‘But that’s within the community. It’s different if outsiders come in and start poking about.’
Was he right? Had she been here long enough for that to apply? Time would tell.
‘Marlene said Kylie Jackson’s neighbours are looking to rent out their house soon.’
He nodded. ‘The Groves. I heard Bill got a job in Albury. A year-long contract.’
‘A year? That would work for me if I bulldoze and rebuild.’
‘Will you?’
‘It’s the only option if I stay in town. I love my block of land.’
‘I guess so.’ Was that a pleased glint in his eye? He turned away. ‘I have some information here for victims of crime and trauma.’ He picked up a little bundle of pamphlets. ‘For all three of you. You might not want it now but later. PTSD can creep up on you.’
Abbie nodded and took the papers.
The main door opened.
‘Good morning.’ DS McGrath walked in followed by her faithful second-in-command. ‘We have the fingerprint results from the knife.’
‘That was quick,’ said Abbie.
‘This is a murder investigation. Would you ask Georgia to join us, please?’
Abbie went to knock on the bedroom door but Ben and Georgia were already in the doorway.
‘Good morning, Georgia, Ben. I need to ask you some more questions,’ DS McGrath said. ‘But I can tell you that Georgia’s prints were found on the handle of the knife along with those of Aaron and others as yet unidentified. Georgia, can you tell me how you held the knife, please, when you picked it up?’
Georgia stepped over to Rupe’s desk and picked up a pen with her thumb and forefinger, dangling it tip down. ‘I held it by the end of the handle but it was slippery and a bit heavy and I dropped it when Ben said to.’
DS McGrath shared a glance with the other detective. ‘I see. Thank you. The way the prints lay in connection with the blood on the handle gives a clear indication of who held the knife to stab with it.’
‘It wasn’t me.’
‘No.’
‘So you believe us now?’ demanded Abbie.
‘We needed to be sure. Now, I do need to ask Georgia to clarify some more details.’ Her tight little professional smile was expectant, waiting. Abbie knew when to take a hint. She nudged Ben out the door with her as she left.