Bradley whistled to himself as he poured two cups of coffee and carried them to the breakfast bar. He’d cut up some fruit and had a large bowl of yoghurt and a plate of fresh croissants from the local bakery already waiting. Despite the late night, he was in good spirits and planning a relaxed day with his beautiful wife. Maybe lunch out somewhere nice.
‘What are you doing?’
He hadn’t heard Carla come downstairs. She stood in the doorway, still in her dressing gown which was so rare that he worried she was ill. Perhaps she’d not slept well with him being out until the early hours of the morning.
‘Breakfast. And fresh coffee if you’d like some?’ He crossed the floor and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘Feeling okay?’
‘A bit tired. But I should shower and dress first…’
‘No. You can be a lady of leisure today and let me fuss over you a bit. Come and have some coffee to start with.’
Carla frowned but sat at the breakfast bar. ‘You’ve gone to so much trouble.’
‘Not really. No eggs or fancy crepes like you do but the croissants are straight from the bakery. Would you like butter with them? Or honey?’
With a shake of her head, Carla lifted her cup. ‘This first. Thanks.’
He joined her and took a sip of his own coffee, watching her over the rim. Little lines formed around her eyes and there was something else. Sadness.
‘Sorry I was so late last night but it is good news. We got the shipment off safely at last,’ he said.
‘Duncan Chandler’s?’
‘Yes. His and ours combined. First of many.’
She nodded but her mind was obviously elsewhere. Melanie?
‘I was thinking… now I have a bit more time we should have a few days away. What about Bali? Or Fiji?’
‘A holiday?’ She looked at him as if he’d suggested they go to purgatory. ‘I couldn’t possibly go anywhere until Melanie’s future is sorted out.’
‘Four or five days won’t make a difference, baby. Vince is a long way from adoption and—’
Carla stood. ‘Do you even want Melanie to live with us?’
‘Of course I do. You know I love her.’ He reached his hand out for hers. ‘We don’t need to go away. Just thought you might like a break from all the recent upheaval, but I can see how much you are stressing about Mel.’
The doorbell rang and Bradley stood. ‘Have your coffee and I’ll be right back.’
When he swung the door open, Carter was a few metres away, his back turned. This was the last person he’d expected, and his first instinct was to slam the door closed. But what if this was about Melanie?
‘Changed your mind?’ After pulling the door shut, Bradley walked partway to the other man. He wasn’t game to get too close in case Carter swung at him.
‘Password, thanks.’
‘Huh?’
Carter turned around. He didn’t appear angry. Smug, possibly.
‘I want the password to Susie and David’s safe in their house.’
‘Look, I already told you I have no idea—’
‘Yet your fingerprints are on it. Just got the report and you’ve touched the number pad. So you get one chance to tell me what you changed the password to, or I press charges.’
Even if the police could be bothered dusting the safe, telling Carter that kind of information was illegal. Surely. He was bluffing. Except as an ex-cop he probably still knew people who’d tell him.
The door behind him clicked open.
‘Vince?’ Carla sounded concerned and Bradley glanced back. She was barely visible, just her face peering through a crack. ‘Is Melanie okay?’
‘Melanie is fine, Carla,’ Carter said.
‘I’ll be right back in, baby. Give us a minute.’
As soon as the door closed, Carter was in his face. ‘And that’s the other thing. If you ever want your wife to have any access to Melanie, you’ll do what I ask. Last chance. Or do I ask her if she knows it?’
‘She doesn’t and she’s not part of this so leave her alone. I opened the safe to get the contract which David had mentioned was in there.’
Bradley told Carter the combination.
‘Wasn’t hard, was it?’ Carter walked away.
After a second, Bradley hurried after him. ‘What about Melanie? You didn’t mean what you said the other night? Carla adores her. And Melanie loves Carla so it would be cruel to keep them apart.’
At his car, Carter paused and for a second, Bradley thought he was about to agree. Give him something in return for the combination.
But then he opened his door. ‘You should have considered that before trying to blackmail me. I’m never letting either of you near my granddaughter again.’
Bradley’s feet were like lead as Carter drove away. How could that man be so evil and selfish? How would he tell Carla? Rage bubbled up until his hands were clenched.
‘You’ve just made the worst mistake of your life, Vince Carter. The worst.’
Pickering was like a garden gnome in the rear-vision mirror. Short, red-faced, and angry. But he couldn’t underestimate the man and regretted his last words. Carla deserved better than her husband and he had no intention of stopping her seeing Melanie for as long as Mel wanted. Under his supervision though and away from Pickering.
He couldn’t believe his bluff worked. Knowing it could be days before official results came through he’d taken a calculated risk. Odds were that Pickering had cleared the safe of anything of interest, but he needed to cross it off his long list for the morning. Mel was spending the day with Lyndall, and he had a lot of ground to cover. From here, he was going to Susie’s house.
The GPS guided him the most direct route, out of this suburb and toward the freeway before following a series of increasingly quiet roads. He knew this area well and only used the GPS for its traffic hazard updates. So when the navigator’s voice insisted he turn right, when he would have gone straight for a while longer, he followed out of curiosity. Had the road changed to make this a better option?
A couple of kilometres in and his stomach began to churn. He’d not been paying attention. And up until now, he’d gone out of his way to avoid coming here.
On the left was a large gum tree with chunk of its side ripped apart.
He pulled over a bit further along and sat for a while as the car idled, hands gripping the steering wheel and his back and shoulders so tense it hurt. With an abrupt twist he turned off the motor and before he could think it through, pushed the door open and climbed out.
There was no traffic. No houses in sight. Only a few cows dotted around vast paddocks on either side. The tree loomed ahead as he walked along the road. Under feet that felt heavy, the bitumen was in good condition. No potholes or dips which might contribute to a car skidding under icy conditions. It was narrow, yes, but adequate for passing other traffic, oncoming or not and the centre was clearly marked.
He came to a stop a few metres away and without his footsteps, an eerie silence fell. The air was still. Clouds were low and grey. Nothing moved.
There’d have been a terrible screeching of brakes before a sickening thud as metal met wood. Glass shattering. And then a dreadful quiet.
Did Susie know what was happening?
Had she screamed as the tree rushed toward her?
What was her final thought? Melanie?
Was Melanie awake?
How did Melanie survive-.
‘No!’ His head swung back. ‘I want her BACK!’ His voice rose into a cry of fury, of loss, of helplessness. And when he had no more breath, all that remained was a sob.
A car approached, slowing until he forced his legs to work and moved out of the way. The driver stared at him as if working out if they needed to stop and help. Vince raised a hand. ‘I’m okay.’
At the base of the tree were flowers. Wreaths and bouquets, some fresh, others dying. Handwritten cards, pouring out the sorrow of friends. Lots were from Carla. Did she drive here every day? He touched a lily. Susie loved these. He’d not thought to bring flowers here and why would he? This tree took her life.
Marion used to say, ‘flowers are for the living.’
How long since I’ve visited you, love?
His hands curled into fists, and he raised an arm as if preparing to pummel the tree. Death was everywhere. In the air and the grass and the tree and he could smell it and taste it and feel it. A card had slipped onto the ground and the words jumped out at him. He leaned down and picked it up.
‘We’ll all miss you Susie, and we’ll be there for Melanie.’
It was signed by several people whose names he didn’t recognise. Friends… from the school, perhaps.
Melanie was alive and she needed him.
He turned his back on the tree and strode to the car.
Vince tapped in the combination Pickering had provided, releasing a breath of relief when the barrels rolled and the door clicked open. He had a small carry bag and emptied everything into it. Passports by three. Melanie’s was current. Birth certificates by three. A thick wad of cash. All one-hundred-dollar bills and without counting it, Vince estimated ten thousand dollars. A lot of cash to have sitting in a safe. And interesting that Pickering hadn’t absconded with it.
At the bottom was a thick yellow envelope. Sealed. This was important somehow. Vince closed the safe and changed the combination. The robe was still bare and there was no point returning the contents, still strewn on the bed.
He’d ask Carla if she’d help with the clothes. She kept going on about wanting to help and this was too hard for him. He didn’t care if she kept them, sold them, or gave them away but unless Melanie particularly wanted an item as a keepsake, then he’d be pleased to have that off his plate. He’d speak to Carla once Mel was back at school. For now, he collected Susie and David’s jewellery so Melanie could decide, when she was ready, what she’d like to keep.
Vince packed up almost all the rest of Melanie’s room, carefully placing her clothes, shoes, books, toys, and knick-knacks into more suitcases from the cupboard. There was little left in there now. Furniture he’d transport across after school holidays.
Bags packed into the car, he emptied the fridge and freezer. Much of the refrigerated goods went into a bin which he’d leave out for collection. The freezer was packed with homemade meals, and odds and ends such as ice cream and vegetables. He couldn’t bear the idea of eating those meals. Every bite would be a reminder too hard to stomach. Sliding them all into a freezer bag, he went to the house next door and tapped.
‘Susan’s papa, buongiorno.’
‘Good morning, Mrs Rionetti. I wondered if you could use these… or know someone who could?’ He opened the bag to show her. ‘Susie made them all.’
‘Not for you and little one?’
He shook his head.
‘I take. Share with others. And call me Rosa. Come, carry it in for me.’ Mrs Rionetti led the way to her kitchen and Vince helped her stow the meals in her freezer. Then she took several jars from her cupboard and put them in the bag before he could protest. ‘I make. Passata. Artichoke. Stuffed peppers. Keep in cupboard. Eat by summer time.’
‘You are too kind. Thank you, Rosa.’
At the front door, she pointed diagonally to a house a few doors up. ‘Did police find out who had the van?’
‘Which van?’
‘That sad night. Before family left in car, black van in that driveway. Not belong in street.’
Heart thudding, he took another look at the house. A vehicle parked there would have an excellent view of Susie’s house, particularly the front rooms and the driveway.
‘Did you see the driver?’
‘Too far. Too dark. And windows had … er, made darker?’
‘Tinting?
‘Ci. David drove away and van followed.’
Does anyone have security cameras? Please let there be.
‘The other day, when the police did the door knock about the break-in… did you tell the officer about it?’
She nodded. ‘He wrote it down.’
‘One of my friends who is a police detective might come and see you. Is that okay?’
Mrs Rionetti patted his arm. ‘Send your friend and I tell again. And kiss Melanie from Rosa.’
Back in the house he texted Liz.
He emptied the contents of the pantry into two big boxes and stowed those on the back seat of the car. All the perishables were out of the house. The appliances could be switched off and the house left locked up until he had more time to attend to it.
For now, he had to see Liz. And find whichever idiot in a uniform had vital information they’d not bothered to pass on.