The common room of the nursing home smelt of mild disinfectant. Curtains flanked picture windows that looked out onto a native garden. A handful of residents chatted while others had vacant looks on their faces. A pleasant enough place, Jill thought. A John Wayne re-run was playing on the television and a nurse was pushing a trolley, dispensing medication. She smiled at the wrinkled faces. They all had that disappointed, exhausted look of old age, of regret and acceptance of what their lives had become.
Jill asked at reception for Maureen Hardcastle. The woman was about to point her out when a stooped, bony man with big ears shuffled past. ‘Maureen’s over there, by the window — she’s the pretty one.’
‘Thanks.’ Jill gave him a nod and headed toward Maureen.
‘You must be from the police,’ Maureen said when Jill walked up to her.
Jill looked into the woman’s eyes; the rims were red, the irises almost colourless. ‘Yes, that’s right, my name is Detective Jill Brennan. I wanted to ask you about Robbie and Fin Calloway and their grandmother, Grace Calloway.’
‘You don’t look like the police. You’re too young.’
Jill smiled and flashed her ID. Lucky she hadn’t been officially suspended; otherwise she wouldn’t even have her ID to fall back on. Maureen put on a pair of reading glasses and examined Jill’s warrant card. She considered the likeness and said her hair looked nice in a ponytail.
‘Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?’ Jill asked.
‘You’ll have to be quick about it; I’m about to have my lunch. We’re having roast lamb, today.’
Jill moved Maureen’s walker to one side and sat down next to her. ‘I wanted to ask what you remember about Robbie and Fin Calloway.’ Jill raised her voice. ‘They lived next door to you when they were growing up.’
‘There’s no need to shout, dear. I’m old, not deaf.’
Jill apologised and decided she liked the woman.
‘You want to know about Robbie and Fin, you said? They aren’t in any trouble are they?’
‘No, I just have some routine questions.’ Jill thought it was best not to mention Robbie’s death in case she upset the woman before she extracted any information from her.
‘So, do you remember Robbie and Fin?’ Jill looked at Maureen Hardcastle and wondered how reliable her memory was.
‘There are some people you never forget.’ Maureen looked off into the distance and Jill took her hand, thinking it would return her to the present. She pressed her arthritic fingers. They were cold.
‘The children came to live with Gracie after their parents died in that horrible car accident. You shouldn’t blame her, you know.’ Maureen pursed her pale, thin lips.
‘Gracie?’
Maureen nodded.
‘Shouldn’t blame Gracie for what?’
‘It was a hard decision to make, but she couldn’t do it to her son he…’ She stopped herself short.
Jill looked into the woman’s eyes. ‘What decision did Gracie have to make?’
‘Oh, I can’t tell you that, dear. I promised Gracie I would never tell another living soul. I will take her secret to the grave.’
‘But this could be important.’ Jill leaned forward. ‘Can’t you tell me anything? It’s for Fin…she’s not well.’
The woman seemed to be studying her. ‘It was Patrick he…’
‘Patrick?’
‘Yes dear, Patrick. He was Gracie’s son, from her first marriage. He left around the time Fin was fourteen.’
‘You coming to lunch, Maureen?’ said the man with the big ears.
‘You go along; I’ll be there shortly. Poor man, he’s lost his marbles,’ Maureen whispered.
Jill smiled but knew she had to wrap this conversation up quickly before Maureen was reminded again of her lamb roast lunch. ‘Tell me more about this Patrick.’
‘I’m sorry, dear I’ve already said too much.’ Maureen grabbed the side of the armchair and stood up. ‘We’re having roast lamb today, you know.’ She struggled to reach her walker. ‘Oh, but I told you that already, didn’t I? Yes, I’m sure I did.’
Jill got to her feet and helped Maureen with her walker. ‘But Gracie Calloway is dead, surely you can tell me, now.’
‘I’m not the type to betray a friend, even if she is dead.’
‘But —’
Maureen Hardcastle waved her finger at Jill. ‘A promise is a promise.’
Jill walked with Maureen to the dining room in the far wing. The smell of lamb and baked potatoes spread down the corridor. ‘I can’t talk to you anymore, my lunch will be getting cold.’
‘Just one more question.’ Jill looked over at the woman from reception who she’d spoken to earlier. She had a scowl on her face and was headed their way.
‘Maureen, what were Robbie and Fin like as children? Did they ever get into any trouble?’
‘Robbie was a good kid, but Fin, she was strange. Sitting up in that Jacaranda tree in Gracie’s backyard, all day, playing those silly games of hers. She fell out of that tree once, you know, landed on her head.’ Maureen laughed. ‘I don’t think she was ever the same after that. She was always going on about castles and towers and the like, wanted everyone to call her princess.’
‘Maureen, there you are my precious.’ ‘Big Ears’ was waiting for Maureen by the door to the dining room. Nothing was standing between Maureen and her routine.
The beams from the car headlights bounced off the wet road in front of her. Jill turned on the fog lights and pushed on through the tangle of traffic on the motorway, convinced Robbie’s death had something to do with Grace Calloway’s secret. Maureen Hardcastle would clearly do anything to protect that secret. Unless old age was working on her mind, which meant it was something big, a secret worth protecting at all costs. Jill wondered what she could do to convince her to talk.
Jill arrived home around five o’clock. She grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, unscrewed the cap and poured herself a glass. She walked over to the dining table, sat down and opened up her laptop. Her mind went immediately to her conversation with Maureen Hardcastle. Jill decided to check out the birth, deaths and marriages register. Maureen had mentioned the name Patrick, and Jill knew from her training that sometimes the person who found the body was the person responsible for the death. So she started with Patrick Hill. Was it possible the Patrick Maureen spoke of could be Patrick Hill?
It didn’t take long to confirm her suspicion. Jill put her hands behind her head and sat back in her chair. Patrick Hill was the same Patrick Maureen knew…Gracie’s son from a first marriage, which made him Fin and Robbie’s half-uncle. He’d changed his family name from Reilly to Hill around the time he left Katoomba. If Robbie had ever tried to find Patrick he would have been searching for Patrick Reilly not Patrick Hill. So, if nothing else, there was a family connection between the two men. Now why wouldn’t Patrick mention that to the police? She recorded relevant dates, including the date Patrick was born. Next, she searched Robbie’s birth details. Now, it all made sense. Why hadn’t she thought to look for this information before? She couldn’t wait to tell Rimis about the connection. She picked up her phone but then changed her mind. She’d need more proof. So what if Robbie and Patrick Hill were related that didn’t mean anything. Or did it? Jill checked her watch. It wasn’t too late. She grabbed her phone and dialled the Burlington Aged Care Home. This time she wouldn’t let Maureen Hardcastle sideline her. She sat back in her chair and waited for her call to be answered.