by John Kelly
At the same time as Robert dropped Brad and Jenny Murphy at the Winston Motel, Maria Stewart made a telephone call to Elsie Steedman. Maria had had very little sleep the night before, and kept dozing off late into the morning. It was her first night home from hospital, and should have been a time to set worrying matters aside, to relax and recuperate. Julian had cooked dinner for her and departed for his home at nine. She retired to bed early, but tossed and turned all night. Her concern for Michelle ran deep. Try as she may, there was nothing she could think of, that would connect Michelle to a solicitor in Baldargo, and it concerned her that Michelle would even have need of a solicitor. Therefore, it came as somewhat of a shock to her, that when she spoke the name of Frank Martin to Elsie, an avalanche of information came her way.
"Frank Martin?" Elsie screamed.
"Frank Martin from Baldargo?" she repeated. "Andrea's daughter Michelle, has gone to see Frank Martin in Baldargo? Where on earth is all this going to end?" she said exasperated.
Maria was understandably surprised that Elsie even knew of Frank Martin, but within a few minutes, she was promptly brought up to speed with the visit from Frank's father the day before, and the news that Andrea had been cheated out of land she had owned for over fifteen years, and that Frank Martin was the architect of that transaction.
"Who do these people think they are?" Elsie cried out.
"I'll have to talk to Warwick. Hopefully he can make some sense of it. I think I will call him and then call a taxi. I think it best to speak to him personally about this, and the land thing. Perhaps you had better come with me. You are Andrea's sister. You have an interest in all of this. That taxi driver I met the other day, Julian wasn't it? The one who looks after Richard? I wonder if he's available today. Does he work on Saturdays? I have his number somewhere. Don't go away. I'll call you back. We'll pick you up along the way," Elsie decided.
"Wait Elsie. Don't call Julian. I'll do that," Maria said. "You call Warwick and tell him we are coming over. I'll get Julian to pick you up," Maria said. "Perhaps Richard would like to come for a ride," Maria suggested.
"Yes, good idea, it's high time Warwick saw him anyway. Maybe we could pick him up along the way?" Elsie agreed.
Elsie had barely put the phone down before it rang again.
"Mother, it's Robert," the voice said, breathlessly.
"Sorry Robert I can't talk to you now, I'm on my way to see Warwick," she said. Robert's heart rate doubled when she mentioned Warwick.
"He's the reason I'm calling. You won't believe what I've just found out," he blurted.
"I really don't have time Robert. I need to call Warwick and I'm waiting for a taxi to take me over there." Robert's heart rate tripled. "I'm a taxi driver," he shouted. "What are you calling a taxi for?"
"Oh yes, that's right. You are aren't you? I forgot. Are you working today?" she asked, rather hoping that he wasn't. "Yes," Robert yelled. "I'll come and get you. Er, you'll have to pay me of course," he added timidly. Elsie went silent for a moment. 'Do I really want to have Robert ear bashing me all the way to Warwick's house?' No, she didn't, but Robert was family and family came first.
"All right then. Come over and you can take me over to Templestowe," she said finally. "I'll call Warwick and tell him we are coming. Now I'll have to call Maria, and tell her not to send Julian. How long will you be?" she asked.
"Maria who?" Robert asked.
"Andrea's sister," Elsie sighed. "Frankly, Robert, you never showed any interest in her, so I doubt you would remember. How long would you be?"
"About twenty minutes," he replied.
"Good. That gives me time to make a few calls and get ready."
"You won't believe what I just found out about bloody Warwick," Robert continued as if he had absorbed none of the preceding conversation."
"Then you can tell me all about it when you pick me up. Oh, and we can pick Richard up along the way as well. All right?"
"Richard who?" Robert asked.
"Your brother! The one who lives at Elm Tree Cottages! The one who is intellectually disabled! The one you never bother to visit! The one member of our family who might be more normal than the rest of us! Remember him?"
Elsie replaced the receiver and at once the phone rang again.
"Hello," she said impatiently.
"Mother it's Margaret. Guess what? I've done it," she said, too excited to wait for a response.
"Hello Margaret. Done what?" Elsie sighed, running her hand through her hair.
"I've left George. Annette and I have moved in to a new flat. We did it yesterday," Margaret replied with both the thrill of achievement in her voice, and a slight quiver. Although she felt she had done something very important, she was still asking her mother's approval, permission and blessing, albeit retrospectively. She got neither.
"Margaret, I just don't have time for this. Can we discuss it later? I have things to do."
"Mother?" Margaret gasped.
"Margaret, we have a small crisis on our hands at the moment," Elsie started. "On the whole, I realize none of it is as exciting as your news, but Andrea's daughter has been found, although now it seems we have lost her again. It also seems a sizeable portion of Andrea's estate has been stolen. I would like to visit Warwick to discuss these things with him, but I can't get organized, because this damn phone won't stop ringing. I can see that you are in the middle of a life changing experience and Robert seems to be going through something else. I can see the symptoms, but I am struggling to identify the disease. Perhaps you could come over to Warwick's place this afternoon, and we can all sit down and have a rational family discussion, although I doubt it. Don't feel as though you are under any obligation. Although I think it would be prudent of you to be upfront with the rest of the family. Bring Annette with you if you wish. That will kill two birds with one stone. We'll get to meet her, and she'll get to see what a bunch of rat bags she has hooked herself up with. We'll bring Richard along. Compared to the rest of us, he'll look normal. I'll leave it up to you, I have to go now, Goodbye."
Margaret stood there with the phone pressed against her ear. Staring directly ahead, observing Annette in the kitchen, her mind went blank. Elsie's remarks weren't the response she was hoping for, and absorbing too much information at the one time was always a problem for her. The only piece of information she retained from the conversation with Elsie, was the suggestion that she and Annette join a family get-together at Warwick's house that afternoon. "Yes," she said. "That's a good idea. It makes the move official, gives everyone a chance to accept it," she said to herself out loud.
"Accept what?" Annette asked as she entered the lounge room. Margaret put the phone down. "My mother has invited us to a family day at my brother Warwick's place this afternoon. You met Warwick and Robert the other night." Annette looked unconvinced. The circumstances of her meeting with Warwick were still vivid in her mind. The trauma associated with Pastor Doug loomed large. "Oh come on," Margaret pleaded. "It will be good for us. We can talk to them about Pastor Doug, about us, about our plans. Mother says Richard will be there."
"Who's Richard?" Annette asked.
"Richard is another brother. Sorry, I haven't mentioned him before. He's intellectually disabled. He lives at Elm Tree Cottages," Margaret answered. "I haven't seen him for some time. I feel a bit guilty about that, I must admit. Oh come on, let's go."
Annette thought for a moment. "Julian does a lot of work at Elm Tree. He's often spoken about someone there, called Richard. I wonder if it's the same person?" she said. Margaret would not be side-tracked. "Oh come on, let's go," she said, taking Annette's hands in hers. Annette smiled as she looked at her. "Oh all right," she said.
Meanwhile, after speaking with Elsie, Maria Stewart called Julian.
"Julian, are you working today. I need a taxi?" she asked.
"No, I don't work Saturday's. I can call one for you. Where do you want to go?" he asked. "I've just spoken to Elsie and she wants to go and see Warwick Steedman. I thought I
would go with her, and she thinks it would be nice if Richard came along." she said.
"That sounds good. "I'll take you in my own car if you like. You don't have to call a taxi. It'll save you some money."
"Really, would you do that?' Maria asked.
"Yes, why not? Annette is not here. She's gone to spend a few days with a friend from the prayer group. I think they need a bit of moral support over the Pastor Doug suicide."
"That's really nice of you. You could come at anytime. I'll be waiting," Maria said. "Okay," Julian said and hung up.
Maria put down the receiver and began to tidy. She was in the process of making the bed, when the phone rang. It was Elsie. "Maria, don't bother with Julian. My son Robert is going to pick me up. We'll pick up Richard and then come by for you," she said. Maria thought the situation through, and decided that her arrangement with Julian was a better one. "No, don't come for me. Julian will take me there. It's easier that way. You go with Robert and Richard, and I will see you there," she said.
Moments later, Julian's phone rang again.
"Julian, it's Myra Applewood here. Sorry to bother you. I tried to call you yesterday, but there was no answer. I have a letter here sent to me but its actually for you." she said.
"That's funny," Julian said, "I have a letter here for you too. It's from Warwick Steedman. It was incorrectly addressed to me," he said.
"What a pack of idiots these people are. They can't even put the right letter in the right envelope," Myra said.
"I think you'd better come and get this letter. It's also from Warwick Steedman, and it's not very nice," Myra said. "Okay, I'm about to go out. I can kill two birds with the one stone. I'll call in along the way and bring the one I have for you," he said.
Julian tidied up the breakfast and lunch dishes, made the bed, got dressed and left the house. He drove to Contented Acres, waving to Jim Coutts as he motored slowly down the roadway, past the community centre, to Myra Applewood's unit. When the two exchanged letters, Myra was pleased with what she read. Julian however was not.
"Ten thousand dollars? Who does this arsehole think he is?" he cried out.
"Now, now! Don't get too excited," Myra said, "I'm not an expert in the field, but I'm pretty sure this demand has no legal standing. Still, I think it is an outrageous impertinence of the man to send it, and the next time I see him, I will tell him so. He was here some days ago, and in an instant I knew I didn't like him," she said.
"I met him just two nights ago, under very stressful conditions, and I was certain I didn't like him. I'm supposed to be taking someone over to see him right now," Julian said angrily. There was a moment's silence, as Julian and Myra considered what he had just said. Then, as if drawn by some telepathic connection, they looked at each other slowly, before Myra made the obvious suggestion. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking." Julian answered. Minutes later, Julian had packed Myra's walking frame into the boot of his car, Myra had put on a shawl to protect her from the breeze, and both were in Julian's car, heading up the roadway, leading out of Contented Acres, on their way to pick up Maria Stewart, and from there, to an unscheduled showdown with Warwick Steedman.
With an army of visitors making their way to the home of Warwick and Susan Steedman, the stage was now well and truly set for a memorable afternoon.
38.
