by Anna Jacobs
He took careful note of what the houses on either side of this one looked like, chuckling when he realised one of them was for sale and that Diana was the agent. Why hadn’t she brought him to this one?
He went back into town and phoned her. She said she hadn’t shown him that particular house because it wasn’t up to much but when he insisted, she agreed to show him round it.
Was she avoiding Moretti and if so, why?
Diana arrived a few minutes later, parking her car behind his in the drive of the house, as if trying to hide from the house next door.
She got out and hurried to the front door, beckoning him inside.
He decided to confront her as soon as they got inside. ‘You’re trying to hide from Mr Moretti, aren’t you?’
She stared at him in shock. ‘How could you tell?’
‘I’m an observant sort of guy.’
She shrugged, not elaborating.
‘Let’s sit down on that sofa and you can tell me about it. If it makes you feel any better I’m a registered private investigator and highly respectable.’ He showed her his ID and saw her sag as if giving up hope. ‘Go on.’
‘Enrico hasn’t been the same since his wife died. She kept him on the straight and narrow, I think. At the moment he’s fixated on buying one particular house, I can’t understand why and I think—’ She broke off.
‘You think he’s hiring thugs to frighten away the poet’s son. Why don’t you trust me with the full story?’
She scowled at him. ‘Why should I?’
‘Because I’ll find out anyway. I’m good at finding things out.’
Still she hesitated, then a tear rolled down her cheek. ‘He owns part of the agency where I work. I don’t want to lose my job.’
‘Some people search desperately for a new aim in life when they lose a partner. Does he have any family left, children, siblings?’
‘Two sons. Only they’ve not been close since their mother died. Anyway, they live in the eastern states.’
‘It’s their job to look after him.’
‘I don’t think they realised why he was growing so – well, pushy. I think he must have been like that when he was younger, till he met Gina.’
‘Phone them. Get them to come across to Mandurah and talk to him. In the meantime I’ll keep an eye on what he’s doing.’
‘Has Kendrell hired you?’
Charles laughed gently. ‘No. He and I are friends from way back. I’m helping him out because he’s sprained his ankle and is afraid of the woman he loves getting hurt. Now, show me round this place quickly because I really am thinking of buying a house on the canals, then go away and phone Moretti’s sons. Let me know how you go on.’
The way he said it made her stare at him and realise he wasn’t going to go away without some resolution.
When he went back to his stuffy little flat, he phoned Hal and told him what he’d done and what he suspected. ‘I can’t do anything about Moretti. His family will have to get involved. In the meantime, make sure you keep the place locked up tonight. I’m going to have an early night. My body isn’t tuned into West Australian time yet. But don’t hesitate to phone if you need help suddenly. I can be there in ten minutes max.’
Hal put the phone down and went to tell Mara what Charles had found out.
‘Already?’
‘Told you he was good.’
‘It sounds to fit,’ she said.
‘Yes, it does. On another topic, has Emma been in touch? I was wondering how Peggy was getting on.’
‘Not a word from her. I’m going to phone my dad soon which will catch him in the morning UK time. I want to find out how things are going.’
But her phone rang before she could do that and it was Phil. After he’d assured her he was all right now, he said quietly, ‘I think you’d better come back if you want to say farewell to your mother. Though it’s only the shell of her that’s left and she won’t react to you, but you’ll feel better for seeing her, I think. Well, I did. I’ve just come back from the hospital. Her deterioration has speeded up, apparently.’
His voice broke on the last words.
‘I’ll take the first flight I can get a seat on.’
‘What about that chap you were telling me about? Will this break things up between you?’
‘I’m not sure. He says he’ll follow me to the UK, so me coming back early will either make or break us as a couple.’
‘Well, that’s a bright spot in a sad time, I must say. You’ll be making me a grandfather yet.’
She could see that Hal had been listening and felt embarrassed by that, so said hastily, ‘I’ll have to see when I can book a seat. Bye, Da.’
Hal said, ‘Get Emma to book a seat for you. Companies can often do such things better than individuals.’
‘But they’ve just sold the company.’
‘Ask her if she can help anyway. She’s still nominally working there. I’ll follow you to the UK as soon as I can make arrangements to have this house looked after.’
‘I’ll go across to see Emma straight away. Oh no, she’s picking Aaron up from the airport this morning. She won’t be in.’
‘They’ll be back by midday. That won’t make much difference, surely.’
But before Emma and Aaron returned from the airport, there was another phone call from her dad.
‘It’s bad news, love. Your mother died an hour ago.’
She’d guessed before he told her. ‘I wish she’d waited.’ Tears welled in Mara’s eyes. Her mother might have been getting stranger and more distanced from the world but it hurt more than she’d expected to lose the last of her.
‘You don’t need to rush to get back now. Why don’t you wait and bring that chap with you? It’s hard to face a funeral on your own.’
‘You’ll be on your own in the meantime.’
‘Ah. Well, I won’t. Sally is going round with me to sort the formalities out. She’s been a tower of strength. I don’t know what I’d have done without her.’
She blinked. Did that mean what she thought it might? Were he and Sally getting closer? She hoped so. Her mother had not really been acting like a wife for years now and he was such a loving man. ‘I shouldn’t have come here and left you alone.’
‘Yes, you should. You couldn’t have changed a thing. I won’t hold the funeral till you’re back, I promise.’
But she was determined to rejoin him quickly. It felt like the right thing to do, the last thing she could do for her mother. And if that was a stupid idea, she couldn’t help it.
She put the phone down and took Hal’s hand. ‘I’ll ask Aaron and Emma if they can help. I need to get back.’
He studied her and nodded. ‘Then that’s what you must do.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
That evening Peggy and Tessa had a very satisfactory brain-storming chat, going over the details of their plot with Loreen and Jordan. It was a no-brainer to target Mike first for revenge, because he’d be nearby. She and Tessa were quite sure of that, knowing how he operated.
They felt so good about their chances of success that when they joined the other residents, they kept snorting with laughter, but refusing to explain why.
Loreen went to her room ‘to freshen up’ and returned half an hour later, looking distinctly gleeful. ‘Let’s go for a final stroll round the garden, girls.’
When they were away from the house, she said, ‘We’re in luck. Liam is only thirty kilometres away working on another photoshoot and if we can arrange it for around teatime tomorrow, he’ll come and join the fun.’ She sighed. ‘I think he was interested in me as a woman till I got so thin he didn’t even like to use me as a model. He said he was delighted that I’m getting better.’
‘Can we organise it by tomorrow, though?’ Peggy wondered.
‘We can if you’ll contact Mike. I bet he’s just waiting for a chance to get at you again. If he isn’t nearby already, he’ll be down here like a shot if you tell him you want to escape fro
m here.’
‘I don’t really want to speak to him again.’
‘You must, if you and I are going to get our revenge,’ Tessa said fiercely. ‘I know I shall feel better for the rest of my life if we succeed.’
No one suggested she was exaggerating. They all understood.
‘I’ll phone him then,’ Peggy said. ‘Wish me luck.’
Janice, who had been watching them surreptitiously, leant towards a colleague and said, ‘They’re up to something.’
‘Should we stop them?’
‘No. Look at how alive they are all of a sudden. But we’ll keep an eye on things.’
Peggy phoned the number she’d never expected to use again. She’d not have been surprised if he’d changed his phone number, but no, it was the same one.
‘Mike?’
‘Who’s that?’
‘Don’t you recognise me?’
‘Peggy? Oh, darling, I’ve missed you.’
‘Have you? Look, I have to be quick. I’ve pretended I need to use the bathroom. Mike, they’ve sent me to a unit near Margaret River. I absolutely hate it here. The food is so … gross. They’re forcing me to eat. Could you – rescue me? Or did you mean it when you said you never wanted to see me again?’
‘I thought I did, but I found out differently after you’d left. It’ll make me so happy to have you back.’
Liar! she thought. You just want to get rid of the baby. She faked a sob. ‘I don’t have any more personal time till tomorrow afternoon. Can you come for me then?’
‘Of course I can. I—’
‘Have to go. I’ll phone tomorrow morning to tell you where to find me.’ She cut off the connection and muttered, ‘How dare you call me darling after what you’ve done, you nasty, sly rat?’
Then she went to tell the others what she’d arranged.
When Peggy was alone in bed she shed a few tears. She didn’t want Mike back, definitely not, didn’t want to see him either, but speaking to him had reminded her of how stupidly gullible she’d been.
Well, she’d get him here and from the way he’d lied to her, he deserved anything they could do to him.
They’d be waiting for him. Oh, yes.
Mara was surprised at how good it felt to see Aaron again. She hugged him back, then congratulated him on selling his business.
‘Never mind that. I can see that you’re upset about something. Can I do anything to help?’
She explained about her mother and the need to go back to the UK as quickly as she could.
He was silent and she was surprised to see tears well in his eyes.
‘Kath didn’t have a very good life, did she?’ he said eventually.
‘We had a few fairly happy years as a family back when I was in primary school, but things went steadily downhill after that, though I don’t think we realised it fully at the time. She hasn’t been at all well lately, and apparently she attacked Dad physically just before she collapsed. Turns out she had a brain tumour.’
‘It must have been so hard on you and your father.’
‘There’s never a guarantee that life will be easy or fair, is there? Your only choice is what to do about it.’
He gave her another quick hug. ‘Emma will get you a flight and I’d back her to be more successful than anyone else could be. But even she can’t guarantee how soon one will become available.’
‘That’s all right. It’s not going to make a difference now, is it? I just – you know, want to be with my dad.’
‘I’d like to meet him one day. I’m so glad you’ve had him over the years. Now, I’ll come back with you and say hello to Hal. Is he walking well enough to join us for dinner, do you think?’
‘Maybe.’
Hal insisted he could limp across if he took it slowly and used a walking stick.
When she got back, Mara put her dirty clothes in the washing machine, then began to pack her suitcase again. It seemed a long time since she’d packed to come to Australia, but it wasn’t. So much had happened since then in such a short time that it amazed her to think of it, not least meeting Hal.
It was hard to settle to anything, even chatting, but Aaron seemed to understand. He was a nice man, but he wasn’t her dad.
That evening she let Hal lead the way next door at his own pace and they found Aaron waiting for them on the patio with an office chair on wheels.
Hal rolled it to and fro, paddling with his sound foot. ‘This is the Rolls-Royce of office chairs.’
‘It used to be in my office at work. I shipped some favourite bits and pieces home when I put the business up for sale.’
The food was good, as always with Emma in charge of the kitchen. The talk flowed easily, though Mara doubted she’d remember what had been said. She felt suspended, not quite here any longer, but not having left yet. Who knew when she’d get a flight? Or what would happen with Hal afterwards.
It was as they were about to set off back home that Aaron suddenly put up one hand to bar their way. ‘Is it my imagination or is there someone in a small boat at the house beyond yours, Hal?’
‘Yes. I bet it’s Moretti.’
‘He doesn’t give up easily, does he?’
Hal explained quickly that Charles was dealing with it for him. ‘I’m not in the best condition to chase after anyone.’ He glanced ruefully down at his ankle and took out his phone to wake his friend.
‘Let’s stay out of sight and see what happens, then,’ Aaron said.
Everything seemed to happen very slowly after that and the moonlight made it feel like an old black and white movie with a chase brewing that the incompetent intruders didn’t see coming.
The intruders tied up the boat to the jetty and one of them had peered over the top of the wall a couple of times. They seemed to be arguing about something.
Then the white-haired guy stood up waving his arms as if angry, though he was still speaking quietly. The boat began to rock and he started to wobble about, then let out a muffled yell. The other one tried to grab him, failed and set the boat rocking even more wildly.
‘The Keystone Cops have nothing on this,’ Aaron muttered, grinning.
‘Who’s the wobbly old one?’ Emma whispered.
‘It’s the guy who’s renting the big house a few houses up on the other side,’ Hal said. ‘The one that woman said wanted to buy my house. Moretti, he’s called. Do you think he really did send those thugs to try to break into my house when I wouldn’t sell? And then sent them into your house?’
‘Who else would be interested? Let’s creep out while they’re busy and get closer to the action. It’s a brilliant comedy performance.’
The boat had stopped rocking about and the older man in it now made another attempt to get out, with the help of the younger man. At that moment a passing boat roared into the canal, as they sometimes did, speeding way beyond the limit. A man on board was waving a bottle around.
That made the would-be intruders duck down again. The other boat didn’t linger in their quiet, poorly lit side canal, but zoomed off back to the brightly lit main area at top speed.
This time when the older man stood up, disaster could not be prevented. He misjudged his moment completely and as the departing boat’s wake hit them, he let out a wild yell, flailed about and tumbled overboard with a big splash. His companion began shouting for help.
Hal limped forward to the jetty and yelled, ‘You get him out of the water, you fool!’
The man swung round and with a screech of shock at the sight of the group of people, he too tumbled into the water.
By this time the watchers were helpless with laughter but both men were yelling for help and panicking. They seemed incapable of saving themselves.
‘I knew I’d use my lifesaving skills one day,’ Emma said. ‘I wish I wasn’t wearing this dress, though.’ She took a graceful dive into the canal from the edge of Hal’s block, followed by Aaron.
Mara, who had also learnt lifesaving at school, hesitated but decided only to joi
n them if they were having trouble. Sometimes panicking people could drag their rescuers down. But they only needed to be pulled a short distance here, so the rescue shouldn’t be difficult.
Aaron found he had only to help the younger man to the edge and the fellow managed to drag himself up the jetty’s ladder on his own.
‘Can you help me, Aaron?’ Emma called out. ‘This guy isn’t fully conscious.’
‘Oh, hell.’
No one was laughing now. The two rescuers got the older man to the ladder then, with help from Mara and Hal above, Aaron got him up to the jetty.
‘Is he breathing?’ Emma called anxiously as she got out of the water.
‘Yes, but something’s wrong. I think he’s had a seizure of some sort.’ Hal turned round. ‘Where’s the other fellow?’
‘Damn! I think he’s legged it.’
‘We’d better call an ambulance.’
Charles arrived before the ambulance could get there, checking Enrico Moretti. ‘He may have had a stroke. He’s breathing on his own, though, so I don’t think he’s in too much danger. How about you two change into some dry clothes and I’ll stay with him in case he gets into trouble breathing. Mara, can you wait at the front door to let the paramedics in?’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt so useless in my life,’ Hal grumbled.
‘You set me onto him, so you played your part, but if you can limp into the house and put the kettle on, a hot drink might help us all afterwards.’
Hal lingered to say, ‘Aaron and Emma probably saved his life. It might have looked like a comedy show at first, but it could have had serious consequences.’
‘Yes. I hope the police catch the other guy.’ Charles looked down at the still figure, breathing stertorously now. ‘What the hell was he coming here for?’
‘Heaven knows. To threaten me in person, perhaps.’
The paramedics turned up shortly afterwards and agreed that Moretti had probably had a stroke. They seemed at first surprised then annoyed when everyone declined to accompany the old man to the hospital.
Charles produced the business card Diana had given him and passed it to the paramedic. ‘This lady knows the family. I’ll give her a ring and ask her to go to the hospital.’ As the ambulance drove away, he took out his mobile phone.
