Nothing to Gain

by Claire Boston

  Nicholas lay next to her and took her hand. “Thank you for suggesting this. It’s what I needed.”

  She forced a smile. “Me too.”

  They lay like that until the hum of a motor downstream reached them. They both sat up and a few minutes later a large dinghy came into view with Lincoln at the helm. It was quite crowded with three others in the boat: a darker skinned man who looked like he had Middle Eastern heritage and a blonde female, both in plain clothes and whom she assumed were detectives, and Will, the Aboriginal park ranger who worked for the Parks and Wildlife Service and came into her bakery daily.

  She got to her feet, brushing the dirt off her shorts. Lincoln threw her a rope and she steadied the boat as they all disembarked.

  “Can you show us what you found?” Lincoln asked. “Use the same path as you did last time.”

  Mai wanted to ask him about Gordon’s condition, but instead she nodded and took them through the grass to the containers.

  “Thanks, Mai. We’ll take it from here.”

  “We’ll need a statement from them both,” the female detective said.

  “Do you want it now, or shall we come into the station tomorrow?” Mai asked.

  “Sergeant Zanetti can take it now.”

  Lincoln stood behind the woman and rolled his eyes.

  She hid her grin. “All right.”

  Together they walked back to where Nicholas waited and Lincoln got out his notebook. “Tell me all your dirty secrets.”

  Nicholas chuckled. “The only dirt is on the back of Mai’s shorts.”

  “And yours,” Mai pointed out.

  She couldn’t mention Gordon now, not with Nicholas here. She didn’t want him involved. She focused instead on what Lincoln asked, giving as much detail as she could, though there wasn’t a lot to say.

  “Thanks, guys. You can go now, but don’t leave town.” Lincoln winked.

  “I hope it doesn’t take too long.”

  Lincoln sighed. “Me too.”

  “Any news on the crash victim this morning?” Nicholas asked, shuffling his feet. “Did he make it?”

  Lincoln’s face fell. “No. They couldn’t revive him.”

  Mai gasped and stumbled back. It was her fault he was dead.

  Lincoln caught her. “Shit, Mai, I didn’t think. Did you know him?”

  She nodded. “He dated Kit in high school.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She had to tell him everything. Had to explain why she hadn’t called him last night. How would she ever face Gordon’s wife again? “Slinky, I saw Gordon last night. He wasn’t high.”

  “It doesn’t take long to get high, Mai.”

  Frustration skirted her skin. “I know that—”

  “Sergeant!” The call came from the male detective standing under the trees. “We could do with another set of hands.”

  Lincoln glanced over his shoulder and waved, swearing under his breath. “I’ve got to help.” He turned to Nicholas. “Can you take care of Mai?”

  Nicholas nodded.

  She bristled. “I don’t need to be taken care of. I need you to listen to me.”

  “Sergeant!”

  Lincoln sighed. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Call me later.” Before she could protest, he was gone.

  Damn it.

  “What’s wrong?” Nicholas asked.

  She couldn’t tell him, couldn’t risk him getting involved. She sighed. “Nothing. Let’s go home.”

  Mai didn’t get the chance to call Lincoln until Monday afternoon. She’d convinced herself she needed to be alert, needed to write down what she’d seen to make sure she’d got the details right, so she’d waited until after her siesta.

  Her call went straight to voice mail, and she left a message, asking him to call her.

  Maybe she should call the station, but she wasn’t comfortable talking to the others. It had to be Lincoln.

  Not wanting to be left with her guilt, she collected the keys to the Mortimer Road cafe from the real estate agent. She needed to write a list of the work to be done, had to make sure she had all the supplies for the busy bee on Saturday.

  As she drove into the car park, her skin tightened. This was the scene of the crime, the place where she’d put her own welfare above someone else’s, the place where she could have made a difference, and hadn’t.

  She walked around the back to where Gordon had been on the ground. There was nothing there to show for it. No drop of blood, no scrap of clothing, not even the weeds were crushed.

  Only her guilt

  Not wanting to be out in the open, she hurried back to the front door. The faster she wrote her list, the sooner she could leave.

  By the time she finished she had filled two pages. She could drive into Albany to get the supplies now. She didn’t want to go on her own though. Nicholas would be working, but maybe Jamie was free. She dialled his number as she locked up.

  “Please tell me you want me to do something,” Jamie said as he answered.

  His plaintive tone made her smile. “Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of sitting around doing nothing.”

  Jamie laughed. “As if Mum would let me,” he said. “I’ve been working at the cheese factory and I’m sick of the smell of milk.”

  “I’m doing a supplies run to Albany. Want to come?”

  “Yes, a hundred times yes,” he said. “Do you need me to pinch the ute?”

  “That would be great. I’ll be out in twenty.” She hung up and then headed out to the Zanetti farm.

  Jamie was lounging on the old sofa out on the wrap-around verandah when she pulled up. He was on his feet and at the gate before she got out of her car. “In a hurry much?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.” He seemed agitated, his palms rubbing against his jeans and shuffling from foot to foot so she quickly got into the old Zanetti ute.

  When they were on their way, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m feeling a little stir-crazy.”

  It was more than that. Her own concerns forgotten, she took a good look at him. His fingers tapped the steering wheel and he bit his bottom lip, his eyes glistening. “What happened, Jamie?”

  He shook his head, not looking at her.

  Something was definitely wrong. Concern fluttered over her skin. “Pull over.” When he kept driving, she put a hand on his arm and said more sternly, “Pull over.”

  He pulled off the road and lowered his head to the steering wheel. He started shaking.

  Mai’s heart leapt into her throat and she undid her seatbelt, sliding across the bench seat to put her arm around him. “Tell Mayday what’s wrong.”

  The noise that came out of him was half laugh, half sob.

  She’d never seen him so upset. She held on to him until the shaking subsided and he took a deep shuddery breath. He lifted his head and wiped the tears away. “Sorry about that.”

  Mai shook her head. “Are you going to tell me what it was about?”

  “Everything kind of hit me at once.”

  She waited, knowing he would explain in his own time.

  “My teaching contract wasn’t renewed at the end of the year,” he began. “I’ve been applying for jobs, but so far no luck. I might be unemployed when school goes back in a couple of weeks.”

  That was ridiculous! Jamie loved teaching, and was so damned good at it. “I’m sorry.”

  “That was the first hit,” he said. “Then Sandra wasn’t happy about me coming back to Blackbridge for the holidays.”

  Mai had never met Jamie’s girlfriend, but she didn’t like what she’d heard about her. She was demanding and high maintenance, and anytime Mai had called Jamie while she’d been over, the conversations had been cut short. Sandra didn’t like Jamie having female friends.

  “Surely she knows how much you love coming home, and how you help your parents out while you’re here.”

  He shook his head. “She doesn’t understand. She called me just after you did today and announced she was comin
g down to visit for the weekend.” He sighed. “She hasn’t accepted any of my invitations and now she decides to come on the one weekend when we’re working on your cafe.”

  She didn’t want to cause him any trouble. “That doesn’t matter, Jamie. You don’t have to come. I’m sure there will be plenty of people there.”

  “No, Mai, I want to help.” He turned to her. “I told her I had plans, that I was helping you and she got angry, accused me of cheating on her and dumped me.”

  Mai gaped at him. “Who are you supposed to be cheating with?”

  He raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Me?” Mai laughed and held out her hand. “Give me your phone and I’ll call her back. Tell her she’s mistaken.”

  “The thing is, Mai, I’m not upset. I’m relieved.”

  “Huh?” She frowned, examining him to make sure he wasn’t losing it.

  “I stayed in Perth because of her. I liked being in a relationship and she was really good in bed, but I’ve missed you and the other musketeers.”

  “We’re not quite the same as your girlfriend.”

  “No, you’re better.” He sighed. “I miss my family and I’m always jealous when you tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “I’ve got no job, I’ve got no girl, and there’s nothing stopping me from coming home.”

  Mai squealed and hugged him hard. “That’s fantastic! Wait until the others find out. Kit’s probably got a contact at the School of Agriculture. You might be able to get a job there. And there’s not a lot of cheap accommodation around town, but you could probably bunk in with me at Fleur’s.”

  Jamie chuckled and held up a hand. “Slow down, Mayday. I’ll sort out my own accommodation thanks very much, but I hadn’t thought about the ag school. I’ll give them a call when I get home.” He started the car. “Thanks, Mai. I feel better. Now, let’s get your supplies.”

  “Absolutely.” She smiled. She’d needed some good news.

  And Jamie moving back to Blackbridge was the best news she’d heard all day.

  Chapter 14

  Nicholas paced the living room while he waited for Mai to arrive. He should have picked her up, then he wouldn’t have to wait here considering all the things that could possibly go wrong.

  When was the last time he’d met a girlfriend’s parents?

  When was the last time he’d had a girlfriend?

  Maybe at university, which was far too many years ago to count.

  At least he’d already met Bian and Leanne. They’d both been friendly, but he’d made a crappy first impression on Mai’s brother. Would he have told the others? Nicholas cringed. He hoped not.

  Surely they wouldn’t say anything about him being naked in Mai’s apartment. It was none of their business.

  But there was no denying he wanted to make a good impression. Mai’s family were important to her. He wanted them to like him.

  He let out a sigh of relief when Mai pulled up, picking up his keys and leaving the house before she knocked. She greeted him on the front path with a kiss.

  “Hi.”

  “How was your day?” he asked.

  Her smile was big and bright. “Really great.”

  Something had happened to make her so happy. She positively radiated it, and his nerves evaporated. “What did you do?” He got into the car, moving Calypso on to his lap.

  “Jamie and I went into Albany to get the things we need for Saturday.”

  She hadn’t asked him to go with her – not that he expected her to invite him everywhere – but it would have been nice.

  “And Jamie mentioned he’s moving back to Blackbridge.” She smiled. “Isn’t that great?”

  He pushed back the jealousy. Jamie had said he wasn’t interested in Mai. Still, they had a bond he envied. “Yeah. How long has he been in Perth?”

  “Basically since he went to uni – about eight years.”

  “Has he got a job down here?”

  “Not yet, but if necessary I can give him a few hours in the bakery. I’ll need more staff with the bigger seating area.”

  He could understand why Jamie wanted to move back. It was such a great community and Nicholas didn’t want to think about leaving it either.

  Mai pulled up at a huge modern, two-storey house on the hill above the town. It had stylish lines and wouldn’t look out of place in one of the wealthier suburbs in Perth – not quite the small family home he’d been expecting. It was even more modern than his parents’ house on the beachfront.

  “Ready to meet the horde?”

  He winced inwardly, before nodding. Were all her siblings going to be there?

  “Don’t worry, you’ll have fun.”

  He could do this. He took the bottle of wine and Calypso, and followed Mai into the house. Inside, the hallway was large, with light-coloured walls adorned with bright artwork. On the dark wooden hall table stood a carved wooden statue of a dragon which could have been Vietnamese in origin. Mai walked straight through to the back of the house in the direction of the voices.

  The kitchen was epic. One wall was covered in glossy white cupboards and the other contained a huge oven and stove top, almost commercial size. It was stainless steel and white, bright and airy but welcoming with its touch of colour in the fruit basket and the green kettle and toaster next to the stove. Mai’s family was gathered around a large island bench covered in food – four siblings and her parents.

  An older man looked up and grinned. “Hi, Mai.”

  Everyone turned and Nicholas found himself the centre of attention.

  “Everyone, this is Nicholas.” Mai pointed to each person in turn. “Eden, Sarah, Leanne, Kim, my mother, Bian and father, Anh.”

  Nicholas stood there holding a cat and a bottle of wine. He must look a fool. “Nice to meet you.”

  Eden moved forward and claimed Calypso. “Let me take the Cal-man from you.” She left the room.

  Leanne sighed. “She always gets out of the work.”

  Nicholas relaxed at the normal sibling complaints. He could relate.

  Anh asked, “Have you ever made dumplings?”

  He moved closer. That’s what they were doing around the bench. Making dumplings and some kind of spring roll. “No, I can’t say I have.”

  Mai took the bottle of wine from him. “It’s tradition and you can’t really mess it up. Wash your hands and Dad will show you how.”

  He did as requested and found himself standing between Kim and Mai with a small ball of dough in his hand. It was soft like plasticine and easy to flatten out into a disk. He followed Anh’s instructions, adding some filling and pinching it together, and ended up with something that looked like it would collapse if anyone touched it. “I think I failed.”

  “It’s still edible,” Anh said. “It takes practice.”

  Next to him Mai made dumplings at three times his speed, making it appear easy. He’d need a lot of practice.

  “Nicholas, I have those contracts here for you,” Bian said. “Remind me to give them to you before you leave.”

  “I will.” Another contract signed. The development was almost at full capacity. His father would be pleased.

  “Bian showed me the revised development plans,” Anh said. “It’s a nicer looking building with the few changes you made.”

  “Thanks, I agree.”

  “What other stores are going in?” Kim asked.

  There was no hostility in his question. Kim didn’t seem upset about catching him in Mai’s apartment. That was a relief. “A restaurant, Mai’s bakery and a homewares store so far. I’ve still got two more units to lease.”

  “What kind of restaurant?”

  “Tapas.”

  “That will be nice,” Bian said.

  Kim and Anh shared a glance. “Shouldn’t be any competition.”

  Nicholas frowned and Mai explained. “Dad and Kim run the Vietnamese restaurant in town.”

  He hadn’t realised. His develop
ment affected the whole family. It was a wonder they didn’t ask him to leave right now, but neither man appeared particularly concerned.

  He focused on the dumpling he was making and this one turned out slightly better than the last one. He added it to the plate of finished ones and his were clearly more mangled looking like overstuffed pillows.

  “What’s next when this development is finished?” Anh asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nicholas admitted. “I’m enjoying it down here.”

  “We know all about that.” Anh exchanged a fond look with his wife. “There’s something about Blackbridge that is soothing to the soul.”

  It was poetic, but he was right. Nicholas had been able to de-stress and re-evaluate his life down here.

  “The city has a way of making you forget that there’s more to life than work,” Bian said. “We’ve been so much happier since we made the move.”

  He hadn’t considered moving down here permanently, but the idea was enticing.

  “So how long have you and Mai been a thing?” Leanne asked.

  Sarah smacked her sister on the arm and Mai shook her head. “That’s none of your business.”

  Nicholas’s cheeks warmed. He guessed they were a thing.

  “All right, we’re done here,” Anh said. “Leanne, set the table outside, Sarah can organise drinks and I’ll get steaming.”

  Relieved by the reprieve, Nicholas followed Mai outside into the lush and shady garden. A couple of big eucalypts towered above them and parrots sat in the branches, nibbling on the nuts. Underneath were a collection of Australian natives and shade-loving plants and the small patch of lawn was in immaculate condition. “It’s a lovely garden.”

  “Thank you,” Bian said as she followed them out. “It’s my relaxation. Do you garden?”

  “No. I live in an apartment in the city.”