Angel's Share

by Kayte Nunn

  ‘What?’ he said, running a hand through his hair. ‘Gone where?’ Realisation quickly dawned on him. ‘You’re kidding?’

  ‘I wondered why they hadn’t come down to breakfast, and when I went to look, both of their rooms were empty. They were there, asleep, when we went to bed last night. I checked on them.’

  Mark was silent for a minute and Rose looked at him, wondering wildly what they should do. ‘Do you think they could have run away? Oh Christ. I knew Leo wasn’t happy about leaving. Do you think he’s taken Luisa with him?’ Her heart was racing nineteen to the dozen.

  ‘Let’s try to think calmly for a minute,’ said Mark, though he looked as worried as she felt.

  ‘They can’t have gotten far, not in the middle of the night. Do you think they went over to the winery?’

  ‘It’s not possible,’ he said. ‘It would have been locked up last night.’

  ‘What about the cellar door?’

  ‘Same.’

  Rose’s heart was caught in her mouth as she thought of the two children walking down the long Kalkari drive and onto the Eumeralla Road in near-pitch darkness. Anything could have happened to them. ‘They’ve even taken their pillows. And Leo’s overnight bag is missing too.’

  ‘I’d better get on to the police,’ said Mark, reaching for his phone. ‘God only knows where they could have gone.’

  Twenty minutes later Rose heard the scrunch of gravel as a squad car came to an abrupt halt at the top of the drive. ‘I’ve put out a bulletin to the Eumeralla Shire force,’ said Officer Doyd as he emerged from the car. ‘If they’re anywhere in the area, and they most probably are, we’ll find them.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, feeling a tiny bit reassured.

  ‘Have you contacted their school friends, anyone who might have seen them, or overheard them talking about what they were going to do?’

  ‘I’ve tried all the ones I can think of. No one’s seen or heard from them, or heard Leo talking about anything unusual – other than moving to Spain, that is.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ said Officer Doyd. ‘Alright, I’ll see about setting up a search party. We’ll put out an appeal for members of the public to come and help.’ Rose noticed his eyes flick over to the dam, which was glistening in the early morning sun, and felt a fresh worry grip her. ‘Have you looked everywhere on the property? Kids often hide in the most unlikely places.’

  Just then, another car came up the drive. Rose recognised it immediately. Isabella. Early for once. Christ, that was all they needed.

  ‘Are they ready?’ Isabella said to Mark as she got out of the car. ‘I want to make good time to Sydney.’ She looked curiously at the policeman.

  ‘I’m afraid that we, er, can’t seem to locate them just at the moment,’ Mark admitted.

  ‘What? I do not believe it,’ she fumed. ‘The lack of discipline here is really showing. Those kids run wild, like savages. I knew it was time to have them with me.’

  ‘That’s enough, Isabella.’ Mark’s tone was calm, but cold. ‘There is no sense in throwing unnecessary accusations about. I could just as easily say that they are so unhappy about leaving Kalkari that they’ve run away, rather than go to Spain with you.’

  Probably the more likely scenario, thought Rose, noticing that Isabella was taken aback by that suggestion.

  ‘So what are you doing to find them? We cannot miss our flights.’

  ‘That’s what Officer Doyd’ – Mark indicated the policeman – ‘is here for. He was just telling us the next steps to take.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Isabella,’ Rose said. ‘I swear we had no idea Leo was thinking of anything like this. And they were there when I checked on them last night, fast asleep. I can’t imagine what must be going through your mind. We’re completely beside ourselves.’ It was the most she’d ever said to Mark’s ex-wife.

  ‘Well, no, I suppose you can’t imagine it; you are not a mother,’ Isabella said.

  Rose held her tongue despite the sting of her words, and turned away. ‘I’ll be in the house if you need me,’ she muttered to Mark.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  And you say you checked on them at midnight, and then only realised that they had disappeared by’ – Officer Doyd consulted his notebook – ‘8am? Are you sure you’ve looked everywhere?’

  Mattie, who had come over from the barn, looked at Mark, who appeared to be wracking his brains. ‘We’ve checked the house,’ he said. ‘Even under the beds and in the cupboards. Nothing. I’m sure they’ve run away. It’s the only explanation.’

  ‘Try not to worry too much,’ said Officer Doyd. ‘They can’t have gotten far.’

  ‘That’s what I’m concerned about,’ said Mark grimly.

  ‘Perhaps we should each search a different part of the valley?’ Isabella suggested.

  Mark nodded in agreement. ‘Let’s go inside and figure out a strategy.’ He turned towards the front door, ushering everyone in.

  Mattie was about to follow them when a thought suddenly occurred to her and she changed direction, hobbling down the drive as fast as she could manage. Reaching the junction with the Eumeralla Road, she halted and looked up at the big liquidambar tree where Leo’s treehouse was perched.

  ‘Leo, mate. Are you up there?’ she called out.

  The lonely caw of a blackbird was the only answer.

  ‘Come on, mate. I reckon you’re in there. I’m coming up, ready or not.’ Mattie grabbed each side of the timber planks that had been nailed to the trunk and hauled herself up the tree, not caring about her recently healed leg and shoulder. It was harder than it looked. Puffing, she reached the entrance to the treehouse and peered in. It was hard to see clearly, but she could just make out a huddle of blankets in the far corner.

  ‘What’s going on here then, kids?’ she said gently.

  There was an indistinct murmur and the blankets shifted. Her instincts had been spot on.

  ‘Oh, Leo, sweetheart. I realise it isn’t exactly your choice, but you never know, Spain might be alright. And it’s not forever.’

  Silence. Mattie bit her lip, feeling awful for what the poor boy was going through.

  ‘You know we all have to do things we don’t want to sometimes,’ she said. ‘And when that happens you have to suck it up and get on with it. Drink a cup of wet cement, as your granddad used to say.’

  Mattie heard a faint gurgle, something between a laugh and a groan, and then Leo’s head emerged from the blankets, his dark hair, so like his father’s, sticking up at all angles. Luisa, too, popped her head up.

  ‘Hello, sweetie. Did you have a bit of an adventure?’ The little girl shook her head and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Mattie turned her attention back to Leo. ‘You know, sometimes we all feel like running away – I know I have from time to time. But sooner or later you have to be brave and face things.’

  ‘But what about my soccer team?’ said Leo, an agitated expression on his face. ‘I can’t let them down. There’s three more matches left of the season and then we might be in the grand final. And if I leave now, they might not let me back in next year.’

  Mattie softened. ‘Oh mate, of course they will. They’re gonna miss you, that’s for sure, but I know they’ll have you back next season.’

  ‘How? How do you know? They might not. Someone else might come and take my place.’ Leo’s voice was strained with the effort of holding back emotion.

  ‘I’ll tell you what, why don’t we call your coach and have a chat to him?’

  Leo looked a little more hopeful. ‘Can we?’

  ‘Promise. Now come on down, will you? I can’t balance up here much longer and Rose has made pancakes – I know they’re your favourite. Your mum’s here too.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said resignedly. He gathered up the blanket and pillows and handed them to Mattie, who tossed them to the ground below. She wondered if her leg, which was now aching, would hold up on the ladder, but she took a deep breath and waited as Luisa came towards her.

  �
�That’s it, sweetie,’ she said. ‘Now just turn around and I’ll come down with you.’

  ‘Too high,’ said the little girl anxiously, still with her thumb in her mouth.

  ‘It’s okay, I’m here. I’ll help you climb down. Come to Auntie Mattie, sweetie.’

  This time Luisa did as she was asked and kneeled down at the entrance. Holding onto the ladder with one arm and guiding Luisa with the other, they slowly descended.

  Leo followed, then picked up the blanket and pillows from where they lay on the grass, and the three of them walked back up the drive, Mattie holding Luisa’s hand.

  They clattered into the kitchen and Mattie saw the relief on everyone’s faces. Rose looked like she was blinking back tears, and Mark sprang forward to hug both kids.

  ‘Where were they?’ Isabella said accusingly to Mattie while gathering Luisa to her. ‘Did you know you gave us all a fright?’ she said, looking at Leo.

  ‘It’s alright, Isabella, he and Luisa were just having an overnight adventure in the treehouse. Weren’t you, mate?’ Mattie said. ‘Silly me had forgotten all about it; he told me that’s what they wanted to do last night,’ she lied, exchanging a look with Mark.

  ‘Yes, Mum, Auntie Mattie’s right. It was just a sleepover in the treehouse,’ said Leo. ‘We were perfectly fine.’

  ‘Sorry to have bothered you, mate,’ Mark said to the policeman.

  ‘Better safe than sorry, hey?’ said Officer Doyd. ‘I’ll be off then.’ He began speaking rapidly into the radio on his chest, calling off the search, as he exited the kitchen.

  ‘Okay then,’ said Rose, with a show of false cheerfulness. ‘You two must be starving. Who wants pancakes?’

  After an awkward breakfast, Isabella hovering in the background as Rose cooked, it was time for them to leave.

  Blinking rapidly, Rose went to hug Leo. ‘Bye, darling,’ she said. ‘Have a wonderful time in Spain. Christmas will be here before you know it.’ Leo looked at her with desperate eyes but Rose gave him her best encouraging smile.

  Luisa wrapped herself around Mark’s knees like a vine. He picked her up and hugged her. ‘Bye bye, sweetie,’ he said, his voice cracking with emotion. He released her and handed her over to Rose. The little girl clung to her.

  ‘It’s okay, darling. You’re going to have such a lovely time with your mummy,’ said Rose, squeezing her tightly.

  After planting a splashy kiss on her, Luisa let go of Rose and ran into her mother’s arms.

  ‘Don’t forget to feed Buttons,’ Luisa called out from her car seat. ‘And give him lots of apples.’ She was too young to realise what going away with her mother was really going to mean; she had only a young child’s concept of time.

  Rose and Mattie came around the side of the car to say a final goodbye. Isabella glanced at them without saying anything, then asked Mark to load the suitcases into the boot.

  Mattie hugged Leo, reassuring him that she would personally call his soccer coach, and then poked her head inside the car to say goodbye to Luisa. ‘See you soon, baby girl,’ she said, showering her with kisses as Luisa giggled.

  Mark hugged his son fiercely, then ruffled his hair as he released him. ‘It’s not forever, mate, okay? You’ll be back before you know it. And we’ll Skype you. Every day, if you want.’

  In a flash they were gone, Isabella’s car kicking up a cloud of brown dust as they rumbled along the drive.

  The house was going to be very quiet now, thought Mattie sadly.

  Mark put an arm around Rose as they watched the car disappear into the distance. ‘I’m heading to the winery,’ he said eventually, and walked off in that direction.

  ‘Coffee?’ said Mattie.

  Rose smiled faintly at her. ‘Perhaps now’s a good time to teach you how to use the beast.’

  ‘The beast?’

  ‘The La Marzocco. Where’s Cara? You’re both going to need to learn.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  ‘Mark, it’s Vineyard Life on the phone. Something about next Wednesday’s photo shoot?’ Rose held the receiver out to him with a quizzical look on her face. She handed it over and busied herself clearing away the lunch dishes, keeping one ear open to eavesdrop. It had been nearly a week since the kids had left with Isabella, and the yawning silence about the place hadn’t gotten any easier to bear for either of them. She kept forgetting that she didn’t need to get their breakfasts, cook their dinners, or make school lunches. For once, the house was immaculately tidy, but rather than enjoying the peace and tranquillity, she found she hated it. She could scarcely believe it, but she actually missed the mess and almost constant chaos and couldn’t settle to anything; she couldn’t bear to go into their bedrooms. She also missed having Astrid, who had found work with a family in New Bridgeton, and Max about the place. She’d loved the sweet little-boy plumpness of him, his skin like a fresh-baked soft roll, and had always stolen cuddles whenever she could. She was as fond of him as she would have been of her own nephew. No doubt about it: it was far too quiet with everyone gone.

  Mark spent longer hours at the winery, only coming into the house when hunger struck, and so she divided her time between Trevelyn’s Pantry and the cellar door, where Mattie and Cara were learning the ropes. She smiled to herself as she overheard Cara chatting away to a group on a buck’s weekend, mesmerising them with the swing of her hips as she expertly poured the wine and gave them the spiel Dan had drilled into both her and Mattie. Business was increasing as the weather warmed up. That at least was something to be thankful for, Rose mused, thinking of the wedding bookings for Trevelyn’s that had been coming in steadily since the first one earlier that year. Mattie had revamped the restaurant’s website and included a section on functions with photos she’d taken of the dining room all set up for service. And Cara had ‘Instagrammed the shit out of it’, whatever that meant. It all seemed to be making a difference, and her reputation was spreading beyond the valley, with enquiries coming from as far away as Sydney.

  ‘Look, I don’t remember agreeing to this, but if you say I did then I guess we’ll have to go ahead with it,’ Mark was saying into the phone. ‘Yes, yes, of course. We’ll all be ready for you next week.’

  ‘Well?’ asked Rose when he’d hung up.

  ‘Apparently I agreed to let the magazine come and photograph us. Bugger me if I can remember it. I tried to put them off, but they were insistent. God help us.’

  ‘It won’t be that bad, surely?’

  ‘Well, they want to show the family side of the winery so they weren’t too thrilled when I explained that the kids weren’t here right now,’ he said. ‘But they’re still coming. Wednesday. Do you think you can rustle up some food? They want to show us, all dolled up, having a meal on the verandah – you know, the sort of thing we do every day of the week.’ Mark raised his chipped mug of tea to her, revealing the holes in the elbows of his favourite ratty jumper.

  ‘Hah!’ She laughed. ‘The girls will be pleased though. Give them a chance to get involved. And the magazine will go nuts for them – two lovely young things at the cellar door.’

  Mark grunted. ‘Hey, you’re not exactly a dried-up old bag yourself, you know.’

  ‘Oh, so you noticed?’ Rose circled her arms around him and gave him a kiss. It was the first light-hearted comment she’d heard from him since the kids had left.

  As Rose had predicted, Cara was excited at the prospect of the photo shoot. ‘It’ll be like old times,’ she said, grinning at Mattie.

  ‘Er, actually, this time you’ll be in front of the camera, not behind it,’ Rose warned.

  The two girls looked at each other and then at her.

  ‘What?’ said Cara.

  ‘No kidding. They want the whole team. You two included.’

  ‘Well, I hope they’re bringing hair and makeup with them,’ said Mattie, grimacing and running her fingers through the tangled mop on top of her head. ‘We’re gonna need it. Not to mention wardrobe.’ Since she’d been back in the valley, M
attie had worn either jeans and boots or shorts and thongs, and her face was almost always makeup free.

  ‘One thing’s for sure, I’m certainly not putting another rinse on mine,’ said Rose, remembering the results of her effort on Luisa’s birthday.

  ‘That’s probably for the best,’ laughed Mattie. ‘Katy Perry purple probably wouldn’t go over too well in the pages of Vineyard Life.’

  Cara’s eyes lit up. ‘Can I style everyone? Rose, would you let me go through your wardrobe?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Rose, ‘though I doubt you’ll find anything suitable. There’s not much call for haute couture in the Shingle Valley. Haute cuisine maybe, but not haute couture.’

  ‘I reckon between us we can rustle up something. I brought quite a few things with me,’ said Cara with confidence.

  ‘Why am I not surprised by that?’ asked Mattie.

  Rose was up early on the Wednesday morning, wanting to squeeze in a quick run and get on with some food prep before the shoot crew arrived. With Mattie and Cara’s help, she had scrubbed the house from top to bottom and tidied away the worst of the clutter out on the verandah. Her heart twisted as she stowed Luisa’s tiny mud-encrusted boots in the shed.

  They set up a long table outside and covered it with a freshly starched linen cloth. Cara had ironed the clothes she’d picked out for all of them and had been true to her word – they were all going to look the epitome of country chic, from the crown of their akubras to the tips of their newly polished boots. Even Jake and Dan were to be in on the act, and had been given strict instructions to spruce up and change out of their usual grimy jeans and moth-eaten sweaters. Of course they had grumbled about this, but Mattie was adamant and cajoled them both into moleskins and polo shirts. ‘Never met a pair of RMs I didn’t like,’ Cara said approvingly, checking Dan over.