Before the Storm

by Di Morrissey

  ‘Fine, thanks. Yes, it’s a terrific piece. Of course, reaction so far has been a bit split.’

  ‘Yes. I saw some of the comments. How is Meredith taking it?’

  ‘It was her idea to do it, but I’m not sure how she is finding the reaction. It’s only early. We’ll know more as the day progresses, I guess.’

  ‘You know, what impressed me the most was how she turned an average bakery into a continental café in some dead-end town way back then. She was quite an entrepreneur. She must have some good ideas about spruiking tourism in Storm Harbour.’

  ‘Yes . . . actually you’ve just reminded me that Poppy told me about her ideas about town development when she was first elected, but which got voted down,’ mused Ellie.

  ‘So, what are you doing this morning?’ Mike asked.

  ‘We’re all having a coffee in town. I sent Meredith a text to check she’s all right and we might meet later.’

  ‘Well, let me know what the official reaction to the story is from the council. And by the way, I enjoyed your story on Ben.’

  ‘Pleased to hear it.’ Ellie laughed. ‘Sounds like you’re becoming one of our regular readers, Mike.’

  ‘Ha, maybe. Now, what about you, Ellie? How are you going with the brilliant ideas challenge?’ he asked. ‘Have any more to send me?’

  ‘I knew you’d ask! Okay then. What about a video-conferencing app that allows, for example, a TV talk show host to have an interactive video audience? Say, two hundred people with lowered volume to allow viewers to hear collective reactions? It must also have good admin or a moderator who can dim or spotlight certain members of the audience and the host. The rules are that the audience must dress appropriately to the theme or mood or setting and have no distracting backgrounds, and also have good internet speed. Then away the show goes. How’s that for starters?’

  ‘Boom to Zoom!’ Mike laughed.

  ‘Well, I had fun thinking about it,’ she said, laughing with him. ‘Do you think I’m going to share my real app ideas?’ she joked.

  ‘No. Of course not. But I see you’re still firing, despite being a newspaper journo on the side. So. Have you called Roger?’

  ‘Not yet. I texted him to say I’d need at least a week to think it over.’

  ‘Good. He won’t like that,’ said Mike. ‘Do you want to meet up with him to find out more about his offer?’

  ‘I’m still not sure. I want to think about it all a bit more,’ she replied.

  Ellie looked up to see Dave waving at her with a woman she didn’t recognise walking beside him.

  ‘Mike, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

  ‘Sure, Ell. Speak then.’

  As she hung up, Dave came over to her. ‘Hi, Ellie. Congratulations to you all. Great paper this morning.’

  ‘Thanks, Dave.’

  ‘This is a friend of mine, Lauren.’

  ‘Hi, Lauren,’ said Ellie.

  ‘Lauren is visiting from Melbourne. We’re on our way to the markets.’

  ‘If you see the mayor you might want to tell her you think the article’s terrific,’ said Ellie.

  ‘Well, I do think that. I had no idea Mayor Havelock had such an interesting background. It’s refreshing, frankly. Okay, see you round.’

  ‘Enjoy Storm Harbour,’ said Ellie to Lauren.

  ‘I will, thanks,’ said Lauren with a smile.

  Ellie walked back and joined the group at the table just as Jon pushed his wheelchair out.

  ‘Thanks for the coffee, boss. I have to take my cousin to a Little Athletics sports meet in half an hour, so I’d better get going.’

  ‘See you, Jon,’ said Patrick. ‘Check the newsagent on the way, see how the paper is doing, would you please?’ he called.

  ‘I’d say it would be running out the proverbial door,’ said Roly.

  ‘I think I might do a patrol around town, see what feedback there is,’ said Ellie, tugging on Sam’s leash. ‘In fact, we might check out the markets too.’

  There was a stream of people coming in and out of The Shed shopping centre. Immediately Ellie saw a knot of shoppers near one of the stalls. She and Sam walked over to find Meredith surrounded by what seemed to be mostly wellwishers. However, as Ellie stood nearby, listening in to the conversations, one older man with a dour expression said loudly, ‘Maybe some people should keep their dirty washing to themselves.’

  ‘Yeah. It’s just a stunt,’ said the woman with him. ‘Elected officials are supposed to be upright citizens –’

  ‘Oh, and what grubby little secrets are you keeping?’ snapped another woman, turning on them. ‘I could tell a few stories about you, Naomi Rawlings,’ she added.

  ‘Hey, hey, ladies. This is our mayor, we elected her, we respect her and the office she holds,’ someone else said.

  ‘Yeah, but for how long?’ came another voice.

  Meredith merely smiled and handed her money to an embarrassed stallholder in exchange for a bag of lemons.

  ‘Listen, folks, Meredith has done a damn good job for us for years. There’s a reason for this morning’s paper. And that’s to tell the truth. I for one think we have the best mayor in Victoria.’

  Ellie turned and saw that the person standing up for the mayor was Tommy from the bookshop. She went over and stood with the mayor as Tommy joined them.

  ‘Hey, Ellie,’ he said. ‘Good on you, Mayor Havelock.’ He shook the older woman’s hand.

  ‘Thank you for speaking up back there,’ Meredith said to Tommy as the three walked away from the stall, Sam following along behind.

  ‘I think you’ll find the majority of the town is with you, Mayor. It’s the few naysayers who shout the loudest, unfortunately,’ said Tommy.

  ‘Well, we’ll see,’ said Meredith. ‘I think I’ll head off home now. I need a cup of tea.’

  ‘Where’s your car?’ said Tommy. ‘I’ll walk with you, if you like.’

  Meredith smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Tommy. That’s very considerate of you.’

  ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I admire the courage it must have taken for you to tell your story.’ He looked around. ‘Let’s go now, otherwise you might be here a while.’

  Ellie noticed that a few people had stopped nearby and were staring at the mayor.

  ‘Good idea, Tommy. See you later, Meredith,’ she said as she watched Tommy march beside the mayor. They passed a couple who smiled at them, the man tipping his hat in a salute to Meredith.

  Ellie and Sam started a circuit of the stalls. So far so good, she thought. But somewhere there was someone who would not like the fact that Meredith had got in first to tell her story. What would their next move be?

  As Ellie and Sam walked back up the street, she received a text from Patrick.

  Going for lunch with Roly and Nino down at the river. See you later, sweet potata!

  Ellie smiled. Patrick sounded a bit pleased with himself. And so he should, she thought.

  Putting her phone away and setting off again, Ellie spotted the tall figure of Heather chatting to someone up ahead. Heather saw Ellie coming and lifted an arm to wave.

  ‘Hello, hello, Ellie. You been to the markets?’

  ‘Yes I have. How are you? How is Kathryn?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘All good, thank you, dear. Did you hear about Seamus O’Neill? His travel agent has just let the O’Neills know that there’s a hurricane in the Caribbean, and his small cruise ship has been forced to take shelter. Evidently there’s no communication in the Caribbean at present. Seamus might not get back in time for Kathryn’s birthday party. Isn’t that right?’ She turned to the woman beside her, who nodded.

  ‘Have you two met?’ Heather continued. ‘Cynthia, this is Ellie, Patrick Addison’s granddaughter from the newspaper. Ellie, this is Cynthia O’Neill. Ronan’s wife,’ she added.

  Ellie tur
ned and smiled at Heather’s companion, then froze as she suddenly realised where she’d seen this woman before. Heather was talking about the hurricane again as Ellie, careful to keep her expression neutral, politely excused herself and pulled Sam away.

  She hurried up the street, trying to work out what was going on. Why would Cynthia O’Neill sit in her car watching Susan McLean’s house in Pine Street at odd times of the day?

  10

  The release of the controversial issue of the Chronicle was generating great interest.

  An impromptu gathering arranged by Patrick on Saturday afternoon turned into an early evening barbecue, with Meredith the centre of attention among good friends. While no one asked her any personal questions, she did regale them with some very funny stories of the ‘old’ days. Patrick also had great yarns to tell, and when Roly suggested Patrick should write his memoirs, everyone agreed.

  The only shadow over the occasion, which nobody mentioned but which was felt by all, was the spike in nasty posts on social media. Twitter had been running hot with a lot of aggressive and unpleasant tweets about Meredith being ‘unsuitable’ as a mayor. Ellie checked the paper’s website constantly and took down the worst of the comments there as quickly as they appeared.

  Before the guests started to leave, James and Lucy brought out a big basket of fruit and other produce from their farm to share around.

  ‘Lucy is bottling preserves and pickles like a fiend while everything is in season,’ said James. ‘The guests always ask to take some away with them, so we might have to set up a small shop in the café next.’

  ‘I’m still trying to get Meredith’s secret bread recipe for the café, too,’ said Lucy. ‘We could sell some loaves. Also, we have two friends who want to buy our alpaca wool to have it made into knitwear. Their plan is to commission people in the local area to knit it up. Here, I brought you a sample,’ she added, handing Ellie a soft ruby-red jumper. But when Ellie unfolded it, she did a double take.

  ‘It’s for Sam!’ James laughed. ‘For the winter. He’s getting on a bit, isn’t he?’

  ‘Oh, it’s gorgeous! Hey, Sammy, come and try on your new jumper!’ When the old dog trotted up to her, Ellie slid the garment over his head and did up the buttons on the side. ‘It’s a perfect fit. Thank you so much, Lucy.’

  Sam wagged his tail, looking pleased and probably hoping all the attention meant he’d get a treat of some kind.

  ‘Our neighbour knitted it. She’s in her eighties but she has amazing energy. She’s now running knitting, crochet and needlepoint classes for the young people in the area who never learned how from their grannies,’ said Lucy.

  ‘Something else to put in your shop,’ said Ellie. She looked at Cassie. ‘Do you knit?’

  ‘I did once,’ Cassie replied. ‘I might go and join in, I’d love to get into it again.’ The two women exchanged a smile, both thinking of baby clothes.

  *

  On Monday morning at breakfast, Patrick looked weary.

  ‘Can’t party like I used to, I reckon.’

  ‘Take the morning off and relax. You’ve earned it, Poppy. Sit in the sun on the verandah where it’s sheltered from the wind.’

  ‘Not a bad idea. What are your plans for the day?’

  Ellie groaned. ‘Well, first I have to ring Roger.’

  Patrick put down his mug of tea and looked at his granddaughter. ‘What have you decided?’

  ‘It’s a “no” from me.’

  ‘All right,’ said Patrick neutrally. ‘And what next?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I know what I don’t want. I haven’t thought past that. If it’s all right with you, Poppy, I’d like to stay here till I figure things out. Also, I want to give up my flat. It’s sitting there empty but still costing me money. The lease runs out soon and I don’t think I’ll renew it.’

  Patrick took a sip of tea. ‘Of course, love. You’re welcome to stay forever if you like,’ he said casually, but Ellie could see he was pleased.

  ‘I’ll go into the office this morning and see what’s going on,’ said Ellie. ‘What were you thinking for the front page on Wednesday?’

  ‘Not sure. Let’s have one more crack at trying to get corroboration from council about details for any proposal for the caravan park site. Then, of course, the next paper will be all about Kathryn O’Neill and her big birthday bash.’

  At the mention of Kathryn O’Neill, Ellie’s thoughts jumped unbidden to Cynthia O’Neill, hunched in the seat of her car outside Susan’s house, and then, inevitably, to Ronan. Ellie shuddered: did every O’Neill have some sort of hidden story? Resolutely, she pushed the thoughts away, turning instead to Patrick with a bright smile.

  ‘I don’t think “bash” is the appropriate word! Every minute of the evening will be stage-managed by Susan, no doubt. And don’t forget, we’re invited,’ Ellie said.

  ‘Oh, gawd. Do I want to go?’ mused Patrick.

  ‘Yes, you do. You’ve known Kathryn for years and years. Plus, you’re my date.’ Ellie paused and cocked her head. ‘Who’s that on the radio?’

  She stood and turned up the volume to hear the now familiar whine of Councillor Lowe.

  ‘Sourpuss himself, what’s he on about now?’ muttered Patrick.

  Ellie started buttering her toast, then banged the knife on the table.

  ‘Listen to that horrible rant! How dare he say such things about the mayor. So snide!’

  ‘. . . it is more than embarrassing. Her disgraceful revelations will make us a laughing-stock. Anything the mayor says or does from here on will be dismissed as being of no value, coming from such a person . . .’

  ‘He’d better be careful. He’s sliding a bit close to maligning her publicly. He can’t go about accusing her of deceiving council about her history,’ exclaimed Patrick. ‘I bet he doesn’t have a lilywhite background himself. You know what they say, people who live in glass houses . . .’

  ‘Listen, the radio announcer is agreeing with him! Sally would never do that,’ said Ellie.

  Ellie’s phone rang.

  ‘Are you listening to that scumbag on the radio?’ stormed Tommy.

  ‘Yes. Hang on, I want to hear the rest – I’ll call you back, Tommy.’

  Hanging up the phone, Ellie listened in growing horror as the interview went on.

  ‘Bloody outrageous jerk,’ muttered Patrick when the segment ended and the news came on.

  Ellie phoned Tommy back.

  ‘Hi, Ellie. Can you believe it? That slimy Lowe fellow is an idiot. He came very close to slandering Meredith,’ said Tommy.

  ‘Poppy was just saying the same thing; he’s fuming.’

  ‘We have to stop the rot. The social media comments are bad enough, but that interview was the pits.’ Tommy stopped, as if taking in a deep breath, then said, ‘I have a plan that will shake up council. This is not the type of town where people protest and march angrily in the streets, but I really feel we need to do something.’

  ‘Er, just what did you have in mind, Tommy?’ asked Ellie cautiously.

  ‘A friendly, supportive “Rally for the Mayor”. To show her that many people here think she’s doing a great job. And that we think she’s a tremendously strong and honest woman.’

  ‘Well, that sounds good, I think. I’ve never heard of a rally in support of a politician before,’ Ellie said, laughing. ‘Let me talk to my grandfather.’

  ‘Of course, of course. But we have to get moving. Strike while Twitter is hot and the interest high. Come over to the bookshop for a chat. It’ll be action HQ.’

  When Ellie told Patrick about the plan, he shrugged.

  ‘Tommy’s heart is in the right place. He’s a bit of an odd bod in some ways, though. He’s been through some terrible sadness. Lost the love of his life, actually. Then he came into a big inheritance from a long-lost relative who turned out to have made mi
llions digging holes in the ranges in remote Western Australia.’

  Patrick shook his head and went on.

  ‘Tommy’s very embarrassed by the way the money was made, so he tries to put it to good use and supports good causes when he can. He prefers to keep a low profile most of the time, which is a loss to the town as he’s a very bright bloke. I’m pleased that he sees you as a friend.’

  ‘Ah, that explains a few things,’ said Ellie, nodding slowly. ‘I like the way he’s passionate about causes, although this idea about a rally for the mayor seems a bit strange. I hope it doesn’t just make Meredith feel embarrassed.’

  ‘Actually, this sort of thing isn’t so unusual around here,’ said Patrick. ‘There was a get-together a few months ago to raise awareness of mental health issues among rural communities. We’re not into noisy, flashy protests so much, but we have always rallied together when the need arises. I’m sure Meredith will see that Tommy has the best intentions,’ Patrick continued. ‘Plus, Tommy has always been a big supporter of the paper. In fact, he supports a lot of things in town that no one knows about. And I’m sure that’s the way he wants to keep it.’

  ‘Really? When I first met him, I flippantly asked him if he’d won the lottery and he said, “something like that”. I guessed then that he wouldn’t say anything more about it.’ Ellie stood up and took their breakfast plates to the sink. ‘Even if he’s embarrassed about the way his money was made, why does he bury himself away in the bookshop and do good deeds in secret?’ she asked.

  Patrick shook his head. ‘It’s his choice and I’ve never asked. So his offer to come out publicly like this for Meredith is a big deal. We have to support him.’

  ‘You never know about people really, do you?’ said Ellie thoughtfully. ‘I bet everyone in this town has a story of one kind or another.’

  ‘Probably. But the Chronicle isn’t going to tell ’em all,’ Patrick said, smiling.

  Ellie picked her phone up from the table. ‘Okay. I’m going to call Roger.’

  ‘Be strong but polite, sweetie. I’ll be honest: I’m pleased you’re not going back there. Now, I’m going to sit in the sun for a bit and do the crossword. C’mon, Sam, you can help me.’