Raven Falls: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense

by Suzanne Brandyn

  ‘I’m sorry about that,’ Mary said as she walked toward a sofa opposite and sat. ‘Well why don’t we get on with it? I have a few photographs you might like to see, Brad. If you want to keep any let me know.’

  Brad leaned forward, legs apart.

  Mary reached for an old tin box with burgundy and white flowers decorating the outer side. ‘I’ve had this box since I was a young girl. It’s a bit tattered these days. It was my mother’s before mine.’ She sprung the lid open, and sorted through several photographs.

  ‘Here’s one. It’s of your father taken with a baby. I don’t know.’ She passed it over to Brad, who appeared stunned for several seconds.

  He cleared his throat. ‘I’ve never seen a photograph of my father. Thank you.’

  ‘You’re a bit like him, but more like your mother. You have his strong nose and jawline, but I do believe you are much more like Dianne than you realise.’

  Brad glanced up and grinned before taking more interest in the photograph.

  ‘I’m not one hundred percent certain about what happened in those days. Dianne kept a lot hidden about Tim, your dad. You do know he had a drinking problem, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes. That’s one thing I do know.’ The muscles along his jawline tensed.

  ‘Dianne said he was a decent man before the drink destroyed him. That photograph was taken here at a summer barbeque. You were probably at boarding school at that time. Your mother wasn’t here either. I gathered they had some sort of disagreement. No one asked too many questions. It wasn’t proper like to interfere. There was one thing that day. I noticed he didn’t touch a drink.’

  ‘That’s strange.’

  ‘It was probably because he had a baby to care for. So he was considerate, Brad.’

  ‘I doubt that. Did he say whose kid it was?’

  ‘He said the baby was a relative’s child, that he was minding it for a cousin. We didn’t know what to believe. He was acting a bit wired that day. Some people said your mother fell pregnant and hid it from everyone, that she didn’t want the child. I know for a fact Dianne didn’t do such a thing. She wasn’t that type of person. She would have given an arm and a leg to have another child, but she was sensible. Dianne knew she wouldn’t be able to care for them, especially suffering through cancer and arthritis. You don’t need to worry about that. I know it wasn’t Dianne’s child.’

  ‘I originally thought Mum had another child. So whose kid was it?’ Heat rose in his gut, burning for his mother’s pain. Not only from the pain of her sickness, but another type of pain, the pain of knowing your husband was and is unfaithful. Hell, poor Mum.

  His bloody father had a lot to answer for. After all, he’d disappear every so often. What man did such a thing without explanations, unless he was screwing around? Brad’s gut churned.

  Mary dug around in the box. ‘Here’s another one. It’s of your mother and you. It was taken here when you were five years old.’

  ‘And you don’t know any more?’ He finally spoke after scrutinising the photograph for several seconds.

  ‘I don’t want to be one that is the bearer of bad news. It’s difficult to speak about matters I thought were dead and buried.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I can’t remember if the child was a boy or a girl. I’m sorry. I had a strange feeling all day that day especially knowing your mother wasn’t around. The child looked a bit like you, but more like your father with dark hair and colouring. The baby didn’t have dark brown hair like you, it was more black and with curls. A bit like Samantha’s. That raven black. She looked at Samantha. ‘Your hair is straight...well it does have waves, but not curls. Here, look.’ She pointed to the curly headed child.

  ‘How old was the baby in that picture?’ Brad inspected the other photograph in his hand.

  ‘It’s hard to say. It’s the old brain. The baby looks to be a few months old. The darling thing cried most of the time they were here.’

  Brad’s mind filled with many unanswered questions. ‘You do know my father shot himself don’t you?’

  ‘Yes. I’m sorry for your loss.’ She made a few tsking sounds with her lips.

  ‘Don’t be. I didn’t know my father and what I do remember were bashings, arguments or screaming matches he had with my mother.’

  ‘Not a nice environment for a young boy to grow up in.’

  ‘I gather that’s the reason Mum sent me away to boarding school.’

  Mary shook her head and a vague look moved over her eyes. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been so long.’

  ‘Do you know what happened to the baby?’

  ‘Plenty of rumours went around in those days.’

  ‘You mean to say my father might have killed the baby as well as himself.’

  Mary shook her head. ‘No, I’m not saying that at all. He was here for a few hours with the child one day and they were gone the next. They found your father’s body two years later, but there wasn’t a sign of the child. Between you and me, sweetie, your father didn’t have any relatives living in Australia.’

  ‘Murderer.’ Brad said under his breath, loudly enough for the women to hear. ‘I bet he killed the kid.’

  ‘We can’t judge, Brad, until we have all the facts. I don’t think Timothy would be capable of murder even in a drunken state.’

  ‘He shot himself. What’s to stop him?’

  ‘Knowing the child was his own flesh and blood may have.’

  ***

  When Brad and Samantha left, Brad didn’t say a word until he dropped Samantha back at Raven Falls.

  ‘Thanks for coming with me. It meant a lot. It’s been a long afternoon. I might head home. I’ve got a bit of research to do. Tell Cam I’ll see him bright and early in the morning.’

  ‘Yes. The other pipeline. Are you sure you’re okay to be alone?’

  ‘It’s the best thing for now, Sam.’

  She watched him drive away and wondered what had happened to the baby and if it really was Timothy Harper’s child. If so, did he take the baby’s life as well as his own?

  Mary had also said that the baby had dark hair, a bit like her own hair colouring. Samantha was two years younger than Brad, which made him thirty. Cameron was fourteen months older than her. Shivers tripped over her skin. What if she was the baby in the photograph? She swallowed, feeling mortified.

  Was she the missing sibling? Was Brad her brother, or possibly a half-brother? Surely her mother...her father....it wasn’t possible...it was possible. Samantha grabbed hold of the railing when she reached the front veranda, dropped her weight against a post, and looked out over the front of the house yard only to cup her mouth with an open palm. She rubbed a hand over her tummy, while her mind soared through the possibilities. She started to dry reach several times. It wasn’t until she’d raced down the steps that she vomited over the grass.

  Chapter Nine

  ‘Hell, Sam. What’s up?’

  Samantha heaved several times.

  ‘Come on. Let’s get you into the house.’

  Cameron put an arm around her waist and they walked into the lounge room where he helped her sit.

  She leaned back and pushed stray wisps of hair from her face.

  ‘I’ll get you a drink and some tissues.’

  He disappeared for a few minutes, while Samantha tried to settle her concerns and her stomach.

  She cupped her mouth again, and pushed up to make a dash to the bathroom downstairs where she continued to vomit.

  ‘I’m calling the doctor.’

  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘No you’re not. I’ll be fine.’

  Cameron passed her the box of tissues and she took a couple to wipe her mouth. ‘I need to wash my face.’

  ‘Come on sis, I’ll give you a hand. Hell, I’ve never seen you sick.’

  ‘I don’t get sick.’

  ‘It’s obvious you are now. Something’s wrong.’

  ‘Perhaps it’s a tummy bug.’ But whatever she did, the persistent
thoughts insisted on cramming her mind. Thank heavens she’d been on the pill when she’d been with Brad. Although that was one consolation, nothing would discount how she felt about what she’d done. It didn’t make one iota of a difference that she didn’t have any proof at present, her sinister suspicions kept rioting through her mind, playing over and over like some morbid story.

  She dragged herself toward to the sink, splashed cool water over her face, and then patted it with a hand towel.

  ‘I’ll make you a camomile tea.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  When Cameron went into the kitchen, tears filled her eyes. She stared in the mirror for some moments knowing she had to keep busy, keep her mind occupied on something else. What else could she do? Her mother was honest and forthright. She would have told her a long time ago if it was true. They were close and spoke often and Samantha couldn’t see a reason why she would have kept something as important as being adopted from her.

  She shook her head. Heavens, what was she thinking? She was her mother’s daughter, an Osborne through and through, but her little pep talks did nothing to quell her negativity, which had a mind of its own and continued to haunt her with suspicions. When she arrived in the kitchen, Cameron had made her a tea.

  ‘How are you feeling now?’

  ‘A little better, thanks.’ She sank onto a chair and Cameron sat beside her.

  ‘You can talk to me you know. Is there’s something bothering you?’

  ‘I know. I’m okay. As I said it might be a tummy bug.’

  ***

  Christopher had healed well and he was bursting to get back into work mode, although Samantha insisted that he had to go back to school. He’d whinged all the way to the bus stop and back that day. He wasn’t ready to ride the bike and until then she’d make sure that he didn’t. She didn’t need any more accidents on the property.

  ‘My scars aren’t as half bad as I thought they’d be.’

  ‘I know. I can only see one just a little, that’s the one on your cheek.’

  ‘Damn it. That’s the one that the girls are supposed to notice.’

  Samantha laughed. ‘Have a good day.’

  ‘I’ll try.’ He walked to the opposite side of the road moments before the bus pulled up. She gave him a wave and he waved back, and she felt blessed to have such wonderful brothers.

  ***

  Samantha kneaded the dough as she gazed through the kitchen window. The temperatures were in the mid-thirties and the second pipeline installed. Raven Falls had prospered thanks to the pipeline feeding the many dams now brimming with water from the underground spring. She wondered how long it would take until the sprinkler system was up and running. But it wasn’t the same as hearing rain on a tin roof; it wasn’t the same as standing with your arms outstretched, feeling the coolness against your skin, and licking your lips as you drank in the very existence of the life-giving liquid.

  Her thoughts turned to Brad. She hadn't seen him in a while, which was just as well. It seemed every time she saw him another cloud of skeletal dust would seep from his closet, although it didn’t matter what she did, her mind would wander.

  Was he in pain? Was he alone? She originally thought their relationship would develop into something promising, a future perhaps, that is until she had thoughts about them being related. They were silly thoughts of course, but the scenario couldn’t be ruled out. Mary Hinder did say she had similar hair colouring to the baby in the photograph, and then there was the photograph of Brad’s mother in his lounge room taken when she was about Samantha’s age. A shiver in warning tiptoed up her backbone.

  Nevertheless, she was prepared to help him through his pain. Help him become the man she met that afternoon on a white sandy beach. The urge to see him rose, but she’d have to bide her time until he found out who and where his missing sibling was. To rule her out would be a godsend.

  ‘Hey Sam.’

  She jumped when the boom of Cameron’s voice broke the silence. She looked back as he clomped over the timber floorboards toward her.

  ‘We thought we’d have a barbeque this Saturday night. What do you think?’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Steven and Chris are okay with it, what about you?’

  ‘If that’s want you want.’

  ‘I’d be good to give something back to the people of Raven. After all, they helped out when Mum and Dad died. I ran into Jimmy Peterson only the other day. You remember him don’t you? He owns a property on the far side of Raven. He said he’s selling up if something doesn’t happen soon. He’s sold most of his cattle at half price. People are suffering and seeing we are getting back on our feet it’s about time we helped folk out. Take their mind off the drought and their struggles if only for a night.’

  Samantha nodded. ‘It’s a good idea. I’d be nice to catch up with Tracey as well.’ Tracey had eyes for Cameron and she would love to see them get together, become an item.

  ‘I’ll make a few salads, and I’m sure I can manage a few desserts. I might ask Tracey to help.’

  ‘That’d be great, thanks. We’ll have steak, chops and sausages. More sausages than the rest, but let’s make sure everyone gets a decent feed.’

  ‘I’m hungry already.’ She grinned.

  ‘I have to go into town tomorrow. Do you want a break? We can pick up whatever we need.’

  ‘Sounds good. It’ll be nice to get out for the day.’

  ‘I noticed.’ He pointed to the dough on the board. ‘By the way you’re kneading that it’ll be Christmas by the time the pie is finished. Are you okay?’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘You don’t smile as much. You look as though you’re going chuck up at any time.’

  ‘I’m fine. I’ve got a lot on my mind.’

  ‘Anything to do with Brad?’

  ‘No. Nothing about him. It’s about the irrigation system and general stuff.’ She hated telling fibs and braced herself for Cameron’s interrogating response. It didn’t eventuate and she was pleasantly relieved.

  ***

  Samantha finished preparing the last of the pies and popped them into the oven. She’d asked Tracey to help her, and it was good to have another woman in the house for a change.

  ‘Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve barely spoken since I’ve arrived.’

  ‘Yeah. I’m right. It’s a lot of work, all this baking.’

  ‘It’ll be worth it. The community is thankful. Me included.’ She chuckled. ‘You’d tell me Sam, wouldn’t you…well if something wasn’t right, if something bad was going to happen or has happened. You’re not sick, are you?’

  Samantha smiled. ‘No, I’m not sick. Probably a little drained, but that’s all.’

  ‘Good then. Why don’t you get cleaned up? I can manage in here.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes. Off you go.’

  Samantha walked upstairs to shower. She chose an ice blue dress falling to her knees. She liked the way it swayed as she walked. After applying some lipstick, she allowed her hair to fall freely to her shoulders. On the way out, she slipped on a pair of silver sandals.

  ‘Your turn now,’ she said to Tracey when she arrived in the kitchen.

  A tooting of a car horn sounded from the front of the house. ‘Our first guest.’

  She headed for the front door, knowing this was the beginning of many. Perhaps they needed a sign by the front door. Meet you out the back.

  After greeting Margaret and James Paterson, she accompanied them to the back veranda where she poured a glass of red wine for Margaret. James retrieved a beer from a timber barrel full of ice which kept the many bottles of stubbies cool for the night.

  Amber shades of twilight pushed at the remaining daylight, paving the way for nightfall. After chatting to many of the guests, Samantha wandered down toward the back fence and leaned her hip against a timber post.

  The scent of eucalypt vanished, while wood smoke lingered in the atmosphere. She inhaled, and glanced back a
t their guests before a voice caught her attention. She spotted Brad speaking to Cameron and Steven, and her heart took one gigantic leap to her throat. God he looked good. She swallowed, feeling her nerves spike with adrenaline. And she didn’t know how to tell him, or if she would or could about her suspicions.

  Guests filled the backyard, and chatter was well into full swing. Mr Potstone, the family’s solicitor, approached.

  ‘Hello Samantha.’

  ‘Hi Mr Potstone. Have a seat?’ She indicated the three seats nearby. ‘Have you had something to eat yet?’

  ‘Yes, thanks. Great meal,’ he said, taking a seat closest to him, while Samantha walked around and sat in the one beside him.

  He tapped his stomach.

  ‘Dessert will be out when everyone is finished.’

  ‘How’s everything going here at the Falls?’

  ‘We’re surviving. We’ve finished putting the irrigation system in, although it’s taken a bit out of the funds, or will take; in the long term it’ll be worth the risk.’

  He shook his head. ‘Sometimes we have to take chances in life.’

  ‘I guess so,’ she answered, thinking of the double meaning to his words.

  ‘Mr Potstone. I didn’t know you were here,’ someone called from the crowd.

  ‘I should mingle. Thanks for the invitation.’

  Samantha was about to stand when Tracey rushed up to her side, and settled onto a chair, sitting askew to face her.

  ‘Wow, it’s a full turn out.’

  Samantha smiled. ‘I didn’t expect many people to turn down a free feed.’

  ‘Hello ladies.’

  ‘Hi Brad,’ Samantha said, spellbound by the sound of his warm, masculine voice.

  ‘Sam, Tracey. You ladies look lovely tonight.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Tracey replied.

  Samantha heard the rush of Tracey’s breath while she spoke. Was she attracted to Brad? But she gathered most single women would find Brad an appealing male and good husband material. He’d be an asset for having intellectual children, plus the genes for good looks.

  ‘I should go...I have to check the dessert. I’ll leave you two to talk.’ Samantha picked up her plate and a few more close by, turned and headed toward the house on shaky legs. Her world was crumbling, and she didn’t know what to do about it. It’d been the first time in her life where she stood on shaky ground wondering if it would all fall apart underneath her and she feared where she’d end up, and feared the rejection of her brothers. Giving herself a mental shake she slowed by the kitchen door and noticed Cameron, Steven and Christopher sitting at the dining room table.