Murrook Farm (Sam & Jody Series Book 2)

by Lois Kay

  “It’s alright,” Lucy’s voice sounded close to her ear. “You’re not superhuman. This is difficult.”

  “That it is.” Trishia leaned back in her chair and glanced at Lisa. “What do you think?”

  “She’s handling it exceptionally well, but she’s still processing. We’ll have to keep a close eye on her.” Lisa shook her head and smiled. “What an amazing kid.”

  “She’s a survivor,” Yarra said. Her soulful brown eyes were sad as she looked at Lisa. “She’s been through so much already, and she still fights.”

  “And she will have to keep doing that for quite a while, Yarra,” Lisa said. “But, from what I’ve seen from Alice so far, she’ll get through this. After all, she has a lot of support here.”

  A few minutes later, Alice returned to the kitchen. Even though her face was pink and freshly scrubbed, her eyes were puffy, and it was clear she had cried. She leaned against the countertop and looked at Trishia and Peter.

  “Where is he?” she asked quietly.

  “We’re looking for him, Alice,” Peter answered. “A team went to his house, but he wasn’t there.”

  “He’ll be coming here,” Alice stated, feeling an arm slip around her shoulders to give her silent support. Without glancing aside, she knew it was Jody.

  “I need to go,” she whispered, gently pushing away Jody’s arm. “Because of me, you’re all in danger. I need to go right away.”

  For a moment, there was a tense silence. Jody and Lisa exchanged a worried look. “Where will you go, honey?” Jody softly asked, breaking the silence and shooting Alice a look of gentle concern.

  “You can’t keep me here,” Alice’s voice was strangled, and she shot Trishia a defiant look. “If I want to go then that’s my decision.”

  “We understand that. Alice, look at me.” Jody put a hand on Alice’s shoulder and gently turned her. A pair of terrified blue eyes locked with hers and Jody’s heart went out to Alice who looked so small and frightened. She knew she had to proceed with caution if she wanted to convince Alice to stay. Both Fiona and Yarra looked at her with pleading eyes, like Jody was the only one who would be able to stop Alice from doing something foolish.

  “If I stay here, you’ll all be in danger. You don’t know him, Jody,” Alice was unaware of the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “He…he is…he is so cruel, I-.” Alice paled and let out a wrenching sob. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and almost doubled over in physical and emotional pain. “I don’t want him to hurt anybody else,” she cried, swaying like she was going to fall over.

  Jody firmly wrapped her arms around Alice. She could feel the sobs rake through Alice’s body and when her knees buckled, she gently lowered her to a chair, without releasing her hold. “We are here for you, sweetie,” Jody tried to comfort Alice. “When I said you were welcome to stay as long as you’d like, I meant it and so did Sam. We don’t want you to be out on the streets by yourself, Alice. We want you here, with us.”

  The words filtered through the near-panic that had made thinking difficult, and when Alice lifted her head to look at Jody, the expression in her eyes was that of fear. “You won’t be safe,” she whispered. “If anything happened to you or anyone else, I would never forgive myself.”

  “And if you would leave and something would happen to you, we would never forgive ourselves,” Sam spoke, kneeling next to the chair and putting a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “I know you’re scared, Alice. I think we all are. But Peter and Trishia are here, and we have the security system installed, so I think right here is the safest place to be. For all of us. Please stay.”

  Alice closed her eyes and slumped back against Jody’s side. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and she was desperately trying to regain her composure. Her heart had been pounding so fast it had made her dizzy, but it gradually slowed down, and Alice let the strong arms that had provided a warm safety net bring her much needed comfort. It slowly dawned on her that she was feeling safe and that realization helped her to take a few deep breaths and push away the panic that had constricted her chest minutes earlier. “I’m sorry,” she finally mumbled. “I never meant to be such a headache.”

  Immediately Jody’s arms gave her a playful squeeze.

  “No need to be sorry, Alice,” Yarra spoke, keeping the tone of her voice light to ease the tension. “Believe me, these people love headaches. After all, they put up with Fiona.”

  “Hey, you’re hurting my feelings,” Fiona argued, but she was grinning.

  “Do you know the story about the wallaroo and the willy-wagtail, Alice?” Yarra asked in a gentle voice.

  Alice looked at Yarra and shook her head.

  “There was this old wallaroo who was tricking other animals who were traveling alone to help him, but when they did, he killed them with his boomerang and ate them. One day he met a willy-wagtail, and he tried to trick him as well, but the wagtail caught on and was able to avoid the boomerang. He grabbed it and threw it at the wallaroo, hitting him square in the chest, killing him. He skinned him and took the hide back to his tribe and told them how the wallaroo had tricked their friends. They were all sad about what happened and decided that, from then on, nobody would travel alone again. As a reminder, the wallaroo has a strip of white fur on his chest, where the boomerang hit, to remind others not to travel alone.” Yarra paused and was aware of the silence in the kitchen. “You don’t have to walk alone, Alice,” she continued. Her voice cracked a little. “It’s safer to stay with your friends, no matter how good your intentions are, of not wanting anyone to be harmed. Friends can rely on each other. They are there to provide comfort and to keep each other safe.”

  “Thank you,” Alice whispered, managing a small smile. “That was a beautiful story.”

  “There’s more where that came from,” Fiona said after clearing her throat. “Yarra can tell all the stories and legends of her ancestors. When this is all over, we should camp out one night, make a fire and let her tell us stories, Alice. That is so cool.”

  “You should ask my dad,” Yarra grinned, grateful for Fiona’s response which had given her time to regain her composure. “He knows a lot of dances as well, and he plays the didgeridoo.”

  Jody smiled. “Sounds like we’ll have to organize a party soon.” She patted Alice’s knee and sent Yarra a grateful look. “That is if we are invited as well?”

  “Of course. At least you’re not afraid of the creepy crawlers in the bush, like some people we know,” Fiona smirked, casting a look at Lucy who made a face and stuck out her tongue.

  “You were not the one who was attacked by a legion of green ants,” she replied with feigned hurt. “Those bites are painful.”

  “Served you right for not looking down before you parked your butt in the dirt,” Fiona shot back. “Face it, Luce, you are a lousy girl’s scout.”

  “I never pretended to be one in the first place,” Lucy mumbled. “Besides, I know better places to sleep than a lumpy, rock littered, hard bush floor.”

  “I bet you wouldn’t mind if Trishia were with you,” Fiona teased. “To kiss away all the pain.”

  “Okay, girls, that’s enough,” Sam called out, rising to her feet. “Put a sock in it, Fi. You two can verbally assault each other later. Right now, we need to discuss some serious business first.”

  “So, will you stay here, Alice?” Jody softly asked, before slowly releasing her hold.

  Alice swallowed hard and looked up at Jody through long, damp eyelashes. Part of her wanted to be ashamed of her outburst, but she knew there was no reason to feel that way since Jody, Sam and their family had once more proven to be her friends. Another part of the wall that Alice had built around her heart crumbled and fell. “I will stay,” she answered in a husky voice.

  “Thank you, Alice,” Jody smiled, the relief evident on her face.

  “So, what is the plan?” Sam asked, looking to Trishia and Peter. “Do you think he’ll be stupid enough to come here?” she put words to everybody’s
concern.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if he did,” Peter mumbled, deliberately avoiding the concerned look in Jody’s eyes.

  “What can we do?” Jody asked. “If he shows up here, I want to be prepared.”

  “That’s my feisty wife,” Sam smiled, wrapping one arm around Jody’s shoulders and kissing her cheek. “But Jody is right, Trish, what can we do? I don’t want to be here and feel like a sitting duck.”

  “Isn’t it possible for the girls to go to The Reef?” Lucy asked, looking at Trishia. “He wouldn’t know they’d be there and you could wait for him here. If he shows up,” Lucy added. “You would only have to worry about yourself and Peter.”

  “And me,” Sam added with determination. “I’m not leaving.”

  “If Sam stays, I’ll stay,” Jody said immediately, slipping her hand in Sam’s and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “Right, this is going to be complicated.” Trishia rubbed her face, shooting Lucy a small smile. “I do think Lucy’s idea is a good one though, but there’s one thing that worries me about it.”

  “There won’t be anyone looking after the girls,” Peter said. “But it does have its advantages, Trish, you have to admit that. Martin will check here first, you know that. And when he does, we’ll be waiting for him. Even if his plan is to check The Reef, he’ll never make it there.”

  “There are too many uncertainties, Pete,” Trishia said. “I’d hate to leave anything to chance. If we’re not with Alice, we won’t be able to protect her.”

  Sam turned and looked at Jody with questioning eyes. Jody didn’t like what she read in them, but when she opened her mouth to protest, Sam gently put a finger against her lips and sent her an apologetic smile.

  “Hear me out, honey,” she pleaded. “I think Lucy’s idea could work. It will only be a matter of time before Martin Coles will find out Alice is here, if he doesn’t already know. If the girls and your mom are away from here, Trish and Peter will be able to completely focus on trying to capture him. We have the cameras to use, and I know I can help with keeping an eye on them. I’ll get a couple of extra security guards at the hotel and tell them to not let anyone near the executive floor. We will give them a picture of Coles, so they’ll know what he looks like and they can keep an eye out for him.” Sam cast a look at Trishia who nodded. “I’d feel better if you would go with them.”

  “No. No, Sam, please don’t ask me to do that,” Jody whispered, feeling the tears sting in the back of her eyes. “I don’t want to be away from you in a situation like this. I went through hell last year, and I don’t want to go through that again. Please!”

  Sam bit her lip and wrapped Jody in her arms, pulling her close. She could hear her sniff and felt the pain shoot through her heart. She didn’t want to be away from Jody either, but Lucy’s idea was a good one, and Sam knew that the girls and Joan would be safe at The Reef because she didn’t expect Martin Coles would even think about trying to find Alice there. The events from the previous year had been hard on Jody. The hours Sam had been gone to meet Megan’s kidnappers and exchange herself for their friend, had been torture on them all. In the months after, Jody had regularly woken up in the middle of the night, bathing in sweat, after having a nightmare about losing Sam.

  “Listen to me, love,” Sam whispered with lips that almost touched Jody’s ear. “Alice trusts you. She listens to you. What if she gets another panic attack and tries to run? I know you could stop her from doing that. We need you to keep her safe, Jody.”

  “That’s emotional blackmail, Sam,” Jody breathed, knowing in her heart Sam had just made a good point.

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” Sam pulled her even closer. “But I know that you know that I’m right.”

  Sam could feel Jody nod against her chest, and she knew in her heart she already had made the heartbreaking decision to leave Murrook Farm and go to The Reef, for Alice’s sake.

  “I’m so sorry, Jody,” Sam whispered again, swallowing away the lump in her throat. “I so wish things were different, but if it’s any consolation, it will make me feel a lot better to know you are at The Reef.”

  “I guess I’d better go pack then,” Jody sighed, rubbing her cheek against Sam’s shoulder. “There’s a silver lining to this, though,” she added unexpectedly.

  Sam looked surprised. “There is?”

  “I’m supposed to start work tomorrow. Now I can sleep in and have breakfast delivered.”

  “If we’re lucky you’ll be back home.” Sam smiled. “And if you are, I’ll make you breakfast.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Jody untangled herself from Sam’s arms. Before breaking contact completely, she reached up to give her a quick kiss. “I love you.”

  “And I love you,” Sam said, feeling an aching loss when Jody stepped away from her to walk toward their bedroom to pack some clothes.

  “I know it will probably be for the best,” Lucy mumbled. “But I can’t help wishing I’d have kept my mouth shut.”

  “It was a good idea,” Joan complimented Lucy, rubbing soothing circles across the tense muscles in her back. “I know it will be hard to be away from Trishia, but hopefully it will only be for a short period of time.”

  “Away from Trishia?” Lucy echoed. “But I—.”

  “You’re going with your sisters and mom,” Trishia interrupted in a gentle but stern voice. “Peter, Sam and I will remain here.”

  “But—.” Lucy started to object.

  “Lucy, please?” Trishia pleaded, feeling guilty when she saw the defeated look on Lucy’s face. “I would feel a lot better if I don’t have to worry about you as well.”

  “Me and my big mouth,” Lucy mumbled, only audible to Joan who was sitting closest to her. “Does it occur to you that I might worry about you?”

  “It does,” Trishia answered. “And I’m sorry, Lucy. I really am.”

  “There are worse things than being banished to The Reef,” Fiona said added. “But I see your point; king size beds, Jacuzzi, room service, five-star restaurant, yeah, I don’t like it there either,” she grinned, earning a slap from Yarra.

  “I don’t have any clothes,” Lucy objected, knowing it was a lame excuse. “I’ve been walking around in the same clothes since yesterday morning. I think I should—.”

  “Borrow some from me,” Sam interrupted. “I’m only a bit taller than you are, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And hopefully, this will be over soon. I guess I’d better call The Reef and make sure the executive’s floor will be ready when you girls arrive.”

  Yarra suppressed a yawn and slowly rose to her feet. Who knew when she was sneaking up to Fiona’s bedroom window she would make a new friend and somehow got involved in a murder mystery at the same time?

  “I guess I’d better get home,” she announced, stretching her long limbs. “Or Dad will be unhappy when he comes back tomorrow.” She grinned. “I promised I would clean out the shed.”

  Sam, who was talking on the phone, turned around and looked at Yarra with a frown. “Your dad is not home?” she asked.

  “Mom and Dad are visiting relatives,” Yarra explained. “And the boys stayed in Brisbane. It’s just me, myself and I.”

  “That’s a crowd,” Fiona smirked. “And one of you actually is a handful already.”

  “Listen who is talking,” Yarra grinned, giving Fiona a friendly punch in the shoulder. “If I would only get into trouble half the time you create chaos, my life would be a constant mess.”

  “Hey, it’s one of my talents,” Fiona shot back.

  “Yarra,” Sam’s voice interrupted their bantering. “I really want you to come to The Reef as well. I don’t like the idea of you being home alone, while that criminal might be roaming our property. He could as easily end up on your doorstep. I’ll give your dad a call and explain what’s going on.”

  “Oh, wow, thanks, Sam.” Yarra sighed. “You just had to remind me of that, didn’t you? I guess I don’t have a choice then. Not after those encouraging words.”


  “Sorry, Yarra,” Trishia apologized with sincerity. “But you’re dragged into this, and I feel responsible for you now as well.”

  “Okay then,” Yarra agreed, thinking there could be worse things than being stuck at a luxury resort, with her best friend and Alice. She cast a glance at Alice and was rewarded with a shy smile.

  “Can the three of us share a room, Sam?” Fiona asked, warming up to the idea of making the best of a bad situation. “Hey, CJ, they have this massive entertainment center with a flat-screen TV the size of a small nation and dozens of cool DVDs. Do you like movies, Alice?”

  “I…um…I haven’t seen many movies lately,” Alice answered. “I can’t even remember when I saw one last.”

  “We’ll fix that,” Fiona promised, noticing the tension on Alice’s face and trying to get her to relax a little. “We can pick out some movies we want to see, order a huge bowl of popcorn and enjoy our own, private movie theater.”

  Chapter 15

  Inspector Wong cast a look at the police officer who was standing in front of her, and she unconsciously wrinkled her nose in thought. After her team had secured Martin Coles’ house and had not found him there, she had decided to go over and have a look around herself. The house was scarcely furnished, and even the walls were bare, except for one large picture that had probably been there long before Martin ever rented the place. Faded by time and the harsh sunlight streaming in through the window, the once vibrant colors had turned dull and lifeless.

  “He never meant to stay here long,” Inspector Wong said, pointing toward the picture. Phil Kanides shot her a quizzical look. “Do you think Martin, as we know him, would want a thing like that on the wall?” she asked.

  Despite the situation and the enormous amount of stress he was under, Phil softly chuckled and shook his head. “I think you’re right, Inspector. He is much too…polished for that.”

  “I believe the man was here on a mission,” Inspector Wong continued. “He’s after Alice, that much is clear. But maybe he had some other things up his sleeve as well. I can’t wait to talk to him.”