‘Can I have my tin back?’ asked Tully.
‘We’d like to keep it a little longer,’ said Constable Tognetti. ‘Don’t worry, Tully. We’ll take care of it.’
‘You say there was another person? Did you catch them?’ asked Laney.
‘We’re hoping the in-store security footage might help us,’ said Constable Tognetti.
Then Officer Fraser opened the interview room door and Laney ushered Tully out before her. As they walked down the hallway, a door opened to reveal Griffin sitting inside. Beside him was a woman sobbing quietly into her tissue. Griffin looked up in time to see Tully who held up her hand, palm out. Griffin mirrored her action and held her gaze before the door slammed between them.
‘Merry Christmas,’ said Laney loudly to the officer behind the front desk.
And somehow she made it sound like an insult.
46
25 December
Laney swept the rubbish off her passenger seat and helped Tully into it, then buckled up her seatbelt. It was only a short drive home and neither one spoke.
Laney found a park right outside the house and declared it a Christmas miracle.
‘We’re home,’ said Laney.
‘Yes,’ said Tully. She sat watching the coloured lights of the Christmas tree flicker from the lounge room window. ‘Bamps got the lights working,’ she said finally.
‘Of course,’ said Laney. ‘He’s a stubborn old bugger.’
Tully smiled.
‘And your mother. After the trouble...’
Tully continued to watch the coloured lights flicker.
‘She won’t see you until she’s better ... sober. After the trouble ... she was scared, Tully. Being drunk and in charge of a car is like aiming a loaded gun—’
‘I only had concussion,’ said Tully.
‘It wasn’t just the accident. She’s been running for so long now, that she doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t anymore. Running from your father. Running from Craig. Running from landlords she couldn’t pay. I think ... in the end, though, I think she’s really been trying to run away from herself. She doesn’t like herself very much, Tully. I don’t know why. She didn’t mean to hurt you—’
‘It was my fault—’
‘No!’ Laney grabbed Tully’s hands. ‘Look at me. It was not your fault. She wanted to be with you for Christmas, but she had a setback. She doesn’t want to see you until she’s better. She’s trying her best, but, well, you know...’
Tully nodded.
Laney let go. ‘She sent you a card. Said I should give it to you on Christmas day.’
‘I have a present for her,’ said Tully.
‘I can get it to her ... Dad went out and spent a fortune on food yesterday. Right after he got your message off the answering machine,’ said Laney. ‘I hope you know how to cook turkey. He invited Larry over for Christmas lunch.’
‘Larry!’ Tully snorted. ‘I hope he’s not wearing his bathers.’
Laney gave a dry chuckle, then leaned into the back seat and grabbed her handbag. She opened it up and drew out an envelope and handed it to Tully.
Tully recognised the writing on the envelope. She carefully opened it, pulled out a Christmas card and read the enclosed letter.
Dear Pumpkin
Sorry I can’t make it for Christmas. I tried hard. I promise we’ll be together soon. Definitely for next Christmas. I didn’t have any spare cash so I’m making you something at the moment. It’s taking longer than I thought, so it might be a New Year’s present.
I hope you understand why I can’t see you. It’s taking all my energy just to get myself better. And I don’t want you to see me until you can see a new me. That’s my real Christmas gift to you.
Over the last six months I’ve been in and out of a special detox place. The first two times I wasn’t really ready to give up. Third time lucky, hey?
I have a little Christmas tree here. It’s a real one in a pot, but it’s small enough to fit on the windowsill in my bedroom. I tried to make some paper chains, but it wasn’t much fun.
I don’t have many visitors. Laney comes once a week to check up on me.
Laney says you’ve been behaving yourself. I know she can be a pain sometimes, but she’s solid. You can rely on her. She said you were talking about a uni course or maybe a gap year. You’re still young. Do you have your marks yet? I always dreamed that you’d go to university. You’re too smart not to, Tully. But it’s your choice. I just want you to be happy.
I haven’t been a good mother, but I know that you are the one good thing that I’ve done with my life.
To quote Spandau Ballet, ‘I know this much is true.’
xxx Mum
Tully read the letter twice, before folding it and putting it back into the envelope with the Christmas card.
‘Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a while?’
‘Of course,’ Laney said briskly. ‘Stay as long as you like.’
Outside the early morning sky was tinged pink from the streetlights and city glow. One star twinkled bravely through the streetlight pollution and Tully murmured, ‘We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand.’
‘What’s that?’
‘An old guy said it once. I wrote it down because...’
Laney pulled a photo from her handbag. It was the picture that Tully had stolen from her bedside table. ‘Do you want to tell me about this?’ she asked.
‘Sorry. I took it because it was such a nice photo of Mum. She looks really well there. Why did you cut Remo’s face out?’
‘We had ... a fight. You have that letter I sent your mum—’
‘No, I mean, why did you cut out his face? Why not Mum’s?’
‘She’s my sister,’ said Laney, as if that explained everything. Then she handed Tully a folded piece of paper from her bag.
Tully unfolded it. It was Griffin’s receipt from school.
‘I found it in your tin,’ said Laney. ‘The cops asked me if you knew someone called Griffin Sorenson. I didn’t want the them getting the wrong idea.’
‘Thank you,’ said Tully hoarsely.
‘We look after our own,’ said Laney, closing her bag with a snap.
‘Listen, Aunt Laney, it’s not what you think,’ said Tully.
‘So what should I think?’ said Laney. ‘Tell me, Tully. Tell me what really happened.’
47
Tully’s Story
The thing I remember, the one thing that is really clear to me, is that the chemist floor had a large black scuff near the counter. You’re big on scuffing the floor. You hate when I do it. So I remember the scuff, and the way Griffin’s left shoe was frayed at the side so that you could see part of his sock. Which looked pathetic and slightly sad.
Griffin’s long cold fingers were pressed against me and I smelled like flowers. Something I’d sprayed on while I was waiting to be served. I remember a customer rushing at Griffin and Griffin pushing him aside so that the man fell to the floor. And then we were leaving the shop.
That’s when I saw him. Someone else had walked in. He was hunched over in a way that said ‘Don’t look at me’ and the hood from his yellow hoodie was pulled down low over his face. As Griffin pushed past him I caught a glimpse of startled eyes, then a knowing smile, and a knife glinting in the chemist display lights.
I remember the knife.
But it was the scuff I remember the most. I was thinking, ‘Someone should really clean that.’
And then we were in the car.
And then we were gone.
Acknowledgements
As always, to the team at black dog books who make this possible.
Maryann for her enthusiasm and guidance during the editorial process.
Andrew who kept his powder dry for a last read and added insightful recommendations.
Melissa for the amazing cover image and daily grind of making it into a book.
Kristen, the publicity guru, who read the book on the
tram and gave away the ending to anyone listening.
To Regine Abos, a fantastic design as always.
To Tim Wall, my police fact checker, who spent a lot of time with me getting the police scenes right. Any errors in these scenes are my fault and mine alone.
To my family who supply me with hot drinks and support.
And finally, to my daughter, Cait, who hates reading but managed to read this book in undesigned pages and ‘got it’.
About the Author
Karen Tayleur is author of the best-selling Chasing Boys, the David Mortimore Baxter series and Halloween in Christmas Hills.
Karen has worked in advertising, the print media, publishing and as a singer in a dinner-dance band for approximately five minutes. She married her husband because she liked his surname. Her books are published in Australia and overseas.
Her ‘things to do’ list is so long she fears she will run out of time before she can get to everything. Her favourite motto is ‘Life is not a dress rehearsal’.
Also by Karen Tayleur
Chasing Boys
Younger Readers:
David Mortimore Baxter series:
Liar!
The Truth!
Promises!
Excuses!
Secrets!
Manners!
All Stars series:
Mel: Goal Attack
Bree: Centre
Picture Book:
Halloween in Christmas Hills
Image I
Praise for Chasing Boys:
The core of adolescence is captured beautifully in this book. The insights into the mind of a teenage girl are woven into a believable story, which takes the reader on a journey which will have you both laughing and crying.
Reading Time, Vol51, No3
Life for teenagers is complicated, demanding and cruel. Karen has captured this perfectly. Chasing Boys is a must read, not only for teenage girls but also for their mothers because life isn’t simple when you’re young.
Jackie Hosking, Buzz Words
Life for teenagers is complicated, demanding and cruel. Karen has captured this perfectly. Chasing Boys is a must read, not only for teenage girls but also for their mothers because life isn’t simple when you’re young.
Jackie Hosking, Buzz Words
It is light-hearted but full of truth; anyone with a case of the teenage blues will enjoy it.
Millie, aged 14, Canberra, Australia
Chasing Boys successfully tackles the issues of changing schools, boys and girls, the ‘in’ crowd, and single parent families. A great read for teenage girls. I wanted to return to high school!
The Reading Stack, vol.1, iss.2
This book is beautiful. I wanted to read it again as soon as I’d finished the last page.’
Cath Crowley
Moving and real.
Joscelyn Leatt-Hayter
from sue lawson
After
Image II
What happens when you’re not the cool kid at school any more?
CJ has been banished to the country to live with his grandparents. No one asks him if he wants to be there.
It seems like no one really cares. And no matter how hard he tries to outrun it, trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Finding Darcy
Image III
‘Then I found what I was looking for. A photo of a man in army uniform. Written in pencil, on the back of the photo, was Darcy Charles Fletcher, 1941.’
By Finding Darcy, Darcy Abbott discovers exactly what she has been searching for all her life—except she didn’t know it.
from ben beaton
Mama’s Song
Image IV
Estranged from her family.
Pregnant.
Alone.
Georgina has escaped to a small town in the middle of nowhere, searching for the one person in the world that she can count on. But Georgina will discover that growing up means accepting the consequences of her actions. Whether she is ready to or not.
from lili wilkinson
Scatterheart
Image V
For lovers of reality and romance, history and fantasy, this is a truly endearing book.
Hannah Cheshire—wealthy and spoiled—has fallen from grace. Punishment: transportation to the colony of New South Wales. As everything Hannah has ever known is stripped from her, the more she comes to know about herself.
Angel Fish
Image VI
Stephen says children can liberate the Holy Land from the montrous Saracen. And Gabriel believes him. Together they gather an army of children and march over the Alps towards Jerusalem.
But as misadventure and tragedy strike again and again, Gabriel must confront his doubts.
Is Stephen truly a holy prophet? And how far can Gabriel survive on faith alone?
Hostage Page 13
