The Wildwood Sisters

by Mandy Magro

  Her nan was right, she was old enough to date, which meant that she was also old enough to make her own decisions, whether her grandparents agreed or not. No, she didn’t want to upset them, but she couldn’t go on leading a life she wasn’t happy with either, and if she was going to be completely honest with herself she was far from happy in Melbourne. And now she’d been given a precious second chance with Dylan, there was no way in hell she was going to rush back to the city and blow it like she did all those years ago.

  Mick must have felt the deep and meaningful coming on, as he quickly excused himself from the table. ‘Well, I better get going. I’ve got thingamajigs that need tending to.’ Grabbing his crutches, he hobbled out. ‘Catch you two later.’ And he was gone in a flash, his coffee only half drunk.

  ‘Go on then love. What would you like to talk about?’ Eyeing Renee, Pearl took a bite of her toast, the anxious look on her face letting Renee know she knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

  Renee reached out and took Nan’s hand. ‘Yes, Nan, you’re right. I do have feelings for Dylan and he has feelings for me. The truth is, we are deeply, head over heels in love. I want to give it a go with him, which means I will have to be living here to do that.’

  Pearl’s eyebrows knitted close together. ‘But you’ve only just started dating. How can you be so deeply in love so quickly?’

  ‘Dylan and I started dating when I was sixteen, and we were still dating when you and Pa got me to skip town. We loved each other and I left him behind, Nan, without an explanation. I broke his heart, and mine, in the process.’ Renee shook her head as she blinked back tears. ‘I’m not going to do that to him again, or me for that matter. I’ve pined for him for nine long years, and by some miracle I have him back in my life. Fate has brought us back together and I’m going to do my damned best to keep it that way—not that I’ve told Dylan I’m seriously thinking about moving home. I wanted to sleep on it, and I’m glad I did because I’ve woken up this morning feeling more determined about it than ever, so nobody’s going to be able to talk me out of it—not even you, Nan.’

  Pearl’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak but then snapped it shut again.

  ‘I’m sorry, Nan. I know you and Pa would prefer me to go back to Melbourne, but honestly, we can’t go on living our lives around what happened nine years ago. Well, I can’t anyway. I need to move forward and follow my heart, and my heart is here, in Opals Ridge, with you and Pa, and Dylan. Especially now Aunty Fay is gone—I don’t feel I have much keeping me in Melbourne. I want to move home, Nan, and I just hope you and Pa can give me your blessing to do so.’

  ‘Oh, I see,’ was all Pearl could muster. She sucked in a breath and then let it out slowly, the whole time looking towards the ceiling and blinking her eyes furiously. Somewhat recomposed, she looked back at Renee and smiled sadly. ‘I had a feeling this day might come, love, when you wanted to move home, and so did your pa. We can’t stop you doing what you want to do. We’re just terribly worried about something happening to you, too, that’s all.’ She gave Renee’s hand a tight squeeze. ‘I’m very happy that you’ve found love. You deserve to fall in love and be loved for the wonderful woman you are. And I know from when I fell hard for your pa all those years ago, nothing stands in the way of true love.’ Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  Emotion overwhelming her, Renee stood up and wrapped her arms around her nan. ‘I know you and Pa worry about me, and I love you both dearly for it, but I can’t spend the rest of my life running away.’

  Pearl hugged her back tightly. ‘I know, love. And it’s wrong of us to expect you to.’ Reaching across the table, she pulled a bunch of tissues from the box and then handed some to Renee. ‘As much as I worry about you, you have my blessing. I’m not going to stand in the way of your love for Dylan again and I’m deeply sorry we stole that from you when you were seventeen, but we had no other choice back then. Now we do, but we’ll just have to work on your pa a bit before he gives you his blessing, I think.’

  ‘Yes, that’s going to be a bit of a tricky one, I’m guessing. I’ll broach the subject over the next few days, when the time feels right. Just please keep this between you and me until I speak to him,’ Renee said, smiling through her tears as she gave her nan a kiss on the cheek.

  ‘I promise I will, love. That conversation should be between you and him, and it’s not my place to say anything beforehand.’

  ‘Thank you, Nan, I appreciate it, and your blessing means the world to me, too.’

  Pearl cupped Renee’s face. ‘I love you, very much, and I just have to trust that you’re doing the right thing. Your happiness means everything to me.’

  Renee sniffled. ‘Thanks, Nan, I love you too, with all my heart.’

  Picking up her now-empty plate, Pearl padded towards the sink and began washing up. ‘Are you still okay to drop me and Pa at Shirl’s house this afternoon? Your pa always likes to have a few beers with Tom and I’m not allowed to drive until the doctor gives me the all clear.’

  ‘Sure, Nan, that’s no problem at all. Hayley has invited me to her place for a catch up tonight anyways. Apparently there’s a school reunion on next weekend and she has some old school stuff we could go dressed in for a bit of fun, if any of it fits. She’s only a couple of blocks away from Shirley’s, so that works in well. You and Pa can just give me a call when you are ready and I’ll come and pick you up.’

  ‘That sounds lovely. It’ll be nice for you to have some female company, other than an old fuddy-duddy like me, that is.’

  ‘Oh, Nan, I love your company,’ Renee said as she joined her nan at the sink with a tea towel. She looked out the window at the cloudless blue sky stretching to the horizon. ‘I think I’ll go and read a book out on the back verandah this morning.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan, love. It’s a beautiful day to be outside. I’m going to potter around in the garden a bit myself, and get rid of all those weeds that have snuck up while I was in hospital.’

  Renee instantly worried about her nan overdoing it. ‘Do you want a hand?’

  ‘No, you take some time out for you, love. I’m not going to overwork myself, if that’s what you’re worried about.’ Pulling the plug from the sink, Pearl wiped her hands on the tea towel Renee was holding. ‘So what are you going to do about work back here? It’s such a shame you’re going to have to give up that wonderful job you have in Melbourne.’

  ‘Yeah, I have to admit I’m sad about having to give up my job but I’m thinking about maybe becoming a realtor here. I’ve looked into the market and Opals Ridge is a very happening place. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble finding places I could sell, especially to some of the big business contacts I have in Melbourne who are looking for investment properties, or holiday homes in the country.’

  Pearl smiled. ‘Always the go-getter, Renee. I’m proud of you, love.’

  ‘Thanks, Nan.’

  ‘Anyways, I’m off to get dressed in my gardening gear before the morning gets away from me.’

  ‘Okay, see you outside.’ Renee watched her nan disappear through the kitchen archway, the weight she’d been carrying about moving back here eased a lot now she had her blessing. Fingers crossed her pa would be as understanding as her nan—not only about moving back, but with the fact that she was madly in love with his new right-hand man.

  Standing at the edge of the dam wall Dylan huffed as he ran his hands over his head. This was getting way beyond a joke. He’d been wandering around for the past two hours, trying to find something, anything, to give him a clue as to who it was that had been sneaking around last night. But as usual, there was nothing. A tropical shower had fallen during the night, washing away any footprints. If it weren’t for the video footage he’d put onto a USB stick, he’d have nothing to show Craig. Pulling his mobile from his jeans pocket he dialled the police station, hoping he was on shift. After four rings Craig answered.

  ‘Hi Craig, it’s Dylan. Are you going to be there for a w
hile? I have something I want to show you.’

  ‘Hey Dylan, yup, I’m here for another two hours, or so. Can it wait until I get home, though, to save you driving into town?’

  ‘Not really, I put some cameras up around the place and I caught someone sneaking around on them last night…but I can’t see their face, only their silhouette. I thought that maybe you might see something I haven’t picked up on.’

  ‘You didn’t tell me you were putting cameras up.’

  ‘I hadn’t really thought to mention it to you, Craig. Sorry.’

  ‘Not to worry, but can you try and keep me in the loop from now on?’

  Craig sounded a little pissed off, and that pissed Dylan off too. He had kept him in the loop up until the cameras, not that that had done him any good anyway—they were still no closer to finding out who was behind all this. ‘Like I said, it slipped my mind. But I’ll do my best to let you know my movements in future.’

  ‘Good, because we need to be able to work together on this, Dylan.’ Craig sighed. ‘Sorry if I’m a bit snappy… I’ve had a long day. Just bring it in and I’ll have a look.’

  ‘I’ll be there in halfa, or thereabouts.’

  ‘See you then, Dylan.’

  ***

  Sitting on the floor of Hayley’s loft with old school uniforms and photos strewn around her, Renee laughed as she unrolled a poster of Aerosmith with red lipstick kisses all over Steven Tyler’s face, now smudged after the years but still very visible. She held it up to Hayley who was busy sorting through a box beside her. ‘Had a bit of a teenage crush on Stevie, I see?’

  ‘Hey, don’t judge. I honestly believed I was going to make him my husband one day.’ Hayley burst out laughing as she grabbed the poster from Renee’s clutches, almost ripping it in half in the process. ‘His loss,’ she said through her giggles as she scrunched it up and threw it over her shoulder. ‘I did much better scoring Greg anyways. He’s way sexier than Steven Tyler.’

  ‘You sure have scored with him, Hayley. He seems like a really lovely guy. I’m glad I got to meet him this afternoon before he left with the kids.’

  ‘Yup, he sure is—and bloody great in the sack too. Even after seven years of marriage I still want to rip his clothes off him all the time.’

  ‘Oh my God, too much information,’ Renee said lightheartedly as she screwed her face up.

  ‘Yeah, well, you know me. Never one to hold any info back,’ Hayley said, grinning. ‘I still can’t believe you and Dylan are getting back together after all this time. I’m so happy for you guys.’

  ‘Trust me, I’m still pinching myself too. But Hayley, please keep it to yourself for now. I don’t want the whole town talking about it just yet. I want some time to ourselves before everyone starts having their say about it.’

  Hayley zipped her lips shut. ‘Your secret is safe with me, my dear friend.’

  ‘Thanks mate, I’ve always been able to rely on you.’

  Hayley held up a fawn-coloured school skirt. ‘So who’s going to be the guinea pig, you or me?’

  Renee eyed the teeny skirt. ‘My God, Hayley, how did you cover anything in that?’

  Hayley wriggled her eyebrows. ‘That was the whole point, Reni, so I could show off a bit of leg.’

  ‘A bit of leg? I reckon you better try it on first, I’m scared that if I’m able to get it on I won’t be able to get it off!’

  ‘All righty then,’ Hayley said as she stood and pulled her denim shorts off and then began tugging the skirt on with grunts and groans.

  While Hayley was struggling to pull the thing up, Renee went back to sorting through the boxes of her friend’s teenage memorabilia, finding herself almost at the bottom of the box and still no closer to discovering anything suitable, or size-worthy, to wear to the reunion next month. Oh well, it was a good excuse to just go in her favourites, a pair of jeans and a nice top. Then, something familiar caught her eye. A maroon scarf. Her throat tightened as her heart took off in a wild gallop.

  It couldn’t be, could it? Lots of people had them…

  Slowly, as though reaching out to touch a flame, she placed her hand on the scarf, making sure to keep it within the confines of the box as she investigated it further. And there it was; her and Scarlet’s little thing, the tassels at the end of the State of Origin scarf plaited by her very own hands. The last time she’d seen this it had been loosely hanging around her sister’s neck, on the very day she had gone missing. She held her breath as the room began to close in on her, Hayley’s laughter behind her now sounding sinister and mocking.

  With a rush of adrenaline, she yanked the scarf from the box and held it up in front of Hayley, her body trembling. ‘Where did you get this, Hayley? And the truth would be a great start.’

  Hayley’s face drained of colour and she took a step back. ‘Why, what in the hell’s wrong with you, Renee? It’s just a footy scarf. What’s the big deal?’

  Renee’s cheeks flushed as the blood inside her hit boiling point, but she tried hard to keep herself calm on the outside. ‘Just please answer my question, honestly.’

  Hayley avoided Renee’s eyes as she took yet another step back, glancing towards the closed loft door and looking like she was about to make a run for it—or was Renee just imagining things?

  ‘Umm, just let me think for a minute.’ Hayley threw her hands up in the air, smiling. ‘That’s right, I got it from the op shop in town years ago. Is it yours? Is that why you are so upset? You can have it back, you know. It doesn’t bother me.’

  Remaining silent, Renee tried to read Hayley’s now unruffled expression. She’d gone from looking like she’d seen a ghost, to completely composed again in less than a minute. Alarm bells were ringing. Something wasn’t right. Hayley wasn’t telling her the truth. Was Hayley the person behind Scarlet’s disappearance? Was the real killer standing in front of her? Holy fuck, she had to get out of here.

  A suffocating feeling came over her as she ran for the door, flung it open and scrambled down the small flight of steps. She hadn’t had a panic attack in years, but it felt as though she was about to have one any second. Her throat was constricting and she was struggling to take a breath. Her fight-or-flight had definitely kicked into gear.

  Hayley ran after her. ‘Renee, where are you going? Come back. What’s wrong?’

  Fear filling her and with her mind in a spin, Renee raced out the front door of the house and towards where she had parked her nan’s car on the street. But suddenly she stopped in her tracks, remembering she had left her handbag inside with the car keys and her mobile phone in it. Damn it! Uncertain of what to do next, she turned to see Hayley coming through the front door. Her feet felt like they were frozen to the spot as she contemplated going back inside to retrieve her bag. It wasn’t worth it.

  Hayley ran towards her. ‘Renee, wait, what’s going on? Have you lost your fucking mind?’

  Making a snap decision, Renee took off down the street, her thudding heart matching her pounding strides as she kept stealing terrified glances behind her. Hayley had stopped running after her, and now stood in the middle of the street, her arms folded in front of her, the streetlight casting deep shadows across her face. Renee was glad to turn the corner, knowing she was now out of Hayley’s sight.

  Being cautious and staying in the shadows of the dimly lit streets, she clutched the scarf to her pounding chest as she kept her ears and eyes open for any movements or sounds, every one of her senses on high alert. She had stopped running now, her anxiety making it difficult to draw a decent breath, but she was still taking quick strides, not able to get to her destination quick enough.

  She kept feeling as though she was being followed, but glances stolen behind her proved otherwise. But am I looking hard enough? A dog barked at her from behind one of the fences and her hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a scream. Her heart hammered a frenzied drumbeat in her chest as she fought to hold it together. Twice cars drove past her and she scrambled behind nearby trees until they we
re gone, not knowing if she’d been seen or not.

  It was only nine o’clock but the suburban streets of Opals Ridge were basically deserted, not like in the city, which would be a hub of activity no matter what time of the day or night it was. She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Only a few more blocks and she would be at Shirley’s house, where she would find her grandparents, and then they could all go down to the police station and report what she had found—more evidence that could lead them to the answer to her sister’s disappearance. If only she had her mobile phone she could call them.

  Her hands tightly holding the scarf, she felt a wave of hope laced in amongst her fear. This precious item was the clue she had been praying to find, but it broke her heart and shocked her beyond belief that she had discovered it in her apparent friend’s house. Was there any way that Hayley could have been telling her the truth? Judging by her body language, she doubted it.

  Renee was kicking herself now for not telling Nan and Pa about the diary, but then what good would it have done? She would have to tell them about it now, though, and she hoped they understood why she had wanted to keep it from them. Although there weren’t any concrete clues in the diary—none she could see anyway—this very unexpected breakthrough would surely kickstart a full investigation. The police couldn’t ignore a piece of evidence like this. The very thought brought with it the faith that they would finally be able to uncover what had happened to Scarlet and lay her to rest.

  Turning the corner that led down to Tom and Shirley’s house, she spotted the familiar driveway and Shirley’s jeep parked on it. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Thank God. Her safety zone—twenty more metres and she was there. Just as she was focusing on what was ahead, she heard the crunch of tyres behind her. Looking back, she recognised the car, and immediately relaxed. She stopped walking, relief flooding her as she waited for it to pull up. Thank goodness for small miracles.

  ‘Hey there, Renee. What are you doing walking around in the dark—especially so far from home? Are you okay?’