A stack of papers sitting on a small table in front of her caught her attention. She stood, and walked over to pick up the tattered pages. Some were dated back at least fifteen years.
'A lot of good reading there,' a voice called.
She turned and smiled. 'Mr Johnson. I didn't know you still owned this place.' Zoe's heart tapped faster. She'd known this man when her mother used to stop and chat to him on the street. His hair was greyer, but his eyes were familiar. She couldn't believe it. It was as though a new world was opening, and she was no longer floundering around in the dark, struggling to become the person she was meant to be.
He approached her. 'Zoe Montgomery. I thought it was you. I'm glad you're safe and sound now. It's a terrible shame about your family though.'
Zoe nodded. 'Yes. It was...horrible.'
'There's a bit about the night of the fire in one of them. You'd have to go through them to find out which one. '
'Thank you.'
Zoe picked up the stack of papers and carried them over to where she sat. She eased down on the chair and set them on the table. Why hadn't she thought to check newspapers, or the library for that matter? She didn't own a computer, and had only the basic knowledge of how to use one. The Pattersons had helped with her course and she didn't have the need to go online. She revelled in the fact that something as simple as a paper could give her so much knowledge and she hadn't thought to check them earlier. She gave her head a shake in disbelief.
She began to scan the headlines of each paper. Chills speared over her arms, fingered out to her body in a rush of cold and then hot. A brother? She had had a brother. Why didn't the solicitor mention a brother? Her bottom lip quivered. Drawing closer, she glared at the headlines.
'The death of Mrs Rebecca Montgomery, Mr James Montgomery and Benjamin Montgomery has come as a shock to the small community of Munna.'
Zoe blinked back threatening tears and continued reading. Her stomach muscles tightened. Why hadn't her memory released that important piece of information? Benjamin. Ben. Flashes of a boy filled her mind, and she thought she was going to be sick right there over the pavers. She stilled, and held onto the edge of the chair. It was as though she was about to fall off a steep cliff.
Zoe closed her eyes. Her brother's bedroom was next to her parents’. He was five years old. Why hadn't she seen his bedroom? Why hadn't he been in the photographs Jordan showed her, and why hadn't anyone mentioned him? Her stomach took a dive.
That meant she ran without thinking of her brother. She ran from the house that night leaving her entire family behind and she should have stayed put. She should have opened her door and helped them. Instead, she ran in the opposite direction, saving herself. Horrified by what she'd done, she couldn't move and stared into the street while nothing surrounding her registered, nothing at all.
Time marked out until she was able to continue looking over the papers. She placed the one with the headlines about her parents aside, and flicked her gaze over the following headlines. Jordan was right. Little girl lost was splashed over the following few papers. Her insides did a slow, sickening roll, and her heartbeat thumped double time against her chest. Zoe hadn't realised the fuss, the confusion she'd caused this community. Hadn't realised the effort everyone put in to try to find her. She was indebted to the people of this town.
'Hey Zoe. I thought it was you.'
Zoe glanced up, not wanting company of any kind. She swallowed, sniffled. 'Jade. Lovely to see you.' She tried to plaster a smile over her face, but it ended up more like a lopsided grin.
Jade stopped beside the table. 'Hey. Are you okay?'
Jade looked at the paper, which was opened at the headlines she had previously read. Jade pulled out a chair and sank onto it.
'My memory is back. I had a nightmare last night, followed by memory jolts. When I woke up everything flooded back. It happened so fast it gave me a whopping headache. I've still got it.' She sniffled several times.
'Well that's good isn't it?'
'It's perfect, well almost.'
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry we didn't say anything about little Ben. We were going to tell you gradually, not shock you all at once.' She reached out place her hand over the top of Zoe's palm. 'I can listen.'
Zoe rubbed her forehead with her fingertips.
'Do you need to see a doctor, see someone?'
'No. No.' She whooshed out on an exhale. 'A doctor would only prescribe medication that'd make me drowsy. I like to be in control of my thoughts, not wavering all about the place under the influence of prescribed medication. Um...I understand you not saying anything about my brother, but it was and is important. I thought you'd tell me, Jade. I thought Jordan would have said something.' Zoe jerked to her feet. 'I have to go. I'm sorry. We'll talk later, I promise.'
She gathered the newspapers into her arms and walked over toward the door of the cafe. After she opened the door and walked in, she spotted Mr Johnson behind the counter.
'Mr Johnson. Do you mind if I keep the newspapers for a few days?'
'No lovie. Go ahead. No one around here reads them anyway. Take all the time you need.'
'Thank you.'
Zoe turned and dashed down the street toward her ute. Jumping onto the seat she snatched up her mobile and pressed connect to Daniel Stanford's number. She waited out the ring tone.
'Can I speak to Mr Stanford please? It's urgent. It's Zoe Montgomery.'
'Hello, Zoe. What's the problem?'
'I had a brother. You didn't mention that I had a little brother. If that's the case, wouldn't he inherit half of the estate?'
'Yes, he was listed as receiving half. But...well.'
'Yes. I just found out. He...he died in the fire that night. My aunt...' Zoe swallowed her words down.
'I'm sorry for your loss.'
'I have to go.' She sniffled. 'Please ring me the moment you find the will?'
'It's here ready for you to sign.'
'I'll be right over.' She clicked end, and gathered her emotions.
***
After she signed the necessary forms with the solicitor, everything was legal. She made an appointment to return with a will of her own. Now she had to do something she should have done when she first arrived in Munna. She knew where the cemetery was and she turned her ute in the direction.
The ute bumped over the dirt road and Zoe pulled up in front of two sandstone blocks supporting a metal sign above the driveway stating 'Munna Cemetery'. She climbed from stuffy enclosure, and made her way into the wide open space with headstones jutting out at her from all directions.
The afternoon heat peeled in over the land and she placed her palm face down on the top of her head, wishing she had worn a hat. She knew where to go, knew where they'd be. The Anglican section. It didn't take too long to find her mother's and father's grave site, along with a tiny headstone beside them. She drew in a shuddering breath, dropped her knees onto the hard soil next to her father's grave site and read the inscription.
'James Montgomery. Loving father of Benjamin and Zoe Montgomery, husband of Rebecca Mayberry.' Next to her father was her mother, with a marbled headstone just as grand and decorative as her father’s. Zoe held back desperate sobs as she read her mother's inscription. Loving wife of James Montgomery, and loving mother of Zoe and Benjamin Montgomery. May they rest in peace together forever.'
She leaned closer, ran her trembling fingers over the fancy gold lettering of her mother's name, stopped, waited out seconds, and read her little brother's inscription.
Zoe stared at the inscriptions for long painful moments, and dropped her head as grief poured up from the depths of her soul. She glanced up. Sobs hiccupped in her throat, and she struggled to draw in oxygen. Sniffling repeatedly, she found she couldn't breathe. She fought to open her airways, gagging repeatedly until oxygen filled her lungs and she willed calm to her body.
'I'm so sorry I left you. I'm so sorry. Mum, why did you tell me to run? It's been a nightmare since losing you, a te
rrible nightmare. I wish you were back, all of you, here with me. Why can't you come back Mum, why can't all of you come back?'
The crucifying heartbreak that was cracking her heart wide open forced her to remain on the hard soil until some semblance of mind and control returned.
She pushed her aching body upwards finding it difficult to stand, and rummaged around in her handbag, looking for a tissue. Having dragged one out, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She glanced about, unaware that time had slipped by so fast. The last rays of sunshine dappled through the tall gum trees beside the cemetery, leaving a soft hue of gold settling over the land.
'I'll come back soon Mum, Dad, Benjamin, with flowers.' She turned and made her way back to her ute, exhausted and full of despair. Sobs caught in her throat and she coughed several times. She climbed behind the driver's wheel, and blew her nose.
Why weren't they buried on the property, at Montagreen?
Chapter Twelve
'Jade. Where are you?'
'I'm in the kitchen with Mum.'
Jordan paced into the kitchen, and slammed to a stop when he spotted his sister and mother in a silent embrace. 'What's going on? You guys okay?'
They moved apart, brushing at their tears. 'It's happy tears, that's all.'
Jordan wondered why women cried happy tears, when the only tears he knew were sad tears.
'What's the happy occasion?' He approached his mother and put an arm around her shoulders. 'Are you sure you're okay?'
'Yes darling. I'll let Jade tell you.'
Jordan looked at Jade. 'Tell me what?'
'It's Zoe.'
The moment Zoe's name was mentioned, his heart kicked against his chest triple time. 'What about Zoe?'
'She...I ran into her in town. She was at the coffee shop. She's got her memory back Jordan. She remembers all of us. Isn't that sweet?'
'Where's she now?'
'I don't know. She took a pile of newspapers from Mr Johnson and was in a hurry to leave. She said she'd talk later.'
Jordan knew what that meant. Zoe would see his name highlighted on every damn headline for weeks after the fire. His gut churned.
'I have to go. Did she say she was heading home?'
'No...I don't know where she was headed.'
'Thanks Jade. Mum. I'll come back later. I've got a lot of explaining to do.'
'Are you sure you don't want one of us to come with you for a bit of moral support?'
He hesitated. 'No thanks. It's something I should have done the day she arrived, and to hell with the consequences.' He grimaced at the prospect.
Jordan jumped into his vehicle and ploughed over the road on a mission. If Zoe had her memory back, she'd remember him. That was a good thing, right, but he had to tell her something that would unearth fire, and he hated fire. It could destroy lives and so it had. He hesitated in his thoughts, wondering if she already knew what had happened after she had disappeared.
Half an hour later, he jammed on the brake, but Zoe's ute wasn't in sight. He ran to the door, gave it a few hard raps and stepped back. He inched about, and fidgeted like a schoolboy about to go to a prom, but in Jordan's case it'd probably be the death of any relationship with Zoe. His stomach dipped.
There wasn't an answer. He swung back, slid his gaze over the trees into the scrub, and then stepped from the veranda. His strides clipped the dry grass as he headed along the length of the house and he ran the last few metres. Zoe wasn't in sight. Defeat crowded him. He dug his hands into his pockets, feeling mighty out of sorts, and made his way back to his vehicle.
'Where in the hell are you, Zoe?'
The engine kicked over. He swung the vehicle into reverse and planted his foot on the accelerator, fishtailing down the drive. Once out on the main road, he headed back into town and crawled along at snail’s pace checking out the surrounding houses and the few shops in the main street. Her ute wasn't anywhere in sight. He had no idea where she’d got to. Imagine that! They were practically lovers, well they were, and almost a couple and he didn't have one hell of a bloody idea where she'd go to think, to be alone. Not one.
A slow burn filled his gut, and he turned his vehicle around and headed back to his parents’ property. After he pulled up, he sat in his vehicle for some time, unable to move, unable to do much of anything. What if Zoe never spoke to him again? He couldn't lose her now, not all over again. He couldn't go through all that pain. It'd kill him.
He climbed from the car and slammed the door, noticing his mother standing on the front veranda with a look of concern. Shit. Look what he'd done. He'd brought his personal problems down around his family...again. He couldn't believe what he was doing.
'Hey Mum.'
'Jordan. Did you find her?'
'Nope.' He walked up to her and slipped an arm around her waist before planting a kiss on her cheek. 'Sorry to upset you. Everything will sort itself out.'
Jade opened the security door, leaving it to bang behind her. 'No go, eh?'
'No.'
'Have you tried her mobile?'
'I haven't got her number. I don't know where she is.'
'Here. Where's your phone? I've got Zoe's number.'
Jordan raced to his vehicle, and grabbed his mobile from the side pocket of the driver's door and ran back to Zoe. His heartbeat raced with anticipation.
'Here you go.'
Jade took the phone and punched in the digits before handing it back to him. 'Store it as a contact.' She looked over at her mother. 'Come on Mum. I'll make us a cuppa and then I have to head off.'
Jade held the door open as her mother walked through and Jordan heard it close behind them. His mobile kept ringing out, and he kept trying. He walked to a bench and sat down facing the front yard. After his fourth attempt he'd lost count of how many times he'd tried and it continued to ring out. He hit end, and slipped the phone into his pocket, clasped his hands together in front of his legs and dropped his head.
He'd wait her out. Wait until she returned home, although he had to pick up Luke soon. He tried ringing the house several times and gave up, then he eased from the seat and walked inside.
'How'd it go?'
'No luck. She's not answering.'
'I'm sorry Jordan, I don't have any answers. Why don't you try Mr Johnson? Perhaps he knows. After all, he gave her the newspapers. He'd know what was in them.'
Jordan glanced at Jade. 'Hell, you do have a brain.' He rushed up to her, planted a kiss on the centre of her forehead and raced for the door.
***
After idling through the main street, he reversed his vehicle into the kerb and climbed out. He jammed his Akubra on his head and glanced about, hoping he'd spot Zoe. She wasn't in sight, and neither was her ute. This wasn't the city. How could a person vanish, just like that? He grimaced and a cold tremor wound through him, urging him to sprint toward the cafe.
He slammed to a stop when Mr Johnson looked up and shot him a startled gaze.
'Sorry to frighten you Mr Johnson. This is important. Zoe Montgomery. Do you know what she was reading in the papers you gave her?'
'Slow down Jordan. You'll give us all heart attacks at that rate. She seemed interested in the fire that night. You'd remember that wouldn't you?'
'Yeah. Okay, get on with it.'
'I gave her a few old newspapers. They were the older ones. They dated back from the day after the fire and earlier. I do have more out back from that day onwards.'
Jordan's blood slowed. 'Could I borrow them please? I promise I'll return them.' He had to get his hands on those papers and any more that were hanging about the town and hope she didn't go to the paper and ask for their archives.
'I guess I won't be needing them. Read the things inside and out over the years.' He turned and disappeared through a small door.
Jordan turned back and glanced out into the street through the wide window. He heard Mr Johnson return and swung back. 'Thanks for this Mr Johnson.'
'Isn't it about time you called me Tim? Mr
Johnson was about when you were a kid.'
Jordan grinned. 'Thanks Tim. I'll return them in a few days.'
'No bother. I won't be needing them. They're a fire hazard. You'd know all about that wouldn't you, being a volunteer firey?'
'My worst nightmare.' In more ways than one he was about to add, but thought better of it.
Mr Johnson chuckled and passed the newspapers to Jordan. He grabbed at them as though his life depended on it.
'It must be something important by the looks on your face.'
'It's one of the most important things in my life. Thanks.' Jordan turned and paced to the door making sure he closed it without a sound. When he reached his car, he opened the back door and dropped them onto the seat. There were heaps of them, about twenty or thirty. They'd cover a lot of history.
After closing the car door, he took a brief glance up the street and headed toward the garage that Mike Peterson owned.
'Hey Mike, how's business?'
Mike looked up holding a spanner in his hand. 'You of all people should know Jordan. What a question to ask. What is it this time?'
'What do you mean?'
Jordan stopped at arms’ length, and watched him work on an engine of an old Holden.
'Last time it was to get Sally to make eyes at Luke, remember?'
'Yeah well, things have changed since them. He can get his own girls now.' Jordan chuckled.
'It worked though didn't it? As soon as one kid takes interest the others follow.'
'Sure did. Um. Mike. I want to know if you have any old newspapers hanging about the place. Like any dating back fifteen years.'
Mike straightened his back, glanced at him. 'I have some but I've got no idea how old they are. They're in the back office sitting in a corner. You can have them if you like. I never have time to clean up in there.'
Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense Page 11
