‘Yeah, well. I’ve had a good teacher, haven’t I?’ This was Chrissie’s parting shot as she headed for the door. ‘Come along, Mum.’
‘But don’t you want to know why I’m home early?’ Robert was grasping at straws now, sounding almost plaintive.
‘I’m sure it’ll keep till tonight.’ Chrissie thrust her mother’s handbag into her hands and gave her a push towards the door. ‘Just hold the thought until then.’
As they drove towards town, Valerie had little to say, remaining lost in her thoughts. Chrissie couldn’t help thinking how different it would have been if they’d been able to get away before Robert came home. Her mother would have been chattering happily, looking forward to window-shopping as much as anything else. It was a long time since she’d seen anything resembling luxury or visited a boutique. Chrissie had been looking forward to giving her mother this treat and was silently cursing her father for ruining it.
She and Valerie were two of a kind, not exactly beautiful but also far from plain. The Welsh heritage they shared had given them small breasts and plump thighs. Chrissie had soft, brown curls, framing even features and a small but determined chin. Her greatest asset was a pair of soulful, dark-brown eyes, fringed with long lashes. It annoyed her when people assumed they were false. She tried to remember to smile, as she had been told often that she could look quite fierce and forbidding when her face was in repose. People were always making a joke of it, saying, ‘Cheer up – it might never happen’ and children in shopping centres would burst into tears when she glared at them for having tantrums and making a noise. Heads didn’t turn when she walked through a crowd and she knew herself to be unremarkable, forgettable even. But by some miracle Tony loved her and in less than two months now they’d be in Paris on their honeymoon. A warning voice at the back of her mind kept telling her it was all too good to be true but she did her best to ignore it.
With a jolt, she realized they had both been lost in their thoughts for some time, almost hypnotized by the motorway and the drone of the cars alongside them.
‘You OK, Mum?’ she said at last. ‘You’re awfully quiet.’
‘You never said.’ Valerie sounded choked. ‘You never told me you heard all those arguments – when you were small. I always tried to keep you from hearing those rows.’
Chrissie spoke softly, hardly daring to ask. ‘Did he ever lose his temper and hurt you, Mum?’
‘No, not really. Sometimes he came close but it was mostly all bluster and noise.’
‘Why did you put up with it?’
‘Chrissie, it was another era. People saw things differently. And he hasn’t really threatened me – not for years now.’
‘But he used to?’
‘Chrissie, I’m not comfortable talking about this. It’s all in the past, anyway.’
‘I’m sorry, Mum. I know he’s my dad but there’s precious little love lost between us. And I hate the way he treats you. Expecting you to shelve all your plans just to wait on him. You know damn well he’d be off to the stables as soon as he’d eaten and you wouldn’t see him for the rest of the day. He treats you like an unpaid servant or worse.’
‘Maybe. But he has old-fashioned expectations – “A woman’s place is in the home” and all that.’
‘It’s downright medieval. And in any case, you grew up with horses just as he did and you’re far more intuitive. You could be a much better trainer than he is, if you were allowed to be.’
‘But that wasn’t my choice. I took a back seat when I found I was pregnant with you. Robert isn’t to blame for everything.’
‘No. Just ninety per cent of it.’
‘You don’t understand. I wasn’t his first choice and I knew it. I’ve never told you this before, but he wanted to marry Joanne.’
‘Uncle Peter’s wife? You’re kidding me.’
‘Oh, no.’ Valerie sighed. ‘I suppose you can hardly remember her. You wouldn’t have been more than an infant when they took off and went to North Queensland. When the brothers fell out for the last time, Pete wanted to put as many miles between them as he could. He said he didn’t care if he never saw Robert again.’
‘I think I remember Joanne. Or I have an impression of her. A pretty woman with long fair hair who always wore floaty clothes. I thought she looked like a fairy.’
‘She was fey all right. Beautiful, artistic and with no practical skills at all. Poor old Pete. She won’t have improved with age. People don’t, you know. We were all kids of racing people, so we went around in a gang when we were young. Joanne was Robert’s girl to begin with but he came on too strong and frightened her off. It was Pete who picked up the pieces and comforted her. The rest you know. Feeling he’d somehow lost face, Rob took it out on Pete, making his life a misery. So Pete sold his share of the stables to him – for next to nothing, of course – and took Joanne to make a new life up north. It must have been a struggle for them, starting again from scratch. Not that Robert cared. I think he wanted Joanne to suffer for giving him up.’
‘But, Mum, if you knew how Dad felt about her, why did you take him on?’
‘Oh, I had my reasons at the time and I needed to be married – I was expecting you.’
‘Of course you were. Too much to expect Dad to wait until after the wedding.’
‘I persuaded myself that I was in love with him, too.’ Val giggled at her daughter’s incredulous expression. ‘Stop it – don’t look like that. He was quite something when he was young. Not always this grumpy, red-faced git with receding hair.’
‘Oh, Mum.’ Chrissie echoed her mother’s infectious giggle. ‘But he shouldn’t have treated you badly even if you were a second choice.’
‘Well, I disappointed him, didn’t I? You arrived easily enough but I couldn’t get pregnant again to give him the son he wanted. The boy he dreamed would succeed him and take over the stables.’
‘Why? There’s no guarantee a son would fit in with his plans. He might have been a desk jockey – a lawyer, like me.’
‘Either way, it just didn’t happen. And a year or so later, some busybody told him Joanne had given Peter a son – Ryan – making him more angry and resentful than ever. He was furious that his younger brother succeeded where he had failed. It was an awful time. He wanted sex every night, trying to get me pregnant; but I was miserable and he was tense, so it never happened. After a while he gave up altogether and blamed me for that as well. And then – after a long, lonely time—’ Valerie hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to go on with her story or not. Finally she sighed. ‘I had an affair. And was stupid enough to own up to it when Robert found out.’
Chrissie blinked, rendered speechless for the moment, forcing herself to concentrate on her driving. It was hard to believe that her mother, who never did anything worse that max out her credit card, should fall in love with someone and have an affair.
‘Who was it?’ she said at last.
‘Nobody in our immediate circle, thank God. A visiting trainer from England – here for the Spring Carnival. He kept urging me to leave Robert and go back to England with him. I wanted to, I really did, but I wasn’t quite brave enough to leave home and face an uncertain future with him.’
‘And you were scared of what Dad might do?’
‘That was part of it. But I couldn’t risk losing you. Your father might have taken you just to spite me.’
‘I doubt it. He’s never had much time for me.’
‘So we parted and that was the end of it.’
‘Do you still hear from him?’
‘Sometimes he sent me a Christmas card to tell me he hadn’t forgotten. He’d had an unhappy marriage for years but his wife wouldn’t divorce him. When she died unexpectedly, he asked me once again to join him in England.’
‘Oh, Mum, why didn’t you go?’
‘For the same reasons as before. And I wasn’t certain he would welcome you – he kept talking of boarding school.’
‘I wouldn’t have minded. I like the idea o
f an English boarding school.’
‘Hmm. Forget those old-fashioned, starry-eyed school stories. Some of those places are more like institutions where people dump their kids when they can’t be bothered to raise them.’
‘Oh.’
‘In the end he got tired of asking me to leave Robert and married somebody else. You should have heard your father crow about that.’
‘Oh, Mum. Why didn’t you leave him then?’
‘And go where? All the money I inherited from my father is tied up in the stables. Robert made certain of that. And I was the one who had the affair – I was never allowed to forget it.’ She glanced at Chrissie. ‘Don’t look so stricken – it’s OK. Over time we’ve learned to tolerate each other and rub along well enough.’
‘But it’s not really a life, is it?’ Chrissie thought for a moment. ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right, Mum? While I’m in Europe with Tony?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Valerie managed a hesitant smile. ‘Robert has better things to do these days than waste time tormenting me.’
They reached the shopping centre but, after all these revelations, neither of them could rekindle enthusiasm for the expedition. They looked around half-heartedly but nothing appealed so they decided to postpone the hunt for another day.
‘They won’t like it at work.’ Chrissie’s smile was rueful. ‘I’ll have to ask for another day off. As it is, I’m taking unpaid leave for the trip to Paris.’
‘It’s for your wedding. I’m sure they’ll understand.’ Valerie smiled.
Chrissie returned it, wishing she could feel as sure. She hadn’t told Val there had been rumours of downsizing the office and, as the newest recruit, she was closest to the door. Her employers didn’t need another excuse to be rid of her.
But they did stop for coffee to restore their spirits before returning home.
‘Courage, Mum.’ Chrissie grinned as she parked her nippy little Honda in the garage next to her father’s Range Rover. ‘He must be over his bad mood by now, even if his trip to Sydney didn’t go according to plan.’
On returning to the house, they found Robert speaking on the landline in the kitchen. Registering their arrival, he hunched away from them, lowering his voice and speaking quickly.
‘Thanks, Tom, I appreciate it. Tell the guy to call me the instant he makes contact. I have a job for him and I’ll make it well worth his time.’ Closing the conversation, he turned to look at them.
‘No parcels?’ he sneered. ‘Thought you were shopping for the big day?’
‘Who were you talking to?’ Valerie said. ‘I didn’t know we were hiring again. Thought we had enough staff.’
Robert ignored the query. ‘Hope you didn’t forget to bring something for dinner. I’m starved.’
‘You could afford to live off your tissues for once, Dad.’ Chrissie folded her arms and looked at his burgeoning stomach. ‘We’ll have you in caftans, soon.’
‘Watch your mouth, Chrissie. Good job you’re getting married. I’ll be happy to see the back of you.’
‘No more than I shall be happy to go.’
‘I suppose you’re all sweetness and light around Tony. Poor old chap. If only he knew. Maybe someone should put him wise.’
‘Now stop it, you two,’ Valerie broke in. ‘I don’t want to spend the evening listening to your sniping at each other.’
‘Sorry, Mum.’ Chrissie grinned. ‘I just can’t resist winding him up.’
CHAPTER TWO
NOT EVEN JOANNE could resist Tommy’s charm. Somehow the big grey sensed that he needed her acceptance and paid her special attention whenever she came to his stable. Joanne loved the big animals and, because she came from a horse-racing family, she had been taught to ride. But she didn’t much care for it, preferring to leave the men in her life to exercise and train the two horses. Unless they had trials at the nearest local track, Peter liked to take the horses down to the beach to ride along the shoreline or swim in the sea. Both Ryan and Peter were up at dawn long before anyone else was awake, taking advantage of a time when the beach was deserted. Fortunately, the coastal waters remained clear and the annual plague of sea wasps had not yet arrived to curb their activities. Wealthier trainers with more land would fence off special training tracks of their own and install walking machines or equine swimming pools to exercise their horses but Peter Lanigan hadn’t the money for such luxuries.
With the exception of hospitality and tourism, regular work was scarce in the area with little opportunity for young people but Ryan didn’t care. Not that he lacked ambition; he had long dreamed of carving a niche for himself in the racing industry but for now he was content to stay at home, assisting his father with the horses and earning a modest living from his organic market garden and pineapple patch.
He was returning from working his garden one afternoon when he caught sight of someone acting suspiciously outside the new stables. On a casual basis, Peter employed several lads and a girl who helped out from time to time but this wasn’t one of them. The man was moving furtively as if he wanted to see without being seen. As soon as he realized he was being watched, he left, pulling his hoodie down further to hide his face, taking off with a distinctive, bouncing stride.
Ryan had the impression that he was moving as fast as he could without appearing to run away. Town wasn’t within easy walking distance so he must have a vehicle parked nearby, although he had taken some pains to conceal it in the scrub. Ryan wanted to catch up and find out what he wanted, but the man and his transport seemed to vanish into thin air. Concerned that this visitor might be up to no good, he hurried home to discuss the matter with his father.
Peter was alone in the kitchen having a cup of tea and, to Ryan’s relief, his mother was nowhere in sight. Just as well. She had a nervous disposition and he didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily. He allowed Peter to pour him some tea before he spoke.
‘Dad, we might need more security at the stables. We have two potential champions now and I’ve just spotted someone snooping around.’
‘A reporter maybe?’ His father was slow to think badly of anyone. ‘I suppose we must expect it now we have Tommy although I’d prefer visitors to ask before going anywhere near the horses. Did you see if he had a camera?’
‘No, but these days people take pictures on their phones. And the guy was wearing a hoodie and hiding his face. Reporters don’t do that, do they?’
‘I dunno. But don’t let it worry you. Probably just some tourist off the beaten track, getting lost.’
‘Then why didn’t he come up to the house for directions? No, Dad, I have a bad feeling about this and I think it’s time we had better security at the stables. CCTV and an alarm perhaps. To alert the police.’
‘What police?’ Peter sat back and smiled at him. ‘The local force is small and already stretched as it is. And they’ll soon get tired of coming out here every time your mum’s little dog sets it off.’
‘I still think we should do something, Dad. Arm ourselves with a shotgun or two at least.’
‘Come off it, Ryan. Would you really be prepared to shoot someone because you suspected he was up to no good? And while you were hesitating, trying to make up your mind, a hardened criminal would grab the gun off you and shoot you instead.’
‘I never thought of that.’
‘Well, think about it now. Violence only encourages violence. Expect the best of people and that’s usually what you’ll get.’
‘OK, Dad. I get your point. But I wish you’d seen the man for yourself. You wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss what I’m saying.’
His instructions were very specific. His quarry was to be targeted alone and there were to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. It must seem to be an unfortunate accident with no ongoing investigation and the case quickly closed. The accident was to be staged well away from the man’s home and no harm was to come to his wife.
No mention had been made of the boy and that was probably the reason he had made t
he mistake of allowing the lad to see him. He must be slipping in his old age; it wasn’t like him to be so unprofessional or make such a basic mistake. Hadn’t he built his reputation on the safe delivery of a quick result with no repercussions? Known in some circles only as ‘Mister Reliable’, he had sent nine men to the grave already and without the slightest suspicion of foul play. He made his moves quickly and quietly, without making a mess. His target would be dead even before he realized he was in danger, and the killer’s conscience troubled him not at all. He reasoned that if someone was willing to pay for a man to die, on some level that man must deserve it. To Harry, it was just business. And a very lucrative one as well, allowing him to holiday in Las Vegas or the Bahamas, masquerading as a wealthy man in between wives. It was amazing how such a reputation endeared him to women.
He smiled, dragging his mind back to the present. There’d be time enough to think of the next holiday when he’d disposed of number ten. He must keep his mind on the job now until it was done. Observation was always the key; to learn his victim’s habits and use them to his advantage. Unlike the city where people weren’t so inquisitive about strangers, it wouldn’t be so easy to disappear into this smaller community where people had grown up together and knew one another at least by sight.
Staying longer also meant he would have to camp out. He couldn’t risk booking into a local motel for more than a night or so. If anyone asked, he could say he was birdwatching; it would also explain the binoculars worn constantly around his neck. As an ex-marine, he knew many outdoor survival techniques but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy them. He reminded himself to ask for a bonus to cover the discomfort when he made up his final account. Then he applied himself to the task of watching the daily habits of his quarry.
Two days later, he was up at dawn, watching the two men exercising a pair of racehorses on the beach. Fucking hell, he thought, stifling a yawn, do these banana benders never sleep? The elder Lanigan was never alone; his son was always there with him, close as a shadow. The only time they separated was when the younger one took the mare off on a gallop to the far end of the beach and Peter rode the big grey into the sea to swim in the deeper water offshore. Their routine was so boringly predictable that Harry had to stifle another yawn as Peter steered the horse back to the beach and dismounted in the shallows, leading him ashore.
Riding the Storm Page 2
