Northern Heat

by Helene Young

  Kristy tried to tug free, but he had a firm grip. ‘Let’s not confuse Abby,’ she said.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Freya said. ‘They’ll be preoccupied with the horses. Old Jeff’s going to take them for a trail ride. I meant to tell you to bring riding clothes for Abby, but what she’s wearing is perfect anyway.’

  ‘Lucky she wasn’t wearing the sprayed-on green number she’d found in the op shop then,’ Kristy replied.

  ‘Sissy had something similar. I think they’d cooked up a plan.’

  ‘Thank goodness for the horses.’

  The two women shared a brief look. ‘Well, you two look like a couple of lovebirds,’ Freya said with a grin as she swung around.

  Conor chuckled and the sound did nothing to dispel Kristy’s concern.

  ‘Don’t be shy,’ he reassured her, drawing her along behind Freya as she led them to the barbecue. ‘Nothing could go wrong with you by my side. Not a storm cloud in sight.’

  ‘Wait till you meet Jonno,’ she scoffed.

  17

  Conor glanced at Kristy, surprised at the concentration on her face. Surely this Jonno couldn’t be that scary? He pulled her a little closer and she didn’t resist. He only hoped his own apprehension didn’t show. He was 99 per cent certain that the Porsche currently gracing the front lawn was the vehicle he’d seen drive away from Danny Parnell’s house. Now he just needed to work out who it belonged to.

  The men were grouped around a cavernous barbecue complete with rotisserie and suckling pig. On another burner a pan of onions gently sautéed and a hot plate sizzled, waiting for the marinated prawns resting in an ice bath. The chef was an immediately recognisable celebrity with a glass of white wine in his hand. The other men all had beers in coolers.

  ‘Jonno, come and welcome Kristy and her partner, Conor, the sports coach. He’s working with Bill McBride as well. Sissy invited them.’

  The biggest man in the group, both in height and in breadth, turned from the barbecue. His gaze raked over the three of them and Conor felt his hackles rise. The years hadn’t been all that kind to Jonno, despite the increase in his wealth. He’d gone to fat. The possessive look he shot at his wife said it all. Conor had met his type before.

  ‘G’day. Lovely place you have here,’ Conor said, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. He expected a bone-crusher and wasn’t disappointed. Neither was he stupid. Let Jonno think he’d won. ‘Lucky man.’

  ‘Yeah, thanks. Some might say lucky, but others know it’s hard work that gets you anywhere.’ There were murmurs of agreement. ‘Of course, working on the trawlers is never going to set you up, unless you own one. And then if you’re anything like old McBride you’ll lose the lot with a bad season. Fishing’s a mug’s game.’

  Conor shrugged away the putdown. ‘Sometimes a job’s just something to pass the time of day.’

  One of the men closest to Conor and Kristy snorted and half turned towards them, shaking his head in dismissal. Conor’s pulse leapt at the Porsche logo on the man’s polo shirt and then he looked at his face. He must have tightened his grip on Kristy’s hand, as she glanced up with a confused smile before greeting Jonno herself.

  ‘Nice to see you again, John. Buddy looks well too. He’s growing up so fast.’

  ‘Yeah, he’s a good kid.’

  The attention moved away from them and Conor examined the Porsche owner. His face was unremarkable, apart from a cleft chin. Conor forced his shoulders to relax and swallowed, feeling the dryness on the back of his throat as he looked away. Buddy sat in a sandpit with enough plastic trucks and diggers to set up an earthmoving business. The boy’s fair hair glistened in the sunlight.

  Freya clicked her tongue. ‘Where’s his hat?’

  ‘Doesn’t need it. It’s only for an hour or two.’

  She cast a withering look at Jonno and stalked away. Several of the other men followed her with their eyes. Kristy stood a little straighter and looked about to deliver a lecture, probably on the dangers of sunshine.

  Conor stuck out his hand to the closest man. ‘Travelled far for the day?’ The introductions went around the circle, with no help from Jonno. By the time they got to the last man, Conor was ready.

  ‘Steve,’ the man said. Was there recognition in his eyes?

  ‘Steve, good to meet you. Let me guess.’ Conor nodded at the Porsche logo on the man’s T-shirt. ‘You belong to the Cayenne out front? Nice piece of gear.’

  ‘That’s Jonno’s. I drive a 918 Spyder in Sydney.’

  ‘Nice.’ Conor nodded, his mind racing. ‘Top of the range hybrid. Can’t be many of them in Australia.’

  ‘I like to keep ahead.’ Steve’s lip curled, as if he doubted Conor could know anything about a Porsche. As he looked away, his profile found a fit in Conor’s memory and for an instant Conor stopped breathing.

  The chef spoke from beside his barbecue, giving Conor a moment to compose himself. ‘It will be ready shortly, gentlemen. Perhaps you could tell my assistant to lay out the rest of the food?’

  Freya reappeared at that moment with a floppy hat in her hand. ‘Buddy, hat on, kiddo,’ she called. Her son looked up with a sunny-natured smile as she joined him. Freya brushed sand from his face and slid the ties over his head, snugging the toggle under his chin.

  ‘Stop fussing, love.’ The tone of Jonno’s voice didn’t match his words. ‘Chef needs some help. Tell his assistant, eh?’

  Conor saw her jaw tighten for an instant before she smiled sweetly. ‘Sure, honey. Fresh drinks, anyone?’ Three empty bottles were handed over and she left with the same sets of eyes following her. The undercurrents and tensions must have been obvious to everyone, but the other men ignored it. Maybe they’d seen it all before.

  The conversation resumed around them, leaving Conor and Kristy isolated. She raised her glass and spoke from behind it before she sipped.

  ‘You know about Porsches?’

  He smoothed a lock of her hair, revelling in the stolen touch, and smiled into her eyes. ‘A little.’

  ‘Do you know him?’

  Conor shook his head, threaded their fingers together. ‘I will explain. Later. Trust me.’

  She managed a smile in return, but her look said she wasn’t happy.

  He pressed his lips to her hand and her fingers curled. ‘I didn’t know Abby and Sienna rode horses,’ he said.

  ‘Abby learnt to ride at Ruby Downs.’ She hesitated. ‘She’s been on horseback from when she was very young. I used to strap her on my front and go for a gentle wander on old Jeddah. My husband didn’t like horses. Once Abby was old enough to ride her own horse she and I used to explore. I took her to all my favourite hideouts on the property. Girl bonding times.’ She couldn’t hide the wistfulness.

  ‘I’m sure it will happen again. There’s nothing like having your own children to remind you of what was special in your childhood.’

  ‘You have children, then?’

  He steeled himself. ‘A daughter. I don’t see her any more.’ There. The half-truth was easier than a lie.

  ‘I’m sorry. That must be hard.’

  He swallowed, pushing the hurt back into that dark hole. ‘You get used to it, I suppose.’

  ‘Hmm.’ The sympathy was more of a hum than a word.

  Freya returned with the drinks. ‘You two need a fresh one? Come and I’ll refill your glasses.’ She turned to leave.

  ‘Stay with us, mate,’ Jonno said to Conor. It wasn’t a suggestion.

  Conor narrowed his eyes. The whole group was watching him. Was this what a gladiator felt like when facing the lions?

  ‘Sure.’ He let Kristy go without a backwards glance.

  ‘So how long are you planning on staying?’ Jonno asked.

  Conor went for obtuse. ‘Couple of hours, I guess. Kristy’s driving and she’s always on call. Does someone need a lift?’

  ‘In Cooktown.’ Jonno’s blue eyes had hardened from ice to arctic.

  ‘Not sure. I hear there’s a cyclone coming so I�
��ll need to move my boat upstream to get it out of the way. Probably need to move old Bill’s Lady Leonie too. I hear he’ll be out of hospital soon. Don’t want to see his livelihood on the bottom of the Endeavour.’ He took note of the quick glances between two of the men. They looked like bouncers and perfectly capable of giving a man a hiding. ‘Did you hear about that? Some mongrels bashed the old fella up the other night. God knows what they wanted, but they left the prawns and his wallet. I heard he was flown to Brisbane and he’s responded well to the treatment. Expecting a statement sometime soon so they can arrest the pricks. Cowardly thing to do.’ He took much satisfaction in seeing the agitation on the two men’s faces. Jonno still stared at him, eyes almost unblinking. Psychopath and a bully.

  ‘Yeah, who’d do something like that, hey?’ Jonno took a long swig on his beer. ‘Terrible thing about boats, they’re so fragile. Prone to fire, cyclone damage, vandalism. Can even run aground and sink. Be a hard thing to lose your home like that.’

  Conor inclined his head but held Jonno’s gaze. ‘True. A man would be a fool to have all his eggs in one basket. Insurance come in all shapes and sizes. But then, a smart man like you knows that already. Importing stuff’s got to be more predictable than hoping the rains come and there’s feed for the cows.’

  The silence stretched out and Jonno finally looked away. Conor wondered how long it would take before someone disappeared inside to try to find out the true state of Bill’s health.

  Steve spoke from beside him. ‘Have we met before? You look familiar.’

  ‘I’d remember if we had. I have a great memory for faces. Photographic. I remember all sorts of useless stuff like car registrations too.’

  ‘That right.’ Steve was frowning. ‘Have you lived in Sydney?’

  Conor shrugged. ‘Lived all over the place, mate. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Thursday Island and all ports in between. The itinerant life suits me.’

  ‘Right.’ Steve’s mouth turned down on the ends. ‘What’d you say your last name was?’

  Conor let the moment hang before he spoke into the silence. ‘Woods, Conor Woods.’

  Steve shook his head. ‘Doesn’t ring any bells. Must be mistaken.’ His gaze slid away.

  The chef interrupted with a request for assistance transporting the golden-brown pig inside. Conor stood to one side, watching the whispered conference between the two bouncers. He wasn’t disappointed when one of them nodded at Steve and hurried inside. Gotcha. He nursed his beer and looked around. The hospital wasn’t going to give them any news on Bill, but let them sweat for a while. And if they bothered searching for Conor Woods they wouldn’t find much either.

  The stables were further down the hill. In the distance he caught a glimpse of silver through the trees. Water. The property had everything: road, water and air access. Plenty of cleared land and the whole lot under security surveillance. He’d spotted the cameras as soon as they pulled up at the gate. If the McDonalds had cops on their payroll they’d know his real identity pretty smartly. That worried him. He needed to talk to Noah sooner rather than later. Could he have finally found his family’s killer? Was the same man responsible for Danny Parnell’s shooting as well?

  He wondered if he could engineer a walk down to the airstrip. Maybe take Kristy for a stroll? He wanted the registrations of the aeroplane and the helicopter.

  One of the other men ambled over. Conor remembered him being introduced as Peter.

  ‘Piece of advice, my friend. Stay away from Freya and don’t try to stare Jonno down. You don’t need the trouble he can bring.’ With a curt nod he headed inside.

  Conor smiled. The whole bloody lot of them were in cahoots. Nothing like a gathering of like-minded men to bring out the bad behaviour.

  He glanced towards the stables, where the two young girls and a bow-legged man had appeared from the side door. As they made their way up the track towards the house he studied the body language. Sienna was the leader in every way, and Abby, sweet little Abby, followed along like a lamb to the slaughter.

  He turned away, unable to ignore a surge of sadness that he might never be a father again, never help shape the way a child saw the world. For Abby’s sake he hoped Kristy found a man she could love forever. But that thought made him falter. Jealousy reared hard and fast at the thought of someone else holding Kristy close. She deserved to be cherished, to be given reasons to laugh again. Maybe she was right to walk away before it was anything more than an afternoon of misplaced but exquisite passion. And yet? He followed the others inside. Was he brave enough to lay it all on the line? Tell her the truth? Loving again would take courage. He didn’t know if he was strong enough yet.

  Conor found himself sitting next to one of the younger women from Sydney, who was with Peter. From the look of the ring on her left hand, he had more than a few quid to throw around.

  He listened to her chatter, observing the undercurrents and eddies in the room. There were allegiances on many different levels, but the strongest was between Jonno and his mother, Evelyn. She was the undisputed commander and he the lieutenant. He’d finally worked out that Steve was in fact Jonno’s younger brother. His quiet demeanour didn’t ring true. To Conor, Steve’s tight control suggested a seething maelstrom. He sifted through the threads around him, all the while smiling politely and making chitchat. The food was delicious and he paced himself with the alcohol, watching Kristy stick to mineral water after the first glass of wine.

  The cake was a fitting finale. Tiers of tiny cupcakes, decorated in pink and white and brown, were topped with a mud cake festooned with a pair of western riding boots, a saddle and a horse, all made out of chocolate. Sienna was delighted and the wistful envy in Abby’s face plain to see. Conor guessed birthdays in the Dark family didn’t run to this sort of extravagance. Once the cake had been devoured the girls wanted to head straight back to the stables.

  Conor made his move. ‘Kristy, let’s go and see this new horse.’

  ‘I could do with a walk after all that delicious food,’ she said. ‘Evelyn, it was superb. Thank you.’

  The older woman smiled with a regal tilt to her head. ‘You’re welcome.’

  The two girls ran ahead, Conor and Kristy following. Old Jeff hadn’t rated a lunch invite and he appeared outside the stables, leading three horses.

  Kristy whistled softly.

  ‘That good?’ Conor asked.

  ‘Better than good. That’s an expensive collection of horses. I doubt any of them go mustering.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really. Far too elegant for that.’ She’d quickened her pace, her face alight. Those vivid blue eyes sparkled even as she shaded them with her hand.

  ‘To be honest my knowledge of horses is restricted to the form guide. I figured it might look suspicious if I said I wanted to look at the aircraft.’

  ‘And why would you want to look at the aircraft?’

  He hesitated long enough to make her frown. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not yet.

  ‘That Porsche SUV out the front? I’m 99 per cent sure it almost ran me down as it reversed out of Danny Parnell’s yard.’

  She sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Are you a cop? An investigator?’

  ‘More of a private investigation. I have a vested interest in finding the shooter so they can cross me off their list of suspects. I’ll let Miller know. Nothing I can do about it now.’

  ‘And Bill? Is he connected with this too? The shooting on the trawler? Afterwards?’

  He shrugged. ‘I don’t know for sure. It might just be a coincidence.’

  They’d slowed to a stop now and were facing each other. Hectic colour stained her cheeks and anger blazed from her eyes. She’d never looked more beautiful.

  ‘A coincidence? Are you playing me for a sucker, Conor? Using me or Freya to be here, looking for answers?’

  ‘I wouldn’t be that disrespectful. I did come here with an agenda, but I can’t say I’m sorry I’m here with you. You’re beautiful, especially
when you’re annoyed.’

  ‘Bullshit!’ She turned away, but he saw her blush deepen.

  ‘No, it’s not. The colour suits you and the dress looks a whole lot better than the hospital uniform. Maybe not quite as good as a pair of swimmers, but hey, no complaints from me.’ He was determined to steer the conversation in another direction.

  ‘I’m not in the habit of falling for idle flattery.’ She started striding away, her chin up.

  ‘And I don’t do idle flattery.’ He had no trouble keeping up. ‘Kristy, I’m keen to find answers, but believe me, I didn’t come here today for that. I came here because of you. If you really want me to leave you alone we’ll forget everything and call it quits, and I’ll wave politely when you come to watch Abby train.’

  She didn’t reply so he pressed on.

  ‘Or we can take it slowly, back up a few steps to where we should have started. Go for a sail, the three of us. Have dinner, or lunch if it’s easier with your shifts. I’m not fussy. I know something upset you that afternoon, and I’d fix it if I could.’

  Her arms were swinging less wildly, her hair floating now rather than bouncing behind her. They had a hundred metres to go to the stables. He caught her hand and she didn’t pull free. His finger rested on her pulse. It was jumping, along with the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

  ‘It’s nothing you can fix.’ She looked like she was measuring her words. ‘You know that Abby has a crush on you? That any sort of relationship, or friendship even, would be difficult because I don’t want her life disrupted?’

  He laughed. ‘Abby’s been telling me about her “cool” mum for the last couple of months.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘She’s been doing a high-stakes sales pitch. I wasn’t interested until I actually met you.’