Echoes of the Past

by TJ Hamilton

  Their whole future was in her nod and smile.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Leila waited for the sting of the midday sun to settle before pulling on her runners for an afternoon jog. The excitement coursing through her body had Leila thinking she could run an entire marathon instead of her usual five kilometres. She filled up her water backpack and threw it over her shoulders before carefully selecting her favourite playlist for the trek. Popping her earbuds in, she started the distance tracker on her phone and slid it onto her running armband before heading out the door. This time, Leila took the track around Bulls’ Run, to push herself and reach all the way to Echo Ridge Lookout.

  Running through the streets, she waved to the motorists who passed her, eager to be out of town to focus on her pace and breathing. TLC drowned out her thoughts as they sang about creeping around to hide a love affair. How appropriate. Before Hayden came back, she thought she had healed her old wounds and severed all but one or two strings she held on to him with. But those final remaining strands of love were held so tight that nothing could ever cut them. The possibilities in her future dominated any obstacle in her way.

  Finally, the houses spread further and further apart until there was nothing but barren scrub and bushland surrounding her. She took a walking track veering from the dirt road, cutting through the bush directly towards the lookout.

  Small pale-green salt bushes lined the track, scattered in clumps of three or four. Beyond the salt bushes, naked grey trunks of mallee trees stretched to the sun with their finger-like branches; their sprays of green beginning to form at the very tops, signs of life returning to the bush after the devastating fires that had torn through only recently. The branches waved at the sky, pleading for the rain to come down upon them—much like the rest of the inhabitants of the outback. The red dirt was soft enough to lessen the impact of each pounding step Leila took, striding towards her goal. Besides the odd remnant of a snake’s slither or the distinctive three divots caused from the bounce of a kangaroo’s paw, the track was rarely used. In the heat of summer, the only people game enough to hit the fifteen-kilometre trail were the native fauna, crazy backpackers or young constables who may have lost their mind in love. Leila wore a hat to shield her from the afternoon sun, but her singlet did little to protect the bare top of her chest. It stung from both the sun and the heat resonating within her chest. The dry air made it impossible to draw a deep breath so Leila slowed her pace and stretched her arms above her head, opening her torso to allow the maximum amount of oxygen in. Eventually the heat was too much and Leila knew she had been overambitious. She slowed to a walk and pulled her phone from her armband, clicking open the tracker to check her distance. Only seven kilometres into her run and she was disappointed with herself. She took her earbuds out, pausing for a second or two to catch her breath. There was nothing like running in the bush. The clear air and isolation just couldn’t be replicated anywhere else. This was her home and at times like this, right here, it was the real world. Why would you want to be anywhere else? Leila pulled her water tube from her pack and took in a couple of mouthfuls, enough to wet the inside of her mouth. The water cooled her chest as it slid down. Should she continue on or just turn back?

  She stopped to listen. The isolation of the bush was interrupted by the rev of an engine in the distance. She tilted her head to gauge where the sound was coming from. There weren’t any homes out here, only Jacinta Buchanan’s sheep station. Jacinta wouldn’t have the sheep up this end of her station already, surely? There was barely any feed on this side of her property this time of the year. She listened again. The car sounded like it might be having engine problems, so she headed towards it in case it was some unsuspecting tourists with a beat-up four-wheel drive. They all passed through Echo Springs looking for ‘the authentic outback experience’. She’d been called out many times to rescue a carload of young backpackers in the middle of nowhere when they decided to head out into the bush without the slightest understanding of the terrain.

  She left the track and cut through the bush, weaving through the salt bushes, eucalypts and mallees. The engine was definitely heading towards Bulls’ Run. If she didn’t know better, she would say it was right near the old mines that dated back to the gold-rush era. Still possibly tourists. They wouldn’t know they were trespassing onto private property. Through the copse of trees in the distance, Leila began to make out a sleek white Audi. Not the car she was expecting. She slowed and edged closer, stopping behind some trees to get a better look. She couldn’t make out the person sitting in the driver’s side. Did Jac Buchanan just buy a very new, very fancy car? No, there was no way Jac would be able to afford that. Last time she’d checked, Bulls’ Run was treading water to stay afloat. Her cop instinct flared to life and she inched closer, keeping concealed. Crouching down, she waited.

  Someone appeared at the tunnel of one of the mines and she lowered herself even further behind the scrub at the base of the tree. She squinted to try and bring the emerging figure into focus.

  ‘Brayden?’ she whispered.

  Why on earth was he out here with a white sports car that was worth more than the average mortgage in town? He carried a black duffle bag over his shoulder and walked towards the car.

  ‘Shit.’ She swiftly ducked down again when Brayden glanced out across the scrubland.

  She peered back through the branches, watching him in the passenger seat while the other figure, a man she’d never seen before, struggled to get his fancy car to kick over. They shared an exchange and the driver waved his hands in the air. He hit the steering wheel with both hands and got out of the car. She saw him clearly enough now: he was bald with a beard and wore a white t-shirt with a red S on the front. Her heart pounded like a bass drum in her chest. Everything about this was sinister.

  Carefully taking her black cap off so its peak didn’t expose her, she glanced up to see what the driver was doing. He was occupied by a conversation on his phone. If only she were able to hear what he was saying. She contemplated getting closer again, within earshot, but twigs breaking under foot was too great a risk at this distance. So she waited, unsure.

  Her phone! Reaching slowly down, she nudged it to the side of the tree trunk, wary of not pushing it too far. Using the fingers of her bandaged hand to hold it steady, she zoomed in enough to see the unknown man pixelated on her screen. Checking that the phone was still on silent, she took four or five shots of him as he paced along the outside of the car, talking on his phone. He got back into the Audi and tried again to get the engine to click over. This time the car responded to its desperate occupants, and the engine roared to life. The driver smiled, his brilliant white teeth clearly visible through the scruff of his beard. Still with the phone open on camera mode, and its zoom pushed in as far as it could be, she fired off shots of the car as it circled. She rolled to the other side of the trunk and focused on getting the car’s number plate as it drove down the narrow dirt road. The dust thrown up obscured the yellow and black plate, distinctly registered to New South Wales.

  When the car was out of sight, she looked at the photos on her screen while leaning back against the trunk.

  ‘What the hell are you doing, Brayden?’ she said quietly.

  The weight of disappointment sunk deep into her chest, burrowing into her like a wild animal. Should she take a closer look at the old mine? No. Not without some backup. Tombstone courage was one of the ten fatal errors she was taught over and over at the Academy, until it finally branded itself into the brain of every officer. Making sure all was clear behind her, she made a dash back towards the walking trail and ran home as fast as her legs would carry her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Leila’s mind refused to still. While in the shower, she let the water wash over her, numbing her hot skin, bringing her body temperature back down. Along with the water, she tried to blink away the image of Brayden, praying that her mind was wrong about recognising him. But she wasn’t, it was him and no amount of hope
could change that. He was doing so well. Had she been deceived all this time? There were a few holes in his day where he wasn’t being monitored. It would be ignoring his rights to monitor him around the clock, but even Hayden himself said Brayden needed that type of supervision. Was juvenile detention the best place for a kid like Brayden? Kept away for his own good?

  If only she’d gone closer to see what was in that mine. Could it be something completely innocent and she’d just become cynical, as her days in the police force progressed? No, she knew better than to be naive. There was no good reason for a car like an Audi or a kid like Brayden—with a duffle bag—to be in an isolated area of the bush. One thing was for sure, she had to get to the bottom of it before Brayden made the biggest mistake of his life and she could no longer protect him from her own colleagues.

  She got out of the shower and wrapped one towel around her head, another around her body. As she picked up the phone from the bathroom basin, it pinged to signal a message. It was from Hayden, and despite her troubled mind she grinned wildly. He had added a Snapchat filter over a photo of him, a filter she only recognised from when Brayden showed her his own photos from the app she refused to download. In the photo, Hayden draped his arm around his Mum’s old dog, Max. Hayden had dog ears and nose with a long tongue hanging all the way out, mimicking the real dog’s tongue next to him. She laughed. Stretching her phone out, she took a selfie of herself in her towel, complete with bandaged hand wrapped in a plastic bag. She paused before sending it. Was it too much? She wouldn’t know anymore. Back when she and Hayden were together, selfies weren’t a thing, neither was Snapchat. Her hand pressed send before she gave it a second thought. Before she had made it to her bedroom, another message pinged back in reply, reading: I’ll be over in 5 mins. An emoji face with its eyes wide open.

  She laughed again and replied: Unlike some others, I’ve been out for a 10km run and now have things to do.

  Watching the three ellipsis scroll to show Hayden was replying, she unravelled the towel from around her head, scrunch drying her dark locks in anticipation of his response.

  He replied with: Show off! Catch ya later x

  Still smiling, she closed her messages, returning to her phone’s home screen. She opened her photos and the pictures from the mine filled the screen. Her flash of happiness was quickly replaced with apprehension about what might already be known about Brayden and whether she was too late.

  It was almost six, so she messaged Ben to see if he was on shift tonight. He quickly replied with a ‘yes’ and she asked if he wanted her to deliver him some dinner.

  Can’t you stay away from the place? It’s only been four days! Ben replied.

  I’m bored. She wrote back. And then followed it up with: Plus, I miss you.

  Ben was replying back. She watched the rolling dots: lol I’ll be back in the station in halfa. I’m on the truck with Tracey Anderson, from Bourke tonight. She hates Indian, so can you bring me a medium Chicken Vindaloo from Echo Taj?

  She chuckled. Ben’s solution to Tracey’s complaints was a pretty normal type of response. When cops find something you dislike, she thought, they’ll exploit it until you crack, then back off a little. Weaknesses were fair game in a job that required a few extra layers of skin than most.

  Leila threw her phone onto her bed as she passed to get dressed. Once in track pants and a singlet, she called the Echo Taj Indian restaurant—the only Indian restaurant in Echo Springs—and placed her order.

  After her long run, Leila drove instead of walking. When she pulled into the motel with the Indian restaurant attached there was the Audi, parked outside one of the rooms.

  The bravado this guy had by staying in a small town was impressive and alarming. She looked around the empty parking spaces, checking for surveillance. Could cops from the city be here to investigate? The carpark was empty, but Leila made a mental note to get details of all the people staying at the motel. Her takeaway order was ready and waiting in a white plastic bag, on the counter at the rear of the restaurant. Leila passed three rows of tables to the takeaway counter, which also doubled as a bar. There were people sitting at a table to the right. She could just make out their shape, but didn’t dare look in their direction. Mrs Chopra smiled from behind the cash register. She was draped in a dazzling pink sari with gold embellishments.

  ‘Hello, my dark fury. You know, I remember the moment when you came into this world.’

  Leila nodded, trying her best not to appear bored with the story, but the details were so ingrained, she could retell it after ten shots of tequila.

  ‘Your mum was about to go into the operating theatre to have a caesarean when I came and crashed the party with a baby wanting to arrive feet-first and took Doctor Evans away.’

  Leila smiled as Mrs Chopra told the story of Leila’s arrival into the world.

  ‘And then you screamed the entire ward down all night, Leila. You always had a great set of lungs on you. You know your name means—’

  ‘Nocturnal,’ they both said in unison.

  Vijay, Mrs Chopra’s youngest son after five girls, walked out from the kitchen. ‘Mum’s not trying to tell you about how you’re half an hour older than me again—as if you’ve never heard it before?’

  Leila laughed. ‘Some things are nice to stay the same.’

  ‘Mum, can you please go talk to Dad? He’s complaining that you’ve moved his bag of cumin seeds again.’

  Mrs Chopra patted her son on the back as she passed him. She didn’t see the sad smile Vijay sent after her.

  ‘How’s everything going with your mum?’

  He shrugged. ‘She’s getting worse. She has the same set stories she remembers people by, but the specialists in the city said it’s only a matter of time before they will lessen too.’

  ‘How much longer can you defer med school?’

  Vijay tilted his head, unsure. ‘I have to go back soon, so Misha is going to come back. The problem is, I don’t want to go. I’m the most qualified in my family to help care for Mum so I feel obligated to stay.’

  Leila’s heart sunk for her friend.

  ‘What about getting your med school done and then you can come back to Bourke Hospital to do all your placement out here? That way you’ll be back with your family. Our town always needs good people like you coming back here and understanding what we’re up against.’

  Vijay laughed. ‘It’s not that dire out here, Leila. Plus, it’s my duty as the youngest to make sure I care for Mum and Dad, so that’s what I’ll do. Med school can wait and Echo Springs isn’t going anywhere. My intention is always to come back. This is home.’

  Leila smiled and said, ‘Yep, I get that. That’s why I’m still here.’

  She handed over the money and Vijay gave Leila her change. Taking the plastic bag of goods, she turned, clocking the bald guy from the Audi seated with a bearded man with his back to her. The Audi guy looked in her direction. She had two options: avoid the eye contact and quickly look away or acknowledge it and look directly at him. She chose the latter and greeted him with a polite nod and smile. But inside, her smile was anything but polite and she wanted to scream a warning at the top of her lungs.

  She got back into her car and waited for a moment, composing herself. Did he suspect her of being a cop? Leila felt like her entire demeanour would give her away. Her heightened alertness alone screamed cop, not to mention her terrible effort to look casually in his direction. As she was scrolling through her phone to call Ben, there was a tap on her side window, making her jump. The Audi guy smiled from the other side of the glass. Even with a scruffy beard and bald head, the man’s smile was dazzling, brilliant white. Leila put her window down just enough to make a ten-centimetre gap at the top.

  ‘Sorry to startle you, love. I was just seeing if you know of any places around town to go where there might be some fine young ladies such as yourself?’

  She would’ve been flattered if she didn’t know better. Sliding her phone out of view, she casual
ly responded.

  ‘It’s a Saturday night, so I’m sure the two pubs will have enough action for you. What brings you to a town like Echo Springs?’

  The man smiled without baring his teeth. Was he onto her?

  ‘A mate of mine is from out here. Raves about the place all the time, so thought I’d come and see it for myself.’

  ‘Oh really? What’s his name? I might know him. Everyone knows everyone out here.’

  ‘He’s not out here anymore. He’s actually banged up, which is why I wanted to come and make sure his family are all okay.’

  Leila knew exactly who he was talking about and didn’t want to push the conversation. This guy already knew too much about her for her liking.

  ‘Well, I better get this food back before it gets cold. Enjoy your stay in Echo Springs.’

  The man bared his teeth in a smile this time. ‘I’m sure I will.’

  Heat inflamed Leila’s chest. She could feel the heat pouring from her skin so she quickly started the car and pulled out of the carpark. The man stepped back but didn’t go back inside the restaurant, watching her as she drove away.

  She glanced in the rear-vision mirror as she pulled away. She knew she was up against the clock now, and she knew it reeked of Jayden Terrance.

  Chapter Twenty

  Leila parked her car at the back of the police station within the gated compound, and raced inside. Ben and Tracey were in the muster room at the rear of the building, a room full of computers on desks for police to write statements and finish their investigation reports. Ben’s smile quickly fell off his face when he saw her.

  ‘What now?’ he asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Leila replied, shooting a glance at Tracey. ‘Shall we go and eat this in the kitchen so that the smell doesn’t annoy Trace?’