Echoes of the Past

by TJ Hamilton

  Leila got out of bed, heading straight to the computer in the second bedroom of the house. She opened the photographs she had taken of the detective’s board and began printing them off one by one. She needed to spread everything out to get a clear picture of what the detectives were on to, and what was missing from the picture.

  Grabbing Blu-tac from her desk drawer, Leila started sticking the pictures along a blank wall in her home office, emulating the detectives’ investigation board at the station. She added the photos she’d taken of Brayden and wrote the name of the hire company the Audi was rented from and then stood back to inspect the timeline of events. Definitely drugs. With someone like Brett Pearce in town, it meant there was a drop happening. She shook her head, eyes gazing over the photos of Brayden.

  ‘Fuck, Brayden. What have you got yourself involved in?’ she said aloud.

  The duffle bag must have been a bag of cash. Was he keeping a cache out at the Bulls’ Run mines? It all made sense. No one ever went near the mines, so it would be the perfect place to store cash from the proceeds of crime. But the cops weren’t onto this information yet, so she needed to get to Brayden before her colleagues did. Closing the door on her pseudo-investigation room, Leila opened her phone and sent a message to Brayden: How was boxing this morning? I miss kicking your ass already! She signed off with an emoji with its tongue sticking out.

  Brayden didn’t reply; he must be getting ready for school. He hated school, but he only needed to stick with it for one more year and she had plans to get him into a trade apprenticeship. School just didn’t suit some kids, and Brayden was a prime example of why trades were a good alternative to stop kids slipping through the cracks and adding to the unemployment stats across town.

  By the time Leila finished eating a bowl of cereal and drinking a cup of coffee, she’d decided to pay Brayden a visit at school. The absence of a response from him had her on high alert. It wasn’t like him to not reply. She sent Hayden a text next.

  Did Brayden go to boxing this morning? I’m going to drop past school to pay him a quick visit today.

  Hayden instantly replied: Had to drag his scrawny ass out of bed for boxing. Must’ve gone straight to school. When you see him tell him to get back to me! The little shit isn’t answering his phone!!

  Leila was instantly uneasy, and she’d learned not to ignore her intuition. Discovering facts before jumping to conclusions was how she was supposed to think, but there was something just not right about this whole scenario. She didn’t want to alarm Hayden yet, and replied back: lol will do. Do you have plans later?

  Again, the reply was immediate: Thought you’d never ask. Complete with a row of love hearts.

  Leila smiled. Her heart was consumed by Hayden, only subsumed by the drive to keep Brayden safe and out of trouble.

  She cursed Jayden under her breath as she got dressed. His influence had his baby brother tied up in all of this, and she knew Hayden was going to be furious when he found out.

  Getting in her car, Leila drove past the motel to see if the Audi was still there. Brayden’s unusual behaviour had coincided with Brett Pearce’s arrival. There was no sign of the Audi at the motel. She drove around the main street, supermarket and pubs. With no sign of the Audi anywhere around town, she headed to Echo Springs High School, in desperate hope that Brayden would be there when she arrived.

  Parking the car and walking into the reception office of the school, Leila was greeted by Tamara, a bubbly girl she used to go to school with.

  ‘G’day Leila. How’s that hand? I heard you had to take time off work because of it.’

  Leila smiled politely. ‘Yeah, it’s all good now. I cut it on a jar of olives of all things. I’m such a klutz.’ She quickly changed the subject. There was no time to waste. ‘Hey, I’m just coming in to see Brayden. I won’t distract him and pull him out of class, but I just want to come and observe how he’s doing while I’m off work.’

  Tamara looked perplexed. ‘But we had an email from you saying he was going to be absent due to his performance review with the justice program. I have it printed out here.’

  Leila was stunned. What email account? How did anyone have access to her work or home account? Tamara came back with a piece of paper in hand and laid it across the wooden reception counter. Leila looked first to the email address. It wasn’t her account.

  ‘I don’t have an account like that,’ she said pointing to the email: constableleila@gmail.com.

  ‘Oh. I didn’t even think to check that. It all looked legit to me. As soon as I read your name, I thought it was you. He’s a bloody sneaky kid, that Brayden.’ Tamara had turned red in the face.

  ‘Look, so that we’re both not in hot water for this little situation, I’m going to go and find him, and drag him back in here before the day’s out and anyone knows what’s happened.’

  Tamara’s smile was full of gratitude. ‘Thank you, Leila. I feel a bit stupid.’

  Leila put her hand on Tamara’s. ‘Don’t beat yourself up about it. Like you said, Brayden’s a cunning little shit sometimes, so let’s just sort this out quick smart.’

  Leila made a dash back out the door, pulling her phone from her pocket as she walked quickly. Hayden answered after three rings.

  She didn’t let him speak before jumping in. ‘Hey, Brayden’s not at school.’

  ‘What?!’ Hayden’s voice was raised.

  ‘But don’t worry, I’m going to find him and bring him back here,’ she tried to reassure him. ‘So if the police come past, just tell them he’s with me, okay?’

  ‘Why would the police come here? What’s going on, Leila?’

  She could hear the concern in his voice, but she held back from telling him more.

  ‘Nothing. I’m just worried someone from work will be onto him for not being at school. It’s all part of the program. If they see him around town, he’s going to be in breach of his program conditions.’

  ‘I’m going to look for him too then,’ he replied.

  ‘You don’t have to do that, I’m sure he’s just out at the lookout, smoking or something.’ She was trying her hardest not to tremble, fear for Brayden setting in deep.

  ‘Yeah it will be something alright. I’m going to wring his neck when I find him. Call me if you get to him first.’

  Leila was about to reply with the same request when the call ended abruptly. She checked the phone to be sure, staring at the black screen in shock. Hayden was going to be angry, but she would rather it was him than one of her workmates who found Brayden.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After spending the day driving around town without any success, Leila made her way back home. She even went as far as driving out to the old mines, but there was nothing out there and no sign of anyone having been there at all. The rough surface of the gravel road made it almost impossible to locate tire tracks or footprints. She was hesitant about going into the mine, and decided at the last minute not to go. Running around all day and not eating or drinking had left her light in the head.

  As she rounded the corner into her street, a patrol car drove towards her. The highbeams flashed to indicate they wanted to chat. She gulped in a deep breath and held it there as she wound down her window. She was relieved to see Ben on his own. He frowned when she pulled up beside him.

  ‘A couple of the guys said you’ve been driving around town like a crazy woman today. What’s going on?’

  She looked down, trying to avoid lying to his face. ‘Nothing now. I couldn’t find Dad earlier. He went wandering off as drunk as anything and Mum has been beside herself.’

  Ben’s eyes softened. ‘I’m sorry, Leila. That must be really hard.’

  If only Ben knew the truth to his words. Blowing out a puff, she replied, ‘Yeah, but he’s home and tucked in bed now so I’m going home to do pretty much the same thing.’

  ‘Fair enough. If anything like that happens again, just call us to help okay?’

  Leila smiled, her insides crammed with gui
lt.

  ‘We’re busy enough in this town without worrying about people like my old man. I had it covered, but thanks all the same.’

  Within Ben’s car, the radio began broadcasting a job for a theft at the bottle shop. Ben listened and looked back at Leila with a grin.

  ‘Same shit, different day,’ he said before waving and driving off.

  Leila pulled into her driveway. With a heavy heart she made her way into her house. Despite all her best efforts, she couldn’t stop Brayden from making mistakes that could ruin his entire life. If he went into juvenile detention for longer than a few months, she knew he would be lost forever. The pain her Aunt Sue would go through was a weight on Leila’s shoulders.

  She swung the door open to find Hayden sitting on her couch in the lounge room. He got up and hugged her tight the moment she entered. She held onto him. The hug wasn’t one of reassurance. Hayden’s body was tense under her touch, and everything was far from alright. She looked up into his eyes. There was darkness there.

  ‘He’s gone to the city,’ Hayden finally said.

  ‘What? … How? … Why?’

  ‘I had a call from my Uncle Ray. Brayden’s crashing at his, and he’ll be back tomorrow night. He’s a stupid kid who wanted to go for a joyride and wag school.’ Hayden was unconvincing, but Leila wasn’t willing to step away. ‘I’ll go and get him tomorrow if he’s not home.’

  She held on tight, but the secrets between them created distance.

  ‘He’s more trouble than he’s worth, that kid.’ Hayden tried to crack a smile.

  There was nothing either of them could do now.

  ‘But what about his curfew? What if they go ’round to check on him tonight?’

  ‘Mum knows what’s going on and she’ll be telling them he’s with me. His conditions are that he needs to be in the presence of a responsible adult if he’s out. And I’m the responsible one in the family, remember?’ He winked playfully.

  Leila chuckled and held him tighter, agreeing with him more than he knew. Hayden was the responsible one, and her workmates’ board confirmed as much.

  ‘I don’t know how I feel about harbouring a criminal in my home for the night,’ Leila teased.

  Hayden frowned. ‘I don’t get it.’

  ‘Well if you’re supposed to be with Brayden, and you’re not. You’re basically breaking the law. And I don’t know how I feel about hiding a lawbreaker in my home.’

  Hayden kissed the top of her head as he laughed. ‘Then that makes you a co-conspirator, Constable.’

  Leila couldn’t help but grin. ‘You got me there.’

  Hayden bent down and whisked Leila off her feet, holding her easily. She kissed him as he walked towards her bedroom, letting her love for him free. She felt wild, untamed, her senses alight with anticipation. In a time of need, they came together, like they always did, and everything was like it should be—everything was right.

  The closer they got to the room at the end of a long corridor, the more their kiss deepened. She wished she could just fall into him and become one being.

  He laid her gently onto her bed, and she held his face between her palms, never wanting to let him go. He hovered above her before moving himself around, arranging his strong, broad body over hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him to her. He ran his hand down the back of her thigh, all the way to the hem of her shorts, sending a multitude of electrical spasms across her body. With her eyes closed, Leila could see bursts of light under her lids every time Hayden’s lips met hers. He trailed his lips, soft and supple, along her jaw, his stubble gently grazing her skin. He slid the left singlet and bra strap down her shoulder, and followed with his mouth.

  Leila wasn’t afraid. She savoured every ounce of the building sensuality, releasing her past with each heated breath she exhaled. Hayden cupped his hand behind her back and pulled her top up over her head, leaving her lilac bra on. He paused for a moment, and she watched as he took her all in. His eyes glistened in the evening light.

  Not a word was uttered between them before they fell into each other for the rest of the night, replacing her pain with something brighter, softer. It coursed through her veins and love exploded throughout her body.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Leila woke before Hayden, making full use of the morning’s stillness to take in every inch of the beautiful, naked man lying beside her. She didn’t realise just how much she’d missed him until she had him again.

  Being completely naked with Hayden hadn’t had the effect Leila was worried about. Instead of making her feel insecure about her own disloyal body, it brought a sense of calm she’d been yearning for but unable to find.

  She gently draped a leg around him as he lay on his side facing her.

  Their night together was everything Leila hoped it would be, and more. A weight had been lifted, her pain soothed by her intimacy with Hayden.

  Leila’s gaze was drawn back to his lips as they twitched. She grinned so hard it almost hurt her face.

  His sandy-coloured eyelashes flickered slowly, dark eyes peering into hers.

  ‘Good morning.’ His sleepy voice was music to her ears.

  ‘Good morning.’

  They stared for a moment longer, drinking each other in.

  ‘I love you,’ she said, without hesitation.

  His eyes pinched at the edges as he beamed. He launched at her, taking her by surprise, and they rolled into one another with a crash of passion.

  ‘I never stopped loving you,’ he whispered and nibbled on her earlobe.

  She giggled like an idiot and the world melted away again.

  The day was almost coming to a close by the time Leila and Hayden drew breath from one another. She had never felt more alive. His talent in the bedroom had only matured. Leila begrudgingly put it down to the experience he’d had with other women in the time they were apart. But everything that had happened before now had made these moments more perfect. What they had could never break again.

  ‘I’m going to shower and try and fix us something to eat, considering we haven’t eaten all day,’ Leila said and gave him one more kiss on the lips before dragging herself away.

  ‘Oh, but I have eaten all day.’ His eyes were alight with humour.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. Tempted to just climb back into bed with Hayden, she dragged herself to the bathroom before it was too late. She passed the closed door to her office where her makeshift investigation timeline sat, and the magic of the morning slipped away. How was she going to approach it with him? She had to tell him. It was his family. But it was also her career she would be jeopardising.

  The warm water of her shower washed over her. She dipped her head back under the stream to let the water rinse the heat and sweat from her body. Closing her eyes, she also tried to wash away the test the very near future was going put on them as a couple.

  Hayden’s big hands slid around Leila’s naked waist and she opened her eyes under the stream. The shower sat above a candy-pink porcelain bath from the seventies. The bathroom’s seventies vibe was complete with light green tiles with little frogs sitting on lily pads. It was Leila’s favourite room. She’d added a bold green banana-leaf shower curtain to modernise the features and complement the colour scheme. A long Devil’s Ivy plant hung from the corner ceiling, flowing all the way to the floor. Hayden didn’t seem to notice, concentrating on squeezing a handful of gel into his palm and lathering it all over Leila’s soft skin.

  Her skin still prickled from heightened sensitivity and she squirmed under his touch. She tried to focus on their life outside so that she wasn’t just swept back into their consuming passion again.

  ‘Hey. There’s something I have to show you.’ She tried to pull back from him, but he wouldn’t allow it.

  ‘Okay, but first—’

  She interrupted him before he could finish. ‘No. This is serious. Focus for a minute.’ She held his hair-covered face in her hands.

  He rolled his eyes and
pouted like a kid.

  ‘There’s more to Brayden that I haven’t told you about,’ Leila said.

  The first hurdle of their choices was upon them, and Leila wondered how many more times they would come up against this, when both Hayden’s brothers were engaged in criminal activity and she was the law.

  Leila rinsed the remaining soapy foam from her body and got out first, grabbing a soft white towel to wrap around her body. She tried to prepare herself for how Hayden was going to feel about seeing his baby brother implicated in something that might also have something to do with his older brother. She started towel-drying her long dark locks when Hayden turned the shower off and joined her. She passed him a towel and wrapped hers around her head in a turban before walking along the hallway, completely naked. She loved how she felt about her body again. Knowing how much Hayden loved it had helped her to love being in her skin again. As strong and independent as she may have pretended to be on the outside, Leila was forced to admit how much sexier she felt after allowing a man to worship the body she had despised for so long.

  Leila threw on a pair of sweatpants and singlet—her usual house attire— by the time Hayden came into the bedroom. His clothes were strewn across the floor, and he picked up his shorts and Nike t-shirt.

  ‘So tell me what’s been going on,’ he said.

  She grabbed his hand and led him to her office. Opening the door, she stood in front of her timeline of photographs spread across her wall. Hayden’s eyes bounced across the names and faces.

  ‘What is this?’

  ‘It’s the investigation the detectives have on drug supply in town, naming Jayden as the main suspect … and it could possibly involve Brayden.’

  Hayden got closer to the photos Leila had taken at the mine site, pulling one off. It was the one with Brayden carrying the duffle bag from the mine. His nostrils flared and she could see the fury building.