Amanda felt a surge of panic shoot through her. She put down her sandwich, suddenly not hungry, and looked at Hannah. ‘Don’t do this to me, Han,’ she begged. ‘I’m really feeling better. The tablets are obviously working and I haven’t had a bad panic attack for a while. Don’t stir it all up again. Anyway, why would someone want to do that?’
‘I’m sorry, Mandy, but look at the facts. You’ve got some really weird things happening. Remember how the cheques disappeared out of your mail box and weren’t cashed? And what if you didn’t make a mistake with the taps? And going back even further, what about the snake in the house?’
‘You, Adrian and Jonno were the ones who convinced me that I was mistaken in the first place. Don’t start with this, Hannah, I mean it. I’m not sure I can deal with it.’ Amanda tried to keep her anger in check.
‘Okay, okay. I get it.’
They finished their lunch in silence,then Hannah said, ‘Yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. But the letters . . .They just make me wonder . . .’
‘You don’t say.’ Amanda snapped.
They were both subdued as they gathered up the remains of their picnic and headed back to the house.
‘Hannah!’Amanda watched as Adrian kissed her friend’s cheek lightly and grasped her hand. ‘It’s lovely to see you. And you’re looking so well!’
Hannah smiled back. ‘It’s good to see you too. How are things here at Paringa?’
‘Oh fine, fine. It was a late start and we were a little concerned, but the rain is coming fairly regularly now, which is great. Adrian waved Hannah into a seat, offered her a glass of wine and handed Amanda a lemon squash. ‘So what did you two get up to today? I bet Amanda dragged you out to see her AI lambs. Could you see the good ones?’
‘Hey! They’re all good!’ Amanda said.
‘Actually we didn’t see the lambs today,’ Hannah said, grinning at Amanda’s outburst. We went down to the river and explored some amazing ruins – a little hut. It’s just stuck in the middle of the bush for no particular reason, surrounded by mulberry trees and what looks like a veggie patch. Very intriguing!’
Adrian looked puzzled. ‘I didn’t know there were any ruins in the bush down there. Whereabouts?’
Amanda explained, ‘It’s a little way back from the river but it’s near where Dad went missing.You know the granite hill? Well you climb over that and bash your way through the bush and as you get to the bottom there’s a little gutter that’s been lined with stones to catch rain water.You follow that and you end up at this hut. I found it ages ago and started to research it, but I didn’t get very far.Then I got busy and it slipped to the back of my mind. It’s interesting though – Dad always told me that area of bush was remnant vegetation, but it can’t be. It’s never been fenced off with modern fencing – it’s just wire netting and a few hand-cut posts. It’s a lovely area, but for some reason it sort of gives me the creeps.’
The conversation moved on, ranging over many different subjects, before they finally sat down for dinner in the formal dining room. Sitting at the large dining table that would seat twelve almost made Amanda laugh. It seemed so ridiculous to have the three of them perched around the huge table, when she would have been just as happy to eat in the warm kitchen. Still, as she looked around the opulently furnished room, she knew that she would be well cared for and cherished if she chose this life.
Hannah must have been having similar thoughts, because on the way home she asked Amanda about Adrian.
‘Do you think you’ll move to Paringa?’
Mandy was quiet for a time as she struggled to put her feelings into words. ‘I’m just not sure. But I have to make a choice soon. I’ve probably not been very fair to him, leaving him hanging the way I have. And he’s been such a wonderful support. It’s just . . . he doesn’t make me burn. He’s safe, reliable and dependable and I like that. But then there’s the age thing. Oh, I don’t know what to do! But I promised Adrian that once I started to feel a bit better I’d think about it, so I’ll have to decide soon.’
‘Now tell me,’ said Amanda, changing the subject, ‘we haven’t talked about Jonno. What’s he up to? I hardly ever hear from him.’
Hannah shot her a funny glance at the mention of Jonno, but started talking about his latest antics. Amanda listened intently, soaking up all of his news, all the while wondering what had made her bring Jonno up out of the blue.
Chapter 37
‘I can’t believe that you’re leaving tomorrow,’ Amanda sighed as she swept the cement pad in the shed.
Hannah was sitting on the workbench watching her. ‘I know, it’s gone so fast. I’ll be back to the corporate world before I know it – high-flying, stressful . . . and lovin’ every second of it!’ They were silent except for the scratching noise of the hard-bristled broom. The dust rose in puffs with each sweep.‘At least I know that you’re getting back to your old self – you really proved that last night!’ They both grinned at the memory of ‘The Summer of ’69’ blaring from the speakers and Amanda jumping onto the couch playing air guitar as Bryan Adams belted out their favourite tune.
Amanda giggled out loud recalling the look on Adrian’s face when he walked in; the music had been so loud that neither the girls nor Mingus had heard the car pull up or the kitchen door open.
‘That was so much fun! I’m so sad you’re going, Han.’ She stopped sweeping and looked at her friend. ‘But I’ll be busy when you’re gone. I need to finish putting the oats crop in as soon as you leave.’
‘Yep, time for you to pack up your air guitar and become a farmer again,’ Hannah quipped. Then she turned serious. ‘At least whoever was playing those stupid jokes on you seems to have got sick of it.’ The anniversary of Brian’s death had come and gone two weeks ago with no sign of another letter.
Amanda looked at her watch. ‘We’ve got time to have a quick run around the AI lambs before lunch. Race you to the ute!’ She dropped the broom on the cement and took off across the gravel to where the ute was parked near the sheep yards.
‘Oi!’ Hannah jumped down from the bench and stumbled after her. ‘Not fair,’ she puffed as she arrived several lengths behind.‘You had a head start! And have you actually realised that you’re twenty-seven years old and should be much more mature than that?’
Amanda grinned. ‘I think it’s the feeling of freedom.’ She stretched out her arms and spun around. ‘I’m feeling so good! C’mon, let’s check out these babies that seem to be growing like mushrooms.’
‘You are completely obsessed with these AI lambs. I’d be worried about you, if you didn’t have Adrian!’
They drove into the middle of the paddock and stopped. Amanda switched off the ignition and wound down the window, and slung her arm. The ewes continued to graze without acknowledging her presence, but the lambs regarded her nervously then went running to their mothers. After a few minutes they took a few steps towards the ute, eyeing it cautiously. One particularly curious lamb took the last few steps up to the ute and sniffed Amanda’s hand. The unfamiliar human scent made the lamb sniff three or four times before he turned and raced back to the mob, his mates following close behind.
Amanda smiled. ‘They’ve grown so quickly,’ she said to Hannah.‘Look at that one there.’
Amanda pointed to a ewe lamb that looked to be nearly the same size as the ewe. ‘See how she’s really long and almost bullet-shaped? She’ll be great to breed from – easy births and obviously a really good growth rate. I can’t wait to get the EBVs back from the stud society and -’
‘The what? You talk a different language sometimes!’
‘EBVs are estimated breeding values – they’re plus and minus figures on all the important things about sheep, like eye-muscle size, milk, growth rate. They help me work out which is the best ram to put over a particular ewe for the best resulting offspring. Obviously you can’t rely on EBVs completely; a good breeder still relies on his eye . . . Sorry, I’m boring you aren’t I
?’
‘Not at all. You’re passionate about things and that’s why I love you.’
‘All right, I’ll take pity on you just the same – but I just have to check the electric fence.’ Amanda shot Hannah a cheeky look and said, ‘I dare you to touch it!’
‘Not on your bloody life!’ Hannah backed away.
‘Okay, I’ll touch it. You hold my hand.’
‘No way! Not sure what you’re up to, but I’m sure you’d get me zapped somehow!’
Amanda laughed and got back into the ute. ‘You’re right! If you hold my hand, the electricity flows straight through to the person at the end – you would’ve got shocked, not me! Well at least that’s what Dad used to tell me anyway! Never tried it actually.’
They pulled up at the house and walked into the laundry to wash their hands, then Amanda put the kettle on and went to the fridge to see what they could have for lunch.
To her surprise, there was an envelope stuck to the door with a fridge magnet.
Hannah came into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. ‘Cup o’ tea, thanks, love,’ she said in a Cockney accent as Amanda took the envelope from the fridge. ‘What’s that?’
‘I don’t know – it was stuck to the fridge door.’
Hannah jumped up, knocking over her chair in her haste.‘Don’t touch it,’ she yelled.
Amanda jumped and dropped the note. ‘What? What are you going on about?’
‘Fingerprints,’ Hannah said. ‘Got any tweezers?’
‘Oh no. Surely not,’ Amanda muttered as the colour drained from her face. But of course it would be – a note, just when she thought her torment was over.
Chapter 38
Kathleen curled up in bed, her arms over her head. She could hear the man buckling his belt and then the sound of him pulling on his boots.
The stale smell of whisky on his breath had made her want to gag while she was attending to his needs so she had breathed through her mouth. Now her mouth was dry and she needed a drink of water, but her anguish overrode her thirst. She lay still, waiting for the man to leave, hoping he wouldn’t touch her again.
‘Money’s on the side table. Try and be a bit more active, would ya? Just about had to do it all meself. If it’s no better next time I won’t be back – and I’ll tell yer others. Got it?’
She nodded through her arms and then cringed as she heard him bend down next to her. She let out a gasp as her head was yanked back and she was face to face with him. His whiskery face was only inches from hers as he spoke again.
‘Got it?’
She tried to nod, this time, but his hold on her head prevented her. Tears pricked her eyes from the pain and she concentrated on not vomiting from the smell on his breath. ‘Yes,’ she choked out. ‘I understand.’
He released her and walked from the room, letting the door slam shut behind him.
Kathleen bent over the bed and retched onto the floor, then started to cry at the knowledge of what she had been reduced to.
Perhaps she had made a mistake, fleeing the hostel after her baby was born. But she couldn’t bear to give her beautiful Rose up for adoption. But what kind of life was she capable of giving her little girl? Kathleen still wrote to her mother weekly, describing Rose’s antics, the way she smiled and laughed. But she hadn’t told her mother of the despair that had entered her life since Rose had been born. She hadn’t told her of the darkness which had kept her in bed for days, getting up only to feed and change the wailing infant, or of the hours she spent crying alongside her baby.
She certainly didn’t tell her mother that when she ran out of money and could no longer pay her rent, her landlady had organised for a continuous stream of men to visit Kathleen while Alice, the landlady, babysat Rose. The rent would be paid again this month, with a little left over for basic needs and an even smaller amount for her secret savings. She was saving for a train fare.
As she drifted off to sleep, worn and weary, Michael Greenfield rushed into her dreams. A small smile touched her mouth. It was only in her dreams that she smiled now.
Grace banged the kettle onto the fire, while Michael lifted the sleeping Diane from the truck and carried her to her cot.
Frank’s farewell party had been a lovely affair, but now they had to face the grim facts.
‘Michael, what are we going to do?’ Grace fretted when Michael returned. ‘Frank was always content to let our past stay where it belonged – far behind us. But who knows what his replacement will be like? If anyone in Esperance finds out what we left behind in England, we’ll be cast out of the community!’
‘Grace, Grace,’ her husband soothed. ‘I think you’d be surprised. I believe our new countrymen have accepted us for who we are, not what we were or how we came to be here. If our neighbours and friends reject us, we’ll deal with it when it happens.’
Chapter 39
Without a word, Amanda opened a cupboard door, took out a pair of rubber gloves and slipped them on.
With her heart thumping. She clumsily tore open the envelope and took out the single piece of paper. Tears brimming, she read the familiar words. I won’t forget you. She stared at the page. ‘Who’s doing this?’ she asked softly.
‘I don’t know,’ Hannah said, putting her arms around Amanda.‘But I do know you have to call the police. I mean, the creep who’s doing this came right into your house!’
Amanda closed her eyes and breathed deeply to control her tears. When she opened her eyes again she said, ‘Yeah, okay. I’ll ring them.’
With trembling fingers, she punched in the number of the local police station.
‘Esperance police station, Constable Williams speaking.’
Amanda stumbled over the words. ‘Um, hello, my name is Amanda Greenfield.’
‘Are you requiring police assistance?’ the constable asked impatiently.
Confused, Amanda stuttered, ‘Well, yes, um . . . no. Sort of. I’ve been getting these letters in the mail. They’re not really threatening, but they say the same thing every time – I won’t forget you. I found this latest note on my fridge!’
‘Okay, stalking by letters.’ The tone was disbelieving. ‘So how do you want us to help?’
‘Well, I don’t really know, but I’ve got the letters, I thought you might be able to fingerprint them or something.’
‘Where are you situated?’
‘Um, about forty kilometres out of Esperance.’
The constable sighed. ‘Look, we’re pretty busy here. Why don’t you bring the letters in next time you’re in town and we’ll see what we can do?’
Amanda was suddenly listening to a dial tone. She turned to Hannah, incredulous.‘He just hung up on me.’
‘What?’
‘He said I should bring the letters in next time I was in town and hung up.’ She put the phone down. ‘I suppose it does sound kind of nuts.’
‘Get your letters together and we’ll go to town then,’ Hannah urged.
Amanda slipped down to the floor and sat with her back against the kitchen counter, her head in her hands.‘No. I just can’t, Hannah. I feel too . . .’ She shook her head then climbed to her feet. ‘I don’t know. It’s a bit of a fantasy.You’re going tomorrow – let’s just enjoy our last day together.’
Hannah reached out to hug Amanda. ‘I’m going to miss you so much!’ she said, tears welling in her eyes. ‘I’ve had so much fun with you, and I’ve loved seeing what you’ve done to the farm. You’ve done heaps, achieved everything you set out to. Now it’s time for you to be happy.’
‘I’m going to miss you too.’ Amanda wrapped her arms tightly around Hannah ignoring the boarding call for her flight.‘Don’t forget the farming tips I taught you, if you’re going to touch an electric fence, make sure it’s you holding onto the fence and then on to someone else. You’ll have a big call for that in the Sydney office – especially if you’re about to get shafted by someone! Make sure someone else gets the zap!’
Hannah wiped her tears away and look
ed at Amanda intently. ‘Please go back to the police and try and think of anyone you could have upset. There’s got to be an answer.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it, Hannah.’
‘I know you don’t. You don’t have to. I’ll do the talking!’ Hannah smiled as Amanda rolled her eyes but kept talking. ‘You need to go back to the police and tell them about the letters. Then you need to go to Adrian and say you’d love to marry him. He’ll look after you, Mandy. You’ll be safe and secure with him – and even though he’s a bit of a ponce, I can tell he really loves you.’
‘I’ll think about it, I promise,’ said Amanda. ‘They’ll close the gate if you don’t go.’ She pointed to the flight attendant who was tapping her foot, and gave her friend a gentle shove towards the boarding gate. She stopped once to turn and wave before she disappeared into the darkness.
Amanda climbed into her car. Turning on the windscreen wipers to clear the condensation, she put the heater on hot and the fan on full. Then she rested her head on the steering wheel and let the tears course down her cheeks. Her best friend was gone. She was on her own again. Slowly she blew out a frosty breath and eased her foot off the clutch. It was time to go home.
As she drove carefully through the foggy night, praying a roo wouldn’t jump out in front of her, she thought about who she could have upset. Suddenly it hit her. Slay. He was still holding a grudge. But would he stoop to scaring the crap out of her?
As she turned into Kyleena’s driveway, she could see lights coming from the house.
Her heart began to race. She’d only left the outside light on. As she pulled up she saw a shadow moving behind the curtain in the lounge. Shit.
Slowly she got out of the car and walked up to the house, her breathing shallow. She’d just reached the door when it was flung open to reveal Adrian beaming at her.
‘I thought you’d be sad after seeing Hannah off,’ he said, seemingly oblivious to how frightened she was. ‘I’ve organised a nightcap.’ He ushered her inside and into the lounge.
Blue Skies Page 16
