Across the Water

by Ingrid Alexandra

  But you knew she was frightened, whispers another voice. If you’d convinced her to stay with you that night, she’d still be here.

  ‘Reckon he did it?’ I overhear someone say and I prick my ears up. Adam hands me a glass of wine and I sip it eagerly.

  ‘Nah,’ another gruff male voice answers. ‘I knew him, saw him round the pub all the time. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. I reckon she’s done a runner. Probably found some feller elsewhere. Always was a bit of a tramp.’

  I stiffen, and Adam strokes my back gently.

  ‘All the more reason he might’ve done her in. You know what it’s like when someone just snaps. Like that woman they found over in Brave Cove last year – seventeen stab wounds. Seventeen, mate! And the guy was her ex. Killed himself in prison after that. You never know what people are capable of.’

  I couldn’t agree more, I think to myself. Although after Rob’s tearful plea for his wife and child’s safe return, it’s difficult to suspect him. Still, you know what they say … It’s always the husband.

  ‘He’s got an airtight alibi, mate. He was overseas when she disappeared; he’s a pilot, ain’t he? Heard it on the radio this morning. Bit hard to do away with someone if you’re not in the bloody country.’

  ‘Maybe it was that pretty-boy neighbour, then. Whasisname?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘You know, the one who works here, flirts with any girl who walks in. Zac, is it?’

  ‘Yeah, right. What about him?’

  ‘Wasn’t there somethin’ going round that she had a fling with him?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Dee, you ding-bat. Who else?’

  ‘Would you two knock it off,’ a third male voice interjects. ‘The woman’s missing, and she’s got a little one. Have some respect.’ The voice lowers to a mutter. ‘Pair of old gossips like I’ve never seen.’

  The other men apparently have nothing to say to this, so the conversation dies away.

  When I look up at him, Adam is staring at the group of men, his lips pressed in a thin line.

  ‘Don’t you think it’s strange the reports haven’t been updated?’ I say to Adam.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, why aren’t any of the reports saying when Dee was really last seen? I’ve told the police everything I know. Isn’t it something they’d want the public to know in case anyone saw or heard anything later that evening? Isn’t that kind of thing pretty important?’

  ‘I’m sure they have their reasons, babe. There’s procedures in place for this sort of thing. They’ll be doing all they can.’

  ‘It’s just … it changes things. If Erica was minding Ruby that night, she must have seen Dee when she gave her back. Either that, or she kept her overnight, in which case the bridge wasn’t the last place Ruby was seen. Don’t you think it’s strange? Why would Erica lie about something so important?’

  ‘Ouch, okay, let me wrap my head around this,’ Adam sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. ‘Maybe they’re questioning Erica as we speak. You said yourself you haven’t seen her around.’

  ‘That’s possible,’ I consent.

  ‘Maybe Erica’s not lying, but mis-remembering things. We have no idea what sort of person she is, whether she’s a reliable witness or not.’

  Grudgingly, I admit this is a good point.

  ‘Or …’

  ‘Or what?’

  ‘Well. It’s possible Dee could have been the one lying about Erica having Ruby.’

  I don’t say anything, and we stand in silence as the implications of that sink in. I see Dee’s frightened face in my mind’s eye and can’t bring myself to think that she would do anything to harm Ruby, despite Zac’s implication that she wasn’t coping.

  Could Dee have left Ruby sleeping at home and was too ashamed to tell me that? That was a much more likely scenario.

  ‘Look, I know why you’d feel this way about this whole thing, darling. I mean gosh, the similarities between what happened with Christy and her baby …’ Adam shakes his head. ‘And it’s lovely that you were so concerned for Dee’s wellbeing. It’s one of the things I love most about you. But you didn’t know her very well – neither of us did. We don’t really have any idea what was going on in her life. So we’re just going to need to wait and see what happens. I don’t want you worrying yourself sick. Not after …’

  He sighs heavily and I can see how bloodshot his eyes are.

  ‘God, I’m so sorry I’ve landed us in this mess,’ he groans. ‘What an epic fuck up.’

  ‘No, I’m sorry,’ I lean my head on his shoulder. ‘I didn’t mean to go on and on about it. You’ve got enough going on. And you’re right; it’s up to the police now.’

  Adam gives me a weak smile. ‘Until they find them, there’s always hope.’

  ‘Yes,’ I agree, though I’m not sure I believe it.

  As we leave, Zac catches my eye again. He smiles, but I don’t smile back.

  ***

  11pm

  Later, warm and drowsy and snuggled up next to Adam, I feel his breath on the back of my neck as he leans in.

  ‘I have some good news, at least,’ he whispers, tracing my bare shoulder with his finger and kissing the back of my neck. ‘In light of what’s … happened, and with all the commotion at the pub, I forgot to say.’

  ‘Oh?’ I arch my neck to give him better access and he presses a trail of lazy kisses along my neck.

  I can feel him smile against my skin. ‘We don’t have to be here for the settlement. So as soon as I’ve finished up in Sydney, we’re out of here.’

  ‘That’s brilliant!’ I turn to Adam and beam at him in the semi darkness.

  He chuckles. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’

  ‘Pleased is an understatement.’

  ‘The buyers are happy with their knowledge of the franchise and the staff have had most of their training sessions. If I put in a few hours this weekend, it would really speed things up.’

  My heart sinks. ‘You’ll be working the weekend?’

  Adam kisses the tip of my nose. ‘Darling, you know what that would mean, don’t you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘It means we could leave as soon as the end of next week.’

  I gasp. ‘You’re kidding!’

  ‘Not even the teensiest bit.’

  I smile but something feels off. I know I’m supposed to be happy; God knows I wanted to be out of here almost as soon as we arrived, but I can’t quite reach the appropriate level of enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s that Dee’s disappearance is unresolved, and I’m struggling with the guilt that I should have done more to keep her safe. For all I know, I might be the only one who knew she was afraid, perhaps in danger. It seems too much of a coincidence that she felt unsafe and then went missing. And I don’t feel I can rest easy until I know what’s happened to her and to Ruby.

  ‘Once we’ve set up in London, buy our dream house, make sure things are running smoothly after a few months, we can go somewhere special to celebrate, just the two of us.’

  ‘That sounds nice,’ I murmur, my heart not really in it. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I couldn’t wait to leave, and now? Now I feel there’s something unfinished, something I’m meant to do before I go.

  I think of the future stretching out ahead of me, and I can’t feel joy just yet. Because there’s a mother and child out there missing – two people who might not have a future at all.

  Chapter 26

  Liz

  June, 2017

  Tuesday, 10:02am

  With the prospect of leaving this house sooner than expected, I’ve thrown myself into sorting out Tim’s things. It’s not the most exciting task in the world, but I’ve made pleasing headway and am finding that sorting the junk from the charity items is actually quite satisfying, not to mention a good distraction from thoughts of Dee and Ruby. I’ve only got to tackle the boxes in the loft before I can order a skip and take the rest to a charity shop.

  Once my back starts to
ache and I’m sufficiently covered in dust and grime, I rinse off in the shower and take a break for lunch. As I’m picking at a limp tuna niçoise I’ve concocted from the meagre contents of the fridge and a couple of marginally-out-of-date pantry items, I Google Dee’s disappearance on my iPad. As usual, no new information, which is not a good sign.

  I find Dee’s Facebook page and as I scroll through her profile, I almost choke on an olive. People are posting the most horrendous things. God, what is wrong with them? It’s disgusting – despicable. They’re calling her a whore (how original), because, apparently, she used to be a stripper. As if this is in any way relevant! She and her child are missing. Like that bloke in the pub said, they need to show some respect.

  It seems everyone who ever knew Dee is coming out of the woodwork to have their say. People from her ‘colourful’ past in Sydney seem to be the only ones posting anything in her defence (it seemed she was once in fact a stripper, and possibly also a sex worker) but the general consensus from everyone else is that she was a troubled woman who never wanted children and most likely took her own life. Some are saying good riddance, that she would have made a terrible mother. One hideous human being, if you can call someone so devoid of humanity that, said the baby is better off dead than with her.

  A shudder moves through me and I feel sick. Honestly, who do these people think they are? I’m filled with sudden rage. Why don’t they leave her the fuck alone?

  And that’s when I see it. A post from Erica J. Haddad.

  People need to stop demonising Dee’s past. As a close friend I have nothing but sympathy for her. Some people just aren’t meant to be mothers. I do hope she and baby Ruby are found safe and sound.

  I seethe. What a low blow, sandwiching an insult between pretences of concern. There is something genuinely off about that woman.

  I think of vulnerable, frightened Dee coming over to speak to a stranger in the middle of the night because she had no one else to talk to and the softness in her eyes as she looked at the photo of her infant. She wouldn’t do anything to harm Ruby. I know it. She only wanted to keep her safe, she said so herself. ‘She’s safer with Erica.’

  But was she …?

  ***

  7pm

  The blinds are all drawn on the houses across the water, and I wonder if the police have spoken to Erica and Samir about what I told them, whether they’re worried now that someone’s been watching. Anyone who was out there that night could easily have seen me looking out when the power came back on, and logistically there aren’t many people apart from me – and Adam if he’d been here – who could have seen Samir coming from Dee’s house that night. He hadn’t used the road, so he’d only have been visible from this perspective.

  I sip wine and blow plumes of smoke out of the window as I open a new Notes page on my iPad and start trying to pick apart possibilities.

  1. Dee and Ruby had an accident and drowned.

  2. Dee deliberately killed herself and Ruby (I don’t believe this for a second, despite it being the general consensus).

  3. Dee has gone off somewhere and taken Ruby with her because she was afraid of someone.

  4. Dee was having an affair and things got ugly. (Samir? Zac? Someone else?)

  5. Erica isn’t just ‘misremembering’ when she last saw Dee and Ruby, but is lying deliberately. Why would she do this? To cover for Samir or someone else? Or because she had something to do with the disappearance(s)?

  6. Erica is covering for Dee and Ruby because Dee’s run away from her husband and doesn’t want him finding her?

  7. Someone has murdered one or both of them. (An ex? A jilted lover? Rob? Rob was out of the country but has loads of money. Hit man?? But who would kill their own child?)

  Any scenario in which they’ve died is obviously terrible, but the last possibility is definitely the worst-case scenario. I just can’t shake the feeling, knowing what I know, and having seen what I’ve seen in my line of work, that there’s more to this than an accidental drowning or a suicide. Whether it’s the worst-case scenario or not remains to be seen. But I know from experience that I have to trust my instincts.

  A light appears in the Haddads’s yard and my heart skips a beat. It’s Erica again – I can tell by the height – and she’s headed, of course, to the shed.

  My mind snags on a memory. What was it Dee said about her? Someone like her wouldn’t understand. What did she mean by that? There’s definitely something off about Erica. Not only was she behaving very strangely on both occasions when I ran in to her, but there was that time I saw her shouting at Dee. Not to mention the business of her spending all that time in the shed at night and that awful message she posted on Dee’s Facebook page. Dee said herself, Erica was very fond of Ruby. Maybe she was unnaturally fond of her, and jealous of Dee. I add one more thing to my list.

  10. Erica has kidnapped Ruby and done something to Dee.

  I almost laugh at how ridiculous that looks written down in black and white. But like that bloke at the pub said, some people, under the right amount of pressure, can simply snap.

  Adam’s words about Dee come back to me ‘you didn’t really know her. We don’t know what was going on in her life.’

  I didn’t, I think. But I think there’s someone who does.

  Maybe I should have a word with Erica.

  ***

  Wednesday, 3:04pm

  Adam is gone so I busy myself in the basement once more, then decide to head across the creek with a view to visiting Erica. There haven’t been any search crews around today, but I’ve heard helicopters in the distance more than once.

  As I’m about to get in the boat to cross the creek, I spot Zac hauling oyster traps from the water. I pull my leg back out and walk along the shore.

  ‘Hi,’ I say as I’m approaching so as not to take him by surprise.

  ‘Hi,’ he replies, not looking up from his task.

  ‘Any news?’

  ‘About what?’

  I roll my eyes. ‘What do you think? About Dee and Ruby.’

  Zac straightens and wipes his forehead with the back of his forearm.

  ‘Nope. You heard anything?’

  ‘No. But I was wondering … do you know much about Erica?’

  ‘Erica?’ He squints up at me. ‘Is she the one married to Samir?’

  I nod.

  ‘Nope. Don’t think I’ve ever met her. She’s a quiet one, barely leaves the house. Had a run in with Samir more than once, though.’

  I feel my heart skip. ‘Oh?’ I say, trying to sound casual.

  ‘He’s a real hard arse. Ex cop.’

  ‘What sort of run-ins?’

  Zac hauls another trap from the creek, splashing my ankles with water. He side-eyes me. ‘That’s between me and Samir.’

  I exhale in frustration. ‘What’s with the mysterious-guy routine? I’m just trying to help, to figure out what’s happened.’

  ‘I’d leave that to the cops, if I were you,’ Zac says, grunting as he heaves a trap on to the sand.

  ‘Duly noted. Do you know much about Dee’s husband, Rob? Were they … were they having some problems?’

  Zac’s eyes narrow. ‘What makes you ask?’

  I shrug, aiming for nonchalance. ‘Oh, just something she said in passing. And,’ I add, dropping the flippant tone. ‘She, um … she had a black eye.’

  Zac frowns. ‘Well, I wouldn’t know anything about that.’

  ‘Okay …’ I say with a frown of my own.

  ‘Look, I did overhear some fights. Hard not to, the houses being so close. But Rob has an alibi, if that’s what you’re getting at.’

  Zac narrows his eyes.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Rob’s been gone for a month. Left her and the baby.’

  I gape at him. ‘What? How do you know that? Dee told me he’d only been gone a week.’

  He looks at me like I’m daft. ‘Don’t you think I’d have noticed if his car had been around?’

  ‘Do you
know why she’d lie? Did she ever confide in you about anything?’

  He looks at me as if sizing me up. He hesitates. Then, ‘No. Did she to you?’

  It’s my turn to size him up and then hesitate. ‘No.’

  ‘Look, Dee must have lied about Rob. Maybe she was embarrassed he’d left her. She was like that, you know. Always making things up.’

  ‘Oh, and you’d know, would you?’ Once more, I’m furious on Dee’s behalf. The way people keep talking as if she’s brought all this on herself. ‘Why, did you and Dee have something going on?’

  Zac barks out a laugh. ‘You heard that rumour, did ya?’

  ‘Ugh. There’s no point talking to you, is there?’

  Zac draws himself up to his full height and glares down at me. I feel a sudden shiver of fear.

  ‘Look, mate. I think I’ve been patient with this detective game long enough. I’ve said everything I have to say to the police. Now why don’t you run off and mind your own business.’ He stands over me, his lips curved in a sneer.

  I take a step back. ‘You can’t intimidate me,’ I snap, jabbing a finger at him. ‘You’re nothing but a bully. I know your type.’

  ‘And I know yours,’ he spits, jabbing a finger back at me. ‘Bloody snob.’

  His eyes rake over me before he stalks away.

  ***

  3:40pm

  I’m still fuming by the time I reach Cockle Street, but my pulse quickens for a different reason as I pass Dee’s house and approach the Haddads’s property.

  The house is pretty much identical to Dee’s, only with a white picket fence and purple and blue hyacinths lining the perimeter of a perfectly square, neatly mown front lawn. The garage is on the opposite side to Dee’s and the plantation shutters are ocean-blue instead of white. It’s very pretty, obviously well maintained, yet somehow sterile in its perfection.

  There are no cars in the driveway, but possibly they’re locked up. Unlatching the gate, I walk up the path and take a breath, rehearsing what I’m going to say before knocking on the front door. There’s no movement inside, so I try again. Nothing.

  I sigh. All that energy spent psyching myself up and no one’s here. I turn to head back down the path when I hear a creaking sound. After a moment it comes again, like a door with a rusty hinge. I cross the porch and peer around the side of the house, where the noise was coming from. There’s a narrow path between the house and the fence dividing the Haddads’s property and Dee’s. A ways down, there’s a gate that’s been left slightly ajar, creaking as it moves in the breeze.