Shadows of Hunters Ridge

by Sarah Barrie

  ‘I said I’ve got it … thanks,’ he added when he heard the roughness in his tone.

  While he continued to fix the sheet to the wall she stepped out and appeared a moment later with another sheet. Had he thought her incapable? Lean muscle in toned arms flexed as she held it up in front of her and twisted through the doorway. Her T-shirt skimmed her tiny waist, teasing him with a glimpse of smooth, creamy skin. His mouth went bone dry.

  Cursing himself, he leapt to his feet and strode out of the room.

  Ebony put down the sheet to follow him. ‘Okay?’

  ‘Yeah, just … thirsty.’ He grabbed a bottle of water from a bulk pack on the floor and sculled it. Out. Of. Bounds. Hadn’t he had this discussion with himself enough by now for it to sink in? He put her image in the forefront of his thoughts, drew a red circle around her, put a cross through the centre. Then he reduced the image to the size of a pinprick and placed it in an imaginary tower on top of a giant imaginary mountain – in the distance. The far, far distance.

  Added a dragon.

  And a razor-wire fence.

  Wasn’t working.

  Dear God there had to be something else she could do. He wandered around for space, stuck his head in the bedroom.

  ‘This all Nick’s?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  When he opened one end of a box Ebony’s eyes widened.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Just curious. When he walked in with a couple of these earlier they looked like they weighed a ton. Seems to be a lot of electronic stuff.’

  ‘Leave it alone.’

  Because of her outraged tone he grinned and peeked in another. ‘Jeez, how many phones does a guy need?’

  ‘Would you stop?’ She laughed and took his hand to drag him out. When she would have dropped the contact he held on tighter, pulled her back. She looked up. He caught surprise and … what? His gaze dropped to her lips.

  ‘Lee?’

  Jeez. Damn it. He blinked, shook his head. Took a few very necessary steps away. ‘Sorry just –’ He ran a hand over his face. ‘Tired. Let’s finish getting these walls up.’

  ‘You sure you’re okay?’

  ‘Yes.’ He turned on his heel and left the room, almost colliding with Nick. ‘Weren’t you doing call-outs?’ he snapped.

  ‘Just had to drop back and get something and I thought … Ah … Is Ebs around?’

  ‘In here.’ He watched her expression tighten when she spotted Nick, but she hid it quickly. ‘Hi. We’re just getting the bathroom walls done. Then there’s not much left to do. You should be able to move in in about a week. Right, Lee?’

  ‘Probably.’

  Nick’s expression suggested he caught the tone. An idiot would have, Lee admitted.

  ‘Look, Lee, I’ve apologised to Ebs about the Fiona thing. I hope you’re not going to hold it against me.’

  ‘Dug your own hole there,’ Lee replied. Then he spotted a car pull into the car park. ‘Ebs, your dad’s here. I’m going to head off.’

  ‘You don’t have to.’

  Mood he was in? ‘Yeah, I do.’

  He’d almost made the door when Cameron Blakely stepped in. He looked Lee up and down, a scowl on his face. ‘Where’s my daughter?’

  ‘She’s upstairs.’

  ‘And you’re just leaving her?’

  ‘Dad?’ Ebony came down, followed by Nick. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I couldn’t believe you’d come back to work. I thought you had more sense, Ebony. This is silly – worse, it’s dangerous. Have a bit of faith in Detective Bowden and keep low a bit longer. Who are you?’ he asked Nick.

  ‘Nick Garter, sir.’ Nick shook his hand.

  ‘The new vet – the one who defended Ebony against Martin at the café and who’s taken on all Ebony’s night call-outs for her?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  Cameron studied him, nodded slowly. ‘I appreciate that. Let me give you my personal mobile number. If you have any concerns at all, you can call me, day or night.’

  ‘Thank you. I will.’

  Lee shook his head and walked to his ute. He turned to climb in just in time to see Ebony put her arms around her father and give him a hug. Cameron’s gaze met Lee’s through the glass and hardened. With a curse, Lee started the car. Nothing had changed, nothing was going to change. Kiss or no kiss, there was no future for him and Ebony. He’d be a fool to forget that.

  ‘You know I don’t have a vast amount of experience in this sort of thing, but I could have sworn he was about to kiss me.’ Ebony recounted the story to Ally as she drove her into the surgery the following morning. There hadn’t been a chance to discuss it the previous night because Cam had been around, but she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. ‘I’d just decided I could cope with being friends and now he’s got me all stirred up again.’

  ‘You had? Remind me: didn’t you lay one on him in the city?’

  ‘Well, yes. But I managed to convince him that was just temper. So okay, I was coping with the idea. I guess that’s more truthful.’

  ‘He had a pretty big shock over the Martin thing. I can’t imagine you jumping him was much less of one. Maybe both incidents have brought things into focus.’

  ‘I don’t want to get my hopes up. But if he was interested, do you really think he still wouldn’t act on it just because I’m Cam’s little sister?’

  ‘I think he has very strong values,’ Ally said thoughtfully, ‘and I think no matter what he feels, he wouldn’t do anything that might end up hurting anyone he loves.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘Why didn’t you want to take that first step? And why, now that you have, are you hiding behind an excuse?’

  ‘Because if he doesn’t feel the same way, it could ruin our friendship.’

  ‘Did it occur to you he could be worried about the same thing?’

  ‘Yeah, okay. Of course.’

  Ally smiled sympathetically. ‘Perhaps you just need to ask yourself if it’s worth being honest and taking that chance?’

  Ebony pondered that as she walked into the surgery.

  ‘Morning, Ebs,’ Nick said from the reception desk.

  ‘Hey, what’s happening?’

  ‘Carla’s running fifteen minutes late – sick daughter – so I’m just starting up the computer. We still have a bit of backlog to catch up on. Carla’s booked a full day’s worth.’

  ‘That’s all good.’

  ‘And Ebs? The puppy preschool is supposed to run tonight.’

  ‘Didn’t you do that on Tuesday night?’

  ‘Yeah, but it all got mucked around because of Louise, so we needed to slot in a couple of catch ups. Which is fine, only problem is, I can’t find the puppy packs and we really do need them before we get too much further through the classes.’

  ‘I’m here!’ Carla raced in like she was hours – not minutes – late.

  ‘Would you slow down? Technically you’re still early.’

  Carla looked from Ebony to Nick. ‘I sense a problem.’

  ‘Puppy preschool. Do you know what Louise did with the puppy packs?’ Nick asked.

  Carla thought about that. ‘I’m pretty sure she took them home to put them together.’

  ‘Damn. Are you sure she didn’t bring them back in?’ Ebony asked.

  ‘Considering the clean-up we’ve just done – pretty positive.’

  Ebony thought about that. ‘She should be back by now – if she’s coming back, anyway. I wonder if she’s at the house, just too scared to show her face here.’

  ‘If not, I may have a solution, but I don’t want you holding it against me. Especially after the Fiona episode,’ Nick said.

  ‘What did you do, sleep with Louise too?’ Carla asked.

  Only the hint of a scowl revealed his annoyance. ‘The first week I was here Louise happened to mention she left a spare key to her house in the top drawer of her desk here at the surgery. It could still be there.’

&nbs
p; They found it where Nick thought it would be.

  ‘If she’s not there, I hope she doesn’t mind us going in,’ Ebony said.

  ‘Do you care?’ Carla asked.

  ‘Well, I’d be happy to ask permission but she won’t answer my calls. Maybe I should just call her again, though, at least let her know that’s what we’re doing.’

  ‘Whatever makes you feel comfortable,’ Carla replied patiently.

  Ebony dialled Louise’s number, and it went straight to voicemail.

  ‘You know, you’d think it would be turned on – Louise, it’s Ebony. I have the spare key to your house and I’m calling in to collect the puppy packs. Just doing you the courtesy of letting you know. If you want to do me a courtesy, call me back.’

  ‘You go get on with your day – I’ll bring the packs back,’ Carla said.

  ‘Great. Ah … before you go,’ Nick began, ‘could you possibly find me the Patterson file? It doesn’t seem to be where it should be.’

  ‘It’s not already out? I had it on the counter. Come on then, I’ll get it.’

  It took them nearly thirty minutes to find it, by which time the client had been waiting for at least half of that. ‘I don’t know how on earth it got there,’ Carla said, unearthing the file from the storeroom. ‘I must have walked in here to get something with it still in my hand and put it down. Sorry, Nick.’

  ‘No problem.’

  ‘Right, well I’ll go and get these packs. You’ve got a consult coming in any moment, Ebs.’

  ‘Thanks, Carla.’

  ‘You might have to fix the account up after, too – you know what a mess Louise likes to live in. Wish me luck!’

  When the consult was done and Carla wasn’t back, Ebony fixed the clients up herself, smiling as Nick came out with another set of clients. ‘I’ll fix that up too,’ she offered, taking the file.

  ‘Thanks.’ He picked the next file up and looked over it while she chatted with the clients and sorted the bill.

  ‘Is Carla back?’ he asked when they left.

  ‘No, and my next consult isn’t here yet. I might just run over there. She probably can’t find everything.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll hold the fort.’

  She jogged the four houses down to Louise’s rental. ‘Carla?’

  The door was unlocked, so she went in. The house was a mess, the curtains were closed, the television was on. Louise had to be back. ‘Louise?’ She walked through the lounge, past the kitchen, down the hall towards the back of the house. ‘Carla, Louise?’ She turned into the bedroom.

  CHAPTER

  26

  Nausea rocketed to the back of her throat, and she swallowed back with sheer terror. She couldn’t breathe, her breath wouldn’t come. The colours in front of her eyes belonged to a T-shirt, which, though torn and blood soaked, still sported areas of happy yellow.

  As she stared into Louise’s lifeless eyes, took in the body sprawled over the ruined sheets on the small bed, she wanted to scream, only managed a whimper. Wanted to run, could barely keep her trembling legs under her. Tears blurred her vision. She couldn’t think. She had to think. She had to move.

  As she stumbled back through the house, her mind started to process her jumbled thoughts in fast forward. Why Louise? Had Martin done this? Or Rob? It had to be one of them, didn’t it? Why would he do this? Where was Carla?

  No. Oh, God, no. Where was Carla?

  She had to get out. She spun around, eyes darting everywhere. Her mind screamed at her to get out: faster, faster. But she moved cautiously, one foot in front of the other, watching, listening, to the front of the house. Every step was amplified in the quiet, every noise was life threatening.

  When she rounded the corner to the kitchen, Martin was waiting. He caught her hair in his fist and smothered her mouth.

  ‘Just can’t leave well enough alone, can ya? Always have to go poking your nose in.’

  He dragged her back down the hallway, pausing at the bedroom.

  ‘Nasty, huh?’ he said, forcing her to look at Louise. ‘That’s what’s gonna happen to you. After a quick run. Shouldn’t grab you yet, but I’m not letting you go again. You’ll just have to suffer it out. Let’s go.’

  She struggled uselessly against Martin’s painful grip. ‘Where? Why?’ she demanded against his palm. It came out as no more than a muffled murmur. Petrified tears ran hot against her cheeks.

  Even as she took those first few steps with him, she knew if she continued, she was dead. Her choice was to risk him killing her here and now or face what they did to those other girls. She spun, ducked, ripped away. Bolted. She tried to scream. The breathless sound wasn’t enough. She couldn’t catch her breath and before she could get out a decent scream, he had hold of her again.

  ‘I want to cut you, Ebony. I want to cut you real bad.’

  He shoved her away from the door, from the windows, slamming her into the wall before grabbing her by the throat and waving a hunting knife in her face. Paralysed with fear, she watched it catch the light.

  ‘I could cut you up right now – or hand you over. Should I kill you now, Ebony? Be kinder for you, more satisfying for me. A guaranteed kill, no competition. But then I’m not one for kindness, or taking the easy route. Not nice, what Rob has planned, though. Not nice at all. Can you run, Ebony? Is all that morning jogging going to pay off?’

  She jabbed her fingers in his eyes. He stepped back just enough for her to get around him and pick up an umbrella stand by the door. She used it as a bat, slamming it into the side of his face. He reeled back. Pure fury lit his dazed expression and he charged. Somehow she got her legs to work and ran blindly.

  As she found the back door he caught her, threw her back around, away from it. This time her scream rocketed through the house. She hit the ground, scrambled backwards, twisted to run again. The door flew open and the sound of a definite ‘crack’ had her spinning back to look.

  Martin’s eyes glazed and he dropped to his knees. Nick swung the shovel again and when it connected with his jaw, the monster fell with a solid thud, face first to the floor. Though Martin was unconscious, Nick lifted it yet again.

  ‘You’ll kill him!’ a heavily panting Carla yelled. She grabbed Nick’s arm, pushing him away. Then she was at Ebony’s side. ‘We came as quickly as we could.’

  Nick’s eyes were wild as he did a quick assessment. ‘Are you hurt?’

  ‘Louise – in there, she’s dead. Carla – where were you? What happened?’ Ebony got unsteadily to her feet and leant against the wall.

  ‘Come outside, you don’t need to be in here.’ Carla led her onto the lawn. ‘I found the packs in the front room and came back. Went straight to the storage room in the old building to stash them in there. Nick came in and said you’d come looking for me. We walked out the front to see if you were on your way back and heard the scream. I just about had a heart attack.’

  Nick’s expression was grim. ‘We’d better call the cops.’

  Ebony shook her head slowly as confusion and grief clouded her mind. Feeling sick, she shakily slipped to the grass.

  ‘You call the cops,’ Carla said. ‘I’m calling Lee.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She needed Lee. And she couldn’t think, didn’t want to think, so she handed Carla her phone.

  Police came. An ambulance – too late, far, far too late for Louise. But they put Martin in it and took him away.

  Ebony was numb. The shaking had stopped, her eyes were dry. Then Lee was in front of her, lifting her up into his arms and everything started again.

  ‘Oh – Louise. God. She’s …’ Her teeth chattered, fresh tears formed, there was more shaking, more grief. ‘I thought all these terrible things, I called her horrible names in my head. It didn’t even occur to me she could be … The poor thing. The poor thing. The –’

  Lee held on, murmured something in soothing tones, stayed like that until she quietened.

  ‘Why was she still out here, sitting on the grass after what happened?’ he as
ked one of the officers.

  ‘She wanted to wait,’ Nick called out. He’d been several feet away talking to another policeman but moved across the lawn, to say more quietly, ‘She wanted you. She wouldn’t leave.’

  Lee indicated with his chin towards the house. ‘How bad was it?’

  Nick’s laugh was cold. ‘About as bad as it gets.’

  ‘Is Carla all right?’

  ‘Yeah, she’s back at the surgery.’

  ‘Where’s Martin?’

  ‘They’ve taken him. I don’t know where. I knocked him out, so maybe the hospital first. Don’t know how much damage I did. He’s still breathing, so not enough. Police said I can head back to the surgery for now. I have to talk to them again later. Ebs hasn’t talked to anyone yet.’

  ‘We’ll sort it. Thanks. I mean that.’

  ‘Thanks, Nick,’ Ebony added.

  ‘Are you hurt?’ Lee asked her as Nick walked away.

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Ebony pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes. ‘I just can’t get her image out of my head.’

  ‘It’ll take a while, but you’re going to be all right, Ebs. You’re all right.’

  She slept. A dreamless, exhausted sleep that she woke up from still groggy, almost hungover. She tried to close her eyes again, block it all out a little longer. But this time Louise’s image appeared behind her eyelids, so she got up, stood under the shower until the water almost ran cold. Then she went in search of the others.

  ‘Good morning.’ Lee got to his feet. Everyone was seated around the table, talking quietly.

  She joined them and Ally put a cup of coffee in front of her.

  ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Martin’s being held at Mudgee,’ Cam told her. ‘He’s been under police guard in hospital most of the night having stitches put in the back of his head but Ben’s got him at the station now. Ben wants to talk to you when you’re up to it.’

  ‘He was trying to take me somewhere. To Rob.’

  ‘He told you that?’ Ally asked.

  ‘Yeah. I’m so glad he didn’t hurt Carla.’

  ‘He didn’t want her. Perhaps the puppy packs being in the front room saved her life. She didn’t see Louise, so he let her go.’