Half Moon Bay

by Young, Helene

  Nick had barely sat back down when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He swore, fumbling to pull it free. It stopped. Damn, not now. He peered at the number. It was the boss.

  He sighed and pressed recall on the secure satellite phone and walked to the far end of the balcony. The rain enveloped the house in a glistening curtain and he hoped the noise on the iron roof would help muffle his voice. Still he spoke quietly, cupping his hand around his mouth.

  ‘Hi, it’s me.’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘Out doing some surveillance work.’

  ‘Case-related, of course.’ There was censure in the older man’s voice.

  ‘Of course!’ He kept his voice low. ‘So what’s up at this time of night?’

  ‘I’ve been advised by the Federal Police there are two men of interest headed to Half Moon Bay. Hit men.’

  Nick bridled. ‘Contract killers? Who the hell are they after?’

  ‘Ellie Wilding. You need to get out of there. The police can provide protection for her. This investigation is too sensitive to risk you. I don’t want you compromised. Neither do the Feds.’

  ‘Hang on. You’re telling me there’s a hit team headed this way, and you want me out of here? No way. Ellie Wilding and her sister are somehow connected to this deal. We need her alive. If my cover’s blown, I’ll keep off the streets and work behind the scenes, but I’m not leaving her unprotected.’

  ‘You need to get out, Nick. The case is bigger than one woman. The police can handle it from their end.’

  ‘And if we lose this shipment, it all goes to hell. It should be happening right now if the weather’s not cruelled it. If not, it will be done in the next forty-eight hours.’

  There was a moment’s silence.

  ‘If it doesn’t happen at all, we’ll find another way to track the money. You need to leave.’

  ‘Bullshit. It’s my case. You knew when you hired me that I wasn’t some pen-pushing public servant so don’t try putting me on a leash now.’ He disconnected the call.

  Bloody bureaucrats. First sign of trouble and they can only think of protecting their image and funding. Reports of a hit team on their way to Half Moon Bay and they’re calling for him back in Sydney? Well, they can forget that.

  He turned around and slammed to a halt.

  Ellie was right behind him, her footsteps covered by the rain. ‘Who the hell are you, Nicholas Lawson?’ The anger sparked from her eyes.

  ‘Whoa. Work calls at odd hours, but that’s what you get with an international operation.’ He moved towards her, willing her to believe him, but sensing she’d overheard too much.

  ‘Don’t touch me. You’re a fraud. “I’m not some pen-pushing public servant so don’t put me on a leash now”? I’m just part of the job and all those sweet words were just talk.’ She took a shuddering breath. ‘You were using me as much as I was using you. Anyway, that’s that. You’re out of here.’

  ‘Ellie, it’s not what it seems. I do ad hoc contracts for developers.’ His brain was racing, looking for plausible explanations. He walked towards her. ‘Where’s that warm, sexy lady gone?’

  ‘Don’t. Just leave. Developers don’t hide guns in the back of their cars. Legitimate ones don’t bribe corrupt lord mayors. Nor do they leave such sanitised track records behind them. You aren’t what you seem. Attractive? Yes, we’ve already established that. And with the fascination of danger, but wild animals have the same appeal and I think I almost got ripped to shreds.’

  He stopped in front of her, hands limp by his side. ‘For the record, the gun’s a deterrent, not a weapon. Ellie – I never meant to get involved with you, but I have. No matter what you say now, I’ll be back. You can’t deny what’s between us . . . It’s real, it’s right. I can’t stop . . . I can’t stop thinking about you.’ It mattered to him that she believed him. It mattered to him that she didn’t hate him. It mattered to him that tomorrow would be a new day and anything was possible.

  He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she flinched. ‘Just promise me you’ll listen when this is all over.’

  ‘Go. Get out.’ Ellie shut her eyes, turned away.

  ‘Goodbye for now, Eleanor Wilding.’ He bent and kissed the top of her head, then left her alone, her arms wrapped around her body, the big Doberman by her side.

  He shrugged the jacket back on and jammed the cap on his head. The rain stung his cheeks as soon as he left the protection of the house. It was going to be a long walk back in the dark night.

  How the hell was he going to keep Ellie safe now?

  24

  ‘Hey, Dad, can you give me a hand?’

  ‘Sure, which one? Left or right?’ Dan put the newspaper down and held them both out, his wedding band glinting on his left. Mikey pulled a face and Sarah giggled, tugging at her regulation plaits. They were dressed in blue polo shirts and grey shorts, their school emblem the only colour relief.

  ‘Whichever one works best, Dad.’ Mikey was used to his father’s attempts at humour. ‘I can’t get this bit right on the rescue boat.’ He was on the floor, surrounded by Lego.

  ‘Sars, give him one of your hands, would you?’

  His daughter giggled again, knowing full well her brother wouldn’t tolerate any assistance from her, no matter which hand she offered.

  ‘Daaad.’ Mikey’s bottom lip jutted. ‘Please.’

  ‘Off to school in ten,’ Felicity said, clearing the last of the breakfast dishes from the table.

  ‘Come on, Dad.’

  Dan knelt beside his son and ruffled his blond hair before picking up the almost completed vessel. ‘You’ve done a great job of this, Mikey.’

  Felicity saw her son visibly puff up at the compliment. Sarah wriggled closer, not wanting to be left out. Hard to believe she and Dan had produced these little miracles. At times like this it stole her breath and she felt as though the love in her heart would suffocate her. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect them, all of them.

  The three heads, two baby-blond and one sun-bleached and tousled, almost touched as they completed the work on the Lego boat.

  ‘There you go. Nothing left for this afternoon now.’

  ‘Daaad, there’s the dock still to do.’

  ‘Okay, time to brush your teeth. Lunches are here.’ Felicity tapped the two cooler bags on the table, one a pink Ariel the mermaid, the other a blue Spider-Man.

  The kids scrambled to their feet just as Dan’s phone rang. He answered it as he walked onto the back porch. Felicity figured it was work and left him to it. Five minutes later from the kitchen window she saw him hug his children, pat their bottoms and send them back to her.

  A series of smacking kisses later and Mikey and Sarah walked out the front gate, little backpacks bouncing as they walked.

  Felicity checked her watch. She’d need to be gone very shortly too. She had time to put a load of washing on and race through the shower. Dan had disappeared into his shed.

  By the time she’d done all that there was still no sign of Dan.

  ‘Honey? Dan? Where are you? I’ve left a load of washing for you to hang out. Is that okay?’

  He appeared in the doorway of his shed, then strode across the back lawn. Something had upset him, Felicity realised. Who was on the phone?

  The back door banged before he stomped into the kitchen.

  ‘What the hell have you been telling Ellie Wilding? Huh?’

  Felicity was stunned. Dan’s face was flushed, his jaw solid. ‘Nothing. What do you mean? What are you talking about?’ Guilt made her blush.

  ‘I can’t believe you’d be that stupid. You know what these people are like. They’re dangerous.’ Standing in front of her with his hands on his hips, Dan looked more formidable than usual. The tension in his shoulders as they strained his faded T-shirt was obvious. The prominence of the streaky rooster’s comb jutting from his head meant he’d been tugging his hair in anger.

  Felicity held on to her temper. Dan might
have a reason to be annoyed, but that didn’t mean he could yell at her, no matter how scared he might be. ‘Ellie was down at the wharf to take photos. I don’t see what that has to do with me.’

  Dan’s blue eyes lasered into her. ‘She was digging around, you mean. Someone saw her talking to Gazza and Jase. She even tried to hire them to take her out on the water. I suppose we should be bloody glad she didn’t go or we’d be fishing her body out.’

  ‘You’re being stupid now. Ellie only knows what she’s been able to glean from the internet and Ron.’

  ‘Really?’ Dan glared at her and his voice dropped. ‘I know who the whistleblower in the council is, Felicity. I knew from the start it was you. I guess I supported you because it was the right thing to do. But this?’ He shook his head. ‘With this we have no protection. And these bastards have already made two deckies disappear and God knows what else they’re capable of. They’re hard men. They don’t play by our rules. Don’t play by any rules, full stop. You and the kids would be easy pickings when I’m away.’

  ‘You knew?’ Felicity couldn’t stop her voice rising a notch. ‘You knew and you didn’t let on?’

  Dan shrugged and folded his arms across his chest; biceps, courtesy of a life spent hauling nets, bulged. ‘If my own wife didn’t feel she could tell me the truth, I wasn’t about to brand her a liar by asking.’ The hurt was plain to see in his eyes and Felicity blinked back the prickle of tears.

  ‘It wasn’t like that,’ she protested. ‘I didn’t want to worry you. I knew you had enough with the trawler.’

  He cut her off with a wave of his hand. ‘Flick, we used to talk about everything. For the last twelve months we’ve only talked about the kids. And money. I know the catches have been lousy. We’ll be lucky to cover wages and fuel, but as a third-generation trawlerman I know we’ll survive the tough times. If you stick your nose into Gazza’s business, we could all end up at the bottom of the ocean. I’m not joking.’

  ‘But I didn’t tell Ellie anything. Ron’s heard the rumours from his mates in the RSL. They’re pretty upset that some of their own might be involved in the network. It’s an affront to them that ex-servicemen might be importing drugs. They don’t consider being wounded in action is an excuse for their behaviour. If Ellie is doing any digging, it’s because of that, not me, not you. She has no evidence, and she’s very aware that they’d need that before any investigation can proceed.’

  Dan shook his head. ‘Flick, I love you, but you don’t always make it easy to like you. You put your lawyer’s voice on and dismiss me as an ignorant trawlerman. Maybe we need to go to counselling.’ He walked away before she could reply, the back door closing gently on its hinges.

  Felicity sank onto the kitchen chair and drew a shaky breath. She hadn’t considered that by not telling Dan she was the council whistleblower she was as good as lying to him. She should have realised he’d think like that. He saw the world in black and white.

  Last night had been a wonderful family evening. Dan had waved away the lack of catch with a half smile and Felicity had savoured an extra night with them all together. Snuggled up on the couch, curled against the solid muscles of his wide chest with the rain beating on the roof, they’d read stories until the twins fell asleep. In the early morning as the rain increased, they’d made love with an almost desperate need.

  This morning, one phone call and it had all fallen apart again.

  ‘Why am I doing this?’ she asked in the silence. She hadn’t heard from Ellie this morning and she couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. Counselling? Was he serious? Wasn’t it supposed to be the woman who suggested that?

  She stood up and straightened her back. To walk away from this battle with O’Sullivan would make the last six months a waste. She couldn’t let that happen.

  It sounded like Dan was taking his temper out on the lawnmower. It roared into life and a swirl of smoke eddied out the shed door.

  The kitchen clock said eight-thirty. If she didn’t get a move on, she’d be late for work.

  Five minutes later with a swipe of colour on her lips, she stood under her umbrella in front of the lawnmower. Dan was wearing earmuffs and glared at her without removing them. She tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow. He capitulated, but the frown didn’t shift. His hair was plastered flat, darkened by the rain.

  ‘I’m going to work, but we need to talk this out.’

  He grunted.

  ‘And before you go back to sea, or it will fester. If you want a counsellor, then you book it. I’ll be there. I love you.’

  He clapped the earmuffs back on and stared at her. She sidestepped and with a curt nod he carried on mowing, leaving a clumpy trail of wet grass behind. That was as much of an agreement as she was going to get for now.

  As she reversed out of the driveway she scanned up and down the street. Just the usual neighbours’ cars. Nothing out of the ordinary, another morning like every other on Fishwick Drive. She checked her rear-vision mirror at the corner. All quiet behind. Dan was overreacting because that too was in his nature when it came to his family.

  She turned into the staff car park with minutes to spare. Rain dripped down her back from the leaves as she slammed the door and flicked her umbrella open. Water sloshed over her shoes. At the building’s entrance she shook the rain from her umbrella. A white Commodore with darkened windows caught her eye. It crawled past and she thought she could make out two heads inside, most likely males. She reached for her phone, thumbing through for the camera app. As soon as she raised it to take the shot the car accelerated away, leaving a cloud of spray behind.

  A splay of goosebumps covered her arms and she shivered. The photo on her screen was blurred. If she blew it up on a computer, would she be able to read the rego?

  Was it just a coincidence or something else? Was Dan right?

  25

  ‘Okay, Ron. I’ll pick you up at nine.’ Ellie hung up the phone, trying to ease the tension from her shoulders. Last night’s disaster had kept her awake until the clouds on the horizon turned silver. Then she’d had a couple of hours’ deep sleep that left her feeling hung-over and exhausted. She was an idiot.

  She tied the sarong more firmly around her, savagely pulling on the knot. How ridiculous to read anything more into Nick’s charming words than a sexy man out for a good time. And now she’d blown her chance at extracting any more information.

  She stopped by one of the bookcases that lined the cottage walls. The wooden framed photo of two laughing young women triumphantly holding a trophy aloft had pride of place. The inscription on the silver sculpture said Georgina and Eleanor Wilding. Their first award for a story they did on the Australian Federal Police in East Timor. Their lives were ahead of them then, their futures bright.

  ‘What would you have done last night, Nina?’ she whispered.

  Confrontation had never been Ellie’s style. She was too emotional for a good argument. She sighed, placing the photo back on the shelf, her fingers lingering on the frame.

  ‘I guess that’s why I’m the photographer and you were the wordsmith. And I blew it.’

  The ring of the home phone cut through her thoughts. She grabbed for it. Maybe Alex was finally ready to explain his message.

  ‘Ellie Wilding.’

  ‘Good morning, Ellie.’ Nick’s voice trickled down the receiver, like molten lava. She froze, with a furnace-like blast of embarrassment searing through her. ‘We need to talk.’

  She cut him off. ‘You said all you needed to last night. So just back off and I’ll see you in court, Mr Lawson.’ She hesitated, not wanting to hang up, willing him to somehow convince her she was wrong, talk her around.

  ‘Things aren’t always as they appear, Ellie. Give me a chance to explain.’ His tone was persuasive. ‘I have to leave tomorrow and I’m in meetings all afternoon and tonight. Meet me for a coffee this morning. You choose where. Anywhere.’

  ‘Are you bringing your gun to coffee?’ There was silence at the end
of the line. Damn it, she groaned to herself. Where the hell had that come from?

  ‘Well, only if you want me to.’

  Was that amusement in his voice? ‘No, I don’t want you waving a gun around in Half Moon Bay. And this morning’s no good. I’m taking Ron out, so . . .’ She sounded shrewish, but she couldn’t help it.

  ‘Bring Ron as well if you like. A chaperone, if you’ll feel safer.’

  She paused. ‘Okay, there’s a coffee shop called Lillipilly Nook in the main street. We’ll be there at . . .’ She looked at her watch. ‘Give me an hour. Say ten o’clock.’

  ‘Great, I’ll be there.’ His voice was warm again. ‘See you then, Ellie.’

  She hung up. Well, Ron would stop her raging emotions from their erratic swinging. But what could Nick possibly say that would make up for the embarrassment, the secrets of last night? She peered at her reflection in the window and saw dark circles around her eyes. Should have got more sleep instead of obsessing over mistakes.

  Well, if you’re going to get to the bottom of this and work out exactly what’s going on, you’d better let Ron in on it, she said to herself.

  Her phone chirped with an incoming message from Felicity. So???? it said.

  ‘So? I’m a fool, hankering after things I have no business wanting,’ Ellie muttered as she typed back a reply before hitting the send button. I’ll tell you tonight and maybe by then I’ll know a bit more.

  She dialled Ron’s number. He didn’t offer judgement about the wisdom of inviting Nick Lawson to dinner even though she could sense his lips had tightened into a disapproving line. ‘Three heads are better than one,’ he said as he hung up.

  Ellie could picture him sitting at his kitchen table with a wide-eyed Mavis listening in. ‘Ooh, she never!’ An image of the older lady, with rollers in her hair and clutching her floral dressing-gown, brought a glimmer of a smile to Ellie’s face.