The Practice Baby

by LM Ardor

  Downstairs, the big commercial recycling bin was full to overflowing. Dee looked hopelessly at all the junk mail and paper waste for a hundred apartments and six businesses. She moved a pile of cartons from the top but it was impossible to identify which waste was from the surgery. All sensitive or identifiable material was shredded anyway. Dee had checked already; the bin for material awaiting shredding was empty.

  Time to go home. Straight to bed—she was too disappointed to eat or ring Raj with the news.

  *

  As she let herself in with the usual curse to Rob about the pretentious heavy front door design, her mobile rang. It was Janelle.

  ‘Tania’s just got back to me.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’ve given up. It’s impossible to find anything.’

  ‘No, listen. Tania does the mail because she saves the stamps for her nephew. She’s still got today’s in her purse and—’ Janelle paused, ‘there’s one from an A4 manila envelope that was handwritten. She’s got the stamp but she said she can’t make out where it’s from.’

  ‘When’s the recycling collected?’ Dee asked.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’ve got to get that envelope.’

  ‘It’s in the morning, early. Dee, you’ll never find it.’

  ‘I might now I know what I’m looking for. Thanks.’ Dee hung up and picked up her bag and keys and headed out again. The door didn’t seem as heavy anymore.

  31.

  Raj answered on the first ring. She spoke to him on speaker phone as she left the cul-de-sac. When she pulled up at the door of the car park there was his tall figure, sitting on top of a small ladder with aprons and heavy-duty gloves ready.

  Once again, she found herself staring at his hairless brown calves. This time the top half of Raj’s body was immersed in the pile of recycling. They were sexy legs. Dee pushed the thought down. Raj was a good friend. Who else would come out at a moment’s notice and volunteer to be the dumpster diver in a situation like this? Friends were precious. She didn’t need any more complications in her life.

  And how could he not be gay with those clothes? Homosexuality was illegal, and prosecuted, in India. It would be understandable to cover it up.

  Ten minutes later, they had it. A manila A4 envelope addressed to Dr Dee in a distinctive uneven scrawl. There was no surname and no street number. It didn’t quite look as if it had been written by a young person. Even so, Leah was the most likely sender.

  *

  Dee and Raj were installed at a laminex table in the Super Bowl restaurant in Chinatown. The place was a favourite late-night haunt of top chefs coming off duty. Raj ordered Peking duck and rice to share.

  The whole restaurant seemed to be obsessed with him. Thirsty eyes everywhere slaked themselves on his chiselled features, his smooth skin and jet-black hair. His black chunky glasses echoed his square features and exactly matched his hair colour. The eccentricity of his clothes gave permission for blatant stares—no need to be furtive when what he wore said ‘look at me’.

  Dee found the stares difficult to ignore. Raj seemed not to notice. She tried to concentrate on the food. The BBQ duck was crisp and juicy—with the exotic taste of star anise. She hadn’t realised how hungry she was till the food was in front of them. They ate without talking till their plates were empty.

  Dee pulled the envelope out of her bag. There was no return address, no sender’s name. The corner with the stamp was missing. She checked inside again. Nothing.

  The waiter cleared their plates. Dee ordered more tea to buy some more time.

  She got out the photocopies. Raj read through them.

  ‘How well did you know this Adam? Did you know any of this stuff from his past?’ Raj asked.

  Dee picked up her water glass to hide her face.

  ‘No. I thought Adam was an only child. I guess losing two siblings could explain why he comes across as cold. The parents’ suicides were later. After uni I sent him patients but that was our only contact.’

  ‘If Adam had anything to do with these deaths it makes it more certain that Leah is in danger,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t see how this connects to Tom’s death.’

  ‘Leah says Tom was worried about the professor. We can’t ignore possible evidence because of your relationship with Adam at uni.’

  Dee couldn’t cope with what Raj meant by relationship. She changed the subject, told Raj what Skye and Jock said about Tom owning the flat.

  ‘That adds to the motive for Glen,’ she said.

  ‘Didn’t you say Leah’s not interested in the money for the insurance?’

  ‘Skye doesn’t think that. She expects the worst from “the little gold-digger”.’

  ‘We still need to know what Tom was working on and find out if Leah is okay. She’s the only person who could have sent this stuff.’

  ‘I have to find her,’ said Dee.

  ‘You decided that before.’

  ‘I know, I know, I know.’ Dee held up her palms to ward off Raj’s observation. ‘But it seemed so impossible. When I got this I thought there was a chance … but it isn’t enough. Sorry. It’s all a bit of an anti-climax tonight. I hope I didn’t take you away from anything important.’

  ‘At least I got to have dinner with you.’

  Dee felt a flush start its creep up her neck. Compliments felt insincere; made her feel distanced; patronised.

  ‘Oh, Raj, don’t carry on.’

  She told herself to lighten up. Raj was a good, strong friend. No one else had supported her over Tom’s murder. It wasn’t insincere. Compliments from a gorgeous man should feel good. He had to be gay. That made it easy—no complications.

  32.

  Jake, Dee’s first patient, was a newly sexually active nineteen-year-old concerned he had genital warts. Her head was bent over his penis to gently examine the area through a magnifying light when she heard raised voices from reception.

  ‘Sorry, I’d better see if they’re okay out there,’ she said.

  As she passed the boy a disposable sheet to cover himself, Glen burst through the door, closely followed by Janelle, William and a man in a suit who she didn’t know.

  Glen paused to take in the situation. ‘Sorry, mate, but this doctor is an interfering busybody who needs to learn to keep out of other people’s affairs.’

  William pulled the screen in front of the examination couch across then stood beside Dee. Glen’s eyes were red, his face greasy and his hair uncombed. He stood, shoulders raised, skinny chest puffed out and arms out from his sides like a gorilla. This could be nasty. Dee hoped he was not on ice and was rational enough not to mount a physical attack. His hands looked ready for action. They were empty but he could have a weapon concealed inside his jacket. Dee was grateful William and the man in the suit were there.

  ‘Janelle, go to the front desk, ring 000, get the police here now. Then get yourself and everyone out of the surgery.’ She turned to Glen. ‘What’s this about?’

  ‘How dare you come round upsetting Skye. She’s got enough to cope with, can’t you let her alone? She’s lost her son.’ Glen’s voice had calmed to a wheedling, resentful tone.

  ‘How about we get you to sit outside and I’ll see you in a few minutes.’ Dee tried to communicate calm. There was the sound of sirens in the distance.

  ‘Yeah, while you wait for the coppers to come and grab me. I’m not an idiot.’ Glen brought his face close to Dee’s. ‘Leave Skye alone, bitch.’ He turned on his heel and left.

  The police arrived some twenty minutes later and promised to have an ‘unofficial word’ to Glen.

  *

  Tania hadn’t arrived by the time Dee took in her 10 o’clock at 10.10 am. She had to force herself to concentrate. Fortunately it was a simple tetanus booster after a minor home renovation mishap. She finished and let the patient out. Where was Tania?

  As Dee called for her next patient Tania rushed through the back door.

  ‘Sorry, the bus broke down,’ she panted.
/>   ‘I don’t suppose you could phone to tell us? You’ve got the stamp from yesterday?’

  ‘It’s here somewhere.’ Tania rooted around in the bottom of her oversized bag.

  Dee’s next patient was already in the surgery. She couldn’t wait for the search.

  ‘Just put it in my pigeonhole. I haven’t got time for this now.’

  *

  Dee dragged her attention away from the problem of finding Leah. The new patient was anxious. He had never had his own doctor and his girlfriend, a long-term patient, had made him come in for a check-up. Check-up was often code for something the person was too scared to talk about so Dee had to make an effort; listen properly. After twenty minutes he confessed to rectal bleeding. The bleeding was significant and there was no apparent cause on examination so Dee referred him for a colonoscopy. She was now running late but he might have bowel cancer; the extra minutes she took may have saved his life.

  The torn corner of the envelope and its franked stamp were in her pigeonhole. She had a quick look at the stamp but couldn’t make out what it said. She put it down on her desk. There were three people waiting. Leah would have to wait till lunchtime.

  *

  Dee shone the torch from her phone on the stamp as Tania looked over her shoulder. She couldn’t make it out. She took the fragment over to the magnifying light she used for skin examinations.

  ‘The name of the town’s all smudged—something Creek, postcode 262, something illegible.’

  They looked up all the postcodes starting with 262. The only ‘creek’ was Majors Creek. It was a tiny settlement in the far south of the state, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.

  The envelope was franked at 2.13 pm the previous Friday. Whoever posted it might have gone to the counter to buy stamps—someone may remember.

  *

  Dee was busy for the next hour till someone had to go to the loo to give a urine specimen. Tania brought in a printout of a satellite view of Majors Creek from Google maps. Dee searched on her own computer. It was a tiny settlement in a valley on the far south coast of New South Wales between Canberra and the coast.

  Satellite view showed only six or seven buildings scattered over a couple of hectares. Dee ‘drove’ around the settlement using street view. Half the buildings were derelict. The pub was still operational and a couple of houses looked like they could be occupied. The only access was via unsealed roads. It was set in a small flat area in the middle of rugged mountainous country and was mostly undeveloped bush. There wasn’t another town for miles.

  If Leah was there someone might know her.

  33.

  Dee made copies of the papers from Majors Creek, put them in a manila envelope and addressed it to Detective Sergeant Marlena Ng at Glebe Police Station. She put it in the outgoing mail tray in reception.

  If Dee went to Majors Creek she wanted someone official to know why.

  After the next patient, Dee went to retrieve the letter. It could mean trouble for Marlena at the station. She had tried to help and didn’t deserve to be compromised by material about the closed case.

  The mail tray was empty.

  ‘Tania’s taken it to post on her way home,’ said Janelle. ‘If there’s more I can take it later, not sure if it’ll make the six o’clock pick-up though.’

  Dee tutted in frustration. She took out her mobile and rang Tania. No answer of course.

  ‘That girl never answers her phone,’ she muttered to Janelle.

  As she walked back down the corridor to her room, Dee wondered if she should send Marlena a text to warn her to intercept the letter. Tania emerged from the toilet.

  ‘Oh! You’re here. Where’s the mail?’ Dee couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice.

  ‘In my bag. What’s wrong?’ Tania stood frozen, a rabbit in the spotlight waiting to be shot.

  ‘Can you get it? I need something back.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Tania, still stuck to the spot.

  ‘Now, come on; not next month.’

  *

  For the rest of the day Janelle was restrained, efficient as always but there were no jokes or banter in between patients.

  When Dee asked her to get Marlena’s address she nodded as though that explained everything—and it probably did. She stepped from reception back to where Dee stood in the file room.

  ‘Tania’s young and a bit ditzy but she’s always cheerful, always has a smile even for the difficult people. All the patients like her. And so do I. She does what she’s asked and she’s usually spot on time.’

  Not today—but it was no use saying that. Janelle was fiercely fair. Dee felt better now she had the letter back. Janelle was right; she had gone too far with Tania.

  ‘All right, I’m sorry. I’ll fix it next time she’s here.’

  *

  Dee drove past to check she could find Marlena’s house, then parked the car out of sight around the corner. The letterbox was a slot in the door. Dee opened the gate onto the street as quietly as she could and climbed the steep stairs to the tiny terrace house. The envelope was in her hands. As she pushed it through Marlena’s front door an explosion of barks erupted and the paws of several dogs clattered towards her.

  Please don’t let her be there. Dee turned and skittered down the stairs without looking back. It would be easier to bother Marlena if she were an anonymous police officer, if Dee didn’t know her because she was the relative of a patient. But if she didn’t know her outside official channels there was no reasonable—reasonable to the police that is—excuse to contact her. And Dee certainly wouldn’t have the poor woman’s home address.

  Dee kept her head down and walked quickly back to her car.

  34.

  Through the whole four-hour drive from Sydney, Beatrice, Oliver and Eleanor complained as though their own mother were a kidnapper. School holidays and all they wanted was to sit indoors on their phones. Or go to parties because ‘everyone was going’.

  ‘What about nature? Don’t you want to lay with the sun on your back to watch a seagull hover inches above a crest of sand? There’s an ocean pool enclosed by breakwaters and a long wild beach to walk along.’

  ‘There’s a party at Sam’s—everyone will be there,’ from Beatrice.

  Ollie had a sudden spasm. ‘This place has got wi-fi? Mum, please tell us that this place has got wi-fi.’

  Dee pressed her lips together then forced herself to take a deep breath. Her favourite memory of childhood was looking up at seagulls hovering just above the sand dune that separated the rocky pool from the long wild beach.

  What kind of unnatural creatures had she brought into the world?

  She could cancel their mobile phone contracts. She pictured their reactions, slugs shrivelled up in a pool of their own juices when salt was poured on them. There’d be noises too—loud squeaky screams of existential angst. The images gave her the forbearance to keep driving rather than stop the car and leave the three of them on the side of the road.

  Family holidays as a child meant camping at Moruya Heads with Mum and their cousins. There was one shop and cold-water showers but Uncle Bill took them fishing and there was a safe place to swim between the breakwaters. There were bush tracks and lizards and birds’ nests and rock pools and crabs. All the kids left the tent in the morning and, apart from quick raids for peanut butter sandwiches, came back only when it was too dark to see. Did kids these days ever escape supervision for a moment?

  At night they lit kerosene lanterns and played Ludo or Monopoly. As they got older they were called in to make a fourth for 500 or Gin Rummy with the grown-ups. No phones, no TV, no internet, no electricity. The holidays at Moruya were the high points of Dee’s childhood. Her three would never experience nature without the protective filter of technology.

  *

  They arrived at twelve. The Dolphin Motel was on the beach and had a pool. Dee checked in to a two-bedroom ‘family unit’ with a balcony overlooking the sea. Praise the Lord, there was wi-fi. There
was an argument over beds. Ollie was the only one who’d brought a phone charger. He drove a tough bargain to get the big bed to himself while the girls had a double bunk.

  Shortly after they arrived, Dee picked up her handbag, ready to take off again. It would be easier to check out Leah on her own and she wasn’t sure if she could cope with any more time in the car with three teenagers suffering withdrawals from the city.

  ‘But what will we do?’ asked Beatrice.

  ‘Yes, what about us?’ said Oliver with exaggerated tones of resentment and incredulity.

  ‘There’s no food. I’m hungry,’ said Eleanor.

  ‘You’re on holidays. And it’s a beautiful day. Go outside.’

  Dee picked up a plastic information folder.

  ‘Look, this has lots of stuff. Here’s a list of places to eat that you can walk to. And a local map. What about fish and chips? There’s picnic tables near the river.’

  No reaction.

  ‘The beach is just here. You could swim in the pool or go for a walk to the end where the lifesavers are.’ She pulled a fifty-dollar note for each of them out of her wallet. ‘Here’s some cash and my Visa card. Don’t leave Ellie on her own …’

  When she left, all three of them were sitting inside with their phones. They would have to go out eventually to get food.

  On the way out, Dee went to the office. She let Andy the manager know that the teenagers would be home alone.

  ‘No worries, love. I’ll send my young fellas across to say hello. We’ll see if they want to have a fish later.’

  Fishing didn’t sound like a sufficiently cool activity for urban teens.

  *

  Majors Creek was eighty kilometres away. On a decent road it would take less than an hour. Dee checked the time. It was almost two hours since she’d left the motel. The unsealed road wound upwards in a series of hairpin bends. It was only a narrow ledge etched out of the side of a steep mountain. Signs warned that timber trucks used the road. She hoped they wouldn’t be about over the holidays. She’d passed only one other car. Fortunately, when they met she was on the side closest to the hill not at the edge of the precipitous drop.