The Girl Who Never : A twisted crime

by HC Michaels

  She felt like she’d been carrying around a bomb all these years. It set her on edge. Every time she snapped at Tessa or Amelia or one of her staff at work, the bomb ticked louder. She knew it was only a matter of time before it detonated.

  Maybe this was the perfect place for that to finally happen? Somehow, it no longer felt like it was her choice.

  Logan glanced up at the balcony.

  He’d felt sick to hear everyone at the marina talking about Carina’s death like it was some kind of gossip to chew over.

  She’d been a real person. One who’d been exceptionally kind to Logan. Why did she have to die?

  He knew people thought the relationship he’d forged with this older couple was odd, but he didn’t care. They were the parents he never had. The ones he always wanted. And even though they already had a son and a daughter, Logan liked to believe he was like a son to them, too.

  It might be an unconventional friendship, but it was built on genuine feelings.

  He hadn’t had a chance to see Roberto yet to offer his condolences, but he knew he’d understand. It was a bit hard to visit someone when you were hundreds of miles off the coast on a yacht.

  But he was here now.

  Except, Roberto was on his balcony with a woman who could only be Elvira. He’d recognise that severe fringe and those sunken cheeks anywhere. She looked just like her photos.

  Maybe he should go up anyway, and introduce himself?

  He let out a sigh, imagining how that might play out. Elvira had seemed kind of scary the few times Logan had overheard Carina on the phone to her. He knew Elvira was resentful of how close Logan had become to her parents, no matter how above board his reasons were. If anyone could understand resentment, it was him. Letting go of resentment was the whole reason he came to Sunshine Island in the first place.

  Elvira stood up on the balcony and Logan pulled down his cap to cover his face and walked on. Whatever was passing between Elvira and Roberto up there seemed personal. He’d call in and offer his support later when Elvira had gone home.

  Logan slowed his pace to admire some of the massive yachts, including The Wanted. God, he loved that yacht. It was with enormous pride he told people it was his workplace. The jealous looks on their faces made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. It was definitely a dream job.

  “Hey, mate,” said Warwick, walking past. “How you going?”

  Logan nodded at the chief cook of The Wanted as he walked past.

  “Good thanks, mate,” he replied. “What ya cooking today?”

  “Nothing for you,” Warwick laughed. “Or anyone. It’s my day off.”

  “Have a good one.” Logan walked on. He’d see Warwick later, maybe at the bar they all liked to go to.

  Unless Roberto needed him, of course. But he had his family here now. Logan needed to give them space.

  Feeling a pull in his calves, he paused to do some stretches, glancing back at the apartment to see Elvira was no longer there. Maybe now was a good time to go up? It felt wrong to leave it too long.

  He walked back down the marina, wondering if he should have bought some flowers or something like that. But that seemed wrong. Roberto wasn’t one to appreciate flowers. Carina, on the other hand, had loved it when Logan brought her flowers as a thank you for all those amazing home-cooked meals she’d made him.

  As he approached the apartment complex, he almost ran into Elvira who was stomping out of the building.

  He stood and watched her for a moment, fascinated by how much she looked like Carina, despite the obvious differences in age and temperament. Was it the way they walked with such purpose? The way she held her shoulders back trying to look more confident than she actually was?

  Elvira shifted her bag on her shoulder and a piece of paper flew out. Not noticing, she marched on.

  Logan darted after the paper, but the wind picked it up, sending it tumbling down the marina. He chased it. With a funeral for Elvira to organise and goodness knows what else, that paper might just be vital.

  Getting close enough to it, he slammed his foot down, trapping it under the sole of his shoe.

  “Got you!” He stooped down and picked it up.

  A girl with pink streaks in her dark hair gave him a grin and a clap from the bench seat she was sitting on.

  He smiled and gave her a small bow. Glancing in the direction Elvira had gone, he saw she was just about to turn a corner. He jogged after her, the paper clutched tightly in his hand.

  Losing sight of her for a moment, he continued, wondering if he’d be better to just give the paper to Roberto.

  But when he got around the corner, he came to a stop to see Elvira on the other side of the road, having been met by a young girl who could only be her daughter, Amelia. Even cuter than her photograph in the frame at Carina and Roberto’s apartment, she was clutching the hand of the nanny Carina and Roberto hadn’t approved of.

  Maybe they’d been too quick to judge? This nanny looked innocent enough with her milky complexion, curly dark hair and green eyes that stood out even from this distance.

  He watched them, trying to decide what to do as he realised how creepy this was going to look if they saw him. Elvira already had a vendetta against him. He didn’t need to get her even further offside by thinking he was some kind of stalker.

  Looking down at the paper in his hand, he saw it was a receipt for a carton of milk from the local supermarket.

  Nothing vital. Not really even anything of any use at all.

  He scrunched it up and shoved it into his pocket. Turning back to the marina, Logan picked up his pace, hoping he hadn’t been seen.

  Deciding to go make the most of Roberto being alone, Logan made his way back to the apartment complex and went up the lift, wondering what he could possibly say that would make Roberto feel better. Maybe just being there for him would be enough.

  Roberto opened the door to him, and Logan gasped to see how much his grief had aged him. He had lines on his face that had never been there before and dark circles under his eyes.

  “Logan!” Roberto pulled him into an embrace and his body shook. “You back!”

  Logan hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it. I’m so sorry.”

  “Terrible business.” Roberto let go of him and practically dragged him into the apartment. “My wife gone! Terrible business. My poor Carina.”

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.” Logan took a seat next to him on the sofa as he tried not to look towards the staircase. “Of all times to have to be away.”

  “My daughter here now,” said Roberto. “You just missed her.”

  “Oh.” Logan tried his best to look disappointed. “That’s a shame. Next time then.”

  “Carina think of you like son.” Roberto reached over and gripped his hand with surprising strength. “You so good to her.”

  Tears pricked at Logan’s eyes. “She was the one who was good to me. Just like a real mother. I’ve never had one of those before.”

  “You don’t worry about that money, okay?” Roberto nodded. “Carina told me she want you to have it. A gift from her. You must keep it.”

  “No!” Logan leapt to his feet. “I told you I’m going to pay you back. It might take a little while, but I’m going to make sure every last cent gets back to you.”

  Roberto waved his hands frantically. “Absolutely, no. That money is yours. Just don’t tell Elvira about it. She has funny ideas.”

  “I’m paying you back, Roberto,” he said, wishing he hadn’t needed to ask for money in the first place. There were loads of benefits of working on an island like this, but the pay packet wasn’t one of them. “No argument.”

  “You refuse the last wish of a dead woman?” Roberto zeroed his gaze on Logan. “In my country, that is called disrespect.”

  Logan suppressed a laugh. “Roberto, I hardly think that was her last wish. And you know I’d never disrespect Carina.”

  “She tell me just the night before sh
e die that she want you to keep the money.” Roberto made a cross with his hands. “This conversation is over.”

  “Well…” Logan hesitated, not wanting to upset a grieving man any further. “Thank you.”

  “It nothing.” Roberto smiled, all the heat of the moment evaporating. “Now you make me coffee like a good boy. Then I tell you everything that happened to my poor Carina.”

  “Sure.” Logan went to the kitchen, wondering how long he could spend making this coffee. Because no matter how much it seemed like Roberto wanted to talk, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear it yet.

  9 Days Before The Break

  Tino found a vacant square of carpet at the boarding gate and sat down. He leant against a post and stretched out his legs.

  He hated Brisbane airport. He’d hopped on his flight in Hong Kong with all its shops and lights and stunning flight attendants and landed here. He thought of the slogan this godforsaken city had used a couple of years ago to promote itself.

  Give me Brisbane any day.

  For fuck’s sake. Get me out of Brisbane any day, more like it. This airport was like some kind of hick town. He was surprised he hadn’t spotted a pair of ugg boots yet.

  Right on cue, an overweight woman wearing skinny jeans, a baggy tee-shirt and a tan-coloured pair of ugg boots shuffled past. Her boyfriend was wearing flip-flops. They must’ve read different weather reports.

  What kind of an idiot would wear fluffy slippers to Sunshine Island?

  That kind of an idiot, he thought, watching her sit down and take her phone out of her bag. She was smiling at her screen and elbowing her now barefoot boyfriend to look at something. Poor bastard. Maybe he should put her on a flight to Antarctica and head to Sunshine Island alone. At least her feet wouldn’t get cold.

  Tino knew he was being a dick. It was just that he’d sworn he’d never set foot on Australian soil again, and he was pissed off that he was here. It wasn’t necessarily Brisbane he hated, it was the whole godforsaken country. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d flown into Sydney, Adelaide or even fuckin’ Melbourne, he would’ve felt the same. He hated them all.

  His first reaction when he hung up that call from his dad was to stay put. No doubt Elvira would rush to their father’s side and take care of things. They didn’t need him there. Elvira had made it clear she never wanted to see him again. It would only stir up trouble if he came.

  His second reaction had been an intense desire to upset his sister. What gave her the right to tell him what to do? She’d been doing that her whole life. Would he never cease to be the younger brother?

  It was his mother who’d died, too. This time Elvira’s grief was no different to his own. He didn’t want his mother buried without him there. It wouldn’t be right. His nonna would probably fly down from heaven and thump him over the head with her rolling pin.

  That was one comfort at least. His mum was with Nonna now, her own beloved mother, who’d come from Italy to help look after them. She was a beautiful woman. In all the years she lived in their house he never heard her raise her voice once—and for an Italian that was saying something. When he upset her, she’d simply stop what she was doing and give him what was known in the family as her death stare. It was the kind of stare that let him know he’d disappointed her. There could be no worse punishment than being on the receiving end of one of those looks.

  That was where Elvira had gotten it from. She did exactly the same thing. A threat was always far more frightening when it was whispered than when it was shouted.

  Nonna had a heart attack when he was fifteen years old. The thought of her death still made his eyes sting. Life would’ve been so different if she’d lived. She’d have known what to do when everything went to shit in their family. She would never have allowed Elvira to cast him aside. Nor would she have let their parents move to Queensland. She’d have given them a stare so deadly they’d have been frozen to the spot.

  His mum might be alive if that had happened. Who the hell fell down the stairs and died? It was too hard to believe. She wasn’t more than a few years past sixty. And she wasn’t what he’d call unfit. That was one of her reasons for moving to the island. She loved to walk and what better place to spend your time walking than on an island like that. With his father, of course, who begrudgingly accompanied her on her treks. Apparently between the two of them, they’d lost over ten kilograms since moving there.

  Whenever he called them, they'd have only just gotten back from one of their walks around the marina to look at the yachts, or they’d have marched to the top of Lookout Hill or to Eagle Beach for a walk along the sand.

  He’d been to Sunshine Island once years ago with a group of mates and could picture these places when she’d describe them. It sounded like an ideal way for them to recover from everything that had happened. He was probably the only person in the family who supported them with their move. And Paul. But he supported everyone with everything. He didn’t even follow a football team, saying he still wasn’t sure which one he liked best.

  What kind of a fuckin’ Australian didn’t follow a football team? And he didn’t watch the cricket. Everybody knows you can’t trust a man who doesn’t watch the cricket.

  Hopefully he’d worked out what team he batted for before he married Elvira. Although, anyone prepared to marry her must be in a questionable state of mind.

  Paul was one strange cat, that much was for sure.

  Tino’s flight was called, and people began rushing to line up and board. He shook his head at them. Did they think they were going to get there any faster for being first? Their luggage had already been loaded. The plane wasn’t going to take off without them.

  He shuffled in his backpack for his phone and switched it over to flight mode, waiting for the line of passengers to clear. He’d board last like he always did.

  He wasn’t in a hurry to get to the island, despite the way he’d rushed to get this far. His father had called him less than forty-eight hours ago and he’d already landed in the country. Elvira had arrived the day before and she only had to fly from Melbourne. He should enter that television show where people race around the world. He’d romp it in.

  His mum wasn’t going to get any deader no matter how long his plane took to get there.

  “Love you, Mum,” he mumbled, glancing out the airport window as he fought back a tear.

  She’d done so much for him. He wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for her. And he wasn’t just talking about his birth. She’d saved his life about a thousand times. Who was going to save him now that she was gone? It certainly wasn’t going to be Elvira.

  On a scale of one to ten with how much this situation sucked, it scored a perfect one hundred.

  Tessa threw her beach bag onto a vacant chair and slid into the cold water.

  It was less than a week ago she’d done this very same thing on the other side of the world. It felt like the other side of her lifetime.

  There was a lot to be said about holiday romances, even ones that ended as disastrously as her most recent one. It was so much easier to put someone behind you when they weren’t a part of your regular life.

  Mind you, she wasn’t willing to follow that same path again any time soon.

  She changed the direction in which she swam after noticing several sets of eyes upon her. There was a group of guys ogling her from their underwater barstools. It made her miss Mykonos and the anonymity she had there.

  Maybe she should’ve swum at the private pool at the apartment, rather than coming up to the resort pool. She hadn’t wanted to risk Millie seeing her. She would never understand why she couldn’t swim with her. She didn’t understand it herself. Elvira could be so protective at times. She was going to have her hands full when Millie became a teenager. She was one headstrong little girl.

  Good on her. Someone needed to stand up to Elvira. Tessa couldn’t do it, or she’d risk her job. Paul couldn’t or he’d risk his marriage. Millie couldn’t do it just yet as she didn’t ha
ve the words, but one day she would.

  Elvira had taken Millie to her father’s apartment for the afternoon, giving Tessa some much needed time to herself. The jetlag was killing her. Or was it the exhausting day she’d had the previous day? Up half the night booking flights and helping Elvira pack, then flying to the island and looking after Millie while Elvira visited her father alone.

  If she had the energy, she’d have leapt into the air for joy when Elvira said she could have the afternoon off. She’d fought the temptation to crawl into bed for a nap, deciding that sunshine and exercise were what she needed to reset her body clock.

  The walk up the steep hill to the island’s main resort pool had seemed like a good way to do that. She hadn’t counted on it being so hot, and the walk had been exhausting. People in golf buggies had zipped past her, their hair flying back in the breeze, their beach towels thrown carelessly over one shoulder. That was the way to travel in this place.

  Their apartment had come with its own buggy, but that was for Elvira’s use, of course. She was paying for the apartment Tessa supposed, but still, it would be fun to have a buggy at her disposal. She’d love to take Millie for a ride around the island.

  The buggies were a great idea. So much safer than walking through Mykonos with mopeds flying past at suicidal speeds.

  She continued a lazy breaststroke around the circular pool, smiling as she swam under a bridge. With its palm trees and view of the ocean, this pool was beautiful enough to rival any in the world. No wonder this island had become so popular. This was what she’d imagined Australia to be like when she’d set off here. She’d have to come back for a proper holiday one day.

  Melbourne had come as a little of a shock when she first arrived. It was colder than she’d expected, with not a palm tree in sight. At first it hadn’t seemed all that different to London.

  But not Queensland. This weather was fantastic. It wasn’t hot like Mykonos had been, but still warm enough to swim and stretch out in the sun.