Black Ice (16 page)

Irene closed her eyes, but continued to speak. 'It was winter. A freak storm came up from the Antarctic. Freezing cold. Sleet and snow in the mountains. Your father phoned Essie as soon as he heard, but he couldn't get through. He found out later that a dead tree branch had fallen onto the telephone line to the house and snapped it.'

'Mum, would you like a cup of tea, or coffee?' Philip interrupted as his mother paused. Irene shook her head, but her eyes opened and she focussed on Daniel.

'Ken asked James and I to look after you that night, Daniel, and it was a good thing he did. He found your mother's car crashed into a tree. Essie was dead. She'd obviously gone into labour and haemorrhaged.'

'And the baby?'

A tear rolled down Irene's cheek. 'The police said … they said … a fox took it. There were paw prints …' She wiped at her eyes. 'Essie wasn't due for another two weeks. It was so cold … the baby would have been dead before it was … taken.'

Kirri had been watching Daniel as Irene spoke. Watched his shocked reaction to Irene's revelations. Saw the hurt, the longing, the loneliness he'd suffered as a child, and even now, it seemed, as a man.

She felt her heart cry out to him, and longed to hold him, to ease his pain. He looked across at her, and the love and need in his eyes was like a physical caress. The resentment she had harboured against him dissolved completely, replaced by a yearning to know,
really
know, this man she had once loved enough to agree to marry.

'Philip, could you please call me a taxi,' Irene dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. 'I'd like to go home and rest.'

She stood up. 'Daniel, I have some photos of your parents and a press clipping from a ball we'd all attended the year before your mother died. I wanted to give them to you. When I phoned Philip and Stella said you were here with your daughter, I was so excited I rushed straight over,' she smiled, 'and forgot them. I'll give them to Philip tonight and he can give them to you.'

'Thank you, Mrs Weyburn.'

Irene offered her hand to Daniel, but he leaned over and hugged her. Her face crinkled in delight, then she turned towards Kirri and Catelyn. 'Treasure her, my dear. Essie would have loved her very much.'

 

Kirri was quiet as Daniel drove the hire car to Taronga Zoo. She knew he needed to concentrate on driving on what he termed the "wrong" side of the road, and she needed to collect her thoughts.

It was only as they were pushing Catelyn's stroller through the zoo grounds that she voiced those thoughts.

'Didn't your father or your grandparents tell you anything about your mother?'

'My grandma often talked about her, but never about how she died. When I asked my father, he'd only say she died in a car accident. Grandma made her come alive for me, so that even though I hadn't really known her, I missed what we might have had together.'

Catelyn cried out, and started to climb out of the stroller. They'd come to the monkey enclosure, and she burbled excitedly, pointing to the playful animals, then lifted her arms to Daniel. He swung her high, and she squealed with laughter.

As Daniel held her against his chest, Catelyn patted his cheeks with her tiny hands. "Daddee,' she said, and landed a sloppy kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Daniel went still, his face filled with awe, as though he had just witnessed a miracle. Kirri knew what he was feeling; that unbelievable moment when a parent realises what a wonderful, exhilarating, frightening responsibility they have to the child they have created; and the bond of love that will stay with them to the grave.

Catelyn turned her attention to the monkeys, and Daniel, with a dazed smile, walked closer to the wire. Kirri stayed back, an avalanche of emotion coursing through her. Never before had a man affected her as Daniel did. Was it love she was feeling now, this wild, exuberant, poignant roil of emotion that was almost physically painful? Two years ago she would have had the confidence to know; now she could only hope.

'Kirri?' Daniel was holding out his hand to her. She smiled, and linked hers with his.

 

'Would you like to go up to the Blue Mountains tomorrow, Daniel? Perhaps see where your parents stayed?'

Daniel risked a glance away from the traffic to look at Kirri. 'Mind-reading now?' he smiled.

'I thought it might help.' She gave directions, and soon they were parking in front of a small brick home with neat gardens.

'I didn't think your father would live somewhere as
conventional
as this,' Daniel remarked as he unbuckled Catelyn from her seat.

'Before I went to New York Dad re-married. Lorraine is a mother of four, with two grandchildren, rock-solid, and won't put up with any nonsense from him. And he's besotted with her.' Kirri rolled her eyes. 'Heaven knows what she sees in him, but she mothers him, so maybe that's the attraction. They've come up to Cairns a couple of times to see Catelyn, and I can't get over the change in him.'

She picked up her carryall. 'He makes a better grandfather than he ever did a father.'

Catelyn was sound asleep by the time the lift deposited them on their floor of the Novotel that evening. Kirri put her to bed while Daniel ordered room service. Then he phoned Irene Weyburn.

They ate on the balcony, savouring the evening coolness as much as the fine food. Laughter drifted up from the swimming pools below them. The dark waters of Botany Bay reflected the shimmering silver of a full moon, and intermittent reds and greens heralded aircraft descending into Mascot Airport.

'What did you think of Dad?' Kirri asked.

'I like him. And Lorraine.'

'Yeah. Dad is easy to like.' Kirri took a sip of wine. 'I can't get over him wanting to have Catelyn tomorrow. Even pulling that old emotional blackmail line about never getting to see her because we live so far away.'

Daniel smiled. 'It was good of you to agree. And Lorraine seems very capable. Mind you, I'm not too keen on missing out on a day with my daughter, but I can see how much your father loves her. I think he regrets the years he missed seeing you grow up.'

'So he should,' Kirri said. Then she softened, 'I guess he just took longer than average to grow up himself. Besides, it will give us the day in the Blue Mountains to ourselves.'

'Irene said they sold their house up there some years back.' Daniel watched a yacht tack across the bay, its sails illuminated by the moonlight. 'Apparently it's been turned into a Bed and Breakfast guest house called
Thistledown
.'

'Why don't we stay there tomorrow night?' The words were said before Kirri even realised she had thought them.

'But Catelyn will be with your father back in Sydney.'

Kirri mouthed a forkful of fish, and chewed slowly while she thought about her reply. Today she had crossed a barrier where Daniel was concerned. Was she willing to cross another?

She sat a little straighter in the chair and looked at him. 'I know.'

Daniel stopped cutting his steak, his whole body tense. 'What are you suggesting, Kirri?'

'I'm … I'm not sure, Daniel. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know I was going to say that until it popped out. I've always trusted my instincts about people, so maybe I should take a risk on … on our relationship.'

'You want to sleep with me.'

'Damnit, Daniel. You don't have to put it like that.' Kirri arched back in her seat. 'I want to make love with you.'

'Why?' Daniel knew he was walking a knife edge, but he wanted Kirri's love so badly he wasn't prepared to risk it for some impetuous experiment she wanted to try.

'Because …' The flippant reply she wanted to use to protect herself died on her tongue. She couldn't be anything but honest with this man. The desperate hunger in his eyes told her how vulnerable he was. 'Because I've come to care very deeply for you.'

Her honesty shifted up a notch or two as she saw the love and desire that flooded his face. 'And if I don't make love with you soon, Daniel Brand, I'll go insane. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since the moment you walked into my gallery. Every time I look at you my skin actually
aches
to have you touch it. You have the sexiest eyes, all warm and golden brown, and I know where Catelyn got her kissable lips from now …'

Damn! She was doing it again. Burbling. Where had the confident woman who'd charged off to New York to conquer the art world gone? Was it pregnancy and motherhood that had done this to her? Instinct prickled down her spine. Or was it Daniel? He didn't even have to touch her and she was mush; heaven help her when they actually did make love.

Daniel stood up, walked around the table and drew Kirri up into his arms. 'Kissable, huh?'

The scent of him was overwhelming.

She nodded.

She thought she was ready for his kiss, but by the time he'd finished she was a quivering mess, clinging to him, fingers frantically clutching his muscular arms, pushing herself against him in reckless abandonment. Against the hardness she ached to feel without the barrier of clothing.

'I'd better phone and make a booking.' His voice was hoarse. Kirri only nodded. She knew she'd temporarily lost the power of speech. When Daniel gently let her go, she fell back into the chair.

She vaguely heard him ask for the phone number to the
Thistledown
Bed and Breakfast. Suddenly he was standing near her, his deep voice quietly seductive.

'Last chance to back out. Do I book a double room? Or a twin?'

'Double,' she croaked.

 

A malevolent smile played at the corners of Brett's mouth as he listened to the angry voice on his mobile phone. Obviously Daniel Brand had done something that had put a spanner in the works. Brett chuckled to himself. It was nice to know self-styled omnipotence could be thwarted.

'He would have left by now. He's driving a new white Ford. Now write down the number plate so you don't forget it.'

Brett didn't feel hopeful of finding the vehicle in an area that abounded in tourist attractions but he scribbled down the details.

'Do you know his itinerary?'

'No. But he's staying at the Thistledown Bed & Breakfast outside Mt Victoria tonight. And he has that artist with him.'

The bottom of Brett's stomach reverberated down to his groin. Shit! That complicated matters. He wasn't happy at the thought of maybe having to kill her too.

'Look, do you really need me to kill this guy? Isn't there another way of getting the money?'

'If there was, do you think I'd be using someone as inept as you?'

'I don't have to do this, you know.' It was a childish retaliation, and he knew it. He slumped down on his hotel bed, wishing he were anywhere else but Sydney, with its memories and its nightmares.

The snort of laughter in his ear was abruptly curtailed, and he realised the call had ended.

 

It had been less than three years since Kirri had left Sydney to go to New York, but as they drove up into the Blue Mountains, she felt as though she'd been gone at least a decade. The quaint shops, tearooms, and art galleries, all, with a few exceptions, looked the same, but now she felt as though she were seeing them through different eyes.

They stopped at Leura and walked hand-in-hand through the shops, drank tea and ate English muffins.

Playing tourist wasn't as hard as Kirri had thought it would be. She thought the anticipation of the night to come would ruin any chance of relaxing enough to enjoy the day with Daniel.

Daniel appeared to be more relaxed than she felt. But then, she thought, he already knew what to expect. A minute went by before she realised her resentment was no longer there. And a closer look at Daniel's face revealed an underlying tension. She smiled. The tightness went out of her muscles.

 

'Let's get you an Akubra,' Kirri said as they drove into Katoomba. 'Park over there.'

'Akubras are made from rabbit fur,' Kirri explained as they walked into a shop. 'Rabbits were introduced into Australia more than a hundred years ago to provide hunting for sportsmen, but they soon bred like … well, rabbits …' She paused as Daniel's chuckle rippled up from deep inside his chest. It did funny things to her equilibrium, as well as spark up her libido, and she had to take a deep breath before she could continue. 'They soon reached plague proportions, so making hats from their fur was a good solution.'

'Bred like rabbits, huh.' Daniel had stopped and was looking down at her, standing so close she could see the golden flecks in his brown eyes. A smile was playing at the corners of his mouth, and Kirri felt an almost uncontrollable urge to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him as senseless as he'd left her the night before.

'Yes.' The word sounded breathless, and she gulped twice before turning towards a shop assistant.

 

As they emerged from the shop, Kirri caught a glimpse of a tall man turning the street corner. There was something about the tilt of his head and the shape of his profile that seemed familiar.

'I'll put this hat in the car before we look for somewhere to eat,' Daniel said, and she nodded absently.

By the time they reached the corner, the man had disappeared.

 

Twenty minutes later they were dining on Crocodile Burgers and admiring the magnificent views across the Jamison Valley.

An hour later they were admiring the same views from a cable car suspended two hundred metres from the valley floor.

'I wonder if my parents rode on this?' Daniel mused as he gazed across at the steep escarpments and the layered sandstone rock formations known as The Three Sisters standing like silent sentinels above the thickly treed floor and sides of the valley.

Kirri was strangely silent. He touched her lightly on the arm. 'Kirri?'

'Sorry, Daniel, what did you say?'

'It doesn't matter. What's bothering you?'

She shrugged, unwilling to put into words what was only a niggling concern. Then she saw the look on Daniel's face and knew he wouldn't be brushed off.

'Back at the shops I saw a man … Look, it's probably just my imagination, but there was something about him that was familiar.'