Little Girl Lost (19 page)

Tia removed the rucksack from its hiding place and put it on the table next to the newspaper cutting with the garish red slash across the photograph. She opened the bag and the old Christmas card fell out. The colours had faded over the years and now it looked more sad than cheerful as it lay on the Formica tabletop. Tia picked it up and looked inside. The writing had faded too. The card represented her last contact with her mother. The day after she received it, Tia had run away from home and never returned. If she had known then what she knew now, perhaps she might not have run so quickly. Or so far.

She set the card to one side and emptied the rest of the rucksack’s contents onto the table.

Even encased in its plastic bag, the gun lay there looking exactly what it was. Deadly. A threat to her and everyone close to her. She glanced nervously over her shoulder. The light inside her trailer was dim, due to the closed curtains. She was safe from the prying eyes of her workmates. But not from Ned. She had no doubt the prowler disturbed the previous night was her former boyfriend. Well, boyfriend wasn’t the right word. He was a gang leader who ruled his gang with an iron fist, and he had decided she was his. She’d had no say in the matter. Not that she would have said no. At the time, she had been thrilled and flattered to be the gang leader’s girl. That gave her some power and prestige. More than she’d ever had before in her life. To a teenage runaway, that was important. She hadn’t seen the dark side then.

She was equally certain Ned had left the newspaper cutting. It was his way of telling her how he had found her. His way of telling her she had been careless.

She opened the small velvet box lying next to the gun. All those months at the bottom of the rucksack had not dulled the ring’s glamour. The huge square-cut diamond shone like a star even in the dim light. How Ned had coveted this ring. From the moment he’d seen it in the window of an exclusive jewellery store, he had wanted it with an obsessive passion. He said it would give him the status he demanded. Like some American gangsta leader. It hadn’t taken Ned long to decide to acquire it the only way he knew how. With violence.

Which was where the gun came in.

Tia flinched as the memories of that day came crowding back. The shop and the terrified faces of the staff and customers. The triumph and joy on Ned’s face as he pulled the trigger and the deafening sound as the shot echoed around them. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the red blood against the cream marble floor. Lying in her bed in the silent darkness of the small hours of the morning, she had relived those traumatic moments a thousand times.

And she had run away. Escaping from Ned and his gang had been as terrifying and dangerous as that day in the jewellery store. Running away now would be easy by comparison. But she was no longer the frightened girl she had been back then. She had changed, and a large part of the change was due to this town and the people in it. Especially Max. She wasn’t going to run away again. Ever.

Tia thrust everything back into the rucksack and returned it to its hiding place. It was time she told Max the whole story.

As she left, she locked the trailer behind her. Not that a simple lock would ever stop Ned. But it might discourage him, at least while the sun was shining and other people were moving around the compound. She decided then that whatever happened, she did not want to be alone in her trailer tonight.

It would be far too dangerous.

Forcing herself not to look over her shoulder, she slipped her helmet on and swung her leg over the Harley. As she pressed the starter, she couldn’t help but wonder if Ned was out there somewhere watching her. The distinctive sound of the bike’s engine would no doubt add to his fury, making him even more dangerous. She slipped the bike into gear and headed into town.

As she approached the police station, she noticed several cars parked in and around the town square. The police station itself was overflowing with people and it seemed tempers were running a little high. Tia paused just outside the door.

‘… his fault. He was tailgating me. Then when the roo jumped out—’

‘I was not! Your brake lights—’

‘Enough!’ Max’s voice cut through the hubbub. ‘We will sort this out, but I am only going to listen to one of you at a time. So, Mr Taylor, go and sit over there and be quiet! Mr Coupland, that chair there. If I catch either one of you even looking like talking, it will be the cells for both of you. Got it?’

The silence that followed seemed to indicate they had.

‘Good. Now, ladies. Please go and sit by your husbands and join them in their silent meditation.’

‘But—’

‘No buts. Go and sit down. Everyone will get a chance to say their piece, but one at a time and when I ask them to.’

Tia stepped through the doorway to see Max standing at his desk dividing his attention between two smartly dressed middle-aged couples, who were seating themselves at opposite ends of the room. There was a definite chill in the air between them. Max glanced over to the doorway and when he saw Tia, his face lit up.

‘Right. Nobody so much as move. I’ll be back in a minute.’

He stepped to the door and gently eased himself and Tia outside, but not so far away that he couldn’t keep a watchful eye on proceedings inside the police station.

‘What’s that all about?’ Tia asked.

‘A couple of dents and some scratched paintwork,’ Max said, shaking his head. ‘Unfortunately both men are classic car buffs, so the cars concerned are apparently worth a lot of money. They are at each other’s throats over who is to blame. And the wives aren’t helping either. The silly thing is, they are all friends and this accident happened during a long drive they were taking together.’

‘I’m sure you’ll sort them out,’ Tia said.

‘I will, but it may take a while. Was this business?’ His eyes twinkled. ‘Or did you come here to ask me out to dinner tonight?’

How she wished it was just the latter.

‘Actually it is business.’

Max nodded. ‘I did want to talk some more about that prowler. ’

‘Yes. It’s about that.’ It wasn’t a lie. But there was more to it than Max could even begin to guess.

Max glanced at his watch. ‘It’ll probably take me an hour or more to sort this lot out. Why don’t I come around to see you after that? It’ll be about five-ish, I guess. We can get the business part done, and then maybe share a meal. I can cook if you don’t want to. And I’ll bring a bottle of wine.’

That sounded so good. Like a normal date. The sort of date she had never had.

‘And,’ Max continued, ‘To be honest, I’d like to check out your security. I could set up a stakeout outside in my car, but I’d rather be inside. With you. For your own safety, of course.’ He actually winked at her.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’m fairly new to cooking, but if you are willing to take a risk, I can try to make us an edible meal.’

As she spoke, another shouting match began inside the police station. Max raised his eyes to the heavens with a sigh. ‘I have to go. I’ll see you later.’

Tia left him returning to his role as referee and walked towards the store. She was a bit confused. Was the evening going to be her confessing to a policeman? Or was it going to be her telling her … whatever Max was to her … about her past? Both had to be done. Would blurring the lines make it easier or harder, she wondered?

Sarah was counting the cash in the register when the door opened and Tia walked in. She put the cash back and shut the money drawer.

‘Hi, Tia. I haven’t seen you for a couple of days.’

‘I’ve been doing extra time at the mine. Giving a break to the guys who worked double shifts during the search.’

‘I heard there was some sort of problem out there. A prowler. In the accommodation compound. Were you there?’

‘No. I was working.’

‘I also hear Max was out there all night. I wondered if maybe you had something to do with that?’ Sarah watched Tia’s face closely, and was rewarded with a faint glow of colour.

‘You’re blushing,’ Sarah said triumphantly. ‘Trish was right. Of course. When is Trish ever wrong?’

‘He’s coming out after work tonight – to talk about the prowler,’ Tia said. ‘I thought it would be nice to cook him dinner.’

‘Well, at least things are working out for the two of you.’ The bitter words were out before Sarah could stop them.

Tia frowned. ‘You and Pete … it’s not …’

‘It’s not anything.’ Sarah sighed. ‘When I was a little girl, all I wanted was a knight in shining armour to come driving down that road and sweep me away. Like in the fairy tales. There was a time I thought Pete was that man. I was wrong. That sort of thing only happens in fairy tales. Real life isn’t like that.’

‘Don’t say that. I want to think maybe it can be,’ Tia said softly.

Sarah hid her surprise. Something had certainly changed for Tia, and she was sure Max was responsible. She’d seen the way the two of them had looked at each other out there during the search. She was glad for them both. And a little bit envious.

‘So, dinner,’ she said, trying to send the conversation in a direction that would not threaten her own composure. ‘I suppose a tuna casserole is not quite what you are looking for.’

‘No. It’s not.’ Tia smiled.

‘Good. I’m sure I can help you do better than that. We have some candles, too, if you want them.’

No sooner had Tia left than the front door of the shop opened again. Sarah felt her heart skip a beat as she instantly recognised the tall figure blocking most of the sunlight in the doorway.

‘Hi, Sarah.’ His voice was hesitant. ‘I wanted to see how your mum was doing.’

‘She’s going much better now, thanks. She’s home. I would have thought you would be back in the Isa by now.’

‘No. I hung around. I need to talk to you. But if this is still a bad time, I can wait.’

He was inside the shop now, and she could see his face clearly. The look he wore was a mixture of pleading, determination and something else. The same something she had seen on him during the search. In the moments before he kissed her. That look was tugging at her heartstrings. But she was a grown woman now, not a child. She had to deal with reality.

‘I haven’t asked you, Pete. How is your girlfriend? And the baby? I hope everything is all right.’ She didn’t even try to disguise the bitterness in her voice.

‘That’s what I need to talk to you about.’

‘Pete. You don’t have to explain anything. It was just a kiss.’ A kiss that had changed everything for her. ‘You don’t owe me anything—’

‘Sarah. Stop. Listen. It’s not my baby.’ He blurted it out and then stopped, his eyes searching her face as the words seemed to hang in the air between them.

Sarah blinked, struggling to fully understand what he was saying.

‘Not your baby? But your girlfriend—?’

‘She told me it was my baby. But it’s not. She was … well, it’s enough to say that the real father is back with her. They are going to make a life together.’

She tried to speak, but there were no words. Her mind was blank.

‘I’m glad things have worked out for them,’ Pete continued, his eyes never leaving her face. ‘I know I should never have kissed you like that. Not without telling you what was happening. I guess it wasn’t a lie as such. But to me it felt like one. These past few weeks have taught me two things. The first is that I like the idea of being a dad. My mother will be so pleased to hear me say that. She’s been on at me for ages about settling down. I think maybe it’s time. I was ready to take responsibility for the baby. Be there to support Linda and the baby financially and any other support I could give them. But any future I plan has to be with the right person. I was going to tell Linda that she was the wrong person. But she told me her truth first.’

‘Oh.’ Sarah shook her head, trying to take in everything he was saying. Pete wasn’t normally a big talker. But now, it was as if he couldn’t stop. Maybe he’d been holding all this inside for too long.

‘When I settle down, I want the sort of life my parents have. Your parents, too. That’s why I’m here, Sarah. Because you are the right person for me. You were the little girl I was fond of, and somehow you’ve become the woman I’m in love with. I want to take the time to be with you and see where these feelings lead me. Lead us.’

He paused then, waiting for her to say something. Her mind was racing but somewhere deep inside her, joy was beginning to wash away the despair of the past few days. She was still struggling for words, and slowly she began to shake her head.

She took a deep breath, but before she could speak the door of the store swung open, and a mother with kids in tow walked in.

‘I guess I’d better …’ Sarah said, indicating her customers.

‘I know. Look, think about what I said. I’ll be across the road. Waiting for you. If you don’t come, I’ll have my answer.’

‘I …’ She already knew what her answer would be.

A woman’s voice interrupted her. ‘Sorry to butt in, Sarah, but can you tell me which is the better brand of dry cat food?’

Pete turned and left her to her customers.

For the very first time in her life, Tia was cooking dinner for a guest. Not just any guest: a man. A good man who had never hurt her or used her or caused her to cry.

She was cooking for Max.

She was excited and nervous. This must be how it felt to be a schoolgirl on a first date. That was just one of the experiences denied her. Until now. It felt good.

The dinner ingredients she had bought from Sarah at the store were all laid out in her tiny kitchen. Since coming to Coorah Creek and having a home of her own, Tia had discovered that not only did she like cooking, she was actually pretty good at it. Especially considering her late introduction to the culinary arts. At least, she hoped she was pretty good at it. The meals she had cooked for herself were always tasty and filling. But cooking a meal for Max was still a bit scary. Would he like what she made? It seemed very important that he did.

She laid out the piece of lamb on her small work surface and began rubbing the dried rosemary and garlic that would add some Greek flavours to the skin. There would be lemon and rosemary potatoes to go with it. And Max was bringing wine. Red wine would make this a proper Greek meal. Her very first. She’d really love to go to Greece one day. See the ruins she had read about. The thought caused her to pause in her work. That was another first for her. The idea that one day she might actually travel to somewhere like Greece. She might visit places she had seen on TV. There was a whole world out there that she could now believe was waiting for her.

All she had to do was break free of her past. And the first step was to talk to Max.

She turned around and looked at the rucksack that was waiting on the table. Lying next to it was the newspaper cutting with the vivid red slash. She had put them there so they would be the first thing Max saw when he walked in the door. Then she wouldn’t be able to back down. She would have to go through with it.

She returned to her task, and placed the lamb in a baking dish. Then she turned on her small oven and slid the dish inside. She had a few minutes to kill before she needed to start on the potatoes. Maybe she should change out of her jeans into something more … what? Something sexier? That wasn’t what this evening was about. It was about her confession.

But after she confessed, would they even get to eat the lamb? It suddenly dawned on her that Max might arrest her. After all, she was confessing to a crime. Several crimes, in fact; some of them very serious. He was an honest cop and he couldn’t just turn a blind eye to what she had done. She hadn’t even considered that.

She took a couple of slow breaths.

No. She wasn’t going to let anything destroy her chance for even an hour of happiness. This one evening, she was going to be normal and have the things that other women had. She would have this one taste of those dreams, because it might be her only chance. Ever. What happened after that would depend on Max and how he reacted to her confession.

She grabbed the rucksack and tossed it into a cupboard, slamming the door solidly behind it. She also picked up the cutting and slid it under a book on the shelf in what she grandly called her living room. Then she darted into her bedroom and began riffling through her clothes, looking for something more appealing than her jeans and T-shirt.

‘You look great.’ Max meant it too. Tia was wearing a short denim skirt and a light creamy blouse, open at the neck to reveal a hint of that tantalising tattoo. Standing as he was on the lower rung of the trailer’s stairs, he had a wonderful view of the shapely curves of her legs, and the small, almost elegant, bare feet.

‘Thank you.’ Tia stepped back from the doorway and Max followed her into the trailer. It looked much the same as on his last visit. Clean and tidy, but bare. The dog-eared books on the shelf were the only personal possessions he could see. He looked at the titles. There were history books and travel books, and the sort of classic novels that were required reading at school. It suddenly occurred to him that Tia was trying to catch up on the schooling she had missed when she ran away from home. That was just another thing to admire about her.

Then he noticed the amazing aroma coming from her oven.

‘Is that dinner?’ he asked.

Tia nodded, grinning shyly. ‘I’m making Greek style lamb and potatoes. I’ve never cooked it before. I hope it will be okay.’

‘If it’s half as good as it smells, it will be great,’ Max assured her. ‘By the way, I brought us wine. I wasn’t sure if you liked white or red, so I brought both.’

Tia took the bottles he offered and grinned. ‘To be honest, I really don’t know. I haven’t ever drunk much wine. I’m more a beer sort of a girl.’

‘Oh. Sorry.’

‘No. I’d like to give it a try. Shall we open a bottle?’

Max hesitated. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to forget about the work-related reasons he was there. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Tia with thoughts about the prowler. But he wanted to make sure she was safe. If he did that first, then he could consider himself off duty for the rest of the evening and just be himself and enjoy spending time with the most attractive and intriguing woman he had ever met.

‘I’d like to get the business part of this done first,’ he said. ‘I’ll take a look around outside and see if I can see any more signs of that prowler. And I’ll have a look at the locks on your windows too.’

‘Oh.’ She looked disappointed. ‘Sure. You should do that. Thanks.’

Max stepped outside and walked around the trailer. He checked the windows for signs that someone had tried to break in, but he saw nothing. But when he examined the door lock, there were some scratches in the metal around the keyhole, as if someone had tried to pick it. Or possibly even succeeded. He didn’t like the look of that at all.

He walked to a nearby stand of trees, and there he found what he expected. The dirt was scuffed and there were several cigarette butts. Someone had been watching Tia’s trailer. Was this person a lonely miner or a peeping tom? Or was there something more sinister here? The thought of danger to Tia was enough to set his blood boiling.

Max glanced around him. He wasn’t sure where tonight was leading for him and Tia. But he was not going to leave her alone tonight. His car was parked a short distance from her trailer, pretty much hidden among the dongas and the other cars. Most people wouldn’t see it. If necessary, he was prepared to spend another night sitting there. Keeping watch. Keeping Tia safe. But he couldn’t stay here every night. He needed to talk to Chris Powell. As mine manager, Chris was responsible for this compound. He needed to beef up his security here.

When Max walked back into the trailer, Tia was sitting at the dining table. An open rucksack sat in front of her. There was a newspaper cutting next to it.

‘Tia?’

‘Sit down, Max. I need to talk to you. And to show you some things. I was going to wait until after dinner, but you’re right. We need to do this now.’

‘Sure.’

He sat down. Silently, Tia pushed the cutting towards him. He was shocked to see the angry red slash across the image of Tia.

‘Where did this come from?’ he asked.

‘I found it after we had dinner in the pub. When you dropped me off, it was waiting here for me. On the table.’

‘Someone had broken in? Tia, why didn’t you call me back? This looks like a threat to me. And now there’s that prowler. You shouldn’t be here on your own.’

He reached out to hold her hand. He wasn’t surprised to find it was shaking. He squeezed it gently, hoping the need to comfort Tia would control the anger that was surging inside him at the thought of someone invading her home.

‘I know who it was,’ she said in a very tiny voice.

He could feel her fear. Was it the echo of fears from her past, or was it a present fear? There was nothing he could do about the past, but he would not have her sitting alone and afraid. Not while he was around.

‘Who was it?’

Tia’s fingers gripped his hand so hard it was as if she wanted to break his bones. He didn’t flinch.

‘It’s a long story, Max. I have been wanting to tell you, but I was too afraid of what you would think of me when I did.’

‘Tia, I won’t think—’

‘Stop.’ She held up a hand to silence him. ‘Please, just let me tell you everything. Don’t say a word until I’m finished. I may never find the courage to do this again.’

He did the only thing he could. He nodded, holding her hand tightly as she began her tale.

‘You know I was a runaway. And that I lived in squats. And I told you about the gang I joined. I was sixteen then. The gang leader was a few years older. I thought he was so handsome. And he had this power and charisma about him. His name was Andrew Kelly – he called himself Ned Kelly – after the bushranger. I think that’s how he saw himself, as some sort of cult hero. He had a girlfriend when I joined. But he got rid of her and chose me instead. He was the one who made me get this.’

Tia pulled open her shirt to reveal the tattoo that had so tantalised Max. For the first time he could see it clearly. It was a highly stylised image of a man with a rifle. A man wearing an iconic metal helmet. Max felt his stomach clench in revulsion. How could he have been teased by this? Or thought it sexy?

‘He branded you?’

Tia nodded.

‘I thought it was cool at first, but I soon figured out just the sort of person he was. He used me … in a lot of ways.’

Max tightened his fingers around hers again, feeling a surge of hatred the strength of which shocked him. How could someone do that? To the young and vulnerable girl Tia had once been. His heart cried for her while his fingers itched to grab the man’s throat.

‘I stayed because I had nowhere else to go. I stayed because I was afraid that if I left, he would track me down and drag me back. I didn’t think there could be a better life for someone like me. I did drugs sometimes. When I had to. To blend in with the others. Or to escape reality. But never the hard stuff. I wasn’t quite that much of a mess. And I wasn’t a dealer either.

‘We had always stolen – food, booze and a bit of money when we could. But he started taking the whole Ned Kelly thing too seriously. They started mugging people. Sometimes they beat the victim up. Max, I didn’t ever do that. You have to believe me.’

Her lovely green eyes pleaded with him. In his heart, he knew she wasn’t lying. And even if she had been, he was not going to lay any blame at her door for the sort of life that no young girl should ever have to experience.

‘Of course I believe you,’ he said gently.

‘They had guns and started robbing stores. Ned got greedy. Every time they got away with it, he wanted more. Then one day, while we were walking through town, he saw this.’

She reached into the rucksack and pulled out a small black velvet box. She put it on the table and left it for Max to open. He was shocked to see a man’s diamond ring nestled in its velvet holder. He lifted the box and looked more closely at it. He was no expert, but his every instinct told him this was a valuable piece. He closed the lid and turned the box over. The jeweller’s name almost leaped out at him.

‘This is from that hold-up last year. The one where—’

‘—a cop was killed.’ Tia finished the sentence for him. ‘Yes, it is.’

Max remembered the incident. He was a cop, and any crime where another officer was killed struck home with great force. The hold-up had taken place at the very end of the business day. Three men; all armed. The local beat cop had just happened to walk past in the middle of the hold-up. He’d tried to stop the robbery, and lost his life. The reports said the killer had laughed as he walked out of the door.

‘I was there, Max. Ned made me go with them to grab as much jewellery as I could, then carry it while the others took care of the staff and witnesses. I wasn’t part of the shooting. I didn’t know that was going to happen.’

‘I saw the reports. They were looking for three men, all armed, and a female accomplice. That was you?’

She nodded. ‘One of the men was Ned. He was the one who did the shooting. He was proud of it. Boasted about it. Thought it made him such a big man. That’s when I knew I had to get out. I waited for my chance and took off.’

‘Why did you take the ring?’

‘I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want him to have it.’

‘So you stole the Harley and took off?’

‘That wasn’t the only thing I stole.’

Tia reached into the rucksack once more. Max heard the rustling of the plastic bag, but it wasn’t until it was lying on the table in front of him that he realised what he was looking at.

‘This is the gun that killed that constable,’ he said.

‘Yes. It’s Ned’s gun. I put it in a plastic bag to preserve the fingerprints, or whatever. I thought if he ever found me, I could trade this and the ring. Give it back if he promised to let me go.’

Max carefully picked up the gun. He looked at it through the plastic. The safety was off. He weighed it in his hand.

‘This is loaded?’

‘I guess so. I don’t know anything about guns. I just took it and threw it in my bag. I didn’t ever want to use it. Or even look at it.’ Tia took a long slow breath. ‘I guess Ned saw that piece in the newspaper and came looking for me. Just when I was starting to think I was safe from him. Not that I regret helping find little Renee, but I wish that reporter had used a different photo.’

‘But it’s good that you’ve told me,’ Max said. ‘You really can’t spend the rest of your life running from this guy. And carrying all this with you.’

‘I know I can’t.’ Tia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if she was pleased to have finally broken her silence. ‘So what happens now? I guess you arrest me.’

‘No!’ The word came out far more vehemently than Max intended. He paused for a second to calm himself. ‘You are not the criminal here. You’re a victim. And you’re a witness too. You need to give evidence against him. Then we can put him away and you’ll be safe.’

‘Really?’ The question in her eyes almost broke his heart. Max got to his feet and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, as if he would never let her go.