Love Lies Dying (11 page)

Ten

John sprinted up the hallway and found Zoe by the phone in the lounge room.

She turned around with a surprised look on her face.

“What is it?” she yelled.

“Huh?” he said, peering around the room, looking for any sign of trouble.

“Johnny, what’s
wrong?
”

He caught his breath, “I was going to ask you the same question!”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, I saw the front door wide open and the key still in the lock and I thought…well, I don’t know, I thought there was trouble.”

Zoe smiled and walked to him. She hugged him hard and looked up at him.

“Are you my knight in shining armour, here to save me?” she whispered.

“More like your unfit friend in trembling terror.”

She laughed and swatted his chest.

“Don’t worry,” she turned and headed for the bathroom. “I had to rush in because the phone was ringing.”

John looked around the room once more, trying to convince himself everything was fine.

“Really?” he finally said. “Was it Helen?”

He turned to find himself alone in the room. Zoe had gone.

The bathroom.

John’s mind was starting to clear and function properly again. He ran his fingers through his hair.

Calm down,
he thought.
Don’t go all paranoid all of a sudden.

He turned and walked back down the hall and outside once more. He swept his eyes along the street. Nothing was out of place. All looked fine apart from the number of shopping bags scattered around his front lawn.

He hoped no one had seen him make a fool of himself and was even now waiting for a second performance.

Luckily, everything seemed okay.

He walked down to the bags, bent over and picked them all up. He turned and headed back to the front door.

Zoe’s had enough crazies in her life already,
he thought.
Don’t add to that tally now.

He placed the spare front door key on the key holder as he closed the front door. He walked back up the hallway and Zoe appeared at the kitchen door.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“Yeah, why not.” He struggled past her with the bags. “Where do you want me to put these?”

“Just on the bed, near my suitcase,” she said.

“Okay.”

John walked across the lounge room and into the main bedroom. He dropped the bags on the bed, glad to be rid of them, and headed back to the lounge.

Zoe was waiting for him on the sofa. She watched him as he came towards her.

He couldn’t read the expressions on her face; there was no happiness or sadness.

“Well?” he asked.

“That was Helen,” she said in a low voice.

“I gathered that,” he sat down next to her on the sofa and placed a hand on her bare knee, trying to comfort her.

“And?” he said.

“She wants to meet us at five thirty.”

“Ahuh, but did she find anything?”

“That’s just it, Johnny,” Zoe leaned closer to his face. He could feel her breath on his lips. “She didn’t say.”

“What do you mean?”

“She said she couldn’t talk now, but she wanted to meet us at five thirty at the entrance to the Kmart on Elizabeth Street.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Nothing more?”

“Nothing more.”

“She didn’t ask to talk with me?”

“No, she just hung up,” she replied.

John shrugged. He wasn’t surprised. He wondered what he had done with the flowers he had brought home last night. He sighed deeply. He didn’t know why he tried anymore.

“But why at the Kmart?” he asked.

“She said it’s exactly halfway between here and the hospital,” she replied.

John nodded, sat back on the sofa and sighed again.

After a long silence, Zoe turned to face him.

“I’m scared, Johnny.”

He pulled her to him and hugged her tight.

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out,” he whispered.

I’m scared too,
he thought.

They arrived at the car park at quarter past five. Finding a parking spot was easy. The car park was more than half empty, the peak shopping hours well and truly over for the day.

John pulled into a space right in front of the entrance of the Kmart and turned off the engine.

“Well, here we are,” he turned to face Zoe.

She hadn’t said a word as they drove; thoughts and emotions played across her face while she stared out the window and fiddled with her braids.

“Do you think she’s found out anything, Johnny?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Only time will tell.”

She nodded and turned to face him.

“I’m grateful, you know,” she said. “For everything you’ve done for me.”

“That’s okay,” he said.

“I just landed on your doorstep last night and both Helen and you have been so helpful in every way. I couldn’t have got this far without you both.”

She reached over and kissed him on the cheek.

“We’ll help in any way we can,” he said.

She shuddered and rubbed her bare arms with her hands.

“You should’ve brought a coat, you’ll get cold.”

“I’m not cold,” she replied. “Just scared.”

“Don’t be.”

“It’s hard not to be.”

“I know.”

They sat in the car for a few minutes, saying nothing. They both stared at the entrance to the Kmart.

From where they sat they could see some of the staff behind the counters. Occasionally one or two of the staff would turn and stare back out at them.

A small stream of people continued leaving the complex. John watched people head for their cars with parcels in their hands.

Life is so easy for some,
he thought.

He turned to look at Zoe.

She sat staring at the entrance to Kmart. Her breathing was deep and rhythmical, her chest expanding and deflating in a slow, measured action. Her breasts lifted and fell in time with her breath. From side on, he couldn’t see the diamond in her belly button, but he could see the ring that held it there.

Such a beauty,
he thought.
She deserves none of this crap from Fox.

He turned back to watch the entrance too.

John looked at his watch: 5:30.

“What will you do?” he asked her.

She shook her head, “I don’t know.”

“Do you have family somewhere? Or friends?”

Zoe pried her eyes from the entrance and faced him.

“My parents split up when I was little. I lived with my mother. My father just left us. I haven’t seen him for years. I don’t have a clue where he is, and I don’t think I want to know, anyway. My mother got sick and died when I was young.” Her eyes fell into her lap. “We had a funeral and everything,” she continued. “It was horrible.”

John reached over and touched her hand, “I’m sorry.”

Zoe shook her head. “Don’t worry, it was a long time ago. People forget.”

“But the pain never goes,” he said.

“No, it doesn’t. It was one of the worst days of my life.”

“But what about friends?”

“Most of my friends were Ricky’s friends. I’ve got no one else. If I go to them they’ll tell Ricky where I am.”

“If he’s still alive.”

“Yeah, if he’s still alive.”

John took a deep breath.

Here we go,
he thought.
For better or for worse.

“Well, you’ll just have to stay with us until this whole thing blows over,” he smiled at her.

She lifted her head and looked deep into his eyes. Her face changed from a look of sadness to amazement and then happiness.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“I certainly am!”

“But…really? What will Helen say?”

She’ll kill me,
he thought.

“I’m sure Helen will agree with me. You’re safest with us at the moment and you can stay for as long as you like.”

Zoe’s jaw dropped and she jumped in her seat, “Unbelievable!” She reached over and hugged John hard. “You’re the greatest, Johnny,” she said. “I love you.”

“We can’t have you facing all these problems by yourself,” he continued. “You can stay with us until you work out a plan or set yourself up somewhere. I might even be able to pull some strings at work and get you a job part time or something.”

You’re going over the top,
he thought.
Don’t promise her what you can’t deliver.

But it’s Zoe! I can’t
not
help her!

She hugged him harder. “You’re the best, Johnny.”

“It’s the least we can do.”

She sat back in her seat and checked her braids. Her face clouded for a second.

“But why are you doing this for me?” she asked.

“You’re in trouble,” he replied. “Friends help other friends in times of trouble.”

“It could get dangerous,” she whispered.

“You’ve got a better chance with us than on your own.”

“Are you willing to risk all?” she asked, her eyes drilling into him. “Everything you own and everyone you know?”

“Let’s hope it won’t come to that,” he replied.

“It might.”

It’s worth the risk,
he thought.

He didn’t know why he would risk it all for Zoe.

Yes, you do, just look at her!

She deserves better…

You can’t give it to her, you’re already in a relationship.

But I can try and help her.

John looked over to the entrance again and stared back at the staff staring at them. He glanced at his watch. 5:40.

“Where is she?” he said.

“Maybe she’s just late.”

“She shouldn’t be,” John continued. “The hospital isn’t that far from here.”

“Could she have been delayed by something?”

“I doubt it, not from something this important.”

They sat in the car and waited.

At 6pm the police car entered the car park.

John didn’t notice it at first, but as it drew closer it caught his eye. When it pulled in next to them, it really got his attention.

A bulky uniformed officer with dark glasses and a moustache climbed from the car, gave them a sideways glance, and strolled into the building.

“She definitely said the Kmart on Elizabeth Street?” John asked as he turned back to face Zoe.

She nodded, “No doubt about it.”

He sat staring at her and then glanced at his watch again, just to make sure it was 6pm.

“And she said five-thirty?”

Zoe sighed, “Yes, Johnny, she did. I’m not likely to get those two pieces of information wrong. I’m not stupid.”

“Okay, okay,” John eased back. “I’m not saying you are. I’m just double checking.”

“Is there another entrance somewhere? Maybe around the back?”

“Nope, this is it. I’m sure of it.”

“And this is the only Kmart in this area?”

He nodded, “Yep, and the only one on Elizabeth Street, that’s for sure.”

John swivelled in his seat to look out the back window of the car.

The sun was just beginning its descent.

“This doesn’t look good,” Zoe said.

“Maybe she
is
caught up at the hospital,” John mumbled. “Or went straight home or something.”

“But she said five-thirty,” Zoe stared unblinkingly at the entrance. “Five-thirty at the Kmart on Elizabeth Street.”

“Let’s give her a bit more time,” John said.

“Five-thirty…”

“She might turn up any minute and we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“Kmart…”

“And then we’ll blast her for being so damn late.”

“Elizabeth Street…”

The loud rap on the window made them both jump.

Zoe let out a yelp and John’s hand automatically went for the key in the ignition.

He turned and looked out the driver’s window.

Standing above the car was a man in a dark blue uniform. He was wearing dark sunglasses and his moustache twitched into a half smile. One hand was making a circular motion, indicating for John to wind his window down, and the other was resting on his gun that was still sitting in its hip holster.