Making Headlines (20 page)

***

The following night, Rachel stood watching the bopping shadows on the dance floor at the cameraman's party. The music was blaring, underlined by conversation buzzing at fever pitch. Rachel could feel the doof-doof reverberating in her chest. It wasn't her kind
of music and she knew she'd need plenty more to drink if she was going to try losing herself in the sound. Not that she felt like drinking. She was in a reflective mood, and felt distanced from the party pack. And she had to read the news tomorrow night. She balanced three plastic cups and steered her way through the crowd to the outdoor deck. The night-air was still and warm for April, laden with perfume, cigarette smoke, and the scent of sweaty skin.

At the railing she peered through the crowd for Mitch and Kate. They'd all arrived at the party at the same time, along with about a hundred others from various newsrooms in Melbourne to gather at the infamous Teddy Melton's house in Nunawading for his annual birthday bash. He was a senior cameraman and renowned Peter Pan party-boy, famous for his all-night soirees boasting plastic tubs overflowing with alcohol and a large bubbling spa brimming with bodies. People had dressed accordingly. Girls in bikini tops or brief slips posing as summer dresses. The guys mostly wore singlets and shorts. A small group from a film crew wore Hawaiian shirts to set themselves apart from the crowd.

Rachel spied Mitch and Kate chatting at the other end of the balcony. She watched Kate swish her wavy dark hair over her shoulders and laugh at something Mitch said. It made Rachel uneasy. She began nudging through shoulders and damp T-shirts to join them.

Mitch saw her first. ‘Oh, there you are. Was wondering where you'd got to.'

‘It's a battlefield out there.' She handed them their drinks.

‘So what do you think, Rach? Should we join them?' Kate nodded towards the bodies cavorting in the spa. ‘Mitch says he's got boardshorts in his van and there's a pile of bikinis in this tub for anyone to borrow. I'm up for it, if you are?' Kate's eyes sparkled. She put her drink on the balcony railing and began rummaging through the swimwear.

‘No thanks, I've just washed my hair.' Rachel adopted a faux posh voice and flicked her hair over her shoulders. She could hear Helmut's warning about spas echoing in her ears. Not to mention the fact that she'd rather Mitch wasn't exposed to Kate's voluptuous bikini body.

Mitch gave a wry smile. ‘Oh, come on, Rach. Nothing wrong with a quick dip. Could be good for you, let those water jets massage away all your worries.' Was he making fun of her? No, those blue eyes were still gentle.

‘What troubles have you got, Rach? Wouldn't think you had a care in the world,'
Kate sing-songed.

‘Ah, just had a rough day at the office,' said Rachel. ‘Helmut can be hard work after a boozy lunch.'

‘Oh, come on, Rach,' pleaded Kate. ‘It'll take your mind off things.' She dangled two pairs of bikinis in Rachel's face.

‘No, really. Not now. Maybe later.' She shrugged and took a deep gulp of wine.

‘Well, whatever you decide, I'm going to get my boardshorts on.' Mitch swallowed his beer and set off.

Kate watched as he disappeared. ‘My God, he's cute,' she murmured. ‘Glad you guys are just friends.'

Rachel froze. While they shared a house, their busy work schedules meant she hadn't brought Kate up to date.

Kate thrust her cup at Rachel. ‘Take this. I'm going to the van to try on these bathers.'

‘But Kate, I haven't . . .' It was too late. She'd rushed off. Rachel considered her options. Join them at the van and try to get into the party spirit, or be a bystander, watching Kate at her flirtatious best, playing water sports with Mitch. She gazed at the group, laughing and splashing in the spa. One couple was already kissing passionately. It could be contagious. The first option was the obvious choice, despite the unappealing thought of wearing bathers next to Kate.

She dumped their cups on the railing and headed for the van. It seemed to take forever, fighting through the dark masses on the dance floor. She could hear Kate's throaty giggle as she approached. The door was already closed. Heart thumping, she knocked. ‘Hello? Changed my mind after all.'

The door swung open. Mitch greeted her with a wide grin. ‘So glad you could join us. We think Teddy might have provided tiny bathers for a reason.'

Rachel jumped inside. Kate opened a beach towel wrapped around her to reveal a tight bikini top. Her breasts threatened to pop the tiny yellow triangles enclosing them. ‘Watcha think?
Baywatch
here I come!' She squealed with laughter.

‘Lord, that's almost illegal,' said Rachel, her heart sinking.

Mitch thrust a bikini set at her. ‘Here, it doesn't matter if they don't fit. Once we're in the water, no one sees anyway.'

Kate held a towel while she changed. Mitch was already in his boardshorts and she was close enough to take in a faint whisper of his now familiar sea-fresh body scent.
He moved against her to grab his towel, their bodies brushing lightly. Helmut's conversation was fading in the distance and the yearning she'd felt under the hot sun at Bells Beach was stirring.

‘All set?' Mitch grinned at them as Rachel wrapped a towel tightly around her body. ‘Reckon I'm going to be the envy of all the blokes here.'

Kate laughed and took his arm as they walked back to the party. ‘Don't know about that, hon. I think there'll be a few girls who'll want to swap places with us.'

Rachel rolled her eyes, walking a few steps behind them. The night wasn't going to plan. Why hadn't she told Kate about Mitch? When they reached the balcony, she saw their cups, still on the railing where she'd left them. ‘Hey, Kate, bonus! Our drinks. Saves me queuing again.' She handed Kate her glass. ‘Dutch courage before we jump in. Skol!' It was time to rally, to draw out the party girl, however reluctant she may feel.

‘Bottoms up,' Kate cheered and they drank their cups dry.

It must have been her third drink and Rachel was starting to feel the effects. At least it took the edge off the embarrassment she felt about her under-sized bikini.

‘Come on,' called Mitch, jumping in.

Rachel turned her back to the water, dropping her towel at the last minute before stepping quickly backwards into the spa. Nearly slipping, she grabbed onto the edges and flipped her body onto the seat, legs flailing, splashing everyone as she landed. The water surged up, flooding over her head, cascading down her face. At least she'd managed to squeeze in next to Mitch. Kate glided in gracefully next to her.

‘Rachel Bentley, you do know how to make an entrance,' called a familiar voice from across the water.

She wiped her hair out of her eyes and squinted. ‘Ha! Gerard! So predictable.' She looked more closely to see who he was seated next to. A brunette sporting a cropped bob with a round face sat to his right; a stocky fair-headed young man with a pierced ear to his left. ‘Keeping yourself nice, I hope?' she asked pointedly.

‘Ah, the night is young, my dear,' he quipped. ‘And who knows where it will end, what with the smorgasbord in front of me here!'

He ducked his head under the water and Rachel felt hands pulling her legs. She tried to shriek but was pulled under. Surfacing quickly, she surged towards Gerard and thrashed the water in front of her so it rose over him in waves. Then the rest of the crowd joined in, everyone squealing and splashing as more and more water heaved onto the deck, wetting the party.

Rachel stopped to catch her breath and felt two arms slide around her waist, a warm chest pressing against her back.

‘See, getting physical can be fun.' Mitch whispered in her ear.

She turned her head and kissed his cheek. ‘With you, I have no doubt,' she said softly, then remembering where she was, pulled away to take a seat and watch Kate and Gerard still splashing.

Mitch sat next to her. ‘Is there a problem?' He ran a finger under her eye to wipe away streaking mascara.

‘Oh, no,' she said. ‘It's just that I was thinking there's a lot of industry types here. You know how they think. About people who work together, going out together. I mean, not that we
are
going out together, but if we
were
. . .' She looked away, biting her bottom lip.

Mitch caught her hand under the water. ‘Rach, look at me.' She turned to him, feeling a hot flush rise up her cheeks. ‘Are you embarrassed to be with me?'

‘Oh my God, no! It's just that things can get complicated when you work together. For both our sakes, I think we should just keep things between us for the time being.'

He dropped her hand. ‘I see. A
secret
liaison.' He gave a strange laugh. ‘Funny that, coming from the girl who was happy to play tonsil hockey with a TV host in front of a fashion crowd.'

She drew a sharp breath. That was unfair.

‘Jesus, what's up with Kate?' Mitch said suddenly.

She was slumped against the wall of the spa, her head flopping into the water, her long dark hair floating like splayed seaweed on the surface.

‘Shit! Kate, are you okay?' Gerard wiped water from her eyes. Her mouth sagged open and her eyelids fluttered. ‘Give us a hand, mate,' he called to Mitch and they lifted her out of the water. ‘Has she drunk much?' he asked Rachel.

‘Only as much as me,' she said. ‘Maybe the spa was too hot for her?'

‘It's not hot at all.' Mitch was grim. ‘It's not that.'

‘Maybe she was drinking at home before she came out,' Gerard puffed as they hauled Kate into a sitting position on the deck.

‘Not Kate,' said Rachel. ‘She's never been a big drinker.'

Gerard shrugged. ‘I'll get some water.'

Wrapping a towel around Kate's shoulders Rachel sat next to her and supported
her. ‘Hey, Kate? Are you okay, hon?' She stroked her cheek, but Kate was unconscious. At least she could feel her breath, warm against her hand.

‘It could be a case of drink spiking,' said Mitch, crouching beside her. ‘You guys left your cups when we went to get changed, didn't you?'

Rachel nodded.

‘It's been happening a lot lately,' he said. ‘We should take her to hospital. I haven't drunk much, I can still drive.'

Kate's head rolled to the side and she was mumbling.

‘Kate, can you hear me? You're going to be okay.' Rachel patted her hand then looked at Mitch. ‘That's a good sign, isn't it?'

‘Let's get her on her feet and try walking her to the van.' He crouched next to her. ‘Kate, can you move your legs at all?'

She rolled her feet from side to side, muttering drivel, her eyes fluttering.

‘Give her a moment.' He looked at Rachel ruefully. ‘Bit of a party killer, eh?'

‘I know,' she said softly. ‘After all this, can we . . . ?'

‘Sure. Few things to sort out.' Mitch nodded, his eyes now warm. Kate stirred. ‘Can you help me walk her to the car or shall we wait for Gerard?'

‘No need to wait.' Gerard arrived back, thrusting a water bottle at Rachel. ‘I've got better biceps.' He winked and helped Mitch pull Kate into a standing position.

Rachel followed the boys as they stumbled through the crowd. The dance floor was heaving. One girl stumbled and nearly fell in front of her. Her dance partner grinned as he caught her and pulled her tightly against his body. The girl slumped like a rag doll, her eyes partly closed, fluttering like Kate's. The man looked familiar, but it was difficult to make him out in the dim light.

‘Come on, baby, dance real close, nice and slow,' he said, rubbing his hands over her buttocks. ‘I've got you, sleepy little sweetheart.' He pushed her up against a wall.

Rachel stopped. She knew that voice. It was Brent Garrison.

She moved closer. ‘Brent, I don't think that girl knows what—'

He spun around. ‘Fuck off, Bentley. Get back in the spa where you belong, slut-bag.'

The look in his eyes almost stopped her breathing. She turned and fled.

On Monday, Rachel walked back into the newsroom from the canteen to see Helmut outside his office, talking conspiratorially with Jeff Clements, the sports producer. He glanced at Rachel, frowned, then pulled Jeff into his office before firmly shutting the door. She wondered if he was disappointed in her newsreading performance over the weekend. After helping Kate through her drink-spiking ordeal, the sleep deprivation had left her a little shaky and she'd struggled through Sunday's bulletin. Sleep itself was something of a luxury these days given many nights were still interrupted by scenes from the bombing that woke her in fright.

Her phone rang. Mother. ‘Darling? Have I caught you at a bad time? Are you in the middle of something?'

‘Hi Mum, sort of, but I can talk quickly. Everything alright?'

‘Fabulous. Had a marvellous weekend with Brian up at Daylesford. But we made sure we watched the news and you were wonderful, darling! Just wonderful! I can't believe it was only your second weekend reading. You look like you've been doing it forever.'

‘Thanks.' Rachel smiled. She could always count on her mother, no matter how badly she performed. ‘It's going okay. Although Kevin still seems to have an issue with me.'

‘Silly man. Oh, well, give him time. I'm sure he'll come around. Are there any other men in your life who are treating you better than him?'

‘Yes, actually, I went on a day trip down the coast with Mitch from work last week.'

‘Oh, that's wonderful! So Kate was right then, saying she thought you liked him? It is more than friends?'

‘Early days yet. Taking things slowly.'

‘I suppose that's sensible. Just don't be too slow. If he's a good catch, someone else could come along and snatch him from under your nose.'

Rachel caught a flash of Kate in her bikini from Saturday night. Her mother had a point. ‘It's okay. I'm working on it.'

‘As soon as you feel comfortable you must invite him over for a Sunday roast. Meet the family and all.'

Almost on cue, Rachel spied Mitch trying to get her attention from an edit suite at the end of the newsroom. She waved back. ‘Will do, Mum. Got to run. Call you soon.'

She walked into Mitch's booth, the last one in the corridor, just as he was making the final cut to her story. He played the package for her to check, then swung around on his chair, a slow smile creeping over his face. ‘Lock the door,' he said.

She did. ‘Because?' She eyed him.

‘Because now I want you to stand against that wall.'

She did as she was told, waiting. He stepped in close, his face close to hers, his breath warm and sweet. He whispered in her ear. ‘Miss Bentley, we have some unfinished business, and I believe we're both tired of the obstacles that keep getting in our way.' He started nuzzling her neck, small nibbles travelling up until his mouth covered hers in a deep kiss. He pulled back, looking intently into her eyes. ‘Would you agree?'

Sinking back against the wall, Rachel's legs felt weak. ‘Absolutely,' she whispered.

He kissed her again. Gently. On the mouth. ‘So here's my plan,' he continued. ‘Now we both know that Kate is fine, let's not worry about anything except enjoying each other's company. How about you come to my place tomorrow night when my mates are away and I cook you dinner instead of going to a restaurant. What do you think?'

‘Sounds perfect,' she said.

He kissed her again, his hands brushing her breasts. Then he pulled back abruptly. ‘Great. Now get back to work.' He returned to his chair, leaving her stranded.

She smiled. Two could play at this game. ‘Don't know if I want to now.' She leaned back against the wall and started unbuttoning her shirt. ‘Maybe we should just do it right here and now. Get that first time awkwardness out of the way.' She was glad she'd worn a lacy bra.

His eyes widened and he jumped up, kissing her urgently and reaching inside her shirt. She slapped his hand away. ‘No, you're right. Should get back to work.' She started buttoning up. ‘See you tomorrow night. Oh, and good job on the story.' She gave him a thumbs-up and slipped out the door.

Sitting at her desk, skin tingling, Rachel was pondering what their date would bring when Julia swept in, flushed and dishevelled.

‘Oh my God, oh my God, you'll never believe what I just heard on the radio!' She dumped her bag and papers on her desk and sat down heavily, huffing and rubbing
her temples.

‘For Christ's sake, tell me,' said Rachel.

Julia's face was drawn. ‘It's Brent Garrison. It's all over the news. Apparently he's up on some date-rape charge from the weekend.'

Rachel froze. ‘Are you sure? I mean, it was actually
rape
he's been charged with?'

‘Of course I'm sure. I heard it about three times. And that would be why . . .' She paused, nodding towards Helmut's office.

He and Jeff were still locked in an intense conversation. A million thoughts ran through Rachel's mind. She put her head in her hands. ‘Fuck.'

Julia drew her chair close. ‘What's wrong? I thought you didn't like Brent?'

‘Of course I don't!' she spat. ‘But you don't understand. I was
there
. At the party. I saw Brent with that girl. I should have stepped in.' She grabbed Julia's hands. ‘I didn't do anything—'

‘Wait, it happened at his house, not at the party, with a group of guys watching. If anyone should have done something, it was them.'

‘But I should at least go to the police, tell them what I saw. I mean, she'll need witnesses.'

‘Don't be ridiculous. How do you even know it was the same girl you saw? And with your profile on the rise, you don't want everyone knowing you were at some notorious party. It'd be in the papers in a second. There'll be plenty of others to give evidence.' Julia turned to her desk to clear a stash of papers covering her keyboard.

‘What I saw was pretty bad. I should at least tell Helmut. Yes, I should see him now. Straight away.' She stood up.

Julia grabbed her and pulled her back down. ‘Now you
are
being stupid. For starters, he's in a meeting with Jeff and doesn't like interruptions. Secondly, after what happened with you at the David Jones parade, the last thing you need is more scandal. At least give yourself tonight to think about it.'

‘No, I really should do this, Jules.' Rachel went to stand but Julia's grip was firm.

‘Listen,' she hissed. ‘I know you're upset, but you're not thinking clearly. Never do something that could affect the rest of your life without thinking it through. Even if you only give it an hour. Not when you're in a tizz.'

Rachel took a deep breath. ‘Okay.' She paused. ‘It doesn't feel right, but I
suppose it won't make much difference if I wait an hour. Mitch was at the party too. I'll ask him what he thinks.'

Smiling slowly, Julia said, ‘Now that's a good idea. So, I guess Kate was right when she suggested Mitch might be more than a friend?'

Rachel's cheeks pinked. ‘Maybe.'

Julia slapped her knee. ‘See? Could have saved yourself a lot of time if you'd listened to me in the first place. I'm right about this too.' She nodded again towards Helmut's office.

‘Fine. Happy to give credit where credit's due. Much as I hate to admit—'

‘Rachel, do you know what time it is?' Gerard interrupted.

She glanced at her watch. ‘Oh shit! I should be in makeup.' She grabbed her phone to dash off before she spun around to kiss Julia on the cheek. ‘Thanks for being right.' Then she sprinted down the corridor. With an update to read in an hour, she knew what the lead story would be.

***

That night Rachel stared at the cup of tea in her hands, wishing it was a glass of wine. Evie and Julia had dropped in to see how Kate was faring. The four girls were gathered in the living room, with Evie fussing around like a mother hen, insisting none of them drink wine in support of Kate's recovery. Which was fine. It was just that the issue of the rape was weighing heavily and Rachel would have welcomed a glass of white. Mitch had agreed with Julia. It was only after Rachel phoned the police media liaison unit to confirm they had enough witnesses that she was able to give up the idea of coming forward.

On the couch, Kate lay her head on Evie's lap as Evie gently stroked her hair. Some soul music played through the sound system while warm baking smells flowed from the kitchen. Julia had taken on Kate's usual role of caterer and had a batch of scones cooking in the oven. A far cry from their usual get-togethers.

Eventually Julia brought in a tray laden with scones, jam and cream and placed it on the coffee table. ‘Dig in, girls. Some good old-fashioned comfort food.' She smiled. ‘And don't think about the calories. If we were drinking wine, it'd be almost the same.' She returned to the kitchen.

‘I couldn't care less about the calories,' said Evie. ‘They smell fantastic.'

Kate sat up. ‘You're right, they do smell fabulous. It's just that . . .' She stared at the scones.

‘You okay, honey?' said Rachel.

‘I'm fine.' She grimaced. ‘Really fine. It's so sweet you're all being so caring, but that's the thing, I really
am
okay. Of course I feel awful about what happened to that poor girl, but I don't need to be treated with kid gloves. Can we just open a bottle of wine? Please?' She looked at them with a slightly guilty face.

Rachel burst out laughing and threw the scone she'd just picked up back on the plate. ‘Oh, thank God! It doesn't feel normal, does it?'

Julia came back into the room with a fresh pot of tea. ‘What are you doing? What's wrong with my bloody scones?'

‘Nothing's wrong with your scones. But you can take that pot back to the kitchen. I'm going to open us a bottle of wine instead.'

Julia looked at Kate. ‘Are you sure?'

‘Course I'm sure.' She shrugged. ‘I didn't really suffer, you know. Apart from a shitty hangover.'

‘Oh, well that's brilliant!' Julia's face brightened. ‘I'll get the glasses now.' She scurried back to the kitchen.

Wiping cream from the sides of her mouth, Evie sighed. ‘It's a bit sad to think we can't get through one night together without alcohol.'

‘Oh, shut up, you puritan. It's only a couple of glasses, and Rachel and I probably need them right now.' Kate pursed her lips stubbornly as Julia came back with the wine and started pouring.

‘It's not like we drink every night of the week,' said Rachel. ‘Although I guess I'll be drinking tomorrow night too when—' She stopped herself, realising she still hadn't broached the subject of Mitch with Kate.

‘When what, honey?' said Kate, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs.

Rachel reached for a glass and took a long gulp. ‘Well, I suppose I should tell you, although I did want to wait. But I guess I'm pretty sure.' She paused and looked at them all staring at her. ‘I'm going over to Mitch's house. I think the friendship has crossed over into something else.'

Kate threw her head back on the couch covering her eyes with her hands. ‘I thought so! Oh God, Rachel, why didn't you say something? Now I feel like a total idiot.'

‘No, no. I should have told you. It's just there hasn't been a convenient time. And I still don't really know where it's heading, except we've had some time together,
and kissed and—'

‘Had sex?' Kate sat bolt upright. ‘Of course you have.'

‘Actually, no,' said Rachel.

Julia raised an eyebrow. ‘So I guess tomorrow night's
the
night, then?'

Rachel threw a scone at her. ‘Of course. I'm selling tickets. Front row at the bedroom window. I expect you all to be there.'

‘Yay,' the girls chorused, laughing and clapping as a scone-throwing fight broke out. Crumbs and cream covered the carpet but Rachel didn't care. Laughter and alcohol was just what they needed.

***

It was a fickle evening. One minute Rachel felt her skin warm from the last of the evening sun, the next, a tingling from the chill of autumn. She walked up the pathway to Mitch's house, regretting not bringing a jacket. But she'd wanted to wear this particular dress—the black one with a zip down the front that she'd worn the night she and Mitch had first danced and flirted. She wondered if he'd remember.

This was the first time she'd visited his home. It was a smart Victorian terrace in South Melbourne. He'd just moved in with two friends, and one lived in a bungalow out the back. The garden was small and orderly, with a potted orchid that looked like a housewarming gift by the front door.

Russet leaves crunched under her feet. She could almost hear her heart pounding. Ridiculous. They were two adults attracted to each other who were probably going to have sex, like a million couples before them. It just felt staged. Then she remembered their kiss in the edit suite, and her breath rose from her lungs in a rush of longing.

She lifted her hand to knock, but the door opened and there was Mitch — all tousled hair and casual, in jeans and grey T-shirt, an outfit that appeared to have taken very little thought. A little
too
casual.

‘Hi there,' he said loudly. ‘Welcome to my humble abode.' Was that an English accent? He made a half-bow and swept his arm before her.

‘Delighted to be here.' Rachel affected a voice as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

‘It's bloody lovely to see ya, gorgeous.' He switched to over-the-top ocker and was doing strange things with his eyebrows.

She started to wonder what role she should be playing, when the expression on his face dissolved.

‘Oh, shit, sorry. What a stupid start. Um . . . come in. Please.'

‘Okay.' She handed him a bottle of wine and followed him in to the lounge room. No music or flowers and regular lighting. A modern, masculine-styled space with a few framed surfing posters on the walls and an L-shaped navy modular couch. At least a tantalizing smell wafted in from the kitchen.