Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (9 page)

'Zoe. I'm glad you could make
it.' Daniel Stanford inspected her as though she was a ghost.

'I can't get
over the fact that you're finally here.'

Zoe smiled.
'I...um. Thanks for seeing me at such short notice, Mr Stanford.'

'Call me Dan.
Everyone does.'

'Dan. I don't
know if you realise. Um...my memory is playing tricks on me.'

'That's not
good.'

'What I mean
to say, I can't remember anything about the night of the fire, or anything
before that.'

Dan looked
over the rim of his spectacles. 'I'm terribly sorry. The mind does play tricks
at times. You're okay now, aren't you?'

Zoe smiled,
crossed one leg over the other. 'I think I am. I'm hoping by moving here, it
will help my memory return.'

'It's a good
move. Your parents would want you home where you belong. As I said earlier,
your parents had a will. It looks like the entire estate is yours
considering...he hesitated as though he was about to add something more,
instead he glanced at the papers sitting on the desk.'

A lump formed
in Zoe's throat. She nodded.

'There is a
considerable sum of money that has been in a trust account for some time.'

He turned the
piece of paper around so Zoe could read the figure. She gasped. 'That...that's
absurd. Are you sure this is right?'

'I'm positive.
It's enough so you'll never have to work again. You can live your life in
luxury.'

'I doubt that.
I'm planning to get the property up and running.'

He raised his
eyebrows. 'I see a streak of your father in you.'

Zoe beamed at
the compliment. 'I'm a jillaroo. I know enough about cattle and breeding.
Actually, everything there is to know.'

'Your parents
would have been proud of you Zoe. The cattle were sold off and that money is in
another trust account, which was your mother's strict instructions in case
there were any problems.'

Zoe widened
her eyes. She could buy all the cattle she wanted. She could buy a new
car...she never imagined...

'We didn't
know where you were. With the help of the police I sent letters to your aunt
Patricia...Mayberry isn't it?'

'Yes, that's
right.'

'There were
never any replies. I tried to call her a few times, no answer or return phone
calls. There was a lot of conjecture going on here in town in those days.'

'Really.'

'The local
police contacted Tamworth police station and they sent out a car to see if you
were living with your aunt. She refused to speak to them. They spoke to a man
who appeared to live with your aunt. He told the police they'd never seen you.
The police also stated there hadn't been a sign of anyone else living at the
house.'

Zoe stiffened.
'Yes. My aunt saw to that.' She recalled the tiny room at the back of the house
big enough for a single bed. Her aunt used to push a cupboard over the doorway
to try to conceal that there was a room. In the early days, she'd push the
cupboard over the door at night in case Zoe had thoughts of running away. No
one knew if she was dead or alive for those first few years except her aunt and
William her partner, who was no better.

When Zoe
turned fifteen, she had no one she could open up to and speak freely with, and
nowhere to run. So she devised a plan that one day would set her free.

'You mean to
say my aunt knew all along about my inheritance?'

'Yes, she did.
She came in here about six months after the fire, after we tried several times
to contact her. She caught me off guard. When I told her everything was left to
you, she didn't take too kindly toward me. Also when I asked her had she seen
you, she refused to answer at first and then told me she hadn't seen you since
you were ten years old.'

'She hid it
from me, hid everything from me and lied numerous times.'

Dan frowned.
'Hang on. I think I'm missing something. You didn't know about your
inheritance?'

'No. I had no
idea.'

'I get it now.
She didn't have any hold over any of the money even if you were dead or alive.'

'Why do you
say that?'

'Your mother's
strict instructions were not to let her sister get her claws on any of their
estate. If something happened to you, it would have gone to charity. I was to
hold the money for twenty years.'

Zoe couldn't
believe it and relief poured through her knowing she'd returned within the time
frame. What would have happened to her if twenty years had gone by? She
shuddered at the prospect.

'My mother
must have had a good reason in doing what she did.'

 'She was a
wise woman, knew her way around financial matters.'

Dan shook his
head and rubbed the stubble on his chin. 'I can't understand your aunt
withholding something like this from you but under the circumstances I gather
she probably thought if she couldn't get her hands on the money she wouldn't
allow you, even though it wouldn't have been yours until you turned eighteen.'

Zoe's legs
felt heavy. 'That about sums her up.'

'All the money
will be transferred into an account of your choosing, with interest. The
interest alone is considerable, especially after fifteen years.'

Her body
numbed.

'You need to
think about making out a will, that is, if you don't have one. Invest some of
that money and take care of your children's future, your husband’s.'

'Oh. I'm not
married and I don't have any children.'

'I'm sorry for
surmising.'

Zoe smiled. 'I
also don't have a will. It wasn't something I thought I needed, seeing I hadn't
owned anything except a rundown ute. I'd like to keep you as my solicitor, if
you don't mind.'

'I appreciate
it. Once you make out a will, I'll feel a lot happier. If your circumstances
change you can always update it at a later time.'

'I will. Thank
you.'

'Before you go
you could take a look over this. Fill it out, and bring it back it. It doesn't
take too long. I'll also need a few signatures and something to verify your
identity. Although I know it's you.' He grinned.

He opened a
drawer beside his desk and rummaged around before pulling out a wad of paper.
'Here it is. It's a will form. Naturally I need to go over it with you to make
sure it's filled out right.'

He passed the
form over to her, and she swept her gaze over it before looking up. 'Thank you.
Um...I have an account but it's in another name.'

He shot her a
perplexed look. 'Another name.'

'My aunt
insisted that my name was Jennifer Bailey. She told everyone, well there
weren't many people about...she told them I was a distant cousin. I had no idea
at the time it wasn't me.' Zoe shuffled in her seat. 'I've applied for a new
driver’s licence, and birth certificate. I expect it to be through sometime
next week.'

'I had no
idea. I'm sorry to hear your aunt didn't treat you too kindly. How about you
come back and fill in the necessary forms when you have the documents? It'll
make it all more legal. In that way I may have found the latest will. I'll give
you a call to let you know when it's located. How about that?'

She hesitated.
'Um.'

'The money
isn't going anywhere. If you need some to tide you over…'

Zoe waved a
hand through the air. 'No. I'm fine. I think I'll do okay.' She pushed the
papers over the desk toward him.

'Sorry for
taking up your time.'

'I don't mind.
It's not as though there's a line up outside.'

Zoe thanked
him and left his office feeling as though she'd be sick at any moment. She knew
her aunt lied about the house burning down, but to lie about her inheritance
was going overboard.

She made her
way down the street toward the coffee shop, the little one she and Jade had
frequented a few times. She sat on the nearest available seat and dropped her
handbag in her lap searching around for her sunglass before slipping them on.

 The waitress
arrived and she ordered a black tea. Zoe couldn't shake the deceit from her
mind and was having a hard time trying to figure out why her mother's sister
would ever consider doing something so dishonest.

And to think
she'd worked for her aunt from sun up to sundown trying to please a woman that
could never be pleased. Zoe had handed over almost all her weekly wage, asking
Mr Patterson never to tell her aunt what she actually earned. The Pattersons
understood. They knew what her aunt was like. She'd dearly love to see them
again, but couldn't chance running into her aunt. Perhaps when things settled
down and a few years had passed she'd take the drive.

***

Zoe didn't
remember the drive home to Montagreen as she pulled up in front of the house.
She glanced about and spotted Jordan's vehicle to her right. As she stepped
from the ute, an occasional banging noise rose from inside the house.

Feeling
drained, she placed her handbag on the dining room table, wandered into the
kitchen and put on the kettle. She was a wealthy woman, or would be soon;
something that would take time to digest. Her mind soared with the
possibilities and she reined back, insisting she take one step at a time,
although she desperately needed a new car. Her lips twitched before edging into
a grin.

'Something has
pleased you.'

She glanced up
on Jordan's approach. He wore a singlet shirt and shorts with a tool belt slung
low over his hips. Talk about knock her senses into orbit. She swallowed,
mesmerised by the way the muscles in his legs were accentuated with each step
he took. Even his tanned arms displayed muscle after muscle. She steadied her
breathing. He was a hard worker. He hadn't stopped since the day he'd started
at Montagreen.

'Sort of.'

He stood on
the opposite side of the island bench.

'You want a
tea or coffee?'

'Coffee would
be good.'

She turned and
prepared the coffee.

'So what's
brought that smile to your lips?'

'My parents
have a will.'

'Was it all
good?'

She turned and
placed his coffee on the island. 'Yes, all good except for my name and the
misplaced newer version.'

'Misplaced?'

'Yeah. Exactly
what I thought. I suspect it will be found soon. Mr Stanford says it's all
mine.'

'I'm pleased
for you Zoe, but what has your name got to do with it?'

'Thanks. Um. I
have to have some form of identification to make my inheritance legal. My aunt
called me Jennifer Bailey. I grew up with that name.'

'Hell. She had
it planned by the sounds of things. No wonder no one could find you.'

'The
Pattersons, the people I worked for, knew me as Jennifer Bailey as well.'

'And you kept
your real name a secret?'

'I didn't know
my real name. It was lost along with my memory, although my bracelet said Zoe
Montgomery. I thought the bracelet belonged to someone else, thought my aunt
gave it to me. She was like that. Giving away things that didn't belong to her.
I think it made her feel good.' Zoe shook her head.

'I overheard
my aunt and William talking about the property, Montagreen. They mentioned the
Montgomery's several times. William said the people of Munna didn't suspect a
thing after all this time. They said my real name, something about I'll never
know. It was the same name as the one on my bracelet. That's when I knew
something was wrong, but I didn't know what.

'I asked Mr
Patterson, the man who owned the property next door, had he heard the name Zoe
Montgomery, but he couldn't recall it. I kept my suspicions to myself until I
saved enough money to get away.'

'Hell. What a
story. So you went with the name Jennifer.'

'I had no
choice. I thought that was my name. Even when I grew older, I didn't know how
to get away from them. I was scared to death, so I did what I had to do to
survive, avoiding trouble. You have to remember they were the only people I
knew, besides the Pattersons. I couldn't just take off. I had no other family.

'I kept to
myself. I was quiet and didn't ask too many questions. After the night I
overheard them, I started getting flashes of a life that didn't make much
sense.' She pushed hair from her eyes.

Jordan shook
his head with scepticism.

'After putting
the facts together, I understand now why she changed my name.'

Jordan studied
her, rubbed his chin. 'Do you have a licence?'

Zoe stared at
him, nodded. 'Not in my real name. Mr Patterson taught me to drive, and I went
to a small town close to the property. It doesn't take much to get a licence in
the bush, as you know.'

'Yeah. That's
for sure. I was asked to drive up and down the street and that was it.' Jordan
chuckled, as though recalling the time. There could be a birth certificate or
something in the filing cabinet. It's a heavy steel cabinet, fireproof as well.
Your father was smart to have kept it.'

'I'll take a
look later.'

Jordan's gaze
steadied over her. 'You've got so much to look forward to Zoe.'

She looked
down, taking a breath before looking up again.

'Hey. You
seemed happy when you first walked in. Is something else bothering you?'

Lines furrowed
across her forehead. 'How can you tell?'

'Your
mannerisms.' His right brow arched.

She picked up
her coffee, made her way around to the table, and sat. Jordan pulled out the
chair beside her for himself, but kept a little space between them.

'It's the
circumstances surrounding the fire, that's all. I've learned a few facts, but
something doesn't sit right. A niggle is telling me something is wrong about my
aunt visiting my mother, but I can't pinpoint it. She also turned up to see the
solicitor six months after the fire. Now that is weird. It was like she was
expecting to get some cash.'