arduous hours. When the investigation into her cousin Ally’s kidnapping was on, it seemed like she hadn’t been home for days. And now this David, also a detective, was in charge of the murder investigation.
Fear threaded through her. Someone had been spying on them. She knew her mother was concerned, because she’d warned–no, ordered her–not to stray away from the house, to keep away from the windows at night and not to walk in the paddocks with the dogs. Why should she hide because some looney sat on the hill acting like a dickhead? She’d pretty much managed to push the shooting of the Harlow man to the back of her mind, but it kept returning to make her sick to her stomach. And then the old lady’s murder would come back to choke her. At night, she would start out in her bed, but inevitably scuttle in with her mother.
She left the cows, walked the short distance back to the house, wiped her sticky fingers on a wet dishcloth as she passed the sink and stood in front of the mirror in the dining room, assessing her appearance, coldly and clinically in the dim light. Will he like me when he gets to know me? ‘Maybe not,’ a small voice inside reminded her. Their father hadn’t seen them for years, so did that mean he didn’t like them? Had never liked them? Perhaps going to see him might be more trouble than it was worth. Brit’s heated, stubborn reaction hardened Marli’s determination to hear his side of the story. A teacher at school told them, ‘There’s one truth, another truth and the real truth, which is somewhere in between.’
She would see David and listen to his version, but couldn’t wait for him to ring. They’d know of his whereabouts at the police station and she’d chase him down from there. She looked out the side door and saw her mother digging vigorously in the vegetable patch nearby, an enthusiastic audience of dogs scattered on the lawn, waiting for something exciting to happen.
‘Mum? I’m going to the library. Do you want anything brought back from town?’ If she really went to the library, then it wasn’t lying if she did something else as well. She didn’t dare say what she was going to do. She would be safe with her father and if he wasn’t available, she would come straight back to the farm.
As her mother straightened and turned, Marli gasped. The morning sunlight picked up Susan’s rich, red hair, turning it into a fiery length of silk, highlighting her glittering, green eyes and turning her skin to pearl. For a moment, Marli felt she was looking at a stranger.
‘Yes, could you take my book back, please? And you can get the local paper if you like and some sliced ham. Take the fifty in my purse. I don’t think we need anything else. I bought milk and bread yesterday. Drive carefully.’
‘I do have my P plate now, mum, so give it a rest will you?’ Marli let her breath out with a great whoosh. Sheesh.
Susan turned back to the garden bed and became “just mum” again, looking like a dag, in tatty jeans and a green t-shirt with hair hanging down her back. Marli raced to her room, selected a white shirt, skin-tight jeans and black high-heeled boots. Her hands trembled with excitement as she slicked gloss over her lips and dragged a brush through her hair. Adam Winslow might be on duty at the front counter as well. She made kissing noises at her rats’ excited faces peering out of their hammocks in search of treats. ‘Sorry guys, you’ve had yoggie drops this morning! That’ll have to do.’
She wasted several precious minutes looking for her mother’s purse, which she found buried under the dog’s blankets on the sofa, then swept up the library book, grabbed the car keys and flew to the garage before her mother could decide to come with her. Her heart pounded as she backed her mother’s car out, turned toward the driveway and sped off down the road. Interrupting David while he was working didn’t bother her. He’d have to suck it up.
‘To hell with
Fear threaded through her. Someone had been spying on them. She knew her mother was concerned, because she’d warned–no, ordered her–not to stray away from the house, to keep away from the windows at night and not to walk in the paddocks with the dogs. Why should she hide because some looney sat on the hill acting like a dickhead? She’d pretty much managed to push the shooting of the Harlow man to the back of her mind, but it kept returning to make her sick to her stomach. And then the old lady’s murder would come back to choke her. At night, she would start out in her bed, but inevitably scuttle in with her mother.
She left the cows, walked the short distance back to the house, wiped her sticky fingers on a wet dishcloth as she passed the sink and stood in front of the mirror in the dining room, assessing her appearance, coldly and clinically in the dim light. Will he like me when he gets to know me? ‘Maybe not,’ a small voice inside reminded her. Their father hadn’t seen them for years, so did that mean he didn’t like them? Had never liked them? Perhaps going to see him might be more trouble than it was worth. Brit’s heated, stubborn reaction hardened Marli’s determination to hear his side of the story. A teacher at school told them, ‘There’s one truth, another truth and the real truth, which is somewhere in between.’
She would see David and listen to his version, but couldn’t wait for him to ring. They’d know of his whereabouts at the police station and she’d chase him down from there. She looked out the side door and saw her mother digging vigorously in the vegetable patch nearby, an enthusiastic audience of dogs scattered on the lawn, waiting for something exciting to happen.
‘Mum? I’m going to the library. Do you want anything brought back from town?’ If she really went to the library, then it wasn’t lying if she did something else as well. She didn’t dare say what she was going to do. She would be safe with her father and if he wasn’t available, she would come straight back to the farm.
As her mother straightened and turned, Marli gasped. The morning sunlight picked up Susan’s rich, red hair, turning it into a fiery length of silk, highlighting her glittering, green eyes and turning her skin to pearl. For a moment, Marli felt she was looking at a stranger.
‘Yes, could you take my book back, please? And you can get the local paper if you like and some sliced ham. Take the fifty in my purse. I don’t think we need anything else. I bought milk and bread yesterday. Drive carefully.’
‘I do have my P plate now, mum, so give it a rest will you?’ Marli let her breath out with a great whoosh. Sheesh.
Susan turned back to the garden bed and became “just mum” again, looking like a dag, in tatty jeans and a green t-shirt with hair hanging down her back. Marli raced to her room, selected a white shirt, skin-tight jeans and black high-heeled boots. Her hands trembled with excitement as she slicked gloss over her lips and dragged a brush through her hair. Adam Winslow might be on duty at the front counter as well. She made kissing noises at her rats’ excited faces peering out of their hammocks in search of treats. ‘Sorry guys, you’ve had yoggie drops this morning! That’ll have to do.’
She wasted several precious minutes looking for her mother’s purse, which she found buried under the dog’s blankets on the sofa, then swept up the library book, grabbed the car keys and flew to the garage before her mother could decide to come with her. Her heart pounded as she backed her mother’s car out, turned toward the driveway and sped off down the road. Interrupting David while he was working didn’t bother her. He’d have to suck it up.
‘To hell with
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