Outback Blaze, page 29
Mrs O’Neil being her usual kind self was one thing, but Mrs Brady’s turnaround surprised Ruby so much her tears ceased. ‘Thank you,’ she said, taking a tissue and patting it over her damp cheeks. ‘I’m just being pathetic.’
‘Good God, don’t be ridiculous,’ Mrs Brady tsked. ‘Even Lucifer would cry if he’d been through what you have lately.’ Then she leaned in close to Ruby and Mrs O’Neil. ‘By the way, did you hear about that Ryan Forrester?’
Ruby snorted into the tissue, trying to stifle a giggle. Even in dire situations some things never changed. She could hold a grudge against Mrs Brady for her earlier unkindness, but what would be the point in holding on to such animosity? Mrs Brady and the other local busybodies were what they were and deep down Ruby didn’t think they meant any harm.
‘Thanks again for the tissues,’ she said, placing the dirty ones in her bag to dispose of later. ‘I guess I’d better finish my shopping.’
‘Yes, dear,’ Mrs O’Neil and Mrs Brady said in unison.
‘Will we still see you on Friday at the Spring Festival and Undies meeting?’ added Mrs Brady.
‘I wouldn’t miss it.’ Ruby nodded and then hurried down the aisle, leaving the two old ladies to discuss poor Ryan’s mating habits.
After finishing her shopping, Ruby loaded the bags into her boot and then popped across the road to check her post. Most of it was for her parents and she shuddered as she wondered what the hell to do with it, but a small postcard in amongst the bills intrigued her. She took the whole pile back to her car and then examined the front of the card – camels on a beach in Broome. She turned it over and read the brief message.
Dear Ruby – I hope this card finds you well and happy. As I mentioned in an earlier letter I’ve finally embarked on a trip around this great country of ours. I still watch the news every night but other than that I enjoy the sights and look forward to a time I will see you again. I’m well and glowing from the lovely weather up here. Will write again soon. Love lots your Aunty Sybil. xx
‘Aunty Sybil?’ Ruby frowned at the strange postcard, racking her brain for any recollections of an Aunty Sybil on either side of her family. She’d definitely never received the earlier letter mentioned. Coming up short, she peered down at the handwriting, which although not exactly familiar, did look a little like… her mother’s. Her heart stopped, her mouth gaped open and then slowly, as realisation dawned, a smile stretched across her face.
‘Mum and Dad.’ Her mouth went dry as another tear, this time a happy one bubbled in the corner of her eye. They hadn’t forgotten her. They were in Broome or, she glanced at the postmark, had been three days ago. But what was the reference to the news? Did it mean they were watching for news of the fire? Waiting for the real culprit to be uncovered so they could return home without the threat of punishment hanging over them?
Oh, if only she had some way of contacting them. It pained her that she couldn’t tell them about Riley. Drew was certain his death was somehow related to the fire and she had faith he would find the connection and clear her parents’ names. It sounded like once that had happened they would come home but until then she guessed her father wanted to keep her mother away from the stress. Although she thought them a little misguided, she could also understand his motivation.
Ruby tucked the postcard in among the other envelopes and then started back home. It would be strangely quiet there without her horses and maybe that’s why she found herself turning in at the police station. No guarantees Drew would be there but she wanted to see him, and could use the excuse of asking if they’d made any progress with Riley’s case.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Drew looked up at the sound of the station door opening and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Ruby. His first thought was wondering where she’d put Roxie because it had become clear over the weekend she didn’t plan to let the horse out of her sight. His second was that her usual flower was still absent from her hair. Still, she was certainly a better distraction than the other locals he’d been dealing with this morning; it felt like every member of the Neighbourhood Watch had been in to question him about the sudden rise in crime. The fire was bad enough but Riley’s death had set off the kind of paranoia among the locals that Drew wanted to nip in the bud.
‘I was just about to call you,’ he said, standing. He shot Mike a look that told him to make himself scarce and the other officer went to sit at the computer.
‘Have you got news?’ Ruby asked, hope in her face and voice.
‘Yes. It’s not much but it’s a start.’ He lifted the hatch that made an opening in the front desk. ‘Do you want to come in so I can give you an update?’
She nodded and he ushered her through into the sterile and small staffroom. He made her a coffee, then sat two full mugs and the biscuit tin on the table.
‘They’re Mrs O’Neil’s Anzacs,’ he said, not about to admit how much he’d come to look forward to the older woman’s weekly deliveries. Such visits were one part of small town life he could easily get used to. ‘I think she’s trying to make us fat.’
Ruby smiled but failed miserably in appearing interested. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to get to news.
‘What have you done with Roxie?’ he asked. ‘Mike said he saw you driving her down the main street earlier.’
‘I’ve left her at Adam’s farm. He’s promised to look after her until we think it’s safe to bring her home.’ She looked glumly into her mug. ‘Don’t know what I’m going to with myself without them to look after.’
He reached out his hand and held hers. He was glad Roxie had a safe house for a bit, not the least because his back ached from two nights spent sleeping in a shed. ‘Hopefully you can bring her home soon.’
‘You said you had a lead?’
‘The blood results came back. Riley was killed with a barbiturate called Nembutal. It’s known as the suicide drug of choice and is illegal in Australia.’
Ruby covered her mouth with her hand. ‘So he wouldn’t have been in pain?’
‘No. Sally said its routinely used by vets so we’re either looking for someone who had access to a veterinary clinic or someone who illegally imported the drug. I’ve done a bit of research and Aussies have recently been buying this drug online relatively easily. Federal authorities are trying to crack down, but it’s a possibility our murderer got hold of the drug this way.’
Ruby’s shoulders slumped. ‘I still can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing. Have you got any ideas of who it might be?’
‘I wish I did, but this is the first step. I’ve spoken to the cop heading the Nembutal enquiry about possible leads and Mike and I are contacting every vet clinic in Western Australia to see if anyone has had Nembutal stolen. I won’t stop until I’ve found this person, I promise.’
‘I know. Thank you.’ She squeezed his hand.
‘Drew!’
He gritted his teeth and turned to the sound of Mike’s voice at the door. ‘What is it?’
Mike was frowning, his hand over the mouthpiece of the station’s portable phone. ‘It’s the police commissioner. He wants to speak to you.’
A cold chill came over Drew’s body and he failed to keep the surprise off his face. Could this be the call he’d been waiting almost three months for? Standing, he found his legs a little shaky as he crossed the room and took the phone from Mike. Nodding at his colleague, he turned to Ruby, ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’
Drew walked to the other side of the station, out of earshot. ‘Hello, Constable Drew Noble speaking.’
‘Connor.’ The police commissioner, a personal friend of Drew’s boss back home, made himself known and Drew was surprised he could hear a word the other man said over the thumping of his heartbeat in his ears.
When he hung up the phone five minutes later, he was in a state of shock. His hands shook as he placed the phone back in its charger cradle and turned to face Mike and Ruby who were standing in the doorway of the staff room. Even if he’d spoken loudly enough for them to hear his side of the conversation, what he’d said would have given them little idea of the magnitude of the conversation he had had.
But as he looked at Ruby’s confused face the reality of his situation rammed home hard. The head honcho of the gang who wanted him dead had been caught, meaning the last of the thugs were behind bars and he was free to return to the UK. And he was expected to so that he could stand witness at the gang leader’s trial. His time in Australia was over. He should have been ecstatic, but all he could think was that he’d failed Ruby. He hadn’t found the arsonists or located her parents and he hadn’t found the bastard who’d killed Riley. Just as he’d hated stepping away from the gang war case in the UK, he couldn’t bear the thought of going home with so many questions left unanswered.
‘Drew, are you okay?’ Ruby crossed the room and stood in front of him. ‘What was that call about?’
He swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘It’s nothing, I’ll tell you later.’ This simple thought set every nerve-ending in his body on edge. He stepped past her, unable to meet her gaze. ‘Look, I’m going to have to get stuck back into this Nembutal investigation. I’ll see ya later, okay?’
That was a brush off if ever Ruby had seen one and she spent the whole afternoon wondering what that phone call from the police commissioner had been about. She didn’t know much about police rankings but something told her a call from the WA big wig wasn’t an every day occurrence. Was it something to do with her parents? The fire? Was that why Drew had been so reluctant to take her into his confidence? Or maybe he hadn’t wanted Mike to know? Maybe he was in trouble?
Sitting at her kitchen table, a mug of Milo at her side, she glanced down at the postcard from her mum, hesitant now about whether or not to share it with Drew. Sleeping with him, sharing her nights in his comforting presence, had kind of made her forget that when push came to shove he was a cop.
‘Oh dammit to hell!’ Using language she usually abhorred, she shoved back the kitchen chair, emptied her Milo in the sink and went to hide the postcard. When Drew came over she would ask him outright what that strange call had been about. She spent the next few hours pacing the house and when the time passed that he would usually arrive, she started to wonder if maybe he wouldn’t come tonight. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about his phone call from the commissioner made her uncomfortable. A sense of dread bloomed in the pit of her stomach and she tried to tell herself she was overreacting, that after everything that had happened the last few weeks she was starting to expect the worst – with everything. All the reasoning in the world failed to calm her.
When she finally heard Drew’s motorbike purring up the driveway, she flung open the door. If she’d meant to tread carefully, that plan flew out the window when she saw the look on his face.
‘Don’t mess with me, Drew,’ she said, folding her arms as he stepped inside the house. ‘Was that phone call about my parents?’
‘What? No.’ He shook his head and shrugged out of his jacket, placing it on the side table. ‘Have you cooked or do you want me to whip something up?’
She almost laughed at the idea of him cooking. ‘I think we’re all out of peanut butter. What’s going on, Drew?’
‘Let’s go sit down.’
They traipsed into the lounge room. He slumped on the couch and she perched next to him, unable to relax. ‘There’s no easy way to put this and I feel terrible to be leaving you in the middle of all this fire and Riley mess, but I’ve…I’m going back to England.’
‘What?’ She’d been imagining all kinds of horrors but not this. ‘I don’t understand. You’ve only been here three months.’
He nodded. ‘It was never meant to be forever.’
‘Now I’m really confused. What do you mean? You said you decided to move to Australia because you were jaded and wanted a change. It sounded long term to me.’
‘I lied.’
Those two words were like a slap in the face, but she forced herself to remain calm, knowing he had to have good reason. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Have you got any whiskey? Anything strong?’ The pain in his voice helped to calm her. It appeared he wasn’t finding this conversation any easier than she was.
She stood and went to raid her father’s liquor cupboard, pouring two big glasses of Jim Beam. He took a long sip but she kept her glass cradled in her hands.
‘You know how I told you my cousin was involved in drugs,’ he began eventually.
She nodded.
‘He was a member of a pretty dangerous street gang called the Torchers. When he died in prison the gang went pyscho and started a terror campaign against the friends and family of the person who’d killed him and also against me because they blamed me for putting him in there. My team worked hard to get the whole gang behind bars but they seemed to be continually one step ahead of us. They had an arsenal of weapons between them and weren’t afraid to use them. A number of civilians died and I started getting death threats at home and at the station. Although there were many other officers on the case, the vendetta was clearly against me. When they set fire to my house one night and I narrowly escaped, my superintendent got it in his head they should pretend I didn’t escape. They wanted to fake my death and put me into witness protection.’
‘Whoah. That’s…heavy.’ The word didn’t seem nearly sufficient but she couldn’t think of anything else.
Drew nodded. ‘Yeah and ridiculous if you asked me. But my superiors reckoned that in continuing to pursue the Torchers I wasn’t putting only myself at risk, but the rest of my team and anyone who happened to step into the firing line. When I argued the witness protection thing, they gave me an alternative.’
‘Australia?’
‘Yep. My superintendent is a good friend of the Western Australia police commissioner. He understood I’d go crazy not working and found a job for me here within a few days. It was a fair step down from my usual rank but the best option available to me. Within a week, I was on the plane. The plan was I’d adopt a low profile on the other side of the world until all the gang members were behind bars.’
‘Wow, I didn’t think things like that really happened.’
‘Apparently they do.’ He took another slug of his drink.
‘So the gang members?’ she asked. ‘They’ve all been arrested now?’
He nodded.
Not usually one to drink hard liquor, Ruby needed the oblivion it could offer now. She gulped the liquid, relishing the way it burned her tongue and throat, distracting her from the pain in her heart.
‘So you’re leaving? You’re going back home?’ Her voice broke on the last word and she looked away, not wanting him to see what had suddenly become blindingly obvious.
Sometime in the last few weeks of hell she’d fallen in love with him.
Sure he made her body quiver with the simplest touch but it was the little things that made the thought of living without him impossible to bear. Jonas had damaged her body but in trying to fix her, Drew had damaged her heart. How could she have ever been so stupid as to think she was the type of person that could separate sex from emotion?
His hand on the side of her face jolted Ruby from her thoughts as he turned her to look at him. ‘I’m sorry, Ruby. I hate to leave you at a time like this.’
‘Then don’t.’ The solution suddenly seemed clear. Her heart skipped a happy beat. ‘Let me come with you.’
It wasn’t like there was anything left for her here – her parents were away, her favourite horse was dead and she didn’t trust herself to keep the other one safe. She had no job, only a few friends and wasn’t sure she could stay in Bunyip Bay after all this anyway.
The silence lingered between them as she waited for his answer.
Drew almost said yes. For one split second temptation almost overcame him. How easy would it be to draw Ruby into his arms and tell her he wanted her to come back with him, but sense overruled at the last moment. He wasn’t any good at relationships.
‘That’s not a good idea.’ Despite this being the truth, it took a lot out of him to say the words. ‘My job has always come first. I chose it over family when my cousin was in trouble and if you came back with me, you’d end up resenting me and the job, like everyone else.’
‘But your cousin was breaking the law,’ she argued. ‘It’s your family that were wrong, not you.’
He shrugged. ‘Maybe, but Belinda betrayed me because I couldn’t give enough to our relationship. She reckoned I was married to the job and she’s right. When I get my teeth stuck into a case nothing else matters to me. I forget to eat, I don’t go home, I barely sleep. It’s just who I am. I’m sorry.’ He’d seen so many police marriages end in divorce and didn’t want to become just another statistic.
As much as he’d enjoyed his time with Ruby, he couldn’t let the sympathy he felt for her make him do something that could in time make them both come to resent each other. He couldn’t ask her to move to the other side of the world for someone like him because if he hurt her, he’d never be able to forgive himself.
‘It’s fine.’ She shifted back so his hand fell from her cheek. ‘When do you leave?’
Ignoring her question he moved close to her again. ‘Ruby, what we’ve shared has been amazing, but it hasn’t been real. I’d love to take you away from the horrors you’ve had to deal with but you know me as a small-town cop, when I’m someone else entirely. I’m driven, focused on work at the expense of all else. I wouldn’t be—’
‘Stop. Please.’ She pressed her index finger against his lips and he inhaled the intoxicating scent of her coconut hand cream. ‘You don’t need to explain yourself. You never told me you could offer me more and you’re probably right. Making the decision to move across the world when my emotions are all over the place is a crazy thing to do.’
Although she talked the talk the pain her in eyes was real and he hated to be landing just another disappointment on her. He wanted to say something that would make everything better but his words weren’t magic.
