Little Girl Lost (21 page)

Tia caught her breath as she saw the sign saying Coorah Creek. In a few minutes she would be home. Home? Yes, she decided. Home.

After so many years of living on the streets or sharing a place with members of a gang, she had lost touch with what ‘home’ really was. But she knew now. Home is where the people you love are. Home is where the people around you love you too. Home is a place where people want to help you, not hurt you. It’s where you are safe. Coorah Creek was her home and more than anything in the world, right now, she wanted to be there with the community who had taken her in. With the friends she had made and the job she was proud of. And with Max.

The policeman in the seat next to her had talked pretty incessantly on the long drive down from Mount Isa, mostly about the capture of the infamous cop killer two weeks before and the evidence Tia would give later this year at the trial. And he’d talked about his admiration for Sergeant Max Delaney – the man who had single-handedly captured one of the state’s most wanted men.

Tia could have corrected him and told him that, in the best Coorah Creek tradition, others had been there, helping Max even if in an unofficial and totally unexpected way. But she didn’t. She’d told the story of that night more than enough times during her stay in the Isa. She had made statements and been interviewed by police both local and from Brisbane. She’d spent the first few days living in fear that she would be charged with some crime. After all, she had stolen a gun used in a major crime, and a valuable ring and a motorbike. There was also the possibility she could be charged for something she’d done in those dark days with the gang. It had taken her a little while, and a few days at a nice hotel at the police department’s expense, to realise that she was a witness, not a target. And something of a heroine as well for her role in the capture. She wondered where that idea had come from. Perhaps from Max.

She hadn’t seen him since that night, nor spoken to him except for one very brief phone call. She guessed he too had been giving statements and filling in paperwork. She wondered if his superior officers had deliberately kept them apart. Possibly. She also wondered if he had helped ease her way. Probably. She was grateful to him for that.

Now she was coming home and would see him again. Every part of her quivered with anticipation.

‘It’s not exactly a thriving city, this Coorah Creek,’ the policeman next to her said as they drove slowly down the main street. ‘Must get a bit boring.’

Tia felt herself bristle. ‘It has its good points,’ she replied. The very best of those good things was waiting for her at the police station just down the street.

‘I guess so,’ the constable said uncertainly. ‘Still, I imagine Delaney will be glad to get out of here and back to the city.’

Tia turned slowly to look at him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, catching Ned Kelly or whatever his real name is. That’s put Delaney’s career on the fast track. There’ll be a promotion in it for him. And a transfer. He’ll probably have a choice of assignment. Lucky guy.’

Every one of those words felt like a slap in the face for Tia. Max was going to leave? Go back to the city and leave Coorah Creek behind?

Of course he was. How could she not have realised that before? He must have ambition. He could do so much better than a small town posting. He spent most of his time in Coorah Creek taking the occasional drunk off the streets, sorting out a domestic row and booking passing motorists for speeding on the highway. The rescue of Renee Haywood and the arrest of a cop killer must have fuelled his desire for a more exciting and fulfilling career. Coorah Creek didn’t have much to offer him.

And neither did she. The past two weeks of questions and statements had brought back so much of her past. Most of it was now in the police reports. The squats. The stealing. The men. Max would have read the reports. He would know all about her past. Tia lifted her hand to gently rub the skin on the right side of her chest, just below her collarbone. It was still a little sore. Three days ago, she had begun a series of treatments that would remove the tattoo. She had hated the idea that she would be forced to look at that reminder of her past every day for the rest of her life. She hated the idea that Max would look at it too. She’d seen the look of horror on his face when she had shown him what it was: Ned Kelly’s brand on her. But removing the tattoo couldn’t erase all that she had done. She knew that. And what would a man like Max, an honest cop with a bright future ahead of him, want with someone like her?

Her driver parked the car outside the police station and got out. He headed eagerly up the stairs. Tia followed more slowly. When she entered the station, the first thing she saw was Max. He was shaking hands with the constable. The younger man was looking at Max with something like hero worship in his eyes. In her mind, Tia saw the weeks and months ahead, as Max forged his new career. Leaving her alone at Coorah Creek.

Then Max saw her. His face lit up and he crossed the room swiftly. For one moment Tia thought he was going to kiss her. Or at least hold her. But he didn’t, he stopped just out of arm’s reach.

‘Tia.’ Her name sounded so good on his lips.

‘Hi, Max.’

A heavy silence settled in the room.

‘Constable, I guess you need a break and something to eat before you head back.’ Max glanced across at the uniformed officer who was watching them both closely. ‘Why don’t you head across the road? The pub is the only place in town to eat. Tell them to put it on my tab.’

‘Okay.’ The young officer sounded disappointed. He had no doubt been looking forward to spending some time with his new hero. Maybe hearing more about that big night. But he left.

An instant after the door closed behind him, Max stepped so close that Tia could almost hear his heart beat.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked, studying her face. ‘I am so sorry you had to go through all that. But in the end, it’s going to be better to have it over and done with.’

‘I’m fine,’ she said. The words came out as a whisper.

Max hesitated for half a second and looked around him. The police station was empty, but he frowned and shook his head.

‘There’s something I have to tell you,’ Max said in a serious voice. ‘But this isn’t the right place. Come on. Let’s get out of here.’

He grabbed her hand and almost dragged her out the door and around the side of the station. The door of his workshop was open. He led her there and then he dragged her into his arms and kissed her. It was a hard brief kiss, then he stepped back and slowly looked her up and down.

Here it is, Tia thought. This is where he tells me he’s leaving. She didn’t trust herself to speak. She just waited, her eyes fixed on his face.

‘Before we go any further, there’s a few things I have to say. First, you need to know that I have seen all the paperwork and read all the interviews you gave.’

Tia’s heart sank. If he knew all that … Knew all the things she had done. Knew about the men. There was no way he would ever want …

‘And I want you to know that it doesn’t change the way I feel. No. I’m wrong. It does. It makes me more in awe of your strength. And it makes me love you even more, if that’s even possible.’

Tia’s breath caught in her throat.

‘I want you to know that you never have to hide any of that from me. And whatever you need to get past what happened, I am here for you. I want you to be in my life, and I won’t take no for an answer.’

Tia felt the tears begin to run down her cheeks. But for the first time in a very, very long time, they were tears of joy.

‘And I have a confession to make.’ Max took her hands in his. ‘With all the paperwork and so forth involved in the case, I did something … well, I probably shouldn’t have. But I thought …’ He hesitated as if uncertain, then continued in a rush. ‘I traced your mother through the police system. I know where she is and how to contact her. If you want to.’

Tia almost staggered with surprise. ‘My mother?’

‘I saw the Christmas card in your bag. The one you have kept all these years. I wasn’t sure how you felt or if you would want to find her, but I thought that maybe you did, and that was why you’d kept the card. She’s still living in Brisbane.’ His voice trailed off as he waited for her reaction.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ Tia said. ‘I think about her sometimes. But I didn’t want to go back in case he was still there.’

Max smiled. ‘He’s not. Your mother now works with a charity that helps troubled teens and runaways. She lives and works at a shelter where the kids can go to be safe. She’s never stopped looking for you, Tia.’

‘I … I don’t know.’

‘There’s no rush,’ Max said. ‘I just wanted you to know that you can get in touch with her if you want to. And I’ll help you. Go with you if you want me to. Everybody deserves a second chance.’

Tia was beginning to understand a lot about second chances. ‘I can’t believe you did that. For me. Thank you,’ she said in a tiny voice.

She meant it. She was grateful to him, and not just for finding her mother. She was a different person now. She would never forget her past, but she was no longer afraid of it. She was stronger than she had ever been. She had found herself again, and she had Max to thank for that.

Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. She pulled away again before he could react, and made as if to step back. To put a safe and proper distance between them while she was still able to.

For a long moment, Max studied her face, and then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. It was a long, deep kiss; a kiss designed to chase away the fears and uncertainties of the past weeks. It was a kiss filled with passion and joy. He tasted so good. She kissed him back with all the longing and love she had to give, knowing as she did that she would have to let him go.

When at last they broke apart, there were tears in Tia’s eyes.

Max reached up and gently wiped them away.

‘What’s wrong?’ he said.

It was so hard to form the words, but she’d had a lifetime of lies and half-truths. It was time all that stopped.

‘The constable. He said you were leaving. It’s great that you have a promotion and all that, but I … I wish you weren’t going.’

‘Do you really?’

Her heart leapt as a beautiful smile spread slowly across Max’s face.

‘Of course I do.’

‘That’s a good thing. Because I’m not going anywhere.’

She struggled with the words. ‘But your promotion? Your career? Isn’t that what you wanted?’

‘Maybe once. But not any more. Everything I want is right here.’

He kissed her again and this was a kiss filled with promise. It seemed to Tia as if their hearts were beating in time with each other.

‘In fact,’ Max said when he let her go. ‘There is something I have been dying to show you. Come on.’

He turned to the big table in the centre of the workshop and unrolled some large sheets of paper, pinning the corners down with tools. Tia leaned forward to look at a pencil drawing.

‘House plans?’

‘My Inspector was here for two days, looking at the trailer and questioning people. He’s a good officer, but all I wanted to do was get in the car and drive to the Isa. Then he ordered me to stay away from you while they questioned you. It was hard, but he was right. This was the only thing that stopped me going mad.’ He grinned. ‘I decided it was time to actually build that house I’ve been thinking about. This is just a rough idea. We can add or change anything you want to change. I’d like to do most of the work myself. Jack and some of the others will help me out when I need it. It will take longer than hiring builders, but it will make the place more truly ours. And look …’

He was like an excited boy. He almost bounded to the back of the shed to pick up a large heavy wooden panel. Like the other wood that Max carved this panel was pale with age, but in places a richer colour shone through where he had been carving. In those darker shadows she could discern the shapes of birds and animals beginning to emerge.

‘I spent a lot of time remembering the time we spent together during the search. What you looked like walking back into that camp with Renee in your arms. So I started working on this. It’s sort of a reminder of those two days in the park. I thought it might look good over the front door. Or maybe over the fireplace.’

Her head was spinning so much, Tia focused on the one thing that jumped out at her.

‘Fireplace? Max, this is Queensland. Queensland. It’s always thirty degrees or more. We don’t need a fireplace.’

Max stilled. His eyes shone as he looked at her in a way that made her feel like some sort of goddess, right down to the tips of her toes. ‘You said “we”. Does that mean what I think it means?’

She started to nod, but before she could finish the move, she was in his arms again. The kiss seemed to last forever.

They were finally pulled apart by a long loud blast from an air horn.

‘What’s that?’ Tia said.

‘Come and see. If it’s what I think it is, the town is in for a surprise.’

Max took her hand and led her out of the workshop, past the police station and into the small patch of pale green grass that was Coorah Creek’s tiny town square.

A large blue and white truck had just pulled up at the edge of the square. Both doors opened. Pete leaped down from one and Sarah from the other. Sarah’s face broke into a grin and she darted across to wrap Tia in a hug.

‘It’s so good to have you back,’ she said. ‘Are you all right? Max told us you were just answering questions but I was worried.’

Tia returned her hug. ‘It’s good to be back. And I’m fine.’

Sarah took a half step back and looked from Tia’s face to Max and then back again.

‘You really are, aren’t you?’ Sarah hugged her again. ‘I want to hear details. Every single detail,’ she whispered.

Tia started to blush. ‘And what about you?’ she said under her breath.

Before Sarah could answer, Pete appeared at her side.

‘Hi,’ Pete said as he too gave Tia a hug. ‘Welcome home.’

When he let Tia go, he dropped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders and pulled her close. There was something in that casual gesture that told Tia everything she needed to know.