Little Girl Lost (9 page)

Tia felt a little surge of something that could easily have been pleasure. She quickly thrust it down. ‘You’re not wrong,’ she said. ‘I’d be bouncing off the walls instead of sleeping. And I get a bit cranky when I can’t sleep.’

‘Are you on shift tonight?’ Max asked, his voice still casual.

She could lie. But she didn’t want to. This new life was not going to be based on lies. And some small part deep inside of her was curious to see what Max would suggest.

‘Actually, I’ve got a couple of days off now.’

‘So do I, when I come off shift this afternoon. If I promise to leave my police hat at home, would you join me for that burger at the pub?’

She didn’t hesitate or give herself time to think twice.

‘Yes.’

Sarah felt someone tugging at the leg of her jeans.

‘Don’t be impatient,’ she said looking down. ‘Just give me a minute.’

The response was a long plaintive wail.

‘Yes. Meow! Dinner is on the way.’ She finished opening the can of cat food and spooned some into a bowl. Taking care not to trip over the big ginger animal twined between her feet, she set the bowl down on a tray in the corner of the kitchen.

‘There you go, Meggs.’ She ran her hand along the cat’s back, enjoying the softness of his fur. Meggs didn’t respond. He was far too busy with his dinner.

Sarah put a plastic cover on the open can of cat food and put it back into the fridge. The big bowl of leftover chicken casserole on the top shelf caused her to pause. She’d cooked that for her parents last night for dinner, but neither had eaten much. And nor, for that matter, had she. Her father had been to Toowoomba for his last round of chemo. The side effects of the treatment were really taking their toll. He couldn’t eat, and when Ken didn’t eat, neither did Gina. Sarah was beginning to worry as much about her mother as she did about her father. Ken was seeing doctors and getting regular treatment. He was getting all the care he could. But her mother wasn’t seeing any doctors. She was struggling to handle her worry and the workload, despite Sarah’s help. She’d lost weight and looked so very frail.

There were times Sarah was afraid she was going to lose both of them

No! She took a deep breath and firm control of her emotions. She was not going to even contemplate losing either of them. She pulled the bowl of chicken out of the fridge. She could make some rice to go with it and this time, she’d make sure her parents ate something.

She was reaching for the rice, when the phone rang. Sarah quickly grabbed it, not wanting it to disturb her parents, who were resting in the lounge.

‘Hello,’ she said in a low voice.

‘Ah, Sarah. So glad I got you. How are Ken and Gina after yesterday’s long trip? Resting I hope. It’s such a long way, even if it is by plane and I know Jess is a very good pilot and makes it as smooth a ride as she possibly can.’

‘Hello, Trish.’ Sarah recognised the rambling conversation as much as the voice.

‘So, I was hoping you could help me. We have run out of burger rolls. We’ve been really busy these last couple of days and new supplies haven’t come in yet. I just know you must have some in the freezer at the shop. We’ve got a few people in tonight and it seems every one of them is ordering a burger.’

‘Trish … the shop’s shut. I was about to start cooking dinner for Mum and Dad.’

‘Oh, you are such a good daughter, helping out like that. I’m sure your mum and dad are really glad to have you home again. Although, of course, education is important and I know they are both very proud of you. This will only take a minute and then you can have a lovely evening with them.’

Sarah sighed. She knew Trish Warren well enough to know that there was no way out other than to open up the store and find the burger rolls she needed.

‘All right,’ she said, breaking into Trish’s seemingly unending flow of words. ‘I’ll duck back into the shop and dig some rolls out of the freezer. Come straight over now and I’ll give them to you.’

‘Thank you, Sarah. You are so helpful. But I can’t possibly come over there. The bar is too busy to leave right now. If you could just bring them over here for me. That would be lovely. Thanks, dear.’

Trish was gone before Sarah had time to argue.

Sarah stood and glared at the phone. Trish was a good woman and quite possibly the heart and soul – and conscience – of their small town, but there were times Sarah would gladly throttle her. She put the phone down and went through to the lounge. Her mother and father were sitting together in front of the TV, which was tuned to some cooking show that neither of them was watching. Her mother was asleep, her head cradled on her husband’s shoulder. Ken looked up at Sarah in the doorway and smiled a sad, wistful smile that almost broke Sarah’s heart.

She didn’t want to wake her mother, or disturb this precious time her parents were sharing. With a series of arm movements and silently mouthed words, she indicated to her father that she was going to the pub. He nodded. Sarah decided that she would stay in the pub for a little while, to give them time together. But also she promised herself she would be home early enough to ensure that her parents ate a good dinner. They both needed their strength.

When she went into the store, she didn’t bother putting the light on. Enough light streamed in through the big front windows for her to see what she was doing, and she knew from experience that turning on the light would simply attract more people who had forgotten something earlier in the day, and she’d have the shop open half the night. The rolls she needed were in one of the big freezers along one wall of the store, near the front door. As she walked down the aisle, she looked through those front windows. Pete’s truck was parked on the side of the road just past the store.

She found herself smiling, not quite in the same way she had as a child when she’d seen Pete’s truck. She wasn’t a child with a silly crush any more. Still, her heart still lifted at the thought of seeing him.

Maybe Pete was the one who needed the burger roll. Or maybe Trish Warren was up to her old tricks – well-known matchmaker that she was. Sarah’s hand stopped moving as she was about to slide the freezer door open. Was that such a bad idea? Pete was a great guy. Handsome too. They had known each other for years, and spending time with him was so easy. They already shared a bond and she liked him. She liked him a lot. The thought of letting that develop into something more made her heart skip a beat. Not that she was looking for a permanent relationship. There was too much in her life right now, and her future was still undecided. She was, however, a grown woman who could use a little bit of pleasant conversation, maybe even a bit of flirting, and a chance to escape the tough realities of life.

Not only that, Pete was just a friend and right now she could use all the friends she could get. Sarah dived into the freezer and grabbed a couple of bags of frozen rolls.

As she walked across the road, she was smiling again.

He saw her the moment she walked into the bar. He wasn’t the only one. A man seated at the far end of the bar whistled softly under his breath. Pete could easily understand why. Sarah was wearing jeans that could well have been painted on, with some sort of little lacy top that didn’t quite reach the top of her waistband, exposing a glimpse of the soft skin beneath. Her blonde hair was not caught in its usual long ponytail. It was loose and swayed as she walked, catching gold sparks from the overhead lights.

And for some reason she was carrying a couple of plastic bags filled with something frozen.

‘Hey, Sarah, honey. Can I buy you a drink?’

Pete bristled at the sound of the voice. Who was that? And didn’t he know Sarah was – okay not a child any more – but she was still under the legal drinking age. At least, he thought she was.

‘Thanks for the offer,’ Sarah responded as she breezed past, ‘but Trish is waiting for these. If I don’t get them through to the kitchen straight away … well, how many of you were planning on having burgers tonight?’

She let the question hang and most of Trish’s customers chuckled.

Her eyes caught Pete’s, and she nodded as she went past. His heart did something weird, and he turned back to the beer on the bar.

His heart was not behaving very well at the moment. Nor was his head. He was still struggling with the prospect of becoming a father, and possibly a husband. It was all too obvious that he wasn’t ready, but it was equally obvious that it was coming, whether he was ready or not. Linda had been crying a lot during the past few days. He assumed it was something mysterious to do with pregnancy hormones. He’d tried to make her feel better by taking her shopping, a pastime she’d always enjoyed. That had helped, but all she was interested in these days was baby clothes and toys. He’d tried very hard to feel good about it, but he hadn’t. The baby sections of Mount Isa’s biggest department store had felt like an alien world. Far more alien, for example, than the Coorah Creek store and its new shelf of toys. Perhaps he should drop by the store and buy a present for the baby. But then Sarah and her family would know about Linda and the baby and that thought filled him with something close to dismay.

He was still gazing into his beer when a voice spoke close behind him.

‘Hi, Pete.’

It was almost a caress. He lifted his eyes and turned towards the speaker. ‘Hi, Sarah.’

She slid onto the stool beside him, as Trish’s husband Syd approached from the other end of the bar.

‘Thanks for bringing the rolls over, Sarah. What can I get you?’

‘Just a beer. Thanks, Syd.’

Pete frowned. A beer?

‘What are you frowning for Pete Rankin?’

He wasn’t sure how to answer her. ‘Umm … aren’t you … I mean …’

‘What? Ah. I get it. You think I’m underage. Pete, the legal drinking age is eighteen. Just how young do you think I am?’

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak. How old did he think she was? In his mind she was still a child. But there were those moments when he could feel the pull of a woman at his side. Moments like right now!

‘Don’t answer that, Pete,’ Syd advised as he placed a foaming glass in front of Sarah. ‘Whatever you say, it will be the wrong thing.’

‘I’m twenty years old, Pete,’ Sarah said loud enough for the whole room to hear. ‘And don’t forget, some of those were big city years.’

A rumble of laughter echoed around the room. Pete blinked and frowned. City years? What was she trying to say? Was she implying … Pete tried hard not to blush.

Beside him, Sarah chuckled, a low throaty sound that, more than any words she could have said, told him that she really was no longer a child. Then she lifted her glass and drank her beer like any other adult would.

‘How’s your dad doing?’ Pete asked, desperate to change the subject. She stiffened on the stool beside him, and he wished he’d chosen some other topic.

‘The chemo is really taking it out of him,’ she said in what was little more than a whisper, ‘and the travelling back and forth is hard on both my parents. The last chemo treatment was this week. So now we just have to wait and see.’

‘I hope it will all be okay,’ he said, knowing it was wholly inadequate under the circumstances. What did you say to someone who was facing such a terrible thing? And facing it so bravely. He wondered if she ever cried about her father’s illness. She probably did, but he would bet she did it in private, not to add to the tough burden her parents were already carrying.

‘Thanks.’ Sarah downed the rest of her beer.

They sat in total silence for a few heartbeats.

‘Here’s your burger, Pete.’ Trish appeared holding a plate piled high with food. ‘Sarah, can I get your something to eat? Maybe you’d like a burger too. Or, if you prefer, tonight’s special is chicken Kiev.’

‘No, thanks,’ she said. ‘I have something waiting at home.’

She looked down at Pete’s plate and her face broke into a grin. Pete wondered what it was about his burger and fries that amused her. Not that he cared. He liked to see her smile. She probably didn’t get to do that too often these days. She made no move to leave, and absently stole a couple of fries from Pete’s plate while he downed what was definitely one of the better burgers he’d had for a long while. He wasn’t sure how it was different from any other burger he’d eaten in the Coorah Creek Hotel. It just was.

‘I like your new truck,’ Sarah said. ‘It’s much bigger than the one you used to drive.’

‘It is. Since the mine opened we get some pretty big loads to shift.’

‘Can I have a look inside some time?’

‘Sure.’

‘I remember when I was small and you lifted me up to sit in the cab,’ she said. ‘I was so excited. I thought it was the best thing I had ever seen anywhere.’

‘Of course, you hadn’t had any big city years back then.’ Pete made the joke to see her smile, and she did. At the same time, he wondered again at what those words meant, and just how much Sarah had grown and changed while she was away.

‘No, I hadn’t. You were like some knight in shining armour then. An adventurer. I used to sit on the roof of the store and look for the truck coming down the road.’

‘I bet your parents weren’t too pleased about you being on the roof.’

‘They wouldn’t have been, but they never found out …’ Her voice trailed off and he could almost feel the sadness settling back on her like a cape.

‘I wish I could be that knight for you now,’ he said softly. ‘If there is anything at all I can do to make this easier for you, you know you only have to tell me.’

She nodded. ‘Thanks.’

He finished his burger slowly, delaying the moment when he would have to get back in the cab of his rig and drive away. Sarah seemed content to sit beside him, sipping her beer just as slowly.

He was waiting for her, leaning against the door of the pub, obviously alerted to her imminent arrival by the sound of her motorcycle. Tia pulled up directly in front of him, and turned off the engine. The night seemed unusually quiet without the throb of the Harley’s motor. Max didn’t move. He was waiting for her to alight. From behind the safety of her full-face helmet, Tia took a long look at him. Without his uniform, he was simply a good-looking guy. A few years older than her and, no doubt, a whole heap wiser. In some ways. There were things she had learned the hard way that would most definitely surprise or possibly even shock the lawman.

But he was handsome, and nice. She liked the way he laughed, and she loved the fact that he did all that wonderful work with old wood. Too many people were happy to throw away old or damaged things, even damaged people. This copper was a good man. Fancy that, she thought, as she kicked the bike’s stand into place and began to remove her helmet. She had a date with a good man. That must be a first.

‘Hi.’

At that moment, she decided to stop thinking too hard. She would stop remembering he was a cop and stop thinking about other cops she had known in another time and place. Cops who were so very different to Max. She would forget where she had come from and what she had done. It was time she just let herself enjoy an evening without fear.

‘Hi,’ she said.

Their fingers brushed briefly as they walked into the pub side by side. It could almost have been an accidental touch. But it wasn’t. Tia knew that and she suspected Max did too.

The bar was moderately busy. The first person Tia saw was Sarah from the store. She was sitting very close to a tall man who looked vaguely familiar to Tia, although she was certain he didn’t work at the mine. Maybe she’d seen him around the town somewhere.

Sarah raised a hand in greeting and by unspoken accord, Tia and Max drifted towards the place where she was sitting.

‘Hi, Pete,’ Max said. ‘Do you know Tia? She’s a driver too. At the mine.’

That’s where she’d seen him before; delivering equipment to the mine in the big blue and white Mercedes prime mover that was parked across the road. It looked a lot like he was Sarah’s boyfriend. They looked good together. Kind of sweet.

Tia had a sudden thought. Were people looking at her and Max in the same way and thinking the same thing?

‘Do you want to join us?’ Sarah asked. ‘Pete is just grabbing a cup of Trish’s extra strong coffee before hitting the road back to the Isa.’

Her face was welcoming, but Tia thought she caught a hint of something in Sarah’s voice that suggested she wouldn’t be offended if Tia and Max sat elsewhere. It was a feeling Tia shared.

‘Thanks, but we’ll let you get on with it,’ Max said. ‘Be careful on the road, Pete. I’ve had reports of a lot of roos on the road north. More than we would normally see. They are probably on the move because of the dry weather. There’s been a couple of near misses.’

‘Thanks for the warning,’ Pete said.

Tia and Max found a seat at the other end of the bar. Tia was secretly glad Max had taken this route, rather than a table out the back. This seemed less personal somehow; less like a proper date. She could tell herself it was just two people having a beer. Of course, she might not believe it.

Trish Warren appeared in front of them, her eyes alight with speculation. ‘Well, hello, Max. And Tia, isn’t it? Nice to have you both here. If you’re having dinner, I’ve got a lovely shepherd’s pie. There’s chicken Kiev too. It’s new. No one has ordered it yet. You could be the first to try it. And the barramundi is good. Max, as you’re not in uniform, I guess you’ll be wanting a beer. And you?’ She stopped speaking and looked at Tia.

Tia blinked a couple of times as she caught up with the flow of words. ‘Beer for me too, please.’

Trish moved off towards the taps. Max caught Tia’s eye and winked. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from giggling.

The glass of cold beer materialised in front of her a few moments later.

‘Now, have you decided what to have for dinner? You did see the full menu up on the chalkboard there, didn’t you, dear? Oh, we don’t have any burgers. Plenty of rolls, but no burgers to put inside them.’

‘The barramundi sounds good,’ Tia said quickly to interrupt before Trish could get fully in gear.

‘Steak for me,’ Max said. ‘Rare.’

‘Right.’ Trish vanished again.

‘She’s a bit …’ Tia whispered.

‘She is,’ Max leaned forward to return the whisper, ‘But she’s good people. The best.’

He was very close to her. She could feel his breath on her skin. It made her tingle. She leaned back quickly and reached for her drink. Max did the same.

‘So, how do you like working at the mine?’

‘I like it. The hours are long, but the money is pretty good. And I like being in the open.’

‘It would certainly beat spending all day in some tiny office staring at a computer.’

‘But that’s not what you do,’ Tia said. ‘I seem to remember you on the road late at night, harassing poor motorists.’ She grinned to take the sting out of the words, and his smile showed he understood.

‘You wouldn’t believe the level of crime out here,’ he responded. ‘I’ve had cattle rustlers and horse thieves, that’s not to mention the magpie attacks.’

‘Magpie attacks?’

‘In the nesting season, magpies get very territorial. There’s a pair that always nest in that big gum tree near the store. They tend to swoop down on anyone who gets too close. They’ve never really hurt anyone. But it’s a good idea to wear a hat around them at certain times of the year.’

‘Hats stop them attacking?’ Tia asked, not trying to hide her incredulity.

‘They do.’ Max grinned.

‘Not always,’ Trish added as she passed carrying a meal to someone at the end of the bar. ‘And you, Max Delaney, need to do something about those birds. Nasty thieving things. That was my mother’s favourite teaspoon it took.’

‘What?’ Tia asked as she watched Trish deliver the food.

‘One of the magpies stole a silver teaspoon from Trish’s window ledge last year,’ Max said softly. ‘At least, that’s what she says. Personally, I think she just lost it.’

‘I did no such thing.’ Trish whisked past back to the kitchen, still muttering about ‘thieving black and white fiends.’

Tia felt that giggle start to rise again, and this time she didn’t stop it. Max joined her. Laughing softly, Tia looked into his face, noticing the fine laughter lines around his shining brown eyes. It felt good to be laughing at something as simple as a bird.

Slowly the smile on Max’s face faded, and she caught something else in his eyes. A feeling that stirred a matching response somewhere deep inside her.

‘Here we go.’ Trish was back carrying two plates of food. ‘You’re lucky I haven’t burned yours, Max, after that comment.’ She tried to look stern as she placed the plates in front of them, but her grin gave her away.

Tia and Max didn’t talk all that much as they ate. They didn’t need to. It was probably the best meal Tia had eaten in years. Maybe ever. It wasn’t just that the fish was good; it was the feeling of belonging that had slowly crept over her. It was her awareness of Max beside her, eating with great enjoyment, and still joking with the elderly barmaid. This was how ordinary people lived. People who had never known homelessness or abuse or despair. People who had never run for their lives, or watched a man fall to the floor with a bullet in his chest. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like everybody else. Not set apart by her past. It was a wonderful feeling.

They were finishing the last mouthfuls, when the phone at the end of the bar rang. Trish answered it, stiffening as she listened to the voice at the other end.

‘Max. It’s for you. Dan Mitchell.’ Trish’s voice was clipped and dry.

Without a word, Max left Tia’s side and moved quickly along the bar to take the phone. A silence fell in the room. All eyes and ears were on Max as he listened intently to a voice on the other end of the line. Sarah and Pete, who had been on their feet ready to leave, waited. It was as if everyone recognised that the call meant trouble.

‘How long?’ Max asked the caller.

He listened for another few moments, his frown deepening. Something was obviously wrong. Tia could see this first date was not going to end well.

‘Right. Keep them at the campsite. It’ll be dark by the time I get there. We don’t want them wandering off too.’

He listened for a few seconds more. ‘Good. See you soon as I can.’

Max dropped the phone back and turned to Tia. ‘I am so sorry, I have to go.’

‘What’s happened?’ She was asking on behalf of the whole bar.

‘Remember that motorhome we saw this morning? Heading for Tyangi.’

She nodded.

‘Their little girl is missing.’

The room fell still and silent. Max could feel every eye on him.

‘Not that lovely little girl with the blonde hair,’ Trish said. ‘Oh, the poor thing.’

‘They’ve only been out there a day,’ someone muttered. ‘How the hell did that happen in just one day. Weren’t they watching her?’

‘They didn’t seem to pay much attention to the kids while they were here,’ another voice added. ‘He was too busy asking people about aboriginal art.’

‘City folk,’ Syd offered his harshest condemnation.

Secretly Max felt the same way, but he said nothing.

‘Right then. I guess you’ll need a search party.’ Trish wiped her hands on a cloth as if getting ready to set out immediately.

‘Can I help?’ Tia’s words caught him by surprise a little, but they shouldn’t have. What else would she, or anyone, say?

‘It’ll be dark soon,’ Max said to the room in general. ‘Dan and I will search tonight. We don’t want too many people out there in the dark. But if we haven’t found her by daylight, I’m going to need everyone. There’s a lot of ground to cover.’

There was a murmur of assent around the room.

‘Tia,’ Max said. ‘Can you talk to Chris Powell and everyone at the mine? Anyone who is off shift can help tomorrow. And can you find out what the plane is doing? I could use a spotter up there at first light, if that’s possible.’

‘Sure.’

‘I’ll make some calls,’ Trish said. ‘Get some men on hand for tomorrow. Do you want horses as well?’

‘Not immediately, but it would be good to have them on standby,’ Max said. ‘She can’t have gone that far in a couple of hours. If we haven’t got her by tomorrow evening, we’ll bring in horses and trackers.’

‘You’re going to need water and food for the searchers,’ Trish said. ‘Leave that with me.’

‘And me,’ Sarah volunteered.

‘Thanks.’ The town was already doing what it did best – uniting to help. Max knew that he wasn’t needed here any more. The good people of Coorah Creek would make sure he had the resources he needed. It was up to him to use them wisely.

‘Thanks everyone,’ Max said. ‘I’m going out there now. But there’s not much chance we’ll find her tonight. If Dan hasn’t been able to, no one will.’ He turned to Trish. ‘You said Jack and Ellen are away? When do they get back? I can always use another good man, and he knows the area.’

‘Not for another couple of days,’ Trish replied.

‘Damn!’ Max let the expletive escape softly.

‘Can I help?’ Pete asked. ‘I’ve got a couple of pretty powerful torches in the truck. I don’t know the area well, but I can handle myself in the bush.’

He could too, Max knew. Pete had stopped and helped out at a nasty road accident a few months before. ‘Good. Can you come out with me tonight?’

‘I sure can. I’ll let the depot know that I won’t be back in the Isa for a while.’

‘Do it now,’ Max urged. ‘Once we get out there, there’s no mobile service. There’s a phone at the ranger station, and Dan has a radio, but communications are going to be difficult.’

Max turned and gently touched Tia’s hand. ‘I’m sorry’ he said in a voice for her ears alone. ‘I didn’t expect the evening would end like this.’

‘Go,’ she said gently. ‘Just find that little girl.’

‘I will.’