The Bay (45 page)

‘Not very much. I hitchhiked in and they dropped me at the bottom of this hill.'

‘Great. I can show off our little township. I'm sure you'll want to go surfing and see the beaches.'

‘Very much. But I'm not an experienced surfer.'

‘Too bad neither my son nor Mitchell's son are here, they'd have you standing up on a board in a day. Not to worry, we'll sort something out.'

‘Holly, you are very kind.' He stood shyly. ‘This is so good of you. It means very much to me.'

‘Oh goodness, Tor, it's nothing. The Bay has a reputation for opening its arms to strangers. We've all been strangers in a new place at some stage in our lives, so we know how nice it is to find a doormat that says welcome.'

At the supermarket in town he helped Holly by carry ing her groceries to the car. She pointed out some of the sights and older buildings, the popular places to eat and drink, and then cut through the arcade to make an appointment with Billy at The Teepee.

‘Hail the chief!' Billy called out. ‘Our fearless leader!'

‘Yeah, Holly, save Mighty Beach!' Matty was in the salon and gave a rallying cry.

Seeing Tor's quizzical expression Holly briefly filled him in on their fight. Meanwhile, Matty only just managed to control her reaction to her first sighting of Tor as he came in with Holly. She had never experienced such an emotional impact and despite the shock she loved the feeling. She listened with great interest as Holly explained they'd met on the whale-watching trip. Tor was very handsome with his blond hair, blue eyes and tall build, and Matty thought he looked like a movie star.

‘How long are you here for?' Matty asked.

‘I am not sure.'

‘Matty, Tor wants to learn to surf, could you teach him the basics? There must be a spare board somewhere he could borrow,' Holly suggested, and Matty nearly hugged her.

‘You bet. I have Erica's board. Might be a bit short for you, Tor, but it'll give you the idea. This afternoon?'

‘I'll drop him off at your house, Matty. Maybe Alice would like to go too, she's pretty good,' said Holly, but Matty quickly squashed the idea. She didn't want to share this fabulous newcomer with a kid.

Billy grinned at Holly, picking up the vibes from his fifteen-year-old assistant. ‘The tide will be right, and the wind's coming from the right direction so there should be some good sets coming in. Go for it. You can even have an early mark, Matts.'

Holly returned to Richmond House and rang Mitchell to invite him to dinner, then went up to the attic bedroom and put fresh sheets on the bed for Tor.

She thought he might enjoy the little room. It was really a spare room, not one of the large guest rooms with an ensuite, but it had a wonderful view from the dormer window across Tiny Bay. She glanced at the door that opened onto the widow's walk. He'd probably like that more than the window view, she decided. She fussed around the room checking there were coat hangers in the wardrobe, and arranging a towel on the end of the bed.

She was looking forward to having the young man stay, partly because she missed her own kids and their energy. She hadn't told them of her involvement in the Mighty Beach campaign, and was nervous about it as it pitted her against their father. Being objective about the children, she knew they would probably opt for supporting the development, even if it was a ‘yuppie baby-boomers third age refuge', as Mitchell called it. Melanie and Marcus were very money conscious, and if Andrew made a lot of money then eventually it would benefit them.

Holly smoothed the bed cover and went downstairs to read some of the letters and petitions that were beginning to come in from the public about Mighty Beach.

By the time Tor arrived at Matty's house, Eddie had been organised to shoot a little sequence of an overseas backpacker enjoying his first experience of surfing in The Bay. He hadn't been able to resist Matty's enthusiastic request when she telephoned him after Tor had left the salon.

‘Please, Eddie, he's absolutely perfect for your film, believe me. And it's going to be a fabulous sunset later.'

It was getting late when Eddie drove them to Tinderbox Beach. The surf there had a poor break because of a gutter near the shore, but it was scenic. He took shots of Matty giving Tor a lesson on the sand, showing him how to kneel and stand on the board. They were nice shots because of the background of headland and lighthouse. Afterwards they drove to the lighthouse to check out the view and how the waves were breaking on other beaches.

Tor gazed around the long length of Tinderbox on the southern side of the Cape, the curve of The Bay that ran into Mighty Beach and in the far distance Ten Mile Beach.

‘Paradise, isn't it?' said Matty, standing close beside Tor, grateful that Eddie had left them alone to visit the Parks office to check if Tina was there.

‘Beautiful. And that,' he pointed to the lighthouse, ‘is the guardian angel of paradise, yes?'

Matty looked at Tor with near adoration in her eyes. ‘This is my special place. I always came here with my friend Erica.'

‘Yes, it is special. I can feel that.' He looked out to sea for a moment before continuing. ‘We all need lighthouses in our lives. They can be a warning light to alert us to dangers ahead, and also a comforting light, helping to show us the way home.'

They spent a hugely entertaining hour at Mighty Beach laughing at Tor's attempts to stand up on the board, and cheering him when he finally managed to balance for a minute on a modest wave. It was getting close to sunset when they headed for a final sequence at Tiny Bay.

‘It's going to be a knockout sunset, let's just get some pretty shots of you both lying on your boards,' said Eddie. ‘It's very calm, you don't have to go too far out. Anyway, you're sheltered in the lee of the Point.'

It was a flat surf so other riders had moved on, leaving the sea for Matty and Tor. Matty gave a little prayer of thanks and flashed a big smile at Tor as they paddled out.

Eddie filmed the sun sinking onto the peaked volcanic hat of Mount Hazard, then zoomed back to the two figures floating on their boards on the glassy molten-coloured water. In his viewfinder he saw Matty's arm point and both their heads lift. Panning to the sea in the direction she had indicated, Eddie felt that Lady Luck was about to deliver one of those bonus moments cameramen dream about.

There, rising slowly in the distance, was a whale, its spout a golden streak in the setting sun's rays. The last of the whales were still heading south after their sojourn in the breeding grounds of the north, but this was unexpected.

Matty sat up on her board, clapping her hands in sheer joy. The whale sank from sight and they waited until it next appeared. To their amazement it had moved inside the lee of the headland and breeched, its tail flukes cracking on the water as it rolled.

‘Wow, unreal,' squealed Matty.

‘Magic, magic, magic pictures,' exclaimed Eddie to himself, taking care to keep the camera steady and the action perfectly framed.

But then something happened that later no one could fully explain.

Tor rolled off his board, perhaps trying to sit upright – or was it deliberate? – and began swimming out towards the whale. Then both of them, as if responding to a signal, sank beneath the surface.

For Tor it was as if the world had stopped and he was in another, dreamlike place where time and reality blurred. Later he would recall in exquisite detail the watery sunlight before him suddenly blotted by a huge dark shape gliding to a stop within touching distance. His hands stretched out and he felt the living, pulsing smoothness of the whale's skin. Then he recognised, quite clearly, the profile of the whale's head and the eye looking at him. In the moment of contact he saw and knew and understood, and all fear left him. All that had happened was meant to be and the incident represented the closing of a great circle. In an exuberant joyous explosion he burst to the surface at the same time as the whale rose and flung itself out of the water in a massive salute to life.

Tor laughed and cried. Matty paddled to him and took his hands and added her voice to his in absolute happiness as the whale slowly circled them. Then, as suddenly as it had arrived, showing its flukes in a farewell wave, it was gone.

‘What was that! What happened? Wow! Unbelievable.'

They paddled their boards to the shore in the fast fading light. Eddie turned off the camera and sat back to reflect on the wonderful sense of communion that he had been privileged to record. What he didn't know was just how much it meant to Tor.

Tor only had time for a short rest before getting dressed for dinner with Holly and Mitchell. They settled in the sitting room lit by candles and toasted each other with a Hunter Valley wine. Outside, a big moon streaked the ocean.

‘So how's your first day in The Bay been?' Mitchell asked.

‘Overwhelming,' said Tor, and tried to explain what had happened with the whale. ‘It was so quick, yet it seemed a lifetime to me.'

‘You say Eddie caught it all on film?' Mitchell said incredulously.

‘I have goose bumps,' said Holly.

Tor leaned back in his chair and for a moment sat with eyes closed and both hands clasped under his chin as if praying. Then he opened his eyes and straightened up. ‘My dear friends, because of this happening today I believe I must tell you my story,' he said slowly. He took a small sip of the wine and then looked directly at Holly. ‘But first, you say I am the only guest here? You do not have family in this house? Some other person?'

Holly looked at him strangely. ‘Just Mitchell for dinner. There is no one else living here. Only Curly.' She pointed to the old dog stretched out by the sofa. ‘Why do you ask?'

‘There was an old lady. I was dozing, felt some presence, and with half-opened eyes saw her sitting at the foot of my bed. Then, as if I imagined it, she was gone.'

‘Dreaming,' said Mitchell gently, reaching to take Holly's hand which tightened in his.

‘No. She's here. I've seen her too.'

‘She is a ghost, yes?' said Tor. ‘She was the same woman I glimpsed from the garden, when I looked up at the roof this morning while you were making the tea. I had the sun in my eyes, but she was there on the walkway. When I moved, she was gone.'

Holly nodded. ‘I believe it's the spirit of the woman who built this house, Hannah Nilsen.'

‘Ah, then that explains much. Perhaps she is at peace now. I believe she has been waiting for her family to come back.' He paused and gave a small smile. ‘You see, I am Tor Nilsen. I am a direct descendant of Lars Nilsen who built this place.'

‘Good Lord!' exclaimed Holly. ‘You're a Nilsen. Oh, how extraordinary.'

‘I'd never given a thought to what your surname was,' said Mitchell, equally astonished. ‘This calls for topping up the drinks.' He reached for the bottle and filled the glasses. ‘What else do you know about the family connection?'

‘Not much. It was so many generations ago. Lars and their two children left here to visit Norway. Their ship was sunk in a storm. All were feared dead. But the younger son, Erik, was saved. I have something to show you.' He walked to the sideboard and picked up a large envelope he had brought downstairs. ‘I have some of the family documents, some letters and photographs. My grandmother gave them to me before she died last year. She put the story together. Perhaps you might be interested?'

Holly and Mitchell looked at each other, then Holly rose with her glass. ‘Another toast. To the Nilsens.' They drank and then she walked over to Tor and hugged him tightly. ‘Welcome home, Tor.'

T
HE DOCUMENTS WERE NEATLY STACKED IN PILES ON THE
dining table – yellowing, musty smelling, incriminating.

Once again Letitia paced around the room, staring at them. They were only a small part of her father's meticulous records that she kept in storage – boxes and boxes of files containing the dry documentation of ordinary legal transactions so necessary to the conduct of business, life and death. Conveyancing contracts, property settlements, wills, divorces, business deals, neighbourhood disputes, hundreds of minor court cases, thousands of letters, the very fabric of life reduced to clinical formal legalese. Yet behind the words were untold stories of passion, heartbreak, wrongdoing, greed and desire.

The selected files on the table related to the Mighty Beach project in a way that had shattered her normal composure. They were a spectacular chronicle of what surely must have been the most appalling chain of events in her father's legal career, and in his personal life. Examining them for the first time had made her feel ill. Looking at them now was just as emotionally devastating.

Her mother had dismissed him as worthless, and Letitia never found out – if indeed her mother knew – why her father had become an alcoholic. He had certainly not been the inspiration for Letitia to study commercial law. It had seemed a smart way to get out of a small town and into the fast lane. Now it appeared that her father had been involved in what could be one of the biggest deals the region had seen.

This revelation, and more importantly who was behind it all, had stunned Letitia and completely unnerved her. The knowledge, gleaned from her father's old files when he had been the solicitor acting for the owner of Beacon Land Holdings, presented her with an ethical, moral and emotional dilemma.

By the time Andrew arrived to take her out to dinner, the files were nowhere to be seen. The table was set for two.

‘We're eating in! Splendid, very romantic,' he said, settling himself as Letitia poured drinks.

‘There are some things I thought we should discuss in private,' she said, handing him his Scotch.

‘Excellent. Of course. What's for dinner?'

‘I don't cook much. It's takeaway Thai from down the road.' She sat opposite him, swirling the ice in her vodka and orange. ‘Let's run through the history of Beacon Land Holdings for a minute.'

‘Oh, you want to talk business? I thought we covered everything in the media presentation.' He was disappointed.

Letitia looked serious so Andrew made no further attempt to stop her. ‘When we met in Thailand, I was there checking out potential investors in a big project in The Bay. I had been commissioned to do this by Sam Mann, my client, and the Sydney owners of the land, Beacon Land Holdings. We happened to meet and you introduced me to the General. He liked what he saw, agreed to come in, then Sam and Beacon commissioned you to design the project.'

‘Right,' said Andrew in a jocular tone, trying to lighten the mood. ‘We both scored and got a good gig with great potential and lots of fringe benefits. We got to collaborate in more ways than one. I'll drink to that.' He smiled broadly as he downed his drink.

Letitia didn't return his smile. ‘So who else was involved, do you know? Going way back? This is important, Andrew.'

He put his glass down and spread his arms. ‘Hey, baby, what's the problem? Why the cross-examination? What's up?'

‘I'm just trying to get the matter completely clear in my mind.'

‘The only other person I know of is the Sydney solicitor fronting Beacon Land, Maxwell Hamilton. Good bloke. Old school tie type. You were with me both times we met for dinner.'

‘So you don't know that my father studied law with Max Hamilton? Or that my father was involved in selling the Mighty Beach land to Beacon in the seventies?'

‘Your father? Christ, I had no idea. What was he in all this?'

‘He acted for the owners of the land when it was sold to Beacon.'

‘So he was a local solicitor doing his job, what's wrong with that? I hope everything in the deal was legit, no sloppy paperwork,' said Andrew, suddenly worried.

‘Despite my father's drink problem, every “i” was always dotted, every “t” crossed in his paperwork.'

‘That's great,' Andrew said with relief. ‘Who owned the land before Beacon?'

‘Another company, I'm still looking into that. It's a little cloudy.'

Andrew sensed from her tone that she had no more to say. ‘Well then, let's eat, drink and be merry.' He handed her his empty glass for a refill. ‘I'll help serve up the takeaways,' he offered half-heartedly.

But dinner was a desultory affair, and the lovemaking following it was disappointing. Andrew flew back to Sydney the next morning, first making Letitia promise to keep him abreast of every event as it unfurled.

The digital video editing suite in which Eddie was putting together some sequences of his documentary was in a pleasant rural setting. It was more reminiscent of a holiday ranch than a high-tech service facility for creating sound and video productions.

One of the hip chicks who frequented the complex wandered in to tell him he had a visitor.

He didn't lift his head from the small screen and control panels in front of him. ‘Hi, Ali,' he called. ‘I won't be long, honeybun. This looks so good.'

‘It isn't Alice.'

His heart sank at the sound of Laura's voice. How the hell did she track him down? He spun around. ‘This must be important. What's up now?'

‘Maybe it's a social call, Eddie,' she smirked.

‘All the way out here? I'm working, Laura.'

‘Working?' she repeated cynically. ‘While you're working who is keeping an eye on Alice? She told me you'd be out here and I was curious. There're a lot of strange people wandering around.'

‘They're musicians. And Alice is quite safe while Matty's here.'

‘I want to talk to you about Alice. Us. Me –'

‘Laura! This isn't the time or the place. I pay for my time here. I have to get a rough edit done to send down to Sydney. I have a lot of interest in this. Lots of appeal to the cashed-up baby-boomer demographic.'

‘Bully for you. Listen, I have a job offer.' Seeing his expression, she amended it. ‘A kind of an offer. An opportunity. But if I get it I can't really keep Alice with me. We need to sort something out . . . legally. On paper. Formal custody, they said.'

Eddie felt his heart lurch. The thought of Alice being dragged away from him really hurt. It wouldn't be good for her, Alice was settled and happy now. More, he'd miss her. Incredibly so. While his relationship with Tina was a great joy, Alice was the focus of his life and Tina accepted that. She was terrific with Alice. Didn't play surrogate mother or interloping girlfriend, just an affectionate interested, good friend. Alice, and Tina, liked it that way. ‘Where is this job?' he asked.

‘Out of Brisbane.'

‘Out of . . . meaning you're travelling, like a sales rep or something?' He couldn't see Laura in any such job.

‘Publicity director for a hotel chain. It would involve a lot of travelling to the South Pacific, maybe Asia. Upmarket places.'

‘That's right up your alley,' Eddie said. ‘So what about Alice? I think she should stay here, she's settled in school.'

‘I think so too. I'll be down every month or so for a weekend, or she could come up. In school hols I could take her to one of the resorts. If I get the job.'

‘I really hope you do.' He meant it. ‘I agree about having the arrangement on paper. Get old Paul Maynard, he's a good man. What are you doing with all your stuff, the unit here?'

‘The renters are out, and I was wondering if you knew anyone who might want to take it over and keep a bedroom free for me. So I can stay when I come to see Alice, keep a few clothes, that sort of thing.'

‘Off the top of my head, I'm not sure.' Then a thought struck him. ‘Bonnie might. She spends a lot of time out in the hills but she was saying she was ready to have a base back in The Bay; feels she's ready to get cracking in the shop, part-time at least –'

‘Has she got her act together?' asked Laura dubiously.

‘Oh God, yes. Amber has helped her a lot. Since Erica died Bonnie seems to have found some sort of focus and strength.'

‘You'd think it would be the other way around. I'd lose the plot if anything happened to Alice,' Laura said, suddenly sounding genuine and soft.

Eddie reached out and touched her hand. ‘Laura, nothing is going to happen to Alice. You do trust me? I love her like my own.'

She squeezed his hand, unable to speak for a moment. ‘Thanks. That's the best thing that's happened to us – her and you. I'm really grateful. Maybe when she's older and I'm settled, she and I can have our time together.'

‘Laura, I really wish you well. You go for it.'

‘I've told Alice, we're having a girls' day out before I go. Big pizza feast, I imagine.'

Eddie couldn't resist a little laugh, and Laura joined in. It had been a long time since they had laughed together.

‘Sounds good. Keep in touch.'

‘Of course I will. And Eddie, I hope you sell your film.'

‘I think I will. It's a doozie. So many things have happened during its making.'

‘So what're you calling it?'

Eddie thought for a moment, how to braid together all the threads of the complex stories he'd been following, then it came to him. ‘The Bay. I reckon that sums it up.'

Matty was minding the shop for Amber when Billy dropped in. ‘You got another after-school job?'

‘No, Amber had some big meeting at the uni. She went off – as my mother says – like a chook with its head chopped off.'

‘Why's she in a dither? Going to do a course?' Billy was surprised she hadn't said anything to him, he liked to be up with all the news. People expected it.

‘No. Said it was business.' Matty was rubbing lotion on her hands. ‘Want to try her new cream? It's got apricots in it.'

He looked at the label. ‘Hmm. Maybe she should add a line like “it's good enough to eat”, eh? So how are things going with you? We never get a chance to gossip on Saturdays, always so busy.' Billy sat in the chair by the door and lit a cigarette.

‘Why don't you give them up, Billy? It's disgusting, bad for your health. What do Paula and Hope say about it?'

‘Don't you nag as well, Matty. I'm not allowed to smoke at home. That's why we live near the beach.'

‘I hope you don't leave your stubs on the sand,' she admonished him. ‘We have a campaign at school to clean up the cigarettes. “Get Your Butts off our Beach” is one of the slogans.'

‘I get the message. In fact I'm thinking of going to hypnotherapy.'

‘Bonnie knows some people in that line,' said Matty helpfully. ‘Amber says she is doing well at kicking the habit.'

‘Well, if Bonnie successfully kicks the habit, or more correctly, habits, then I might just follow up on that. But for the present, please excuse my weakness,' he said with a smile. ‘You had a go at fags yet?'

The question took Matty by surprise, but it was asked so casually and uncritically that she found it easy to respond with honesty. ‘Yeah, of course. Everyone has a go once they get to high school.'

‘Rite of passage stuff, eh? I can remember having my first drag down behind the toilets one lunchtime. When did you first light up?'

Now the conversation was starting to hurt and Matty fussed with a display of cosmetics to mask her feelings. The sudden recall of that moment with Erica at their headland hideaway was more painful than she expected. She was close to tears when Billy sensed the tension and changed the subject.

‘How's the horsey caper going?'

Matty took a deep breath and forced a bright response. ‘Fine. Alice sure knows a lot and she's a good teacher. She's got me interested in doing dressage. At least learning about it. I don't know that we'll be able to afford the dressage gear, but that doesn't matter, we're having a lot of fun.'

‘That's one of the nice things about living here, it's so easy to explore new interests. Good to know that Alice has settled in so smoothly with Eddie.'

‘She thinks he's a bit keen on Tina. An item,' said Matty without prompting.

Billy tried not to laugh. ‘An item? As in the gossip columns of
The Beacon Bugle
?'

‘Don't laugh. Alice was scared it might mean she'd be on the move again, shoved off back to her mother. But her mum's excited about starting her new job. Alice and me might go to an island resort in the holidays.'

‘Woo! Lucky duckies, let's hope.'

‘What's happening? Who's lucky?' Amber waltzed into the shop.

‘So what have you been up to? You look like the cat that swallowed the cream,' said Billy.

‘Do I have news for you!' she declared. ‘I can't believe it. Now you must not say anything just yet . . .' she looked at them both.