subject in a Botticelli painting.
Heidi had seen Clancy. “Mum.”
“First told them she wouldn’t cook the way they’d asked her then fed them lamb with rice – you know Mac hates rice. She barely put enough on Greg’s plate but Mac couldn’t even eat his, it was so rare. Then she upped and left the kitchen in a god-awful mess, goes and sleeps in a bedroom in the house because the cabin wasn’t good enough for her and then had the audacity to accuse Greg of stalking her when she bumped into him coming out of the bathroom.”
Clancy hadn’t heard right.
Berry swiveled a one-eighty with the pillows and his stare locked on Clancy’s.
Heidi tried again. “Mum.”
“Honest to God, I know there’s no love lost here, but you’d think the man’s health would be—”
“Mum!”
Berry handed the pillows over to Clancy and said to her, “Would you excuse us for a sec – I’ll come see you shortly.”
Clancy took the pillows dumbly. She stepped back a pace when Marlie swung round to face her. She turned and left the restaurant on wobbly legs but stood just beyond the door, out of their sight, to hear what else was coming.
“Was that her?” Marlie asked of someone. “Greg told me she’d come here. He was going to warn you, but I suppose with the trouble, he didn’t know his advice would be welcome.”
Clancy heard Berry’s, “You’re joking.”
“Mum, you know perfectly well Mac could have had a heart attack at any time, and as for Greg—”
“Not ten minutes after she skipped out, Greg was calling the ambulance. It was all her fault. He was so angry. Mac nearly died on the way in to Regency—”
Clancy had heard all she wanted to. She stalked back to the bedsit and threw the pillows on to the bare bed, paced a while wondering what her next move would be.
Of all the bastard tricks to pull. How neatly Greg Thomas had landed her in it. How easily damning words had shot out of that woman’s mouth.
How could something like this be happening again? Bad enough her stepmother concocting stories, but a dead stranger? This was unbelievable.
She was staring at her bags – the dumb things – still propped against the wall, still unpacked and where she’d left them earlier that day.
Looks like she wouldn’t be unpacking here after all. Now what?
Now what? No one else to email for help.
A shadow in the doorway startled her.
Berry.
“That was Marlie McEwen, Heidi’s mum. I think you worked that out.” He spread his hands. “She thinks Mac is still hers to look out for. The old bastard treats her like dirt.”
Clancy didn’t bother with the niceties. “None of it happened like that.”
“Mac has gone off to Regency Hospital and sounds like they’ll be airlifting him to Adelaide.”
Clancy tried to follow his lead. Calmly. “He’d had a pretty big shock. He didn’t look well just before I left.”
Berry looked at his hands and dropped them to his sides. “Marlie doesn’t know anything about a truck loaded with a restaurant fit-out.”
The air stilled between them.
Chilled was more like it. “The Thomas’s both told me about the truck yesterday. And this morning Greg came to tell me it had tipped over at Yankalilla, never made it to the ferry.”
“Greg’s told her you decided that here would be a better place to work.”
She shook her head, lifted her hands palm up. “What do I say? It didn’t happen like that. None of it.”
Berry leaned against the doorjamb. “Look, just relax, camp the night here, and we’ll talk things through tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll get it squared away and move on.”
“It is squared away. Nothing like what she said happened.”
“I’ve got some stuff I need to do at the ponds, won’t be back for a while.” He straightened, rolled his shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he walked away.
Clancy sank on to the bare bed. God, the more she protested her innocence, the more it sounded like she was covering
Heidi had seen Clancy. “Mum.”
“First told them she wouldn’t cook the way they’d asked her then fed them lamb with rice – you know Mac hates rice. She barely put enough on Greg’s plate but Mac couldn’t even eat his, it was so rare. Then she upped and left the kitchen in a god-awful mess, goes and sleeps in a bedroom in the house because the cabin wasn’t good enough for her and then had the audacity to accuse Greg of stalking her when she bumped into him coming out of the bathroom.”
Clancy hadn’t heard right.
Berry swiveled a one-eighty with the pillows and his stare locked on Clancy’s.
Heidi tried again. “Mum.”
“Honest to God, I know there’s no love lost here, but you’d think the man’s health would be—”
“Mum!”
Berry handed the pillows over to Clancy and said to her, “Would you excuse us for a sec – I’ll come see you shortly.”
Clancy took the pillows dumbly. She stepped back a pace when Marlie swung round to face her. She turned and left the restaurant on wobbly legs but stood just beyond the door, out of their sight, to hear what else was coming.
“Was that her?” Marlie asked of someone. “Greg told me she’d come here. He was going to warn you, but I suppose with the trouble, he didn’t know his advice would be welcome.”
Clancy heard Berry’s, “You’re joking.”
“Mum, you know perfectly well Mac could have had a heart attack at any time, and as for Greg—”
“Not ten minutes after she skipped out, Greg was calling the ambulance. It was all her fault. He was so angry. Mac nearly died on the way in to Regency—”
Clancy had heard all she wanted to. She stalked back to the bedsit and threw the pillows on to the bare bed, paced a while wondering what her next move would be.
Of all the bastard tricks to pull. How neatly Greg Thomas had landed her in it. How easily damning words had shot out of that woman’s mouth.
How could something like this be happening again? Bad enough her stepmother concocting stories, but a dead stranger? This was unbelievable.
She was staring at her bags – the dumb things – still propped against the wall, still unpacked and where she’d left them earlier that day.
Looks like she wouldn’t be unpacking here after all. Now what?
Now what? No one else to email for help.
A shadow in the doorway startled her.
Berry.
“That was Marlie McEwen, Heidi’s mum. I think you worked that out.” He spread his hands. “She thinks Mac is still hers to look out for. The old bastard treats her like dirt.”
Clancy didn’t bother with the niceties. “None of it happened like that.”
“Mac has gone off to Regency Hospital and sounds like they’ll be airlifting him to Adelaide.”
Clancy tried to follow his lead. Calmly. “He’d had a pretty big shock. He didn’t look well just before I left.”
Berry looked at his hands and dropped them to his sides. “Marlie doesn’t know anything about a truck loaded with a restaurant fit-out.”
The air stilled between them.
Chilled was more like it. “The Thomas’s both told me about the truck yesterday. And this morning Greg came to tell me it had tipped over at Yankalilla, never made it to the ferry.”
“Greg’s told her you decided that here would be a better place to work.”
She shook her head, lifted her hands palm up. “What do I say? It didn’t happen like that. None of it.”
Berry leaned against the doorjamb. “Look, just relax, camp the night here, and we’ll talk things through tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll get it squared away and move on.”
“It is squared away. Nothing like what she said happened.”
“I’ve got some stuff I need to do at the ponds, won’t be back for a while.” He straightened, rolled his shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he walked away.
Clancy sank on to the bare bed. God, the more she protested her innocence, the more it sounded like she was covering
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