Deleilah Page 9

  “She’s gone.” Stan’s voice sounded confused and Leilah glanced around the store again. Old fashioned tape recorders perched at jaunty angles on shelves and an early computer huddled amidst wires and cables on a work bench.

  “Gone to the city?” Leilah’s gaze strayed to a modern, flat screen TV mounted on the wall, the picture clear and digitally bright; incongruous against the decayed technology surrounding it. Leilah blinked as the hourly news beamed from it into the dusty space.

  “Gone.” Stan gripped her forearms and gave her a shake. “Died, kōtiro; gone.”

  Leilah’s eyes widened in horror and the squeak escaped her before she could prevent it. Stan led her towards his laden counter, using his outstretched arm to clear a space for her to sit in relative comfort. His chair looked the same as ever, the corduroy wooden arms worn and faded and an imprint in the seat cushion from his bottom. Leilah sank into it, shock and bewilderment forcing her eyes to close and her brow to knit. “How?” Her voice sounded hushed and faraway.

  “Kidney failure,” Stan said, stroking the damp fringe away from Leilah’s forehead. “Sudden. She wouldn’t admit to the pain and left a few weeks after diagnosis.” He said left, like she’d gone out for the day instead of abandoning him to a life half lived.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Leilah gushed. Her heart pounded with a familiar sickness. “I didn’t know.”

  Pat, pat, pat, went Stan’s hand on her back, his fragile fingers like sticks of bamboo. “It’s ok. Youse been far away for so long.” He turned on unsteady legs and moved towards a door to the back of the shop. “My sons is takin’ over the shop soon. They wants to make it modern and sell them new gadgets. Lots of changes in this town, Deleilah, lots of changes. I’ll grab you cuppa teas for the shock. Might find my nip of brandy what them sons did hide.” Stan’s feet did their shuffle dance through the doorway and Leilah heard him clattering in the kitchen behind.

  “I shouldn’t have come back,” Leilah breathed, running her fingers across her face. The frequency of the statement dawned on her, driving home the realisation she needed to leave. She stood, causing the chair to scrape across the tiles. As she turned, Leilah saw the photograph flash onto the TV screen and her eyes widened in terror. With a nervous glance towards the kitchen she stepped closer to the TV, straining to hear the words the news announcer spoke.

  A headline scrolled from the right, underlining the photo of a smiling Dee Hanover as she flicked her blonde hair back from her shoulder. Leilah groaned remembering the scene from a charity event a year ago, the photo cropped to highlight her smiling face. The full picture came from a magazine article detailing the social activities of Auckland’s great and good and Dee Hanover suited the cut of the expensive dress, borrowed from an up and coming New Zealand designer who begged for her support. The headline screamed in capital letters, ‘FEARS GROW FOR THE WHEREABOUTS OF AUCKLAND WOMAN, DEE HANOVER.’

  Leilah leaned nearer to hear, watching the newsreader’s lips move around perfect white teeth. “Mrs Hanover disappeared from Hamilton at the start of the week. She’s believed to be distraught following her divorce from businessman and entrepreneur, Michael Hanover last month. Mrs Hanover seemed distressed when speaking to her daughter some days ago and was expected to travel to a male friend’s house for a holiday. The identity of the friend is currently unknown but concerns are growing for Mrs Hanover’s safety. Her car was discovered still at her place of residence and neighbours witnessed her leaving with a tall, dark haired man last Saturday. She hasn’t been seen since. Mrs Hanover is known to have suffered from mental problems and her family are keen to hear news of her. Police are asking anyone who knows of her whereabouts to contact them on the number on the screen.”

  Leilah pressed her fingers over her mouth and a telephone number flashed beneath her smiling on screen pose as the camera panned out to show the whole photograph. Michael stood to one side of her and Seline the other, a grinning family lie. Straightened blonde hair glinted in the flash from the photographer’s camera and tumbled down over the pale blue of the designer’s dress. Her nail polish matched the expensive pink lipstick. The shot caught her smile but Leilah saw the agony in Dee Hanover’s face and the healing bruise on her upper arm in the shape of a handprint. The moan came from deep inside her and she collapsed into the seat again as Stan shuffled back with a mug of brown tea.

  “There, there,” he soothed. “People come and people go, but the trace they leave in the universe is more important than their death.”

  “What do you mean?” Leilah said, dabbing at her eyes with the bottom of her tee shirt.

  Stan pulled up another chair, even more rickety than the one Leilah occupied. He patted her hand with calloused fingers. “Everything we do leaves a trace, Deleilah. The great and the terrible all leave their mark. Our sins stain black and our goodness leaves a smudge of white. Nothing can rub off the black but the love of God. Lanie and me, we both have that. I have memories of my wife that nobody will take from me. Even if I lose my mind, like my boys say I am, her goodness is here.” Stan pressed his index finger against the stained shirt, the fingernail ratty and unkempt. He stroked his heart and his face became joyous for a second. He glanced up at Leilah as though startled. “Drink your coffee, kōtiro.”

  Leilah lifted the mug to her lips, her nostrils searching for coffee even though they scented tea. The first gulp was the worst as the cold liquid assailed her lips and she felt the tea bag shift in the bottom of the cup. Sadness consumed Leilah and drifted with her fear, creating an intoxicating mix of emotion. She swallowed the cold water and sat the mug on Stan’s desk, rising and administering a genuine hug before making her escape.

  Chapter 20

  Tane

  Leaving the ute in its parking space, Leilah walked to the end of town and faced the front doors of the police watch house. The original weather board building hugged the ground as though rooted there by Maui himself, ornate facia work left over from the villa’s construction in the late 1800s. Leilah wiped sweaty palms down the front of her dress and took a deep breath in. “Here goes nothing,” she breathed and set off up the path with quick, decisive steps.

  “Help you, ma’am?” The desk attendant didn’t bother to raise sullen eyes towards Leilah as she fidgeted in front of the counter. “Lost, stolen or assault?” He sounded bored, his tone languorous and dull.

  “Lost?” Leilah said, not sounding sure.

  “Theft claims can be made on the forms over there.” He jerked his ball-point pen towards a rack on the wall. “Hand it in when you’re done and I’ll give you a crime number.”

  “Er...it isn’t stolen. Not it, me, I mean. I went of my own accord and there’s been a misunderstanding.”

  Dark eyes slid up Leilah’s dress from waist to neck and then made the leap to her face. Even that much effort seemed to make the man flag from exhaustion. “You takin’ the piss?” His shirt buttons bulged as through trying to contain his substantial bulk and Leilah cringed, tempted to close one eye. If he moved and the shirt fabric forfeited its tenuous hold on the enormous stomach, it would be like facing a firing squad.

  Leilah revived the metal in her spine and leaned on the counter, her hands palm down as nerves and fear gave way to frustration. “Get me someone in authority please, now.” She took a step back and pulled her cell phone into his line of vision. “I’ll give you five minutes to do that and while you’re busy finding someone, I’ll be searching online for how to make a complaint.”

  “Whatever!” the man snapped, superiority and self-assurance accentuating the ugly sneer he directed at Leilah.

  The front door opened and closed behind her and the desk officer’s face changed from one of victory to submission. Leilah caught a glimpse of dark blue trousers and shined shoes in her peripheral vision as she glanced down. She played her hand like a professional, a small smile appearing on her lips before she launched into play act. “But officer,” she said, forcing a sob into her voice. “I don’t carry that much cas
h on me. Surely it’s illegal to bribe a policeman? I’ve never been asked for money before, not by an officer of the law.”

  The desk officer’s brown eyes widened, eclipsing his hooded lids as his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. “But, but,” he began, swallowing as though drowning.

  “Sit down, Kingston!” the newcomer snapped. “I’ll deal with this.”

  Leilah felt strong fingers grip her above the elbow and before she could protest, was propelled towards an adjoining door and into a corridor. An office door came and went and she heard it slammed hard behind her. When her body spun to face her rescuer, she gasped in surprise.

  “Lei!” Tane’s strong arms surrounded her and pressed Leilah’s face into his chest. The short sleeve of a pale blue police uniform fluttered in her left eye as the right side of her face smushed into the rigid body armour guarding his torso. She pulled back with difficulty, leaving a wet saliva stain on the New Zealand Police Force crest at his breast.

  “Nice to see you too.” Leilah took a step back and brushed her hair from her face, noticing the dark curls against her hand. It seemed alien and strange after eighteen years of mimicking a blonde and she lost her train of thought. “I forgot Tori said you were a cop.” She smiled. “Like your dad?”

  Tane shook his head and ran a hand across his face. He seemed flustered, slumping into a seat facing the imposing desk. “Bloody hell, Lei. I thought you were dead.” His voice sounded hushed and his face moved through several expressions before settling on angry. “Where the hell have you been?”

  Leilah took a step back, fear budding in her heart at the threat of an unpredictable, frightening male. Tane’s stature was athletic and muscular and standing over six feet tall, caused inadequacy to invade Leilah’s senses.

  “Here. I’ve been here.” Leilah backed towards the door and the relative safety of the outer office, craving the sunshine and green grass of outdoors like a thirst. “I did nothing wrong; I’m not missing and never said I was.” Her fingers found the door handle and she turned and yanked it. The door didn’t move, behaving as though locked and Leilah panicked, her breath coming in gasps of hysteria.

  “Lei!” Tane’s voice sounded soft and cajoling as he rested his hands on her shoulders. He leaned over her and pulled the handle down, pushing the wood in the same movement. “It opens outwards.”

  Leilah burst out, jogging back the way she came, her sandals making a slapping sound on the floorboards. She pushed the exit doors which promised to take her into the territory of the lazy desk officer and nothing happened. Running her palms across the surface she saw no handle and cast her eyes left and right. A green button sat next to the door frame on the left, a sign underneath declaring, ‘Push to exit.’ Leilah slammed her palm against the button and registered the audible click. The door swung open in front of her and she bolted, bursting free of the watch house with a sob of relief.

  Leilah clutched her phone and car keys to her chest as she ran, feeling her jaded and damaged heart beat through her rib cage in frenzied thuds. Fear pursued her along the pavement and she arrived at Vaughan’s ute with her lungs heaving. Reluctant fingers shook on the key fob as Leilah disarmed the central locking and crawled into the driver’s seat, locking the door behind her. She ground the key into the ignition making the starter motor squeal in protest as she turned it twice. Slamming it into gear, Leilah gunned the engine, diving out into the traffic without looking. She drew a series of angry honks on eager horns as she pushed the farm vehicle into the slowly moving line.

  As her heart rate settled, her brain took over, condemning her foolhardy escape as irrational and over the top. “What am I like?” Leilah breathed, pressing her fingers over her lips. “I didn’t run when I should have and now, I can’t seem to stop.” She brushed away disloyal tears with the back of her hand, angry with her body for its betrayal. Breathing through pursed lips, Leilah crawled the ute through the slow moving traffic, feeling her equilibrium return. The small town sucked her into its bosom, offering safety but threatening exposure.

  The bulk of the traffic turned right at the intersection, continuing on its way south along the main highway. Leilah escaped left and increased her speed on the rural road, opening the driver’s window and allowing the scent of late summer to invade the cab. Five minutes later she indicated left and made the turn into Vaughan’s driveway, negotiating the fallen gate post and wonky mailbox. The screech of a siren behind caused her to jump and yank the steering wheel to the right. A dull thwack heralded the death of the mailbox as it bounced against the wing mirror and hit the ground, spewing junk mail and a local newspaper.

  Leilah groaned and jumped from the vehicle, hearing the fan come on under the bonnet as the engine fought to balance itself in the heat. She picked up the broken top of the mailbox and shoved it into the flat bed of the ute before scowling at Tane’s approaching shape. “Go away!” she snapped. “I’ll call the Hamilton station from Vaughan’s and talk to the proper police.”

  To her irritation, Tane laughed. “If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that.”

  Leilah settled herself back into the driver’s seat and reached into the centre console. “Here you go then,” she bit, dropping a gold dollar coin into Tane’s surprised hand. “Add it to your collection.”

  The police officer turned the coin in his fingers, his face creased in thought. “Thanks,” he said, his eyes bright. He jerked his head towards Vaughan’s house rising high above the driveway. “But there’s no reception at his place. So you can either talk to me or I’ll call a media conference.”

  “You wouldn’t!” Leilah failed to hide her shock. “I’d never speak to you again.”

  Tane shrugged. “No difference there then. You’ve not bothered with any of us for over twenty years. I’ll take the risk. Thanks for the dollar.” He flicked it into Leilah’s lap. “But it might be seen as a bribe. See ya.” He turned and strolled towards the police car pulled onto the drive behind the ute. A group of farm boys slowed down on the main road to honk and jeer through the windows at Leilah’s misfortune and she felt her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment.

  “Wait!” She slid from the seat to the runner boards, giving herself a few feet of extra height. “You won’t really call the press, will you?”

  Tane held his arms out to his sides, confusion in his face. “I don’t know, Lei. I’ll call it up the chain of command and someone will deal with it. Anyone but me, hey?”

  “No.” Leilah clambered down and approached him. She waved her arm at his car. “Turn the damn lights off please? Unless you’re ticketing me for something.”

  Tane gave an upward tilt of his head and reached into the vehicle, turning the engine off and leaning over to halt the strobing red and blue lights. “Talk,” he said, all business as he withdrew a black pocket book and tiny pen.

  “It’s a long story,” Leilah admitted. “Come up to the house and I’ll tell you over coffee. I think Vaughan has some good stuff in the cupboard.”

  “Nope.” Tane shook his head. “I won’t be welcome. Just tell me now.”

  Leilah sighed and told the short version of her sorry story, interrupted by Tane’s occasional comment. “You messed with Harvey?” He sounded disbelieving.

  “No I did not!” Leilah put indignation into her denial to mask her shame at almost falling for his charms. “I thought he was a friend and he assumed I was his latest slave. Vaughan turned up after getting released and I drove him home.”

  “Released?” Tane shook his head. “Which jail this time?”

  “What?” Leilah looked stunned. “Jail?”

  “Yeah, drunk and disorderly. I thought he got past that, but obviously not. He spent a few nights in mine after...” Tane wrinkled his nose and his face shuttered. “Which one?”

  “None. Vaughan ended up in Taupo hospital and discharged himself. The hospital released him into Harvey’s care as his only surviving next of kin. I wasn’t happy at Harvey’s place and agreed to drive Vaughan
home. I’ll be leaving in a few days and going back to my apartment so you can all go back to your extremely exciting lives.” Leilah gritted her teeth and plastered a wooden smile onto her lips. “Now, officer. What do I have to do to remove myself from the ‘wanted’ list and how can I do it without notifying everyone where I am?”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Tane ran a large hand across his chin. “Will you contact your family?”

  Leilah nodded. “I’ll find somewhere that my phone provider does work and do it from there.”

  Tane held out his hand for Leilah’s phone, flicked a few buttons and then handed it back. “That one doesn’t work until you get to Hamilton.” He handed her his from the side pocket of his work trousers. “Mine does.”

  “Are you going to listen?” Leilah asked, gritting her teeth and the smallest smirk appeared on Tane’s lips.

  “Yup.”

  Leilah turned her back on him and peered at her screen to retrieve Seline’s number. She punched the digits into Tane’s and waited for her daughter to connect. “Mum! Thank goodness. Where are you?”

  “Where I said I’d be.” Leilah hushed her voice but the tone was unmistakable. She heard Tane’s feet shift in the dirt behind her. “How could you report me to the cops? I feel so stupid.”

  “It wasn’t me.” Seline sounded contrite. “Dad called the cops and said you were missing. I tried to call, but you didn’t answer your phone so I figured he knew something I didn’t. Are you ok?”

  Leilah’s shoulders slumped. “I’m fine; absolutely fine. My phone has no reception in rural areas; it’s rubbish.” Another gift from Michael.