Chapter 8 - i

Jo had been waiting on the doorstep for Alex and Bess’ arrival all afternoon and he leapt up with glee when he spied Bess’ sporty car approaching. He ran into the house and grabbed Kate, his eyes sparkling. Kate laughed and allowed herself to be led outside. “Hi there stranger! Have a good trip over?” Kate asked as she embraced her friend. Alex held Jo aloft, “Boy have you grown!” Jo had a huge smile plastered over his face, even before Alex swung him around in the air like an aeroplane. The girls laughed, Kate lent towards Bess’ ear as she saw Lydia and Yuri approach, “remember its Julie now,” she reminded her quietly. Bess nodded, “don’t worry,” and winked. They laughed again. “So this is the lovely lady we’ve heard so much about!” exclaimed Lydia as she warmly embraced Bess. Yuri shook her hand and kissed her on the cheek, “please call us Yuri and Lydia, Julie does.” The all smiled and turned back into the house. It was soon filled with talk and laugher. Peter appeared from his room and joined them. “Bro, how you going?” he asked his older brother and they had a friendly wrestle. Peter was a head taller than Alex, but Alex was all muscle and easily bested his younger brother. Presently they sat down to dinner. Lydia had prepared a roast and it was the liveliest dinner Kate had yet experienced in the Morova household.

They all went on a day trip to Victor Harbour on Friday. They took two cars so that everyone would fit comfortably as it was a fairly long way. It was a glorious day and there was quite a crowd on the foreshore. They caught the old, horse-drawn tram to Granite Island and went for a walk before returning to the foreshore for lunch. Peter said he knew the best fish and chip shop in South Australia, so off they went in search of delicious fried food. It was a tiny shop tucked away from the main strip of shops, but its reputation had drawn a reasonable lunchtime crowd. They all put in their orders and then the women and Jo returned to claim a spot on the beach, while the men waited for the food. “Mmmn, that really was delicious,” commented Bess as she licked the salt off her fingers. “Yes, I haven’t had fish and chips this good in ages!” Kate added. Jo had taken the scraps and wandered off a short distance to feed the seagulls. A pelican also made its way over to the delight of Jo. Peter produced his Frisbee and the brothers attempted to outdo each other in a contest of sorts. Bess and Kate wandered off together and Jo joined them once he had finished with the birds. Once they reached the rocks Jo got down and began to explore the shallow pools of water, collecting shells and other sea life. He occasionally returned to Kate to deposit his latest findings in her t-shirt. Kate and Bess relaxed into easy conversation. It was so good to be together again that they could hardly believe it.

The sun was setting when they finally arrived home. They had detoured via a couple of wineries on their return journey. Kate put Jo in bath and joined the adults for a light supper of toasted sandwiches. They had bought Jo some takeaway on the way home, so he had already eaten. He was almost asleep in the tepid water when Kate returned a quarter of an hour later. She gently dried him off and helped him into his PJs, then steered him to her room where they had set up a mattress on the floor for him. He was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow and Kate returned to the lounge after tucking him in. Yuri and Lydia had retired to their room and Peter was showing off his collection of albums. Their sister was due to arrive with her family from Brisbane in the morning, but they would stay at a beach house, as the Morova house was now full. The boys selected some music and rejoined the ladies on the couch. They were all tired from their busy day, but decided to sample some of the port Alex had purchased that afternoon. They moved into quiet conversation as the port took effect and it wasn’t long before they all started yawning. Alex was the first to get up and he assisted Bess up from the couch. Kate followed them while Peter tidied up and switched off the lights.

“Why won’t he talk to me, Mum?” asked a puzzled, seven-year-old Katerina. Maria had arrived with her husband and two daughters just minutes ago. Kate knelt down to Katerina’s height and gently explained that Jo didn’t talk to anyone. “Why?” asked Katerina, still puzzled. “He just doesn’t. Some bad things happened to him, so he doesn’t talk. But he likes to make new friends. Why don’t you go outside and he’ll introduce you to his dog, Benny?” Katrina brightened at this suggestion and raced outside with Jo and her younger sister, Tatiana. The adults could hear them laughing and playing in the backyard and were enjoying the peace it brought to the house. Lydia introduced everyone and began setting out lunch. They had already extended the table and scavenged extra chairs from around the house. The women helped Lydia in the kitchen while the younger men brought the luggage in from the car. Lydia had been waiting for her granddaughters to arrive before decorating the tree, which Yuri and Peter had brought home from the hills earlier in the week. Its fresh pine scent filled the rear of the house. Kate called the children in and sent them all to the bathroom to wash their hands. The table was again beset with convivial chatter over lunch.

The Hancock’s left after lunch to settle into their accommodation nearby and peace was restored to the house. Bess and Kate went shopping for last-minute gifts while the boys went to the beach. Kate was really enjoying having Bess around, though it painfully reminded her of the absence of her other friends and family. Bess had done most of her shopping in Melbourne, but Kate hadn’t really had a chance yet, so they headed into the city. Kate found some lovely gift baskets for the Morovas, and bought Jo some clothes and books. As they left the department store, Kate spied a new board game that she couldn’t resist. She thought Jo deserved to be spoilt this Christmas anyway. He had been put through so much for a boy of such tender years. They found cute little gifts for the Hancock girls and bought vouchers for their parents. Kate found a CD and book that she thought Peter would like and she bought a silk tie for Alex. She had bought some cufflinks for Ben, but she had already sent them so that they would reach him in time. The ladies took a break at Cibos on Rundle Street and watched the passing foot traffic. “It’s a lot quieter than Melbourne, isn’t it?” commented Bess. “Yeah, it sure is. You should see it at night, it’s practically a ghost town!” They laughed and nibbled their cakes. It was time to head home.

vii

Kate and Jo soon established a routine. Jo’s writing and arithmetic continued to improve and Kate decided that it was time to investigate school options for him. There were several schools, both public and private in the area, and although Kate could have afforded private schooling, she decided to focus her initial search on public schools. She was doubtful that Julie could have afforded private schooling. That Friday morning, Kate and Jo visited local schools and met with the principals. The principal at West Beach Primary was particularly helpful. Kate showed her several examples of Jo’s current work, “he’s definitely up to grade one standard,” the principal noted as she looked over Jo’s work, “even close to grade two, though I would recommend grade one at this stage to take into account his social difficulties.” Kate appreciated the principal’s tactful choice of words. The school wasn’t overly large and Kate declared her intentions to enrol Jo for the new school year. The principal was pleased and introduced Kate and Jo to the grade one teacher. Kate felt like she had made a good choice as they caught the bus home and had lunch.

While Jo was working on his writing after lunch, Kate wrote to her mother and told her all about the school, as well as other recent happenings. She hadn’t written to her mother for a few weeks and she felt a little guilty. Lydia had really filled the void Kate felt at the separation from her parents, especially her mother. Kate could smell dinner cooking and her stomach grumbled. There were many benefits to living with the Morovas; even her relationship with Peter had improved a little. She still wasn’t sure that she trusted him, but he had done his best to win her and Jo over. Jo loved spending time and playing with him, particularly at the beach. The weather was really beginning to warm up now and Kate wanted to revisit swimming. She took Jo to the pool a number of times with Lydia. He would sit with Lydia while Kate swam laps. He was content to watch and Kate didn’t want to push him into anything he wasn’t ready for. Slowly, he began to approach the water, cautiously at first, perhaps just sitting on the edge of the pool or standing in the shallow water on the steps leading down into the wading pool. Kate let him do it his way and in his own time. He hadn’t experienced another nightmare for two weeks now and she wanted to keep it that way. She began fitting Jo with floaties when they visited the pool now. She sensed that he was almost ready to explore further and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. She continued to swim laps. It would take Jo about twenty minutes to approach the water after they arrived, and he tended to be more comfortable when the pool was quiet. Kate found out at what times the pool was quietest and they aimed to visit then. Jo began wading in the shallow pool and Kate would join him after she had swum her laps, by which time Jo would have ventured from the safety of the steps. She began pulling him along with a kickboard and teaching him how to kick. Little by little his confidence began to build until Kate was able to gently coax him into the adult pool. After three weeks he was able to propel himself with the kickboard and Kate swimming alongside him. He wouldn’t venture without her by his side. Kate enrolled him in a summer swim school for beginners. It didn’t begin until the New Year, so she still had a few weeks to work up his skills and confidence. The pool manager had assured her that they wouldn’t push Jo into anything that he wasn’t comfortable with and Kate was free to participate in the classes. Parent participation was encouraged for the beginners. This reassured Kate and she was confident that Jo would enjoy the classes. She continued to marvel at the gains he made each week, both in the pool and with his work and social skills. He was so good at expressing himself without words now that Kate barely noticed that he didn’t speak.

It was now only two weeks till Christmas and Kate couldn’t believe how fast time was flying. Jo was gaining independence daily and Kate was so proud of him. She was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Alex and Bess for Christmas. They would be in Adelaide for three weeks and both Kate and Jo were looking forward to spending time with them. The Morova business closed for three weeks over Christmas and New Year and Kate was looking forward to the break. She felt like she hadn’t had a holiday for ages. Of course there had been the long weekend in November, but that felt so long ago and it was so brief and there had been a lot of water under the bridge since then. Julie was now well established at Morova Enterprises and was regularly catching up with Phoebe for a drink after work on Thursdays. They had even been to the movies together last week. It was the first time that Kate had been to the cinema since leaving Melbourne and she really enjoyed it. She liked Phoebe and it was good to spend time with someone her own age. The office Christmas Party was coming up next week and they had both been involved in preparing it. Everyone was invited, including spouses and children, and it was apparently the highlight of the work year. Phoebe had been involved in organising it for years and guided Julie through the process. It was really quite simple, though Kate hadn’t done anything like it before. The social committee at her old job coordinated the social events and Kate had never been a member of it. She was enjoying her work at Morova Enterprises, though it wasn’t particularly challenging, but this just gave Kate plenty of time to think. She had begun to decorate her desk a bit now and had a picture of Jo was proudly displayed. She had also customised the desktop on her computer, so that a bible verse scrolled across the screen when it went into screen saver mode. She hadn’t been to church yet, but she had heard about a good one in Kensington. She thought she’d try it out for Christmas, they held a family service on Christmas Eve. Julie’s immediate boss had also noticed that she was good with figures and increased her book keeping duties. Kate was glad, as it relieved the tedium of her other duties.

The evening of the Christmas party had arrived. Julie, Phoebe and a few other workers, had spent the afternoon decorating the Russian Club. It was still light at six o’clock when everyone began arriving. Kate had brought a change of clothes and had got ready with Phoebe in the rest rooms. Lydia had brought Jo along and he looked so cute in his new suit that Julie and Lydia had purchased for Christmas. He ran to Kate as soon as they arrived and she lifted him up, paying no attention to her new suit, as it didn’t crease easily. She put Jo down and kept hold of his hand. She led him in the direction of Phoebe, who had been eagerly waiting to meet the little boy that Julie constantly talked about. “Isn’t he sweet?” Phoebe cooed, “He has your good looks!” Kate smiled; people often commented that Jo looked like her, even though they weren’t remotely related. The evening began with a short speech from Mr Morova and the awarding of prizes to the staff. Everyone’s hands were red and raw from clapping when they finally sat down to dinner. Almost every employee received an award for something or other. Even Julie received an award for most efficient mail delivery! Dinner was traditional Russian fare. It was the same every year. After dinner they enjoyed a concert. A group of talented staff members had been working on a variety performance for weeks. The highlight was their hilarious caricature of the office, and it practically had everyone rolling on the floor with laughter. The evening ended with another short speech from Mr Morova, thanking everyone for all their hard work and wishing them all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. The night air was still warm when they all stepped outside and made their way home. Julie and Phoebe promised to keep in touch over the break. They wouldn’t see each other next week as the office closed on Wednesday, ahead of Christmas. It had been an enjoyable evening at the end of a long day and Kate slept well.

vi

Kate hadn’t had a chance to call her brother earlier so after she put Jo to bed she went for a walk. The evening had turned cool and the moon was waning, but it was still pleasant outside. Kate found a payphone and inserted her coins. She dialled Josh & Colin’s number and Colin answered. “Hi Colin, it’s Kate,” she greeted him. “Oh, hi Sis, how’s Adelaide treating you? Is the new job going well?” Kate made some generalised comments about Adelaide and work and asked after Colin and Deborah. Their wedding preparations were going well. Kate asked for Josh, he was about to go out, but came to the phone. “Hey Sis, I guess you got the package?” Kate told him that she had and thanked him, but warned him not to do it again. She gave him her PO Box details and asked that he address mail to Ms J Barnes. She congratulated him on his engagement to Sarah, “when are you going to do the deed?” she asked. Josh wasn’t sure. They were thinking early next spring, but hadn’t confirmed a date yet. It depended on venue availability. They would think about it after exams. He excused himself; they were catching up with friends tonight at the pub and were going to announce their engagement. Sarah had just arrived and Kate briefly congratulated her when she came on the phone. Kate hung up the phone. It had been so nice to hear familiar voices again. Kate stoped by a newsagent and bought a phone card. The shop was about to close, as it was almost nine o’clock. Kate headed home and went straight to her room. She booted up her laptop and wrote a quick e-mail to her friends. She thanked them for the package and letters and reiterated her warning to Josh. She shut down the computer and went to the kitchen to make a herb tea. Lydia was in the lounge working on some embroidery. Kate went over to have a look and saw that it was a Russian design. Lydia explained that it was the Morova motif and directed Kate to a heavy bound book on the bookshelf. Kate pulled out the hardbound book of Russian genealogy and looked up the Morovas. They had been an important family, but with close ties to the Tsar, had fallen from grace during the revolution. Still, they had a rich history and hadn’t been wiped out, like many bourgeoisie families. Kate asked if she could have a look at the book in her room and Lydia waved her off, absorbed in her work.

Kate settled back on the bed with her herbal tea and the heavy, old book. She opened it at R and searched for the Romanovs. They had been a middle-class family, though with and honourable history and had benefited from the revolution. As the Morovas had fallen, the Romanovs had risen to prominence. At least one member of the Romanov family was a member of the Politburo at any one time, and they had also managed to stere clear of both the fickle leaders, such as Stalin, and the KGB. ‘They must have had friends in high places,’ mused Kate as she copied down the pertinent information and drew a rough reproduction of the family crest. Next, she found the Kryukovs. They had been humble peasants prior to the revolution, but like the Romanovs, had shrewdly transformed their luck with the changing times. Several members of the family had distinguished themselves in the army, but their involvement in the halls of power was classified, ‘must have been KGB,’ figured Kate. She searched for any clue to their involvement in the mafia and finally located a possible link in a short sentence in their recent history. Kate shuddered as she read about a member of the family who had been disgraced and exiled to Siberia. Consequently, the family had been ostracized and fallen into disrepute. Kate wrote down the important information and copied their crest. She turned to P and found Petrov, but there wasn’t much of interest there, and nothing that seemed to link them to the underworld. Kate looked at the alarm clock beside her bed, 10.30, she should turn in, as she had work in the morning. She put the things she had copied from the book with Jo’s pictures and put the folder in her handbag. She returned the heavy, old book to the bookshelf in the lounge, and turned off the lights. Lydia had already gone to bed. She could see that Peter’s bedroom light was still on, but crept past his room so as not to disturb him. She still didn’t want to speak to him yet. She looked in on Jo after brushing her teeth. He was sleeping soundly, clutching his monkey toy. Kate smiled and turned to her room. She slept well that night and didn’t remember dreaming.

Thursday at work was uneventful for Julie. She met one of the other secretaries, Phoebe, during lunch. Phoebe had been with the company for six years, since leaving high school, but was now working part-time and studying business at university. Phoebe seemed to have a good sense of fun. Her mother was Russian, though now deceased, but her father was Australian. Phoebe explained that her mother had been a distant cousin of the Morovas. “We’re really all related, you know!” she joked. Kate smiled; she could feel herself immediately warming to Phoebe. Phoebe invited Kate out for coffee after work but Kate requested a raincheck, “I promised I’d take my son to the beach this evening. It’s our fish and chips night.” Phoebe looked a little surprised, “you have a son? You don’t look old enough!” Kate laughed; Phoebe hadn’t been at work on Monday, when she had given Julie’s spiel. “I was a teenager,” explained Kate, “then I married a man who turned out to be a right bastard, ‘scuse my language. I divorced him last year, so now it’s just me and Jo again.” Kate finished and handed Phoebe a picture of her and Jo, taken at the farm. The photo of her and Ben slipped out of her wallet as well and Kate hurriedly bent to pick it up, but was beaten to it by Phoebe. “And who might this handsome man be, Julie? Have you been holding out on me?” Kate blushed, “Um, that’s David, he’s back in Melbourne. We broke up just before I moved here, but we’re still friends, it was his family’s farm where the photos were taken.” Phoebe handed the photos back to her, “that’s a shame, he looked cute. Gorgeous kid though, how old is he?” Kate tucked the photos back in her wallet, “seven, I’m home schooling him till next year. Mrs Morova is helping me.” Phoebe was impressed, both with the fact that Julie was home schooling and because of her friendship with the Morovas. They were considered to be a little aloof by the staff. No one was a member of their inner-circle, “except perhaps for you, Julie,” Phoebe explained, “Mr Morova generally keeps his distance.” “Really?” replied Kate, “they’ve been nothing if not kind and generous to Jo and I.” Phoebe shrugged, “Who would have known it? Oh, they’re friendly enough, I suppose…” They were walking back to their desks now and Kate suggested coffee next week. “It’s a date,” Phoebe smiled and returned to her workstation. It was on the opposite side of the office to Kate’s and was festooned with figurines and soft toys. The rest of the working day passed slowly as Kate waited for the clock to reach five pm.

Kate went directly to the Police Headquarters on Wakefield Street and asked for P.C. Robertson. Kate felt a little nervous and told herself to calm down. P.C. Robertson collected Kate from the waiting area and escorted her to an interview room at the rear of the building, “no one will disturb us here,” he explained, “would you like a tea or coffee?” Kate requested a tea and sat down, pulling the folder from her handbag as she did. P.C. Robertson returned with the hot drinks and a female officer, “I thought it was best to ask P.C. Prescott to join us,” he said delicately. Kate thanked him for the tea and took a sip while the officers sat down. “Now, what was it that you wanted to show us?” asked P.C. Robertson. Kate pulled out Jo’s pictures, “Jo drew these for me last week. We had been swimming at the local pool and he had a terrible nightmare that night. He wasn’t himself the next day and this is what her drew when I asked him what was wrong.” Kate explained as she passed the pictures to the officers. She could feel her composure slipping as she glimpsed the pictures for the first time since Jo had drawn them last Wednesday afternoon. Kate explained that Jo had experienced nightmares every night when he was first with her, and how he had been afraid of the bath, and large, dark haired men. The officers nodded sagely, Kate could see that the female officer was particularly moved. She noted the wedding band on her finger and wondered if she also had children. “My God,” P.C. Prescott breathed when she saw the bath picture. “These certainly validate all the behaviours you have described to us,” P.C. Robertson concluded, “May we make copies?” Kate nodded, “of course,” and P.C. Prescott took the pictures away.

Kate pulled out the notes she had taken from the Russian genealogy book, “I also thought you should see these. I thought that it might help.” P.C. Robertson studied the notes, nodding and making occasional short comments. “Where did you get all this?” he asked when he had finished. Kate explained that she was staying with a Russian family and it was all from a book of theirs. She gave him the publication details of the book. He asked if they could copy the notes also, and Kate agreed. When P.C. Prescott returned, P.C. Robertson showed Kate out, “well, thank you for bringing all that in. We’ll ensure that they get copies in Melbourne. I thought that you might also be interested to hear that there’s an alert out on the Kryukovs for other criminal activity. You may not have to worry about them for too long.” Kate hoped so, but didn’t place too high expectations on the officer’s words. She was aware how slippery these kinds of people could be. She thanked the officers for their time and left. It had been a very profitable half hour.

v

Though she had woken grumpy and stiff, she couldn’t remain in that state for long. The presence of little Jo beside her soon cheered her up and when she got out of bed and looked out the window she could see that it was going to be a pleasant day. Adelaide was really turning on the weather. It was great for enjoying the outdoors. She had a shower and got dressed and when she returned to her room Jo was sitting up in bed, reading. “Good morning my little man, how are you today?” she greeted him and kissed him on the forehead. He grinned up at her and held out the book, “you want me to read it to you?” she asked and Jo nodded. She returned to the bed and sat down, Jo snuggled in beside her and opened the book. “Look who’s just moved in next door to us?” Kate began. It was another of Jo’s favourites. “Well little man,” Kate initiated when she had finished the story, “time for you to get dressed and have some breakfast.” Jo dutifully scurried off to his room and Kate met him in the kitchen a short time later.

They had the place to themselves this morning, as Peter wasn’t yet up and Lydia had gone out to get her hair done. It was her regular Wednesday thing. Kate felt like singing, “what’ll it be for my little man today?” she trilled. Jo giggled and pointed to the wheat-bix. “Wheat-bix, just like Benny, eh?” Well, why don’t you take this out to him and I’ll get some for you?” She passed him Benny’s bowl of soggy wheat-bix, and he ran off outside. Benny had become used to sleeping outside now and wasn’t quite so wildly rapturous as he used to be. Kate watched Jo and Benny together; they were firm friends now and trusted each other completely. Kate was so glad that Benny had joined them. He was the stabilising influence and companion for Jo that Kate had hoped he would be. Jo came back inside and Kate reminded him to go and wash his hands before he ate. He returned moments later and they sat down together, Jo with his wheat-bix and Kate with her muesli and yoghurt. They also had crumpets drenched with honey and a sleepy Peter appeared, as they were finishing. “Good morning,” Kate greeted him, somewhat crisply, “don’t you have classes this morning? I thought your presentation was today.” He grabbed an apple, “I’m going to the beach, want to come?” Jo raced off and returned shod and with Benny’s lead before Kate had a chance to decline. “I guess that’s a yes then?” Peter laughed. Kate nodded and they followed him out the door.

Peter had brought a Frisbee and threw it to Jo when they reached the beach. It was close to the ground and Benny reached it ahead of Jo. Then the battle was on to wrestle the Frisbee back. Kate laughed as she watched the boys wrestle with the dog. She looked out over the beach, and saw that it was quiet this morning. Glenelg was a beautiful spot, it was cleaner and quieter than St Kilda, though not as trendy and it lacked St Kilda’s famous cake shops.

Kate fell into a reverie contemplating her home city; she missed it so much it ached. She snapped out of it when the Frisbee whizzed past her head and landed just behind her. She looked up and Benny was headed straight for her! She leant back and retrieved the Frisbee before Benny landed on top of her and she jumped up and threw it in a graceful arc towards Jo. Jo leapt up to catch it in one hand and Peter whistled, “You throw a good Frisbee!” Kate laughed, “I have three brothers, I had to keep up somehow!” Jo threw the Frisbee to Peter, and Peter in turn threw it to Julie. She threw it back to him, ensuring that it would be just out of easy reach. Peter dived for it and caught it, but landed in the sand and Benny was soon on top of him. Kate laughed and sat back down in the sand. Jo ran to assist Peter and another wrestling match ensued. Kate watched them carefully to ensure that Peter was not unduly rough with Jo. She was surprised that Jo entered into the contests so eagerly. Less than three weeks ago, he would have run a mile. Kate smiled; he really was growing in confidence. You would not know that he was different from any other boy, ‘unless you took him swimming, or tried to talk to him,’ Kate reminded herself. She wondered if she would ever be able to teach him to swim. She got up, “come on boys, time to go home. Its school time for you Jo!” Kate called. They boys ignored her, but looked up when she repeated more emotively, “come on now, I mean it! You can come back this arvo if you’re good, Jo.” She walked towards them and deftly snatched the Frisbee while simultaneously snapping on Benny’s lead. She handed the lead to Jo and dusted him off. She kept hold of the Frisbee and took Jo’s hand in her free one as they headed towards home. “Wait up!” Peter called and caught up to them, “we were just playing,” he commented defensively. “I know,” retorted Kate, “and it’s time for Jo’s first lesson. We normally go for a walk after the first lesson,” she said authoritatively. “Oh,” was all Peter replied and they completed the short walk in silence.

Jo’s writing was improving rapidly and he almost had his two times table down pat. Kate was so proud of him. He would certainly be ready for school in the New Year and might even be able to start in grade one. ‘At least if he was in grade one he wouldn’t be so much older than the other kids,’ Kate thought. He would be two or three years older than the prep kids, but only twelve or so months older than those in grade one. Lydia knocked and poked her head into the room, “you two hungry? I’ve got a quiche in the oven and its almost done.” Kate looked up, “thanks, Lydia. We’re nearly done here.” She looked back down at Jo’s work, “just finish that page Jo and then we’ll have some lunch.” The quiche was delicious and Kate offered to do the dishes. Lydia and Jo went back to Kate’s room to start the afternoon’s maths lesson. They would have two lessons this afternoon as they started later than usual this morning. The front doorbell rang as Kate was putting the last dish away. “I’ll get it!” she called as she went to answer it. It was an Express Post deliveryman. The package was for Kate and she signed for it. She took it back to her room and excused Lydia. She looked over Jo’s shoulder; he was puzzling over a page of simple subtractions. She left him to it and sat on her bed with the unopened, small package. She looked at it for a while, it had come from Melbourne, but she didn’t recognise the writing on the address label. She gave it a gentle shake and then slowly and carefully opened it. Several envelopes fell out, as well as a couple of CDs, and a small box wrapped in silver paper. She inspected the envelopes. There was one from each of her friends and one addressed to Jo. She called him over and he climbed up on the bed beside her. She opened his letter and read it out to him. It was from Ben and was filled with cute anecdotes of his life on the beat. Kate sent Jo back to his maths and opened Steve’s letter, as she was eager to hear from him. The letter began with an apology, he had been a little angry, but he had been able to put it behind him now. He missed her and was sorry that they hadn’t parted on better terms. He told her about his business and life in general. Then, right at the end, as if it was an afterthought, he mentioned that he’d met someone. Kate put the letter down. Steve sounded happy and she was glad that things were working out for him.

She opened Sarah’s letter next. It was short, only a page and a half. She was busy preparing for final exams and applying for jobs. She had some news, but she wanted to leave it for Josh to tell…. Kate practically ripped open Josh’s letter and her suspicions were immediately confirmed. He and Sarah were getting married! Kate wanted to call and congratulate him, but she knew that she couldn’t. She read the rest of his letter. I was only marginally longer than Sarah’s and he too was busy with exam preparations and job applications.

Next she turned to Bess’ letter. It was long and descriptive and Kate decided that she needed a cup of tea to accompany it. She went to the kitchen and returned with cookies and a glass of milk for Jo in addition to her hot cup of tea. He smiled up at her and showed her his workbook. Kate bent down and corrected a couple of the sums and then drew a smiley face on the page. He grinned and reached for the cookies. Kate sat back on the bed and returned to Bess’ letter. Bess wrote of work, progress with Alex, and finished with the news that she Alex would be in Adelaide with Alex’s parents for Christmas! Kate was so thrilled with the news, and she wondered if the Morovas already knew. She opened Alex’s letter and recognised the writing as the same as that on the address label. The letter was short, like Sarah’s. He wrote of his work and Bess and mentioned about their plans for Christmas. He also wrote that he had also written to his parents to ask them about their plans for Christmas. Kate put down the letters and looked at her mug. She had already finished her tea. She went to make another one and found Lydia in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“What was in the package?” asked Lydia curiously as she turned the potatoes in the oven. “Oh, just a few clothes and letters from my family in Melbourne,” Kate replied nonchalantly. “That’s nice,” replied Lydia as she closed the oven door, “you must miss them.” Kate nodded and poured the now boiling water over her teabag, “yeah, I guess I do. I don’t know what I’m going to do at Christmas. It was always a big deal in our household.” Lydia placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder, “well, you and Jo are more than welcome to spend it with us. Of course, we Russians don’t celebrate it on the 25th of December, but when we do you’ll know about it! Actually, my son is coming over from Melbourne. I got a letter from him today. He’s bringing his new girl, Bess. It sounds quite serious. You know them, don’t you?” Kate smiled and nodded, “Bess is an old friend of mine actually. We went to school together.” She returned to her room. Jo had finished the maths exercises she had given him and was now drawing a picture for Ben. Kate corrected the exercises and praised Jo on his efforts. Jo wanted to go outside and play with Benny. Kate shooed him off and returned to her bed. It was time for Ben’s letter.

Kate clasped the precious letter to her chest as tears brimmed in her eyes, every part of her ached to be with Ben again. She longed to see him, to hear him, to touch and smell him. His feelings remained unchanged and he had written her a long and detailed letter. He wrote of work, and the developments in Jo’s case, which reminded Kate to call her Police contact about Jo’s pictures. He was keeping in touch with the gang and they all missed her. He was also playing tennis with Josh regularly and had met her parents. He desired more than anything to drop everything and rush to her side, but he knew that it could possibly put them in danger. The letter was filled with love and emotion and as Kate had read it she felt just like Ben was there in the room talking to her. She closed her eyes and didn’t open them again until she felt Jo tug at her elbow. He was clutching Benny’s lead and indicated that he wanted to go to the beach. Kate carefully put all the letters away and made sure she had some change in her pocket. She grabbed her mobile phone with one hand and took Jo’s hand with the other. They collected Benny at the back door and headed to the beach. Kate spied Peter as he got off the tram and headed towards home but she ignored him and hoped that he wouldn’t see them. Jo was playing fetch with Benny and splashing in the shallows. Kate plonked down onto the sand, perhaps Jo was overcoming his fear of water, or maybe he only feared contained water. She recalled the first time she had put him in the bath and the look of fear he had displayed on that occasion. Now it all made sense. She pulled out her mobile phone and found the Adelaide Police contact number in her phonebook. She dialled and it was answered on the fourth ring. “Hi,” Kate said after the officer had identified himself, “I was wondering if I could come in and see you, there’s something quite sensitive that I need to show you. It’s important to Jo’s case.” They arranged to catch up after Kate finished work on Thursday afternoon. Kate called out to Jo, it was time they got back, and dinner would be ready soon.

iv

The office was bright and busy. Yuri had given Julie a tour and introduced her to the people whom she would have most regular contact. Now she was at her new desk acquainting herself with its ins and outs. The phone rang and she picked it up on the second ring, “Good morning, Morova enterprises, how may we assist you today?” The greeting was scripted and printed on Julie’s desk. The man wanted dispatch and she transferred the call through, “Serge, a Mr Vincent for you regarding his delivery.” Serge thanked her and took the call. She logged into the computer and scanned its programs. It was windows based and she was familiar with all the programs. She checked out the pre-formatted documents, they comprised of a few letters, invoices and receipts. Next she checked the books. Her job didn’t really require accounting, though she would enter the weekly earnings. The phone rang again, and it was for dispatch once more. Kate looked at the clock on her computer after putting the call through to Serge, 10.15am, if she didn’t find something to do soon, it would be a very long day.

The very next moment a huge pile of mail was dumped on her desk. She sighed, job number one, and got stuck in. Now all she had to do was remember everyone’s names. The pigeon holes were only for messaged, she was expected to hand deliver the mail to everyone’s desks. By the time she had sorted the mail it was twenty to. She was just considering how to deliver it all to everyone’s when a young man arrived at her desk. “Hi, I’m Tom,” he introduced himself, “Mr Morova sent me to help you with the mail.” Kate sighed with relief, and followed him with the trolley now filled with the sorted mail. She made a mental picture of all the offices, desks and people as they delivered all the mail and she drew a map as soon as she returned to her desk. She was determined to get the hang of this job as soon as possible so that she could just relax and enjoy it. She was studying her new map when the phone rang again and it continued to ring hot until lunch. At lunchtime she switched it to the answering machine and joined the crowd in the lunchroom. Like her old boss, Mr Morova firmly believed in a decent lunch and he provided a simple hot or cold lunch for all his staff.

The lunchroom wasn’t a patch on the corner office of her previous workplace, but it was certainly cheerful. Everyone was expected to join together for lunch and Julie was swamped with co-workers eager to get to know the new secretary. Mr Morova rarely got involved in hiring new staff, so they suspected that she was special. She had typed up a few versions of Julie’s history, incorporating the information that the police had given her, so she was able to spin off a realistic tale. She included plenty of juicy barbs on her ex-husband. She’d decided on a mildly bitter recently divorced single mum angle. She wanted to arouse a bit of sympathy but not too much, and she didn’t want to stand out. She made the history as bland as possible and talk soon moved to last night’s soaps. Kate smiled, as it seemed to be working.

Kate kept fairly busy for the rest of the day. She liked the feel of the office and the people seemed nice. Most of the staff was Russian and the place hummed with the rhythm of Russian and English conversation. Kate typed a couple of letters, printed a fresh round of invoices and labels and answered the phone. The job was very simple but Kate liked it. It would suit Julie at any rate. Five o’clock came and she caught the tram back to Glenelg. Yuri usually worked till at least six and he often ended the day with calls back to Russia. The tram journey was pleasant. Adelaide folk kept to themselves more than the tram users in Melbourne and Kate missed the convivial atmosphere of Melbourne’s trams. She contented herself with looking out the window. Upon her arrival home she took Jo and Benny for a walk along the beach. It was a balmy afternoon and Glenelg was awash with activity. She spotted Peter alighting the tram as they headed towards home and she waved. He fell in alongside them with his bag casually slung over his left shoulder. Kate asked him about Uni and attempted not to sound too knowledgeable. Much of his work sounded very similar to what she herself had studied in Melbourne only four years ago. He was easy to talk to and Kate asked him what he wanted to do once he graduated. As she had expected his ambitions were greater than the family business and he spoke of going out on his own. ‘It takes the youngest to spread their wings,’ Kate thought to herself. She liked Peter; he was undemanding company. When they arrived back at the house Kate checked that all the sand had come off them before she let Jo inside. Jo led her to his books and proudly showed off his day’s work. Kate lifted him up, “I’m so proud of you, my little man! You’re such a clever boy!” He smiled and hugged her. She couldn’t imagine her life without Jo now. It felt like he had always been with her, not just merely for two and a half months.

Kate put Jo to bed and he picked out a story for her to read to him. He was getting a lot better at making his desires known nowadays. After the story had finished he was soon asleep and Kate crept out of his room, leaving his door slightly ajar as usual. Peter was waiting for her outside in the hall, “Ah, it’s a beautiful evening, full moon and all, would you like to come for a walk?” Kate looked up at him, “Um, sure, why not?” Kate grabbed her sweater and they went outside and were soon walking along the beach. Kate took her shoes off and waded in the shallows. She sent a splash Peter’s way and ran off. He chased after her and eventually tackled her to the sand. While he had her pinned to the sand he dropped his bombshell, “Your name isn’t really Julie, is it?” Kate tried not to look too surprised but she sat up suddenly, “what makes you think that?” Peter shrugged but didn’t look at her, “you seemed a bit phoney this afternoon. Is Jo really your kid? You must have been young when you had him.” “Eighteen,” Kate replied dispassionately, “it’s my ex, he’s a nasty piece of work. We had to leave everything.” She began to cry. “I’m sorry,” he said hastily, “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He went to put his arm around her but she shrugged him off and stood up. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped angrily and walked away in the opposite direction.

She didn’t want to head straight back, she needed to clear her head. She was more upset because Peter had seen through her than anything else, ‘am I really so transparent?’ she wondered, ‘could others tell as well?’ Kate shivered, though she wasn’t cold. She realised that she had left her sandals back in the sand. “Stuff it!” she exclaimed aloud. She stopped and looked up at the night sky. The moon dominated, it must have been close because it was so big. Kate took a few deep breaths and stretched her arms high above her head. She had to speak to Peter again and find out how he had guessed. At least he hadn’t guessed at the whole truth, she consoled herself. She couldn’t afford to have her cover blown. ‘Maybe I should contact the police?’ she considered. She didn’t dare put herself or Jo in danger and was prepared to run again if necessary, ‘but where to?’ She had extended family in Perth on her father’s side, but she was loathed to go that far. ‘Don’t make any rash decisions,’ she reminded herself as she finally headed back. She kept to the sand as much as possible to save her feet. She looked for her sandals on the way, but they weren’t there. ‘Peter must have picked them up,’ she thought. She walked the last few hundred metres along the footpath without encountering anything nasty. It was late when she got back. Her sandals had been left on the threshold. She picked them up and went to bed. She wrote a long letter to Ben pouring out all her fears and she felt a lot better afterwards. It didn’t compare to having him beside her, but it helped. She slept fitfully that night. Peter’s revelation worried her.

Peter wasn’t up when Kate left for work the next morning. She got his mobile number off Lydia, so that she could call him in her lunch break. She wouldn’t have any peace of mind until she had her fears either confirmed or dispelled. Work was the same as the previous day. Tom arrived at her desk and escorted her around the office, delivering the mail again. She made a few corrections to her map and studied it between jobs. She was determined to learn her way around as quickly as possible. She wanted Julie to be a success. She went for a walk at lunchtime and as soon as she was out of range of the office she pulled out her phone. She dialled Peter’s number but paused a moment before calling him and sent up a short prayer. “Peter,” a voice said. “Oh, hi, its Julie,” Kate said. “Did Mum give you my number?” he asked, slightly disgruntled. “Yes, I need to talk to you. What time do you finish Uni today?” “I’m already done, but I’m studying with my study group till four. I can amuse myself until five though, I’ll meet you at the office.” “Ok,” replied Kate, “I’ll see you then.” She hung up and nibbled on her sandwich as she walked. The office was in a nice part of town, in the North West corner of the city. It was close to Cornel Light Square and Kate was wandering through the square as she finished her sandwich and headed back to the office, lunchtime was nearly over.

The day plod along at a snail’s pace and Kate anxiously watched the clock. Peter materialised at her desk at one minute past five and gave Kate a fright. “Peter, I didn’t see you come in,” she exclaimed. “I’ve perfected invisibility in this place,” Peter laughed, “come on, I’ve gotta get out of here before they spot me!” He reached for Kate’s hand but she pulled it away and grabbed her bag. When they were outside Kate stopped, “let’s just get one thing straight,” she said forcefully, “you don’t ever touch me, or Jo.” Peter shrugged, “whatever, is it because of your ex?” “Partly,” Kate replied, “but it’s not the whole story. How did you know about me?” she asked. Peter shrugged again. Kate found it irritating. “I dunno, I guess it was when you were asking me about Uni. You sounded too intelligent.” Kate cursed under her breath, “you haven’t told anyone, have you?” Peter stopped and looked at her, “of course not!” he said, offended, “what do you take me for?” It was Kate’s turn to shrug, “you scared me, you’ve no idea what its like. I had to watch my son beaten black and blue, tortured!” her voice grew louder and shrill in pitch, “I wasn’t allowed to have friends, to work, or even to shop for myself!” She began to cry again, “You’ve no idea what its like, no idea, so don’t pretend to know about me. You don’t know the first thing!” She walked briskly ahead. Peter caught up with her outside a café. “I’m sorry, really, I am. You’re right. I have no idea. Can I at least get you a coffee or something?” Kate looked at him, “be careful Peter, just be careful.” They entered the café. Kate ordered a cappuccino. She would rather have had a latte, but a cappuccino would be more Julie’s style. Kate sipped her coffee contemplatively. She wasn’t sure that she trusted Peter, he had seen straight through her and it had scared her. At least it hadn’t been something she had said in front of his parents, she consoled herself, and ‘perhaps all is not yet lost.’ She took another sip of her coffee and looked out the window at nothing. Peter broke the silence, “you don’t trust me,” he said. Kate looked at him, “no, why should I?” Silence fell upon them again. “I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said at last. Kate put down her now empty cup and got up, “you can’t say that Peter. You already have.” She put a few dollars down on the table and left. Peter didn’t follow her. She caught the bus back to Glenelg.

She phoned her police contact as she walked home from the bus stop. The officer assured her that it hadn’t been a full breach of her cover and that she had nothing to worry about. “Are you sure?” she asked anxiously. “Julie, you covered yourself well. You have a believable back-story and he told you that he hasn’t shared his suspicions with anyone else. You have nothing to worry about, really.” Kate felt a bit better, but she was still worried. She would have to be on her guard with Peter. She was at her destination and she put away her phone. She didn’t want them to know that she had been talking to someone. “Oh, Julie dear, we were wondering where you had got to. I’m just about to serve up dinner,” Lydia said, concerned. It was almost seven o’clock. The men all looked up from the table and Jo got up and ran to her side. She lifted him up and hugged him close. “How was your day, my little man?” she asked as she returned him to his seat and sat down next to him. He wanted to take her to his desk, “after dinner, Jo, you can show me later.” Mrs Morova brought out steaming hot bowls of carrot soup. ‘She really is an excellent cook,’ Kate noted as she finished her soup. It had been delicious. The rest of dinner was a simple, quiet affair. Kate was glad, as she wasn’t in the mood for talking tonight. She excused herself and Jo straight after dessert and Jo led her to her room. He proudly showed off his writing, drawing and maths. Lydia was teaching him his two times table. Jo got out the Connect Four and they set it up on Kate’s bed. Jo was a bit clingy tonight and Kate wondered why. ‘Perhaps its because I was out for so long today and he’s not grown used to Lydia yet. Oh well,’ she thought, she’d have all day with him tomorrow and Friday, she could make up for it. Jo beat her three times. Kate was drifting and wasn’t paying attention to the game. Jo disappeared and returned five minutes later in his PJs and holding a book, it was his first favourite. He fell asleep in her lap and Kate couldn’t bear to disturb him by carrying him to his own bed, so she lifted him gently and laid him on the far side of her bed. Perhaps it was what he wanted anyway. She was tired herself and brushed her teeth and joined him. She fell asleep rapidly, but it wasn’t restful. She still had Peter on her mind.

iii

Mrs Morova had been expecting them and gave them a tour of the house when they arrived. It was modest but well appointed. Kate could tell they were wealthy by their furnishings and the original artworks on the walls. There was an alarm system and Lydia showed Kate how to use it and then gave her a set of keys. Kate felt comfortable with Lydia, she was gentle and motherly and similar in age to her own mother. Kate felt that they would be happy in the Morova household. Kate asked if she would be able to help out with the housework and cooking, she didn’t want to be a guest, “I could even pay board,” she suggested. “Oh, that won’t be necessary, no, I couldn’t take your money. You can help with the housework if you like, though we have a cleaning lady and I don’t think Yuri would accept anyone else’s cooking I’m afraid. He’s only ever had three women cook for him, his grandmother, mother and me!” Mrs Morova smiled, “Peter might though, he’s not so fussy. Perhaps you could even teach him a thing or two. I’m trying to get him housetrained! Maybe he would listen to you…” Lydia finished with a sigh. “I heard that Mum!” Peter entered the kitchen and kissed his mother on the cheek. He’d just returned from Uni for the day. “I won’t be home for dinner tonight, Mum. Gotta go back to Uni for a study group, we have a presentation next week.” Mrs Morova looked concerned, “you will eat though, won’t you?” Peter laughed, “of course, Mum! Can you imagine me not eating?” Lydia laughed too, “no, of course not, Son. Well, if you’re sure.” He kissed her again, “don’t worry ‘bout me, Mum. I’m old enough to look after myself!” Lydia scoffed, “oh, you think so, do you? I’d like to see that. You can’t even use a washing machine!” Peter ducked out of her way and grabbed an apple before disappearing to his room. Mrs Morova laughed, “you see? No girl in her right mind would marry him. He can’t even look after himself!” Kate strongly suspected Lydia spoiled him.

Dinner was always a lavish affair in the Morova household and usually consisted of three courses, a soup, main and dessert. ‘Lydia must spend half her day chained to the stove!’ thought Kate as the Borsch was served. It certainly was delicious and Yuri praised his wife whole-heartedly, “It’s almost as good as my grandmother’s!” Mr Morova obviously enjoyed his food and conversation was kept to a minimum while dinner was underway. Next came Hungarian Goulash, and it had plenty of heat. Kate had to add quite a bit of yoghurt to Jo’s, because he was reluctant to eat something so spicy. Kate apologised to Lydia, “he’s not usually fussy, he’s just not used to spicy food.” Lydia smiled, “my kids were the same when they were his age, don’t worry about it.” After the goulash came trifle, though it wasn’t a Russian dessert, it was Yuri’s favourite. Though of course it was spiked with vodka rather than the traditional sherry. Lydia had prepared a separate one for Jo, minus the vodka, for which Kate was thankful. She shivered at the taste of the vodka; “is something wrong?” inquired Lydia, concerned. “Oh, no, I just don’t touch spirits, my husband was a heavy drinker….” She left it hanging for the Morovas to draw their own conclusions. She smiled inwardly to herself, she was beginning to enjoy colouring Julie’s past. Kate and Jo retired early after dinner. Kate wanted to check her e-mails.

She put Jo to bed and he read to himself. She checked on Benny and satisfied that he was all right, she booted up her computer. She rapidly deleted the junk in her inbox and got to the juicy stuff. There were e-mails from John, her mother and Ben. Ben was e-mailing her almost daily now as he received her letters. Kate saved his message till last. She wanted to savour every word. In fact, she wrote a short message to Steve before she read Ben’s. She felt guilty for neglecting Steve so long and she still hadn’t heard from him. She hoped that they could still be friends. She knew how hurt he had been by her new relationship. At last it was time for Ben’s message. She made herself a cup of herbal tea and settled back on her bed for the read. The message was a decent length and Ben wrote of what he had been up to as well as commenting on Kate’s progress. Kate wished his words were accompanied by his scent, sound and touch, oh, how she yearned for him!

Kate had dreamed of Ben again last night. She missed him so much. She just pined to hear his voice again, feel his touch and catch his scent. His scent had faded from her scarf now and she didn’t need to wear it anymore anyway. They took Benny for a walk along the beach after breakfast. Kate bought the local paper and read it on the sand while Jo played fetch with Benny. It took her only twenty minutes to finish the whole paper. It was a tabloid and most of what it reported was gossip and confabulation. It wasn’t a patch on The Age. She watched Jo and Benny and the other people using the beach. A few brave souls were swimming. Kate shivered, she knew how cold the Southern Ocean was and the air temperature was far too cool for swimming yet. She wondered if Jo could swim, they’d have to go and experiment as a local pool. “Come on Jo, its time for your lesson!” Jo ran to her side and she dusted all the sand off him. They walked back to the Morova’s place and Kate set up a temporary school space in her room for them to do their lessons. She didn’t want Jo to associate his own room with work. He was doing so well and enjoying it that Kate decided they could work in three sessions a day. Reading followed by maths, with more reading or maths on alternating afternoons. Reading would be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and maths would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lydia looked in our their lessons regularly as she had promised Kate that she would supervise on the days that she was working. Kate had bought some new books on Friday and they were working well for Jo.

The day had warmed up considerably by lunchtime and Kate decided to forgo their afternoon lesson in favour of a trip to the local pool. Jo didn’t yet have bathers so they ambled up Jetty Road browsing through the surf shops. They eventually found a place that stocked children’s sizes and Jo picked out a pair of boardies that he liked. She also bought herself a pair of bathers, plus two pairs of thongs and two beach towels and a sarong. She found herself a cheap pair of sunnies too. Lydia accompanied them to the pool. Kate collected a couple of kick boards and coaxed Jo into the water with difficulty. He was scared so she assumed that he had never been swimming. She fitted him with a couple of floaties and started in the wading pool where he could easily stand up. They just played in the shallow water for about ten minutes so Jo could get used to it, then they got out. Kate didn’t want to overdo it and put him off. They returned home via the gelati shop.

Jo experienced his first nightmare in over two weeks that night. He woke at 2.20am, cold, sweaty and frightened. It took Kate twenty minutes to calm him down and he wouldn’t let her leave him so she carried him to her bed and he eventually fell asleep beside her. She watched him for a time, wondering what had brought on the bad dream. It disturbed her greatly and she had trouble getting back to sleep herself. She woke early, tired, grumpy and stiff. Her sleep for the remainder of the night had been restless and disturbed. Her head ached like she had a hangover, but she couldn’t get back to sleep so she gave up and had a shower. Jo was still sleeping when she returned so she decided to take Benny for a walk along the beach. She let him off the lead and threw him the tennis ball, but he was used to playing fetch with Jo and wouldn’t do it properly for Kate. She gave up and returned to the house via the newsagents. She bought The Age, she’d already given up on the ‘tiser as the locals called it. ‘Tiser’ suited it; it was a sickly appetiser of a paper. The Age was the main meal. She wanted to buy the Financial Review as well, but Julie wouldn’t have read that. The Age was enough of a stretch. She bought a Woman’s Weekly for dessert, because she liked the crossword.

She was doing the crossword while Jo attempted his morning lessons. He couldn’t concentrate today and they gave up after half an hour and went to the beach with Benny. “What’s wrong Jo?” Kate had asked him as they walked. Jo ignored her so she asked again when they reached the sand. This time she knelt down and held his shoulders between her hands so she could look him in the eye. His eyes filled with tears and she clasped him to her chest. He heaved with a sob, “Jo, my Jo, what’s wrong? Don’t cry. No one can hurt you now my little man. I won’t let them,” she soothed and he gradually quietened down. She pulled him into her lap and ran her fingers through his fine, dark hair. It had lightened a bit with all the sun. “Jo, you’re my little man. I won’t ever let anyone hurt you. Do you understand?” She turned his head so he was looking at her, “Do you understand? No one can hurt you, I won’t let them.” He nodded and clung to her tightly. “Oh, Jo,” she said at last, “What did they do to you?”

They returned home and Kate let Jo draw. She didn’t want to push him today. She sat on her bed reading the paper and didn’t put it down till Jo tapped her on her knee. She put down the paper and Jo climbed into her lap and presented his pictures. Kate gasped, she couldn’t believe her eyes and she could feel tears prickling behind them. Jo had drawn his dreams and they were appalling. A small, crudely drawn boy, a woman and a grotesque man were pictured in each of the drawings. In one the man was holding the boy under water! Kate enfolded Jo into a close embrace as she burst into tears. Back and forth they rocked, both weeping. Kate had never imagined anything so horrifying for her precious boy. She didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t deny it. She knew that Jo would not make anything like this up and it explained all his little odd behaviours and reactions. When they had calmed down, Kate gathered up the drawings and put them away. She would show the pictures to the police, but no one else must ever see them, and Jo certainly didn’t need to be reminded of them. “Thank you, thank you, Jo. I won’t ever ask you again,” she promised solemnly, and she meant it. Jo was too precious to her to put him through anything like that again and she put off the idea of teaching him to swim, at least for a while. It had obviously precipitated the most recent nightmare. Jo slept in her bed for the rest of the week. He had the dreams again the following two nights but they diminished in intensity and his mood and concentration also improved. When Kate went to work on Monday she was confident that Jo would be fine without her for the day. She was looking forward to working.

ii

They had their first maths lesson after breakfast and Jo managed remarkably well. ‘He really is a bright spark,’ Kate mused as they prepared to go out. The would take Benny to the park for a walk and play before lunch and then Kate would head back into the city to go clothes shopping with Jo. They had sandwiches for lunch, and it felt just like their pre-on-the-run days. Kate was already pinning after a normal life. She wondered if she would ever feel normal again. At least the shopping felt normal, even though the choice of clothing wasn’t. She bought another pair of jeans, a couple of pairs of three-quarter pants, plus a bucket load of new tops, a pair of plain, black shoes and a simple suit and dressy skirt. She had to have a few nice clothes. Before heading home Kate bought a pre-paid mobile and opened a post-office box in the city in Julie’s name, giving her new mobile as contact. When she had put her new clothes and their dirty ones in the wash Kate phoned her Adelaide Police contact and asked about Julie’s credit rating. The contact wasn’t sure and said that he’d have to check with the person who set-up the identity. Kate gave him her new mobile number for them to call her back and the contact promised to get back to her as soon as possible. Kate gave him a brief overview of their arrival in Adelaide and told him that everything was fine prior to ringing off. She wanted to give Jo another quick lesson before starting dinner preparations. He helped her to make spaghetti bolognaise. They had so much fun that Kate made a note to herself to include him in the dinner preparations more often. She wanted him to have as many normal experiences as possible. They had dinner and then took Benny for another walk. The city streets sure were quiet after work. Adelaide was nothing like Melbourne. She wondered what she and Jo would be doing if they were in Melbourne. She looked at her watch. it would be seven thirty in Melbourne now. She would probably be doing the dishes, although it was a Thursday, so maybe she’d be at the pub with the gang. She missed her friends so much, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

The rest of the week passes pleasantly. Julie did have a credit rating and it was reasonably good, so Kate applied for a credit card on Monday morning. She also phoned Alex’s parents on Monday. They were surprised to hear that she had been in Adelaide almost a week already and Mrs Morova invited her and Jo to dinner. They drove down to Glenelg early and walked along the beach. It was no St Kilda, but it was nice. They bought gelati and found a bench on which to enjoy it. Kate was people watching as the evening commuters began to arrive home. Adelaide’s only tram was a quaint oddity. Kate wondered why they bothered. She looked at her watch, 5.45, they were expected at the Morova’s at six.

Mrs Morova greeted them warmly at the door and ushered them inside. ‘It really is a modest house,’ Kate reflected as she surveyed the entryway and lounge room that they had just entered. It was all open plan at the back of the house. Mrs Morova explained that her husband wouldn’t be home yet and then a young man entered the kitchen, “this is my younger son, Peter,” she introduced him. “Peter, this is Julie and Jo,” she said, indicating Kate and Jo. Benny was out in the backyard and he started barking, “That must be Yuri, my husband,” explained Mrs Morova, “he always comes in the back way.” Yuri was a large man and Jo hid behind Kate when he saw him. “You have a shy one there,” remarked Mr Morova kindly. Kate smiled, “Yes, he is a bit shy and I should just warn you that he doesn’t speak either.” The Morovas collectively raised their eyebrows, “he was abused by my ex-husband,” Kate explained bitterly, “just one of the reasons I divorced the bastard. He was a tall, dark man, so Jo has been particularly wary of men like that ever since, I’m afraid. He’ll be right once he’s got used to you though.” Lydia presented a large platter of pre-dinner nibbles. She prided herself on her entertaining. They all sat down and Kate was gently coerced into telling a little more of Julie’s story. She would have to write it all down so that she maintained consistency. “If you’re looking, I might be able to find you something at the company,” Mr Morova offered generously. Kate smiled and thanked him, Julie would need something to do soon she supposed.

The evening wore on very amiably. Peter was studying Commerce at Adelaide University and said hoped to join the family business. Though Kate suspected his aspirations would be different outside of his parent’s hearing. Mrs Morova didn’t work, but volunteered at the Russian Club with the oldies. They also had two daughters, one older than Alex and the other younger than Peter. The younger one was currently in Russia for her gap year and the older was married and living in Brisbane. Her husband was just starting up a branch of the family business up there. She had two daughters of her own. Kate smiled, they seemed like a nice family. As the evening drew to a close Mrs Morova invited Kate and Jo to stay with them. Kate had decided that it would be ok and gladly accepted their generous invitation. She looked forward to becoming part of a family again and hoped that it would ease her growing loneliness. Mrs Morova seemed like a kind and sensible woman and Kate missed her own mother. She hadn’t realised how much she had relied on her when she was around. ‘I guess you just don’t,’ she reflected as they drove back to the city. She was becoming accustomed to Adelaide’s quiet streets.

When they arrived home they put Benny to bed and then Kate read Jo a story and he happily turned over and went to sleep. Kate wrote Bess a letter, telling her about the Morova’s and her first week in Adelaide. She hadn’t written to Bess, other than the brief e-mail of last week and her friend deserved better than that. Then she thought of Steve, she hadn’t contacted him yet either and she hadn’t heard from him. ‘Maybe he’s still a bit sore about the Ben thing,’ she deliberated. She dreamt of evenings at the pub with her mates.

They checked out on Wednesday morning and spent the day in The Museum and Art Gallery. Jo loved the dinosaur exhibit and Kate hadn’t realised that the Adelaide Art Gallery had so many Australian Classics. It had been a very informative and enjoyable day. Kate dropped all her old clothes at a Salvation Army Family Store on their way down to Glenelg. She would miss her old clothes, but she was quickly getting used to the new ones. They weren’t so bad, really. She reflected on her new life as they drove west into the setting sun. She liked Adelaide, its quiet pace was soothing and it seemed like a friendly enough town. She was due to start work in the Morova family business on Monday as a secretary in their city office. Mrs Morova was going to look after Jo on the days that she worked. The job was three days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so she would still have plenty of time to spend with Jo. She was looking forward to working again. She felt like her brain would die without a bit more stimulation. Of course, the secretarial work wouldn’t be as challenging as her old job, but it would suit Julie. She was also looking forward to meeting more people and hopefully making some friends. She was keen to get Julie established in Adelaide. She figured that she would blend in more that way. She had the ‘Best of Simon & Garfunkle’ playing on the CD player and she turned it up as ‘59th Street Bridge Song’ came on and sang along. She was in a good mood, hopeful that she and Jo could make a home in Adelaide. ‘If only Ben were by my side…’ life would be perfect.

Chapter 7 - i

They passed the commuters heading back into the hills as they descended towards Adelaide. “Look at the fairy lights!” Kate exclaimed to Jo as they glimpsed a vista of the small city. It glittered in the night sky. Kate had never been to Adelaide before and she was eager to explore, but it could wait tonight, they first needed to find somewhere to stay. They would stay in a serviced apartment for a few days. Kate wanted to be sure that the Morovas had no connection to the Russians who were after them, before she contacted them. Alex would have told them about her by now, she had told him not to give them her name as she would have a new one by now and she hoped he had remembered. Kate sighed as they entered the city proper, ‘it’s no Melbourne,’ she contemplated. She yearned for her old life and to be doing all her usual things. She wanted Ben, her friends and family, her apartment, even her job. Kate never would have imagined this life for herself, though it barely felt like life at the moment. Sure, she was breathing, eating, sleeping, but that wasn’t life, that was just existence.

She spotted some apartments on Hutt Street, it was the eastern side of the city, ‘where the action is,’ she had been told. ‘It doesn’t look action-packed now,’ thought Kate as they pulled up outside the office. She noted all the keys behind the desk, and they indicated that the place was virtually empty. That suited Kate, she had told the apartment manager that she was here on business and would need a two-bedroom apartment for her and her son for a week. She also asked about facilities for Benny and where they could do some shopping for groceries. “There’s a Coles on the other side of the city, or there’s Woolworth’s in the Mall, though that won’t be open again till tomorrow.” Kate looked at her watch, it was barely 7pm, the shops would still be open in Melbourne at this time, she sighed; it was like being in the country. Kate had thanked the woman behind the counter and then gone to settle into their apartment. She got their big cases out of the trunk, as she was thoroughly sick of wearing the same three tops day in and day out. She had decided to remain professional for this week while she made the final preparations for life as Julie Barnes. She flicked through the information folder, and found that there were a lot of restaurants around the market area where the Coles was. ‘One of them must be open,’ they might as well have dinner and then do a quick shop. Kate wrote a short list.

Most of the restaurants were closed, but they found a Korean BBQ place and Jo loved the novelty of cooking at the table. They had left Benny at the apartment. The management had allowed them to keep him in the laundry downstairs. No one else was there to complain anyway and there was a laundry service for the businessmen as well. The Coles had been massive but Kate had her list so she didn’t get distracted. The checkout chick had been a nosey one, but Kate figured that she was just bored and deftly evaded her questions. They returned to the apartment well fed and content. Benny was happy downstairs and Jo was ready for Bed. Kate put away the shopping while he changed into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth. Kate read him his favourite story and left his door ajar. She put the TV on but kept the volume low. CSI was on and she hadn’t watched it for ages. At least in Adelaide she wouldn’t have to be so on her guard, though she had grown so used to it now. She watched the late news after CSI finished and then switched the TV off. She went into her room and unpacked her suitcase. She was looking forward to purchasing a new wardrobe. She hadn’t been clothes shopping for ages. She dreamt of clothes….

Kate had watched the morning traffic as she ate breakfast, ‘it could hardly be called peak-hour,’ she thought to herself as she woke Jo and put him in the shower. She wanted to explore the city and Benny needed a walk too. He had been overjoyed to see her when she had come with his breakfast. He was a very sociable puppy and Kate felt a bit sorry for him down there on his own. Jo was soon ready and they headed out. They walked up East Terrace and down Rundle Street, it was buzzing with activity now that all the cafes and clothes shops were open. Kate liked the feel of this part of the city. They wandered down the mall and then up King William Street to the river. Jo let Benny of the lead and they played fetch. Kate had bought The Age and found a nice shady spot to enjoy it where she could also keep an eye on Jo and Benny. She had instructed her parents to rent out her apartment back home; the rent would cover her mortgage payments. It was a beautiful spring day and nearing eleven when Kate finally put down the paper and called out to Jo, she was feeling peckish.

They meandered along North Terrace, and Kate noted the Art Gallery and Museum. She’d have to take Jo there without Benny one day. They returned to Rundle Street and had noodle boxes for lunch. Kate would have liked to purchase her new wardrobe on Rundle Street, and Kate could have, but Julie would more likely purchase her’s at Target. Kate sighed as they headed back to the apartment, Julie’s life wouldn’t be a patch on Kate’s. Kate had set Jo up with his books after they got back. She figured that he’d had enough holidays from his books. She got out her laptop, apparently the apartment had wireless, and she needed to check her e-mail. There was nothing interesting in her inbox, and she was about to logoff when a new message arrived. It was from Ben! Her heart leapt as she opened the message and she read it four times. It wasn‘t long, but it was full of feeling and Kate could feel tears pricking at her eyes. She logged into her bank account to distract herself. She didn’t want to cry in front of Jo. She had opened a State Bank account using Julie’s details and deposited $6000. She transferred most of it to Kate’s savings account. She would have to open on of those for Julie too, though Julie wouldn’t be likely to have savings like that. She’d have to check with the police and see if Julie had a credit rating. She didn’t want to apply for a credit card only to have her application rejected. She had regained her composure once she logged off. There was nothing like banking to dull the emotions. She hadn’t replied to Ben’s message because he should receive her first letter in today’s post.

Kate and Jo went back into the city without Benny in the late afternoon. She had seen a couple of shops that she wanted to check out. She was dressed in jeans and a non-descript t-shirt. A woman in a designer suit wouldn’t shop at Supre or Jeans West. She didn’t buy anything because she didn’t have enough time to try things on and it was slightly depressing. She hadn’t realised just how different her clothes were to this stuff. It was going to take a bit of getting used to. She had bought a few more books for Jo. She wanted to start him on some simple arithmetic now that he had the reading in hand. I was getting toward six o’clock when they headed home. Kate wanted to cook dinner, as it had been almost two weeks since she had cooked a meal. She made a simple green curry and its fragrance soon filled the apartment. Jo had watched cartoons while she cooked but was now setting the table. They ate with the accompaniment of the evening news. Adelaide really was a sleepy town, and nothing of real interest was reported in the bulletin.

They played a few games of connect four after dinner then Kate read Jo one of his new books. She wanted to update her resume tonight and she booted up her laptop once Jo was asleep. She checked her e-mails, there were notes from Michele and Bess, but it was Ben’s name she was looking for and there it was! It was only short because he had written it at work, but he had received her letters from the farm and commended her on her new plan. The few sentences were filled with unspoken sentiment and Kate again read them several times. This time she replied and cc’d to Bess – ‘have arrived in Churches, everything’s fine. Nothing unusual noted, will keep you posted. Much love, etc, K xo.’ She also created a new e-mail account for Julie and then opened her resume. As she read it she realised that she would basically have to start from scratch to reflect Julie’s schooling and likely work experience. It wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as Kate’s, she reflected, but it would have to do. She wouldn’t look for any work until Jo started at school in the New Year, but she wanted to be prepared. She joined a couple of job seeking sites and Julie and created several Job Alert profiles. She set them up to notify her weekly. She wouldn’t need anything more regular just yet. She was sleepy by the time she had shut down the computer and she went straight to bed. She didn’t write to Ben before turning out the light, the e-mail would suffice for now. She dreamed of Ben and picnics in the countryside.

iv

Kate and Jo hit the road early the next morning. She wanted to avoid the Melbourne commuters as she headed out of Geelong. They were on the road by 5.30am and John had given her the details of his sister-in-law in Portland. Susan had called her the night before and asked if they were happy to put Kate up for the night. She asked John and Susan to call her Julie. She had given them the bare bones of her story the night before and they had promised to do all they could to help out. Kate simply urged them not to tell anyone that she and Jo had stayed with them. She hadn’t told them she was leaving Victoria, and had made it sound like she was touring around the state. She trusted her friends, but wanted to cover her tracks, just in case…. The streets were virtually empty and they soon found themselves on the Great Ocean Road. Kate took it reasonably slowly so that they could enjoy the scenery. They had plenty of time to get to Portland. They paused regularly at rest stops to stretch their legs and allow Benny to have a run. He had caught the hang of fetch and Kate enjoyed the view as Jo and Benny exchanged the tennis ball. It felt good to be on the open road.

They stopped in Apollo Bay for a lunch of pies and cream buns. Kate loved rural bakeries. They browsed through the shops and Kate bought a few things to keep Jo amused on the road. He was being so good, and Kate thought he deserved a treat or two. They continued to make good progress and arrived in Portland at dusk. It was a sleepy little town, and Kate soon found John’s sister-in-law’s place. A young girl answered the door on the second ring, “Mum! Those people are here,” she called and let them in. “What’s your name?” she demanded of Jo. Kate guessed she was about six years old from the bossy tone. “His name is Jo and he doesn’t talk.” The girl looked up at her, “why?” Kate sighed, “He just doesn’t want to.” The girl seemed satisfied with this answer and continued on. “Hello, you must be Julie, I’m Penny,” the woman introduced herself, and extended her hand. “Yes, and this is Jo. Thanks so much for having us and at such short notice.” The woman smiled and waved her hand, “oh, it’s no trouble, as you can see we have plenty of room! It’s an old church, and we have the hall out the back too, its been converted to Dan’s shed and a playroom. This is Sue-Anne and this is Connor.” Connor was young, probably only two or three. Sue-Anne had already dragged Jo off somewhere. She was pleased to have someone to boss around and he didn’t complain. Penny ensured that they were comfortable and made a pot of tea. “Dan won’t be home until late tonight, he’s had a job in Hamilton the last few days.” Kate asked if his work often took him away from home. “Oh, not so often, though it has a bit lately, I suppose. It seems to come in fits and spurts, I guess,” she explained. Kate nodded and kept her talking, she didn’t want to talk about Julie.

Kate had put Jo to bed early. He was tired from the long day on the road and Kate was too. She sat up with Penny for a little while, but Penny could see that she was tired and encouraged her to go to bed. Kate was about to turn in when Dan arrived home. She left Dan and Penny to their reunion and went to bed. She only managed a few lines to Ben before she had to turn the light out. She could barely construct a cohesive sentence.

They didn’t hurry away the next morning. Penny had given her the name of the Anglican Rector in Mt Gambier and they had warmly invited “Julie and Jo” to stay when Penny had explained their situation. They were old friends of Dan’s family. He had grown up in Mt Gambier. It wasn’t far so they didn’t leave until after lunch. Penny had been glad for them to stay a little longer. Kate thought she seemed a little lonely and Penny had agreed that she was. “Portland is such a funny little community. I’ve been here over five years, but I’m still not considered a local. I’m an active member of the community too, and a country girl. So it’s not from want of trying!” Kate sympathised, though she had never lived in the country, she knew what it could be like from what her ex-city slicker friends had told her. Penny invited them to return anytime as they said their farewells and hit the road again. It was an easy drive and the sun was just setting as they located the Rectory.

The Rector and his wife were an ageing couple in their early 60s and Kate felt like she was staying with her grandparents. They were warm and welcoming and didn’t ask too many questions. Reverend and Mrs Ashton had welcomed many troubled people into their home over the years so had learnt to keep their curiosity at bay. They served roast beef for dinner and Kate complemented Mrs Ashton on her fine cooking. Mrs Ashton offered seconds modestly and then presented a homemade apple pie for dessert. Kate and Jo turned in early again and Kate finished the letter she had started to Ben the night before. She wasn’t sleepy when she finished a short time later, so she wrote to her mother. She didn’t want her to worry, though she knew that she would anyway. She had arranged with John just before leaving that she would first send her letters to him and then he would forward them on from Geelong so that they were postmarked in Victoria. She had quietly explained to him that she was leaving the state and had sworn him to secrecy. Kate had stopped signing her letters too, her loved ones would know who they were from and now that she was Julie, she wanted to distance herself as much as possible from Kate. The first thing she would have to do once she reached Adelaide would be to purchase Julie a new wardrobe. She drifted off to sleep thinking of shopping; she was looking forward to being in a city again, even if it wasn’t Melbourne.

iii

They had taken the ferry to Queenscliff. Kate had dropped her Id into Port Philip Bay and she was now Julie Barnes with her young son. They arrived in Queenscliff at 3.30pm, and she calculated that they could make it to Geelong in about half an hour or so. They picked up a snack on their way through town. Kate had contacted another old school friend, who now lived just outside Geelong and they were going to stay with him and his family tonight. They were expecting Kate for dinner. They drove around Geelong for about 40 minutes. Kate was careful not to drive the same roads so as not to attract any undue attention. They were not expected at her friend’s place yet and they had made good time from Queenscliff. Kate hadn’t been to Geelong for ages and it was quite changed. There was a new bypass that was almost completed and several new buildings and signage. It looked to be quite the rural metropolis. She parked out the front of her friend’s place as the sun was beginning to make its descent. Though there were still several hours of sunlight remaining. Kate, Jo and Benny stood at the door for almost five minutes. Kate pressed the bell again. There was raucous activity raging inside so they probably couldn’t hear it. She looked at Jo, ‘let’s try ‘round the back.”

They trooped around the side and soon found themselves out the back. John had just finished mowing the lawn and looked up in surprise. “Kate? You look so different!” They hugged briefly and Kate introduced Jo. “Come inside and meet the family,” John said and ushered them inside. They left Benny outside, tethered to the porch. “Quiet kids! Our guests have arrived,” John yelled. Four pairs of eyes looked up from the chaos that was obviously a lounge room. “Kate and Jo, this is Luke, Mark and Andy,’’ he said, indicating the boys, “and this is Jemma,” he said and lifted up his young daughter. A woman poked her head into the room and then entered. She was still wearing rubber gloves. “Hi there, you must be Kate and Jo, I’m Susan,” she apologised for the state of the house, “it was tidy before the triplets got home from school!” Kate raised her eyebrows, “triplets?” John laughed, “Yes, I call them my little terrors! But they’re not such bad boys really.” Kate didn’t look convinced. Terrors seemed to fit the carnage that they’d caused to the lounge room. “Dinner will be ready soon,” said Susan, “kids, help your Daddy tidy up please.” Kate and Jo helped out too and the room had soon resumed its usual state. John got the triplets to help him set the table and by the time they were done, dinner was ready.

Kate hadn’t ever experienced such a raucous dinner before. The triplets kept up a constant commentary on the proceedings and the adults struggled to be heard over the top of them and finally gave up. Jo’s silence hadn’t gone unnoticed either. The triplets had been attempting to make him talk for the past twenty minutes, but all to no avail. Kate had tried to explain to the boys that Jo never spoke, but they wouldn’t listen to her. “Right boys, next one to speak stacks the dishwasher!” John warned. Peace reigned at long last! John got up and began collecting dishes, “but Dad, I haven’t finished!” complained Andy. “Right Andy, you’re on dishwasher duty with me, come on.” Andy pushed back his chair reluctantly, “Aw Dad, that’s not fair!” he grumbled as he followed John into the kitchen, dragging his feet. “Mum,” Luke tentatively began, “you promised us we could watch Toy Story tonight.” Susan smiled and ruffled Luke’s fair hair, “I did, didn’t I? Well, why don’t you boys go and brush your teeth and put your jarmies on while I put Jemma to bed.” The two remaining boys leapt up from the table and raced off. Susan lifted Jemma from the highchair, “I’ll show you your room,” she said to Kate and they followed her down the hall. “Sorry about the mess, I went back to work last week and I just haven’t been able to keep on top of everything!” Kate told her it wasn’t so bad, “those boys of yours must be a handful!” Susan laughed, “You could say that, yes. They sure keep me on my toes.” She opened a door and flicked on the light. “Here you go, I hope you’ll be comfortable, sing out it you need anything. The bathroom is just down the hall on the right, but I’d wait until the boys are done if I were you!” She turned and left them to it. Jemma was getting grizzly and Susan wanted to put her to bed.

Kate surveyed the room, a bunk bed, dresser and small wardrobe and few pictures on the wall. Jo claimed the top bunk and Kate got out his pyjamas. “Are you going to watch the movie with the boys?” she asked as she passed them to Jo. Jo nodded enthusiastically and changed into his pyjamas. Kate poked her head out of the door and saw the boys disappearing down the hall. “The coast is clear,” she told Jo, “let’s go and brush our teeth.” She led the way to the bathroom. Kate supervised Jo brushing his teeth and went outside to Benny. She fetched his bed from the car and made sure that he was comfortable. He hadn’t slept outside before and she felt a bit sorry for him. ‘At least it’s not too cold tonight,’ she thought as she patted him on the back. “Kate, do you want a cup of tea, or something?” John called from inside the house. Kate stood up and went back inside, “tea sounds lovely.” Peace had returned to the house with the boys occupied in front of the television and Jemma asleep. The adults retired to the lounge for a good catch-up.

ii

Kate pulled up outside number 12 and they all got out of the car. She was about to knock when the door opened from the inside, “Kate! So great to see you, you look well, come in, come in, sorry about the mess!” Michele opened the door and they all trooped in. Michele’s cat eyed Benny critically and then she skulked away, her head erect and tail stuck straight up in the air. Kate and Michele laughed, “she’s a little haughty, her name is Sheba.” She lifted a load of papers off the couch so that Kate and Jo could sit down. “So, how are you? What are you up to these days?” Kate sat down, “I’m fine. I just got a job with a big law firm in Sydney so I’m heading up there. I don’t start till next month so I thought I’d take the scenic route,” Kate lied. “Oh, really? And is Jo your son?” Michele asked, indicating Jo. Kate laughed, “Jo? My son? No, I’m looking after him for a friend. She’s overseas on business and will be returning via Sydney. So what are you doing these days?” Kate asked in return. She didn’t really want to talk about herself, as it could get complicated. “Oh, nothing’s changed much. I’m still the rental coordinator at the real estate agent in town and I’m still engaged to Richard,” she waved her finger displaying the engagement ring. “Still? Are you guys ever going to tie the knot?” Michele laughed, “we just haven’t found the right time,” she began, “first his mother died, then his older sister got married, then my sister got married, but we plan to do it next February,” she finished. “So, you’ve actually set a date then?” Kate asked. “Well, not exactly, but I’ll send you an invitation when we do!” Kate gave Michele her e-mail address, “I don’t have a permanent address for Sydney yet,” she explained.

“Do you see much of Bess these days?” asked Michele, “you two were practically inseparable at Uni!” Kate laughed, “Yes, we’re still friends. Actually, she was down here for the weekend. We all stayed at my brother’s girlfriend’s place.” “Colin has a country girl?” asked Michele incredulously. “Colin? No, Josh. Her folks have a dairy farm in Devon, South Gippsland.” Michele hadn’t heard of Devon, but she tried not to look ignorant, “and what’s Bess doing there days? She was always so driven.” Kate nodded, “Yes, she still is. She works for Starship, in advertising. She’s probably going to be executive in a year or two at the rate she’s going. She loves it.” Michele raised her eyebrows, “well, I suppose I’m not all that surprised. Is she with anyone? She always seemed to net the cutest guys!” They both laughed, “yeah, her current man is named Alex, she met him when she directed the campaign for his family business.” “And is he gorgeous?” Michele asked, digging for more details. “Of course!” Kate grinned, “He’s tall, dark and handsome.” “Aren’t they always…?” Michele asked enviously. Kate laughed, “Yes, I suppose they are. He’s Russian.” Michele’s eyes widened, “Russian? How exotic!” Kate could barely control her mirth, “so what’s Richard like?” Michele shrugged, “oh, he’s tall I guess, but you’d hardly call him handsome. He’s the local Vet. Actually, you’ll get to meet him later. He was meant to be here, but he was called out to an emergency, I expect he’ll be back soon.” Kate nodded; she was looking forward to meeting the man who had lured her friend to the country.

They sat talking for some time, Kate had asked if Richard always worked weekends and Michele had gone into a lengthy explanation of Richard’s business. She sure knew how to talk, Kate had forgotten about her tendency to over explain things. She looked around the room, it resembled Michele’s old dorm room, she noted with interest. ‘Some people never change,’ she thought to herself. She was bored of the ins and outs of the veterinarian business, “so you live together then?” She interrupted. “Oh yes, this is actually Richard’s place. We moved in soon after his mother died.” Now it was Kate’s turn to raise her eyebrows, “he grew up in this house?” Michele nodded, “his father moved into a nursing home soon after she died and we moved in soon after that. His sister….” Michele was off again. Kate relaxed and sat back for the tale. She wished Richard would hurry up and get here. She was starving….

“Michele? Honey, you in?” a deep voice called from the hall. Kate sighed with relief. At last, Richard was here, she was afraid that they’d never get to eat! “Oh, hi Honey,” Richard kissed Michele on the cheek, “you must be Kate, Michele’s been talking about you non-stop since you called yesterday. I’m Richard, pleased to meet you.” Richard stretched out his hand and Kate took it in hers. He had a firm, countryman’s handshake. “Richard, hi, yes, pleased to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you as well!” They laughed. “Have you eaten?” Richard asked, “I’m famished!” he sat down heavily. “No, Richard sweetie, we’ve been waiting for you.” Michele got up and began bustling around the kitchen. “Anything I can do to help?” asked Kate. “Oh, no, it’ll only take a minute, it’s just cold meats and salad. I prepared it earlier.” Michele emerged from the kitchen and unceremoniously removed the junk from the table. She returned to the kitchen and re-emerged moments later with two gigantic salads. “How many are you expecting?” Kate asked, “You’ve prepared enough to feed an army!” Richard laughed, “My fault I’m afraid!” They got up and made their way to the table. “It’s nothing much,” apologised Michele, “but I thought a cold lunch was best as I figured that we might have to wait on Richard.” They all sat around the table, “it looks great,” Kate, commented, “no need to apologise.”

Eating didn’t seem to prevent Michele from talking and she managed to fill Kate in on all the history of the last five years. Kate was bursting to hear from Richard though, so when Michele paused to chew on a piece of meat, Kate broke in, “so Richard, exactly how did you lure a born and bred city girl down here?” Richard laughed, he had a rich, deep laugh. “I guess she just fell for my country charm!” Michele, of course, had a great deal more to add to the tale. “Oh Richard, you make it sound like it was a piece of cake! Really, you know he practically begged me to do it for months. I finally relented when he told me he’d found the perfect job. You remember Kate; I wasn’t having any luck on the job front in Melbourne, so I figured I might as well give it a go. Plus, it was so tiring us having to commute so far to see each other. We alternated weekends. Ugh, you should have seen his digs back then, bona fide bachelor’s pad…!” Michele rattled on. Richard caught Kate’s eye and rolled his. She laughed but managed to turn it into a cough. Michele paused, “Kate, are you alright?” She was concerned that Kate had chocked. Kate recovered, “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just swallowed before I’d chewed enough.” Michele resumed the story where she’d left off and Kate rolled her eyes at Richard, he winked in reply. “Any dessert, love?” Michele kept talking as she got up.

It was nearing six o’clock and the sun was setting when Kate and Jo were finally able to escape. Richard had promised to give the puppy a once over in the morning if Kate could bring him to the surgery first thing. ‘At least the afternoon hadn’t been a total write-off,’ Kate mused as they drove back to the hotel. They had stopped to pick up fish and chips on the way back, even though Kate wasn’t particularly hungry. She was exhausted though. She’d forgotten how much Michele could talk and her head was spinning. She would have an early night tonight. She had ordered their breakfast for six am so that they could get away early. She’d promised Richard that they would be at the surgery by seven thirty. She put Jo to bed and he fell asleep almost instantly. She hadn’t even read him a story. Kate went to bed directly herself, she was too tired to even write to Ben. She hadn’t realised how tired all that jabbering could make her. ‘How on earth did I keep up with her?’ she wondered to herself as she drifted off to sleep….

Kate turned over and looked at the clock, two am. She sighed and switched on the bedside lamp, it was hopeless. She’d been tossing and turning for at least the last hour, ‘why can’t I sleep?’ she wondered. She padded into the bathroom and washed her face with warm water. Benny was sitting on the threshold wagging his tail when she emerged from the bathroom. She smiled and scratched behind his ears. She put the kettle on. She had just made a camomile tea and was discarding the teabag when she heard a crash outside the window. She jumped and almost spilled the full mug of tea. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up on end and a shiver went down her spine. She put down her tea and crept to the window. Her heart was beating hard and fast when she peeked out. She replaced the curtain and leant against the door. She took a deep breath; it was just the man from the room next door. He had obviously been out on a bender and had knocked over a rubbish bin as he tried to re-enter his room. Her heartbeat gradually returned to normal and she picked up her mug and returned to bed. Benny jumped into her lap. She would usually shoo him off, but she could feel his heartbeat and it was comforting. She sipped her camomile tea meditatively and patted the dog. When she had finished it she reached for her writing pad and pen and put Benny at the end of the bed. She thought that perhaps she would sleep if she wrote a few lines first. “My dearest Ben,” she began….

Ben wasn’t asleep either, nor was he working night shift. He had also been tossing and turning since he’d gone to bed earlier that night and now he too gave up and got out of bed. He flicked on the lounge room lamp and fixed himself warm milk by the light of the fridge and the microwave. He turned on the television and sat on the couch. He couldn’t get Kate out of his head. He would have given anything to drop everything and follow her, but he knew it was hopeless. He didn’t even know where she was. He figured that she would have at least reached Geelong by now. He hadn’t received any of her letters yet, so was unaware of her new plan. “Kate,” he said to himself softly, “where are you, my love?” He flicked over the channels, infomercials and weather watch or an old movie on the ABC. He opted for the old movie. He sipped on his warm milk and tried to figure out the plot. By the time he had, he’d finished his milk and was dozing off. He woke up when the ABC theme came on after the movie. He staggered up, flicking off the television and lamp, and stumbling back to bed. He slept fitfully….

Kate woke with the birds pre-dawn, and looked at the clock, it was five am. She got up and had a shower. She felt like she stood underneath the almost scalding hot water for ages. It was five forty five when she gently woke Jo and steered him to the shower. At six am there was a light knock at the door and Kate opened it to discover their breakfast tray had been left on the threshold. She knelt down and picked it up. It was still cold outside and her breath fogged up. By the time Jo was dressed, she had fed the dog and was eating her muesli. Jo had cornflakes and a piece of toast. Kate had packed up their few belongings and they were ready to roll at seven am. She paid the bill at the office on their way out and they made their was back into town. She found the surgery easily from the directions Michele had given her yesterday. It was 7.23am.

A pale light emitted from the veterinary surgery windows. Kate knocked at the door as it was still locked. Richard opened it, “Kate, Jo, come in.” He knelt down and patted Benny, while also inspecting his face and paws, “he’s young, had his shots yet?” Kate shook her head, “I don’t think so; he was only weaned last week.” Richard picked him up and laid him on the table in the next room, “well, I can fix that up for you.” Kate and Jo followed him into the room, “do you always start this early?” Kate asked. “Mmmn, generally, I’m the youngest partner so I get all the crappy jobs.” Kate laughed, “I suppose that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.” Richard nodded and smiled as he drew up the inoculation. He expertly stuck it in Benny’s hind leg and Benny didn’t even flinch. “He must barely have felt that,” Kate remarked, impressed. “No, probably not, that’s the idea anyway.” He checked Benny’s heart, eyes and ears and then put him back on the floor, “He’s fine and right to go. I’ll just charge you for the injection.” Kate thanked him and they left. It was almost eight o’clock now and Richard’s first real customers would soon be arriving. Kate wanted to hit the road, but she knew that both Jo and Benny could do with some exercise first so they headed to the park where they’d spent yesterday morning and an hour soon passed. “Come on Jo!” Kate called and headed back to the car.

Kate found the turn off for the highway and they headed towards Bairnsdale. She had studied the map while Jo had been playing in the park and had found a back way about thirty kilometres from Sale that would take them back to the Latrobe Valley. She had almost missed it as she sped along at 100 kilometres per hour. ‘Perfect,’ she thought, as she turned up the narrow road. It was partly concealed from the highway by shrubbery. She had given her most recent letter for Ben to Richard, and asked him to post it on Wednesday. She felt like the plan was going smoothly so far. She had made it very clear to all and sundry in Sale that she was headed for Sydney and had contacted another Uni friend up there to spread the word that Kate was expected. She smiled and turned up the radio, she loved this song.