A Home Like Ours by Fiona Lowe (inspirational books for students .txt) 📗

together as normal. Constable Fiora was rolling out blue and white crime scene tape.

‘It’s those bloody African kids,’ a man said.

Jade rounded on the bloke, whose belly hung heavily over his pyjama pants. ‘Like teenagers can afford to drive a ute fully loaded with halogen driving lights.’

‘Listen, girlie, it only takes one. If I had a gun, I’d shoot the lot of them.’

‘You’re a racist pig!’

‘That’s enough,’ Denny said sharply, but Helen couldn’t tell if the reprimand was directed at the man or Jade. ‘We’ll investigate all leads.’

Helen made a mental note to call Fiza and give her a heads-up of a possible visit by the police. She dropped the sheet and returned to her phone call, thankful Bob had picked up despite the hour. She needed his advice.

Sure, that’s why you called him.

Fine. She did want his advice but she’d wanted to hear his voice more. Wanted to hold onto his sunny optimism and pretend her world hadn’t just spun off its axis yet again.

‘Denny North’s telling everyone to go home, and if they have information or want to make a statement to go to the police station after eight this morning,’ she reported.

‘Hopefully someone saw something.’

‘This is Serenity Street. Even if they did, they’re hardly going to say.’ Her stomach churned. ‘What am I going to tell the police when they ask if I have any idea who might want to scare me? That it’s probably Corey, but it just might be someone the mayor and three dodgy councillors are paying to get me and Jade to shut up? They’ll think I’m nuts.’

‘Not necessarily. Yesterday The Standard led with an article about the mayor’s passionate speech promoting tourism in the district.’

‘Yes, but it didn’t mention a consortium with links to the Chinese. And Granski took a crack at Vivian, saying the infighting about what’s best for Riverfarm needs to stop. All that says is there’s friction, not corruption. None of it points to us being terrorised.’

‘But since family day, you and Jade aren’t the only ones asking questions or posting on Facebook.’

‘But we started the page. We need to find out if anyone else is getting nasty emails, phone calls and visits in the middle of the night.’ She waited for his response but all she heard was a buzzing on the line. ‘Bob?’

‘I’m thinking.’

‘Can you do it faster? Jade’s doing a stellar job keeping the police out of the house, but she can’t hold them off much longer.’

Bob sighed. ‘I know we agreed to hold off until we had concrete proof of at least one more connection with Tuck—hang on, someone’s ringing.’

Tinny on-hold music played and then Bob was back. ‘Lachie’s wheelie bin just got set alight.’

It was suddenly hard to breathe. ‘Oh, God. Are you all right?’

‘Quiet as the grave here.’

‘Can’t you find a better expression than that!’

‘Sorry. But as worrying as Lachie’s melted bin is, unless something happens outside my place in the next ten minutes, I think it’s answered your question. I doubt the gang of four’s behind it.’

Helen slumped into a chair, her relief at odds with her fear, the combination making her dizzy. She hadn’t wanted to tell the police, because whether they believed her or not, they would have to appear to follow up leads and interview the councillors. It would give the gang of four a heads-up they had some incriminating information.

‘So, we’ve got some breathing space to find out who paid for the Rehns’ holiday,’ she said.

‘I’m not so sure. There’s a council meeting coming up and I wouldn’t trust them not to try to push something through when everyone’s busy thinking about Christmas.’

‘Vivian’s already alert to that.’

‘Doesn’t mean she can stop it.’

‘No, but we can quietly arrange a protest without anyone getting wind of it. Disrupt the meeting so they can’t get into the chamber and vote.’

‘Sounds like part of a plan anyway,’ Bob said. ‘Call me when the police leave and I’ll come over and pick you all up.’

A stubborn part of Helen—the part that didn’t want to depend on anyone—insisted she refuse. ‘Only if Jade wants to come.’

‘She texted me before you called. We need a face-to-face meeting and my place is the safest. We need to discuss how best to go public.’

‘We’ve been through this. There’s no point telling The Standard—their bias is clear. And I don’t trust the police either. Denny North’s default position is to point the finger at the usual suspects and ask questions later. He’s already hinted at rounding up the African kids about tonight.’

‘You won’t get an argument from me about any of that. It’s why I think we should make a report to IBAC.’

‘What’s that?’

‘The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.’

‘I thought that was about police misconduct. As much as I’d like to report Denny North as racist, I don’t have any real proof.’

‘IBAC’s also for corruption in the public sector and that’s exactly what we think is happening.’

An image of a courtroom loomed large in her head. ‘Can Mr and Mrs Average Citizen make a report?’

‘According to IBAC’s website we can. And apparently I missed the announcement that we got married. Tell me I’ve still got the honeymoon to look forward to.’

She fought a reluctant smile. ‘You’d have no idea what to do if I said yes.’

‘I think you’ve got that the wrong way around, Helen. I’m the one who’d know exactly what to do.’

She cut the call, unsettled by Bob being one hundred per cent correct.

CHAPTER

37

Rafts of excitement and anticipation tingled inside Tara from the moment Jon winked at her during the chaos of breakfast and she saw him pop a blue pill into his mouth along with his other medications. Ian was taking the children to school so they could both get to work early and clear the important things before they left at eleven. On the drive into town, they kept breaking into laughter.

Jon squeezed her thigh. ‘I feel as nervous and excited as I did on our first date.’

‘I don’t remember you being