Silver Clouds Read online

  I must say, I am extremely disappointed in your behaviour, and my disappointment is compounded by the fact that you made no mention of these events when we met to discuss your aunt’s passing.

  Your recent time off hasn’t gone unnoticed and I am well aware of your tendency to drink and socialise to excess. I had been prepared to overlook all of this, knowing you were settling in. However, the photos circulating on social media are completely inappropriate and therefore I have no choice but to insist on your immediate resignation.

  Yours sincerely,

  Darcy Anderson

  Tessa scrolled down further, only to wish she hadn’t. A photo of her and John Smith lit the screen – his hips welded to hers as they jumped forward in a drunken kangaroo hop, his hand over her shoulder and holding her breast. Tessa’s eyes were closed, her mouth open, obviously whooping for joy, while her cheeks exhibited an alcohol-induced glow.

  ‘Tessa, Tessa,’ Jaz’s voice called down the phone. ‘Tessa, are you there, are you okay, sweetness?’

  ‘I’ve been sacked,’ said Tessa, feeling like she was going to cry.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Sacked. There’s an email from Darcy Anderson. Resign or be sacked. Oh hell, Jaz, what have I done?’

  They were getting closer to Kalgoorlie. In a few minutes Harrison would prepare to land.

  Feeling a hand on his arm, he glanced over at his daughter.

  ‘How’re you going?’ he asked above the drone of the plane engine.

  ‘Okay. Do you think Tessa will recognise us?’

  ‘I’m sure she will. And if she doesn’t, I’ll know her.’ He pushed back his Akubra and a few specks of glitter landed on the maps spread out on his knee. Cally had decorated this hat for his first Father’s Day after Ange had died and he rarely left home without it.

  ‘She mightn’t know you in that hat!’

  ‘Nothing wrong with the hat.’ Harrison smiled. ‘I’ll reintroduce myself, if she doesn’t.’

  ‘Seems ages since she left.’

  ‘It was. You were only four when she last visited the Nullarbor.’

  ‘Am I going to the same boarding school she did?’

  Harrison lifted his sunglasses to stare at her. ‘You know you are.’

  Tessa held celebrity status with Cally. Whenever the older girl had been home on school holidays, she’d had cool clothes, listened to cool music and although those things hadn’t meant anything to Cally, she had been so shy of her that often she’d been too afraid to talk to Tessa. However, the look on Cally’s face was priceless when Tessa invited her into her bedroom to have tea parties or play dress-ups. Harrison had so much to be grateful to the Mathison family for.

  ‘I wonder what London is like,’ Cally said with a wistful look.

  ‘Smelly, busy and too far away from me,’ he answered, checking over the instruments again.

  ‘Ha ha, Dad.’ Cally rolled her eyes.

  He held up his finger. ‘Got to talk to the control tower. You want to take us off auto-pilot when I say so?’

  ‘Uh huh.’ Cally put her headphones back on and wiggled in her seat, getting comfortable.

  ‘Melbourne Centre Papa November Alpha 125.75.’ Harrison’s voice deepened as he made the call.

  ‘Papa November Alpha, go ahead.’

  ‘Melbourne Centre, Papa November Alpha is thirty miles east of Kalgoorlie, ready for descent. Request traffic.’

  Harrison made notes as the Control Tower confirmed there was no other traffic and gave him the air pressure. He quickly worked out how many feet per minute he should descend by and gave the sign to Cally. When he felt the nose dip he nodded his approval and called in: ‘Papa November Alpha, leaving eight thousand feet on descent. No traffic.’

  Moments later another call gave him the weather. Even without checking his paperwork, he knew the Two Nine was the airstrip to land on. The slight cross-breeze wouldn’t worry them at all.

  Within minutes, the wheels kissed the tarmac and they were on the ground. As they tethered the Cessna, Harrison noted with pride how Cally confidently moved around the plane and tied the knots exactly as he had taught her.

  ‘So, what’s first?’ Cally asked as they headed towards the hire-car office.

  ‘Reckon we’ll pick up all the food Peggy has ordered, then maybe have lunch at the pub. Tessa isn’t due in until one, and so long as we’re in the air by two thirty, we’ll be able to get home in daylight. What do you say?’

  ‘Sounds good.’

  ‘And maybe there’ll be time for a bit of shopping for you.’

  ‘Me? I don’t need anything.’

  Harrison bet she was the only eleven-year-old who didn’t think she needed anything. Most girls living in towns or cities would probably be falling over themselves for the latest clothes.

  ‘Well, I think you might. Peggy suggested I take you to this shop.’ He fished in his pocket then handed Cally a piece of paper.

  The colour rose in her cheeks. ‘Oh.’

  ‘I think it might be time, hey?’ He was as uncomfortable with the idea of visiting Bras’n’Things as she was, but it had to be done. And sadly, he was the only one to do it.

  ‘Whatever.’ Cally turned away and stared out of the window, shutting down the conversation.

  Chapter 5

  Tessa boarded the flight to Kalgoorlie, feeling sick. Tossing her bag into the overhead locker she slumped into her seat and sat with her arms crossed. Now she was not only riddled with anxiety but furious with herself.

  Please may no one sit next to me, she prayed. At that moment a spritely old lady sat down beside her. ‘How are you, love?’

  Not wanting to encourage conversation, Tessa just nodded. She couldn’t face talking to anyone at the moment.

  As the plane took off, her mind was still whirling. Who had posted those photos? From the quick look she’d been able to get at the airport, they were on a Facebook page and Twitter account that seemed fake. The person who’d opened them was without friends or followers and there was no personal information at all. It was obvious both accounts had been opened with one idea in mind. To post those photos of John . . . She had no idea how to find out who was responsible.

  ‘Great,’ she muttered audibly, twisting in her seat to try and get comfortable; the anxiety making her tense.

  ‘Difficult day, love?’ the lady asked.

  ‘Yes, unfortunately,’ said Tessa.

  ‘Ah, well, nothing like a stint in the country to make things right.’ Tessa could see the woman eyeing her linen pants, strappy sandals and low-cut blouse.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Tessa, praying the woman wouldn’t keep talking to her.

  A flight attendant appeared with a rattling trolley in tow. ‘Can I offer you tea or coffee?’

  ‘Do you have a white wine?’ Tessa asked before the older woman had a chance to say anything.

  ‘Certainly, ma’am. And for you?’ The attendant looked at Tessa’s neighbour.

  ‘I’ll have a cuppa tea, thanks, love. Geez, it musta been a bad day if you need a drink at eleven in the morning, dearie.’

  ‘I’ve flown from London today, or rather, yesterday. I’m still a bit mixed up with my times,’ said Tessa, before turning back towards the window.

  Two glasses of wine and a little nap later she jerked her head up from where it lay against the wall of the plane. Casting a glance around her, she saw that the woman sitting next to her was engrossed in a book. Tessa glanced at her watch and listened as the captain announced their descent.

  She looked out the window and down to the ground. Would she recognise the landscape, she wondered. Farming land stretched out below her. She could see the dust from the headers harvesting grain as they passed over the wheat belt and a long thin ribbon of bitumen which joined Perth to the rest of Australia. Soon enough she could see open-cut pits and the tin roofs of Kalgoorlie’s untamed urban sprawl.

  She remembered the day she’d left for boarding school. She and her mum, Peggy, had
flown to Perth from Kal. The reflection of the rooftops had been Tessa’s last image of ‘home’. She wondered if it would be the same coming from the other direction. Then she thrust her thoughts back to the photos.

  What on earth was she going to do? There was no reason to go back to London, but where else could she go? The consequences of what she’d done hit home. She wouldn’t get another job in London. London was done. Finished.

  But what to tell her parents? ‘Oh, by the way, Mum, I’ve been sleeping with every man that would have me, because I’ve been too drunk to say no and I like it when someone pays me some attention. Oh, and I also accidentally slept with the competition’s manager. Darcy found out and sacked me.’

  Tessa shut her eyes and clenched her hands into fists, trying to breathe beyond the anger and frustration building inside her. What an idiot! That seemed to be her mantra these days.

  ‘Can’t be that bad, surely.’

  Tessa opened her eyes and stared at her neighbour. The older woman was looking at her with concern.

  Tessa frowned. ‘I’m sorry?’ she said.

  ‘Your hands, your face, your shoulders. Everything about you is radiating tension. Would you like to talk about it?’

  ‘Uh no. No, thank you, everything will be fine.’

  ‘Comin’ home for a visit?’ The woman persisted.

  Tessa sighed. ‘Of sorts. My great-aunt died and I’m going back for her funeral.’

  ‘Ah, you poor thing.’ The lady patted her hand.

  Tessa had forgotten how friendly country people were. On the Tube there was no way you’d have a conversation with anyone you didn’t know, let alone let them touch you.

  ‘Long way from home to get a call like that. I’m coming to Kal for a funeral, too. Out on the Nullarbor it is. Very old friend of mine. Violet Anderson.’

  Emotion shot through Tessa. ‘Really? What’s your name?’

  ‘Elsie Harlot. And no I’m not one and you don’t need to make any jokes. I’ve heard them all before.’ Elsie pointed her finger at Tessa in a no-nonsense manner.

  Tessa smiled despite herself. Instantly she could see why Aunty Spider and this Elsie would have got along. But Elsie wasn’t a name she knew.

  ‘How long did you know your friend?’

  ‘Oh, nigh on sixty years. Met her in the early thirties. Hell, it’s probably longer. Maybe seventy years. Gawd, we could’ve had a platinum anniversary!’ She roared with laughter and slapped her hand on her knee.

  Tessa closed her eyes, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

  ‘Tell me about her,’ said Tessa.

  ‘Ah, love, we haven’t got time.’ Elsie stopped laughing, though she was still grinning. ‘She was one of a kind. Loyal, lovable, kind. But she wouldn’t take any rubbish, mind. She was wise and loved her family and land with a passion.’

  Elsie was silent for a moment, then she turned to Tessa and said, ‘I know talking about others helps you not to think about your own problems. But maybe you should be telling me why you’re gripping the seat like there’s no tomorrow? I don’t reckon it’s got anything to do with the landing.’

  Tessa was surprised to realise the plane was on the tarmac and taxiing towards the small country terminal. She looked at Elsie and was surprised to see how clear her eyes were. She may have looked old, but Tessa suspected there was a young woman trapped inside that body.

  ‘Do you mind me asking how old you are?’

  ‘Lovie, you just ask me anything you please. I’m eighty-four next month.’

  ‘You look amazing for eighty-four,’ said Tessa, smiling for what felt like the first time in weeks. ‘How are you getting to the funeral? You said it was on the Nullarbor.’

  ‘I’ve got an old flame picking me up,’ Elsie winked. ‘He’ll take me out.’

  ‘I hope you have a very safe trip,’ said Tessa, unclipping her seatbelt and putting her bag on her lap. But as she made her way down the steps and across the tarmac, she wondered why she hadn’t told Elsie she was home for the same funeral.

  For the fifth time, Harrison dialled Tessa’s number. Again it went straight to message bank.

  ‘Damn. Where on earth is she? She should have been here an hour ago.’ He glanced down at his watch again.

  ‘Well, if she isn’t here soon, we won’t get home, Dad. The light won’t hold out.’

  ‘You don’t have to tell me, sweetheart.’

  Cally grinned at him and poked out her tongue. As childish as it seemed, Harrison was pleased to see it. He returned the gesture. The shopping trip had been awkward for them both, but by the end of it he thought it just might have brought them even closer than before.

  ‘I’ll go for a wander through the main terminal and see if I can find her. Will you stay in case she comes?’

  ‘No worries, Dad.’

  Inside the terminal, Harrison had to walk slowly and stop to look at each person. Even though he’d told Cally he’d have no trouble recognising Tessa, he wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t seen her since Kendra Jackson’s accident, which must have been nine years ago. He knew she had returned briefly, two years later, but the visit hadn’t gone well, stirring up too many memories and much hurt. Violet had told him sadly Tessa had sworn never to come back. It seemed that Tessa wanted to cut all ties with Danjar Plains. Which was just silly, he reckoned. Home is where you can heal. He of all people knew that.

  He gave a cursory glance over the bar then kept going. Nothing. Once again he tried to phone her mobile while checking the arrival information screen for her flight. It had definitely landed.

  Looking around, he wondered if he could ask someone to check the Ladies, but the only people in sight were behind the check-in desk. He knew they wouldn’t be able to help.

  It was on his second round of the terminal he heard someone speaking in a voice that combined panic and agitation.

  ‘Please, Jaz! I desperately need you to find out for me.’ Silence. ‘But you’re still in London, I’m not. It’s got to be someone we know, and you’ve got a much better chance of finding out than me.’

  Looking around, Harrison searched for the owner. Then he did a double-take. It was Tessa, but a Tessa he barely recognised. Harrison recalled a fresh-faced girl, with shoulder length, wavy dark hair, not spikes so sharp they looked like they’d prick you. The healthy, happy glow she’d once had was buried under heavy makeup. Thin and drawn, her face was set in anger and distress as she spoke to whoever was on the end of the phone.

  This was some citified version. A sharp-tongued, rude version. A type he knew instantly he wouldn’t like. He’d come across these types of women in the boardroom before. They’d eat you up and spit you out as quick as look at you.

  ‘Jaz, I so need your help . . .’

  He went up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

  She started and looked up at him. But instead of happy recognition Harrison saw stress and misery.

  ‘Sorry, I just need to finish this call,’ she said and turned away and continued the conversation.

  Even though he’d half-expected it, her answer took Harrison aback. He opened his mouth, then shut it again and moved a little way off. Clearly there was a problem.

  Tessa lifted the phone back to her ear. ‘How am I supposed to know? I don’t even know how long I’m going to be stuck here! But there’s nowhere else to go. That’s why I’m asking you to find out, Jaz. I’m not going to have any internet access, no mobile phone. I’m in the middle of nowhere and it feels like my life is falling apart what with Aunty Spider dying and now this. Bloody trolls.’

  Harrison frowned at her tone. Anger had turned to desperation. This certainly wasn’t the Tessa he remembered. She’d never been foul-mouthed or rude to other people. She’d been one of the sweetest kids. But then again, what the hell would he know?

  Glancing at his watch, he knew that if he wasn’t off the ground in forty-five minutes, he wouldn’t make it home. And he had to be there tonight.

  ‘Tessa, I’m sorry to disturb
you,’ he said, moving towards her.

  ‘Hold on, Jaz,’ said Tessa, turning to look at him. ‘I’m sorry. This is a really important phone call.’

  As her words washed over him, so did her breath, which smelt of stale booze.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Harrison, ‘but your parents asked if I could pick you up and fly you to your great-aunt’s funeral. And unfortunately we’re behind schedule already.’

  Tessa hesitated, clearly put out, then lifted the phone back up to her ear. ‘Jaz, I have to go, but please, please find out for me.’ She pushed the phone back into her handbag. ‘Right, then. Sorry I guess we better get going.’

  Harrison nodded. ‘Yeah, we’re late already. If we don’t go now we won’t make it back before dark and I won’t be able to land. You may not remember, but there aren’t any lights on the strip at Danjar Plains,’ said Harrison, then turned away, leaving Tessa to follow with her bag.

  Harrison had planned to put Tessa in the front seat of the plane. But the token ‘hello’ she gave to Cally annoyed him even more than her earlier behaviour so, defying all weight protocols, he put her in the back seat. She could stew there on whatever was bothering her.

  Chapter 6

  The familiar homestead and out-buildings came into view. Tessa felt her throat constrict and goosebumps crawl over her skin, but she couldn’t contain her desire to look. What was it like now? What had changed?

  She peered out the window to get a glimpse of the sheds below. There was Aunty Spider’s house and the road that wound its way through the bush to the homestead. The shearing shed roof announced in large black letters that the station was Danjar Plains. She spotted the machinery shed. It was all so familiar, and yet so removed from the life she lived now. Then she saw the homestead windmill where Kendra had died, and she quickly looked away. The memories were just too frightening.

  As they prepared to land she kept her eyes on the airstrip. There was the old ute – that Toyota must have driven a million kilometres by now! Her mum was in the back, doing a two-arm wave. And there was her parents’ new four-wheel-drive. She could see her dad and Ryan standing by the tray, faces tilted towards the sky.