8. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
BETH
Beth swiveled the black office chair to face Chelsea. “This is brilliant.” She tapped the draft article. “You’re learning so fast. A catchy title. Great hook for the first line. Main points in the first paragraph. The rest flows so well, and it’s within the word count for the youth column.”
Chelsea beamed a smile, causing her lip piercing to rise. “I have a good teacher.”
“The best.” Beth nudged her. “You guys are getting more articles printed than me. I’m working myself out of the job.”
“Do you want a cut from our zero commission?” Chelsea raised her thin brows.
Beth laughed. “Welcome to my world. You can do copy-editing like me—at least that pays the bills. Maybe you can get an internship at the Fremantle Herald once you finish the program at Youth Connect. How long do you have left before you graduate?”
Chelsea’s green eyes, surrounded by thick black liner, lit up. “Two months. I’d love to work for the paper. Will your boss take on someone like me?”
Beth glanced at the colored tattoo on Chelsea’s neck, then back to her eyes. “If you have the talent, I can’t see why not.”
Timothy tapped on the glass door. Beth waved him in. Conversations from the other workstations flooded the room as he entered.
“Cassie wants to know when you’ll be ready for the English lesson?” Timothy leaned his skinny frame against the doorway. He nodded to Chelsea.
Beth faced Chelsea. “We have gone a little overtime. Go get a quick bite to eat in the lunchroom, and I’ll see you in ten minutes for class.” Beth smiled at Timothy. “I’ll skip my lunch and start right on time. Where is Cassie? I’ll tell her myself.”
“She’s with her daughter in the nursery games room.”
“Great.” Beth clapped her hands. “I’ll say hello to Johannah as well.”
Beth stood, and they all exited the room. Her small heels clicked against the polished concrete floor as she walked down the corridor to the colorful games room.
Cassie had a messy bun on top of her head, with a pen wedged down the side. Nice working-mum look.
Leaning over the red and blue playpen, Cassie handed two-year-old Johannah a plastic pony. “Keep it in here, bubba. Stop throwing it out, you cheeky girl.”
Johannah’s brown eyes widened and pointed to Beth. “Bef, Bef.”
Cassie turned. “Hey. How are you? All set for class?”
“Yep. All ready to go. I wanted to say a quick hello to Jo Jo.” She waved at the little girl.
Johannah, a mini version of Cassie, opened and shut her palm in slow motion. Oh, she melted Beth’s heart.
Cassie stood and smoothed her palms down her black skinny jeans. She could pass as a teen at her size and didn’t look like a forty-something-year-old. A sly grin slid up Cassie’s cheeks. “Chris told me about Lachie. But he didn’t tell me what you were doing hanging around a sailor.” She crossed her arms and tapped her Nike shoe to the ground. “Fill me in.”
Beth wobbled her head as if she had nothing to tell. “We met on the Rottnest Ferry and spent the day together on the island.” She sighed wistfully. “Had a great time. Then he visited Habor of Hope. Went for lunch after. Now he’s gone.”
Cassie’s forehead creased. “That’s all?”
“No.” She crossed her arms to match Cassie’s. “I’m so attracted to him, it’s ridiculous. I’m such a desperate spinster.”
Cassie burst out laughing. “Beth. You’re being silly now. That’s normal chemistry. You know that right? You’re so sweet and innocent.”
“Cassie, I’ve had boyfriends before. But I didn’t even kiss Lachlan, and oh, how he made me feel . . .” she shivered. “It’s a good thing he’s gone, or I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything.”
Cassie tilted her head. “If he feels the same way, maybe he’ll come back and visit again.”
“Lachlan’s with the Navy for another two years, at least. He didn’t make any commitments to me. We’re just friends.” Beth frowned. “He said he’d email, though.”
Cassie picked up the toy pony again that Jo Jo had thrown on the floor. “Maybe the distance will help with the crazy hormones, and you can get to know him better over time.”
“He hasn’t promised to wait for me. He might meet other girls at another port, and I didn’t realize it, but there are women in the Navy too.”
Cassie laughed. “Maybe not as feminine as you. And you kind of have similar interests. He’s a counsellor, isn’t he? Helps people. You do that.”
“Why are you trying to get my hopes up?”
She shrugged and dropped the toy in the playpen. “Just saying, don’t wipe the possibility away. Love doesn’t come around every day.”
“Who’s saying it’s love? It’s a crush. He’s absolutely gorgeous and charming. I’m acting like a teenager, not a mature rationale woman.”
“I looked him up on Facebook, he’s nice looking, but not drop-dead gorgeous. You’re probably super attracted to him for other reasons.”
Beth huffed. “Wait ’til you see the photos I have. She whipped out her cell from her back pocket and clicked on her favorites album. She’d transferred the zoomed-in images from her Nikon, and Lachlan had air-dropped their Quokka selfies on the ferry ride back to Fremantle.
Cassie came closer and peered over Beth’s shoulder. “Yeah. He’s okay. Built like a brick, I admit, but not unusually attractive.” Cassie touched the screen and enlarged a group photo. “Who’s this guy next to him? I’d say he’s better looking.”
“Ugh. Wally?” Reflux rose to her throat. “He’s so sleazy. Desperate.”
“See, I told you. It’s the way a man treats a woman, which makes them more attractive. Is Lachlan easy going? Kind and thoughtful?”
She nodded. “From the moment we met.”
“When Chris and I were teammates working together at Youth Connect, I didn’t notice his good looks. Then we started spending more time together, shared fun moments, and he showed how he cared about me. His kindness became personal. That’s when I fell for him.”
“We did have fun. And Lachlan helped me relax for once.”
“See, it’s personality too. You’re attracted to who he is, not just physical assets.”
“I see your point.” She slipped her phone away. “Anyway, the long-distance thing won’t work. I’ll get over him, soon enough.”
Cassie lifted her palms. “All right. If you say so.”
Beth shook her head. “I better get to class.” She turned and strode away, her heels thudding the floor. A quiet giggle from Cassie followed. She might find it amusing since Cassie had won her American’s heart and had him move to Australia. Or, perhaps Chris had decided that before they got together. She’d forgotten the details.
What if Chris could offer Lachlan a job to qualify for a working visa? Beth quickened her pace. The teens would be waiting. Despite his absence, Lachlan remained a big distraction. And when would he email her? Had it only been five days? She growled under her breath. How could she handle two years?
After teaching in her English class, Beth rushed across town to keep her appointment with the Police Investigator. Once she’d rattled off the conversations she’d had on the island and concluded with her suspicions, the uniformed man froze with his mouth agape.
“So, do you think we have a case?” Clutching the folder containing her so-called records and lab test results, she sat in anticipation for Sergeant Andrews to respond.
The stocky fifty-something-year-old closed his mouth for a moment. “We?”
Beth straightened. “The Navy officer who’d assisted in the investigation strongly suggested I hand the details over to you and avoid putting myself in any danger. Still, I respectfully request for exclusive rights to the story.”
Sergeant Andrews’ eyes widened. “Navy officer?”
“From the United States.” If he refused this last hook, she’d lost him.
The man’s peppered brows rose. “Why is the American Navy involved in this?”
“Lachlan Peters happened to be visiting the island off-duty and spoke to some of the locals. He agreed that the situation seemed suspicious.” She placed the blue folder on his mahogany desk. “His conversation with the ice cream server and others has been documented, and his email address is here if you’d like to contact him. His ship has left port.”
“I agree there’s a need for further investigation.” He cleared his throat. “Now, about your request for exclusive rights to the story, I’m not sure if I can promise such a thing.”
Beth placed her palm over the folder and spoke in a firm, low voice. “Sir, I could sensationalize this story across news headlines tomorrow. But . . . ” She paused for effect. “The developers will back off, cover their tracks, and get away with . . . Quokka murder.”
The man smirked.
“Sir, I’m serious. These terrible, terrible, money-hungry swindlers, need to be brought to justice.” Beth slapped the file. “And, your team can bring that victory.”
Sergeant Andrews rocked back into his chair and gave her a golf-clap. “Nice speech, Miss Michaels.” He chuckled. “Look, if we find some solid evidence and arrest someone, we will let you know so you’ll have first dibs on the story. Have a press release drafted and ready to go. That’s all I can offer you.”
Beth’s insides bubbled with excitement as she rose from her seat. “Sir, that’s wonderful. I appreciate your co-operation.”
He shook his head. She must appear like the try-hard-reporter nitwit she wanted to avoid.
Sergeant Andrews stood and leaned across his desk, offering his hand. “Thank you for coming forward with this information.”
Beth gripped his hand in a firm, manly handshake. His large leathery hold dominated and swallowed her smaller one. Oh, well.
“Thank you, sir. Please, keep me informed. My card is in the folder.”
He gave her an amused smile. “Will do.”