Chapter 70
It was an hour since Sophie had paid the bill at the tyre shop—gratefully accepting the mates rates offered by Barry’s friend—said their farewells, and loaded the kids into the car.
As red dirt flashed past her, she thought of Barb and Baz, still feeling overwhelmed by their uncomplicated generosity.
It was as though Barb had sensed not to ask questions about the events in Carrinya.
When Sophie responded to her question—Someone you know?
—with a simple shrug, Barb had held her gaze, then she’d reached into her bag and pulled out a mobile phone.
‘It’s an old one,’ she said. ‘I dug it out of a cupboard last night when I noticed you didn’t have one.’
Sophie took it, then looked into Barb’s kind eyes. ‘Are you sure?’
‘It’s just sitting around gathering dust.’
‘Why?’
Barb gave her a sad smile. ‘Let’s just say I know what it’s like to be running from someone.’
Who had Barb run from, Sophie wondered?
Her thoughts turned to Ryan, picturing him sitting in a prison cell, trying to make sense of how he’d got there.
*
‘Let me do the talking,’ Ryan said when they arrived at the lighthouse.
Sophie nodded, feeling optimistic. Everything would be okay, like he said. Maddie would see sense.
He took her hand and kissed it. ‘I love you, Soph.’
Warmth flooded her body. It was the first time he’d said it.
‘I love you too,’ she said. He leaned in and kissed her, deep and longing.
‘Let’s do this,’ he said when he pulled away, like they were a team.
He took her hand as they walked across the deserted lot under the bright moon, a shining orb in a clear sky.
‘Where is she?’ Sophie whispered. A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered if this was a good idea.
‘She’ll be down at the lookout.’ His voice was strong and confident, easing her doubt.
They crossed the uneven ground towards the lookout and emerged onto the landing above Deception Bay.
Ryan stopped. ‘Maddie.’ His voice cut through the cold night. Sophie was right behind him, so close she could feel his body heat.
As Maddie stood up, her tear-stained face caught the moonlight giving her a strange luminescence. She took a step towards them, then stopped.
‘Who’s there?’ Her voice was thin. ‘Who’s with you?’
‘This is Sophie.’ A pause. ‘My girlfriend.’
There was a moment of stillness, silence—maybe it will be okay, Sophie thought—then Maddie cried out.
‘No! No, Ryan! Please.’
‘She’s my girlfriend, Maddie. We’ve been together for a little while. I didn’t want to tell you, because …’ He let the sentence hang in midair, unfinished. ‘I’m not gonna be with you, Maddie. You have to get rid of the baby.’
Maddie’s eyes were blank, as though he was speaking a foreign language and none of it made sense to her, then she lunged at him, thumping her fists against him, shrieking.
‘You can’t do this to me! I won’t let you!’
Sophie’s heart raced. All her instincts told her to leave, but Ryan stood there like a stone wall. Strong. Still. Cold.
Then everything started happening quickly, as though it was in fast-forward.
‘That’s my mum’s ring!’ Ryan yelled, grabbing Maddie’s hands and holding her wrists so she couldn’t move. He let go of one arm and started pulling at the ring, trying to wrench it from her finger. ‘You’re a nutcase, Maddie! You’re fucking deluded!’
Sophie flinched at the force of his temper. ‘Stop, Ryan! Let her go!’
As he looked at her, he lost his grip on Maddie who grabbed at his hair, yanking his head backwards. He fell, recoiling in pain.
‘You stupid bitch!’
She scrambled away, panting, her eyes full of fear, and pulled the ring from her finger.
‘Take your stupid ring! It’s fucking ugly anyway.’
She threw it at Ryan and ran, disappearing into the darkness where the narrow path traversed the cliff face.
‘Maddie, stop!’
Sophie bent down to pick up the ring, which had landed at her feet, moonlight glinting off its silver band. She held it up to show Ryan it was safe.
‘Fuck!’ he yelled, following Maddie into the darkness. ‘It’s too dark!
You’ll fall!’
Sophie stood paralysed, listening to him shout into the cold night. There was a desperate edge to his voice.
‘Maddie!’
Nothing.
‘Maddie!’
A few minutes later, he emerged from the darkness.
‘Did she come back this way?’ he asked, breathless.
Sophie shook her head and handed him the ring.
‘At least I got this back,’ he said, pushing it into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Let’s get the fuck out of here.’
*
Sophie had remembered the ring a few years ago, sensing it might be the key to her escape.
If it was found in Ryan’s possession, it would implicate him in Maddie’s disappearance.
She’d searched the house for it and found it in the old jewellery box that had belonged to his mother.
Sophie had left it there, checking it every week or two, biding her time until she could work out how to use it.
It wasn’t until the day of Rob Foley’s funeral that she worked it out.
The moment Nel had played along with her lie—when Sophie said she’d met her at the library, borrowing books for Harvey—she knew the time was right.
Nel’s presence in Carrinya had Ryan on edge.
As soon as he left for work the following day, Sophie had created a new Gmail account and emailed Trent about the ring.
The messages to Poppy were an afterthought. Sophie had seen them sitting side by side at the funeral, Poppy’s head resting on Nel’s shoulder, and wondered if she could use their obvious bond to deepen Nel’s hatred of Ryan.
Pride swelled in her chest. She’d done it.
Her plan had worked. She looked in the rear-view mirror at the kids.
The low sun was catching Harvey’s hair, lighting it up like a golden halo.
He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back, a hand over her tiny bump as tears pooled in her eyes. Her babies were safe.