Chapter 75
One month later
Nel squeezed past the packing boxes in the hallway, stepped over the vacuum cleaner and opened the door of the linen cupboard.
Usually it was bursting with sheets, pillows, quilting offcuts, boxes of wrapping paper and other random paraphernalia collected over forty years. Now the shelves were bare.
Cath had meticulously allocated the contents of her cupboards to one of three piles: storage, Vinnies or the bin.
She’d been surprisingly strict about what she would keep, using Lauren’s suggested method that involved holding up each item and asking herself if it sparked joy.
It turned out very little did, which was good because the boxes would be stored in Faye’s studio, so space was limited.
Jimmy and Steve were coming this afternoon with a van to pick them up.
Nel pulled out her suitcase then went back to the bedroom and started packing her clothes.
In less than five minutes the drawers of the tallboy were empty.
She’d already put her favourite jeans aside to wear in the car, along with a pair of undies and a light jumper.
She’d pack her toiletries in the morning.
A wave of tiredness washed over her. She looked longingly at the bed, then she lay down beside the suitcase and closed her eyes.
This time last week, they had officially handed over the keys of the clinic to Cass and Fran.
Nel had been there every day this week helping them get up to speed.
Viv had hit it off with Fran, an extrovert with a hearty laugh and a wicked sense of humour, and they all went out for a drink last Friday to celebrate.
Cass was quieter, more serious. From what Nel had seen, they were excellent doctors and they made a good team.
According to Viv there had only been one complaint about the new owners, from old Percy Maguire who’d said it was ‘unnatural’, but he complained about everything so it was hardly surprising.
He’d dropped it quickly when Viv told him there was a medical centre at North Carrinya and she’d be happy to send them his file.
Nel smiled to herself, pleased that the clinic was in good hands.
The shocking truth of what Geoff Marshall had done had dominated the news nationwide ever since his terrible confession.
Every time his name was mentioned, it was preceded by ‘disgraced former MP’.
One of the Sydney tabloids ran a front page with SHAME in oversized letters above a black and white photo of Geoff, his face frozen in an unattractive scowl.
A smaller colour inset of Maddie’s school photo sat underneath, radiant and youthful.
Reporters remained camped outside the Marshalls’ place, but the curtains were drawn and the house was still. No charges were brought against Geoff in the end, but he hadn’t been seen since he left the police station. He was effectively a prisoner in his own home.
The political ramifications were significant. Geoff’s resignation meant a bi-election would be held for the seat of Wells and a very real possibility the Nationals would lose the seat, given the public’s distaste for what he’d done.
For a few weeks after Geoff’s shocking confession, the town had buzzed with feverish excitement.
Nel could see it in the too-bright eyes of the locals as they huddled in the street and the aisles of the mini-mart, their voices vibrant, their words tumbling out too quickly.
Carrinya was the talk of the country. Their little town was famous and it was as though the locals felt like celebrities by association.
Trent had written a long article for The Times with the headline, A FRIEND’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: HOW TRUTH PREVAILED IN THE CASE OF MADELINE MARSHALL.
As Nel read the article, a lightness had come over her and by the time she got to the end, her cheeks were wet with tears.
After all those years it was finally over. She was exonerated.
Ryan was still on her mind, but less than he had been.
He’d been granted bail on the assault charges on the condition that he stayed away from Nel and Poppy.
So far he had. He was due to face Mount Clare court next month.
Jimmy was confident he’d be given a decent sentence, given how high profile the case was, and the fact that Poppy was just fifteen.
According to Lauren, Ryan had resigned from Warner Property as requested by his father, who was apparently furious about the reputational damage—it had been the main topic of conversation at Lauren’s bootcamps.
So maybe Ryan was planning to leave Carrinya for good.
What would he have to come back to, after all?
Her thoughts shifted to her conversation with Faye a few weeks before. Nel had avoided her after Geoff’s election night confession, but after tossing and turning for a week, she’d decided enough was enough and arranged to meet her at The Larder.
‘I’m so sorry, Faye,’ Nel had said, bracing herself for Faye’s response. ‘About everything.’
But she wasn’t bitter or angry. She’d taken Nel’s hands in hers.
‘I’m the one who needs to apologise, Nel.
And Geoff, although I wouldn’t hold your breath for that.
He watched on while you were questioned by the police, knowing the whole time that you knew nothing.
By the time I found out the truth, you’d already left town, so I told myself it didn’t matter. But it did matter. I’m so sorry.’
Nel had cried at that.
‘Thank you for fighting for Maddie,’ Faye added. ‘You’re the only one who did.’
‘I thought you’d be angry,’ Nel said. ‘I ruined Geoff’s career.’
But Faye shook her head. ‘He ruined it himself when he made that dreadful decision. You freed us. If it wasn’t for you bringing the truth to light, I’d still be hiding in my studio painting my anger, my shame.’ She smiled then. ‘Instead, I’m excited about the future for the first time in so long.’
Nel pictured Cath and Faye travelling along an outback road, a silver-haired Thelma and Louise.
They’d bought a second-hand motorhome and planned to head west to Alice Springs, then across to Perth and up the west coast to Broome.
Cath had been talking about exotic places like Kings Canyon, where they would trek, and Monkey Mia, where they would swim with dolphins.
When Cass and Fran had heard about Cath’s plans, they asked if they could rent her house. They were moving in the following week. Cath was pleased that a family would be living there, and the rental income would cover her living expenses while she and Faye were on the road.
Nel let herself drift into sleep. She dreamed of Cath and Faye in a convertible with the top down, wind blowing their hair as they sped down a dead straight road, red desert on either side as far as the eye could see.
‘Nel?’
She sat up, disoriented. The room was darker now. Her mum stood beside the bed.
‘You’ve been asleep for a couple of hours,’ Cath said. ‘I thought you must need it so I let you go, but it’s after four o’clock now.’
Nel rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the groggy feeling.
‘This came in the mail for you.’ Cath held out a postcard, a puzzled look on her face.
Nel glanced at the picture. Greetings from the Top End! it said cheerfully. She turned it over, but the only writing was her name and Cath’s address.
She frowned. ‘It’s blank.’
‘Yes, it’s strange,’ Cath said with a shrug. ‘Do you know anyone who’s visiting Darwin?’
Nel shook her head slowly.
‘I need to get these boxes ready for the boys,’ Cath said, gesturing out into the hallway. ‘Can you give me a hand?’
‘Sure.’ Nel was still looking at the postcard. She flipped it over again and studied the montage of pictures on the front. A fiery orange sun setting over water. Shoppers at Mindil Beach Markets. A young couple embracing under a waterfall.
Sophie, she thought. It must be from Sophie.