Chapter 13 #3
‘Thought I’d swing past,’ Dunlop said, gaze flicking to Sharon, then back. ‘Heard you had company.’
Hayden’s gut went tight. He hadn’t told anyone about the meeting.
And in that moment, he knew that someone had.
He remained at the top of the verandah steps, arms folded, as Sergeant Dunlop lingered at the bottom.
If there was ever an example of stubborn silence, this was it.
Standing two footfalls from the top, just out of arm’s reach, the smug-faced copper leant against the banister like he owned the place.
Watching Hayden, he sipped from his takeaway cup with deliberate slowness.
Sharon slipped away with a stiff little goodbye, her barely polite smile aimed at no one in particular.
It didn’t fool Hayden for a second – her eyes had already moved past him, calculating, before she vanished down the path and towards where she’d parked her Kia.
Dunlop barely spared her a glance, one that was quick and dismissive, as if he was brushing her off as background noise.
‘You always this far out of town this early?’ Hayden asked, voice casual but his stance saying otherwise.
Dunlop shrugged indifferently, his eyes drifting up towards the glinting roof of the house before returning to Hayden. ‘Just checking on things.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Hayden’s response was facetious. ‘Keeping the town safe, are you?’
Craig smiled now, tight, practised. ‘Just keeping an eye on the folks who matter. You know how it is.’
‘I reckon I do,’ Hayden shot back.
They stood like that for another beat. Then Dunlop tipped the last of his coffee into the fragrant jasmine bush Hayden minded with tenderness, the very one Casey had planted, at the side of the steps.
Biting back a myriad of insults, Hayden took a breath, then another.
It was all he could do, right that second, not to lose his cool and end up in a fist battle with the same idiot he’d suffered multiple bruises from during his high school years.
Craig Dunlop and his two older brothers had all been bullies.
They never picked on anyone their own size or age.
Always smaller, always younger. And always in places they’d never be caught in the act.
Cowards. At least the older boys had left town.
As for Craig, the township was stuck with him.
‘Nice place you’ve got here, Pierce. Quiet. Be a shame if it ever, you know, wasn’t.’
Hayden’s jaw tensed tighter. ‘You here for a reason, or just to flex your badge’s muscles?’
‘A bit of both.’ Dunlop’s grin took a sharper edge.
‘Heard you’ve had a few visitors lately.
Would’ve thought you’d be too busy running horses to play host. Or is there something else keeping you entertained?
’ He chuckled to himself, his grey eyes wrinkling in the corners.
‘That barmaid’s still got a bit of fire in her, hey? I heard she’s a live one in the sack.’
Hayden’s eyes hardened, his fists curling at his sides. ‘You got something to say, Dunlop? Say it straight.’
Dunlop raised his hands in mock innocence. ‘Didn’t mean anything by it. Just heard she was here. And I thought, hey, about time Pierce got back in the game. Wanted to see for myself. Small towns, mate, you know how they talk.’
‘I’m not your mate.’ Hayden stepped forwards once, slow and deliberate. ‘And for the record, if you’re trying to stir something, you’d better go pick another fence line.’
Dunlop’s smile didn’t waver, but his shoulders stiffened. ‘Just being friendly.’
‘I’ve got enough friends.’ Hayden held his stare, unblinking. ‘So maybe go and be your friendly self elsewhere.’
Dunlop chuckled, but the sound lacked warmth.
‘Not very hospitable of you, Pierce.’ He took one last look around the property, his squinted gaze lingering on the stables, the sheds, the quiet horizon.
‘Town’s changing,’ he said as he stepped back to the ground, voice almost conversational.
‘New faces. Old grudges. And yet everyone wants to pretend they’re safe out here. ’
Hayden didn’t flinch. ‘You should get going. Before I decide you’re trespassing.’
‘You never know, I might be the one to get the call.’ The sergeant gave a self-righteous, slow nod, like he’d been expecting the standoffishness. ‘See you around, Pierce. Stay safe and out of trouble, won’t you.’
Hayden didn’t reply. His jaw was clenched so tight he could feel the pressure in his molars. It took every ounce of self-control not to reach out, grab the conceited bastard by the collar and drag him back to his dusty four-wheel drive.
Craig strode away slowly, like he had all the time in the world, before finally disappearing around the corner. Hayden followed to make sure he wasn’t snooping, at a distance but guaranteeing the copper knew he had eyes on him.
With a final glance in Hayden’s direction, Craig climbed into the dusty silver Ranger with a dented tray and oversized tyres.
Hayden stepped out of the sunlight as his uninvited guest drove away, narrowing his eyes at the receding ute.
Plate: 2QLJ58.
He filed it away. Something told him he might be using it in the future.