Chapter 36
After agreeing on the setup for the table and the colour coordination of the decorations, Zoe left to run some errands and to put Harper’s plan into motion. She was glad her sister had agreed to it and Brookes, while a little apprehensive, didn’t think it was the worst idea she’d come up with.
When they were alone standing outside the door, Brookes pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head. Warm feelings rushed through her, and she didn’t want to let go. Even though the day with Zoe had gone well and it was fun at the back of her mind, last night’s events were still distressing. She didn’t believe in coincidences or random acts of violence; not here, not like this.
Brookes pulled her closer and ran his hand through her hair, calming the fire within him. He wanted to catch the person responsible for this, make sure they’d pay. More importantly, he wanted Harper to trust him enough to tell him the truth. She was hiding something; it was clear as day. There was something she was holding back but knowing Harper, that would only make her withdraw even further.
Rover barked. Brookes pulled away from Harper.
The dog barked again. ‘What is it, boy?’ Brookes said as Rover ran for the door. When he opened it, he saw a car speeding off.
He recognised it. ‘There’s something I have to do,’ he said.
Brookes didn’t want Harper aloneat Mathers Vineyard, so he dropped her off at the family estate, even with her protests and questions about what was going on. He didn’t want to tell her just yet, but he had a suspicion, and he didn’t like it. Before leaving, he made sure that Leo was staying around so Harper wasn’t left alone, then he drove off, leaving Harper looking confused on the veranda steps.
At first, the idea seemed preposterous, but when he gave it more thought, it started making sense. Still, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions until he was absolutely certain.
When he reached the town centre, he found a park and made his way towards the hair salon. He saw the closed sign. Returning to his car, he drove a few streets down, and stopped in front of a small cottage style house that had been modernised by a bit of white render. He was certain the car he’d seen speeding off from his house earlier that morning was the same one parked in this driveway.
He got out and walked towards the house. When he passed the car, he stopped for a moment and placed his hand on the bonnet. Still warm, and it wasn’t from the winter sun.
Brookes knocked on the front door and waited. A few moments later, he heard a lock turning and the door opening. Lisa stood there in a bathrobe, her blonde hair flowing around her shoulders, but he didn’t notice any dampness on her face or neck that would naturally be evident after a shower. He was seething but he couldn’t exactly go around accusing her of something he didn’t have proof of, only a feeling, but his gut instincts were usually right.
‘What a pleasant surprise?’ Lisa said.
‘It’s not a social call.’
‘Oh, has something happened?’
‘You tell me.’
He watched for a reaction, but she was giving nothing away. Her eyebrow raised, and she folded her arms in front of her. ‘What are you insinuating, Brookes?’
‘You came by Mathers Vineyard this morning.’
‘I drove past. Is that a crime?’
At least she wasn’t going to lie about that. ‘What do you know about Harper’s battery being pulled and her tires being slashed? Come to think of it, the night my tires were slashed, you were at the tavern, too.’
‘Get off my property, Brookes.’
‘So you don’t deny it?’
‘I don’t have to deny anything. I’ve no idea what you are talking about.’ She pushed the door to close it, but he put his hand out to keep it open.
‘You’re lying.’
There was something about her expression. She may not have been responsible for the damage directly, but she knew something.
‘Piss off, Brookes. I have better things to do with my time than worry about little miss perfect Harper. Now move before I call the police.’
He took a step back, still glaring at her. Had he been too harsh? Should he have first made polite conversation? It didn’t matter now because she was slamming the door in his face.
Brookes retreated to his car and drove the few kilometres to the police station. It was unlikely that Lisa would call the cops on him, but he wanted them to look into her. She’d been hanging around a lot lately and he thought it was just her interest in him, but now it seemed there was something else going on. Five minutes later, he pulled up at the station, hoping that either Constable Graves or Sergeant Norris was on duty. He was in luck, because just as he walked into the station, Constable Graves appeared behind the front counter.
He looked up. ‘How can I help you?’
‘Constable Graves,’ Brookes said.
‘It’s a bit early for an update, isn’t it?’
‘I might have one for you.’
‘Have you been doing a bit of your own sleuthing?’ he said, raising an eyebrow.
‘It could be nothing, and I hoped it was, but my gut is telling me different, and my gut is usually right. I think you need to look into Lisa. She did a drive-by by the Mathers Vineyard this morning. Sped off when she noticed me approaching. And she was at the tavern when my tyres got slashed.’
‘Being in the same place doesn’t make you a criminal, Brookes. You know that, as well as anybody.’
He swallowed back the words that were on his chest. Brookes didn’t need a reminder. He’d been a witness to a murder in town. Wrong place, wrong time. He’d been questioned, but eventually cleared. It had been traumatising at the time.
‘I went to confront her today, and she was hiding something.’
Constable Graves shook his head. ‘Brookes, you’re not a police officer.’
‘I just went up to ask a couple of friendly questions.’
‘And how did that end for you?’
‘She slammed the door in my face.’
‘Can you blame her? I’m sorry, but without any evidence, we don’t have any reason to question her. It’s Lisa, for crying out loud. What reason would she have to hurt, Ms McGregor?’
He couldn’t think of a valid one, but he’d noticed the jealousy in her tone as soon as Harper had come back into town. She’d been trying to get his attention for years, and maybe he’d paid her some occasionally. Lisa wasn’t in his future; he’d made that clear to her. His heart was with Harper, but she had never really accepted that. But was she capable of sabotaging Harper’s car? Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn’t realistic. If she wanted her out of town, why destroy her car? He was clutching at straws and looking like a fool while he was doing it.
‘We caught the two teenagers. They owed up to slashing tyres at the tavern,’ Constable Graves said. ‘We were going to give you a call later today.’
‘What about the brick through the window? The battery?’
He paused before shaking his head.
‘Look Constable, someone was on my property with the intention of hurting Harper. We need to find them.’
‘There’s no we, here, Brookes. You’re a civilian. Leave the police work to the police.’
‘Are you going to do some work?’
‘I’m going to let that one slide, just this once. Sergeant Norris is looking into a few leads. Brookes, we’re taking this seriously. But remember, you don’t want to be caught taking the law into your own hands. We may be a small country town, but we have zero tolerance for rogue cowboys.’
‘Keep me up to date.’
‘We’ll stop by later today — if we have anything.’