31. Alexis
Alexis had expected today to elicit some intense emotions, but it was even more extreme than she’d anticipated.
Having Tamra mistake her for her mother was the first event. And hearing confirmation that Jack could have potentially isolated her mother from her friends was the second. Since she’d moved out of the family house, it was like her eyes had finally opened to Jack’s hidden nature. She’d never seen him physically violent—unless you counted the time he’d slapped her across the face—but now she could guess at his emotional manipulation.
Levi didn’t speak on the drive out to Tamra’s house. It had started raining, and he seemed to be concentrating more on the road.
They drove south, following Tamra through some low-lying fields before turning left into a narrow street framed by grassy hills.
Tamra pulled up outside a house, and Levi parked beside her.
They got out, and Alexis admired the understated bungalow in front of them. It was surrounded by gum trees and a few palms, and as they made their way to the front door, Alexis noted an outcropping of rocks beyond the property.
‘It’s all so beautiful,’ Alexis breathed.
‘Lily visited here once,’ Tamra said. ‘This house used to belong to my aunt, and I brought Lily for a weekend away. She loved it too.’
It was strange hearing that her mother had stepped foot on this very land. Jack never talked about Lily, so Alexis had very few stories to associate with her.
They entered a large open plan living area that took advantage of the view to the rocks.
‘I’ll make you both some tea. Is lemon myrtle okay? I make it myself from the leaves on a nearby tree.’
‘That sounds wonderful.’
Levi still hadn’t said anything, and she appreciated his quiet support. He glanced over, presumably to check she wasn’t about to have an emotional break-down, and Alexis smiled at him gratefully.
After putting some water on to boil, Tamra went to a nearby desk and opened one of its drawers. She pulled out a small book and flicked it open.
‘Where is it?’ she muttered to herself. ‘Ah, here we go.’
She found a pen and loose slip of paper, copying across the details from the book. She then handed the paper to Alexis. ‘His name is Joseph Cox. Or Joe. I’m sure he preferred Joe.’
‘And how did he know my mum?’
‘I think he studied law at the same university as Jack, but they all met on the same night, so he became friends with Lily too.’
‘Ah.’
Tamra made the tea and carried it out to the back deck, encouraging Alexis and Levi to join her. It was so peaceful, and Alexis wondered how different her life would be if she lived here rather than in an inner-city apartment.
Why did she live in the city anyway?
That was probably a thought process for another day.
The rain got heavier, obviously on its way to settling in.
‘I wonder how Theo and Sarah are doing?’ Levi mused.
‘Oh, I’d almost forgotten about them. We should probably go soon, huh? There’s not a lot to do in Byron Bay in the rain.’
‘If you’re not staying in Nimbin for the evening, you should probably go soon,’ Tamra warned. ‘We get a lot of flooding around here.’
‘Really? Then we should probably go now. I’m sorry for the short visit, but we don’t want to impose on your hospitality more than we already have.’
‘It’s no trouble. And it’s been lovely seeing you. Your resemblance to Lily is startling. I could have sworn it was her when you walked into the shop.’
‘I don’t have many photos of her, so it’s nice to know there’s a connection.’
They finished their tea and headed for the door. There was already water pooling in large puddles at the front of the property, and Alexis was glad they were leaving now.
Tamra gave Alexis and Levi a hug each—which didn’t feel at all strange considering they’d only just met.
‘If you don’t have any luck with Joe, call me, and I’ll see if I can track down someone else who might remember Lily.’
‘Thank you.’
They ran to the car and jumped inside. Alexis worried about dripping all over Levi’s Jag, but he didn’t seem concerned.
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.
‘Good. I think.’
‘It wasn’t too much?’
‘No. It was nice. If it hadn’t started raining, I probably would have stayed to find out a little more, but I’ll make do with this potential link to Joe.’
Levi drove back to the main road toward the town.
But two minutes into the trip, they were forced to stop at a low point in the road. Water flowed heavily over the top, and Alexis stared at it worriedly.
‘I don’t think we should drive through that, do you?’
‘If we were in a different car, maybe. This is all-wheel drive, but I worry it might struggle in the water.’
‘Yeah, I don’t think we should attempt it. Is there another way back to town?’
‘I’ll check.’ He zoomed in on the car’s map screen and looked at possible alternative routes. ‘If we go a bit further south, we might be able to head east and go back to Byron Bay that way.’
Alexis nodded. It would be significantly longer, but they didn’t have much choice.
But a few minutes later, they found another flooded section of road.
‘Are we actually stuck?’ Alexis asked in disbelief.
‘It appears that way.’
‘What do we do? Wait on the side of the road until it stops?’
‘I guess.’
‘I’ll check the weather radar and see how long the rain is supposed to last.’
She opened the browser on her phone and groaned when she noted there was no signal.
‘I can’t even make a phone call!’
‘Maybe we should head back to Tamra’s for now. She might have internet or a phone we can use.’
‘Okay. I hope she doesn’t mind us imposing for a second time.’
‘We’ll soon find out.’
Alexis ran her hands down her face. ‘And what about Tofu? What if we can’t get back before 7pm?’
‘We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry.’
Was this a sign she shouldn’t be digging into her past? Trapping her in a small town surrounded by floodwaters could be the universe warning her to give up before she found anything she might not be able to handle.
Alexis shook her head. That was just superstitious nonsense. She was a logical person who believed in rational scientific things.
Today was just bad luck.