Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
On the drive down, I’m about to dictate a message to Anna to let her know I’m coming to Brisbane when a text from Frankie comes through.
I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. Are you home today?
I reply saying I’m about to arrive in in Brisbane. I almost don’t respond at all, but I’ve well and truly realised Frankie wants more than I do from our reconnection, and I need to let him down ASAP.
I arrange to meet him this afternoon at a bar near his place.
The sooner I get him out of the way, the better, because I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to deal with yet another drama.
I consider scheduling Anna after Frankie, but I have a feeling I won’t be in the right headspace by then.
If she can’t come up to Shell Beach soon, I’ll make a separate trip down just for her.
I pull up at Chermside Library just after 12pm and go inside, following the directions for the memoir-writing session in one of the meeting rooms.
I stand in the doorway and look at the woman in a wheelchair sitting at the front of the room.
The photos of her on Instagram weren’t very clear, and it was dark the night I met her in 1999, but I recognise her immediately.
Cameron is standing next to her, and he whispers something in her ear. She nods.
Cameron heads in my direction, and I worry he’s somehow figured out who I am and why I’m here, but he walks right past and out the door.
Phew.
I’m not sure whether to approach Nia right now. Would it be weird to confront her in the middle of the writing workshop? The event seems popular, with at least twenty people sitting at the surrounding tables.
I cautiously walk over to her.
“Excuse me, Nia?”
She looks up and smiles pleasantly. “Yes?”
“I recently learned about your story, and I was wondering if I could buy you lunch after this session?”
She doesn’t even seem surprised by my offer. Does this kind of thing happen often?
“Sure. That would be lovely. Do you want to meet in the library café when I’m done here?”
“Will you bring your brother?” I ask. “I saw he assists with these workshops.”
“Actually, he had to leave for another appointment. Is that okay?”
That’s perfect.
“Of course. It was you I wanted to talk to anyway.”
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
I leave the meeting room and go find an armchair to wait out the last hour.
I wonder if I’m about to learn the truth once and for all.
***
Just after 1pm, Nia joins me at the café.
“What would you like to eat?” I ask.
“One of the toasted Turkish sandwiches would be amazing.”
“Sure.”
I order two of the sandwiches, observing Nia while I wait for the server to prepare the food.
She seems quite different to the person I encountered the other night. I suppose twenty years in a wheelchair would do that to you. Or is it all just an act?
I collect the sandwiches and carry them to our table.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you hear about me?” she asks.
“I think you just showed up on my Instagram. You know how the algorithm sometimes gives you random content?”
“That’s cool. So what exactly were you wanting to talk about? My disability? Memoir writing?”
“I was actually curious about the accident.”
Something flashes across her eyes but quickly disappears. “I already detailed it in my own memoir.”
“I have to admit, I haven’t read your book yet. Do you mind telling me now?”
She frowns. “It’s kind of hard to talk about, which is why I wrote it down. So I didn’t have to relay it over and over.”
“Did you mention in the story you’re blackmailing someone into funding your life?”
I know I probably shouldn’t be so harsh, but I figure catching her off guard is the only way I’ll get her to slip up.
She furrows her brow. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Her reaction seems genuinely confused, which makes me wonder if she even knows what’s going on.
“You weren’t aware that Jarvis Winter has been paying most of your costs since the accident because your brother made him believe it was his fault you ended up in a wheelchair?”
Her face goes white. “What?”
“You really didn’t know this?”
“Of course I didn’t. Why does Jarvis think he’s responsible?”
“Because he introduced you to Radford in the first place.” I decide to take a gamble. “But I wonder what would happen if everyone found out you already knew each other and that you were driving that night.”
She looks like she’s about to throw up. “How… how did you know that?”
“You were dating Radford before Jarvis introduced you, weren’t you?”
She seems to suddenly realise she’s already said too much. “I think you need to leave now. I don’t know where you got your information, but you have no proof.”
“I’ve been in touch with Radford. When I confronted him, he told me everything. He’s already been to jail for you, and he’s got nothing left now. He had no reason to lie to me.”
I’m just making things up on the fly, but Nia doesn’t know that. And my words are more plausible than me time travelling and witnessing the accident firsthand.
“You found Radford?” She looks even more nauseous.
“Yes. And you need to talk to your brother and tell him to stop extorting Jarvis immediately, otherwise I’ll go to the media with the truth.”
“No one will believe you. Radford already tried to clear his name, but of course they believed me over a sleazy director with a reputation for seducing young girls.”
I look at her disbelievingly. “So you’re happy to keep taking money from Jarvis, even though he has nothing to do with it?”
She falters. “I really don’t know anything about that. Cam takes care of all my expenses.”
“Then tell Cam to use his own money. Jarvis has spent a significant portion of his income on supporting you for over twenty years.”
She’s about to argue again but then stops.
“I never intended for Jarvis to be involved. I haven’t heard from the guy since just after the accident.”
“That’s because Cam said you were too traumatised to speak to him. And because of that, Jarvis has been holding onto the guilt since 1999.”
Her expression finally shows remorse. “Poor Jarvis.”
“He may not have the physical scars you have, but his life hasn’t been the same since that night. Why did you act like you didn’t know Radford when Jarvis introduced the two of you?”
“Because our relationship was a secret. Radford already had a reputation for dating all the young actresses in the theatre industry, and if I was going to be taken seriously, I couldn’t look like I was one of them.”
“Well, make sure you talk to your brother ASAP and explain what really happened. I don’t care how much of the truth you want to reveal, as long as Cam stops asking Jarvis for money.
And if he has any still stashed away, he needs to return it.
” Something occurs to me. “Wait. Did the accident cause your paraplegia?”
She hesitates for a moment. “Not directly. But not long after I got out of the car that night, a truck came along and hit me.”
“Jesus. And it didn’t stop?”
“No.”
“Did you tell the cops?”
She barely answers. “No.”
I wonder if in the original timeline, Nia had been hit while she was pulling Radford from the passenger seat, and she wouldn’t have wanted a potentially hostile witness to ruin her story. In my timeline, I must have arrived before the truck and stopped the truck incident from occurring.
Nia buries her face in her hands. “I never meant for everything to turn out this way.”
“Well, you better make amends now. Because if you don’t, I’ll come find you again.”
I turn and walk back to my car. I can’t stand to look at that woman anymore. Yes, I feel bad for her injuries, but she brought them on herself, and she ruined a bunch of people’s lives in the process.
It’s time for Jarvis to finally wake from the nightmare of a rollercoaster he’s been stuck on for over two decades.
And I’m glad I can be the one to help end that nightmare.