“I had to. It seemed cruel to let you go all these years and not know what really happened to her. I have to be honest here, I thought everyone would think I was crazy.” I doubted myself, probably more than I should have in the process.
“There’s more to this world than we can ever explain. Wilz was always a believer in the truth would win in the end. It’s one of the many things I loved about her.”
“I get that feeling too.”
“I queried her trip to Sydney. Even spoke to Primrose. Wilz never left without saying goodbye. We had a ritual when she had to go away.” He wiped his eyes again. “Superstitious she was.”
Billie glanced at the car where Hamish sat waiting for her.
“So it was Mr Wallace then, her father.” Eric shook his head. “He was always a strange one. Moody and angry. Many the time was I’d be called into the house to calm him down if she wasn’t around. The missus deserved better, so did Wilz and her sister. That little girl suffered with his moods. Wilz tried to shelter her and eventually convinced her to run away but not until he’d done some terrible things to her too.”
“What did he do to her?” Would this go some way to explaining her mother’s behaviour when Billie was growing up? The secrets, the conversations that stopped mid-sentence when she walked into the room. Perhaps even the reason Lucy was so adamant they hold themselves above everyone else, not a shred of gossip or scandal to touch anyone in the family.
“Best you ask Miss Gertrude that one. I think I already spoke out of turn to your friend out there. Not really my place to tell. But I’ll say this, he ruined that family. They would have been better off if he hadn’t come back from the war, that much I can tell you.”
“Yes, I agree. But Wilz had you. That must have been a blessing for her.”
“I’d like to know where she is.”
“So would I and I’ll find her, that I promise you. When I do, Eric, I’ll take you to her.”
“Righto. Thanks for that.” He wiped his eyes again, a sigh escaping his lips. “Cup of tea?”
“Thank you, but no. I have to get to the house and meet my son. But I will be in touch, I mean it, Eric. I won’t let anything keep me away this time.”
She left him standing there and slid into the front seat of the car, aware that he watched her every move.
Hamish took her hand. “He understood, then?”
Billie glanced at the old man as he waved and headed up the steps to his front door. “Yes, he did. Never doubted me for a minute.” She held up her hand, looked at the watch. “He gave her this watch and it was enough for him it seems to decide I’m not some crazy lady. Makes me feel better about it all too. Right up until this morning I doubted my own sanity. I guess I’ll never fully understand how it could have happened. I’m thankful something good came of it all.”
Eric glanced back over his shoulder and she lifted a hand to wave back. “It seems there were more than a few people who doubted Papa.”
Hamish kept silent on the drive back to the estate, letting her process what had happened. As they crossed the first cattlegrid, Billie spoke. “Hamish, I need a favour.”
“Certainly.” He smiled but kept his eyes on the driveway.
“It’s about Eric. I don’t understand why but can we keep it between the two of us for now. There’s nothing to be gained from making it public knowledge and I fell that he would rather keep his memories to himself.”
“I happen to agree with you. Nothing to be gained from it at all.”
“Thank you.” Billie reached for his hand and twined her fingers around his as they made their way up the hill and over the last cattle grid.
Alex ran wild in the front paddock with his dog chasing him, while Lucy and Father sat on the steps watching him, indulgent smiles on their faces. They stood up as the car came to a halt in the driveway.
“We need to talk to Frederick and see how he wants to deal with the police. I have no doubt they’ll be waiting for a chance to talk to you.” Hamish took the key out of the ignition, slid it into his pocket.
“No hurry. There’s something else I have to do that’s more important.” She opened the door and slid out, walked toward Lucy. Time to face it now. “Mother. I need to find Wilz, where he buried her. I don’t believe Grandfather would have taken her off the property. He wouldn’t have been able to take her away without anyone seeing him, because it was almost dawn.” She shaded her eyes with her hand, tried to put herself in his position. “I don’t think he would have had time.”
Lucy paled, a small nerve twitching at the corner of her lips but stood straight, making no mention of the fact she’d called her Mother for the first time in over twenty years. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. We need a set of bolt cutters. Frederick, if you please, follow me.”
When Father raided the equipment shed and found the appropriate tools, they followed Mother to the crypt, the sense of intrigue and expectation hanging heavy in the air. “I did wonder why anyone would put a chain on here. It’s been there far too long for it to have been the Historical Society. I think he put her in here. It all makes sense to me now.”
“Let me, Frederick.” Hamish held out his hand for the bolt cutters. He rolled up his sleeves, set his feet wide and placed the teeth against a rusty link of chain.
Anxiety rose in Billie’s chest and a sheen
