‘Ob! Ob!’ Milo threw out his arms and kicked his legs.
‘And today he deserves all of your adoration,’ Helen said. ‘He’s a clever man.’
Bob heaved a hessian bag from the ute, staggering slightly under the weight, and carried it to the veranda. ‘Let’s hope these posts aren’t rotten or chaining ourselves to them won’t do us much good.’
Ourselves? ‘It’s just me. I need you and Jade to—’
‘Together we can do something great.’
‘Who said that?’
‘I did! Just then.’ He looped chain around the veranda post four times before wrapping it around her waist.
‘What about Milo?’ Helen said.
‘He stays in the stroller. Jade will be here soon.’
‘So will Daryl.’ She pointed to the large figure stomping towards them.
‘He doesn’t look happy.’ Bob sat down next to her and pulled chain around himself, passing it under and over and then around the post closest to him. The heavy-duty brass padlock glinted in the sun as he pressed it shut. ‘The key’s too big to swallow.’
‘Why would we—oh, right! They could get it off us.’ Her fingers tapped on the old boards, helping her think. ‘Give it to me. And the excavator key too.’
Ignoring the chain digging into her waist, she lay back and stretched her arm to its full length. ‘Come on, come on,’ she muttered, scraping the key across the boards, desperate to feel the jar up her arm when they hit the gap near the front door. ‘Bingo.’ She released the keys and they fell with a tinkle. ‘They’re with the snakes and the spiders now.’
Bob grinned at her. ‘And they can stay there.’
‘Aww! Fair go, Helen!’ Daryl’s complexion was puce and he was panting so hard she worried for his blood pressure.
‘Breathe, Daryl! I promise it’s not personal. I’m only doing this because I have very strong reasons to believe this demolition’s illegal.’
‘That’s a lot of tommy rot.’ Daryl strode to the truck before reappearing. ‘You took the clipboard, didn’t you?’
‘Sorry, but not sorry,’ Helen said. ‘Daryl, this is Bob. Bob, meet Daryl. He retired to fish and spend time with his grandchildren.’
‘Good to meet you, Daryl. I enjoy fishing myself. Nothing like sitting in the tinny and watching the sunrise.’
‘Well, it sure as hell beats dealing with crap like this. And of course the job’s legal.’ Daryl puffed out his chest. ‘Moore Demolitions have never done anything dodgy.’
Helen didn’t think it would gain her anything if she reminded Daryl he was no longer running the company. She didn’t want to cast aspersions on his son.
‘We believe there are some dodgy councillors involved. Why else do you think they’ve used you instead of a local contractor? Why throw so much money at the job?’
Daryl’s eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened as he considered Helen’s point. ‘Bloody Victorians!’ He swiped at his phone and stomped away talking.
CHAPTER
41
Jade waved to Bob as he accelerated out of the empty car park at triple the speed limit. Then she turned and ran into the hardware store. She’d never been inside before and its size surprised her. Scanning the signs, she wondered if padlocks would be in homewares or building supplies. She glanced around, looking for someone to ask, but the only hint there was anyone else in the store was a flash of yellow fluoro in the distance.
She walked the length of the first aisle and came to huge glass doors that led to the garden section. Roof sprinklers misted over hundreds of plants, their foliage spread wide and flowers tilted back in joyous greeting. Her heart sang and the lush verdant green tempted her inside. She took a step.
Padlocks!
‘Hello, Jade. You’re out early.’ Tara Hooper smiled as if she was genuinely happy to see her. ‘Can I help you find something?’
Jade consulted her phone where she’d typed Bob’s instructions. ‘I need three eighty-millimetre heavy brass padlocks.’
‘Are you sure? They’re industrial padlocks and eighty-three dollars each.’
‘It’s what Bob told me to get. He and Helen are chaining themselves to the cottage to stop it from being demolished.’
Tara blinked. ‘Helen’s old cottage?’
‘Yeah.’
‘It’s not being demolished, Jade. It’s being moved.’
Jade knew she couldn’t mention a possibly dodgy mayor. ‘You might think that, but it’s not what Helen’s saying. She rang ten minutes ago from the cottage and told Bob to bring chains. He dropped me off here to buy padlocks and said to put them on his account. I’m going straight there to do a Facebook Live and let the town know what’s happening.’
Tara frowned and Jade’s gut squirmed. ‘It’s legit,’ she added. ‘You can ring him if you want.’
‘I believe you, Jade, but it’s all a misunderstanding. Tell you what, I’ll drive you to the cottage and explain everything to Helen and Bob.’
Jade thought of the two-kilometre walk and the precious time saved. ‘Thanks, that would be awesome. But I still need the padlocks.’
Tara laughed. ‘If I was picking teams, I’d want you on mine.’
Instead of blocking the compliment and bracing for a kicker, Jade grinned and let it warm her.
‘Maybe park behind the truck,’ she suggested to Tara as they reached the bottom of the cottage’s driveway.
‘To block it in?’
‘Just in case.’
She expected an argument, but Tara pulled up millimetres away from the vehicle.
Jade jumped out of the four-wheel-drive and Milo cried when he saw her, suddenly remembering they’d been separated. ‘Coming, buddy.’ She ran up the steps, undid the straps and picked him up.
‘Got the extra padlocks, love?’ Bob asked.
‘Yes, but Tara says you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. Right, Tara?’
‘Right.’ Tara stood at the bottom of the steps. ‘You don’t have to worry, Helen. The cottage is safe. It’s being moved to the historical society so we can restore it to its original condition.’
‘I didn’t know that was happening.’ Helen rubbed her temples and sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Jade. All I’ve
