Page 56 of Nothing Without You

Her voice trembled. ‘Mum’s overseas at the moment. Dad’s in Sydney, but I’m not sure I want to head for a city right now.’ She turned and looked at him. ‘I need somewhere quiet, where I can get my thoughts together.’

‘Have you got any old friends? Ones you had before you met Bob?’

She thought hard. ‘There is someone. Her name’s Rose, and she’s from a family I knew growing up. I’ve got her number and address. She lives in Gladstone, so I could catch the train there.’

‘I think you should go as soon as you can. Those boys shouldn’t cause any trouble for you. Your story is solid, and by now they’ve probably arrested the rest of them, so they’ll all end up in jail anyway. The big fellas are coming up from Brisbane, and they’ll throw the book at them.’

Neither spoke, and she wished she didn’t have to say goodbye. Baker and Matilda were like a security blanket, and although she had looked after herself for years, at the moment she needed help deciding the best way out of the situation, and how to go forward with her life.

She bit her lip and looked out through the window of the car. A light shower of rain was passing over, the grey of the sky matching how she felt. When Baker spoke, she turned back to him, his calm words and reassuring gaze giving her some hope.

‘Right, you’ve got a couple of hours until the southbound train leaves. We’ll go inside and you can ring your friend. If it’s okay for you to go there, I’ll drop you at the train station. I’ve got some money for you, and I’ll wait there with you until you leave. How does that sound?’

She nodded. ‘Thanks, Baker.’

Chapter Sixty-Three

Thankfully, Rose picked up the phone straight away. Evie could hear kids in the background, as she waited anxiously to hear her friend’s voice and to know she had a safe place to go.

‘Something’s happened, Rose. I can’t tell you over the phone, but you said to ring you if I ever needed a place to stay. I’m catching a train down your way tonight, and I wondered if I could stay a day, or maybe a couple.’

‘Oh Evie. Of course you can. Are you alright?’

‘Yes. Yes. I’m okay. I just need somewhere to stay for a little while, until I work out what I’m going to do next.’

‘Are you still with that fella?’

‘No.’

Rose gave her the address and said, once again, that Evie was more than welcome to come and stay for as long as she needed. ‘You might be able to give me a hand with these two kids. They’re giving me hell at the moment.’

When it came time to say goodbye to Matilda, Evie almost changed her mind about leaving. Matilda squeezed her hand. ‘You’ve got to go, Evie. It’s okay. You and me, we share secrets. We keep them safe.’

The two women hugged, and Evie started crying. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you. You’ve saved me and I won’t ever forget you.’

Matilda also wiped her eyes. ‘I call you my daughter. Just ring and let me know when you’re with your friend. You’ll be okay.’

It was just as hard to say goodbye to Baker. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the top of her head. ‘Go and make a life for yourself. Don’t waste any more time.’

He stood on the platform waiting for the train to depart. She waved through the window, watching him stand with his hand raised, as the train pulled slowly out of the station. Before long, she could no longer see him, the track ahead leading her away from the station, the town, and from the ashes of Bob and her life. Now she was on her own again. Really on her own.

Chapter Sixty-Four

Rose had given Evie directions to her house, which thankfully was only a short walk from the station. She lived in a modest chamferboard house that had a small landing at the front, three bedrooms and one bathroom. The two boys were boisterous and excited to meet Evie. She could tell Rose had her hands full bringing them up, mostly by herself.

Rose was surprised that Evie only had a small bag with her, and she was even more shocked when she saw the items in it.

They waited until the kids were in bed to talk in-depth about what had happened. Evie told Rose everything, except that she was at the house when Bob returned from the party.

‘Lucky for me I’d gone to Matilda’s that night. I was supposed to work, but I was sick.’

‘Bloody hell, Evie. This is serious shit.’

‘I know. Bob was in far deeper than I thought.’

‘I’m so sorry. And now he’s dead.’

Evie sipped a cup of tea and shared a cigarette with her. She exhaled, watching the smoke coil into the air and melt into the darkness. ‘Don’t be sorry. Can I be truthful with you, Rose?’

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