Page 23 of The Vanishing Place
“Lewis.” Her voice had broken on the phone. “What if the police…If they find out what you did for me, they’ll…”
“I have to help her, Effie. And I can’t do it without you.”
“But—”
“Please, Effie.” He’d paused. “I know what I did. And I’d do it again. Gladly.”
It was because of that final word that Effie was sitting in Queenstown Airport. Because she owed Lewis her life.
Effie glanced down at her hands and stroked a thumb across the inside of her wrist—brushing over the small letter tattooed there.
A
She traced his initial with her finger, the shaded font making it look like twoAs, one on top of the other. The stab of pain felt as real and frightening as it had all those years ago. Then she blinked and pulled her sleeve down. Some truths were best left buried.
—
It was after seven o’clock when she drove her rental car into Koraha. A rental car implied a short stay. A quick visit, then back to her real life.
For the last hour, she’d driven through the wildness of the Haast Pass, the remote roads bending through mountains and bush. The beauty of the country was mesmerizing—even after everything. It was like breathing fresh air, like her untamed blood had been craving it.
But Effie had to stop as she neared the Roaring Billy Falls, afraid that the shake in her arms might make her veer off the road. She’d pulled onto the verge, her heart racing as she glanced over at the bush. There was nothing to see from the road, just trees and a jagged skyline, but she knew the trail to the falls by heart. She knew the sweet smell of the podocarp forest and the feel of tawhai bark. A world of a thousand greens, where trees rose to the sky like gods.
As she’d sat in the car with her fingers gripping the steering wheel, she’d pictured the moss-cloaked matai and the towering miro trees. Just a ten-minute walk would have taken her to the Haast River. Then a boat across the water and a six-hour tramp through dense bush would have taken her to the Roaring Billy River crossing and the hut. The barbed silence moved through her, as if the blades of silver fern traced her skin, then she started up the engine and drove off.
Now Effie sat in her rental in the driveway, unsure if she could get out. Eventually, a figure appeared a few meters in front of the car, walking straight at her. Effie stared through the windscreen. Her hair was still long, the silver falling to her waist, but the once voluminous strands had thinned and dried out.
Effie stepped from the car and walked straight into the woman’s arms.
“I’ve missed you, baby girl.”
“I’ve missed you too, June.” Effie clung to her, just like she’d done as a child. “I’m sorry that I—”
“Hush, now.” June gave her a final squeeze, then pulled away. “We’ll have none of that. Grab your bags,” she said. “Kettle’s on, and I’ve made Afghan biscuits.”
“You baked?”
June smiled, her weathered skin crinkling around her eyes. “I’ve learned a few things in seventeen years.”
Seventeen years.
“Come on. There’s real food too.”
Effie grabbed her one rucksack from the car—just a quick visit—and followed June inside. The small house had barely changed; it was like stepping back in time. The same floral sofa, complete with arm protectors, and the same red countertops in the kitchen.
“So, is there any more news on the girl?” asked Effie as she took a seat at the cluttered kitchen bench.
“Let me see you eat something first,” said June, dishing up two plates. “Dinner and an Afghan. Then I’ll answer your questions.”
Effie couldn’t help but smile as she dug into her lamb and three veg. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. She lifted her head and glanced past June toward the back screen door. June must have replaced the mesh.Obviously. Effie had ripped it to shreds.
“So,” said June. “Ask away.”
“Where is she?” asked Effie. “The girl.”
“At the clinic. I’ll take you there tomorrow.”
“And Lewis?”
