‘I’ve found something. If you have ten minutes to spare, both of you, I’d like to share it.’
Hannah’s eyes slid to Josh. They were tight, these two, she thought, and there was another thing to add to the long, long list of what she didn’t know about relationships.
‘We’ve got ten minutes, haven’t we, Josh?’
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Here okay? The rest of the place is a construction zone.’
She took a sniff of the fresh paint. ‘Can we use the counter? I need to spread this stuff out.’
‘Go ahead.’
She rested the box on the counter and started hauling out the clipped bundles of paper, then paused. Turned. Faced them both.
‘I just want to get this out of the way first. I lied to you, Josh. Not outright, but by omission. And not just about the fact I was sleeping with my boss when he sacked me.’
Hannah let out a soft choking noise. The younger woman looked like a rock wallaby frozen by oncoming headlights.
‘Um,’ said Hannah. ‘You want me to step out back and change out the oil in my car or something? Powder my nose?’
‘Yeah, maybe Ha—’
‘No.’ She cut Josh off. She was doing this once and once only, and it had to be now before she lost her nerve.
‘First omission. Yes, I was in a relationship with Aaron, the guy you saw at Jill’s funeral. He was my boss, and he’s also the guy who blew the whistle on me to Acacia View. They then decided to prosecute me.’
‘Prosecute? What are you talking about?’
Oh boy, this was hard. Harder still, because Josh had apparently not shared the Vera’s-going-to-prison story with his sister, and she apparently didn’t read theSnowy River Star.
‘I installed a camera, secretly, in my aunt’s room at her old home. Because it recorded sound as well as vision, it’s a breach of the Surveillance Devices Act of New South Wales. Possible jail term is up to five years.’
‘Five years. Oh my god,’ whispered Hannah.
She wasn’t going to dwell on that for a second longer than was necessary. ‘The second omission, which is where this box comes in, is that I was just being bitchy when I said I couldn’t help out with the council by-laws. One of the things that struck me when I started as a journalist was learning how easy it is for any Tom, Dick or Vera to search through public records. And I’ve not forgotten those skills.’
‘Public records,’ Josh murmured.
‘Yes. You asked me, once, if I’d help you navigate the public records of local government and I refused. I’m sorry for that. I wasn’t thinking clearly then, but I’m thinking clearly now and I’ve done some digging.’
Hannah clapped her hands. ‘Oh, please tell me you’ve found something that will help us.’
She nodded. ‘I think so.’ Okay. The hard part was over. She wiped her clammy hands down her jeans. ‘First, I wondered: why would someone bust a gut—break the law—to buy your building? It’s beautiful, it’s got lake views, but it’s not the only building in town that can boast them, and some of the others have been on the market without being snapped up. So I looked up who owned property in the blocks surrounding yours, and when those properties had last changed hands. There were a few noteworthy ones.’
‘Such as?’
‘Krauss Holdings has been busy. Bought the old Hanrahan Pub some years ago even though it’s just about derelict, owns a stretch of foreshore, and most of the buildings on the eastern edge of the town square.’
‘The Krauss family have always been big landowners in town. If they wanted our place, they’d have come in person and asked for it. You agree, Hannah?’
Hannah was picking at a loose thread on her denim jacket and didn’t look like she had an opinion on the matter.
‘What else was noteworthy?’ Josh continued.
‘Transfer in title of this building from Preston Cody and Shirley Marlee Cody to Joshua and Hannah Cody three years ago.’
‘I’m pretty sure we know about that one.’
‘But did you know a corporation called Kestrel Holdings lodged a development application with council for this building six months prior to the title transferring to you? The application was to …’ Vera flipped a page so she could read the tiny print: ‘hereby seek permission to reconfigure existing commercial ground floor and upper residential two-flat layout to twelve studio apartments and small commercial space suited to tourism ticketing venture.’