‘Piss weak,’ O’Toole gloated. He looked around at the of the group of men. ‘You’se blokes don’t know for certain it wasn’t Eric. Don’t ya’s think it bloody convenient those friggin’ fires all happened while he was in court? For fucks sake, think about it – that Ted bloke wasn’t at the courthouse; he’s capable of gettin’ ‘round and lightin’ a few fires ta get the blame off of Mason.’
His words hung in the air as the rest of the men digested them, then a chorus of angry voices erupted as accusations were hurled left, right and centre.
‘You stinkin’ arsehole!’ Karl lunged at O’Toole. His fist connected with brute force and blood spurted instantly from O’Toole’s nose.
O’Toole staggered into the man behind him who steadied him, stopping him from falling to the floor. Two of O’Toole’s mates leapt to his defence. One of them grabbed Karl and the other raised his fist but it was blocked mid-air.
‘I wouldn’t, mate.’ Digger grabbed the ready fist and held it in a vice-like grip. He shoved him back and the bloke who had stopped O’Toole from falling rushed at Digger, who landed a rock solid punch in the bloke’s stomach, winding him.
Karl and O’Toole were at it hammer and tong. Digger shook his fist to get the blood circulating again. The bloke he’d knocked down staggered to his feet and came at Digger for another go.
Meanwhile, Sam was embroiled in a fight with a farmer who had agreed with O’Toole. ‘Ya fuckin’ bastard, blacken a fine young bloke’s name! Ya can only say it when he’s not around to defend himself! Well I’m here an’ I’m not takin’ ya bullshit!’
Sam had the man by his neck and he raised his fist to land another punch when he was grabbed the farmer’s mate.
‘Get ya hands off him, Mason!’
Sam felt a blow to his jaw and stumbled backwards.
Nat, Rex and Jeff leapt in to defend Sam and more mates of the farmers joined in the melee.
Tables were upended, chairs, glasses and beer jugs thrown and smashed.
The lounge at Sars had turned into a boxing ring of angry desperate men pushed beyond their limit, all because of the threat of more fires and unfounded accusations.
The barman had swiftly picked up the phone and called the police when he saw what was ahead. They arrived to a scene of total bedlam. It took some time to settle the angry group. They decided not to arrest anyone. Instead, they gave them a firm lecture. The police knew the strain these men were under; arresting them wasn’t the answer.
The meeting had got
completely
out of control. Ivy Gelding’s ranting had given O’Toole the opening he wanted to goad Karl, and O’Toole’s insinuations about Eric had certainly triggered the brawl. It was obvious that the perpetrator was someone close to them all, but Eric was innocent and for O’Toole to continue accusing him was like a red rag to a bull.
The police waited to make sure the men left in an orderly manner. Black eyes, bloodied noses, swollen lips and even missing teeth were the outcome of the riot.
Sam, Jeff, Karl and Digger stood out the front beside their cars. All of them sported bruised faces and Sam’s jaw was swollen to twice its size. Nat and Rex had ripped shirts and Rex had a split lip.
Karl had the beginning of a black eye and Digger’s nose was dripping blood.
Jeff had a split lip and a cut under his eye.
‘Shit, mate,’ Sam spoke carefully, holding his swollen jaw. ‘What a mess!’ He gestured toward the hotel.
‘Think there’ll be a sizeable bill in there! C’mon, we better get home. Reckon we have a bit of explainin’ to do. We’ll get together with you blokes and sort out a plan ourselves. Won’t bother with the rest of them bastards,’ Karl said to Nat and Rex.
There was no use trying to reason with the others. It would always end up in a brawl, that was obvious. But the damage was done; there was no hope of them being civil to each other now.
Sunday dawned a typical warm spring day. Emmie was sitting on the side veranda with Win and Ellie. The men had disappeared down to the orchards very early, still nursing their wounds.
‘Well they didn’t gain much from their meeting yesterday, did they!’ commented Ellie.
‘No, I’m very much afraid the men in this valley of ours are close to breaking point.’ Emmie’s old voice faltered as she spoke. ‘I was horrified when they came home in such a state last night.’
‘Yes, well Ivy Gelding didn’t help things, did she? That woman has completely taken leave of her senses.’
‘Yes, she’s a real worry. She’s always been neurotic but now that she’s got involved with this new religious nonsense she’s worse.’ Emmie tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair, a gesture she made when she was worried.
‘From what the men said, she had a really crazed look on her face. They said she took them all by surprise,’ Ellie said. ‘And that bloody Bill O’Toole took advantage of it and provoked Karl into a fight.’
‘Yes, Dig said Bill O’Toole started that brawl. He’s nothing but a troublemaker,’ Win said angrily.
‘Well the men will have to work out how they are going to deal with this firebug. They can’t allow it to drag on like last time,’ Emmie added. ‘Aah, here’s Hazel with our cuppa.’
Hazel bustled out with morning tea. Francis, Tammi and Kathy joined them.
They all discussed how lucky they were at the club Friday night and how terrified they had been. Francis commented how pleased he was that Emmie had invited Beth for Sunday lunch. She too was shaken up by the events of Friday night.
‘What time are you picking Beth up, dear?’
‘I’m leaving to get her as soon as I’ve had a cuppa, Mum,’ Francis answered cheerily.
‘She’s a very nice girl, Francis,’ Emmie said. ‘I did sense a kind of sadness about her though.’
‘Yes, I got the impression. There’s something bottled up,’ Win added.
‘Well, if she does have a problem, once she gets to know us better, she might confide in one of us. It must be hard being alone in a strange town.’ Ellie passed a coffee to Francis who drank it hastily before leaving.
‘What’re you girls planning today?’ Win asked her daughters.
‘Not a great deal, Mum,’ Tammi replied. ‘I might hang around home.’
‘What about you, Kath/ Not seeing Eddie?’ Win had noticed Kathy had been very quiet since Friday night and was concerned she may be more upset about the fire than she was letting on.
Kathy had been extremely upset when she learned about Tammi being trapped in the club. The realization of just how tragic the fire at the club could have been and how she could have lost her sister, other family members and friends had coming crashing down on Kathy in the following hours. She also felt upset about her feelings towards Eddie. He was becoming more demanding about the sex thing and Kathy knew she could not give him what he obviously wanted.
‘Not until tonight, Mum. He did want to go for a drive this afternoon, but I’d rather stay home with you guys today.’
Win assessed her daughter closely and noted the uncertainty in her voice. She had wondered just how far Kathy and Eddie’s relationship had developed. They had been together for quite a while and Win knew Eddie would be wanting an intimate relationship by now.
***
Mick was busy mucking out the stables. He whistled as he worked.
After this job was finished, he had the rest of the afternoon off.
‘
Mary really is a good lookin’ sheila,
’ he thought.
‘Yeah, she really can turn a head or
two with that sexy arse of hers. Karl Mason’s gettin’ a bit of it too, lucky bastard!’
He laughed.
His laughter was chilling as it echoed around the stable.
He quickly finished the job, put away the rake he’d been using and headed back to his bungalow where he washed and changed clothes. He grabbed his keys and went out to his beat up old car.
Spluttering and creaking, the old car shuddered as the engine turned over. Mick turned on to Urana Road and headed for Albury.
‘Everything’s going fine, just fine,’ he said in a sing-song voice.
***
Francis and Beth arrived back at Kia-Ora in plenty of time for lunch. They joined Ellie, Emmie and Win on the veranda. The spring sun filtered warmly through the creepers.
‘Ah, Beth dear, come and sit beside me.’ Emmie moved a cane chair closer to her. She had a soft spot for this young woman.
Beth greeted everyone as she sat down. Francis stood beside Ellie, his arm resting around her shoulders. He bent down and kissed his mother’s cheek.
She looked up at him, smiling. ‘Lunch won’t be long, love. Hope you and Beth are hungry. Hazel has cooked up a storm.’
‘You bet I’m starving! I’ll go down the orchard and give Karl and Dig the hurry up. Do you want to come with me, Beth? Or would you rather stay and chin wag with these old girls?’ he asked Beth, grinning around at the others.
Beth said she would stay and Ellie gave him a playful poke in his ribs as he brushed past her. ‘What’s with the
old girls,
son?’ she joked.
They could still hear him chuckling as he jogged down the path towards the orchard.
‘Well, Beth, how do you like working at Mates?’ Win asked.
‘I’m really enjoying it, the staff there are really friendly and I love working in the baby wear department.’
‘How’re you finding Hilary’s boarding house?’ Win continued. ‘I’ve heard she runs a nice place. Are you comfortable there, Beth?’
‘Oh yes, I have a nice clean room and she has a couple of bathrooms on my floor so I don’t have to wait to use the bathroom in the mornings, thank goodness! That would be a nuisance!’
Emmie sat observing Beth as she replied to the questions. ‘
There is definitely
something about her,
’ Emmie thought.
‘Those lovely eyes, they’re so blue, and her beautiful hair.’
‘Oh!’ Emmie’s hand went to her throat.
‘Mum… Mum, what is it?’ Win asked anxiously, leaping to her feet.
Ellie jumped up at the same time.
Emmie gasped and managed to take a breath. Her face white as a sheet.
‘Keep calm, Mum,’ Ellie soothed.
Win brought her a glass of water. ‘Sip this slowly.’
Emmie sipped the water and gradually her colour returned.
‘Now what brought that on Mum?’ Win asked, worry in her voice.
‘I’m not sure, love, I just seemed to lose my breath for a minute,’ Emmie replied unsteadily. ‘I’m alright now, don’t worry.’ She looked at Beth who stood watching. She had a worried look on her own face.
‘Come here, dear. I’m alright. I’d like to talk to you.’
Beth sat down in the chair beside her.
‘Tell me more about yourself and your life in Sydney,’ Emmie insisted gently, coaxing Beth to open up about herself. Beth told them that her mother was dead, as she had previously told them, but now she told them how she had died. Her father would arrive home drunk and beat her mother. Beth would hide and try to block out her mother’s screams. When her father finally staggered off to pass out on the bed, Beth would sneak out and try to comfort her beaten and terrified mother.
One night he beat her mother so badly, Beth had to call an ambulance. On the way, Beth’s mother had revealed a secret to her. She died before they reached the hospital. The police later arrested her father and he was gaoled for manslaughter.
‘That’s dreadful, you poor girl.’ Emmie had tears in her old eyes. She covered Beth’s trembling hands with her own. ‘So you decided to leave Sydney and come down here?’
‘Yes, I didn’t want to stay in Sydney after mum had gone, so I decided to come down here and see the place she had told me about so often.’
‘So, what she told you has something to do with Albury?’ Win asked.
‘Yes, it does, but I’d rather not talk about it just now.’ Beth got up and walked to the edge of the veranda. ‘I think I can see Francis coming back from the orchard. I’ll go and meet him.’ She ran down the steps in the direction of the orchard.
Three pairs of blue eyes looked at each other, wondering about the mystery surrounding Beth.
***
‘You don’t seem to be in a very good mood tonight, Eddie,’ Kathy whispered against his ear.
They were at the Wodonga Drive-In. Kathy had enjoyed her lunch with the family and got to know Beth a bit more which was nice. Eddie had called and suggested the drive in, but he had been unusually quiet since he picked her up.
‘I’ve got a bit on my mind tonight. You won’t believe what bloody happened. The friggin’ cops hauled me in and they questioned the shit outta me. I told ‘em over and over that I know nothin’ about the club fire or any fuckin’ fire, but they just kept at me.’
‘Did they? Well don’t let it upset you like this, Eddie. They questioned everyone who was in the visitors’ book at the club.’
‘Huh, maybe, but they really let me have it. They’ve got it in for me!’ Eddie slammed his hands on the steering wheel, his eyebrows knitted in a frown. ‘Typical though… I’m Eddie Chancellor, bad boy of Hamilton Valley. Fuck em!’
Kathy wasn’t sure how to pacify him.
‘Well, they can’t do anything to you if you haven’t got anything to do with the damn fires, can they? Everyone’s shocked about that last fire. Hell, people could have died. My sister could have died.’ Her voice rose.
‘For fucks sake, if they want to, they’ll find somethin’ to pin on me. They’ll just wait and then pounce. Look what they did to Eric! How can you be so friggin’ naive?’
Tears sprang to Kathy’s eyes. He had never shouted at her before.
‘Um… I think it’d be better if you took me home, Eddie. You’re obviously not in the mood for my company tonight.’
‘Fine, let’s go,’ he snapped.
Kathy moved across the seat to the passenger side. Eddie gunned the engine, spraying gravel as he accelerated out the gates.
Tears stung Kathy’s eyes and she rapidly blinked them away.
***
Ellie was playing the piano as the rest of the family chatted quietly. Win watched Emmie who was deep in thought.
‘Mum, what’s on your mind?’
Emmie sighed before answering. ‘I was thinking about Beth, love. You know that poor girl has had a
shocking
life. I just feel terribly sorry for her. I don’t know what it is, but she reminds me of someone.’
‘Yes, she has had a sad life, Mum, and there is something about her. I can’t put my finger on it either.’
‘Yeah, I got the same feelin. I feel like I’ve met her before, though I know I haven’t’,’ Karl butted in.
‘Yeah, there’s somethin’,’ Digger agreed with them.
Ellie stopped playing the piano. ‘What’s going on?’
‘We all think Beth reminds us of someone. What do you think?’ Win asked Ellie
Ellie was thoughtful for a minute. ‘Well… maybe, now you mention it, there is something going on with her. She’s quite mysterious!’
‘Well, it’ll come to us. Would you play
Home on the Range
for us, Ellie?’ Win changed the subject.
Ellie turned back to the piano.
Win softly sang along as she stood by the window looking out at the starry night. A short time later, Emmie announced she was going to bed. Karl and Dig also said goodnight. Win said she would like to sit up a little longer. Ellie closed the piano and joined her.
‘What’s up, love?’ she asked Win gently.
‘It’s nothing, really, just the way everyone was going on before about Beth. Your right Ellie, she
is
a bit of a mystery. Kind of just popped up didn’t she?’
‘Yeah, she did. Francis is keen on her by the looks of it. She is familiar in a way, not sure what it is though. Anyway, come on, let’s get to bed. I feel a bit tired now.’
Win sighed and turned away from the window, following Ellie upstairs.
***
Eddie parked the car in the bottom driveway at Kia-Ora after driving home in silence. Kathy went to open the door.
‘Hang on, babe.’ Eddie reached over and grabbed her arm. ‘C’mere.’ He slid across the seat to her. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ve spoilt the night for you. I’ll make it up to you, okay?’
He turned her to face him and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her hard, forcing her mouth open thrusting his tongue in.
Kathy was definitely not in the mood for this, but allowed Eddie to fondle her breasts.
‘Bugger it!’
she thought angrily, sitting back and looking him in the face.
‘I can’t believe you flew off like that, Eddie! I didn’t deserve that at all,’ she said heatedly.
He looked surprised at her outburst.
‘I know Kath, I know. I just feel like everyone thinks the worst of me and they aren’t gonna ever give me a chance. I’ve had this shit all me bloody life, just because I wasn’t born with a silver bloody spoon in me mouth!’
Kathy calmed herself. She knew he felt everyone pointed the finger at him. She had hoped by
now
he was over all that.
‘Well, you have to believe in yourself and show everyone the Eddie I know.’ She stroked his face, looking into his eyes. He kissed her again and she responded, feeling sorry for him but still prickled by his attitude at the drive in.
Eddie’s hand travelled to her breast again as his other hand worked to unclip her bra.
‘Uh, Eddie, no… Stop …’
‘Kath, I want ya babe.’
‘Eddie, no, we are in my parents’ driveway for heaven’s sake!’ she insisted.
Eddie’s face took on a sulky expression and he drew away from her. ‘Kath, I said I’m sorry for before. Can’t ya let it go?
‘Forget it, Eddie. You just don’t get it, do you? We shouldn’t have gone out tonight.’
Eddie stared thoughtfully at her, deciding it was no use persisting. ‘Kath, I’m so sorry for being such an arsehole before. I really am.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she answered softly. ‘I’d better go inside though.’ She was really beginning to be confused by her feelings. She felt annoyed at Eddie. He hadn’t put the pressure on her about sex so much in the past and now he was. It was clear he wanted sex and soon. She understood that. He had been very patient… until now. There was also another feeling beginning to fester in her mind and she needed time to think.