Shallow Breath

24

Pete




‘I can’t believe you knew all this time,’ Pete says, as they drive to the shack. There had been no point in hanging around waiting in the dark, and Jackson is watching out for Maya. As they left, Pete had listened in astonishment as Desi invited Kate for brunch the next morning. The time has arrived. If he wants to get in first, he’ll have to spill everything he knows tonight.

Desi is distracted, still trying to reach Maya on the phone. ‘We were in love, Pete. You didn’t think Connor would tell me he had a daughter?’ she snaps.

Her words are like a slap in the face. He tries to ignore it.

‘Well, why did you never mention it?’

‘What was the point? We didn’t have any connection. I just knew of her.’

‘But she’s Maya’s sister.’

‘Look, if his parents had kept in contact it would have been easier. They were generous in the beginning, but they cut me off after that, Pete. And to be honest it was easier all round that way.’



Pete is silent for a while, thinking. ‘I have to tell you a few things,’ he says softly. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Desi turn to stare at him. Then his phone rings. ‘Damn.’ He glances quickly at the screen and presses speaker. ‘Hi, Dec.’

‘Hey, Pete. Listen, I did some checking for you on Berani. Apparently he’s not been sighted for a few weeks. They’re not too concerned yet, but since he struggled to get settled they’re keeping fingers crossed that he’s seen again soon. Just thought you’d want to know.’

Pete’s heart sinks. He thinks of Berani on the first days of his release, when he had edged cautiously around the outside of his cage, studying the perimeter of the forest, as though unable to believe he was really allowed up there in those tall, endless trees. Nowadays they inserted electronic tracking chips inside an orang-utan’s skin before release, but Berani had left before it became standard procedure. ‘Okay, thanks, mate. If you hear anything else, let me know, will you?’

‘Of course. And listen, call me when you’re around. We’re well past due a beer, okay?’

‘Thanks, Dec, I will.’

‘How much of a worry is that?’ Desi asks after he has ended the call.

Pete shrugs. ‘Hard to tell.’

But the guilt reappears. If he’d been there, over the critical readjustment period, Berani would have had proper continuity of care. If he hadn’t had to leave …

They reach the end of the corrugated road out of Lovelock Bay, and Pete turns onto the tarmac and speeds up.

‘So, what were you saying earlier?’ Desi asks.

Pete takes a deep breath. ‘I need to tell you something, before Kate comes to see you tomorrow.’

‘O-kay,’ Desi says. ‘Go on.’



‘Why don’t we wait until we’re at the shack?’

‘God, if you need to see my face or hold my hand or something, stop the car. Tell me now, Pete. Quit freaking me out.’

He knows she’s only snappy because of her worry about Maya, but he’s fed up with it nonetheless. He sees her surprise as he pulls over, brings the car to a halt and turns in his seat to face her. ‘Okay, then. Kate’s mother Elizabeth – she’s dead too. I don’t know all the details, but I know she passed away at the same time as Connor. From what I gather, they died together.’

He’s aware of her confusion as she tries to process this. ‘They were together when they were mugged?’

‘Yes – well, I think so. I got the strong impression there was something more to the story. I’ve been hunting for the letter Connor’s parents sent me. I know I kept it, but I haven’t found it yet. Look, Kate will probably tell you more. I don’t know exactly what she wants to say to you tomorrow, but just be prepared.’

He pulls out onto the road again. The silence in the car expands, the air becoming dense with unspoken questions.

‘You mean, you think they were still a couple?’ Desi asks in a small voice.

Pete grimaces. ‘I honestly have no idea about that. They shared a daughter, so they’ve got reason enough to meet up. Did Connor tell you about Elizabeth?’

‘Yes, although it was towards the end of our time together. He said they were very young when Elizabeth fell pregnant, and when they broke up they remained good friends. He said that Katherine – Kate – lived with Elizabeth’s family, but Connor’s family regularly had her to stay too. He made it sound like it had all worked out for the best. And I never got the impression he was hiding anything … He missed his daughter. He was looking forward to seeing her. If he and Elizabeth were still a couple, why would he come all the way over here without his family?’

‘You’re right – it doesn’t make sense.’

‘No, it doesn’t. Not after the way he was with me.’ She pauses. ‘I’d just presumed Kate was curious about us. What more could there be to it?’

Pete hesitates. ‘I’m sure you’re right. She probably wants to meet you – and Maya. Who knows when she found out about you, and what she’s been told?’

They are silent for a little while longer. ‘So, is there anything else?’ Desi asks, as they approach the shack.

Pete tenses. ‘There is something … Please don’t be mad, okay? It’s about the shack.’ He stops the car, switches off the ignition and turns to her.

‘When Connor died, you were left in the lurch, Des. And I wanted to help …’

As he watches her, he is frustrated to see she isn’t listening. Then he realises that something has caught her eye, and follows her gaze towards the verandah. ‘Who’s that?’ she asks. But she doesn’t wait for an answer, just flings open the car door and begins to run.

Pete is right behind her as they race up the steps.

‘Maya?’ Desi says, her voice a mixture of tenderness and horror as she kneels down.

Maya looks up from where she sits on the front mat, her face frightened and tear-stained. ‘Please help us,’ she says. ‘I promised I wouldn’t take him to hospital.’

And Pete stares down past her stricken expression to the young Aboriginal man, unconscious and bleeding in her arms.