Glancing at her picture on the front of the CD cover, I couldn’t imagine I was related to her, even though the solicitor had indicated my legacy had come from her originally. It was much more likely that I was related to the maid, Camira. Especially as her daughter, Alkina, apparently had the eyes of her father, who was Japanese. They sounded similar to mine.
Camira and her daughter had come from here – their footsteps had once passed along the streets I’d been walking. Tomorrow I’d try to find out more. As I lay down, I thought how this quiet little town on the edge of the earth had been brought to life for me by listening to Kitty’s story. Once upon a time, when she’d been here, it had teemed with people. I wanted to see the things she’d seen, though how much was actually left of them, I didn’t know.
*
I was woken by the phone ringing early the next morning. It was the hotel receptionist.
‘Miss D’Aplièse? There’s a man waiting for you in the residents’ lounge. He says he’s from The Australian.’
‘Right, er . . . thanks. Tell him I’ll be down in five.’
My hand trembled as I replaced the receiver. So the press had tracked me down. Knowing there wasn’t a moment to lose, I scrambled out of bed, dressed hastily, then bunged the rest of my stuff into my rucksack and hoisted it onto my back. Counting out the dollars I owed for my stay, I left them with the key on the nightstand by the bed so I wouldn’t be arrested for not paying my bill. Then I ran along the corridor to the emergency exit I had noticed last night when I’d seen someone having a cigarette beyond it. I gave the door bar a push and, to my relief, it opened without an alarm going off. I saw a set of basic iron steps leading down into a yard at the back of the hotel. I ran down them as quietly as I could in my heavy boots. The yard wall was low, so I threw my rucksack over it and followed suit. A few backyards later, I found myself out on the street at the other end.
Okay, what do I do now?
I called Chrissie, who answered after the first ring.
‘Where are you?’ I asked her, still panting hard.
‘At my desk in the airport. What’s up?’
‘Is it easy to book a flight out of here?’
‘It is if you work on the tourist info desk opposite the airline sales counter, yes. Where d’ya need to go?’
‘Alice Springs. What’s the best way of getting there?’
‘You’ll have to catch a flight up to Darwin, and connect from there to the Alice.’
‘Can you get me on those flights today?’
‘I know there’s a flight from here to Darwin in a couple of hours or so. I’ll go and ask the guys if there are any seats left.’
‘If there are, book me on it. I’ll be there as soon as I can find a taxi.’
‘I’ll send one for you now. Walk to the bronze statues at the end of the road and he’ll be there in ten.’
‘Thanks, Chrissie.’
‘No worries.’
At the airport, Chrissie was hovering by the entrance doors waiting for me.
‘You can tell me what’s up after we’ve confirmed your bookings,’ she said as she put her arm through mine and marched me over to the Qantas check-in desk. ‘This is my mate, Zab.’ Chrissie indicated the guy standing behind it. ‘The bookings are all ready to go. You just need to pay.’
I pulled out my credit card and slapped it on the counter. Zab took the payment, then handed me my boarding passes and a receipt.
‘Thanks a mill, Chrissie.’
‘I’ll come through security with ya,’ she said. ‘We can hang out at the café and you can tell me all about Thailand.’
Shit! So Chrissie knew too, which was hardly a surprise as her desk faced a kiosk. She’d probably sat there for days staring at my face on the front of all the newspapers. Yet she’d never said a word.
We went through security together to a tiny café and Chrissie came back with two bottles of water and a sandwich each. I’d chosen to sit facing a wall in the corner, just in case.
‘So, why d’ya need to leave so fast?’
‘A reporter from The Australian turned up at my hotel this morning. You probably know why he wanted to interview me.’ I eyed her.
‘Yeah, I do. I recognised you the first moment you swung by my desk. And . . . ?’
‘I met this guy on a beach in Thailand and hung out with him for a bit. Turns out he’s wanted for some kind of bank fraud.’
‘Anand Changrok?’
‘Or “Ace” as I knew him.’ I then told Chrissie the story of how I’d met him.
‘What was he like?’ she asked when I’d finished.
‘Great. He helped me when I needed it.’
‘Were the two of you together?’
‘Yeah. I really liked him, and even if I hadn’t, I’d never have done something as low as that. Even if I had known who he was.’
‘I know you wouldn’t, Cee.’ Chrissie’s eyes were full of sympathy rather than suspicion. ‘So he thinks it was you who told the newspapers.’
‘He sent me a text saying he’d thought he could trust me. I felt like a complete lowlife, still do, but there’s no way he’d ever believe me, even if I could explain. I think that this guy, Jay, bribed our security guard to get a photograph, and I gave him the perfect opportunity.’
‘You could always write to him in jail.’
‘Not well enough for what I’d need to say.’ I gave her a weak grin. ‘I’m dyslexic, remember?’
‘I could write it for you?’
‘Maybe. Thanks.’
‘Do you think he did it?’
‘How should I know? The rest of the world seems to think so. I don’t know, Chrissie, there’s just something that doesn’t fit. Little things he said to me . . . It’s only an instinct, but I think there’s more to his story than he’s telling.’
‘Maybe you should try to find out what it is.’
‘How would I do that? I’m not a detective and I know nothing about banks.’
‘You’re smart, you’ll find a way,’ she said with a smile.
I blushed, as no one had ever called me ‘smart’. ‘Anyway, I’m going to concentrate on finding out more about my family.’
‘Hey, if you need a fellow detective to help you out in the Alice, I’m your gal,’ Chrissie said suddenly. ‘I’m due some hols anyway, and it’s a quiet time of year here, so how about I meet up with ya there?’
‘Really? I mean, I don’t want to take up your time, but if you can manage it, it would be amazing to have your help,’ I said, genuinely excited at the thought. ‘You’ve seen how clueless I am about all things Australia.’
‘Nah, mate, you just need someone to show you the ropes. It’ll be bonza and I’ve always wanted to go to the Alice.’ Chrissie glanced up at the board. ‘Time ta go.’
‘I hate planes,’ I said as she walked with me over to the departure gate.
‘Do ya? I’ve always wanted to go and see the rest of the world. I’ll text you once I know for sure I can come and meet you.’ She put her arms around me. ‘Safe journey.’
‘Thanks for everything.’
Boarding the plane, I felt suddenly lost, because I had made a friend in Chrissie. I just had to make sure I didn’t muck it up like I had with Ace.