Page 9 of Bay of Plenty

“Yes, we’ve done it before, and it works well.”

It was going to be hard enough doing the investigation with him because I always worked alone. Now we had to pretend to be a couple in love. My pulse spiked and my breathingwent shallow. He would be at my side every second. Did I have any choice?

I voiced my first concern. “Are you single?” I asked. “Otherwise, it’s too uncomfortable.”

“Yes, extremely single, as my mother will tell you within a second of meeting you.”

“Ha,” I puffed out, my throat dry from the stress and tension.

Snow leaned out of Dad’s room, made a face, and called back to Mum and Dad, “She’s still on the phone.”

That’s it.“I’ll do it,” I said.

“Good. I know fake dating sounds awkward, but I’ll work hard to make you feel as comfortable as possible. I’m sending you the NDA and contract electronically now, if you can sign them.”

I slid down the wall, squatting, dropping my handbag to free my hands for the signing. My bag fell open, showing my constant—a reporter’s notebook. My mind had been consumed with Mum and Dad. But now I realized I could get a story from this. “Wait. I need a clause in the contract that allows me to write a story and get it published before anyone else, an exclusive. And I need you to call the editor before I pitch her, to confirm we’re working together.”

“Mmm. That second part worries me. We don’t ever do that, but… okay. Send me the editor’s details. I’ll make the amendments.”

I did. His rapid-fire typing filled the air.

Snow poked his head out again, curled his lip, and ducked back inside.

I scanned the documents quickly and signed them online. I was worried about Snow hearing me, since he was nearby and kept looking out the door. I grabbed my stuff and hurriedfarther down the hallway before I spoke again. “My parents told me they’d loaned money to this surfer called Snow to buy a winery. Is this part of it?”

“I’ll give you the details that I can when I arrive,” he said firmly.

What? I want to start building evidence now.

“We’ll have time then to discuss the whole fake-dating setup too.”

I returned to Dad’s hospital room and apologized for being called away. Snow glanced at the clock on the wall and bolted upright. “Sorry, got to leave early. Helicopter tour up the bush.”

If he owns a winery, how does he have time to fly helicopter tours?

With Snow gone, I talked to the staff about Dad’s care, taking copious notes, making certain they saw me as the new point person, and entering my name above Snow’s on the emergency call list. How was he even on this list?

After another hour, the head nurse called time. My heart twisted at the thought of leaving Dad. He had almost left us. “Please, could we stay longer?”

“I know this is hard, but rules are rules. You can phone in before lights-out. Ten o’clock?”

There was one practical thing I could do for Dad. Clear their names so they had a future.

Walking Mum to her car, I stopped her with a hand on her arm. Now that I knew Declan was on his way, I wanted to start thinking about a plan, find out who might be useful, be able to say to him,Here’s the story. “Could you invite Kui and Bevan to dinner?” Old friends. Bevan was editor of the local newspaper, and her parents had apparently sold the winery to Snow. Kui was the town librarian.

“Yes, of course. Text them.” Shame slunk through methat I didn’t have phone numbers for my closest friends in this town. She took in my flushed face. “Ah, I see. Sure,I’llcontact them.” She tapped on her phone. The sound of two pings. “Yep, they’d love to see you.” A good start. So why was I nervous?

*

Back in my parked rental car, I frantically searched Snow’s winery on my phone. A real estate website listed the winery’s sale over a year ago. Bevan’s parents had sold to a company called Big Wave Holdings—$2 million for thirty acres of land, half-planted in grapes. I searched Companies House. Big Wave was incorporated in the Cayman Islands.Ha.Not quite a gotcha, but often a red flag.It meant the company couldn’t be searched for directors or any of its dealings. I took satisfaction in that, quickly replaced by frustration that I was blocked from getting more information.

Even if I could show Mum and Dad were innocent, they’d still given Snow the deposit, which was likely twenty percent of the purchase price: $400,000.Argh.The weight of that number drove into my head like a drill. They didn’t have that sort of money. Dad had worked shifts as a fitter and turner at the paper mill. Mum had been the receptionist at the town council chambers.

The biggest threat was them going to prison. I pressed the heel of my hand to my breastbone. But if Snow defaulted on this loan, Mum and Dad would be penniless in their old age.

Chapter Five

As I drovehome, my mind churned with worry over Dad and questions about Snow. Another thought ripped open an old wound and broke my heart all over again—I had to face the cliff where Janey died. Filled with dread, I weaved down the green valley, past the Art Deco police station and a shiny new grocery store.

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