Page 56 of Beautiful Ruins
She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, don’t be silly.” Her cheeks flushed as she tucked a loose strand of grey hair behind her ear, completely ignoring the fact she knew I had no idea who she was. “You have your mother’s eyes.”
My chest tightened. “Thanks,” I mumbled. I’d had enough of this fake chit chat Nora was so eager to prolong. “Listen, Nora, I came here for a reason. I’m hoping you can help me.”
Her bushy eyebrows shot up, and she leaned forward, her curiosity unyielding. “Of course. What can I do for you, sweetheart?” There was something too eager in her eyes, like she needed me to remember her for reasons that had nothing to do with nostalgia.
The question hung in the air, but I had to get right to it.
I swallowed hard. My throat was dry, and I rubbed my palms on my jeans under the counter, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for. All I know is there was a large plot of vacant land about six years ago.” I threw the sentence out there like baiting a shark.
I didn’t quite trust myself not to ramble on. She didn’t need to know that I was digging myself into an early grave.
Nora nodded a little too fast, quick to please me. Was she married? Did she enjoy her job? Or was it as lonely as it seemed on the outside?
“Do you know which area?” She slid into her seat behind her desk and tapped away at her keyboard, then looked up at me expectantly.
“I’m not sure exactly. The mayor was planning something for those properties off Creek Street.” The words caught in my throat, so I cleared it and forced another casual smile. But it felt more like a confession.
What business did I have with the town’s past when I’d tried so hard to escape it?
She didn’t even blink at my request, just typed withoutmissing a beat. “Ah, yes. You’re probably looking for the proposed shopping precinct. Such a shame that never went through. Would have been nice not to have to travel an hour away just for a decent pair of shoes.” With the click of her tongue, she shook her head. “Just a moment.”
The clack of her typing filled the room as I hovered there, out of place and impatient. She hit the Enter key, and the printer kicked into gear, the mechanical sound whirring around the small room like another uninvited interruption.
Each tick of the wall clock was slower than the last. The keyboard tapping had stopped, but I was still trapped, waiting for her to free me from this tiny room, and from the small-town past I’d tried to outrun.
The printer spat the last page out with one final jolt. Nora stood and dawdled over to the ancient machine, snatching up the numerous pieces of paper from the tray. Her pace continued to slow, every step stretching the seconds until I thought they’d never end. I would have said it was purposeful, a deliberate attempt to piss me off. But honestly, I figured she was just lonely and wanted to keep me there a little longer. Sad really.
But I had no time for pandering to this woman, not when I was on the verge of discovery.
I shifted from foot to foot, my impatience warring with the manners I still held onto. Nora failed to notice—or maybe she didn’t care—how desperate I was to escape the suffocating stench of her cheap perfume.
She stapled the papers together and held the small stack out to me with the kind of gentle smile that only made me feel more awkward. And maybe a little guilty.
“Here you go sweetheart. It’s nice to see you following in your mother’s footsteps.” She tapped the front page. “Youmust be looking into those deaths, too. Such a shame, what happened to the Wilsons. Must be why the building works never got approved. Might have felt wrong knocking down a house where people died.”
I frowned. “People died?”
“Oh, yes,” Nora said, leaning in closer. “Wasn’t much said about it. The Wilsons kept to themselves, mostly. Some say their deaths were all a big cover up. But I don’t much listen to town gossip. After your mother . . .” She gave me a sad smile. “Well . . . whatever she was looking into, must have put a spanner in the works. The mayor stepped down about four months later. Something about some missing money.” She let out a soft sigh, waving a hand. “Anyway, I best let you get going. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I blinked, my mouth hanging open. And she didn’t listen to town gossip? If I had known better, I’d have said shewasthe town gossip. But people died? Had that been what my mother was looking into all those years ago?
I didn’t know what else to say, so I just snatched the bundle from her too quickly, my fingers grazing hers. She just smiled again, a pretence to not noticing I was a total head case. Maybe she understood my discomfort more than I’d realised.
“No. Thanks Nora,” I mumbled, clutching the papers to my chest to shield myself from further enquiry.
I forced myself to hold her gaze for a second longer before I turned and bolted out the door, darting away from the stifling office with the intensity of someone being chased.
The clang of the screen door snapping behind me was a relief. Its echo sounded in the air as I hurried down the cracked cement steps, trying to put as much distance between myself and the council building as I could.
Nora’s words replayed in my head. People had died in thatfire, and I could guarantee my father had somehow swept it under the giant proverbial rug with every other Ridge Riders’ whoopsie he’d covered up over the years.
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the warm, dry air of Barrenridge, the familiar scent of dust and eucalyptus twisting with memories of a life I’d left behind.
I’d let Nora get to me, and I hated how easily she knocked me off balance. She’d reminded me of my mother and why I was standing in front of her small desk in the first place. The papers were heavier than they should’ve been. But not half as heavy as the weight on my chest.
My mother had stumbled onto something that could have brought the entire MC empire crumbling down around our feet. Yet, I couldn’t see past my grief to truly understand the gravity of what she’d been uncovering. And I didn’t want to admit that it was possible the person I loved the most in the world might have been working against her. But it was the only logical explanation.
As I darted across the road, a flash of chrome caught my eye. I squinted, just enough to make out the shape of a motorcycle. A mop of blond hair ducked in behind a building. I didn’t need to guess who it might be.
