On the Edge

By Pat Noad

Ruth Jordan has been a battler all her life - until a surprise inheritance catapults her into a strange new world of affluence. Clinging to her roots, she cautiously uses her unaccustomed wealth and time to support other women doing it tough. And that's how Rachael Anders explodes into her life.

Desperate to protect Rachael's three young boys from the destruction swirling around them, Ruth is sucked further and further into their troubled lives. At the same time she's forced to confront the heart-stopping ghosts of her own failed family ... and all the while she's tentatively edging towards a new relationship.

With help from her friend Annie Bryce, Ruth gradually gains confidence to deal with the challenges se faces. Annie is a minor but pivotal character in this multi-layered novel, a sounding board for the many characters each in pursuit of the same elusive goal: their happiness.

Set on the edge of the Australian tropics, on the cusp between a dry brown land and the tempestuous sea, between stormy skies and stormier relationships, 'On the Edge' explores family bonds and fractures - and how far desperation can drive us all.

This is a complex, moving and intriguing novel from the author of the popular 'Annie Bryce' mystery series.

Some responses to the 'Annie Bryce' mystery series:

'Noad skilfully builds the tension and revels in her characters and locations ... in a word - compelling (The Gold Coast Bulletin:
'Highly intelligent - a gripping read' (Ian Callinan, novelist and former High Court Justice)

'Engrossing ... not just hard to put down - it's impossible. (Scope Magazine)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pat Noad
• Release date: Oct 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9780995370111

Pat Noad

Pat Noad is an Australian author who divides her time between big city life in Brisbane and getting sand between her toes on the nearby Sunshine Coast, where a lot of her writing happens.Pat’s work as a consultant has taken her to all sorts of nooks and crannies of her vast and varied home state of Queensland. She finds herself intrigued by the old stories passing down the generations in this young country, a country which has matured into a sophisticated society so quickly since the First Fleet unloaded its convict passengers just over two hundred years ago – a country which generally looks to the future rather than back over its shoulder.Her stories often find the blazing Australian sun casting dark shadows from the past across the present, and long-dead skeletons rattling in family cupboards.Pat’s mystery writing sits at the lighter end of the crime fiction spectrum. She also enjoys writing about the ever-changing Australian society in which she lives, and reflecting on the changing nature of our world. She's written a series of five Annie Bryce mysteries along with two anthologies of short stories and essays. Her latest novel 'On the Edge' is her first venture away from crime fiction in novel form.

Book preview

Chapter One

It was the crack of thunder that brought her out on to the deck. She loved watching the tropical storms sweep in from the ocean. Lightning split the sky and thunder rumbled and crashed around the heavens before the rain sheeted across, turning Magnetic Island into a fuzzy grey blob in the distance. At moments like this she knew that she was living right on the edge, with the vast continent of Australia sprawling endlessly to her north, west and south, but only the limitless Pacific Ocean lapping the shores to her east.

Ruth Jordan liked that idea. Over the years she’d come to think of herself as a fringe-dweller, someone who had never really been at the beating heart of anything – not a marriage, not a proper family, not a community, not even a workplace. Maybe, she reflected, that was why she felt at home here.

Suddenly she remembered with a jolt that she would soon lose this place and this view. The 'For Sale' sign would go up any day now. She'd been trying not to think about that.

The storm was gradually abating. All those fireworks hadn't produced much in the way of rain. The sound of her mobile phone roused her from her reverie.

'It's Julia, Ruth. How are you?'

'Oh. I'm good, thanks - more or less.'

'Why's that?'

Ruth hesitated. 'I shouldn't bother you, Julia. You’re a financial advisor, not a real estate agent.'

'Most things come down to money in the end.’ Ruth heard the amusement in her voice. ‘Go on.'

'You know I'm renting a little flat here in Townsville - see I've just found out they're going to sell the building. It's an old Queenslander and I think it's going to be knocked down for another big block of units to go up. It's a crying shame. I just hate the thought of moving from here. I find I'm real upset about it.'

'Right.' Julia paused for a moment. 'Tell me about the house.'

'Oh, it's old and a bit shabby, but it’s on a hill and you can see the bay and Magnetic Island from the deck. That's where I'm sitting right now. There's lots of fancy apartments popping up round here for the view and I bet this block will be next. The house is divided up into three flats, see, and they're all rented out. The other tenants come and go with their jobs, but they’re all good neighbours when they’re around.’

'How much do they want for the property?'

Ruth’s mind went blank. 'I haven't got a clue. Why?'

'Perhaps you should think about buying it.'

'What?'

Julia laughed at her tone of disbelief. 'Ruth, you’re a wealthy woman now. If you like living there so much you can easily afford to buy the house. It’s high time you bought a home of your own.’

'Me? Buy this place?'

'Why not? Apart from anything else, it sounds like an excellent investment in that position. Do you know who the agent is?'

Ruth tried to collect herself. 'Um, some bloke came around the other day and left a card. Wait on.' She went inside and rummaged on the kitchen bench. 'Here it is.' She read out the details.

'Got that. Now are you happy for me to give him a ring?'

'I suppose,' she said slowly. 'It never crossed my mind for a second I could actually own something like this ...'

'Of course you can.' Julia was sounding brisk. 'Now the reason I rang - remember you asked me to keep an eye out for women who could use some help? There’s a new domestic violence refuge starting up on the Tablelands. They’ve managed to get hold of an old building, but they’re trying to raise money for renovations and furnishings. I’ve checked out the agencies involved, and they’re reputable.’

‘How much do they need?’ asked Ruth.

‘The figure of thirty thousand dollars was mentioned,’ Julia replied.

‘It sounds worthwhile.’ Ruth considered. ‘That’s a big ask, though. Why don’t we give them fifteen thousand now, and see what they do with it? Then if it’s spent well and the refuge goes well we could give them some more later.’

Julia laughed. ‘Good idea. For someone who’s never had any money, you’re very canny.’

‘I’m a cautious woman, Julia. Believe me, I’ve had to be all my life until now. Oh, I don’t want my name mentioned, of course.’

‘I know that. And I’ll get back to you about the house. You think it over, Ruth. It wouldn't tie you down. I know a good property manager in Townsville who could look after it if you wanted to go away, and he could deal with the other tenants too - unless you decided to renovate and use the whole house for yourself. That's something else to consider. Talk soon.'

They disconnected. Ruth’s head was spinning. She'd never had to make choices before. Now life had turned into one decision after another. The other thing about this moneyed world she’d been catapulted into was that everybody seemed to know useful people they could trust, people who could get things done. You paid for it of course, but everybody had to make a living. She knew that only too well. The people she'd always known were just like her, struggling from day to day, just swirling around the edge, and the only help they ever got was from welfare; not that she was bagging welfare, she would have struggled a whole lot harder without it.

Suddenly she heard Annie’s voice ringing in her ears. 'Just take one step at a time, Ruth. Don't worry about the future. You'll create that for yourself as you move along, just one step at a time.' It had been good, comforting advice. And like she'd said, the future had started to take care of itself.

Annie Bryce had become an important person in Ruth’s life, helping her walk that bridge across the gulf between her past and her present. The slight, fair-haired young journalist with those unforgettable green eyes had lived in Townsville for a few months with her boyfriend Steve, a photographer working on a tourism contract. Annie was breezy, confident and resourceful. Ruth had trusted her immediately. For the first time she’d poured out her story, and their chance meeting had turned into a friendship that had lasted after Annie went back to Brisbane. She couldn't still believe her luck, that someone like Annie would bother with a scrawny, shabby middle-aged woman with a broken nose and a lifetime of hard work written all over her.

It was Annie who’d rescued her from the confusion and terror that had come with all that money. First she set up a mobile phone for her, then found Julia to take care of her fortune, then helped her find this flat. They’d even gone shopping together for some decent clothes and now she had a whole new look.

Angular and bony had magically translated into tall and slim, letting Ruth wear the simple tailored styles she liked with ease. Someone pointed out that her unremarkable grey eyes gained depth when she wore strong colours, particularly blues and greens. She’d had her greying hair cut short and streaked, and for the first time ever she bought some make-up: there was nothing anyone could do with her broken nose but cover up the worst of the scars. Her new look bolstered her confidence to face this new life she had to deal with, and - best of all - people finally began to take her seriously after a lifetime of invisibility.

She'd learned to drive and Annie’s big, bearded boyfriend Steve had helped her buy a car, a little silver Hyundai i30. Every day she got a thrill out of the freedom of zooming anywhere and everywhere as her confidence behind the wheel grew. She remembered fondly how Steve had popped a bottle of champagne after they’d helped her move here from that crappy boarding house; she'd never tasted champagne before.

Maybe she should give Annie a call and ask her what she thought about her buying the house. Then it occurred to her that she ought to check it out properly first. She knew lots of things needed fixing; there was that crack in her bathroom wall for a start, not that it had ever bothered her, not like that ear-splitting air-conditioner the landlord didn’t want to know about. First thing in the morning she'd prowl around the whole house and try to look at it as if she didn't love it already, as if she'd never seen it before. She'd make a list.

Then she'd talk to Annie.

Chapter Two

On the other side of Townsville Rachael Anders buried her head in her hands.

'You mean it, don't you? You're really going to leave us.' She lifted her head and wiped some tears away from her blistered cheek. One side of her once-pretty face and neck had been grossly disfigured by scalding, distorting her every expression.

Caitlin Mason sat down beside her. Pushing her dark hair behind her ears she leaned forward, her brown eyes intense.

'Rachael, you knew I'd have to go home to England before my visa ran out. We've talked and talked about that. But now that Daddy has had this accident - well, I've just got to be there for him. He put his life on the line for me. I told you about that.'

'But what am I going to do? How am I going to manage?'

Caitlin took a deep breath. 'You might surprise yourself,' she said. 'You're so much stronger than when you came out of hospital. You know you are. The boys are doing better too.'

Rachael’s tears kept coming. ‘I'm not sure I can cope by myself, Caitlin. The only time I tried, after Joel went to prison, it didn’t work out, I just couldn’t do it, it’s not fair …’

'It's Annie Bryce you can thank for having me here at all.' Caitlin was unflinching. 'I must give her a call.'

Caitlin, too, had been on a long, difficult journey: from spoilt child straight into a violent relationship with a petty criminal. She was eventually rescued by her father Detective Inspector Harold Mason, who had enlisted Annie’s help to find her in outback Australia.

It was Annie who had brought Rachael and Caitlin together. Still floundering to find her way in life, Caitlin had volunteered to help Rachael and her family when Rachael came home from hospital and her boys came back from care.

At twenty-two, Caitlin realised that she'd never taken any responsibility before, not even for herself. She felt that she'd suddenly grown up in the last few months; right from the start she’d been cast in the role of sensible adult in this dysfunctional family and to her surprise, she didn't mind that. She even managed, well more or less. There was so much to do, for the first time ever she didn't have time to brood about herself. She'd never had to look after anyone else before.

But everything had changed with just one phone call – from her brother, to tell her that her father had been badly injured in a car accident. She knew immediately that she had to go home and care for him, for as long as it took. She could never repay her debt to him, but this would be a start.

'When are you going?' Rachael’s voice was tight.

'Soon as,’ Caitlin replied. ‘I'll book a flight today.' She hesitated. 'Please don't say anything to the boys. I want to tell them myself.'

She called Annie later that afternoon.

'Caitlin, how nice to hear from you. How's things?'

'I've got bad news, Annie. Daddy's been hurt in a car accident, so I'm going home. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow.'

She heard Annie catch her breath. 'Oh no! Is it serious? How is he?'

Suddenly Caitlin choked up. 'They were operating today. Jeremy said he'd call me afterwards. It's bad I think, Annie. Anyway I owe him, well you know that. I want to look after him.' She brushed a tear away.

'That will mean the world to him. Oh Caitlin, I'm so very sorry.' There was a catch in Annie's voice too.

'Rachael's gutted that I'm going.'

'I bet she is. I think you were amazing to last this long - it can't have been easy. How are they all travelling?'

'The boy are a lot better now, but I can't say the same about her. She's clingy, isn't she? She clung to that bastard she married and now she's clinging to me. She probably clung to you too, that's how I got here. She's panicky right now because I’m leaving. She can’t face standing on her own feet and getting things organised for them all.' She paused. 'I'll really miss the boys. I haven't told them yet. I'll do that tomorrow.'

'They'll be upset too.'

'That will make five of us, I guess,' said Caitlin, gulping back the tears. 'But my visa expires later this year, so I'd be going anyway.'

'That's cold comfort right now, I'm afraid. Please give your father our best, and promise you'll let me know how things go.'

'Of course. Bye Annie. Um, thanks for everything. You've been just brilliant, like totally.'

Chapter Three

Ruth did a lot of thinking that night. The next morning she inspected the house as thoroughly as she could, making notes as she went. Then she called Annie.

'Ruth - I was just thinking about you.'

'Were you? How are you both?'

'We're both fine. Steve’s flat out, and I'm slowly getting the house together and doing a bit of work when it comes my way. Oh, and walking the dog. That’s Mango – she’s a gorgeous little beagle.’

'Lovely. What about a baby?' Diplomacy was not one of Ruth's strengths.

Annie laughed. 'No comment.'

Ruth took the hint and moved on.

'I wanted to talk to you, Annie - have you got a minute?'

'Sure. Fire away.'

'You remember my little flat? The building is going up for sale. I love it here and I hate the thought of moving, so Julia said maybe I could buy it. That flattened me. What do you think?'

There was a short silence the other end. 'Well,' said Annie cautiously, 'I'm all for you buying your own home. Now that house is in a great spot, Ruth, but it is old. You could be up for a lot of maintenance. Mind you,' she added ruefully, 'that said, that's exactly what we bought in Brisbane. What's your take on it?'

'Just like yours, I think. See there's not much to rent around here near the bay, and you know how much I hated all that new stuff that agent showed us before we found this. I don't want to live in a fancy high-rise apartment or a great big huge house. I've made a list of things that need fixing, well as far as I can make out.'

'That was a good idea. What's on it?'

Ruth glanced at it. 'Cracked stumps; rusty gutters and the pipes that run down from them; couldn't see the roof properly but it could be bad too; it all needs painting; lots of cracks in the walls and the cement. The air-con is crap. But you know what else Julia said? She said I could renovate it to use the whole house for myself if I wanted.'

'I suppose you could.' Annie paused, trying to remember the details. 'You've got that little eastern deck, but you could open up that whole northern side too. That would be lovely. Then you could have a new kitchen and bathroom and a bigger living area.'

'That's right. What I was thinking was that I could get it all done at once. Then it should be okay for a good while, shouldn't it? I don't think I'd want to use the whole house, but. I could keep that flat at the back and let the hospital know about it – it could be handy for people coming from out of town for treatment. I wouldn’t want any rent.’

'Ruth, I don't know why you want my advice,' said Annie, a bit winded by all this. 'You're way ahead of me. If you'd had a chance when you were younger you'd probably be Prime Minister by now.'

'Me? Have you gone crazy?'

'I'm just saying you really are very smart, and you've got good judgement too. You just need to learn to trust yourself.'

'Oh. Thank you. So what do you reckon?'

'I reckon go for it. Get Julia to put you on to a good solicitor. She could probably suss out an architect and builder for you too.'

'That's what I thought,' said Ruth, beaming with satisfaction. 'Now why were you thinking about me?'

Annie hesitated. 'It's because of a messed-up family I know in Townsville. They've been on my mind since I had a call yesterday saying they're going to need help.'

'What sort of help? Money?'

'I'm not sure. Money's not their biggest problem, not by a long way. It's a complicated, ugly story ...' her voice trailed off.

Ruth frowned. 'That doesn't sound like you, Annie, to be all at sea like that. Tell me if I can do anything.'

'Probably best for you to stay well clear, I think.'

'I'll let you know what happens about the house.'

Chapter Four

The next day was Saturday. After the boys had gulped down their breakfast, Caitlin lifted a hand to stall the stampede out of the kitchen.

'Hang on, kids. There's something I need to tell you.'

'What?' The boys were keen to get outside with their football.

She took a deep breath. 'I have to go home to England. I'm leaving tomorrow.'

They froze, shock painted across their faces.

'You mean you're going to leave us?' Unconsciously they echoed their mother. 'Why? Have we been that bad?'

Caitlin's eyes filled with tears. 'It's not your fault. Never think that! You're great kids, well, you can be when you try. It's my own family. My Dad has been hurt in a car accident, and he's going to need me to look after him.'

The youngest one crawled on to her lap and put his arms around her.

'Don’t go,' he whispered.

She hugged him and rested her chin on his head. 'I have to, love. Now I want to say something else. Families are the most important thing in the world. After my Mum died I sort of forgot that, and I drifted away from mine. My father did everything he could for me, but I pushed him away. I took up with a man who turned out to be really nasty, to me and everyone else. But Dad never gave up on me. He even came out from England to Australia and travelled all over to find me, and he rescued me. No one else in the whole world would have done that for me. So now it's my turn to help him. Never forget, boys, that families are all about helping each other. That means you helping your Mum and watching out for each other every day of every year.'

The boys gazed at her transfixed. It was the most words she'd ever said to them.

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. 'It's hard for me too. I'm really going to miss you.'

'You're going all the way to England? Tomorrow?' The oldest one was disbelieving. 'How long will that take?'

'It's about thirty-three hours all up, Luke. That's a whole day and a whole night and nearly another whole day. I fly from here to Cairns, from Cairns to Singapore in Asia, and from Singapore to the other side of the world, to London in England. I'll show you on the atlas. My big brother Jeremy is going to meet me at the airport there and take me straight to the hospital to visit Daddy.' She paused to dab at her eyes. ‘I want today to be a special day for us, because it's the last day we'll all be together. What would you like to do? It's my treat.'

For once they were dumbstruck.

'Here are a few ideas,' she suggested. 'We could go to Reef HQ and do the underwater walk through the aquarium and visit the turtle hospital. Or we could catch the ferry to the island and ride on the buses and go for a swim. Or we could go the Billabong Sanctuary and watch the crocodiles being fed. Whatever we do, I think we could fit in a meal at Maccas.’

‘Wicked!'

'You decide among yourselves and let me know, then we'll be off. No fighting now, I want you all to agree. I'm going to talk to your Mum now.'

It took them ten minutes to decide on the Billabong Sanctuary. Caitlin chivvied Rachael into getting up, showered and dressed, and an hour later they piled into the car.

By the time they got home late in the afternoon the boys were worn out, having managed to fit in a swim and double ice-creams as well. Still in special treat mode, Caitlin settled them in front of their favourite Harry Potter DVD with some sandwiches. Then she joined Rachael in the kitchen. She poured two glasses of wine and put out some cheese and biscuits.

'Peace at last. Now it's our time,' she told Rachael with a smile. 'Here's to us.'

'I’ll drink to that.' Rachael raised her glass. 'And thanks, Caitlin. God knows where we’d be by now without you.’

'Being here has been good for me, too,' Caitlin admitted. 'I think I've sorted myself out a bit.'

'What does that mean? That you don't want to end up like me?'

'No,' said Caitlin frankly, 'I don't. It's time I took charge of my life. That goes for both of us. We need to make plans.'

'Have you got one?'

Caitlin was surprised by the question. It was rare for Rachael to look beyond herself and her immediate problems.

'I have, sort of. I cleared out of school before I finished, you know, just about over Dad's dead body. I probably should go back and take my A-levels, and then I might train as a primary teacher. That way, whatever happens, I'll always be able to earn a reasonable living.'

'You'd be a good teacher.'

'I hope so. I like kids. What about you?'

'Me?'

'Rachael, you've already got a degree. Annie told me. You could easily add to that if you wanted to, to get some more training. Someone told me not so long ago that I spent far too much time feeling sorry for myself but no time doing anything about my life. He was right. You don't want to fall into that trap. You could start studying now. It would fit in with the boys. Then when they're at high school you'd be ready to start a career.'

Rachael looked doubtful. 'Who'd give me a job with a face like this?' She pulled back her hair to display the full extent of her disfigurement - the distorted eye and lip, the red, blistered skin travelling from her eye to her throat.

'If you had the right skills, lots of people would,' said Caitlin firmly. 'You know I haven't given a thought to those scars for months. Check out what courses are on and make a plan.'

Rachael shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. What I really need is a boyfriend – a man to move in and look after us all, like Joel did. But I don’t like my chances now, not with this face.’ She looked up with her lopsided smile. ‘You know what, Caitlin, I could take my pick when I was young. Men were falling all over me.’

‘Bad idea,’ said Caitlin forcefully. ‘That was then, this is now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that in future I’m going to be in charge of my life. I got into a terrible mess by letting someone else control it – and me. So did you, Rachael. You need to remember that.’

Rachael just shrugged.

The next morning they took Caitlin to the airport. There were tears and hugs all round before her flight was called and she turned towards the departure gate, then the aircraft, and, finally, towards home.

Chapter Five

'They're asking five hundred thousand for the house,' Julia reported to Ruth. 'That's probably the land value.'

'Oh. It sounds like a lot for a shabby old place, but I guess I could afford it.'

'You certainly could.'

'Well, I've been thinking about what you said,' she replied. 'I've decided I want to buy it and then renovate it. But I've got no idea where to start. Except by talking to you.'

Julia laughed. 'The first step is to have a proper building inspection. I'll put you on to a good solicitor who handles these sorts of deals, and he can take you through it. Got a pen? His name is Toby Davidson.' She read out the address and contact number. 'I'll let him know you'll be in touch - today if possible. You don't want someone else to snap it up.'

'What about a builder, and