Page 32 of Outback Secrets

She laughed nervously at the image, a weird ache passing through her at the thought.

‘You know where to go, right?’

She nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘No worries. Make yourself at home. There’s coffee, tea and Milo in the kitchen if you want a drink before bed. There’s even a packet of Tim Tams.’

The strange pain in her stomach remained as she climbed the stairs, then walked along the hallway past the guest rooms before she came to a door with a sign announcing ‘Private Residence’.

It was only as she slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the door that she realised Sheila had accompanied her.

‘Well, hello, girl,’ she said as the two of them went inside. ‘Come to keep an eye on me, have you?’

There were a couple of lamps on in the living room and Henri eyed the couch on which Liam had slept on Saturday night—it was a well-worn, chocolate-brown leather one that looked much comfier than many places she’d slept. There were a couple of matching armchairs, a bookshelf, a big screen TV and a few woodworking magazines on the coffee table. Beside the couch was a dog bed, which didn’t look as if it was used much at all.

It was only the thought of Liam coming in and watching her sleep that had her venturing into the bedroom and dumping her bag there. His room was even tidier than she remembered. The bed was neatly made and the surface of the dresser now devoid of anything Liam. Most telling was the empty space where the photo of a family had been.

She frowned. Had she imagined it?

No, Henri clearly remembered standing right here and picking up the frame, gazing down at the four people, the adults smiling proudly and the little girl sticking out her tongue as the older boy held her in a pretend headlock. It was definitely a happy photo and although she hadn’t had long to scrutinise it, she remembered being unsure whether Liam was the man or the little boy. He had strong similarities to both of them, although she thought the man’s hair was a lot longer than Liam’s was currently. If it was him … did that mean the kids were his too?

He’d been in town about ten years, so the children in the photo would practically be adults by now. Probably unlikely, since he couldn’t be that much older than her, which meant he’d have to have had them pretty young. Eileen said he never had visitors, so, whoever these people were, what had become of them? And more importantly, why was the photo no longer here?

She’d noticed a period tonight when Tegan came out of the kitchen to serve behind the bar and Liam had disappeared for a while. Had he come up and removed it then?

Henri pondered these questions as she went into the bathroom and readied herself for bed. Yes, she checked in the vanity cupboard—although not exactly sure what she was looking for, she felt it was due diligence. It wasn’t that she was nosy, more that as she was staying in a strange man’s house, in his bed, it was sensible to check for any evidence that he could be a serial killer or something. At least that’s what she told herself.

But there was nothing bar a few bottles of shampoo, an electric razor, some antiseptic cream and a spare toothbrush.

Resisting the urge to snoop any further, she went back into his bedroom and climbed in between the covers. Sheila jumped up beside her and settled at her feet. Exhausted, Henri switched off the bedside lamp, lay back on the pillows and pulled the summer-weight doona up to her chin. Although the bedding felt clean—as if he’d changed the sheets when he came upstairs as well—eau de Liam lingered. She inhaled, long and hard, trying to work out exactly what scents she could smell, but just like him, the notes of his cologne were a mystery.

She fell asleep, wondering who Liam really was. Who were the people in the photo to him? And what had caused the scar on his shoulder?