Page 104 of On the Edge

She spotted Lauren’s blonde head in the crowd and weaved her way to the table.

‘Hey,’ Lauren said, pouring her a glass of red.‘I got a bottle.’

‘Thanks.’Nel clinked her glass and took a long sip.She gestured to the TV screen.‘Any results yet?’

‘Not sure about the overall result,’ Lauren said, ‘but it looks like Geoff’ll get back in.’

‘What, already?’It was just after seven thirty.

‘Yep,’ Lauren said with a shrug.‘So …’ She narrowed her eyes and made her voice deep and sexy.‘Where’s your lover tonight?’

‘Oh my god.’Nel laughed.‘He’s working.’

‘You going to have another sleepover tonight?’

‘Lauren!’

‘Sorry.I’ve been married for ninety-seven years, so I’ve got to get my excitement where I can.’She paused.‘I’m just happy for you.’

Nel thought of Jimmy and sighed.Their timing was terrible.‘I’m leaving, Lauren.The clinic is sold.There’s nothing for me to do here.’

Lauren made a sad face and sipped her wine.Keen to change the subject, Nel told her about Cath’s meeting with the financial adviser.

‘I think she’s turned a corner,’ Nel said.‘And then when she went to vote, she bumped into Faye who invited her down to the surf club for Geoff’s election party.I couldn’t believe it when she said yes.’

Lauren’s eyes flicked to the screen overhead.Nel looked up to see a picture of Maddie on the news bulletin.She read the subtitles.

Earlier today, National Party Leader Geoffrey Marshall made a statement regarding the arrest of a Carrinya man on two charges relating to the death of his teenage daughter sixteen years ago.

The statement appeared on the screen next to a photo of Geoff and Faye.Lauren’s eyes welled with tears.

‘What is it?’

Nel put her hand over Lauren’s, waiting for her to say something as she blinked back tears.

‘What’s wrong?’Nel asked.

‘It’s just …’ Lauren shook her head.‘I thought … When I arrived at the lighthouse, I thought Poppy was …’

Nel squeezed her hand.‘I know what you thought.’

Lauren looked back at the screen where there was a childhood photo of Maddie with Geoff and Faye.Her eyes pooled with tears again.

‘You’re just … you’re not meant to bury your own child,’ she murmured.‘I don’t know how they’ve survived it.’Her tears spilled over.‘God, what the hell’s wrong with me?’She closed her eyes andwiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her jumper.When she opened her eyes, she noticed a balding man at the next table.‘Shit, that’s Nigel Taylor from the P and F.How embarrassing.’

‘Don’t worry about Nigel,’ Nel said.He looked about six schooners deep.

Lauren sighed.‘I would have been driven mad by it, if it was me.’

Nel looked back at the screen, but now there was footage of the Prime Minister posting his own vote into the ballot box.She thought of Geoff’s statement.Something had been gnawing at her since she’d heard the comment that morning.

‘All we’ve ever wanted is for our beautiful girl to be able to rest in peace,’ she murmured.She turned to Lauren.‘What wouldyouwant, if it was Poppy?’

‘I’d want her back.I’d do anything.’

‘But if you couldn’t get her back.If she was found dead on a beach like Maddie was, what would youwant?’

‘I’d want the person responsible to rot in jail.’Lauren’s eyes hardened.‘I’d want to kill them.’