Legacy of Lies- The Haunting of Hilda Read online

  “No, I’ve arranged an appointment for tomorrow morning with a Real-estate Agent. You can sleep in the car on the way.”

  The warm Auckland air was a pleasant change to the bitter cold we’d left in Manchester. We stopped and both removed a couple of layers before heading over to the rental car.

  “Where’s your hand luggage?” Pete asked as he piled the cases into the boot.

  “It was there.” My stomach dropped as I began searching frantically.

  “Well, it’s not there now. Don’t tell me you left it on the plane?”

  “I had it when you went for the car. I got my phone out of it—look.” I dug the phone from my pocket.

  “Then where is it? Hang on, I’ll have a look inside.” He ran back the way we came.

  This was all I needed. I searched the car again just for something to do.

  A few minutes later, Pete returned shaking his head. “Nothing. What was in it?”

  “Not much, a change of clothes, my Kindle, and my make-up bag—nothing that can’t be replaced easily enough, I guess. It’s just annoying.”

  “Some chancer must’ve pilfered it while you were having forty-winks.” He slammed the car boot. “Come on. Let’s get on the road.”

  This wasn’t the best start to our adventure, but I guessed it could’ve been worse. My handbag held all my bank cards, both our passports and lots more—losing that would’ve been terrible. I was miffed to have lost my make-up though.

  I didn’t recognise any of the sights as we travelled south, following the directions of the built-in GPS.

  “I really thought I’d have to drive on the opposite side of the road,” Pete said. “In fact, you told me I would.”

  “Well, I can’t remember things like that. I just presumed you would have to.” I laughed. “Let’s face it, we had to drive on the right when we went to France last year and that’s just a tunnel ride away from the UK.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  I must’ve nodded off as the next thing I knew the car had stopped and I heard Pete getting out.

  “Where are we?”

  “Bombay, according to the GPS. I need a coffee and a toilet stop. Do you want anything?”

  “I wouldn’t mind some water. That flight seems to have dried me out.”

  It was strange—although I had a lot of memories of my childhood, I only had a few clear memories of the place. The house of course was ingrained in my brain and the huge open mine pit in Waihi, close to our house, was also clear. I remember our street and a couple of the neighbours’ houses. Other than that, everything else was hazy.

  Pete returned. He handed me a bottle of water and climbed back in behind the wheel.

  I drank greedily, stopping only when I needed to take a breath.

  “Heck! You were thirsty. You ready?”

  I nodded.

  Ten minutes later we turned off the expressway and suddenly the landscape softened, giving way to miles and miles of rolling countryside.

  “It’s stunning,” Pete said. “Everywhere’s so green.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “I thought it would be brown and dry like Australia.”

  “New Zealand gets a lot of rainfall. It’s needed to keep everywhere looking so lush and green.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Anyway, I didn’t realise you’d been to Australia.”

  “I haven’t. Dawn was looking into going there a few years ago.”

  “I see.” The mention of his ex set my teeth on edge. I don’t know why I got so jealous of her—it’s not as if he was still in love with her. But I’d seen her photograph and had been shocked at how beautiful she was—totally different to me. She had long blonde hair and pale blue eyes and a figure to die for. I was tall and awkward. Not fat as such, but ungainly. My ebony hair and chocolate-brown eyes were attractive, but not a patch on hers. I wondered if he ever thought about her while making love to me.

  “You’re quiet.”

  “Am I?” I smiled. “Just tired. I’ll be glad to get there now and get out of these clothes. I feel grimy.”

  “We’ll be there by three.”

  I glanced at the car clock. 2.04 pm. “We should try to stay awake as long as we can and then at least we won’t be as jetlagged.”

  “We can try. You were already snoring your head off earlier.”

  I felt my cheeks flush. “I don’t snore.”

  “Oh, believe me, you snore alright. You sound like a chainsaw when you get going.”

  “Idiot.” I laughed.

  He reached for my hand and, holding it in his larger one, he rested them both on his knee. “I know. But you love me.”

  We drove through the stunning Karangahake Gorge and into Waihi around 3pm, as predicted. The beautiful entrance was marked by the rows of palm trees on either side of the road.

  “I forgot about those!” I said, my eyes suddenly filling with tears. The first real recognition shook up my emotions—or were the tears merely a manifestation of my sheer exhaustion?

  “Where are we staying?”

  “Hang on.” I pulled the itinerary from my handbag. “Palm Motel.”

  “Oh look!” he said, pointing.

  I turned to see what had caught his eye and smiled—Palm Motel was a little further up the road on the right. “Yay! I don’t know about waiting for tonight. I need a sleep desperately.”

  Pete laughed and shook his head, pulling into the driveway.

  A short time later I flopped down on the queen-sized bed in the motel unit.

  Pete dug the laptop out of his hand luggage and fired it up—entering the motel’s WiFi password. “Don’t you want to go for a drive around—check out the sights?”

  “You’re joking, aren’t you? I’m bloody knackered. Maybe later. Let’s have a little rest then we’ll check out the town and grab something to eat—deal?”

  “Lightweight,” he laughed. But he didn’t need asking twice. He checked his email then climbed onto the bed beside me and was out like a light.

  “Charming!” I grumbled, annoyed I couldn’t switch off my brain as fast as he could.

  I opened my eyes, unsure of my surroundings. I couldn’t see a thing apart from large green numbers of the clock showing the time to be 4.24am. Slowly, I realised where we were.

  Pete was still out for the count, snoring his head off beside me.

  “So, who’s the lightweight now, buddy?” I whispered.

  I eased myself out of bed, needing the toilet and regretting I hadn’t worked out the layout of the unit while it was still light. I found the bathroom by touch alone.

  A few minutes later, I filled the kettle and proceeded to make a mug of instant coffee from the light of the fridge. My stomach growled with hunger but all I could find was a packet of three cookies. I glanced over at Pete who was still fast asleep. “Oh, well—you snooze, you lose,” I whispered again as I opened the packet and stuffed the first cookie in my mouth.

  It felt strange to be back in my home town after more than twenty years away. I didn’t know if I would even recognise it. My main concern was staying in the motel unit with my mum until we found a property to renovate—how would that work? What if Mum had totally lost her marbles? I hadn’t been told how advanced her dementia was, but I was hoping it was just the occasional confusion.

  I poured the water into my mug and popped the last biscuit in my mouth.

  “I’m starving. Anything to eat.”

  I spun around with a squeal, trying to swallow the contents of my mouth in a hurry.

  “What’s wrong with you?” He turned the bedside lamp on.

  “Nothing,” I said, although it didn’t sound anything like that. I shut the fridge door now the room was illuminated.

  Pete got out of bed and shuffled over to me. “What are you doing? I can always tell when you’re up to no good.”

  I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. “Nothing.”

  Eyeing me suspiciously, he shook his head.


  “What? Do you want a coffee?” I said feeling guilty.

  “Yes. And I’ll have one of those biscuits I spotted earlier.”

  Busted. “What biscuits?” I felt my cheeks redden.

  He opened the bin lid and pulled out the empty packet. “These biscuits.”

  “Oops.” I grinned. “You were asleep.”

  “And now I’m awake—and ravenous. How do you intend making it up to me?” He put his hands on my hips and pulled me towards him, a glint in his eye.

  “What about the coffee?” I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “Screw the coffee.”

  Less than an hour later, Pete was once again asleep.

  I’d gone in search of my Kindle forgetting it had been stolen along with my bag. I swigged the cold coffee and climbed back into bed. The bright green numbers rolled over much slower than normal, I was sure of it. I even began counting the seconds trying to catch the clock out, but it appeared to be correct. By 7.30am I contemplated getting up, but I forced my eyes closed one last time.

  “Shit, shit, shit. Have you seen the time?” Pete jumped out of bed, almost bouncing me out too.

  “Pete! I’m sleeping,” I groaned.

  “I’ve got an appointment with the agent. Hurry up if you’re coming, we’ve got five minutes to get out the door.”

  “You go, babe. You don’t need me.” I heard the bathroom door close and snuggled back down.

  Moments later Pete bent to kiss me. “Won’t be too long, baby. I’ll take you for breakfast when I get back.”

  I nodded. “Oh, and Pete?”

  “Yeah?” he said pausing in the doorway.

  “Don’t be looking at anything in the East End, remember?”

  “I remember—but if you were that bothered you would’ve got out of your bed and come with me.”

  I pulled the pillow over my head.

  Chapter 6

  Less than an hour later, I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. My body clock was completely back to front. I used the complimentary shampoo and conditioner which managed to perk me up a little.

  Once I’d dressed into knee-length shorts and a T-shirt, I climbed back onto the bed and checked my messages.

  Where are you? I’m getting worried now… was the most recent text from my stress-head sister.

  I’m fine. Just woke up. Nothing to report yet. Will contact you later today.

  The door to the unit flew open and Pete rushed in. “You should’ve come with me—I just saw the most perfect house,” he gushed.

  “Whoa. You’ve only been here five minutes. Surely you need to check out a few more before you get too excited.”

  “I saw loads. All time wasters until the last one. It’s exactly what we need.”

  I shook my head, exasperated. “Where is it?”

  “Five minutes away. I can show you the street, but the tenants are a nightmare. They’ve been evicted and are in the process of moving out. And the bonus is, it’s furnished. Well, not totally, but the basics are there.”

  “Whoop-de-doo.”

  “That’s not all. If our offer’s accepted, we can move in early and rent it from the owner until the sale goes through—win, win. And that means we’ll have somewhere to bring your mum home to next week.”

  Now he had my attention. “You made an offer already?” I balked.

  “Don’t go mad! You’ll love it.”

  “But is it liveable? I can’t bring Mum home to a pigsty.”

  “It needs a clean. The owner had only partially restored it before he had to go overseas for a family emergency. The tenants aren’t messy—just bad payers. It could work for us, babe.”

  “Tell me where it is again.”

  “I’ll do better than that. If you’re ready, I can drive you to the street.”

  “Is that it?” I asked, gazing across a paddock to the back of a large villa.

  “As I said, we can’t go in there—but look at the size of the garden. It’s huge. Imagine a deck built off the back of the house—it will be great lounging around on that in the sunshine.”

  I had to admit it did look great from where we were parked on the road. “How do you know the price is right? You haven’t had a chance to weigh up the market yet.”

  “I know this is a bargain because I’ve seen enough. The government valuation is more than the asking price and Ngaire said she’s already had a lot of interest, and it was only listed yesterday.”

  “Ngaire?”

  “The agent.”

  “You said the agent was a bloke.”

  “Well, how was I meant to know? I’ve never heard that name before.”

  “So, did you make an offer subject to a builder’s report?”

  “Promise you won’t be mad at me.”

  I laughed. “Idiot. I can’t believe you’d buy a house just like that…” I clicked my fingers, “… in a strange country. But why would I be mad at you? It’s your money. All I was bothered about was you buying a place on the other side of town, which would be a massive no-no.”

  We went for a drive around, stopping briefly for some brunch at The Surf Shack, the cutest little café on the back road to Waihi Beach.

  My stomach growled. Apart from three measly cookies, I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours.

  “I’ll have the full breakfast,” Pete said to the friendly waitress.

  “Mmmm, me too.”

  “You won’t eat all that!” he laughed.

  “I’ll have a good go—I’m bloody starving.” But he was right. When the two plates came out I couldn’t believe my eyes—sausages, bacon, 2 fried eggs, hash browns, kumara hash, grilled tomato, mushrooms and toast. “I hope you’re extra hungry,” I said to Pete, “because you’ll have to help me with this lot.”

  “Typical.” He rolled his eyes at the chuckling waitress.

  I did my best, but I hadn’t even made a dent in it before I pushed my plate away, my stomach full to busting.

  The phone began ringing in my bag.

  “That could be Ngaire,” Pete hissed.

  I handed him the phone and he took it outside.

  Watching his body language, I could tell it was good news. I guessed we’d bought a house. Sure enough, Pete’s grin and thumbs up confirmed this as he headed back inside.

  “Our offer was accepted. We officially take possession in two weeks’ time, but we can pick up the keys on Friday once the cleaners have given it the once over.”

  “Well done. I think.”

  “You’ll love it, babe. You’ll see.”

  “Have you finished?” I asked, nodding at his plate.

  He rubbed his stomach. “Couldn’t eat another bite—where to next?”

  “I wouldn’t mind having a look at my old house.”

  “Are you sure? You said you didn’t want to lay eyes on it again.”

  “I can’t just pretend it’s not there—my only memories of my parents were in that house. My dad died there. No, I need to do this, and sooner rather than later.”

  “Can we have a stroll on the beach first?” He looked like a disappointed little boy.

  I grinned. “Of course we can.” I got to my feet and kissed him on the top of his head. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  The beach was just as beautiful as I remembered it—miles and miles of golden sand in both directions. The sea was a rippling blanket of aqua blue and, although a surf beach, today the waves cascaded gently to the shore.

  “Wow!” Pete said, startling me from my reverie. “It’s stunning.”

  Being used to European beaches for the past twenty years—every patch of sand crammed with tourists—I was blown away that I could count all the people I could see on one hand. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  He held my hand and we strolled in silence for a while. The only sound was the seagulls flocking overhead in their endless search for food.

  I suddenly felt a wave of emotion wash over me. Charlotte and I had wanted for nothing, thanks t
o my aunt, but I’d mourned my parents for years. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I’d tried to supress it. I’d done a good job of it too, or so I thought, until now.

  “You okay?” Pete asked.

  “Yeah. It’s just hard, you know?”

  “I know. But you’re going to see your mum next week—that must be exciting.”

  “No. I’m terrified. What if she’s too far gone and doesn’t even recognise me? What if she’s too bad to take home to England? What if she doesn’t want to go?”

  “Then we stay. Stop worrying. Everything will work out. And you’re not alone—whatever you face, I face it too, don’t forget that.”

  I hugged him. “I’m so lucky to have found you.”

  “I’m the lucky one. Now are you ready to take a walk down memory lane with me?”

  I took a deep, bracing breath. “Yes. Let’s do this.”

  “It’s all gone?” I cried, shaking my head at the security guard.

  “I’m afraid so, miss.”

  I looked at Pete, suddenly distraught. Even though for the past few weeks I’d been telling him I didn’t want to see my old house ever again, I suddenly realised I desperately did.

  “Tell me again,” Pete said. “I don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t work here at the time, but all I know is a house fell into a hole a few years ago—subsidence from the underground mining, I think. The east end was cordoned off and the mine bought the lot. This area is now part of the new pit-rim walkway.”

  “What about the Grand Junction? The original mine manager’s house? Surely that’s still there?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know anything about that, miss. I’m sorry. You should ask at the Gold Discovery Centre in town. They’ll be able to help you, I’m sure.”

  Pete shook the guy’s hand and guided me back to the car.

  “Can you take me to the Gold Centre, please, Pete?”

  “On my way. Do you know where it is?”

  “He said in town so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”