Tess stiffened beside Ed. “I didn’t want anyone I cared about getting hurt.”
“Right. Who shot him?”
Ed hesitated. Lee had saved Tess’s life, and there might have been other Stonefish people out here he hadn’t seen. “We don’t know for sure.”
Dot frowned and scanned those who were there as Sam came jogging back.
“Lee got away,” Sam said, panting. “His four-wheel drive was parked on a track about a kilometre away.”
“What was he doing here?” Dot asked.
“He said he wanted to protect Tess,” Ed told her. “Said something about Tan making too many people’s lives miserable.”
Dot sighed. “All right. We’re going to need statements from everyone, and I’m going to need more of my team.”
Another police car drove down the shore from the west.
“There’s water in the back seat,” Dot continued. “Take a bottle and find somewhere in the shade. No one’s going anywhere until we’ve sorted this mess.”
***
The sun was wickedly hot by the time Dot gave them all leave to go. Tess took Ed’s hand so he could help her to her feet from where she’d been sitting in the meagre shade. They’d both been interviewed extensively by Nhiari and Dot, and the adrenaline of the morning was well and truly gone. Tess stumbled, too tired to watch where she was going, but Ed stopped her from falling.
“I’ve got you.”
She smiled. Her hero. “I know.”
They followed Heath, Sam and Dobby to where they’d parked their vehicle. Brandon was going to ride the motorbike back, and the police wanted to keep the hire car a little longer.
All these people had come to her rescue. The thought warmed Tess and reduced the hurt about what her mother had done.
Perhaps she’d made the wrong decision by going to Tan by herself, but she wouldn’t regret it. Not if it meant Tan was dead.
She climbed into the back seat, sandwiched between Ed and Heath. It wasn’t over yet. The police had confiscated Ed’s rifle and would keep it until they cleared him of any wrongdoing. They’d found the bullet next to the four-wheel drive, and it was the wrong size for the rifle, so they hadn’t arrested Ed. The hire car company wouldn’t be thrilled about the dent in the paint work.
Tess glanced across at Ed as Sam drove them back to the homestead. He hadn’t said a lot while they’d waited to be interviewed, but he had held her close, which had helped.
She still couldn’t believe how quickly everything had happened. One minute she believed Tan was going to kill her, the next she was terrified for Ed’s life, and then Brandon had appeared, and men had swarmed around her and she hadn’t had a second to think. But the gun shot had stopped her heart.
For a split second she’d thought Ed had been shot, and she’d never known such terror. She squeezed his knee to reassure herself he was fine.
They drove into the yard, and Darcy charged down the steps of the house, Georgie right behind him. Before they’d come to a complete stop, Darcy had Ed’s side door open. “Are you completely fucking crazy?”
“No.” Ed unbuckled the seat belt and Darcy dragged him out of the car and wrapped him in a bear hug.
“You stupid idiot. You had us all terrified.”
Tess smiled. She slid out of the opposite side of the car after Heath. Georgie hugged Ed now, and Darcy stalked towards Tess.
“And you,” he said.
Tess’s back hit the door, but Darcy dragged her into his arms. “Thank you for trying to stop my brother from doing something stupid, but you didn’t have to go alone. We’re here for you too.”
Tess’s heart ached as tears ran down her cheeks. She squeezed him back, unable to speak. Her own family didn’t care about her this much.
When Darcy let her go, Georgie was next. “I get why you did what you did, but you obviously didn’t realise my brother is stubborn.” She hugged her. “I’m glad you’re both all right.”
Tess swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
