Dot examined the two remaining islands she hadn’t circled.Tomorrow.
With that thought in her mind, she gunned the engine towards town.
***
It was dark before Dot finished at the roadblock.They might have missed all the people who had flown in, but what seemed like every single person within driving distance of Retribution Bay had arrived.Most swore they had booked days ahead, and the announcement of treasure had nothing to do with why they were coming to town, but they were lying.It was going to be a nightmare.She could hardly forbid the boat hire companies from renting their boats.It was extra revenue for them during the low season.
She called Sam and gave him the heads up.They would have to monitor the site.Maybe they could mark out the no-go zone with buoys, although it would pinpoint exactly where the wreck was.
Too tired to brainstorm solutions today, she climbed into the car and her stomach growled.She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and her fridge was empty.
With a sigh, she pulled into the shopping centre car park and went into the supermarket.Lindsay was behind the cash register as she often was at this time of the day.A fixture in the town with her now greying blonde hair, and a few more wrinkles on her face than when Dot had worked here as a teenager.She still wore a blue polo shirt with the store logo in the left-hand corner, and a single pearl necklace.The only gift from a lover over thirty years ago who could not marry her due to family obligations.He’d broken her heart again when he’d turned up at the beginning of the year, vowing to leave his wife for her, but she hadn’t heard from him since.
A lesson Dot should learn from in relation to Oliver.
“Dot Campbell, you look dead on your feet.”Lindsay smiled at the customer she was serving.“I’ll be right back.”She pulled a plastic chair over and patted it.“Sit down for a minute.”
Dot’s feet took her towards the chair before she pulled herself up.“If I sit, I won’t get up.”
Lindsay grinned.“You can sleep here if you need to.”
Dot smiled for the first time today.“Thanks.I’ll be back in a minute.”With a little more energy, she trudged to the frozen food section and perused the options of ready-made microwave meals.Using the step ladder which was always around because Lindsay was as vertically challenged as Dot, she grabbed a couple of Indian curries and went via the milk section to get two litres before returning to the front.The customer was gone and Lindsay had flicked the sign to closed.At the front of the counter were a couple of buckets full of flower bouquets, the colours enough to make her smile.Dot debated buying one.No, she wouldn’t be home much to enjoy them and it would remind her how lonely she was.
Lindsay tutted as she rang up Dot’s purchases.“You’re not taking care of yourself.”She took two of Dot’s favourite chocolate bars from the nearby shelf and tucked them into Dot’s bag.
“Lindsay, you don’t need to do that.”
“Nonsense.Someone needs to look after you.You haven’t stopped working since you started with me as a fresh-faced fourteen-year-old.”
“I could say the same about you.”Lindsay had been her lifeline then, giving her as many shifts as she wanted.Working with Lindsay, who always seemed happy to see her, had been preferable to the disinterest her parents showed her.
“It’s not really work.I pay myself to listen to gossip all day and ring up a few groceries.”
Dot straightened.Lindsay knew everything going on in town.“What gossip have you heard today?”
Lindsay waggled her finger at Dot.“Don’t you use your sergeant tone on me.If you want gossip, you’re going to have to have dinner with me.I put a meal in the slow cooker this morning, and it will be ready by now.Go home, have a shower, and I’ll be around in thirty with food.”
The temptation was too strong.Lindsay’s slow-cooked meals were heaven.Dot slung her bag of groceries over her shoulder and then squeezed Lindsay’s hand.“All right.Thank you.”
She waited while Lindsay put the day’s earnings away and locked up, and then drove home.The police station was dark, and the others were already home.
Except Nhiari.
Damn, she hadn’t gone to the lighthouse.It was too late now with Lindsay coming over.Tomorrow.Dot sighed and unlocked the door.She needed a break.It had been years since her last holiday.She frowned.When had she last gone away?
Maybe three years ago when she’d visited a friend in Karratha.They’d gone to the police academy together, and she and Nhiari had decided to get away.Except Ryan’s wife had been a jealous woman, and hadn’t liked him spending any time with them, so they’d gone camping in Karijini instead.
Ryan had since left his wife and taken his son to Blackbridge and was working with his best friend, Lincoln, at the station there.
He’d mentioned something about coming to Retribution Bay before Christmas.She’d have to find where she’d written the dates.It must be fairly soon.
She dumped her keys on the table and continued through to the bathroom to shower.The bright pink of the towels perked her up and made her smile as she turned on the taps.The water hit her, warm and refreshing, and she tilted her head backwards to let it run over her face.Lindsay was right.She needed a break.But that was impossible until she stopped Stonefish.
The fingerprints and cigarette butt were packaged ready for shipping to Carnarvon and the organised crime division would be here tomorrow.There was a measure of relief to be getting extra help.
Perhaps so many years in the country had dulled her skills.She’d been stuck in Perth for years, and she’d hated the anonymity of it all.Not being able to connect with people, not knowing who they were.It didn’t matter how hard she worked, or the extra responsibilities she had, she’d kept coming back to wanting that face-to-face contact, wanting to know about those people she helped.
When she’d left Retribution Bay, she’d considered finding another small town to work in, but Nhiari always said the land and its people got stuck under your skin, it was in their blood, and she was right.The moment Dot had returned, she’d felt at home.Connection.Community.
