‘Did he make a booking?’
‘If he did, it wasn’t under his own name.’ There was something hard in Ilse’s face now. ‘They had nothing under Jenna’s name either. Neither did the other places.’
Nathan felt an unpleasant sensation creep through him and he had the sudden urge to check over his shoulder. There was nothing there but cattle and stubby grass and the horizon. All was quiet. Ilse was watching him closely.
‘You really don’t think Cameron had anything to worry about with that woman?’ she said.
Nathan hesitated. For real, this time. A long and disloyal silence that stretched on and spoke volumes.
Ilse nodded. ‘Because Cameron was acting like he did.’
Chapter 22
They barely spoke on the way back. Nathan drove while Ilse stared out of the window, chewing her nails and occasionally turning Cameron’s card over in her fingers.
‘You need to tell Glenn,’ Nathan said. ‘About Cameron trying to call Jenna.’
‘I already tried.’ Ilse didn’t look over. ‘He wasn’t at the police station when I called last night.’
‘Did you leave a message?’
‘No. I got diverted to the Brisbane switchboard. I didn’t want to –’ Ilse sighed, still staring out at the passing landscape. ‘I’ll try him again.’
She didn’t say anything else until the homestead came into sight up ahead.
‘I’ll get out here,’ she said, as they passed the stables. ‘I put away the horse quickly earlier. I want to check on her.’
Nathan pulled to a stop. ‘Ilse –’ he said as she climbed out. She waited. He wanted to tell her it would all be okay. Instead, he shook his head. ‘Nothing.’
She slammed the door and Nathan watched her walk away. When he pulled up outside the house he could see the girls riding in the far exercise yard. Liz was looking on while Xander sat nearby in the shade, flipping through a sketchbook in his lap.
Nathan walked over and leaned on the railing next to his mum. He waited for her to tell Lo to keep her heels down, but she didn’t. Her eyes were dull.
‘Everything all right?’ he said.
‘Steve called from the clinic. The –’ Liz stumbled over the word, ‘– autopsy has been completed. We’re right to go ahead with the funeral.’
Nathan thought about Cameron’s call to the medical centre in St Helens. ‘They didn’t find any other health problems?’
Liz shook her head vaguely and didn’t ask why. Xander looked up, though.
‘Do you want to have a rest?’ Nathan said. ‘I’ll help the girls with the horses.’
He waited for Liz to argue, but she just nodded. With visible effort, she pushed herself away from the railing and trudged towards the house.
‘She’s been bad all morning,’ Xander said. His voice was a little cool. ‘Lo nearly fell off earlier and she didn’t even notice.’
‘Right,’ Nathan said. ‘Mate, listen, I’m sorry about going without you just now –’
‘It’s fine.’
It wasn’t, Nathan suspected, but Xander seemed distracted as he looked up from the sketchbook. ‘Did you show Ilse the card from Uncle Cam?’
‘Yeah.’ Nathan told him what Ilse had said. He hesitated, then told him what else she’d said, about the phone calls to St Helens.
Xander frowned. ‘Did Cam think Jenna might be in St Helens?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe he did.’
