Kane was silent. Deadly silent. Jade spoke uncertainly.
"What's going on?"
Kane cleared his throat. The Sutherland's were going to kill him.
"Kirsty left yesterday evening - are you sure she isn't there because if she's just avoiding me…"
"No, Kane she's not"
"Then why was she going home in the first place?"
"It's Mum - she's in hospital… um, she's depressed - it's all the stuff with dad and she found out he was having an affair with this Angie Russell… and well… she took an overdose and we're not really coping… Kirsty said she'd come back to help out"
Jade blurted all the information out shakily, not really taking in who she was talking to.
"Oh… right. Look, if Kirsty shows up there call me, ok?"
He was trying to sound controlled but he was panicking. He knew something must have happened.
"Where is she Kane?"
"If I knew that I wouldn't be on the phone to you right now, would I?"
A long silence.
"Look… yeah… I'll call you if she arrives here… I need your number"
Kane recites his mobile number down the phone and Jade scribbles it onto a pad of paper. Both sides hang up. Kane turns to Rhys.
"She's not there is she?"
Kane shakes his head nervously. Rhys glares at him.
"So now what? My daughter has vanished off the face of the earth and we haven't got a clue how to contact her"
He was agitated. That much was obvious. Kane kept guiltily quiet. He couldn't help but blame himself. If he hadn't stayed after work for a few dreinks he'd have been there when she left. He could have given her a lift back to Summer Bay. But it was all down to the argument.
"She was definitely heading home?"
"Yeah… there's been some stuff happening… with Shelley"
"What do you mean 'stuff'?"
"Well, she found out about your affair - "
"I told you, it wasn't an affair"
"Yeah, well… she got pretty down about it and she overdosed"
"What? When?"
"I don't know… sometime this week… that was why Kirsty was heading home"
"I've got to be there for her"
"Is that such a good idea?"
"What do you mean?"
"After everything… they will know someone told you"
"She's my wife! I have a right to be there… besides, my family need my support right now"
Rhys makes to leave
"What am I meant to do?"
"Try and find Kirsty - you've got my number… call me if there's any news"
"Should I call the police?"
Rhys pondered the question.
"If she doesn't turn up today then call the police"
Kane nods as he leaves, feeling suddenly helpless. He didn't have a clue where to start. The police were already on the lookout for Kirsty. They already knew she was missing from home. If there had been an accident the police would have contacted the family so that ruled an accident out. He couldn't help but feel it was something more sinister. His background made anything possible.
……………………………
CARAVAN PARK
Rhys enters through the door and Dani looked, stunned, at her father, a mixture of relief and anger flooding over her face.
"Dad?! Where have you been?"
"That's not important - your Mum… is she alright?"
"She's still in hospital. No thanks to you… Jade's over there now with Max"
Her voice was hostile. She sounded uncaring. It wasn't that she didn't care. She was just fed up of trying to hold the fort alone. The family had become reliant on her. She knew she had been neglecting her reignited relationship with Josh. She knew Josh hadn't been happy. Far from it. Strangely he had blamed it on Kane. She had asked him why and he had clammed up. As if there was something he was keeping from her. She had got that feeling from the whole family for weeks as well.
Rhys looked apologetic. He didn't know what to say to smooth over the rift.
"I never meant for this to happen Dan"
"Well it did, and is your fault. You should have seen Mum when she found out about your affair with Angie - "
Rhys cut in determinedly.
"- It wasn't an affair"
"Then what was it?!"
Dani was getting more frustrated. Over the past weeks she had started to see her father in a new light.
"A one night stand"
"So why are you paying her money?"
Dani pronounced the word 'her' with disgust. She'd heard bits and pieces about Angie Russell from her mother, before things had completely fallen apart. Before Shelley had completely fallen apart. She was an old flame of Rhys' from high school.
"Because… because I have a son alright?"
Rhys blurted it out. There was no use hiding it. It would come out sometime. He had no intention of losing his son. Granted, he'd only met Dylan a few times, but he had always wanted a son. When Angie first contacted him he had been distressed. He had panicked. But after he had adjusted he accepted his responsibilities. After all, he had always wanted a son. He had never kept that a secret.
"This just gets better!"
Dani walks across the room, unable to look at her father.
"I'm here now… we'll get through this… as a family"
"It's too late for that, Dad… by the way, Kirsty's still missing - that's if you still care"
Dani spoke scornfully. Rhys knew he had made a mistake in not asking about Kirsty sooner. If Dani hadn't been so angry she may have realised that he knew something he was keeping back. His whole life was going wrong. He just hoped Kane would call soon to put his mind at ease about Kirsty. That she was alright after all. One less thing to worry about.
"Of course I care… I'll just put my bag upstairs and then I'll go and see your mother"
"No!"
Rhys turned and looked at Dani in confusion.
"No what?"
"Stay in a caravan"
Rhys looks at her serious face and nods reluctantly. Dani wasn't going to let him back into the house. It would only make things worse. Especially with her Mum.
"And I don't think Mum's in any state to see you… doctors have got her drugged up to the eyeballs with antidepressants… it's like she doesn't even know you're there"
Dani was teary now. It had broken her to see her mother like that. It was as if she was another person. She had used to be so strong. So independent. But recent events had all been too much for her. Kirsty and Rhys had left, they had little money and the discovery about Angie had only hit her when she was down. She hadn't been able to cope. Dani had been forced to watch her mother drive herself into depression. She had rejected Flynn's counselling attempts. Sometimes she would refuse to speak to anyone. Spent days on end in bed.
"Dan…"
Dani turns away from him, ashamed of her tears. Knowing she had to be the strong one now. She had to hold everything together. Sort everything out as best she could.
"Just go Dad"
Rhys looks downwards, shamefully, and walks outwards. Dani raises her voice after him.
"Van five's free"
……………………………
B+B
Kane parks outside the B+B. He had driven to the cab office but none of the employees seemed to recognise the picture of Kirsty that Rhys had left him. There was no luck tracing her at the railway or bus depots either. It was like she'd just vanished. Locking the car, he walked up to the door. A flash car sat outside. The sort he had always dreamt of. Part of his dream lifestyle. He didn't recognise it. He knew pretty much the whole town now. There was quite a community spirit, despite them having to spin a web of lies about their own lives. No one had the money for a car like that around the area. Curious, he walked across to the car, admiring it. An object on the back seat caught his eye. A silver ring. He could swear it was his one. The ring he'd given Kirsty. He would bet his life on it.
"Get away from my car!"
He stepped back, looking up at the approaching figure in alarm. He recognised the man instantly. Sylvia's son. They paused, staring at one another for a moment, the other man suddenly looking anxious. He soon regained his bottle, looking at Kane patronisingly.
"I might have known… old habits die hard… it's got the best alarm system money can buy… wouldn't risk it if I were you"
The man strolled towards his car, shooting Kane an intimidating look. Kane refused to be shaken.
"What have you done to Kirsty"
"Who?"
"Don't lie to me - I know she was in that car"
"I gave her a lift to the station last night - she got fed up of waiting for a cab… not a crime is it?"
"It is when she never turns up at the station"
The man smiles, amused.
"You can't prove that"
"I've spoken to the station staff"
"As if they're going to recognise every passenger… but you're welcome to double check… tell you what, we'll go together"
He unlocks the car and pulls the passenger door open.
"I'm not getting into that car"
"That wouldn't be too clever Mr Phillips"
He eased his jacket slightly to one side, revealing a gun slotted into his waistband before dropping his jacket back down, glancing around to check he hadn't been seen.
Kane looked at him in alarm, before reluctantly stepping inside the car.
"That's better"
He slams the door shut and climbs into the drivers seat.
"I don't believe we've ever been introduced properly - I'm Dennis Marshall… I used to do a bit of business with your brother"
He slammed his own door shut.
Kane remembered now. Dennis had only visited the house a couple of times but he was one of the few people who had been able to scare Scott. Dennis had been some sort of drugs baron. Scott had done a bit of work for him once.
"Yeah… I remember…let me guess… he owes you money?"
Dennis smirks, pulling his set of keys from his pocket and putting one into the ignition.
"You're too smart for your own good"
"So you're risking everything for what? A few thousand dollars"
"It's not all about money… I'm not that shallow… if I wanted to punish Scott for that I wouldn't have to go to half the effort"
"Then what?"
Dennis frowned at Kane's curiosity. For a moment, Kane thought he had made a mistake by asking too many questions.
"It's personal… I'm seeing someone… Jackie West?"
"Josh West's mother… right?"
Part of it him was relieved. Josh wasn't dangerous. He was a lot of things. Arrogant. Obnoxious. Driven by money. But he wasn't the tough type. The punch outside the surf club had told him that much.
"Very clever… and Josh isn't too happy with you right now"
Kane shook his head. Nothing he didn't already know. But he was already consumed with a new sort of resentment towards Josh.
"I never thought someone with your cash would be desperate enough to date a woman double your age"
Kane thought he might have overstepped the mark but Dennis seemed unmoved. Patronising.
"It's about having contacts Kane… surely you know that… me and Josh made a little deal"
He started the car engine, pressing a button to lock all of the doors. Kane glanced at him, trying to appear confident. Undisturbed. Dennis smirked across at him.
"Wouldn't want you falling out, would we? We're going to go on a little ride."
"What's going on?"
Kane cleared his throat. The Sutherland's were going to kill him.
"Kirsty left yesterday evening - are you sure she isn't there because if she's just avoiding me…"
"No, Kane she's not"
"Then why was she going home in the first place?"
"It's Mum - she's in hospital… um, she's depressed - it's all the stuff with dad and she found out he was having an affair with this Angie Russell… and well… she took an overdose and we're not really coping… Kirsty said she'd come back to help out"
Jade blurted all the information out shakily, not really taking in who she was talking to.
"Oh… right. Look, if Kirsty shows up there call me, ok?"
He was trying to sound controlled but he was panicking. He knew something must have happened.
"Where is she Kane?"
"If I knew that I wouldn't be on the phone to you right now, would I?"
A long silence.
"Look… yeah… I'll call you if she arrives here… I need your number"
Kane recites his mobile number down the phone and Jade scribbles it onto a pad of paper. Both sides hang up. Kane turns to Rhys.
"She's not there is she?"
Kane shakes his head nervously. Rhys glares at him.
"So now what? My daughter has vanished off the face of the earth and we haven't got a clue how to contact her"
He was agitated. That much was obvious. Kane kept guiltily quiet. He couldn't help but blame himself. If he hadn't stayed after work for a few dreinks he'd have been there when she left. He could have given her a lift back to Summer Bay. But it was all down to the argument.
"She was definitely heading home?"
"Yeah… there's been some stuff happening… with Shelley"
"What do you mean 'stuff'?"
"Well, she found out about your affair - "
"I told you, it wasn't an affair"
"Yeah, well… she got pretty down about it and she overdosed"
"What? When?"
"I don't know… sometime this week… that was why Kirsty was heading home"
"I've got to be there for her"
"Is that such a good idea?"
"What do you mean?"
"After everything… they will know someone told you"
"She's my wife! I have a right to be there… besides, my family need my support right now"
Rhys makes to leave
"What am I meant to do?"
"Try and find Kirsty - you've got my number… call me if there's any news"
"Should I call the police?"
Rhys pondered the question.
"If she doesn't turn up today then call the police"
Kane nods as he leaves, feeling suddenly helpless. He didn't have a clue where to start. The police were already on the lookout for Kirsty. They already knew she was missing from home. If there had been an accident the police would have contacted the family so that ruled an accident out. He couldn't help but feel it was something more sinister. His background made anything possible.
……………………………
CARAVAN PARK
Rhys enters through the door and Dani looked, stunned, at her father, a mixture of relief and anger flooding over her face.
"Dad?! Where have you been?"
"That's not important - your Mum… is she alright?"
"She's still in hospital. No thanks to you… Jade's over there now with Max"
Her voice was hostile. She sounded uncaring. It wasn't that she didn't care. She was just fed up of trying to hold the fort alone. The family had become reliant on her. She knew she had been neglecting her reignited relationship with Josh. She knew Josh hadn't been happy. Far from it. Strangely he had blamed it on Kane. She had asked him why and he had clammed up. As if there was something he was keeping from her. She had got that feeling from the whole family for weeks as well.
Rhys looked apologetic. He didn't know what to say to smooth over the rift.
"I never meant for this to happen Dan"
"Well it did, and is your fault. You should have seen Mum when she found out about your affair with Angie - "
Rhys cut in determinedly.
"- It wasn't an affair"
"Then what was it?!"
Dani was getting more frustrated. Over the past weeks she had started to see her father in a new light.
"A one night stand"
"So why are you paying her money?"
Dani pronounced the word 'her' with disgust. She'd heard bits and pieces about Angie Russell from her mother, before things had completely fallen apart. Before Shelley had completely fallen apart. She was an old flame of Rhys' from high school.
"Because… because I have a son alright?"
Rhys blurted it out. There was no use hiding it. It would come out sometime. He had no intention of losing his son. Granted, he'd only met Dylan a few times, but he had always wanted a son. When Angie first contacted him he had been distressed. He had panicked. But after he had adjusted he accepted his responsibilities. After all, he had always wanted a son. He had never kept that a secret.
"This just gets better!"
Dani walks across the room, unable to look at her father.
"I'm here now… we'll get through this… as a family"
"It's too late for that, Dad… by the way, Kirsty's still missing - that's if you still care"
Dani spoke scornfully. Rhys knew he had made a mistake in not asking about Kirsty sooner. If Dani hadn't been so angry she may have realised that he knew something he was keeping back. His whole life was going wrong. He just hoped Kane would call soon to put his mind at ease about Kirsty. That she was alright after all. One less thing to worry about.
"Of course I care… I'll just put my bag upstairs and then I'll go and see your mother"
"No!"
Rhys turned and looked at Dani in confusion.
"No what?"
"Stay in a caravan"
Rhys looks at her serious face and nods reluctantly. Dani wasn't going to let him back into the house. It would only make things worse. Especially with her Mum.
"And I don't think Mum's in any state to see you… doctors have got her drugged up to the eyeballs with antidepressants… it's like she doesn't even know you're there"
Dani was teary now. It had broken her to see her mother like that. It was as if she was another person. She had used to be so strong. So independent. But recent events had all been too much for her. Kirsty and Rhys had left, they had little money and the discovery about Angie had only hit her when she was down. She hadn't been able to cope. Dani had been forced to watch her mother drive herself into depression. She had rejected Flynn's counselling attempts. Sometimes she would refuse to speak to anyone. Spent days on end in bed.
"Dan…"
Dani turns away from him, ashamed of her tears. Knowing she had to be the strong one now. She had to hold everything together. Sort everything out as best she could.
"Just go Dad"
Rhys looks downwards, shamefully, and walks outwards. Dani raises her voice after him.
"Van five's free"
……………………………
B+B
Kane parks outside the B+B. He had driven to the cab office but none of the employees seemed to recognise the picture of Kirsty that Rhys had left him. There was no luck tracing her at the railway or bus depots either. It was like she'd just vanished. Locking the car, he walked up to the door. A flash car sat outside. The sort he had always dreamt of. Part of his dream lifestyle. He didn't recognise it. He knew pretty much the whole town now. There was quite a community spirit, despite them having to spin a web of lies about their own lives. No one had the money for a car like that around the area. Curious, he walked across to the car, admiring it. An object on the back seat caught his eye. A silver ring. He could swear it was his one. The ring he'd given Kirsty. He would bet his life on it.
"Get away from my car!"
He stepped back, looking up at the approaching figure in alarm. He recognised the man instantly. Sylvia's son. They paused, staring at one another for a moment, the other man suddenly looking anxious. He soon regained his bottle, looking at Kane patronisingly.
"I might have known… old habits die hard… it's got the best alarm system money can buy… wouldn't risk it if I were you"
The man strolled towards his car, shooting Kane an intimidating look. Kane refused to be shaken.
"What have you done to Kirsty"
"Who?"
"Don't lie to me - I know she was in that car"
"I gave her a lift to the station last night - she got fed up of waiting for a cab… not a crime is it?"
"It is when she never turns up at the station"
The man smiles, amused.
"You can't prove that"
"I've spoken to the station staff"
"As if they're going to recognise every passenger… but you're welcome to double check… tell you what, we'll go together"
He unlocks the car and pulls the passenger door open.
"I'm not getting into that car"
"That wouldn't be too clever Mr Phillips"
He eased his jacket slightly to one side, revealing a gun slotted into his waistband before dropping his jacket back down, glancing around to check he hadn't been seen.
Kane looked at him in alarm, before reluctantly stepping inside the car.
"That's better"
He slams the door shut and climbs into the drivers seat.
"I don't believe we've ever been introduced properly - I'm Dennis Marshall… I used to do a bit of business with your brother"
He slammed his own door shut.
Kane remembered now. Dennis had only visited the house a couple of times but he was one of the few people who had been able to scare Scott. Dennis had been some sort of drugs baron. Scott had done a bit of work for him once.
"Yeah… I remember…let me guess… he owes you money?"
Dennis smirks, pulling his set of keys from his pocket and putting one into the ignition.
"You're too smart for your own good"
"So you're risking everything for what? A few thousand dollars"
"It's not all about money… I'm not that shallow… if I wanted to punish Scott for that I wouldn't have to go to half the effort"
"Then what?"
Dennis frowned at Kane's curiosity. For a moment, Kane thought he had made a mistake by asking too many questions.
"It's personal… I'm seeing someone… Jackie West?"
"Josh West's mother… right?"
Part of it him was relieved. Josh wasn't dangerous. He was a lot of things. Arrogant. Obnoxious. Driven by money. But he wasn't the tough type. The punch outside the surf club had told him that much.
"Very clever… and Josh isn't too happy with you right now"
Kane shook his head. Nothing he didn't already know. But he was already consumed with a new sort of resentment towards Josh.
"I never thought someone with your cash would be desperate enough to date a woman double your age"
Kane thought he might have overstepped the mark but Dennis seemed unmoved. Patronising.
"It's about having contacts Kane… surely you know that… me and Josh made a little deal"
He started the car engine, pressing a button to lock all of the doors. Kane glanced at him, trying to appear confident. Undisturbed. Dennis smirked across at him.
"Wouldn't want you falling out, would we? We're going to go on a little ride."
