You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll (best fiction novels .TXT) 📕

‘How’s everything back there?’ Kaz calls from the front of the vehicle.

‘All good,’ Megan replies, giving Hannah a reassuring smile.

‘Mum and Dad are going to kill me,’ she croaks miserably.

Megan spots some more vomit on her top, scrubs at it. ‘Just tell them the truth. You drank too much. You misjudged the effect it would have. We all make mistakes. I know I have.’

63

JESS

Jess helps Alex with the baby carrier while Lucy watches wide-eyed from her car seat.

‘There, I think that’s how it goes.’ Jess double checks each strap before lifting Lucy in, facing her towards Alex’s chest. The baby grins and kicks her legs. She can hold her head up now, and is very interested in the world around her. ‘You like it in there, do you? Ready for a nice walk in the bush?’

Natasha and Oliver are at a wedding today, and Jess and Alex are babysitting. Jess grabs the baby backpack (containing nappies, baby wipes, a pre-prepared bottle, spare clothes and a hundred other necessities) from the back seat and locks the ute.

‘Okay, missy, let’s go. You can look around for a little bit but then you’re going to have a nap. Agreed?’

Lucy gurgles and kicks her legs even more enthusiastically.

Alex glances down at her with a wry smile. ‘No chance. She looks ready to party.’

Jess gives her niece a look of mock sternness before leading the way to one of the flat, less challenging tracks in the national park. It’s Sunday lunchtime. There are a few other walkers around, who smile when they see the baby bouncing against Alex. The track is mostly in shade and the air is pure and sharp. Jess breathes it in. It’s good to be out in the fresh air, in nature. And it’s good to be able to help Natasha out. She and her sister have become close these last few weeks, and Natasha has become Alex’s advocate, singing his praises at every opportunity. Having Natasha onside has changed the family dynamic. Margaret seems less critical, Jess is less defensive, visits less strained.

The ground is hard and dry underfoot; there still hasn’t been near enough rain. Jess smiles as she walks. She is happy, content. More than anything, she is grateful. To Dylan for leaving that letter and supplying the answers she needed to forgive herself. To Billy, for winning his second fight, and for being exactly what Megan deserves in a partner. To Alex, who takes everything in life in his stride, and who is so thoughtful and caring when it matters.

‘Hey, Jess,’ he whispers from behind. ‘Think I heard a snore.’

Jess stops to check. Lucy’s head is pressed against his T-shirt. Eyelashes fan her soft cheeks. Her tiny mouth emits another sound, something between a sigh and a snore.

‘Fast asleep,’ Jess pronounces.

She and Alex share a proud grin. They can do this. They’ll make good parents one day. On Jess’s ring finger is a small solitaire, modest and discreet. Alex asked her to marry him last night. She said yes. Nobody knows yet. Except Lucy.

64

BRIDGET

Who knew that watering could be so therapeutic? Standing with a hose in one’s hand. Seeing the soil darken and puddle. Breathing in the scent of flowers and fresh air. The satisfaction of a green, well-tended garden. The unexpected joy it brings. The simplicity: water equals growth. Not many things in life are so simple or so responsive.

Bridget’s week off work extended into four. The case took an enormous toll, emotionally and physically: she was completely burnt out. She has spent the time nurturing her garden and her family, as well as processing the case and its many nuances. YOU HAD IT COMING: that ominous almost-undetected message etched into the smooth bark of the tree trunk. William Newson didn’t have it coming, at least not in Bridget’s view. He was doing his job, upholding his unwavering belief in the assumption of innocence, and the civil right to legal representation. The problem was that Thomas Malouf didn’t deserve his services, because Thomas wasn’t innocent. Did he have it coming? Possibly, but he was never convicted of his crimes and Bridget would much rather justice through the proper channels: another trial on the strength of that incriminating voice recording, a hefty prison sentence, his family finally capitulating to the law. And what about Dylan O’Shea? How did he get to the point where his sense of right and wrong was so warped that he thought the only answer – for all of them – was death? It’s a tragedy of epic proportions. Three families blown asunder. Why is it so hard for men to talk? Dylan’s parents were there and willing to listen, and yet he never said a word to alert them to the fact that he was in a dark, dangerous place. Men need to learn to talk, to share their problems. Bridget has used her time off to prise her way into Ethan’s internal life, coaxing him to chat after school and before bedtime. The phrase ‘getting blood from a stone’ applies. Cara has been the opposite, revelling in her mother’s presence at home, freely unloading her worries about the HSC exams and who to invite to the formal. This time with her children has been precious, and well overdue.

Despite being on leave, Bridget felt compelled to check in with everyone impacted by the case. Suzanne Newson said she was grateful to have resolution for the sake of her sons. Joshua was emotional on the phone, but still managed to ask a lot of questions, some of which Bridget is still seeking answers to. Emily Wickham has since resigned to take a position in a large city-centre law firm. Hayley Webster didn’t survive the internal review at the Ambulance Control Centre and lost her job. Bridget believes that Hayley didn’t know the specifics of what Dylan was planning, but she had facilitated and failed to report a serious crime, and Bridget had no choice but to