The Secrets We Keep

CHAPTER NINE

Hunter opened his front door to Dan Martin, who held a folder under his arm,

“Morning, Hunter, do you have a moment?”

“Sure, come on in. I was just attending to paperwork, the least enjoyable part of what I do but unfortunately, a necessary evil.”

“Tell me about it,” Dan agreed, “At least the paperwork I have to do here on Waiheke is manageable compared to other places I’ve worked.”

Hunter led him into his study, “Take a seat. Can I get you anything, tea, coffee?”

“No, but thanks for offering.”

“You’re here about the rope?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Dan’s tone had Hunter worried, and he sank into an armchair. Dan opened the folder and handed him a forensic report, then a few photos of the rope.

“What am I looking at?” he asked.

“I had to ask the same question. And it’s complicated. Essentially, there are six traces of DNA on the rope. Three of them share DNA while there is one sample that shares DNA with only one of these three and then there are two separate DNA traces.”

Hunter processed Dan’s revelation,

“The day of the incident, all five kids were there, Mason, Leo, and Izzy, then Lucas Weston and Jack Forrester. Leo would share DNA with Mason because I’m their father. Izzy would share DNA with Mason, but not Leo. If I’m understanding correctly, you’re saying the person who cut this rope shared DNA with Mason and Izzy.”

‘Yeah, that about sums it up. Told you it was complicated, which is why I wanted to come here show you, this isn’t the sort of thing you mention in passing over the phone.”

“I appreciate that, Dan.”

“Thing is, I’ve looked up the file on your late wife’s accident and subsequent death and I have to say, that’s also complicated.”

“Yeah, well Nina was complicated.” An uneasy feeling was settling over Hunter, one he didn’t want to consider because surely that was crazy. Nina died in that accident. Didn’t she?

“Were you asked to identify her remains?”

He shook his head, “No, her parents made a big deal of wanting to see her, to say goodbye.”

“Well, that’s another odd thing, Hunter. Are you squeamish by nature?”

“No. I was prepared to identify her but was told by the officer in charge that I wasn’t needed. Why?”

“Charred human remains are not a walk in the park because honestly there is not a lot to go on other than dental records. I’ve searched through the online records; no dental records were furnished and there wasn’t even a mention of a dentist.”

“If you’ve read the file, you’ll know her wallet and some other personal effects were found outside of the car, investigators thought they had exited the car on impact and obviously before it went up in flames.”

“I read that. s**t, Hunter, I don’t know what to say, other than the freaking obvious; Nina Larsen Lewis might not be dead.”

“Believe me I have a head start on you there, Dan. Nina was the most manipulative, cunning person I’ve ever encountered. I’ve since learned that she exhibited all the classic signs of a malignant narcissist. Too bad they don’t teach you about that at school.”

“Not that its any of my business, but I’m fond of Liv, my wife, Lou, looks on her as a surrogate daughter and has a close friendship with Sara and Jeff Wainwright. I don’t have to tell you how secrets get a life of their own in a small community such as ours, I wouldn’t want to see Liv end up as collateral damage here.”

“I know,” he replied, his voice breaking, because the thought of Liv having her heart ripped to shreds again was more than he could bear think about.

Dan got to his feet, “If you can arrange all of the kids to have a DNA test done, we can eliminate them.”

“Sure. Can they do that at the medical centre?”

“Yeah, just call them and get an appointment. I’ve already told them to expect your call.”

Hunter stood, pushing his hand through his hair, “If this was Nina, and lets pretend we haven’t considered the glaringly obvious, what are the chances she would have known Leo was on that swing?”

“If she was watching over a period of time, she probably realised Leo was the one who might use it the most, seeing as it’s on Liv’s property.”

“That’s one possibility, but it was risky, and we have to remember Lucas and Jack used the swing as well, before we came back to Waiheke,” again he pushed a hand through his hair, “Christ, she didn’t care who got hurt, did she?”

“Probably not and I’m not expert on personality disorders, I just deal with them in my line of work, but I think she would have gained maximum satisfaction if Leo was the one who had the accident.”

“I’m having trouble getting my head around this. I brought you the rope because I suspected it had been cut, I never imagined this to be thrown into the mix. If she knew about Leo, she had to have been on Waiheke for some time.”

“It does seem that might be the case. I asked around at the motels, the B&B places, that sort of thing, showed them her photo but nobody recognised her, although it was one her parents supplied and as you know, the population of Waiheke more than doubles between December and February. It doesn’t surprise me she wasn’t recognised.”

“You’re right. Also, there are a lot of private rental properties, aren’t there? She was so f*****g crazy she would have preferred that, and the more remote the better.” The anger rose in him, all the old feelings of frustration and insecurity she had manipulated in him boiled up. Dan turned to leave, then stopped,

“I don’t know about you, but if it were me, I’d raise this with Liv sooner rather than later.” He offered his hand and Hunter grasped it in a shake, “You don’t deserve this, Hunter, if turns out Nina is behind this. Your boy could have suffered even more serious injuries, in fact any of those kids could.”

“I know,” he rasped, “Believe me, I know.”

“Hang in there, mate. I’ll let you know if I turn up anything else. Otherwise, remain alert, ensure everything is secure at all times.”

Blake followed Dan outside and was about to wave him off when he thought of something,

“Say, Dan? You wouldn’t have a copy of the photo you showed around, would you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do, I didn’t want to show it to you in case it stirred up all that nonsense for you.” He opened the folder and plucked out the photo from behind the forensic report he’d shown him, “Here you go.”

Hunter took the photo and laughed, well it was more like a bark, he thought, “I’m not surprised she wasn’t recognised, Dan. This is not Nina.”

“Huh? It’s the photo her parents supplied to the investigation team,” he looked at the photo then back at him, “Stupid question, but you’re sure this isn’t her?”

“Totally. I have no idea who she is but it’s not Nina and if that’s not Nina, it’s unlikely those charred remains were her either.”

“Well s**t, I’ll be dammed!” Dan muttered, taking the photo from Hunter, “No idea what I should do about his which puts us in the same boat.”

Hunter watched Dan’s ute disappear down the driveway toward the road, then crossed to the cellar and winery cellar door which teemed with tourists most weekends. What an i***t, he chastised himself, most times they were left unlocked. Well, that changed right this minute, he decided as he pulled the large cellar door closed and activated the security code on the lock and the alarm system. He did the same for the retail area, if Nina was still alive and had cut that rope, next to his children, the winery was the love of his life. Or had Olivia crept in there? Stupid question, she didn’t need to creep in did she, because she was already there, had been there since his sixteenth birthday and they went on their first official date. He smiled at the memory, they were giddy with happiness and anticipation boarding the ferry for Auckland to see a movie and then back to Waiheke for fish and chips on the beach. He had never forgotten; she was the first woman he kissed, the first woman he’d made love to and the first woman to claim his heart and now he owed it to her to protect her from whatever trouble was lurking.

Olivia knew there was a problem the minute she looked up from weeding her vegetable patch and saw Hunter approaching her. His hands were pushed into his pockets, shoulders hunched so whatever it was, it was bad. He must have used the shortcut, although on this side of the house, a car could pull up and she wouldn’t hear it. As he got closer, she saw the tension on his face and when he stood next to her, she felt it in his body. But it wasn’t just tension, the angry Hunter was back, and his eyes were sad again. Olivia hated seeing him like this, because over recent weeks he had made real progress making peace with the past, being able to talk about how he felt, how he never wanted to feel that way again.

“Nice vegetable garden,” he greeted.

“Alex planned it, planted it out, I’ve just been the caretaker for the most part. Unfortunately, the weeds don’t care who created it or who the caretaker is and because I’m at work all week, they take delight in the absence of a hoe or a fork.” She got to her feet and pulled off her gardening gloves, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes as she did so, “However, judging by your expression, I don’t think you’re here to discuss vegetables.”

“I’m not.”

Olivia didn’t miss the crack in his voice, the terseness of his response, “Do you want to talk inside or down on the beach?”

“On the beach.”

They walked in silence from the grassy lawn, leading to the sand to sat on a bench seat under one of the many Pohutukawa trees that lined Cactus Bay.

“Dan Martin came to see me this morning,” he started, “He had the forensic results back from the swing rope.”

“Oh? Did they find something?”

“You could say that. They tested the strands looking for DNA, even though it was a long shot”

“But it wasn’t?”

“No. On that day all of the kids were on the swing at one time or another, five kids, but the rope had DNA from six individuals. When did the swing go up?”

“Six?” Her mind scrambled trying to make sense of what he’d just told her and before she could answer his question, “Um, the first week of January. They left on their cruise on six. He ordered the rope through the guy who owns the boatyard at Ostend and the put it up together because of the weight of the rope and Mum was worried it was too much for Dad on his own.”

“Can you remember anything else about the rope?”

God, it was just a piece of rope, wasn’t it? “It might not be important but they both needed to wear gloves because it was hard on the hands.”

“That’s important Liv, because their DNA wouldn’t have been picked up, or even if they touched it, contact was so minimal it couldn’t be detected.”

“I’m getting a bit confused and have to admit my understanding of DNA is limited, to put things in order you’re telling me the DNA traces are familial?”

“They are and don’t worry about making sense of DNA results, it’s bloody complicated. There are two matches which according to the results would suggest either half sibling or first cousin, there are two more matches which also suggest half sibling, there is also a match for three individuals who share DNA, results suggest the match is most likely a parent. Lastly there are two individuals who share no DNA and that is probably Jack and Lucas.”

The idea was preposterous, wasn’t it? Nina? And yet, three individuals who shared the same DNA, the match being that of a parent and child, could only have one outcome, couldn’t it? Nina died in a car accident, her body and that of her companion were charred beyond recognition. Placing a hand on Hunter’s arm, she said,

“Are you saying Nina cut the swing?”

He didn’t answer immediately, he didn’t have to. His body language spoke volumes and a degree of helplessness swamped her. In their tentative reset, Olivia didn’t want muscle in and take control of what had to the most dreadful revelation. She wanted to help him, support him, put her hand up and let him know he could lean on her, that she was here for him.

“I want to hit something, I’m getting my life back on an even keel, have a better relationship with my kids than ever before, I get a second chance at being a dad because I have another amazing son, I knew nothing about, the woman I was crazy for fifteen years ago is talking to me, letting me into her life and Nina is back. Like some f*****g wraith that can’t piss off and find someone else to annoy.”

“Oh, Hunter!” she lifted his hand, kissing the back of it. This was the sign she had waited for, the green light. “She can only annoy us if we let her and, for the record, it is us not you. This is not something you need to face alone because it’s not just me and Leo, you’ve bonded so tightly with Blake and Xavier, you’re almost like brothers. You have your new venture at Deans Point, and while it’s still in the planning stage, Nina can take none of those things from you.”

A weak smile crossed his handsome features, and she was relieved to see some of the sadness lift from his eyes.

He brought her hand to his lips, “Ever thought about being a counsellor or psychologist?” he murmured.

“No, as a school principal I’m more than happy to let the experts do that part of what education is nowadays. I’m not cut out for trying to find solutions to matters that have no quick fixes.”

“Yet you’ve taken me on, you undervalue yourself Liv because your patience and understanding over the last month or so has been overwhelming. I never expected you to open your arms to me the way you have, and I mean that figuratively and literally. I certainly never expected to hold you in my arms, watch you come apart when you climax, tease me, torment me.”

“I have your back. Isn’t that what friends do for one another?”

“You see us only as friends?”

“We can be friends and lovers, Hunter. We were once before. I have more than a few questions about all of this, the implications of the DNA, that sort of thing.”

He gave a short laugh, “I’m sure you do Liv, I have more than a few myself, you first”

Taking a deep breath, and still holding his hand she said, “If that wasn’t Nina’s body in that car, who the hell was it?”

“Yeah, it takes on a whole other angle, doesn’t it? Okay, scenario one is, the couple in the car weren’t Nina and her lover.” His gaze fixed on her, warmth swirling through her body. “Scenario two,” he continued, “Nina and her parents were in on the whole game, they identified her body, gave me some c**k and bull story about wanting to say goodbye before they returned to the States. But that scenario would mean acquiring a body to place in the car which seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely, although I have to say, Nina’s parents were clearly complicit, they provided the police with a photo of someone who wasn’t Nina and were so insistent on saying goodbye. Wasn’t her wallet and other items found near the car?”

“Correct and thinking about that, it would have been easy to have dropped them nearby, although I’m a bit confused as to how they could engineer a car accident at just the right place to achieve that.”

For a few moments they sat in silence, only the gentle lapping the sea as small waves caressed the sand. Further out at sea a fishing trawler was heading back towards Auckland, a flock of noisy seagulls following it.

“I think we should have a get together with the other parents, share this information. They might see the situation with different eyes, pick up things we’re missing.”

Panic flitted across Hunter’s features and Olivia squeezed his hand, “Relax, we’re going to have to tell them about DNA testing, if they all need to be retested. It makes sense to have it all out there. Nobody is going to condemn you in any way or think less of you.”

“Jesus Liv, Leo could have been sustained a brain or spinal injury, in fact it could have happened to any of those kids, and I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”

He leaned forward, head in hands and she gently stroked his back,

“Yes, Leo was injured but he was cleared of anything too serious and, if that hadn’t happened, you might not know he was yours. Although, that band of detectives had already decided they knew.”

He sat back and she leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder.

“How about you hit me with a question you have about this?”

“You sure?” he asked.

“I am.”

“Right. Hypothetically speaking, do you think Nina might still be here on Waiheke?”

“Mm, that’s a tricky one. When did you return to Waiheke?”

“About two weeks before Christmas.”

“It’s now almost May, Leo’s accident was at the start of  first term. If she has been here since last December that means six months and this is a small island, only thirty-six miles end to end, resident population of eight thousand people. Yes, it would be easy to blend in during the holiday period and weekends during the summer months, but the crowd has thinned now, being wraith-like might not be so easy.”

“Are you taking the mickey?” he asked, at last with some humour in his voice.

“Not at all. What do you think about her still being here?”

“She could have rented a place, kept a low profile although she wasn’t here that long was she? It’s not as though her family had been here forever, or that she had grown up here. Nobody would recognise her now, would they?”

Olivia sat up, “No, they wouldn’t, she could be renting a place, although she always said this was a pissy little backwater and that we’d all die of boredom.”

“Really?”

“Uh uh, she did, so if we follow that tack, she might have moved on.”

“But you don’t believe that?”

“Honestly? No. If she came here to cut that rope, I think she has stayed here, even if the threat of dying from boredom is possible. I have another question.”

“Shoot.”

“How did she know there was a rope swing? It’s on private property and I didn’t live in this house when she breezed into town that summer all those years ago. Mum and Dad’s place is near Rock Bay and I think she only came to my house once or twice. I doubt she would have remembered where it was. I inherited this house from Grandma, as you know, but Nina was never here.”

“She was only at the winery for ten minutes of our married life, so I doubt she knew about the track connecting the two properties.”

Groaning, Olivia laid her head on Hunter’s shoulder again,

“We’re making more questions every time we ask a question. It seems so far -fetched, like something you’d read in mystery novel, except it’s freaking real, to quote Leo.”

“While we’re exposing all of this to our friends, we ought to include the parents, we owe it to them, don’t we?”

“We do.”

“You know what I don’t like?” he asked, “I don’t like that she has been watching us, watching the kids.”

Olivia couldn’t argue with that because if this was Nina’s doing, it meant she had been on her property, spying on Leo and the others. It was unnerving to the say the least.

“Liv?”

“Still here, just trying to make sense of it all,”  as she spoke another thought poked at her and she sat up and turned sideways to face Hunter, “Do we accept that Nina stayed in New Zealand or did she return overseas with her parents? Because if she left, she must have had a passport in a name other than Nina Larsen or Nina Lewis because technically she’d been declared dead. What if she was never actually Nina Larsen? Do you have to provide a birth certificate when you apply to marry?”

Hunter nodded.

“What if her birth certificate was not fake, forged, bought on the dark web,” she shrugged, “Who knows. But this is beginning to look like a sophisticated operation, Hunter. If that birth certificate wasn’t authentic, it places a big question mark over your marriage.

Olivia saw a brief flare of anger in Hunter’s eyes before they softened,

“Are you saying I didn’t marry Nina Larsen?”

She shrugged, “It sounds crazy, I know, but think about it Hunter, to leave this country or to return she needed to be someone other than Nina Larsen Lewis, if that’s the case, your marriage to Nina Larsen won’t be recognised.”