The Reef Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  THE REEF

  By

  Lois Kay

  ‘If I could write

  I’d write a book for you

  A tale of hidden treasures

  With an I.O.U.

  And a million words couldn’t say a thing

  That won’t be said in three words

  Where love’s the central theme

  If I could do anything at all

  I’d do it for you’

  (If I could – 1927

  Songwriters: Julie Frost/Matthew Samuels)

  For D.M and Oma Delft. For seeing me.

  Chapter 1

  THE NOVEMBER SKY was gray, heavy with rain that had been pouring down for days. Now and then a small ray of sunshine tried to peek through a little hole in the dense cover, but never long enough to illuminate the silver body of the airplane that was speeding through the atmosphere at a cruising altitude of almost forty-thousand feet.

  Samantha Stevens, Sam to her family and friends, sat in one of the business class seats in the front of the plane and tried to concentrate on the documents that were scrolling across the screen of her laptop. After a while she gave up. She switched off her computer, leaned back into the comfortable seat and directed her gaze outside the window. There was not much to see, except for impenetrable grayness beneath and a darkening sky above.

  A polished, friendly voice sounded behind her. “Excuse me, Miss Stevens, would you care for something to drink?”

  Sam turned her head and gazed into the pretty face of one of the flight attendants. Reflectively she returned the smile. “I’d like some tea, please.”

  The flight attendant nodded and disappeared into the small, but efficient kitchen. A few minutes later she reappeared with a small tray that held a glass of hot water, a generous choice of different teas, a slice of lemon, a variety of sugar and artificial sweeteners and a small, silver-colored jug with milk. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Sam shook her head. “No, thank you.”

  “We’ll be serving dinner in about an hour, Miss Stevens. In the meantime, if there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

  “I will, thank you.” Sam turned her attention to the small tray that was set in front of her and she picked out an individually wrapped bag of Earl Grey. She deposited the fragrant bag in the hot water and watched the liquid slowly turn color. She patiently waited a few minutes before removing the bag and adding some lemon and milk to the cup. She took a sip, enjoying the rich taste and leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. Sipping her tea, her gaze traveled to the window and the dull grayness they were flying though. Without anything interesting to capture her attention, Sam’s thoughts returned to one of the last conversations she had with her brother before her departure.

  * * *

  Two weeks earlier.

  “I know it’s been a long time, Sam, but still, I wish you weren’t going.”

  “It’s a business trip, Tom, don’t worry about it.”

  “There are people down there that, just a few years ago, pardon my French, completely fucked you up. What if—?”

  “The chance of running into any of them is so small, I’m not worried about it. Australia is huge and the Goldcoast is very crowded. They never came up there in the first place, I’ll be fine.”

  “I still don’t understand why Dad asked you to go. He should know better.”

  “I volunteered, Tom. He can’t make a trip like that anymore, not after his open-heart surgery and I know how much the resort means to him. I know that to you it was just another investment, but Mom and Dad have special ties with the country. Besides, I’ve lived there for a couple of years. I know my way around. Admit it, I’m the best man for the job.”

  “Just be careful, sis.”

  “I will, Tom, and I love you too.”

  After those words her older brother finally managed to produce a weak smile.

  “Alright, find out what’s going wrong at The Reef, have a vacation and hurry back home.”

  The familiar image of a gentle face, surrounded by long, curly ginger-colored hair and a pair of bright green eyes, made Sam’s heart skip a beat. She shook her head. “Don’t go there, Sam, it’s in the past. It’s over. It’s a memory and one day it will fade. If you let it.” Sam took another sip of tea and reached for a copy of the ‘Financial Times’. Feelings of melancholy were pushed down efficiently and expertly.

  * * *

  Hours later, somewhere over the Indian ocean, the plane was shrouded in darkness. Most passengers were dozing off underneath a thin blanket. It was quiet. The only sound was the steady roar of the huge engines carrying them high in the sky.

  Sam had transformed her seat into a bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her gaze was either fixed on the ceiling above or outside the window. The sky had turned into a velvet darkness, sprinkled with millions of stars and constellations. The water of the ocean below was just as dark and there was no telling where the earth ended and the sky began. Occasionally, a tiny little light betrayed the presence of a ship, floating on that huge body of water.

  Sam was alone with her thoughts and she couldn’t help turning her thoughts to the past. This time she didn’t try to fight it. It was too much like all the other nights she had spent, restless, sleepless, with only memories to keep her company. With a heartfelt sigh, she closed her eyes and gave her thoughts free reign.

  * * *

  Ten years ago.

  “Sam, your aunt and I have some friends who’ll come visit tonight and they might stay a few days. I know it’s unexpected. Do you mind sharing your bedroom, just in case?”

  “No, of course not, uncle Joe. Do I know them?”

  Her uncle took a seat next to her and his kind eyes studied her face. He smiled.

  “What?” Sam asked. “Do I have mud on my face again?”

  Joe shook his head. “I can’t seem to get over the fact that you and Esther look so alike.”

  Sam grinned and watched the topic of their conversation entering the garden with a huge pitcher of iced tea.

  “She and my mom are twins, Uncle Joe. That’s why.”

  He laughed and patted her knee.

  “Did you tell her, honey, about the McDonnell family?” Esther Billings set down the heavy tray.

  “Do they have a daughter my age?” Sam asked. “I mean, uncle Joe asked me if I wanted to share my bedroom, so, I’m pretty sure I’m not sharing it with a cute guy.” She winked at her uncle who shook his head and looked at his wife for help.

  “Six children.” Her aunt laughed when Sam’s eyes grew wider. “The eldest one is a girl, yes, and she’s about your age. But I don’t know if they’ll all be here. David and Joan might have left that bunch at home. Jody is old enough to mind them. I think she’s close to twenty years’ young already.”

  There was a knock at the door and Sam, who had just left the kitchen, called out to her uncle. “I’ll get it.”

  She opened the door
and stood face to face with a huge crowd of people, or so it seemed. She must have looked dumbfounded, because after a few moments of observing each other, a woman her aunt’s age started laughing.

  “I know, it’s like an invasion, but Esther said it was alright.” She had a cute, faint Scottish accent and Sam could feel herself returning the smile.

  “I’m sorry, come in, please. My uncle and aunt are on the back veranda. I’m Sam, their niece.”

  A tall, heavy set man shook her hand with a genuine smile. “I’m David, the father of this lot and this is my wife Joan.” He stepped inside the house and gestured his children to do the same.

  “I’m Matthew” A tall, skinny teenager shook Sam’s hand. He gestured to a small, red-haired boy who was standing next to him. “This is my youngest brother, Michael, he’s eight. This little girl is Fiona, but we call her ‘Red’,” he explained, ruffling her very dark, auburn hair.

  “She’s the youngest and recently started school, so beware, she wants to impress you with her reading skills.”

  Fiona flashed Sam a brilliant smile, revealing a few gaps where a few of her milk teeth used to be. Sam grinned back at the little girl, shaking her small hand.

  “This fourteen-year-old is Gerald, but we call him ‘Bird’, because he’s the only one in the family who can tame chickens.”

  “And I’ve got a magpie,” Gerald stated with obvious pride.

  “A magpie that gives me a headache.” A slender, dark-haired girl stepped around her brother and extended her hand to Sam. “Hi, I’m Lucy. Matthew here thinks he’s God’s gift to women, so we call him ‘Romeo’. Don’t let him fool you, though, he’s not the eldest, but the third one in row. He’s seventeen. I’m eighteen, and somehow he can’t seem to get over that.”

  Sam smiled into a pair of very dark-green eyes and tried not to laugh at Matthew who was looking insulted.

  “If you guys would step inside I can introduce myself so we can get this embarrassing way of presenting ‘The McDonnell clan’ out of the way.” The voice came from behind Lucy and carried a mix of amusement and exasperation. It was a very pleasant voice, Sam thought and when Lucy stepped passed her to walk into the house, Sam could see the owner. She was a young woman, a few centimeters shorter than Sam. Her hair was more red than it was blond. It was long and curly and Sam thought it was beautiful. A warm hand grasped hers and Sam’s gaze was captured by a pair of bright green eyes that reminded her of the Spring colors in her home country, when the leaves of the trees had just fully unfolded and were fresh and crisp.

  “Hi, Sam. My name is Jody and I am the ‘big sister’. My siblings can be a handful, but I can assure you they are harmless, if they’re fed on time.”

  “Well, um…my aunt expected your whole family to show up, so she made enough to feed an army,” Sam said. She lowered her head and whispered, “Do you think we’re safe?”

  Jody laughed and squeezed Sam’s hand before letting go. “Probably.”

  Sam closed the door behind her and turned around to see six pair of eyes watching her.

  Her gaze traveled to Jody. “So, what’s your nickname?”

  Before Jody could react, her siblings did it for her. “Pea.”

  “When she was little she put the green stuff everywhere, except in her mouth,” Lucy said. She grinned when her eldest sister rolled her eyes.

  “Shut up, Freckles,” Jody said, but there was no malice in her voice.

  Sam frowned. She noticed that most of the family members did have those little brown specks on their faces, but Lucy’s skin was flawless.

  She turned to Lucy. “I suppose you got your nickname by not having any?”

  Matthew was more than willing to clear up Sam’s confusion. “When she was little, not so long ago, Lucy was the only one without freckles and she couldn’t stand it. One day she got a marker and put dots all over her face. It was waterproof so it had to wear off.”

  Sam laughed. “Oh, I see.”

  * * *

  That night, Sam shared her bedroom with the three McDonnell sisters and she had a great time. Having only one brother and no cousins, she wasn’t quite used to the sisterly bantering and she thoroughly enjoyed listening to the teasing. Little Fiona was the first one to doze off, quickly followed by Lucy, leaving Sam and Jody to continue their whispered conversation.

  Jody was very curious about Sam’s land of birth and asked question after question. In turn, she told her new friend about the tiny village they lived in, up in the hills where her father had cleared an area of the forest and built their house. It was entirely self-supporting. There was no electricity. They had no television. The refrigerator ran on gas and once a week the generator would run for a couple of hours to allow Joan McDonnell and her daughters to do the laundry.

  “That’s a good thing,” Sam said. “Imagine, having to do all that by hand. That’s slavery.”

  Jody remained silent for a few moments. “Um…actually, we’ve only had the generator for a few months now.”

  Sam could hear the hesitation in her voice and she mentally slapped herself. “I’m sorry. That probably sounded harsh and I didn’t mean—”

  Jody interrupted her. “Don’t worry about it, Sam. You’re right, it did sound like slavery, but...um…you know, my dad…he’s a good person, but…a little old fashioned sometimes. He’s very black and white when it comes to what men and women are supposed to do. We all have our chores. Ours are usually indoors, you know cooking, doing the laundry, cleaning. The only outside chores we have is looking after the vegetable garden and doing the cutting.”

  “Cutting? That sounds bloodthirsty,” Sam joked.

  She could hear Jody chuckle and a small smile crossed her face.

  “Cutting the grass, with machetes,” Jody explained. “It’s too steep to use a mower.”

  They were both silent for a few moments. Sam studied patches of light that decorated the ceiling, caused by the streetlights outside. She felt very comfortable, lying in her own bed, talking to her new friend, enjoying the darkness that made things so much more intimate. “Do you like living like that? I mean, it sounds pretty rough.”

  “We lived in Brisbane before,” Jody said. “I don’t really like the city, it’s so crowded and there’s so much pollution and noise. Half the time, people don’t even know their neighbors. Where we live now everybody knows each other. Our closest neighbors live three miles down the hill, but they are there whenever we need them for something and vice versa.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Sam said. Her voice was gentle. “Do you like living like that? Isn’t it weird to hear school mates talk about TV shows and stuff like that and not have a clue what they’re talking about?”

  “I love living so close to nature.” Sam heard the wistful tone in Jody’s voice. “I usually get up early in the morning and when I look outside there are always dozens of little diamond finches scattered around outside my window, looking for bugs and worms. I love watching them before I get up. Watching them makes me happy and gives me a sense of peace. And then there are the koala’s.”

  “Koala’s?”

  “Yes, koala’s.” There was a smile in Jody’s voice. “They live around the house and sometimes they cross the road when I drive up. They’re so funny. They sit in the middle of the road and only move when they want to. And of course, we have wallaby’s and pademelons and snakes and spiders.”

  “And chickens,” Sam said, which made Jody chuckle.

  “So, I guess you do like living like that,” Sam concluded.

  “Yeah,” Jody said in a sleepy voice.

  To Sam’s ears, she still didn’t sound too convincing.

  ***

  Sam must have fallen asleep after all, because a hand touched her shoulder and a friendly voice softly called her name. “Miss Stevens, in about half an hour we will be arriving at Brisbane airport. Maybe you’d like to freshen-up a little? It’s been a long flight.”

  A bit startled, Sam returned her chair into
a sitting position. “Um...yes…of course…thank you.” Still drowsy from sleep she rubbed her eyes. When she cast a look outside the window she saw a bright blue, clear sky. Thousands of feet below, the earth was a brownish green color, with dark-green patches where Sam knew there were creeks and billabongs. Now and then, the bright sunlight was reflected off the tin roof of a homestead, shining like a tiny diamond in a sea of dry grass.

  Sam stretched, trying to get the kinks out of her back. “Ouch.” She winced, when a vertebra popped back into place. She had not planned on falling asleep. Instead, she had wanted to come up with a plan to figure out what was going on at The Reef. And where some of the money was going.

  Sam’s thoughts returned to a Tuesday morning, a few weeks earlier. Her father had called her into the office. He hadn’t been alone. Two of his accountants and the company lawyer had been present as well. In his quick, no nonsense way, Richard Stevens had shared his concerns about The Reef with his daughter. Money had disappeared and he suspected the manager was either completely unaware of what was going on or was not managing the resort as he should.

  * * *

  Two weeks earlier.

  “One of our staff down there sent me an e-mail, informing me that things seem to be wrong. I want to know what’s going on, Samantha. Somebody needs to go down there and have a look at more than just the books.”

  “But…the person who informed you, can’t he do it? Obviously, he already knows thing we don’t.”

  “It was anonymous.”

  “Anonymous? An email?”

  Bob Witman, the corporate lawyer had nodded. “It was from a Yahoo address that must have been created for just this purpose,” he said. “We even tried to trace down the IP address, but it led us to a computer at a library.” He had raked his fingers through his thick, blond hair and had looked utterly frustrated. “This person is afraid to come forward, which makes me think the problem might be bigger than we can determine from here.”

  That was when Sam had volunteered, knowing that was exactly what her father had hoped she would do.

  Within a few days, her journey to Australia had been arranged. Her secretary had booked her into “The Reef”, but she used a different name.