Evergreen Park: Book Two 1980s

Evergreen Park

Copyright 2017 Amelia Keldan

Smashwords Edition

Cover Art Design - www.apriltwentydesigns.com

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Whilst being set in a non-fictional town, this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidences are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Prologue

Adelaide Hills – Local Police Station – Circa 1970s

Lillian Bolden checked her watch again and sighed heavily. When that garnered no response, she coughed into her hand. She had been sitting in the cold and windowless room for over an hour and desperately wished to leave. The police officer sitting opposite her was slowly sipping his coffee out of a chipped and ugly mug, seemingly in no hurry to be anywhere else.

Is this really necessary? I've answered all your questions. Twice in fact.

Feeling her temper rise but being mindful of the situation she was in, she asked politely if this was going to take much longer.

I'm going for a refill, the bored young man informed her, ignoring her question entirely. You want any?

Sure, let’s all have another round of caffeine, that's precisely what my nerves need right now.

Ignoring her obvious sarcasm and softly clicking the door shut behind him, Constable Harry Evans made his way down to speak with Sergeant Christopher Dent.

She's not budging from her story Sarge. There is no trace of gun residue on her hands, she has two eyewitnesses who say she was upstairs in the Newberry House when they all heard a gunshot and there is also her account of a blonde woman toting a gun that killed Todd Newberry. We have to let her go.

Chris Dent made a steeple out of his fingers, which he placed under his chin and stared at Harry through his eyelashes. Knowing his Sergeant well, and not being concerned by his silence, he instead waited to hear his thoughts.

She's not guilty. All evidence points to that but her statement doesn't add up. The kid claims to not have seen the woman that Lillian describes and neither the husband or wife who were inspecting the property next door saw such a person after they all ran outside.

...and Mrs Newberry? Constable Evans enquired, wondering why she had not yet been bought in for questioning. After hearing of a blonde woman on the scene, Estelle Newberry had been everybody's first choice of suspect.

She's gone AWOL. Everyone had assumed both her and her husband had fled the state after all that drama with the assault charges. Now her husband turns up dead on the McVee's front lawn. If only we could question Penny McVee, maybe then we could ascertain what the hell happened here.

Getting up from his desk, Sergeant Dent sighed and glanced at the clock.

We’ve put a KALOF out on Estelle Newberry, he told Harry. So far, no luck. I'm telling Lillian Bolden that she may go.

As both men walked out of the Sergeant's office they were both gobsmacked to see Daniel O'Malley walking into the station with none other than the object of their aforementioned conversation.

Stone the crows... Harry muttered under his breath, as his boss greeted the proprietor of O'Malley's pub. Dent ushered them both inside his office and hoped like hell that this spelt the end of the mystery surrounding the fatal shooting of Mr Todd Newberry.

Before you get all excited Sergeant, I want to let you know that Estelle is not the person you're looking for.

How do you know we are looking for somebody?

I have a CB radio at the house...I know, it's not supposed to be used for eavesdropping on police business but when we both heard you were keeping a look out for Estelle here...well...we wanted to set the record straight. Daniel looked the intimidating Sergeant in the eye.

She has an alibi...I'm her alibi.

Would you be willing to be part of a line up? Dent directed his question toward the trembling woman before him.

But I haven't done anything wrong! Estelle protested fearfully.

Then you have nothing to fear. In fact, it would clear you completely. We'd take you off our Number One suspect list.

This seemed to alarm Estelle and she turned to Daniel for support.

Who's the eyewitness and what exactly is Estelle being accused of?

You didn't hear that on your CB? Dent raised his eyebrow.

Just lay it out for us Sergeant. We're kinda in the dark here. We know it has to do with a shooting?

Estelle grabbed Daniel's hand as the Sergeant opened his mouth to speak.

Penny McVee was shot today. We believe, by your husband, he informed Mrs Newberry.

Estelle gasped as her hand fluttered up to her throat.

Penny was shot? Why on earth do you think I had anything to do with that? My god, is she alive?!

She is. We do however have an eyewitness to a fatality. This witness states that a young blonde woman shot your husband. Shot him dead.

Daniel's heart beat faster as he watched Estelle digest the news.

I don't know who shot that son of a bitch but it wasn't my girlfriend. I've been with her all day. I put my head barman in charge this morning and got home around 10am. I've been with her ever since.

Your girlfriend? Harry Dent spluttered, previously unnoticed as he'd stood in the corner.

Ignoring the Constable's question, Daniel continued addressing the Sergeant.

That monster deserved to be shot. Hell, if I'd had a chance with him I'd have wrung his neck for every woman he's ever abused, including Estelle but I swear to god, we've both spent the entire day in my garden. In fact, my neighbour got an eye full this arvo whilst she was watering her back lawn - don't think she's ever seen two people go at it outdoors before.

Estelle went bright red as Daniel shared this information.

And your neighbour’s name is?

As Daniel relayed the relevant details, Estelle came to a decision.

I'll do the line up Sergeant...I'm innocent and I want this to be over with.

As we all do. Thank you Mrs Newberry.

Oh and just so you know. I don't wish to be referred to as Mrs Newberry anymore. I legally changed my name back to Estelle Mason two days ago.

Raising one eyebrow again, Sergeant Dent nodded his head.

Okay then...this way Miss Mason.

Sergeant Dent's gut told him that the woman was speaking the truth. They both were. She would pass the line up with Lillian Bolden and they'd be back to where they started. There once was a time when Christopher Dent enjoyed a good mystery. Nowadays however, it took all of his energy just mustering up the desire to care.

Chapter One

Adelaide Hills - South Australia – Circa 1980s

Thirteen year old Tildy twirled in front of the television set. She thought again about how she was almost one hundred percent sure that she was just as talented as Danielle Minogue. Singing along out loud to see if she sounded as good as the other Young Talent Time Team members, Tildy suddenly stopped as she heard a chuckle behind her. Heart pounding and cheeks burning, she whirled around to find her big sister Simone standing in the kitchen.

Just waiting for your big break, hey Tilds? Maybe Johnny Young himself will notice you jumping around the lounge room and sign you up.

Tildy, furious and embarrassed, hurled her Father's favourite couch cushion at her sister's head. How on earth did I not sense my annoying sister was here? she thought, feeling embarrassed.

Ducking and retrieving the suede pillow, Simone placed it gently onto the lounge suite.

Where are Mum and Dad?

At O'Malley's having a counter meal, Tildy answered still sulking. Tuning into her sister's good mood and deciding that she wasn't teasing her, Tildy sat on the lounge next to Simone and shared some more.

Mum's arm was aching again. She was in one of her depressed moods and didn't feel like cooking. Dad was trying to cheer her up.

Simone sighed thinking about her Mother. They'd almost lost her that day. Mr Newberry had taken his shot whilst Penny had been about to close the car boot. The bullet, shooting through a milk carton, a new cast iron skillet and then finally lodging itself inside Penny's left arm had had enough force to knock her to the ground. The surprise of the blast had caused her to faint in shock, leaving her with a limb that had needed months of physical therapy. Couple that with the therapy undertaken for the decline in her mental state and you have a woman both physically and emotionally exhausted.

What about you? You eaten?

They left me pizza money but I don't feel hungry.

Well I'm starved. C'mon, lets order a large ham and pineapple and split it. Encouraged by her sister's enthusiasm, Tildy jumped up to retrieve the menu from the buffet drawer. After her nineteenth birthday, Simone started living in a share house with two of her university friends. Joel, although twenty three years old, still officially lived with his parents. The fact that he spent most nights at either Robby's or Ella's however meant that Tildy hardly ever got to see him anymore.

So why are you here on a Saturday Night anyway? Don't you usually have plans? Tildy asked.

I could ask the same of you. Why aren't you at a sleepover or out roller-skating with your giggly friends?

Tildy frowned and played with the hem of her pink ra-ra skirt.

I don't really fit in with the group I used to hang out with anymore.

How so?

"Promise you won't tell Mum and Dad if I say why?'

Simone held out her smallest finger and grinned.

Pinky swear? I thought you were too old for that now, Tildy remarked, unsure if Simone was serious.

No one is ever too old to promise to keep a secret, Simone stated.

Gripping her sister's finger with her own, Tildy felt a rush of warmth toward Simone. Their age difference had often been tricky for Tildy. Simone had, over the years, chided her baby sister for partaking in what she considered baby-ish behaviour. Now that she was no longer a teenager however, she realised she could join in with silly childish rituals with a refreshing sense of whimsy, not shame. She'd always adored her younger sister, but for someone who was in a hurry to grow up, a little sister can sometimes seem like a drag. Now looking up at her with complete trust, Tildy decided to share her concerns.

Rachel and Lilly are into smoking marijuana.

Okay, Simone replied, unsure of how to respond. Deciding to just be honest with Tildy, she went on. Well, I guess that's no surprise. I remember the same scene going on when I was in Year Eight.

Did you used to get stoned? Tildy exclaimed in surprise.

Well...I tried it. I'm not gonna lie to you Tilds. I found that it made me feel stupid though. I would giggle for forty minutes, eat a bunch of junk food and then fall asleep. What about alcohol, do they drink?

Well, they do that too. Seems all they're interested in is drinking and getting wasted. Last weekend, they wanted to have a party over here. When I said no they called me a weirdo and have been ignoring me at school ever since.

Seeing tears fill Tildy's eyes, Simone felt a rush of anger toward the mean girls.

So you're not one of the stoner crowd. Big deal. That just means you're probably smarter than they are. Aren't there girls at school who aren't into that kind of thing that you could befriend?

Yeah but they've all been friends for years and I don't know how to just start hanging out with them.

"So at recess time, instead of trying to hang out with your usual group, why don't you grab a book and sit near the girls you do want to be friends with? Maybe they'll see you sitting alone and invite you to join them."

And if they don't?

Then you enjoy your book and try saying hello the next day. That's gotta be better than being ignored by the so-called cool crowd.

Mmm...maybe. It's worth a try I guess.

Well let me know how you go. I'm always willing to listen if you need to talk you know.

I guess so...but it's not like you're right there in the next room anymore.

You have the phone number for my house, right? Just call anytime. If I'm not there, one of the girls will take a message.

Okay... Tildy wasn't sure if she would bother but she appreciated her sister offering her support. She wasn't a fan of Simone's housemates and was quite sure that any message she left would be forgotten the moment the receiver was placed back in its cradle.

So, what movie is showing on TV tonight. I'm in the mood for a Bill Collins golden oldie, Simone declared.

Pleased that her sister seemed content to settle in for the night, Tildy ran to the front door as the bell rang. She now felt hungry after all.

Russell sat across from his quiet and unresponsive wife and wondered if Penny was at all aware of how much she had changed. Throughout all relationships, especially those with any amount of longevity, it was normal for both partners to witness a shift within their loved one. Russell knew this and often used such knowledge to console himself when he felt himself panicking at the thought that the Penny he once knew no longer existed. It's normal for people to change. Time has a way of changing us all; aging, maturing, and the experiences we go through, both good or bad can shape us in both large and subtle ways. The change in Penny however was not a natural progression but some sort of self-induced coma that somehow still allowed her to get through the motions of each day despite being in a state not unlike slumber. Cutting his steak and resisting the urge to assist Penny with her own, Russell asked her if it was cooked to her liking.

Mmm? Penny mumbled.

"I asked if