me that she’d be fine up in the big city, that she wouldn’t forget all the things I’d taught her about keeping herself safe.”
Will asked a question Matilda wouldn’t want to hear, but that had to be asked. “Would she be as wary if she ran into a man or woman she knew well?”
He saw the answer on Matilda’s bleak face; like most of those who lived in a small town, Miriama would’ve assumed she could separate the good from the bad—and it was unlikely she’d have even considered that one of her neighbors might do her harm. But Golden Cove wasn’t immune from the harsh reality that the perpetrators of violent person-to-person crimes were most often familiar with and to the victim.
When it came to sexual and other assault crimes against women, that percentage skewed even further. No one was more dangerous to a woman than a man who’d once professed to love her.
Will’s hand fisted, nausea churning in his stomach. Forcing it down before the bile could burn his throat, he put down the coffee mug and met Matilda’s apprehensive gaze. “Dominic told me he thinks Miriama was seeing someone from out of town before the two of them got together. Do you know who that was?”
“She was going out with someone, used to go to Christchurch to meet him”—deep grooves formed in Matilda’s forehead—“but she just used to laugh when I asked her about him. She said she’d tell me everything once she was sure he wouldn’t be breaking her heart.”
Secrets were never good. Will had learned that over and over again.
“I was happy for her.” Matilda’s lips curved before fracturing. “The way she smiled… I thought she’d found a man she loved so much that she didn’t want to jinx it by talking about it.” She took the coffee Will had risen and poured for her. “But then she stopped going out of town and started up with Dr. de Souza… I’m happy about that, too. I mean, a girl could do a lot worse than a doctor.”
Unvarnished emotion in her voice as she continued. “Just the other day, I was thinking my girl’s life was made—she’s going off to get the education she’s always deserved, and things are real serious with Dr. de Souza. I know it probably means she’ll end up living far away from here, because—young fella like him—he’s not going to want to stay out here forever, is he? And my Miri’s always wanted to fly.”
Dark eyes ragged with pain lifting up to meet Will’s. “Dr. de Souza asked me to sneak one of her cheap little dress rings to him. He wanted to make sure he got the size right.”
“He’s planning to ask Miriama to marry him?”
“I don’t know if he plans to do it before she leaves for the city or if he’s going to wait until after she comes back for her first break,” Matilda said, “but he’s mad in love with Miri.”
“You aren’t worried at how young she is to be thinking marriage?”
“Miriama’s never been young in the head or the heart.” Matilda’s face twisted, but she managed to hold back a fresh wave of tears. “Maybe because of how small she was when her world turned so ugly. When I think of her in that motel room with Kahurangi…” This time, she couldn’t stop the tears.
Wiping them off with the back of her hand, she took a restorative sip of coffee, then carried on. “Miri’s always liked older men. Not old enough to be her father or anything, but men who are settled in life, solid as a kauri tree against the wind. Had the worst crushes on her teachers in school, but I brought her up better than to ever do anything about it.”
Will had witnessed a much older man—midfifties or over—hit on Miriama. He’d later discovered that same man had once taught Miriama at high school. She was only nineteen and a half now. It wasn’t a stretch to think that, student or not, certain men would’ve taken advantage of her given any indication of interest.
“Other boys and men she dated,” Matilda said, “lot of them saw her as a trophy, like she was a pet, or a piece of pottery they’d bought from Sita’s fancy store. But Dr. de Souza, he loves her. I know he’ll treat her right.”
Will wondered why Dominic hadn’t mentioned his plans to propose—then again, why would the man think to do so when his girlfriend was missing? Dominic was