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.Both of youdeserve the chance to set things right: Who cares if it's a decision that drives Ruth McQueen into afrenzy?"Who indeed?file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20wa.crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt (44 of 131)11/05/2010 14:33:35 file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20way/koomera%20crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txtA day later, after a sleepless night spent trying to confront her problems, Sarah took a drive to the town'soutskirts to look at the old colonial once occupied by Molly Fairweather.The house had alwaysintrigued her-the locals claimed it was haunted-but Harriet's talk of Mad Molly and her gruesome endhad profoundly unsettled her.For reasons she didn't quite understand, she wanted to visit the place.Ithad been built in the late 1870s by a colonial architect, Robert Sinclair, part owner of Mygunyah Station,a sheep property on Wunnamurra's northwest border.The Sinclair family had lived there for some yearsuntil their eldest daughter, Estelle, a pretty blond girl of twelve, disappeared without trace afterdisobeying her parents' edict that she not ride unaccompanied in the bush.Like the McQueens' Fiona,young Estelle Sinclair had returned as a ghost.She was said to appear in the small white gazebo erectedin the front garden, visible to certain psychically deft passers-by.Just another bit of folklore, Sarahsupposed, although the substantial house, its most striking feature a tower section above the entrancehall, had an undeniably melancholy air.Collective wisdom held that the girl had been the victim ofsomeone who knew her, who'd followed her into the bush and then assaulted and murdered her.Whatever the tragic circumstances, the family had packed up and returned to Adelaide, brokenheartedand furious that a local man of low intelligence-very likely innocent-hadn't been lynched.To Sarah's surprise, the house was open-at least the front door was, as were two of the dark greenshuttered French doors giving out onto the wide veranda with its very ornate timber and wrought-irondetailing.Sarah opened the gate and shut it carefully behind her, eyes drawn irresistibly to the oldgazebo.The latticework was woven with a hectically blossoming yellow allamanda, which threatened topull it down.No sign of the ghostly Estelle.All was quiet.Too quiet.No birdsong, just this eerie air of abandonmenteven though the grounds were well maintained.Then, as she walked through the garden toward thehouse, Sarah felt a decided tug on her body and a moment after, a strange surge of vertigo.God! Whatwas that? She shook her head in an effort to clear it.It had to be all the grief shee was experiencing,along with the powerful emotions generated by Kyall.The house almost seemed to be waiting for her.She put one foot in front of the other slowly, as if shewas walking into a danger zone.Life was full of unusual expericnrrs one couldn't explain.But in thiscase, she could.There was absolutely nothing wrong with her except grief.Grief could make one moresensitive to everything.The brain did funny things, sometimes assembling all sorts of variables into.well, ghosts.Sarah mounted the flight of stone steps, looking toward the open door with its colored fanlight.Shestared at the timber boards, wondering how the taipan got access to the house.Taipans, Australia'slargest and most-feared venomous snakes, among the deadliest in the world, could be found in a varietyof places from the tropical rain forests of North Queensland and Arnhem Land and the NorthernTerritory to the arid deserts of the interior.Like most people of the town, Sarah had come close to a fewin her time.But on every occasion she'd been out in desert country, the snakes all but invisible againstthe colorations of the desert, coiled up in clumps of golden spinifex or amid rough textured rocks.As faras she knew, there had never been a fatality in the town from a taipan bite.Until Mad Molly.Sarah peered into the entrance hall with its polished timber floor, calling out, "Hello? Anyone there?"Her voice trailed off as a small, wiry woman with a lined, cheery face and hair so dry it looked like rope,emerged from a side room.She was wearing an apron that said Life Is Good and wielding a broom like aweapon.file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20wa.crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt (45 of 131)11/05/2010 14:33:35 file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20way/koomera%20crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt"Of course! Sarah!" she cried, her expression relaxing."Dr.Dempsey.So long since I've seen you.Youremember me?"Sarah moved forward, smiling in greeting."Of course I do, Tilly." Gently she touched the woman'sbroom wielding arm."How are you?""Oh, I'm getting there." Tilly pushed a cleaning rag into her pocket, looking at Sarah's face withpleasure."I work for Mrs.McQueen now.Domestic duties.I get free board and a nice wage.And you? Iwas so sorry to hear about your mother.Couldn't get to the funeral.I was working.""That's all right, Tilly.I'll miss my mother terribly.""I understand, dear." Tilly's expression was genuinely sympathetic."Can I help you in some way?""Not really." Sarah glanced around at the forlorn empty house."For some reason, I had a compulsion tosee this house again.''"Nothin' good here." Tilly swallowed, then shook her head."I wouldna come for quids, only 1 had to.Mrs.McQueen wants it kept clean and aired.The bloody place is haunted--excuse the language.I shutthe back door and it keeps opening up." There was a faint edge of panic to her matter-of-fact voice."I expect it's not quite shut, Tilly, and the breeze-""Listen, love," Tilly interrupted, looking grim."Would I lie to you? The bloody place is haunted, I tellyou, and nothin' ever rattles me.You come with me and I'll show you the back door.I'm positive I shutit
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