Did Rohan Wayland kill Sally Parks?
He wanted to.
All his life Rohan has been ridiculed, abused and beaten. It's happening again. Sally Parks and the rest of the staff at Sykes Pathology Lab see him as the weakling he is.
At lunch times he hid...
When Harry sat back in his booth, he watched Rohan beam at Annie and wondered if his life would have been any better if he had fallen in love and married someone.
There had been one girl early on but, his studies and her father had made it all too difficult.
Then he got a job with Legal Aide and focused on defending the little people of the world until he sat more exams. Harry decided there were more guilty people on this earth than innocent ones so he worked for the prosecution for a while until the Lindy Chamberlain case hit Australia and Harry decided there were people who were tried and hung before the case even went to court, so he tried his hand at defence and decided he liked it better.
Before he knew it he was an old man who lived in a big lonely house and was due for retirement. He kept his licence but walked away from the rest and took a world holiday, which lasted two years. When he returned to Brisbane, he returned to nothing more than an empty house.
He found Ruby's on one of his aimless walks through the city and soon made friends with Sid and the others. This small group of men and the people of Ruby's Café had invigorated his life and it was Sid who convinced him to continue working a couple of days a week. He never charged but represented the little people again. Those who couldn't afford good representation but had the need.
Harry grinned at Annie, and then he caught Mal's eye and nodded. The others didn't know it but Mal and he had done business in the past. It was something they both wanted to keep secret.
*
Annie slid onto the seat opposite Rohan. "Hey."
"Hello." He grinned as he lowered his coffee cup.
"I hope the old blokes didn't give you a hard time." Annie smiled and hung her head. "They're the biggest stickybeaks I know. Worse than old women really." She lifted her head and looked across at him. "I hope you don't mind but I told them we went out last night. I didn't mean too but they heard me telling Ruby. Honestly, they were just like kids at Christmas the way they carried on once I'd said we went to see a movie together. Anyone would think they'd won the lotto. They don't mean any harm they just..."
Rohan reached across the table and squeezed Annie's lips gently together. He chuckled as he said, "Shh... it's okay, Annie. I'm not upset. It was Sid and Harry who suggested I take you to the movies. They would have asked me if I'd done it anyway."
"Oh! The old buggers." She sat up straighter and turned to glare at them but they were playing cards. "They didn't tell me that." Annie looked back at him curiously adding, "They didn't force you or anything did they? Like make some kind of bet because..."
"They didn't force me." Rohan grinned at her. "I wanted to ask but I'm not good at that kind of stuff so they gave me suggestions." He paused, and then added, "I had a nice time, Annie. I hope you did too."
She reached across the table and took hold of his hand. "I had a lovely time, Rohan. I'm sorry I cried. You need to know I can be a bit of a sook."
Rohan laughed as he nodded and said, "I'll choose a comedy next time."
"It might be safer," she said with a grin.
I wonder if Harry wished he married and had children.
And what's this about him and Mal?
Photo - istock.
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