Arthur had been keeping it all out the back of the antiques shop – doing nothing with it for the thirty odd years. And then when Wally took over, he probably didn’t appreciate what the records were, or understand the value of what they had.

‘All of your records were still in Mulberry Bay, right in your backyard, since you sold them. Can you believe it?’

Ned closed his eyes as if he was saying a silent prayer. Penny wondered if he was thinking of Anna at that moment.

‘Dad?’ she asked. ‘Are you OK?’

He nodded. ‘I thought for years – wondered for years – where they all ended up. I thought that the entire collection must surely had been broken up and sold. Scattered to the wind. Lost to other people. Who would have thought—’ His voice broke a little and he looked out the window.

‘I can’t believe it either,’ Penny said delighted. ‘I’m so happy. I’m so happy for you.’

Ned looked worried. ‘But you spent so much money on the ones we have so far. Not to mention wasted a lot of time.’

As always her dad was expert at stating the obvious, but Penny had already thought some of that through. They could sell the records acquired thus far – and if Elle was successful at the bank, the extra money would go towards the hotel. She wondered then, though, how much Wally Ryan would want for the collection – no doubt he would want to make a profit, so she guessed she still had some more cash to shell out in order to finish this quest. Still, it would be worth it, and maybe Wally might agree to a payment plan of sorts. She didn’t think her friend would shaft them too much, especially seeing as he hadn’t placed any value on them in the first place.

‘Dad, don’t worry about that. You and Mum took care of me my entire life, helped me if ever I was struggling, always made sure I had everything that I needed and wanted. And I appreciate that. And even though we now know the search was pointless, I think it taught me a lot about . . . things. About you and Mum, about your relationship and about what you went through with this place,’ she said earnestly. ‘And I enjoyed our time on the road together. It made me feel . . . closer to you.’

Somewhere in the distance a phone was ringing, and she cursed the timing, guessing it was Colin again, wondering why it was taking them so long to get there. Or perhaps Wally wanted to close up for an early lunch? Either way, Penny wasn’t rushing anywhere, not when she and her father were sharing a moment.