‘The gist of the opinions in the kitchen is: don’t mess with the Pangisars. They don’t like their staff being knocked off.’

‘Johnny and his family have influence, that’s for sure,’ said Grace. ‘Is it because they’re rich, or because they have connections, or they have a long history here?’

‘Possibly all of that,’ said Steve. ‘Seems a bit far removed from Lavender Bay and Bilgola, doesn’t it?’ He smiled.

‘I wouldn’t be so sure. Mum and Andy were reminiscing about some notorious bouncer down at the Newport Arms pub in the old days. He was pretty tough too, by the sound of it.’

Grace’s phone pinged.

‘Back to work,’ she said with a grin.

But it was a message from Lawrence. Grace went still as she read it.

I have important business in Singapore. I will call in to say goodbye to Daisy (for the moment) at 4 pm. I have instructed my solicitor that I want full custody of Daisy and that means bringing her to London when I go.

Chapter 10

10

It was that laid-back siesta time, between late lunch and the first cocktail, as Johnny described it. Even the air and the breeze seemed to be dozing – the leaves and the palm fronds were still.

Grace walked through the quiet gardens to the place she’d come to regard as her special time-out spot – a fallen stone pillar close to the site of K’tut’s hotel. She could sit there, unobserved, in the solitude of the old garden. She needed some time to herself following Lawrence’s visit the previous afternoon.

Lawrence had had a driver waiting to take him to the airport and he’d dashed in to say goodbye to Daisy, who’d just come home from school. Grace and Tina had greeted him civilly and then left the two of them alone at the chairs beside the pool.

But after only a short while, Daisy had run inside, followed by Lawrence, who stopped at the door and announced, ‘I’ve told Daisy she will be staying with me as soon as I am settled. You can make arrangements through your lawyer to visit.’

‘What? Don’t you think it would have been prudent to discuss this with me before informing our daughter, Lawrence?’ Grace said through gritted teeth. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘One quick text and you think it’s a done deal? And just where will you be settling? London, Singapore?’

A sudden flush of pure rage raced through her. It was too much. Lawrence thought he could waltz in anytime, anywhere, and do exactly as he pleased, with no thought to the consequences for anyone else. Well, she’d had enough. Without waiting for a reply, she stood up, slamming her fists on the table. ‘You’ll have to rethink your plans, Lawrence. When my work project is finished, Daisy and I will be returning to Australia.’