‘You — the cops —’
‘Money can buy all sorts of things.’
‘Kaz?’
‘Who the hell’s Kaz? Oh, you mean that dumpy little youth worker who looks like an Indian squaw? She knew nothing. The other one, what was her name, Lisa or Eliza or something, she busted you. If you didn’t go round upsetting people so much you wouldn’t get into trouble, would you?’
She faced him squarely. ‘What the hell do you want with me? If you make me go with men I’ll bite their dicks off. You can’t make me!’
‘No, there’s a few other interesting issues to discuss. Come on.’
He dragged her through his door, along the hallway and into the kitchen.
‘You’ve interrupted my breakfast so you may as well wait till I’ve finished.’
He pushed her down onto one of the chairs.
‘Don’t move or I’ll tie you up.’
Larceny blanched. She hated to be touched, but even more she hated to be tied up. Once one of her foster fathers had roped her to a chair for hours till her arms cramped and she’d peed her pants. She couldn’t remember which one. But how did Nick Farino know she was petrified of being tied up? Or was it a lucky guess?
He reheated his coffee in the microwave, and then came back and sat opposite her, gazing at her with a curious expression.
‘Yes. You’ll make a good model. Young, fresh, virginal, yet wild as a tiger.’
‘Model?’
‘For my girlie mag. Tasteful nude shots.’
‘You can jump off a rock,’ yelled Larceny. ‘I’d rather be dead and buried than pose nude for you.’
‘I do like your spirit,’ he said. ‘Pity you’re mad.’
He was taunting her. Teasing her. With cold certainty Larceny realised that he knew something about her …
‘It must’ve come from your mother’s side,’ he said. ‘She was always too fond of dope and LSD. Maybe you were affected in the womb?’
‘What?’
‘Your mother. I knew her. Very well.’
‘You knew my mother?’
Larceny’s eyes were round in her face as she stared at the man across the table.
‘Tess De Ville.’
‘That wasn’t my mother. She was Tess Townsville.’
‘Her stepfather’s name. She was Tess De Ville.’
French! De Ville was French! Maybe that schizo Sir Harold had been right after all? Maybe she was really related to a count and a countess and was really a fabulously wealthy heiress? Maybe …
‘As I said, I knew her very well. Intimately!’
‘Oh, yeah? Prove it.’
‘And I knew your father, Danny Leyton. Sorry, your stepfather. He was a mate of mine. But he should’ve paid more attention to your mother, shouldn’t he? She liked a good time.’
‘Stepfather? Danny’s my dad!’
‘Wrong.’
He rubbed his hands together and smiled, but his eyes were hard and shrewd. ‘I’m your father!’
‘What?’
She stared at him in horror. Then she started to laugh. ‘You’re the one who’s psycho. You must’ve been choofing too much of your own wacky backy or shooting up too much whiz. You can’t be my father. I’ve already got a father. Danny.’
‘It’s the truth. I’m your father.’
‘This has got to be some sick kind of joke. All this stuff about girlie mags, posing nude and now this father thing. We’re on Hidden Camera, right?’
She jumped to her feet, whirling round the room, her red hair flying out round her face like a living flame, pulling faces, poking her tongue out and rolling her eyes up into her head.
‘Stop it.’ His voice was cuttingly cold.
‘You reckon I’m mad,’ she panted as she backed against the sliding glass door. ‘Compared to you I’m sane. You’re a total lunatic!’
‘Insanity is said to run in families. But you didn’t inherit your madness from my family, hon. The Farinos are all perfectly sane. I am perfectly sane!’
Larceny felt her skin crawl. He couldn’t be her father. How could anyone’s father want them to be a prostitute? Or pose naked for magazines? He was evil. She felt for the handle of the door. She had to get out. Scream for help.
‘You don’t believe I’m your father? Look at your skin.’
‘That’s nothing. Heaps of people have dark skin.’
‘Take your shoes off.’
‘What?’
‘Take them off.’
He was already taking off his own shoes. Numbly Larceny bent down to do what he said, her mind swirling as the grey mist started to close in, dizzying in its insidiousness.
‘See?’
He stood up and walked round to her. She stared at his bare feet, with the little toes curling up, longer than their neighbours. Her head swam.
‘We even have the same toes, dearest daughter,’ he said softly.
‘I am not your daughter. You are not my father. You are a maniac!’
She flung back the sliding glass door with a crash. He stood there chuckling softly as she backed up against the balcony railing.
‘Come near me and I’ll kill you,’ she shrieked as the voices started their chant.
‘Kill. Kill.’
She clutched her head as the anger exploded.
‘I’ll kill you!’
‘I don’t think so. You couldn’t kill your own father!’
She stared at him in terror. His eyes were so cold. Danny was a drunk, a hopelessly weak wreck of a man, but he was far better than this maniac claiming to be her father! Nick smiled. He was enjoying every moment.
‘It’s not true!’ she cried, as the mist suddenly cleared and the voices faded from her head. ‘Tell me you’re joking. It’s not true!’
‘It’s true. I’ve followed your progress out of curiosity. I never wanted a kid. Fatherhood wasn’t part of my plan, but it’s been interesting to see you fight back.’
He came towards her. He held out his hands, palms up. ‘See? We’ve even got the same shaped hands.’
She heaved herself up onto the railing. ‘Stay away from me. I’ll jump!’
‘I hear that every day,’ he smirked. ‘People owing me rent. Girls wanting to get out of the game. My game. I take care of them, don’t I? Come here, Larceny Farino. I’m going to take care of you. You won’t jump. But then you are your mother’s daughter.’
He smiled. She looked at him and saw the cruelty in his eyes. There was no escape. All the countless numbers of shrinks, pills, injections weren’t as bad as this. Her head spun, but her thoughts were chillingly clear. And sane.
‘You’re my daughter. You won’t jump, will you?’
She did.
Australia Wide:
Lifeline (24 hours)
13 1114
Kids Help Line (24 hours)
1800 551 800
Domestic Violence Hotline
1800 656 463
Child Protection & Family Crisis Service
1800 066 777
NSW
Salvo Youthline (24 hours)
(02) 9360 3000
Telefriend (24 hours)
(02) 9419 8622
Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service
(02) 9207 2888
Aboriginal Counselling Service
(02) 13 2055
VIC
Action Centre
(03) 9654 4766
QLD
Crisis Care
(07) 3235 9999
Salvo Careline
(07) 3221 1233
SA
Crisis Care Unit
131 611
Child Support Action Group (24 hours)
(08) 8341 1225
WA
Samaritans Youthline
1800 198 313
These are just a few suggestions and there are many othe
r possibilities. If you don’t find the help you need, keep asking.
* * *
Margaret Clark is best known as one of Australia’s funniest writers for humorous books such as The Big Chocolate Bar, Fat Chance, Hold My Hand-or Else! and Living With Leanne.
Her full time work in an alcohol and drug centre brought her into constant contact with homeless and at risk young people. Saddened by her experiences, she felt compelled to write Back on Track to reveal the plight of these young Australians and to set the record straight. This is how it is: what does the future hold for them?
Nowadays, Margaret is a full time writer but her concern for and understanding of today’s youth reaches a new high in Care Factor Zero.
* * *
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Care Factor Zero
9781742746890
Copyright © Margaret Clark 1997
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060
www.randomhouse.com.au
Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at www.randomhouse.com.au/offices
First published in 1997
Reprinted 1997, 2007
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Clark, M.D. (Margaret Dianne), 1943—.
Care factor zero.
ISBN 978 0 09 183304 6
ISBN 0 09 183304 3
A823.3
Cover photograph and author photograph by Reece Scannell.