Chapter 25

In case you’re wondering, yes, we are married as Danny and Justin Carmichael.

My Dad, Chief Superintendent Danial Mc Gee and his girlfriend Senior Detective Tanya Kumar flew down to Brisbane from Port Douglas. As far as anyone knows, they had business with Major Carmichael about Dad’s personnel (us) being killed in a shooting in Brisbane and to arrange our funerals.

We were cremated.

Justin’s mother, Jane Davis, was also invited, and unfortunately, she had to be kept in the dark. Dad, John and Tanya did a great job of looking after her. She was even invited to our wedding. I joked with Justin that his new ‘Dad’ seemed a little taken with his mother. John was currently single, and Jane was a handsome woman in her early fifties.

When we met at the wedding, Jane told me that her husband had also died in the line of duty when James was sixteen. She, too, had tried to dissuade James from joining up, but she’d had as much success stopping James as my dad had with stopping me. My dad and Jane had an instant bond.

Jane was stoical at the funeral. John had been beside her the whole time, and Dad and Tanya were also close at hand. I had wondered if John felt a little guilty about making her go through with the lie and possibly for stealing her son. But then I’d picked up an odd look or two that he gave her and suspected he was interested in her, even though the timing wasn’t quite right.

We got to try out our cover stories on Jane. She did give Justin and me several odd looks when we first met, but if she guessed at the time, she kept it to herself. She gave John and Justin several looks when they were together, and I saw her smile once with a knowing little smile. However, Dad said she played her part in public, and she didn’t ask Justin or me any awkward questions when we met.

Justin and I didn’t go to our funeral, as we both decided that it was a bit macabre. However, we did watch it. Dad turned his hat-cam on and relayed it back to me.

He wanted us to see if anyone was acting suspicious or paid unusual attention to the proceedings. He and John believed that the gang who tried to kill James and I would have a representative snooping around at the funeral.

MP Bindy Marshal was the one who surprised us the most. She acted as if we truly had died, and she put on the waterworks with a brave face. She even told a reporter, who cornered her and our friend MP Aaron Andrews that, ‘To have her two friends die in her arms was one of the worst things a soldier can endure’.

Aaron had scowled at the reporter, hugged Bindy and moved her away. Even John was impressed with her performance. She got invited to be my bridesmaid since she told John that she and Aaron knew the truth, but they would both stay quiet. So, Aaron was selected as Justin’s best man. Aaron was tickled to be in on the conspiracy.

We were married by the Army Chaplin in a small private ceremony. If Jane was suspicious of why she and the other couple were there, she didn’t ask. But her gazes at them had John explaining that they were old friends of ours and that we had served together in combat. Justin and I had a hard time keeping a straight face at his comment.

Justin probably took the whole thing harder than the rest of us. He couldn’t hug or talk to his mum, and I know that it hurt him like hell not to do so. He and his mum had been through a lot together and were as close as Dad and I were.

I did notice that when Jane went to hug him after the simple ceremony, she held him a little longer than an acquaintance should. Then I saw the wink she gave Justin and knew that she hadn’t been fooled for long, if at all. Justin’s relief was palatable, and he happily squeezed her hand.

Jane said to him, “If my James had seen your lovely bride, he would have stolen her. You are a very lucky young man to have got to her first.”

Justin grinned with delight, and I kissed Jane on the cheek and said softly, “He is.”

“I would have been very proud to have a daughter as sweet as you, dear. Do you mind if I keep in touch with you through the Major?” she asked me with a twinkle in her eyes and a naughty little smile.

“We’d love that you did. I feel as if you have become part of our family,” I told her, trying not to grin too broadly.

She glanced at John, then leaned into me and whispered, “I just might be. One never knows what adventures are around the corner.”

I had to chuckle; I really liked Justin’s mum. John had just been outmanoeuvred whether he knew it or not.

Justin looked at the Major and then his mother, “You could do worse, Mrs Davis. My dad needs a strong woman to keep him reigned in.”

“What?” John said in surprise when he heard the comment.

“I’ve decided you need to get remarried, Dad. I’ll worry about you not having me home to keep tabs on you,” Justin said as if he was the worried son.

“Why, you little whipper-snapper. What is it about weddings that every newly married couple think everyone else should be married to?” John grumbled.

“Don’t look at me,” my dad said. “I’ve already been caught. Some damn thing about honeymooning on Luna has someone all starry-eyed.”

Tanya chuckled, “Well, you are long overdue for a holiday, and things are slowing down for the summer. December would be a nice time to get away.”