The Candidate by Juliet Francis Read Free Book Online Page A

I’m sorry.’ Jen cleared her throat, unsure of what to say. Mac had been emphatic about the little they could disclose about his new career.
    Ginny frowned. ‘Well, do you have a number for him? I only have his old one, and it’s disconnected.’
    ‘I do, but it’s not much good, I’m afraid. Not until he’s back.’
    ‘What do you mean? Where’s he gone?’
    ‘We don’t know, Ginny,’ Jen replied gently.
    ‘What do you mean?’ Ginny repeated. ‘How can you not know?’
    Seeing Ginny’s confusion, Jen felt furious at Mac for putting her in this position. Obviously the girl cared for him and was worried. Mac’s injunction suddenly seemed callous. With a silent sorry to her stepson for breaching his trust, convincing herself she was doing this for him as much as for Ginny, she said,
    ‘Mac isn’t always particularly good at telling the whole truth, Ginny. He didn’t even tell us what he was up to.’
    ‘What do you mean? What he was up to?’
    Jen went and pulled a photo off the fridge. She handed it to Ginny. ‘He’s joined NZSAS. His ambition was much greater than we gave him credit for.’
    Ginny looked at the impromptu shot of Mac, standing casually and laughing off to one side. Sitting next to Ginny, Jen wished again that he’d been facing the camera. It would be good to see what was in his eyes that day.
    ‘This was taken soon after he was accepted, about nine months after he left that first time.’
    ‘Nine months?’ Ginny echoed. ‘It took that long? But I thought as he was already in the Reserves …’
    Jen shook her head. ‘It’s a whole other thing, Ginny, and very, very hard to get through. He was one of … six? Seven? Out of maybe fifty candidates. The first selection lasts ten days or so, and only when he’d got through that part did he tell us what he was doing. The next stage is very intense, many months of training — and an assessment in itself. This,’ she tapped the photo, ‘was taken after he got through that second stage.’
    ‘I didn’t have a clue.’ Ginny looked at Jen. ‘I thought he was just going to …’ She frowned. ‘I guess I didn’t really know what.’
    ‘Don’t give yourself a hard time about that. He’d decided not to tell any of us. He didn’t know if he’d make the cut, or how his dad would react when he found out. They go so deep into it, Ginny; there isn’t a lot of time or room for them outside of this. Mac was very clear with us: he knew it would be hard to keep up much of a life outside of NZSAS — so he didn’t try.’
    ‘He’s okay then?’
    ‘Yes, he’s great. He loves it. We don’t see much of him, but when we do — well, he seems as happy as he’s ever been.’
    ‘Right. Okay then.’
    Jen smiled in sympathy. She knew it was hard to take in.
    ‘I didn’t even know New Zealand had a … um … SAS …’ Ginny said. ‘What is it? Team? Force? Wing?’
    Jen laughed. ‘Call it whatever you like, Ginny. And you’re not alone in not knowing much. They’re a secretive bunch, we’ve learnt that much, but it has to be like that. Their identities are kept secret, as is the work they do — whatever it may be. He can’t tell us, and we don’t ask. Most of us have no concept of the world these men operate in. But they’re very good, Ginny. I can tell you that much. Among the world’s best.’
    ‘That doesn’t necessarily make me feel better.’
    Jen watched as Ginny traced a finger over Mac’s face.
    ‘He looks so happy. He’s shining with it.’
    Jen nodded.
    ‘So you don’t know where he is?’ Ginny continued. ‘When he’ll be back? Is it always like that?’
    ‘Pretty much. They often don’t know themselves until the last minute. Whether it’s just another exercise, or a real deployment. He certainly can’t give us much advance warning and, anyway, as I said, he doesn’t say much, and we don’t ask.’
    ‘So … he just leaves, and then … you don’t know when … if … he’ll be back?’
    Jen