CHAPTER 19
Rachel first met Trixie in a brothel in Darlinghurst, Sydney. They soon became close friends and realised they shared a similar ambition: to get out of prostitution.
Trixie was the first to escape. She teamed up with one of her customers, a drug dealer called Tony Thompson. Rachel, on the other hand, studied witchcraft and moved to the North Coast, where there were plenty of covens.
They stayed in touch through letters. Then, one morning, Trixie appeared outside Rachel's shack, looking upset. She said Tony had been murdered, though she refused to say who killed him or why, and she needed somewhere to hide. Rachel agreed to let her stay.
A couple of months later, Gary Maddox turned up. After Rachel became a witch and committed herself to the Goddess, she lost interest in men. But Gary stirred something deep inside her. He was a big, attractive man who reminded her of the Horned God.
So she was very upset when he returned from the burial ritual and said he had to leave for Brisbane. He looked a little spooked, but didn't say why.
"OK," she said, feeling as if she'd just turned up the death card. "Maybe, on your way back from Brisbane, you'll call in?"
"Of course I will. Thanks for letting me stay."
He kissed her lightly on the lips, got into his car and drove off. She knew she'd never see him again.