by Grace York
Hazel brought Rick's tea to the table. She lifted one eyebrow at Addison, and Addison gave her a tiny nod in return. Everything's okay, it said. For now.
Rick poured the tea into the cup and added milk. He took a sip, and it was all Addison could do to stop herself knocking it out of his hands. He was too smug.
"You've stopped drinking?" Layla asked. Addison sensed a tiny sliver of hope in her voice. Oh no.
"Yes. I wasn't a nice person when I was drinking. I wasn't a good husband. I want to be a good husband, Layla. Like when we were first married.
"I've got a job lined up in Brisbane. You could come with me. We'll start again. It'll be different, babe. I promise. I've learnt my lesson."
Addison stared at Layla, and realised she was actually considering taking him back. Addison couldn't let that happen.
"How can you even be thinking about this?" Addison asked Layla. "You know he killed Jenna."
"I did not!" Rick's chair slid back, and for a moment Addison thought he was going to raise a hand to her. But he caught himself and settled down again. "I didn't touch Jenna. I hadn't seen her for five years. I didn't even know she was here."
"Rubbish," said Addison. She couldn't stop herself now. "You killed Jenna to get her out of the way, and you burnt Layla's gallery to the ground so she'd have nothing left. You destroyed her life, and now you swoop in here and offer her a new life to replace it. It's obvious. You killed Jenna. You must have."
"So call the police and report me then," said Rick. "You'll see how far your accusation gets." He turned his attention back to Layla. "I didn't do it, babe. I'd never do anything like that. I'd never hurt you."
Layla shook her head at that. "You hurt me for years, Rick. How do I know Addison isn't right? How do I know you didn't kill my sister?"
"Because I was in Brisbane when she died and that fire was lit. I was reporting to the police station as part of my parole. Check with them. I couldn't have been here. I didn't do it."
He tried to take Layla's hand, but she pulled it out of his reach. "I'm sorry, babe. I know I hurt you in the past. A lot. I'll never be able to take that back. I wish I could. But I can promise you I'll never hurt you in the future. Come with me, let me show you."
Layla wrung her hands together. She looked all around the café, to Hazel, to the other customers eating their lunches and drinking their coffee. She looked at everyone but Addison. Oh my goodness, thought Addison. She's actually considering this.
"At least wait until we've checked with Wilcox," Addison pleaded. "You don't know whether he's lying or not. He's lied his whole life." Okay, so Addison hadn't known Rick his whole life, but she still felt confident calling him a liar. She'd met enough of his type.
Layla shook her head. "I don't need to wait for anything." She picked up her teaspoon and started turning it over and over on the table. She stared at it for a long time. At least it felt like a long time for Addison. She couldn't believe it. Layla was going to go back to her abusive, no-good husband. The man who'd put her in the hospital. The man who she'd said she never wanted to see again.
"So you'll come?" Rick asked, glancing nervously between Layla and Addison.
Layla finally dropped the teaspoon and focused on Rick. "I hope you mean everything you just said. I hope you've stopped drinking. I hope you've got a job to go to in Brisbane. I really do. But I'm not going with you."
Addison's sigh of relief was audible. She put a hand over her mouth and stared at Layla. Thank goodness.
"I don't understand," said Rick. "I'm finally becoming the man you wanted me to be. Don't you see that?"
"It's too late, Rick. You needed to be that man years ago. Not now. I truly hope you've turned your life around. But you can't be a part of my life anymore. I've moved on. My life is here, in Getaway Bay."
"Then I could stay," Rick said. "I could find a job here. I'm sure we could work it out with the parole board—"
"No," said Layla. Her voice was firm. Addison was proud of her. "My life is here, not yours. You need to make a fresh start. In Brisbane, or wherever you might end up. But not here."
Addison thought Rick might burst into tears. Maybe he had really changed.
"You're sure?" he asked, shoulders slumped.
"I'm sure. A small part of me still loves you, Rick. Despite everything. I want you to do well, I really do. But I don't want you in my life anymore."
Rick nodded, and pushed his tea cup and saucer away. He took a deep breath, and stood. "So this is goodbye, then."
Layla stood and embraced him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then stood back. "Goodbye, Rick."
He did cry then. "Goodbye, Layla." He fished in his pocket and left a five dollar note on the table for his tea. "Take care."
"Are you all right?" Addison asked once Rick had gone.
Layla nodded. "Yes. To be honest, I'm relieved he came here. It's given me a chance to put our marriage behind me once and for all."
Addison went and paid Hazel for their lunch and drinks, and then they walked to the car. "You really think he'll just go?"
"I do," said Layla. "I believe him when he says he's changed. He does seem different."
Addison unlocked the Rav 4 and they climbed in.
"You know," said Layla once they were on the road, "I was really dreading seeing him again. Even with him in prison, I knew he would one day get out. And I knew he'd find me. I guess even though I'd moved on and built my new life, he was always in the back of my mind."
"And now?" Addison asked.
"Now I think I can finally get him out of my head. I can rebuild my life. Again. And it's good to know he wasn't responsible for destroying it this time."
Addison shook her head as she remembered his alibi. "I was sure it had been him," she said as she turned onto Seaview Drive.
"I'm glad it wasn't," said Layla.
Addison parked the car in front of the beach house and switched off the ignition. "So that's both Ed and Rick ruled out," she said, as she saw Olivia come out onto the verandah to greet them. "Who does that leave?"
Layla nodded towards the man who appeared behind Olivia.
Jason.
25
"How did it go?" Olivia asked as Addison and Layla approached the house.
"As good as I could have hoped," Layla answered. "I don't think he'll be back."
Layla went inside and headed straight up to her room, leaving Addison with Olivia and Jason. She gave them a brief rundown of what had occurred at the lunch, as well as her meeting with Wilcox.
"So Ed's in the clear as well then," said Olivia as the three of them settled in the kitchen.
"It would seem so." Addison turned to Jason. "Did I ask you to come over today? I don't remember."
"No. But I wasn't sure what the situation was with Rick, and I wasn't doing anything, so…"
"Thanks," said Addison. He might be on Wilcox's watch list, but Addison felt no threat from Jason. He was an open book. If he'd murdered Jenna and burnt down Layla's home there was no way he could act so normal around them.
She opened the pantry and started collecting ingredients, and before she knew it a batch of Anzac biscuits was underway. Jason and Olivia watched on – Jason with interest; Olivia, by the look on her face, was just hungry.
"I've never had Anzac biscuits before," Jason confessed.
"Really?" Olivia looked at him as if he had two heads. "Mum makes them all the time, not just around Anzac Day. They're awesome."
Addison smiled at her daughter's compliment. "You'd better stick around, Jason. These won't take long. Olivia, get that coffee machine going. I think I need another one after today."
They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting over coffee and biscuits, then Jason left and Addison made a start on the chicken casserole she'd planned to cook for dinner. By the time it was in the oven she realised she'd spent a good part of the afternoon in the kitchen, and there was no place she'd rather be.
Olivia had taken Charlie for a walk and Layla
was still up in her room, which gave Addison a chance to sit down with her thoughts and her notebook. If Rick hadn't killed Jenna, and it wasn't Ed either, then who was it? The thought of a murderer remaining in the community was unsettling to say the least.
Addison realised Detective Wilcox had said he'd be over that afternoon. She fished his card out of her handbag and put the number into her phone. When she'd finished adding the contact, she called him.
"Detective Sergeant Wilcox," he said in a gruff voice.
"Detective Wilcox, hello, it's Addison Lake."
"Oh. Hello. I was meant to come around and see your cousin this afternoon. Time has gotten away from me."
"Well she's home now. Would you like to join us for dinner?" The invitation was out of Addison's mouth before she realised what she was doing, but she couldn't take it back. She grimaced as she waited for his response.
"Um, okay. I guess I could do that. Thank you very much. What time shall I be there?"
Addison checked the clock on the wall. It was already after five. "What about half past six?" she asked.
"Yes, I can make that. See you then." He ended the call, and Addison was left staring at her phone. She was still staring at it when Olivia and Charlie returned from their walk.
"What's up?" asked Olivia, grabbing a bottle of juice from the fridge and a glass from the cupboard. Charlie lapped up water from his bowl.
"I think I just invited Detective Wilcox over for dinner."
"You think?"
"No, I did. I invited him. Why did I do that?"
"That was going to be my question." Olivia slopped juice onto the counter and cleaned it up with the dishcloth. She took a long drink from the glass.
"I don't know. It just came out. He said he needed to come over and speak to Layla, and it's nearly dinner time, so, I guess it just seemed like the obvious thing to do."
"I thought you didn't like him?" Olivia finished her juice and put the glass in the dishwasher.
"I didn't like him because I thought he was incompetent. He's risen in my estimation since then. Still, it's odd that he accepted. I don't even know if he has any family."
"You don't know if who has any family?" asked Layla as she appeared at the bottom of the kitchen stairs.
"Detective Wilcox," said Olivia. "Mum's invited him to dinner." Olivia raised her eyebrows and smirked as she spoke.
"Oh. As far as I know he's single," said Layla. Then she turned on Addison and gripped one of her arms. "Are you interested?" she said in a voice that reminded Addison of when they were teenagers.
"No! I just… he wants to see you, so… oh, sod off, both of you. Olivia, help me peel some potatoes for dinner."
"Can I go have a shower first? Charlie and I went for a run along the beach. I'm all sweaty."
"I'll peel the potatoes," Layla offered.
"Thanks!" Olivia raced off up the stairs before Addison could protest.
"So did he say what he wants to talk to me about?" Layla asked as she fished potatoes out of the basket they kept in the bottom of the pantry.
"No. It was a brief conversation. I called him to ask about Rick's alibi, whether they'd confirmed it or not."
Layla backed out of the pantry with four good-sized potatoes in her hands. "And had they?"
"I didn't get the chance to ask. He said he'd been meaning to come and see you, and my dinner invitation just kind of blurted itself out."
"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll just wait and see then."
Layla peeled the potatoes and put them in a pot of water on the stove while Addison prepared some green beans and broccoli to go with the casserole and mash. When everything was sorted in the kitchen she took herself off upstairs to change. It had been a long day, and she could do with some freshening up.
Back downstairs Addison heard shuffling in the great room. She went in and found Detective Wilcox standing in the doorway.
"I knocked for a few minutes, but you mustn't have heard," he said. "The door was unlocked so I let myself in. Sorry."
"That's fine, come in," said Addison, adding a doorbell to her mental list of items still to be purchased for the beach house. It wouldn't do for bed and breakfast guests to be left standing outside because she couldn't hear them knock.
Wilcox thrust a bottle of white wine at Addison. "I didn't know what you were cooking, but if this doesn't go with dinner you can save it for another night."
"Thank you," said Addison, accepting the bottle of sauvignon blanc. "We're having chicken, so this will go nicely. Please, take a seat. Layla will be down in a minute."
Addison put the bottle of wine in the fridge, then sent Olivia, who was hovering in the kitchen, up to get Layla. A minute later she heard Layla come down the front staircase, which descended into the great room. Olivia appeared in the kitchen via the back staircase.
"Are we going to join them?" Olivia asked.
"No," said Addison, although she was desperate to hear what Wilcox had to say. "Not unless Layla asks us to."
Addison lit the stove to set the potatoes cooking. Before long Layla and Wilcox entered the kitchen.
"Are you all right?" Addison asked her cousin.
Layla nodded. "They've found the murder weapon. It was…" she turned to Wilcox. "Can you tell them, please?"
Wilcox cleared his throat. "The coroner determined that Jenna was struck in the head with a heavy object. The forensic team found a wrench in the remains of the fire. It matches the wound found on Jenna's skull."
"He showed me a photograph, but I'd never seen it before. I didn't have anything like that amongst my tools."
"So whoever killed Jenna brought it with them?" Addison asked.
Wilcox nodded. "That is the conclusion we've drawn," he said.
There was an awkward silence as Addison digested this information. Whoever killed Jenna had brought a big heavy wrench with them. Either they were some sort of tradesman, or they had gone there with the intent to kill.
Layla began to cry, and Addison pulled her into a hug.
"They'll find who did it soon," she said, then looked up at Wilcox. "Won't you?"
"That's my intention," said the detective.
26
Over dinner Addison asked Wilcox about Rick's alibi.
"Yes, we checked that out this afternoon. He reported to a police station in Brisbane at five o'clock on Friday afternoon. There is CCTV footage, as well as three officers who verified his appearance. There's no doubt he was in Brisbane at five pm Friday."
"Which means he couldn't have been in Getaway Bay when Jenna was murdered around six-thirty," said Addison.
"No. It's at least a two-and-a-half-hour drive, and from what we know Ramirez doesn't yet have a vehicle. He claims he caught the last bus on Friday night, which would have got him here no earlier than nine pm. Senior Constable Short is confirming that, but either way he didn't kill Jenna."
"Can we not talk about this anymore?" said Layla. "I'm sure you're doing your best, Detective. I just… I'd really like to stop thinking about it all for now, if that's okay."
"Of course," said Addison. Wilcox and Olivia both nodded their agreement.
There was a moment's tense silence while everyone tried to think of something else to say, then Olivia spoke.
"Detective Wilcox, Mum says you moved here from Sydney like us. Do you have any family in Getaway Bay?"
Wilcox rested his knife and fork on the edges of his plate. "No. My wife passed away ten years ago. We didn't have any children."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Addison. "Ten years ago, you must have still been young."
"I was forty-six. I know, I was young enough to remarry, but I never wanted to. Beth was the love of my life."
"I know how you feel," said Addison.
"I came here because I requested a transfer out of the city. There was nothing available in New South Wales at the time, so I accepted an interstate transfer. This was the first available one."
"So you've been here ten years?" asked Olivia.
"Yes. I like the quiet. And the water. I do some fishing from time to time."
The rest of the meal passed with small talk, and Addison found herself liking the detective more and more. He was certainly becoming more like a real person to her rather than the authority figure she'd seen him as up until now.
When they'd finished eating Layla excused herself and went up to her room. She'd barely said a word at dinner, and Addison was worried about her. She asked Wilcox if there was anything else he'd spoken to her about earlier, besides the murder weapon.
"No," he replied.
"Okay. It's just – I thought she was improving. She'd started eating better, and then this afternoon she got Rick out of her hair for good. Things were looking up. And now… she hardly touched her dinner. And she was very quiet."
"Grief comes in waves, Addison. You and I both know that. I expect that's all it is. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
They stepped out onto the verandah and he closed the front door. "I still haven't completely ruled her out," he said in a low voice.
"For Jenna's murder? You can't still think—"
"I have my doubts, definitely. But Short thinks there's a possibility. She's been researching ways to set a fire and have it delay taking hold. It's not out of the question."
"It is most certainly out of the question," Addison countered. "It wasn't Layla. I was there. She couldn't possibly have run back into the house to get her purse, killed Jenna, set some sort of elaborate fire plan into motion, and then come out to the car all happy and natural. It just isn't possible. Layla is one of the nicest people I know."
Wilcox walked down the stairs towards his car, and Addison followed.
"I think you're right," he said.
"I know I'm right. So who else have you got?" Addison asked.
"As suspects? You know I can't discuss that with you."
Addison ignored him. "Are you looking at Jason?"
"Jason Sadler? He said he told you he went to the gallery that night to talk to Jenna."
"Yes. I sent him to you as soon as he told me that. It's possible he was outside knocking on the door when the killer was inside with Jenna."