Evil at Echo Point

by Grace York

  Evil at Echo Point

  Grace York

  Copyright © 2019 by Grace York

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  For more information about the author, including other books in the series, please go to graceyorkauthor.com

  Cover design by James, GoOnWrite.com

  Edited by Phoenix Editing, phoenixeditingandproofreading.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Note from the Author

  1

  The loud crack made Addison jump. Isaac's protective arm falling on her shoulder made her jump even more.

  "Sorry," he said, pulling away. "I didn't mean… you looked…"

  "It's okay," said Addison, leaning in so she could be heard over the cracks and bangs. "Fireworks always make me nervous, for some reason."

  "I can understand that. They're terribly loud when you're this close." He stared back up into the sky, not making eye contact, and Addison felt bad for starting when he'd only been trying to comfort her. She just wasn't used to another man's touch, even though it was over three years now since Rob had passed away.

  "Are you coming back to the beach house with the others?" she asked, hoping the awkwardness would pass. They were at the public park at the northern end of Getaway Bay's main beach, along with the rest of the town and a significant number of tourists, watching the New Year's Eve fireworks. The local council had put on a great display, and with the warm summer weather now in full swing there was a great turn-out.

  There had been a carnival-like atmosphere at the park, with food trucks and side-show rides, culminating in the nine-o'clock fireworks display before everyone headed home to put the kids to bed and ring in the new year either at home or one of the neighbourhood street parties. Addison had invited the usual crew to the beach house, but it had been a last-minute thing and she'd not been able to get in touch with Isaac until tonight.

  "I'd love to join you all, thanks," he said. "I have a bottle of wine in the car I can bring."

  "Perfect."

  The fireworks ended with an impressive display of colour, and Addison started rounding up the troops. Or at least making sure each of them were in sight. They were all adults, but she still felt protective of her boarders. And of course there was also her daughter Olivia, home for a couple of weeks over the holiday period.

  "That was awesome!" Olivia said, returning to Addison's side. She had Max with her, a young backpacker who'd settled in Getaway Bay for the time being. He and Olivia had dated a couple of times, but with her university schedule and his likelihood to up and leave at any time, they'd decided to just be friends.

  "We do our best," said a voice from behind them. Addison turned to see Ed Mathieson standing there, a triumphant grin on his face. In addition to running the local bakery and owning a new block of holiday apartments, Ed was Getaway Bay's proud representative on the local council.

  As loath as she was to compliment Ed, knowing she'd never hear the end of it, Addison had to give credit where it was due.

  "It was an excellent show," she said. "Did it take long to plan?"

  "Oh yes," said Ed, seizing the opportunity to explain exactly how far in advance events such as these had to be planned, and all that went into such an undertaking. Out of the corner of her eye Addison saw Isaac raise his eyebrows and back away, and she did her best to stifle a giggle and pay attention to Ed.

  Ed's attention wavered after a minute or two, and as he spoke his eyes scanned the crowd.

  "Are you looking for someone in particular?" Addison asked.

  "Oh, no." Ed turned his focus back to her. "I just thought… never mind. Will you excuse me?"

  "Of course," said Addison. She didn't need to be asked twice. "Happy New Year, Ed."

  "Yes, the same to you, Mrs Lake." He bustled off with the rest of the now-dispersing crowd. Addison noticed a group of familiar faces heading off in the direction of the beach house, and she hurried to join them.

  "We were about to send in a rescue party," said Hazel, linking her arm through Addison's as they walked.

  "Oh, Ed's not so bad," Addison replied. "But I was glad to get away. He seemed distracted."

  "He always seems distracted," said Layla.

  "True," said Addison. "Are you coming straight to the beach house, or do you need to go back to the gallery first?"

  "The gallery is locked up," said Layla. "I'm all yours for the rest of the night."

  "For the rest of the year," said Adam, falling into step beside them. "Which is approximately two hours, thirty-nine minutes, and counting."

  "We'd better get a move on then," said Lenny. He and his wife, Brooke, were out in front of the little group. Hazel's husband Martin was also with them. Addison turned to see where Olivia and Max had got to. They were a few paces behind, deep in conversation but heading in the right direction. Bringing up the rear was Isaac, who'd retrieved the bottle of wine from his car and was hustling to catch up.

  When they reached the beach house, Addison and Layla went inside while the rest of the group filed through the side gate and into the backyard. The barbecue area and pizza oven Addison had wanted were finally finished, and Adam and Lenny had spent all day stringing up fairy lights to complete the picture.

  "Oh, it looks wonderful," said Layla as they entered the kitchen and peered out the window to the yard. The boarders and guests were busy getting themselves drinks from the fridge Addison had purchased for the art studio, another improvement she'd made to the beach house's backyard since she'd been there.

  Addison retrieved the plates of finger food she'd prepared earlier in the day, and they went out to join the little group. Layla was right; the outdoor space they'd created was lovely.

  Charlie and Bella raced over to greet Addison as she descended the stairs. She had to be careful not to trip over them.

  "Hello, you two!" she said, peering down, unable to pat them with the trays of food in her hands.

  "Bella! Charlie!" called Mrs Jones. Addison looked up to see her elderly neighbour making her way through the gate in the fence between their yards.

  "Hello, Mrs Jones," said Addison, once the excitement was over and the dogs had calmed down. "Were they any trouble?" Mrs Jones had not been interested in the fireworks, so she'd volunteered to stay at home and watch the dogs. Bella wasn't bothered by the loud bangs, but Charlie got anxious during both thunderstorms and fireworks.

  "Not at all," said Mrs Jones. "I kept them inside with me. Charlie whimpered and barked a little, but that was fine. He's excited to see you home, though."

  "Thank you for taking care of him. Have a seat." She waited for Mrs Jones to settle herself, then offered her the tray of food.

  "What are these?" asked Martin. He leaned over and plucked a lamb skewer from the tray.

  "
Lamb kofta. And before you ask, that's a zucchini slice and those are pizza muffins."

  "Fantastic," he replied, taking one of each. "I'm so glad you moved here, Addison. Your food is top notch!"

  Hazel gave her husband a stern look. "Her company is pretty good, too," she chided.

  "Oh, of course. I didn't mean…" Martin blustered trying to recover for a moment before Addison put him out of his misery.

  "I know what you meant, Martin. And thank you for the compliment." Addison looked around at her friends and daughter. "It's hard to believe we've been here almost a year already."

  Olivia nodded her agreement. "I can't believe my first year of uni is over. Only two to go and I'll be a criminologist." She looked at Isaac as she said that.

  "You'll make a good one, too," he said.

  Addison had been pleased to see Olivia spending some of her holiday and weekend time with Isaac. As the town's only detective, he was a wealth of knowledge and a big help to her studies.

  "Where are Jason and Kendall tonight?" Addison asked no-one in particular.

  "There's a party down at South Beach," said Max. "Most of the local surfers go there. They have a bonfire. It's on every year, apparently. Jason's a pretty good surfer, so I expect they'll be down there."

  "Didn't you get invited?" asked Addison. As she recalled, Max was a keen surfer too. South Beach was further down than Main Beach, past Echo Point and the lighthouse. Addison had only been down that far once, when Charlie got too excited chasing seagulls.

  "It's more of a local's thing," Max replied. "I'm not considered a local yet. And I wasn't that fussed, to be honest. I'd rather be here with all of you."

  "Well, we're pleased to have you," said Addison. He was sweet kid, and she wouldn't mind if he and Olivia became more than friends again, but she was set on her studies and said she didn't want the distraction of a boyfriend right now. Addison was glad of that.

  "So what are everyone's new year's resolutions?" Adam asked, helping himself to a pizza muffin.

  As the group settled down to discuss their plans for the next year, Addison instead reflected on the year she'd just had. Moving to Getaway Bay, the town of her childhood holidays, had turned out to be just what she'd needed to lift her spirits after losing Rob. He was always in her memory and her heart, of course, but she knew he'd approve of this next phase in her life.

  After a rocky start the beach house, which she now ran as a boarding house for writers and artists, had become a home, and the boarders were family.

  The group of friends brought in the new year with a few drinks and a sing-along, and after a thoroughly enjoyable evening Addison was tucked up in bed by one am. Whatever the new year had in store, she was looking forward to it.

  She didn't have to wait long. Her phone rang just before seven the next morning.

  "What's wrong?" Addison said as she answered. It was Isaac, and a call from the detective at that hour wasn't going to mean good news.

  "Have you heard from Jason by any chance?" Isaac asked. Addison didn't miss the urgency in his voice.

  "No. Why would I?"

  "I've just had a call from a surfer who was at that party last night. There's a body on the beach. And I can't get hold of Kendall."

  2

  Quite a crowd had gathered on South Beach by the time Addison, Adam, and Olivia arrived. The rest of the household had been sleeping when Isaac had called, but both Adam and Olivia were up and insisted on coming along.

  Most of the locals and tourists in Getaway Bay used Main Beach, the one closest to Addison's beach house. It was patrolled by surf lifesavers, for a start, and it was generally regarded as a safer place for swimming and paddling.

  South Beach was not regularly patrolled, and was usually the sole domain of local surfers. Visiting surfers were welcome, Jason had once told Addison, but were quickly ostracised if they weren't respectful of the area and the locals.

  South Beach was harder to get to. There was a carpark about halfway along the beach, but the best surf break was at the northern end just around the point from Main Beach. It was possible to walk between the two beaches, but it was quite rocky at the best of times. At high tide or during rough seas it was treacherous.

  Addison had driven the Rav 4 to the carpark, and they'd walked north along the beach to Echo Point, passing the remains of last night's bonfire party on the way. Judging by the array of abandoned sleeping bags and blankets, a number of people had slept on the beach near the fire but no-one was there now. They were all at the base of the cliff where the sand met the rocks.

  "We'd better keep out of the way for now," said Addison as they approached the scene. She saw Constable Ryan Diaz doing his best to cordon off the area with crime scene tape wrapped around sticks and tucked under rocks.

  "Where's the fun in that?" said Adam, making his way straight towards the rest of the onlookers.

  "Adam," Addison chastised, holding him back. "Isaac will ask for our help if he needs it. He didn't even want us to come down, remember?"

  "Then why did he call?" asked Olivia.

  "He was looking for Kendall and thought I might have heard from Jason." Ever since Isaac's call Addison had been sick with worry. All he'd said on the phone was there was a surfer's body on the beach, and he couldn't find Kendall.

  Kendall was a conscientious police officer, and as Isaac's second-in-charge, it was very unusual for her to be uncontactable.

  Addison's handyman and good friend, Jason, was a surfer.

  "I'm going to get closer," said Adam, pulling away from Addison's grasp.

  Olivia shrugged, then followed him.

  Last year, after an amount of arm-twisting, Addison and Adam had been made official police volunteers. They had helped Isaac and the team with a number of investigations, including a couple of murders. Addison had been hoping for a less gruesome start to the year, but it seemed Getaway Bay had other ideas.

  Addison stayed back, surveying the scene. The body was at the bottom of the cliff known as Echo Point, or just The Point to locals. There was a lighthouse on top of the cliff, but Addison had never visited. It was a sheer drop of almost fifty metres to the rocks at the bottom, she'd been told. There were warning signs at the top, but no fencing. Not many people went there since the lighthouse ceased being operational years ago.

  A couple of hundred metres from the lighthouse at the top of the cliff was a free camping spot popular with travelling surfers. Addison had found out about it when she was researching the area in preparation for opening the beach house as a bed and breakfast, an idea she'd abandoned early last year in favour of the boarding house plan. There were no showers at the free camp, but there was a toilet block maintained by the local council. There was also a path through the bush and down to South Beach, which came out about a hundred metres south of where Addison stood now.

  Addison turned back to the crowd. A couple of people moved apart, and she spotted the body on the rocks. It was covered with a sheet, so she couldn't see who it was. She could see Isaac, though, and as he looked up she caught his eye. He gave her a quick smile and shook his head, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she realised he was telling her it wasn't Jason under the sheet.

  So who was it?

  Constable Diaz was doing his best to keep the onlookers away from the body, but it wasn't working. Addison was surprised to see Adam come to his rescue and order people back, and even more surprised to see them taking notice of him. Between them, Diaz and Adam managed to get most of the crowd to move well away from the devastating sight of a life lost.

  Addison stood to one side of the rest of the crowd. She felt out of place, and was about to find Olivia and suggest they leave, when she caught sight of two familiar figures walking briskly along the sand from the car park in the middle of the beach.

  She'd never felt so relieved to see Jason and Kendall.

  Kendall, looking like a summer holiday in shorts and tank top instead of the police uniform Addison was used to, strode over to Isaa
c and the body. Jason came and stood with Addison.

  "I'm so pleased to see the two of you," said Addison. She couldn't help it, she gave him a hug.

  "Happy New Year to you too," said Jason, a little confused.

  "Oh, it's not that," said Addison, holding him at arm's length for a moment before letting him go. She pointed to the sheet-covered body. "It's a surfer, apparently, and we didn't know where you were." Addison started to tear up again at the thought.

  "You thought that was me under there? Oh, Addison. I'm sorry. We went back to my place early last night, before midnight. A couple of the guys at the party got into a fight, and we didn't feel like sticking around after that. Both our phones were off. We weren't expecting any early calls."

  Addison breathed another sigh of relief and felt silly for worrying at all. Jason and Kendall could take care of themselves.

  "I wonder who it is then," she said, and watched as Jason surveyed the crowd. They were mostly surfers, probably the ones who'd spent the night sleeping by the fire further down the beach.

  "I can't tell if anyone's missing," said Jason. "I expect Kendall and Isaac will let us know who it is soon enough."

  After a few more minutes Kendall and Diaz had corralled the onlookers into two groups well away from the body and were interviewing them one by one. Diaz sent one guy, shirtless and looking very hungover, to where Isaac stood guard over the body.

  "That's Ricky Maddison," said Jason. "He's one of the guys who was fighting last night."

  Isaac lifted the sheet, and Ricky took a quick look before nodding and turning away.