Last Known Contact

by Phillipa Nefri Clark

  “More to the point, what are you doing here? Answer carefully, no more of your smart mouth.”

  Camera out again, Ben took shots of the shirt, crumbled on the ground.

  “My shirt.”

  “Are you identifying this as belonging to you, Dennis?”

  “Huh? Sure.”

  “Car keys.” Ben held his hand out.

  After checking every pocket, Dennis pointed at the car. “Might go home now.” He took a few steps and slowly sank onto the ground.

  Ben strode to the car and took the keys from the ignition. His own car was parked two blocks away, complete with his breathalyser.

  “How much have you had to drink?” he squatted beside Dennis, examining his eyes.

  “A glass of champagne with my lady.”

  “With Meredith Bannerman?”

  “Maybe. Why are you staring at me?”

  “Working out if you need an ambulance, Dennis. Bit more than one glass.”

  “And we had some red wine. And some white. And then, a whiskey or two.”

  “Why did you think it was a good idea to drive?”

  Dennis frowned and reached for an inside pocket.

  “Stop. Keep both hands where I can see them.” Ben checked Dennis’ pockets. Phone, wallet, a set of keys. “What’s on the phone?”

  “Had a call. Was in bed but thought it might be Jack. Miss him, you know.”

  Sure you do.

  “Wasn’t Jack.”

  “Who called?”

  “Said he was a friend. Said I had to find a bag in the bin here and it would lead to Jack.” Dennis lay on his side. “Go away.”

  Ben’s phone vibrated. “Where are you?”

  “On my way back.” Andy sounded puffed. “Apartment was wide open but empty. Just missed him, sorry.”

  “I’ll call it in. Bring your breathalyser. And the biggest evidence bag you have.”

  43

  Unrest And Distress

  Ellie’s phone rang out just as she heard it. She wrapped her wet hair in a towel and reached it as it rang again. Ben’s number. With multiple missed calls and messages.

  “You found Dad?”

  “Ellie, thank goodness. No, not yet.”

  She took the phone to the bedroom. “I was in the shower. What’s wrong?”

  “I wanted to come over to talk face to face but…something’s happened.”

  “Ben!”

  “There’s been an accident at the office. Campbell appears to have fallen down some steps—”

  “Oh my God.” She sank onto the end of the bed. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s in intensive care, Ellie. Broken arm. Lots of bruising, and a head injury.”

  Mouth suddenly dry, Ellie stared through the window. The sky was deep blue with barely a cloud. The city was waking up.

  “Ellie?”

  “I’m here. Which hospital?”

  “Royal Melbourne. I’d come and get you, but I have my hands full.”

  “I have to get dressed.” Ellie got up again.

  “Don’t go yet. You need to know something before the damned media or someone tells you.”

  What else?

  She grabbed a dress from a hanger.

  “Dennis is in custody. I arrested him early this morning.”

  The dress slipped straight through her fingers onto the floor as she stopped dead in the middle of the room. “You did what?”

  “Details later. At the moment it is only for driving under the influence. He’s sleeping it off. Once you’ve been to the hospital, I need to talk to you. Okay?”

  “You can’t come to the hospital?”

  “I would if I could. Call me once you get there and if I’m finished, I’ll meet you.”

  She scooped the dress up and straightened. “No. No, you keep looking for Dad, if that’s what you are doing.”

  “Ellie.”

  “You are still looking aren’t you?” she hung up and tossed the phone on the bed. It was only when she glanced in the mirror, she realized tears streamed down her cheeks.

  An hour later, Ellie climbed into a taxi to leave the hospital. Even Campbell’s family weren’t allowed to see him yet and they didn’t want her there.

  “He should never have been at work so late.” His wife dabbed her eyes. “There are laws about forcing people to spend so much time at their job.”

  It wasn’t worth arguing, nor the time to. For as long as Ellie could remember, Campbell had worked the same long hours as Dad. He ran his office the way he wanted, and nobody could make him go home before he was ready. Not even Ellie last night.

  She didn’t call Ben on the short trip to the office although she had a million questions. Dennis always drank a lot, but she’d never seen him drive after more than one glass. How was she supposed to spin this one to the press, let alone the staff? She ran through scenario after scenario until noticing the taxi was stationary, the driver waiting. How long had they been outside Bannerman House?

  Take me home. Or to Sea Angel. Take me away from this.

  Instead, Ellie climbed out. Thank goodness there was no media presence. Just the normal foot traffic along this busy street. She stood on the edge of the pavement, gazing around. Everyone was going about their usual business and living their lives. But hers was on hold.

  “Ellie?” Paul called from near the doors. Mark and a couple of others from the finance team were to one side, smoking.

  She pulled herself together and walked toward him, shoulders back.

  “You’ve seen Campbell?” he asked as she went past. He caught up inside. “How is he?”

  “I haven’t. Nobody is allowed in because he is terribly injured. What I need to do is speak with everyone on the executive floor, as well as the head of the teams Campbell supervises.”

  At the lift, she jabbed the button.

  “I want you there as well, Paul. There’s other news and as a company, it is important we discuss things internally before anyone else is involved.”

  “Anyone else, who?”

  The doors opened and Paul gestured for Ellie to go ahead of him. Someone called for the lift to hold but he hit the close doors button.

  “Did you just smoke?”

  “Sorry, haven’t had a chance to freshen up. Saw you as I was coming back in.”

  “It’ll kill you eventually.”

  “If someone doesn’t get me first.”

  Ellie glanced at him. He was straightening his tie in the mirrored side of the lift and met her eyes with a questioning look.

  “Who would hurt you, Paul?”

  “Nah. I’m talking from habit.” He smiled. “Wasn’t always such a model of society.”

  “Dad trusts you.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, he does.”

  The doors opened on the executive floor. Joni was at reception.

  “Would you ask all of this floor, and Campbell’s team, to come to my office in thirty minutes. And once you’ve got some support again, may I get a strong coffee?”

  Joni nodded and began making calls.

  Ellie turned to Paul. “Who found Campbell?”

  “Will. He’s in the control room.”

  “Please ask him to come and see me.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon.” Ellie didn’t wait for a response and headed to her office. It was unlocked. Last night she’d locked it before speaking to Campbell. She made a mental note to talk to the cleaners. First Campbell’s office, then hers.

  For a moment, the room was hers. A reprieve for the madness surrounding her. Once Dad was back, a few people would come under his scrutiny. Dennis and Meredith sprang to mind. Either way, she’d help him sort through it all and then maybe, in a few months, take a step back. Train someone to take over the Foundation.

  That’s if the Foundation exists in the future!

  “Mrs Connor? I made you a coffee and found a muffin. In case you’ve not eaten yet.” Mark put the cup and plate on the edge of her desk. “Is there anythi
ng else you need?”

  “Thanks, no. This will help.”

  “May I say how shocked I am to hear about Mr Boyd.”

  “Thanks. Me too.”

  Mark left, closing the door behind himself. Ellie took the coffee to the window and sipped, letting the caffeine do its work. She needed to know why Dennis was really arrested. Her mind wandered over the possibilities, until a tap on the door alerted her.

  “Come in.” Ellie put the now-empty coffee cup on the desk as the staff trailed in. With so many people in here, there weren’t enough seats, but she encouraged them to find a spot and perched on the edge of her desk.

  “Thanks for being here. As you may be aware, there are a couple of items we need to discuss. The first is about Campbell Boyd.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” Will stood to one side with his hands clenched.

  “Will. I’m so glad you found him and would like to talk to you after this please. I’ve come from the hospital. Mr Boyd is in intensive care. He has a head injury which has put him into a state of unconsciousness, plus a broken arm, and bad bruising.”

  “He’ll recover though?” Paul asked from the back of the office.

  “From the limited information I have, it is too soon to know the outcome, but he is in excellent hands.”

  Paul and Mark shared a look. Ellie tilted her head to one side. But the look was gone as soon as it began.

  “Our thoughts are with him and his family, and of course, all costs will be taken care of. If you wish to send your best wishes and so on, I’m sure they will be appreciated. Team leaders, please let your people know and if anyone is struggling, take today off. This applies to everyone.”

  A murmur ran through the small group. Ellie’s phone buzzed. Message from Ben. She turned the phone face down.

  “There is another matter and this one is equally serious, although completely different. I have few details, but in the early hours of this morning, Mr Connor was arrested.”

  The earlier murmur became loud whispers. Ellie raised her hand. “Please. It appears to have been for an offence unrelated to my father’s disappearance, but I expect the media will jump on this with delight. I’m reminding you all, us all, to keep what we discuss confidential. Once I have further details, I’ll tell you. Okay?”

  Joni raised her hand. “Mr Bannerman is gone. Mr Connor under arrest. Who is going to run the business?”

  Who indeed? “I think we should wait until we have further information. All of you are amazing and important to us, so please, continue to do what you do best, and when the time comes, the remaining board members will work together to keep everything going.”

  Most of the staff nodded to each other. Will stared at his hands.

  “Thanks for coming up here so quickly. Your ongoing support means more than I can express. Will, would you please stay?”

  When everyone else was gone. Ellie moved to a pair of chairs near the window. “Come and sit with me.”

  The moment Will sat, the rims of his eyes reddened.

  “I’m so sorry. Would you talk me through it?” she kept her voice soft and encouraging, she hoped.

  “Doing normal rounds about three am. Was up here at ten, and Campbell was working. Left him in peace. Anyway, on my next run his office door was still wide open. Seemed odd and he’d already raised concerns about his office being left unlocked by the cleaners. Mind you, they say not.”

  “So how did you find him?”

  Will frowned. “I always take the stairs down.” He drew in a long breath. “Couldn’t believe what I saw. He was at the bottom of the steps, and you know there’s about fifteen of them on each level. Thought he was dead, Mrs Connor. Not a movement and he was bent out of shape. Briefcase had gone ahead of him and mustn’t have been closed because his laptop was smashed further down. Called Glen, and he got an ambulance.”

  “Do you know if anyone has looked at footage?”

  “No idea. Paul came in and he told me to go home once Mr Boyd was taken.”

  “You did really well. Is there anything else that struck you as odd?” Ellie asked.

  “Really weird but when I checked his chest for a heartbeat, a stapler fell out of his pocket.”

  “Stapler?”

  “Yeah, like the ones all the PA’s have on their desks.”

  44

  Not Alone

  Ellie closed the door behind Will and locked herself in. At the window, she rested her forehead against the glass, willing the cold to spread through a body overheated by worry. One, then another, she reached with her palms for the clear barrier. All she wanted was to curl into a ball and cry until nothing was left.

  Campbell was like a second father. Always there if she needed advice or a shoulder. Dad’s best friend. She should have worked in her office as planned. They would have shared a meal, talked through some issues, and probably left at the same time. But why had he taken the stairs?

  Her phone buzzed again, and Ellie walked away from the window, and answered without checking the caller.

  “I’m sorry. I can talk now.”

  There was only silence. Ellie sat behind her desk.

  “Ben?”

  “No. Paul.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why doesn’t he investigate Campbell’s accident?”

  “Because it was an accident.” Ellie said.

  “Was it?”

  A chill swept through Ellie and she bit her lip.

  Paul continued. “Why would he take the stairs when the lift was working fine?”

  “I wish I knew. Have you had time to look at the footage? See if something was wrong?”

  “Doing it now, Ellie. But where was Dennis last night?”

  Really? You hate him so much?

  “Let me know when you’ve checked the footage. Surely that will show you who, if anyone, was on the floor with Campbell apart from me much earlier. Is there anything else you need?”

  Another long silence and Ellie rolled her eyes. Why so many dramas?

  “Will you step in as CEO?”

  “I’ll do whatever the board needs, but in the interim, all the department heads are capable of managing their teams. As you continue to do.”

  “Was beginning to wonder if you’d lost confidence in me, El.”

  “Is there any reason I would?” Another call beeped.

  “No.”

  “Then stop worrying about it and let me know once you have some footage to view. Please. I have another call, so talk later.”

  This time she checked. Ben.

  “Hi.” She said.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just spoke to the staff who work with Campbell. Sorry, I couldn’t interrupt to answer before.”

  “Any update on him?”

  Ellie turned her chair to stare out over the city. “No. His wife is angry with me and the doctors won’t let anyone in yet. I’m so scared for him.”

  “He’s in good hands.”

  “I know. Ben, everyone is at me about Dennis.”

  “Shall I come to you?”

  “I’d really like you to look at Dad’s office, and where Campbell was found. Can you do that?”

  “What am I looking for?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know, but I’m the closest thing to being in charge and you don’t need a warrant if I invite you. Do you?”

  “Then I’ll bring Meg as well. See you soon.” He terminated the call.

  Ellie buzzed Mark. “Would you arrange for the whiteboard from downstairs to come to my office? And the markers and stuff.”

  No more leaving her ideas out in the open. Ellie had work to do.

  “Is there a way to tell if Campbell simply lost his footing?” Ben had waited until the elevator doors closed before asking Meg.

  “Let me see first. Probably ruined by staff and paramedics.”

  “With Dennis out of the way, at least we get a shot at Jack’s office without a warrant.”

  “My bet is he’s gone on a road trip.�
��

  “One with no footprint, Meg. No use of credit cards. No accessing his emails or any social media. Not a sign of him despite circulating his details across the state.”

  “Maybe a sea trip then.”

  The doors opened on the executive floor. Joni came to greet them.

  “Mrs Connor asked me to take you to where Mr Boyd was found.”

  “Thanks, Joni. Where is Ellie?”

  “I’m here.” Ellie peered through the doorway of her office. “Can I show you something, Ben?”

  Meg nodded to Ben and followed Joni to the fire door.

  Ellie closed her door once Ben was in the office. There was a whiteboard on wheels pushed against a wall. A smile passed his lips. She was doing exactly what he had.

  “Don’t laugh at it.”

  “Far from it. Very impressed, actually. Is it helping?” He stood in front of the writing and Ellie joined him, picking up a marker.

  “I hope you can help fill some gaps. Dennis?”

  “You might need another whiteboard.”

  By the time he’d told Ellie about the events of the small hours of the morning, she’d added more words.

  Under ‘Dennis’ was ‘who was he meeting?’, ‘how did his shirt get in the bin/who put it there?’ and ‘why is he being set up?’.

  “He isn’t a killer, Ben. An idiot, but no killer.”

  “And my gut says the same, but the shirt adds a level of evidence we hadn’t had before. It is enough to ask for a warrant to search the guest house, and…” he frowned, cross about what had to be done.

  “And? The apartment? No need, I’ll give you permission.”

  She understood. Out of everyone, Ellie was the only person who genuinely wanted to find Jack Bannerman. The rest all paid it lip service, even—Ben suspected—Campbell. Despite a lifelong friendship, the man had hardly gone out of his way to find Jack.

  “Why is this in your office? You told me it belongs in the boardroom.” He gestured at the whiteboard.

  “I’d rather keep it from prying eyes. For example, I’ve added Mark now, because he seems to be involved with Paul on some level. Yet their respective roles require almost no contact. And in here, I can lock the door when I leave.” She wandered to the window. “If it stays locked of course.”