The Murder Club (A Miller Hatcher Novel Book 2)

by Nikki Crutchley

  Aubrey glared at him, spun on her heel and walked back to the group she’d been sitting with.

  ‘That woman knows everything,’ Miller said.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ said Cody. ‘Plus, Bull has a huge crush on her so she gets all the goss from the police station as well.’

  ‘That explains it.’ Miller realised where Len got his information: Aubrey, by way of Bull. She knew that Kahu was doing his best to keep what they’d found so far confidential. And Ash was the most professional person she knew. But Bull was a different story. Soon her name was going to be connected to Madi’s whether she liked it or not.

  ‘Explains what?’ Cody asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Miller said hastily. ‘Bit of an age gap isn’t there, Aubrey and Bull?’

  Cody shrugged. ‘Ten years or so. Hine said Bull was best friends with Aubrey’s younger brothers in school – has always been obsessed with her. She knows it as well. Uses him. Gets all the news about what’s happening down at the station.’

  It was then that Miller noticed the pub had quietened. She looked around and saw a crowd gathered at the side of the bar. Cody and Miller craned their heads to see who was in the middle of it all. Miller caught a glance of Bull in the middle of the throng, a head taller than those around him. His pale face was flushed, eyes wide, hands gesticulating. Word got around the pub quick enough.

  ‘They’ve found him! The Scarf Killer.’

  ‘Jack Jenkins, you know, started work on the Smithson’s farm a few months back.’

  ‘They’ve found him?’ Hine said, turning to Miller then back to Jay, who just shrugged.

  All eyes were on Bull, who was enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame. He was being knocked left and right with back-slapping and people grabbing at his hand to shake it, as if he had single-handedly brought him in. Miller was a hundred percent sure Bull wasn’t supposed to speak of this to anyone and wondered what Kahu would have to say once he found out.

  ‘Thank god that’s over,’ Hine said. ‘I have a flatmate. And I know he was only after women who lived on their own. But shit, it was all getting a bit scary.’ She sucked on her vodka tonic, pursing her pink lips, and moved closer to Jay. Miller noted she was almost in his lap and ignored the flip-flop sensation in her gut.

  Cody nodded in agreement.

  Hine got up from the table, yanked down her miniskirt which had ridden up her thighs and walked over to Bull, squeezing through the throng.

  Miller and Cody watched as she flicked her hair and pressed her lips together, then she and Bull smiled at each other. Hine was doing what she did best. Thirty seconds later she dragged Bull over to their table with a fresh drink in her hand.

  ‘So, Bull, tell us all about it. Here, sit in my chair.’ She pushed Bull into her chair, looked around for somewhere to sit, then perched on Jay’s lap. Jay looked as though he was in heaven. Of course he was. He was a guy in his early forties, who had the full attention of a twenty-something. Miller didn’t stand a chance.

  Bull coloured and cleared his throat. ‘Jack Jenkins has been arrested. Just brought him in. He’s been charged with sexual assault before, done time a few years back.’

  ‘What evidence do they have?’ Miller asked, wondering if Jenkins was one of the men Kahu had been looking into.

  ‘Not sure,’ Bull said, hesitant in his answer. ‘Detective Parata’s talking to him at the moment.’

  ‘So he’s actually been arrested? They’re not just talking to him?’

  Bull didn’t get a chance to answer as someone listening in from the next table spoke up. ‘Course it’s him.’ He took a long drink from his beer and wiped his mouth on his bare arm. ‘You can tell he’s a psycho. He’s got that look in his eyes, the way he holds himself. Guilty as sin.’

  Everyone around them nodded.

  Trial by small-town pub, Miller thought. What this guy didn’t know, what many people didn’t know, was that ‘the look in his eye’ usually didn’t come till it was too late. And that the way he held himself had nothing to do with what he was.

  Miller finished her drink in silence and sent a text to Kahu: ‘Jack Jenkins? Scarf killer? Bull’s just let half of Lentford know at the Royal.’

  Miller was surprised when Kahu replied almost immediately: ‘Bloody Bull. Brought Jenkins in for questioning because of his record. He was away at his parents for two of the three murders. Have just released him.’

  The atmosphere in the Royal was celebratory. The three behind the bar were rushed off their feet as people toasted to the capture of the Scarf Killer. Miller rose from her chair, said goodbye to Hine, Cody and Jay, and smiled at Bull.

  Enjoy it while it lasts, she thought. Kahu, and Ash, will have your arse tomorrow morning.

  Chapter 30

  Miller’s feet pounded against the concrete along the river path. Sweat dripped into her eyes, ran off the tips of her fingers, but she didn’t stop. After Madi, then the revelations at the pub that afternoon, it was getting to be too much. He was still out there. And still there was nothing she could do. Reaching the end of the river path, she slowed to a jog. She crossed onto the small grassed area by the river, where a family was gathered around a small fire. River rocks contained the fire and they held pink and white marshmallows skewered onto metal prongs over the flames. The campervan up on the road must belong to them, she thought. She nodded to them and walked down to the river, wondering about the lack of sense of having a fire in these conditions.

  The river here, away from town, close to her house, was fast-flowing and deep. There was no gradual incline into the river, just a grassy bank that dropped to the water. Miller lifted her T-shirt and wiped her sweaty forehead, then took off her shirt and wet it in the river. She squeezed it out and draped it over her shoulders, feeling her core temperature slowly falling.

  She watched the dad pour a mug of water on the flames and gather his family back up to the campervan. Along the path, she watched a runner approach. He raised his hand and jogged over to her. She became painfully aware that she was standing in her crop top, her midriff bare, and dragged her T-shirt from her shoulders to cover her front.

  ‘Miller, hey.’ He took off his cap and sunglasses.

  ‘Oh, Jay. I didn’t recognise you. I normally see you in jeans and a polo shirt.’ She realised she was staring at his tanned, muscled legs and raised her head to meet his eyes.

  ‘Well, I guess I’d better make more of an effort.’ He smiled, his eyes drifting to the skin on her stomach that was still on show.

  Jesus, are we flirting? Miller realised how long it had been. There was a fleeting relationship in Auckland during the Castle Bay trial. Craig, an accountant, had become too needy and a little too focused on her part in the trial. It had gone on for too long and soon he was talking about moving in, when all she thought about around that time was work and whether today was going to be the day she broke her sobriety. And so she had ended it.

  ‘I didn’t know you ran,’ Miller said, realising how stupid she sounded.

  ‘Yeah, try to get out here every day. What about you?’

  ‘Same. I’m surprised we haven’t run into each before now.’ She turned her head to the left, just over Jay’s shoulder, where movement caught her eye. ‘Oh shit!’ She ran over to the abandoned fire. The mug of water on the fire hadn’t been enough to extinguish it, and Miller stomped on the flames that crawled over the yellowing grass. Jay was at her side, doing the same. Miller shook out her damp T-shirt and started hitting the ground. Jay disappeared and returned with his T-shirt sodden to do the same. It was alarming how quickly it spread and they soon realised it was too big for them to handle.

  ‘Have you got your phone?’ Miller asked, panting.

  Jay had already pulled it out of his pocket. Five minutes later the fire siren went, calling all volunteers to the station which wasn’t far away, a block over from the main street.

 
; Jay and Miller continued thrashing the burning ground. It had started off as only a small circle but now a large patch of grass was alight, devouring the dry ground.

  Fifteen minutes later the fire truck arrived, followed a short while later by an ambulance.

  The fire was put out in minutes by the group of volunteers, Lou directing proceedings. Miller recognised Tane and Adam, Emmeline’s boyfriend. Aubrey, in too-big overalls and a lopsided helmet, operated one of the hoses which she was now winding back up.

  Miller watched Bull walk over to her, offering to help, but whatever she said in return halted him in his steps, so he made do with watching. They both glanced over at Miller and then continued chatting.

  Miller and Jay sat in the back of the ambulance getting the burns on their hands seen to.

  ‘This is the last thing Lentford needs, isn’t it,’ Jay said, holding his hand out as the ambulance officer cleaned and dressed a burn on his palm.

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Miller said. ‘Eight days till Christmas and Lentford’s not in the best shape. What are you up to for Christmas?’ Miller asked, regretting the question as soon as it came out of her mouth. She hated it when people posed that question to her.

  ‘No plans, really. Lou and Maggie have taken pity on me. But I don’t know. I kind of feel like I’m gate-crashing.’

  Miller nodded, knowing how he felt.

  The ambulance officer finished up with Miller’s hand. She had small burns on her knuckles, but nothing too serious.

  Lou came up to them. ‘You two okay?’

  They both nodded.

  ‘Any idea how this started? Looks like a campfire.’

  Miller explained what she’d seen.

  ‘Bloody idiots. Who would even think about lighting a fire in this weather? Fuckin’ tourists. C’mon, you two. Miller, Bull’s waiting to take you home. Jay, you can come with me if you want.’

  Miller was hesitant to leave, thinking this could be her chance. But the image of Jay and Hine in the Royal that afternoon dashed the small amount of confidence she felt and she waved goodbye to Jay as he made his way up onto the road.

  Chapter 31

  On Monday morning Miller did the coffee run for everyone back at the office. She hadn’t heard anything more from Kahu and was curious to hear what the locals thought. She knew Bull speaking out of turn wouldn’t have just finished at the pub. Yesterday afternoon everyone would have gone home and told husbands or wives and friends. Before Jack Jenkins arrived home from speaking with the police, he had already been labelled a murderer.

  ‘Morning Miller,’ Len said behind the coffee machine. He winked at her as he took her order.

  ‘Morning, Len. Li not in today?’ Miller asked, glad he didn’t expect Li to work today as well as her un-rostered shift yesterday.

  ‘Little bitch bloody quit on me halfway through her shift yesterday,’ Len said, shaking his head.

  Miller winced at his language. ‘What happened?’

  ‘Got her knickers in a twist. Had the gall to call me a racist. Can you believe that?’

  Yes, Miller thought.

  ‘Bloody Asians came in here yesterday. Demanding this and that like we were a bloody five-star restaurant. I may have called them bloody chinks or something like that,’ he laughed. ‘Not to their face, though,’ he said when Miller didn’t join in.

  Like that makes it better. ‘Nothing like a bit of casual racism, eh Len.’

  He looked at her, confused, then laughed again.

  Idiot.

  ‘Anyway, she had a hissy fit and walked out. She better not think she’s getting paid for yesterday. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.’ He finished up an order and took it to a table and returned to make Miller’s.

  ‘Let me know if you hear of anyone after a job, eh? Good hours. Great boss.’ He winked again and Miller felt the urge to punch him right in his twitchy eye. She’d pop in and check on Li before she left for Shanghai.

  ‘Hear about Jack Jenkins?’ Len asked as he got milk from the fridge and ground the coffee beans.

  ‘What? That he was taken in for questioning about the murders and released an hour later because he had an alibi?’ Miller knew she sounded pissed off but didn’t care.

  ‘Huh,’ Len said. ‘Word is he’s the one. He murdered our girls.’

  Miller thought his choice of words odd.

  ‘It wasn’t him. Just gossip,’ she said, paying for the coffees.

  ‘Well, it’s all around town. It’s all anyone’s talking about when they come in.’

  No doubt fuelled by you.

  ‘So if it’s not Jack, who is it?’ Len mused.

  Miller shrugged, not in the mood to get into this with him.

  ‘Any theories, Miller? You’re good at this stuff, aren’t you?’ He winked again, as though they were sharing a private joke.

  ‘Thanks for the coffee, Len.’ Before she turned to leave she said, ‘If you’re chatting to anyone today you may want to help Jack Jenkins out and put them right.’

  Back at the office Jay had delivered the latest issue of the Lentford Leader. Copies would be delivered to houses and shops tomorrow, but Miller wanted to take a few copies over to Cassie. She felt it was on her for the article to draw someone out who had some knowledge of Margaret’s murder.

  Miller walked down the main street to Cassie’s house. ‘Bloody Jack Jenkins,’ she heard a man say, standing in the middle of the footpath talking to two others. ‘Not surprising, though. I hear he’s already been in the clink.’

  The other two muttered their agreement.

  Two women passed Miller, dressed in neon activewear and caps, talking as fast as they were walking. ‘I always knew there was something dodgy about him,’ one said. The other nodded emphatically.

  It took all of Miller’s strength not to pull them up and set them straight. She didn’t even know Jack Jenkins, had never even set eyes on him. And, hell, for all she knew he was a piece of shit, but he still didn’t deserve this. She approached Cassie’s house, wondering if Jack’s life in Lentford was over.

  She knocked, and Tiff answered the door dressed in a crop top and boxer shorts. Miller could smell marijuana as it drifted out the door, joining the already oppressive heat, making Miller light-headed.

  ‘Hi.’ Miller physically braced herself. ‘Is Cassie in? I brought her a few copies of the paper.’

  Silence.

  ‘Her article’s in it,’ Miller said, handing Tiff the papers.

  Tiff took them and threw them in the corner by the door.

  ‘She wanted copies for her dad and sister. I put a few extra copies in for... whatever. I thought she might want them. Can you make sure she gets them?’ Miller hated how this woman made her feel. Awkward. Defensive.

  Tiff folded her arms across her chest. ‘You know Cass is taken, right? You know she’s my girlfriend?’

  ‘Of course,’ Miller said. ‘Look, Tiff—’

  ‘Tiffany. Only my friends call me Tiff.’ She leaned against the door, her face slack, looking bored, wanting Miller to leave.

  Miller felt her lips stretch, attempting a smile, but it turned into a grimace. ‘Tiffany,’ she said, placing emphasis on her name, knowing she was being petty, ‘I have no interest in Cassie in that way. I’ve done the article. I’ve helped her out, I hope. She’s a great person—’

  ‘I know that,’ Tiff frowned.

  ‘And I hope something comes out of it for her.’

  ‘Yeah, we all do. Was there anything else?’ Tiff said, stepping back, already closing the door.

  ‘No, but tell Cassie she can ring me any time if she needs anything.’

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Tiff said, closing the door, leaving Miller standing on the front step.

  Miller got back to the office five minutes later. Eric’s eyes were locked on his computer screen, n
o doubt gambling away his salary.

  ‘How’s the hand?’ Cody asked. Most in Lentford knew about the fire down at the river yesterday evening. After all, Aubrey had been in attendance.

  Miller clenched and unclenched her knuckles, which were still red and raw from the fire. ‘Fine. I think Jay came off worse.’

  Ngaire had texted her later that night telling her to write an article. She said there had been a scrub fire on a local farmer’s land as well. ‘Talk to one of the volunteer firefighters. Get a few quotes about the weather, the need for vigilance, etcetera.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Hine said, turning in her swivel chair to face Cody and Miller. ‘It literally feels like we’re in hell.’

  ‘Might want to look up “literally”, Hine,’ Cody said.

  ‘Well, we’ve got some sicko murdering women, it’s so hot the tar seal outside is melting and it seems now the town is catching fire. Feels like hell to me.’

  Cody shrugged, happy to be put in his place. ‘The town’s not actually on fire.’

  Hine screwed the piece of paper up in her hand and threw it at him.

  Miller thought Hine was right, though. Lentford was not the place to be at the moment.

  ‘What are you up to for Christmas?’ Cody asked Miller from behind his desk.

  ‘Not much,’ Miller said. And by not much, she actually meant treating the day like any other. Christmas had become a major non-event. It didn’t bother her too much, but she knew it bothered other people that she was so low-key about it. She didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. She especially didn’t want invites to family gatherings. Ash had texted a couple of days ago inviting her to lunch with her and Zach; she’d yet to make up her mind.

  ‘You meeting up with family? Doing the big lunch thing?’ Cody asked innocently.

  As much as she liked Cody, he would be the type to invite her along to whatever he was doing, so Miller nodded and smiled.

  The door from the main street opened and Aubrey walked in, dressed in her Riverview Hotel uniform of pale-blue, short-sleeved shirt and black pencil skirt. She pulled a white handkerchief out of her handbag and pressed it against her forehead before approaching Hine.