When he came to, the man was back sitting on the stool, just watching him. James looked down at his bloodied shorts. Pools of blood were on the floor, trickling out of the wounds like molten lava. Feeling like a spectator and getting weaker by the second, as minor rivers of blood trailed away from his broken body.
The man in the corner stood up and packed away his things, calmly wiping the knife blade and putting it back in the box.
James used all his strength to lift his head. “Why?”
“You and your friends should have let sleeping dogs lie.”
“What?” James struggled to think. What was he talking about?
The man stepped closer. “Let me remind you.”
That’s when James recognised the voice.
His last thought was not what the man was saying — he had already stopped listening, it was how much he loved his sons.
30
They got into Avery’s old hack and drove towards James’s place. The driveway, sparsely planted on the sides, was full of potholes and neglect. The house looked the same as it had when Avery had been here last year, just more overgrown. You could see how things had got on top of James when the financial troubles started, he thought, with the last nail in the coffin being when Tina left and took the boys with her. But the outside was nothing a bit of elbow grease couldn’t fix. Perhaps he should organise a little working bee, getting it all back in order for him. It would have to wait until after the harvest.
Avery parked next to James’s Ford Ranger.
“Let’s check the winery,” Isaac said. James’s quad bike was casually parked outside. The large wooden door creaked in protest as they pulled it open, light seeping into the cavernous space. There was no movement or lights on and Avery was about to close the door when they spotted what looked like someone sitting on the floor at the back.
There was a change in the air as they pulled the double doors wide open. Light flooded in, dust particles dancing in front of them. When they realised it was James slumped over at the back, they ran over, Avery desperately searching for a pulse, calling out his name. He was still warm to the touch but not responding. There was so much blood on the floor.
“Isaac call the ambulance,” Avery yelled, hoping it wasn’t too late. The dank smell of blood and human waste was overwhelming.
Checking for a pulse again, Avery felt nothing but clammy skin. He stood up slowly and walked away from the body on wobbly legs, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. He wiped his hands on his jeans, unsure if he would throw up. He sat on the ground outside, feeling faint, his stomach in turmoil. He put his head between his knees, trying to concentrate on one breath in, one breath out. He had never seen gore like this.
Isaac was equally quiet, and in shock. It seemed ages until he finally heard the approaching sirens from Warkworth.
An ambulance officer jumped out of the passenger seat, dark-green shirt with a hint of white showing at the neck and navy cargo pants with a multitude of pockets down the leg. She looked at Avery’s blood-stained jeans and asked, “Where are you hurt?”
“Not me, I’m okay but he isn’t,” he said, pointing towards the winery. The second officer, medical kit in hand, followed her into the building, pulling his latex gloves on, his face pale with shock at the sight. He checked for the victim’s vital signs and confirmed he was dead. “Bloody hell,” he said to his colleague as they both backed out from the crime scene.
When Bill and Niko arrived Avery was sitting pale as a sheet with James’ blood on his clothes and hands; Isaac was in shock and staring into the distance with a hospital blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Leaving Niko with Avery and Isaac, Bill took a deep breath and walked into the building. He knew from experience that air could be difficult to get once you entered a violent crime scene. James’s body was arranged like a rag doll. The ferocity of the attack was clear from the multitude of puncture wounds on his legs. There were no visible wounds on the torso; perhaps, Bill thought, the attacker hadn’t wanted him to die straight away, but to suffer and bleed out slowly. The face was a mess, swollen and bloodied. Bill swallowed hard — it was one of the worst scenes he had been to.
“Fuckin’ hell man,” Niko said when he appeared in the doorway. “That’s someone with a lot of hate.”
“It looks like gang warfare. Only a really sick bastard could be this calculated.”
“Seems unlikely James would have any dealings with a gang. He was too much of a soccer dad, if you know what I mean.”
“Stranger things have happened, respectable guys getting involved in shit they shouldn’t.”
“I saw him at the pub last night. Poor bastard. No one deserves to go this way.”
“I have to call this in to Orewa,” Bill said. “Then we’ll see if we can make sense out of Isaac and Avery.” As he called the Senior Sergeant in Orewa, his heart was heavy. He knew that James had two young sons who would now grow up without a dad.
“Orewa is sending a team up right away,” he reported to Niko. “ESR hopefully won’t be too far behind. I’d hate for his body to lie out too long in this warm weather, the flies are already buzzing around.”
“Well, there’s nothing more we can do here,” the female ambulance officer said. “The men are in shock, but they will be fine.” Even though she was young, Bill guessed it wasn’t her first crime scene.
“Sure, no problem. Thanks for keeping them separated. We’ll monitor them.” Bill thought of Tina. They had to inform her as soon as possible. He didn’t know her personally, but had seen her with James before. He seemed to remember her working at the New World supermarket in Warkworth, but he’d try the home address first.
Niko was sitting with Isaac who gave his account of how they had found James. “I just keep seeing him sitting in there.”
When Niko couldn’t get anything more from Isaac he left him to sit with his back against the building, alone with his thoughts.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” Avery said subdued. “We agreed last night to come and give him a hand to get organised for the harvest in the next week. We must have only just missed the killer. The body was still warm, for fucks sake.” He was angry now. If they hadn’t been chasing cows they’d have been here earlier and maybe prevented the attack.
“Did you see anyone else leaving the property?” Bill asked.
“No. There was no one here when we arrived. We saw the quad bike parked outside and went straight to the winery, but there was no sign of him. I was thinking it was strange as we had agreed to meet today. We were on our way to shut the door when we glimpsed him sitting on the floor at the back, in the dark.”
Suddenly Avery stood bolt upright. “Jesus, I have to ring Lexi. What if this deranged prick is on his way to our house?” He frantically searched for his phone, fumbling, missing it, the panic making him clumsy.
“It’s in your back pocket, Avery.” Bill said. “You need to calm down. It won’t be helpful if you scare Lexi when you speak to her. I’ll put a call into Warkworth. They can dispatch a patrol car and stay with Lexi and the kids until you get there.”
He called it in and asked the Senior Sergeant there, “Can you let me know they’re all fine when you’ve got personnel at Matakana Valley Wines?”
When Bill disconnected the call, Niko gestured at the two sad individuals slumped in opposite places. “Do you think those two have anything to do with this?”
31
Lexi put the phone down and slid down the wall of the farm shop, her heart beating almost out of her chest. James was dead. She swallowed hard, but saliva gushed from under her tongue like a fountain, resulting in her bolting to the toilet in the back room. Sticking her face under the cold tap she rinsed her mouth, her stomach cramping from the violent purging of her breakfast. She slammed the shop door and sprinted across the front lawn, throwing herself inside and locking the door. She perched on a kitchen chair, contemplating if she should go and brush her teeth and rinse the horrid taste out, but fear par
alysing her to stay put and wait for the police to arrive.
Beau put his soft head in her lap and gave her hand a lick. She looked into his large brown eyes and stroked his soft head. “Thank you, boy. Everything will be fine,” she said with her cheeriest voice, but she wasn’t very convincing, least of all to herself. She glanced at the wall clock. How long until the police will be here? She knew that Avery and Isaac could not leave until the police and the forensics team had finished with them. How on earth could she defend herself and the children if the attacker came here? There was the storage locker next to the stairs with the gun safe, but where was the key? She had a vague memory that Avery kept it in the kitchen junk drawer. Rifling through, she found the key and put it in a wooden trinket box on the shelf in the hallway for easy access should she need it.
Suddenly Beau barked, which made Lexi jump. She peeked out of the kitchen window and saw two uniformed police officers walking up the path to the house. Lexi opened the door, while holding onto the dogs collar.
“Hello, I’m Senior Constable Gary Trenton and this is my colleague Constable Laura Rose. We’re from the Warkworth station,” the policeman said, his sidearm and smile making her feel a bit safer. Beau refused to move an inch from her legs, leaning in, wary of the strangers.
“We’ll stay here with you until further notice.” Laura said. “Would you mind if we came inside?” Her auburn hair was striking against her English-rose skin. She was at least ten years younger than her colleague, her warmth and kindness shining through. “I’ll put the jug on,” she said. Lexi immediately liked her.
Gabriel came thundering down the stairs and into the kitchen stopping dead in his tracks as he saw the two uniformed officers sitting at the table.
“Gabe, come and sit down,” Lexi said. She put her hand on his arm as she told him that James was dead. Lexi watched her son struggle with the enormity of the situation. Even though he looked like a man, she realised, inside he was still only a boy.
32
Bill felt uncomfortable treating Avery and Isaac as suspects, but he had to follow protocol. The last thing he needed was his arse kicked by the team from Orewa.
He didn’t believe that either man had anything to do with the death, but the fact remained that Avery and James had not been on the best terms. Stranger things had happened, and in this case there was both motive and opportunity. According to the grim statistics, eighty per cent of murder victims knew their killers.
Avery was sitting with his head in his hands. Isaac was now pacing around like a man possessed, muttering something under his breath. Niko had done it by the book; processed their witness statements, taken prints and photographed the pair. Detectives Copeson and Rudd arrived shortly after, with Mike Thorpe, a Detective Sergeant in his mid-thirties, looking hot and bothered in beige trousers and rolled-up shirtsleeves. Rudd was even more bedraggled than last time, if that was possible. The large dark circles under his eyes made him look perpetually grumpy. Copeson and Thorpe had youth on their side and looked fine, apart from large sweat stains under their arms and back of their wrinkled shirts.
“Thanks for coming up so quickly,” Bill said, shaking Thorpe’s hand.
“It’s not like we have a choice in the matter,” Rudd spluttered in his usual abrasive manner, continuing towards the winery with no pleasantries. “People seem to be frivolously killing each other, and my area is large enough to cover without this.”
Andrew Copeson lingered for a moment, waiting until his superior was out of earshot. “Don’t mind Rudd. He’s pulled an all-nighter. It was a hellish car ride until he fell asleep.” He grinned. “I just hope he sleeps on the way back too.”
Rudd scowled at Avery. “It’s you again. How come you keep turning up like a bad penny?”
On any other day Avery would have reacted and bitten back, but he didn’t have the energy to defend himself. He was tired, it was an effort to string one thought to another, so he said nothing.
Rudd suited up and pulled his latex gloves on before entering the building. Avery could hear him barking orders. Then: “I hope for your sake no one has destroyed vital evidence by climbing around here before we arrived. And where’s that photographer? Why are we always waiting for him?”
Copeson pulled his mobile out and phoned Jono. “He’ll be here in ten minutes,” he reported. Rudd humphed.
The ESR car pulled up and first out was Emma, the leggy blonde. Copeson glanced admiringly, trying not to be too obvious. One day he would muster the courage to ask her out. He gave her a casual wave, turning away pretending to do something important on the phone, while trying not to show the scarlet glow he could feel spreading to his ears. Gathering himself, he joined Rudd who was busy at work, which meant he had to concentrate and be quiet.
The ESR team was examining the area closely, logging anything that might be relevant in relation to the victim’s body. When Jono arrived Rudd unleashed his wrath. “Good, you turned up then.” His mood had not improved at all, especially since the temperature in the tin-roofed building was climbing and he was sweating profusely.
It was clearly Pick On Jono Day. Not that it did seem to faze him. “I could only drive so fast to get up here,” he said calmly.
The funeral directors would arrive soon and the body had to be ready for transportation. They put bags over hands, feet and the head, keeping eventual trace elements contained. If they were lucky, they would find DNA in the form of hair, fibres or bodily fluids. One of the junior officers would then accompany the body to the mortuary at Auckland Hospital, ensuring that all was by the book.
Bill went over to Avery who was sitting on the bench. “You are free to go, but we’ll want to speak to you again, you understand.”
“Whatever I can do to help,” Avery said.
Bill waved Isaac over. “I need you to come by the station.”
“No problem. I can swing by before I head back to Auckland this afternoon.” Isaac was eager to get back to Avery’s and on his way home.
“Sounds good. See you both later.” Bill hoped he had done the right thing.
Avery and Isaac walked back to the car, both relieved to leave. “I get that you need to go home,” Avery said.
“I feel bad leaving in the middle of all this shit, but I think you and Lexi could do with some time on your own. The last few days have given me some clarity on what’s important in life. I need to do all I can to save my marriage. Just look at James and Tina — they don’t get a second chance.”
33
There was nothing more they could do at the crime scene so with heavy hearts Bill and Niko drove into Warkworth. It was their duty to inform Tina, James’s estranged wife of his tragic death. It was never easy to let people know that their loved one had been killed. For Bill, having had a family of his own it got worse as the years went by and he got older. Niko had made enquiries, and Tina was at work. Driving to the supermarket, they were both thinking about how such a tragedy would affect the small community. It was imperative to get hold of her promptly as terrible news like this had a tendency to spread like wildfire. Niko had spoken to Clive, the store manager, on the way. He was standing outside waiting for them, his black shirt and pants with a thin belt hugging him slightly, making his overhanging stomach more pronounced. His short grey hair and generous walrus moustache made him look every bit the granddad he was.
Clive took them straight into his small office. The cramped room barely had enough space for a small desk and two spindly kitchen chairs. He asked them to wait while he got Tina from the checkouts.
“Tina, I’m afraid we have some terrible news,” Bill said.
“My god, what’s happened? Are the boys all right?” she said, her face rapidly losing its colour.
“The boys are fine, but you’d better come and have a seat.” She sat down on the empty chair, steeling herself for what was to come.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but James is dead,” Bill said, weighing each word carefully.
Tina just stared
at him with a blank expression. A moment later and as the realisation set in, she let out a gasp followed by loud sobbing, her body rocking back and forth.
“I know it’s an enormous shock. We found him this morning at home,” Bill continued.
From Tina’s expression she seemed unable to comprehend what Bill was saying. Clive came in and put his arms around her, comforting her like a child, as she burrowed her face into his shoulder.
“I’ll call St John,” Niko said, helpless at the emotional breakdown of the woman in front of him, then left the room to organise the ambulance.
“How did it happen?” Tina said between sobs.
“It was not accidental,” Bill said, careful to not give her any gruesome details. As the reality set in, Tina was hyperventilating, her body shutting down, spinning her into a deep void. She didn’t take any notice when the ambulance officer walked in.
The uniformed woman in her fifties spoke softly to her. “Let’s get you looked after, my dear,” she said, guiding Tina out to where a gurney was waiting. “I’ll give you something that will make you feel more relaxed. How about that?”
Tina nodded weakly, her body tightly curled up and her hands clenched as she lay down on the hard stretcher, her entire existence ripped away like a rug under her feet. She had seen James just a few days ago; he had seemed happy and content. There would be no second chances.
Blood On Vines Page 13