Under Shadow of Doubt

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Under Shadow of Doubt Page 4

by Juanita Kees


  ‘Not everything works out the way we want it to.’ She looked away so he wouldn’t see the pain in her eyes. ‘This situation with Paul …’

  Peta broke off as her mobile phone rang, vibrating on the coffee table. She flew up off the sofa, her arms hugging her waist, her heart pounding, too scared to move closer to check the caller ID and unable to keep the panic from her voice. If this was Paul, Jaime would know the truth because she’d have to put it on speaker. ‘Harold—’

  Harold dropped the newspaper and checked the number on the screen. ‘It’s your mother. Want me to get it?’

  ‘No. No, it’s okay. I’ll take it.’ Peta swallowed the mixture of fear and disappointment, picked up the phone and, pressing her fingertips to her closed lids to stem the sting of tears, answered. ‘Hello, Mum.’

  ‘Have you heard anything yet?’

  There was no concern in her voice, only harsh, unspoken accusation. Peta wondered at how cold her mother had become. The years had not been kind to any of them.

  ‘Not yet. We’re still waiting for a phone call,’ Peta responded. ‘As soon as we have more news, I’ll let you know.’

  ‘All this nonsense is your fault, Peta. You had no reason to leave Paul in the first place. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t still been hankering after Jaime Caruso.’

  Peta’s shoulders stiffened. Her mother didn’t know the half of it. She and Mark had kept the truth from her as much as they could. Margaret Johnson had always been blinded by Paul’s charm. He’d never been capable of any wrong in her eyes.

  ‘I can’t really talk about it right now. Can I ring you back a little later, Mum? I have a visitor.’

  Mrs Johnson muttered, ‘Typical. Flitting about while your marriage is in tatters. Have you no concern for your husband and child? Stop this nonsense, Peta. Paul’s only doing this because he wants you back, and it’s where you belong. You owe it to him after all he’s done for you and … the child.’

  Her mother hardly ever referred to Bella by name. How could a grandmother not love and accept her for the beautiful child she was? How could she not want to hug and treasure the little girl who brought light to Peta’s otherwise dark world?

  ‘We’ve been through this. I’ve got to go now.’

  ‘Who’s there with you? Who is it?’

  Peta closed her eyes and sighed. She anticipated her mother’s reaction and pressed a hand to her churning stomach. ‘It’s Jaime, Mum.’

  ‘Jaime Caruso!’ Her mother’s disgust rang in her ears. ‘What does he want? I thought you were well rid of him after what he did to you. You tell him to leave right this minute. He has no business back in your life. You don’t need him around right now. And don’t tell him about the child.’

  Peta wanted to smash the device against the wall, make the call end, make the anger and lies go away. But they couldn’t. Not now, not ever. And her mother would never forgive her for coming home pregnant with Jaime Caruso’s baby.

  ‘This is not the right time. I need to keep the line open. We’ll talk later. Goodbye,’ she answered, cutting her mother short on any further comment.

  Frustrated, she pressed the red button to end the call, tossed the phone onto the table and walked over to the window to look out across the lights of the small town. Peta wished that just once her mother could show some warmth, be kind and supportive. God knows she could use it. For the first time since Bella’s disappearance, she let down her guard. She was tired of being strong, tired of the secrets and lies. Tears welled in her eyes. Unable to control them, they spilled softly down her cheeks, dropping onto her hands on the window ledge. She dashed them away.

  Jaime moved in beside her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him, tears glistening. A strangled sob escaped her lips and Jaime pulled her closer, tucking her head tightly under his chin and resting his cheek against her hair. His arms felt so good … so right.

  When her sobs lessened, he wiped the tears away gently and stroked her hair. ‘What’s going on, Peta?’ he asked quietly. ‘Why are you here?’

  Peta let a sigh shudder through her and gently pushed him away. She couldn’t think with him so close but God help her, she wanted to bury herself in his warmth and strength. Her mind screamed for him to leave while her heart cried out for him to stay and hold her until this mess was over.

  Why did he have to show up again? At a time when she didn’t have the strength to deal with him. So much for time healing wounds. They’d just been ripped open again. She pulled her shoulders back and straightened. She was a stronger person now. Her mother was right. She only had herself to blame for the mess her life was in.

  ‘I can’t involve you, Jaime. You should go now. Mark will come to wherever you’re staying to take your statement.’

  Telling him about Bella now would only raise more questions. Ones she wasn’t ready to answer. She had to close the door on him, shut him out like the stranger he’d become. Because that’s exactly what he was … just another stranger in her life. She didn’t want him involved in the situation with Paul and Bella. He’d come too close to the truth already. If she didn’t let him go, everything she held dear would be in jeopardy. When this nightmare was over and Bella was safe, she’d tell him the truth.

  ‘Harold will show you out.’ Peta made an attempt to pull herself together. It would be too easy to confide in Jaime, to rely on his strength, but soon he would be on the move again and she would be back to the struggle for survival, alone except for Mark and Harold.

  Jaime had a world of responsibility on the table in Perth and she had Bella to worry about. He would be just another passing memory, for the second time in her life. She picked up his jacket, savouring its warmth, inhaling the smell of his expensive aftershave as she ran her hand across the buttery soft leather before handing it to him. He looked down at her, but she refused to meet his eyes.

  ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you, Peta. Mark knows where to find me. We do need to talk about what happened back then.’

  Peta shook her head. ‘There’s nothing to talk about. You can never bring back the past, Jaime. Let it go.’

  Heaviness weighed on her heart. This had to be the goodbye again. It hurt even more because of the circumstances and the time and distance between them.

  Jaime sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. ‘I’ll see you around.’

  She hugged her arms to her chest to still the ache under her breastbone. ‘Jaime …’ What point was there in saying sorry? It wouldn’t fix a thing. She shook her head. ‘Never mind, it doesn’t matter.’ She turned away. She couldn’t possibly watch him walk through the door again.

  As she reached the window and the view of the lights on Main Street, the tinted glass erupted in a shattered web. She saw a flash as something whizzed past her head, heard the thump of it hitting a wall, then Harold leaped across the room and dragged her to the ground, yelling at Jaime to get down.

  ‘Stay down until I tell you to get up.’ After a few more moments making sure the danger had passed and no more shots were fired, Harold stood and helped Peta up.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked, checking her over quickly.

  Peta nodded. ‘Jaime?’ she asked, looking over to where Jaime stood at the door, staring in disbelief at the bullet lodged in the wall where he’d stood only moments before.

  ‘Twice in one night. Jesus. Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on?’ Anger flared in his eyes as they pinned hers.

  Harold’s grip tightened gently on Peta’s arm. ‘I promise you’ll get your answers, Caruso, but you’ll have to wait a little longer. I’ll call Mark again. He’ll need to bring help,’ he said.

  Chapter 5

  Peta walked over to the liquor cabinet for the second time that night and poured them each a stiff shot of whisky as Harold reached for his phone.

  ‘Drink up,’ she said, offering Jaime a glass.

  Her hand shook and the whisky sloshed around in t
he crystal cut glass. He took it from her, his own hands not exactly steady. Gunfire still had the power to set adrenaline on fire in his blood, the danger it brought with it setting his senses on high alert. He tossed back the drink and waited as the warmth eased the chill from his spine. With a hand at Peta’s back, he guided her back to sit on the sofa.

  What the fuck just happened? Jaime swallowed the fear that rose in his throat. Good God, they could have both been killed. If the assailant had taken the shot when they’d both stood at the window, they’d be dead.

  His heart pounded at the wall of his chest. Either the culprit was a poor shot or he’d aimed to scare not kill. And Jaime didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work out who it was after what had happened down by the river. The bastard had followed him back to the hotel for a second go.

  Still shaking, Peta swallowed her whisky. Jaime covered her cold hands with his, removing the glass from her fingers. She looked up at him, lips quivering, and he knew he wouldn’t be going anywhere. Not with her in this state.

  Jaime took her trembling hands in his. ‘Don’t send me away, Peta. I want to help you. I’ll be here for you for as long as you need me. I owe you that much.’

  ‘What can you do that my brother can’t?’ Peta looked at him. ‘When this is over, you’ll be off and I’ll have to pick up the pieces alone again. Thanks for the thought, but I’ll be fine. Get on with your life, Jaime. Forget I ever existed in it. It’s the safest thing to do.’

  Jaime thrust a hand through his hair. ‘Safe? Your ex-husband is shooting at you, for God’s sake. This is a lot worse than running out on you like I did back then.’

  ‘Then why did you?’

  Her voice was quiet, but she might as well have shouted at him because it hurt to hear the question from her lips when he’d asked himself the same question time and again.

  ‘I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving you behind. You were so young. You had dreams I didn’t want to tread on.’ The words rushed out before he could stop them. ‘Without me holding you back, you made those dreams come true.’

  Peta stared at their hands, still linked. Shaking, she pried her fingers loose and clasped her hands in her lap. ‘I was old enough to know what I wanted. Don’t be guided by your conscience, Jaime. You don’t owe me anything, not even an explanation. Let’s just accept that it didn’t work out. It wasn’t meant to be. You need to go. Now. Please.’

  Oh, she was good at making it look like she was pushing him away, but he understood the fear and urgency in her voice. His presence was making Paul’s anger worse, inciting him to take violent action. ‘We need to talk, Peta. I need to say what I should have said all those years ago. I want to know what’s going on here.’

  Outside, footsteps thumped down the hotel corridor. Peta jumped up at the sound of hammering at the door. Harold opened it to admit Mark, followed closely by two paramedics and Williams’ three-strong police force.

  Chaos ensued as Jaime watched Peta go from numbly answering Mark’s questions to a complete quivering mess as shock set in. He couldn’t stop the stab of jealousy as Peta went straight into Mark’s arms. There was no reason she should seek comfort in his. Mark was the one who had been there for her when he’d abandoned her, when she’d found herself in this crazy, mixed up mess that had unfolded here tonight. It made perfect sense that she’d turn to her brother.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Mark as he showed the paramedics out after they’d tended minor scrapes and bruises and given Peta a sedative. He turned to the three police officers. ‘I think we have enough to work with back at the station. Harold, damage control. Can you please make sure the hotel guests and staff are reassured? They need to know they’re not in any danger. We need to shut down any rumours so the press don’t get wind of it.’ Mark held Peta close.

  ‘I’m sure I can come up with a reasonable explanation. The town will close ranks against the media. They look after their own here. I’ll organise us a room change while I’m at it. No good being in here with a busted window.’

  ‘Good man. Maybe help Peta to her room before you do while I have a chat to Jaime. We can move her a little later. Peta, why don’t you go and have a lie down and let the sedative do its job?’

  Wordlessly, she eased out of his arms and walked across the room, her steps weary and her spirit broken, her shoulders slumped in a way that made Jaime want to go after her, to comfort her and tell her he’d take care of everything. As soon as he knew what exactly he was dealing with here.

  Mark put a hand on Jaime’s arm and shook his head as Jaime made a move to go after her. ‘Harold will go with her to make sure she’s okay. I have some explaining to do.’

  Jaime raised his eyebrows. ‘No kidding. For a minute there I thought I was back in the warzone,’ he replied, his face drawn in grim lines.

  Mark shifted on his feet. ‘That’s closer to the truth than you think, mate.’ He grimaced. ‘Would you like another drink?’

  Jaime shook his head. ‘I have a feeling I’m going to need a clear head. Question and answer time, mate. This is Williams, for God’s sake, not the city where crime happens on every corner. The only time anyone has ever used a gun here is for putting an injured horse or cow out of their misery.’

  ‘Things change.’ Mark cleared his throat as he sat down. ‘Might be best to start at the beginning. Peta had some health problems after you left town.’

  ‘What sort of health problems?’

  ‘A breakdown. For a while she stopped caring, stopped eating. She slowly deteriorated and because her immune system was weak, she contracted pneumonia following a nasty bout of flu,’ Mark explained. ‘While she was recovering in hospital, she was tracked down by a nightclub owner named Paul Price. He’d heard her sing at the bush dance that year and was keen on promoting her career. We checked him out thoroughly and he came up squeaky clean. Not so much as an unpaid parking ticket. Before we knew it, he’d swept her off her feet and married her. She soared to fame under his guidance and made him some money to get his nightclub, The Golden Diva, off the ground.’

  ‘He screwed her over for money?’

  Mark shook his head. ‘Peta was very wise there. She made him sign a contract to pay back all the money she’d loaned him to start the nightclub. Her lawyers made sure all her earnings were kept out of his reach. Paul got into gambling and managed to lose almost everything he owned. To get himself out of trouble, he got involved with the wrong sort of people. He let them use the nightclub as a front for money laundering and drug running. Peta became suspicious. He kept trying to get her to sign over her fund management to him as he got deeper and deeper in the shit. She filed for a divorce and it was pushed through the courts because of some … shall we say, extenuating circumstances.’

  ‘Extenuating circumstances? How much worse did it get?’

  Mark shook his head. ‘Much worse. Paul liked to use his fists to get what he wanted and he used them often. She obtained a restraining order against him and began doing some investigating of her own. She managed to get hold of video evidence that would lock him and his friends up for life. She came to me with the story, but before she could hand over the evidence, Price kidnapped her daughter and is using her as a bargaining tool to get it back.’

  ‘Wait. She has a daughter?’ Peta was a mum. She’d be good at that. Better if her circumstances were different. He pushed down the jealousy that gnawed for a moment. He’d thrown away his chance at having a family with her. He couldn’t begrudge her the baby she’d always wanted.

  ‘A little girl. Bella. She’s a sweetheart.’ Mark smiled sadly. ‘We need to find her. I can’t bear to think what might happen if we don’t.’

  Disgust shuddered through Jaime. A man who threatened the lives of women and children deserved to be locked away. ‘But why bring her back to Williams? Do you know where he’s holed up?’

  ‘We haven’t been able to pinpoint where exactly. He’s smart and bloody slippery. We’re working on it. Trust me. There are a lot of plac
es to hide here, a lot of abandoned properties that would make the perfect cover. All we need is for him to make a mistake, and he’s getting desperate enough to make one.’ Mark paused, his fists clenched. ‘As for why here—it’s a control thing, and maybe even punishment. She vowed she would never come back here again after you left her. He knew the reason she wanted to get out of town. You’ve never been Paul’s favourite person. She never really got over you, Jaime. No matter how hard she tried.’

  Jaime winced as Mark’s words hit their target. ‘I didn’t want to leave her. I had to.’

  ‘But you did, and we can’t change that. I’m sorry, you weren’t meant to get involved in this mess. All I wanted was for you and my sister to meet face to face and put the past to rest. We have to find Price before it’s too late.’

  Jaime eyed his friend with dread in his heart. ‘Agreed.’

  Mark grimaced. ‘I think your presence has added fuel to his anger. He’s losing control. What happened tonight ups the ante. He’s getting desperate.’

  Jesus, he couldn’t begin to imagine what Peta was going through right now. How was she even holding it together? ‘Then we need to stop him. What can I do to help?’

  Mark looked at him, his gaze assessing. ‘This is your last chance to walk away.’

  Jaime thumped his fist into his hand. Paul Price had no intention of letting him walk away unscathed. ‘I’m in and there’s no way out until we’ve nailed the bastard. Almost getting my throat cut and getting shot at means I’m as involved as I could possibly get.’

  Mark rubbed his hand over his face. ‘I always knew you were made of stronger stuff. It’s going to be a tough fight. It may take days or it may take weeks. Hostage situations always do.’

  ‘We’re in limbo until the big move to Perth takes place. Mining operations run like a well-oiled machine here at the moment. My people will take care of things if I take some personal time out.’

 

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