by J J Cooper
Sarah lit up another cigarette and Jay did the same. The pain in his hand was subsiding. Mr Hunter joined them and re-lit his cigar. Again, all three stood around in silence with their habit.
Jay thought about the effects of what he was about to do with Cliffe and Taylor. Interrogating them in the bathroom of his father's house probably wouldn't fall within the bounds of the Geneva Convention. Then again, he guessed the two men tied up in the lounge-room hadn't planned to treat him real well. Still, he needed to give Bill and Sarah an option to walk away. He had a feeling things were about to escalate.
Jay motioned for Sarah and Bill and once again they gathered in the study. 'This isn't either of your problem,' he said. 'What I'm about to do could get us into a lot of trouble . . . and before you start, no, I'm not going to hurt them. It's just that, well, you both know that this isn't exactly conventional, per se.'
Mr Hunter was about to say something but Jay waved him off and continued. 'There is something big going on here that I don't understand yet. My dad is missing and I intend to find him. Those two clowns in there know something about it. I can do this myself and you two can walk away. No problem. But if you were to stay, I could get this done a lot quicker. What do you think?'
Sarah spoke first. 'You know I'm in and you're wasting time with your sermon. I'm going to check the van.' She walked out before Jay could reply.
It was Mr Hunter's turn. 'You may not realise it but your dad and I have gotten to know each other well since he moved here. Well enough for me to call him a friend.'
Jay nodded.
Mr Hunter continued. 'Where I come from, friends look out for each other. So, like the girly said, you're wasting time. What do I need to do?'
'All right, Mr Hunter –'
'Bill. You can call me Bill, boy. You're in charge so just plain Bill will suffice.'
Jay smiled. 'Bill it is then. All right, Bill, let's get to work. I've got some interrogating to do.'
FOURTEEN
Sarah entered the study, waving a large screwdriver. 'The van's hot. No paperwork or ID.' She threw an envelope onto the desk. 'This was taped under the passenger seat. Just under a thousand dollars in it. I put the van in the garage, out of sight.'
Jay had been staring at his new tattoo, trying to make sense of what it all meant. The tattoo. The torture. He turned his attention back to Sarah. 'That's good. Any shovels in the back?'
'You're thinking about it, aren't you?'
'What?'
'The shit you've just been through.'
'Yeah. Probably just starting to sink in. I've really got to find my dad. God knows what else the Primroses are capable of.'
'We'll find him. I know we will. You'll be happy to know that there were no shovels in the back of the van.'
'A positive, I suppose.' Truth was, Jay felt like he was losing his edge. That's what upset him most about being put through the wringer by the Primroses. His senses were always sharp and he'd let his guard down. He kicked himself for it. At least he had been on the ball when the two military police impersonators turned up.
'Where's Mr Hunter?' she asked.
'Bill.'
'Pardon?'
'Bill. He wants to be called Bill.'
'OK. Where's Bill?'
'He's putting Taylor in the bath.'
'Do you think that's wise, letting him guard them? He's an old man, Jay.'
'He'll be fine. I checked the zip-ties. There's no way they're breaking out of them. Besides, he's a sly old fox. He can handle himself. They won't give him grief,' Jay said. He knew he could trust Bill. His dad trusted him.
'Do you think Primrose hired them?' she asked.
'I've been trying to figure that out. It'd fit nicely but I don't think so.'
'Why not?'
'Primrose got down and dirty when he tortured me. He loved it. Got off on it. He's a sadist who needs to do the dirty work. Also a control freak. There is no way he would hire someone else to get to me. He didn't the first time, so why would he now?'
'Maybe he knew you'd be more prepared this time and needed the heavies,' she said.
'He also knows my capabilities. He would've made sure that those two were more prepared. We've assumed that he's got something to do with my dad's disappearance, so why would he need to bring me to him? He could just as easily pick up the phone and threaten me some more.'
Sarah considered the comments. 'If not Primrose, then who?'
'Hopefully those two can tell me,' he said.
Bill walked back in as Jay finished wrapping the bandage around his wrist. 'Been meaning to ask what happened to your wrist.'
'Training accident.'
'Yep. Standard response. Won't ask again.'
'It's not like that; just some things are best left unsaid.'
Bill shrugged and placed two identical G-Shock watches on the desk. The same limited edition style as Jay's, issued to Australian soldiers who had served with the Special Forces. Jay picked up both watches and turned them over. Both were engraved with the same two letters: NB. He chuckled.
Sarah crunched her face. 'What?'
Jay handed Sarah and Bill a watch each and removed his own. 'You see that engraving on the back?'
Both nodded in unison.
'Non-badged. That's what NB stands for, same as mine.' He held up his watch so they could see the back of it.
'What's that mean?' Bill asked. He leant in to check Jay's watch.
'Means that these two supported SASR troops at some stage. They got a watch just like me. If they were actual troopers, that engraving would just have a B on it for badged. What that probably means is that these two were cooks, or mechanics or storemen supporting the boys from the west. Considering that they're in the kidnapping game now, they probably think they're as good as the troopers. Egos. Flip them back over and have a look. There's a function in these that lets you store names and numbers just like a mobile phone. Troopers know not to put anything in there. We interrogated a few once in an exercise and just about blew the cover of the whole regiment. But the support staff still use the function because they think they'll never be caught.'
Sarah busied herself by pressing the buttons on the watch she held.
Bill looked at the face of the watch in his hand. He shrugged his shoulders and handed it back to Jay. 'Don't want to screw it up. You look through it,' he said.
'Yep, this one is full of names and numbers,' Sarah said.
Jay flicked through the other watch. 'Same here. Can you use this to find out who these two are?' he asked Sarah.
She nodded and kept pressing buttons.
Jay put his own watch back on. Still an odd feeling having it on the opposite wrist. 'Can you remember whose watch belongs to whom?' he asked Bill.
'The one in the bath – his time was about a minute slower than the other,' Bill said.
'You see, that just confirms the theory that these two are amateurs. Didn't even synchronise watches,' Jay said. 'Bill, can you do me a favour and keep an eye on the one in the lounge-room. I'm going to chat with Taylor.'
'No problems,' Bill said and left the study.
Jay followed, leaving Sarah to work with the information from the watches. He went to the kitchen and grabbed Sarah's cigarettes and lighter. On the way to the bathroom, he stopped off for his jacket. Pulling his jacket tight against him, he opened the bathroom door.
Taylor trembled from the chill of the ice, fan and breeze from the window. Bill had done a good job. Taylor was naked from the waist up and his boots were lying on the floor with his heavy green socks. Jay noticed that the shirt had been cut off and was glad that Bill hadn't cut the zip ties to remove it. The pillowcase had been cut around the nose and had been saturated as well. Bill was turning out to be resourceful. The scissors were on the bathroom sink next to the roll of gaffer tape.
Jay lit a cigarette. Sitting on the side of the bath, he exhaled the smoke into Taylor's face. The shivering was accompanied by a spluttering. Taylor shook his head to avoid
the fumes. He kicked water from the bath and lunged back, cracking his head on the tub. Jay watched as Taylor slid under the ice water.
He stood and inhaled a couple more puffs of smoke. Taylor thrashed around under the ice. Jay extinguished his cigarette, took up the scissors and sat back down on the side of the tub. He reached in and grabbed the pillowcase that floated around Taylor's head. There was no resistance. Jay worked quickly. Taylor sucked in hard as the gaffer tape came off, and then choked on the excess water. Taylor controlled his breaths to a cadence just above normal. Blue lips tried to say something but couldn't. His jaw trembled with the cold.
Jay turned off the fan. A look of appreciation came his way. He grabbed a towel and placed it on the floor. A glimmer of hope appeared in Taylor's eyes. Perfect, Jay thought.
A shower cubicle was attached to the side of the bath. Jay turned on the hot water. Despite the open window, the bathroom started to steam.
'Ready for a chat?' Jay asked.
Taylor found the strength to nod. Jay lifted him out of the ice bath and wrapped the towel around him. The steam thickened in the room. Jay turned off the shower and threw another towel over him.
Taylor shuffled toward the toilet and sat. He continued shaking and hung his head to avoid eye contact. Jay grasped the scissors and moved toward Taylor. He cut off the zip-ties. A risk he was willing to take. Besides, he outsized him. Taylor stretched his arms and towelled off. He wrapped both towels around himself and sat back on the toilet seat.
Jay began. 'Stating the obvious, the hurting hasn't yet begun. I'm a patient man when it comes to dealing out punishment, yet I have little patience for lack of cooperation. I've got just under a thousand dollars for more ice.'
Taylor looked defeated.
Jay continued. 'Let's start with who hired you?'
'I ... don't know who she is,' Taylor said. The reply was mumbled but confident.
'She?' Jay asked.
He already knew the answer.
FIFTEEN
Taylor talked for just over half an hour. He provided detailed responses to each and every one of Jay's questions. Concerned the responses came too easily, Jay pressured and asked multiple check questions to ensure the integrity of the answers given. When satisfied he had gained all he needed, Jay left Taylor to thaw out with a hot shower and returned to the study.
Sarah gave him a curious look as he walked in. 'That was quick,' she said.
'He was happy to talk for a hot shower.'
Sarah smiled. 'That's going to be a wee bit difficult with those zip-ties on.'
'I cut them off.'
Her smile vanished. 'What?'
'I cut them off,' he repeated.
'Don't be telling me he is in there by himself, unrestrained?'
'Yep.'
Sarah raced out of the chair and grabbed at the back of her jeans for her Glock. She rushed past Jay and out of the study. Jay waited for her to return. It didn't take long. This will be interesting, he thought.
She put the Glock back in her jeans before closing the door and accosting Jay. 'What the fuck were you thinking?' she asked, her hands planted firmly on her hips.
'Bit difficult to shower when you're restrained. Don't tend to soap up enough,' he said. He enjoyed seeing Sarah flustered.
'Enough with the funny-guy answers,' she snapped back. 'He jumped out of the fucking window and disappeared. Why the fuck would you leave him in there unrestrained?'
Jay remained silent, allowing Sarah to calm. Got quite a mouth on her too, he thought.
She raised her eyebrows. 'Unless you knew he would make a run for it?'
'I got everything I needed from him. He was baggage from here on in. He needs to think that he's escaped.'
Sarah reddened. 'That's bullshit. Don't forget that I'm the government agent here. I've allowed you a lot of leeway because of your history and your father's. But enough is enough. This is wrong. I've got an investigation to conduct. Are you forgetting about Lazarau and the missing documents? Are you forgetting that he's dead?'
Jay didn't want Sarah to get the upper hand. 'Are you forgetting that I've been tortured, tattooed and pissed on? My father is missing and quite frankly, at this stage I don't give a flying rat's arse about Lazarau and your missing documents.'
A staring contest commenced. It didn't last long before Sarah sat down at the computer. 'So that was our tension moment, I suppose,' she said.
'Probably sexual tension,' Jay said.
'You see, there you go again, can't –'
'OK. OK. Sorry,' he said. 'I've always found that you need to keep a sense of humour in situations like this.'
'Yeah. Ha fucking ha. Tell me what happened,' she said.
Jay sat on the edge of the desk. 'Taylor said Cliffe is the leader and organiser. But that's obvious. Good guess with the SASR link, if I may say so. Both were mechanics and deployed to East Timor with the SASR. Both were discharged about six months ago for failing a drug test. Times are tough and their cash has dried up. They put out some feelers for freelance work. They're living in a unit in Perth and got an envelope with instructions to call a number. Anyway, long story short, they got paid airfares and accommodation at a local hotel for the next week. Five thousand dollars was waiting in the hotel when they got here three days ago. They spent five hundred on the pistol and figured they would save some cash by just getting the one. The uniforms and boots came from a disposal store and the van was taken from the local base last night.'
Sarah ran a hand through her hair as she took notes.
Jay continued. 'Cliffe was the one who did the organising and communicating via mobile phone. The job was to pick me up and bring me to a caravan some time tonight. Cliffe knows the exact timings and place. It seems that Cliffe wouldn't tell Taylor all the details. Taylor figures it's because Cliffe has arranged for an additional payment once the drop-off has been made. That's about all he had to say of interest, except to add that their employer was female.'
Sarah stopped taking notes and looked up at Jay. 'Female?'
'Yep. And there's only one female I know who would want to kidnap me.'
'I hope you're going to say Catherine Primrose.'
Jay nodded. 'Have you got an answer back from your requests through the Agency?'
'On her?' she asked.
'Her first.'
Sarah leant back in the chair. 'I need some honesty from you first. Let me put this to you. That weak bullshit about you being blackmailed because of your dad doesn't fly. Stop thinking that you can pull the wool over my eyes. Remember, I was young and inexperienced when you interrogated me. I've done a lot of interesting things since then and I've enough experience to know when a story doesn't add up. I also know that the story you told me is close to the truth. You just left out the vital details. Before I share my information, perhaps you can tell me everything that happened.'
Jay rubbed his chin. She had a point. 'They claimed to have a tape of me in a . . . compromising situation.'
'Compromising? Like what?' she asked, probing.
'Compromising . . . with Catherine Primrose.'
'Just spit it out. So you fucked her? So what. You're single, aren't you? And she's an obvious whore. Who cares?'
It sounded like Sarah cared more than she offered in her response. 'It's a bit more complicated than that.'
'Here we go. What's the complication?' she asked.
'It's not important. Just my problem to deal with. Now, can we drop it and get on with finding my father?'
'No. We can't just get on with it! You want my help and I want the truth. Stop messing around and tell me what's the complication?'
Jay looked at the door and back at Sarah. 'Between you and me only or we go our separate ways.'
She rolled her eyes. 'Fine.'
'Catherine asked me out for a drink one night while hubby was away. We ended up back at her place and things happened.'
'Things? Like sex happened, you mean.'
Jay ignored the comment. 'She wa
nted to do some role-playing activities, if you know what I mean.'
'No, I don't know, so spell it out.'
It was Jay's turn for sarcasm. 'Yeah, sure you don't.'
Sarah raised her eyebrows.
Jay realised his last comment probably wasn't a good idea. 'We were in the hallway and she explained to me that she wanted it rough and for me to act out like I was abusing her . . .'
'Like you were raping her?'
'Yeah, like that. Anyway, I waited outside in the hall for her to use the bathroom. I assume now that it was for her to hit record on a camera. She came back out, I pushed her into the room and it started. And I suppose you can guess the rest.'
'That really is a sad story. Yet I have zero sympathy for you. Fancy someone with your intelligence allowing yourself to be placed in that situation. Men just can't keep it in their fucking pants.'
'Hey, that was uncalled for. And your little gutter mouth is starting to give me the shits. Are we going to get on with the business at hand or not?'
Sarah threw Jay a look that he didn't want to see again. He'd been kicking himself since the incident for the same reason Sarah had mentioned. He had allowed himself to be compromised. But how many men on this planet could resist the beauty of Catherine Primrose? He couldn't hold Sarah's stare any longer and looked down.
She turned back to her computer and mumbled to herself. 'Gutter mouth. I'm the gutter mouth. Interesting.' She shook her head.
'Listen. I didn't mean . . .'
Sarah held up her hand for silence. She kept taking notes.
Jay understood. He turned and walked to the kitchen.
Sarah called after him. 'Coffee. Three of them.'
Jay stopped in his tracks. He turned around so he could see Sarah through the doorway. His jaw tightened. Turning back around, he called across to Bill. 'Coffee, mate?'
Bill was already looking at him, grinning. 'Love one.'
SIXTEEN
Jay took Sarah's coffee into the study. The silence was deafening and he made a hasty retreat to the kitchen.
Bill guarded Cliffe, cigar and coffee at hand. He looked up at Jay with a wry smile. Jay dismissed the look with a shake of his head. He prepared himself for his encounter with Cliffe by going over his lines of questioning in his head, confident that it wouldn't take long to have him cooperating like Taylor.