by J J Cooper
Sarah summoned Jay to the study. As though their previous conversation hadn't taken place, she began, 'The transfer order for Lazarau came from a courier on NSIS official letterhead. An initial investigation has led to a dead end on that account. They got the prisoner who shanked him. He's not talking and they don't expect he'll say anything. The Deputy Director has assigned two agents to continue enquiries there.'
Jay didn't know her well enough yet to judge her mood. Still, he could tell it wasn't very good at the moment. He nodded and let her continue.
'There is no news about your father. Two analysts have been called in to go over his old case files.'
'Progressing then?' he asked.
'Yes. And the Deputy Director said he will keep us updated.'
Jay shrugged.
Sarah looked back down at her notes. 'NSIS has a database of about twenty different societies who have made reference to Sub Rosa in the past. The analysts have also been tasked with matching this information to your father's old files.'
'That's good. Anything else?' he asked. He didn't care about the Sub Rosa angle for the moment and knew he came across that way in his comment.
Sarah raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. 'Yes, actually there is. Background check for Warren Primrose comes up clean. Average upbringing, average schooling and average history.'
'That would explain why he's an average officer,' he said.
'Look, I don't know if you are aware but we don't keep detailed dossiers on everyone in the country.'
'I'm aware. I was just hoping there was something there.'
'Nothing on him but there is some information on his wife.'
Jay sparked up. 'Go on.'
'Born Katrina Catherine Zinner to Margaret and Hans Zinner in Canberra, the same year as you. Raised and schooled in Canberra due to her father's work as a public servant. Margaret Zinner took her own life when Katrina, Catherine as we know her, was in high school. Reason for the suicide is unknown. After the death, Hans threw himself into his work and Catherine went off the rails. She didn't finish high school and led a nomadic life for some time. Joined a couple of hippie movements including a peacebus mob who have a home base down in Nimbin. Which is the only reason we have this record of her.'
'Keeping track of hippies?'
'Something like that. She received a couple of minor drug convictions while she was hanging out with them in Byron Bay. Along the way she changed her name to Catherine Moon and, as far as we can tell, dropped all family ties. She fell off our radar when she left the peacebus mob. The end footnote is that she married Primrose and that's it.'
'What about the father? He sounds familiar.'
'You army guys really don't get involved in politics, do you?'
Jay shrugged. 'Should I know him?'
'He is the shadow minister of defence. Used to be an adviser for the Prime Minister before the war in Iraq.'
'I remember something about that. He resigned after advising the PM against Aussie involvement in the Iraq war. Went into politics for the opposition. And if I remember correctly, the platform for his preselection was that there never were any Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.'
Although Jay didn't say so, he knew first-hand about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. He had been there before the war started, collecting information on Iraq's chemical programs. Probably one of a handful of people in Australia who knew the real story. 'I can picture the face now. He's big on our withdrawal from the region.'
'That's the one. Wonder if he knows what his daughter is up to these days,' she mused.
'Interesting. Where does that leave us?'
'I've checked those two watches and there is nothing of real value. The longer we keep Cliffe, the riskier it becomes with his mate loose out there,' she said.
'You're right.'
'How long do you think that will take?'
'Don't know. Why?'
'I've got to have a shower and get changed.'
'Didn't think you were expecting to stay overnight.'
'I didn't either, but I always bring a spare set of clothes and toiletries in case. Has your dad got another bathroom?'
'Ensuite in his room. Go ahead.'
Jay stayed in the study, trying to reason why Catherine Primrose would enlist the help of Cliffe and Taylor to kidnap him. She had set Jay up before and he assumed she set up Lazarau in similar circumstances, including the tattoo.
He told Bill to start the cool-down process with Cliffe. He let Cliffe sit in the ice water for over fifteen minutes before he began the interrogation. Cliffe, like Taylor, provided quick answers.
Cliffe was due to collect another five thousand dollars after they dropped Jay off at a caravan park. Jay got all the details, including the address and timing. He allowed Cliffe to slip out the window into the darkness, like Taylor had done.
After he heard the dogs bark a final salute to Cliffe, Jay found Sarah waiting for him in the study. 'Do you think he will try to warn Catherine before we get to her?' she asked.
Jay looked her over for the first time since she'd showered. She wore another tight pair of jeans and a thin jumper that accentuated her breasts. He caught himself staring and forced his eyes to meet hers. She met him with a glare that melted as she blushed: not the reaction he'd expected.
Recovering his thoughts, he responded. 'He won't. I told him we have his full details and know where he lives in Perth. Gave the other usual threats.'
'Good,' she said. 'What time were they delivering you, and where?'
'A small caravan park about twenty minutes away.' Jay checked the time. 'About three hours from now.'
'Why did those two come around so early then?' she asked.
'You'll love this. There's a billiards tournament at the hotel where they're staying. Apparently it coincided with the timing to kidnap me. They figured if they got me early, they could tie me up in their room, have a few beers and play some snooker. When the time was right, they would deliver me to Catherine.'
'Something doesn't fit,' she said.
'I know. It's been bugging me too. How did Catherine know that I would be here at precisely that time? Unless . . . wait a minute. Catherine was pale the last time I saw her. She wasn't involved in my torture after the second time I was knocked out.'
'Apart from the tattooing thing,' Sarah said.
'Yeah ... no, I mean after I woke up. She wasn't in the interrogation room and when Primrose left I saw her at the door. She was pale. Like something was wrong. All the confidence she'd shown throughout just wasn't there. That was just after Primrose had threatened my father. I'm thinking that maybe it wasn't in their plans. They knew I would come for my dad as soon as I got that threat.'
'No. Catherine would have contacted Cliffe and changed the timing if she knew you were coming straight here.'
'Probably expected me to be in the Centre a lot longer than I was, then I would have had to explain myself to my boss and still do my normal day's work. Primrose would have been there to make sure of that. I doubt they expected me to get out of the interrogation room so quick. Shit! This is giving me a headache. We need to sit down and talk this through,' he said.
After a drawn-out, animated discussion, Jay convinced Bill to go home for the night. Jay told him that he could join them in the morning, on the proviso he wore something more suitable than the robe. Jay also promised him he would update him sooner if required.
Sarah called the Deputy Director of NSIS with an update.
After her call, they planned their meet with Catherine Primrose. They continued to debate how Catherine knew that Jay would be at his father's house at the planned time of the kidnapping.
They were interrupted by the buzzing of Jay's phone from the bedroom. He raced from the lounge-room, but was too late. He retrieved it off the bed and checked the number.
Catherine's name appeared as the missed call.
SEVENTEEN
Jay brought the phone back to the lounge-room, wondering what the hell C
atherine had wanted.
'Having a hard time reading it?' Sarah asked, indicating the phone.
Jay broke out of his trance. 'What ... oh, no. That was Catherine,' he said.
'What the hell would she want? And more importantly, how do you know it was her?'
'I know what you're thinking but we all have unit members' next of kin details in case –'
'Whatever. What would she want?'
Jay thought the comment strange, fobbing him off as she had. Rude and a hint of jealousy. 'Only one way to find out,' he said. He rang Catherine's number, knowing he had to play it cautious.
Catherine answered on the first ring. 'Hello, Jay?'
'Yeah. What do you want?'
'You've got to understand, Jay. I didn't want to do any of that to you. Warren made me do all of it. I feel so bad. Please don't hate me ...'
'You nailed my hand to a fucking table and tattooed my fucking wrist. Are you insane?'
Talking fast, she gushed, 'I'm so sorry. It was all Warren's idea. I didn't do the nailing, only the tattoo. What Warren did made me sick to the stomach. You've got to believe me. I didn't want any of this to happen.'
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Bullshit, Catherine. Where's my father?'
'What, he's missing? The first time I heard of your father was when you were . . . you know . . .'
'When your psychopathic husband pissed on me? I remember you laughing.'
'I didn't laugh when Warren did that. It was disgusting. Trust me, please, Jay. I didn't want any of this to happen. I want to explain everything to you. Where are you now?'
Jay played along. 'None of your business.'
'I mean it. I need to speak with you. You're the only one who can help me.'
'You need psychiatric help, Catherine. Goodbye.'
'Wait. Wait, Jay. Please don't hang up. I have the tape.'
Jay paused for effect. 'You have the tape?'
'DVD. I have the only copy, and you can have it but I need to meet up with you. Where can I meet you?'
Jay decided to test her by seeing if she knew where he was currently located. 'OK, Catherine. In my room at –'
'No. No. I'm not meeting on the coast or at the base. How about somewhere in Brisbane?'
Convenient. 'Fine. How about a nice public place in the city?'
'It needs to be private. Your father has his place in Brisbane, doesn't he? That would be good for me.'
The answer surprised Jay. 'I thought you didn't know who my father was?'
She paused too long. 'I heard Warren say that your father lived in Brisbane. That's all. You have to believe me.'
Jay figured telling Catherine to meet him at his father's house was what she had planned. This would ensure he was there to be kidnapped. She probably didn't know he had already foiled the attempt when Cliffe and Taylor got lazy. He and Sarah could now intercept her at the caravan park. 'What time?'
'What's the address?' she replied.
He told her the address.
'I'll be there in an hour and a half,' she said and hung up. Jay was taken aback. He checked his watch. The kidnapping was originally planned to occur in less than three hours, yet he was certain Catherine was making sure he would be at his father's house in an hour and a half. Again, there were too many information gaps that needed to be filled. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at Sarah.
'I got most of the conversation from your side of things,' she said. 'And I can guess what she was saying.' She clasped her hands to her chest, wide-eyed, and said in a high, drama-queen voice, 'I'm sorry for hurting you, Jay. What we had together was magnificent and I want to leave Warren for you. He's the evil one, you know. He made me go along with it. Please, please, I need to see you again. You are the greatest lover I've ever had.' Sarah held her hand across her mouth as if to stop herself from continuing.
Jay opened his mouth wide in disbelief and shook his head. He started to smile. It turned into a chuckle, and then into uncontrollable laughter. Sarah joined in and they both fell back into their lounge chairs. Jay held his sides while tears flowed down Sarah's cheeks. It felt good to release the pressure of the day.
Their laughter ebbed into comfortable silence. Jay gave Sarah a wry smile. She blushed.
An hour later, they had formulated their plan to pay Catherine Primrose a surprise visit. Sarah gave Jay the 9 mm pistol and they both checked their weapons for serviceability. They used the stolen military police van for the trip; Jay insisted on driving despite his damaged hand, while Sarah navigated with Cliffe's directions. Jay felt the nerves of anticipation during the twenty-minute drive toward the Sunshine Coast. He assumed that Sarah felt the same due to the silence for the duration of the trip. He played out the scenarios in his head, like 'actions on' drills. What he would do if ambushed; if Sarah was taken down; if someone else was there instead of Catherine. He always played out scenarios in his head before any task, especially his interrogation sessions. The army had a saying: prior preparation prevents piss-poor performance. Jay liked to be prepared.
The caravan park was situated at the end of an access road off the Bruce Highway, not far from Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. A full moon shone across the Glasshouse Mountains in the background. Tall pines loomed on either side of the road, pitching dark shadows on the entrance to the facility. Dim lights projected over the pebble-stone drive. Jay flicked the van's lights to low. He and Sarah leaned forward and attempted to read the caravan numbers as they edged along.
'Two . . . four. It's on my side,' Sarah said.
Jay kept the van moving until they came to number twelve.
'There,' she said. 'Fourteen.'
Jay swung past and reversed into the drive. He stopped the vehicle just outside the small steps at the side of the caravan. They knew Catherine would be expecting Cliffe and Taylor to pull up close to remove Jay from the rear of the vehicle. There was no point in sneaking in. The surprise would be when Catherine opened the door. Jay and Sarah exited the vehicle at the same time. Jay checked his weapon and assumed Sarah had done the same.
The fresh aroma of the pine trees filled his nostrils. Moonlight snuck through the pines and illuminated the thin door at the side of the van. An owl called out a warning.
Jay nodded at Sarah. She took a few paces back and to the side of the door, her Glock held down at her side. Jay shook his head, letting her know that she didn't need the weapon. She returned a look that told Jay to get on with it. He tapped lightly on the aluminium door.
The knock was loud enough to send the owl into flight. Jay ducked instinctively as the bird flew high above the van and off into the distance. Sarah shook her head and there was a hint of a smile. Jay knocked again, this time louder. There was no response and no movement from within the caravan. He looked at Sarah and shrugged. She raised her left hand and moved it like a puppet. A signal for him to call out.
In a voice just above a whisper, he called out. 'Catherine.'
Again. 'Catherine, it's us, open up.'
No response. Sarah snuck around the caravan.
Jay called louder. 'Catherine, we have him. Open up.'
Sarah returned from her reconnaissance. 'Doesn't look like she's here,' she said.
'Good deduction, agent.'
'You got the right address didn't you, Mr Interrogator?'
'Yes, I got the right fucking address.'
'Now who's the gutter mouth?'
Jay ignored the comment and tested the windows of the caravan. He got lucky when the largest window at one end of the van came open after a couple of tugs. Reaching in, he pulled back the curtains and stood on the tow ball to get his torso inside. He crawled in, careful not to put too much weight on his damaged hand, and stepped off a sofa. Finding a light switch, he flicked it on.
He took his time checking the caravan. A tattered green army blanket lay beside a stained pillow. There was an empty noodle box with a plastic fork next to a plastic cup. Jay picked up the cup to inspect it. It stank of medicine and the
bottom was stained with a dark substance. He scanned past the doorway into the remainder of the van. Two empty bottles of Coke on the small sink caught his attention and he moved forward to inspect them. He opened the first bottle and the smell of whisky filled his nostrils. There were two army sleeping bags perched on a cane chair beside the bar-fridge. He left the sleeping bags as they were and checked the fridge. Four bottles of Coke remained from a six-pack. Jay thought it unusual that there were none of the basics such as milk and butter, not even something for a snack. He closed the fridge and looked in the two cupboards above the sink. There he found three-quarters of a bottle of whisky, a large packet of chips and a dozen packets of noodles.
A knock at the door startled him. He'd been so absorbed in analysing the contents of the van that he'd forgotten to open the door for Sarah. He let her in and showed her what he'd found in the main part of the caravan. They concluded that at least two people had recently been there, possibly three, due to the empty noodle box and cup on the floor near the couch. And although there were no personal belongings, someone would likely be coming back. Nobody leaves army sleeping bags and three-quarters of a bottle of whisky behind.
'Perhaps you shouldn't have let Cliffe and Taylor leave so soon,' Sarah remarked.
EIGHTEEN
Jay shut the caravan and they leant on the back of the stolen military police van, trying to figure things through.
'They were telling the truth,' Jay said.
Sarah tucked the Glock into the back of her jeans. 'Really,' she said. 'Then why isn't your little lover here waiting for you to be delivered into her arms?'
'They were telling the truth.'
'Sure they were. Did you get the address right?'
He stayed calm. 'Yes, I did.'
'Then why the hell isn't she here?'
'I don't know.'
'Explain the sleeping bags then.'
'I still think they were staying in a hotel. Apart from the sleeping bags, there's no personal items or clothing here. And none in the van. So they must be staying, or have stayed, somewhere else.'