Ghostly Hitchhiker Box Set

by Rodney Strong

  ‘Hi, it’s Anna-Lisa, from the bar?’

  ‘Oh, hi.’

  ‘Listen, you said you wanted to know when the girl came back in? Well, she’s sitting at a table in the courtyard right now.’

  He glanced at his watch and did a quick mental calculation. ‘Can you keep her there?’

  ‘She just ordered lunch. For ten bucks, the kitchen might suddenly get busy.’

  Oliver checked his wallet. ‘Done. I’ll be there soon.’

  Every few kilometres he seemed to strike road works, so the normal twenty-minute drive took twice the time. When he walked into the bar, Anna-Lisa was serving a customer. Once she was free, he handed over ten dollars and she gestured to the courtyard.

  ‘She’s the only one out there by herself. Diet coke, cheeseburger and salad.’

  There were several other tables occupied in the partially covered courtyard, but to one side a girl sat by herself, attention fully on the open magazine on her table. Her burger was half eaten and she absentmindedly picked at bits of lettuce as he approached.

  ‘Hello, Tess,’ Oliver said.

  The girl looked up casually, then her eyes widened in surprise. ‘You’re the guy from the gig the other night.’

  ‘That’s right. I’m Oliver.’

  ‘Right. Okay, see you.’ She turned her attention back to the magazine, which Oliver saw was a travel brochure.

  ‘We need to talk, Tess.’ He pulled out a chair and sat down.

  ‘What about?’ she replied with an annoyed expression.

  ‘About why Alex asked you to kiss George.’

  He had her full attention now. Her eyes flicked from side to side and her face was a mix of expressions fighting for dominance, then insolence won and she slumped back into her seat.

  ‘Alex asked me to come and flirt with the guy.’

  ‘Did you know who the guy was?’ Oliver asked.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘And you did it anyway? Even though it would possibly leave Ashley, the woman Alex loved, single for the man you love, to do something about it?’ The words made his head hurt trying to keep everything straight.

  (Makes perfect sense to me.)

  Tess laughed. ‘He never had a shot with Ashley. She turned him down so many times I think he was suffering from PTSD.’

  ‘But he was obsessed with her.’

  ‘Oh sure. I don’t know why. She was a bitch.’

  ‘You’re the only one who seems to think so,’ Oliver said.

  ‘Fine,’ Tess snapped back. ‘She was annoyingly perfect. But Ashley and Alex were never going to happen.’

  ‘Then why was he trying to break them up?’

  The girl laughed again. ‘Man, you’ve got it all wrong. He wasn’t trying to break them up for him. He was trying to set up George.’

  Oliver considered the implications of what she’d said.

  ‘He told you that?’

  ‘Nah. I overheard him talking to someone on the phone and they were working out the timing of things. He didn’t think I was listening. He doesn’t pay much attention,’ she added miserably.

  Oliver stifled irritation at the girl putting herself into the role of victim.

  ‘So just to be clear, Alex asked you to come and talk to George, and kiss him. Was that it or was the kiss supposed to be the beginning.’

  Tess sat bolt upright with an outraged expression. ‘I’m not a slut.’

  (You’re not a nun either, lassie.)

  Oliver held his hands up in apology. ‘Do you know who he was talking to on the phone?’

  Tess glared for a moment longer, then curtly shook her head.

  ‘So why did you agree to do it?’

  She suddenly found her fingernails fascinating. ‘Because at least he was paying me attention.’

  (That’s pathetic.)

  It’s sad.

  (What’s the difference?)

  Oliver ignored him. ‘Do you think you can find out from Alex who he was talking to on the phone?’

  ‘Probably. But I’m not going to.’ She seemed outraged that he would ask her to betray the love of her life.

  ‘You do know that even if Alex suddenly falls in love with you, it’s not going to end well,’ Oliver tried changing tack.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘For a relationship to work it needs to be equal, and you’re clearly more into him than he is into you.’

  He studied her face and saw defiance and anger and a few other emotions. What he didn’t see was acceptance of his words.

  (You tried.)

  ‘Anything else? I need to finish my lunch.’ She took a big bite of her burger, smearing dark sauce over her chin in the process, and chewed slowly.

  Oliver resisted the urge to wipe her face with a napkin, like a child. Sensing there was no point pushing further he stood up and walked inside. Anna-Lisa waved from behind the bar and he waved back and headed out the front door.

  (She was a sad excuse for a human.)

  I thought you liked your women deferential?

  A light rain began falling as Oliver walked back to the car. Within the space of five steps, the sky opened fully and he became drenched.

  (No, I like me women with a bit of fight. It’s smart women that scare me.)

  Oliver reached his car and shed his sweater before jumping into the driver’s seat. Water dribbled down his forehead and along his nose. He searched around for something to wipe his face and saw a travel packet of tissues. Lacking an alternative, he tore open the tiny packet and pulled out a folded tissue, which immediately tore and bunched into a sodden mess on his face.

  Giving up, he turned on the engine and switched the car heater to full.

  ‘So were you scared of your wife?’

  (I loved my wife.)

  ‘And?’

  (And she often made me nervous.)

  ‘Which is a polite way of saying she scared you.’

  (What about Jennifer. Are ye saying she doesn’t make ye edgy sometimes?)

  ‘Constantly. That’s one of the things I love about her.’

  (Aye. Relationships work better if there’s a bit of respect and a bit of fear.)

  ‘Alex was asked to set up George, but Tess didn’t think it was to split him and his girlfriend. So what was it for?’

  (Don’t ask me. You need a smart woman.)

  Oliver extracted his slightly damp cell phone from his pocket and rang dialled a number.

  ‘I don’t need a smart woman. I need a devious woman.’

  ‘Talking about me Oliver?’ Amanda said as she answered in time to hear the last two words.

  Oliver relayed what he’d found out.

  ‘Maybe Alex was setting him up as the patsy in Ashley’s murder. Seen in public kissing another woman on the night your girlfriend is murdered? Not a good look.’

  ‘That’s nasty.’

  ‘That’s smart,’ Amanda replied. ‘So all we have to do is find out who Alex was talking to and we have our killer.’

  Oliver felt his heart give an extra loud thump at the thought that they might be close to solving the case.

  ‘How are we going to do that?’

  ‘The easy way is to give all this information to Detective Wilson and let him do the work.’

  Oliver thought about it. That would be the easy way and the smart way too. However, there was something about the suggestion that rankled. Maybe it was a desire to see this thing through, or maybe it was the after effects of the concussion, but he wanted to be there at the end.

  ‘What about your friend at the phone company?’ he said.

  Amanda laughed. ‘Oliver, I have been a bad influence on you. We’ll need the number, and even then, if Alex is with a different phone company or he was calling a disposable phone we won’t get anywhere.’

  ‘Is that a yes?’

  ‘Get me his number and I’ll see what I can do.’ She hung up.

  How’re ye going to get that?

  ‘The easy way,’ Oliver informed him. H
e turned off the car and climbed back out. Luckily the downpour had been brief and he didn’t get any wetter going back to the bar. Tess was in the same spot, the only thing different the level in her glass and the amount of food on her plate. She looked up in annoyance as he approached.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I need Alex’s number.’

  ‘No way,’ she shook her head.

  ‘I can find it out anyway,’ Oliver said, ‘but it would be quicker if it came from you.’

  Tess folded her arms and clamped her mouth shut, like she was afraid the number would pop out accidentally.

  An idea came to Oliver. He leaned on the table, employing every trick learnt by watching endless police shows. ‘Alex may well know who murdered Ashley. That means he’s a loose end. Now, the killer attacked me yesterday so they obviously don’t like loose ends. Alex may be next. Unless you want to see him end up the same as Ashley I suggest you give me his number.’

  Tess’s face turned white and she licked her lips nervously.

  ‘Do you really think he’s in danger?’ she asked in a trembling voice.

  (Either that or he’s an accomplice.)

  ‘Absolutely,’ Oliver confirmed.

  She rattled off a number from memory. He asked her to repeat it twice more as he saved it into his phone. He thanked her and retraced his steps back to the car.

  (Ye realise she’ll ring him straight away.)

  ‘She probably already has.’

  (That’s not a problem?)

  Oliver pulled out into traffic. ‘It might be for him if he puts two and two together.’

  (So he might be in trouble.)

  ‘I doubt it. If the killer was really worried about the connection he would have done something about it long before now. But it won’t hurt Alex to think he’s in a little bit of danger. It might make him more amenable to answering some questions.’

  (Nice work, Oliver.)

  ‘Let’s see if it worked. Tess should have had plenty of time to call him by now.’

  The next traffic light he stopped at, Oliver scrolled through his contacts and selected Alex’s number. A busy tone sounded.

  ‘I guess they have more to talk about than I thought,’ Oliver said. He waited until the next red light and tried again. This time it rang and was picked up straight away.

  ‘Yeah,’ Alex’s cautious voice came through the car speakers.

  ‘Hi Alex, Oliver Atkinson here,’ he began brightly.

  ‘Yeah, Tess said you’d be calling. You’re wasting your time.’

  ‘I have two children at home Alex, I’m used to using my time on often pointless things. But I doubt that’s the case here. Did Tess say why I wanted to talk to you?’

  ‘Yeah, like I said, you’re wasting your time.’

  ‘Who asked you to set George up for Ashley’s murder,’ Oliver said.

  ‘Now, hang on,’ Alex’s voice had a defensive edge. ‘That’s not what she…’

  A car horn blared and he realised the light was green. ‘She?’ he pressed as he accelerated and waved an apology to the driver behind him.

  ‘Forget it. I don’t have to tell you anything.’

  Oliver gripped the steering wheel in frustration. ‘No, you don’t,’ he said, attempting to keep his voice even. ‘But here’s the thing. Yesterday someone bashed me on the head and tried to drown me in a bath. Just because I was investigating Ashley’s murder. If you know something, it’s best to tell someone else. There’s less incentive for the killer to target you if other people know what you know.’

  ‘Huh,’ said Alex. ‘I suppose.’

  ‘And you could tell the police if you were more comfortable answering their questions about your involvement in the murder.’ Oliver held his breath, wondering if the man would bite.

  ‘I don’t have no involvement in any murder.’

  (A double negative. Does that mean he does?)

  It means he can’t speak English.

  ‘You were the one who asked Tess to set George up. Those were the words you used when you were talking to the woman on the phone. You think the police are going to believe you have nothing to do with the murder?’

  There was another long pause, then finally. ‘It’s not what you think. Tess got it wrong. It has nothing to do with the murder.’

  ‘Then tell me what it does have to do with,’ Oliver said.

  More silence followed and Oliver began to lose patience. ‘Alright, I’m going to hang up and call Detective Wilson. He’ll find out what you know.’

  ‘Wait,’ Alex said immediately. ‘Don’t be a dick, I’m going to tell you, I just…it sounds a little…weak.’

  ‘Try me.’

  ‘It was Niki. She has a thing for George, and she knows… knew… that I had a thing for Ashley. She suggested we find a way to break both of them up, and that way…’ his voice trailed off.

  ‘You’d both have a chance of getting who you wanted,’ Oliver finished.

  ‘Yeah.’

  He could almost hear the embarrassment coming down the phone line.

  (Weasel.)

  ‘That’s a terrible plan, and a horrible thing to do to two people.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I’ve been called worse,’ Alex said with more assurance in his words.

  ‘I’m going to need you to text me Niki’s number.’

  ‘I don’t have your number.’

  ‘Look at your screen. See those ten digits, that’s my number,’ Oliver said, with barely restrained sarcasm.

  ‘Yeah, okay. Anything else?’

  Yeah, grow up and stop being an idiot. ‘No, that’ll do for now.’

  The phone clicked off.

  (I want to punch that lad down the phone. Does this mean that lass Niki is the murderer?)

  ‘I don’t know, but she’s a good liar. She acted so surprised at the funeral yet she knew what Alex was doing all along,’ Oliver replied. The sky disappeared as he entered the tunnel leading out of the city. His eyes casually scanned the road in front of him, to the numbers painted on the wall, then to the oncoming traffic, and back again.

  (She doesn’t seem big enough to have carried you into the bath.)

  ‘She might have had an accomplice.’

  (Another accomplice?)

  The car exited the tunnel and immediately his phone beeped. Breaking several laws, he glanced at the message and saw Alex had sent through Niki’s number. Instead of calling it, he dialled Amanda instead.

  ‘How’s the head?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s fine…ish. I’m no more dopey than normal.’

  ‘Don’t put yourself down, Oliver.’

  ‘I thought I’d get in first with a witty comeback.’

  ‘Then it’s not a comeback,’ Amanda laughed.

  ‘Ugh, my head hurts,’ Oliver said, but he was smiling. He quickly filled her in on the conversation with Alex. ‘I thought you could grill Niki, as Tracey. She might be more willing to talk about unrequited love with you than me.’

  (I’m not too willing to hear it myself.)

  ‘How about we do it together? What’s her number? I’ll set it up.’

  Oliver broke the same law again and read out the number. Amanda promised to call him back. By the time she did, he was halfway along the motorway and thinking of the sandwich he planned to make for lunch.

  ‘She’s got a break between lectures in twenty minutes. Can you make it to the university by then?’

  Oliver sighed and his stomach said No, even as his mind did the calculations. ‘Sure, just about.’

  ‘Great, I’ll meet you outside the Hunter building.’

  He would have been on time if he hadn’t had to find a car park by the university, which was virtually impossible. By complete dumb luck he managed to slip into a park the second after a beat up old Honda chugged and spat its way into traffic.

  Amanda was waiting outside the Hunter building, one of the oldest buildings at the university and probably the only one Oliver knew the location of. The rest of the campus
had grown in rabbit warren proportions over the years.

  She was dressed as Tracey, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the wandering students, while Oliver felt that everyone was looking at him like one of the faculty, as they picked their way across campus. He tried his best to appear young and hip which, Amanda informed him, made him look old and decidedly unhip, so he gave up and embraced the professor guise.

  Niki’s attention was fixed on her cell phone. She didn’t notice them until they were standing in front of her.

  ‘Hi guys,’ she said. There was enough energy and enthusiasm in those two words to make Oliver feel extra old.

  ‘Hey, Niki,’ Amanda said in a matching tone, and Oliver suddenly felt as old as Angus.

  ‘What’s up? You said it was urgent. I’ve only got ten minutes until my next lecture. Professor Strange hates when people are late. Tardiness is rudeness wrapped up in self-absorption,’ she said in a deep voice.

  ‘Dr Strange?’ Oliver asked.

  Niki laughed. ‘Yeah, we have a lot of fun with that, but apparently it’s his real name. Nigel Strange. Awesome professor. Anyway, what’s up? Sorry, I’ve used two of the ten minutes. I’ll shut up now.’

  (Finally.)

  ‘We’ve been talking to Alex,’ Amanda told her.

  ‘Oh yeah?’

  ‘Yeah, and he said it was your idea to break George and Ashley up.’

  Oliver was watching her closely and the first reaction was annoyance, quickly masked by puzzlement.

  ‘I don’t know what he’s talking about. George and Ashley were great together.’

  ‘But not as great as you and George could be?’ Amanda suggested.

  Niki looked away, suddenly fascinated by anything and everything but the two people in front of her.

  ‘So Alex is lying?’ Oliver asked.

  ‘Must be,’ she replied defiantly.

  He glanced at Amanda. Getting people to talk was her area of expertise. At least Angus hadn’t suggested smacking Niki.

  ‘Why?’ Amanda asked gently

  ‘How would I know?’ Niki replied with a shrug. ‘Because he’s nuts.’ She glanced at her watch and fiddled with the strap of her backpack.

  ‘It would have been a great plan though, right? Set George up so it seems like he’s cheating on Ashley, then they split. Alex gets with Ashley and you console poor broken hearted George,’ Amanda said.