Arson at the Art Gallery

by Grace York

  "Yes. She works at the bakery with him." Layla's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, wow. You don't think…"

  "That Ed somehow got Jerry to retire so his niece could take his place and vote in favour of his development? Yes. That's exactly what I think. And I'll bet Jenna thought so, too."

  23

  Dennis was sitting up in bed watching television when Addison and Layla arrived. At least his eyes were trained on the screen. Whether he was actually taking any of it in, Addison couldn't even guess.

  "Hello, Dad," said Layla, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

  Dennis frowned. "Angie," he said.

  "No, I'm Layla. Your daughter."

  "Jenna."

  Layla glanced at Addison, who'd settled herself into the chair in the corner with her notebook. Addison shrugged. They'd already decided not to tell Dennis about Jenna's death, for his own sake.

  Layla turned back to her father. "Jenna's in Sydney, Dad," she lied. "I don't know where Angie is. I think it's her day off."

  Dennis stared at Layla then, and Addison held her breath, wondering whether Layla would be strong enough to keep up the lie. Addison wasn't totally sure it was the right thing to do, but it had made sense when Angie had explained it.

  Dennis closed his eyes and settled down further in the bed. Layla sat with him for a long while, just holding his hand. It brought back painful memories for Addison of her last weeks with Rob.

  She distracted herself by opening the notebook and reading everything Finn had told them about Ed Mathieson's development. Jenna had clearly been suspicious of Ed if she'd asked Finn to investigate. Had she got close to a secret Ed wanted to keep hidden? Did he kill her to keep her quiet?

  Addison decided she needed to speak to Wilcox. The police station wasn't far from here.

  "Do you mind if I leave you here for a while?" Addison asked Layla. "I'll come back in time to take you to Hazel's."

  "Sure," said Layla.

  Addison gave her cousin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then left her to it. On her way out she stopped at the front desk to make sure they were on the lookout for Rick. The nurse on duty assured her they were aware of the situation, and would call the police immediately if he showed his face.

  It was about a five-minute walk to the police station, and Addison used the time to think of a strategy for approaching Wilcox. It all went out the window when she literally ran into him outside the station.

  "Oh, sorry!" she said as they collided. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

  Wilcox looked exasperated, and she hadn't even started talking to him about Ed yet.

  "Mrs Lake," he said with a frown. "Were you coming to the station? Do you have something new to report?"

  "Well, yes and no. I'd like to talk to you about it, if you have time."

  Wilcox made a point of looking at his watch. "I guess I have five minutes. I was just ducking out to get a sandwich, if you'd care to walk with me."

  He sounded very formal for a laid-back Queensland town, but then Addison remembered he'd originally come from Sydney like her. She decided to break the ice a little instead of launching straight into the case.

  "What part of Sydney are you from?" she asked as they headed towards the town centre.

  "Originally I'm from the Western Suburbs, but I worked all over the city."

  "Do you miss it?"

  Wilcox shook his head. "I like the weather better up here. And it's quieter." He turned to face her. "Usually. What did you want to talk about?"

  Enough small talk, then. "I wanted to know if you considered Ed Mathieson a suspect in Jenna's murder."

  "You mean because of all the talk about a feud between them, also involving Hazel Henshaw?"

  "Yes. But not just that." Addison explained their earlier discussion with Finn from Jenna's law firm.

  "I see. So you think Mathieson was covering something up, perhaps some kind of underhanded means of getting his development approved, and Jenna found out so he killed her to keep it quiet?"

  "Um, yes. But it sounds so wicked when you put it like that."

  "Murder is wicked, Mrs Lake."

  "I guess it is. So, are you investigating Ed?"

  "We've looked into his possible involvement, yes."

  Wilcox wasn't giving anything up easily.

  "And?"

  "And our investigation is ongoing. I can't tell you any more than that."

  How frustrating. Addison shoved her hands in her pockets. "What about Jerry Nichols?"

  "What about him?"

  "Isn't it strange that he retired from council, even though he said he'd never do that? And he's replaced on the council by a relative of Ed Mathieson's, who subsequently approved Mathieson's development unchanged? And then within months Jerry is dead? Did he really die of natural causes?"

  Wilcox stopped walking and stood in front of Addison with his arms folded. "Haven't I already asked you to stay out of this investigation? Making accusations like that could get you into trouble."

  "I'm not making accusations. They're merely observations. Ones which you should have already made." Addison mirrored Wilcox's folded arms stance.

  Wilcox let out an exaggerated sigh. He looked around, as if making sure he wasn't overheard, then he leaned closer to Addison.

  "Look," he said, talking to her but watching the rest of the street, "It wasn't Mathieson. He has an alibi. He was in Riverwood at the time of Jenna's murder, giving a speech to some community group or other. There are at least fifty witnesses that can put him half an hour away at the time of the murder and the fire."

  "Oh." Addison felt herself deflate.

  "Yes, oh." Wilcox continued walking towards town, and Addison had to take a couple of quick steps to catch up with him.

  "You might have led with that," she said.

  "I'm not supposed to have told you that. It's a murder inquiry, Mrs Lake. I could lose my job for discussing it with you. You of all people should know that."

  It was Addison's turn to sigh. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just – I want to help close this case, for Layla's sake."

  "You know I haven't completely ruled her out as a suspect."

  "Layla? You can't still be thinking she killed her own sister. I told you – she was with me when the fire started. In the pub. She's got her own fifty witnesses that will say so."

  "And like I already told you, there are ways to delay the start of a fire so you're not there when it takes hold."

  Addison gritted her teeth together. It wouldn't do her any good to argue with Wilcox on that point. She knew Layla wasn't the killer. That was good enough.

  They reached the front of the bakery, and Addison looked inside to see Ed Mathieson grinning at a customer from behind the counter. She'd never formally met the man, but she didn't like him. For all Jenna's faults, she'd always been a good judge of character.

  "Did you hear from Layla's ex-husband again?" Wilcox asked.

  Addison turned her attention back to him and nodded. "Rick turned up at the beach house again last night. He convinced Layla to meet him this afternoon at Hazel's. He says he just wants to apologise to her."

  "Do you believe him?"

  "Not in the slightest. He's up to something." Addison nodded towards Ed. "If it wasn't him who killed Jenna, it has to have been Rick."

  "Are you going to be with her when she meets him, then?"

  "Of course. I'm not letting him anywhere near her alone."

  Wilcox nodded. "Good. Look, I've got go now. But there's something I need to speak with Layla about. Can I come to the beach house later this afternoon?"

  "That depends. Are you going to charge her with murder?"

  "Not at this stage."

  "Then okay. We should be back there by four o'clock."

  24

  Addison returned to the nursing home and sat with Layla and Dennis until it was time to go to Hazel's. Their plan was to get to the cafe around one o'clock so they could have lunch and settle their nerves before Rick arrived at two.r />
  "How is he?" Addison asked as they walked to the car.

  Layla sighed. "He seemed unsettled. Kept asking for Angie, although I told him she wasn't there. Eventually I had to go and ask in reception if she was around, but it's her day off. I think I finally got that through to Dad. Then he kept going on about Jenna. It was a struggle to keep her death from him, Addison."

  "If he's that lucid, maybe you should tell him?" Addison suggested.

  "Yes, maybe."

  Addison parked outside Hazel's and they went in.

  "Where did you go today?" Layla asked once they'd ordered sandwiches and taken a table right in the middle of the cafe.

  "To see Wilcox about that phone call," Addison replied. She told Layla about her conversation with Wilcox, leaving out the part about Layla still being a suspect.

  "So it definitely wasn't Ed, then."

  "No. I wonder whether there was anything in it? What Jenna found out about his development, I mean."

  Layla shrugged. "We might never know. I don't think there were any suspicions around Jerry's death. And from what I can remember, he just changed his mind about retiring. He said he got tired, and found it difficult to get to the meetings."

  "I suppose that's fair enough," said Addison. Hazel brought their sandwiches and coffees to the table, and the two of them ate in silence. Addison guessed Layla was thinking about Rick, while she was lost in her own thoughts about the case.

  It must have been Rick. There was no other reasonable explanation. He was a slimy one, Rick Ramirez. Addison had no doubt he was capable of murder and arson if it served his own purposes.

  Hazel cleared their plates away at a quarter to two, and asked if they wanted more coffee. They both said yes, and Addison explained who they were waiting for. Hazel said she would keep an eye on their table, and call the police at the first sign of trouble.

  "I'm sorry," said Layla when they were alone again.

  "For what?"

  "You shouldn't have to go through all this. You've only just arrived in town. You came here to get away from drama, and here I've landed you right back in it."

  "Hey, don't be silly," said Addison. She reached across the table and squeezed her cousin's hand. "None of this is your fault. What happened to Jenna, Rick being here, none of it is your doing. I'm just glad I'm here to support you."

  "You're a good friend, Addison."

  Addison felt Layla's body stiffen before she pulled her hand away. She turned to see Rick in the doorway of the cafe. He strode over to the table.

  "What are you doing here?" he asked Addison.

  "She stays or I go," said Layla before Addison had the chance to speak.

  Rick thought about it for a moment, then pulled out a chair and sat. Hazel came straight over with Addison and Layla's second coffees.

  "Can I get you anything?" Hazel asked Rick.

  "An English breakfast tea please," said Rick with a smile.

  Addison couldn't help herself. "Tea? Really?"

  "It was the only good thing to come out of prison," said Rick. "The coffee they served was disgusting, so I learned to like tea. It stuck."

  The three of them sat staring at each other for a long while. Rick's bravado of the previous day was gone. He actually looked nervous. Eventually Layla broke the silence.

  "What do you want, Rick?"

  Rick sat up a little straighter and folded his hands together in front of him. He glanced nervously at Addison before focusing his attention on Layla.

  "I want to apologise, Layla. For everything. Including scaring you both yesterday. That wasn't my intention."

  Layla and Addison remained silent. Rick continued.

  "I know I was a lousy husband. I said things… I did things… things you have no reason to forgive me for. I was a drunk. A rotten, mean, drunk. But I loved you, Layla. I still love you.

  "I've changed. I haven't had a drink since I went to prison. When I got out I was tempted, but I decided it wasn't as important to me as you are. I want you back, Layla. And I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to win you back. I want us to be together again."

  Addison's eye's widened, but she kept quiet. She was here for moral support. Physical support, if necessary. But she wasn't here to tell Layla what to do. She just had to hope her cousin wouldn't fall for Rick's 'I've changed' speech. A drunk like him would never change.

  Hazel brought Rick's tea to the table. She lifted one eyebrow at Addison, and Addison gave her a tiny nod in return. Everything's okay, it said. For now.

  Rick poured the tea into the cup and added milk. He took a sip, and it was all Addison could do to stop herself knocking it out of his hands. He was too smug.

  "You've stopped drinking?" Layla asked. Addison sensed a tiny sliver of hope in her voice. Oh no.

  "Yes. I wasn't a nice person when I was drinking. I wasn't a good husband. I want to be a good husband, Layla. Like when we were first married.

  "I've got a job lined up in Brisbane. You could come with me. We'll start again. It'll be different, babe. I promise. I've learnt my lesson."

  Addison stared at Layla, and realised she was actually considering taking him back. Addison couldn't let that happen.

  "How can you even be thinking about this?" Addison asked Layla. "You know he killed Jenna."

  "I did not!" Rick's chair slid back, and for a moment Addison thought he was going to raise a hand to her. But he caught himself and settled down again. "I didn't touch Jenna. I hadn't seen her for five years. I didn't even know she was here."

  "Rubbish," said Addison. She couldn't stop herself now. "You killed Jenna to get her out of the way, and you burnt Layla's gallery to the ground so she'd have nothing left. You destroyed her life, and now you swoop in here and offer her a new life to replace it. It's obvious. You killed Jenna. You must have."

  "So call the police and report me then," said Rick. "You'll see how far your accusation gets." He turned his attention back to Layla. "I didn't do it, babe. I'd never do anything like that. I'd never hurt you."

  Layla shook her head at that. "You hurt me for years, Rick. How do I know Addison isn't right? How do I know you didn't kill my sister?"

  "Because I was in Brisbane when she died and that fire was lit. I was reporting to the police station as part of my parole. Check with them. I couldn't have been here. I didn't do it."

  He tried to take Layla's hand, but she pulled it out of his reach. "I'm sorry, babe. I know I hurt you in the past. A lot. I'll never be able to take that back. I wish I could. But I can promise you I'll never hurt you in the future. Come with me, let me show you."

  Layla wrung her hands together. She looked all around the cafe, to Hazel, to the other customers eating their lunches and drinking their coffee. She looked at everyone but Addison. Oh my goodness, thought Addison. She's actually considering this.

  "At least wait until we've checked with Wilcox," Addison pleaded. "You don't know whether he's lying or not. He's lied his whole life." Okay, so Addison hadn't known Rick his whole life, but she still felt confident calling him a liar. She'd met enough of his type.

  Layla shook her head. "I don't need to wait for anything." She picked up her teaspoon and started turning it over and over on the table. She stared at it for a long time. At least it felt like a long time for Addison. She couldn't believe it. Layla was going to go back to her abusive, no-good husband. The man who'd put her in the hospital. The man who she'd said she never wanted to see again.

  "So you'll come?" Rick asked, glancing nervously between Layla and Addison.

  Layla finally dropped the teaspoon and focused on Rick. "I hope you mean everything you just said. I hope you've stopped drinking. I hope you've got a job to go to in Brisbane. I really do. But I'm not going with you."

  Addison's sigh of relief was audible. She put a hand over her mouth and stared at Layla. Thank goodness.

  "I don't understand," said Rick. "I'm finally becoming the man you wanted me to be. Don't you see that?"

  "It's too late, Rick.
You needed to be that man years ago. Not now. I truly hope you've turned your life around. But you can't be a part of my life anymore. I've moved on. My life is here, in Getaway Bay."

  "Then I could stay," Rick said. "I could find a job here. I'm sure we could work it out with the parole board—"

  "No," said Layla. Her voice was firm. Addison was proud of her. "My life is here, not yours. You need to make a fresh start. In Brisbane, or wherever you might end up. But not here."

  Addison thought Rick might burst into tears. Maybe he had really changed.

  "You're sure?" he asked, shoulders slumped.

  "I'm sure. A small part of me still loves you, Rick. Despite everything. I want you to do well, I really do. But I don't want you in my life anymore."

  Rick nodded, and pushed his tea cup and saucer away. He took a deep breath, and stood. "So this is goodbye, then."

  Layla stood and embraced him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then stood back. "Goodbye, Rick."

  He did cry then. "Goodbye, Layla." He fished in his pocket and left a five dollar note on the table for his tea. "Take care."

  "Are you all right?" Addison asked once Rick had gone.

  Layla nodded. "Yes. To be honest, I'm relieved he came here. It's given me a chance to put our marriage behind me once and for all."

  Addison went and paid Hazel for their lunch and drinks, and then they walked to the car. "You really think he'll just go?"

  "I do," said Layla. "I believe him when he says he's changed. He does seem different."

  Addison unlocked the Rav 4 and they climbed in.

  "You know," said Layla once they were on the road, "I was really dreading seeing him again. Even with him in prison, I knew he would one day get out. And I knew he'd find me. I guess even though I'd moved on and built my new life, he was always in the back of my mind."

  "And now?" Addison asked.

  "Now I think I can finally get him out of my head. I can rebuild my life. Again. And it's good to know he wasn't responsible for destroying it this time."

  Addison shook her head as she remembered his alibi. "I was sure it had been him," she said as she turned onto Seaview Drive.