by Sarah Barrie
‘My, my. What big muscles you have.’
‘Thanks,’ he muttered, wrestling Ruby to get her down safely. God, she stank.
Back on the ground, Ruby got her feet under her then ducked as an eruption of cheering broke out from the crowd. Jared got a better hold, thinking she was going to make a dash for it, but Ruby was simply bowing, still too drunk to realise how much trouble she was in.
‘They want to take our picture, Detective Handsome,’ she slurred. She tried to raise herself up and leant towards him with, if the pouty lips were any indication, every intention of kissing him. He avoided it, just, and Ruby cackled, coughed and, doubling over again, vomited on his shoes.
‘Geez, Ruby!’ Disgusted, he passed her over to Emily and wiped his shoes off on the grass as best he could.
‘See ya back at the cells, eh?’ Ruby called. ‘Might need that coffee!’
‘She’s not our POI,’ Emily confirmed outside the interview room at the station. ‘Sorry, should have made that clear back at the park.’
‘You’re sure?’ Indy asked.
‘Yep. Constable Perry and I responded to a break and enter out on Kelly Street at around 2 am this morning. Owner was out, but a neighbour noticed a torch flashing around in the home when he got back from nightshift. We arrived at the scene just in time to see our thief bolt. He’s a hell of a sprinter.’
‘He?’
‘Yeah. We chased on foot. We thought we had him at the Brick Factory but he tossed a black backpack over the fence and disappeared. We split up, couldn’t find him. When we went back for the goods, the bag was gone.’
‘Ruby couldn’t have been drinking there. The place would have been closed.’
‘She had the bottle with her,’ Indy reminded him. ‘She was most likely drinking on the street as usual. Got lucky.’ She gestured to the interview room. ‘You two have such a sweet relationship going, Detective Handsome. I’ll let you talk to her.’
‘Ha,’ he muttered, but stepped through the door.
Ruby looked a lot worse for wear than she had at the park. The dark circles that were parked permanently under her eyes stood out more than usual against the pallor of her skin, and her dishevelled hair was limp and clasped in the fists currently holding her head up. The smeared, heavy makeup that had settled in the lines on her face made her look older than both the twenty-something she was trying to pull off and the fifty-two he knew her to be.
Indy pulled out a chair and sat back to listen, one leg crossed over the other. Jared stayed on his feet.
‘So, Ruby,’ he asked. ‘Where’d you get the stuff?’
‘I really need ta sleep this off, handsome,’ Ruby muttered.
‘Then let’s get this done. Where?’
She dragged her fingers across her eyes. ‘It just kind of … landed in my lap.’
‘You see who put it there?’
‘Nup.’
The way she averted her eyes gave him a small ray of hope she was lying. This was the third break-in in as many weeks and they needed a lead. ‘That’s a shame. You’ve gone a bit too far this time, discharging that weapon. You won’t be walking out of here. Not before you’ve gone before a magistrate, anyway. The court might be more lenient if you assist us in our investigation.’
Ruby studied him through narrowed, bloodshot eyes, before muttering, ‘Doesn’t do a person any good to go dobbing. But maybe I do know a bit of something.’
He perched on the edge of the table. ‘A little bit of what kind of something?’
‘Coffee?’
‘In a minute,’ Indy said.
‘Promise?’
Indy sighed loudly and got to her feet to stick her head out the door. ‘Hey, Emily, can you run next door for an extra-large double shot latte with three sugars? Ta.’ With a pointed look at Ruby, Indy sat back down.
‘Okay, well,’ Ruby said, her eyes back on him, ‘I might know how your thief is scoping out his victims.’
‘How would you know that?’
‘Seen him at the Mobius a couple of times, and the Observatory … pretty much all the nightclubs. Hangs around, talks to the chicks with the pretty jewellery.’
‘You sure?’
‘I paid attention. He’s hot. I mean young and built with a kinda cheekiness about him. Not as built as you, Detective Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous, but his eyes are the same colour.’
‘You could tell he had blue eyes in a split second in the dark?’
‘When he tossed the bag I recognised him as he went round the corner, past the security light. Know from the club how blue those babies are.’
‘Did he see you?’
‘Dunno. Don’t think so.’
There was a brief knock on the door before Emily appeared. ‘Sorry, just had a call come in,’ she said to Indy. ‘There’s been a fatality out on Fedder. Tess’s group. Search and Rescue said to make sure you got the message the fatality isn’t Tess, but she is injured. Went over a cliff.’
Indy’s chair scraped back, and she was gone.
CHAPTER
3
Tess stared unseeing at the scenery beneath the chopper as it approached Hobart. It had taken another couple of hours for the weather to clear enough for rescue. If only it had been sooner.
Charlie’s scream refused to stop reverberating in her head. She closed her eyes, saw him hanging from the edge, his eyes begging, his fingers slipping from their hold on that rock. She felt the scrape of his gloves, felt that sinking moment of not quite reaching far enough to hold on. Then the scream, over and over, like an echo. And he was gone. Just … gone.
She pressed her eyelids together hard. Was this her fault? Was there something else she could have, should have, done? A photography trip with experienced hikers. A short expedition through Moss Creek to Béchervaise Plateau for a look at Fedder. Plenty of panoramas, plenty of stunning gullies and ridges. Plenty of wildlife. And, as it turned out, plenty of mud and rain and swollen creeks, leeches, wet boots and cold weather. They’d said the weather made their photos more atmospheric, so they tolerated the cold and the wet more happily than most. It hadn’t been until they arrived at the plateau that Charlie had even mentioned the possibility of the climb. He’d asked if she’d climbed it, she’d said she had, in good weather. She’d told him, when he’d asked, that yes, there was a way up without ropes. That most hikers did tend to do it that way. That the view from the top was breathtaking. Extraordinary.
She should have shut up. The conversation had just spurred his enthusiasm. Even when she told him a few of those hikers had died, that the climb was too dangerous in bad weather and that even if he reached the top without killing himself, he wouldn’t see anything due to fog, he hadn’t seemed entirely deterred. ‘Not this time,’ she’d said again over their last cup of tea for the night, ‘not in these conditions.’ She’d reinforced that. And then she’d crawled into her tent and curled up in her sleeping bag and slept.
How could she have known?
She should have known, when she’d woken the next morning to the sun creeping up, that he would have seen a few minutes of clear morning sky as the chance he needed. But she had already been feeling less than enthusiastic about the hike back to Farmhouse Creek to be picked up, and was preoccupied as she took her time emerging from her warm tent to get the camp stove going. The cloud was rolling in by the time the water boiled, and she’d been wondering how, if the predicted amount of rain fell, she was going to get them safely back across the creeks that had already been close to impassable on the way in. So she’d gone about getting breakfast sorted, decided, as the fog enveloped them in earnest, thick and spiked with icy rain, that she should ask them to cut their day short and pack up early. It was beyond atmospheric; they’d be lucky to see their hands in front of their faces. It wasn’t until she heard the raised voices in the men’s tent arguing over whether to go after the idiot that she realised what Charlie must have done.
All that time mucking around at camp when she could have been out there e
arlier, after him faster. Would he still be alive?
If only his friends hadn’t brought the argument to the mountainside. If only they could have waited. She looked at them, strapped in in front of her. Their faces had been saying the same thing since they pulled her back over the ledge and saved her life, then walked back to camp without their mate.
Damn it!
She should never have headed out without ropes. It didn’t matter that they weren’t supposed to be doing any climbing. She’d pack them from now on. It was more room to find, more weight in the pack. But she’d take them. If she ever did this again.
The numbness that had protected her all morning was threatening to crack. Aaron Jackson, fellow Search and Rescue volunteer and tour company owner, pushed a bottle of water into her damaged hands. She took it, not because she wanted it but because arguing required too much energy. It was easier to just accept. She drew her lips up in what she hoped passed for a smile and lifted the bottle. The water lodged in her throat like concrete.
Aaron put a hand on her knee, squeezing it in understanding. Even before they’d started seeing each other he’d been someone Tess had known she could count on. He’d been an amazing mentor during her SES training and she’d seen him save lives first-hand. He was such a great guy. Now he’d come to get them in conditions that should have grounded the choppers much longer. He’d tended to her cuts and bruises, warmed her up, got them packed up and safely on their way home. But she was glad the noise of the chopper had put an end to conversation. She couldn’t deal with any more advice. She’d already endured the gentle lecture on how important it was to remember her training, about what constituted acceptable risk and how it helped no one if she died trying to save someone else. She’d nodded in silent submission as he’d reminded her she should know when to wait for assistance, when to step back. There are always consequences for our actions, Tess. You need to think, be smart. She’d wondered several times if she’d have felt worse if she’d waited for that assistance and Charlie had fallen anyway. She’d decided she probably would.
And God, it all rushed in again: his petrified face, the feel of that brief tug of his fingers against hers. Then his scream in her ears and her own in her mind as she slipped into a gaping space that had wanted to swallow her whole. If only, if only, if only …
Feeling sick, she screwed the lid back on the water bottle and concentrated on keeping down the bile in her throat. Shock was wearing off. She needed to hold on to it a little bit longer. Just until she could find somewhere private to grieve and rage.
‘What is with the traffic today?’ Indy muttered from the passenger seat as they made their way to the heliport.
Jared sent her a sympathetic smile. ‘It’s the rain, slows the sensible ones down. We’ll beat the chopper back, don’t worry.’ But he could tell she was worried, saw it etched in her face. ‘She’s okay, right?’
Indy dragged her fingers through her light brown hair. ‘That’s what she told them to tell us. But this is Tess, so who knows?’
‘If she’s capable of convincing everyone she’s okay, that’s got to be a good sign.’
‘She’s stubborn enough to fall over dead, still proclaiming she’s fine.’
‘I happen to like that about her,’ he said lightly. ‘I remember that attitude well from the time she saved my life.’
He saw some of the tension ease as her lips turned up into an almost-smile. ‘You were bleeding to death on the floor but we had a serial killer in the building so I told her to go outside and call for help.’
‘And she did. But then she came back in.’
‘I know,’ she said wryly.
He remembered how Tess had flown back in the door of the police station and dropped to her knees. Jared let his memory drift back …
‘I’m Tess,’ she said. ‘Hi.’
The bullet wound hurt like a bastard and breathing was an effort, but he took in the serious brown eyes on the sun-kissed face as the long dark hair she’d contained in a ponytail fell forward. He thought he probably said hi back, but then he had to gasp as she pressed on his wound to control the bleeding. He was more sure he got out, ‘Jared.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ she replied with a smile that said she realised how absurd the conversation was under the circumstances.
Pain and the threat somewhere from within the building stopped him smiling back. ‘You were told to go outside.’
‘I did. I called for help. It’s on the way.’
‘Great job. I’m fine. Now get out. There’s a serial killer in here.’
Her face closed into a frown. ‘If you’re so fine, get up and walk out with me. Otherwise, would you shut up?’ Then, mimicking him perfectly, ‘There’s a serial killer in here.’
He dragged in a few ragged breaths. ‘Are you always this stubborn?’
‘Do you always make this much noise?’
There should have been other noise. It was too quiet. He needed to get Tess out of harm’s way. ‘Listen, being young and beautiful doesn’t mean you’re invincible. If this arsehole comes out and shoots you, you’ll be just as dead as anyone else.’
‘Seriously? You’re bleeding all over me and you’re flirting?’
‘I’m appealing to your ego. Nothing else is working.’
‘How about going with the grateful?’
He was getting cold, his mind fogging. ‘I’d be very grateful if you’d leave.’
She simply shook her head. ‘Me and my ego are staying put.’
A sudden gunshot had his heart leaping in his chest. He felt her flinch, the pressure on his wound waver. Either it was over, or it was about to get a lot worse. But the seconds ticked on without another sound.
‘I think I should take a quick look—’
He held her arm. ‘If you leave, I’ll bleed to death, remember?’
‘I thought you were fine. Where’s your gun?’
‘The serial killer you want to go looking for has it.’ Unconsciousness threatened. He fought it back. ‘How would you know how to shoot, anyway?’
‘Farm girl.’
Sirens wailed and commotion erupted outside. Tess stretched up to look out the window. ‘Reinforcements have arrived.’
‘I’ll give you this, you know how to keep your head.’
‘I’m pretty attached to it.’
Wouldn’t be difficult to become pretty attached to it, he decided as his vision swam with black dots. The door burst open, jolting him back to consciousness as police swarmed in and Tess was replaced by two paramedics.
He looked for her outside, once he was on the stretcher. She was talking to Indy near where the killer’s body was being wheeled out. ‘Tess?’ he called, got her attention. ‘Thanks for hanging around.’
‘Oh, now you’re grateful?’ she teased. ‘I won’t say, “Anytime,” but it was interesting.’
‘You saved my life.’
Her smile upped in wattage. ‘Get better.’
He managed to nod before he was put into the ambulance.
‘Earth to Jared?’ Indy said in a tone that suggested it wasn’t her first attempt to get his attention.
‘Yeah, sorry. Was still thinking about that incident at the station. I’m not sure I ever really thanked her.’
‘Yes, you did. It was years ago. Why worry about it now?’
He made the turn to the helipad. ‘It was just a thought. You always think there’s time, but you never really know when that time is going to be up. I’m thirty-four, but I could have been dead for years by now. Then there’s Tess. She’s how old?’
‘Are you actually asking?’
He pulled a face. ‘I just mean, you don’t tend to think too much about time running out. But it does, sometimes. For that poor guy on the mountain today, it did.’
They looked up at the same time to see a chopper arriving. ‘But not for Tess, thankfully,’ Indy said. ‘Let’s go get her.’
The chopper landed in a whirl of wind and sound. Jared stood by the car as Indy
ignored the steady rain and headed straight for the chopper, keen to check on the condition of her sister-in-law.
Tess was out first. Scratches and dried blood marred her face, a blanket falling from her shoulders as she spoke to someone inside. Two men in equally filthy hiking clothes emerged. Gear was dropped off the chopper by a tall, light-haired figure in Search and Rescue gear who didn’t seem to want to take his eyes off Tess. He hadn’t had much to do with Search and Rescue, but the guy was vaguely familiar.
Indy reached them and wrapped Tess in a hug, then pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders and steered her towards the car.
Once they were closer, Jared got a better look at Tess. The creamy complexion he’d always admired had drained to a translucent bluish-white save for the dark circles under eyes that looked shocked and blank. He’d only ever seen her hair in a sleek, dark ponytail. He had a suspicion it may have started out that way, but most of it was plastered to her face in tangled strands or hung limp around it. Her pain was evident in her hollow cheeks and tight mouth.
‘Jared … Hi.’
‘Hey, Tess. Glad you’re okay.’
‘Thanks.’
The blond guy was a couple of steps behind, and he sent Jared a hard stare before laying a hand on Tess’s lower back. ‘Indy, I know you’ll want to talk to everyone, but I think Tess needs to go to the hospital first.’
‘Yeah, of course. Thanks, Aaron, we’ve got her,’ Indy said. ‘Is there any chance you could take care of these guys and get them to the station for us?’
‘I was going to take Tess,’ Aaron said with a frown.
‘I don’t need a hospital,’ Tess said wearily.
‘Sweetheart, you need to get checked over,’ Aaron said. ‘Some of those cuts are deep. And you banged your head and your hands are ripped to shreds.’
The smile Tess managed for Aaron looked forced. ‘It’s just bruises and bumps and a couple of torn fingernails. We should all go to the station first and get it over and done with.’ When she walked to the car, Jared opened the door for her. She smiled slightly. ‘Thanks.’