by Sarah Barrie
Pax took a long look at the boats moored at the nearby yacht club then began rowing. ‘Keep ya eyes open. If ya see anyone, tell me.’
The oars made little noise as they slid through the black water. Ahead, impressive rows of yachts loomed over their moorings, their tall silhouettes sparkling in the glow of the half moon. Pax aimed the dinghy at the largest of them all.
‘That doesn’t look like a yacht,’ Jai whispered.
‘It’s a motor yacht. Now shut up.’ Pax let the dinghy drift to the dock and tied it off.
‘Why not just walk in?’
‘I told ya to shut up!’ he whispered. ‘There’s probably a guard somewhere, so eyes open.’
‘Right.’
Pax pulled out a mobile and opened an app. ‘The boat’s security needs to be turned off,’ he explained before Jai could ask, then, apparently happy it was sorted, he climbed onto the dock. Jai wondered how Pax had gotten the app, but he wasn’t going to risk making another noise to find out.
Keeping low, he followed Pax onto the most luxurious boat he’d ever seen. It shone silver and white, boasting comfort and class. Pax seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go: through a galley, up a small set of stairs, then down a longer one and into a small hallway illuminated only by the reflection of the moon on the water. A few more steps then Pax stopped at a doorway, took the gun from Jai, fiddled with it and put it in Jai’s hand. Mouth to Jai’s ear, he whispered, ‘If anything comes at ya, shoot it. Don’t wait until you’re mauled to put a hole in it. Ready?’
Jai swallowed hard. He couldn’t do it. Shit. He couldn’t. Pax was gonna spit but his hand was already trembling so hard he knew he’d never be able to pull the trigger if he had to. He shook his head violently, stepped back. Pax’s eyes rounded in anger then narrowed menacingly. Still, Jai shook his head, tried to turn, bumped into the wall.
Thump.
Pax grabbed hold of him and turned him around. ‘Fuckwit.’ It was a barely discernible whisper. Then a rustling behind them had Pax lunging into the cabin.
‘Look out!’
Something slammed into Jai as he lifted the gun. His finger convulsed on the trigger. The gunshot was muffled as he stumbled back, felt the weight slip from him to the ground.
No. He stared at the dark blur at his feet, heard a groan, then a choking, gurgling sound followed by utter silence.
That was a person.
The gun slipped from his hand. His whole world tipped on its axis as he stared, fighting the darkness to see, to prove himself wrong. He couldn’t have shot a person. He couldn’t have.
The room flooded with the soft, warm light of a bedside lamp. A muffled scream made him look up. Pax was covering a woman’s mouth, holding her from behind on the bed as she too stared at the figure of the dead man on the floor. Then her eyes moved up, up, and she was staring at Jai like he was a monster.
‘I—I didn’t know!’ he said. ‘I thought it was a dog. I thought … They’re not supposed to be here!’ he almost shouted at Pax in confusion.
‘Relax,’ Pax said calmly. ‘And shut up. Everything’s cool.’
‘I shot someone!’
‘He had to die, mate. Now get out of here.’
Jai’s head was shaking again, his body shivering. He needed to pee. To be sick. ‘What—what about you? What are you going to do?’
The woman fought to scream again, eyes bulging. Pleading.
‘I’ll be right behind ya.’
Jai looked from the eyes of the terrified woman to Pax’s cold, hard expression. ‘I didn’t mean it. I—’
‘Get back to the boat,’ Pax ordered. ‘I’ll get the stuff.’
‘But—what—you can’t hurt her.’
‘Under control. Now get the fuck out!’ Pax’s voice was still low but urgent, more threatening.
Jai took one last look at the man at his feet, the woman on the bed. ‘I’m sorry. I’m …’ His voice cracked. He was strangely numb, but turned and walked robotically back the way he’d come in.
The cold air of the dock hitting his face was like the breaking of a spell. Great gulping sobs rose up and choked him, erupting violently from his throat. He’d shot someone. It had happened so fast. His stomach sank then rose, full of bile. He vomited into the water, couldn’t seem to stop retching. When he brought it under control, he checked all around for signs anyone had been alerted by the noise he was making and, scared witless, scrambled down onto the dinghy.
He waited. The boat rocked gently. What was Pax doing in there, anyway? How much stuff was he taking? They needed to get away! What if there was a security guard? What if he was on his way over right now to see who’d made all the noise puking into the water? No one could be allowed to see them. He’d have to go into the water. Swim for it.
Then it occurred to him: the woman. She’d seen their faces. They were already screwed. Pax had to know that, didn’t he?
Shit.
What was Pax going to do to her? He stood up to go back in, ducked for cover again when a boat puttered past further out in the bay. He should run to the police station, confess and get help. Screw Pax. He’d said no one would be there. But he’d accidentally killed someone. He’d go to jail. He couldn’t think straight.
And then he ran out of choices. Pax was back. He sat down and picked up the oars. ‘Untie us. Let’s go.’
Every splash of the oars in the water sounded too loud, every second felt like hours, but no one came after them. No one stopped them. Jai had questions, but he was too scared to utter them. So he sat in silence, trying not to think too much about anything.
Back at the jetty they climbed out of the dinghy, Pax pushing it out to float away. Then he removed the phone from his pocket and smashed it before kicking the pieces into the water.
‘What did you do to her?’ Jai finally managed to ask as Pax reversed the car out of the spot.
‘Best ya don’t—fuck!’
An old man with a fishing rod and a thermos was illuminated by the headlights as the car turned. Pax fishtailed the car with a screech of tyres. ‘I don’t think he saw much,’ he said, checking the rear-view mirror. ‘Looks about a hundred. Bloody night fisherman.’
‘Did you kill her?’ Now that Jai had gotten the question out, he really needed to know.
‘She’d seen us, mate. It would have been all over. Thanks for saving my arse back there.’
‘You shoved that guy at me on purpose. You wanted me to shoot him!’
‘You were the one with the gun. It was quicker and easier. I’ve thanked ya once, ya looking for a medal?’
‘I thought he was a dog!’
‘So ya said. Mate, ya should have seen ya face.’ Pax laughed, hit the steering wheel with a ‘Woo hoo!’
‘I’m going to be sick.’
‘Hey. Hey!’ Pax slapped him hard on the chest with his bag. ‘No, you’re not. Take a look at the spoils!’
Jai couldn’t care less about the spoils but he didn’t want to piss off Pax again so he opened the bag and caught the glitter of diamonds in the streetlights, lots of them in various pieces of jewellery, a phone, some cash.
‘There’s not much money,’ Pax said. ‘A couple of hundred out of the guy’s wallet, but I’ll give ya a fair cut of the gems. Man, we’ll be cashed up for years!’
‘What about the gun?’
‘Huh?’
‘I left the gun.’
‘Oh, yeah—nah, don’t worry. It’s sorted.’
Jai had never seen the guy on such a high. He’d known Pax could be nasty, that he didn’t give much of a toss about anyone but himself, but he hadn’t known, not until just then, just what a monster the guy really was.
How was he ever going to get himself out of this?
CHAPTER
12
‘I can’t believe how beautiful it is out there, thanks for taking us.’
Tess smiled at the pretty young woman and her fiancé. ‘It was a pleasure, I’m glad you enjoyed it.’ The pair wandered towards the
guest lounge and she quickly scanned it for any sign of Aaron.
‘Another beautiful morning out at Mount Field?’ Callie asked from the reception desk.
‘Yeah, they’re a nice couple. The fiancé is training to become a park ranger. He was keen to learn about the plants and animals out there. Tested my knowledge.’
‘Got any time free?’ Callie stretched her arms above her head. ‘I could do with some lunch.’
Tess pressed a hand to her stomach when it growled at the mention of food. ‘I’d love to, but I agreed to meet Aaron for coffee.’ She frowned at the thought of the uncomfortable conversation to come. ‘We have a few things to discuss.’
‘Sounds ominous.’
Tess looked around. Aaron hadn’t appeared yet so she filled Callie in on the argument.
‘Wow,’ Callie said with a frown of her own. ‘I can’t believe he went off like that. He’s probably calmed down and realised he went too far. I’d be surprised if he’s not panicking.’
‘I hope so. I never saw so much as a hint of that side of him before we started seeing each other. His temper was off the scale yesterday. I probably did misinterpret the push out on the rescue, but I didn’t mistake the humiliation of him all but accusing those guys I took out to the snow of molesting me.’
Callie’s face reflected shock. ‘Hold on—what push?’
‘It wasn’t. I mean, it felt like it but—forget it. I was having a moment over the heights thing and not thinking straight.’
‘Tess—’ Callie bit back whatever she was going to say as her gaze moved past Tess’s shoulder. ‘We’ll talk later,’ she said quietly.
‘Tess,’ Aaron said as she turned to face him. ‘Callie, hi.’
‘Hi, Aaron,’ Callie said with a touch of coolness that had his brow lifting in enquiry.
‘Everything okay?’
‘I don’t know. Is it?’
Tess groaned inwardly. She shouldn’t have said anything. ‘Everything’s fine.’
‘Then shall we?’ he asked. She nodded, then was held up by a hand on her arm. ‘Let’s not worry about coffee. We should head outside, take a walk.’
‘Okay, sure,’ she said, not missing the disapproving stare he directed at Callie.
She followed him outside and in silence they went into the gardens overlooking the mountains. She wondered if Aaron was framing his words carefully or simply waiting for her to say something first.
‘Thank you for talking to me today,’ he finally said.
She wasn’t sure if she imagined the slight admonishment in his tone or not. ‘I was too tired to go through it all last night. I needed to get my head around everything.’
He stopped walking to face her. ‘What’s there to get your head around? I was concerned about you.’ His expression softened into a smile. ‘I’d hate for you to get hurt.’
‘You don’t need to be that concerned. You were way out of line.’
He sighed and nodded, then gestured to a bench under the bare branches of an old oak tree. She sat beside him.
‘Look, I didn’t tell you, but the real reason I wanted to get out of the office yesterday was because I’d had a shitty start to the day. A phone call from an unreasonable client that ended in an argument. I thought I’d come and surprise you and clear my head. Then I arrived in time to see what I saw and … I overreacted. I was over the top. I’m sorry. You’re the most capable woman I’ve ever met. I’ll work on remembering that.’
Everything inside Tess gave a long sigh of relief. ‘Okay.’
His face brightened. ‘Then we’re good?’
One last chance, she thought, to see if he means it, to see if this really can work. ‘Yeah, we’re good. And I know I’ve been a bit touchier about everything since the accident at Fedder, but I’m getting back to myself.’
‘You’re not there yet, though, are you?’ It wasn’t really a question. ‘As far as Search and Rescue …’ He took her hands in his. ‘Tess, you need to take a step back for a while.’
‘What? No. Look, I agree I should probably stay away from cliffs for the time being but for everything else, I’m fine.’
‘It’s too dangerous. We’re not playing out there,’ he continued patiently. ‘We had a child in serious need of medical attention and you hampered the rescue. You freaked out at the edge of that small drop and held us up by accusing me of trying to kill you.’
She stiffened. ‘I’m sorry, but it sure as hell felt like a shove.’
‘Because you weren’t thinking straight. I spoke to Craig. He agrees you should be off the list until you’re back to your old self.’
‘You did what?’ she gasped, pushing to her feet. ‘You had no right to—’
‘Yes, I did,’ he continued in that same infuriatingly calm tone. ‘I know when a team member isn’t up to the job and I can’t give you special treatment because we’re in a relationship.’
‘I met with the counsellor as per requirements,’ she said. ‘I was cleared.’
‘You shouldn’t have been. You’re very good at making people believe you’re okay when you’re not. I think you know that.’ He took her hand and gently tugged her back down, his smile warming when she huffed but dropped to the seat. ‘I’m sure you’ll be back to yourself in no time. Let’s just make sure you’re safe, okay? You have to believe me when I tell you losing you is not an option.’
She stared sightlessly at the mountains, silently processing. She wanted to believe this was just Aaron being overprotective again, but the truth was he had a point. She didn’t have a right to be out there if she couldn’t do her job. ‘All right.’
He skimmed his fingers down her cheek, eyes glowing with approval. ‘Good. You just need to let me take care of things for you and everything will work out. You’ll see.’
CHAPTER
13
Jared signed the register and stepped under the police tape onto a pathway that led to the jetty. Behind him a sturdy and sleek two-storey clubhouse boasted the title the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and he guessed from what he’d seen through the large glass windows that the restaurant would be worth a trip. Though it wasn’t open, there were a few people inside, milling around, talking, watching with sombre expressions and coffees in hand. Club people, he supposed, a small gathering created by whoever his people had called to get access to the marina.
In front of him rows of moored yachts rested on water so still the morning sky reflected flawlessly on its surface. He imagined how peaceful it would be at this time of the morning, if not for the flashing lights of police vehicles and the steady stream of personnel traipsing on and off the jetty.
‘Detective!’
Wonderful. The media had arrived. He spotted the local news reporter and his sidekick with the camera waving at him from the police line. He nodded in greeting, then deliberately turned away again to prepare himself for the scene he was about to walk into. Emily was nearby, talking to a balding middle-aged man in a cheap suit with a complexion that suggested he was most likely the one who’d found the victims. Jared caught her eye and she motioned him over.
‘This is Warwick Snell, the personal driver to one of the victims. He found the bodies.’
‘Hi, Mr Snell, I’m Detective Senior Sergeant Jared Denham.’
Snell was clutching a bottle of water, crinkling the plastic in his fingers. He stopped and put it at his feet in order to shake Jared’s hand, then didn’t seem to know what to do with his hand once it was freed, eventually sticking it in his pocket. ‘It’s been a bit of a shock. I—it’s awful.’
‘Can you tell me what happened this morning?’
‘I was supposed to pick them up at seven. They had a nine o’clock meeting with investors at Claremont Golf Club and were going to breakfast together at The Source first. It’s in Berriedale, Mr Sash’s favourite.’ He bent down and picked up his water bottle again, played with the lid. ‘I was to call them from the car and they were going to walk out to meet me, but Mr Sash’s phone continued to ring out.
I wasn’t really sure what to do. At that time of the morning if their plans had changed or I’d somehow made a mistake I didn’t want to wake them up but I thought I’d better. So I walked out to the boat. I thought it was strange the door was open, but I knocked a few times. I called out, didn’t get a reply. Then I saw the blood.’
‘Blood?’
‘Yeah, a bit on the floor, like part of a footprint. I got worried so I went in, found more and ended up downstairs. I probably shouldn’t have rushed in there, I know that, but I wanted to see if they were somehow still alive. It was pretty obvious, I guess, thinking on it now, that they weren’t. I called the police and I waited.’
‘Can you think back for me and try and remember if anyone was here when you arrived? Anyone near the boat, on the jetty, out here, in the carpark? Anyone at all.’
Snell stared into space, shook his head slowly. ‘No, sorry. I mean, there could have been. I wasn’t paying attention.’
‘No problem. When was the last time you saw the victims alive?’
‘Saturday night. I dropped them at the carpark just after midnight. I sat in the car for a minute, texting my wife to let her know I was on my way home. She likes to know, you know, how far away I am, so I saw them go through the gate and towards the boat. Then I left.’
‘Anyone else around?’
‘No. I don’t think so. It was late.’
‘Has anyone asked you anything regarding Wilde or Sash since they’ve been here?’
‘Not really. I mean, a few people have said hellos as we come and go. It’s a nice place, you know? Friendly.’
‘Okay. So you dropped them off on Saturday night, sent a text to your wife and …?’
‘Went home. Lindy waited up so we had a tea, went to bed. You don’t—you don’t think I did this?’
‘We’re just following protocol, Mr Snell. We’ll need to verify your whereabouts, and because you went into the crime scene to check the victims for signs of life, there’s some procedure we need to go through so we can eliminate you against any evidence that we might collect.’