by Sarah Barrie
‘I’ll be over there with the others,’ Indy said and walked away.
‘Oh, just some … girl plans,’ Tess managed while pondering Indy’s words. Was she pandering to Aaron to avoid his temper? ‘Thanks for the drink.’
‘No problem.’ He sat. ‘And I’m sorry. I should have realised you wouldn’t want to make an announcement about our engagement until it’s had a chance to sink in and you have a lovely ring to show off. It was premature of me.’
‘We’re not engaged!’ she blurted.
‘Tess, I’ll get you that ring. We can go now if you like, pick one out before the shops close.’
‘Aaron, stop.’ She rubbed her temples as the headache that had been teasing got more serious. She took a deep breath and one more look at Indy. Hell, when had she become such a wimp? ‘It’s not happening. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be in a relationship that feels this claustrophobic.’
Aaron sat up straighter with that disapproving, tight-mouthed expression she was getting used to. ‘I thought it might have been too soon, even though this afternoon you seemed more like yourself than you’ve been in ages. But I was wrong. You’re still not back in your normal state of mind.’
‘You’re not listening to me. I can’t marry you. I can’t be the person you want me to be.’
‘Oh for goodness’ sake, Tess. You don’t have to be anything other than who you are.’
‘We’re not a good match. You need to find someone who wants to be looked after, taken care of. That’s not who I am. I need space, I need to be able to challenge myself, I need to make my own decisions.’ She softened her tone. ‘Before all this we were great mates, weren’t we? Let’s just go back to that.’
The anger returned, fast and sharp. ‘I don’t want to go back to that.’
She jolted when he grabbed hold of her wrist, tight enough to be painful.
‘There’s someone else, isn’t there?’ he snarled.
‘What? No!’ She needed to end this, now. ‘I’m sorry. But this isn’t going to work.’ She pushed up from her chair and was nearly pulled over when he didn’t let her go. Her wrist felt like it might snap.
‘You’re wrong!’
She glanced past the people pretending not to watch and saw Indy and Callie heading towards them. ‘Please don’t make this uncomfortable.’
‘You might want to let her go,’ Indy suggested. ‘Now.’
Aaron finally released his grip, leaving a visible handprint around her wrist, and got to his feet. ‘We’ll talk tomorrow,’ he told Tess coldly. ‘Once you’ve had a chance to think about it.’
‘There’s nothing to talk about.’
Anger glittered brighter in his eyes but he nodded, then stalked away.
While a small part of her mourned the end of the relationship she’d wanted so much to work, another sighed with relief.
‘Tess,’ he called from the doorway, getting the entire room’s attention. ‘You’re wrong. We belong together.’
She smiled blandly and shook her head.
‘Psycho!’ She recognised Joe’s voice as he called to Aaron’s retreating figure.
‘Are you all right?’ Indy asked.
‘Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.’ But she felt the tremor in her hands and tucked them behind her back.
‘Let me guess,’ Callie said. ‘That’s the end of that?’
‘One can only hope,’ Indy muttered.
‘Good, because honestly? He was beginning to creep me out.’
Tess stared at Callie in disbelief and shook her head. ‘Now you tell me?’
‘Come on,’ Indy said. ‘I want you to fill me in.’
CHAPTER
16
Crash. The splintering noise woke Jared with a jolt. He leapt out of bed and stood just behind the door, listening. Through his window he could see morning sneaking into the sky, but the glow of the streetlight still illuminated his driveway. It was early, not the sort of time he’d expect a break-in. He carefully checked around the corner to the hallway. Beyond, in the lounge room, the curtain was drifting on its railing. He tiptoed out further, looking everywhere, reached the back of his leather lounge and looked over it. There were glass shards on the floor. The curtain flapped again, revealing the shattered window. On the carpet in front of it was a paper-wrapped rock. He knew not to touch it, but something was written on it in large black letters. He nudged it with his toe, flipping it over.
BACK OFF. OR ELSE.
Back off? He stepped around the glass and looked outside, scanning the street for any sign of movement, but everything was still and quiet. Whoever it was had made their point.
Jared snuck into the meeting room and put his coffee down next to Indy’s. She paused, eyebrows raised in a clear but silent Okay? He nodded briefly, so she took a sip from her coffee then continued.
‘We know Wilde was down here on business, looking into plans for a mega resort on the edge of Wellington Park. The Mercury ran a story on Wilde’s arrival and her planned attendance at a big benefit at the casino that night. She attended with Sash, left around eleven-thirty and went straight back to the boat. This is what she was wearing.’ Indy showed them the newspaper image. ‘Note she’s dripping in jewellery. None of that was found on board, nor was any cash or other valuables. So, whether it was the main motive or not, robbery was involved. Our main suspect is still this man.’ She pointed to the sketch. ‘And our skipper is still missing.’
‘Our POI shot Sash and attacked and stabbed Wilde,’ Constable Roberts commented. ‘Wouldn’t that suggest Wilde was the main target?’
Indy looked at Jared. ‘Possibly,’ he said. ‘He shoots Sash, wants him out of the way. Then he takes his time with Wilde. Rapes and stabs her, but just once in the neck, lets her bleed out. That suggests personal. We know that although he likes to get his victims into bed, up until now that’s been consensual.’
‘So we’re sure it’s him?’ Constable Perry asked.
‘We’ve got a positive ID on our sketch from our four recent robbery victims,’ Emily said. ‘All had hooked up with this guy, all had taken him home within two weeks of the robberies. I have all the details.’
‘And forensics have managed to remove a partial print on the knife found at the crime scene,’ Indy said. ‘It matches those found on the gate of last week’s break and enter. Also, we’ve confirmed the knife used to kill Wilde was the same taken in that robbery.’
There was a round of murmurs.
‘Our POI faultlessly got past the security system on the boat,’ Jared said. ‘It ran off a phone app. Wilde’s phone is missing, however we know from her chauffeur that she had it on her when she returned from the benefit, therefore we believe that the phone our POI used must have belonged to Fitzgerald. We’ve tried tracking his phone, but we’re not getting any signal from it. We have to assume there’s a strong possibility he’s met with foul play.’
‘What if he was in on it?’ Senior Constable Perry said. ‘I’m wondering why Wilde didn’t scream. Why didn’t she make enough noise to raise an alarm? Why didn’t she make it off the bed? Could Fitzgerald have been working with our POI?’
‘That’s certainly something to consider,’ Indy said. ‘But I believe it’s unlikely. Fitzgerald’s partner will be down shortly to help us with our enquiries. If anything you need answered stands out, let us know.’
‘Anything from the door knock?’ Jared asked.
‘No witnesses have come forward,’ Constable Johns said. ‘We’ve covered the local streets, and we did find an older couple that had been sleeping on a boat moored at the other end of the marina that night, but they don’t remember hearing anything.’
‘How could they not hear gunshots?’ Roberts asked.
‘There was a silencer attached to the weapon. A dodgy homemade job but it did what it needed to,’ Jared said.
‘There’s a possibility night fishermen might have seen or heard something,’ Jared said.
‘Night fishermen?’ Indy ask
ed. ‘Would they be out that way?’
Jared shrugged. ‘There’s plenty of boats around out there. Could be.’
‘Worth checking out. Anything else?’
‘I’ve chased up the threat to Sash regarding his development,’ Roberts said. ‘They’re a noisy bunch of locals but after looking into them, I highly doubt they’re murderers. And none resemble our POI.’
‘Okay,’ Indy said. ‘We’re going to need to ramp up police presence at pubs and clubs this coming weekend.’
Jared looked out the window of the meeting room and saw a couple being led into an interview room. Wilde’s parents, he guessed from the state of them, and sent Indy a look. She followed it, nodded.
‘Anything of importance crops up, let Detective Denham or me know straight away. Thanks.’ Indy got to her feet and stretched, then picked up her coffee and drained it. ‘Someone threw a rock through your window?’
‘Yeah. Warning me to back off.’
‘And of course you processed the scene properly. Bagged the evidence?’
‘Got forensics to do it. I had to get ready for work.’
‘Someone doesn’t want us on this case.’
‘Yeah, well, next time they might throw a rock through your window. Or worse. Be careful.’
‘It’s a lot harder to get to me out at Calico Mountain than to you just down the road. It doesn’t reassure me that whoever this is knows where you live. We’ll put regular patrols out that way, keep an eye on the street.’ She indicated the interview room. ‘You ready for this?’
‘Yeah,’ he decided. ‘Let’s get it done.’
They walked into the interview room where a man in a navy business suit and a woman in a rose-coloured skirt suit got to their feet. Jonathan Wilde had silver hair and a lined yet strong face, with cutting pale-blue eyes, a large straight nose and a mouth that turned down at the edges as though used to carrying a dour expression. Elizabeth Wilde was petite, with a chic bob, fine bone structure, set jaw and red-rimmed eyes the same colour as her daughter’s had been.
‘Mr and Mrs Wilde,’ Indy said, shaking each hand in turn, ‘I’m Detective Inspector Indiana Atherton and this is Detective Senior Sargent Jared Denham. We’re sorry for your loss.’
‘Have you found him yet? The man who killed my daughter?’ Mrs Wilde asked, an edge of desperation to her voice.
‘We’re working on it, Mrs Wilde.’
‘You must have a suspect!’ Mr Wilde said.
‘The bodies were only discovered twenty-four hours ago, Mr Wilde. We’re still compiling evidence. Could you tell us if you know of anyone who might have been a danger to Madison? Did she have any enemies, any recent altercations with anyone or have any threats levelled at her?’
‘No. Absolutely not. She was a very special person. Everyone loved Madison.’
‘Except Bryce,’ Mrs Wilde said, shooting a look at her husband.
‘Bryce?’ Jared asked.
‘Madison’s ex-husband,’ Mr Wilde explained, then said to his wife, ‘He’s still in prison, darling.’
‘For what?’ Indy asked.
‘Money laundering and embezzling funds from our company. He went through a period of gambling too much and taking drugs. His habit set him on a downward spiral and their marriage didn’t end well, but he wrote to Madison several times, apologising for his behaviour. This all happened almost ten years ago. He’s up for parole next month, I believe.’
Jared pulled the sketch of their suspect out of his folder and passed it across the table. ‘Have either of you seen this man before?’
‘Who is that?’ Mrs Wilde’s voice trembled.
‘He’s a person of interest. Do you know him?’
She shook her head, glanced at her husband.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Why?’
‘He’s been linked to a number of recent local jewellery thefts and we believe one of his possessions was found on the boat.’
‘Was her jewellery taken?’ Mr Wilde asked.
‘There was no jewellery found on board. As your daughter had been wearing several pieces, we believe that, yes, it’s been taken.’
‘That boat’s security was state of the art; no local thug is getting past it the way that bastard did,’ Mr Wilde said.
‘Our person of interest has a history of beating security,’ Indy told them. ‘On that, I imagine your skipper had the app for turning on and off the boat’s security system in his phone?’
‘Yes, of course. The police that came to see us in Melbourne didn’t mention him. I assume he’s dead too?’
‘We don’t know. He’s missing,’ Jared said.
The couple exchanged glances.
‘You think he could have had something to do with this?’ Mr Wilde asked.
‘We’re not ruling out anything yet,’ Jared said. ‘Was anyone else capable of accessing the boat’s security system?’
‘My wife and I, the security company. That’s it. Detectives, no disrespect intended, but I want you to tell me honestly, are you up to this? I can’t imagine this sort of thing happens too often down here and I have the means and the contacts to provide assistance.’
‘I promise you we’re more than capable of handling this case. A very thorough investigation is underway,’ Indy told him calmly.
Mr Wilde said nothing for several seconds as he considered that. Eventually he nodded. ‘Make it fast, detectives. I want to know who killed my daughter, and I want him to pay.’
‘Understandable,’ Jared said. ‘Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.’
After seeing the Wildes out he went back to his office and worked his way through the remainder of the morning, barely lifting his head until Emily alerted him that Fitzgerald’s boyfriend, Matthew Stiles, had arrived.
‘I’ve got him waiting in room two,’ Emily said.
‘How does he seem to you?’
‘Miserable. Worried. Scared. I offered him a tea or coffee but he’s too wound up.’
‘Thanks.’ Still shaking off the Wildes’ misery over their dead daughter, he got up to face his second interview of the day.
CHAPTER
17
‘Thanks again, everyone,’ Craig Suitor, the Search and Rescue team manager, said. ‘It was a short meeting but necessary, so I appreciate everyone coming out. See you all in a month, if not before.’
Tess dropped her head to one shoulder then the next and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d gotten through the meeting without any difficult moments with Aaron. She snuck a look towards him, noted he was chatting to Craig and, seeing an opportunity, threw her bag over her shoulder to make a quick exit. She slipped out the glass doors of the building onto the street and decided, as her stomach growled, that the Macca’s across the road would do for dinner. She’d get drive-thru, which would get her home earlier. She’d had a full day and was tired, and had been tempted to skip the meeting altogether.
She’d just made it to her car when she heard: ‘Tess! I need to talk to you.’
Damn. So close, she thought, hand on her car door. ‘If it’s about us, we’ve covered it, haven’t we?’ she asked coldly.
‘This is something you’re going to want to hear.’
‘Really?’ She doubted it.
‘I know you will,’ Aaron said, enthusiasm in his tone. ‘Okay, look, I’m sorry about the argument. I accept what you said and I really would like us to be friends at the very least. Which is why you need to hear this. Can we grab some dinner so I can tell you about it?’
Friends? Did she want to be his friend? And did she believe him? After everything that’d happened, not really. She pulled her jacket more tightly against her as a gust of icy wind whipped down the street.
‘I really just want to go home. It might be better if you give me a call tomorrow?’
Aaron’s mood deflated but he shrugged and nodded. ‘Sure. But I’ll call in. I want to tell you in person.’
Why? She wanted to say no, she wasn’t interested. But she’d be back out on rescues
soon and that would mean working together. She was going to have to make some effort or it was going to be impossible. ‘Okay. Fine,’ she said, opening her door. ‘See ya.’ She sent him a dismissive smile, climbed in and did up her seatbelt. As she turned on the engine, her phone rang. Indy. She pulled onto the street, because Aaron was still standing where she’d left him, watching her leave. She sighed, then answered the call.
‘Hey.’
‘I’m assuming Aaron was at the meeting. How’d it go?’
‘Fine. He was completely reasonable. I, on the other hand, am a bitch.’ She heard familiar noise in the background. ‘Are you still at work?’
‘Hmm. I’m thinking about food. Are you still around the corner?’
‘Yeah, just pulling into Macca’s. I was going to drive through. I’m stuffed.’
‘You and your cheeseburgers. Come into the station, would you?’
‘Why?’
‘Because in five minutes I’ll be free to eat some proper food and it will be more fun to find out why you’re a bitch than eat alone at my desk.’
Tess’s empty stomach rumbled again and she stifled a yawn but—‘Okay. See you in a minute.’ With a sigh, she steered the car back out onto the road and into the next street, finding a park outside the station. She walked inside, said a quick hi to Emily, who was sitting at the reception desk, and let herself through to Indy’s office. ‘You owe me for this,’ she said on her third yawn in as many minutes.
Indy looked up from her computer and smiled. ‘Sorry to keep you up. It’s … not even nine. Wow. You should be in bed, Grandma.’
‘Shut up,’ Tess said with a grin and dropped into the spare chair opposite. ‘Why are you all still here?’
‘Bit of overtime on this case.’ Indy lifted her arms above her head and stretched. ‘Have you got enough energy to wander down the road to that little Japanese place? I feel like their noodles.’
‘I just told Aaron I was too tired for a restaurant. Taking four lots of activities at the lodge today has worn me out.’
‘He wanted to take you out after you just broke up with him?’