Wreck

by Fleur Ferris

  Carrington sighs, pushes his fingertips underneath his glasses and presses his eyes, like this conversation exhausts him.

  ‘Carrington, please, can you just hear me out?’ Zel says. ‘I know the whole family thinks I’ve lost it, but when I read in the paper about another note turning up, I had to check it out.’

  ‘William, you do realise the police believe you are manufacturing the notes?’

  Zel swallows.

  ‘It had the old family coat of arms on it.’

  ‘Anyone could have access to old stationery, William. It’s hardly evidence. In fact, it goes against you because you are someone who could have an old notepad.’

  ‘I did not place the note. Tamara found it in the ocean.’

  ‘Can I see it?’

  Zel looks at me. ‘No,’ he says.

  ‘They took it,’ I say. ‘It was in the office. Whoever killed my colleagues has the note.’

  Carrington turns to Zel. ‘And again you are at the scene of the crime. William, you’ve got to admit this looks bad. Knox has briefed me on the details of this case and says you’ve been placed at the location of every person associated with finding notes, every person who since died or disappeared, and there are no notes to even prove they ever existed.’

  ‘I saw it,’ I say. ‘It was from Christian Chisel.’

  ‘Do you believe Christian is out there somewhere, still alive today?’

  It feels like a trick question because it’s obvious Carrington doesn’t believe so.

  ‘Carrington, please, give me the benefit of the doubt. I have no one else. You know what Knox is like,’ Zel says.

  ‘He was just a kid back then,’ Carrington says. ‘He had to grow up fast, and he did, which is more than I can say for you. Your behaviour has only added stress and heartache for your family.’

  ‘Carrington, you once told me you’d be there for me. All I had to do was call and you’d be there. Well, I’m calling now and I need your help more than ever. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?’

  Carrington sits back and looks Zel over.

  ‘I’m not ill, Carrington, physically or mentally. My mind has never been clearer. Do I look delusional to you? Or violent or dangerous? Doesn’t Knox growing up overnight seem a little too neat and tidy, Carrington? Doesn’t it seem a little unbelievable that he hasn’t ever put a foot wrong since that day five years ago? You must remember what he was like.’

  ‘What are you suggesting he did?’

  ‘I’m suggesting that his agenda for toeing the line is much stronger than family loyalty. I’m suggesting it’s self-preservation.’

  It’s the first time Carrington looks like he’s thinking about what Zel is saying.

  ‘Who dealt with the notes?’ Zel asks. ‘No, let me guess. It was Knox. He spared you from having extra problems to deal with since you were snowed under because Dad and Uncle Oliver had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth and had left you in charge.’

  The look on Carrington’s face tells me Zel is right.

  ‘And can I assume that he would have kept the police out of it? Even though extortion is illegal? He dealt with it privately, am I right?’

  ‘He … dealt with it swiftly and efficiently,’ Carrington says. ‘Knox and I don’t hide anything from each other. As business partners we have complete transparency. It’s always been that way.’

  ‘I’m very aware of how swiftly those people were dealt with, Carrington. Between them declaring they had found a note and the time it took me to get there, things moved pretty fast. They were dead or missing before I arrived.’

  Something changes in Carrington’s face and posture. It’s like he has remembered something and the cogs are turning.

  ‘Carrington, I just need you to check things out. I have no one else to turn to. Soon I will be arrested and charged with murdering people I didn’t kill. C’mon, Carrington, you know me. You know I’m not a killer. Knox is setting me up because he is behind the murders, he is behind Christian’s disappearance and he has been covering it up ever since.’

  Carrington takes a long deep breath. His head drops to one side as he studies Zel, considering what’s just been said.

  Zel swallows. His jaw clamps shut and the muscle on the side of his face pops out.

  ‘Knox knows I know,’ Zel says, ‘which is why he’s gunning for my arrest now. He’s set me up to be jailed, shot or chemically restrained. He knows I’m close to revealing him.’

  Carrington places his elbows on his knees, clasps his hands and rests his face on his knuckles.

  ‘Okay. I’ll look into a few things,’ Carrington says. ‘I will do this for you, not because I think Knox is guilty, but because I want to put your mind at rest. It will be the first step to you getting psychiatric help, William. And for the record, Knox is worried about you. He’s in Melbourne to see if he can help keep you out of trouble, to find you in one piece.’

  Carrington stands and walks over to his desk. After a few moments he frowns and picks up the phone.

  ‘Charlotte, the document on the hoax notes, what is it filed under?’ He pauses. ‘Thanks.’ Carrington waits in silence. ‘That should not be the case, Charlotte. Find it for me, please.’

  Zel looks at me with raised eyebrows.

  ‘Yes,’ Carrington says to Charlotte. ‘It has to be there. Call me back when you find it.’ Carrington hangs up the phone.

  ‘It will be there,’ Carrington says. ‘And I’m certain the content of the file will refute your claims.’

  The phone rings.

  ‘Yes,’ Carrington answers. ‘What?’ Pause. ‘Thank you, Charlotte.’ He hangs up.

  ‘Charlotte doesn’t seem to be able to find it.’

  Carrington stands and indicates for us to follow him.

  We enter another office, identical to Carrington’s. It must belong to Knox. Carrington goes to the desk and sits behind the computer. He touches the keypad and the computer whirrs into action. I watch the screen change in the reflection of Carrington’s glasses. He taps, frowns, taps some more and clamps his lips together.

  Zel leans forward. ‘What is it?’

  ‘I can’t seem to …’ Carrington looks at Zel. ‘I’m just not sure …’

  ‘It’s not there because he doesn’t want it to be found. It will be hidden somewhere. At home, his desk drawer was always locked. God knows what he was hiding back then.’

  Carrington tests the drawer. The first two open, but the third is locked.

  ‘It will be in there,’ Zel says. He pulls a Swiss Army knife from a pouch on his belt.

  ‘William, what do you think you’re doing? I forbid you to invade Knox’s privacy like that.’

  ‘I don’t have many options right now, Carrington.’ Zel pauses and holds Carrington’s gaze. When he doesn’t say anything further, Zel prises open the drawer. There is a photo of a naked woman taken on the couch in this office. Zel shakes his head. ‘What an arsehole,’ he says as he tosses the picture aside. ‘I can’t believe Portia fell for his charade.’

  Zel pulls papers, wads of cash and business cards out of the drawer. He studies the papers before putting them down, disappointed.

  ‘Wait,’ I say. ‘Look at the depth of the drawer. There’s a false bottom.’

  Zel pulls out a blade of his knife. He slides it down the side of the bottom of the drawer and flicks it up. I’m right. The floor of the drawer lifts up to reveal more cash and two USB sticks. Zel hands them over to Carrington.

  Sweat beads have formed on Carrington’s brow. He takes a USB and inserts it into Knox’s computer. Zel moves beside him and I watch both of their faces from the opposite side of the desk.

  The furrow between Carrington’s eyes cuts deep. As he types, I see the screen changing in his glasses, then Carrington’s face drops. Zel’s hand moves up and covers his mouth. Carrington’s face turns ashen.

  ‘I admit this does not look favourable,’ Carrington says. I wonder what he’s looking at.

&nbs
p; ‘Now do a general internet search for those names and dates. You’ll find their death notices or media releases saying they’re missing. And in case that’s not enough, I’ve been there. I can confirm every single one.’

  Carrington does as Zel asks. Finally he sits back in his chair. ‘It is very provoking information but still circumstantial,’ he states.

  ‘That’s why we need to go there.’

  Carrington stares at Zel.

  ‘The island. We need to go back, see if we can find anything. If what I think is true, there must be something. We also need to confirm –’

  ‘Oh, William, please don’t get your hopes up that Christian might have survived.’ Carrington rubs his face and presses his fingertips against his eyes. ‘Oh my goodness, sometimes I feel the whole Chisel family went down with that boat five years ago. William, I’m happy to make business decisions without consulting your family, but taking you back to the island when the police are looking for you and without your family knowing would be over-stepping my professional boundaries.’

  ‘Carrington, please. It’s my only chance. I can’t get out there any other way.’

  ‘I should have already called the police. I should have handed you over to authorities immediately.’

  ‘Do you still think I’m paranoid? Surely this casts doubt on Knox’s story.’

  ‘Yes, but he was using Porter Investigations when he was forbidden to do so. That would explain the secrecy. It doesn’t prove anything. Porter Investigations, after all, is a legitimate business. It’s not against the law to hire them.’

  ‘It was Cameron Porter who picked up Tamara in Melbourne. He handcuffed her to the inside of the car and came for me with a gun. It was Cameron’s car that I rammed.’

  I feel for Carrington. It’s obvious he cares about Zel but does not want to jeopardise his relationship with the rest of the Chisel family.

  ‘So far my story is checking out,’ Zel says. ‘Please, take me to the island. When we get back, whether we find evidence or not, you can hand me in to the police. It’s my only chance, Carrington. No one needs to even know we’ve gone.’

  Carrington stares out the window for a few minutes. It’s awful to put him in this position.

  ‘William, you’ve raised suspicion surrounding the hoax notes. However, experience tells me that until something is fully investigated we cannot draw conclusions.’

  ‘That’s bullshit, Carrington. Everyone has drawn conclusions about me. You’re just not prepared to draw conclusions about Knox.’

  ‘Let me finish, William. I was going to say, I have given you the benefit of the doubt in the past and defended you in conversation, and I will extend the same courtesy to Knox. I will take you to the island. We will leave from the rooftop in twenty minutes. But when we get back, I am handing this file and you over to the police. I will also arrange for our solicitor to be there. Do we have an understanding?’

  Zel’s face breaks into a huge smile. ‘Carrington, I knew I could count on you.’ Zel hugs him.

  Carrington smiles and reciprocates Zel’s hug.

  ‘Tamara, can I arrange transportation for you? Are you staying somewhere in the city?’

  ‘No, my plans were to fly back to Melbourne today, but I’d like to come to the island in case William needs help.’

  Carrington looks at Zel and then back to me. ‘I don’t think that’s necessary, considering the sensitivity of this family matter.’

  ‘With all due respect, sir, this is not just a Chisel family matter. Two of my friends are dead and William’s being framed for that. I owe it to Darryl and Simon, their families, my town, and to myself to help reveal the truth. I didn’t ask to be involved in this, but I am and I’m deeply invested in the outcome.’

  Carrington goes to speak but then stops. He looks from me to Zel.

  ‘Where are your parents?’ he asks.

  ‘In London.’

  Carrington rubs his fingers across his eyes, and leaves them at his temples like he has a headache. ‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Prepare for our flight.’

  Twenty minutes later, I’m waiting with Zel on the roof of the building. The view is amazing.

  ‘Wow,’ I say, looking out over the harbour. I pull out my phone to take some photos. Zel stands beside me. ‘It’s incredible.’

  ‘Yeah. It’s been years since I’ve been up here.’

  I turn and bring my head in close to his so I can take a photo of us both. He puts his arm around my shoulder, looks into the camera and smiles. After I’ve taken the photo, his arm stays. He looks at me and I’m suddenly aware of how close we are.

  ‘Thank you for believing me,’ he says. ‘For being here. I can’t even tell you what that means to me.’

  His eyes are dark blue like the deepest part of the ocean and they draw me in. I don’t quite know what to say, so I smile. I don’t need to be thanked for believing in something and I don’t need to be thanked for doing what’s right. I want William to solve the mystery of the notes, I want him to be innocent, but my main agenda is to deliver one final act of truth and justice for Darryl and Simon.

  I open my mouth to try to explain it when Zel kisses me. I go to pull back, but his lips are so warm and laced with need … I kiss him back, slowly, and for a moment everything else retreats, the harbour view disappears, and it’s just us, his hands in my hair, our bodies pressed together …

  He breaks away.

  The intensity lingers, from his eyes to mine, then he turns towards an equipment shed on the rooftop and walks towards it.

  I’m breathless … and speechless … but more of everything else. And his broad muscular shoulders and tight denim jeans moving across the helipad is, without a doubt, the most stunning view I’ve ever seen.

  When he disappears I turn back to the harbour, close my eyes and breathe deeply.

  I hear voices behind me. Carrington has arrived, wearing navy overalls. He and Zel are talking.

  Then the sound of blades chopping air moves in above us. A red and white helicopter positions to land. I grab my bag and run across to the equipment shed. We all stand inside, peering through the glass as dust swirls. It’s extraordinary that that machine can stay in the air by those blades. After it touches down, the engine slows and the blades relax, but we don’t wait for them to stop. Zel indicates for me to walk with him. I’m aware of his hand resting in the centre of my back as I duck my head instinctively and rush towards the chopper.

  The helicopter seats twelve passengers, a pilot and a co-pilot. Carrington sits with the pilot and Zel and I sit together in the first row of seats so we have more leg room and a good view out the windows. We put on headsets and Zel shows me how to turn on the speakers so we can hear the pilot and Carrington. Carrington talks GPS coordinates and checks lights and buttons so confidently that I assume he is also a pilot.

  The engine changes pace and the blades’ rotation accelerates. We lift off the ground and hover over the building for a few seconds before pulling out into the clear city sky.

  We head north and fly for hours. We stop briefly to refuel and I shoot off a quick text to Relle before heading out to sea. After a few more hours of flying over water some clusters of islands come into sight. It’s cold in the cabin so I untie my pink sweater from my waist and put it on.

  ‘We’re almost there,’ the pilot says.

  Zel straightens up and peers out the window. Clouds have built up and sea mist blurs the horizon. The sea reflects the grey of the stormy sky. Zel takes in a deep breath and releases it slowly.

  ‘The boat went down only two kays from the island,’ Zel says, his throat tight. ‘But it took hours for us to make it to the beach on the life raft.’

  We circle the island, a large, dark shape sticking out of the ocean. Arid and harsh, apart from the tiny coves that offer pale semicircles of beach sand. The breaking of the waves stand out against the grey shallows. I try to imagine what it must have been like to wash up onto one of those tiny beaches. The climb out of the coves loo
ks steep from the air, yet they must have done it.

  ‘We were separated and drifted onto two beaches.’ He points to the island. ‘The raft came into that one, just there, and those in life jackets came in on the next beach over.’

  I look down at the beaches and ocean and wonder how they even came to land on the same island. There are so many uninhabited islands out here, but they are all so tiny they could easily have drifted on past them.

  The pilot brings the helicopter down to land on the clifftop that Zel points out from the window. The engine’s whirring slows until the blades eventually stop. We remove our headsets.

  The pilot gives us the okay to get out.

  ‘Where are you heading?’ Carrington asks.

  Zel doesn’t answer at first.

  ‘I was standing up here, looking down at Knox, who was just there.’ He points to the beach. ‘The beach must extend underneath the cliff face because Knox disappeared and I couldn’t see him.’

  ‘I came out here to help with the search,’ Carrington says, ‘but I didn’t go down to that beach. I was further round there.’ Carrington spins around and points in the opposite direction.

  ‘Knox would have made sure no one else searched that beach,’ says Zel.

  Carrington looks thoughtful, as if he is remembering the details of the search.

  We walk to the other side of the cliff and look around.

  ‘The others were all down there when the rescue team arrived.’ Zel points to the beach next door. ‘It’s where Dad, Knox and Uncle Oliver washed up.’

  The beach is rounder, larger.

  ‘Uncle Oliver came in on those rocks over there,’ Zel says. ‘He had broken ribs. Dad too. He cut his leg.’

  I flinch at the thought of it. The whole thing would have been terrifying and so devastating. A large wave smashes against the rocks and spray reaches high into the air. We turn and slowly make our way back to the beach where Zel saw Knox run off while the plane was coming.

  ‘Shall we go down for a look?’ I say.

  ‘I’m not sure I will,’ Carrington says. ‘It’s too steep for me.’

  ‘No, it’s fine,’ Zel says. ‘We’ll go. You take a stroll and see if there’s anything up here.’