Promise of Hunters Ridge

by Sarah Barrie

  He caught the shock before she quickly hid her discomfort. ‘I wasn’t aware of that.’

  ‘And as it happens,’ Stuart said, ‘after your little meeting, one of the men on that list you were after was murdered. Jack Marsden.’

  ‘He was the one that took off with Rob after the hunt was crashed?’

  ‘Yeah, Mia, you met with a hitman to access a list of names, you paid him some money and one of those names ended up dead last night,’ Russ said. ‘You can see why we’re here.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Oh, of course. I must be behind the murder. You here to do the bust?’

  Ben ran a hand over his hair in frustration. ‘Mia, we talked about this. What did I tell you not to do?’

  ‘You’re going to have to be way more specific,’ she snapped. ‘Having an opinion on every move I make is your specialty.’

  ‘Did it occur to you to ask Boland why he didn’t just go straight to us?’ Stuart asked.

  Mia dragged her glare from Ben and nodded at Stuart. ‘He said the guy he was using wouldn’t go anywhere near you.’

  ‘And that didn’t ring any alarm bells? You still just blindly rushed out there to meet with some cop-avoiding stranger you knew nothing about?’ Stuart’s tone was sceptical.

  ‘What exactly are you accusing me of?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Ben assured her.

  ‘Right. And yet you come in here practically leading with Jack Marsden’s murder.’

  ‘Seems like an awfully big coincidence,’ Stuart replied.

  ‘So which idea’s floating around in your head? That I paid this hitman for the information then killed Jack myself, or that I already had the information and paid him for the hit?’

  ‘Why don’t you tell us?’ Stuart suggested.

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,’ Mia said, ice dripping from her tone even as she smiled sweetly. ‘I’m sure your theory will be much more entertaining.’

  Ben sighed. ‘Play nice, Mia. It’s important.’

  ‘So, just to be clear,’ Stuart said patiently, ‘you met with a hitman behind a hotel garbage bin in the middle of the night, handed over a large sum of money and received nothing in return?’

  ‘Your comprehension skills are off the charts.’

  While Stuart stuttered over that, Ben spoke. ‘You should have told us what was going on.’

  ‘I thought you were happy enough to let it play out.’

  ‘On the condition you not meet with anyone.’

  ‘I know,’ she admitted, ‘but it wasn’t exactly up for negotiation—and I thought that location would be safe enough.’

  ‘You withheld information from the police that could have led to the capture of a wanted criminal,’ Russ told her.

  ‘I’m sorry for that, but I didn’t know who I was meeting with. I was in Hunters Ridge yesterday afternoon taking photos at a dressage day. I walked in the door, a guy called, said he had the stuff Boland wanted to get to me and gave me a time and place. Then he hung up. I didn’t even have time to think about it—I had to rush out of the house to make the meeting. All I was thinking about was if I didn’t make the time, I might miss out on finding Rob.’

  Ben looked at Russ, who nodded and got to his feet. ‘All right, thanks for your time, Mia. I’ll talk to you later,’ he said as he led the others out.

  ‘If you don’t mind me saying, I didn’t see much legendary Ben Bowden technique in there,’ Stuart commented as they walked back to the car.

  ‘We didn’t go in there to interrogate her,’ Ben reminded him.

  ‘Perhaps. But I can’t help but think she’s hiding something. It’s not uncommon victim behaviour to seek revenge, is it?’

  ‘And you’re making generalisations based on, what, your years of experience?’ Ben shot back. ‘The “victim” you’re talking about offered to take her friend’s place in a hunt and put a knife through a serial killer’s face while under his control. Don’t be too quick to generalise victim behaviour.’

  ‘And yet he didn’t kill her,’ Russ added. ‘I still can’t get past that one.’

  They were still debating it when they reached the station.

  Indy appeared, sandwich in one hand, styrofoam cup in the other. ‘Did I miss something?’

  ‘Stuart has Mia labelled a conspiring murderer,’ Ben told her.

  Indy made a dismissive noise. ‘Mia, conspiring? With who? Just piss her off, she wouldn’t need help.’

  ‘Under the circumstances, not funny,’ Ben said. ‘How’d you go with Chapel?’

  ‘Another homicide last night, same style of execution. Not sure on the weapon yet but not a guy related to the Hunters Ridge investigation as far as we know. Interesting who it was though. Carlos Lomond.’

  ‘The Mafia boss’s son? Shit, that’s going to cause a war with every rival gang in the city.’

  ‘Yeah, well, that one’s not our problem. It does look like a Chapel hit, but who knows how many Chapels are running around the city.’

  ‘Or perhaps Lomond is our missing hunter,’ Russ suggested. ‘He could have been on that list, too.’

  ‘It’s possible,’ Ben said. ‘Mean bastard, plenty of money, plenty of contacts.’

  ‘Other than Mia conspiring to kill people, did you find anything else out?’ Indy asked.

  ‘Mia said Chapel was worried there was a cop around last night. Bolted without giving her what she was there for.’

  ‘There’s always police patrolling that area.’ Russ checked his watch. ‘I have to clock off. Picking up Janine from the hospital.’

  ‘How’s she going?’ Ben asked.

  ‘She has good and bad days. You know. The chemo knocks her about.’

  ‘Send her my best.’

  ‘I will. Thanks. And Ben, about Mia. I’m sure she wasn’t involved in Marsden’s murder, but she’s involved herself in something dangerous and she needs to take a very big step back. If you’ve got any pull with her at all based on previous events, make sure you get that through to her.’

  ‘I intend to.’ He turned to Indy. ‘We should take a bit more of a look at the Marsden and Lomond murders, then I’m taking a run out to the prison to find out how and why Boland organised all this.’

  ‘So let’s get back to your friend, Rodney Chapel.’ Ben sat opposite Boland in the interview room. He’d managed to get Boland talking today, but the man wasn’t exactly cooperating.

  ‘I’ve already told you. I don’t know Rodney Chapel. He ain’t no friend.’

  ‘And yet, you organised for him to meet up with Mia Morgan and hand her some information.’

  ‘Don’t know anything about it.’

  ‘Right,’ Ben said, pushing back from the table. ‘Then I guess that’s what I’m going to say when I lock Rob up and you want some credit for it.’

  He watched Boland’s face twist in some internal debate and sat back down.

  ‘Look, I get it. And if it had gone smoothly I wouldn’t be here. But the guy grabbed Mia’s money and ran. He didn’t give her anything in return.’

  ‘She didn’t get it?’

  ‘He took her money and bolted.’

  ‘Unless it comes from him, it’s not coming.’

  ‘Where did Chapel get it?’

  ‘I got people I can pay to give things to people. That’s all I’m saying.’

  ‘I hope you weren’t relying on Jack Marsden. He was murdered.’

  Boland sat back in his chair and shook his head. ‘Damn.’

  ‘So was Carlos Lomond,’ he threw in to see if Boland would take the bait. ‘Both he and Jack were killed by a single bullet to the back of the head from a Browning Hi Power 9mm. Funnily enough, that’s Chapel’s signature kill.’

  ‘Chapel only kills for cash.’ He thought about that, then said, ‘She must have changed the play. Don’t make sense otherwise.’ Boland laughed, shook his head. ‘Damn, should have thought of that. I handed her a list of the hunters, and a hitman at the same time. Didn’t even know she knew Lomond was there that night.’
He laughed again. ‘She’s had them taken out. What a woman. Are the rest dead too, or was she only interested in the ones involved in the Hunters Ridge event?’

  That answered the Lomond question. ‘Until I know who was on that list, I can’t tell you. And if that’s all legit, you want to tell me why you organised for Davis Walker to be there to take photos?’

  Boland looked blank. ‘What? I never told him nothing. He came to see me a few times wanting information. But giving out that sort of information can get a guy killed. Only thing I said was I was wanting to talk to Mia. That’s it. I swear.’

  Ben believed him, and that only led to more questions than answers. ‘I need to know how to contact Chapel.’

  ‘I can’t tell you that.’

  ‘What if we work out a way you can?’

  The door opened, and Stuart walked in. ‘Gentlemen.’

  Boland’s face closed up, and his gaze dropped to the table. ‘Don’t know nothin’ about nothin’,’ he grumbled.

  Ben rubbed his fingers along his forehead in frustration. ‘I’ll come by another time. Thanks.’ He walked out, and when Stuart followed, he turned on him. ‘Any really, really good reason for bursting in like that and ruining my interview?’

  Stuart looked taken aback. ‘Would have used the term “joining” rather than “ruining”.’

  ‘I wouldn’t.’

  ‘Any reason it was private?’

  ‘Okay, look, establishing trust with these guys isn’t easy. He starts talking and another cop walks in, that’s the end of it.’

  ‘Started talking? About what?’

  ‘Carlos Lomond was on that list. He was the other hunter the night Mia was taken. Boland confirmed Mia was there to pick up the information.’

  ‘And you still think she didn’t get it?’

  ‘She didn’t get it. Mia said Chapel was nervous. That he’d made a point of telling her she’d better not have brought the cops. That could have just been general caution, but he bolted without passing on what he was there to give her. Why? I still think a cop was involved in the hunting ring and I think he warned Littleton we were coming that night. He wouldn’t want that list of names getting back to me if he’s on it.’

  ‘Okay, but if Mia didn’t get that information and pay Chapel to kill those men, then who did?’

  ‘Go be a detective,’ Ben suggested. ‘Find out.’

  Stuart sighed heavily. ‘Look, I’m just not sure I gel with this cop theory. Are you sure you’re not letting your history with her get in the way?’ he stammered as Ben backed him up with a simple glare.

  ‘Would you like to air that accusation officially?’

  Stuart held up his hands. ‘No, no, chill man, it’s just that I have it on good authority that she’s reckless, unreliable and violent.’

  ‘On whose “good authority”?’

  ‘I’ve been doing some digging, called her ex-boss.’

  ‘Good authority? Check your sources. And there’s no “history” in that sense. Yes, I’ve worked through two major incidents with Mia and I know a lot about who she is and how she works. I know everyone involved in the Hunters Ridge case and how they work. That’s my job. Go do yours. I want you to find out what cops were in the vicinity of Pipers Hotel that night.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘I’ve got something else to chase up. Go find me that information.’

  Ben headed back to Mia’s place. She was going to be pissed and he needed to clear the air. He didn’t blame her for losing it with Stuart, but he couldn’t have Mia offside. He couldn’t keep her safe if she wouldn’t talk to him because of this. He grimaced. It was enough of an uphill battle as it was.

  As he crawled through the traffic he thought about what Boland had said, then about Stuart’s accusation. There was no way Mia had organised those hits. Even if he hadn’t known her as well as he did, her face when he’d told her Chapel was a hitman would lead him to the same conclusion. She hadn’t had a clue. But as ridiculous as Indy had said it was—as he knew it was—it certainly could appear conceivable to those who didn’t know Mia or the situation better. It would be going through the minds of some of the other taskforce members, just like it was Stuart’s.

  When his phone rang he answered it, distracted. ‘Bowden.’

  ‘I’ve got something on that phone number Chapel used to contact Mia,’ Indy told him. ‘That phone has only been used to contact Mia. There’s no other calls or texts to or from anyone. We can’t locate it, but I imagine he’s pretty good at covering his tracks. Also, it’s registered to a Liam Jones, and the address this Liam Jones used when he purchased the phone is the one that used to belong to Rob Littleton.’

  ‘If there was any doubt there’s a connection to Littleton in all this, that does it.’

  ‘Chapel had to have been given that phone by Jones specifically to contact Mia, but if Jones is in league with Littleton, why would he be involved in turning in the hunters?’

  ‘I don’t know yet. But he has to be the key to figuring this out. And damn it, I know the name from … somewhere.’

  ‘You sound shitty. Everything all right?’

  ‘Just Stuart with his smart mouth and stupid accusations.’ Ben scanned his memory, trying to place the name, turning it over and over until it hit him. ‘Got it.’

  ‘Got what?’

  ‘Detective Liam Jones was the Queensland arm of the investigation into the disappearances of the first two missing girls from Hunters Ridge. The ones who ran off to Queensland and were supposedly found safe and well. Indy, if Liam Jones was in on this from the beginning, those two girls might not have been found at all. They could have ended up in the pit like the others.’

  ‘I’ll get on it.’

  Ben hung up and thought that through. Until they found Detective Jones, the only thing he knew for certain was that someone had wanted to make sure Mia was photographed meeting with and paying Chapel. And if the detective was behind that, Mia was being set up for murder by a pro. He had to make her cooperate and he knew he wasn’t in the best mood to do it.

  CHAPTER

  8

  Mia threw a few more things in her case and shoved the top down hard. She wanted to make sure she had everything she needed, because she wasn’t coming back to the city for at least two weeks. She needed to go home and stay there—step back from all the drama.

  She’d tried to work after the detectives had left, but she just hadn’t been able to sit and concentrate. She’d ended up working out; running too far and lifting too much. Still, she hadn’t been able to shift the anger. Typical Ben Bowden, she told herself. Offer a friendly hand, then slap you in the face with it. Nothing came between Ben and a case. He’d ambushed her as effectively as that hitman. They might not have the best relationship, but could he really think she’d hire someone to kill for her? She didn’t want to admit the accusation had hurt her. That would mean that somewhere along the way she’d allowed him in just enough to do that. And if she had, she deserved it.

  She could only wonder how he’d react if he knew about Rob’s deal. No, she’d been right all along to keep Ben at a distance. She’d risked talking to him—trusted him—and look what had come of it. He and his lynch mob could go to hell. She did up the case and thumped down the stairs, sitting it up against the wall.

  ‘Come on, Jasper, may as well feed you.’ She had her foot on the staircase to the lower level when the doorbell rang. ‘What the hell now?’

  She pulled open the door and found Ben on the other side. Her level of pissed-off skyrocketed. The colourful oath was muttered under her breath, but from the look he sent her, he had no trouble picking it up.

  ‘What could you possibly be doing back here?’ she demanded.

  ‘After leaving on such good terms, I thought you’d enjoy another visit. Are you going to let me in?’

  She considered saying no, but this was Ben she was dealing with. ‘I suppose you better. I could be hiding a wanted criminal in here.’ She stepped a
way from the door and left him standing there, but heard him come in. When she turned back he was giving Jasper a pat.

  ‘I want to apologise for the way Stuart Perkins questioned you this morning,’ he said. ‘He hasn’t had a lot of experience.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘And you have. The door’s behind you.’

  He sent her a look that made her feel about five years old. ‘I get that you’re upset, but when you put yourself in a situation like that, questions are going to be asked. I told you not to try to handle this on your own. What did you think was going to happen?’

  Ben was very obviously fast becoming as pissed off as she was. Fine, bring it on. She was in the mood. ‘And what? I put you in a difficult position with your friends?’

  He scowled. ‘Damn it, Mia. I’m more worried about your position.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  He opened his mouth, closed it, took a long, silent look at her. ‘Don’t do that.’

  ‘Well there’s another “What did I tell you not to do?” we can add to the list.’

  ‘Aren’t we past all this by now?’ he demanded. ‘You fought me all the way through Ally’s case and most of the way through Ebony’s. Now for some reason you’re being drawn into all this and we’re going to be seeing a bit of each other whether you like it or not. Can we move on, please?’

  ‘Move on? I thought we had! Then you knocked on my door with backup and accused me of organising a murder. I’m sorry, is my behaviour unreasonable? You want me to move on?’

  ‘They weren’t backup, Mia, and I didn’t accuse you of anything.’

  ‘No, you let them do it. You brought them into my house and sat there telling me to be reasonable and play nice while I was turned into some kind of twisted revenge killer.’

  ‘There’s a procedure that needs to be followed. I have to get to the truth, to find out what’s going on. It’s my job.’

  ‘That’s always your excuse for being an arsehole.’

  He lowered his voice and his tone was all the more deadly because of it. ‘Is that really what you think?’

  She almost stepped back from the expression on his face. Almost. ‘What the hell else am I supposed to think? I don’t get you!’