by Jaye Ford
For ten minutes, Liv answered, her disquiet growing rapidly. Was she working on anything sensitive or controversial? Did she have any disgruntled clients or staff? Had her actions ever been questioned? Had she upset anyone in the building? Anyone in the street? Had she raised her voice to anyone? Had a car accident? Even a bump in the car park? Did she owe any money? Did anyone owe her money? No, no, no, no, like a CD stuck in a scratch.
When Rachel asked her about Prescott and Weeks’ financial situation, Liv was happy just to have something to tell her.
‘We got caught in the Connect Call Centre bankruptcy.’ It was in the news for a couple of weeks and Rachel nodded like she knew what Liv was talking about. ‘We’d had casual staff with them for eighteen months. The first time they missed a payment, they told me it was a glitch in their online pay system. The second time they claimed it was a minor cash flow issue because of an incident with head office in Sydney. There were rumours but I knew the human resources manager personally and she swore she’d tell me if there was a problem. A week later, they were bankrupt.’
Rachel raised an eyebrow. ‘How did that affect you?’
‘Connect was our biggest client. We lost seventy per cent of our business overnight and we were left with the bill for the wages of our casual staff.’
‘Did you pay all the staff?’
‘Yes.’
‘So no one was left short?’
‘No. Just us. We had to cut back our wages six weeks ago.’
Rachel looked at her notebook for a moment. ‘What happened when you heard about the bankruptcy? Did you ring and make accusations, go down there and cause a scene?’
Liv shook her head. ‘No. We made phone calls, of course, but the lawyers took over pretty fast.’
‘What about the human resources manager? Did you go see her? Accuse her of making problems for you, that sort of thing?’
‘No. She rang me. She’d been kept in the dark until just a few days before and threatened with legal action if she told anyone. She sounded devastated and I didn’t think it was an act. Besides, I was getting ready to move house and I didn’t have the time or the energy to get worked up about her actions. I was just trying to get everything done.’
Rachel nodded again, slowly, thoughtfully. ‘Have you talked to her since? Maybe said something off the cuff she might have misconstrued?’
Liv let her eyes roll away as she thought about it. ‘I don’t think so. And our financial situation isn’t all her fault. We shouldn’t have relied so heavily on one client. We should have had other income streams to fall back on. I’m the one with the Business degree. I should have known better.’
Rachel twiddled her pen between her fingers as she studied her notepad. It was the first time she’d stopped to think and it made anxiety flap like a bird inside Liv’s chest.
‘Does your husband have a stake in the business?’ Rachel asked.
‘Not anymore.’
‘Does your partner’s husband?’
‘Kelly and Jason invested with a joint loan. Where are you going with this?’
Rachel tipped her head to one side. ‘Just looking for pieces.’
A scrunch on the carpet in the hall made Liv turn around.
Teagan stood in the doorway, looking stunned. ‘What the . . . ?’
‘Tee. We had a break-in.’
Teagan’s hand went to her mouth as she worked her way around the glass and backed up to the reception counter.
‘No one was hurt,’ Liv tried to reassure her. ‘It’s just a mess.’
*
An hour later, as Liv marked time in a chair, Rachel emerged from her office, gloves back on, carrying . . .
Liv frowned. It was the huge blotter pad from her desk.
‘I found this.’ Rachel turned it around.
The front was covered in her own jotted notes and phone numbers, circled and coloured in and highlighted by her doodling, overlaid with smudges of black fingerprinting powder – but it was the slash of scrawled handwriting across the middle that made Liv open her mouth and suck in air.
‘Have you seen this before?’ Rachel pointed a gloved finger at the words.
‘No.’
‘It wasn’t on here when you left yesterday?’
‘No.’
‘And you didn’t write it?’
‘What? No. What the hell does that mean?’
‘I’m sorry, Livia. I have to check.’
Liv wrapped her arms around herself. ‘No. I didn’t write it.’
‘Okay. It was facedown on the floor under the other items from your desk, probably meant for you to find when you were cleaning up.’
‘Shit.’ It came out as a whisper.
Rachel checked her watch. ‘I have to be somewhere else in ten minutes. Fingerprinting is almost finished in there. You can start the clean-up when they’re done. I can’t see anything else the offender might have left but just in case, I’d like you to handle everything with gloves. The Forensics guys will give you a pair. If you find anything, put it in plastic.’
Liv nodded then asked the same question as yesterday. ‘How scared should I be?’
Rachel’s eyes flicked back to the office. ‘This does appear to be directed at you but I’m inclined to think it has something to do with the office or your work. My advice is to make sure you’re not alone when you’re here. Both incidents have happened out of work hours, so don’t stay back or come in early. And don’t park your car in the parking station. All of that applies to you and your staff.’
‘You think Kelly and Teagan might be at risk, too?’
‘It’s better to take the precaution.’
Liv pressed at the bruising on her face. She didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. ‘What do you think he wants?’
Rachel turned her mouth down briefly. ‘He’s probably a nut with a gripe about something that only makes sense to him. With any luck, his demons will have been put to rest by ransacking your office. You might never hear from him again.’
Liv nodded, wondered why beating her up three days ago wasn’t enough.
‘Is there someone who could stay with you tonight? A friend or a relative?’
‘Do you think I need protection?’
‘No, you’ve had a rough couple of days. You look like you could do with some company.’
Liv ran a hand through her hair. It was shock – that was all. And fear. They were normal reactions. ‘I’ll think about it.’
Rachel glanced at her watch again. ‘I have to go. Just keep doing what you’re doing, Livia, and call the police if you’re in any way concerned.’
As the detective disappeared into Park Street, Liv felt the uneasiness stir in her belly. She wasn’t convinced this was about the office. It felt personal. Like the bruises on her face.
Liv squatted in the debris and sifted through the ruins of her working life. The contents of the filing cabinet were scattered – tax information, client details, job records, invoices. No scrawled notes. She collected the paper in piles, stacked them against the wall, hoping she’d be able to make some sense of it later.
She worked her way around the desk, sorting the salvageable from the hopeless, filling a garbage bag and starting a second one. She’d been gripped by fear since she’d walked into the office but as she moved painstakingly through the mess, that fear was overtaken by loss, then by a sense of waste, then by an edgy, uncomfortable awareness of someone unwelcome in her personal space. Behind the desk, she picked up the smashed remains of her dad’s old clock and became a little more worked up. The clock had sat by his bedside for as long as she could remember. She’d saved it from his flat when he’d been moved into the hospice. It was ancient, it didn’t work, but it reminded her of him. And someone had wilfully, disrespectfully crushed it.
&nbs
p; She ran a finger over the dented casing, put it gently on her desk, turned back to the floor and saw the dish Cameron had made for her. It was a lumpy piece of lopsided clay, painted in swirls of fluoro green and covered in blobs of glitter. He’d made it at kindergarten when he was four and given it to her for Mother’s Day. She kept paperclips in it, told him it was the best paperclip holder she’d ever had. She picked up both halves, pressed the broken edges together. It would never glue back cleanly. It was ruined. The bastard from the car park had ruined Cameron’s dish.
Had he come to her office to wreck the things she held dear? Or was it just arsehole’s luck that his spree hit where it hurt the most? It was only an old clock and an ugly dish but she’d already lost too much of Cameron and her dad. She held the two pieces tight in her fingers and felt anger burn like a hot coal in the pit of her belly.
‘How’re you doing in here?’ Kelly asked from the door.
Liv looked up, tears blurring her vision. She lifted the pieces of Cameron’s dish, spoke through clenched teeth. ‘He broke it.’
Kelly came around the desk and squatted beside her. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Liv moved the misshapen clock to her lap. ‘Insurance doesn’t cover this.’ Kelly put a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. She meant well but comfort wasn’t what Liv wanted. She wanted to rant and shout at the injustice of it. She wanted to grab the guy by his collar and shake him until his damn head rattled. Who the hell was he? And what did he want from her?
You should be scared.
She pulled in a shaky breath, pressed her lips together. Scared was absolutely how she felt. Someone had used her office to demonstrate their intent. But she was mad, too. And that felt a whole lot better.
‘Do you want to stay with us for a while?’ Kelly asked.
Did she? Kelly and Jason’s house was a 1940s timber bungalow, renovated out the back, the original structure at the front. Liv’d never taken a close look at their locks but it was unlikely they’d been changed for years. ‘No offence but I feel safer at the townhouse now.’
‘Do you want me to come and stay with you? Or Jason?’
She shook her head. She didn’t want to separate another family and she didn’t know how long this would go on. Company was a good idea, though. ‘I think I’ll give Sheridan a call. She said Andy was away this week.’
‘Well, let me know if she can’t make it,’ Kelly said as she stood to leave. ‘I’ve got to go home but I’ll be on the mobile if you need me.’
Liv glanced up quickly. ‘Is something wrong?’
A line appeared and disappeared between Kelly’s brows. ‘No, I’ve got to change before the meeting.’ She held her arms out, showing Liv her jeans and sweatshirt and hair in its messy ponytail.
Liv stared blankly for a moment. ‘What meeting?’
‘I’m seeing Toby Wright in his office at two.’
A wave of guilt rolled through her. She’d forgotten about it. ‘Oh, of course. Do you want to run through it?’ It was what they usually did for the big ones and this one needed to be right.
‘No, I’m good. Don’t worry about it. You should go home, too, and get some rest.’
Yes, she would, later. Then she’d turn up for work again tomorrow. And keep turning up. She didn’t know what that bastard was hoping to achieve but scared wasn’t going to knock her off her feet.
16
‘Yeah, with bells on,’ Sheridan said when Liv filled her in on the break-in and asked her to stay. ‘Ashley will be ecstatic the wicked stepmother is out of the picture for a night.’ Sheridan’s partner Andy was older by fifteen years and the father of two daughters in their twenties. The younger one lived with them and hadn’t come to terms with the fact that half the house was Sheridan’s. ‘Can I stay until Sunday?’
Liv laughed like it was ridiculous but was tempted to tell her to bring a suitcase.
‘I’ll drop by home after the news and grab a few things. Hey, how about I throw in some running gear? We could do an early one if you feel up to it in the morning.’
‘Sounds good. I could do with stretching my legs after this week.’ Maybe her injuries could handle a short trot in the park by then.
Liv and Sheridan had been running buddies at uni. When Cameron’s shared custody arrangement had started, Sheridan suggested the two of them get together for a run during the weeks he was with his father. She was short and her pace wasn’t Liv’s but she had stamina and the companionship was nice. It was just company she needed from Sheridan tonight, though. Someone to be cynical and incensed with and Sheridan was the it girl for that.
She bagged the last remains of her office, moved the stacked files to the empty desktop so Ray could vacuum and left the ruins of her computer and desk drawers out for him to dispose of. She was washing fingerprint dust off her hands in the kitchenette when she heard Kelly return and talk to Teagan out in reception.
‘Is Liv still here?’ she asked quietly.
‘In the kitchen,’ Teagan replied just as softly.
Liv grabbed a handtowel and took it with her. ‘How did it go with Toby?’ she said from the doorway.
Kelly glanced up quickly. ‘You should be home by now. You look exhausted.’
‘I’ve just finished the clean-up. So what happened?’
She frowned a silent scolding before giving up the details. ‘It went well. The job is bigger than he originally let on. He’s not just expanding the office, he’s starting a staff training centre. If we get the work, we’ll be finding trainers as well as temps and casuals for the office.’
‘That’s great. Amazing. This could be it.’ She smiled properly for the first time in days. It felt like her cheeks might crack. ‘Are we still the only ones he’s talking to?’
‘I think so and he seems keen. He asked me a whole range of questions, and seemed to like that I’ve worked in training before. Said he might call me tomorrow with a few ideas. I don’t know what that means but apparently they want to move fast.’
Liv punched the air with her fist. ‘Yes!’
‘Yay!’ Teagan cheered.
‘Okay, that’s all I’m going to tell you,’ Kelly said. ‘You have to go home now, Liv. No excuses. You need some rest.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m going.’ She’d heard all she needed to, felt more hopeful than she’d thought possible today. It was four o’clock, she’d been there almost eleven hours – it was time to get the hell out of Dodge.
‘This whole situation is unbelievable,’ Sheridan said before Liv had the front door all the way open.
Liv returned her hug, dropped her overnight bag by the stairs, took the proffered bottle of wine and rehooked the new security chain.
‘What are the cops doing? Have they got any leads? They must know something.’ Sheridan stood inside the door, hands on her hips as though she wasn’t going anywhere until she had the full story.
‘I’ll tell you everything later, after a drink. Right now I need to not think about it for a while.’
‘You’ll kill me with suspense but fair enough. You must be wrecked.’ It was the first time Sheridan had been to the townhouse and she took a few steps, swept her eyes around. ‘What’s with the baseball bat?’
Daniel had told her to listen to her fear and her fear was telling her to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. She’d rested Cameron’s baseball bat against the wall near the front door. ‘Just in case. I figure it’s like insurance – if I have it, I won’t need it.’
‘What do I get?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, if someone breaks in, you’ve got a baseball bat to beat him off. What do I use?’
Liv grinned, glad to have her bravado. ‘I’ve got an umbrella by the garage access door. A big one. Will that do?’
‘Mary Poppins with attitude. I can do that. So t
his is the new place?’
‘Yep. Take a look around.’
As Sheridan opened doors and wandered upstairs, Liv pulled food from the fridge. She’d made a couple of stops on her way down Park Street so there’d be more than cheese and crackers on offer. ‘Small, huh?’
Sheridan propped against the bench. ‘Compared to Renwick Street, yes, but on the upside, it cuts down on the cleaning. And the air is so much sweeter without Thomas.’
‘You think?’
‘Definitely. Now hand over the glasses.’ She poured the wine, slid one glass towards Liv and held her own aloft. ‘Cheers. To new beginnings.’
Liv clinked hers against it. ‘To a better start.’
Sheridan kicked off her ankle boots like she meant business and came around the counter. ‘Point me in the direction of a salad bowl.’
The kitchen was cramped but they’d cooked together plenty of times. They’d had nothing in common when they met fifteen years ago. Sheridan’s parents were solicitors, she grew up in a luxurious family home with a private school education. She arrived at uni as sophisticated and stylish as she was now – and she ran like a princess. Liv laughed the first time she’d turned up for soccer training, which had pissed off high-achieving Sheridan. But they were both competitive and each had something the other wanted. So Liv taught her to run like an athlete and Sheridan taught her about clothes and hair and make-up – the stuff Liv didn’t learn growing up above a boxing gym.
Liv pan-fried chicken breasts and let Sheridan make her laugh with stories from the newsroom as they sat around the bench and ate. It felt good to have company in the townhouse, the kind that didn’t make her feel like the lesser parent.
As they talked over a second glass of wine, Benny started up. Not the continuous racket she’d heard during the night but repeated yap-yaps until Trevor flung open the screen door and served up his food.