‘At least let me explain,’ said the Aboriginal. ‘Put down the gun and we can talk about this. Nobody else has to get hurt.’
‘Don’t listen to him,’ said Emmy. ‘It’s a trick. He wants the gun so he can kill us all.’
The man who may or may not have been Sammy was not prepared to give himself up so easily. He turned away from Emmy and Charlie, and walked toward Lucy.
‘You are not a killer,’ he said. ‘I can see inside you. Put down the gun and everything will be okay, I promise.’
‘How can I be sure?’
‘You know me. Look into my eyes; I am not going to hurt you.’
Emmy could see Lucy’s resolve begin to waver. She could not afford to take any chances so she wrenched the flashlight from Charlie’s hand and staggered toward the Aboriginal man. Without giving him any time to defend himself or plead for mercy, she clubbed him over the back of the head. His body crumpled to the floor and landed beside that of Bradley.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked Lucy.
The girl nodded whilst looking back at Emmy in stunned awe. Charlie caught up with them and squatted down to check the fallen man’s pulse.
‘He’s alive...just,’ he said, not attempting to hide the disdain in his voice. ‘If you had hit him any harder, he would be dead.’
‘He already is,’ she replied, coldly. ‘I would wager anything that was Armareth. I was warned he had killed again. Somehow, he found a way back – a way to possess Sammy. It has to be because of this strange mist I was told about.’
‘And what about Sammy?’ asked Charlie. ‘Say you are right and this is Armareth. Where does that leave Sammy? He could still be in there, for all we know.’
She inwardly cursed her own selfish stupidity, but she could not afford to dwell on ifs and buts for too long. The unconscious man would soon wake and when he did, they had to make sure that he was incapable of inflicting any more harm. She undid the stricken man’s belt and used it to tightly bind his hands behind his back. She asked Charlie to give up his belt too, so that they could also secure the man’s legs. Once they were certain he was not going anywhere, Emmy and Lucy went back to call Lucas whilst Charlie watched over the bodies. It was only a matter of time before Mike found out and Emmy tried not to contemplate how the captain was going to take the news of his friend’s death.
Chapter 31
‘Where is he?’ asked Lucas.
‘Charlie and Lucy are watching over him,’ replied Emmy. ‘He’s restrained so he cannot do them any harm. They’re more concerned about keeping Mike away from him.’
‘And what about the body?’
‘It’s still where we found it. We covered it, of course, but I didn’t want to disturb a crime scene.’
‘If what you say is correct; the killer has been caught red handed. I will get the doc to run some tests when I get Sammy back to the station. Hopefully, this will provide a link with Walter and the other murders.’
Judging by her reaction, Lucas sensed that Emmy was holding something back. Her response to her grandfather’s murder had been a mixture of shock and grief. This time she appeared more resigned, as if she expected it.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’ he asked.
‘If you’re trying to link this to what Wally did or any other problems that you’re having in town; you are going to be disappointed.’
‘What makes you so sure?’
‘Sammy didn’t do it. It was David Armareth. First he killed Pops, then he killed Bradley and if we had not stopped him, any one of us could have been next.’
‘Emmy, David Armareth is dead. You have to let him go or...’
He saw somebody pass by the doorway that led onto the main corridor. It was not anybody that he recognised.
‘Or what?’ asked Emmy.
‘Huh?’
‘Or what? You were talking and suddenly stopped mid-sentence. I want to know what you were going to say.’
He looked at her, blankly.
‘Is anybody else here?’ he asked.
‘No, it’s just me and you. Can you see anybody else?’
‘I mean at the observatory. Has anybody else come?’
‘Like who? Apart from Charlie and I, there is only Mike and Lucy.’
He turned away from her and started walking towards the doorway. When he was in the corridor he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He withdrew his gun and edged toward the door. When he was right next to it he spun around and pointed his weapon directly into the room.
‘Freeze!’ he shouted.
The cacophonic sound of breaking glass echoed around the room. Mike raised his hands, but in anger rather than submission as he saw that it was Lucas who had caused him to drop the whisky bottle.
‘Jesus, Lucas, it’s more customary to knock, you know.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you. I couldn’t afford to take any chances.’
‘What’s going on?’ asked Emmy, as she entered the room. ‘Is that Pops’ whisky on the floor?’
‘It belongs to the roaches now,’ Mike told her, before purposefully brushing into Lucas as he walked out.
‘That guy is really starting to tick me off,’ said Lucas.
‘He has that effect on us all,’ replied Emmy. ‘He has just lost his friend, though. It’s best if we just leave him to do whatever he needs to do.’
‘He’s too unstable. A man on the edge like that cannot be in charge of anything. Have you heard when his relief is coming yet?’
‘Relief?’
‘You know; more soldiers. If the military are now in control of this facility they have to send a team in to follow up on the murders.’
‘I dunno - I just assumed he had dealt with all of that.’
Lucas sighed.
‘I thought scientists never assumed anything. When I get back to the station, I’ll find the number and give his base a call. In the meantime, I want you to steer well clear of Mike.’
‘That won’t be a problem, believe me.’
He helped her clear up the mess from the broken bottle and then she took him to where Sammy was being held. Both Lucy and Charlie looked relieved to see him with Emmy.
‘I’ll take things from here,’ he told them. ‘We’ll get him straight into the truck and I’ll question him in the morning.’
‘What about me?’ asked Lucy.
‘That’s up to you,’ Lucas replied. ‘It may be safer if you all come back to the station though.’
He glanced at Emmy in order to remind her of their earlier conversation regarding Mike.
‘I’m staying,’ Emmy told him. ‘I need to keep busy and my work is here.’
‘I should stay too,’ said Charlie. ‘We’re a team.’
‘Well, I really need at least one of you back at the station. Not only to give a statement about Sammy, but I also need some help with the cases that I am working on. The doctor is running tests as we speak and I expect him to find some sort of chemical in all of the killers as well as a large part of the population as a whole. It is connected to some research Professor Fox was undertaking on my behalf, which began with a snake attack.’
‘It’s best if I go with you,’ said Charlie. ‘I helped the professor run those tests. I just need a few minutes to gather together the data.’
‘What about you?’ Lucas asked Lucy. ‘You’re more than welcome to have your room back.’
She looked at Emmy before answering.
‘If it’s okay with you, I would rather stay here. Maybe I can help Dr Rayne with her work.’
‘I’d like that,’ added Emmy, before Lucas even had a chance to respond.
The four of them then carried the still unconscious Aboriginal man to Lucas’ truck. Whilst Charlie went back for his research, the policeman grabbed his camera and went with Emmy to see Bradley’s body. He took the necessary photographs of the crime scene and then wrapped the corpse and moved it indoors where dingoes could not get to it. Unlike with the previous bodies, he would leave the au
topsy and internment arrangements to Mike and his superiors when they eventually arrived.
***
‘Why didn’t you go with them?’ asked Emmy.
They were both now in Emmy’s quarters. It was getting late and for security reasons, they agreed it would be safer to share a room.
‘You already know why,’ replied Lucy.
‘If you leave, he will still be with you.’
‘I know, but it is not the same. I mean, you actually saw him.’
As the words left her lips she felt a shiver run up her spine. She glanced around the room, wondering where he was. It was the first time she had really taken any notice of her surroundings. She always thought of scientists as being middle to old aged men with bushy beards. Emmy could not be farther from that stereotype. Although it was not a girly room (the colour scheme did not contain a trace of pink), it undoubtedly belonged to a female. There was a dressing table with a modest selection of beauty products, a shelf holding several volumes of feminist literature alongside the expected science fiction classics, and not a microscope or chemistry kit in sight.
‘You must have been really close,’ said Emmy.
‘We were,’ replied Lucy. ‘Although I don’t think that is really unusual. What little girl doesn’t love her daddy?’
Emmy briefly looked away, probably to disguise her hurt. If Lucy could take the words back, she would.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘That’s okay. I know you didn’t mean anything bad by it.’
In the silence that followed, both women gazed at the photograph of Armareth with Felicity Fox, which lay on top of the bedside cabinet.
‘Do you think that...’
‘No,’ said Emmy, cutting her off. ‘My father was George Rayne and he was a good man. I don’t know how Armareth knew my mother, but I am sure any relationship that may have existed between she and him was purely in his head.’
Lucy knew it was best not to continue the conversation down this line. She liked Emmy and wanted to get to know her better, but she sensed something more than simple grief simmering under the scientist’s surface. Although she did a good job of covering it up, it was clear that Emmy had suffered a lot of hurt in the past.
‘Tell me about Lucas,’ Lucy said. ‘You guys seem pretty close. What’s the history there?’
Emmy leaned back on her bed, making herself comfortable.
‘Lucas is a good friend. He’s as small town as they come, but at the same time he is still capable of keeping an open mind. About a year ago, when I returned from uni, I became the target of a hate campaign by some local trolls and Lucas was the only person in the town that offered me any kind of support. Even Pops chose to turn a blind eye to what was going on.’
‘What sort of hate campaign; did you offend the local Jesus Freaks with some big scientific theory or something?’
‘Something is closer to the mark. That something was my girlfriend; Toni.’ She indicated for Lucy to look at a small framed picture on the dresser. ‘It started with whispering behind our backs wherever we went. Then my car was vandalised with some not particularly creative graffiti and that was soon followed by threats of violence. Lucas made a couple of arrests and somehow managed to persuade the town to keep its opinions to itself, but I have never felt comfortable going back there. That night when we met in the Sly Fox was the first time I had been to that pub in a year and will also be the last. Sadly, nothing has changed.’
‘Oh,’ said Lucy. ‘I didn’t realise. I mean, there is nothing wrong with it, I just, er...
‘It’s okay; there is no reason why you would have known. Sometimes I think I should just shave my head and get a load of facial piercings to save people the disappointment when they find out.’
‘I’m not disappointed in you. It just surprises me, that’s all.’
She felt her body temperature rising and hoped it did not show outwardly.
‘Why are you blushing?’
‘I’m not,’ she lied.
‘Yes, you are. Just tell me; I won’t be cross with you.’
‘It’s just that time in the bar when you came over to talk to me, I thought that, I mean, were you...’
‘...trying to pick you up?’
Lucy now knew that she must have been bright red with embarrassment. She could feel it in her cheeks and see it in her arms.
‘Don’t be scared,’ added Emmy. ‘I have extremely high standards. You can definitely take it as a compliment.’
‘I understand that, but what made you think, I mean; do I look gay?’
Emmy laughed. She sat up straight on the bed and looked directly at Lucy.
‘Nobody looks gay. Well, not unless they want to draw attention to themselves in a particular way. I just saw you looking over at me.’
‘That wasn’t because...’
‘...I know, I know. You recognised me from a photograph. I realise that now. Your reputation is safe. Nobody thinks you’re a lesbian.’
Lucy looked down at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact.
‘There is something else, isn’t there?’ added Emmy. ‘I’m not the first to approach you, am I?’
Lucy thought back to Coober Pedy. At the time she had not read anything into the situation, but now she thought about it; she had been looking over at Anna first, perhaps inviting her attention.
‘About a week ago, I was in Coober Pedy. A couple of local guys challenged me and a German girl to a game of pool. I thought she was interested in them, but after the game, I found out that she wasn’t, if you know what I mean.’
‘I know exactly what you mean. What was the name of the bar; I shall have to pay it a visit sometime?’
‘This isn’t a joke.’
‘I never said it was. How does it make you feel; getting this kind of attention?’
‘I dunno. I guess I’m flattered by it.’
‘That’s good.’
Lucy was not sure what to say next. An awkward silence spread over the room and she knew she had to say something. It was strange, but Emmy no longer felt like a stranger to her. She never had a gay friend before. In fact, she never really had any friends at all. Growing up without a mother left her more dependent on her father and in turn, him on her. There was never time for anything else. Her father wanted her to move on and make friends and in a strange sort of way, he had already given Emmy his blessing.
‘When did you know?’ she asked.
‘That I was gay?’
Lucy nodded, awkwardly.
‘I suppose that in a way, I have always known. Boys just never interested me. When I was twelve years old, I was sent on a school trip to the city. The school could not afford to fly us there so we took the bus. It was only a small minivan really and there was not room for us all to have seats. That was just before they introduced legislation on seatbelts in road vehicles. Everything takes a little longer to reach the bush.
‘I was one of the ones forced to share my seat. I had a girl sitting on my lap. Her name was Kylie and she was in the year above me, but I ended up on the bottom because I was quite a large kid for my age. It was fair to say that I carried my share of the puppy fat. Anyway, it was a long drive and we did not get many toilet stops. I was looking out of the window, minding my business, when I started to feel something warm spread across my lap. I soon realised it was coming from Kylie. She had wet herself and in doing so the pee seeped right through her clothes and onto mine.
‘I think she never said anything because she was embarrassed. I thought that if I spoke up, I would get her into trouble and nobody wants to risk getting an older kid into trouble. She would have given me a beating for sure, so I said nothing. The thing was - I actually kind of liked it. I mean, not the pee; that was gross. It was more the sense of intimacy that got me excited. For the first time in my young life I understood what it meant to be turned on and I have never felt that way around a man.’
Lucy tried not to look too grossed out by the story. She did her best to hold a ne
utral expression on her face.
‘So you became a lesbian because some girl peed on you in school?’
‘I never became a lesbian, it’s just who I am. I just told that story because it sticks out in my memory. It was not so much a turning point in my life as more of an epiphany. It was another six years, when I went to uni that I actually had the courage to fully admit to others who I really was. I guess that I’m lucky; some people live a lie their whole lives.’
‘Well, just so you know; I’m not...’
‘I’m fine with that; really. The question is; are you?’
‘Of course, I already said I don’t judge you.’
‘That’s not what I mean. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve only got one bed in here. If we are going to stay with our plan and stick together, we will have to share it. Are you comfortable with that?’
‘Oh.’
Lucy did not feel threatened. In fact, she was a little curious and did wonder how it would feel to touch Emmy and maybe even kiss her. The problem was that as far as she could tell, it was simply curiosity that she felt. It would be like going into a cafe and tasting food without having any intention of buying it. This would not be fair to Emmy or herself. She thought of the evening at the station when Lucas tried to kiss her. She would never have led him on by sharing a bed, so why would this be any different?
‘You will be perfectly safe,’ said Emmy. ‘I can keep my hands to myself and it’s not like I’m a guy. You certainly don’t have to worry about being woken in the night with a big erection poking into your back.’
Lucy did not answer. She was too confused.
‘If you prefer, I can sleep on the floor and give you the bed,’ added Emmy.
‘No, you don’t have to do that,’ replied Lucy. ‘I don’t mind sharing.’
Rather than climbing under the sheets, both girls slept on top with all their clothes on. Despite her earlier apprehension, Lucy did not find it awkward at all. She felt secure around Emmy and it did not take her long to fall asleep. Emmy too, enjoyed her most restful night in a long time.
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 27