“Someone else gave her my name.”
“It would appear that way, yes.”
“Someone who knew we were at the bar together.”
“Well, I’m not sure how that’s possible.”
“Did she mention the bar?”
“No. It was just a vague implication that we were together.”
“I see.”
Stasia looked at him. “I took it as a threat.”
“What does that mean?”
“It was a way to know there was someone else with her. That they were forcing her to say that.”
“You mean like she’s being held hostage?”
“Yeah.”
Graves swallowed. “Oh no.”
“What?”
“Don’t be mad or anything. But I think this is my fault.”
“Your fault? How?”
“After I dropped you off at your sister’s, I went back to the theatre.”
“You did? What happened?”
“Nothing at first. I was there a while. Then it got dark. And this guy with a briefcase was standing at the top of the driveway. He hailed a cab and I followed.”
“You mean that guy who was doing the bloody trapdoors? He was there after all?”
“Yeah. Looks that way. Actually, I can guarantee it was him. Son of a bitch –”
“What?”
“Well. He knew I was following him. He knew I was in the car. He’d – he’d had it all planned out in advance. I can’t even grasp the level of planning that went into it. This guy’s been onto me for a while. Christ, he even knows about 13th Avenue –”
“Just tell me what happened!”
“You mean about when I was following him, or you mean about 13th Avenue –”
“Following him.”
“Right. So I was tailing the cab for ages. Eventually it comes to a stop on this very highway. Between here and the bar. Right next to the beach and everything. He gets out of the car, I follow from behind. I want to see where he’s going. I should have taken him right then and there. But maybe he had a plan for that too…”
“You let him get away. Is that what happened? You lost him?”
“He had this trap set up for me. He’d dug a ditch and covered it with twigs and other shit and I just walked right into it. I fell down the hole and then out of nowhere this fucking electronic face jumps out of the dark. Bright blue eyes. I’d triggered some mechanism by falling in the whole and set off the dummy being launched forward. And this recording started playing. Warning me that I’d been told to stay away and now someone has to die…”
“What a fucking nutjob,” Stasia exclaimed.
“I just can’t believe he put that much work into it. Like … he’s obsessed with me or something. But he keeps telling me to stay away, which is counter-intuitive. I feel like if I keep going into this thing, he’s going to have all sorts of crafty surprises up his sleeve. Like … that stuff at the theatre that you went through … It’s just an appetizer for…”
“The main show?”
“Yeah,” Graves said. “You know what I mean.”
“But you don’t actually think he’s somehow managed to go after my daughter, do you? Isn’t that a bit farfetched?”
Graves couldn’t look at her directly. His eyes closed a little. Artificial lights overhead, causing the glass to blur. “I never told anyone about that day, Stasia. Not a soul. And yet, somehow. After all this time. He knows…”
“So? What does that mean?”
“Well. If he knows that much about me. If he can go into my past, and unearth my deepest, darkest secret –”
“Yes?”
“Then how much does he know about you?”
CHAPTER 19
Barely a few miles away from the highway where Graves and Stasia were currently speeding along, a meeting was taking place in a secluded car park, surrounded by trees. The other car was already there when Christian arrived. He stopped a few metres away from it and shut the engine off. He sat there for a few moments, waiting. He looked down at the phone beside him.
All was still.
The passenger door opened on the car opposite, and a slender woman with dark hair got out. She closed the door and walked over to his car, opening his passenger door and sitting in the chair beside him.
“How much did he tell you?” Fae asked.
“Enough to know he’s unravelling,” Christian replied. “Something’s happened, that’s gotten him all worked up. He’s ready to tell his story.”
“He was still at the bar when you last –”
“Drowning his sorrows.” Christian turned slightly towards her. “I didn’t get any details. I thought it best that I should be wired first. So, there’s no comebacks.”
“You’re willing to wear a wire?”
Christian hesitated. “What did Stasia say?”
“She said no.”
“I don’t want her to get cut from whatever deal you’ve worked out. I’m not throwing her under the bus. Do you understand?”
“Is she involved?”
“Of course she isn’t,” Christian snapped. “You know she isn’t. How could you ask that?”
“Detective Graves is an infectious creature.”
“Yeah, well. You don’t have to worry about Stasia. Christ, you’re supposed to be her friend.”
Fae put her hand on Christian’s leg. “Am I?”
He looked over at it.
At her.
Heartrate increasing.
“Who else is here?” Christian whispered. “Carmichael?”
“Just the FBI man. I don’t care if he sees.”
“Yeah, well I do.”
Christian pushed open the door and got out of the car.
Fae got out from her side and raced round to meet him.
“You’re not backing out of this, are you?” she demanded.
“Of course not,” Christian said, leaning against the hood. “I just need you to promise me that Stasia will be left out of this.”
Fae raised her eyebrows. “Maybe… Maybe we should ask him. Just to be sure.”
“Well. Go get him then.”
Fae lifted her head and strutted away.
Christian looked down at the ground. Was it shame he was experiencing? Was it guilt?
Or was he just aroused?
“Richard Morello.”
The FBI man was already there, extending his hand.
Christian reluctantly shook it. “Detective Nguyen.”
“Yes. I know who you are,” Morello said, letting go. “You’re Detective Rhine’s ex-husband, correct?”
“So, you understand why my cooperation is dependent on your treatment of Detective Rhine?”
“I’m sure Fae told you about the offer she was presented with.”
Christian nodded.
“She threw it back in our face. Too loyal to Graves, apparently. What does that say about her character? That she would risk damaging Detective Dory’s reputation rather than bring a guilty cop to justice?”
“Whatever you wanted from Stasia,” Christian said, “you can get it from me.”
“You have a relationship with Graves?”
“Yes. I can get him to talk. I can get him to talk tonight.”
“Well, that’s excellent news.”
“But I require that you leave Stasia out of this. That’s all I want. Give her whatever you were going to give her as though she went through with it.”
Morello forced a smile. “It’s not that simple, I’m afraid.”
Christian looked to Fae.
Fae seemed conflicted. “We both have a personal relationship with Stasia. We know she’s not involved in Graves’ dealings.”
Morello crossed his arms. “Well, what sort of information do you expect to pull from Graves tonight?”
“I think I can get him confessing to murder,” Christian said.
“We need names. Times, dates, locations. It has to be verified.”
“I know how th
is works. I’ll make it ironclad.”
Morello scratched his chin. “Alright. We’ll presume Detective Rhine is innocent until there’s evidence supporting otherwise. Agreed?”
“And she gets her deal. Okay? I’m not doing this for free.”
Morello nodded. “Very well. Shall we shake again on it?”
Christian accepted his hand again.
The man stared at him a little during the shake. His face said he knew something Christian didn’t.
“What?” Christian asked.
Morello let go of him and walked back to the car.
Christian turned to Fae. “Is everything alright?”
“It’s fine,” Fae said. “We’ll get a van down here in thirty and then we’ll be good to go. Okay?”
“Hopefully he’s still at the bar.”
“If he isn’t, we’ll find him. He’s not getting away with this.”
“Right.”
Fae moved in close to him.
She reached in and took his hands into hers. “I really appreciate you doing this, Christian.”
“I know.”
“Have you thought about when we’re going to tell her?”
“Who? Stasia?”
“She’s gonna find out sooner or later.”
“Don’t you want her to settle into her new job first? I don’t know that she’d be too thrilled to work for you if she found out –”
“You underestimate me, sweetie,” Fae said. “She can pout and complain. And throw a fit. But at the end of the day, I’ve got Stasia wrapped around my little finger. Where I lead, she follows.”
“Are you sure you’re not underestimating her?”
Fae grinned.
Suddenly Christian’s cell started ringing.
He checked it and made a face. “Stasia.”
“Of course.”
He answered the phone. “Hello?”
CHAPTER 20
Slides. Swings. Monkey bars. Mulch. The playground near the edge of the nature reserve had gotten busy over the past few hours. People coming and going. Friends of Ash. Friends of Janette. Friends of friends of friends. They were all thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Drinking and smoking and swearing and laughing loudly. Janette’s Mom had already tried calling a couple of times, wanting to know why she wasn’t home yet. She was annoying like that. She’d give up eventually. Or at least that’s what usually happened…
“Yo, Janette,” one of the guys called out from across the playground.
“What?” Janette’s head bobbed out of her current make out session.
“I think your Mom’s here.”
“What?”
“Your Mom! I think – she’s over there –”
“Oh, shit…”
Janette climbed off the guy she was kissing and dusted herself off. Her Mom was already walking past the guy who’d alerted her.
“Shut up!” Janette hissed. “You guys – you guys know nothing. Alright?”
Hands on hips, her Mom approached. “Where’s Mei-Lee?”
“What?” Janette played dumb.
“You’re supposed to be watching her. Where is she?”
“We’re the same age, duh,” Janette replied. “I’m not her babysitter.”
Aunt Stasia hurried up behind her Mom. “Does she know where she is?”
“I’m trying to ask her,” her Mom said quickly. Their eyes were back on Janette. “Where is Mei-Lee? Is she here? Is she somewhere else? Tell us now, Janette!”
“How many times do I have to say it?” Janette shouted. “I’m not responsible!”
Aunt Stasia moved in at the side. “I got a call from her forty minutes ago. She was in some kind of trouble. She needed my help.”
Janette’s eyes bulged. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“You’re not in trouble,” her Mom said. “Just tell us what you know.”
Janette shook her head. “I don’t know anything. I already told you.”
Ash came out from the side. “What’s going on?”
“We’re trying to find Janette’s cousin, Mei-Lee,” Janette’s Mom advised.
Aunt Stasia circled the area. “Has anyone seen her? Do you know where she is?”
“Have you told them anything?” Ash asked.
“Shut the hell up,” Janette snapped.
Aunt Stasia whirled round. “Do you know something?”
Ash took a step back, smiling. Caught off guard. “Uh…”
Janette ran to his side. “Look, when Mei-Lee wants to be found, she’ll be found.”
“You have to tell us what you know, Janette,” Stasia said sternly.
“Like hell I do.”
Janette’s Mom peered around at the kids. “Alright everyone. If you don’t know where Mei-Lee is, then clear off. Get the hell out of here. Go home.”
A few of them stood up.
A couple laughed.
Stasia flashed her badge. “You heard the lady. Unless you want your asses hauled in for underage drinking. Get lost.”
Janette saw there was another cop – male – standing near the edge of the reserve.
Stasia looked to him for support.
The kids began to disperse.
“God, what the hell is your problem?” Janette barked. “Alright, I’m leaving too then.”
The women blocked her.
“Not until you tell us where Mei-Lee is.”
“She’s with my friend, Cody,” Ash said behind them.
“Ash!” Janette squealed.
“Who is that?” Janette’s Mom demanded. “Who is Cody?”
“Friend from school,” Ash said. “Him and Mei-Lee went for a walk when we first got here. We were just hanging out, waiting for them to come back.”
“Is that true?” her Mom asked. “Is she with this Cody?”
Janette glared around in frustration. “Oh my God. So, what.”
“Can you please call him now?” Stasia begged. “It’s urgent.”
“I don’t think his phone is turned on,” Ash said.
The other cop made his way into the playground. “Does this Cody have an address?”
CHAPTER 21
Cody was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving. First his goatee. Then the rest of his hair. He cleared the hair away and dumped it in the bin on the floor. He then proceeded to take out a paper bag from his pocket. He grabbed his toothpaste and toothbrush. His comb. His deodorant. And a new bottle of shampoo from under the cupboard. He folded the bag up tightly then walked across the hall to his bedroom where he threw the bag onto his bed, next to a pile of neatly assembled clothes. He grabbed an empty backpack from the floor and started to fill it up.
The baseball cap went on his head. The sunglasses into his pocket.
The time was 9:13pm.
His father and mother were downstairs watching TV in the living room. Cody wandered down there hovering at the back of the room, where they couldn’t see him.
“What are you watching?” he asked them.
“Inspector Jack,” his mother answered.
“Oh yeah,” Cody mumbled. “Another one of those mystery-things…”
“A whodunnit,” his father affirmed.
Cody hesitated. “Any good?”
The doorbell rang.
His head shifted, alarmed.
“Can you see who that is?” his mother asked.
“Who? Me?” Cody replied.
“If you don’t mind.”
“Right…”
Cody walked back through the archway and down the hall towards the front door. Through frosted glasses he saw the dark outlines of two adults out on the porch.
The bell rang again when he was almost there, causing him to stop dead.
It was them, he realized.
It was them already.
He hadn’t been fast enough.
Cody began backing away. The sound of the TV drowning out into the background.
He looked up towards the stairs longingly. It was too lat
e.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Cody!” his mother shouted. “Answer the door!”
Cody ran through the kitchen and unlocked the backdoor. He pushed it open and hurried across the wooden planking towards the steps, and then into the yard.
He rushed along the grass.
“STOP!” a woman’s voice cried shrilly.
A flashlight moved across his back.
Cody kept running.
“Graves! Go around!”
Cody reached the back fence and started climbing it.
He could hear the woman’s footsteps tearing up the grass behind him.
“Cody! Get back here!”
He jumped over the fence and rushed across the neighbor’s backyard. He ran along the side of their house, pushed open a gate, hurried through their front yard and down their driveway out into the road. He kept running, leaving the houses behind him.
By the time he reached the bottom of the street he was out of breath and slowed down, looking back. No sign of the policewoman.
He fumbled about his pockets, making sure he still had his wallet.
Once his fingers brushed across it, he felt some relief.
He picked up his pace again across the footpath.
Then he saw it.
The flashlight.
Back on him.
“Stop, Cody! Stop!”
Cody hurried across the road, only to be met with a set of oncoming headlights.
The front of the car crashed into his side and he was knocked across the road. The car door slammed, and two sets of footsteps were upon him.
Caught.
CHAPTER 22
Christian’s first instinct was that this was all a prank. That Mei-Lee and Janette had made the call to Stasia to freak her out, without understanding the wide-reaching implications it would have. Mei-Lee’s rebellious nature and disrespect for authority seemed to be getting worse with each passing day, and to see things escalate in this way wasn’t all that surprising. However, it wasn’t his job as Mei-Lee’s adoptive father to immediately assign blame. His job was to worry and freak out.
In a manner of speaking. Christian kept his composure as he made his way into his ex-sister-in-law’s house, calling out various names, checking all the rooms. He’d gotten a text from Stasia to say that they’d arrived and were now going to find Janette as she’d been located. But she hadn’t responded to him beyond that message and wasn’t answering her phone. In the end, Christian decided the best place for him to wait was in the street.
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