“I have a surprise for you,” Staci said interrupting her thoughts.
“You have?”
“It’s an engagement present,” she said handing Joan an official looking envelope.
Joan opened the envelope and felt tears form in her eyes. “You are giving me half of the Paradise?” she asked in shock.
“It is already done. You are now my true business partner. “
“I don’t know what to say.”
Joan looked at the other document. It was an insurance policy. Her eyes ran down the page and read; “whereby upon either of the partner’s deaths the ownership automatically reverts to the surviving partner.”
“You are too kind. I won’t let you down. I promise.” Joan held Staci in her arms and kissed her fondly. “I love you Staci”
“I love you too. I don’t have any other family now that mother has gone. You are my family now, Joan.”
Joan’s mind was spinning with guilt and confusion. What do I do now?
C H A P T E R 8 1
As he pulled up to the parking bay by the office, Detective Bromley noticed Audrey busy checking in a couple of guests. He waited in his car until she handed them the key and they headed off across the lawn towards their cabin. As he opened the door she gave him a big smile. So hard to read that woman. “Good Morning, Audrey. I have been trying to reach you. You haven’t returned any of my messages.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Just with all that had been going on I just wanted a few days away from it all. I guessed it could wait until I returned. Couldn’t it?” she asked as she picked up a pile of clean towels. “I am really busy Detective. I have guests checking in all morning and I still have the linens to take over.”
“I won’t be a minute,” he said following her. “It is just that I was over at Bruce’s the other day and I was telling him that the bundles of cocaine we found in Slater’s boat had been in fresh water, not sea water and it got us to thinking that maybe someone had stashed the coke in a water tank nearby. We checked his tanks and then, as I couldn’t reach you, Bruce had a quick look at your tanks.”
“Don’t you need a warrant to search on my property?” asked Audrey obviously concerned about the intrusion. “I was away and would have preferred you wait until I had returned, but, it is too late now. I am guessing that you didn’t find any drugs in your search?”
“No, but we did find a piece of red rope in your empty concrete tank. Bruce was surprised that your tank was empty at this time of year.”
“I had a leak in the pipe joint a couple of weeks ago and it emptied, almost completely, overnight. I took the opportunity to clean out the sludge at the bottom of the tank. I used a bucket and rope to lift the sludge out of the tank. I guess I left some rope behind. Unfortunately I have to wait for some more rain before I can fill it up again. It’s a real nuisance. I am worried I will run out of water if it doesn’t rain soon. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes, Yes, it does. Do you have any more of the red rope?”
“I am sorry, I don’t. It was left over from the hand rope rail on the track to Honeymoon Beach. If you are looking for some, you can purchase it anywhere around here. I think Hammer Hardware, Mitre 10 and The Warehouse all carry the same rope.”
“I see. Thanks Audrey. I‘ll let you get back to work.” She always has an answer to everything. “While I am here do you mind if I check out the track to Honeymoon Beach?” he asked as he headed in the direction of the beach.
“No, go ahead. It is a precarious track so watch your step.” I would hate for you to fall and break your bloody neck!
C H A P T E R 8 2
Joan was grateful for one thing - Audrey didn’t read the Auckland Herald. There it was splashed all over page three. “Paradise owner, Staci Goodman and Joan Williams announced yesterday their engagement to be married. Staci’s mother and founder of the Paradise was found murdered almost a month ago. Her daughter, Staci, hired Joan Williams as Paradise’s CEO shortly after her mother’s death. ”The article ran on to say that she, Joan, was married to Ben Williams who was arrested for cocaine trafficking. It also mentioned she was currently filing for divorce. Bloody Hell. If Audrey reads this I am in deep shit!
As soon as the newspaper hit the streets it was all over social media. Photos of Staci and Joan were everywhere. The gay community was ecstatic! Their websites featured their announcement and twitter was trending with the hash tag #Paradisewedding. There was only one thing she could do to prevent complete ruin. She rang Audrey.
“Audrey, I had to do something for us. When I returned from our week together, Staci was waiting for me. I think she suspects something is going on. She offered me fifty percent ownership in the Paradise if I marry her. I know. It is awful. I thought this might be a way for us to take over the business. I said that I would agree as long as she provided insurance cover in the event one of us dies. Then the surviving partner owns it all. She said she would. It is the only way Audrey. I didn’t know what to do.”
There was silence. No one spoke. They both realized their phones could be bugged.
Finally Audrey spoke. “I understand Joan. You really had no choice. I know how much the Paradise means to you. Do you love her?
“I love you, Audrey.” Joan began to sob. “I just didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s alright darling. We can talk about this later. You did the right thing.”
The conversation was over. Trust was broken.
C H A P T E R 8 3
Audrey sat at her reception desk and stared at the guest standing in front of her. “Can I help you?” she asked blandly.
“We would like to take a trip to Cape Reinga and were wondering if we could go by bus?” the young man asked. Also, how long does it take to drive there if we take our own car?
“It takes about two and a half hours each way by car. The bus takes a whole day stopping for lunch on the way. I can make a reservation for you and your wife if you would like,” she offered.
“Great, we’ll let you know. We will probably go tomorrow.” He said leaving her to her thoughts.
Audrey couldn’t move. The shock and pain of betrayal were immense. Her breathing became short, fast and shallow. Anger soured through her veins. Blood pumped erratically in her beating heart. She knew she had been deceived. I have been used - blinded by love. What a fool I’ve been. I thought she loved me. She was just after the drugs. Now she has it all: the Paradise, her precious Staci and the keys to twenty million dollars worth of cocaine.
Audrey walked over to the cottage and poured herself a glass of wine. An hour later the bottle was empty and Audrey was too drunk to make any decisions.
Down on Honeymoon Beach, Detective Bromley was studying the red rope handrail leading up the bush track. She was telling the truth about the rope. He made his way back up the track and the ridge and returned to his car by the office. As he opened the car door he noticed Audrey sitting at her desk looking like she had seen a ghost. I wonder what is bothering her? Bad news? He started his car and left for the Mangonui police station. He would close the file on the Hihi drug case. The drugs would be long gone now. If they start turning up on the streets, they can re-open the case then. He called Mary and said he would be home for dinner tonight. He missed seeing the girls. Maybe they could have a movie night. Some chick flick…. he didn’t care. Just being home with his family was something he treasured these days.
C H A P T E R 8 4
Ben was sitting across from his lawyer. “Something’s not bloody right here. I have been thinking about the day we were arrested. Joan came to Tiromoana to tell me that the cops were looking for us. How did she know where we were staying? I hadn’t told her. After we had lunch in Mangonui she said she was heading straight back to Auckland but instead she headed straight to the cops. While we were at lunch the drugs went missing. It seems too much of a coincidence don’t you think?
“So what are you saying? Are you saying that it was Joan who set you up and arra
nged to steal the drugs? Who do you think she was working with?
“I have been thinking about that. There can be only one person. Audrey Wetherby, the owner of Tiromoana. Detective Wily told Hemi, my cellmate, that Audrey Wetherby was the owner of The Three Suites where those guys got murdered. Hemi was found guilty of their murders but he swears he didn’t have anything to do with it. He said he was set up. The detective thinks it was that Wetherby bitch that set him up. He also thinks she is involved in the missing drugs.” Ben leaned over the desk and whispered. “I bet her and Joan killed Frankie and the Mexican guy. They are in this together, mark my words.”
Rick Painter looked at Ben intently. He didn’t like Ben one iota. He was representing him as a favor for Frankie. Now she was dead. If Ben hadn’t got Frankie involved in his damn drug scene, she would still be alive. Now he was trying to worm out of it by blaming his wife, Joan. He presumed he hadn’t heard that she was engaged to Frankie’s daughter, Staci. It was all over social media but being incarcerated prevented access to the web. He couldn’t resist. “So, I guess you don’t know your wife and Frankie’s daughter, Staci, have announced their engagement?
“Bloody Hell! That Bitch!” Ben jumped to his feet and was immediately warned by the prison guard to “Sit down!” “She’s a fucking lesbo? I should have known. She always preferred her bloody girlfriends to me. When did this happen? That explains everything. They are in it together. Bloody mussel shuckers!
“So you think it is Joan and Staci now who set you up?” his lawyer asked.
“I just know Joan is up to her neck in all of this and I wouldn’t be surprised if Frankie’s daughter is involved with it too. She always hated her mother. You need to check this out. I have told the cops everything I know. I am not safe in here. The Cobras and the Headhunters have been talking to the Lopez brothers. Slater is pissed. He swears he was set up with the drugs magically appearing on his boat. The Lopez brothers say someone snitched on them too. It was either Joan or the Wetherby woman. They were the only ones close enough to set them up.”
Rick Painter listened to Ben rambling on. He did have a good point. Joan, the Wetherby woman and Frankie’s daughter, Staci were all connected somehow. But surely three woman wouldn’t take on a Mexican drug cartel, a couple of infamous gangs and the police. Would they? He laughed at the thought. Ben is certainly grasping at straws there. There is no way they could be involved. “I will give all of this some thought and see what checks out.” He stood to leave. “In the meantime keep your head down and out of trouble.”
“If you see that fucking bitch, whoring wife of mine, tell her I’m on to her.” Ben snarled.
“Will do.” Yeah right and don’t expect an invite to the wedding.
C H A P T E R 8 5
It was the dawning of a new day and Audrey sat outside with her morning cup of tea considering her options for revenge. She could make an anonymous call to the police giving the locations of the missing drugs setting up both Joan and Staci for the crime. But that would leave her in the same place she started, broke and alone. Another option was to simply have Joan murder Staci and tragically get caught in the act, ridding her of her two rivals and enabling her to keep the whole stash to herself. Or she could pretend to go along with Joan and eventually take it all, the Paradise and the twenty million dollars.
She felt her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. It was Joan. She had not returned her numerous calls and messages from last night. She was ready now. “Hello Joan,” she said softly into the phone
“Oh Audrey, I have been so worried. You didn’t return my calls and I was about to drive up there to see if you were alright.” Joan gushed.
“Of course I am alright,” Audrey lied. “I said I understood. You have to do what you have to do.”
“It isn’t like that.” Joan attempted to explain. “We need the Paradise, don’t we?”
Audrey didn’t want to have this conversation over the phone. “Look, Joan, I am awfully busy right now. Why don’t we talk later?”
“Can I come up and see you?” pleaded Joan
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. Why don’t we just let things lie for a while? We are both busy and I know Staci needs you right now.”
Joan couldn’t tell if Audrey was being understanding or was distancing herself from the whole situation. “O.K. But lets talk soon,” she said quietly.
“Yes, lets.” Audrey coldly shut her phone off and stared out into the bay.
C H A P T E R 8 6
It was the party of the decade. The sun shone down on pastel party dresses and rainbow colored tablecloths. Paper hats, streamers, prostitutes and partygoers crowded the freshly mowed lawn. Tulips and daisies, pink lilies and posies, champagne and caviar, apple cider fountains, giggling guests, happy shouts and well-wishers, everyone who was anyone, was there. A blues singer accompanied with double bass, saxophone, guitar and drums sang Nina Simone’s “I put a spell on you.”
Staci looked stunning in a shimmering mint green silk dress. Her dark hair cut into a straight bob. She looked happy and in love. Joan was glowing in honey yellow. The dress was low cut to the waist. They held hands and laughed at their guests’ funny jokes.
There was a clinking of glasses and toasts to their engagement. Someone had thrown white roses into the lake.
A dark figure watched from a distance. She wore black for the festive occasion. She wasn’t invited. “Not really appropriate,” she was told. Of course she knew why. She shouldn’t have come but she couldn’t stay away. She had never seen Joan so happy. Why is she so bloody happy? She said I made her happy. That was obviously a lie. Audrey watched the happy couple dancing to Nina Simone’s “My Baby just cares for me.” That’s our song. I can’t believe she is dancing to our song. Shit!
The sun was setting and night was approaching. Audrey didn’t even know how long she had been there, watching and hurting. It was getting chilly and she reached in her purse for her scarf. She wrapped it over her head and shoulders and took a seat on a nearby tree stump. The sounds of Ella Fitzgerald singing “Summertime,” made her feel nostalgic for better times. Three weeks had passed since she had last spoken to her. Joan had not answered her phone calls or text messages. Now she knew why, Joan had moved on. She had a new life now. It was for the best. They had made a promise not to access the cocaine until the police had stopped their enquiries. She had called Detective Bromley earlier in the day and he had told her that the case was closed. They had exhausted all their enquiries into the missing drugs. They had come to the conclusion that they were well gone, most probably in Australia or further afield. Nothing had appeared on the streets in New Zealand. She knew she was finally free of suspicion. Now she could put her plan into action.
She watched as Joan and Staci danced to “Cheek to Cheek.” Most of the guests were leaving. She looked at her phone in the dark. It was almost nine o’clock. Just another thirty minutes.
C H A P T E R 8 7
Joan looked at Staci in the moonlight. She was so beautiful. The past three weeks had been the best three weeks of her life. She had left the horrible trauma behind her and concentrated on her work at the Paradise and her relationship with Staci. Staci never had to know that Joan was partly responsible for her mother’s death, it would destroy their relationship and Joan would lose the Paradise and she wasn’t going to allow that to happen.
At times Joan had been tempted to confide in Staci and tell her about the cocaine hidden away in storage units across the country. Then reality set in and she knew it would be a terrible mistake. Staci was so honest and surprising chaste –a rare quality in her line of work. Joan was beginning to regret her deal with Audrey. Why would I jeopardize what I have? She took Staci by the hand and led her inside. The players were putting away their instruments. Joan opened up another bottle of Tattinger and said goodnight to the remaining guests. Finally they were alone.
Staci kicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet. “I don’t think I have ever danced so long in
my life,” she chuckled. “Wasn’t the band good? I had so much fun.”
Joan looked at the time. “Considering the party started at noon and it is now nine thirty at night, I would say it was a success. Lets take a quick nap. I have to be at the Paradise at midnight. We have a crazy night tonight.”
Staci yawned. “I’m not going anywhere. My manager is looking after ‘Le Girls’ tonight. I am going to get a full night’s sleep for a change. Don’t wake me when you leave.”
The two women stripped out of their party dresses and curled up in bed. Too tired to speak, they fell into an alcoholic induced sleep. They didn’t hear the back door open or see the uninvited guest walk into their lovers’ nest.
C H A P T E R 8 8
Detective Bromley was in his office having a conversation with Ben’s lawyer, Rick Painter, and listening to some very disturbing facts concerning the drug heist. “So you say you have proof that Joan Williams was involved in Frankie Perkins’ death and has stored the cocaine in storage units throughout the country. How the hell could she have done this?”
“We have rental car records and storage unit numbers and locations. Ms. Williams took a trip three weeks ago to all the Paradise brothels throughout the country. Apparently she stashed the drugs in storage units close to each location. “Bloody Hell!” said Bromley. How did she get access to the drugs in the first place?”
“She was staying at Tiromoana during the time that Frankie was killed and also when the guys were arrested. Who knows? Maybe Frankie found the drugs and Joan killed her and got hold of the drugs then. She had the most to gain from Frankie’s death. She now runs Frankie’s business and is engaged to her daughter, Staci. Soon she will own it all.”
The Murder Trail: The Audrey Murders - Book Three Page 14