Cold Deception

by D. B. Tait

  She peeled off the bathrobe and threw herself into the shower. Just for a few seconds she let the water soothe and warm her. But not for long.

  Get out. Get out. Get out.

  She dried herself quickly then dressed in the new clothes she’d bought with Angus’s money. Good jeans, warm sweater and even some sensible shoes for the cold weather. Smiling wryly, she had to acknowledge to herself her new found sobriety, despite last night’s slip up, had made her more practical. In years gone by any money left over from buying drugs went on cheap glitz and crap that fell apart after one wash.

  She eyed the black dress and stilettos she’d bought, wondering if she could somehow get them out without rousing suspicion.

  Idiot. You’re fighting for your life, not going to a fashion show.

  Taking a deep breath, she crammed everything she could into her shoulder bag then made her way back to the office. She’d tell him she needed to go to the supermarket for something or other and then disappear.

  “What?”

  He was talking on the phone and didn’t sound happy.

  “Fuck. When?”

  He listened for a few seconds. “Thanks, Norm. I owe you.”

  The phone slammed down. He stood up and saw her. “Get ready. We’re leaving. Going away for a few days.”

  “What? What do you mean?” Terror sliced into her chest making her breathless.

  He made for the safe under the floorboards and quickly opened it. Through her panic she saw she was right. As well as a packet of documents, a huge pile of cash, and a gun, there was a DVD case.

  “There’s a bag in my bedroom in the closet. Get it,” he barked at her.

  She fled back down the corridor to his room. Maybe she could just duck out the back. But the DVD was just there in his hand. This could be her chance.

  She found the bag and made her way back to the office. He was rifling through his desk, scooping up papers. When he saw her with the bag, he grabbed it and threw everything from the safe into it as well as the papers from his desk and a laptop. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her with him to the front door of the apartment and out into the covered car park of the Chadbourne.

  The gleaming silver four-wheel drive she’d seen Randle and Julia in was parked in the gloom.

  “Quickly,” he said. “Get in.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she climbed in. He gunned the accelerator and with a screech of rubber made his way out of the car park, down the drive, and out onto Katoomba Street. They turned left, past the railway station then over the bridge until they were on the highway heading west.

  “I’ve got a house in the Megalong Valley. Time for a few days away from the hustle and bustle. Just the two of us. We’ve had a good time over the last few days haven’t we? We can have some more.”

  There was an undercurrent of panic in his voice that Nessa didn’t like the sound of. She’d never seen Angus out of control.

  “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he snarled. “Not a thing. That cunt Andrews thinks he’s got something on me but he’s wrong. There’s nothing for him to find. I’m not some dumb fuck who doesn’t look after his business properly.” He gripped the wheel and stared at the road, encased in rage.

  Fear swirled in Nessa’s gut in greasy waves. Angus in this state was far more dangerous than Angus when he was on top of the world. She turned away from him and stared out the window, her mind desperately trying to come up with something, anything to get her out of this situation.

  The gray-green bush slid past as they made their way to Blackheath, where he turned left over the railway crossing then down to the road to the Megalong Valley.

  She was fucked. One road in, one road out. A long, winding road, full of hairpin turns, patches of mountain rainforest and at dusk, leaping kangaroos. At the bottom was flat farm land. A lot less houses than the mountains. The cliffs reared up as they sped on, making Nessa want to cower in her seat, fighting claustrophobia. She couldn’t disappear here, couldn’t tell Angus she was going out for some milk and just disappear. There was nowhere to go without a car.

  They passed the Megalong Tea Rooms and the Community Hall and kept going further and further out. Finally, he turned into a driveway with a chained gate.

  “It’s not locked. Get out and open it, then close it when I go through.”

  His voice was cold and distant and she scrambled to do his bidding. Why on earth had she put herself in this situation? She’d had her chance, she could’ve escaped before they’d headed off, but no, she still had some stupid idea of making him pay. Now she was stuck with him alone, in the middle of nowhere.

  She fumbled with the chain on the gate, finally releasing it to push back the gate. He drove in then waited for her to close the gate and re-chain it. She scrambled back in and he took off, driving down a dirt track for a few kilometres. Further and further away from escape.

  In the back of her mind, away from the constant terror slicing into her brain, she could see the land they were traveling through was beautiful. Undulating gentle hills, fields and the odd cow or horse. She could hear over the sound of the car engine the mournful cry of some black cockatoos. Peering up, she could see them flying in a graceful arc overhead. Three of them. Always three. Funeral birds they were called, because of the piercing, sad lament in their cry. She shuddered, hoping they didn’t linger for other reasons.

  Overhanging the whole valley was the escarpment they’d come from, ancient and indomitable. That’s where she had to get back to.

  She glanced at Angus who still gripped the steering wheel like it was his lifeline. He was silent and seemed to have forgotten she was there.

  After what seemed an interminable time, they turned behind a grove of eucalypts into a clearing where a cottage stood. Nessa gawped. Of all the places she thought Angus could establish his bolt hole, she’d never pictured this.

  A rose-covered cottage straight out of some country lifestyle magazine. In a daze, she climbed out of the car and slowly walked to the front door while Angus grabbed his bags. White rose petals drifted down onto Nessa as she stood staring up at the winding canes of some ancient rose. She reached up and touched a flower then quickly pulled back her hand when a thorn caught her. Blood welled on her finger. She sucked on it and turned when Angus came up behind her.

  “Everyone does that. Reaches for what they want and gets stung in the process.” He laughed. “I keep it there as a lesson.”

  He pushed past Nessa to unlock the door. Fury caught her in a sudden, blasting gulp as she noticed the canes of the old rose were densely covered in thorns. So typical of the man.

  The sharp pain from the thorn cleared her mind. She had to stop being paralyzed by fear and start making plans to get away. Preferably with the DVD.

  Inside, the lounge room looked comfortable but was cold. Angus switched on the lights and headed for the kitchen.

  “There’s a heater over there. Turn it on. We might have a fire later.”

  She did his bidding again, but kept a close eye on where the bag containing the DVD was. He’d thrown it on the couch and was talking to someone on his cell phone.

  “You don’t need to know, Gary. Just hold them off for a few hours. Then come down here. You can babysit for a few days.” He snapped off the phone and came out to her.

  “Something’s really spooked you,” she said. “I don’t like this. What’s going on?”

  “That cop thinks he’s got something on me. He doesn’t. I made sure of that. I want you to stay down here for a few days. Have some time to yourself.”

  “What? Why? I can’t stay here. What the hell are you thinking?”

  “I can’t risk you talking to him. You know too much. I can’t risk you blathering to him.”

  “But if he wants to talk to me, he will eventually. You can’t keep me down here forever.”

  A gleam in Angus’s eyes made Nessa think that’s exactly what he wanted. Her trapped and dependent miles from any
where. He smiled and started walking toward her. She backed away and skirted around the room, looking for any way to escape.

  “Don’t be stupid, Nessa. Just cooperate and I won’t have to hurt you.”

  “Hurt me? What are you going to do? Tie me up? Leave me here for days?” Her eyes scanned the room looking for anything to protect herself with. There was a poker near the fireplace but it was on the other side of the room.

  They kept circling each other, with Nessa making sure there was furniture between her and Angus. If she could just make a dash for the door. And then what? He’d thrown the car keys onto the couch next to the bag.

  The bag. She continued circling away from Angus while he laughed and shook his head.

  “Come on, Nessa. Stop it. It’ll be only for a few days. Gary’ll come down and stay with you. Then we can go to Sydney. I’ve got a flat there too. You can stay there and Andrews won’t know anything about it. We could have a good life, you know. There was always something special about you.”

  She was behind the couch now, inching her way to the doorway.

  “Special? How was I special? Aren’t I just another junkie you can use and chuck away just like you do with all the others?”

  His eyes darkened with some strong emotion she couldn’t read. “You were never like that. I don’t know why, but the first time you came back to me, I knew you were different to the others.”

  “Yeah,” she said bitterly. “They had more sense to beg you for pills after you’d raped them.”

  In a smooth movement, she scooped up the bag and kept moving. He leapt for her but she ducked out of the way, unzipped the bag and fumbled for the gun. With a roar of rage he came for her again, using his bulk to tackle her to the floor.

  She fought then, fought with everything she had, kicking, biting, screaming while one hand was still in the bag, searching for cold metal. He punched her hard in the gut. All the breath left her lungs and black dots clouded her vision. But she held onto the bag. He hauled her up and grabbed the bag, pulling it away from her. She pulled back and flinched, even as her hand closed around the gun and his arm rose to hit her.

  She threw herself against him so he lost his balance, then was deafened by the shot. He screamed and fell, a gush of crimson spurting from his hip.

  “You bitch!” he gasped. “Fuck!”

  She stood staring down at him as he writhed on the floor. In a daze she grabbed the bag and backed away from him.

  “Come back here you cunt,” he yelled. “I’ll kill you!”

  She stood uncertain, then pulled the now hot gun from the bag. She could finish him off. This is what she wanted. What she’d always wanted.

  He stared up at her with fear in his eyes as it finally dawned on him what she could do. Then the old Angus emerged as he sneered at her.

  “You won’t do it. You don’t have it in you. Never had. You just want what I can give you. What will happen to you if I’m gone? Every time you got out of jail, I was your lifeline. Even your pathetic attempt to stay clean only lasted a few hours. You can’t survive on the outside without me.”

  His words cleared her mind after the shock of the gun and the blood. She smiled at him and pulled the DVD out of the bag.

  “Let’s see how you go surviving on the inside. Ex-cops generally have a pretty hard time.” She darted forward and grabbed the keys from the couch. “I’ll tell the cops to send down an ambulance.”

  “No!” he roared as she backed out the doorway. She left him as he crawled toward the couch, trying to get himself up off the floor.

  Nessa ran to the four-wheel drive, leapt in and floored the accelerator. She’d done it. Now she had to get to Julia and Dylan as soon as possible.

  Chapter 29

  Julia made her way up the stairs into the courtroom, a prison officer behind her. She moved stiffly even though her ribs had turned out not to be broken. Under her clothes a black bruise covered the whole of her abdomen which matched the circle around her neck.

  She turned at the gasps of shock and smiled at Eleanor and Dee. Eleanor was struggling not to cry, while Dee’s look of rage blazed out clear and cold.

  Campbell Walton patted her hand as she gingerly sat on the chair at the defence table. “We’ll have you out of here in a trice,” he said.

  She frowned. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t have high expectations.”

  He just smiled at her and said nothing.

  The judge came through the back door like an actor onto a stage. The court rose and shuffled then settled.

  He read out the charges then looked to Campbell for submissions. Before he could get out of his seat, the police prosecutor rose.

  “Your Honor, new evidence has come to light which has changed the case against the defendant. At this stage, all charges are dropped.”

  Julia swiveled to stare at the police prosecutor while her heart started a steady tattoo in her chest.

  The judge peered over his glasses at the bearer of good news.

  “Pity you didn’t come to that conclusion sooner than this.”

  “Your Honor,” Campbell said bounding to his feet. “The incarceration of my client on the flimsiest of evidence has resulted in her being assaulted. I am advised she was placed in a cell with an inmate with a serious mental illness. Furthermore, there was a standing order for that inmate to never be placed in a cell with another inmate. I believe that through either deliberate malice or negligence my client was severely injured last night.”

  The judge peered over his glasses at Julia.

  “Yes, you certainly look battered about. What say you Mr. Cochran?

  “I have no information about the events, Your Honor. This is a matter for Corrective Services.”

  “Yes, well. I want to find out what happened. No doubt you’ll take this further Mr. Walton?”

  “Yes Your Honor, I will be seeking compensation for my client.”

  The judge nodded and made a note on the file in front of him. “I’ll order a report.”

  “Thank you Your Honor.”

  “Case dismissed. Ms Taylor, you’re free to go.”

  Soon she was enfolded in the arms of Eleanor and Dee which made her wince with pain.

  “Those bastards,” Dee muttered. “We’ll make them pay all right. Come on, let’s get out of here and get you home.”

  As they trooped out of the courtroom, Julia pulled Campbell aside. “It was deliberate,” she said.

  He nodded. “I thought as much. Someone’s out to get you Julia. What’s it all about?”

  “Why did the police drop the charges?”

  “Dylan Andrews provided you with an alibi. You could’ve told me or the police the truth and avoided all this you know. Why didn’t you?”

  She pushed her hand through her hair and shrugged. “I was going to but I wanted to talk to him first. Having an affair with a parolee is not a great career move. I didn’t want to get him into trouble.”

  “In my experience avoiding the truth is never a good move. It always comes out, sometimes in the most inconvenient ways. Come on, your mother and Dee are waiting. They need to fuss over you. And then we need to have a long conversation about who wants you out of the way and why.”

  She nodded. The house of cards was coming down.

  Campbell lead them to a quiet coffee shop where she told them all about O’Reardon and the threats if she told anyone about his drug trafficking.

  “But something doesn’t seem right to me. I can’t help thinking that whoever killed Rez that night really wanted to kill Blossom.” She turned to Eleanor and Dee. “You know they had that twin thing going on. Wanted to look like each other.”

  Campbell frowned and shook his head. “I doubt O’Reardon would have had anything to do with murdering Rez. He was a mule for him. A low-level distributor. If he wanted him out of the way, O’Reardon would’ve done it in a much less complicated way. Same with Blossom. And you’re right, if he wanted to keep you silent why would he kill Blossom and not you? N
o. If it was an attempt on her life then it’s got something to do with her. Someone wanted her out of the way because she’s started to remember.”

  He started gathering up his papers. “We need to find out when or if the cops have initiated a search warrant for O’Reardon’s place. The sooner that DVD is found the better.”

  “I want to get you to a doctor as soon as possible when we get home,” Eleanor said.

  “I’m worried about Nessa. She was determined to get the DVD but she could get hurt,” Julia said.

  “All the more reason to get the cops to search his place,” Campbell said. “Come on, you need to get home.”

  *

  Julia thought she’d lived a thousand years in two short days. For the first time in a long time, there were no secrets in her life.

  Not quite true, but that secret didn’t matter anymore. She’s done her time for it.

  She’d slept a little in the back of the car on the way home, while Dee and Eleanor were silent in the front.

  When they arrived back at Chez Taylor, she climbed gingerly out of the car, wincing when her bruised ribs protested. She hobbled like an old woman down the pathway to the front door.

  “Come on,” her mother said. “You need some food and bed.”

  “Yeah. I think you’re right,” she said, weariness making her voice hoarse.

  In a split second, weariness dropped from her as a silver four-wheel drive screeched to a halt outside the Taylor house. She knew that car. Randle had bundled her into it a life time ago.

  “Get in the house. Call the police,” she muttered to Eleanor but then stopped, incredulous as Nessa stumbled from the car.

  “Ness! What’s happening? Are you okay?” She met the panic-stricken woman halfway down the path and grabbed her before she fell.

  “I’ve got it,” Ness said, breathing hard. “I’ve got the DVD.”

  “Come inside quickly. Where’s O’Reardon?”

  They got the almost collapsing woman inside and onto the couch.