Buying Thyme
Page 19
“How long for?” He says with an air of unease.
“How long will this take?” I repeat the question back down the line.
“Tell Mr Tench we will have you back to him within a couple of hours.”
“Couple of hours?” I inform Tench and wait for his reply.
“Is it serious? Toni can take you. I would prefer it if he escorts you there to be honest.”
Of course he wants his prisoner watched. Tench’s serious stare remains firmly fixed on me.
“Tench wants his security to bring me over Ma’am.” I feel wedged between the two people who own me right now.
“Very well then. Get yourself over here immediately.” In Miss Stephanie’s usual style, she bluntly ends the call.
I am left spinning from the call and my mind races to come up with any reason why I may be called back to the Agency to speak to the police. All theories keep leading back to the same conclusion… Sally!
CHAPTER 16
I imagine every possible scenario of what is waiting for me at the Agency. I feel nauseous, so I put the rear passenger window down slightly and let in some of the cool wintery air. Toni’s eyes glance back at me in the rear vision mirror. No doubt it’s to check and make sure I’m not going to jump out of the Range Rover. What is Tench so worried about? I seriously couldn’t be bothered plotting an escape from him. Where am I supposed to go exactly? He practically owns the city! We pass through Kings Cross on our approach to the CBD. I notice more and more of the pretty young things partying along the strip as we drive by. They make my profession look tame in comparison. The barely-there skimpy outfits and poorly caked-on makeup, only further exemplifies that their intentions for the night have less morals than my own shady trade. I still have my dignity… well did have my dignity, but I get paid for my effort. All the girls that I work with have far more class than these tramps. I’ve always felt that my industry is just misunderstood. There is far worse than me out there, that’s for sure.
Watching the sights of the city roll by the car window has taken my mind off the frightening unknown at the Agency, and the trip is quickly over. Toni opens my rear door as soon when we’ve pulled up in the basement car park of the Agency. He lights a cigarette, leans against the Range Rover, and watches me as I make my way over to the elevator. Once in the elevator, I press the security sequence into the pad to access the penthouse level and the elevator begins its ascent. I feel physically ill from the whole situation, afraid to even open my mouth in case I actually do vomit. The elevator doors spring open at the top level and I take a moment to compose myself before I exit it. Everything is as it was when I left the penthouse just a day ago. Nothing seems out of place in the foyer. A massive lead-lighted oval skylight on the ceiling highlights the stark white interior of the foyer.
“Is that you Miranda?” My usual greeting from Miss Stephanie replays, as always before I’ve even closed the front door.
I make my way to her office and notice over in the lounge room, a few girls are huddled together on the couch. Embracing each other and visibly upset. Even Carmen, mega-bitch, is sitting there… red-eyed and upset. Paris looks up at me with two mascara soaked lines streaking her face. She shakes her head and nestles it back into the shoulder of one of the other girls. Needles prickle all over my body and it feels like someone is gripping onto my earlobes. A throbbing pulse in my ears silences any sense of hearing around me. I know in my heart what’s happened. I know it. My knees feel like they can no longer hold my weight. I step into Miss Stephanie’s office and she looks up at me over her glasses. She tilts her head to the side sympathetically and I see her bottom lip starts to contort as she holds back her tears. I can’t focus on her anymore. Everything is a blur and I take another step but feel myself moving sideways instead of forwards. Ben and another man in a suit- who I’ve never seen before- both rush to my side and grip onto my arms.
“Get her over to the seat.” Ben directs the unfamiliar male.
Their grips help me not to fall over. I try my best to remain conscious.
“Here. Drink some water darling.” Miss Stephanie holds out a glass of water from her own personal supply on the desk, “You look pale darling. This isn’t easy but we have some news about Sally.”
I don’t want to hear any more. I know Sally is dead. I drink the water and try not to look at anyone.
“Miranda. I’m Detective Senior Sergeant Kelly and this is my partner Detective Senior Constable Cain. We’re from homicide. Your friend… aaah… Sally…” He says as he looks into his notebook, “Her body was found in Sydney Harbour two days ago. We haven’t been able to identify her until today when Miss Stephanie here, put in a missing persons report about her and it matched our victim.”
I instantly look up at Miss Stephanie as the detective says she put in a report about Sally being missing. I thought she was convinced that Sally had taken off on her and the Agency? What made her think differently all of a sudden? Did Ben find something at her house? I’m unable to murmur a single word let alone a sentence, or a question.
“After I got off the phone from you, Ben went around to Sally’s house. The front door was wide open and there was no sign of her anywhere. Her handbag was still beside her bed. I was worried about her… and you were right. I’m so sorry Miranda. I know how close you two were.” Miss Stephanie continues to look at me sympathetically.
I can’t breath. I try… but I can’t breath in. I try again… I begin to panic when no oxygen enters my body no matter how hard I try and inhale. Now I can’t breath out. I can’t get any air out. I want to close my eyes and fade away… no I need air… I need fresh air.
“I need some air!” I splutter, trying to get up from the chair and stumble backwards in my attempt.
My legs still fail to support me. The detective comes to my side and nods towards Miss Stephanie. I give him an unwelcoming look and he backs away instantly. I stumble out of the office and make my way towards the massive outdoor terrace. I don’t look at any of the girls as I pass the lounge room. I can’t. I just need air before I pass out. The air is way too thick inside this penthouse. I rip the sliding door open and finally the cold air outside pierces my nostrils and I gulp in deep breaths, but my breathing can’t catch up with itself and I feel like I am going to vomit now. I run for the big pot plant in the corner and bring up all of the well-cooked eggs that I had for breakfast. I imagine what Sally’s body must’ve looked like, floating in the water. The image of her face in my dream washes over and I can’t get it out of my head. Beautiful Sally. Why? My tears now flow and I'm soon becoming a dribbling mess. Why Sally? It can’t be true. I’m going to wake up in a minute. Just like my dream the night before. This has to be a dream… no… a nightmare! The detective again tries to approach me, holding out a handkerchief from his pocket. Still sobbing, I take it without looking at him and wipe my face. I hate him right now, but remind myself that this isn’t his fault. He’s just doing his job. Homicide… why homicide? Did someone do this to her?
“What happened to her?” I ask between sobs.
The detective looks out across the city then back at me. His cheap suit and tired eyes are a sign that he lives for his job, with little regard to anything else in his life, or the small amount that he gets paid each week for his troubles.
“We don’t know exactly. Forensics are in the middle of conducting a post-mortem on the body… I mean Sally.”
“You know Sally wasn’t her real name.” I more state rather than ask, trying not to think of my friend, laying on a cold, sterile autopsy table.
“Yes. I know that.” The detective answers in a low voice.
“You know in the years that I knew her, I never knew her real name. Some friend huh?” Tears continue to roll down my face.
“Her name was Felicity. And what I do know is that whoever attacked her, had to work hard. She put up one heck of a fight. There are defensive marks all over her body.” I hardly notice the rest of what the detective is saying to me.
“We do have a few questions we need to ask you Miss, if you don’t mind? You were the last person to hear from her. We’re just trying to piece together her last movements.” The detective asks, interrupting my morbid thoughts.
“Yeah. Fine. What do you need to know?”
I contemplate all of the information over in my mind, trying to differentiate between what I should divulge and what I should keep to myself. I have a feeling that if I ever want to know what happened to Sally, then I should try and find out what she knew about Tench. And I don’t think I can achieve that if the cops are hanging around. I think about the message Sally left me. If I delete that message, can the cops still trace it? Shit Tench still has my phone! I need to get that back straightaway. The detective gets his black leather-covered notebook from his inside jacket pocket. He removes the pen from the page inside the book that hold all his notes thus far.
“So, I believe… Sally… left you a message on your mobile for you to call her? What did she say exactly?” With pen in hand, the Detective looks up at me and pauses at the end of the question.
“Exactly that… ‘It’s Sally. Call me as soon as you get this message.’ Which I did… and her phone was turned off. It hasn’t been back on since, and I’ve called about ten times.” As I speak, the detective scribes my words into his notebook.
“What time was that? Was there anything else out of the ordinary about Sally?”
“What… like she was a hooker?” The detective looks up in shock. He looks me in the eye but does not show any emotion in his stare. It’s like a Mexican stand off between us for a few seconds, until I speak again,
“I see how you must see this whole situation… A dead hooker is found in the harbour. So what? There is a multitude of different people who could possibly do this. Well guess what? There isn’t. Because without women like us… this city would be fucked! We hold this city together you know… so when someone does this to one of us… they are playing with fire!” I think back to Sally’s message and pray that my little monologue performance is convincing enough for the detective to leave me alone now.
“Yes. Of course. I don’t lay any judgment Miss. That's not my job. I’m sure you need time to digest what has happened. Here is my card. Call me if you remember anything else at all.”
The detective holds out a white business card between his fingers and I take it slowly from his hands and stare blankly at it. I wish I could tell him everything. I wish I could tell the detective about my message from Sally, about Tench, and of my horrifying dream. But I feel that if I was ever to have any chance of finding out about it all, then I need to find out by myself. I owe the girl I knew as ‘Sally’ that much.
CHAPTER 17
Not a single word is spoken between Toni and I on the return trip back to Tench’s mansion. Toni only looking back at me and smiling sympathetically each time I sniff back another tear. I’m beginning to get fed up with all of this sympathy already. Tench must be waiting for my return, hurrying over to the Range Rover when we pull up into the car space at his mansion. He opens the back door and offers his hand to help me out.
“Oh Miranda. Come here. What’s happened? Tell me what’s happened?” He pulls me into his arms.
I cry into him. I wish he didn’t see me like this and I can't help but feel that he may have had something to do with Sally’s death, but despite all of that, I still enjoy the feel of his embrace.
“My friend died… killed… murdered.” Saying it out aloud now just makes it all so much more real.
I begin to feel that nauseous feeling wash over me again.
“A friend? From the Agency?” Tench’s question sounds loaded with innuendo.
“Yes a girl from the Agency. She was my closest friend in this city Joe.” I try and justify my friendship, and subsequent sorrow.
“That’s terrible. Let’s go inside. I’ll make you something to eat.”
Tench walks towards the mansion with his arm still around me, leaving me no choice but to accompany him back into the confinement of the massive mansion once again.
“I’m not exactly hungry. Thanks Joe. I feel quite faint actually, and I really feel like I need to lie down to be honest. I know this is really bad timing. I’m sorry. Maybe I just need a shower then I’ll be ready for you again if you wanted?”
The possibility of having to perform any form of sexual act with Tench right now only makes my stomach summersault continuously.
“Don’t be silly gorgeous. I have you for a whole month, and if I had it my way, I would have you forever… so you just do what you need to do for the rest of the day. You are welcome to use that spare room as yours if you need a space of your own. I’m working from home tonight, so just find me if you need me. Now… Do you want me to walk you up to your room? Did you need me to run you a bath? Would you like me to get Mrs Oktar to put all your clothes in the spare wardrobe?”
Tench pulls me in tight and kisses my head, and lovingly strokes my hair. I try and decipher the barrage of questions. Did I just hear him say that he wants me forever? This may be just what I need to do, to get close to him and find out exactly what Sally wanted me to know about him. Why is Tench being so tender towards me again?
“I can run a bath thanks. A bath would be perfect. Thank you Joe. You are too kind to me when you don’t need to be…” I blatantly lie to stroke his ego.
The mornings events still vivid in my mind, “I’ll use your bath if you don’t mind?” I watch Tench’s eyes light up with delight as I mention returning to his room. What is his obsession with me? Am I the only woman that hasn’t fallen at his feet? Or is it because he knows he can just own me if he wants?
The bath's hot water feels like fire to my freezing feet. I sit on the edge of the huge bath in the middle of Tench’s en-suite bathroom, and let my toes adjust to the temperature as the bath continues to fill. I sigh when I notice that the bath peculiarly looks like a cross-sectioned egg, and it’s exactly what I need right now, even if it takes half an hour to fill! I pour in some of my favourite bath oils that I had packed as usual for my work. There’s something calming and ‘zen’ like about bathrooms, that always seems to be the perfect antidote to any feelings of anxiety that I may be feeling. The tap delivers its continuous stream of steamy hot water. I close my eyes to focus on the sound of the running water. The smells permeating the air from the bath oils helps me relax and regroup for a moment. What a day it has been! When the water reaches the perfect level, I turn off the tap and sink down into the hot water. As I blissfully soak in the bath, I contemplate what direction I need to take next, to find out what Sally knew about Tench. I wish I could speak to my brother. He has experience with covert operations overseas, both with the army and as a mercenary. I could use his brain right now. But I can’t speak to him about this. He just won’t understand any of it. I need someone’s help, someone I can trust. Someone who knows everything there is to know about me. My crazy Charlie. He’s someone who knows everything about me. And he knew Sally too. He may know what to do next. I need to speak to him. But how? How am I going to get a message to him? Tom Smythe! If I can get down to Tom, then he can pass on a message to Charlie. Right… now I just need to convince Tench to let me run down to the outdoor gym at Bondi, to secretly see Tom. I remain in the bath, marinating myself in the fragrant water until my fingers resemble dried sultanas. I’m convinced enough to continue on my quest to seek the truth, despite the ve
ry obvious danger there is with Tench. Now that I am relaxed and have my head realigned once again, I feel a tremendous weight off my shoulders. What Tench took from me this morning no longer has a sting to it. I have greater concerns now. Tench wants me and I need to exploit that. Right now though, I just need to sleep. Tench’s bed seems inviting once again, but this time for my own needs.
When I finally wake it’s late in evening. I lie in Tench’s bed, staring at the ceiling for a while and pray that this day has all just been a bad dream. Unfortunately it’s not. My best friend is still dead. I’m still at Tench’s mansion and worst of all… I still have traces of him inside me. I feel like I’ve caught up on all the sleep that I was missing earlier and I feel brand new again. I decide it’s time to bring out my best seductress Miranda and get even closer to Tench than I already am. I need him to trust me. I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom to blow-dry my hair so that it falls full around my breasts. I spray my face with toner and give my lashes a quick coat of mascara, then throw on a grey long-sleeved jersey dress with a turtleneck. It’s nice and figure hugging so I don’t bother wearing a bra. Hopefully the wintery air will naturally force my nipples to push through the material a little. I pull on my favourite lace underwear and pop a condom down the side of them, for good measure. Tench is not going to do what he did to me this morning… ever! My feet are freezing on the marble floor, but I like the touch of no shoes… to show Tench how comfortable I am at his mansion. I walk with a skip across the main area of the mansion and make my way over to Tench’s office. When I get to the door, I find it locked. I thought he was working from home? As I make my way down stairs I notice the sun has disappeared over the Harbour Bridge. I didn’t check to see the time at all when I got up. It must be at least eight in the evening. The fire is on near the bar, but still no sign of Tench. There is light coming from the kitchen so I make my way back through to the other side of the mansion, to try and find Tench. Mrs Oktar is leaning against the centre bench with her back to me as she watches the nightly news on the small flat screen imbedded in the wall in front of her. I don’t want to startle her so I try and make my entrance as obvious as possible. I casually make my way over to the fridge, fully taking advantage of this whole ‘make myself at home’ thing that Tench insisted on. I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but figure it’s a nice way to let Mrs Oktar know I’m there.