‘When you read it, you’ll understand. You might even find some of the contents in the diary quite interesting. Your ex-husband rates a mention.’
Lexie ignored the jibe. On the phone Sasha had been abrupt and said little, other than that she had found Melissa McDermott’s diary while helping Vicky pack up her belongings and that she thought the police should see it.
‘So you’ve read it?’ Lexie inquired.
‘Yes, I’ve read it and it’s very entertaining. It really shows you what kind of girl Melissa was. It’s very sad, embarrassing in fact, and if she hadn’t died under . . . what do you say, suspicious circumstances, I would have destroyed it out of respect to her memory but . . . it may help you find her killer.’
Lexie was intrigued but ensured she didn’t show it. The slightest whisper of excitement tap danced across her skin as she looked down at the little black journal. She wondered what could be inscribed upon these pages that Sasha thought so important for them to see.
‘Well, thanks for bringing it in,’ Lexie said, dismissively.
‘I want to make it perfectly clear that I’m not doing you any favours. Please understand that, Lexie.’
Sasha’s voice was sugary sweet but the patronising smile fixed upon her face could not be mistaken.
‘I’m just doing what I think is right.’
Oh, pleeeeease . . . Lexie had had enough of her superior attitude.
Lexie took a quick glance over her shoulder to check that no uniformed officers were lingering close enough to overhear their conversation. When she noted the station area was empty, she turned back to Sasha and let her eyes travel slowly over the woman who had once been her friend.
‘Well, it’s good to see you’ve changed.’
Lexie made sure her fake smile stayed firmly in place.
‘They say a leopard never changes its spots but at least you’re trying.’
Sasha looked confused and clearly irritated.
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
Lexie moved the slightest bit closer to her. Towering over the diminutive Sasha, she glared down at her.
‘I’m impressed that you would want to do something right for a change. Being consumed with bitterness and jealousy can’t be healthy. Since you’ve done nothing but leave pain and destruction in your wake for most of your life, it’s great to see that even someone like you can attempt to become a better person. If you can change, anyone can. I’m proud of you.’
Sasha’s mouth dropped open but before she could say a word Lexie turned on her heel and walked up the stairs towards the detectives’ office. She could hardly wait to read the diary.
*
Thirty minutes later, Lexie closed the diary and sat back in her chair in shock.
Holy crap!
Well, that explained why Sasha had said Melissa McDermott’s parents should never see her diary. The contents were almost entirely erotic fiction. It should be entitled, ‘Confessions of a Nymphomaniac’, or ‘Exploits of a Sex Addict’, Lexie thought.
However, it was not just the detailed accounts of Melissa’s sexual encounters that had left Lexie stunned. Or the two entries at the end that hinted at some sort of conflict between her and an unknown person that had her mind buzzing. It was the mention of two men, Zack Rogers and Rod Bream, that had sent her brain into overdrive and had left a bad taste in her mouth.
Lexie was still attempting to digest all that she had just read when Brad appeared in front of her. He dropped into the chair opposite and gave her a broad grin.
‘Want to know how the interview with your ex-husband went?’
‘How did it go?’
‘In a nutshell, Mr Rogers told us he’d had his wallet stolen last week. He did not bother to report it because it only had twenty dollars in it. His Medicare card was in the wallet. He cancelled his credit cards that were also in there, which Cakes is in the process of checking. As he told us yesterday, he worked on Thursday until 7.00 pm, went straight to the pub, drank, ate and was in bed by 10.30 pm because he was working the next morning. He adamantly denies being anywhere near the crime scene at any time.’
‘What did he say about the pictures of him in the pub?’ Lexie asked, between sips from a bottle of water.
‘He didn’t try to deny it was him; he just said the scene was not what it looked like. But that was when he refused to say anything further without a lawyer.’
Lexie stared at Brad, surprised.
‘What? He just refused to answer any further questions?’
That was weird. She couldn’t imagine Zack doing that.
Brad nodded.
‘There is something going on in those pictures; something he’s not telling us. He was cocky, had attitude and was pissed off that you weren’t there. I think we should make an application to get a telephone intercept put on his phone. We should also watch him.’
Cakes had come to join them.
‘I thought you might say something like that, so I checked with the surveillance guys. They can give us a team until 9.00 pm tonight, then they have another job on.’
Brad was silent.
‘It’s better than nothing,’ Cakes protested. ‘I’ll get onto the application for the telephone intercept. We might have enough to get us across the line. The photographs will certainly help.’
Lexie was stunned.
‘Do you seriously think Zack might be the . . .’
She couldn’t even say the word, ‘killer’.
She continued, ‘He has no criminal history. He has never been in trouble at all. I can’t believe he could be responsible for . . . Did Zack know Melissa had herpes?’
Brad nodded.
‘He did indeed. She apparently told him before they had sex. He used a condom.’
Lexie cringed.
Brad shoved a mint into his mouth. Lexie wondered if he’d snuck outside to have a sneaky smoke. Nicotine abstinence was only a transient phase for her partner.
‘I asked whether Rogers knew anyone who might have held a grudge against McDermott and he mentioned that one of the doctors from the hospital had slept with her and was really angry – as you would be – that she hadn’t mentioned the fact she had herpes.’
Brad looked down at his notes.
‘His name was Bream. Doctor Rodney Bream.’
This reinforced what Lexie had only just read and was still trying to process in Melissa’s diary. Taking a sip of water and swallowing hard, she tried to put it all together in her mind. Dani’s ex-boyfriend had slept with Melissa McDermott? Could she be the girl he had cheated on Dani with? But when Lexie had bumped into him at the hospital, Rod had denied knowing the victim. What was that about? Lexie’s heartbeat started to accelerate. She had to think this new information through.
‘Did Zack say anything else about this Doctor Bream?’
‘No, just that he wasn’t happy about not being told that Melissa had herpes, and then added it might just be a rumour.’
‘Okay, Cakes, can you get the interview transcribed for me so it can be added to the file?’
‘No worries,’ she replied.
Grumpy was sitting at his desk nearby and had heard everything. He called out across the room: ‘I got Fester to do some checks on the call charge records on Melissa McDermott’s phone. There were no calls to or from Zack Rogers, in the last two months anyway.’
‘Thanks, Grumpy,’ Lexie and Brad said in unison.
Brad arched one eyebrow.
‘I reckon Rogers is trying to throw the scent off onto someone else, like this doctor character, for instance.’
Lexie didn’t know what to think. She sighed and reached for the phone.
‘Who are you calling?’ Brad asked.
‘I’m calling Dani to get Rod Bream’s number. We need to speak to him ASAP.’
Brad looked at her blankly.
Lexie explained.
‘The doctor we bumped into at the hospital yesterday, the really good-looking one you were so jealous of, t
hat’s Rod Bream.’
‘I wasn’t jealous of him,’ Brad pouted.
‘Did you hear what I said?’ Lexie groaned in frustration. ‘I can’t remember if I told you, Rod used to go out with Dani until he played up on her. When we ran into him I asked if he knew Melissa McDermott. He denied knowing her, which is a bit strange if he’d slept with her, don’t you think?’
‘That’s just what your ex-husband says . . . You can’t take what he says—’
‘There is also an entry in Melissa’s diary to prove they had a relationship . . . Well, not really a relationship. More like a one night stand by the sounds of it. While I’m ringing Dani, why don’t you have a look at this?’
Lexie passed the diary across the desk.
‘First, check the last couple of pages.’
Dani’s number was busy so she replaced the handset.
Brad read aloud:
Stupid fucking idiot to lose it with me!!! I’m not going to be treated like shit by anyone. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt this time but if it happens again . . . I’ll take it into my own hands. Fuck, people can surprise you sometimes. Need a drink.
Brad raised his big head and met her gaze.
‘Interesting. But she may just have had a fight with someone.’
‘Exactly. Now read the entry on the day she died.’
Brad turned a few pages.
‘Am going to find out what’s going on. I don’t take lightly to threats. Really pissed off!’
Brad looked slightly more interested.
‘Pity she doesn’t specify who she’s pissed off at, or even what gender they are.’
Lexie agreed.
‘I know. It’s almost like she’s talking in code. Now go to the page I’ve marked with a post-it note.’
Lexie watched Brad’s eyes open wider as he read Melissa’s entry.
‘Wow, this is like one of those “true” stories in Penthouse.’
His eyebrows shot up.
‘She rated the sex? Rod Bream only got 5/10. That’s bad.’
‘Are you for real? You are missing the point. Read the rest of it.’
‘Forgot to use protection. Hope I don’t get pregnant again!’
Brad looked up and met Lexie’s gaze.
‘Oh, shit!’
‘Now, can you admit that Zack Rogers was telling the truth? What if Rod Bream contracted herpes from Melissa? You can imagine he would be very angry . . .’
Lexie let the implication float between them.
Brad remained silent and thoughtful.
Grabbing the phone again, Lexie dialled the number she knew by heart. This time Dani picked up straight away.
‘Hey Dani, it’s me. How are you going with the clean-up?’
Lexie felt bad she couldn’t help her friend put her flat back together after the break-in, although she knew Dani understood. The murder investigation came first.
‘It’s going slowly, but I’m not alone. A few of the guys from work have come over to help me.’
There was no doubt in Lexie’s mind that all Dani would have to do was ask and half of Kings Cross detectives’ office would come running.
‘That’s good; it makes me feel less guilty about not being there for you.’
‘Murders don’t wait for anyone. Don’t worry about it. Hey, um, just changing the subject for a moment, have you done anything about changing your locks, by any chance?’
‘I haven’t had time, Dani, and to tell you the truth I don’t think I’m going to worry about it. Even if my keys were stolen during the break-in there’s not much chance—’
Dani cut her off.
‘I found a dead rat at your front door this morning, Lexie.’
‘What?’ Lexie checked if she had heard correctly. ‘Did you say . . . ?’
‘Yes, you heard right. I found a dead rat at your front door when I left this morning. I nearly stepped on the bloody thing.’
‘That’s weird. I’ve been living in that building for over a year and I haven’t seen anything like a rat, not a mouse, hardly even a cockroach.’
‘What is even weirder is that it had a fork sticking out of its chest.’
‘Oh, my God,’ Lexie couldn’t help but gasp.
‘It wasn’t just bad luck that some old gutter rat just happened to expire at your front door, Lex. Someone has killed it and put it there.’
Brad was staring at her with alarm in his eyes.
Dani was still talking.
‘It might be just a sick joke, but after what happened to my place . . . Please get the locks fixed, Lexie.’
More than a little unsettled, Lexie assured Dani that she would do just that.
‘I will, I will.’
There was no way she would have time to do anything about getting her locks changed for days. And she couldn’t just duck out in the middle of a murder investigation without questions being asked.
‘I’ll ring Dad to arrange it today. Oh no, that means a thousand questions and he’ll tell Mum and she’ll worry.’
Why couldn’t Josh be here to help her with this kind of thing? Don’t think of Josh. She would handle it herself.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll get it sorted. Are you going to be all right at your place tonight, Dani?’
‘I’m going to Deanne’s to stay the night.’
Good. Lexie felt better that the school friend she had known since she was five – who was now also good friends with Dani – and her husband, Mike, would be there to take care of her.
‘Say hi, and give little Lucy and Patrick a kiss for me.’
‘I will. Now, why did you call?’
Lexie had almost forgotten the purpose of her call. She concentrated on keeping her voice casual.
‘Look, I have to contact Rod, just routine, as he’s a work associate of our victim. Can you give me his number to save me a trip to the hospital?’
Dani hesitated.
‘Um . . . yeah . . . sure. I’ll text it to you.’
‘Thanks, mate.’
There was one more thing she wanted to ask but didn’t know how to say it. Oh God, just ask.
‘Sorry to ask you this, Dani, but when we were talking the other night about . . . um, what happened with Rod . . . when you found the text message from that other girl . . . can you remember her name?’
There was a protracted silence from the other end of the line. Then finally Dani spoke.
‘Of course I can remember her name. I’ll never forget it. Why do you ask?’
Because I want to know if it was Melissa . . .
‘I can’t really say too much right now, but I’m just curious.’
Lexie had a feeling and she never ignored her gut instinct.
‘I hate to even ask but it might be important.’
‘Is Rod involved . . . ?’
‘No. I don’t know. I need to speak to him, that’s all, and I’d like to have as much information as possible before doing that.’
‘How has this got anything to do . . . ?’
Dani started to argue, then seemed to think better of it.
‘Okay, Lex, I trust you.’
A long moment went by and Lexie wondered if Dani was steeling herself to speak the dreaded name.
‘Her name is Jen. The girl who sent Rod the text was called Jen.’
CHAPTER 19
‘Tell me again why we’re going to the hospital?’ Brad asked.
Lexie sighed. They had already been through this. Keeping her eyes on the road, she repeated her reasons for wanting to attend the Prince of Wales Hospital.
‘Rod Bream is not answering his phone. I’ve left him a message but I want to see if he’s working, or when he’s working. I also want to talk to Jenna’s doctor.’
‘Why?’
‘Did you not listen to anything I said back in the office?’
‘I was eating,’ Brad stated.
‘You are always eating. Besides, is it that hard to eat and listen at the same time?’
‘I’m
a man; I can’t do more than one thing at a time.’
‘Unless you want to,’ Lexie shot back. ‘I’ll say it one more time for the dummies. When we bumped into Doctor Rod Bream at the hospital yesterday he stated he didn’t know Melissa McDermott and—’
‘You want to know why he lied,’ Brad finished for Lexie.
‘Yes. I also want to find out about “Jen”. What if “Jen” is Jenna Harrison? That links Bream to two dead girls.’
Brad gave Lexie a long look.
‘Jen is not exactly an uncommon name. There are a million Jennifers, Jeanettes and Janelles.’
‘I know that but it’s worth checking.’
‘Tangent, that’s all I’ll say.’
‘Leave no stone unturned, that’s all I’ll say. My gut is telling me to do this.’
She felt, rather than saw, Brad roll his eyes.
‘Then who am I to argue with your gut?’
There was a moment’s silence in the car before he added, ‘You know there is a very thin line between being psychic and psycho.’
Lexie couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Says who? Brad Sommers. Besides, you are the one saying I’m psychic, not me. Have I ever said I’m psychic? I don’t think so.’
Brad didn’t reply. Instead he seemed suddenly exhausted. Reclining the chair backwards and closing his eyes, he leant back against the headrest.
It took another fifteen minutes to negotiate the afternoon Eastern Suburbs peak hour traffic before they arrived at the hospital. By this time, Brad was making little puffing sounds with his lips and his head was lolled awkwardly to one side.
Giving her partner a gentle shake, she watched his startled expression as he returned to consciousness. Clearly disorientated, Brad’s eyes darted around the car, then back at Lexie.
‘It’s okay. You didn’t miss anything,’ she laughed. ‘Feel better after your little cat-nap?’
‘Sorry. Mitchell was up all night. I hardly got any sleep.’
‘We’re here,’ she told him, getting out of the car.
A few minutes later Lexie and Brad stood at the information counter. The woman sitting behind the desk took a long moment to look away from her computer screen. Over a pair of steel-rimmed glasses, she regarded Lexie and Brad critically.
‘Yes?’
No ‘Can I help you?’, just ‘Yes?’.
Deadly Obsession Page 15