Deadly Obsession

by Karen M. Davis

  ‘Where could he be? He’s not at work, at his home, or his holiday place.’

  She thought of Dani.

  ‘What if he’s dangerous? Maybe I should warn Dani in case he goes to her? What if he was the person who broke into her flat the other night?’

  Brad put his hands out in a calming fashion.

  ‘Take a breath, Lex. If Bream is our man, he is definitely dangerous. But the brief on him . . . what there is of one, is all very circumstantial. Let’s wait to see what we learn from the intercept. It will tell us if he’s using his phone. We might be able to pick up a cell site, get a location if possible.’

  ‘Maybe I should just text Dani and—’

  ‘Don’t tell Dani anything,’ Brad insisted. ‘You might compromise this investigation. Ring her and say hello to set your mind at rest that she is okay, but say nothing else. Bream could be shacked up with some girl, for all we know.’

  Brad paused for a minute, then added, ‘Talking about Casanovas, how did your date go last night with Steve James? You clearly came out of it alive, but did you get what you wanted?’

  Lexie finished typing out a quick text to Dani, asking her how she was.

  ‘Let’s just say that he certainly didn’t get what he wanted. And all I discovered is that Steve James is an arrogant creep and a sloppy investigator.’

  Brad laughed a little too much.

  ‘I could have told you that. I’ve heard that the guy is a complete wanker. Thinks his own shit doesn’t stink. I’m glad you saw through him. So he put the hard word on you?’

  Lexie pulled a distasteful face.

  ‘Yes, almost straight away. He was unbelievable.’

  She recounted some of the night for Brad’s amusement.

  ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’

  Brad laughed again, clearly finding her experience with Steve James most entertaining.

  ‘I can’t protect you all the time. Some things you have to find out for yourself. Besides, you wouldn’t have listened to me anyway.’

  That was true. Just then her mobile phone buzzed. She had a text message. Snatching it off the desk, she was eager to read that Dani was all right. However, the message wasn’t from Dani. It was from Steve James.

  ‘Sorry about last night, Lexie. Maybe I was a bit too forward. I hope you can forgive me. I have emailed you a photocopy of your friend’s suicide letter as you asked. When can I see you again?

  Steve xxx’

  Lexie could not believe he would even ask the question, ‘When can I see you again?’. The twelfth of never, baby, she thought, deleting the message and pushing the button on her computer to wake it up. A moment later she was looking at Steve James’s name at the top of the long list of emails she had yet to read. With a sense of dread tightening her throat, she read Jenna’s last words:

  I’M SORRY I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO MUCH TROUBLE. YOU WILL ALL BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME.

  Jenna had scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page.

  Lexie opened the crime scene photographs. James had only sent her six, but one would have been enough. She clicked on the clearest picture and blew it up on the screen. She gasped and held her breath as she took in Jenna’s slim body, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, no shoes, lying on her back across her creamy leather lounge. She could be asleep, Lexie thought, taking in the serene expression on her beautiful face and the way her long, dark hair was fanned around her shoulders as if it had been positioned that way. Her hands rested across her chest and between them lay a single red rose.

  Lexie’s breath caught in her throat as she inhaled suddenly.

  Brad glanced up from his desk.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Come around here and take a look at this.’

  Brad got out of his seat, rounded his desk and came to stand behind her, bending over her shoulder to see what she was showing him. For a moment he said nothing and she wondered if he had picked it up.

  Lexie prompted.

  ‘The rose . . .’

  ‘I know. It’s in the exact same position as with Melissa. Barring the fact that Melissa was found outdoors, their bodies are in exactly the same position as well.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Lexie agreed. ‘Could the rose be someone’s calling card? The killer’s signature, so to speak?’

  Brad gave her a look.

  ‘You’ve been watching too much TV.’

  ‘Well, what do you make of it, then?’

  ‘I think you’ve said it before. It’s someone’s notion of trying to make these deaths look like suicides,’ Brad replied, rubbing his jaw. ‘I’d like to see how Bream’s ex-girlfriend was found.’

  Printing out a copy of Jenna’s suicide note, Lexie placed it in her handbag. She would keep it to compare the signature to the one on Jenna’s licence that she hoped to find in the search of her apartment later on today.

  Lexie’s mobile rang, cutting off any further discussion about the rose. Checking the screen, she noted there was no number displayed.

  ‘Lexie Rogers.’

  ‘Hi, Lexie.’

  The voice on the other end of the line was raspy and deep. She knew it in an instant.

  Rex Donaldson.

  ‘Well, hello there.’

  ‘I tried you last night but you didn’t pick up and I didn’t leave a message,’ he told her. ‘Now, don’t ask any questions and I’ll tell you no lies,’ he said, mysteriously.

  Lexie didn’t miss the teasing tone in his voice.

  ‘Those photographs you received. They are not what they look like.’

  So it had been Rex that sent them.

  ‘O . . . kay.’

  ‘I was following Sandy. I was worried she was back on the gear. It had nothing to do with the murder you’re working on, but I thought it was something that it wasn’t. Get what I mean?’

  Because Rex was usually so coded and careful about what he said, he tended to talk in subtleties and riddles.

  ‘Not really, but I suppose that doesn’t matter. What you’re telling me is those photographs are not evidence of a drug deal.’

  ‘That’s right. The guy was selling Sandy a watch for my birthday. It’s probably fallen off the back of a truck or something, but at least it’s not what I first thought it was.’

  So Zack had been telling the truth about that.

  ‘You know I can be a little over-protective. Just didn’t want you to be barking up the wrong tree where that guy in the photographs is concerned.’

  ‘Thanks for that. Is there any reason you sent those photographs to me?’

  ‘If someone was selling drugs to my daughter, I wanted you to be the one to look into it.’

  Lexie smiled.

  ‘Thanks for your vote of confidence.’

  Rex laughed.

  ‘Now, go solve that murder.’

  With that Rex hung up, leaving Lexie to wonder how he always knew what she was doing.

  Glad to have that little mystery solved, Lexie turned to Brad, who was already scrutinising her.

  ‘Who was that?’

  Brad hated not knowing everything.

  ‘A community source. The photographs of my ex-husband have been explained. He was handing over a watch that had been bought from his sister’s jewellery shop.’

  Lexie didn’t bother to go into all the details.

  ‘Really?’

  Brad’s tone was derisive.

  ‘Then why didn’t he just say that? I still think he’s suss.’

  ‘I know you do, Brad.’

  Lexie knew Brad wouldn’t admit he was wrong about Zack. She let it drop, especially as she could see Brad was gearing up to tell her something else.

  ‘While you were on the phone I got a text from the station officer at Sussex Inlet. He’s an old academy mate of mine. They went around to Bream’s holiday place again this morning – still no one there.’

  Lexie shook her head in frustration.

  ‘Where the hell is he? Do you think he’s done a runner?’


  Brad took a bite of his bagel, chewed it and swallowed hard.

  ‘He has no reason to as yet. All we’ve done is call him to come and talk to us. Guilty or not, I can’t imagine that would rattle a cocky bastard like Bream.’

  ‘What about Gus Riley?’

  The last guy who had slept with Melissa was still on Lexie’s mind even with Bream becoming the main contender for the place of number one suspect.

  ‘How are we going to find out if his alibi holds up?’

  Brad shrugged.

  ‘We probably can’t. The CCTV doesn’t cover that private entrance to the pub. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about him either. If Bream’s cleared, we can go back to him and dig further.’

  Lexie agreed.

  The office was starting to fill up, as everyone was working the weekend to try to get a heads-up on this case. Lexie went to the meal room to make herself a second coffee for the morning and found Batman and Lurch doing the same thing. They smiled at her when she entered the room.

  ‘Well done getting the TI application approved for Bream’s and Rogers’s phone lines, guys,’ Lexie congratulated. ‘Not always an easy task.’

  Lexie watched Lurch’s cheeks turn pink as he beamed a smile at her.

  ‘I just chased up the preliminary overnight toxicology report on our victim,’ Batman announced, pausing for effect.

  ‘And?’ Lexie prompted.

  She was suddenly excited.

  His boyish face broke into a wide smile.

  ‘The person I spoke to kept stressing that it was only the preliminary results but they showed traces of alcohol and OxyContin in her system. Is that what you wanted to hear?’

  It certainly was. It seemed the gap between Jenna Harrison’s and Melissa McDermott’s deaths was closing . . .

  CHAPTER 27

  Josh felt totally wrecked. He was jet-lagged and dehydrated after the six-hour flight from Bali was delayed by three hours. Dragging his bag and surfboard up the flight of stairs to his second-floor flat drained all of what little energy he had left. Not having slept well on the plane, the sweet warmth and comfort of his bed was calling. But there was no time for sleep right now. He had things to do.

  Unlocking his front door, Josh pushed it open and stood in the doorway drinking in the familiarity of the place.

  Home, sweet home.

  Josh took in the modern, open-plan living area that he’d renovated after purchasing the flat at Randwick two years ago. Like many old places in the Eastern Suburbs, it had been falling down around itself. So Josh had totally gutted it; stripped it back to its outer shell and started again. For a while it had been like living in a construction site. But looking at the place today, it had been well worth the effort.

  Josh’s eyes were drawn to the well-stocked bar in the far corner of the room. He had not had a drink since before boarding the plane last night and he could feel the invisible pull of bourbon beckoning him.

  No. You need to detox. Get your life back in order.

  Before he could be tempted further, Josh dumped his bags and surfboard in his bedroom and headed for the shower. Shedding his clothes, he stood waiting, shivering on the cold tiles, until the old pipes started whining and thumping. This was an indication they were slowly warming the water enough for him to step into the shower recess. The bathroom, too, was renovated but it was impossible to replace the central plumbing of an old building. Noisy and lethargic pipes were just something he had to live with.

  Josh stood with his eyes closed and let the hot water wash over him.

  Outside, he could hear the wind howling and car engines meandering along busy Avoca Street down below. It was a total contrast to waking in Kuta to the sounds of the beach, birds chirping, kids splashing and laughing in the resort pool, tourists’ happy chatter, the continual beeping of horns.

  That he didn’t miss. The beeping of horns seemed to be Bali’s only road rule, a universal language. From what Josh could gather it meant ‘get out of the way, move over, I’m coming through’, or all of the above. At first it had done his head in. Then Josh had learned to ignore it until eventually he had hardly noticed the continual chorus.

  It was just like living on a main road. Josh was used to the noises and actually liked the familiar sounds of the hustle and bustle of everyday life going on around him. It was a comfort; it reminded him he was not alone.

  Once out of the shower, Josh dressed in faded denim jeans, a white T-shirt and a dark woollen jumper. He brushed his dark hair, splashed aftershave on his freshly shaved skin, slipped into a pair of socks and sneakers and then headed to the kitchen where he placed his mobile on the charger. He plucked the long-life milk from the pantry and made himself a coffee. Sitting on the lounge, sipping on the steaming mug of liquid, Josh found he was filled with a mixture of emotions: excitement, anticipation and more than a little anxiety.

  Today he was going to see Lexie for the first time in over a month. What reception should he expect? Realistically Josh knew it could hardly be welcoming. There was no way she was going to run to him with open arms. And why should she? Two weeks after his sister’s death he had flown the coop, run away from Lexie, his mum, his friends, and everyone who had tried to support and comfort him. It was without a doubt the most self-centred, cowardly act; the biggest mistake of his life.

  Josh couldn’t believe it had taken Brad’s phone call yesterday to snap some sense back into him, sober him up enough to realise he had to face reality sometime. He wasn’t sure about Brad and Lexie’s theory regarding Jenna. It was too much to comprehend. But it had been a good excuse to come back and get his act together.

  Josh wondered if Brad had told Lexie about their conversation. With his heart pounding madly, he dialled Brad’s number. He picked up almost instantly.

  ‘It’s me,’ Josh said. ‘I’m back.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Brad replied in a low voice.

  Was Lexie sitting across from Brad? Did she know it was him on the phone? Josh’s heart was pounding really hard now.

  ‘I’ve got the keys.’

  Josh fiddled with the keys to his sister’s flat. His mother, unable to deal with anything much these days, had given them to him for safe-keeping. The unit would have to be sold eventually, but he hadn’t been able to think about that yet.

  ‘When do you want to meet?’ Josh asked.

  ‘ASAP. We can be there in half an hour.’

  Josh paused before asking the question, ‘Does she know?’

  It was Brad’s turn to hesitate.

  ‘No, mate. I think it’s best to let her find out for herself. I’m not sure what reaction I’ll get if I tell her you’ll be meeting us there.’

  ‘You’re scared,’ Josh accused.

  ‘Damn right I am,’ Brad confessed. ‘Lexie is very easygoing but I know she can fire off when provoked. I’d rather you bear the brunt of her wrath than me.’

  ‘She’s obviously not sitting right opposite you at the moment.’

  ‘No, she’s talking to Batman at his desk.’

  Brad’s voice was almost a whisper. Brad and Josh were both aware how easily voices could travel in an open-plan office.

  Bloody Batman. Stay away from her.

  ‘Well, I’ll see you there at 10.00 am?’ Josh said.

  ‘Sounds good; I’ll get ready to leave now.’

  There was another pause, then Brad added, ‘Thanks for this, mate; I’m pleased you’re back.’

  Josh laughed. He felt a myriad of emotions himself, but pleasure was not one of them.

  ‘See you soon.’

  Josh ended the call and headed straight to the bar.

  Forget the bourbon. One Jack Daniel’s and Coke wouldn’t put him over the limit. But it would certainly calm his nerves.

  *

  Josh parked his car across the street from the lifeless, red-brick building that Jenna had called her home for over two years and sat in the driver’s seat, gazing at the building. His father had bought the Maroubra apartment
for her in the hope it would provide her some security and independence. But Jenna had hated being alone. She’d ended up spending more time at their parents’ house than at her own place.

  This had worried their mother, who had wanted Jenna to learn to stand on her own two feet. But their father loved having her around to spoil rotten. She was his favourite and Doctor Harrison made no secret of the fact. Jenna’s frailties enabled his father to feel strong, needed. He could be the alpha male, protector of his weak and unstable offspring.

  A wave of emptiness engulfed Josh and the bitter taste of resentment burnt the back of his throat. He had been everything Jenna was not. Yet, no matter how hard he had tried, he had been unable to win his father’s affection.

  Why is it so hard to admit you care, that your father’s indifference still hurts?

  Just then, a familiar blue Commodore drove towards Josh, did a U-turn and parked on the other side of the road directly opposite him. Taking a deep breath, Josh steeled himself for what was to come.

  Lexie was driving. Josh took in her profile and caught his breath. She was even more perfect than he remembered; straight nose, full lips, long slender neck, flawless skin, long blonde hair pulled off her lovely face, bottomless brown eyes. His heart punched in his chest. His hands started to shake. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry.

  Apart from the shot of Jack Daniel’s he’d had before coming outside, Josh had not touched a drop of alcohol in nearly twenty-four hours and he felt terrible for it. He knew he had to stop this soul-destroying, self-sabotaging behaviour if he wanted to get his act together and mend the damage he’d caused. But it was not going to be easy.

  Josh watched Brad get out of the passenger side of the car and look directly at him. Their eyes met briefly. Brad appeared just as apprehensive as he felt.

  Fuck. Josh couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt more nervous in his life. Except for when Lexie had been shot . . .

  The driver’s door opened. One long leg stretched out onto the road. Josh watched Lexie unfold herself as she stood and adjusted her burgundy blazer. He could tell instantly she had lost weight. Her already slender form was lighter than usual. A stab of guilt, that he might be responsible for her weight loss, was swiftly replaced by apprehension as, through the windscreen of his car, Lexie’s eyes found his.