‘Target is getting out of the car. It’s a female; fits the description you gave in the briefing. She’s short, about 160 centimetres. Plumpish build. I can’t see her hair, it’s tucked under a dark blue hoodie. She’s got a black scarf around her neck and she’s wearing dark sunglasses and blue jeans, white runners. She has a brown handbag over her shoulder. She’s opening the rear door of the car and leaning in . . . I can’t see what she’s doing.’
Lexie and Brad exchanged a glance as they waited for Grumpy to continue. They both knew it was Sasha.
‘Oh shit . . . Oh bloody shit, shit, shit,’ Grumpy exclaimed.
Lexie’s heart jumped into her throat.
‘What? What’s wrong, Grumpy?’
She tried not to yell into the radio.
‘She has a kid with her.’
‘What?’
Lexie raised her shoulders in a confused shrug. Brad stared at her. Lexie shook her head, answering his silent query.
‘Sasha doesn’t have a kid.’
There was silence over the airwaves as everyone tuned in to what was happening. Grumpy had the eyeball, so no one else interrupted. They let him speak.
‘Target is on the move. She is crossing Maroubra Road. Everyone please note she is in the company of a small boy. He looks to be about three or four. Target is holding his hand and walking with her head down in the direction of the post office. She is probably less than 100 metres from the post office now.’
‘Thanks, Grumpy.’
Brad pointed and Lexie followed his finger. A person matching Grumpy’s description came into view. Lexie would hazard a pretty certain guess it was Sasha, but it was impossible to know for sure because of the clothing. She had made sure she was as covered up as she could possibly be.
‘Who can take the eyeball? Who has a good visual?’
‘I’m right outside the post office. I’ll take the eyeball,’ Patch responded.
Fester’s voice came over the radio.
‘I can take the eyeball if you want? I’m outside the post office too.’
Lexie groaned and glared at Brad. She didn’t have the highest degree of confidence in Fester’s aptitude as a detective, especially when it came to doing surveillance – which required common sense. But Brad had argued Fester was the best person to be in close as he looked nothing like a cop. However, it wasn’t his appearance Lexie was worried about. She would have much preferred Lurch or Patch in Fester’s position but unfortunately, they both stood out way too much.
‘Fester, we don’t need two people to take the eyeball. Hang back and you can take over a little later,’ Lexie said, shifting her gaze from their target to the post office.
She could see Fester, standing at the entrance, in the middle of the footpath, talking to himself. Yes, he was talking into his coms, she could see his mouth moving, but to everyone else it appeared he was conversing alone. He could be taken for either a complete nut case – or a stupid, incompetent surveillance cop.
Lexie whacked Brad on the arm.
‘Look at Fester. Can he be any more obvious?’
Brad groaned, ‘Fucking idiot.’
The car filled with Patch’s voice.
‘Target is slowly heading towards the post office box . . . Fester get back, move out of the way, she’s looking straight at you.’
Fester nodded, as if talking to someone.
‘Okay.’
Lexie could see his mouth move again from where she was sitting.
And so apparently did Sasha, because she suddenly did an about turn. Changing her direction, she started heading back towards her car.
‘Oh shit, what do we do, Brad? She’s going to do the bolt. Fester’s stuffed it up.’
Patch’s voice sounded panicked.
‘Target’s seen Fester. She’s spooked and is now heading back in the direction from which she came.’
If she got to her car, she could stash the scripts, get rid of the evidence. They would be in her bag with the key to the post office box. They couldn’t risk the whole operation being blown. If Sasha wised up that they were on to her they wouldn’t get a second chance to nail her.
Brad and Lexie exchanged a look. They had to make a split-second decision and live with the consequences. Wordlessly, Brad nodded at Lexie.
‘Everyone stay back but remain close. Lexie and I are moving in,’ Brad said into the radio and jumped out of the car. Lexie was right behind him.
CHAPTER 46
Josh watched it all happen right before his eyes like one of those dreaded moments where you know a disaster is about to happen, yet you can do nothing to prevent it. Everything reduces to slow motion and you can almost imagine the scene playing out before it actually occurs.
He spotted the target, Sasha Hemming, walking towards the post office. Surprisingly, she was clutching the hand of a little boy; first problem. He noted she looked edgy, a bit nervous and was glancing around a lot. She was clearly toey; second problem. However, problems one and two could have been managed, if she hadn’t noticed Fester.
Standing in the middle of the pathway outside the post office, staring straight at the approaching target, while holding his communication earpiece in his ear with one hand and apparently talking to himself, was no way to remain unnoticed. He was supposed to blend in, not draw attention to himself, but that was exactly what he had done. He stood out like proverbial dogs’ balls.
Patch, like Josh, had predicted what was about to happen and attempted to play interference. Running towards Fester, he slapped him on the back and pulled him into a bear hug, making an overt display of mateship.
‘Sorry I’m late, buddy. My car broke down. You’ve been waiting here long?’
Fester didn’t get it. This unexpected turn of events had him staring at Patch as if he was a madman. Each operator had their orders and this deviation from the instructions was beyond Fester’s capabilities. Panicked, his head darted from side to side. He looked as if he’d been caught in the midst of some despicable act.
Oh God. He’s a disaster.
Josh could appreciate Patch’s efforts to save the situation, but it was too late. Sasha turned suddenly and headed back in the direction from which she had come. Josh’s stomach dropped. Everything was going wrong. She was going to get away. Fester had wrecked the whole operation.
Then he saw Lexie and Brad walking straight towards her.
*
‘Be mindful, she could use the boy as a hostage if she panics,’ Brad told Lexie as they approached Sasha. They were moving into her path to cut her off. She was walking fast, her head low. She dragged the little boy behind her; he was running to keep up.
Without taking her eyes from their target, Lexie said, ‘I’ve changed my mind, Brad. You do the talking. She responds better to you anyway.’
The unexpected disaster created by Fester causing them to alter their plan had Lexie feeling very nervous. She didn’t want Sasha to get a whiff of her fear.
Brad didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. She knew he’d heard her.
Sasha hadn’t seen Lexie and Brad until . . . Now.
Her head suddenly shot up and she stopped dead. There was no hiding the shock on her face. Behind her, Lexie could see Lurch and Patch moving in closer. Brad spoke first. Thankfully, his tendency to take the lead was as natural as breathing.
He held up his badge.
‘Hello Sasha. Could we talk to you for a moment, please?’
Sasha played it cool. Ignoring Lexie, she pulled the little boy in close to her side. Lexie watched in amazement as she constructed a glowing smile from the distorted panic that had existed seconds earlier. Slowly she removed her sunglasses.
‘Are you following me, detective?’ she asked, giving a flirtatious little laugh.
Brad ignored the question.
‘Who is the little boy you have with you?’
Sasha glanced down at him as though suddenly remembering he was there.
‘Does it matter?’
Sasha
pulled him to her side and the boy hugged her leg.
Brad chose not to enter into meaningless banter.
‘As I said, we need to speak to you.’
‘Well, now is not a good time,’ Sasha said firmly. ‘I don’t think it’s very fair that you want to talk to me when I’m with a child. I don’t want Jayden upset.’
‘We have no intention of upsetting Jayden,’ Brad assured her. ‘We would just like a quick word.’
What they really wanted was to search her. Without the scripts, post office box key or the phone she used to do business, they had no direct evidence.
Sasha’s demeanour changed. She was suddenly aggressive.
‘I don’t have time for this. I’ve told you all I can about Melissa.’
‘This is not about Melissa,’ Brad replied.
‘I have to go. Jayden needs to get to preschool.’
Sasha moved to walk past them. Brad stood in her way.
Lexie could see Patch and Lurch lurking behind Sasha, watching from a distance. Josh was here somewhere. The others were around too. She was grateful to be surrounded by unseen backup.
‘Could I have a look in your bag, please?’ Brad asked pleasantly.
‘No, you can’t. What the hell is all this? I need to leave.’
The façade of pleasantness had now completely gone. Sasha stepped to the side of Brad and tried to push past Lexie.
‘Get out of my way. You have no right to harass me.’
Lexie grabbed Sasha’s arm as the little boy started crying. Without warning, Sasha swung a closed fist towards her chest. Lexie saw it coming, turned and copped the punch in the arm. Pain shot down to her hand and for a moment she was knocked backwards, off balance.
Brad stepped forward, towards Sasha, but she ducked out of his grasp. Lurch and Patch came running. But it was too late . . .
Sasha had spun the little boy in front of her and was holding him in place by squeezing the top of his arm. Her other hand dived into her purse. Icy fingers of fear clutched at Lexie’s stomach as she saw Sasha pull out a syringe. Everyone froze as she held it in the air threateningly.
Holy shit . . . This was not going the way they had planned it at all.
Sasha’s eyes darted everywhere at once, a trapped animal searching for a way out. The boy began wailing. Lexie slowly moved her hand towards the holster on her belt.
‘Don’t touch your gun, you fucking bitch,’ Sasha screamed at Lexie, waving the syringe wildly. Turning towards Brad, she spat, ‘You too, fat boy. Stay back.’
Brad froze, then slowly reversed, taking a few steps backwards. Lexie did the same, increasing the distance of their triangle of safety. Patch and Lurch also backed off.
‘Mummy, mummy!’ the boy cried.
Lexie was momentarily stunned. This boy was hers? She’d had no idea Sasha had a child.
Lexie released the butt of her gun and held her hands in the air.
‘There is no need for this to turn ugly, Sasha. We just want to talk to you.’
Sasha met her gaze head-on. Lexie recognised the gleam of battle in her eyes. This was not going to end well.
‘What is in that syringe, Sasha? We don’t want to hurt anyone, now do we?’
Sasha was eyeing some of the team who had moved forward.
‘Tell them to stay back.’
They didn’t need to be told. They heard Sasha and instantly started to retreat so as not to inflame the already dangerous situation. Out of the corner of her eye, Lexie saw Grace and Lurch moving members of the public, crowding in to gape at the scene, out of the way.
Lexie never took her eyes off Sasha, who now had the needle in her mouth. What the hell was she doing? Then she realised that Sasha was removing the plastic protector from the end of the needle. Slowly, she lowered the syringe, that appeared to be filled with a clear fluid, towards the boy’s neck.
‘You come any closer and I’ll kill him,’ she yelled.
Her eyes were wide and manic. Her pupils were small, two black pinpoints – a sign she was on something. Lexie realised that, with or without the added influence of whatever substance Sasha was on, that she was staring into the face of a seriously demented woman.
‘Do you want that on your conscience, Lexie? Do you?’
Lexie searched her brain for something to say – the right words were so important at a time like this. Brad had gone silent. Sasha’s glare was aimed at Lexie.
The unmistakable taste of dread settled on her tongue. Lexie concentrated on keeping her voice calm.
‘You don’t want to hurt your son, Sasha. Let him go. One of the detectives can look after him until we’ve sorted things out.’
Sasha shook her head. Her gaze darted to Brad, then at the growing crowd gathered behind them.
‘You’re investigating a murder, my friend’s murder. I have nothing to do with it. I’m not taking the blame.’
Funny, thought Lexie, they hadn’t mentioned anything about a murder charge – yet. They hadn’t mentioned anything about Sasha being charged at all. Her guilty conscience had caused her to take a defensive position without even knowing why they wanted to talk to her. An innocent person would not have reacted like this.
Lexie’s heart was beating so hard she felt it might explode through her rib cage.
‘Think about what you are doing, Sasha. Let the boy go. He is your flesh and blood.’
Sasha let out a weird, manic laugh.
‘He’s your flesh and blood too, Lexie. Killing him would be like killing a part of you.’
Lexie stared at Sasha dumbfounded. What the hell was she talking about?
She is trying to distract you, confuse you; don’t let her.
Sasha waved the syringe closer to the boy’s neck. He tried to move away but she held him firmly in place. Her free hand gripped his shoulder so hard Lexie could see the skin pinching around his neck.
‘You’re hurting me,’ the boy cried.
‘Shut up and keep still,’ Sasha hissed back at him.
Lexie felt an overwhelming wave of sympathy for the boy. She reminded herself to stay focused, not let emotion get in the way.
Brad opened his mouth to talk. Sasha cut him off.
‘I told you to shut up, fat boy. I’m talking to her.’
Lexie spoke once more.
‘We didn’t say anything about a murder, Sasha. We want to talk to you about something completely unrelated.’
Lexie chose her words carefully.
‘Let the boy go so we can talk, please, Sasha. What is in that syringe?’
‘You’re the smartarse detective, you figure it out.’
‘Why do you even have a syringe?’ Lexie asked.
‘You never know when it might be needed. As protection.’
‘Protection from what?’ Lexie asked, trying to keep her talking.
Sasha fixed her with a long hard stare, but didn’t answer the question.
‘Don’t treat me like an idiot. Don’t tell me you’re not looking to offload the blame onto me. But I didn’t do it. I’ll never say that I did it. I’m not going down for murder. You’re trying to frame me.’
Her face twisted as the words gushed from her mouth.
‘No one is trying to frame you or pin a murder on you. Put the syringe on the ground, Sasha, and come back to the station with us. Let’s talk about this.’
‘You’re not going to talk to me. You’re going to lock me up.’
Sasha’s voice was verging on the hysterical. Lexie watched her hold the syringe up in the air and then bring it slowly back towards the boy. The tip of the needle was not far from the skin of his little throat.
The boy whimpered quietly as tears ran in a steady stream down his face. But he didn’t move. It was as if he sensed that his mother really would harm him. His jaw was clenched in fear, his veins popped out like cords running down his narrow neck.
Hatred and fear sucked the breath from Lexie’s throat. If she hurts that boy, I’ll kill her myself . . .
&nbs
p; ‘I’ll do it. There is enough . . . There is enough in here to kill an adult. Imagine what it will do to—’
Then everything happened very quickly . . .
Out of the corner of her eye, Lexie saw Brad move.
So did Sasha. She spun towards him. Her sudden movement knocked the child over. He fell to the ground and Lexie raced forward, grabbed him and dragged him out of harm’s way. Gathering the boy into her arms, she ran towards Cakes, who was rushing to meet her. Lurch, Grumpy and Ossie ran past her, converging to assist Brad. Lexie handed the screaming boy into the safe hands of Cakes, so she could go back and help Brad and the others.
She heard Brad yell out. Lexie turned and started running towards him. She couldn’t see what was happening. Ossie, Patch and Lurch were huddled around Brad struggling with Sasha. It seemed to take forever to get her away from him and when they did Lexie could see the syringe poking from Brad’s arm. He yelped as he pulled it from his skin.
Oh God, no . . .
Lexie screamed as she charged at Sasha, still struggling like a crazed animal with three of her workmates. Barging past Lurch and Patch, consumed by a rage unlike anything she had ever felt, Lexie slammed her body into Sasha’s.
The impact propelled them both through the air. Sasha fell heavily onto her back with a thud. Lexie landed on top of her. Panting heavily, she grabbed Sasha’s face with her hand and twisted it sideways, squashing one cheek against the hard concrete.
‘Fuck you, Lexie. This is police brutality,’ Sasha screamed through twisted lips.
‘You bitch,’ Lexie growled into her ear, pushing her face further into the ground. ‘You’re going to get everything you deserve now you little piece of—’
Lexie felt hands on her arms, pulling at her, and she was suddenly whisked backwards onto her feet.
‘Easy, Lex.’
It was Josh’s voice. He held her from behind. His arms encircled her chest to prevent her launching herself at Sasha again.
‘Calm down.’
Lexie spun her head around to see the look of steely control plastered across his handsome face. She took a deep breath, trying to ease the overwhelming urge to pulverise Sasha into the earth. But as she glanced around at the sea of faces watching them, she was grateful for Josh’s intervention.
Deadly Obsession Page 35