Lexie looked straight into his piercing green eyes. They were glistening brighter than usual, if that was possible. She couldn’t imagine ever growing tired of this handsome man. Josh Harrison was seriously gorgeous. And he was hers.
‘Of course you can. You can ask me anything.’
‘Okay . . .’
He hesitated then smiled.
‘I would like us to move in together. What do you think?’
Lexie was stunned. She glanced around self-consciously but no one seemed to be watching them. They were too busy letting their hair down. This was unexpected; although in a good way. Her heart filled with happiness and her face broke out into a broad grin.
‘You’ve thought about this seriously?’
‘You know me. I have to think about things before I can even say them. So yes, I’ve given it a lot of thought. It’s what I want more than anything.’
Lexie felt her insides melt.
‘It sounds like a perfect idea to me.’
They laughed, absorbed in each other and the good times that lay ahead. Leaning in, Josh gave her another quick kiss, as if to seal the deal.
Peripherally Lexie became aware of Batman’s gaze upon them. It made her uncomfortable and she pulled back from Josh.
‘Let’s keep it our secret for now, until we are ready to announce the news.’
‘I’m ready now,’ Josh proclaimed.
‘I want to savour it between us for a bit; get used to it,’ Lexie said.
This was partly true but if she was completely honest with herself she would admit it was also because she wanted to save Batman’s feelings for now. She had promised Lurch she would speak to him but as yet hadn’t had the chance. She felt the slightest tinge of unfounded guilt. They had to work together. She didn’t want things to be any more awkward or uncomfortable between them than they already were.
Instinctively, Lexie glanced towards Batman. Their eyes locked for a second before he dropped his gaze. Grace, who was seated next to him, missed the exchange. She was too absorbed in staring at him adoringly. Batman didn’t appear to notice. Lexie got the impression he was going to shatter her heart like a hammer on glass.
Josh followed her gaze. Glancing back at Lexie, his eyes were uncertain.
‘Are you sure about moving in with me?’
His eyes darted back to Batman once again.
‘We don’t have to rush this, you know.’
Lexie placed a finger over his lips to stop him talking.
‘Shhhh.’
His vulnerability melted her heart. She didn’t want to see Batman hurt. She didn’t like to see anyone get hurt. But she couldn’t be responsible for other people’s feelings. She could only be accountable for her own. She was in love with Josh. No one else had ever stood a chance. It had always been Josh. It would always be Josh.
Lexie gave him a brilliant smile.
‘I’m more than sure. Trust me. I know what I want and that’s you. Only you!’
Josh’s expression changed from concern to jubilance. His face moved closer, just centimetres from hers and hesitated. Lexie caught her breath. He dazzled her, drew her in like a magnet. Their eyes locked and the heat that radiated between them almost crackled through the air. She loved the way Josh looked at her, as though visually eating her up.
‘I love you, Lexie Rogers.’
I love you, Josh Harrison,’ she replied breathlessly, pressing her lips against his in the softest of kisses. ‘And later, I’m going to show you just how much.’
EPILOGUE
‘I’m not mad, you know.’
Doctor Richard Mathieson studied the girl sitting in the chair opposite him. Even unkempt as she was now, she was still reasonably attractive, he thought. Her skin was olive. Her face was heart-shaped with her most distinguishing feature being her large, doe-like eyes. They were wide and appeared innocent. Yet there was something disturbingly sinister wallowing in their depths that he was yet to identify.
‘I didn’t say that you were mad, Sasha.’
He kept his voice calm, non-threatening.
‘Why don’t we talk about why you are here?’
‘I shouldn’t be in here, you know. This place is for crazies.’
Sasha began scratching at her arms. This seemed to be a sign her agitation was growing.
‘I’ll do anything to get out of here. A N Y T H I N G.’
Her voice was full of sexual innuendo. She began to unbutton the top of her blouse exposing an impressive cleavage.
Running her hands over her breasts, she asked, ‘When was the last time you had some mind-blowing sex, doctor? I’ll fuck you every day for a week if you write up a report or do whatever you have to do to get me out of here.’
Doctor Mathieson sighed. He had seen Sasha three times since she had been institutionalised and each session had been the same. The crimes had all been Natalia’s fault. Sasha hadn’t done anything. Then she would try to bribe him with promises of sex. The fact he was old enough to be her grandfather didn’t seem an issue. Then, when he rebuffed her advances, she regressed into a trance-like state and refused to speak. End of session.
Clearly, she had made a habit of using sex as a tool to get what she wanted. It all came back to insecurity. It made her feel wanted, desirable.
‘Put your breasts away, Sasha. That is not going to work.’
Sasha was a complicated case. It could take him some time to determine whether she was essentially a master manipulator and brilliant actress, or if she was seriously suffering from delusional schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. Possibly she was all of the above.
Today Doctor Mathieson had decided to take a different approach.
‘Nurse Jackson doesn’t say no to me, you know?’ continued Sasha. ‘He loves my breasts. He gives me whatever I want if I let him play with these babies.’
It was probably self-delusional talk, but Doctor Mathieson made a mental note to investigate her claims. Stranger things than a male nurse fondling a patient had happened in this place.
‘Today we are not going to talk about you, Sasha. We are going to talk about Natalia.’
‘You’re not listening to me. No one ever listens to—’
Sasha suddenly gasped as she processed what he had just said.
‘Did you say we’re going to talk about Natalia?’
‘Yes, I want you to tell me what Natalia has done.’
Doctor Mathieson nodded and watched Sasha’s body stiffen.
‘Where is Natalia now?’ he asked.
Sasha’s eyes darted around the room in jerky, unsteady movements.
‘She is resting. She is very tired after all that has happened.’
‘What has Natalia done?’
Sasha shook her head, suddenly angry. She pursed her lips and gave him a hard look.
‘Natalia can be very nasty, very jealous sometimes. She has a bad temper. I don’t like to upset her. You don’t want to upset her.’
‘Did Natalia know selling prescription drugs was illegal?’
‘Of course she did. She is not stupid,’ Sasha snapped. ‘She just liked the extra money and sometimes she used them herself . . . to relax. Natalia is very highly strung.’
‘Why did Natalia kill her friend Melissa McDermott?’
‘I don’t want to talk about this.’
Sasha rocked back and forth in her seat, her arms wrapped around her waist, hugging herself. He waited, said nothing. A long moment went by before Sasha spoke.
‘Melissa was a slut.’
Her words came out in a hiss.
‘She was spreading herpes around and she slept with Natalia’s boyfriend, Rod. It was only fair.’
‘Is that the only reason?’
‘No. She was going to cause trouble. Melissa caught Natalia taking some drugs out of the cabinet at work. She was being stupid. She shouldn’t have taken them from the hospital. I told her that but she didn’t listen. She can be very stubborn sometimes. Melissa was going to cause troub
le for Natalia.’
‘Jenna Harrison and Rachel West . . . did Natalia kill them too?’
‘She had to. Jenna Harrison was crazy and she was trying to steal Rod away. Rachel did the same thing. You can’t trust other women with your man. Natalia was just protecting what was hers.’
‘Did Natalia try to make these deaths look like suicides?’
Sasha nodded.
‘Yes, and it worked until she stuffed up the last one. With Melissa she was in a hurry. She didn’t get time to leave a note or clean her up. Natalia heard someone in the bushes and got scared.’
‘What is the obsession with the roses? Why did you . . . sorry, Natalia, place a rose in each girl’s hand?’
‘Natalia’s boyfriend, Rod, loves roses. He gave her one. She thought it was a nice touch.’
‘Why use OxyContin to kill them?’
Sasha looked at him as though he was stupid.
‘Because it was easy to get and it was quick. They just stop breathing. Natalia watched them take their last breaths. It was peaceful.’
‘Rod Bream also went out with a lady called Dani. Did Natalia break into her house?’
‘Natalia gave her a warning. She didn’t know about Dani for a long time because she didn’t work at the hospital, but when she found out . . . she was so mad. Dani was lucky.’
Sasha narrowed her eyes, though her body had relaxed. She seemed happy to be sharing this information with him now. She was almost boasting.
‘Natalia stabbed the policeman with a syringe full of drugs. Why was that in her bag? Who was it meant for?’
‘The cop bitch. Natalia hates her. She stole another boyfriend of Natalia’s, not Rod, another one. She wouldn’t give her the chance to do it again. She was going to kill her that night but she had a man there and Natalia doesn’t kill innocent people.’
‘What about the prescriptions? Why did Natalia forge Doctor Bream’s name on the scripts?’
‘That was just for the money. It was easy money. She made a killing. Smackies will do anything for drugs, you know that.’
Sasha gave him a long look.
‘Natalia stole one of Rod’s prescription pads from the hospital. She didn’t think that it might get Rod into trouble. She would never want to do that, even though he could be hurtful sometimes.’
‘Hurtful? In what way?’
‘Women, stupid sluts were always throwing themselves at him. Sometimes he weakened, was unfaithful. It would hurt Natalia but she knew she and Rod were meant to be together.’
‘Do you feel better now that you’ve told me about Natalia?’ That you’ve got things off your chest?’ Doctor Mathieson asked.
Sasha’s demeanour changed. She transformed from co-operative to smug, defiant.
‘It doesn’t really matter what I tell you, does it? I’m mad, so everyone thinks. And you can’t tell anyone what I say, anyway. You can’t tell the cops any of this because of doctor–patient privilege.’
That was why Sasha was so cocky, compliant, Mathieson realised. She thought anything she told him could not be used in evidence against her. She was wrong. He was not a priest.
He pushed further, extremely thankful that this conversation was being recorded.
‘So Natalia, how do you know Sasha?’
For a moment the girl looked confused, then offended. Her movements became manic, jerking.
‘No, no, no. I keep telling you. You’re not listening. We were talking about Natalia. I’m Sasha, not Natalia.’
‘Come on, Natalia, talk to me. Stop hiding behind Sasha.’
The girl let out a strangled wail. Her eyes flickered and her body stiffened as she fought some sort of evil entity from within. Doctor Mathieson sat and waited . . . hoping. Sasha was either a brilliant actress or completely insane, he thought, feeling an imminent breakthrough was about to take place.
‘I want to talk to Natalia,’ he said again. ‘Come on out, Natalia. Sasha is too soft, she is weak. I want to talk to the strong one.’
Sasha’s eyes glazed over, then grew wider. She inhaled deeply. Something happened, a kind of metamorphosis. Her face twisted and strange groans came from deep in her throat. Her eyes squinted shut and then, when they opened, there was a sudden calm to the girl.
In all his years as a psychologist he had seen nothing quite like it.
The girl stared at him insolently.
‘Sasha is weak, you are right. I am the strong one. People underestimate me.’
‘Why did you kill those girls?’ he asked, the venomous look in her eyes planting the first seed of trepidation deep in his gut.
‘Rod Bream is mine,’ she stated simply. ‘I did it because they got in my way. And no one gets in my way.’
The girl moved so fast. Too fast!
Leaping out of the chair, she hurled herself across the desk at him. Stunned, he had no time to call out. He was old, his reflexes were almost obsolete. He saw the syringe as she raised her hand ready to jab him with it.
‘You can thank Nurse Jackson for this, doctor. So unprofessional swapping syringes for sexual favours. He probably thought it was harmless, since I’ve got nothing to put in it. But you and I both know an air bubble in the bloodstream will do the job.’
Doctor Mathieson felt the sting as she stabbed the needle into his neck.
The last thing he saw was Sasha’s deranged eyes and the smirk of satisfaction that spread across her crazed face.
‘I told you Natalia could be nasty, but you didn’t listen, did you?’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing a novel is a solitary task, but the road to publication involves the talents of many. So my heartfelt thanks go to:
My incredible literary agent and friend, Selwa Anthony. Thank you for your guidance, your protective nurturing, your positive outlook, for sharing your knowledge, experience and so much more. The extended ‘family’ you have created is amazing and unique. What a clever lady you are. You make dreams come true.
Linda Anthony, for your tireless hard work behind the scenes. You always have a smile on your face and make everyone feel welcome – even on days you may not feel like being pleasant, you always are.
The whole team at Simon and Schuster Australia. You are all incredible, even those of you I am yet to meet. I am so grateful for the great work you do. Special thanks to Managing Director Lou Johnson for taking a chance on me. Larissa Edwards, Head of Publishing, for her belief and enthusiasm. Roberta Ivers, my talented editor with a sense of humour. Carol Warwick, my lovely and hard-working publicist and the ever-smiling Anabel Pandiella. Not forgetting Elissa Baillie and her dedicated sales team who ensure the books get on the shelves.
Drew Keys, for your positive feedback and much appreciated insight. Sandra Rigby, for your expert editing, suggestions and corrections.
To my diverse group of girlfriends scattered all over the place, especially Deanne, Toni, Belinda, Vikki, Nikki, Stacey, Donna, Cindy, Sharon, Camille, Julie and Martine. Your friendship and encouragement means so much. Like that quote by I don’t know who… ‘Friends are like stars. You can’t always see them but you know they are there.’ This applies to all of you. P.S. You guys rated a mention so it sounds like I have lots of friends … Joking.
To the Romance Writers of Australia ‘Breathless in the bush’ writers group for welcoming me and sharing your knowledge with the newcomer. You are a great support network.
The ‘Sassy Family’. Once a year is not enough to catch up with such a great group of like-minded people, but I’ll take what I can get. I’d like to say a special thanks for feedback and encouragement to the lovely Colleen Keys, Anna Romer, Sarah Rutherven and Lyn McPherson. Also to my other writer friends, especially Jenn J McLeod who shares her computer expertise as well as keeping me in the loop regarding everything ‘writing’.
Scott Malloy, my school friend and police academy classmate. I think we have enough stories between us to fill I don’t know how many books! Thanks for your advice, suggestions and ideas, bikie i
nfo, nicknames and the damage to my brain cells from too many good nights out.
Belinda Neil, my academy buddy and long-time friend. Thanks for your editing, suggestions, police procedural advice and endless support. (You get two mentions. Are you feeling special?)
To the South Australian Police Association, especially Mark Carroll (President), Tom Scheffler (Secretary), Brett Williams (journalist and journal editor), Anne Hehner (expert organiser). Thank you for your continual support, promotional assistance and taking care of me so well on my short but very enjoyable visits to Adelaide. I love that you care so sincerely about your members, their wellbeing and their mental health. If I had to get a real job and you were a tad closer, I’d love to work in your office. What a great group of people you are.
As always; to Doctor Greg Wilkins, Psychiatrist, for doing what you do best; helping to heal the suffering of the wounded. With the stories you’ve heard over the years, I’m sure you could write your own book.
My in-laws, the Sweeney family. I am lucky to have married into a wonderful family who love and support each other and always take the time to show an interest in my writing.
My brother Brett, his wife Sarhn, and their daughter – my beautiful niece Willow Carolynne, with a middle name in honour of her wonderful grandmothers, Lynne and Carol.
My neighbours, who have also become my friends, especially: Lorraine and Rod, Nicole and Murray, Sonia, Natalie and Mark. I so appreciate your interest, feedback and encouragement. I’m lucky. I live in a great street.
To Mum; I hope I’ve done you proud. I miss you every day.
To Dad, thanks for everything, including your editing and advice. You got the dedication, so I can’t keep screaming gratitude and being too nice. Apart from wondering what’s got into me, I don’t want you to get a big head!
My daughters, Liah and Tara, who never fail to make me proud. I am grateful to have such beautiful girls who remind me how lucky I am to have happy and healthy children. And that life is good. Not forgetting my step-daughters, Abbey and Hannah, who have also grown into lovely young girls. It has been great to watch the bond grow between the four of you. There hasn’t been one fight between you in all these years. That’s pretty good for a blended family.
Deadly Obsession Page 38