by Sandy Vaile
“Really?” Davey rubbed his knobbly chin between thumb and forefinger. “It’s very observant of you to be looking for trip wires when you drop a friend home.”
This line of questioning was predictable, and he needed to head it off before he was bogged down by an interrogation he didn’t have time for. Time was critical in finding Mya’s stalker, and Davey could handle this scene without Luca.
“Look, I’m in the middle of an investigation and this woman might be linked, so I was on my guard. Derman will be here in a minute, and I want her to take Miss Jensen to a safe location.”
Davey frowned as though digesting this version of events.
“You can clear it with Inspector Moss, if you like,” Luca added. Reaching behind, he rubbed a finger over a sore spot on his back and flinched.
“That won’t be necessary, but I’ll need you to stay and give a statement.”
“Sure thing. The fireys have called the bomb squad to check for secondary devices.”
“Hey, are you hurt?”
Luca followed Davey’s gaze down to his own hand. The fingers that had touched his back were smeared red. “I don’t know. My back’s hurting like stink.”
He removed his jacket and turned to let Davey take a look.
“Shrapnel. You’d better let the ambos take a look. I’ll get a team out here to process the house.”
“Make sure your people interview every person at number eleven. I arrested one this morning and this may be a retaliation bombing.”
Kate’s unmarked sedan coasted between the fire appliance and the growing crowd of spectators and stopped at an angle. She leaped out and strode over to the police contingent.
“What’s going on?”
Luca flicked his head sideways and they walked a few paces. He gave her a brief outline of the day’s events, from finding Mya collapsed at Rich Haven to the explosion.
“Are you hurt?” Her gaze travelled over his body.
“Just some shrapnel from the explosion. I’ll get it looked at in a minute. Right now I need you to get Mya out of here.”
“I dropped Natalie at my place. She was supposed to stay with Mya tonight, but obviously that isn’t possible. I don’t think it’s appropriate for them to stay with me, but I don’t see a lot of options at present.”
Luca nodded. “I don’t think Mya should be left alone right now. You could take her to the station for a while.”
Kate eyed Mya’s drooping figure. “No, I’ll take her home, but call me when you’re done here, no matter what the time is.”
“Thanks, Kate, you’re a gem. There’s a mess to clean up, but I’ll find a motel or safe house for them tomorrow.”
“And get your back seen to,” she insisted in no uncertain terms.
• • •
Mya stared out the passenger window of Kate’s gold Torana and wondered how it was that people still mowed lawns, read newspapers on park benches, and walked scruffy mutts. Surely something had changed in the world. Her world had certainly altered since this morning. The excruciating pain she’d felt after Bev told her about her mum … it was like her internal organs ruptured one by one and left a gelatinous pulp in their place.
At least the angry swirl of purple and grey clouds agreed with her mood. Thankfully, there was just numbness now, although the pain was bound to return.
Her only family was gone. Her one safe haven had been violated. A slender finger of pain moved through the pulp inside her and she shivered at the dull ache it left behind.
Twice she’d failed to protect her mum. Now they’d both paid the ultimate price.
Mya’s heart felt like it had been replaced by a dark abyss. A murky place even she was afraid to enter, where the anger of injustice, abuse, and abandonment lurked, waiting to take revenge. Over the years she’d expended a lot of energy keeping this darkness at bay. She’d locked it into an internal vault and thrown away the key. She might not have the strength to hold the door shut anymore, and it scared the hell out of her.
Better to embrace the numbness.
Kate hadn’t said a word during the drive from Croydon to Millswood, although she glanced sideways a few times. Mya had never had a boyfriend, but she was pretty sure the wariness on Kate’s face was jealousy. The cop either fancied Luca, or had already had a piece of him. Maybe Kate was the doormat with whom Luca shared his conquests, or he was one of those wankers who liked to boast. Nah, that didn’t sit right with what she’d seen of him so far. Either way, the woman wasn’t keen on her guest.
Mya wasn’t too keen either.
Kate turned into a red patterned cement driveway, marched to the front door, and started sifting through a large set of keys. Apparently this was Mya’s cue to follow. Kate stepped aside and waved her across the threshold. The TV was muted and a guy with a short back-and-sides haircut reclined on a brown leather lounge suite with his socked feet on a salmon-pink cushion.
He narrowed his eyes at Kate. “Another one?”
Kate winced. Boyfriend or husband; either way Mya didn’t like him already.
They continued through an arch, past a smoked-glass dining table with crushed velvet chairs, and into a spacious slate-tiled family room. A TV in here played a chick flick, and she recognized Natalie’s colour-streaked hair.
“Take a seat. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”
It took a moment to realise Kate was talking to her. “Tea, please. White, no sugar.”
“Would you like something, Natalie?”
“Another Coke?”
“Certainly.”
Natalie smiled by way of a greeting and returned her attention to the TV. Mya flopped onto the end of a maroon microfibre couch and pretended to watch the movie, but her eyes looked past the TV and unfocused as they tried to see through the wall.
The blissful numbness she’d clung to since Luca took her away from Rich Haven was melting. Something raw and bleak was being exposed. Her throat closed, so she swallowed hard several times. Her jaw ached as tears stung her already sore eyes. It was all she could do to stop from putting her head on her knees and rocking like a maniac.
It was as if Mya had been in that room. She could picture her mum’s serene face as she lay on her bed, dressed in a nightie, and Rhonda sneaking into Rosalie’s room, putting a pillow over her face and holding it there. Her mum trying to struggle, but she couldn’t.
“Mya! Would you like to have your cuppa in the bedroom?” Kate was staring at her.
She had gripped the velour couch as though trying to wring a chicken’s neck. Across the room, Natalie’s eyes were wide.
Kate moved to stand in front of her, blocking Natalie’s view. “I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping,” she said, holding an arm to the side to indicate the direction.
Mya didn’t want to scare Natalie—the girl had been through enough—and she refused to have a meltdown in front of anyone, so she followed Kate down the hall to the third door on the left. Mya tumbled onto the bed, covering her face in the hope she’d be left alone.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Kate’s voice was soft, the tense lines on her face gone and her mouth turned down at the corners.
“Go away.” She tried to make it sound like a demand, but her voice cracked, so she pressed her lips tighter. It felt like shards of glass were being dragged through her intestines, up her chest, and out through her throat in a strangled cry.
Judging by the silence, Kate had returned to the kitchen.
The sound of paper being torn from a cardboard box shocked Mya upright.
“It’s going to be all right.” Kate held out a tissue and sat on the edge of the bed. “Luca told me what happened, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.” She wrung her hands in her lap and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m sorry about your mum.”
Even through moisture-blurred vision, Kate’s short bob, plain face, and police uniform were severe. Still, Mya wanted to thank her for giving her a place to stay. Wanted to, but couldn’t ge
t the words out.
“I just want to be alone,” she said instead.
Kate left the room quietly.
Chapter 27
Luca parked in front of police headquarters around mid-afternoon. It had taken a while to give his statement at Mya’s house. He sidled out of the car with care, trying not to scrape the mosaic of bandages the ambos put on his back after they picked dozens of wood splinters out.
Now that there had been an attempt on Mya’s life, he wanted to talk to Moss again. At this point it was speculation that the bombing was linked to the jewelry scam, and that Rosalie’s death was suspicious. Theories were not going to convince the inspector, but his instinct told him he had to. Mya’s life might depend on it.
He stepped through the automatic sliding doors and scanned the white glare of the palatial foyer.
“Luca.” Moss waved a folded newspaper from his nook by Funk Café, in the foyer of the police station, a polystyrene cup resting on his knee.
He didn’t get up from the couch, so Luca dropped onto the seat beside him.
Straight to the point, Moss placed the newspaper on a glass coffee table and angled his body toward Luca. “What’s this house explosion got to do with the woman who died at the nursing home this morning?”
“Maybe nothing, but it was the deceased woman’s daughter whose house was bombed. She claims her mother was murdered and—”
“Bombed?”
“I confirmed it onsite. Looked like an amateur device, but I won’t know the details until the bomb squad has finished there.”
Moss puckered his milk-foamed lips and nodded, as though he knew where Luca was going with this.
He held the old man’s steady gaze. “There are a few seemingly unrelated anomalies that all seem to tie in to Rich Haven.”
The inspector put his half cappuccino on the table and pushed his reading glasses further up his nose. “Like what?”
“First, the increased death rate since two Happy Vale staff moved there, then some jewelry was reported stolen and it turns out some kind of replica racket might be operating. Rosalie Jensen’s death could be suspicious, especially now her daughter’s house has been bombed, too. Something is going on at Rich Haven. I just have to figure out what exactly.”
“I see. And what do you want from me, sergeant?”
“I want to head the operation, sir.”
Moss did his staring thing, so Luca sat straighter and kept his gaze steady. He’d invested too much in this case to walk away. “I have a head start on this one, sir. I can tie these pieces together.”
“I have no doubt you can get the job done.” The inspector chewed his lip.
“I’m not taking unnecessary risks, sir.” He paused for the length of a heartbeat—no need to confess to sneaking around Kevin Walker’s house. “I want to suspend my leave and coordinate the teams already in place, with Constable Derman 2IC. I won’t make a move without evidence, and you know I’ll keep you in the loop.”
The old man rubbed a hand over his face wearily. His skin fractured into a weathered landscape as he smiled. “What resources will you need?”
• • •
Mya woke with the pillow stuck to her face by a damp combination of drool and tears. The bedroom light was still on and her watch showed eleven fifty. Night, she guessed by the lack of light around the curtains. She sat and checked out the cramped room. A single bed, full-length mirrored robes at one end, and a cane chair in the corner with a pile of folded clothes on it. Her clothes.
How the hell did they get there?
On the top of the pile was her red toiletries bag, which she assumed contained items from her bathroom. They must have been rescued from her ruined house.
Oh no, my house. Mum.
Her insides hollowed. She couldn’t feel her heart beat or lungs expand as memories of her mum and the explosion rushed forward.
With a clumsy shuffle, she almost fell off the bed and crept into the dark hall. There were hushed voices in the kitchen and one belonged to a man. She stepped into the bright light and couldn’t see a damned thing, so stood there blinking. Someone chuckled.
“Nice hair.”
Luca’s was the first face she’d seen after she’d been told about her mother. He was the one who protected her from the explosion. Usually she didn’t need anyone, but tonight she wanted his warm arms wrapped around her, just to be close to another living being.
She was halfway across the room when she caught a glimpse of her hair in the wall oven. It looked like the mess of twigs and straw you’d find atop a telephone pole, with starling eggs in it. Not sure if she should make a run for the bathroom or stay, she tensed an arm in each direction.
“Hey, Mya.” Luca came towards her, his powder-blue eyes intense. “I’m kidding. Come have a cuppa and I’ll bring you up to speed.”
He reached a hand in her direction, but she just stared at it. It was large and slightly callused, but she knew from experience it was gentle and warm.
Kate huffed and turned to fill the kettle. Luca took another step and Mya placed her hand on his upturned palm. Long fingers wrapped around it and a pleasant tingle flowed up her arm and neck.
He led her to the breakfast bar and pulled out a stool. When she was seated, he lifted himself to sit on the kitchen bench. “I stayed at your place until the fireys and bomb squad finished. They confirmed your door was rigged with explosives. I think the wind blew it open far enough to hit a wire across the back and pull a pin from the detonator. Apparently it was a fairly crude device, either set by an amateur or not intended to kill. It was never going to create enough of a blast to destroy the house. They searched the premises and confirmed there was only the one device. Anyway, it could’ve been a lot worse, so we were lucky.”
“Lucky,” she mumbled.
Kate pushed a mug of tea along the breakfast bar to Mya, and another to Luca.
“Only the door and a small portion of the entrance hall are damaged, but the smell of smoke might take a while to get out of the place,” he added.
Honestly, she didn’t care about the house, but he was just doing his job, so naturally he was more concerned about material stuff than the death of a disabled woman.
“I’m going to bed,” Kate announced. “Oh, Luca, you’ll need to deal with the Rich Haven director in the morning.” She lowered her voice and moved closer to him, glancing at Mya. “I put a guard on Rosalie’s room for the night, and the director’s not happy about it. See yourself out.”
“Yeah, thanks for everything.”
Kate shuffled down the dark hall.
Mya sipped hot tea halfheartedly, watching an ant sneak along the join in the speckled kitchen laminate. She flinched when Luca jumped down from the bench. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought the movement made him wince.
“You’re hurt?” She reached a hand out and let it hang in midair.
“A few scratches on my back. Nothing too bad.”
“Can I see?”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
She returned her attention to the searching ant to give herself time to think. He was injured because he threw himself over her. No one had ever done that before.
Luca came closer, took the mug from her hand, and placed it on the bench. Her heart thumped a staccato beat. She could feel the heat from his body, but kept her gaze on the ant. When he smoothed her wild hair with the palm of his hand, she couldn’t help but lean into it.
“How are you doing?”
She shrugged and blinked rapidly.
“You know you can ask me anything you want.”
Her eyes snapped up and she said the first thing that popped into her mind. “How long will the autopsy take?” She expected him to look uncomfortable, or change the subject.
Instead, he held steady. “It will be done tomorrow. It’ll take a few days to get the pathologist’s report and longer still for test results, but I’ve put a hurry on them.”
She nodded.
&
nbsp; “I know you don’t want to think about it at the moment, but can you remember anything about your mum’s room that was out of place?”
Mya picked up her mug again to give her hands something to do and exhaled across the surface, closing her eyes as the warm air caressed them. Luca’s hand was still on her shoulder and she focused on the warmth that permeated into her. Solace in a single hand.
“Her arm,” she whispered.
“What about her arm?”
“It was straight by her side. Mum’s left arm spasmed and she held it near her chin with the hand clenched.” She put a hand up to show how.
“Anything else?”
“Thanks for … this morning, and at my house.”
“You’re welcome, Mya.” He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so she had to look him in the eye. “I promise to figure this out and make you safe again.”
“I’ve never been safe,” she mumbled. Crap, I didn’t mean to say that aloud.
He didn’t say anything but moved closer. His thighs touched her knees, and his chest was centimetres from her face. She couldn’t help it, she looked up. His eyes had changed to a glistening steel grey. He lowered his head slowly. One large hand cupped the side of her face and he pressed his soft lips to hers.
Her eyes closed as a soothing warmth spread down her throat and into her chest. The kiss was long and tender and, although it stirred desire, it didn’t build into the uncontrollable craving it had last time they were together. It was more comforting.
When it was over, he held her head to his chest and she listened to his quick breaths. They stood like that for a while and the tension eased from her limbs.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He kissed the top of her head, grabbed his car keys, and headed for the back door. “Hope the clothes and toiletries are adequate. It was certainly an eye-opener selecting the underwear.” He disappeared into the night, sporting a huge grin.
So he was the one who packed her stuff. What a cheek.
Chapter 28
Luca tucked his police shirt into black jeans and stuffed car keys into the back pocket—as formal as he planned to get on a Sunday. Hopefully it wasn’t too early to turn up at Kate’s house after the late hour last night. He pushed her side gate open and nearly tripped over a stack of empty black plastic pots.