‘He yelled to the other man for help.’
‘He tied a plastic tie around my ankles.’
‘He left me on the bed and made a phone call.’
But when I got to the part in the bathroom where I had to put on makeup and take my clothes off, my shoulders started to shake and tears flowed down my face. I was humiliated explaining how vulnerable I felt. And when I went through the part about the piano wire, and what I did with it, Detective Williamson asked me questions that made me feel like I was in trouble.
‘Where did you get the piano wire?’
‘Was the man breathing when you smashed his head?’
‘Were you trying to kill him or just get away?’
By the time I explained about stabbing the other man, and sprinting down the stairs, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. Finally, the tape was turned off and the policewoman left me and the detective alone. I avoided eye contact with him, hoping he didn’t have any other questions for me, off the record. But he surprised me by saying: ‘You were very brave Ellen. You’ve been very lucky to get away from these people. They were almost certainly planning to kill you. We’ve seen the tapes they had in the apartment, and there is plenty of evidence to back up what you have told us. We have lots of people looking for them. Your uncle is waiting for you in the foyer. Do you feel ok to go with him? Or would you prefer one of our officers accompanied you to his house?’
‘I’m ok. Thanks for everything. I just feel like sleeping now. Can you give me your card again? I think I might have lost the other one.’
‘Lost or threw out?’ he asked, giving me a wink.
Andy was sitting on a chair in the foyer when I came out. He looked worried, almost like a parent picking up a sick child.
‘Are you ok?’ he asked, awkwardly moving towards me as if he thought he should give me a hug.
I took a sideways step to avoid this, and said: ‘I’m fine, thanks. Let’s get going, I’m desperate for some food and sleep. Also, can I borrow your phone please?’
I called Liam to check in, and give him Andy’s number. He was waiting at the platform; no sign of Sophie yet. As we walked back to Andy’s car, he tried to ask me some questions about what had happened, but I said I was too tired to explain. He took the hint for the rest of the trip home. I sat staring out of the window, my eyes glazed, almost asleep. I wanted to forget about what had happened. And I wanted Sophie to be found tonight.
Chapter 32
Andy treated me like an invalid when we got back to his apartment. I called mum as soon as I got there, careful not to mention that Liam had a new lead for Sophie. If he didn’t find her, mum’s hopes would be dashed again. I was half asleep on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, with a bowl of soup on the coffee table, when Andy’s phone rang. I was suddenly awake, calling for Andy to answer the phone.
‘It could be Liam!’ I yelled, remembering I hadn’t told Andy that Liam might have found Sophie, and that Andy’s mobile was my only contact with him. Andy fumbled with the phone, taking an age to pick it up and answer it.
‘Hello?’ I heard him say as I unwrapped myself from the blanket, and started to get up. Then my hopes vanished as I heard a woman’s voice through the phone. Don’t tell me it’s mum, checking up on me again? But then Andy said something that made me leap towards him.
‘Sophie?’ Andy’s eyes were suddenly wide, his mouth gaping open. He stumbled forwards, almost throwing the phone at me. His face said it all. He had just been speaking to Sophie. I put the phone to my ear, wanting so much to believe it could be her.
‘Sophie? Is that you?’ I asked. And as soon as she replied, I knew it was.
‘Ellen! It’s me! You found me! How did you find me?’ She sounded like she was about to cry. Her voice was so filled with relief that she sounded ready to crumple. Charlie was in the background, gurgling and giggling. Then I heard Liam’s voice; he must have been holding Charlie.
‘Are you there with Liam?’ I asked, my mind suddenly muddled, knowing she must be with Liam since she was on his phone.
‘Yes. He was on the platform where I was catching the train. I didn’t know what to think when he cornered me. I was terrified. But he told me mum sent him to find me. He said Sandra and Ellen sent him, and I freaked out. But then he said 'Soapie', and I just knew I could trust him.’ Sophie was gushing. I was so relieved to hear Liam had managed to convince her he wasn’t a threat that I wanted to hug him.
‘Liam’s going to bring you to Andy’s. Remember uncle Andy? I’m staying with him. You can stay with him too, then we’ll go back home. Mum is going to be so relieved to hear you are ok.’ For the first time in my life, I was the big sister, and I was telling Sophie that everything was going to be alright.
‘I can’t come home yet Ellen. There’s stuff you don’t know about. I had to stay away from you guys because there are some people trying to kill me...’
‘Don’t worry, I know all about that,’ I said. ‘I’ll explain when you get here. The police know who those people are. They won’t be able to get you once they’ve been arrested. The police have found their snuff movie. They aren’t going to get away now...’
‘Snuff movie? What? Who are you talking about?’ she asked, suddenly sounding frightened and unsure.
‘Don’t worry! I’ll explain when you get here.’
‘Liam said we are coming now. So I guess we’ll see you soon.’
‘Ok. Liam knows where he’s going. We’ll be here when you arrive. Bye.’
It was strange to have such a short conversation after not speaking for seven years. But I wanted her to get off the phone so Liam could get them in the car, and start driving to Parramatta.
I paused for a moment. How did Sophie not understand when I said snuff movies? Wasn’t that the whole reason she was blackmailing Holland? Because she found out about the movies, and threatened to tell the police? Maybe she didn’t refer to them as snuff movies? But Liam knew what I was talking about. Strange. It didn’t matter. We had plenty of time to talk.
‘It was her!’ I announced to Andy, who had already worked this out for himself and was now grinning at me. ‘I have to call mum!’
This was the call I’d been waiting to make. Mum took forever to answer her phone, as if purposely delaying the moment of relief.
‘Mum, Liam’s found Sophie! He’s bringing her to Andy’s! I spoke to her! She’s fine!’
Mum squeaked with excitement. ‘Where was she?’ she asked.
‘At Central Station. She has Charlie with her. As soon as she gets here we’ll book flights to come home. She’s still scared of the men, but I’ve told her the police are going to get them.’
‘Oh Ellen, I don’t know what to say! I’ve never felt relief like this before! I’m so proud of you! And Liam! You never gave up.’
I pictured mum standing alone in our dark little house. She wouldn’t have had a moment’s peace since Sophie emailed her all those months ago. And now everything was going to be ok. I felt ecstatic.
‘I’ll call you when she gets here, and then you can speak to her. Ok?’
‘I can’t wait! I’ve been so worried! And I’ve missed her so much! I can’t believe she’s coming home!’
‘I know mum. I can’t believe it myself. She sounds just the same as she always did. And she’ll be here in person soon. I’m going to get off now. I’ll call you the minute they get here.’
‘Ok, bye Ellen.’
‘Bye mum.’
‘They’re on their way,’ I said to Andy, ‘I’m just going to shut my eyes for a sec. Wake me when they get here.’ I lay back on the couch, the tension in my shoulders slowly unwinding, making me feel more comfortable and tired than I did before. And I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
I woke up to Andy gently prodding my shoulder. I felt like I had only been asleep for a few seconds, though I could see it was getting dark outside. Andy looked troubled.
‘Can I talk to you about this email Sophie sent to you?’ he
asked.
‘What?’ I was half asleep and had no idea what Andy was talking about.
‘I know you didn’t want me to get too involved, but you left an email open on my computer. I took a quick look to see if I could work out where she sent it from. I couldn’t help myself’
After everything that happened today, I had hardly had a chance to think about the email. Why hadn’t I suggested we look into this before? Just like the original email from her, maybe this one could be tracked. Andy had obviously had the same thought.
‘I’ve got software that can pick up the ISP address of a computer, just by running the email through its system…’
‘And where was it sent from?’
‘That’s why I woke you. I wasn’t surprised to find it was sent from an internet café. But when I worked out the café was on King St in Newtown…’
‘Liam.’ I answered his speculation. ‘You think Liam might have sent it.’ But why?
Something else had been niggling in my mind, and suddenly reappeared in the form of suspicion. The email had been signed ‘Soph,’ and when I had spoken to Liam earlier, when he was explaining which trains Sophie might catch, he referred to her as Soph. Was that too much of a coincidence? She had never been a ‘Soph’. Andy could see that thoughts were forming in my mind, and he patiently waited for me to voice them. But I wasn’t ready to accuse just yet.
‘Why would Liam send that email?’ I asked. Andy looked concerned. It was the first time I realised he didn’t really trust Liam.
‘Is there any reason he would want you to stop looking for the men who are after Sophie? Or stop looking for Sophie?’ he asked.
‘I can’t think of any...’
But was that really true? As much as he’s wanted to find Sophie, he always got angry at me for suggesting it was important to find the men as well. And as for going to the police…
Andy stood up, glancing at his watch. He seemed suddenly impatient.
‘So where is Liam? He left Central over an hour ago.’
That long! I hadn’t realised how long I had been asleep.
‘So how long does it take to get from Central Station to here?’ Sydney’s traffic was erratic, but suddenly an hour seemed like an incredibly long time.
‘It should only take about forty minutes, even if the traffic isn’t great.’
I got off the couch, and picked up Andy’s phone from the table.
‘Liam’s probably got lost. It’s ok. I’ll call him, and check where he is.’ I dialled back Liam’s number, noticing that he had called us at 6:00 pm. His phone was off, or out of range, and it went straight to voicemail. I tried it again, but it still didn’t ring.
‘Maybe his phone died?’ I suggested uneasily, remembering that he had left his charger here, and might not have one at Newtown.
Andy shrugged, still not ready to take the concerned look off his face. Sophie was so close now. Were we just feeling impatient that she hadn’t arrived yet? Or was there good reason to be concerned?
I sat back down on the sofa, not knowing what to do to pass the time. The seconds seemed to be ticking past excruciatingly slowly. Andy kept looking at his watch; it was making me nervous. Would it be rude to busy myself tidying the flat? Probably. We sat in silence, staring at our laps for a couple of minutes. Then I picked up the mobile again, and redialled, hoping Liam would pick up this time, and say he was just around the corner. Relief flowed through me when the phone connected and started ringing. But as I waited and waited for him to answer, I started to wonder what the hell he was doing. And then the ringing stopped, and I was listening to his voicemail message. I left a quick response, saying that I was just wondering if he was lost, or stuck in traffic, and to call back with an ETA. Couldn’t he understand how desperately I wanted to see Sophie? Why on earth was he taking so long?
Andy heard me leave the message, and impatiently stood up and went into his study. I followed him, now feeling too restless to sit in silence and wait. It didn’t take over an hour to get from Central Station to Parramatta. So where the hell were they?
‘Andy, I know you don’t like using that software illegally, but it wouldn’t hurt to do a quick check of where Liam is, would it? Could the software tell us how close to Parramatta he is? I’m going to go nuts if I don’t find out when they’re going to get here!’
Andy looked relieved. I suspected he was about to suggest the same thing himself, since he was already logging onto the computer.
‘Yeah, it will only take a sec, and we can find out if he’s on the right track. He might not have been able to answer when he was driving.’
Andy was trying to make me feel better, but in truth, he was just as worried as I was. I watched him typing away. Then I read out Liam’s phone number; it was still written in pen on my hand. The computer seemed to sense the urgency in the room, and came up with the data surprisingly quickly. I stared at it, trying to work out what it meant. But Andy had to translate it for me, pointing at the screen as he spoke. His tone sent my stomach plunging to the floor.
‘Why on earth is he going south?’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked. ‘He must be lost or something.’ I was trying to keep the panic from my voice. ‘How do you know he’s going south?’ I didn’t know Sydney well enough to be able to say what might be down south, but I knew Parramatta was definitely west of the city. West of Central Station. Liam should be driving west.
‘This data shows that when you just left that voicemail message, Liam’s phone was connecting to the Stanwell Park phone tower. Stanwell Park is quite a long way south of Sydney,’ Andy explained, still typing away as the screen filled with numbers. My mind felt muddled and tired, but I knew something was wrong. What was Liam doing?
‘Has he made any calls?’ I asked, ‘or sent any messages?’ Andy was one step ahead of me and had an answer straight away.
‘No calls. The text messages are just loading up’.
Words appeared on the screen, just as when we had been able to see the messages between Bill Holland and Danny. This message had been sent at 6:05. Liam must have sent it straight after Sophie got off the phone to me.
‘Got what you want. Have money ready. Send address. Will meet you there’. Who the hell was that message sent to? My heart started pounding in my chest. Liam couldn’t be doing what that message implied. He just couldn’t.
‘Did he get a message back?’ I asked.
With a click of the mouse, Andy brought the response up on the screen. We both read it, and then stared at each other, speechless.
‘Can’t have been difficult. Got her from the police station did you? Will negotiate new price. 85 Towradgi Rd, Towradgi’.
A new price? It could only mean one thing, and there wasn’t even the smallest doubt. I knew instantly what Liam had done. He was selling Sophie to the people who had been looking for her. And I had agreed that he go and find her on his own.
‘Fuck!’ I screamed, running from the study, and grabbing Andy’s mobile. I had originally thought Liam was a fraud, and somehow I let him charm me into believing in him!
I had Detective Williamson’s card in my pocket. I took it out, and with shaking fingers, called his mobile number. To my immense relief, he answered straight away.
‘It’s me, Ellen. I’ve just found out Liam has kidnapped Sophie, and is going to take her to the people who want to kill her! You need to send police to find her! I’ve got the address. Can you please send someone now!’
I was running on so fast I thought the detective would tell me to slow down, be calm, explain it again. But he caught on quickly, and didn’t waste words. ‘Give me the address...’ I ran back into the study where Andy had brought up a map on the computer screen, showing the location of the address that had been sent to Liam’s phone.
‘85 Towradgi Rd, Towradgi... it’s near... Wollongong.’
Andy was pointing his finger at the word Wollongong on the screen. The detective was still speaking as it occurred to me where I had heard
of Wollongong before... Bill Holland’s associate had been taking calls near there...
‘Do you know how far away from the address he is?’ the detective was asking.
‘He left Central Station at 6:00. I don’t know how long it takes to get there...he’s driving a white Holden station-wagon, I don’t know what year, it’s pretty old, must be a early 90s model...’ Why hadn’t I ever taken note of exactly what make his car was? But then I remembered the number plate, or at least some of it.
‘The number plate! It’s got a D 960 in it, I’m sure!’
‘Ok. I’ll send a local crew from Wollongong. You stay where you are, and I’ll call you back on your uncle’s phone when I have some news.’
Yeah right. I wasn’t going to sit on the couch now and wait for someone else to act. Andy was already picking up his car keys and grabbing a coat.
‘Are you going there too?’ I asked the detective, avoiding his statement about staying where I was.
‘Yes. I’m on the road now, so I’ll head towards the address. Can’t hurt to see what’s going on there. If Kingsley has gone straight there, he should be there in 10 to 15 minutes from now.’
I didn’t really care what was going on there, if only Sophie wasn’t involved.
The anger I was feeling for Liam was like nothing I had ever experienced. There was no fear, just a deep anger, and hatred. How could he do this to us? It wasn’t just the money we've paid him. We trusted him. How could he be capable of such a betrayal? Just when I expected to have Sophie walking through the door, Liam was taking her to the people who would kill her. I risked my life to track these people down, and he’d been working with them! This was madness! How could he sell Sophie to anyone for certain slaughter? And how long had he been planning to do this?
I suddenly saw my mistake. Liam wasn’t in love with Sophie. He was in love with the idea of how much money someone was willing to pay for her capture. Revolting. I couldn’t believe I had been friendly with him over the last few harrowing days. Maybe even more than friendly. My first instinct, when mum told me about him, was to think he was a con man. But I let his smarm work on me. I liked him. I trusted that he was a good guy. And he was worse than a con man! He was a murderer! I had ignored the things Detective Williamson had told me about his past, but suddenly I saw who Liam really was. I felt sick. Anger was pouring out of me, making my eyes water and my hands shake. My face burned. I had to control myself not to scream, and swear, or bang my fists against the wall. The only way to keep myself sane was to picture what I'd do to him when I found him. He might think he was going to profit from his betrayal, but I wasn’t going to rest until he was locked up for a very long time. And if anything happened to Sophie before I got to her, I just didn't know what I was going to do.
Times of Trouble Page 27