Putting my angry energy to use, I jogged down to the car. Andy ran next to me, explaining between puffs that it would take about an hour and a half to get to Wollongong. We could put the address in his Sat Nav to make sure he took the fastest route. I was so thankful that he was continuing to help me. I had thought Liam was the one backing me up. I suddenly thought of mum, and remembered she was waiting to speak to Sophie too. How could I call her and tell her what had happened now? I had to ring her, but I’d have to make something up.
She answered with so much joy that it crushed my heart to have to tell her Sophie wasn’t with me.
‘Ellen? Is she there?’ she asked, sounding like an excited child.
‘No mum. I’m just calling to let you know Liam and Sophie have got a bit held up... they went to get... some of Sophie’s things she had left somewhere else that she didn’t want to lose... so they are doing that and it will be a bit longer before they get to Andy’s.’
‘Oh... ok then, thanks for letting me know...’ She sounded disappointed, but the excitement was still there.
‘We’ve waited this long, we can wait a couple of hours more,’ I said, forcing myself to sound casual and carefree.
‘Of course we can.’
‘I’ll call you as soon as she arrives.’
‘Ok love, speak soon.’ I got off the phone as quickly as I could.
Andy looked like a man on a mission. He was driving safely, but fast enough to make me think we could be getting speeding fines all over the place. I cursed that we had let Liam get so far away before we checked where he was. But how on earth were we to know he wasn’t on his way to Parramatta? I had thought I understood his motives. How bad a detective would I make! Andy looked over at me, and I knew he wanted to say something comforting. But, not having had any experience with this sort of situation, he was as lost for words as I was. So we both focused on the road, and willed it to get us to Wollongong as fast as it could.
Chapter 33
Vince paced the room. Every few seconds he glanced at Jared, who looked much calmer than he must have felt. The last few hours had been beyond ridiculous, with fuck ups that he just couldn't believe. But the text message out of the blue from Kingsley had helped him to calm down.
‘How much do you think she said to the cops before he got her?’ he asked Jared again, for the fourth time.
Jared didn’t point out that he’d already answered that question, and patiently replied: ‘I wouldn’t have thought she had time to make a statement or anything. He must have got her just as she got to the station.’
‘So without her, the cops can't link me to anything they found in the hotel. Or to Bill. Or to any of part of my business?’
This was also a question Jared had already answered, but he answered it again, this time in a monotone that subtly purveyed his own frustration at the situation.
‘Keith knows who I am, so if he has implicated anyone, it would only be me. I've been very careful to keep everything contained.’
Vince nodded, aware that Jared might be thinking his pay cheque wasn’t worth the trouble he was in now. The hostility was barely there, but there was definitely a hint of it. And he didn't like it. He needed Jared to fall back into line, because if ever he needed his unfaltering support, it was now.
‘When will Kingsley be here?’ he asked impatiently. Jared still spoke calmly, but diverted his stare. This was another sure sign that something had shifted.
‘I'm sure he'll be here any minute. I haven't had a chance to organise his payment. Should I promise it in cash tomorrow?’
‘Are you bloody mad Jared? I’m not giving that little fuck a cent! He should have given her to us before the police got involved. He can deliver her, and then we’ll deal with him.’
Jared didn't react to this, his expression filled with muted contempt.
The tension between the two men broke, as if on cue, when they heard a car turn off the road. From the front door, they watched the white Holden pull up at the far end of the driveway, and saw a fair-haired young man wearing shorts and a t-shirt get out, and go round to the passenger door, opening it for a woman. At first Vince felt a rush of fear when he saw her. She didn’t look like the photos of Molly that they had been given by Bill. He hadn't watched the first few scenes of her movie yet; he'd always hoped he have a chance to watch the completed version. Now that she had escaped the filming today, he wasn't willing to waste any time trying to finish it off. He’d cut the losses and make sure she wasn't getting away again. He glanced at Jared to confirm this was the right girl, but he was, as usual, expressionless. As the couple walked up the driveway, he got a better look at her face, and he could see it was her. She had cut off her long dark hair, and dyed the remaining spikes almost white. But it was definitely her. And she was holding the kid. Katie’s kid. He stared for a moment at the man she was with. So this was Liam Kingsley. What a wimp. God, he hated wimps.
He heard them speaking as they got closer to the front door.
‘I didn’t realise Andy lived so far away! And at the beach too! His house is amazing...all that glass! Must have been expensive! I hope Ellen’s had a nice time staying with him!’ Her voice was high-pitched and excited. Liam had obviously succeeded in keeping her in the dark about where they were really going.
Vince instinctively stepped back into the lobby when Liam knocked on the door. Jared opened it for them, and Vince could see that Molly was smiling, peering into the house as if expecting to give someone a hug. She barley looked at Jared as they stepped into the entrance hall. In an instant, Jared had slammed the door behind them, trapping them in the house. Vince smirked as Molly shrieked with fright, and was amused, if slightly surprised, to see Liam looked scared too.
‘Hello Molly,’ Vince said. ‘I hope you don't still have a knife on you.’ As soon as she heard her name, she spun on her heel and tried to pull the door open, clutching the kid on her hip. She wasn't going anywhere. Stupid bitch.
‘What are you doing? Where is Ellen? Where are we?’ She turned and looked at Liam, her face pleading for help. Then seeing his blank expression, she screamed. Liam stared at her silently.
Jared reached into his back pocket and calmly pulled out a compact black revolver. The sight of the gun made Molly go white. The best way to shut people up usually involved guns.
Liam spoke in a cold, quiet voice. ‘Her name isn’t Molly. That was just her hooker name. Her name is Sophie.’ Sophie stared at him again, this time with more of a glare than a look of confusion.
Jared didn't react to this information, so Vince didn't ask what was going on. It was definitely her, no matter what her name was. As he strode into the living area, Jared followed, waving the gun forward to direct Liam and the girl to walk ahead of him. She looked petrified; her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open, ready to cry out but too scared to speak. She clutched the kid to her chest, and moved close to Liam, still apparently under the naive impression he was there to help. Liam avoided looking at her.
Vince felt calmer, now that Liam had delivered the goods, as promised. Even Jared looked more himself, comfortable in his roll as enforcer with a gun in his hand. Vince was back in control, and he knew Jared would do whatever he was told.
‘Put Molly and the kid in the spare room before we deal with him.’
Jared jerked his gun in Liam’s direction, which made Liam flinch backwards. Now Liam looked at Molly, his face suddenly full of fear, willing her not to follow Jared. But Jared was already pointing the gun at her, motioning with it towards the stairs so she knew where she was meant to be walking. She held the kid to her chest, shielding him from them as she went unsteadily up the stairs. She'd need to do more than that to keep the child safe. Vince noticed her legs shaking, and laughed to himself. She had caused enough worry for him over the last few months. It was nice to see her suffer now. The kid started to cry just as Jared shoved them into the small bedroom at the top of the stairs. He locked the door after them, and joined his boss back in the
living room. Vince sat down on the sofa with Jared, waving Liam to a seat across from them. Liam sat down like a spineless puppy waiting to be fed. The child’s wailing was getting louder, and more annoyingly insistent. Vince couldn't stand that sound. It was no wonder he had never had any kids.
‘Can someone make that kid shut the fuck up!’ he snapped at Jared, as if it was him that needed to shut up.
Jared ignored the order, and said calmly to Liam: ‘So, you’ve done what we asked. You’ve brought Molly, or Sophie, or whatever her name is to us.’ Liam nodded enthusiastically. Jared kept talking. ‘The only thing is, you didn’t get to her before she went to the police. That leaves us with a problem. We don’t know what she’s said to them. If she’s said anything, we’re all in trouble. If she’s said nothing, we’re ok. So the question is, what has she said?’
Vince nodded in Jared's direction, corroborating his question, and they both sat back, waiting for Liam to answer.
Liam laughed nervously, and replied: ‘Oh, I haven’t told you yet, but Sophie wasn’t the one the police spoke to. Your guys had her sister, Ellen. Sophie wasn’t at the hotel today. It was a case of mistaken identity.’ Liam spoke as if it was a funny coincidence, urging the two men to share the joke with him. But neither of them was amused.
Vince ignored Liam, and looked at Jared accusingly. ‘Is this true?’
Jared thought for a moment, and then shrugged, looking nervous himself. ‘Maybe. Jim never said anything about Molly’s hair changing. If her sister looked enough like her, maybe it was her.’
Liam jumped in, feeling better that he had more good news to give. ‘Ellen looks very much like Sophie, as Sophie used to look with dark hair. It was definitely Ellen with the police. And she doesn’t know anything. Whatever Sophie knows, Ellen has no idea about it.’
Jared looked like he thought this was good news, a smirk appearing on his face. But this was no laughing matter. Jared was making too many mistakes, and it was only by luck that this one had turned out to be in their favour. Vince wasn’t ready to celebrate yet.
As Jared opened his mouth to ask another question, they heard the sound of footsteps crossing the deck at the front of the house. It made them both jump. Visitors usually announced themselves by pulling their car up the drive. But Liam’s car was parked at the end of the drive, blocking it for other people. And they weren’t expecting any visitors. But they had discussed a procedure for situations like this, and they swiftly put it into action.
Jared took out his gun, and pushed it into Liam’s shoulder, putting his finger to his lips as a gesture to remain silent. Then he marched him up the stairs, and shoved him into the room with Sophie, slipping in behind him and locking the door from the inside. Vince silently motioned to his girlfriend, Melissa, to answer the door. She had put a silk robe on, and started down the stairs as soon as the doorbell rang, appearing relaxed and natural, just as he had coached her to look. She waited for him to duck out of sight before opening the door. He couldn’t see who was there, but he could hear everything they said.
‘What can I do for you, officers?’ Melissa asked, mixing just the right amount of surprise with puzzlement at why they might be there.
Officers? Police? Vince felt a wave of fury. What the fuck were they doing here? This was his sanctuary.
‘We had reports of a disturbance at this address,’ he heard one say. Disturbance? From the front door, they wouldn’t see anything but an empty living area and kitchen.
‘Disturbance?’ she asked, sounding even more confused. ‘I don’t know what you are talking about, I’m the only one here...’
As she spoke, the child began wailing again upstairs. Melissa held her nerve.
‘Apart from my son, who was asleep until you got here. You’ll have to excuse me. He probably needs his nappy changed. Sorry I can’t be any help.’ She started to close the door.
‘Just a false alarm then’, said one of policemen. ‘These houses are isolated. Best keep your door locked if you are here by yourself. Goodnight.’
Vince watched the policemen walk down the drive from the window next to the front door. He was angry. Perhaps angrier than he had ever been in his life. But he needed to stay in control. He breathed deeply, watching to be sure the police car was leaving the property before he called for Jared back down. He watched their headlights reverse from the entrance of the drive, and then speed off down the dirt road, disappearing behind the sand dunes.
He knew it was his attention to detail that made him so good at his profession. He prided himself on checking and rechecking every possible risk that could influence his business. So why were they up shit creek? Jared had caused him embarrassment twice already today. First when his men managed to let Molly escape from the hotel room. And a second time when they found out it wasn’t even Molly. Kingsley might be pleased to tell them that they had the real Sophie now, but what had the sister been saying in the meantime? How come Jared hadn’t known about the sister?
And now this. Was the visit by the police really a coincidence? Could they know he lived here? How on earth did they get this address? That little shit Liam must have given it to them.
Vince felt uneasily that things were getting out of hand. It was time to get rid of this problem once and for all. He watched Melissa walking back upstairs to her room; at least she was of use when needed. But just as he had this satisfying thought, she glared down at him from the landing, with a look of pure hatred. She had never looked at him like that before. And there was no fucking way she was going to get away with it.
Chapter 34
Sophie cowered in the corner as if she wanted the wall to swallow her. Liam had taken Charlie from her arms, holding him uncomfortably out in front of him. Jared ignored her, and spoke directly to Liam. ‘Come with me. Give the kid back.’ His gun lead the way, directing Liam back out of the room. Liam handed Charlie to Sophie, who slowly stood up, balancing on her thin legs so not to let Charlie fall from her grip.
‘He needs his nappy changed,’ Liam said quietly to Sophie, who glared back at him.
Jared pushed Liam out onto the landing, locking the door behind them. Sophie could hear the other man in another room nearby, shouting at someone.
‘Why the fuck do you care what happens to the boy? It’s none of your business!’
‘But he’s just a baby! You can’t hurt him! He hasn’t done anything to you!’ The girl's voice was shrill and frightened.
‘Just shut the fuck up and do what you’re told! I never asked you what you thought!’
Sophie winced as she heard a door slam. The shouting continued.
‘The cops coming here has to have something to do with him. Get rid of him. Melissa’s packing. We’re leaving now. We’ll take the boat.’
Sophie pressed her ear to the door, eager for any hint of what might be happening. She heard a yell, and then a frantic scuffle, followed by a sickening crunch. At first it wasn't clear who had made the sound. But the two men continued their hurried conversation, leaving as only the possibility that it was Liam who had been silenced. The larger man was barking orders to the other one, sounding more agitated every second:
‘Go get the car, I’ll just finish packing, and then we’ll get going. This place is fucked now. The police could be back any second’.
Sophie started crying silently into Charlie’s soft chest; holding him close enough to her face that he muffled her sobs. She couldn’t understand what Liam was doing. He had said he was hired by her mum, and he definitely knew Ellen, so why had he brought her to the very people she’d been running from for months? Just when she had thought she was safe, that she was about to see Ellen and her mum again, she was even closer to disaster than she was before.
She heard the latch on the door open, and she shut her eyes tight, expecting yelling or violence to follow. But the door only opened enough for someone small to slip quietly in. She could sense it wasn’t one of the men, so she opened her eyes. There was a young woman standing in the room, w
earing only a bikini, her eyes red from crying. She whispered something, but Sophie couldn’t immediately understand what was going on. Then she made out what she was saying.
‘I’m not going to let them...Bradley marina...they’ll drown you both... he’s too little to understand...’
She was so upset that she wasn’t making much sense, but Sophie could hear the fear in her voice. Before Sophie could respond, the girl slipped silently out of the room, and locked the door behind her. Was the girl trying to help her? And what had happened outside her room? Had Liam been badly hurt? Or killed?
Her question was partly answered soon after. The door was flung open; this time the person opening it was not trying to be discreet. The shorter man with the gun shoved her and Charlie out onto the landing, pushing them towards the top of the stairs. She could see Liam lying just beyond the bottom step, blood on his face, and on the back of his head. He body lay awkwardly, and he wasn’t moving. She willed herself not to scream.
With one hand she gripped the banister, and with the other she held Charlie as she carefully walked down, trying not to look at the body. The man walked behind her, a huge duffle bag over his shoulder, and his gun at her back. He seemed impatient to get out of the house. She slowed to manoeuvre herself around Liam’s body, which enraged the man even more. He grabbed her by the arm, dragging her towards the front door.
Times of Trouble Page 28