Fatal Mistake

by Karen M. Davis

  Rogers paused. ‘I’m sure something can be worked out. Can you give me a little more information?’

  ‘As I said, talking on the phone makes me nervous. But I can tell you it relates to . . .’

  You really should have thought this through . . . idiot.

  An advertisement was playing on the TV in the corner of the room. The sound was on mute but the name of the new show was How to Get Away with Murder.

  ‘It relates to an unsolved murder.’ That would get her interest. The killer jumped out of the chair, paced the length of the lounge room.

  ‘So you have information about a drug dealer and a murder?’

  She was hooked now. ‘That’s right.’

  ‘Look, I’m on leave at the moment . . . I’m out of town actually, so how about I call you in a week? When I’m back to work. We can arrange a place to meet and help each other out.’

  She’d bought it. There was no better way to reel in a cop than to promise a lead to solve a case.

  ‘I only want to speak to you, though. I don’t trust cops. The only reason I’ll speak to you is because my friend trusts you.’

  ‘Who is your friend?’ she asked.

  Oh god . . . There were names of local crooks that could be used but if she talked to them and asked questions that would stuff everything.

  ‘I’d rather not say. They asked to be left out of it. I’m trying to do the right thing.’

  ‘That’s fine, I understand,’ Rogers said. She seemed nice. ‘Thank you. I’ll call you in a week.’

  The killer could sense how badly she wanted the information. When the old man called, there’d be good news to tell him. Now there was a week to devise a plan, figure out how to eliminate her.

  ‘Okay, I’ll hear from you then.’

  ‘You will. Bye for now.’

  Hanging up, the killer smiled, sipped a beer. Things were back on track.

  Enjoy your week, Lexie Rogers . . . it will be your last.

  CHAPTER 29

  Sitting in the beer garden of the Great Northern Hotel, Josh relished his first sip of beer in over a week.

  ‘How good is this?’ Greg Walton said, his eyes doing a sweep of their surroundings.

  With Byron Bay’s main beach across the road, this was the perfect place to soak up the atmosphere of the holiday town, enjoy the alcohol-induced vitality, and relax while watching the vast array of characters parade by.

  ‘Not bad at all, mate,’ Josh agreed.

  Seagulls floated on a gentle breeze that blew off the heat of the day. The scent of fish and chips permeating the air made Josh’s stomach grumble. He thought of Lexie; imagined her sitting here with him, sipping drinks, taking in the scenery, talking.

  ‘So how did your meeting go with the Dragon?’

  Greg was a funny man. He was taller than Josh by a whisker and was greyhound thin with a mop of sandy blond hair that flopped across his face. He was thirty-two, and liked a beer and the ladies, in that order. Having been promoted to sergeant a month earlier, he was new to the leadership role, but seemed to be competent enough. He just had to learn when to shut up. His incessant talking was a killer.

  ‘She has no idea,’ Josh replied.

  Greg nodded, eyebrows raised. ‘I suspected as much.’

  Josh stretched the tight tendons in his neck as he bent his head, then turned it from side to side. ‘The woman is out of her depth. As long as I handle her the right way, make suggestions and work them so she thinks they’re her idea, she’ll agree to anything.’

  Greg raised his glass. ‘Cheers to that. We can only hope.’

  They sipped on their beers while Josh updated Greg on the developments in their investigation. Rachel Dean had called him earlier, and they’d exchanged relevant information.

  ‘The UC Branch is conducting an operation into a drug syndicate in Kings Cross.’ Josh kept information scarce. Not everyone needed to know all the details. ‘It appears Club on Elm here in Byron may be linked to the branch’s target premises and some of their players. We’ll go into it more at the office tomorrow but in short, Rachel Dean, who’s running the UC job, is an old workmate. She’s happy for us to fish around in the club here, see if we can get a drug buy as long as nothing we do jeopardises the integrity of their job.’ Josh sipped his beer. ‘They’ve worked long and hard on these targets and are looking at the bigger picture to take this syndicate down. If our actions in some way interfere, or tip them off . . .’ He shook his head. ‘We won’t be popular.’

  Greg nodded. ‘I get it, and it’s good the UC Branch are willing to share some of their info, but if we were on our own – not having to worry about their operation – we could put a tail on this Johnny and have him searched when he lands in Sydney. If he’s the courier, he’ll be loaded with drugs and Bob’s your uncle.’

  ‘That would be a quick fix, but working with the UC Branch will deliver a bigger result if it turns out our jobs are intertwined.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right. So what’s next?’

  ‘I spoke to one of the detectives who investigated the overdose at Club on Elm. He said it wasn’t suspicious – a local girl known to be an Ice addict. Tomorrow night we’ll send Brooke Fisher into the club with Karly, see what they can find out.’

  ‘Is Brooke a UC?’ Greg asked.

  ‘Apparently she’s just done the course. Not my suggestion to use her, it was the boss’s,’ Josh stated dryly.

  ‘The boss has the hots for her bad, I reckon.’ Greg’s eyes followed a girl in tiny shorts and a bikini top as she walked past. ‘Lots of eye candy around here, mate. You can’t blame a man for looking.’

  Josh shrugged. Greg probably thought him rather boring. Since being in Byron, he’d been to the pub only twice, as opposed to others in the office who, making the most of their jaunt away from home, were here most afternoons. Having cut down his drinking over the past six months since moving in with Lexie, Josh was now grateful he no longer felt the need to reach for a beer, or a glass of bourbon, at the end of each day. Alcohol had been an easy and accessible crutch he had leant on for too long. Those mind-numbing hours of blissful disregard had always seemed worth it – until the next morning, when he woke with a pounding head and a churning gut. Even then, Josh had been able to fix a hangover with another drink. No doubt, alcohol was his weakness, one he was now in control of. He was lucky not to have had to cut it out altogether.

  The stainless steel table that stood between them wobbled as Greg placed his beer on it. He cursed as froth spilled over his glass. Josh folded a few coasters and placed them under the unsteady table leg to secure it.

  ‘You’re not just a pretty face, are you?’ Greg commented. ‘Though I got to say, you don’t give much away.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Josh asked, knowing exactly what Greg meant.

  ‘I think you know just about all there is to know about me . . . I do talk a bit.’ Greg let out an amused chuckle. ‘All I know about you is you live at Clovelly with your girlfriend, Lexie, who is also in the job. So tell me, is Lexie “the one”?’

  Josh raised his glass to his lips, enjoying the cold liquid sliding down his throat. He considered Greg’s question. Would there be marriage, kids? He’d been so busy enjoying the present with Lexie he hadn’t given their future much thought. He wondered for the first time whether Lexie wanted children. It was not something they had ever discussed and he wondered why.

  ‘Oh shit,’ Greg mumbled. He was staring over Josh’s shoulder. He turned and saw a drunk girl on the floor. Two men were helping her back onto her stool. It was Brooke Fisher.

  ‘Great,’ Josh moaned. ‘That is our UC smashed off her head.’

  Greg laughed. ‘I get the feeling you don’t like her much. Why is that? Or do you like her and pretend you don’t?’

  Josh’s beer suddenly tasted bitter, and Greg laughed at the expression on his face.

  ‘Come on, mate, lighten up. You wouldn’t be the only one who’s interested. She has lots of guys following
her around like bees to a honey pot. In fact, I wouldn’t mind—’

  ‘Stop, do not say it.’ Josh put his hand in the air, cut him off. ‘I can promise you, I’m not interested and neither should you be. Brooke is on your team. You are her supervisor, so be careful with her. I’ve heard . . .’ He wondered how much he should say. ‘I’ve heard she can be—’ From Greg’s animated expression, Josh realised Brooke had spotted them and was on her way over. ‘She’s walking up behind me, isn’t she?’

  ‘She is, so play nice.’

  ‘I have to make a phone call,’ Josh said, getting up.

  ‘Don’t go because of me,’ he heard Brooke call as she literally fell into the chair he’d just vacated.

  Josh forced a smile, pointed to his phone, crossed the road and headed towards the beach. He rang Lexie. Expecting to get her voicemail, he was surprised when she picked up.

  ‘Hello, Josh, Lexie’s not here.’

  Josh was shocked by the male voice.

  ‘Who am I speaking to?’

  ‘Batman.’

  Confusion made him a little slow to comprehend. Gone was the friendly tone he would have once encountered from his old workmate; now he could almost hear the contempt in his voice.

  ‘Batman, why do you have Lexie’s phone?’ Josh knew he was not going to like the answer.

  ‘Didn’t she mention we’re work partners? I’m playing her undercover boyfriend.’

  Josh felt his heart flutter and had to concentrate on keeping his voice even. ‘What are you talking about?’ He hadn’t known Batman was working undercover and he certainly had no inkling he was working with Lexie. Why hadn’t she told him? ‘Where is she, can you put her on?’

  ‘She’s not here,’ Batman said. ‘Lex doesn’t take her personal phone with her when she’s with the targets, for obvious reasons. It wouldn’t look good if it fell into the wrong hands. Let’s say you rang claiming to be her boyfriend, when they all think I am.’

  Josh was speechless, his mind grasping to make sense of things.

  ‘You don’t have to worry, by the way. I’m taking real good care of her while you’re away. Got to go. I’ll let her know you called.’

  The dial tone buzzed in his ear and for a moment, Josh was unable to move. He was oblivious to his surroundings: the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, cars and people passing by. All he knew was a knife-like stab of doubt and disappointment was piercing his guts.

  He felt stupid. Why hadn’t Lexie told him about working with Batman? It made their relationship look like a joke. Although anger was there, it was nothing compared to the huge black shadow encasing his heart. Josh pictured Batman’s smug face; indulged in imagining what he would like to do to him, until the venom boiling deep inside threatened to choke him.

  CHAPTER 30

  Berni was lying naked on her bed, still recovering from a marathon sex session with TJ, thanks to the ‘borrowed’ sex recordings and ‘last longer’ nose spray. What a turnaround those two items had made to their relationship, she thought, still amazed their love life had shot from very ordinary to something close to mind-blowing in only a few days. A week ago, she would not have believed such a dramatic transformation could occur.

  ‘Did you manage to get into Rocco’s office?’ Berni asked, turning on her side to face him.

  TJ sighed heavily. ‘I couldn’t, he was in there on and off all night. Then he locked the door and I couldn’t risk stealing the spare key – there were too many people around. I should have more success tonight.’ He gave her a curious look. ‘I’m surprised you remember anything about last night. You were wasted.’

  Berni pulled a face. ‘I know, that’s why I went home. You were off running around and I had no one to talk to so I had nothing to do but drink.’

  TJ pushed his bottom lip out. ‘Aw, poor baby.’ He tickled her stomach and they both laughed as she rolled into a tight ball, giggling.

  ‘Are you worried about Rocco noticing the DVDs are missing?’ Berni said, slapping TJ’s hand away.

  ‘He won’t, I’m smarter than him, trust me.’ Stretching an arm towards her breasts, his finger lazily circled each nipple in turn. ‘He has so many of himself with different women, he wouldn’t know if a few went missing permanently.’

  True, Berni thought, but he would certainly miss Lucky’s tape. He had that for a reason.

  TJ began to kiss her stomach. ‘I don’t intend to be a barman forever, you know. I have ambition. You have no idea what I’m capable of.’

  His words and confidence surprised Berni. Normally she would dismiss his pronouncements as TJ just talking himself up. This morning, in the sober light of day, she had started wondering if things could work out between them after all. Meeting Rocco and viewing his sex tapes had made her realise she had to be practical. Rocco was her obsession, but unlikely her reality – living the high life, with money, power, drugs and women at his disposal made him almost unobtainable. Why would he change any of that? Berni had no intention of throwing her dreams aside altogether, but it was good to have options. TJ had told her Rocco was currently infatuated with a girl he was ‘doing business with’, Lara, with long black hair and dreamy green eyes – Rocco’s words not his, TJ assured her.

  ‘Where do these girls come from?’ Berni asked casually, running her hands through the wispy hair on TJ’s chest.

  ‘Some girls he meets at the club, others are working girls.’

  ‘Working girls?’ Berni bolted upright. ‘You mean prostitutes?’

  TJ nodded. ‘Lucky runs a small business from the rooms upstairs at the club. Most of the girls are models by day. They have addiction problems – some want to stay skinny, some just love drugs. He keeps them doped up, supplies their habit and has sex with them whenever he likes.’

  ‘You don’t like him, do you?’ Berni asked. She had noticed comments TJ made about Lucky. She didn’t blame him. From what she had seen and heard, the ugly ape was an A-grade arsehole.

  ‘He’s a dick. Thinks he’s some tough, underworld gangster and talks to me like shit. I think he’s jealous Rocco and I get along so well. Thing is, Rocco doesn’t really like him either.’ TJ said this as though sharing confidential information. ‘He doesn’t trust Lucky, thinks he could easily turn on him. That’s why I reckon he has the DVD of Lucky having sex with the dead girl.’

  ‘So Lucky has no idea it exists?’

  ‘I don’t know for sure, but I doubt it. The cops are investigating the girl’s death. If they got hold of that tape . . .’ TJ sniffed. ‘He’s a dick but not an idiot. If he knew of its existence and the damage it could cause, he would definitely have it destroyed.’

  There were more deceptions, pretences and backstabbing going on within this crowd than in one of those reality shows. Talking about Lucky triggered Berni’s memory of seeing his wife wrapped in the arms of someone who was not her husband. What would TJ say when she pulled that skeleton from the closet?

  ‘So why does Rocco keep the records of himself having sex with different women?’ Berni couldn’t figure out how she felt about Rocco’s sex DVDs. It excited her to watch them but it also made her as jealous as hell. TJ shrugged. ‘He’s a conceited bastard, probably likes to watch himself. The girls look to be enjoying themselves. There’s no offence in recording consensual sex, is there?’

  He got out of bed, plucked a small sachet from the back pocket of his jeans and sprinkled two lines of cocaine on the top of Berni’s bedside table. As she watched him line up, it struck her to question how he knew so much about the happenings within Club Hellfire when he had only been employed there for six months. And was just a barman-slash-petty-drug-dealer after all.

  ‘How do you know where the spare key to Rocco’s office is? How do you know about the prostitutes? I would think Rocco and his crowd would keep their business inhouse, extremely private, unless you’re in their inner circle, that is.’

  TJ grinned at her. ‘They do. Tiffany tells me everything.’

  ‘What do you mean?’
Berni frowned. She was shocked to feel tiny pinpricks of jealousy stab at her insides. Since when had TJ and Tiffany been besties?

  ‘We go way back.’ He squeezed a razor blade between his fingers and chopped at the lumps in the white powder. ‘Tiffany trusts me.’

  Berni stared out the bedroom window. Grey storm clouds were closing ranks across the darkening sky. It was as if the weather was mirroring her mood.

  ‘Tiffany got me the job at the club,’ TJ said. ‘Haven’t I ever told you that?’

  ‘No, you’ve never mentioned it.’ Berni tried to keep her voice neutral as she got out of bed and slipped into her silky pink robe. ‘How did you know Tiffany? You weren’t . . . involved with her, were you?’

  TJ shook his head. ‘No, no – we used to work together, that’s all.’

  He was lying to her. Or at the very least, omitting to tell her everything. But she wouldn’t push for information. Jealousy was a weak, insecure emotion.

  Finally having lined up the cocaine to his satisfaction, TJ used a straw to snort half a line up one nostril. He sat back on his haunches, drew in a deep breath, and then did the same on the other side. He held the straw out to Berni.

  She took it, rolled it around in her fingers. ‘Does Tiffany know about the prostitution racket upstairs? Does she know about the DVDs?’

  Sniffing a few times, TJ wiped the end of his nose with the back of his hand, then sat back on the bed and pulled the sheet over himself.

  ‘Everyone who works at the club knows about the brothel upstairs. She doesn’t know about the sex tapes, though. Tiffany has a thing for Rocco and he knows it. He wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.’

  ‘Is there, or was there, something between them – Rocco and Tiffany?’

  ‘Just friendship,’ TJ said, a little too swiftly.

  There was more to that story as well, Berni thought. Kneeling in front of the bedside table, she imitated TJ’s movements. Licking her finger, she gathered the remnants and wiped them along her gums, as TJ often did. The buzz was already starting to kick in. Not working and just having fun was something Berni could certainly become accustomed to. Her mind wandered to that big galoot, Brad Sommers. She wondered how he was going about catching the bomber.