Fatal Mistake

by Karen M. Davis

Mary Dove nodded. Still, Brad gestured to Dani with his eyes to verify this. She edged behind the woman’s line of sight, did a quick inspection of the one bedroom, small kitchen and bathroom, and then gave him thumbs up. Mary appeared too sick to hurt a fly, but Brad had been tricked before. And complacency had killed many a good cop.

  Apologising for the disturbance, they left, Brad closing the door behind them. They walked along the narrow, open corridor towards the stairwell.

  ‘Well, that’s a bummer,’ Dani said. ‘Perhaps we can call Community Housing, see if they have a forwarding address for Teddy Johnson. He may have been moved to another place.’

  A noise behind startled them. They turned to see a small, creepy-looking dude with long, greasy brown hair and a severe face watching them.

  ‘Sorry, I overheard what you just said.’ His voice held the hint of a Nordic accent. ‘I live at number forty-two. You are cops, yeah?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Brad confirmed, a tinge of something like anticipation pulling at his gut.

  ‘You are looking for the guy who lived at forty – before the old lady?’

  ‘That’s right, we are.’

  The dude looked meaningfully at Brad, who knew exactly what he wanted. Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, Brad took out a fifty-dollar note. The police department would reimburse him. He could only hope this bloke was not playing them. But sometimes that was the chance you had to take to obtain information.

  Waving the money in front of the dude’s face, he said, ‘I’m listening, but what you tell me had better not be a load of bullshit, because I know where you live.’

  The dude nodded his understanding. ‘I’ll tell you what I know.’

  CHAPTER 39

  The office of Strike Force Viscount was a hive of activity. Machines beeped, keyboards clicked and printers hummed as detectives prepared for the undercover operation on Club on Elm. Josh was at his desk trying hard to stay focused, to push his personal issues aside and finish the operational orders, when the phone on his desk rang. It was Rachel Dean.

  ‘I have some good news and some bad news, Josh. The good is we finally have action over the phone lines. Our telephone intercepts have been very quiet, but we picked up a well-coded conversation between Rocco and Johnny. Shadow’s name is mentioned in the context of hiding in the shadows. Then, Johnny called another number, which we’ve identified as belonging to Shadow, and told him his boss loved the books he’d bought for him.’

  ‘So that means Rocco is happy with the drugs?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Rachel confirmed.

  ‘Are you organising a telephone intercept for Shadow’s phone?’

  ‘As we speak. However, the bad news is that, during their conversation it was mentioned that a “Jackie” had visited the club and it was best to go easy for a while.’

  Josh tried to decipher the code words. He knew ‘the Jacks’ was an old term for police. ‘So they’ve spotted a female cop and won’t be doing business right now?’

  ‘That’s what we interpreted here at the branch.’ She sighed. ‘I hate to make unfounded accusations, but . . . has anyone in your office been sniffing around Club on Elm?’

  Josh felt his blood pressure skyrocket. When he had spoken to Rachel previously about the prospect of sending a UC into the club in Byron Bay, Brooke’s name had come up as the appointed operative. Rachel knew all of the UCs that came through the undercover courses and rated some higher than others. Not being a person to discredit individuals, her lack of comment regarding Brooke Fisher’s capabilities spoke for itself.

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Josh asked.

  ‘They described what Jackie looked like and it was Brooke Fisher to a T.’

  ‘Holy hell . . . I don’t believe it.’ Josh barely held onto his temper. What could she have been thinking?

  ‘I’ll let you deal with Brooke from your end,’ Rachel said, ‘but in light of this phone conversation, my boss, Ron Barrington, has asked that you call off your operation until further notice. These clubs are obviously linked – we can’t risk making them any more nervous than they already are. We have a protracted and in-depth operation to think about here in Sydney.’

  ‘I understand. I’m sorry. I’m bloody furious.’ He tried to rub the crinkles out of his forehead with one hand. ‘We’ve wasted so much manpower getting this bloody operation up and running and now . . . Oh god, I don’t look forward to telling my boss.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Josh. I got Ron to call her. He outranks Tina Scott and that seems to be the only language she understands. She wasn’t happy, but didn’t make a fuss.’

  ‘Thanks, Rachel, I appreciate that.’

  As they spoke, he saw Tina Scott walk pass his office door. He asked Rachel to wait while he listened to her announce tonight’s operation was cancelled. A few moments later, Brooke trudged sullenly along the hall behind Scott. He heard the click of the door closing behind them.

  ‘I think the shit’s about to hit the proverbial, so I’d better go,’ Josh whispered to Rachel. ‘I hope the drug deal goes well tonight.’ He did not mention Lexie. She still hadn’t called him back. Josh had to keep smothering the dread. ‘Talk soon.’

  He hung up, feeling deflated and infuriated all at once. He strained to listen to what was happening in the room next door. The walls must be thick or they were speaking quietly, because he couldn’t hear a thing.

  What were you hoping for? A screaming match?

  Josh’s mobile rang. Lexie. He had to take it. They needed to talk. He wouldn’t be able to get his head fully back into work mode until he knew what the hell was going on. ‘Hi Lexie.’ Josh tried to keep the chill out of his voice, but failed.

  ‘Dad’s in hospital, Josh.’

  His stomach dropped. All thoughts of how their conversation might go went out the window. ‘Why? What’s happened?’

  ‘He collapsed at home. Mum called an ambulance. Thought he was dying, of course, though luckily it’s just his gallbladder. They are operating on him now.’

  ‘Oh wow . . . that’s a shock.’ He tried to be positive. ‘I suppose it’s a good thing they know what it is and they’re fixing the problem.’

  ‘He hasn’t been feeling well for a few days and then today he got worse. Mum said he just keeled over with pain. When I saw him on the gurney, all grey in the face, it reminded me of . . .’ Her voice trembled. ‘It was scary.’

  ‘I’m sure it was.’ Josh knew how much Lexie hated hospitals. They reminded her of her brother’s death, and the times she had almost lost her own life. ‘I wish I was there with you.’

  ‘So do I.’ Lexie sighed. ‘I feel so bad. I’m always frustrated with Mum for being such a worrier, I’ve even avoided seeing her because I can’t deal with the questions and the lectures about getting a safer job. Now I feel so guilty. When something like this happens, it makes you realise how lucky you are to have a good family.’

  Josh thought of his own dysfunctional family and felt the usual stab of disappointment. ‘Where are you?’ he asked, hearing background noise.

  ‘I’m at a park near the hospital with Jayden. He’s playing with another little boy. I’m trying to keep him occupied. Mum wouldn’t leave the hospital, even though Dad won’t be out of surgery for a while.’

  ‘She wouldn’t be happy anywhere else, Lex, you know that. Being at the hospital probably makes her feel close to him.’

  ‘You’re right, you’re right.’

  Had he actually said the right thing for a change? Josh was not usually one of those people who knew instinctively the right thing to say in any given situation. Could he be getting better?

  ‘I spoke to Rachel earlier. She told me about the deal tonight. You’re not still going ahead with the job, are you?’

  ‘There’s no reason not to,’ Lexie said. ‘I can’t do much for Dad – he’ll be in hospital for a few days – and I don’t want to let the rest of the team down. And if you speak to Rachel, please don’t tell her about Dad. She may insist I postpone
the drug deal and I really don’t want to do that. Now I know he’ll be fine, I’ll be good to go.’

  ‘You need to have your head clear for that type of work, Lexie.’

  ‘I know, I know, I’ll be okay. What about your job tonight? I suppose you’re flat out getting things organised for that?’

  ‘It’s been cancelled – long story. I’ll tell you another time.’ He felt distracted, wanted to broach the Batman subject without further upsetting Lexie.

  ‘Who was the girl who answered your phone this morning?’ Lexie said.

  What? Josh was dumbstruck. What was she talking about?

  ‘Brooke . . . her name was Brooke. She said she worked with you.’

  For a moment, Josh couldn’t speak. Anger boiled up inside of him. What was wrong with the woman? What in the world was she playing at?

  Lexie misinterpreted his silence for guilt. ‘I think you should tell me what’s going on, Josh.’ The hurt in her voice was palpable. His heart ached.

  ‘Lexie, this sounds like a cliché, but it is certainly not what you’re thinking, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Well, what do you expect me to think when a woman answers your phone first thing in the morning and tells me you’re in the shower, that she didn’t know you had a girlfriend and implied you spent the night together?’

  ‘Is that what she said?’ Josh exploded, quickly remembering to lower his voice so it didn’t blare through the office walls. He couldn’t believe her nerve. ‘I’ll be speaking to her about that.’ Shaking his head, Josh tapped his feet feverishly against the ground, adrenaline making him restless. ‘Firstly, I didn’t know she’d answered my phone. She’s a detective constable on my strike force. Last night she came home drunk with my flatmate. He was supposedly taking care of her. She slept on our lounge. I hardly know her, but only yesterday I was warned that she’s a troublemaker.’

  Lexie was silent on the other end of the line.

  ‘I hope you believe me, Lex. You know I would never do anything to hurt you, or our relationship. I love you.’ Those three little words didn’t always roll off his tongue easily, but they did now. Josh wished more than anything that they were having this conversation face to face.

  There was another lengthy silence.

  ‘I’ve told you the truth. Now I have a question for you: when were you going to tell me about working with Batman?’

  Lexie gave a surprised gasp. ‘How do you know about that?’ she said, more concerned than angry. ‘No, it’s okay, Jayden,’ he heard her say. She lowered her voice. ‘Jayden is sitting with me now. How did you know I was working with Batman?’

  ‘He answered your phone when I called you yesterday. I take it he didn’t mention we spoke.’

  ‘No, he didn’t.’ It sounded like Lexie was speaking through gritted teeth. He heard her whisper, ‘Jayden, your friend wants you over there on the slippery dip. I’ll watch you from here.’ There was a pause, then: ‘I was going to tell you but we’ve hardly had a chance to talk recently and – Look, I only found out about working with him the other night. I knew how you’d feel about it, so I was putting it off, to be honest.’

  ‘He told me you’re playing a couple. What does that involve?’

  Lexie groaned. ‘He was clearly trying to bait you, stir up trouble between us.’

  ‘Are you playing a couple or not?

  ‘Well, yes, but . . . it’s work, Josh. It’s not real.’

  ‘I can tell you I felt stupid when he told me and I had no idea. It must have made his day knowing he’d got one up on me.’ Josh let out a loaded sigh. ‘Is there anything else I should know about? Anything else you’d like to tell me?’

  ‘No,’ Lexie snapped, picking up his derision. ‘Is our relationship that fragile, Josh?’

  ‘No, it’s not, it shouldn’t be. I think it’s just the distance and . . . I don’t know. How about I fly home on Friday?’

  ‘I might be working. I might be minding Jayden, be with Mum, visiting Dad. I don’t know what I’ll be doing.’

  ‘Okay, Lex,’ Josh said, deflated. ‘Good luck with the deal tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow to see how it went, how your father is. I love you,’ he said again.

  ‘I love you too,’ she replied, but her tone was flat, empty.

  A sea of doubt and misunderstanding had swelled between them and he had no clue what to do about it. Josh hung up from Lexie and glanced at his office door. Brooke was standing there, tears in her eyes and mascara running down her face.

  ‘Can we talk?’ she implored in a little girl voice.

  This was not what he needed after his conversation with Lexie, but there was no avoiding it.

  ‘I think you had better come in. And Brooke . . . close the door.’

  CHAPTER 40

  Lexie tried to block the disinfectant hospital smell as she approached her father’s bed. Holding her mother’s hand, she portrayed a confidence she didn’t feel. Her throat was tight and she tried to swallow the lump forming there as she looked down at her big, strong, loving father lying so still. She hated seeing the tubes and monitors beeping methodically around him. He was pale, but just needed rest, Lexie told herself. The doctor said the operation had been a success and he would make a full recovery.

  A patient moaned in a nearby room and the clanging of crockery on a meal trolley mixed with the chatter of hospital staff. Lyn, standing beside Lexie, whimpered. She gripped her hand, squeezed it.

  ‘He is going to be fine, Mum.’

  Lyn sank into the chair beside the bed and rested her elbows on her knees. Burying her head in her hands, she began to weep silently.

  ‘Let it out, Mum.’ Lexie plucked a few tissues from a box on the bedside table and handed them to her mother.

  Lyn blew her nose as she fought back tears. ‘I don’t want to cry, but the thought of losing him . . . I couldn’t stand to lose another member of my family.’

  Lexie’s once strong and resilient mother had never been the same since losing her son; it was as if a part of her had died with Lincoln. Lexie had felt the grief of her brother’s death like a physical illness; still, she could not imagine the hell her parents had been through. Losing a child, no matter what the age, had to be the worst thing anyone could live through. Thankfully, they had survived it. There had been times when she wasn’t sure they would.

  ‘I’m not strong like you,’ Lyn said, gazing through watery eyes at her daughter. ‘I was once, but I’m not anymore.’

  Something niggled at Lexie, and she felt a sudden irritation. Why was it that she was always perceived as the strong one?

  ‘I’m not immune to worrying, Mum. I don’t always feel strong.’ Lexie desperately wanted her mother to know she too wanted, sometimes needed, to be comforted and reassured. Yet she felt torn because she didn’t want to cause Lyn concern. ‘I don’t tell you everything. I don’t even tell you how I feel, because I know how you’ll react.’

  Lyn Rogers recoiled, looking wounded. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I suppose it must feel like you’re the mother and I’m the daughter sometimes.’ She began to cry quietly again. ‘That’s not how it’s supposed to be. It’s just since losing Lincoln . . .’

  Now Lexie felt bad. She had upset her mother more than she already was. ‘I understand as much as I possibly can. I lost a brother. I feel like sometimes you forgot that. You need to let me live my life – stop worrying, stop trying to wish me into a safer job. I don’t want to hide things from you.’

  Her mother looked so sad Lexie’s heart almost broke. Now she felt tears of her own threatening.

  ‘I didn’t realise how much my own issues affected you. I am a bad mother.’

  Lexie laughed lightly. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You are a great mother. I have fantastic parents. You just need to loosen the strings a bit. Let me live. I want to be close to you, I want to be able to tell you anything. I can’t do that if I always feel I have to protect you.’

  Lexie was unsure where the words spilling out came from. Her honesty sur
prised her. She was relieved her feelings were finally out in the open, after being held back for so long.

  Lexie held her arms out and Lyn stood up and walked into them. They held each other for a long time and when they finally pulled apart, they were both crying.

  ‘I’m glad we had this talk. Strange how someone nearly has to die to get you to tell me things,’ Lyn said.

  Lexie moaned. ‘Mum, don’t say that. Besides, Dad was never going to die.’

  Lyn forced a smile. ‘You never know.’

  ‘I want this talk about dying to stop. No more negativity, okay?’

  Lexie felt a chill. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She wondered if Lincoln was in the room. He would be happy his mother and sister had sorted their problems.

  Lyn sat back on the chair and took her husband’s hand. He was still sleeping peacefully and wouldn’t be waking any time soon, by the look of it.

  ‘Will you be all right if I leave, Mum? I have an important job I’m working on and I really need to be there tonight. If Dad was in a bad way I’d call it off, of course, but . . . he’s going to be fine and I really am needed.’

  Lyn looked alarmed for a moment, then seemed to remember their conversation. ‘You go – of course I’ll be fine. There’s nothing you can do here anyway. And Jayden will be fine with Carol for a while.’ Aunty Carol – Lyn’s sister – had picked Jayden up from the hospital and would look after him as long as needed.

  ‘I won’t even ask about your important job,’ Lyn said, a touch of a smile lifting the corners of her full mouth. ‘Because I don’t want to know. But good luck anyway.’

  ‘It’s nothing really.’ Lexie automatically went into protection mode, recognised this and added, ‘Well, no. It is something. And I’ll tell you all about it once it’s over.’ She leant down, kissed her mother on the cheek and smiled. ‘Or not!’

  • • •

  The briefing for the drug deal, which was to take place at 9pm, was a short and intimate affair, conducted around the table of the Undercover Branch’s meal room. The only officers involved were Commander Ron Barrington, UC Supervisor Detective Sergeant Rachel Dean, undercover operatives Sam and Henry, who were working surveillance, and Batman and Lexie.