The Kristina Melina Omnibus: First Kill, Second Cut, Third Victim

  Goosh didn’t reply.

  I went on, ‘And I was wondering if you might know who that person could be?’

  He stood from his chair, circled his desk and paced up and down the length of his office. ‘Look, Kristina, we’ve had our differences in the past.’ So now I was Kristina and not Dr Melina. ‘But at the end of the day, we’re on the same team. You have to understand that I want to get the person who killed your friend as badly as you do. I didn’t even know she was your friend. Believe me, there was never any mention of your name. You ever said yourself that you hadn’t seen her for twenty years. I’m talking on a professional level here.’

  I decided to cut the chase. ‘Did you use her services?’

  ‘Why do you need to know that?’

  ‘Because I need to establish why your name was in her address book.’

  More silence.

  He knew he was trapped, and any lie he would say would be obvious to the both of us.

  ‘You’re going to include that in your report, are you?’ he said.

  ‘Not unless I have to. Not unless it’s relevant to the investigation. But if you’ve done nothing, like you claim you have, then what are you worried about?’

  He puzzled over my comment for a few seconds. If I’d been in his shoes, and if I indeed had nothing to do with the murder of Evelyn, I would lay all my cards on the table. He knew me well enough by now that I wasn’t there to trap people into a corner and to avenge myself for no reason. Sure, I didn’t like Goosh, and that was more because of his hatred for me. But that didn’t mean that I would frame him for something he hadn’t done. He must have realised that when he finally decided to give in.

  ‘Okay,’ he said, ‘I did see her, but you wouldn’t understand all that. It’s not what you think it was.’

  ‘Oh, I know you were not having an affair with her. Don’t you worry. She was a call-girl. You paid her for the time you spent together.’

  ‘I wasn’t the only person using her services. Why don’t you hassle everyone else? I’m only—’

  ‘Hey, I’m not judging you of how you spend your pay-packet. I want to know if you’ve got anything to do with her missing body at the mortuary.’

  ‘How could you ever think that I’ve got anything to do with that?’

  ‘Well, the way I see it, it’s pretty straight forward. Being a highly ranked police official and having you’re name tied up to a murdered high-class prostitute isn’t exactly a notch on your resume. So, I say, yes, you, and others within your circles, would have had a pretty good reason to get rid of the body. Why, I don’t know. I can only guess than further forensic tests would have shown something that you don’t want the investigative team to know.’

  ‘This is absolutely ridiculous. I would never do such a thing. Okay, so I was seeing her, but so was half of who’s who in Melbourne. That doesn’t make me a killer. I wouldn’t go and steal a body from a morgue. Hell, I’ve got enough to do here as it is. Did you have any idea who you’re talking to? I resent your accusations. It’s just ludicrous. I can’t believe you can just be standing there and talking to me the way you are. What in the world is wrong with you? We’re on the same side, Kristina, the same goddamn side. Can’t you understand that?’

  After working for years as an investigator, I liked to believe I could tell more or less when a person lied. Sure, in the past, I’d made some catastrophic judgemental errors, but right at that moment, it all seemed black-and-white. He was fidgeting with his fingers. He avoided eye contact. His knees were locked together. There was sweat on his upper lip. His tone was unreasonably defensive.

  Goosh was a fuckin’ liar.

  And a bad one at that.

  ‘Look, Mr Goosh, either you tell exactly what you know, or I’m going to push for an independent inquiry. You know that all I have to do is make one phone call to the media, and your face will be spread all over the front page of every newspaper in this country.’

  ‘Kristina, you don’t seriously—’

  ‘And stop calling me Kristina, nothing’s changed between us. I’m still Dr Melina to you.’

  He raised his hands in protest. ‘Why are you doing this? I told you I had nothing to do with the disappearance of her body?’

  ‘What about ransacking her apartment?’

  ‘I know nothing about that.’

  ‘Not according to Evelyn’s neighbour. She claims men who identified themselves as the police broke into her apartment. Care to explain how that could have happened?’

  ‘I didn’t even know someone broke into her apartment.’

  He blinked in quick successions.

  ‘I’m sure you didn’t,’ I said.

  ‘Why don’t you believe me?’

  ‘Give me a good reason why I should. Since I’ve the beginning of my contract with the VFSC, you’ve tried every cunning trick in the book to get rid of me. You lied time and time again just to make my life hell. You wanted me out, and I don’t see how it’s different now. I don’t trust you, Mr Goosh, I never have and never will.’

  A few seconds of silence.

  I had no idea as to what he was thinking about. Maybe he was going to pull out a gun from his top drawer and shot me right there on the spot. And then he would arrange for the disposal of my body. No autopsy, no forensic evidence. Dr Kristina Melina vanishes into thin air.

  His eyes fell upon me, scrutinising every square inch on my face, as if he was trying to figure out which part didn’t belong to me.

  My heart raced.

  Finally, he moved his head closer to mine.

  ‘Maybe we can work something out,’ he said almost in a whisper. ‘Maybe everything can work out for everyone. I can be good for you, Kristina. I can give you what you want.’

  There was sweat on his upper lips.

  ‘Like what?’ I asked. ‘You’re going to pay me so I can shut my mouth?’

  ‘You know I have a lot of influence as to what comes and goes in here. I can have your contract extended indefinitely. I can review the terms of your payments. Name your price.’

  I didn’t reply straight away. Not for a second was I considering his offer, but I wanted to make him believe I was. Let him sweat it out a little. His eyes glistened with hope. His future was in my hands, and he damn well knew it. I could break him, or I could get anything I desired from him. Anything but the truth. And unfortunately for him, the truth was all I really wanted.

  ‘No deal. You give me the names of the people who took Evelyn’s body from the mortuary, the name of the people who broke into her apartment, and maybe even the name of the person who killed her. That’s the only negotiating I’m going to be doing with you. I don’t do deal with arseholes.’

  His face picked up red. ‘I’m not admitting that I’m involved in anything. I just want you off my back, that’s all. We can work this out. We can be friends, and everyone can go home. What’s it going to take to make you come to your senses? Come on, you’re being unreasonable.’

  ‘I’m being unreasonable? My friend’s dead; her body has vanished from the morgue; I’m sitting at the Police Commissioner’s office, and he’s trying to bribe me so we can all go home and pretend nothing’s happen. Well, guess what? I’m way past being unreasonable.’

  I jumped from my chair, sending it flying half way across the room behind me.

  I went on, a menacing finger pointing at his face, ‘Give me what you’ve got, or I’m going to bury you.’

  He jumped from his seat and slammed both hands on the table top, tipping his coffee all over his paperwork. ‘Okay, look, that’s it! I want you out of this investigation now. I want you out of this fuckin’ building. I don’t need authorisation from the VFSC to do this. You’re trespassing as of this very second.’ He punched the intercom button on the phone. ‘Get me security. I’d like someone to escort Dr Melina out of the building immediately.’

  ‘Don’t bother,’ I said, ‘I can find my own way out. You’re making a big mistake. A serious one for that matter.’<
br />
  I paced towards the exit.

  ‘Don’t you come back here with your wild accusation, Ms Melina. I’m going to keep tabs on you. One wrong move, and I’ll have you charged with obstruction of justice. Do you hear me? On fuckin’ wrong move!’

  ‘What are you going to do? Get rid of me like you got rid of Evelyn Carter? You’re going to hire crooked cops to do your dirty work? You think you’re above the law or something? You think the rules don’t apply to you?’

  He stared at me for a few seconds, obviously puzzling over a reply.

  Before he had time to say another word, I stepped out of the room, slammed the door.

  Just then, a uniformed officer paced towards me, a serious look etched on his face.

  ‘I’m on my way out,’ I said, and let him escort me out of the building.

  As I took the steps down the front of the St Kilda Road Complex, I felt rage pumping in my veins.

  There would be no stopping me this time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  I spent the next few days at home in a post-traumatic stage. I refused to see anyone or do have anything to do with the investigation.

  When I left the St Kilda Road Police Complex, I thought I would be strong enough, all the anger and the rage pumping into my veins, giving me the adrenalin rush I needed to get myself going. And it did for a little while. On my way home, I pushed my car to 150 km/h on the West Ring Road, risking my life as well as that of other motorists. I hated pathetic drivers, and now I hated the fact that I’d just turned into one of them.

  By the time I got home, I was in tears, unable to insert the keys into the front door lock. I went down to my knees and began to sob like a child. The whole world was crumbling around me. Everyone I turned, evil seemed to be winning. Where had God disappeared to? Wasn’t He suppose to be here in times of despair. Well, I was desperate enough now, on my knees, crying like a newborn, slamming my first into the wooden panel of the door. And all I could think about was Evelyn. Her face was right in front of my eyes, begging for justice, but my hands were tied. The clues I had were few and not very convincing. The people I was working with were too busy worried about their own little lives to care about someone who was dead. And I was still buried deep into my own grieving for Evelyn to be able to function on a logical level. And yet, I knew I would have to find the strength within me to fight on, no matter how alone I felt in this world. Since my parents had died in a car accident when I was a young child, I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere, always looking for love, for an excuse to exist, for a reason to wake up every morning and look up to the sky and tell myself that everything was going to be all right. But that was a damn lie, and I knew it. I was incapable of loving another person without hurting myself or other people. Even my own son felt I was suffocating him with my presence. My life was halfway over, and yet I felt as if it had not even begun.

  After what felt like an infinite amount of time, I managed to get back on my feet and open the front door of my home. Michael wasn’t there, and it was just as well, because the last thing I needed was to explain why I looked as if I’d just stepped out of the shower.

  My nerves were raw, and I spent a good deal of time in the confinement of my bedroom. I wasn’t doing anything in particular, other than staring at the white ceiling above my bed, letting thoughts drifted endlessly from one corner of my mind to the other. I was too close to the investigation for me to be able to see everything from a detached viewpoint. Maybe Goosh had been right from the beginning. I was too close to this case to be able to do a good job. But then, who the hell was he to tell me what to do? After all, he was half the reason why I was plastered in bed.

  During the next forty-eight hours, Frank rang five times, but I let the answering machine take the calls. Michael was in-and-out of the house, and although he didn’t say anything, he knew something was wrong. Since we had spoken the other day, we had build a mutual code of respect for each other’s existence. We were not going to completely ignore one another, but we were also not going to get on each other’s case. It wasn’t a commitment we made verbally, just a psychological understanding between two human beings.

  David called, but I also let the answering machine take it. The third time he called, I was almost going to pick up the phone. When I heard his voice coming through the speaker of the answering machine, I could almost smell the scent of his flesh, the taste of his kiss, the warmth of his body so close to mine. I longed to be with him, and yet I didn’t want to trouble him with my problems. Showing weakness had never been my forte, no matter what.

  On the third day, I refused to get out of bed. I tried to read my Sue Grafton novel, but my mind was too pre-occupied with the injustices of this world. Goosh was involved in this up to his neck, and he knew that I knew. What I needed was time to figure out what I was going to do next. Frank didn’t want any part of what was happening, and I didn’t know anyone else who’d be able to help me. I hadn’t heard anything about me working on the investigation, and whether I had been officially dismissed or not. And frankly, I couldn’t care less. Whatever their decision, I would end up doing whatever I pleased. Other people’s opinions and orders never stopped me in the past to get what I wanted, and it wasn’t going to happen now.

  I tossed my Grafton on the side table and headed for the bathroom where I ran myself a long hot shower. It was 2.30 p.m., and I realised it was time for me to make a decision one way or another. I couldn’t go on sitting on the fence, fearing whatever evil force was hovering above my head. Anger and the need for justice was fuelling my mind, but I had no idea which direction to take.

  I stepped out of the shower, dried my hair with a clean towel, and noticed the bags under my eyes. It didn’t matter that I’d spent all night and all morning in bed, I hadn’t managed to get the sleep I so badly needed. The tiredness, of course, hindered my ability to find a solution.

  Maybe I would interrogate a few of the Evelyn’s neighbours.

  Or maybe track down other people who were down on her address book. Goosh was one of them, but they were many others. Someone had to know something. I didn’t believe that the killer was just someone she had met by accident on that fatal night. She was very careful with who she went out with. That was what high-class escort girls did, to my understanding, anyway. Of course, I really had no concrete idea of how the industry worked, what kind of scrutiny potential clients went through, and how the psychopath of these world were filtered out of the system. Whatever the case, Evelyn’s system had a hole in it, and some big shark managed to squeeze itself through the net.

  ‘How long have you known Evelyn for?’ I asked the woman who was sitting across the table from me.

  We were eating lunch at Cafe Max in the city. The buffet food for lunch was excellent and well priced. I ordered a Cajun chicken salad and Paulina a serving of vegetarian gonococci We could have sat outside and watch the crowd on Hardware Street, but the temperature was not all that hot. I’d been here before, and there was always a real sense of community between the cafe and the surrounding shop, providing the perfect atmosphere for special events and interesting music.

  Paulina had been in the escort business for as long as Evelyn. Although they began working together during the early stages of their career, they both ended up working for themselves. They’ve known each other for twenty years now, which was far longer than I ever managed to keep a friend.

  ‘I told her the money was much better,’ Paulina said. ‘Those bastards take fifty percent of your earning, and for what? They don’t do anything apart from making phone calls and advertise. Really, you got to ask yourself, what kind of fool would give away fifty percent of their wages? This is the worse kind of deal I’ve ever heard of. I mean, do you know any other business where you have to give fifty percent of your earnings?’

  ‘Cab driving,’ I said matter-of-factly.

  ‘Really?’ She seemed genuinely surprised. ‘I didn’t know that.’

  ‘Yes, and the money is pr
obably not half as good as what you’re making.’

  Paulina was extremely attractive, and I never expected her to be any less given that she was working has a high-class escort. She had long hair the colour of winter wheat and green sparkling eyes. She was tall, and the way she handled her cutlery, you could have been forgiven for thinking she’d been born and bred in high society. Her yellow jacket was the expensive designer type made of material that winkled easily if not careful. She could have been a model if she never bothered with prostitution. Or an actress given she had some form of talent to begin with, or a game-show host, or any job which required someone to look like the cover girl of the latest issue of Vogue.

  I tracked Paulina down from the email number listed in Evelyn’s address book. Two days prior, I sent unsolicited email to all the addresses in Evelyn’s book and asked everyone to contact me in regards to the investigation I was conducting. No one replied to my request other than Paulina. She had heard that Evelyn had been killed through the media, but didn’t want to get involved, that is until I got in touch with her.

  ‘It’s a revolting profession,’ Paulina said as she sipped from her cappuccino. ‘I hate what I’m doing, and I hate myself for doing it. But I’ve been working this job for so long, I’m not experienced at doing anything else. I keep telling myself that one day I’ll quit, but it doesn’t look as if it’s ever going to happen. You really get used to the money, and there would be no way that I could go back and live on the breadline. I mean, what’s the point? At the end of the day, you only live once, so at least I get what I want.’

  ‘What did Evelyn think of the work?’

  ‘She didn’t. She was too interested in the money. And believe me, that’s all it is. Unless you’re an nymphomaniac, it’s nothing but the money. And we’re talking a lot of money.’