"She was murdered?" Dave stopped unpacking the grocery bags, a carton of milk paused in mid-air. "I thought she died in her sleep or something. Murdered? Are you sure?"
"The autopsy was conducted last night. Can you answer the question, please?"
Dave put the milk in the fridge and pulled a stool around to sit on. "Sure, sorry. That was Saturday night, right? The night before last. I left here after dinner, went back to the resort with the rest of the remaining crew."
"Can you tell us who that was?"
"Um, there was me, Johnny and Steve, the two cameramen, Rebecca, she does the sound, plus the host, Kyle. Maeve and Brandon were already at the resort. She's the producer, Brandon is part of the editing team."
"That's it?" asked Quinn, who noted all those names down.
"Yeah. We had a much bigger crew than that, but most of them flew home Saturday morning. The contestants were due to go home this week, I think it's tomorrow, actually. So they just left a few of us here to finish up while the rest had a break before filming started in the contestants' homes."
Cooper was ready with more questions, but he caught movement on the stairs out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and saw Ivy, Dax, and Lucas on their way down.
"Good morning, troops," said Dave, turning on a smile Cooper presumed was well-rehearsed for the cameras. "I'm making omelettes. Your favourite, Lucas."
Lucas grunted, and Dave turned to Cooper. "He's not much of a morning person."
Ivy said good morning then set about making coffee while Dax sank wordlessly into the same spot on the lounge he'd occupied last night. He avoided making eye contact with anyone.
Jerome and Martha joined them a short while later, Martha not showing any signs of having been up half the night.
When Dave was finished cooking, Cooper joined him and the five contestants at the breakfast table. It crossed his mind how bizarre the situation was – he was about to interview all these people as suspects in a murder investigation, and here he was sharing their dining table and a meal. Still, this was an unusual situation.
Quinn took a wander around outside while the rest of them ate. When breakfast was over and the plates were being cleared Quinn returned, followed by Sergeant Adams and the two technical analysts he'd brought straight from the plane, Zach Ryan and Nora Reynolds.
Cooper was glad to see them. "Good flight?" he asked, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.
"That was the smallest plane I've ever been on," said Nora.
"Yeah, you're looking a bit pale," said Quinn. "Want a coffee?"
"I'd love one."
"Me too," said Zach. Cooper introduced the two of them to the contestants and Dave, while Quinn made himself at home in the kitchen again.
"Zach and Nora will be spending time here this morning processing the house as a crime scene," said Cooper to the group. "They'll focus on Zara's room, but may want to look around elsewhere as well. I'd appreciate you giving them your full cooperation."
"Sure," said Lucas. "It's not like we have any privacy here anyway."
Cooper ignored him. While they drank coffee to fortify themselves for the long day ahead, Cooper gave Quinn instructions to head back to the local police station with Sergeant Adams. "Call Munro, organise to get Anderson and Baxter interviewing all the crew who left here Saturday morning. They're not suspects, but they may provide valuable insight. Then you and Garry round up the rest of the crew still on the island – the two cameramen, the sound engineer, and the editor Dave mentioned. I want you to interview them at the station."
"You don't need me here?"
"No, I can handle this lot. I'll get Zach or Nora to sit in if necessary." He lowered his voice so Garry Adams couldn't overhear. "I think there might be something between our mate Garry there and Maeve Singer. See if you can get close enough to him to suss that out. And if I'm right about that, I don't want him involved in these interviews here with the contestants. If he's too close to this show, he can't be objective.”
"Doesn't that mean he shouldn't be interviewing the crew with me either?"
"In an ideal world, yes. But he has to be somewhere, and the crew were all back at the resort when Zara was murdered. They're not our primary focus." Cooper looked around the expansive living area, where all five of the contestants were trying to make themselves look busy. "These are our prime suspects," he said, voice low so only Quinn, Nora, and Zach could hear. "They were all in the house when Zara was murdered. This is where we need to concentrate, and if Sergeant Adams has become too close, I don't want him anywhere near here while I interview these five."
10
Cooper got an update on the autopsy results from Zach and Nora before he sent the two of them upstairs to start processing Zara's room. She had been suffocated, as they already knew, and there was no sign of her having put up a struggle. There was also no evidence of recent sexual activity, consensual or otherwise. They already had a rough time of death, but Garrett had been able to narrow the window to sometime between midnight Saturday and four am Sunday. Toxicology tests would take more time, but Meg Baxter was putting pressure on the lab to fast-track them as much as possible.
Lucas Chan was the first contestant to be interviewed. The house had a small office located off the main living room, and Cooper had commandeered the room for the day. There was an empty desk in the middle of the room, a small bookcase to one side, and not much else. No cameras. Cooper sat at the desk with his back to the window, Lucas Chan sat opposite him on a chair they'd dragged in from the dining room.
"What do you want to know?" asked Lucas. He had a large frame, but it was obvious by the way his clothes hung off him that he'd lost a lot of weight. He sat with his legs spread wide, arms folded across his chest.
Cooper studied him for thirty seconds more before finally answering. "The autopsy has confirmed Zara King was murdered, sometime between midnight and four am. Where were you at this time?"
"In my room. Asleep."
"Can anyone confirm that?"
"No. I was alone. We all have our own rooms now that there's only six of us left. Sorry, five."
"Right. You didn't get up at all during that time? Wake to go to the bathroom, get a drink, anything at all?"
"Nope."
"You didn't hear anything? Any noises from other rooms?"
"Nope."
"What can you tell me about your relationship with Zara?"
"We didn't have a relationship."
"No, not in that sense. But you just spent nine weeks living in the same house. How did you get on?"
Lucas sighed. "We got on all right. She was a bit stuck up, but she was okay. Mostly."
"Mostly," Cooper repeated. "I heard you had a few arguments."
Lucas shrugged. "She was argumentative."
This was painful. Lucas Chan was not the talkative type. "Can you expand on that?" Cooper asked.
"It's all on tape, man. Can't you just watch the videos?"
"Yes, we'll be doing that. But I'm asking you."
Lucas lifted one leg and rested the ankle on the other knee. He uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on each hip. "Look, me and Zara had our differences, I'll admit that. I thought we had something at first, thought she was into me. Turns out I was wrong. I can accept that. I'm a decent bloke. I didn't hurt her, okay? I'm not the one you're looking for. I was fast asleep in my own room."
Cooper paused to take notes. He watched Lucas's leg start jiggling up and down out of the corner of his eye. The truck driver from Western Australia was holding something back.
"You ever been in trouble with the police, Lucas?"
"What? No, course not. They wouldn't have let me on this show if I had, would they?"
Cooper nodded. "Fair enough. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Lucas planted his foot back on the ground and leaned forward. "Is the show over?" He asked the question in such a quiet voice, Cooper barely heard.
"I don't know. That's up to the producers or the t
elevision company, whoever's in charge. I've got an investigation to conduct, and they certainly won't be allowed to include any footage of that. But whether the show continues at all, that's not up to me."
Lucas sat back and ran his hands through his hair. He looked troubled. Cooper took the opportunity to get him to talk.
"You want the show to go on?" Cooper asked.
Lucas nodded. "I need the money, man. I got my own business back home, the boys are running it for me, but times are tough. Too many rules and regulations in our industry now because of all the cowboys. Makes it hard to make any money out of a legitimate trucking business. If I want to keep it going, I need more trucks. But new trucks aren't cheap. A million dollars would sure come in handy."
Cooper took a deep breath and tried to remain outwardly calm. A woman had died, but Lucas could only think about winning the competition and the prize money.
"Lucas, if the show continues, do you think you stand a good chance of winning?"
A sly grin crept across the man's face. "I don't see why not. I'm a likeable bloke, on camera. The Aussie Battler, that's me. Everyone loves a hard-working battler, don't they?"
"This show is about transformations. Have you transformed?"
Lucas's big hands clutched either side of his stomach. "Lost nearly thirty kilos, mate. I'd say that's a pretty big transformation, wouldn't you?"
Cooper didn't answer. "I heard you had anger management issues you wanted to curb. How's that side of your transformation going?"
The arms folded again. "All right."
"Only all right? I heard you had an altercation with Zara on the beach the day before she died. Got quite vocal, from what I'm told."
"That? That was nothing. She upset Jerome that day more than me. Told me she was only being nice to him for the cameras, and to try and boost his confidence. She said she'd never associate with him back home, and the poor little punk overheard. He's the one you want to be talking to about that argument, not me."
"I'll be talking to Jerome. But right now, I'm talking to you. Did she upset you that day? Make you angry?"
"Look, Zara upset me on a regular basis, man. It was her thing. I played to it, you know, make things more interesting to the viewers. Boring as batshit around here otherwise. She might have got my back up a few times, sure. But I cool down just as quickly as I heat up. There's nothing to my temper, it's all steam. I didn't kill Zara."
Cooper finished making his notes while Lucas sat and watched. Cooper snuck a glance at the big man's hands, and imagined them holding a pillow over Zara's face. It wasn't difficult to imagine, his hands were enormous.
"Can I go?" asked Lucas.
Cooper looked up and nodded. "Send Jerome in, please."
Two minutes later Jerome Kokinos stood just inside the door, and Cooper took in his slight but toned frame. Jerome had short, perfectly groomed dark hair, was clean shaven, and was nervous as hell.
"Come in, sit down," said Cooper.
Jerome closed the door and perched himself on the edge of the chair. He looked close to tears, and they hadn't even started yet.
"When can we go home?" Jerome asked.
"I can't answer that just yet, I'm sorry."
"We were supposed to be going home tomorrow."
"I know. But this is a murder investigation, I suspect you're going to need to stay a little longer yet."
A tear ran down Jerome's cheek. Cooper hated what he had to do next.
"Jerome, tell me about the day Zara died. I heard you had an altercation with her the day before.”
"No, I didn't."
"I've been told you overheard her say something that upset you."
"That's true. But we didn't have an altercation over it. I didn't speak to her. That's not an altercation."
Cooper held up his hands, palm out. "Fair enough. Can you tell me about it? In your own words."
Jerome eased himself back into the chair. "Zara and I were friends. At least, I thought we were. I find it difficult to make friends back in the real world, Detective. But Zara and I connected. She helped me to be the person I am, rather than the person my family wants me to be."
"What do your family want you to be?"
"Straight."
Cooper should have seen that one coming. "Sorry, Jerome. I didn't mean to… well…"
"It's okay. I'm ready to face them now. My family is Greek, and very old-fashioned. My father would never accept a gay son. But Zara helped me realise that's his problem, not mine. I'm not going to live a lie just to please someone else."
"Good for you." Cooper couldn't imagine asking either of his own sons to be someone they weren't for the sake of appearances and family pride. He just wanted them to be happy.
"Do you know how Zara died?" Jerome asked.
"We do. I can tell you she was murdered, Jerome, and it happened between the hours of midnight and four am. Can you tell me where you were at that time?"
More tears flowed. "She was murdered? Are you sure?"
Cooper nodded. "We're sure." He waited for an answer.
"I… I was in my room. I wasn't feeling well, so I went to bed early that night."
"You weren't feeling well yesterday, either. Was it the same problem? Are you all right now?"
"I think it's just nerves. I've gotten used to this place, these people. I'm nervous about going home."
"That's all?"
Jerome hesitated, then nodded. "That's all. I'm not too bad today."
Cooper rubbed both hands across his face. Two interviews, two suspects alone in their rooms at the time of the murder. He figured he was going to get the same story from all five of the house's remaining occupants.
"So you didn't see or hear anything outside your room that night? No arguments, people moving about? Nothing?"
"No, sorry. I slept pretty soundly."
"Can you think of anyone else in the house who might have a reason to kill Zara?"
Jerome shook his head. He pulled a scrunched up tissue out of his pocket and wiped his eyes. "You're absolutely sure she was murdered?" he asked again.
"Yes, we're sure." Cooper's eyes narrowed. "Jerome, is there anything you want to tell me? We're not being filmed in here, remember. There are no cameras in this room."
Again, Jerome shook his head. "Can I go?"
Cooper waved a hand towards the door, and Jerome quickly made his escape. The tears were real, but something else was off about that one. Cooper's gut told him Jerome Kokinos knew more than he was saying.
11
Cooper took a break from interviewing when Maeve Singer and the two cameramen arrived. He still couldn't get his head around the fact they were going to keep filming. He didn't understand the television industry.
Maeve introduced him to Johnny and Steve, the cameramen, just as Zach and Nora returned to the living room.
"You finished up there?" Cooper asked.
Zach nodded. He hauled the garbage bags Quinn had filled last night down the stairs, which were now secured inside clear plastic evidence bags. Nora followed, clutching an armful of smaller bags. "There some place we can work, Coop?" Zach asked.
"Sergeant Adams will be here soon to take you back to the local station. He's got a room set up for us there, apparently. In the meantime, we need to do a walk-through of the house." Cooper turned to Maeve and the cameramen. "I need to know the location of every camera in this house. Can one of you help me with that?"
Johnny and Steve both turned to Maeve, who nodded her approval.
"I can do that," said Steve. He offloaded the camera equipment he was carrying and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Ready when you are."
Maeve and Johnny joined the other contestants who were milling about in the kitchen. Nora elected to stay with the evidence bags, which left Cooper and Zach to follow Steve around the house. As Cooper had suspected last night, there were multiple cameras in the open-plan living area covering the main lounge, the kitchen, and the dining room.
"We can see everythi
ng that goes on in here," said Steve. "But the contestants know that, it's written into their contracts."
"They know where all the cameras are?" asked Zach.
"Not each camera's exact location, but they know which rooms they're in. They know this common area is pretty well covered."
"Where else has cameras?" asked Cooper.
"There are a couple by the front door," said Steve, and they went to the door as he pointed to spots inside and out. "We need to record the trainers and therapists coming and going, the dietician, etcetera. Plus Kyle, the host. We're usually here filming anyway when he arrives, but these cameras are a good back up for his entrances."
Cooper made a note, then followed Steve and Zach upstairs. "Maeve told us there were no cameras up here."
"That's right. We had to provide the contestants with some privacy. They know there’s no cameras in their rooms, or in these hallways. But there is one out here." Steve led the way down the hall, in the opposite direction to the way Cooper and Quinn had gone last night to Zara's room.
"Where does this go?" Cooper asked.
"Balcony," said Steve. He reached the end of the corridor and opened a pair of French doors, and they found themselves outside on a long, wide, balcony overlooking the beach. There was a table large enough to seat twelve, plus a few day beds and a hammock swinging in the corner. It was terribly inviting, and Cooper found himself trying to recall the last time he'd had a holiday.
"You've got cameras out here?"
"Just one, covering the table. The contestants often eat meals out here."
"Coop, come and look here."
Cooper followed the sound of Zach's voice. The balcony went around the corner to a staircase leading down the outside of the house.
Zach was standing at the top of the stairs. "You have a camera on these stairs?" he asked Steve.
"No." Steve let out a big sigh. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes. Someone could have conceivably got into the house via this staircase without being filmed. The only camera on the balcony is trained on the table, it doesn't cover the stairs or the doors to the house. That was done on purpose."
C&Q04,5 - Dark Paradise Page 5