by Loren Teague
CHAPTER NINE
Rick drove in some of the worst road conditions he’d seen in years. The rain pelted down. Twice he had to pull over to the side of the road until it eased.
Large slips of brown mud and rocks had rolled down from the hillside, landing on the main highway. The road maintenance crew were clearing it and putting up large yellow warning signs for the traffic. Rick focused on the road ahead, the car radio a low murmur in between the rhythmic sound of the windscreen wipers. Thunder growled and flashes of lightning in the distance brightened the grey sky.
Rick glanced at the rear-view mirror noticing the long trail of traffic behind him. When the road curved around the corner, he saw the queue of cars stretched just as equally in front. It was going to take him longer than he thought to reach Elena. He grimaced.
The mobile phone rang unexpectedly. He flicked on the answer button. The voice came through the loudspeaker. It was Dave Brougham. ‘Gina’s mobile phone number has registered at the emergency services. The caller asked for the police and then the line went dead. Any idea what’s going on?’
Rick tried to control the alarm that shot through him. ‘No, but something must be wrong. I’ve just left her at my beach house.’ He was in two minds whether to turn around and head back.
‘Do you want us to send a patrol car?’ offered Brougham. ‘We can check things out.’
‘No. I’m closer.’ But what was he going to do about his sister and the children? He explained the position.
‘We’ll arrange for a patrol car to pick Elena up. We’ll drop them off at your place.’
‘Thanks, I’d appreciate that.’
‘Rick, there’s something else.’
‘Yeah. What?’
‘Recovery brought up Gallagher’s car. They can’t find the body. It’s possible he was thrown from the car. We don’t know yet. Divers have been searching the area, but with the storm hitting we’ve had to call the search off until conditions improve.’
Could that mean Gallagher’s alive, thought Rick? His heart slammed against his chest.
‘Maybe he was never in the car. The suicide note might have been a ruse.’
‘That had occurred to me too. I’ll keep you informed if anything turns up.’
Rick glanced again in his rear-view mirror. A big logging truck with a full load was travelling behind him, too close for his liking, so he signalled in plenty of time, indicating he was pulling in to the side of the road. He waited until there was a gap in the traffic and did a U-turn. His foot pressed down hard on the accelerator, picking up speed quickly. He knew he was taking a chance ignoring the speed warning signs especially with the wet, slippery road but he knew he had no choice. He had to reach Gina. Fast.
He’d only driven a few kilometres when he realized the cars ahead of him were slowing down. He braked. Ahead there had been a landslide. The road was blocked. He swore under his breath.
There was nothing he could do. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking furiously. What if Gallagher had tracked Gina down? He dialled Gina’s number. No answer. Only a disconnected tone. He swore again.
He threw the door open and climbed out. With quick strides, he started walking towards the road block. The rain had eased off slightly but there was a thin drizzle forming a mist around the hills. Cars were lined up behind each other on the main highway. A few horns honked impatiently. When he reached the road maintenance crew, he asked how long it would take to clear the road. The man dressed in yellow oilskins scratched his head and looked vague.
‘Can’t say. Maybe an hour at the most.’
Rick grimaced. ‘That’s an hour too long for me.’ He was trying to keep calm but couldn’t help the panic beginning to grip him. If he could get by the landslide, he could reach Gina faster than any patrol car. He saw a motorcyclist, dressed in black leather gear, parked nearby and headed over to speak with him.
‘I need to borrow your motorbike,’ Rick said quietly. ‘I don’t have time to explain now … but I need to reach someone who’s in danger.’
The black leather figure removed his helmet. Rick was surprised to see it was a woman, and an attractive one at that. She had copper-coloured hair and green eyes.
‘Come on,’ she drawled. ‘You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?’
Rick flashed his private investigator licence but knew perfectly well it didn’t give him any more rights than an ordinary citizen.
‘A private eye, huh?’ she remarked, tossing back her head. Interest entered her eyes. ‘Funny that, I’m married to a cop.’
‘I was a cop too.’
‘Then you might know my husband. McKenna’s his name.’
‘Mike McKenna?’ asked Rick, surprised. When she nodded, he added, ‘Yeah, we worked together a few times. He’s based on the West Coast. A detective in the drugs squad, isn’t he?’
She inclined her head, her face thoughtful. ‘That’s right. Seems like you might have just convinced me.’
Her voice was unmistakably Scottish, Rick realized. Then he remembered hearing that McKenna had married an undercover agent from Scotland. He’d also heard that they had a couple of kids. While he would have been pleased to chat to her, he knew he was running out of time.
‘Look, I really do need to borrow your motorbike,’ he repeated urgently. He was ready to use force if necessary and be willing to face the consequences later. ‘You can use my wagon over there.’ He pointed to his vehicle sitting behind a line of cars. ‘Here’s my keys.’
She gave him a wide smile. ‘My name is Kelly Anderson. Just you make sure you look after my motorbike. I want it back in one piece,’ she told him, her hands on her hips. ‘If you drop it off at the police station in Nelson, I’ll collect it there later.’
‘You’re doing someone a favour,’ he replied gratefully. ‘I owe you.’
‘I guess she must be someone special,’ she answered, her teardrop greenstone ear-ring jangling against her cheek as she handed him the helmet.
It was Rick’s turn to smile. ‘Yeah, she is.’
He climbed on to the Triumph Tiger motorbike and revved it hard. It had been a while since he’d ridden a motorbike but he hadn’t forgotten how. When he took off, he immediately headed along the white centre lane and whenever he saw debris, skirted round it. A large mound of mud and stones ahead posed a bigger problem but increasing speed he flew past the maintenance crew ignoring their shouts of warning. For a few seconds, when he peaked on the landfall, he thought he wasn’t going to make it. The tyres were wheeling deeper as they slid backwards in the mud. He gripped the throttle hard and put his feet on the ground to keep his balance. Suddenly, the bike broke free with a lurch, the tyres gripping on some rocks. Before he knew it, he was zooming down the other side. When he glanced in the rear-view mirror, he saw the maintenance men shaking their heads at him, so he gave them a wave. He rolled back the throttle tight, the bike screaming as it sped along. Adrenaline shot through him. If he hadn’t been so worried about Gina, he would have enjoyed the ride. A sharp corner loomed up. He leaned left, easing his speed. Before he knew it, he had reached the turning to Kokorua.
It took him half the time to reach the house than it would have done in a car. He pulled up outside. Something was wrong. The door was open, swinging back and forth with the wind. He switched off the engine and took the steps two at a time, drawing his Glock. When he entered the living room, his jaw dropped. A table had been overturned. The vase of wild flowers which Gina had so carefully picked that morning, were lying strewn on the tiled floor in a soggy mess. It was obvious there had been a scuffle.
‘Gina, are you there?’ he called out, even though he knew with a sinking heart she wouldn’t be.
He approached the bedroom door carefully. When he stepped into the room he saw the shattered mobile phone lying on the bedroom floor. He bent down and, without touching it, peered at it closely. He froze when he saw the smear of blood on the back of the door. Was Gina hurt? She would have put up a go
od fight, he knew that instinctively. Was she lying hurt outside somewhere? If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. His hands trembled at the thought. He had to keep calm and think. There wasn’t much time. He had to find her.
An hour later, a patrol car pulled up outside. Rick went forward to meet it. Dave Brougham climbed out a grim look on his face.
‘There’s no sign of her,’ said Rick. The words came out oddly like he had trouble saying them. Rick swallowed again carefully. He had to get a grip on himself if he was going to be of any use.
Once inside the beach house, Brougham took a look around. He gave instructions to the police officer standing next to him. ‘Get a forensic team out. Make it urgent.’
Rick knew all about procedure. Seize, cordon and contain the scene. When the forensic team arrived they’d look for blood, fibres, hair, and fingerprints.
Rick started to make his way to the door. ‘Did you touch anything?’ asked Brougham.
Rick turned. ‘No.’
Brougham caught his arm as he moved past. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Where do you think? To find her,’ he said. ‘She could be outside somewhere.’
‘You’ll never find her in this weather – it’s pitch black out there. Whoever took her had a car. They’ll be long gone now.’
Rick knew he was right but he had to try. Frustration consumed him. He bunched his fists together. ‘Damn it. I should have been here. I shouldn’t have left her by herself.’
Brougham’s hand fell on his shoulder sympathetically. ‘You weren’t to know.’ His face was regretful, his voice low. ‘I’m sorry.’
He didn’t admit the mistake outright, but Rick knew that was as good as an apology he would get from Brougham. The police had got it wrong. The killer was still out there, somewhere, and he had Gina. They had to work together to find her. He only hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
Gina’s hands were tied so tightly, the pain was excruciating. Her arms had gone numb and she was feeling queasy from the blow Jason had given her. But her physical condition was nothing compared to how she was feeling emotionally. She was terrified. He had gone completely crazy and he was going to kill her. She was sure of it.
She tried to move slightly but no matter which way she shifted, there was no comfortable position in the boot of the car. Two wooden boxes hemmed her in at each side, crushing her into the one position. The car finally slowed down and stopped. Jason opened the boot and shone a flashlight into her face. Her eyes closed painfully. Then he hauled her out and she half fell to her knees on the dirt track. It had stopped raining. Moonlight filtered through patchy clouds casting ominous shadows everywhere she looked. The fronds of a palm tree shivered above her.
Where was she, she wondered?
Jason led her like an unwilling animal down the track until they reached an old shack. He tied her to the veranda post. She couldn’t stop shaking.
He left her alone for a few minutes while he drove the car into a shed part way down the track. She heard the sound of the doors being dragged over the rough, stony ground. Soon he was back. A set of lights flashed somewhere in the distance and that was the last thing Gina saw as he dragged her up the steps into the shack and slammed the door shut behind them.
If Gina could have yelled, she would have but her mouth was taped firmly shut. She started to pull away, but he pushed her and she fell to the floor with a thud. The impact winded her. Her face lay against the musty floorboards. If he was going to kill her, she only hoped he’d do it quickly. She stifled a sob in the back of her throat as she thought of Rick and how much he meant to her. Would she ever see him again?
After a few minutes of Gallagher moving around in the dark, he lit a candle. ‘Get on your feet.’
She tried to stand, but her legs shook so much she had to lean against the wall.
With one quick swipe, he removed the tape across her mouth. ‘You can yell all you like, but no one will hear you.’
‘Why?’ she asked hoarsely. ‘Why are you doing this to me? Why didn’t you take the money I gave you and leave? You said you would.’
‘You cancelled the cheque,’ he accused.
‘I didn’t.’ She shook her head.
‘If it wasn’t you, who was it?’
‘I don’t know,’ she lied. ‘There must have been some mistake at the bank.’
‘It doesn’t matter now, anyway.’ He laughed, an unpleasant sound.
‘Jason, let me go. This will only get you in worse trouble.’
His face hardened. ‘Shut up. This time your family are going to pay big time. I wonder how much you are worth to them. After all, you’re the only granddaughter left now.’
Gina’s heart sank. The realization that he’d killed Maria struck her. ‘You shot Maria, didn’t you?’
He nodded. ‘Now you know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I want you to suffer as much as I did.’ He stared at her for a few more seconds. ‘You shouldn’t have divorced me, Gina. By the time I’ve finished you’ll be begging me to love you again.’
‘You’re despicable,’ she spat out. She couldn’t believe she had once been married to this man. It was the drugs, she reminded herself. Once he’d started taking methamphetamine, his personality had started to change. He hadn’t always been like this, she thought sadly. ‘You need help.’ But deep inside, she knew she would be wasting her time.
He laughed out loud. ‘Help? That’s a big joke, Gina. This is what I need.’ He then leaned forward, his mouth drawing closer. She turned her face to the side, shuddering.
‘No … no … don’t even touch me.’
Jason pulled back, his eyes glittering. He picked up the rope and tied it to the end of the bed. When he’d finished he stood over her. ‘Let’s see if a few hours on your own might change your mind.’ He blew out the candle. The acrid smell of wax wafted over to her in the darkness, making her want to gag. ‘Watch out for the rats,’ he threw over his shoulder.
Rats? Oh God. No. She heard a scuffling noise in the corner and something running across the floor. A scream lodged in her throat. But screaming wouldn’t get her anywhere. No one would hear. She had to think. Not panic.
She was still alive, she realized with a jolt, and she was going to try and stay that way. Even so, she didn’t know if she’d see the sun rise.
CHAPTER TEN
The forensic team had finished. Rick stepped over the plastic yellow tape stretched across the front of the beach house and made his way down the driveway. Brougham was squatting beside a set of car tracks, a short distance away.
‘What do you think?’ asked Rick.
Brougham stood up. ‘Whoever it was must have parked in that clearing, fifty metres back up the track so Gina wouldn’t have heard the car engine. Then he’d crept towards the house.’
Rick exhaled. ‘It has to be Gallagher. Everything points to him being the one. Dumping the car over the cliff and leaving the suicide note had to have been a ruse. All along he’s been tailing her. Just waiting for the right moment.’ And Rick had given him all the chance he needed when he’d left Gina on her own to pick up his sister.
He had to find her, Rick thought, over and over again. God damn it … he loved her. He just hadn’t had a chance to tell her.
Brougham was sitting at his deck when a phone call came through from reception. Denise Thompson, Anthony Monopili’s secretary, was at the front desk demanding to see him urgently. He drank the dregs of his cold coffee and made his way down the corridor to the interview room.
She was already seated at the Formica table when he entered. The detective sat down opposite her. ‘Ms Thompson, what’s this about?’
She shifted position, her gaze darting around the room. ‘I … I need help.’
Brougham spoke calmly, taking in the pale, tear-stained face. ‘Help? Why?’
‘Jason Gallagher is going to kill me. He’s crazy.’ She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. ‘He killed Maria and now he’s threate
ned me. He phoned up last night and said he wanted me to deliver a message. He said he had Gina, and that the Rosselini family were to give him fifty million dollars or he will kill her. He wanted them to pay for treating him the way they did.’ Her voice was almost hysterical as she added, ‘You have to understand. I didn’t want to be part of this. But everything’s got out of hand.’
Brougham leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. ‘How do you know Gallagher?’
She took another breath. ‘After he got out of rehab he came to me, asking for help. He promised that if I did, Anthony would come back to me.’ She gave a sob. ‘I guess I fell for it. I was just so angry that Anthony dumped me to marry Maria I went along with Jason’s plans. I was the one who wrote the anonymous letter to Gina under his instructions. He wanted to scare her a little.’
‘Any idea where Jason might be hiding out?’ demanded Brougham.
Her voice shook as she twisted her handkerchief round and round in her hand. ‘No, I don’t. He left the flat he’d rented. He said he was heading for the bush.’
‘Where is his flat?’
Denise gave him the address. ‘I told him that I didn’t want any more to do with him. He was furious. Said if I didn’t do as I was told, he’d come after me as well. Please, you have to help me. I’ve not been well.’ She leaned forward. ‘I need police protection.’
Denise was crying uncontrollably and Brougham, although he had a million questions still to ask her, decided he had to give her a break. The last thing he wanted was the police being accused of harassing a sick woman. But he also knew when her lawyer got here, she might not be so helpful. Brougham looked up at the woman police officer standing near the door. ‘Make her a cup of tea, will you?’ He turned to another police officer. ‘Get me Rick Caruso on the phone. I need to speak to him urgently.’
Later that night, Rick was sitting in the bar of the Club Italia when a newsflash came over the television. The news reader announced that one of the wealthy Rosselinis had been abducted. Rick’s stomach clenched tightly, souring the brandy he had just drunk. Gina’s photo flashed across the screen. His hand curved tightly around his glass, almost crushing it. He felt so helpless. He had to find her, but he didn’t know where to look. He’d spent hours scouring the hillside near the beach house but there had been no sign. No clues. Nothing.