She hadn’t thought of that. “I suppose I could, yeah.” Eva looked at Andrew properly for the first time. Tall, athletic build, short brown hair messed up with some kind of product, dark-brown eyes. The kind of guy who’s naturally good-looking without being aware of it. He was wearing a pair of beaten-up jeans and a polo shirt that had also seen better days. “Tell me about Amanda,” she said.
Andrew looked slightly uncomfortable. “What do you want to know?”
“What’s she like? How long have you been together? How did you meet? That sort of thing. Maybe if I can get a clearer picture while I’m awake, I’ll see more next time I dream of her.”
“Fair enough. Let’s see. Amanda? A people person, definitely. Loves entertaining and socialising. She’s always dragging me off to some party or other. That, or we’ve got a houseful. She’d have you and your friend Taylor around for dinner, I’m sure. I can’t see the attraction, really. With having people over all the time, I mean, not you and Taylor specifically,” he corrected himself. “I spend all day around people, so when I get home I want to relax, watch the game or maybe a movie. But that’s when things get started for Amanda. She loves the nightlife.”
“Does she work?”
“Yeah, advertising. Suits her down to the ground, really.” Andrew went on to explain Amanda’s work, her circle of friends, the things they did together, and the things they did apart. Eventually, Eva felt it was time to ask the question she most wanted answered.
“You told me this morning that Amanda was having an affair. You also said that wasn’t important now. How can you say that?”
His eyes were sad, and she almost wished she hadn’t asked. He waited a long time before answering. “We’ve got problems. They’ve been there a long time; I just didn’t want to admit it. It took Amanda being kidnapped for me to acknowledge the cracks in our marriage. She was young when we met — when we fell in love. I wasn’t exactly over the hill myself, but she was just a kid. We had some good years, some great years, actually, but we are too different. We’ve grown apart. Maybe if we’d worked at it harder it could have turned out different, but I think deep down we both knew it was over. I’m disappointed Amanda has been with someone else, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I’m as much to blame as she is.”
“Because you’ve grown apart?”
“Because I was absent. I’ve been obsessed with finding the killer. It’s taken over my life.” Andrew stopped himself at the mention of the killer. “I’m sorry. That was tactless.”
Eva watched while Andrew rubbed his face with his hands. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days, and it reminded her of something else she’d meant to ask him.
“What did the police want with you today? Have they got any leads?”
“No. They’re still just wasting time. They actually think I’m involved.”
“Involved? How?”
Andrew sighed. “The lead detective, Cooper his name is, he’s had it in for me for years. Because of my stories. He says I’ve been undermining his investigation, that I should have stayed out of the way. It’s hard on the crime beat, the cops don’t give us much to write about. If you want a good story you have to put in the effort and find something no-one else has. Most cops are careful with what they say to you these days, but Cooper, he makes it harder than it needs to be. Anyway, now that Amanda has gone missing he’s got some crazy idea that I somehow colluded with Fraser Grant to kidnap her, and then I killed him to cover it up.”
“He thinks you killed that man?” Eva still couldn’t bring herself to say his name out loud.
“Yeah. You remember I told you about my friend at RPA, the one who helped me trace the heart to you?” Eva nodded, so he continued. “He also told me that the guy was murdered, which is something the police haven’t released to the press yet. Naturally, I can’t reveal my source, so when I let slip that I knew he was murdered, Cooper assumed the only way I could have known was if I did it. So he’s concocted this story about me having found out for myself who the killer was, and instead of turning him in like any normal person would do, Cooper thinks I’ve asked him to deal with my cheating wife.”
“Why would you do that? I mean, why does this Detective Cooper think you would do that?”
“For the story. He thinks I would have a serial killer kidnap and murder my own wife so I could write a story about it. Can you believe that?”
Eva was shocked. “That’s ridiculous,” she finally managed to say.
“Tell me about it. What worries me is that while they’re out indulging in their fanciful theories, Amanda is no closer to being found. She’s a strong woman, stronger than she knows, but she can’t hold on forever. The more time they waste, the less chance there is we’ll get to her in time. You know, when I first reported her missing, the police directed me to this missing persons website. Thirty-five thousand people go missing in Australia every year. That’s nearly a hundred every day. How was that supposed to make me feel better? It’s so frustrating. I feel so helpless.” Andrew got up and walked over to the window, running his hands through his hair. It was dark outside now, the start of daylight saving still a few weeks away.
“People out there,” he continued, staring out into the night, “husbands and wives and families, they all go on with their lives. They have no idea how quickly it can be torn apart. At least here in the hospital people get it. You get it. You can relate to life no longer being normal.”
That I can, thought Eva. Life will never be normal again.
“I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t you and Georgie come back in late tonight while I’m asleep. If I dream, maybe you’ll see something in my body language. At the very least, you’ll be there when I wake up and Georgie can help me recover the memories straight away. When it’s fresh in my mind, I might remember more.”
“That’s a great idea, but what about the hospital staff? They’re not going to let us sit in here and watch you sleep all night. How do we get around them?”
“Leave them to me. I think I know how to handle it. You just get Georgie in here, but not until after eleven. That’s when the night shift comes on.”
28
It was cold again. Must be night-time. But Amanda had been curled up for hours, and sleep had not come. The ache in her empty stomach was now matched by the ferocious throbbing in her head. She was so tired. Her senses were strained, so alert had she been to every sound, the tiniest noise a possible signal of the return of her captor. The few hours of sleep she’d managed to catch were her only relief, and even those seemed to be eluding her now. She pulled the scratchy blanket tight around her shoulders, but it was too short to cover her feet as well.
Amanda pulled herself into a sitting position and looked over the photo-walls yet again. There were quite a few personal photographs in this collection, pictures taken over the years of her and Andrew. The bastard must have broken into the house and copied them. Most of these pictures were in frames at home, he could have gone in and taken close ups of them. She’d done that herself once — Jane had a lovely photo on her wall of the four of them and Amanda remembered snapping a picture of the picture on her phone. It worked so well she’d had that photo as her wallpaper for a while. Her eyes now rested on a photo of her and Andrew together, taken at a barbecue a couple of years ago. They’d been so happy back then.
Andrew wanted a family, but she wasn’t ready. She was too young. Enjoying life, that’s what it’s all about, right? Plenty of time for kids later. Or there had been. Not now. Amanda thought of Lily and Toby. Jane’s kids adored her, although she had no idea why. Even so, she loved the attention, the absolute devotion only a child can offer. Would they remember her? They’re too young. They’ll ask questions, see photos, but the memories will fade. Aunty Manda will be just another photograph scrolling past on the computer screen, mixed in with images of fun at the beach and European holidays. The tears came again, and she let them fall on the dull, grey blanket.
Amanda stared at the
tool trolley in the far corner of the room, trying to imagine what was in it. She’d already witnessed the scissors. What else was she waiting for? What other macabre instruments were there to torture her?
There’s got to be a way out of here, she thought. Am I supposed to just give up and die? Her eyes rested on a photo of her and Mickey embracing outside a bar in Newtown. She hated that place, but it was one of Mickey’s favourites. He liked watching people, and he loved the diversity of that area of Sydney. Would she ever see Mickey again? Would he give up on her? What would Mickey do if he were in a situation like this? What would Andrew do? What should I do?
She recalled a show on television about missing persons that she’d seen a few times, one of those reality, fly-on-the-wall type programs. Most people said they were rubbish, and Andrew would have teased her mercilessly if he knew she watched that kind of television, but for all the people who bagged these shows, a hell of a lot of people watched. It was just another form of voyeurism. Mickey liked to watch people in Newtown; Andrew got into people’s lives every day as a journalist. Everyone wants to know what other people’s lives are like.
They had good stories on the missing persons show. Someone was found every week. They had to have at least one happy ending, otherwise no-one would watch. The producers weren’t stupid. But for every person they found, too many stayed lost. At the end of the program they scrolled through the faces of people who’d been missing for years, decades even. There were so many of them just gone. She used to think it didn’t make sense. How could people vanish like that? Now she knew.
Amanda was hungry, thirsty, and dirty. Mostly she felt dirty. She had no idea what was more terrifying — the thought of seeing the man again, or the thought of him never coming back.
29
Finally, the door opened and Andrew and Georgie were ushered inside.
“Thanks, Rob,” Eva said to the nurse. She’d been waiting for the last hour.
“No problem, just make sure they stay quiet and out of sight. And you two be careful. We need to keep an eye on her blood pressure,” he said to them before turning back to Eva. “I’ll come see you before I leave.” With a wink he closed the door behind him.
“What was that all about?” whispered Andrew.
“He’s got a major crush on Taylor. I promised I’d give him her phone number if he smuggled you in here for me.”
Andrew grinned. “How does Taylor feel about that?”
“She’ll be pissed, I imagine, but what can she do? I’m a bed-bound invalid, remember?”
“You look different, actually. What’s changed since this afternoon? Oh, I know,” he said, answering his own question. “You’ve got less wires.”
“Your powers of observation are astounding, Mr Journalist. I’ve had one of the chest tubes out, and they took away the monitor a couple of hours ago. I’m working my way toward being totally unplugged. Shame, really, I was starting to get attached to that incessant beeping thing.”
“I thought Rob just said they need to watch your blood pressure?” he asked.
“He’s such a drama queen,” replied Eva, shaking her head. She turned to Georgie. “Hi. Sorry about this afternoon. I got a little spooked.”
“Already forgotten. Andrew told me your plan for us to watch you sleep tonight.”
“Do you think it could work?”
“It might. Especially the part about accessing your memories as soon as possible once you wake up. I’d like to give that a try. Do you think you’ll be able to fall asleep with us here?”
Eva nodded. “I feel sick at the thought of what I might dream, but I know I can’t stay awake forever. I think I might actually feel better having you here. Besides, I’m barely awake now, still on morphine, amongst others. I was struggling to keep my eyes open waiting for you.”
“Good,” replied Georgie, getting down to business. “Now, when you wake up, I want to be the first and only person you see. I want you to come out of the dream, but when you see me, close your eyes again and listen to my voice. I’ll give you some instructions and we’ll go from there. The most important thing will be that you realise you’re no longer in the dream, that there’s no need to be scared. Do you think you can do that?”
“I think so, if you’re there to talk me through it. What about him?” She nodded towards Andrew.
“Andrew will be here too, but don’t think about him. Focus on my voice, and keep your eyes closed.”
Although Eva was comfortable with Georgie, she couldn’t help being a little nervous about Andrew being there. They’d bonded in some small way earlier today, sure, but he was still a journalist and someone new in her life. She didn’t completely trust him, not yet. But then, as Rob had taken such a risk smuggling them both in, there wasn’t really anywhere else for him to go.
“All right,” she said, sinking down into the bed and pulling the covers up over her shoulders.
Georgie took up a position in the chair closest to the bed while Andrew moved the other chair over to the corner of the room by the window before settling himself into it. Eva closed her eyes and, before long, felt herself drifting off to sleep.
There she was, the woman with no face. No face? No, that wasn’t the case anymore. It was blurry, but there were features now. Eva walked towards the woman, happiness in her heart. This woman meant something. She was important.
Eva held out her arm, making an offering to the woman. A sunflower, that’s what it was. A single, long stemmed, perfectly-formed sunflower. The woman said something. What was that? The sunflower dropped to the dusty floor, and Eva felt a rage build inside her like nothing she had ever known before.
Her heart was beating fast now. The woman was scared, and Eva was excited by her fear. The woman backed away. Eva came closer. The woman put up her hands to defend herself. Eva swiped them down. The woman screamed. Eva laughed.
There were other voices in the room, distant voices. Wake her up, someone was saying. Not yet, said another.
Eva hit the woman. Struck her across the face, punched her in the chest, brought a knee up into her stomach. The woman deserved it, she needed to feel pain. How else would she learn?
We need to wake her up now! That distant voice again. Eva! Eva, wake up!
The woman cowered. Eva struck her again, knocking her to the floor. She held her down and tore open her blouse. The woman fought, but Eva was too strong, arm across her throat, choking, choking. She was weak, all women are weak. They must learn respect, they must pay.
Eva, come on. Wake up! The voice was pleading now, and there were other noises, other voices too.
She saw the woman’s eyes, her frightened eyes, and it felt right. This was how it should be.
Then she was pulled away, towards the voices, towards the other noises. She recognised the hospital smell, and the green tint of the oxygen mask covering her face.
“Breathe, Eva. Nice and slow.” Rob shone a light into her eyes, while another nurse was connecting leads to the electrodes already stuck on her chest.
Eva put her hand to the heart, fingers grasping at the scar through the bandage. Her eyes were wide, her breathing rapid. She tried to slow it down, to calm herself, but the heart was still in there. The evil was still in there.
“Page Dr Burns,” Rob said to a third nurse. The nurse nodded as she directed Andrew and Georgie out of the room.
Eva watched them leave, then closed her eyes. She drew in deep breaths, calming breaths. She was tired, but going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Would this nightmare ever end?
30
As tired as Cooper was, sleep would not come. He got out of bed, careful not to disturb Liz. She had been working at the hospital all hours as well, and it seemed they hardly saw each other anymore. Liz’s mum, Ann, had practically moved into the spare room. He must remember to talk to Liz about doing something special for Ann and Bob this Christmas. They’d been a fantastic help with the boys.
Cooper pulled on a pair of shorts and crept from the bedro
om, closing the door quietly behind him. In the kitchen he stood for a moment surveying the carnage of last night’s dinner. Yet another one he’d missed. Liz must have been too exhausted to clean up, and he didn’t blame her. As he set about packing the dishwasher, his mind wandered back over the events of the last few days.
Nothing significant had come from their review of the photographs on Grant’s computer. It was sick stuff, no doubt about that, but the guy had been smart. Cooper and Quinn had sat with Zach Ryan, studying the photos well into the evening. Grant had definitely done his homework; the surveillance pictures showed that each woman had been cheating on her husband.
The photographs of the women once they had been captured, and eventually murdered, were the ones Cooper was most interested in. Zach had carefully zoomed and manipulated each of the images to see if they could catch a break and spot something that would give them a lead. No such luck, and Cooper had left the office late last night feeling defeated yet again.
They knew that Amanda Fox had been walked out of The Ivory Bar by Fraser Grant just over five days ago, on Saturday night. But once they left the building there was no footage available to indicate a car — as Cooper had dared to hope for — or even which way they had headed. That left witnesses, but so far none had been found. He considered recreating the scene. They’d had some success with that method in the past. Maybe people going out this Saturday night might remember something they saw a week ago in the same place at the same time. If they had nothing else by tomorrow night, it was worth a shot.
Cooper thought of the interview with Andrew Fox. He was the only one who believed Andrew could be involved in murdering Grant and the disappearance of his wife, although Quinn was starting to come around to the idea. He was a good kid, Quinn. Cooper had been pleasantly surprised over the last few days. Sure, he had a lot to learn, but he wanted to learn. He didn’t consider himself king shit like so many new guys these days. Pity he wouldn’t be around to teach the kid, really. Cooper would have enjoyed that, but his transfer was already set.
The Dark Series Page 24