The Dark Series

by Catherine Lee

  "S'pose not." Ethan washed the remains of the melted ice cream down the sink, then washed his bowl and placed it in the rack. "What happens now?" he asked when he was done.

  "The police have to carry out their investigation, I guess. I think as far as we're concerned we carry on as normal, and we help them out in whatever way we can."

  "Like how?"

  "Answer their questions if they have any new ones. I've given Lachlan's computer and phone to Charlie."

  Ethan looked up at this. "Can they get into his computer? He has it password protected."

  "Charlie said they can."

  Ethan sat back down at the kitchen bench. "I'm sorry, Mum."

  "What for?"

  "I didn't believe you. You said he didn't do it, and you were right. I should have been on your side."

  Jackie smiled at him. "Do you think we should try and get your sister out of the bath? She'll be wrinkled up like a prune by now."

  "Can you do that? I've got homework to do."

  "Sure."

  They walked down the hall together and Ethan paused at the bathroom door. "Hey, squirt! Time to get out."

  Emma looked up at him. "Your face is all red," she said.

  Ethan wiped the fog off the bathroom mirror and looked at himself, noticing the effects of his earlier cry. He doused his face and head with cold water, and shook some of it over his sister.

  "Hey, that's cold!"

  Jackie reached in and pulled the plug as Ethan took off to his bedroom. "Come on, Em. Let's get you dried and dressed."

  "Has Ethan been crying?" she asked, as Jackie wrapped her in a towel.

  "Just a little bit."

  "Is he still sad about Lachy?"

  "Yes, sweetheart. We all are."

  "But I made him a card. It was supposed to make him feel better."

  "And it did. You did a good job on that card. Do you think you could make me one tomorrow?"

  Emma screwed up her face. "That depends. Is Oscar coming over? He needs to help me."

  "I don't know." Jackie finished drying Emma and handed the child her pyjamas. "Here, put these on."

  "I'm going to ask Ethan," Emma declared, wriggling into her pants.

  "Ethan might want some alone time just now," Jackie warned, but the little girl wasn't to be deterred. She grabbed her top and took off down the hall before Jackie could stop her. "Ethan!" she pushed his door open. "Is Oscar coming over tomorrow?"

  "No," came the gruff reply. Jackie got to his doorway just in time to see him shut something down on his computer.

  "Why not?" asked Emma.

  "He's just not, that's all. Do you mind? I've got homework to do." He got up from his desk and pushed Emma out the door.

  "Steady on, mate," said Jackie. "She's only asking you a question."

  "Yeah, well, I'm busy." He sat back at his computer and opened up what looked like his school work. It wasn't what was on the screen before they came in, and Jackie wondered what he was trying to hide.

  "Is it anything I can help with?" she tried.

  "No. I'm fine." He turned around to face her. "I just want to be left alone."

  23

  Saturday morning was cold, the bite of winter taking hold as Jackie made her way out to the car. Marcus had picked up the kids earlier this morning, and Emma had looked so cute all rugged up in her winter jacket and beanie. Jackie started up the car and drove the short distance to the community centre, all the while worrying about what Ethan was trying to hide from her.

  Should she try and get into his computer? She had no idea what he used for a password, wouldn't even know where to start. She insisted he was 'friends' with her on all his social media networks, but that didn't mean there wasn't something else he was into that he shouldn't be. But how was she supposed to police his online use? At some point you just had to trust them.

  The parking lot was full, so she found a spot across the road and hurried in for the start of the support group. She wasn't sure why she was here, actually, now that she knew Lachlan didn't commit suicide. But then she saw Jan Brennan, and knew exactly why she'd come.

  A number of members shared their stories in the first half of the meeting, and Jackie listened and grieved along with them. While Lachlan hadn't taken his own life, it had still been taken, and Jackie realised that spending time with other people who had lost someone close was actually helping her. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea of Liz's.

  Her mind wandered as the last parent spoke of the note their son left next to the empty bottle of pills. She thought of Liz, and the trouble at the hospital with the missing medication. Some friend she was, she'd never called to see how Liz was doing. She'd been so focused on her own problems lately. She resolved to give Liz a call as soon as the meeting finished.

  Margot, the facilitator, called for a break, and there was no rush for the bad coffee and stale biscuits on offer at the back of the room. Jan Brennan stood to stretch her legs, and Jackie took the opportunity to talk to her.

  "Hi, Jan."

  "Oh, hello, Jackie." Jan's body language indicated she was none too pleased to see Jackie, but Jackie pressed on.

  "Did the police come and see you?"

  Jan folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, they did." She started to say something else, but seemed to struggle to find the right words.

  "I'm really sorry if they upset you, but we're just trying to find out the truth."

  Jan found the words. "You had no right to talk to them about my son."

  "Maybe not, but I felt it was relevant. And I was right, too. Our sons were murdered, Jan. They didn't kill themselves. Someone did this to them. Don't you want to find out who?"

  A single tear escaped Jan's eye and rolled down her cheek. "I've been trying to accept my son's suicide for four months. I've cried buckets, tried bargaining with a God I don't really believe in. At first I didn't accept it, didn't believe that Jamie could leave us like that. But after months of grief, and anger, I finally came to accept it. And now you've come along and it's all changed again. The police are re-opening his case. I just don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel…" More tears came then, and Jan sat herself back down in the circle of chairs. Jackie sat beside her.

  "I know how difficult this is. Trust me, I know. I've spent two months not believing Lachlan left us, either. Even though I knew the truth all along, it didn't make it any easier when Detective Cooper confirmed I was right. Believe me, Jan, I know what you're going through. I want to help."

  Jan took a tissue out of her bag and wiped her eyes. "How can you help? You've opened up a can of worms that I'm not convinced should have been opened."

  "How can you say that? There's someone out there killing our kids. We have to find them and stop them. Don't you want them to pay for what they did to Jamie?"

  "If someone else did it, of course I want them to pay."

  Now Jackie understood. "But you're not sure someone else is responsible, is that it?"

  Jan blew her nose loudly, attracting the attention of some of the other members of the group. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "They just found a toy butterfly. That's it. What does that mean? How can a stupid child's toy mean my son was murdered?"

  "They found the same toy in my garage, and another one just recently when Michelle Medler was killed. They're certain, Jan. Certain enough to reopen the investigation, anyway."

  "Is everything okay here?" asked a male voice. Jackie looked up to find Simon Longhurst standing over them.

  "We're okay, aren't we, Jan?" Jackie replied. She looked at Jan, who was having trouble holding herself together. Jackie wasn't sorry she'd directed Charlie Cooper to Jamie's case, but she was now sorry for the effect it was obviously having on his mother.

  "They're about to start the second session," said Simon, and Jackie noticed that everyone had taken their seats again. Jackie was sitting in Simon's seat. She got up. "No, it's okay. You stay there. I'll take yours." He crossed the circle and picked up Jackie's handbag, bring
ing it to her before going back and taking her seat.

  Jackie fished inside her bag and found a small packet of tissues. She pulled one out and handed it to Jan, who received it gratefully. When Jan had cleaned herself up as best she could, Jackie reached over and took her hand. The two of them supported each other as Margot got the session started again.

  When it was over, Simon came back across the room. "Can I buy you ladies a coffee?" he asked. When neither responded straight away, he continued. "The police came to see me too. I thought it would be good for the three of us to talk."

  Jackie and Jan both stood, and it was Jan who spoke first. "I'm really sorry, Simon, but I have to get back home to Grace. A friend watches her while I come to these meetings, as my husband works on Saturdays. I don't think I can ask her to stay any longer."

  "That's fine, I understand." Simon turned to Jackie. "What about you?"

  Jackie looked at Jan, not at all sure whether she was telling the truth or she just couldn't deal with the situation any longer. Jackie suspected it was the latter, but she didn't want to push it. She needed Jan to be on her side.

  "Of course," she said to Simon. "There's a place across the road that does good coffee. Can I meet you there?" Jackie wanted a minute to say goodbye to Jan alone.

  "I'll go and get us a table."

  "Inside if you can, it's freezing out there." Jackie watched as he left, then turned back to Jan. "I'm sorry if I upset you today."

  "No, you're right. If our sons didn't commit suicide, it's important the police find out who did this to them. I understand that, I really do. It's just not easy, that's all."

  Jackie wrapped both of her hands around Jan's, and Jan surprised her by pulling her in for an embrace.

  "Can I give you my number?" Jackie asked. "I'd like you to call me, anytime, if you need to talk."

  "That would be good," Jan replied, and took out her mobile phone. They exchanged numbers, and went their separate ways.

  Across the road, Jackie was pleased to find Simon at a cosy corner table inside the cafe. She took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair before sitting down to join him.

  "You said the police came to see you too?" she asked, keen to get straight to the point.

  "Yes, they did. Yesterday. I ordered you a latte, hope that's okay. I don't think they've started making them yet, you could change it if you wanted."

  "A latte is fine, thanks. What did they say?" Jackie couldn't hide her interest in the fact there might be another case. Another case could mean more manpower, which could only be a good thing.

  "They asked some questions about Sia, whether I thought she really did commit suicide. They also asked if I'd found some toy in her room after she died. Do you know what that's about?"

  "I'm not really supposed to talk about it," said Jackie, looking around the room. There was no-one within earshot if she kept her voice low, and surely it was okay to talk to Simon about it if the police have already spoken to him, wasn't it? "They found a child's toy in my garage, something that didn't belong to any of my family. We've never seen it before. They found the same toy where Jan's son, Jamie, and Michelle Medler died. Neither of those families had seen it before either, from what I can gather."

  "So what does that mean?"

  "Well I assume it means the police think whoever is doing this is leaving the toys behind, as some sort of weird calling card." Jackie couldn't help but ask. "Did you find one?"

  "No, I didn't. At least, I don't remember anything like that when I cleaned out Sia's room a couple of months ago."

  "Oh." Jackie fought to hide her disappointment.

  "I'm sorry. You were hoping for a different answer, weren't you?"

  "Is it that obvious?" The drinks arrived, and Jackie was quiet while the waitress placed them on the table. She watched Simon pour sugar into his mug and stir the contents. "I didn't mean to wish this upon you. It's just… I don't know… I feel so lost and alone about it. It was nice to connect with Jan today, even if she's still reluctant to accept the truth. I guess I was hoping if you were in the same boat…"

  "You thought maybe we could form a club? Some sort of breakaway support circle?"

  Jackie realised Simon was trying to lighten the mood, but he wasn't far off. "I just thought we could give each other strength. Even if they find out who did it fairly quickly, it's going to be a long battle if it goes through the courts. And you've been there…"

  Simon took a sip of his coffee, then put it down and reached for another sugar packet. "I've been there, yes. And look where it got me. I drove my child to suicide."

  Jackie watched him stir the sugar in again. "I don't think you should blame yourself for that, Simon. You couldn't have known what she was going to do."

  "I should have suspected. Things weren't the same in those last few weeks before she died. She was sullen, withdrawn. She wasn't eating, didn't care about her school work. I thought it was because of Ruth being so sick. I had no idea it was still because of those boys, because of the court case. Because of what I put her through."

  Two women took seats at a table behind them, one of them bumping into Jackie in the process. The woman apologised, and Jackie turned around and gave her a smile. When she turned back she found Simon studying her.

  "The police don't believe Sia was murdered," he said. "She doesn't fit with what they've found about your son and the other two cases. But that doesn't mean I won't be there to support you, Jackie. As you said, I've been through something similar. Those boys hurt my daughter, and they may as well have killed her as far as I'm concerned. I was there every step of the way. I watched them get what was coming to them. It wasn't an easy road, and if they catch whoever's doing this then you're going to need all the help you can get. I'm happy to do whatever I can."

  Jackie smiled at him. "That's very kind of you." She wrapped her hands around the glass of coffee and savoured the warmth.

  "May I ask, is your ex-husband supportive? Sorry, I overheard you telling Jan last week that you were divorced."

  Jackie sighed. "Unfortunately Marcus is causing me a whole different batch of problems right now."

  "In what way? If you don't mind me asking."

  Did she mind? He was not much more than a stranger, but he had a kind face and she felt a connection to him. After only a moment's hesitation, Jackie found herself spilling the whole story of Marcus's move to Perth and his plans to take the children with him. Simon listened closely, nodding along and only taking his eyes off her to finish off his coffee.

  "I'm going order a second cup," he said, when she finished talking. "Would you like another?"

  Jackie reached for her purse. "I would, but let me get these." She headed for the counter before he could protest. Had that been wise? Divulging the problems of her marriage to a virtual stranger? She was in two minds about ordering a second coffee, but stayed in line and when she got to the counter she placed the order and paid without hesitating.

  Back at the table, Simon had pulled a business card out of somewhere and he handed it to her. She read it, and immediately understood why he'd listened so attentively. He was a solicitor.

  "I thought I'd get that out of the way up front," he said, pointing to the card. "I'm sorry, I probably should have told you before you started talking about your ex-husband, but to be honest you seemed like you needed to get all that off your chest. I didn't want to stop you."

  Jackie didn't know whether to thank him or be pissed off. It was a little bit of both. But he was right, she probably did need to vent.

  "It does feel better having talked about it," she conceded.

  The waitress delivered their second coffees and Simon went through his sugar ritual again. "It's been a while since I've practiced family law," he said, stirring the first two sachets in, "but if you'd like some help with this I'd be only too happy to look into it for you. Or I could recommend a colleague, if you'd rather."

  "Can he really do this?" Jackie asked. "Can he take my kids away from me?
"

  Simon hesitated, and Jackie felt as if all her worst fears had just been laid on the table. She leaned back and grasped the arms of her chair for support.

  "It's possible," said Simon, "but it won't be easy for him. He'll have to prove the move is in the best interests of the children. I don't know anything about your circumstances, so it's hard for me to comment definitively, but under normal circumstances I don't think a judge would see it in the best interests of the children to relocate away from their mother, and the life they're familiar with."

  This should have made Jackie feel better, but she still hadn't moved past the idea that it was possible Marcus could actually succeed in taking Ethan and Emma to live in Perth. She forced herself to focus.

  "Are you able to tell me how something like this would work? I mean, if he takes it to court, what happens?"

  "Do you have a current parenting order?" Simon asked. He reached for a third packet of sugar and stirred it into his coffee.

  "No. When we divorced we received advice that it was most likely a parenting order would award equal shared parental responsibility, which is the default situation anyway. We were both happy with this arrangement, and the split was fairly amicable, so there was no need for a parenting order. We sorted out a parenting arrangement between ourselves."

  "And that's been working well for you?"

  "Up until now there've been no problems, yes."

  "That's a good place to be starting from. Now, the way custody disputes work these days is that the court always looks at what is in the best interests of the child. And it considers that the best interests of the child involve, as you already know, equal time with each parent. In the event that equal time is not in the best interest of the child, or is not reasonably practical, then they look at what they call substantial and significant time."

  "So in the case where Marcus moves to Perth, equal time is not reasonably practical?"

  "That's right. So they then look at substantial and significant time, which in practical terms means that they will order the children reside with one parent, and have as much contact as possible with the other, whether it be through school holiday visits, visits to the children by the non-resident parent, and electronic communications. Ultimately, in a case where one parent is determined to live in one location, and the other parent is determined to live in another, both parents must make their case for the children to reside with them and the court must decide what is in the best interests of the children."