Evidence of Love

by Elisabeth Rose

  ‘You’re right.’

  The BMW streaked along the freeway into the city.

  Ivan said, ‘And you’re willing to take her on with Petey?’

  ‘If she wants me. He’s a great kid.’

  When they emerged from the Cross City Tunnel, Nick tried to call her again. This time all he got was the engaged tone.

  ‘Phone’s off the hook or she’s calling someone,’ he said. ‘You know this could be a false alarm.’

  ‘Well, we’ll both look stupid.’ Ivan didn’t smile.

  ‘I hope we do.’

  Minutes later the car slid to a halt outside Lara’s house. She was up, the lights were on including the porch light. Was she expecting him? Or someone else?

  ‘Maybe she has visitors,’ said Ivan. ‘Nice house.’

  Nick didn’t reply. He was already halfway up the path to her door, calling her name. His gut was rarely wrong and this time all his instincts screamed she was in trouble. The door opened but he didn’t expect the pale-faced distraught woman who fell into his arms, gulping and sobbing.

  ‘Petey, they took Petey. My baby.’

  ‘Who did?’

  Red, tear-sodden eyes blinked as she focussed on the speaker. ‘Ivan?’

  ‘Was it Lucas?’ Ivan asked.

  She took a huge steadying breath. Something passed between them — a look, a knowing. ‘And Branko. They took Petey.’

  ‘Tell me what happened?’ Nick released his hold on her. Why the hell would these two thugs have taken her boy? Why wouldn’t she confide in him? ‘Have you called the police?’

  He pulled his phone from his pocket.

  ‘No. They only just left. I tried to call Ivan but he didn’t answer.’ She called Ivan and not himself? Not the police?

  Ivan slapped his jacket pockets. ‘I left my phone at the club. Dammit!’

  ‘What sort of car were they in? We might have passed them.’

  ‘I don’t know — it was pale, kind of square-shaped. I only saw it from the back. I chased them up to Balmain Road — I ran but I lost them. I don’t know which way they went.’ Tears ploughed down her cheeks.

  Ivan pulled her into his arms.

  Nick rang the station and gave them as much information as he could, which was hardly anything. ‘Have a forensics team came asap.’ At least they could get some fingerprints and DNA evidence in case that pair decided to deny ever being here.

  Ivan had taken his sister into the living room. Wine glasses sat on the coffee table with an almost empty bottle.

  ‘Did they use those?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Don’t touch them. Forensics are coming. Sit somewhere they didn’t.’

  ‘In the kitchen,’ she said faintly.

  Ivan settled her at the little table where a few hours ago they’d had such a pleasant, intimate meal.

  ‘Make us some tea, please, Ivan,’ said Nick.

  He sat opposite Lara. ‘Tell me exactly what happened after I left.’

  She stared blankly into his eyes. Shock.

  He prompted, ‘I went to see Ivan at about nine fifteen. What did you do?’

  ‘I, uh, I started clearing up but someone knocked.’ She frowned and looked at her tightly clasped hands. Her eyes flew to his again. ‘I thought it was you, that you’d forgotten something so I didn’t check who it was, but it was Branko. He pushed the door open before I could stop him.’

  ‘They must’ve waited for you to leave,’ said Ivan from the other side of the bench.

  Nick nodded. ‘Go on. You mentioned someone else.’

  Her tongue ran across her lips. ‘Lucas Konstantine, but he calls himself Jason Mackenzie now. He was one of Tony’s men but I haven’t seen him since Tony died. He disappeared.’ She turned towards her brother. ‘Ivan knows him. Tell Nick where he is, Ivan.’ Her voice rose to a near shriek. ‘You must know where he is. He was your friend. So was Branko. God, I hate my family!’ Her fist thumped on the table.

  ‘I had nothing to do with this!’ said Ivan.

  ‘Ivan was with me.’ Nick flung a warning glance at Ivan along with an imperceptible shake of the head.

  ‘But he knows where to find that bastard.’ She sprang to her feet. ‘Why are we sitting here talking when Petey…they have Petey!’ Nick rose and pulled her into his arms.

  ‘Sit down, Lara, and tell me everything you can remember about the car.’

  She quivered and shook and heaved in air but eventually said, ‘I didn’t see it. It was pale, I told you.’

  ‘White?’ he lowered her into her chair.

  A frown crossed her face. ‘No, yes, maybe silver, I don’t know. White,’ she finished.

  ‘Good, and what about the lights. What shape were they?’

  ‘Maybe square…it had one of those brake lights across the top of the rear window,’ she said in a sudden burst of memory. ‘A hatchback.’

  ‘Okay. Good, good.’ Precious little to go on but Nick called it in anyway, along with all the names the pair used. Too much to hope one of them had used their own car. But some of them were quite dense when it came to that type of thing. Dense, or thought the police were.

  Ivan brought a teapot to the table along with milk and sugar. He went back for mugs and sat down. Lara glowered at him as he poured then pushed a mug in front of her.

  ‘Why have they taken Petey?’ asked Nick. This had ransom demand all over it. Why had she been trying to deal with this herself? Why hadn’t she confided in him, tried to call him rather than the brother she professed to want nothing to do with? The disappointment bit deep and hard but he couldn’t allow the personal to cloud his actions. An innocent child was in danger.

  Again she shared a glance with her brother.

  ‘Lucas wants me to marry him,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ He and Ivan spoke in unison but Ivan added, ‘That’s insane. You haven’t seen him for years.’

  ‘Why would he suddenly turn up and want to marry you? Did you ever have an affair with him? Is Petey his son?’ A protective squirm of jealousy started deep inside, despite knowing on a rational level she wouldn’t marry the man. Wouldn’t marry any man.

  ‘No!’ Now the daggers were turned on him. ‘No, how can you ask that?’

  ‘I’m trying to understand why this man might suddenly turn up and want to marry you.’

  ‘Tell him,’ said Ivan. ‘If you don’t, I will.’

  Lara glared at Nick. ‘He wants my money,’ she spat.

  ‘But why marriage? He could take Petey as leverage and still ask for your money.’ How much money? More than she’d allowed him to assume. Must be much more.

  Her lip curled. ‘He said he thinks I need a man to look after me and that Petey needs a father. He thinks I’m an idiot bimbo he can control the way Tony did.’

  ‘He wants to be Tony,’ said Ivan suddenly. ‘He’s setting up his own empire the way Tony did and Lara is part of it. Tony’s wife and son would be a bonus in his eyes.’

  That made a warped kind of sense.

  ‘Did he hate Tony that much?’ asked Lara, surprise tingeing the bitterness in her voice.

  ‘He was always jealous of him. Not as smart but thought he was. For all his faults Tony was clever. Lucas is just a thug.’

  ‘When Branko took Petey out of bed, I told Lucas I’d do anything — marry him — anything, but he said he wasn’t convinced and that he’d take Petey with him just to make sure.’

  ‘Will he hurt him, do you think?’ Nick asked.

  ‘He said Branko’s girlfriend was in the car to care for him. It wouldn’t have mattered what I said.’ The last words dissolved into sobs. ‘They came ready to kidnap my baby!’

  ‘Donna,’ said Ivan, frowning in thought. ‘Donna something.’ He snapped his fingers. ‘Overton. They’ve been to the club together.’

  Nick nodded. She wasn’t telling him everything. Kidnapping was an extreme move but the why could wait. Finding Petey came first.

  Nick’s phone rang. He left the table to
answer it.

  Rob said, ‘We ran through the DMV registrations but none of those names showed up for a white or silver vehicle. Lucas owns a red Audi and Branko a black Commodore.’

  ‘Try Donna Overton. She’s Branko Simek’s girlfriend.’

  Nick rejoined Lara and Ivan.

  ‘Where does Branko live, Ivan?’ he asked.

  ‘He has an apartment in Drummoyne but they won’t go there.’

  ‘I’ll send a car anyway. Write it down.’

  Back on the phone to Rob. ‘Get a car to this address…’ He read it out. ‘Probably no-one there but ask the neighbours about Donna and about Branko. And go to Overton’s place.’ He shoved the phone in his pocket.

  ‘Where does Lucas live, Ivan?’ asked Lara.

  ‘Somewhere across the harbour.’

  ‘Where?’ Nick glared at him. How much more did he know about this man. Did they have to prise it out of him? Didn’t little Petey mean anything to him?

  ‘Do you know?’ Lara cut in, eyes flashing fire. If he stalled any longer she’d go for his throat. ‘Ivan?’

  ‘Lane Cove but I don’t know the address.’

  ‘Find out.’ The words hissed through tight lips.

  Ivan hesitated, but the pain on Lara’s face overcame whatever scruples he had about betraying a dangerous mate instead of helping his family.

  ‘I need my phone.’

  ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘I’ll get my bag.’ Lara was already running to her bedroom.

  Nick said quietly, ‘Will he hurt the boy?’

  ‘If it comes to a police stand-off, he might. Hard to tell. You can’t go in with your troops, Nick.’

  ‘Then it’s just us. Check the doors and let’s go but we’ll leave the front unlocked for forensics.’

  ***

  Lara, a tense shivering mess in the back seat, ground her teeth in fury at the time it took to drive to Bondi, Ivan to retrieve his phone from his office and then, as Nick drove back into the city to cross the Harbour Bridge, make several calls for the information.

  Finally he disconnected and gave directions to Nick. An hour after they’d left her house Ivan pulled the car into the gutter two houses along from Lucas’s waterfront property. A crescent moon glittered over the water, the suburban street lay peaceful in the silvery light, law-abiding residents settled in for the night. Did his neighbours know a monster lived next door? Did they wonder how he’d paid for the well-kept house with the manicured gardens and water views? Did those people next door know what he did? Killed. Stole. Dealt drugs. Kidnapped children.

  She swallowed the taste of bile as it rose in her throat. Her stomach ached as though someone had twisted it in knots. Every fibre in her body screamed for her baby, to hold him in her arms.

  ‘Petey will be terrified. He’s never been away from me at night.’ His wail as Branko carried him outside echoed in her ears. If he kept crying they might turn nasty. Lucas had no experience with small children, neither did Branko. What about that woman? Donna. Would she be able to protect him? Would she try?

  Lights shone from the windows and the front light was on over the door with little lights illuminating the path from the driveway. A white hatchback was parked close to the single storey house.

  ‘That’s the car,’ she said, her hand on the door latch. ‘He’s there.’

  ‘Wait, Lara. We can’t just rush in,’ said Nick.

  ‘How will we do this?’ asked Ivan.

  ‘You walk up to the front door and ask what’s going on. Say Lara called you for help. Act surprised innocence,’ said Nick. ‘I’ll see if I can get into the house from the rear.’

  ‘I’m going with Ivan,’ declared Lara.

  ‘No,’ said Ivan. ‘I’ll go alone and find out what’s happening.’ He got out of the car and walked around to the grass verge.

  ‘Lucas will think that’s odd.’ Lara opened her door. ‘He’s my baby. I’m coming.’

  ‘Keep your voices down. If you’re not out in fifteen minutes, I’m coming in with the troops,’ Nick said as he joined them.

  ‘No! They’ll hurt him. I’ll never forgive you if that happens, Nick.’

  ‘Let’s go, Lara,’ Ivan said softly.

  ‘What if he’s not there?’ she asked as they walked towards the house.

  ‘You said that was the car,’ Nick pointed out.

  ‘I think it is.’ Her heart pounded like a jackhammer, her legs barely held her up. Lucas and Branko weren’t renowned for their patience and with a hysterical child… What they may find in that house didn’t bear thinking about.

  Lucas would be furious when she turned up on his doorstep. She’d have to face that rage but Ivan would be there, on her side this time. How many men were in there? Tony always had at least three. Would Lucas mimic that, too? What could Nick do on his own? What about security?

  ‘Listen.’ Ivan stopped on the property line in the covering darkness of an arching shade tree. A baby’s crying sounded faintly from the house.

  ‘That’s Petey.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Nick said. ‘I’ll see if I can get in round the back and find him. You keep them occupied as long as you can.’

  ‘Nick!’ she whispered. He turned and she flung her arms around him. ‘Be careful.’

  ‘You too.’ He pressed a kiss on her mouth. ‘Go.’

  Ivan led the way across the lawn, stepped over a low shrubby hedge of lavender onto the path and strode to the front door. Lara scuttled behind him, tripping on the shrubs and sending a waft of rich scent into the night air. Over to the right a dark shadow flitted under the overhanging trees to the side of the house. Nick. A faint scraping and crackling of branches sounded loud to her oversensitive ears but Ivan rang the bell at the same moment.

  Nothing happened. Petey’s crying had reached the gulping choking stage of prolonged wailing. He was almost hoarse but he was alive. She bit back the urge to pound on the door and scream to be let in.

  Footsteps sounded inside. The door opened a crack and the crying was suddenly several notches louder. Ivan gripped her arm as she instinctively lunged forward.

  ‘Let us in, Branko,’ he said.

  The door closed then moments later reopened. He must have checked with Lucas. Lara crowded in behind Ivan, straining to see. Where was Petey? Branko closed the door. The wails came from deeper inside the house.

  ‘Go in.’ Branko indicated Ivan should precede him into a room on the left but he said to Lara. ‘Can you shut that kid up?’

  ‘Where is he?’

  He waved an arm at a closed door halfway down the corridor but Lara was already running. She flung the door open letting in a shaft of light. The room was dark but Petey stood in a cot in the centre of the room, little hands gripping the railing, face red and blotched from tears, mouth a round hole. When he saw Lara another hoarse howl broke loose and he stretched his arms out desperately. She scooped him up and he clung on with arms and legs, wet face buried in her neck.

  ‘Ssshhh, darling. Mummy’s here. Mummy’s here,’ she crooned, eyes closed, breathing in the familiar scent of him, arms wrapped around the limpet-like bundle. The hiccupping gradually subsided and he drew in some large gulping breaths and rested his head on her shoulder.

  They’d dumped a cot in what was a spare bedroom but nothing else was provided for a child. She peeked through the vertical blinds. Where was Nick? If he was outside she could pass Petey out to him. Maybe. If the windows opened. She tried to slide one but it was fastened. Locked? She felt along the bottom for the catch. Nothing. She moved to the other end. Nothing. The blinds swung gently.

  Something crunched outside. Nick? She peered through the blind again and his face appeared, dimly visible in the weak moonlight.

  Suddenly Branko was in the doorway.

  ‘Lucas wants to talk to you.’

  She turned shielding the window with Petey, praying the shadowy light concealed the gap in the blinds. ‘I’m getting Petey to sleep. He’s exhausted. I’ll put
him down and be there in a few minutes. Unless you want him to start crying again.’

  He gave her a dark stare through his piggy eyes then went away. Lara scrabbled at the catch on the window and managed to slide it up a few centimetres but there was a flyscreen. She’d never get Petey through there.

  ‘Nick,’ she whispered. ‘Nick.’

  He was there again looking up at her. ‘Is he all right?’

  ‘Yes but I can’t open the window any wider.’

  ‘There’s a door at the end of the house, this side, but it’s locked. I think it’s the laundry. I’ll meet you there.’

  Lara closed the window. Where was Donna, the so-called child minder?

  She kissed Petey’s hot cheek and whispered. ‘Go to sleep, darling.’

  Petey muttered sleepily, ‘Stay with you.’

  ‘Yes, darling.’ His hands clutched tighter round her neck.

  She crept across to the door. Branko had left it half open. The hall light was on. Voices came from the front of the house. Three, was it? Four? Lucas and Ivan, definitely, and Branko. Anyone else? The woman? Where was she? In the kitchen? That would be near the laundry. Lara held her breath and eased into the brightly lit corridor. She turned right, past another closed door, reached the end of the passageway which went left to a closed sliding door. Light seeped under the bottom edge. Two other doors faced her. One on the right, one straight ahead. She tried the one on the right. A bathroom.

  Footsteps sounded to the left. The woman in the kitchen? The sliding door scraped open, cooking smells wafted into the air. Lara wrenched the other door open and slipped inside. Had she been seen? She didn’t dare close the door completely but pressed back against the wall.

  The rustle of clothing and shoes on carpet sounded just an arm’s length away. If she came in here they were toast. Petey stirred on her shoulder and turned his head. She pressed her hand to his body. Please don’t cry out. Not now. A door opened and closed. A latch clicked. The bathroom.

  Lara released a stream of pent-up air. Where was she? White goods glinted faintly in the moonlight shimmering in through a small square window in the outer door. A tub, washing machine. Dryer. The laundry. Thank God. She groped her way to the door and turned the handle. It opened smoothly. Nick stood on the other side of the flyscreen security door.