Triple Threat

by AK Leigh

  ‘So why are we only hearing about all of this now?’

  ‘He called when we had already said goodbye to each other. I knew you would both make a fuss and end up making me late if I called to tell you right away, so I decided to wait until the date was over. The date is over and I am telling you.’

  Carrie relented. ‘All right. You get away with it this time.’

  ‘Thanks. What about you big sister, am I forgiven?’

  Nina snorted, ‘Of course. Now, it’s late and I need some sleep. I’m getting up early tomorrow for a ski run before work.’ People sometimes found it odd that you could ski in Cairns in the warmer parts of the year. But a purpose-built Olympic training centre had been built there years earlier. Partly due to Nina’s success. Partly due to other well-known Australian Winter Olympians, such as Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila. The fact her sister still skied regularly–up as well as down slopes–told Lizzie that Nina may not have given up on the idea of a third Olympics completely. Of course, she let that observation go as Nina added, ‘Are we still meeting up on Wednesday morning to go over what we’ve dug up so far?’

  Carrie answered first, ‘Yep.’

  Lizzie said, ‘Yeah, I’m in.’

  ‘Great. See you both in two days.’

  As Lizzie hung up the phone, she realised she’d done nothing with the information she’d been given at the police station earlier in the day. She sighed. She’d need to get started on the profile now. Tomorrow she could squeeze in some time between classes, but she also had to find time to mark the blasted assignment papers she kept getting interrupted from checking over. That would take up most of the evening. Ugh. She wanted to crawl into bed and dream of a certain ‘hippie’ instead.

  I will see him again soon.

  She smiled at the thought. Gabe’s face entered her thoughts. The strong, square jaw; the bronze shade of tan to his skin; his soft-looking lips.

  How would his mouth feel against hers? Did he want to kiss her?

  Profile, Lizzie!

  She forced her attention onto the folder on the coffee table in front of her, and flipped it open. Dozens of sheets and photographs spilled out. More than enough to start the assimilation step in creating the criminal profile.

  In other words, it was going to be a late and long night. Still, she wouldn’t have missed out on the date with Gabe just to get to bed early. She grinned, then flipped to a new page on her notepad.

  Chapter 10

  The door was closed. Gabe peeked through the glass window set into it. Elizabeth Farris sat at her desk, head down, red pen in hand. She was marking papers. Something he’d done himself many times. It was a mundane part of a teacher’s existence.

  But there was nothing boring about watching her do it. The way she held the marker—soft but firm—sent a blazing image of her hand holding parts of his body in the exact way she held the pen. Each stroke she made with the pen was like a stroke of him. A wave of heat swarmed over him like an attacking hive of bees. He couldn’t control the sensation. He felt his face warm up as the vision took hold. His heart pounded against his rib cage.

  He wiped his face, hoping to cool himself down. He made himself look away and think non-erotic thoughts: work, his studio apartment, coffee. Calm once more, he looked back. Okay. She was clearly busy. He shouldn’t bother her. His excuse to see her again could wait. He told himself to leave. To come back another time. His mind made that decision, yet his hand tapped on the door.

  What the hell?

  It was too late to take it back. She peered up and spotted him. There was a moment of hesitation. Then a warm smile came. She waved him in. He paused to check himself. His pulse had stabilised, but he still felt warm. Hopefully his face wasn’t giving away what he’d been fantasising about moments before. He drew in a deep breath and opened the door.

  As he stepped into the room, Elizabeth lowered her pen to the desk. ‘I’m so sorry. Did we arrange to meet up and I forgot?’

  ‘Oh, no, we didn’t.’ He made a mental note to rectify that soon. ‘I came by so I could give you these.’ He nodded at the folders in his arms. ‘It’s the articles I was telling you about. I thought you might want them sooner rather than later?’

  She jumped from her seat, ‘Wow, really? Thank you, Gabe.’

  ‘Happy to help.’

  He waited. Was it obvious this was a ruse to see her?

  She threw him an assessing look. ‘It’s so nice of you to bring them to me.’

  Yep. She knew.

  ‘I, uh, just wanted to … give them to you.’

  Uh-oh. That was so bad. What else could he have said? Not: ‘I wanted to see you’. That was coming on way too strong for someone he’d only officially known for two days. In the silence that followed, he smiled. Awkwardly. She offered a quick half-smile back. Then looked at her feet.

  Was she nervous or was it a signal that she wanted him to leave?

  Recollections of their non-date the night before came to him. He’d wanted to kiss her but hadn’t wanted to come on too strong.

  The silence grew uncomfortable.

  He was about to suggest he leave when she peered up and asked, ‘Are you free right now?’

  ‘Sure am. Why?’

  ‘Would you like to go for a walk around the campus? I could use a break and some fresh air. There’s some beautiful old trees and buildings I can show you. If you’re into that sort of thing?’

  He smiled, ‘I am, actually.’

  ‘Great.’ She grabbed her purse and jacket. ‘Follow me. As we walk, why don’t you tell me what it was that brought you to Cairns Uni?’

  Oh no.

  Not that question. Anything but that question.

  ‘Ah … just got sick of the fast pace of Perth, I guess.’

  The fast pace of Perth? Geez. He was terrible at making up something on the spot. If she couldn’t tell it was an outright lie, he’d be amazed.

  An immediate blackness seemed to surround them. Her nose twitched as she looked away, ‘I see.’

  Great. She knew. And she wasn’t happy about it. Justifiably so. She deserved the truth, especially when it involved her. But how would she react? The more he replayed his motives for coming to Far North Queensland in his mind, the creepier it sounded.

  What could he say? ‘I have an article about you in a notebook filled with items related to my parent’s murder. I stare at it all the time and imagined what you were like in person. I asked for a transfer to a university in Far North Queensland because I wanted to be able to meet you and ask you to involve yourself in my parents’ case. I lied about having worked here for a few weeks rather than a couple of days because I panicked and thought you would think I was a weird stalker … but I’m not really a weird stalker’?

  Hmm. No.

  He frowned. He wasn’t going to let this ruin a perfect morning. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the clouds were like perfect bunny tails. It could be a fantastic date. The opportunity would not go to waste.

  He stopped and touched her arm, ‘Elizabeth.’

  She glanced at him, doubt circling in her eyes. ‘Yes?’

  ‘I was getting sick of Perth, but it wasn’t the main reason I came here. Do you mind if we leave that conversation for another time. When we know each other better?’

  She gave him a half-smile, ‘Sure.’

  The mood between them lifted as they walked on.

  After a few steps, he said, ‘Can I ask you something personal?’

  She faced him, her expression serious. ‘Depends what it is.’

  ‘What was it that got you and your sisters involved in solving cold cases?’

  She sucked in a deep breath, exhaled. Uh-oh. He’d hit a touchy subject. He expected her to tense and close up, as he’d experienced with her before.

  Instead, she said, ‘If you Google us, you’ll find the basic answer to that question.’

  ‘I’d prefer you to tell me. Mr Google doesn’t know everything.’

  The flicker of a s
mile came. She shook her head, ‘No, he doesn’t.’

  ‘But you don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.’

  After another moment of hesitation, during which she seemed to be sizing him up, she licked her bottom lip, and said, ‘My parents were murdered when my sisters and I were twenty.’

  ‘I’m so sorry to hear that, Elizabeth.’ And grateful that it came out sounding as though he was surprised by the news. Knowing about her sisters via her assumption of his having overheard ‘campus gossip’ was one thing, the murder of her parents was another, more stalker-sounding explanation. I researched you. He shivered at the unspoken sound of the words.

  She continued as if she hadn’t noticed, ‘Thank you … it was actually our first cold case.’

  He couldn’t help it when both of his eyebrows shot up, ‘It was?’

  He wasn’t aware of that fact. Something else he’d missed.

  She nodded.

  ‘How?’

  It was all he could say; though there was more he wanted to ask. Why didn’t the police investigate? How hard was it being so young and taking that on? How did you cope? How did you heal?

  The latter was one he was still trying to figure out himself. Maybe you never did heal when something like that happened?

  She seemed to guess some of his unspoken thoughts, because she continued, ‘The police ran out of leads after twelve months. By then, my sisters and I had just started out in our careers, so, of course we thought we knew everything.’

  He could tell she was making a joke to lighten the mood, so he complied with a tight-lipped smile.

  ‘Nina got the idea first. Working for the Cairns police, it was easy for her to request the case file. She kept it a secret from us at first because she didn’t want us getting upset.’

  The same reason he’d kept his main motivation for coming to Cairns a secret from Camille and Jean-Paul.

  ‘But?’

  ‘But eventually she hit the same wall that the other investigators had hit.’

  ‘And that’s when she came to you and Carrie?’

  ‘Yes. She held a meeting in her townhouse. I’ll never forget that night. It was so hot and sticky, even with her air conditioning on.’

  He reached out and touched her arm in a tender, soothing gesture. ‘I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about this if it’s too hard.’

  He knew better than most people how difficult the conversation could be.

  She gave him a grateful smile then shook her head, ‘It’s okay. I want to tell you.’

  Something that looked like shock flashed over her face and vanished. Had the spoken confession taken her by surprise as much as it had him?

  She directed her attention ahead of them, and added, ‘It took us about three years all up.’

  Wait. Was she saying that they’d caught the guy? How had he missed that in his research? All the old newspapers he’d searched through hadn’t mentioned that. Though now he thought about it, he had stopped looking at the point when the reports stated that the leads had run out.

  To check his conclusion was correct, he asked, ‘So you caught him in the end?’

  ‘She.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The person who murdered my parents was a woman. In fact, she was my mother’s best friend.’

  ‘Oh, Elizabeth … I’m …’

  Speechless. Aghast. Devastated for you.

  He wanted to say all of them, but none would come out.

  She nodded, ‘I know. Thank you, Gabe.’

  The air between them grew thick with a shared grief she knew nothing about. He wanted to take the opportunity to tell her.

  Before he could, she pointed at something ahead of them. ‘That statue is of the couple who founded this university: Sally and Herbert Warren.’

  And, just like that, she’d changed the subject.

  ***

  Later that day, Lizzie sat at her desk staring out the window. What was Gabe hiding? If he couldn’t tell her the big things, such as why he’d moved across the entire country to come work at the university, how could she trust him at all? Should she just end things now?

  She frowned as Nina’s words rung through her ears. Can you give him a proper chance this time?

  She was doing it again. Brushing a man away at the first sign of imperfection because that had to prove he wasn’t The One. Would Nina consider this giving him a shot? Maybe he had something painful he didn’t feel ready to share yet? They had only known each other a couple of days after all.

  She hadn’t told him all of her secrets either. Sure, he knew the basic facts about her parents’ murder, and that it had been their gateway into working on cold cases. But she hadn’t told him everything about it. Nor had she told him it had led to their first ever media frenzy—and the media scrutiny was something he would have to get used to if he wanted to keep dating her. Though he had to have figured most of that out for himself, considering he’d mentioned seeing them on the news.

  So that wasn’t an issue.

  But how would he feel if he knew Malcolm had been trying to win her back that day they’d first seen each other at the café? That he was still trying to win her back?

  Was it fair to judge him for keeping things to himself when she was doing the same?

  They’d had a fun day. No. They’d had a fantastic, perfect day. Even with the sadness from her past she had shared with him. She scrawled through her memories but couldn’t remember another time she’d had such fun with a man.

  She and Gabe had laughed, joked … and flirted. This time she was certain of the latter. She’d made an innocent comment about how beautiful a particular grove of trees on the campus was. Gabe had locked her gaze. She’d seen an intense longing in them when he’d replied, ‘There are many beautiful things here.’

  She felt herself glowing from the inside. The same way she knew she had at the time.

  The sensation made her pause. There had to be something more going on here between them. Right?

  She pushed the uncertainty aside and focused on the folder of articles he’d written about the Baronie case instead. Maybe she could make some more notes now? She checked her watch. There were thirty minutes until her next class. Perfect.

  She pulled out the pad she’d made notes on the night before from her bag. She went over what she’d written so far.

  Crime-suspected homicide.

  Known crime details: Female body found in Pontomic River by a jogger at 6 am. Wrapped loosely in a white sheet, wore a black dress but no undies or bra. No strappings to keep the body secure inside sheet. Victim was bound with black rope at hands and feet. Autopsy suggested body had been there for 3 days minimum. Husband reported her missing day 2.

  Forensic information: No puncture wounds on body. One blunt-force trauma to head (front, right-hand side) and one to the left cheek (conducive with a punch) noted. Death by water asphyxiation. Uncertain re: sexual acts as no semen found, could be due to time in water though (approx. 72 hours). Ask Carrie re: any further forensics found.

  Victim: Had a petite frame, 55 kgs, 1.68 m. Healthy. Played tennis twice a week, ran twice a week, weights training twice per week. Dark hair, shoulder length, straight. Blue eyes. Caucasian. Home duties. Had a large group of friends at the Country Club. Performed charity work for ‘Star of Hope’, a homeless children’s organisation. Well-liked, no known enemies. One younger sister. One older brother. Apparently good relationship with both.

  Some questions popped up.

  What was the rope made of? And why was it black? There’d been nothing about it in any of the reports she’d received. She would need to follow that up. Sometimes it helped if you could narrow down whether the fibres were a specific brand or type; it reduced the suspect pool. Surely black rope was specialised?

  Why had the husband waited so long to report the wife missing? Was it common for his wife to disappear for a day or two? She grabbed the statement the husband had given police. After a quick look, she found the
answer. Mr Baronie declared that his wife had told him she needed some time away to think about the state of their marriage. She’d assured him she would check in with him. When she hadn’t, he got worried and called police.

  She wrinkled her nose. That was nice of the schmuck. She put the report back into the folder and returned to her notes.

  No CCTV footage found. She’d expected that. Otherwise the police would have had an idea of the criminal they were searching for. They didn’t even know whether it was a male or female. Ask Nina re: any other possible CCTV footage and known local criminals.

  An idea struck.

  She jotted down: murderer: 1 male or 1 strong female, or smaller female plus accomplice? The body was clearly moved—blood settlement patterns proved that. Despite the victim being small-framed, an equally light female would not have been able to move the body by herself. Still, there were other steps to follow before that assumption could be added to the official profile.

  Follow the steps!

  She paused. The movement of the body begged another question. Why was the body moved? The most common motivation was due to the killing occurring somewhere that could be easily linked back to the offender, like their home or office. She scribbled all of that down then picked up the articles Gabe had dropped by. She would need as much information as possible by the time she met with her sisters to review the case the following day. Maybe they would be able to answer some of the questions she had? At least, where those questions related to the murder of Maryann Baronie.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, sunlight streamed through the open window of Gabe’s studio apartment onto his computer desk. He sat back in his office chair, placed his notebook on his lap, and opened it to a specific page. As he’d done too many times to count in the previous six months, he thumbed the worn image of Elizabeth on the newspaper clipping. His heart thumped at a double beat as warmth cocooned him. He smiled at the pleasant feeling. It was one he knew well.

  When he’d been in Perth, it had been easy to dismiss the sensation as mere attraction; but now that he had met and spoken with her, spent time with her, dated her … it was hard to deny there was something more going on between them.