by Sarah Barrie
‘Caroline was working for Calico Mountain Lodge, in Tasmania,’ Neil cut in. ‘I wouldn’t have allowed her to work down there if I’d known what was going on!’
She looked at Ben for some sort of clue. ‘You’re going to have to fill me in.’
Ben nodded. ‘In December 2016, a group of trout fishermen found the body of a young woman snagged on some debris in the Tyenna River. She was identified as twenty-four-year-old Latisha Nolan.’ Ben handed her a file containing paperwork and photographs. ‘She’d also worked at Calico Mountain.’
‘She’d been missing for almost two years before they found her,’ Neil added.
Aware the senator didn’t need to see the disturbing pictures, she dropped the folder below desk level and carefully checked through the images. The body was only in the first stages of decomposition. ‘Two years?’ She looked up at Ben in confusion. ‘She hadn’t been in the water more than a few days.’
‘Correct. She was emaciated and had a wound to her ankle suggesting she’d been held against her will for a substantial amount of time before she entered the water.’
She frowned back down at the folder. ‘I’d agree two years is substantial.’
‘And there was another one—a few years before that,’ Neil said. ‘Tell her, Detective.’ A shrill ringtone had Neil digging for his phone, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he checked his screen. ‘It’s my wife—she’s beside herself from all this. Excuse me a moment.’
Ben exchanged a short, telling glance with Indy as Neil let himself out of the room. ‘Back in January 2014, a woman turned up on a property on the Gordon River Road, approximately three kilometres from where Latisha was found. According to the property owner, Gaylene White, she looked like she’d been in the bush a long time and was rambling about escaping “him”. When Gaylene went inside to call for help, the woman ran off. Gaylene was shown photos of missing persons and identified the woman as Mandy Reeves—a backpacker who’d been missing for almost four years. Police conducted a thorough search but found nothing. She was never located. Mandy had also worked at Calico Mountain.’
‘So two victims who had previously worked at this Calico Mountain, disappeared only to turn up showing evidence of having been abducted and held for a considerable amount of time. Were there any others?’
‘Gretchen Bailey, who went missing shortly after Latisha’s body was discovered. Same location, same circumstances. Never found.’ Ben dropped another file on the desk.
‘And Caroline disappeared from the same place. You’re concerned we may have a serial abductor.’
‘Look at the timeline. Due to the fact she was never discovered, it’s fairly safe to assume Mandy was either recaptured and/or killed. If we speculate that her captor killed her, he’d need another victim, which would coincide with Latisha’s disappearance just a few weeks later. Fast-forward to Latisha’s discovery, and within a couple of months Gretchen has gone missing.’
‘And now Caroline.’ Indy chewed on her lip as she thought about that. ‘Doesn’t bode well for Gretchen. Any suspects?’
‘Logan Atherton,’ Neil spat, reappearing in the doorway. ‘They all worked for him. He’s some kind of hotshot horseman. My wife seems to think Caroline had a bit of a thing for him. The day before she went missing she told her he was taking her out trail riding in the wilderness. That was it.’ He rubbed his fingers across his eyes. ‘We haven’t heard from her since.’
Indy’s gaze sharpened at the vehemence of the accusation, but her voice was kind. ‘Senator, what we’re discussing is just one possible scenario. I assume because you’re here you’re aware of the details of the case. We don’t know Caroline has been abducted. Have we ruled out her leaving of her own accord?’
‘She couldn’t leave without anyone knowing,’ Neil objected. ‘She had no transport. The place is out in the middle of nowhere. They shuttle their workers in and out and the shuttle driver and the guests on the shuttle all said she never got on it.’
‘Could she have left with a friend?’
‘I’m telling you—Atherton’s taken her!’ the senator erupted. ‘Just like Mandy and Latisha and Gretchen.’
Indy took another look at the photos while she thought about that. ‘I’m guessing from the ligature mark on Latisha’s neck that her cause of death was hanging?’
‘Correct.’
‘That’s … unusual. And then she was taken from wherever she’d been kept for two years, to a river frequented by fishermen to dump her? A risky move.’
‘The body could have floated quite some distance—probably did. Apparently there’s not a lot of depth in that part of the river but there is a decent current.’
Neil wiped his forehead again. ‘Those girls … the things they must have gone through …’ He shifted in his seat and yanked at his collar. ‘The idea this man—this … serial killer has my daughter …’
If the senator didn’t calm down, she was going to have another dead body on her hands. ‘We have no proof we’re dealing with a serial killer.’
His face went almost purple as he took in her statement. ‘You have several missing women and one’s turned up dead! Surely you—’
She held up her hand and reassured him. ‘I need you to keep it together. Latisha was missing for a long time before she was discovered, and Gretchen and Mandy haven’t been located. Even if Caroline has been abducted, there’s a very good chance your daughter is still alive.’
‘The police down there set up a tip-off line,’ Ben told Indy, ‘and offered a reward for information.’
‘Anything?’
Ben shifted in his seat. ‘An anonymous call came through almost immediately. The voice was whispered and hurried, but they think it was female. The message was: “There’s more out there.”’
‘Damn, okay. Is our mystery woman right?’
‘It’s possible. About 120 people go missing in Tasmania every year—almost half are teenagers and are found within days. Of the other half, a significant number are simply overstaying visas.’
‘Joining the thirty-five or so thousand others illegally working in Australia,’ Indy said. But she had to admit, this case wasn’t sounding that simple. ‘So we’re setting up a taskforce for this?’ She caught the distressed look Neil aimed at Ben. Ben slowly nodded. ‘There are some concerns about the possible outcomes of working the case in the traditional manner.’
‘Such as?’
‘The detective in charge down there, Mark Robinson, was only transferred to the station two years ago. While he was looking through some of his predecessor’s cold cases he noticed some striking similarities between Mandy and Latisha’s disappearances. He reopened the cases, and several people were questioned including Atherton. The day after he was questioned Atherton took off into the bushland behind his property. He was seen by hikers only a few kilometres from the spot Latisha’s body was later discovered. Latisha’s estimated time of death coincides with the sighting.’
‘You think one of the people questioned—possibly this Atherton—panicked and disposed of her,’ Indy surmised.
‘He was there, wasn’t he? What else could he have been doing?’ the senator demanded.
‘It’s possible,’ Ben said calmly. ‘Then three months ago Gretchen’s father had a rant on social media about what happened to Mandy and Latisha, demanding to know why more wasn’t being done to find Gretchen. The media turned up asking questions, and Detective Robinson made noises about calling for a dedicated taskforce to take over the investigation. After a couple of weeks when nothing came of it, the media attention died down again. A couple of weeks after that, Caroline disappeared.’
‘Suggesting he may have done the same thing again—panicked and disposed of Gretchen, then when he thought it was safe, grabbed another one.’ She wondered what Ben had in mind—just how this was going to play out.
The senator took a deep breath and when he spoke again, his tone was pleading. ‘I was told the two of you were my best hope of getting Caroline b
ack alive. We can’t risk her life by making another big fuss down there. Max was going to talk to you himself, but I wanted to see you both personally, ask for your help. Please. Please get my daughter back to me safely.’ His voice cracked, his hand shaking as he removed a handkerchief from his pocket.
‘Senator, I’m a homicide detective, not a missing persons specialist,’ Indy said cautiously. ‘Until we have proof that these cases are related—’
‘She. Wouldn’t. Just. Disappear.’ His fist hit the table. ‘That’s not my Caroline! Please.’
She wasn’t made of ice—would have had to have been to refuse him. So she turned it all around in her mind, and nodded slowly. ‘All right. I’ll review the case.’
‘Thank you.’ The senator rose and took her hand firmly. ‘Thank you, Detective.’
‘We’ll be in touch,’ Ben promised.
‘Max?’ Indy commented wryly when he closed the door behind the senator.
Ben grinned, shrugged. ‘The senator and the commissioner play golf on Sundays.’
‘And your opinion on Neil?’
‘I’m thinking what you’re thinking. He’s a politician and he knows how to get what he wants. I also think, hell—if I had a daughter in that situation I wouldn’t much care what I had to do to get her back or how I did it. I’d use every resource, every button I could push to make that happen.’
‘Mmm,’ she mumbled thoughtfully. She couldn’t argue. ‘So if we’re not going down there guns blazing, so to speak, I’m gathering there’s another strategy you’re going to tell me about?’
‘I spoke with the commissioner just prior to Neil’s visit. He’s very concerned about the possibility Caroline has been abducted and to a lesser degree about the negative media attention suggesting police incompetence over the handling of all this. Carefully worded statements have diffused the media situation, and whatever investigation we begin has to be done quietly. If Caroline has been abducted, it’s obviously very important given what we know, that we allow our perp to think he’s safe.’
Her brow shot up. ‘You’re suggesting an undercover role?’ She considered that for a minute. Did she really want to involve herself in another undercover operation? In the Hunters Ridge case she’d almost gotten herself killed. She blew out a breath. ‘I need to know more about Atherton. Other than the possible coincidence over the timing of his movements in relation to Latisha’s discovery, why are we focusing the investigation at this point on him?’
‘The circumstances all look innocent enough individually. But compare the cases together and there’s a pattern. We know through witness testimony that on the day of each of the women’s disappearances, they had plans to do something alone with Atherton. He’d planned a skiing visit to the local national park with Mandy, hiking with Latisha, dinner and a movie with Gretchen and a horse ride into the wilderness with Caroline. Atherton admits he’d made the plans, but that on each and every occasion, the women simply never showed up for the activity and when he went to check on them their belongings were gone, suggesting they’d simply packed up and left.’
The excuse seemed too ridiculous. ‘As unlikely as that sounds, do we have any actual evidence to prove he’s lying?’
‘Unfortunately we can’t prove anything, although on each occasion his vehicle and premises were searched. In Gretchen’s case, several hair fibres were discovered between the seat and the centre console of his ute. The tissue attached suggests they’d been recently ripped out. There were also traces of her blood—which someone had attempted to clean—on the passenger seat. In Caroline’s case we have a horse feedbag containing a set of her dirty clothes—also bloody—which were found tucked away behind boxes in the back of the tack room. Logan’s fingerprints were on the bag and a witness claims he saw Caroline wearing the clothes on the morning of her disappearance.’
She grimaced. ‘They’re not going without a fight.’
Ben shook his head and handed her a picture. ‘This is Atherton. His level of cooperation with police has been on a downhill slide from the beginning.’
‘Any record?’
‘Couple of teenage brawls, DUI on his P-plates. Nothing since. He was adopted and raised from age three by his aunt and uncle, Rosalie and Murphy Atherton, after his parents, who worked with them on their property, took off and left him behind.’
Indy grimaced. ‘Ouch. That opens the door for an abandonment complex, low self-esteem, general anger against the world, dysfunctional relationship issues … This guy just got even more interesting.’ She studied her suspect in detail. Behind the hard mouth, ice-blue eyes and pissed-off expression, his features were attractive. That in itself could be a weapon. She imagined that expression softening, almost saw the transformation from commanding to charming. ‘So he could play hard arse, then show a little extra kindness to a young girl, make her feel a bit special … a guy like this would have her playing right into his hands.’
‘Except that despite the arrangements he’d made to spend time with them just prior to their disappearances, no one knew of any romantic relationships he’d had with any of the girls.’
She shook her head. ‘The type of person we’d be looking for wouldn’t do relationships. He’d do manipulation, control. And he’d do it quietly. By the time he had them emotionally, they’d be gone. If this is our guy, he must be highly intelligent to get away with this under the noses of his family, staff and—I imagine—guests.’
‘Correct. We need to have him under direct surveillance. We’ll be tapping into his phone and computer, but due to the isolated location and Atherton’s lifestyle, it’s very difficult to keep a close enough eye on him. Which is where you come in.’
‘Insert myself into his life. Study his routines, talk to friends and family, keep an eye on his every move, basically become his best friend … Got it. Lucky me. You’d be my supervisor?’
‘From here for now, with a team putting fresh eyes on the case, revising the reports, and chasing up any leads or evidence that might have been missed. Atherton’s Robinson’s prime suspect. Doesn’t mean he’ll be ours by the end of this.
‘Robinson will be your contact down there. I’ve spoken to him—he’s more than happy to cooperate and he’ll be on standby at all times to get you out if necessary. That’s all I can do. This has to be your decision. You sure you want to do this one?’
‘No. I want to keep the pressure on D’Angelo. But … Of course I’m going to do this. The guy sounds like another Ariel Castro.’
‘Sex slavery is the most common reason men abduct and keep women captive for long periods of time, but it’s not the only one,’ he reminded her.
‘I know.’ Indy compared two photos of Latisha: one of her smiling, happy, fresh-faced and healthy; in the other she was nothing more than a withered corpse. ‘Whatever the reason, it doesn’t look like they’re having an easy time of it. Emaciated and chained … hell.’ She took a deep breath and released it. ‘What is this place … Calico Mountain?’
‘It’s a country retreat and working cattle property located in the Central Highlands. They’re advertising for casual staff at the moment.’
‘Handy,’ she said dryly.
‘We’ll lodge an employment application for you.’
‘No. I don’t want to sit around twiddling my thumbs while I’m on a list. I’ll go out there in person, see if I can beat the line. If not, there should be something I can do in one of those nearby towns to get close to them,’ she suggested.
Ben nodded. ‘I thought you might say that. I’ll have people start working to get you set up.’
‘Meanwhile, I’ll go home and study the cases.’
‘Detective Robinson will take you through it from his end, too,’ Ben continued. ‘You’re to meet up with him when you land in Hobart before heading off to Calico Mountain.’
Indy held up the file. ‘Is the full pathologist report on Latisha in here?’
‘Yeah. I’ll let you read it for yourself.’
She glance
d through it. ‘Then I’ll see you in the morning.’
She stepped onto the pavement in a pair of army green cargos and a black T-shirt that had seen better days. Her dark brown hair was just long enough to tie back in a careless ponytail and she’d kept her face makeup-free. She’d gone shopping on the way home the day before and bought herself a decent backpack—the biggest one she could find. Big had seemed like a good idea, until she’d packed it, shouldered it, then barrelled into people in all directions trying to get onto an overloaded bus. It was a relief to stop, yet as she turned around to get her bearings, she knocked into someone else. ‘Sorry,’ she said, realising she’d just about taken out a businesswoman in a crisp navy suit. The woman nodded. At least the ride over had been short and, she thought with gratitude as she rearranged the pack on her shoulders, the walk to the station from her stop was only a couple of hundred metres.
Ben was waiting for her when she arrived, and he smirked at her appearance. ‘You look about ten in that outfit.’
‘Feel about 110.’ She dropped the pack with a thud and slumped in a chair. ‘Thank God,’ she moaned. ‘Remind me never to do this on purpose.’
Ben lifted the pack experimentally and shot her a look of disbelief. ‘You’d have to learn to pack a little lighter.’
‘No argument. It’s huge and yet I can’t fit another thing in. I almost broke the reinforced warrantied zipper trying to squeeze in an extra pair of socks I probably won’t need.’
‘You may need to take them out because your paperwork has to go in.’ He handed her an envelope. ‘Jacinda—you can still be Indy—Brown. No family—no one to miss you—and a bit of a pushover, like the others.’ Indy flinched at the truth behind her cover. No, no family. Not for a long time. Ben held on when she reached for the envelope and looked her in the eye. ‘That means meek and mild. No mouthing off, no showing off, no Xena-esque, Jackie Chan-meets-Miss Marple stunts. Just fit in, find out what happened to Caroline and come out in one piece.’