“Tangled”

 Uc Amalu Jr

Tangled - Smashwords Edition
Published by Uc Amalu Jr at Smashwords
Copyright© 2012 by Uc Amalu Jr      

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locale is entirely coincidental.

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CHAPTER ONE 
"It’s another girl. She’s all cut up and her breasts…"
"What about her breasts?"
"They’re gone!"
The conversation replayed in Jay’s mind. Surely it
couldn’t be right? There had already been one murder like
that in Showsdale. Not a month ago, a young woman
bearing that same mutilation, was found. Now it sounded
like a second girl had suffered the same fate. How he
hoped that the Captain had been misinformed of the
details, but in his heart Jay knew that he hadn’t.
Jay pulled onto the side of the road and cut the engine.
He scanned his surrounding. To the right lay crude
asphalt road, full of pot-holes large enough to swallow a
small sedan. On his left was dense bush land, nothing but
square kilometres of Eucalyptus, Grey Gums and the odd
Tallow Wood. The crime scene unit, three marked cop cars
and their flurry of red and blue flashing lights, served as
an unwelcome intrusion upon the otherwise picturesque
backdrop.
Smoke escaped the interior of Jay’s cruiser when he
stepped outside onto the loose gravel, stones crunched
loudly beneath his R.M. Williams boots. The cleansing
scent of eucalyptus filled the air. Jay drew a long, deep
breath savouring the purity of the rural setting. It had
been a long time since his lungs had experienced
anything other than the toxicity of city living. He turned
his head to the sky, amazed by the clarity and how very
different two environments, only ten kilometers apart,
could be. Just five minutes drive away was the hustle and
bustle of Showsdale, a city of eighty five thousand,
spoiled by pollution, progress and careless littering. Yet
here, well this was nature at its best. Untouched.
Further up on the shoulder of the road, he saw an
ambulance. Two uniformed officers were standing by the
open back doors, their note-books in hand, speaking to a
man and a woman. Jay assumed they were the
unfortunates who had made the gruesome discovery.
The young man had a blanket and his arms around the
young woman, rubbing her arms and shoulders so
vigorously, it looked as though he was trying to shake the
life back into her. Jay stared at her eyes. They had the
vacant stare he had come to associate with shock. It
appeared that she was incapable of speaking at this point
in time, as it was the young man who seemed to answer
all the questions. Behind the couple, in the ambulance, a
medic was preparing a syringe. He held a bottle upside down and had the
syringe embedded within the small clear vessel. He pulled
the needle from the bottle, tapped it a few times with his
fingers and then leaned in between the couple and said a
few words. The woman held up her arm, without so much
as blinking. The medic wiped her arm with a tiny, white
swab and administered the shot. He then handed her a
small bottle of water before disappearing deeper into the
ambulance.
Jay reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his
notebook before making his way toward them. Beside the
ambulance, he noticed the couple’s backpacks lying on
the ground. Clipped to the front pocket of one of the
back-packs were a pair of short-range walkie-talkies and
an updated map of Postman’s Bay, sealed in a clear
plastic slip. He looked back at the shocked duo, their
heavy duty hiking boots, wide brimmed hats and high
visibility T-shirts told him they were seasoned hikers. Both
parties sat in the back of the ambulance. The woman’s
eyes were wide and stared blankly at the officers as they
fired questions at her and her male friend. One of the
officers walked over to Jay.
"Hey, Detective Marnotti. Look, I don’t think we’re going to
get too much more out of them at this stage." The
officer’s name badge read Paul Mitchell. Jay’s eyes
narrowed as he read it.
"Mitchell?" he queried.
"Yes, Sir," replied the young officer.
"Weren’t you the kid who was at the Hunt scene a few of
weeks back?'
"I sure was, Sir. My fortunes haven’t improved much, as
you can see."
Jay grinned at the young cop, admiring how well he
appeared to be coping with having attended two major
homicides within the space of a month. "So, Paul, what
have you been able to extract from our witnesses?"
Paul flipped through his notebook. "Well, their names are
Lance and Julia Sanders, ages twenty-eight and twenty-
seven. They live in Showsdale and hike here every long
weekend. Apparently, they’ve done so for the last two
years." He looked up at Jay.

"Every weekend, eh?"
"Every long weekend," Officer Mitchell corrected Jay.
"Seems it’s their hobby, Sir. They like to keep fit I guess."
Jay grinned at the idea of people actually exercising as a
hobby. His idea of a hobby was a Saturday night at Bluey’s
where he exercised his biceps by lifting a frosted glass of
ale from the bar to his lips and back to the bar again. Jay
dug deep into his coat pocket, produced a cigarette and
lit it up.
"Apart from that, Paul, what else did ya get out of em?"
Once again, the young rookie referred to his notes before
replying. "Apparently they had only just begun their hike,
when about half a kilometer into the scrub, they saw a
whole heap of birds gathering near a clearing just off the
track a ways. Julia went over for a closer look; she thought
it might have been an injured animal or something. As
you can imagine, it didn’t take them long to figure out
that it was no animal."
Jay drew back on his cigarette. "And then what?" A gust
of smoke escaped with his words.
"Well, her and Lance high tailed it out of there," Officer
Mitchell nodded over towards the scrub. He then pointed
to a small, silver sedan sitting on the side of the road and
said, "They got back to their car here, and called us. They
say that’s where they stayed, with their doors locked, until
Officer Newcombe and myself arrived."
"What time frame we lookin’ at?"
Paul flicked over to the next page of his note-book and
then back again. "They got here at roughly 8am, saw the
body at about 8.15am, we were called at 8.34am and
arrived on the scene at approximately 8.57am. We called
for back up at 9.10am and they got here at 9.30am, a few
minutes before the coroner and crime scene unit."
"Did they touch or disturb the body?" asked Jay.
"According to them, they laid nothing more than eyes on
it. I have to say that I believe them. They’re pretty shaken
up, Detective."
Jay crushed out his cigarette and picked up the butt.
"Okay, Paul, make sure you get all their personal details
and ask em to come in to the station for a more detailed
statement tomorrow, if possible." He then handed his
cigarette butt to officer Mitchell and said, "Here, kid, take
care of this for me before the C.S.U collects it as evi-
dence!" With that, Jay turned in the direction of the crime
scene and walked off.
He followed the lead of the iridescent yellow crime scene
tape that cordoned off the area, scanning for any unusual
footprints, tyre tracks or drag marks along the way. There
was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see, but
then again after all the cops that had traipsed through in
the past hour, it would be difficult to tell who made what
trail anyhow. As soon as Jay entered the scrub, the
sunlight dimmed through the canopy of the trees,
causing the temperature to drop somewhat. A few
hundred metres further down the track, Jay saw three
more officers scouring the area for clues, and over to his
left were the coroner and one of the ambulance medics,
crouching beside a white sheet.
Careful to watch where he was stepping, Jay weaved his
way through the ferns, twigs and leaves scattered about
the ground, until he reached the grisly scene. The medic
stepped aside and allowed Jay access before nodding to
the coroner and walking back toward the roadside.
"G’day, Jay,” the coroner greeted him. “I was hoping I’d be
seeing you today."
"Oh yeah? And why is that, Seth?"
Seth Pierce had been the attending coroner in a majority
of the cases Jay had caught over the last ten years. The
man, whom Jay thought had about as much personality
as a turnip, even resembled one. His balding head
sported just a handful of thin hairs and his face looked as
though it had seen better days. Personal appear-ances
aside, he was a likeable fellow. Jay often wondered if
Seth likened his position of Coroner as the next best
thing to being a serial killer. It did allow him the luxury of
feeding his morbid fascination with the dead, and their
cause of death, while remaining safely within the con-fines
of the law.
"Well, you and Ben are working that Hunt case right?"
"That’s right, what about it? ‛
Seth leaned in closer to Jay. "I wouldn’t like to say this
too loud, or have it spread around, it’s just my personal
observations you understand…"

"Spit it out already," Jay interrupted, his patience fading
fast.
Clearly taken aback with Jay’s hostility, Seth spoke
quietly. "Well you have another female victim, late teens to
early twenties I am guessing, but like the Hunt girl, she’s
cut up pretty bad. Both breasts are gone and her
abdomen… talk about a mess."
"Any estimate on the time of death yet?" Jay asked,
realising the Captain hadn’t been misinformed.
"At a rough guess, I’d say sometime in the last twenty
four hours. She’s in slight rigor mortis. Her toes and
fingers are stiff. The lower temps in here could have
slowed things down a bit," Seth said, looking around the
scrub. "But the pooling of the blood on the underside of
her body tells me she’s been here at least eight hours.
Time of death may be between ten and midnight last
night."
Seth lowered the sheet from the victims chin and showed
Jay exactly what had hap-pened to the girl. Jay saw a
cut over her temple, so deep it was actually gaping open.
Her neck was red and bruised, as though she had been
strangled or choked at some point during her attack.
Jay crouched down beside the body his eyes fixed on her
chest; he couldn’t believe the ferocity of the attack. Her
breasts had been hacked off with such savagery that all
that was left was jagged and torn pieces of skin and
exposed flesh. He peeled the sheet back further, exposing
the rest of the victim’s naked, muti-lated body. When his
eyes reached her abdomen; he felt he was going to be
sick. It was so torn open and cut up, that he saw what he
was certain were her intestines spilling out of the cavity.
"I’ve seen enough," he said, pulling the sheet back up to
her chin. Seth placed bags over her hands and kept them
in place with tape, to secure any trace evidence that may
be there.
"C.S.U have been combing the area for evi-dence," Seth
informed Jay. 'So far they’ve come up with squat! No
personal effects or identification. It’s almost as though
she just fell from the sky."
"Well it’s a pretty fair bet that didn’t happen." Jay rubbed
his forehead.
"They’ll keep looking, but it’s safe to assume that they’re
not going to find anything. They’ve been here for over an
hour now and they’ve turned up nothing."
"You’re a real breath of fresh air, Seth. You know that?"
Jay was annoyed at Seth’s negative attitude. "Would it
hurt to show a little positivity?"
"Sorry, pessimism comes with the job. There’s never too
much to be positive about."
Jay stood up and placed his hands on his hips.
"Are you leaving already?" Seth asked.
"No, just gonna go check in with Ben. Gimme a yell when
you’re ready to move her, okay?" said Jay, already
making his way back up the hiking track.
"Will do," Seth waved at Jay and returned to the body
lying at his feet.
Jay slid into the driver’s seat of his cruiser and laid his
head against the steering wheel, his breathing shallow
and erratic. He flipped his phone open and began to enter
Ben’s number. It was then that he spotted the barrage of
news vans and reporters converging on the site.
"Parasites," he scowled.






CHAPTER TWO
"I think we have another victim of the same sick son of a
bitch," Jay's voice crackled down the line.
A shiver ran through Ben and he cupped his head in one
hand, his elbows propped up on his desk. "Same M.O?"
He asked, referring to the killer's Modus Operandi. Some
murderers use a particular style when they kill their
victims; Albert DeSalvo strangled his victims and posed
them in sexually degrading positions. Jeffrey Dahmer
drugged and ate his prey, along with performing other
cruel and unusual experiments on them. This killer
removed breasts and cut stomachs open for kicks.
"Yup," said Jay, "right down to the missing breasts and
the cut up stomach. This killer is just twisted, Benny Boy.
A real freak of nature."
"This new vic, she got a name yet?" Ben asked, swapping
the phone to his other ear.
"Not yet. There were no identifying belongings with her.
She's got a birthmark on her left shoulder, though, so
that may help figure out who she was."
"Was she…?" Ben was unable to finish his question. The
mere thought of the answer was unthinkable.
"Pregnant?" Jay blurted out.
"Yeah," Ben whispered.
"Dunno yet. Won’t know until the Doc does the slice ‘n’
dice later this afternoon. Maybe he can give us something
that can help us identify her too. With a bit of luck the
killer might have left something of himself with her."
"Himself?" Ben paused. "Are we sure it is a he?"
"Are you thinking it’s a woman, Ben?"
"I don’t know what I’m thinking, Jayy. But I do believe it
would be a mistake to rule every possibility out this early
on."
"Yeah, I guess you’re right. So where to from here?"
"Are you going to the autopsy?" Ben asked, scooping up
the photos, notes and other reports on his desk before
tucking them neatly into a manila folder. He then placed
them in his top drawer with the other information on
Tessa Hunt.
"Was planning on it, why? You wanna do it instead?"
"No, no. I’ll leave that in your capable hands Jayy," said
Ben as he rose from his chair and pulled his jacket from
the back of the seat.
"I’ve got a few things I want to check out myself." Ben then
rubbed his forehead vigor-ously and sighed down the
phone.
"Aaww, hell, Ben. Don’t tell me you got another damn
Brain Bleeder?"
That’s what Ben had always named his tension headaches
down at the station. ‚Brain-Bleeders. Whenever a big case
hit their desk, Ben always suffered a brain-bleeder. They
didn’t just happen with any case, though, only the ones
that turned out ugly and usually didn’t end too sweet. It
was never a good sign when Ben suffered one of his
infamous headaches.
"Fraid so," he replied, still massaging his temples and
patting at his pockets, in search of his medication. As a
rule, he generally had a stash in just about every coat and
every drawer in his home and at the office; he even had a
leaflet in the car. He despised taking the pills since they
were strong enough to tranquilise a small horse, or so he
believed. Yet, sometimes he was left with little choice. He
found a leaflet in his coat pocket and held them tightly in
his hand. "If these killing are linked, the press is going to
have a field day with this Jayy. We need to sort this out
now and with as little fuss as possible."
"Mum’s the word," said Jay.
"Well, I’m heading home for a bit. Gotta get rid of this
bloody headache before it lands me in a heap. You right
out there?"
"Sure thing, Ben. I’m just gonna have another walk
through of the crime scene. Gimme a call when you’re
back on deck."
"Will do," Ben agreed. He hung up the phone and said to
himself, "Later." He looked down at the leaflet in his hand
and headed for the bathroom. If he didn’t ease this
headache soon, he’d be a useless wreck for the rest of the
day.
Ben stood in front of the washbasin and stared in the
mirror for a moment. There, staring back at him was a
forty-something year old, washed up and burnt out shell
of a man. He had nothing more to show for his twenty
odd years as a cop other than a hardened expression and
a sprinkling of grey hairs that seemed to multiply daily.
His brown eyes narrowed, Ben couldn’t help but notice
how lifeless they appeared. They held no fire, no passion,
nothing.
Ben’s thoughts drifted back to Tessa, the memory of her
murder still etched deeply in his mind. The sheer violence
and ferocity of her attack chilled him to the very core. Ben
rubbed his hands over his face. This murderer could have
been straight from the pages of a Patricia Cornwell novel.
In his twenty odd years on the force, he had never
encountered a homicide quite like this. He had
experienced numerous cases varying from assault and
domestic vio-lence to sheer random acts of murder. Of
the homicides, he’d found the usual causes to be
robberies gone bad or a star-crossed lover turned jealous.
Not once had he worked a murder that was committed for
what seemed like nothing more than the sheer pleasure
of the act itself. To Ben it felt very much like Tessa’s
murder was fast shaping up to fall into the latter of the
categories. Unless he uncovered a motive soon, he would
be forced to acknowledge that a ‚thrill killer‛ was patrolling
his territory. He couldn’t shake the images of Tessa’s
mutilated body from his mind. They were engrained there,
forever…
Vivid splashes of dried blood covered the young woman’s
face, a deep three inch gash above her eye gaped wide
open, exposing raw flesh and muscle. Around her neck
were dark ligature marks; her wrists and ankles bore the
same purple bands. Torn and jagged nails hung from her
fingers and toes, her hands and heels showed evidence of
cuts and scratches, perhaps from a futile attempt to
defend herself. In her matted, bloodied hair were twigs
and leaves along with various insects, native to the scrub-
land where her body had been dumped.
These details were shocking enough, but the worst was
still to come, the mutilation. How it turned Ben’s stomach
to have to view such depravity and the barbaric nature of
this crime. Both her breasts had been excised from her
body. All that remained were two large patches of
coagulated blood, fatty tissue and flesh. Yet it got worse,
much worse. Her abdomen had been torn open from just
below the navel, all the way down to the pubic bone.
Internal organs were visible through the mess of more
coagulated blood, muscle and flesh. This woman had
almost been disemboweled; the evidence of this was
obvious, with her intestines spilling from the cavity and
over the side of her lifeless body.
Ben looked at his pills in his hand, then popped two from
the leaflet and swallowed them down before splashing
water over his face. Lowering his head, he stepped back
from the mirror, his thoughts again returning to Tessa.
For a little over three weeks he had been working her case,
so far his results had been zip. No witnesses, no real
leads to speak of and nothing of importance was
obtained from speaking with her neighbours. The woman
was like a ghost. Everybody he spoke to knew who she
was, yet none of them could tell him too much about her.
She lived alone and kept pretty much to herself. He had
tried to track down her next of kin but that even lead him
down a fruitless path. Both her parents were dead. They were killed in an auto accident just three years ago. She had no siblings that he had been able to uncover.
CHAPTER THREE
Jay jotted down a few more notes before taking one last
look around the crime scene. From the walking track
where he was standing, he could see the last of the
television crews still hanging around the roadside. They
were loading their cameras and sound equipment into
white mini vans while reporters were relaying what little
information they had, back to the studios, via cell phones
and palm pilots. Even though he had managed to get rid
of most of them earlier on, their presence angered Jay.
For years, the media had been a thorn in the side of Law
Enforcement. Many times, they would enter a crime scene
snapping photos and capturing whatever footage they
could, before being escorted away by officers. They never
gave a second thought to the evidence they might have
been destroying, nor did they care for the victims or their
families. More than once, they had broadcast grisly images
of a victim, before their next of kin had even been notified.
Jay detested news crews and he wasn’t shy about letting
them know it.
"Jayy," Seth yelled to him from a few feet away. "We’re
ready when you are...”
He watched as the mutilated body of his Jane Doe, was
sealed inside a black, plastic bag before being slid onto a
metal trolley. Two ambulance officers raised the trolley
and began wheeling it through the scrub, towards him.
Jay raised his hand to Seth and yelled back, "Let’s do it...”
He waited for the ambulance officers to reach him and
then positioned himself at the head of the trolley, ready
for the march out of the scrub and up to the roadside.
"Okay people," He began. "We still have a few vultures
circling out there, just dying to get a shot of our girl. Let’s
try to make this as quick and as smooth as possible,
eh?"
The young officers nodded in agreement.
"Right. Now, no matter what happens, just get the body
into the bus and get going. I’ll do my best to keep the
reporters outta your hair...”
When Jay was sure they were ready, he began the
procession along the walking track. The metal trolley
rattled and squeaked behind him.
The trolley had barely reached the loose gravel on the
shoulder of the road, when the frenzy began. Cameramen
scrambled for their cameras and reporters grabbed their
microphones. Jay remained firm at the front of the
trolley, guiding it quickly to the ambulance.
"Detective, Detective… Can you tell us what happened?"
"Is it true that the victim was decapi-tated?" The barrage of
questions flew thick and fast at Jay. "Was this a cult
killing?"
Jay held his arms out, trying to prevent the news crew
from invading the space between him and the body. "I’m
sorry, folk," Jay drawled. "I got nothing for ya’s. You’re
just gonna have to wait till we release a statement."
"When will that be?" Asked one female reporter.
"Yeah," mimicked another, "When will that be?"
The trolley reached the open back doors of the waiting
ambulance and the two officers pushed the body inside.
Jay tapped one of them on the shoulder as he was
climbing up into the ambulance, and said, ‚Good job,
fella’s... He then secured the heavy doors shut behind
them.
"When can we expect a statement, Detective?" The
reporters continued their onslaught. Bright flashes and
camera lights burned his eyes. Tape recorders and micro-
phones were being shoved at him from every direction.
"Give us something, Detective, come on!"
Jay turned to the gathering of paparazzi and simply
smiled. He then winked and weaved his way through
them and back into the scrub without saying a word. A
string of insults and boo’s followed him. It cheered Jay
immensely, just knowing that he had spoiled their day.
Seth approached Jay and shook his hand. "Thanks for
that, Jayy. Damn news crews, they just never know when
to quit.."
"No problem, Seth. Any idea when the autopsy will be?"
"I just phoned Augie, he’s going to get started on her at
midday.."
Jay looked at his watch. It was already 11am. "Great, you
helping out?"
Seth shook his head. "Nah, I just got a call on another
murder. I have to head out to Bayside now.."
"Must be the day for it eh?" Jay scoffed.
"Sure seems that way. I’ll see you around, Jayy.." Seth
juggled his bag of tricks under one arm and his clipboard
under the other before heading back towards the road.
Jay waved him goodbye and turned back to the scrub
where the young girl’s body had been discov-ered. He
sighed deeply and then spun around in the same
direction as Seth, and headed for his cruiser.
His phone was lying on the front seat; it chimed a few
times and then finally fell silent. Jay picked it up and
read the screen; it was a voice message. His fingers
punched in his pin number. “You have one new
message… no saved messages,” the automated voice
informed him. “To listen to your message, please press
one…. Jay followed the prompts to retrieve his message.
He listened intently and made a mental note to call Ben
after Jane Doe’s autopsy. He disconnected from the
message bank, set his phone down on the passenger
seat and turned the key in the engine. Gravel and dust
flew up from beneath his tyres when he drove away in the
direction of Showsdale.
When he pulled into the station house parking lot, Jay
peered quickly at his watch. It was 11.40 am, he decided
he had just enough time for a quick coffee before heading
to Jane Does autopsy. He could do with a reviver and a few
quiet minutes to think. After locking his cruiser he found
his way out onto the bustling footpath. The street was
jam packed with cars, all lined up bumper-to-bumper,
and the sidewalk was littered with people in a mad,
desper-ate rush to be somewhere other than where they
were.
The heavy glass doors of Café Cino seemed even heavier
today than usual, Jay stalled briefly when he pushed on
them. He despised this café; it was a haven for
intellectuals and professionals, yet he continued to drop
in every so often. A grin spread across his face when his
eyes surveyed the coffee shop and came to land on the
young waitress behind the counter. It was Joany. Jay
hadn’t seen her for quite some time now and he was
pleased to see her. He approached the counter, his smile
growing wider; and began his regular verbal assault on
her.
"Joany, baby…." He began.
"Detective Marnotti, I thought you must have dropped off the
planet," she said and then added, Seems I’m not that
fortunate huh?"
"Now, don’t be like that. You know you’re my favourite
girl...."
"Couldn’t you find another favourite?" She asked, cutting
him short.
Jay smiled. Joany had good reason to withdraw and wish
she was somewhere else whenever Jay showed up. He
took great pleasure in making life difficult for her every
time he visited. Not that he disliked Joany, quite the
opposite. She was attractive, competent and; in Jay’s
opinion, the best waitress Café Cino had.
"So I take it that means you won’t run away with me huh?"
Jay cooed at her.
"With you?" She rolled her eyes at him, "From you, more
like it."
"Well how’s about you just bring me a coffee then, darl?"
He drawled.
"If that’s the alternative to running away with you… You’ve
got it.." She grinned, before walking over to the coffee
machine. "And I ain’t your darl!" She added, picking up a
cup and placing it under the percolator.
"You love me Joany, you just don’t know it yet," He
laughed and then strode over to a corner booth in the
back of the café.
Joany just shook her head and continued making his
coffee.
In the corner booth, Jay pulled the phone out of his
breast pocket and hit the speed dial number for Ben. As
the phone began to connect; he slid a cigarette out of his
packet. Then right there, in front of a No Smoking sign, he
proceeded to light up. He glanced toward the cash
register to see how Joany was coming along with his
coffee. Instead, he saw Creston Philbert, the manager,
heading toward him. Ignoring his incoming visitor, Jay
refocused on his phone call and took a long draw on his
cigarette.
"Jayy, what’s up?" Ben asked, having finally answered his
phone.
"Got your message earlier, Ben, how’s 9 o’clock tonight
sound?" replied Jay, still eyeballing Creston’s approach.
"Fine by me…." began Ben groggily, "I got a couple of
leads I want to follow up first though.."
"Oh yeah?" quizzed Jay. "Some real police work eh?"
Ben paused, still too fogged up from his painkillers, to
even bother taking Jay’s bait.
"Yeah, yeah… I still got it in me y’know, Jayy," said Ben,
deflecting Jay’s sarcasm with a little touch of burnt-out
humour.
"Okay Ben, you do whatever it is you old farts do, and I’ll
see you at Bluey’s at 9, alright?" Jay barked into the
phone, annoyed that Creston was now right upon him.
"Right Jayy, see you then," Ben con-firmed before ending
the call.
Jay glared knowingly at Creston, then snapped his
phone shut and slid it back into his pocket.
"Detective Marnotti, why is it that you continue to harass my
staff and how many times must you be asked to
extinguish your cigarette? This is a non-smoking venue,"
Creston rolled out his usual speech, which, as expected,
rolled off Jay like water off a duck’s back.
"I see your surgery wasn’t a success, Creston," Jay
replied seriously.
"Surgery?" asked Creston. "I didn’t have any surgery.."
"So I see," Jay continued, "as that bug is still quite clearly
lodged up your ass!"
Creston was too dumbstruck to reply, he simply stood in
front of Jay with a vacant look on his face. Before he had
a chance to recover, Jay stood up and slapped him on
the back.
"Never mind old boy, I’ll get my coffee elsewhere for today.
But you have a fine after-noon, ya hear?" With that, Jay
stubbed his cigarette butt out in the sugar pot and made
his exit, laughing heartily as he went.
Stepping off the pavement and into the gutter, Jay
weaved his way through the avalanche of cars and crossed
the busy intersec-tion, remarkably unscathed. He rejoined
the flow of pedestrians on the footpath and continued on
his way to the ‚Hal Cotter Medical Centre.
Jay reached the giant glass doors of the rather ordinary
looking building; he lit another cigarette and just stood
there for a moment. He wondered if all the citizens and
motorists passing by even knew what went on behind
these doors. Sure, everybody was aware that it was a
medical research centre of renowned excellence, but did
they have any idea that this is where murder victims were
brought to be autopsied? It seemed ironic to Jay, that
the person responsible for the murder of these people,
could be walking past this building at that very same
moment their victims were being autopsied.
Jay lifted his cigarette to his lips and drew back hard,
filling his lungs with its deadly poison. Slowly exhaling,
he threw his butt to the ground and crushed it with his
foot before turning and walking through the glass doors
of the Medical Centre. He directed himself to the elevator
where he pushed the down arrow. Jay watched the
button light up as he waited for the stainless steel doors
to open and beckon him in. In no time, the doors rolled
open and Jay stepped inside. His finger hit another
button, commanding the elevator to take him to the
lower ground floor. The droning of the engine sounded
out and Jay’s stomach churned as his descent began.
With a slight jolt, the lift came to a stop and an
automated voice echoed through the shaft telling him he
was now at the lower ground floor. The steel doors rolled
back and allowed him to get out.
Jay turned right out of the elevator, then made his way
to the tiny office at the end of the corridor where he
showed his official I.D. He leant through the glass window
of the reception
desk asked for the suite number of his Jane Doe.
The pretty blonde receptionist eyed his creden-tials
carefully, then continued tapping away at her computer
before saying, "Suite two, Detec-tive Marnotti… Dr. August is
performing that one.."
Jay shot her a seductive smile before replying, "Good old
Augie eh? Thanks darl, you’re a gem.."
Dr. Leon August was almost a veteran in autopsies; after
all, he’d performed hundreds of them in his twenty-five or
so years as a patholo-gist. Jay was rather fond of Dr.
August, or Augie as everyone called him. He found his dry
wit and humour to be a complimentary match for his
own, and Augie could take it as good as he could dish it
out. Jay respected his thor-oughness and his ability to
convert the mumbo jumbo of medical jargon into lay-
mans terms for his benefit. Augie could be pretty tightly
wound at times though, that sometimes irked Jay, but
with the responsibility of his job who wouldn’t be?
Jay knocked on the door of Suite two and waited to be
let in. A skinny, pimply-faced assistant opened the door,
asked for I.D. and then welcomed him in. He handed Jay
a mask, shoe covers, gloves and a full body apron to put
on.
"Wash your hands thoroughly, then come on through,"
the assistant told Jay. He accepted the adornments
without a word and did as he was instructed. He hadn’t
attended too many autopsies before, but he had a feeling
that it was important that he come to this one in
particular. He hadn’t bothered sitting in on Tessa Hunt’s
last week, although he now wishes he had.
When he entered the sterile autopsy suite, he was handed
a clipboard with a few sheets of blank paper, and a pen.
Jay looked at the assistant quizzically.
"In case you wish to make notes," the assistant told him,
helpfully.
"Oh, right… thanks," Jay mumbled through his mask.
He stared at a sign on the wall, below the oversized clock.
“Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae.”
The writing puzzled Jay, he recalled having seen the
same sign a few years ago when he had sat in on another
autopsy.
He was still entranced by the sign when Augie approached
him and stood silently by his side. ‚It’s Latin, Augie
blurted out, breaking the silence. "Roughly translated it
says, ‘This is
the place where death rejoices to teach those who live’...”
Jay turned to Augie and considered whether or not to
make some sarcastic remark about him being too much
of a know-it-all, but decided against it. Augie rubbed his
gloved hands together and said, "Are we ready?"
"As I’ll ever be," Jay replied, his enthusiasm for what was
about to take place, less than minimal.
"I’m only here for the basics Augie," he continued. "When
I’ve got that, I’m outta here...”
"Gotcha," confirmed Augie with a knowing nod. "Now, let’s
get started."
Jay followed Augie over to the steel gurney in the middle
of the room. As he walked past the bench, he noticed
numerous clear plastic bags, all neatly labelled,
containing samples of hair, dirt and nail clippings among
other things.
"What’s this?" he asked Augie.
Augie looked back towards the bench and replied, "Oh,
just some samples and scrapings we have collected for
forensics. We thought we would get it over and done with so
we can get down to business and you are not sitting
through hours of painstaking discovery."
"Sounds fair," Jay replied, glad that he had missed the
meticulous process of watching them scour the body for
external forensic evidence. "Any signs of rape?"
"Some minor bruising to her inner thighs, so it’s
possible. I carried out a rape kit, should have the results
in a day or so."
Jay nodded and allowed him to get on with his job.
Augie stood beside the gurney and turned to his
assistant, "When you’re ready, Pete." As though they were
the magic words he’d been waiting for, the assistant
pulled back the sheet, exposing the ravaged, mutilated
body of Jane Doe.
Augie and Pete began performing an external search of
the body and made notes of any scratches, abrasions,
birthmarks or defects of any kind. The second assistant
scribbled notes down on a clipboard as Augie verbally
docu-mented the findings to him. Pete grabbed a large,
black camera from the bench and intermit-tently took
photos of Jane Doe, while Augie continued relating his
notes to Ed, the second assistant.
"Deep gash evident above the right eye, approximately
seven and a half centimetres long… severe bruising and
ligature marks around the throat, wrists and ankles."
Picking up her hands, Augie looked at her palms. He then
studied her feet, heels and soles. "Defensive cuts on both
palms, nails appear torn and broken, heels and soles of
feet bare considerable abrasions and minor cuts… injuries
possibly caused by being dragged along rough terrain."
Augie continued his examination making reference to
Jane Doe’s chest and abdomen.
"Victim’s breasts, both left and right have been removed
by a clean, sharp apparatus, I’d almost bet it was a
surgical instrument. The cuts are smooth and precise
enough to be a scalpel. Due to extensive clotting, I
estimate this was done post-mortem,"
Augie paused intermittently to allow Ed to keep up with
him.
"You right Ed?" he enquired. The young red headed
assistant nodded as he continued scribbling down his
notes.
Jay thought it would have been much quicker for Augie
to use his Dictaphone to log his findings, but he
appeared to prefer his assistant to scribe for him.
"Abdominal cavity extremely mutilated. Closer inspection
by sight only indicates that some organs may have been
removed. The person who did this seemed to know what
he was doing, though. The incisions are almost perfectly
placed, much like those made during a caesarean section.
Quite well executed actually. Will return to this point for
further, more detailed inspection directly."
Moving to the opposite side of the gurney, Augie
gestured for Pete and Ed to roll the victim onto her
stomach. Pete sat the camera down and joined Ed in
rolling the body over. Augie then stepped forward again
and resumed his external examination.
"Large brown birth-mark on left shoulder, shaped like a
half moon, approximately two centimetres wide and four
centimetres long. Numerous cuts on elbows and calves,
otherwise nothing extraordinary is apparent."
The assistants again rolled Jane Doe onto her back.
Pete took a few more photos before placing the camera
back onto the workbench behind him. He picked up a
scalpel from a tray beside the gurney. He handed it to
Augie. As he did so, the scalpel fell to the floor, hitting it
with a high-pitched crack.
"Darn it Pete, how many times have I told you to take
more care when handing me the instruments? Thanks to
you we need another scalpel and goodness knows our
supplies are depleted enough as it is."
Pete hung his head and looked at the floor, "I’m sorry, Dr.
August. I’ll get you another one right away." With that he
left the gurney and headed for the supplies cupboard. Ed
put down his clipboard and pen and retrieved the
instrument from the floor before heading in the direction
of the sharps disposal.
Augie turned to Jay, shaking his head and said, "Budget
cut backs… everything suffers. Wouldn’t be so bad only
the supplies seem to be far outweighed by the number of
autopsies. Scalpels, chemicals… they’re all just walking off
the shelves."
Jay nodded in agreement, "I know what that’s like, so
much crime, so little resources."
Pete returned with a fresh scalpel and handed it carefully
to Augie, this time it didn’t fall to the floor.
"Now," said Augie looking over at Jay, "let’s see if we
can’t open her up and try to make some sense of what’s
happened with her abdomen."
Jay shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, feeling rather
uneasy. Augie commenced his Y-Incision, skilfully guiding
the blade of the scalpel from each shoulder down to the
mid chest and then continued straight down toward the
stomach. Upon reaching the navel, Augie stopped for a
moment.
"What is it?" Jay asked him.
"It’s difficult to complete the Y-Incision due to the
extensive mutilation."
Augie lifted the scalpel from Jane Doe’s body and
repositioned it below the slashing. He completed the
incision, running the blade down to the base of the pubic
region. Delicately, he peeled the soft tissue and skin back,
exposing the rib cage and breastbone. Pete handed him
an electric saw, which he used to cut through these
bones, allowing him to thoroughly examine the heart and
lungs.
"Heart and lungs appear normal in colour and size."
He then produced a large hypodermic needle and drew
some blood from the heart, he handed this to Pete to
store and catalogue. Augie continued on, removing the
heart and lungs which he weighed and instructed Pete to
take samples of. Ed carried on, furiously writing his notes.
Augie then reached into the abdominal cavity. As he
inspected it, he stood back and stared solemnly at Jay.
"What is it?" Jay prodded Augie, now feeling uneasier
than before.
"Although the uterus is severely muti-lated, I can see
evidence of a placenta," said Augie quietly.
"You mean…" Jay said before Augie cut him off.
"This woman was pregnant. By the size of the placenta I
would estimate she was about four
months gestation."
Augie began investigated the abdomen again. "There is
no foetus present… the sick bastard must have cut it out
of her."
"Just like Tessa Hunt," Jay whispered.
Just like Tessa," Augie agreed.
Jay ripped the paper from his clipboard and stuffed it
into his pocket.
"I’m outta here Augie. Let me know what else you find, will
ya?" he instructed. Without waiting for a reply, Jay flew
out the door and into the scrub room.
"Will courier a copy of my report to you A.S.A.P," Augie
yelled after him, and then carried on with his autopsy.
Jay tore off the mask, gloves and apron and hastily
threw them into the hygienic disposal on his way out the
door. Halfway down the hall, he realised he was still
wearing the boot covers. ‘Oh hell’ he grumbled as he
bent down and pulled them off, throwing them on the
floor.
Jay was annoyed at how unnerved he felt. He’d never
experienced this before and quite frankly it disturbed him.
He was so rattled in fact, that he didn’t even bother to flirt
with the blonde receptionist on his way out.
Jay chose to take the stairs to the street entrance
instead of the elevator, hoping the exertion of energy
might have the calming affect he needed. He ran up two
small flights of stairs, exited the stair well at the ground
floor and walked out of the big glass doors. Once he was
back on the street, he fumbled clumsily in his pocket for a
cigarette.
 As he puffed away heavily, he took out his
notepaper from the autopsy and read what he had
written: Victim pregnant- foetus stolen!
Jay stared into space and whispered to himself, "Dear
God!"























CHAPTER FOUR
Ben’s eyes shot open and he blinked a few times until his
focus returned. The haze from his painkillers was lifting
and his head was no longer suffering at the hands of his
brain bleeder. He had barely made it home from the
Station House earlier, when the full effect of the drugs
kicked in. It had taken all the strength he had left to make
it from his car to he lounge, before passing out. Although
he felt refreshed, he did feel somewhat more energised.
Or at least he felt more capable of getting on with the day
and more importantly, his job.
In one swift movement, he threw his legs over the edge of
the lounge and planted them firmly on the floor. With
both arms raised above his head, he stretched, rose to
his feet and stumbled into the kitchen. After setting the
kettle to boil, he searched for his notebook to review his
notes once more. Ben pulled his notebook from his coat
pocket and headed into his office. He flipped through his
book and studied the copies of the business cards found
near Tessa’s body. Her murder was a giant puzzle and Ben
was no wiser now than he was three weeks ago when
Tessa was discovered.
The kettle whistled away, boiling water spitting from the
mouth of its spout. Ben left his notes and walked back
into the kitchen. He carefully apportioned just the right
amount of coffee and sugar into his favourite coffee mug
before adding the milk and finally the water. For most
people, a cuppa was just a cuppa, but not for Ben. His
coffee was a simple pleasure and if it wasn’t made
according to his fastidious directions, it no longer held
any enjoyment for him. The fact that he was about to enter
the worst coffee house in Showsdale, only made Ben even
more determined to enjoy the brew he was now
preparing. He stirred the mixture briskly and inhaled the
aroma of the double roasted blend, before indulging in
the first swallow.
"Aaahh," he sighed aloud.
With his coffee still firmly in one hand, he strode into his
office and collected his notebook and pen before heading
to his bedroom to change his clothes. He sipped his
coffee slowly and then opened his robe doors. Ben chose
a suede jacket, a smart button up polo shirt and pair of
neatly pressed, box pleated slacks. Comfortable that his
dress was both official and reasonably casual all in one,
he gulped down the last of his coffee. He sat the empty
mug on top of his chest of drawers and made his way to
the bathroom. Ben splashed some water on his face,
brushed his teeth and freshened his breath. He combed
his hair and then slapped on a dash of cologne. The
coolness of the cologne stung his skin, causing him to
wince. Confidant that he was ready to tackle the job ahead
of him, he walked back into his bedroom and began
dressing for his impromptu meeting with the Wellness
Clinic.
Ben glanced at the red neon digits of his bedside clock,
4.45pm. He pulled on his suede jacket, tucked his
notebook and pen into the front inside pocket. From the
dressing table, he stuffed a couple of sealed painkillers
into his other pocket. Snatching his empty mug from the
top of the chest of drawers, he then headed back to the
kitchen.
After carefully rinsing out his coffee cup, Ben then grabbed
his keys from the key holder on the kitchen wall, set his
alarm and left the apartment. As he walked out the front
door, he secured the deadbolt and headed to the garage.
Security was of great importance to Ben, he could never
be certain that some former crim he helped put away
wouldn’t come after him for revenge or any number of
other reasons.
Once behind the wheel of his baby blue 57 Chevy, Ben
drew in a deep breath and allowed the scent of the leather
upholstery to fill his senses.
"Aaahh," he gushed as he exhaled slowly.
He surveyed the immaculate interior of his pride and joy
with vanity and gratification before turning the key in the
ignition. The Chevy’s motor sprung to life and purred like
a satisfied kitten. Content that he had indulged in his
Chevy’s pleasures long enough, he backed down the
driveway. He scanned for traffic, and then indicated his
intent to pull out, before setting off down the road in the
direction of Shelby’s Coffee House.
He made a left on Bligh Street and accelerated a little
before settling into an easy cruising mode for the next
twenty minutes. A river of dazzling neon signs soon
shone on either side of him. Among them, Ben spied the
rather mundane advertisement for Shelby’s Coffee House.
He found the first available car park, got out of his car and
headed for Shelby’s. Ben pushed open the single glass
door and stepped inside. Instantly, his senses were
tantalised with the aroma of fresh coffee beans and a less
familiar scent he figured could be cinnamon.
Shelby’s looked like a lower class coffee shop. Its tables
were covered with cheap plastic backed cloths instead of
the usual cotton blend found in most places he had
visited down town. Instead of fresh carnations in china
vases in the centre of each table, there were tacky fake
roses in fog stained, mock crystal flutes.
Browsing around further, he found the atmosphere to be
pleasant enough and the chubby, young bru-nette behind
the coffee grinder shot him a broad, welcoming smile.
Ben approached the counter and took a seat directly in
front of her.
"Can I get you something, love?" she asked, her smile
broadening.
Ben looked up and down the counter, his eyes falling on a
fully stocked cake platter.
"Is that apple and rhubarb?" he asked, pointing to the
platter.
"Sure is, darl. Best in town too," she answered.
"I’ll have a slice of that and a white coffee with one and a
half sugars thanks," Ben in-structed her. His taste buds
were screaming at him for having ordered coffee. They
could still taste the chunks from the last cup of Shelby’s
coffee Ben had subjected them to, a year ago.
"Comin’ right up," she replied.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and
I.D. He then turned his attentions back to the brunette
and asked, "The Manager about?"
"I certainly am, what can I help you with?" she asked still
busy gathering his pie and coffee. When she placed his
order in front of him, he opened his wallet and flashed his
credentials at her.
"I’m Detective Ben Payne," he said. "I just have a couple
of routine questions for you. It won’t take long."
"Bout what?" the brunette asked, looking rather confused.
"First off, what’s your name? Shelby?"
With a girlish giggle she replied, "Oh no honey, I’m
Joanna Kent. Shelby was the previous owner." She paused
for a moment then contin-ued, "I only took over a month
ago and I figure, why go to all the expense of changin’ the
name here? Things are fine as they are."
"I understand," confirmed Ben. "Do you still accept these
buy one get one free cards?" he asked pulling the copy of
the redemption card from his notebook.
"Sure do," she said. "You wanna redeem it now?"
"Oh no, no, no." Ben pulled the card back from her reach.
"I was just curious, is there any way of knowing who owns
this card or when they acquired it?"
Joanna eyed him suspiciously, still uncertain if he was
aiming for a freebie or if he had a legitimate reason for
asking what she considered to be an unanswerable
question.
"Well, all I can tell you is that we don’t ask for personal
details when we hand them out," she said as she studied
the card carefully. "Though I can tell you this much…"
Ben’s eyes lit up, hoping his break was coming through.
"That card you have there only came in the Friday after I
took over."
"How can you be sure of that?" Ben asked.
"Well I had new ones printed up with a blue border, see.
They used to be black." Joanna handed him an old
redemption card. "The delivery guy only dropped them to
me on the afternoon of the seventeenth, I’d been fresh
out of cards for a week before then. Come to think of it, I
was fresh out of everything when I took over this place."
She rolled her eyes back in her head and placed her hands
on her hips.
"So you’re saying that this card would only have been
given out on Friday the seven-teenth at the earliest?" he
asked her.
"You got it," she answered.
"Were you working that Friday?" he asked.
"Honey, I’m always working… I can’t afford to hire anyone
else."
Ben shifted on his seat anxiously, his hopes beginning to
build a little. Pulling a photo of Tessa Hunt from his
notebook he showed it to Joanna.
"Do you recognise or recall serving this woman on that
particular Friday or Friday night?"
After perusing the picture carefully, Joanna smiled softly
and said, "Sure, she was a sweetheart… such lovely
manners and she left me a generous tip too."
"Was she with anyone? What time did she leave?" Ben
fired off another round of questions.
"What is this about, exactly?" Joanna asked, looking Ben
directly in the eye. Her nerves beginning to show.
"Unfortunately, Joanna, this woman was found murdered.
Your redemption card was found in her purse," he
informed her rather abruptly. "Right now, I’m just
following every lead available, no matter how insignificant
it may seem."
Joanna’s hands flew up to her face and her eyes closed
momentarily. Ben allowed her to gather her thoughts
before he resumed his questioning.
"Is there anything you can tell me that may be relevant,
Joanna?"
"I didn’t see her with anyone, she got up once or twice to
use the payphone…" Joanna reached for a fresh cup to
make herself a coffee.
"She seemed like she was waiting for whomever it was
she rang, but after half an hour or so she left… alone."
"What time was this?"
"About 7.30, I close at 8 and she was the only customer I
had left."
Ben pulled his business card out of his wallet and handed
it to Joanna, "If you remem-ber anything, no matter how
trivial you think it may be, give me a call."
"I certainly will," replied Joanna, taking his card from him.
Placing ten dollars plus a tip on the counter, Ben took a
bite of his pie before stand-ing up. "Delicious," he cooed
to Joanna as he stuffed his wallet and notebook back into
his pockets and left Shelby’s.
Ben’s Chevy sailed along Link Avenue and then made a
quick right into Fort Street. He circled the round a bout
before entering a parking bay directly in front of the
Wellness Clinic. He shut down the engine, got out of his
car and stood motionless in front of the building for a few
minutes. The sheer optical brilliance of it struck him first;
there were two marble columns either side of the four
extra-large, glass doors. 'Your Right To Choose Wellness
Clinic' was deeply etched into a brass plaque bolted
tightly onto the face of one of the marble columns. It
shone brazenly as his eyes fell upon it. Ben hadn’t been
sure what to expect, but
somehow the grandiose nature of the building alone, was
not it.
Unable to see anyone through the glass doors, Ben
turned to his right. On the wall, he noticed a digital
intercom system, he ap-proached it confidently and
pushed a large, black button marked 'Page'.
"Hello," a voice crackled through the intercom.
"This is Detective Ben Payne, I’d like to speak to whoever
is in charge of your clinic please," he replied in the most
officially domi-nating tone he could muster.
"I’m sorry Detective, the clinic is closed for the day. Would
you like to make an ap-pointment for during the week?"
she asked, sounding very much like he was inconvenienc-
ing her in some way.
"Who am I speaking with?" grumbled Ben, more than a
little annoyed that she was fobbing him off.
"My name is Marla Andrews, I’m sorry Detective but Dr.
Sugars has finished for the day. I’d be happy to…"
Ben cut her short and spat firmly at her, "Listen, Marla, I
am investigating a very serious police matter and it is
important that I speak with this Dr. Sugars immediately. If
you wish to have Detectives parading all over your waiting
room tomorrow, scaring your patients…"
"Just one moment please, eerr, what did you say your
name was again?" she asked.
Ben was certain the woman was trying to make life difficult
for him. "Detective Ben Payne!"
The intercom fell silent, Ben waited to see what was going
to happen next.
"The Dr will see you, Detective." Her voice crackled over the
line.
"Thank you, Marla," he sighed and stepped back from the
intercom, then waited in front of the closest set of glass
doors. A few minutes later a tall, thin woman with
shoulder length, jet-black hair appeared. She thumbed
through a large set of keys and unlocked the door. With a
wave of her hand, she beckoned him to come through.
Once inside, Ben was again struck with the stature of the
building. Its marble floors, the leather lounge chairs in
the exquisitely decorated waiting room, beautifully framed
oil paintings, even the magazine table, all looked
expensive.
"This wellness thing must pay well, eh?" asked Ben.
"Must it?" replied Marla, her piercing green eyes burning
into him. Ben glanced at her briefly, wondering if his
innocent comment had somehow offended her or
whether she was simply difficult with every person she
came in contact with.
"It was meant as a compliment, nothing more," Ben made
an attempt to smooth over their rough beginning. "My
Doctor’s office isn’t anywhere near this impressive."
"Well," Marla started, as she looked him over, "we deal
with a slightly different clientele here."
Unsure if she was degrading him on purpose, Ben sucked
air back through his teeth and decided it was best to
ignore her remark. "Is Dr. Sugars ready for me now?" he
asked, as he tried to regain control of the situation. "I’d
like to make this as brief and painless as possible so we
can all get on with our evening."
Marla led him silently down a corridor and opened a door
at the end. She motioned to Ben to take a seat in the
extra large easy chair in front of a beautifully crafted oak
desk.
"Wait here, please. I’ll let Dr. Sugars know you’re ready,"
said Marla as she turned and left the room.
Ben simply couldn’t under-stand her. She seemed to have
a set on him and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out
why. Maybe his frayed lack of patience had shown more
than he had realised when they spoke over the intercom.
Perhaps he had offended her and now she was returning
the favour. Whatever the case, Ben made a mental note to
find out more about the woman. There was something
about her he didn’t quite feel at ease with.
He made himself comfortable in the royal blue, suede
easy chair and reached into his pocket, retrieving his
notebook and pen. Ben’s eyes surveyed the room and
narrowed as he began to focus on Dr. Sugars’ PHD and
numer-ous awards hanging on the pale blue walls of her
office. On her desk sat two small, silver framed photos. A
rather handsome, distinguished man smiled up from the
first frame and in the other was a teenage girl who looked
familiar to Ben. Unable to put his finger on where he had
seen the girl, he leaned closer for a better look when the
office door opened.
"Detective Payne?" an attractive middle-aged woman
who Ben presumed was Dr. Sugars, entered the room.
"In the flesh," he lightly replied.
"Rose-Marie Sugars… please call me Rose," she
introduced herself warmly. "I understand you need to
speak to me regarding a Police matter. How can I help
you, Detective?"
Impressed with her courteous manner and pleasant
disposition, Ben flashed her a comforting smile. She was
the complete opposite to her secretary and he
appreciated the respect she showed him.
"Please call me Ben," he said.
Nodding in agreement, Rose spoke again, "How is it you
believe I can be of assistance, Ben?"
He produced the small photo of Tessa Hunt, handed it to
her and said, "Do you recall this woman. Is she or was she
a client of yours?"
She studied the picture carefully before replying, "Why yes,
as a matter of fact I con-sulted with her just last month."
"Consulted with her? What exactly do you specialise in
here, Rose?"
"I can’t give you the specifics of Tessa’s consultation, but I
can tell you what we practice here… if you think it would be
of benefit?"
"I’d appreciate that," Ben encouraged her.
"We are a licensed termination clinic," she began. "We
discuss unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and offer
not only termination, but other alternatives to women in
such predica-ments." She stared at him. "No judgment,
Ben?" she asked awkwardly. "It’s been my experience that
most people show signs of disapproval and disgust when
they first realise that my wellness clinic is not the health
resort or beauty spa they had mistaken it to be." Rose sat
back and looked at him a little longer.
"Not at all Rose, this world is full of personal choices and
termination is just that, personal choice."
"I’m relieved you are so open minded. Not many are when
it comes to my line of work." She fell silent for a moment
before continuing, "I have learned to live with the criticism,
the derogatory remarks, abusive letters and calls, though.
I understood that all came with the job when I entered
this field."
Ben’s eyebrows rose, "You get much hate mail?
"Oh yes, and plenty of calls to follow it up. But tell me Ben,
why are you interested in Tessa?"
Ben stared at her for a moment before it dawned on him
that she had absolutely no idea Tessa was dead. With all
the publicity surround-ing her murder over the last couple
of weeks, he thought it a bit odd.
"So you haven’t heard?" he asked.
"Heard what? Has Tessa had an accident, is that what this
is all about?" she replied, her concern beginning to
present itself.
Ben lowered his voice to a soft whisper, "I am sorry to tell
you that she was murdered sometime around the
evening of Friday the seventeenth. Your card was found in
her purse," he told her empathetically. "I’m just following
leads right now, however with what you have just told me,
there are elements of her murder that may indicate her
pregnancy could have been a factor in her death."
"Dear God, no," cried Rose. She slumped back in her chair,
rubbed her eyes and sighed deeply. Ben gave her a
minute to digest the news.
"Was she scheduled for a termination?" he pressed her
gently.
"Yes, but she phoned me the Friday, a couple of days after
her initial consultation and said that she wanted to
postpone." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue and carried
on, "She said that she wanted to reconsider her options
and come back in the following week, before she followed
through with her termination."
"Do you remember what time she called you?"
Rose checked her date book. "I remember I left late the
night of the seventeenth, I guess she called around
seven-ish." She continued brows-ing her book. "Yes, here
it is… Friday the seventeenth. I left at roughly seven thirty
that evening." She held out her book for Ben to view,
before placing it back down on her desk.
Ben nodded and jotted the entry down in his notebook.
"Her pregnancy… Did she tell you why she was
considering termination? Was it just bad timing or did
she simply not want a baby right now? What about the
Father, did she say who he was?"
Rose pulled a manila folder from the tall filing cabinet
behind her chair and perused her notes. "All she told me
was that keeping the baby would be disastrous because
the Father was a married man. There was no mention of
his name though."
"Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?"
He asked. "It may be impor-tant, Rose."
"Not that I can think of Detective, but I will call you if any
other information comes to light. Do you have a card?"
Ben handed her a card. He couldn’t shake the feeling that
Rose was trying to end their conversation prematurely.
Ben was unsure whether she had been dodging his
bullets on purpose or if the sheer weight of their
discussion had been too much for her and she simply
needed time to absorb all that had been said. Either way,
he knew he would be revisiting Rose… and sooner rather
than later.
As he walked toward the door, he turned back to her.
"Your receptionist?"
"Marla? Yes, what about her?" she replied.
"Has she been here long?"
"She’s been with me from the start," she stated flatly. "Is
there something wrong?"
"Oh no, just one of those questions I ask, more for my
own curiosity. Nothing to do with the case." He assured
her. "She does seem a little icy and tightly wound
though…"
"Yes," Rose cut him off. "Marla has had some rather
difficult news to digest of late. I’ll be sure to have a word
with her about being more courteous Detective."
Ben couldn’t be sure, but he felt that Rose acted quite
defensive in regards to Marla. "Thank you for your time,
Rose, I appreciate it."
"You are more than welcome, Ben. Don’t hesitate to call
me again should you need to."
Smiling kindly at her, he opened the door, "I’ll see myself
out."
Rose flashed him an uncomfortable smile and nodded.
Passing by Marla’s desk on the way out, he shot her the
most dazzling smile he could muster and said, "Night,
Marla."
She glared at him and replied, "Good-night, Detective."
Ben crawled into his car and stared at the wellness clinic
for a while before pulling his phone out and dialling Jay.
"Jayy, it’s me… we still on for 9?"
"Surely are," answered Jay. "I got lots to tell ya Ben."
Ben glanced at the clinic again and saw Marla and Rose
leaving. He followed them with his eyes. They both exited
the building and walked over to a silver volkswagon
convertible. To Ben’s surprise the two of them got in and
drove off together, Rose behind the wheel.
"Strange," he said, forgetting he was on the phone to
Jay.
"What’s strange?" Jay asked.
"Oh, nothing," stated Ben, suddenly aware of Jay again.
"I’ll see you at Bluey’s."
He disconnected the call.


















CHAPTER FIVE
Jay paid the cab driver and strolled into Bluey’s, he
figured a taxi would be the safest bet after the day he’d
had. He had decided early on that a few drinks would be in
order tonight. He tucked his wallet back into his pants
and walked up to the bar.
"Hey Jayy, long time no see," cried the barman and then
extended his hand across the bar.
"Glad to see someone missed me Tadpole," he replied
slapping him on the shoulder as the two shook hands.
Gary, A.K.A Tadpole, had been a firm friend of Jay’s ever
since they had met seven years earlier. It was actually Jay
who christened him Tadpole on account of the fact that
Gary had six kids and his wife was pregnant again.
"Gees mate," Jay had said, "Ain’t you got no T.V. in your
house?"
"Sure do, but the wife likes a little ro-mance now and
again," Gary had replied.
"Now and again… Gawd man, you’s must be at it now and
again and again!"
Gary had just laughed at Jay and said "It’s me genes
mate, I’ve just got good tadpoles."
From then on, Jay referred to him as Tadpole and the
name stuck.
Tadpole was one of the very few friends Jay had, and
much to his surprise, he actually did enjoy his company.
Most people who came into contact with Jay found his
personality a little too strong and forthright for their taste,
but not Tadpole. He seemed to accept Jay’s character
flaws and propensity to be bolder than brass, that was
just who he was. Even when Jay had told him that 'He
couldn’t pull a beer for shit!' He didn’t get mad or
offended, he simply walked to the opposite side of the bar
and challenged Jay to do better. Jay admired the way
Tadpole handled himself in general, he never allowed
anyone to get the better of him.
Jay pulled a cigarette from his pack and began to light
up.
"Not here, Jayy," Tadpole reminded him. "You gotta go to
the smoker’s deck, okay?"
As much as he despised the new laws on smoking in
bars, Jay knew he was not exempt from them. Mind you,
that never stopped him from trying to slip the odd one in
from time to time. He stuffed the cigarette back into his
pack and rolled his eyes, pouting like a two year old.
"It’s bullshit, that’s what it is, a man don’t have a say in
nothin’ anymore," Jay spat back.
"That a boy," teased Tadpole. "My lungs are thanking you
already."
"Oh just quit bein’ a pussy and get me a beer," hissed
Jay, unaccustomed to not getting is way.
Tadpole pulled the lever on the keg and began to fill a
frosted glass, ensuring the white, foamy head was neither
too thick, nor too weak. Beer began to trickle down the
side of the glass and over Tadpole’s fingers, with a quick
flick of the lever he shut off the flow.
"Here we are, get that into ya," cried Tadpole, smiling
broadly as he set the beer down in front of Jay.
In one foul swoop, Jay snatched up the glass, gulped
the contents down in a few hearty chugs and slammed
the empty vessel down on the bar. "That was a starter…
Now, how’s about a real drink? Gimme a Jimmy, straight
up."
Tadpole stared at him for a moment and then said, "You
got it, but no trouble tonight… Okay, Jay?"
"Yo, Tadpole. Why you gotta ruffle my feathers all the
time?"
An impromptu laugh escaped Tadpole. "Ruffle? You?"
"Yeah, yeah," began Jay. "Everyone loves a wise guy." He
reached deep into his pocket and produced a twenty-
dollar bill, his eyes still firmly fixed on Tadpole. With a
thunderous slap, he smacked it down on the bar and
repeated ‚ "Now how’s about that drink?"
Tadpole had good reason to be concerned when Jay
ordered his Jimmy’s. Last time he ventured down that
road, the cops were called and two men ended up in
hospital, one with a broken nose and one with about half
a dozen teeth lodged somewhere down his throat! Even
when the men were being escorted to the ambulance, it
took a good three officers to hold Jay back from
continuing the argument his fists were having with their
faces.
As it turned out, Jay overheard the two men talking
about cops in a way that he decided was personally
degrading, and no-one gets away with calling Jay a 'low
life weenie boy'. How official assault charges were never
filed, Tadpole could never fully understand. Perhaps it had
something to do with a personal visit to the hospital and
an apology from Jay… accompanied by the promise of
'more to follow,' should the matter become official. Either
way, the incident blew over and Tadpole began rationing
the straight Jimmy’s a little slower from then on.
"So what’s the occasion?" asked Tadpole, his eyebrows
raised.
"Occasion?" queried Jay.
"For the Jimmy’s? I haven’t seen you drink these since
Fred’s retirement last month," replied Tadpole as he lifted
the bill from the bar and slid the shot toward Jay.
"What do I look like, a bloody Hallmark Card?" he spat
back disgusted that someone was able to invade his
personality enough to know that he usually only drank
straights when things weren’t going too sweet with a case
he was working.
"Settle down big fella," cried Tadpole. "I was just opening
the door for a friendly ear."
"Well you can keep your friendly ear and the ugly mug it’s
attached to!"
For whatever reason, the comment sent Tadpole off into a
hysterical fit of laughter, so much so that tears began
streaming down his face.
"You are one strange space cadet Tad-pole, you know
that?"
Unable to answer, he just kept laughing and waved his
arm dismissively at Jay. The entire scene annoyed Jay.
He rose from his bar stool, grabbed his drink and change
then with the middle finger of his left hand, saluted
Tadpole farewell and hissed, "I’ll be on the smokers deck."
With that, he turned and stormed off.
Upon reaching the deck, Jay withdrew a cigarette and lit
it, sucking the foul, grey smoke so deeply that he felt his
chest was about to explode. He savoured the nicotine
ingestion for a moment before blowing the excess
putrefied poison into the night air, creating a ghostlike
cloud against the blackness of the sky. He then raised the
Jimmy to his lips, tilted his head back slightly and
downed the shot in one swallow. "Aaargh," he choked out
as he shook his head violently from side to side.
"That good eh?" came a voice from behind him. Jay spun
around to see Ben standing next to the railing, his arms
folded and a wry smile on his face.
"Good?" replied Jay, still wincing. "Damn motor oil,
that’s what it is!"
Ben walked over and slapped him on the back then sat
down at the nearest table. "So why drink it then?"
"I suppose that’s a fair question coming from a man who
didn’t spend the afternoon in an autopsy suite, carving up
what was left of Jane Doe!"
"What are you saying, Jayy?"
"What I am saying, Ben my man, is that we have a Tessa
Hunt The Second, lying on that slab down there, and I
ain't too damn cosy with it."
Ben sighed heavily, bit his lip and stared at a piece of
rotted wood beneath the railing. Words evading him.
"My thoughts exactly, old boy," said Jay as he continued
to draw back on his cigarette. "So how was your day, you
found us a killer yet?"
Ben raised his arm and motioned to a waitress inside the
bar. How she managed to notice him through the hordes
of drunken patrons, amazed him. He then turned his gaze
to Jay. "Tessa Hunt possibly, spent the last hours of her
life at Shelby’s Coffee House. From what Joanna says…"
"Joanna, who’s Joanna?" Jay interrupted.
"She’s the owner."
The waitress side stepped through the crowd, around the
pool table and approached Ben, "What can I get you love?"
She asked, her tone just loud enough to be heard above
the jukebox inside.
"A lemon, lime and bitters please," said Ben. He looked
over at Jay before adding, "And another motor oil for
him thanks."
The waitress’s blank expression amused the pair.
Jay flipped his shot glass into the air, caught it and
placed it squarely in the centre of her tray. "Jimmy, straight
up."
A knowing smile flashed across her pretty face. "Sure
thing." She replied and then shot a playful wink at Jay
before making her way back into the rowdy bar.
"Now Joanna says," Ben picked up where he left off, "That
Tessa used the payphone once or twice, waited for almost
an hour and then left about 7.30 pm… alone. Apart from
being a well mannered, sweetheart and a good tipper,
there was nothing more Joanna could tell me."
"So no-one turned up to meet her?" asked Jay.
"Well not that Joanna saw, that doesn’t mean she didn’t
meet with them after she left." His head nodding in
agreement, Jay’s eyes darted wildly from side to side,
the way they always did when he set his mind to think
mode.
"What about the calls she made?"
"I already have the office rats tracking down the call history
of the payphone," said Ben. "With the reasonably certain
time frame Joanna gave me, shouldn’t be difficult to pin-
point her calls."
"Here we are fella’s." The waitress re-turned with their
drinks. She handed Ben his and said "Lemon, lime and
bitters for you," she then sauntered over to Jay. "And a
motor oil for you!"
Jay smiled seductively, his eyes wan-dering all over her
body before coming to rest on her ample cleavage.
Throwing his head back, he downed the Jimmy and
slammed the empty glass back on the waitress’s tray.
A devious grin reached her lips and she whispered to
Jay, "I get off at twelve."
Considering this for a moment, he then leaned in towards
her and said, "I just bet you do."
The smile left her face, a scowl replacing it. "Asshole," she
cussed at him before spin-ning on her heel and stomping
off.
Jay erupted into laughter, and then produced another
cigarette from his pack.
"What was that all about?" Ben asked his eyebrows raised.
"Just a little drunken mishap we had after Fred’s
retirement party last month."
"Who? You and the waitress?"
"Yeah… one thing led to another and wham, bam, thank
you ma’am, we ended up back at my place slammin’ back
some shooters and rollin’ in the hay!" Jay informed him.
"Let me guess? She wants another piece of you huh?"
Jay laughed heartily, "And what decent woman
wouldn’t?"
"Well with the response you just gave her, I hope you
aren’t looking for another drink or anything else, anytime
soon," Ben chortled.
"So what else did you find out?" Jay carried on.
"The wellness clinic is actually a termina-tion clinic and the
secretary there is odd," Ben answered.
"Odd, how?" asked Jay.
"Oh, just strange… I found her to be cold, bitter even." He
thought for a second and then added, "There’s just
something not right with her, I can’t explain it."
"Did you make any headway?" Jay en-quired.
"I spoke to Dr. Rose-Marie Sugars, the head honcho over
there. She knew Tessa, she said she was scheduled for a
termination but called her the Friday night asking for
more time to rethink her other options."
"So she was one of the phone calls from Shelby’s," Jay
confirmed.
"It seems so, Rose said the call came in at around seven-
ish." After a quick taste of his lemon, lime and bitters, he
continued. "Apparently Tessa was pregnant to an un-
named, married man. That’s pretty much all Rose had to
say."
Jay looked at Ben "So why do I get the feelin’ you ain’t
satisfied with your visit?"
Ben shifted in his seat and then answered, "Let’s just say
that I have a gut feeling that the good Doctor and her
secretary may need further investigating.
Something is definitely weird in that clinic and I need to
work out what it is."
"To do with the Hunt case?" asked Jay.
"To tell the truth, I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not," said
Ben. "I have a meeting tomor-row with the accountancy
firm from the business card in Tessa’s bag. I’m not
hanging out for any case breaking news though." Ben
took another sip of his drink, his eyes squinting as the
bitters danced over his tongue. "What about you, how did
Jane Doe’s autopsy come out?"
Jay rolled his cigarette between his fin-gers, lifted it to
his lips and drew back hard.
"We got one cracked unit out there Ben," he quietly said,
his expression solemn. "The vic was beat about the head
and…" he stopped and puffed on his cigarette again.
"And?" asked Ben.
"And just like the Hunt case, her breasts were removed
and so was her foetus."
"Oh God," cried Ben. "Could it be a copy-cat killer?" he
asked Jay.
"I don’t see how, only the killer and a few cops know the
full details of Tessa’s murder. The stolen foetus hasn’t
been released to the public Ben."
Ben retreated into his own private thoughts, trying to
convince himself that the two murders are purely
coincidental and that there isn’t some lunatic running
around preying on pregnant women.
Someone inside yelling, 'Eight ball, cor-ner pocket!'
penetrated the silence between them. The clacking of
billiard balls knocking against each other echoed through
the air.
Ben exhaled loudly and then asked, "So has your Jane Doe
been identified yet?"
Like shook his head. "Nah, not yet. Augie is gonna
messenger me a copy of the report when it’s done
though. Maybe when she’s all cleaned up we can get a
better picture of her eh?"
"Maybe," said Ben.
"Might be a good excuse to get back to the termination
clinic though, see if Jane Doe was a client too."
"That could work," Ben agreed, then added, "Hey, why
don’t you take a run at them Jayy? See what you make of
the set up down there."
Jay appeared to be thinking about Ben’s proposal,
"Yeah… yeah, I just might take you up on that offer Benny
boy." His eyes lit up, and smiling he added, "Besides, I
can’t wait to meet this secretary. What’s her name?"
"Marla," answered Ben.
"Right, Marla. I like the sound of her, she could be the
woman of my dreams!"
With a shake of his head, Ben picked up his drink and
said, "You are one sick puppy Jayy, you know that?"
Jay just smiled at Ben. "Speaking of women, how’s
things with you and Anna? You two still working it out or
is the divorce a pretty sealed deal?"
Ben wriggled about in his seat, the very mention of Anna’s
name having instantly made him uncomfortable. "You
expect me to talk about Anna with only a lemon, lime and
bitters on the table?" he asked Jay, attempting to deflect
his uneasiness with humour.
"You’re right, how indecent of me," Jay chuckled, "I’ll get
us a man’s drink eh? Then we’ll talk." With that Jay
strode back into the bar to order some drinks. A few
minutes later he returned with a full bottle of Jimmy and
two fresh glasses, he sat them down on the table with a
clunk and flopped into a chair opposite Ben.
"How on earth did you manage this?" asked Ben. "A full
bottle, it must have cost a fortune."
Jay grinned mischievously and said, "Not when your
best mate just happens to be the bar man!"
"Oh, so it’s mates rates eh?" Ben joked.
Jay poured them each a drink and handed one to Ben.
They clicked their glasses together in a toast, and said "To
mates rates."
The two men sat and enjoyed their drinks in silence for a
short while before Jay brought Anna up once more. "So,
about you and Anna?" Jay pressed Ben.
"Me and Anna… Well there is no me and Anna," Ben
blurted out. "It is now just me and Anna is just Anna."
Jay couldn’t understand why Ben was still holding a
candle for Anna; she’d done nothing but put the man
through the emotional wringer and spat him out
crumpled and deflated on the other side. It seemed to
Jay, that Ben and Anna’s marriage had always been
about Anna, what she wanted and what she needed. The
damn woman demanded so much from Ben and the poor
bastard nearly turned himself inside out trying to please
her. But Ben loved her and although Jay respected very
little in regards to most other people, he did respect Ben.
"Oh hell Ben, I’m sorry mate. So she’s filing for the divorce
then?"
"Sure is, she filed two months ago actu-ally," he replied.
"So what are your plans from here then?"
"Well there’s nothing more I can do to make her change
her mind," Ben said as he poured them both another
drink. "Best thing I can do is hope she has a change of
heart."
"Change of heart," scoffed Jay. "That means she has to
actually have a heart to change!" He looked over at Ben
and saw his face drop. "Gees man, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t
have said that. I just hate seeing you like this, it pisses
me off."
Jay found it extremely hard to keep his opinions in
check when it came to Anna. He was always more inclined
to blurt out something stupid, which only caused Ben
more grief. It often turned out that he would stop talking
just long enough to take one foot out of his mouth, only
to replace it immediately with the other one. What Jay
really wanted to tell Ben was to let Anna go. Good riddens
to bad rubbish. He was certain that Ben could do much
better, find a decent chick. One who would give as much
as she got. But as he looked at the used up man before
him, he knew that the timing wasn’t right.
Ben’s eyes rose to meet Jay’s. "That’s okay, I know what
you’re getting at and deep down I know you’re right."
"But?" Jay encouraged him to continue.
"Well I just feel sorry for her, y’know?"
Confused, Jay replied, "Feel sorry for Anna, why?"
"Oh, it’s a long story. You don’t want to hear all this stuff."
Jay looked at his watch then turned back to Ben. "It’s
ten-thirty, we have a nearly full bottle to drown our
sorrows with and no-one special to hurry home to." He
skulled another shot and poured a refill. "So I say, let’s get
this party started!"
Ben let out a laugh, raised his glass and said, "You really
are a glutton for punishment Jayy." He then tilted his
head back and allowed the shot to slide down his throat.
"So tell me Jayy," Ben began, "have you ever worked a
case that you get so involved in, that you couldn’t back off
because even after it had been solved, you felt it was never
truly understood?"
"I’m not sure I know what you mean Ben."
"You know, like when a child is murdered and you find the
twisted peanut who did it, but for years afterwards, you’re
still trying to understand why they did it in the first place?"
"Hell yeah, we’ve all had one or two of those," Jay replied,
still not one hundred percent certain where this
conversation was going, or what it had to do with feeling
sorry for Anna.
"And in those cases, do you ever think that if you
understood the act or the mind of the killer, that you
could recognise those same traits in other people and
maybe stop them from heading down the path of
destruction?"
Jay rubbed his forehead and hunched over in his chair,
resting his elbows on his knees. "I gotta tell ya mate, I
dunno if you’ve had one too many snorts tonight or what,
but philosophy and intervention wasn’t on my class
schedule at college. What are ya getting’ at Ben?"
"Well, to me Anna is like one of those cases. You might be
able to solve her problems when they arise but you can
never understand her."
"You listen to me Ben, if you’re sittin’ here tryin’ to tell me
that you’re to blame for Anna’s leavin… You can save it."
Ben stood up and walked over to the rail-ing of the deck.
"You don’t understand Jayy, I failed her."
"Failed her! No, she failed you. You twisted yourself inside
out and upside down tryin’ to make that woman happy.
She walked out on you Ben, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember." Ben then stood silent before
continuing. "Jay, did I ever tell you that Anna’s mother
walked out on her when she was just four, leaving her to
be dragged up by her alcoholic father?"
"No, no you didn’t. But that doesn’t prove you failed her."
Ben pointed to the bottle on the table, he held his glass
out to Jay and gestured for a top up. Although he was
certain that Ben had, had his quota and against his better
judgement, Jay filled his glass to the top and joined him
by the railing.
"For years, he abused her. He used her as a punching bag,
he violated her in ways that no human has a right to…"
Ben choked back his emotion. "And then when he was
done with her, he’d pass her around to his friends and let
them use her as a play thing."
Jay sunk down against the railing, Ben’s words stirring
anger and disgust in the pit of his stomach. "But she
survived Ben," was all he could say.
As soon as the words fell out of his mouth, Ben retorted.
"Did she? How much of Anna survived Jay? How much of
anyone could survive that?"
"That doesn’t mean that her problems are your fault, you
aren’t responsible for her life before you knew her Ben."
Reaching over, Ben reefed a cigarette from Jay’s pack and
fumbled for the lighter.
"Since when do you smoke?" asked Jay.
"Since I started drinking," Ben kidded, trying to lighten the
mood somewhat.
With the first stream of smoke he drew back, Ben
coughed and spluttered, screwing his face up at the
putrid habit. He looked at the cigarette and handed it
back to Jay. "I think it’s time I quit."
A jovial laugh leapt out of Jay as he ac-cepted the
smoke. "I think you’re right.
"So what happened to her father?" Jay gently probed for
more details.
Ben sipped on his drink and turned back to the railing.
"Anna grew up, she wasn’t so easy to hand around
anymore. She woke up one morning and her father was
gone. The bastard just left her there to fend for herself."
"How old was she?"
"Thirteen. Child services took her in when she was
admitted to hospital with internal bleeding and severe
abdominal pain." Ben turned back to Jay. "She had an
ectopic pregnancy Jay, a thirteen year old girl."
"Christ Ben, I had no idea."
Ben stared at his feet and began kicking at the railing.
"Yeah, well… In short, when I married her I knew she had
baggage, but I saw a chance to fix this girl. Make a
difference in someone’s life, for the better. You know?"
"You tried your best, what more could you do?"
"I could have tried harder, I should have tried to
understand her, not just fix everything for her. I let her
down and now she’s out there on her own with no-one to
fix things for her."
"But Ben, she’s pulled herself together now," Jay
reminded him. "She’s got her own practice, she helps
other people now. You helped her achieve that, you’ve
done more for her than you realise."
Ben’s eye’s darted over to Jay. "You really think so?"
"Hell yeah, who put her through college and attended
personal therapy with her? You did Ben, you helped her
heal herself enough to heal others." Jay stalled for a
moment. "Some times marriage just doesn’t work my
friend, people blame each other and say things they don’t
always mean. You’ve done all you can for Anna, now you’ve
just gotta let her go Ben, it’s time to move on." He
thought for a while longer and then added. "Being
divorced doesn’t always mean you can’t be friends. You
two still talk right?"
Ben nodded. "Sure, all the time."
"There you go, maybe having Anna as a friend is better
than not having Anna in your life at all."
Ben held his glass to Jay and raised it in a toast. "You’re
right. You aren’t so tough under that iron man façade are
you?" he then let out a laugh.
It had been a very long time since Jay had seen Ben
laugh like that. He returned the toast before he leant in
toward Ben and said, "If this little chat goes beyond you
and me, my hard ass reputation is history… if that
happens, so are you!"
The men shook hands and sealed their secrets, safely
within the fold. They returned to the table and sat down,
strangely Jay felt more at ease. The brutality of their case
seemed so far away and for that very second, life was
peaceful.
Jay broke the peace first, "So where to from here? We
need to break this case and soon, Ben. This peanut is
gonna keep killing until he’s caught, you know that don’t
ya?"
Ben flopped back in his chair, "I know, but unless a break
comes soon, or unless he gets sloppy, we’ve got nothing
much to go on. Are you going to pay our wellness clinic a
visit soon?"
"First thing," said Jay.
"Well don’t expect to be seeing them any-time soon, the
doctor is unavailable until Thursday next week,
apparently."
A wicked grin spread across Jay’s face. "I don’t make
appointments."
Ben smiled, finished his drink and stood up. "Well, I’m
heading off. I want to be on the ball for the bean counters
tomorrow. You never know, one of them may fall to his
knees and confess to the murders… case solved!"
Jay scoffed at him and sarcastically said, "Yeah, and I
might get that pissed off waitress back into my bed
tonight."
"Now that I can believe," Ben remarked as he waved and
walked out the door.
Through the bar, Jay could see the cute waitress talking
to Tadpole.
"Time to turn on the charm Jay," he said to himself. He
then stood up and began to walk inside.
















CHAPTER SIX
He charged at her like a deranged mad man, saliva
forming foamy bubbles at the corner of his mouth, his
eyes wide with rage. Desperate to evade his violent
advance, her eyes darted anxiously from side to side
searching for an escape route. Her hands shook furiously
as they fumbled their way across the kitchen counter she
was pinned against. She could feel the cold, hard surface
of the marble under her sweaty palms. With an evil grin
stretched wide across his face, he lunged at her again,
mocking her, playing with her. He could see her terror,
almost feel her fear; it excited him all the more. He took
another swill from his beer can and charged at her a
second time, then stood back, grinning at her again.
Like a deer in the headlights, she was frozen to the spot.
The lead in her legs wouldn’t allow her to flee; she was
barely able to breathe. Under her fingers she felt the
sharpness of a blade, it pricked her fingertips as her
hands slid over the handle. Still fixed on the man before
her, she seized the knife and thrust it out in front of her,
waving it frantically, warning him to back off. He stared at
the knife momentarily before bursting into a fit of
laughter.
"And just what do you intend to do with that?" he asked,
raising the beer to his thin, dry lips.
She tightened her grip on the knife, struggling to steady
her trembling hands.
"Feeling brave, are we?" he teased her, sarcasm dripping
from his words.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. With one
more swallow, he emptied the beer can, threw it at her
and ran in her direction, with his fists flying.
Anna awoke, her body shuddering and drenched in sweat.
She sat up and pulled her knees to her chin, the way she
always did when she had that dream. For a few minutes,
she sat there, rocking back and forth on her bed like a
frightened child. Under the covers, she could feel her toes
curling, and then uncurling, a ritual often performed when
she was anxious. Inhaling deeply, she drew back as much
air as could fill her lungs and then exhaled slowly, trying
to release the tension and anxiety that filled her. She then
stretched out her arms and legs and shook them. With a
snap of her wrist, Anna threw back her covers and
hunched over on the side of the bed, folding her arms
across her stomach.
That dream had always haunted her. Like a ghost from the
past it would rise up and cut her down just when she
thought she was safe. She had tried everything,
medication, therapy, hypnosis, and yet nothing could free
her from the demons of her past. Even when she married
Ben, a man she thought would protect her, the
nightmares continued. He too had failed her.
Ben had never understood her, he may have tried, but he
never quite figured out what made her tick. All she wanted
was a little support, someone to tell her she made a
differ-ence in the world. For a while she thought that
becoming a Mother would be the answer, but it just never
happened. Oh they had tried, yet all it seemed to do was
drive an even bigger wedge between them. No matter how
she attempted to communicate with Ben, he just seemed
closed off from her, distant. Their marriage spiraled
downward from there until there was nothing left between
them.
The only good thing that had come out of her attempts at
healing herself was her job. Anna had been so impressed
with her therapist that she chose the same path.
Although her counsel-ling hadn’t been a complete
success, it hadn’t exactly been a waste of time either. The
insight she had gained from simply talking to people was
amazing. She had learned to understand them, why they
acted as they did and best of all; she knew that with the
right words and proper encouragement, she could help
them alter their lives. In a life ruled by dominance, she
had learned empowerment.
Once she had started her job, it hadn’t taken Anna long to
realise what had been missing in her life. Pride,
accomplishment, control. These things had all flocked to
her in her role as a counsellor, it had changed her life in
ways she had never dreamed possible. For so long she
had been forced to rely on someone else to provide for
her, take care of her, now she saw that she was capable of
doing all of that for herself. She felt like the hungry
caterpillar that buried itself deep within its cocoon and
emerged as a radiant butterfly. Sure, the study had been a
bit of a slog for her, but it had paid off in spades.
At least that was one thing Ben had shown a slight
interest in, he had given her the money to get up and
running in an office of her own. Whether it was just a last
ditch attempt he made to try and save their marriage,
Anna wasn’t sure, but it certainly got her off on a good
foot professionally.
Anna rubbed her hands over her face before glancing at
her alarm clock on the bedside table. 11.25pm. She
reached down and grabbed the bottle of Evian from the
floor beside her bed and took a sip. The freshness of the
water gave rise to a calming affect and her fraying nerves
began to retreat. Just as she gathered her thoughts and
started to relax herself, the tele-phone let out a shrill wail,
frightening her yet again and sending her pulse racing off
in a wild frenzy.
"Hello."
"Anna, it’s me."
"Ben, hi. It’s late, is everything okay?" She asked, her
concern evident.
"Oh yeah," He paused before adding, "Sorry about the
hour. Did I wake you?"
Anna sat further back on her bed and leaned heavily
against her pillows.
"No, I was up," She answered.
"Still not sleeping?" Ben asked.
"Actually I’m sleeping just fine of late," She lied, hoping
she had sounded convincing. "I was sitting here going
over some case notes, the usual exciting stuff."
Anna knew Ben was well aware of her nocturnal habits.
There was scarcely a night went by, when they were
married, that she slept solidly without waking up in a cold
sweat or trembling to the core. Whenever he had tried to
comfort her or explore why she was so fright-ened, she
withdrew and became hostile toward him. Ben had tried
to penetrate her walls of secrecy; but he had never able to
break through. Anna made sure of that. She believed that
there were some things a husband just didn’t need to
know about his wife. Her personal demons were just that,
hers, and she was going to fight them on her own.
"And how has your week been?" Ben pried, if for no other
reason than to keep her on the line.
"Well," She started, "I have one possible suicide and three
up and coming divorces, not to mention the never ending
throngs of misguided souls just searching for a direction
in life." Anna took another sip of water and then began
wrapping the tight rings of the telephone cord around her
index finger and then untangling it again.
"Sounds like a tough week?"
"I’ve had worse I guess. How about you Ben, how are you?"
The line fell silent for what felt like forever to Anna. "Ben…
are you still there?"
"Huh, oh yeah, I’m here," He blurted out.
Anna knew that Ben worried that if he didn’t answer soon,
she would hang up. She would often hang up on him,
generally because the conversation became too awkward
or too sensitive for her. He usually wanted to discuss their
separation and the chance of a reunion, whereas all she
wanted to do was lock him and their failed marriage, as
far out of her new life as was possible. That generally
meant she felt forced to end their calls so she didn’t have
to go over it again. She had moved on with her life and
had no desire to want to rehash the past. Ben, on the
other hand, wanted desperately to try again with her. Ben
had loved her for the past twenty odd years, Anna was
aware of that and she knew he found it difficult to simply
turn those feelings off.
"Listen Anna," He began, "About the divorce… "
"Ben, please… I don’t want to do this again," She cut him
short.
"No, no, no. Just hear me out," He pleaded.
Anna sighed and said, "Make it quick Ben."
"I was thinking that if it’s what you really want…" His voice
began to crack.
"Go on," Anna encouraged him.
"Then I will sign the papers." Ben choked back his
emotion and added, "You can pick them up from my
solicitor tomorrow afternoon."
Anna was speechless. For so long, Ben had been fighting
the divorce. She was so accustomed to his resistance that
his apparent turn around had caught her completely by
surprise. It was the last thing she had expected to hear
from him.
"You will? Thank you Ben," Was all she could manage to
say.
"I am always here for you Anna… remember that."
"Ben, I…" The line was disconnected before she could say
anymore.
She placed the receiver back onto the cradle and stared at
it for sometime before the weight of the conversation
dawned on her. It had never occurred to her that Ben
would, at any stage, stop resisting the divorce, let alone
agree to it and serve it up on a silver platter. Much to her
surprise, this new development didn’t feel as enriching as
she had anticipated. Anna reached for her Evian again,
hundreds of incomprehen-sible thoughts spinning
through her mind.
A rush of anger suddenly coursed through her, how dare
he tell her that he would grant the divorce? Who did he
think he was? She would have gotten the decree anyway;
nobody could have stopped that, least of all Ben Payne!
Anna raised her water bottle above her head and threw it
across the room. It hit the wall with a loud crack, spraying
water all over the pale mauve paint and knocking a photo
of her and Ben to the floor. She flung herself face down
onto her bed and began to sob hysterically, once again;
the power had been taken away from her.









CHAPTER SEVEN
The sun shone through the cracks of the blinds in Jay’s
bedroom window, showering his face with broken rays of
blinding light. In a fruitless attempt to avoid the searing
glare, he pulled his pillow over his throbbing head and
rolled toward the opposite side of the bed. His body
brushed against a soft presence beside him. He opened
his eyes, trying hard to shift the cement that seemed to
be caked on his lids. Although his focus was blurred, he
could make out the figure of a woman lying there. Her
dusty blonde curls fell gently across her tanned skin, her
naked breast rising and falling in rhythm with her
breathing.
"Oh hell," He groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.
The woman rolled toward him and threw her arm across
his bare chest, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.
She buried her face into his arm, nuzzling it like a kitten
nestling its mother. Jay stared down at her pretty face;
she looked so peaceful, safe in the folds of his body. He
couldn’t quite recall how she had come to be in his bed,
though he was certain she was the waitress from Bluey’s.
He ran his hand up her arm, taking in the softness of her
skin; the sweet smell of perfume radiated from her every
pore. His hand reached her slender arm and rested there
for a moment before he gripped her fingers and with one
rapid yank, threw her hand off his body.
"Wake up," He grunted, pushing her further away from
him.
The sudden jolt woke her with panic; her eyes flew open
and darted madly from one side of the room to the other,
searching for the source of her fright. Still breathing hard,
she glared over at Jay, a look of nonchalance on his face
as he watched her reaction with what appeared to be, a
certain aura of amusement.
"You asshole," She spat at him, grabbing for the sheet to
wrap around her naked frame. "I can’t believe I was stupid
enough to come home with you again!" She sat up on the
edge of the bed then reached down and retrieved her slip
and underwear from the floor beside the bed.
"Asshole eh? That’s not what you were calling me last
night!" He mocked her.
Her glare remained fixed on Jay while she pulled her
clothes on. It was clear she was inwardly chastising herself
for having been drawn into his fake charms last night.
"Go to hell," She cussed at him before grabbing her purse
from the bedside table and storming out the door.
"What… No kiss goodbye?" Jay yelled after her, laughter
in his tone. He liked her, quite a bit too. It was a rare
occurrence for him to bring the same woman home twice;
he knew he’d be seeing more of her. He heard the rattle of
the chain lock and then the cracking sound of the door
slamming shut behind her. "Have a nice day," He said,
before he stood and walked into the bathroom.
The whistle of the taps grew fainter the further Jay turned
them. Cold water gushed from the shower nozzle,
slapping him in the face and bringing his senses back to
life. The binge from the night before had left him feeling
less than prepared for the day that lay ahead. He now
wished that he hadn’t had quite so many Jimmy’s. Suds
lathered upon him, forming a stream of bubbles running
down his body and finally spilling onto the shower floor
before gurgling down the drain. Jay rinsed himself
thoroughly, snapped the taps off and stepped out of the
shower. He headed back to the bedroom, pulling a towel
from the railing and wrapping it around himself as he
went.
He reached into his robe and produced a fresh pair of
denim jeans and a plain cotton shirt, he threw them on
the bed and continued drying himself before dropping
the wet towel to the floor. Dressing quickly, he then ran
his fingers through his hair and left the bedroom. In the
kitchen, he brewed a large pot of coffee and downed three
unsweetened mugs. He then began flipping through his
notebook, looking to see if anything he had written
jumped out and grabbed his attention. There was nothing
at this stage that yelled to him, not that he thought it
would… after all, he’d had too much of a heavy night for
anything to call out to him today.
He still had the visit with the wellness clinic to look
forward to yet, boy that would be a hoot. From what Ben
had told him about the secretary and the Doctor there, he
was quite looking forward to zeroing in on them and
digging up their dirty little secrets. Today was probably
the best day for him to meet with them, being edgy and
short fused could be the clue to getting what he wanted
from them. One way or another, Jay was determined to
draw them out.
The chime of his wall clock echoed throughout his
apartment and indicated that it was eleven-thirty. He
glanced over at the bold, roman numerals on its face, they
reminded him just how much he despised that clock. It
had been a gift from his mother; she’d chosen it
especially for him and presented it to him when he
graduated from high school. Not that he didn’t appreciate
the gesture, but to Jay his mother’s taste left a lot to be
desired.
He chugged down one last mug of coffee and gathered
his notebook and case file from the kitchen bench. It was
time to make his presence known at the wellness clinic,
but first he would check in at the station and see if Jane
Doe’s autopsy report had come in. Jay snatched up his
keys and made his way out the door and into the garage.
His cruiser sprang to life with the first turn of the key, it’s
rumbling engine purring under Jay’s control. Easing out
of the garage and down the driveway, he changed gears
and sped off in the direction of the station house.
Jay found a parking space, locked the cruiser and fell
into the regular flow of pedestri-ans streaming through
the station house doors. Once inside, he approached his
desk and the mounting stack of paperwork that had been
steadily building for the past few weeks. The paperwork
and filing of it, had never been one of his strong points,
quite often his captain would chew his ear about getting
the formalities finalised. As usual, it hadn’t made a damn
bit of difference to Jay, he would get to it when he was
ready and not a minute before. 'Criminals ain’t caught
sittin’ behind a desk fillin’ out paperwork.' He had growled
back at his boss.
There on the top of his latest unfinished pile of papers,
sat a document wallet marked, 'Detective Jay Marnotti.' He
broke the plastic seal and reefed the contents out, spilling
them onto his desktop. A hand written note was attached
to the top sheet with a paperclip, it read
Jay,
Here’s Jane Doe’s report, hope you find something useful
in it. Nothing terribly groundbreak-ing in my findings,
remember it is just a preliminary report to get you
started. I am still awaiting the results on trace and
toxicology. Will let you know more, as I know. Hope the
photo helps with discovering her identity.
All the best,
Dr. Leon August.
He threw the note aside and turned straight to the report,
in search of the photo. Augie had given him two
Polaroid’s of Jane, one to keep for his records and one to
carry with him to show people in the hopes of someone
recog-nising her. So far nobody had a clue who she was,
something he was praying would change 102
soon. He stuffed the Polaroid into his pocket and tucked
the report under his arm; it was time to pay a visit to Dr.
Sugars.
Back in his cruiser, Jay placed the autopsy report in his
locker compartment under the front, passenger seat
before starting the engine and speeding away. Thoughts
ran through his mind, about Tessa, Jane Doe and Ben’s
portrayal of the wellness clinic. Could they be hiding
something? Was Tessa more to them than just a client?
Jay thought it odd that Dr. Sugars was reluctant to talk
with Ben about Tessa. Not too often did Ben feel that
someone was hiding something, so when he did feel that
way, Jay stood up and took notice. He may have been
right, Dr. Sugars could have simply been shocked by the
murder and needed time to digest the news, who knows?
Either way, Jay wasn’t going to go as easy on her as Ben
had, he was going to be like a pit bull with a new chew
toy. He wanted answers, he needed them… and now!
From where he was parked, Jay was surprised at the
presentation of the wellness clinic; it was not at all what
he had expected. Not that he knew what a termination
clinic looked like or was supposed to look like. Somehow,
what he saw was not what he had imagined. He took a few
moments to study Jane Doe’s photo again, her auburn
hair was shoulder length, thick and slightly wispy at the
ends. Her delicate features told Jay that she had most
likely been an attractive woman in life, however under the
current circumstances it was difficult to tell. She had
numerous holes in her ears, indicating multiple earrings
were usually worn and her teeth were white and straight.
Someone, some-where, knows this girl. All the signs
pointed to a woman who had looked after herself at some
stage, so she didn’t strike Jay as a long time, homeless
girl.
He slipped the picture back into his pocket and slid out
from behind the wheel of his car, slamming the door
closed behind him. His eyes lingered on the large brass
plaque, bolted to the marble column in front of the
building, 'Your Right Choose Wellness Clinic.' The glass
doors in front of him slid open as he walked up to them,
the pressure of their departure created a cool breeze
around his legs. Jay stepped inside and marched
straight up to the reception desk, armed with his police
I.D and a head full of questions.
"Can I help you Sir?" the woman behind the desk asked.
"More than you’ll ever know, my dear," Jay replied, just
dying for her to give him a reason to let loose.
The woman just looked at him vaguely for a second and
then said, "What in particular can I help you with?"
"Detective Marnotti."
"Excuse me?" the woman stared at him.
"What in particular can I help you with, Detective Marnotti?"
he answered, now more condescending than before.
The receptionist shot him a glare, letting him know in no
uncertain terms that he was getting on her last nerve. She
sucked in a deep breath, as if trying to remain calm and
then spoke once more. "Detective Marnotti you say?"
Jay nodded his head in agreement, the amusement
welling inside him.
"Then, how may I help you Detective Marnotti?" she drawled,
her patience now wearing very thin.
"Oh I was just in the neighbourhood, saw your light on…"
he joked.
"Look, if you have something important to say?" her eyes
bored into him with such intensity that he could almost
feel a hole burning through him.
"Otherwise, some of us have important work to do."
"Like killing babies?" the venom spewed from Jay.
"What a horrid thing to say Detective, you don’t know the
first thing about our clinic."
"You’re absolutely right… what did you say your name
was?"
"I didn’t."
"Then illuminate me would ya?" Jay drawled as
sarcastically as he could.
"Marla Andrews. Happy now?" she replied, her words
sharp.
"Now isn’t this pleasant, er… Marla?" he baited her some
more. "I always endeavour to be just that little bit more
personal with my interviewee’s."
"That’s the last thing I want to be with you, Detective!"
Jay could see that Marla was becoming annoyed, he
hoped that if he continued to harass her long enough,
that she would let him in to see Dr. Sugars more readily, if
for no other reason than to get rid of him. Apart from
enjoying being tactless on a daily basis, Jay knew it was
usually the best way to extract maximum information in
the shortest possible time. The best part was, he actually
got paid to behave that way!
Marla stood up and leaned in close to Jay, her striking
eyes glued intently on his. "Why don’t you stop beating
around the bush Detective? If there’s something you want,
spit it out" The ice of her words sent their conversation
into an entirely different direction.
"Actually Marla…" Jay began. "I wanna know why one of
your clients was murdered and why you and your boss
lady aren’t bein’ straight with me and my buddy?" he
returned her coolness, studying her reaction with great
interest.
She leaned in closer to him, glanced briefly over his
shoulder and into the waiting room, then said, "I thought
you, of all people, would know how dangerous it is to run
around accusing people of something before you have
evidence to back it up."
"Accusing?" Jay held her stare. "I ain't accusing you of
anything, but since you brought the subject up… do you
know anything about Tessa Hunt’s murder?"
She made no effort to reply; her fixed glare told him that
she had no intention of replying either.
Jay pulled out his notebook; he thumbed through the
pages casually, shifting his eyes back to Marla every so
often. "Tessa’s murder, there’s things about it… terrible
things."
She retreated back somewhat but still said nothing.
Jay continued, "The brutality, the slicin’ and dicin’ that
was done to her, not a pretty sight. The mutilation,
Marla… oh, just awful. Here," Jay gestured to his
notebook. "You wanna see for yourself?"
Marla fell backward into her chair. "Detective please, get
that away from me."
At last he had managed to make her crumble, now he
might get some answers from her.
"Listen Marla, just tell me what you know and get the big
boss lady to talk to me, then I’ll leave ya alone." He
softened his tone but remained firm.
"Honestly Detective… I don’t know anything." She hung
her head and rested it in her hands. "Tessa was just a
client, like any other client. She came in, went through the
process and left. That’s all I know."
"The process, what’s that mean?" he pried her some more.
"They come in, meet with Dr. Sugars, she explains the
procedure…"
"The baby killin’?" Jay interrupted.
She looked up at him and rolled her eyes, his terminology
less than desirable to her. "The termination procedure,
yes."
"Then what?"
"Then I accompany them to a small office behind me," she
pointed to a door just behind her, "Then I speak to them
about alternative choices, give them some handout’s and
explain to them that we have a mandatory two week
waiting period in which time they must speak to our
affiliated counsellor."
"And who is that? Your affiliated counsellor."
Marla searched through her desk and produced a glossy
business card with bold, italic printing on the front. She
handed it to him.
Anna Jameson- Counsellor.
Jay simply stared at it, his eyes wide in surprise. "This is
your regular counsellor?" He asked.
"Yes, that’s right."
"How long has she been working with ya’s?"
"For nearly twelve months now, I guess," Marla replied.
He tucked the business card into his notebook and
continued questioning Marla about Tessa Hunt. "And
what decision did she make?"
"Detective, you know that’s all confidential," she sighed,
knowing full well he was going to keep pushing her
anyhow.
"Well how much confidence has she got now Marla? She’s
dead!"
"Look, all I can tell you is that she asked for more time to
make her decision and work through her other options."
"And what options are they?"
"Adoption, motherhood…"
"So she hadn’t made a firm choice to kill her baby yet?"
"Would you stop saying it like that? These women come
here looking for help when they are in a particularly
vulnerable state and the last thing they need is
judgement Detective." Marla’s tone became icy again.
"Unless you are ever in their position, you have no idea
what they are going through, so just back off!"
"Why Marla, is that compassion I hear in your words?" he
taunted her.
"You, like so many people, will never understand how
terrifying it can be to be pregnant and know that you will
be emotionally or financially unable to raise the child
successfully. Sometimes the alternative to raising a child
in this world is kinder."
Her words ran through Jay’s head. He couldn’t help but
disagree with the whole abortion issue on a personal
level. He could never entertain the idea of killing his own
child, he simply wouldn’t allow it. Children are a gift and
should be treated as such.
"So what did she decide Marla?"
"All I know is, she scheduled a termina-tion and then
phoned to ask for more time to consider it."
"So you think she was gonna have the kid"
"That was my impression, and as I say, my impression. I
never knew for sure and I guess now we never will."
"The father?" Jay pried on.
"Now that, I definitely can’t help you with Detective. I have
absolutely no idea. She never discussed him with me.
Perhaps the counsellor can give you the insight you
need."
"Perhaps you’re right Marla."
She looked at him, a snakey smile forming at the corners
of her mouth, "I’m sure she’d be simply delighted to meet
you."
Jay chortled at her attempted humour, he did actually
find it amusing.
"One final question for you before I see the boss lady…"
"Oh you can’t see Dr. Sugars," she cut him off. "She’s not
to be disturbed today, paperwork overload, you know how
it is."
"Now Marla, I know you wouldn’t like me to hang around
your desk all day, scaring your customers off. How would
it be for busi-ness if a cop was hangin’ around shouting
about how you’re violating the commandment Though
Shalt Not Kill?"
"Okay, okay… what’s your final question? Then I will ask if
Dr. Sugars can spare you a few minutes.‛"
"I just knew you’d come around." He produced the picture
of Jane Doe and placed it face up on the counter in front of
her. "Do you know this woman?"





















CHAPTER EIGHT
Ben stepped into the elevator and hit number three on
the keypad, the doors rolled shut and the drone of the
elevator’s engine sounded flatly throughout the shaft. He
pulled a clear plastic bag from his pocket containing the
business card for Lowman and Beaumont Accountants.
Although he had studied the card numerous times
already, he looked it over once more, turning it over and
upside down in the hopes that he might spot something
that he had missed previously. Nothing was making
sense to him, the entire Tessa Hunt murder baffled him,
and what would an accountancy firm have to do with
anything anyway? He felt as though he was just wasting
his time on fruitless leads while a madman with a
perverted fetish for pregnant women is still on the loose.
The droning stopped and the large steel doors rolled
open before him, he walked from the elevator and stood
in the corridor, looking left and right for Suite 5C. He
spied an informa-tion board on the wall immediately to
the left of the elevator doors, positioning himself in front
of it; he scanned the business names for Lowman and
Beaumont. Ben took in the instructions to find the
accountants and turned away from the board. He headed
right, then right again and finally, at the end of the
corridor he turned left where he found himself standing
before a plain timber door adorned with a silver plaque,
Lowman and Beaumont Accountants.
Running his fingers briskly through his hair, Ben then
tucked the business card back into his pocket and let
himself in through the door. Cream walls and beige
carpet greeted him when he stepped into the waiting
room; the reception-ist looked up at him from behind her
computer and smiled, acknowledging his presence.
Although he couldn’t hear what she was saying, he could
see that she was on a call. He picked up a magazine from
the glass top coffee table and made himself comfortable
on the imitation leather lounge chair of the waiting room.
He thumbed through his magazine, completely
uninterested in it’s contents, in an effort to look occupied.
The last thing he wanted was to go storming in causing a
ruckus and demanding to see the accountants
immediately and without an appointment. He was
prepared to be patient and didn’t mind a little free time to
study his sur-roundings.
"Is there something I can help you with, Sir?" the secretary
spoke to him from her desk.
"I’m Detective Ben Payne," Ben sprung from his chair and
walked over to her. "I was wonder-ing if it’s possible to
speak with Mr. Lowman and Mr. Beaumont at all?"
"May I ask what this is about Detective?" She asked,
scanning his badge.
Ben looked at the secretary and asked, "May I have your
name?"
The receptionist blushed and replied, "Of course, I’m
sorry. It’s Cindy."
"It’s to do with official police business, Cindy.
Unfortunately I can’t give you too many details I’m afraid."
Cindy scurried out from behind her station, "Follow me
Detective."
She led him into a small conference room with a large
cedar table and eight chairs in the centre of the room. A
laptop computer sat at one end of the table, accompanied
by a biro and a large note pad. To one side of the room, a
small bureau stood against the wall. A crystal water
decanter and eight glasses sat on a tray on top of it. Cindy
guided him to the nearest chair and pulled it back from
the table, motioning for him to take a seat.
"Please make yourself comfortable here, I’ll see if they can
see you Detective." Cindy paused for a moment and then
added, "Is there something I can get for you while you’re
waiting?"
"No, I’m just fine thanks Cindy," he answered.
A broad smile spread across her pretty face, "Okay then.
I’ll try to be as quick as I can."
Ben returned her smile and said, "Thanks, I appreciate it."
On the wall in front of him, Ben noticed a framed print of a
horse and carriage. It brought back memories of when he
and Anna were married many years ago. She had
desperately wanted the big wedding with all the
trimmings, and for her, that included the large guest list,
the most beautiful garden in Showsdale and of course a
horse and carriage to deliver her to and from the service. A
smile began to form, tugging lightly at the corners of his
mouth as he recalled how beautiful she looked in her
brilliant, white wedding gown. Her bronze hair was pulled
back loosely with two delicate combs, giving the illusion
of subdued flames flowing down to her bare shoulders.
He couldn’t think of a time when he remembered seeing
her so contented.
"Detective Payne." A man’s voice interrupted his
thoughts.
The sheer fright of being jolted back to the present caused
Ben to jump up from his chair. He spun on his heel and
faced the tall man standing to his left.
"Yes, that’s right," he managed to blurt out.
"I’m David Lowman, Laura will be along directly." He
extended his hand to Ben and shook it before walking
behind him and stand-ing in front of the laptop. He
placed his hands on the back of the chair and rested them
upon it.
"Laura?" Ben enquired.
"Yes, Laura Beaumont… you did wish to see both of us
didn’t you?"
"Definitely, yes."
David grinned at him, "You weren’t expecting a woman?"
Ben shook his head, the expression on his face
apologetic. "You got me, it never occurred to me that
Lowman and Beaumont may include a woman. I…"
"Well it’s a good thing I have thick skin then, isn’t it
Detective?" A female’s voice cut him short.
He approached Laura, holding out his hand. "Please
forgive me, I certainly didn’t mean to be offensive."
She accepted his hand and his apology with a smile.
"That’s quite okay, I’m used to being mistaken for a man."
She placed her finger below her chin and rolled her eyes
towards the ceiling in jest and then added, "I’d like to
think that I look better in stiletto’s though!"
The room erupted into laughter; the tension of his
mistake had been broken.
"Please Detective, sit down," she said before pulling out a
chair beside David and settling into it.
"Thank you," he replied.
"Now, Detective, how can we be of assistance to you?"
David kicked off the conversation.
"First thing’s first, please call me Ben."
The pair nodded in agreement.
"Cindy said it was something to do with a police matter?"
Laura queried, keeping the conversation alive.
"Yes," Ben pulled his notebook from his coat. "This won’t
take a minute, you may not even be of help to me."
"We’ll do what we can," David interjected.
"Do either of you have a client by the name of Tessa
Hunt?"
"The name doesn’t ring any bells for me, how bout you
Laura?"
The blood appeared to be draining from Laura’s face and
she began to fidget nervously. She attempted to keep
herself together, although it was evident that she had
indeed heard of Tessa.
David turned to her. "Laura?"
"Yes, I believe that she phoned me a couple of weeks ago,
possibly longer. A prospective client."
Ben studied her body language more carefully, she was
certainly uneasy about the topic of Tessa and he was
determined to find out why.
Laura bounced out of her chair, "I’ve got her file in my
office, Detective, perhaps we can go over it in there?"
Ben could see that whatever her problem was, she didn’t
want to discuss it in front of her partner. Obviously this
was personal. Following her lead, Ben agreed without a
fuss.
"Well, it appears all is in order here," David said, shaking
Ben’s hand on his way to the door. "So if you’ll excuse me,
I have work to do. I’ll leave you in Laura’s capable hands.
Nice meeting you Ben."
"Thank you for your time David."
David waved his hand in the air before he vanished
around the corner. Ben returned his attentions to Laura,
the possibility of a breakthrough now very real. He
watched intently as she intertwined her fingers and then
untangled them, she bit down on her bottom lip and
released it again, all the while her eyes avoiding direct
contact with him.
"So Laura," Ben broke the ice, "Shall we go to your office or
would you prefer to stay here?"
"My office, I think… if that’s okay with you?"
"Sure, wherever you feel the most comfortable is just fine
with me."
He gestured with his arm for her to lead the way, a smile
remained on his lips, hoping she would stay calm and
not feel intimidated. The last thing he needed now was for
her to clam up on him. Laura held her breath for a few
seconds before setting out for her office, Ben trailing
behind her. She led him across the walkway and through
an open door a few feet down the hall.
"Come in, make yourself comfortable," she instructed him
and then closed the door behind them.
Ben took in the details of the room; only the scattering of
a few carefully placed d’Arcy Doyle prints and Laura’s CPA
degree and registration broke the blandness of the pale
cream walls. Her desk was rather mundane, made of
melamine, it appeared quite tacky compared to the
stature of the conference room. A large bookcase
spanning from floor to ceiling stood gallantly behind her
leather chair. For the size of it, there didn’t seem to be too
many books inside. Maybe she was still stocking it, there
were a few boxes sitting on the floor in the corner of the
room, Ben could see at least one book spine through the
crack in the cardboard flaps.
"Please excuse the mess," Laura said, taking a seat
behind her desk. "I’ve recently moved office and I’m still
working on the homey touches."
"It looks just fine to me," Ben lied, pulling out a chair. He
eased himself into the stiff, thinly cushioned seat and
pulled his notebook out. "So tell me about Tessa, I can’t
help but feel that there is more to your acquaintance with
her than just business." Ben studied her face intently.
She hung her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I wasn’t her
accountant… I lied about her being a prospective client."
She reached for a tissue and held it scrunched up in her
hand, she then dabbed her eyes lightly.
"Go on."
"You’ll have to forgive me Detective, this is rather personal
and I am ashamed of even having to speak of it," her eyes
glanced up at him before falling back to the floor. "Tessa
was a… friend, of my husband’s."
"Can you define friend, for me Laura?" Ben gently pushed
her; he needed to be certain that he actually understood
what she was saying. He wanted clarity; one incorrect
assumption could be disastrous to the case.
"Must I spell it out for you? This is awkward enough as it
is." Her discomfort was obvious.
"I’m sorry, but it’s important that I have all the facts. I
really don’t mean to put you through this, but it’s
essential that every detail is crystal clear."
Laura lost control of her emotions; tears fell from her eyes
and rolled down her cheeks leaving a damp trail in her
make-up. Ben couldn’t help but feel her anguish; he
leaned over, grabbed a fresh tissue from the box and
handed it to her. She accepted it, gratitude evident on her
face. A sigh escaped her and she sat upright in her chair,
pulling herself together.
"I’ve know about her for a while now…"
"Tessa?"
"Yes."
"Go on," Ben pushed.
"She phoned me one Friday evening last month, at about
seven, maybe a tad later. She wanted me to meet her at
some coffee shop."
Ben stared at her, beckoning her to continue. She wiped
her eyes, her composure now a little more stable.
"I told her that I knew who she was and that I had no
intention of meeting with her. She kept going on and on
about how she needed to tell me something important
and that I should meet with her."
"What did you say?"
"I told her that I have no desire to speak with my
husband’s little tart." As soon as the words left her
mouth, she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ben felt terrible for her; he could almost feel her pain. His
hand stretched across the desk and held hers, he didn’t
even realise he had done so until she squeezed it in
response. Many times Ben had felt deeply for the pain and
suffering of others, he had never physically acted upon it
as he was now doing, and he was surprised with his
action. Concern for his professionalism soon crept in and
his hand gradually recoiled, leaving Laura to comfort
herself.
"How long had you known about the affair?" Ben asked,
attempting to remain compassionate.
Another tear escaped her eye and she spoke again. "To
the best of my knowledge, Donald had been seeing her
for about six months."
"Donald is your husband?"
"Yes, we’ve been married for ten years," her gaze fell to the
floor again and she whis-pered, "We were childhood
sweethearts."
"I am so sorry Laura," Ben soothed.
She nodded in acknowledgement and reached for another
tissue. "I’d been working late a lot, trying to get my client
base up and well I guess Don was alone a lot…" she
paused and looked at Ben, searching for understanding.
"It’s okay… you don’t have to justify anything to me," he
replied.
"I got home early one evening, Don wasn’t there. I just
figured that he was out playing racquetball with a work
associate, so I ran a bath and pampered myself. When I
had finished I rummaged through our robe, search-ing
for the negligee Don had given me for our anniversary. In
the back on the shelf I found a white box with a ribbon
around it, there was a card attached to it."
Ben slunk back into his chair and sighed, "Please go on
Laura."
"Naturally I thought it was a gift Don had bought for me
so I opened the box and found a black, lace bra and panty
set. It wasn’t my size. I read the card… and well, that’s
when I found out about Tessa."
"Did you confront her or your husband?"
"Not at first. I began following Don and checking his calls,
I found out what she looked like, where she lived, and
where she worked. She was his personal assistant of all
things, can you believe it? It made me sick to the stomach
thinking of the two of them together, so I cornered Don
and told him that I knew of his affair."
"When was this?"
"About three or four weeks ago I suppose, I’m not
completely sure of the date."
"How did he react?"
"He begged me not to leave him and promised he would
break it off. We’ve been attending marriage counselling
ever since."
"Did he say how Tessa reacted to the break up?"
"All he said was that it didn’t go well, she said that there
was something he needed to know. He told her he didn’t
want to hear it and that it was over. I thought that would
be the end of it, but…"
"But she phoned you?"
"Yes."
"And you have no idea what the important thing she
needed to tell you was?"
"No."
"You definitely didn’t meet with her that night?"
"No, Detective. I already told you that. I have no desire to
be anywhere near that woman, she ruined my marriage.
She can rot in Hell for all I care!" Laura’s words were
searing, her eyes full of anger.
"Where were you the night Tessa phoned you Laura?"
"Why? What has that got to do with anything?"
"Please, just tell me."
"If it’s that important…"
"It is," Ben quickly shot back at her.
She glared at him, his sudden change in tone not to her
liking. "I was at a conference in Bayside. I attend them
maybe once every twelve months or so, along with a
hundred and seventy other accountants from across the
state." She sat forward in her chair her hands scrunching
the tissue. "What’s going on here Detective?"
"Tessa Hunt was murdered sometime on Friday the
seventeenth, we found your business card in her purse."
He cleared his throat and then asked, "Where was your
husband that night Laura?"
Shock crossed her face, it was apparent to Ben that she
truly had no idea of Tessa’s fate. He still had to rule her
out as a suspect, her husband too. He pressed her again,
"Laura… your husband, where was he?"
"You can’t seriously be thinking Don had anything to do
with this? He wouldn’t… he couldn’t."
Ben held her gaze and remained silent.
"Don was with me, we traveled to Bayside together. We
thought we’d try and make a weekend of it, spend some
quality time together. With us trying to work things out
and all, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity."
Ben pushed his chair back and stood up, he pulled a card
from his notebook and gave it to her. "I’ll need you to give
me the details of where you stayed at Bayside, when you
got there and when you left. I’ll also need your husband to
contact me as soon as possible, my number is on the
card." He walked towards the door and then turned and
looked back at her, her expression still dazed.
"She was pregnant."
"Oh God," Laura cried, her voice low.
"I am sorry Laura," he whispered.
"Please Ben, just go," she cried, "I need to be alone."
Ben opened the door and left her office, he could hear her
sobs even at the end of the walkway. It twisted him up
thinking of how much suffering one act of infidelity by her
husband, had caused her. He felt strongly, that Laura was
just another piece in the puzzle, but was by no means the
murderer. Don on the other hand, was of interest to him,
and he was determined to chase him up. He reached the
reception area and directed himself to the desk.
"Hi Cindy." He shot her a beaming smile.
"Hi." She returned the Gesture.
"Is it possible for you to give me a print out of all the
attendees of the Bayside conference from last Month?"
"It certainly is, just a moment." Cindy swung around in her
chair and reached into a filing cabinet, she pulled out two
sheets of paper and walked over to the copier. She ran off
two copies and handed them over to Ben. "There you are
Detective, anything else I can do for you?"
"You’re a gem Cindy, thanks, that’s all I need for now."
With that he smiled his good byes and made his way to
the door. Looking at his watch, he decided he had enough
time to make his solicitors before heading back to the
station house. He told Anna that’d he sign the divorce
papers today, and like it or not… he was going to do it.
Out in the hallway he took out his phone and made the
call.







CHAPTER NINE
Marla scanned the photo slowly, taking in every detail of
the young girl. She closed her eyes and her hand flew up
to cover her mouth.
"Yes, God yes."
"Who is she, Marla?" Jay pushed her, his excitement
building.
"Kylie.."
"Who, who is she?" he interjected.
She gathered herself together and choked out her name,
"It’s Kylie-Anne Saunders."
"Good job, now what do you know about her?‛"
She could do nothing more than stare at him, her hands
trembling, tears welling in her eyes. Her mouth opened
but nothing came out.
"What?" he prompted her.
She began rambling incoherently, her thoughts cluttered.
Jay walked around the counter and stood beside her, he
put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.
"C’mon Marla think, this is important."
She reached for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes, she took
a few deep breaths and
relaxed back into her chair. Her eyes shot up to his, "I
think we should go see Dr. Sugars."
"Brilliant idea!" he remarked.
Marla picked up the phone and pressed a button, "Dr.
Sugars, there is a Detective here and I think you should
speak with him right away. Ahuh… yes… sure." She
disconnected the call. After placing the phone back on the
cradle she turned to Jay and said, "Follow me."
Marla led Jay out from behind the counter and down a
corridor to a door where she knocked lightly and then
entered, motioning him to come through. The pale blue
walls immediately struck Jay as cool and calming, the
large royal blue easy chair looked inviting and the massive
oak desk was truly a work of art. All in all, Jay was
impressed. A middle-aged woman entered the room
through a door at the back of the office and walked
towards him, her hand gracefully extended to him.
"Good morning Detective, I am Rose-Marie Sugars. Marla
tells me that I should speak with you right away, how can I
help you?" her face was serious but had an aura of
kindness about it.
He accepted her hand and shook it politely, "Jay Marnotti,
nice of ya to see me on such short notice."
Dr. Sugars pointed to the easy chair and motioned for
him to sit down. "Please, make yourself comfortable.
Would you like a coffee or tea?" She turned her attention
to Marla. "Marla, I’d like a tea with some lemon please and
the Detective here…"
" I’m okay thanks," Jay informed her, lowering himself
into the comfort of the easy chair.
Marla nodded and left the room using the back door that
the doctor had used just a few moments earlier. When the
door clicked shut, Dr. Sugars sat behind her oak desk and
leaned her elbows on top, holding her glasses in her
hands. She toyed with them silently for a second before
slipping them on and directing her gaze at him.
"Tell me Detective, what is so important that you have my
secretary insisting that I speak to you right away?"
"You see Doc," he took the photo from his pocket and laid
it on the desk in front of her. "It looks like your clinic may
be a link to another murder."
"Another murder?" she grabbed the photo from the desk
and studied it carefully. Jay watched as she surveyed the
picture of the murdered girl, waiting to see the response
in her eyes. It didn’t take long for the recognition to turn
to disbelief and then finally to horror.
"Good grief," was all she could manage. "What is going on
here Detective?"
"That’s what I was hoping you could tell me, we have two
dead girls, both were clients here and no-one seems to
be able to, or want to, tell us anything."
She shot him a look of anger. "How dare you imply that
we are some how responsible for these atrocities?"
"If the shoe fits…"
"Just what is that supposed to mean? I have helped as
best I can by answering that other Detectives questions
and by seeing you without prior arrangement." She placed
the photo back on top of the desk; face down.
"Have you really? Then why is it you ushered my buddy out
the door so fast last night, that he didn’t finish his
interview to his satisfaction?"
"Maybe I was just shocked Detective, did that ever occur to
you? It’s not everyday that you are told that a patient has
died in such brutal circumstances." The room fell silent
and remained so for several minutes, until Marla returned
with the tea. She placed the tray on the desk and pushed
it towards Dr. Sugars.
"Thank you Marla, that will be all for now."
Marla lowered her head and retreated back out the door,
her eyes diverted to Jay briefly, before she left.
"So what can you tell me about this girl? And try to
remember all the details." Jay spat at her.
Her glare cut through him, the tension between them was
thickening by the minute. She rose from her chair and
turned to the filing cabinet behind her, reaching in she
riffled around before retrieving a plain manila folder. She
sat back at her desk and opened the file, pausing for a
moment to glare up at Jay again. Her hands sifted
through the few sheets of paper and finally came to rest
on a single sheet; she pulled it free from the rest and
perused it for sometime before finally handing it over to
Jay.
"Her name was Kylie-Anne Saunders, twenty one years old,
no next of kin given. She was roughly fifteen weeks
pregnant at the time of her consultation."
"When was that?" Jay asked, taking the piece of paper
from her.
"Thursday, last week."
"Had she confirmed her abortion, or was she just
enquiring about it?"
"She was confirming her procedure, she had seen me
about three and a half weeks ago initially. I met with her,
explained the procedure and handed her over to Marla to
run through the process."
"The process?"
"We ensure that all the women who come here are well
informed of their alternate choices and we set a
mandatory two week period of consideration before they
are scheduled in for the termination."
"‚And this counsellor they are referred to?"
"Yes, Anna Jameson. We insist that at least one session
with her be completed before returning with their decision
of whether or not to terminate. You see Detective, we are
dealing with human life here, we do not just let women
walk through our doors and jump straight onto the
operating table." She looked directly into his eyes and
continued, "Termination is irreversible, and once it is done
it’s done. That’s why it is so very important for these
women to recognise that and have every opportunity to
explore other avenues."
"But I thought…"
"What?" she cut him off cold. "That I like terminating
human life? That I don’t give a second thought to what it
is I am really doing? Grow up Detective, this is a serious
decision with serious implications, none of which I take
lightly."
Jay was beginning to see how this woman easily led
Ben; she was powerful with her words and the manner in
which she delivered them. It would have been quite easy
to spend an hour with her and still walk out with
unanswered questions. He believed that she would have
made a great politician.
"Look, we’re getting off track here Doc, what else can ya tell
me about Kylie-Anne?"
"Please call me Rose Detective," she replied.
"Fine, what else can ya tell me, Rose?"
She hit a button on the intercom on her desk, a loud
drone echoed out and then Marla’s voice sounded over
the speaker.
"Yes Dr. Sugars?"
"Marla, could you come in here please?"
"Sure thing."
The intercom went quiet. Rose turned to Jay and said,
"Look, I honestly don’t know a great deal about these
girls, they come to me, I explain things and then I hand
them over to Marla. If anyone knows more about them, it
will be her."
When Marla appeared in the doorway, Rose stood and
walked over to the back exit. "Marla, please tell the
Detective of anything you may know regarding these girls,
if there’s anything you even suspect about them…" Her
words trailed off and she fixed her eyes on Jay. "For
Heaven’s sake tell him before we are charged with
murder!" With that, she opened the door and left the
room, leaving Marla standing alone her eyes wide and her
jaw almost on the ground.
"Thanks for your co-operation, nice meetin’ ya," Jay yelled
out after her. His head turned back in Marla’s direction. A
broad smile spread across his face. "Now Marla, where
were we?"



CHAPTER TEN
His blue Chevy rolled into the station house parking lot
and eased gently to a stop. Ben cut the engine. He sat for
a moment with his thoughts still lingering on Laura
Beaumont and her philandering husband. He was unable
to shake the meeting he’d had with her, from his mind.
He knew how she felt. On some level he had connected
with her feelings and emotions, he knew of her suffering
and he sympathised with her pain. Laura had been so
shattered by what Donald had done that her entire being
was crushed. Ben too, knew this feeling. Another gift from
Anna.
It appeared that Donald Beaumont had begun an affair
with Tessa Hunt purely out of loneliness, or so Laura
thought. Who knows? Maybe he was lonely, maybe he
wasn’t. Maybe he was just a man with needs that he
wanted satisfied by someone other than his own wife.
Perhaps that’s how it was for Anna too. She had needs
that he was unable to fulfill and so she just up and found
herself a new life, one he was no longer a part of.
Ever since he had phoned Anna last night and told her he
would sign the divorce papers, Ben had been on a roller
coaster of memories and thoughts. Everywhere he turned,
he saw things that reminded him of her and their time
together. His decision to grant her a divorce cut him
deeply. It was the single most difficult choice he had ever
had to make and it didn’t come easily. As Jay had told
him, Anna had moved on and made a new life for herself.
Now it was time for him to do the same. He had to admit
that apart from the pain of letting go, he did feel different.
Something had shifted within him and oddly enough, it
didn’t feel that bad.
Perhaps the old story of loving something enough to set
them free, wasn’t too far off the mark after all. He knew
now that he had lost Anna for good, although the truth of
it was that she was lost to him long before she had left
him. Their marriage had been far from perfect. Right from
the very beginning he was aware of that, but his pride
wouldn’t let him walk away. Instead he took the coward’s
way out and left it up to Anna to make the first move to
end their long suffering relationship. He did love her, of
that there was no doubt. He simply couldn’t try any harder
and in essence, he gave up. It suddenly occurred to Ben
that, that was possibly the very reason he had tried so
hard to resist thendivorce his guilt. A better man would
have swallowed his pride years ago and admitted that the
marriage was over, instead of making Anna suffer until
she could suffer no more.
For a long time he had thought that having a baby might
have saved them, but that too wasn’t on the cards. Due to
an ectopic pregnancy in her teens, Anna was unable to
have children. Another thing, which stacked the odds
against them. The disappointment in her eyes when she
was told was devastating, and instead of comforting his
wife as best he could, he pulled away, distancing himself
from Anna and the problem. It was no wonder everything
went to hell in a hand basket after that. The more he
scrutinized his marriage, the less he could rationalise his
part in its failure.
Ben rubbed his hands over his face and let out a
deliberate sigh. The air rushing out of his lungs felt like a
huge weight being lifted from him; out with the bad air
and in with the good. His realisations were so profound
that they seemed life altering. He had faced his failures,
admitted to them and now he could move ahead. He had
finally checked his baggage at the door. ‚Onwards and
upwards,‛ Ben cheered to himself quietly, then pulled on
the door handle, slipped out from behind the wheel of his
car and made his way inside.
It had been a few days since he had checked in at the
station house and he was pretty sure that the boss was
going to have a few words to say about it too. He found
his desk exactly the way he had left it and exactly the way
he liked it. Neat, organised and uncluttered. His ability to
work and fill out papers was hindered if his desk space
was invaded or overcrowded; it amazed him how Jay
managed to get anything done with the state his desk
was in! Ben pulled his chair back and was about to sit
down when he heard an ungodly racket coming from
down the hallway, it sounded like a man yelling. He
walked over to investigate when a tall man with broad
shoulders and an axe to grind, came bowling down the
hall at full speed, a young police constable right behind
him. Three other Detectives in the room all turned and
stared.
'Where is he?" yelled the man, his face red with rage.
"Please, Sir…" the constable tried to calm him. The
muscular man held out one of his brute sized arms and
pushed the constable backwards, sending him hurtling
off into a filing cabinet.
"Ben Payne! Where is he?" The man hollered out,
scanning the faces of everyone in the room.
"I’m Detective Payne," Ben raised his voice and stepped
forward. "How about we step into this office over here?" he
asked, nodding his head in the direction of an empty
room to his left.
"No, I want everyone in this room to hear what sort of a
Detective you are, interrogating innocent women, leaving
them in tears and on the verge of a break down at their
place of work!" The veins in the man’s neck were bulging,
his anger growing.
"And you are referring to?"
"I’m talking about Laura. My wife," he spat back.
"Oh, so you are Donald?" Ben moved closer to him and
leaned in to his ear.
"Perhaps we should take this into the office over here. I
don’t think everyone here needs to hear about how you
had an affair with a murdered woman and how you put
your wife through sheer hell and how you, Mr. Beaumont,
got her tangled up in this whole damn mess in the first
place!"
Don eased away from Ben and walked over to the office,
his head lowered slightly and his temper much cooler.
The other detectives in the room all stood in awe of how
Ben had single handedly managed to bring such a
rampant citizen into submission, using nothing more
than words. Inside the small office, Ben offered Don a
chair and sat opposite him so they were eye to eye.
"You were saying"‛ Ben kicked off the conversation.
"What’s with interrogating my wife? What’s she got to do
with Tessa’s murder?"
"You don’t sound terribly upset about Miss Hunt?"
"I’m not. She ruined my marriage, but I didn’t kill her if
that’s what you’re thinking."
"She ruined your marriage?"
"Yeah, because of her I nearly lost Laura…"
Ben cut him off, "Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Beaumont but I was
under the impression that it takes two people to have an
affair?"
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"What I mean is, you are just as much to blame for your
marriage falling apart. Miss Hunt could not have had an
affair with you without you being involved, too."
Don threw his hands into the air and slapped them on his
knees on the way down. He knew Ben had him there and
he was lost for something to say.
"As for your wife, I am extremely sorry if I upset her this
afternoon. It was not my inten-tion. However, I did have a
lead that pointed to her accountancy firm and I merely
went where the clues took me."
"Well you did upset her. She was a complete mess on the
phone babbling about Tessa being dead and that she was
pregnant. She wanted to know if the kid was mine."
"Was it?"
"Hell knows. Tessa had many male friends. She made it
quite clear that I wasn’t her only little adventure."
"Can you tell me where you were on Friday the
seventeenth of last month Mr. Beaumont?"
"I was in Bayside with my wife. She had a conference there
so we used the getaway to our advantage." He stopped
and glared at Ben. "Regardless of what you think of me
Detective, I made one hell of a mistake with Tessa and I
am trying my hardest to win back Laura’s trust and love."
"I’m not here to pass judgement on you or your life
choices Mr. Beaumont, all I am trying to do is my job. I
have a murdered girl here and she and her unborn baby
need justice." His eyes fixed firmly on Don. "Now, all that
aside. Can you tell me anything about Tessa? You said she
had many male friends, do you know any of them?"
Don shook his head and flopped back in his chair. "No. All
I know is that she told me I was not an exclusive fling. I
got the impression that she was looking for the best
horse to carry her across the finish line."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean she was a gold digger. She wanted a rich
husband and wasn’t shy about doing whatever it took to
get one."
"So you’re rich then?"
"Let’s just say that neither Laura or I have to work. We only
do because we enjoy it."
"How did Tessa know you were wealthy? How did you
meet?"
"She was my personal assistant originally, that’s how we
ended up in bed together. Laura was spending so much
time getting her firm together and I guess I spent more
time working, too. Tessa and I were drawn together and it
just snowballed from there."
"How did she take it when you broke it off with her?"
"Not great. She threatened to go to my wife. When I told
her that Laura knew all about us, she was livid."
"She never mentioned being pregnant?"
"No, I had no idea. Oh wait…"
"What is it?"
"Before I left her apartment, she grabbed at me and
begged me not to leave her. She said she had something
important to tell me. I just shook her off. I didn’t even give
her the chance to explain what she meant." He got up
from his chair and walked over to the window. His fingers
dug in between the thin blinds and pried them far
enough apart for him to see down onto the street.
Ben sat silently and watched as Don was digesting the
situation.
"Do you think that maybe she was trying to tell me she
was pregnant? Oh God… was the baby mine? Is there
anyway of knowing? Can you do DNA tests?"
"Mr. Beaumont," Ben stopped and reconsidered his words
before continuing.
"Look, it may be best if you don’t know. Is it really going to
help you or your marriage in the long run?"
The last thing Ben needed was Don taking action and
wanting to DNA test a foetus that wasn’t present, and he
certainly didn’t want to divulge the details of Tessa’s case
by telling Don that there is no foetus to test. It was a
massive effort trying to keep details from being leaked to
the press as it was, let alone giving it out to possible
suspects.
Don was nodding his head in agreement, almost as
though he were trying to convince himself that it was
better not to pursue the test. "Yeah, yeah… you’re
absolutely right. It could do more damage than anything
else. And she did have other guys, any of them could’ve
been the father, she might have just been trying to trap
me."
"It may be helpful in the future to get a blood sample
from you though," Ben added.
"How would that help anyone?"
"Just that when we catch whoever did this, if it is a jealous
lover or something, we might need to rule you out as the
possible father of the baby. It just cements the case in
court. Chances are, we won’t even need it."
"Oh right, yeah sure, I understand." Don held out his
hand to Ben, "Look, Detective, about before…"
Ben took his hand and shook it, "Forget it," he said
releasing his hand.
"I am very sorry. I had no right to carry on like that. If
there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to
ask." He handed Ben a business card and left the room.
He eyed the business card; the ornate gold lettering and
thick designer parchment told him that they were of the
finest quality, an expensive make. The perfectly formed
print simply read, Donald Beaumont, Investment Advisor.
Followed by two phone numbers, one a landline and the
other a mobile. Ben flicked the card between his thumb
and forefinger and thought about the conversation that
just took place. In particular, Donald’s heated behaviour in
regards to his wife. Ben felt it was important to clear him
as a suspect as soon as possible. With a temper like that,
Don Beaumont would be a perfect candidate for Tessa’s
murder. He had motive and his wealth certainly provided
him with whatever means necessary to commit the
murder or at the very least, pay somebody else to commit
it for him.
He opened the office door and walked back towards his
desk, pulling from his pocket, the Bayside conference
print out that Cindy had given him. His eyes scanned the
names on the sheet of paper, none of them looked
familiar to him. Ben then sat down and laid the paper on
his desk. He opened the drawer of his desk and placed
Donald Beaumont’s business card inside. Picking up the
phone he dialed the number for the Bayside Inn, the
location of the accountancy conference.























CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jay walked through the station house doors and
spotted Ben sitting at his desk, the telephone glued to
his ear and a fed up look on his face. A small laugh
escaped him, he knew just how frustrating it was trying to
pry information from some uninterested receptionist or
witness over a phone. He continued across the room and
pulled the chair away from his desk, seating himself he
leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his
head.
"So you’ll fax me copies of the bar and restaurant tabs?"
Ben looked up from his papers and rolled his eyes at
Jay. "And they definitely stayed from the seventeenth to
the nineteenth? Can you fax me their check in and out
times also?"
Jay made the shape of an L with his finger and his
thumb and held it up to his forehead. Ben nodded his
head and continued with his phone call.
"Okay, okay… That would be appreci-ated. Thank you. Ok,
sure. Bye."
The receiver made a loud clunk when Ben slammed it
down on the cradle. His eyebrows raised and his lips
pursed with frustration. Just when he thought his people
skills were develop-ing for the better, he comes across
somebody who makes him want to scream abuse down
the phone line. He directed his attentions back over to
Jay and saw the amused look on his face.
"Don’t be a smart ass, Jayy or I just might send you
down to Bayside to have a nice little chat with her, I’m sure
there are no words to describe her lack of intelligence!"
"That helpful, eh?"
"Helpful! I’d be surprised if the woman even remembers
my name, let alone what I phoned her for."
"So what’s the deal with Bayside any-how? New lead?"
Jay asked.
"Nah, not really. Just covering all my bases, leaving no
stone unturned… you know the drill." Ben slipped the
sheets of paper into a cardboard jacket on his desk and
then returned to his conversation. "So, did you get
anywhere with our friends down at the Wellness Clinic?"
"I sure as hell did… I even got a name for our Jane Doe." A
proud grin tugged at Jay’s lips, the excitement bubbling
within him was about to explode.
"No kidding? Gees Jayy, that’s fantastic. So who was
she?"
"Twenty-one year old Kylie-Anne Saunders. No next of kin
known as yet, but now we have a name for her we can run
her details through the computers and see what we come
up with."
Jay pulled his notebook out and thumbed through it,
jogging his memory of all the details he’d written down.
"Apparently, she was a client of good old Dr. Sugars,
scheduled in for a scrape out next week, or so Marla told
me."
"And what did you think of her? Odd?"
"I believe we have found the Ice Queen of Showsdale! Cool
and collected but definitely not impenetrable."
"Don’t tell me you cracked her?" asked Ben, more
impressed with each detail Jay was feeding him.
"I wouldn’t say cracked, but melted for sure. A few more
visits and I am positive I could crack her, though." He said,
as if he was under the impression that Ben was offering
him a challenge. "Gotta take these things steady, steady,
catchy monkey," he went on.
"Kudos where they’re due Jayy. Well done," said Ben, his
hands clapping the air in mock applause.
Carrying on with the game of station house charades,
Jay leaned forward in his chair and took a bow. "Thank
you, thank you…"
"So what else did you get from them? Anything of value?"
"Basically they gave me a run down on their procedures,
yada, yada, yada…" Jay thumbed through his notebook
some more. "There is one thing Ben, I don’t know that it
means anything, so don’t go getting all flippity over it."
"What is it?" Ben interrupted him.
"It’s about Anna."
"Anna? What has she got to do with any of this?"
"Like I said, it’s probably nothing but being the thorough
detectives that we are…"
"For God’s sake, Jayy, would you just spit it out!"
"She was the counsellor for both vics."
Jay stared at Ben, waiting to gauge his reaction.
"And?"
"And she may have some vital informa-tion for us, she
was inside their heads, pokin’ around and listenin’ to their
dirty little secrets. If anyone knows about these girls, it’s
probably her."
"Bloody hell, Jay. She’s a counselor, not a psychiatrist."
"Yeah I know that. All I’m sayin’ is that she may know
something that could help us figure this whole mess out.
I figured you might wanna handle this one?"
Ben bit his lip and sucked air back through his teeth; he
picked up a pencil and began tapping it loudly against his
desk.
"Look, Ben, if you ain’t up to it…"
"No, I’ll do it. Just give me time to work out the best way
to approach her on this, would ya, Jay?"
"Sure thing buddy, just don’t leave it too long."
"Yeah, I understand." Ben threw his pencil down and
shook his head, not looking forward to the task he had
been set. "I’ll drop in and see her tonight, how’s that
sound?"
Jay understood what he was asking him to do and he
knew it was not an easy thing to expect of him, but he
was a detective and his personal life had to come second
when he was working in that capacity. "Great! Glad we
have that sorted.
‚Getting back to the Ice Queen and Dr. Sours," Jay
steered the conversation back to the Wellness Clinic, "I
have to agree with ya, I think they’re hiding something."
"Any ideas on what?"
"No, but I am sure as hell that whatever it is, it runs deep.
I do know that the good Doctor is cracking under the
strain of questioning though. She lost her composure
during question-ing and basically ordered Marla to tell me
whatever I wanted to hear. By the time I had finished down
there today, I got the feeling that Marla wanted to spill her
guts big time. Wouldn’t be surprised if I get a phone call
soon." Jay threw his notebook on the desk. "But time
will tell I guess."
"I guess," sighed Ben, his mind still preoccupied with
Anna.
"How bout you? How was your visit to the number
cruncher’s? I bet that was a barrel of laughs?"
Ben was a million miles away; Jay knew what he was
thinking. "Earth to Ben, come in Ben…"
"Huh, what? Sorry Jay, where were we?"
"Focus man," said Jay, wondering whether it would have
been better to have kept his mouth shut and spoken with
Anna himself. No, that would have felt like he was going
behind Ben’s back. At least this way the cards were all on
the table and they both knew what was going on. They
were a team and needed to work together if these
murders were ever going to be solved. He trusted Ben and
knew that he would do his job, he was an A class detective
and Jay knew that he would take it all in his stride. The
timing was pretty crappy, with Anna wanting the divorce
and all. Unfortunately homicide causes inconvenience and
there was nothing could be done about it. The cold, hard
fact was that Ben needed to pull himself together and get
on with his job. And his life, Jay thought.
"Yeah, the accountants," Ben switched back on. "It turns
out that Tessa was having an affair with Laura Beaumont’s
husband, Donald."
"Wow, did ya get the juice?" Jay’s enthusiasm peaked.
"Not much juice to it, really. Laura found out about the
affair, confronted her husband, he ended it and life goes
on!"
"Do either of them look good for her murder?"
"I’m pretty confident Laura had no part in anything, but
her husband I’m not so certain about. The way he came
barging in here earlier screaming and jumping up and
down at me about upsetting his wife with my questions?
He’s got a pretty good temper on him."
"Gees, what a hero. First he screws around on his wife and
then he jumps down your throat for causing her
problems! What a chump."
"They’ve both got a fairly rock solid alibi though. They were
at an accountancy conference in Bayside. If you can take
notice of the nitwit I was on the phone to just before, they
were there all weekend. She’s supposed to be faxing me
receipts of their room and restaurant charges."
"So, where does that leave us?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders and began toying with his
pencil again. "Right back where we started, I guess."
"We seem to be great at working out who didn’t kill em,"
Jay said.
"Yeah, now all we gotta do is rule out the other ninty-nine
point nine percent of the population and we’ll have our
killer."
"That’s if he doesn’t die of old age first!" cried Jay. "He
could end up like the zodiac killer… a mystery forever."
"We’ll find our killer, Jayy. We just got to keep digging,"
Ben tried injecting some positivity into the topic.
"Digging? I’ll be a damn archaeologist by the time we dig
this bugger up."
Ben was unable to hold his laughter back.
"What’s so funny?" Jay asked, staring quizzically at Ben.
"I just had a really amusing mental image of us at the age
of sixty with a pick axe and shovel, fossicking around in a
bare stretch of desert." A broad grin was plastered over
Ben’s face.
Jay soon joined in laughing and their frustrations were
overridden with a new zest for the case.
"Augie send you that report yet?" asked Ben.
"Yup, still waiting on the tox and trace results to come in,
but so far it’s looking nearly identical to Tessa Hunt."
"Was he able to determine the weapon used to mutilate
her?"
"Not a hundred percent, sure. But he’s betting on a
surgical instrument of some description, possibly a
scalpel."
"Oh great, our perp is graduating to better and sharper
instruments. Just what we need to hear."
"What are ya talkin’ about?" asked Jay.
"Well, Tessa was cut up with some sort of serrated blade,
the patterns indicated that. There were ridges present on
all the incisions they weren’t smooth and clean."
"Just what we need, a killer who is stepping up his game
and two cops who can’t even catch him in his infancy!"
Jay scoffed. He yawned and stretched out his arms
before slapping them down on his desk. "So how was
your head this morning?"
"Not too bad actually. I was expecting far worse. How
about yours?"
"I sure didn’t feel like no blooming flower in spring time,
I’ll tell ya that much," a smile appeared on Jay’s face.
"So what are you smiling for?" asked Ben, his eyes
lighting up.
"Remember that cute waitress?"
Ben nodded. "No way! You didn’t? Again?"
"I sure as shit did, buddy." Jay’s boast echoed through
the station house.
"You charmer. How did you manage that? Last I saw of her,
she called you an asshole and stormed off."
"This boy just got the moves," purred Jay, using his best
homeboy accent. "Trouble is…"
"What?" Ben asked a little too quickly.
"Well… I think I might actually like this chick."
"Really? And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"I didn’t ask her what her name was."
"And that means you like her? How?" Ben seemed
confused as to his logic.
"Ya see, if I really don’t care to much about a broad, I’ll ask
for her name and number so I can call on her again,
y’know. As a casual fling, something to fall back on."
"Go on" said Ben, his interest mounting.
"But with the ones I really like, I don’t get the details off
em. That way I can’t use em. Do ya see what I’m
sayin ,Ben?"
"Sorta."
"Bugger ya man, I care about em enough to not wanna
use em for sex is what I’m getting’ at!" Jay looked away
from Ben, embarrassed about putting his feelings on
display like that.
"Oh, yeah. Now I understand." Ben stared at the floor for a
second before asking, "So what are you going to do about
it?"
"What do ya think I’m gonna do about it?"
"Buy her some flowers and go see her?"
"Not likely," cried Jay. "I’m gonna head back to Bluey’s
and show her what she’s missin’. That’s what I’m gonna
do."
"Great," said Ben. "I’m not entirely certain that your
approach will be a success. But then I didn’t think you
would have gotten her into bed last night either, after the
way you had insulted her to begin with. I wish you the
best of luck with that little endeavour Jayy. Go get em
tiger!"
Jay smirked a little and shot a playful wink Ben’s way.
"Thanks buddy. Trust me, when she sees me walk into
Bluey’s tonight, it’ll knock her socks off."
"I’m sure it will be." Ben said, looking as though he was
trying his best to hold back his laughter. "I can just
imagine the reception you are going to get from a woman
you insulted, picked up, slept with and the left this
morning without so much as asking for her name, let
alone her number! I think you’re on a winner there Jay,
good luck."
"It’s in the bag, Benny boy!" Jay chuffed.
Rising from his chair, Ben stretched out his arms and
said, "It’s been a long day, think I’ll get going."
"You ok, Ben?" Jay asked. "I didn’t mean to be to heavy
with you before… about Anna, I mean."
"Yeah, I’m fine. Just a lot going on you know. I’ll get to
Anna, just trust me on this one alright, Jayy?"
"Sure thing," he smiled at him and leaned forward in his
chair.
"You heading off to Bluey’s then?"
"Pretty soon, just got a phone call or two to make, then
I’m outta here. See ya tomorrow then?"
"You can count on it." Ben waved and walked out the door.
Jay watched him leave the room and head down the
hallway. When he was out of sight he turned and picked
up the phone.
"Yeah, patch me through to Intel would ya?"
"Hey Paula, how are ya, darl? It’s Jayy. Listen, I need you
to run a check for me. It’s a hush job and I need you to go
as deep and as far back as you can. If it’s hidden, find it, if
it’s sealed… unseal it. You catch my drift?"
He looked behind him again to make sure that Ben was
nowhere around. He didn’t want him coming back in,
right in the middle of his probing around. Satisfied that
the coast was clear, he returned to his phone call.
"The name’s Jameson, Anna." Jay spelled the surname
out so as there were no mistakes. "That’s right, no I. If you
find any-thing, anything at all call me on my mobile would
ya, darl? Yeah, yeah… I owe ya one. Understood. Now
remember, this is just between you and me, right? You’re
a real sweetheart, Paula, thanks. When can ya have that for
me? Excellent, talk to ya then."
Jay replaced the phone on the cradle and flopped back
in his chair, his gut telling him he was onto something. 







CHAPTER TWELVE
The aroma of freshly ground herbs, accompa-nied by a
strong undercurrent of garlic, rose from the pot and
permeated the kitchen. The result was mouth watering.
Anna poured a small drop of red wine into the bubbling
mix and stirred it some more. A crusty stick of bread lay
on the bench top alongside a small tub of mixed butter
and crushed garlic. Picking up a sharp knife, Anna began
to slice thick chunks of bread from the stick before
smearing them generously with the garlic butter. Next,
she placed the pieces side by side on a sheet of foil and
rolled them tightly together, encasing them entirely.
She pulled a tray from the top shelf of her oven before
setting the temperature to one-eighty. Placing the garlic
bread onto the tray, she sat it on the bench allowing the
heat time to rise. Her glass of wine sat on the counter,
she picked it up and took a mouthful. The smooth blend
flowed down her throat with ease, the bitter aftertaste
causing her eyes to squint as if she had looked directly
into the sun. With her wine still in her hand, she returned
to the simmering pot and stirred it slowly. The saucepan
behind it was beginning to bubble, Anna placed her wine
down and reached for the handful of spaghetti she had
set aside. A hissing sound escaped the saucepan when
the pasta was lowered into the water.
Once she had settled the spaghetti and pushed all the
ends into the saucepan, she stirred it quickly and turned
the flame down, creating a slow simmer. The oven was
now hot enough for her bread. She picked up the tray and
was about to slide it inside when her doorbell sounded
its shrill chime. Anna glanced up at the clock on her wall.
Six-fifteen, she hadn’t been expecting anyone. In just a
few quick movements, she pulled the oven door down
and slid the tray inside, closing it before she walked
towards the front door.
"Ben…"
"Hi Anna, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?"
Anna glanced back to the kitchen before turning back to
him, "No, I was just cooking some dinner." She opened
the door wider and stood aside, allowing him room to
pass by. "Please, come in."
She closed the door behind him and held out her hand,
gesturing for him to come through. Ben followed her lead
and made his way through the lounge room and into the
kitchen, where he stopped and leaned against the
doorjamb.
"Smells great," he complimented her. "Italian?"
"Of course. It’s my specialty." She picked up her wine and
stood in front of the bench top, waiting for him to kick off
the conversation.
Ben shifted from one foot to the other before, "How have
you been, Anna?"
"Oh yeah, great thanks. How about you?"
The two of them were like a couple of teenagers on an
awkward first date. Ben standing with his hands in his
pockets and Anna fiddling with her hands and pulling at
her hair. Neither one sure of what to say to the other.
Anna swished her wine around in her glass, mesmerised
by the swirling of the liquid against the clarity of the
crystal. "Can I get you a wine?" she asked, as though she
had only just became aware of his presence.
"That’d be nice, thanks," Ben replied quicker than he had
anticipated. The last thing he wanted was for her know the
effect she still had on him. He chided himself silently for
his over-zealousness. Anna took another glass from the
cabinet and poured him a red, she smiled wryly before
handing it to him and returning the bottle to the bench
top.
"Shoot!" cried Anna, leaping over to the stove. The water in
the spaghetti spat out over the rim of the saucepan,
spilling onto the naked flame below. She turned the stove
off and lifted the heavy saucepan over to the sink.
"Are you alright?" Asked Ben, edging slowly towards her.
"You didn’t scold yourself, did you?"
"No. I’m ok," she replied, staring down at her hands.
Ben approached her and gently took her hands in his,
inspecting them for himself.
Anna pulled away from him and spat, "Damn it Ben, I said
I ’m ok."
"I’m sorry, I was just trying to…"
"Trying to what? Look, why are you here, what do you want
from me?"
Her words tore into him, stripping the flesh from his very
heart. This scenario was too familiar, it was how it had
been for them in the last few years of their marriage. Both
struggling to care for themselves, distancing the other
until they were so far apart that they felt like strangers.
Ben stepped back and held his hands in the air. "Gees
Anna, I can’t do this anymore."
"Do what exactly?"
"I can’t even be in the same room as you. It’s just
impossible. You become hostile when you lay eyes on me,
cringe at my touch and tear strips off me whenever I open
my mouth." He paused briefly, summoned his courage
and began again. "Anna, I am here in an official capacity.
You can either talk honestly with me here and now or we
can do it down at the station. The choice is yours."
She was stunned, his words had knocked the wind out of
her. Never in their entire marriage had he ever spoken to
her the way he just did. "Official capacity?"
"That’s right," he said, pulling his notebook from his
pocket.
"Ben what’s this all about?"
"I understand that you were the counsellor allocated to
Miss Tessa Hunt and Miss Kylie-Anne Saunders, is that
correct?"
"I’m not going to answer…"
"Is that correct?" Ben powered on, blocking out his
personal ties with her.
"Oh my God, you’re serious," said Anna in disbelief.
The moment was broken by the alarm on the oven wailing
away. Anna looked away from Ben, walked over and
switched the oven off. She turned to her pot of bolognaise
and killed the flame beneath it. Her focus shifted back to
Ben. His expression remained stern, his notebook and
pen firmly in his grasp.
"I guess you had better sit down," she whispered, pulling
a chair from her dining table.
Ben crossed the tiny kitchen and pulled up a chair
opposite her. "So you were nothing more than their
counsellor?"
"Yes, I saw both those girls." Anna had given in to Ben’s
harshness and opted to answer what she was able. She
was still recovering from the shock of the change in his
demeanour.
"Is there any reason you kept it from me? You did know I
was investigating the Hunt case."
"Yes, I just didn’t think it was important. Honestly, Ben…"
"This is an official interview and I wish to keep it that way,
so if you don’t mind, please just answer the questions."
His words cut her down in a way she had never
experienced from him before. The fact that he had
stopped trying to cater to her every mood shocked her,
this wasn’t the man she knew. The man she knew would
pamper her and treat her like a Queen, he wouldn’t have
spoken to her so terribly and demanded such things of
her if it weren’t to her liking. She wished the other Ben
would come back, the man before her was a stranger,
dark and brutal.
"I should have told you. You’re right, I’m sorry."
Ben laid his notebook down on the table and continued
with his questioning.
"Tell me about Tessa. Did she disclose anything that could
be important to our investigation?"
"Honestly Ben…" Anna stopped and looked at him,
waiting to see if he was going to drop the coolness. His
gait remained stiff, it was clear that this was how it was
going to be. "She only spoke of her pregnancy and
whether or not she was going to terminate."
"Did she mention anything about the father of the baby?"
"I can’t disclose that sort of information, I have a duty to
protect the privacy rights of my clients." She decided that
if he wanted to play official status, so too would she.
Ben sighed and tried again. "I know she was involved with
Donald Beaumont. Was he the father?"
"Ben, please. I can’t…"
"Anna, I need your help here. Those girls need your help.
Do you really think protecting their privacy is important
now?" Ben’s eyes pleaded with her to reconsider the
situation.
Anna gave in. "To tell you the truth," She stopped, took
another sip of wine and continued. "Tessa wasn’t sure of
the father of her baby. All she did say is that she had been
seeing a few men when she found out about the
pregnancy."
"Did she name these other men?"
"No. I already told you, she was there to talk about the
effects of termination, not her whole life story."
"So you deal exclusively with the subject of abortion?"
"With the clients from the Wellness Clinic, yes. They have
me on a continual re-tainer, specifically for their clients.
Anything outside the scope of termination is not covered
by them. Should the girls wish to speak to me regarding
further issues in their life they are more than welcome to
see me privately."
"And you’re sure that there is nothing else personal she
may have mentioned in passing? It could all be relevant,
Anna."
Anna shook her head and stared down into her glass.
"Kylie-Anne’s pregnancy was the result of a one night
stand. Does that help?"
"So she didn’t know the guy either?"
"How many one night stands have you had where you
remember or even know their name?" she hissed at him.
Ben was hurt by her personal attack on him. She knew
damn well that one-night stands were not in his nature.
The question did, however, remind him of Jay and his
little waitress from Bluey’s. He fought off the urge to
smile.
"Had Tessa decided whether or not she was going to keep
the baby?"
"When she left my office, all she said was that she was
going to do the right thing."
"What does that mean? The right thing?"
"Who knows? It all depends on who she meant the right
thing to be for."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, she could have meant the right thing for her, the
father or the baby. I have no idea." She sat back and
shrugged, her auburn hair bouncing off her shoulders.
"And Kylie-Anne? Anything else that you can tell me about
her?"
Her eyes burned into him, there was no denying her
disdain for his questioning of her. "I already told you
about as much as I know."
"The more evasive you are, Anna, the longer and harder I
am going to push you. It would be in your best interest to
just answer my questions now and I’ll leave."
"I don’t see how much more I can help you."
Ben lowered his head, closed up his notebook and tucked
it away. He just couldn’t understand why Anna had to
make every little interaction so difficult. Not just this, but
even when they spoke in general it was harder than it
should be. She was always so guarded, so protective of
herself. He pushed back on his chair, drank his wine down
in one swallow and stood up.
"Thank you for your time," he said before slamming the
crystal wine glass on the table top with a clunk. With that
he turned and strode towards the front door.
Anna followed after him, shocked that he had halted their
interview so abruptly.
"You mean, that’s it?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
" I refuse to sit here all night beating my head up against
a brick wall, Anna. This is so typical of our married life. I
was such a fool to think you would respect my authority
as an officer of the law and be truthful with me. So, yeah…
that’s it."
"Ben, I didn’t mean to…"
He cut her off, "You will probably be hearing from another
Detective at some stage, if confidentiality and privacy are
such an issue to you, I’ll make sure he has a warrant when
he comes."
She ran ahead of him and stood between him and the
front door, stopping him from leaving.
"Ben, I’m sorry." Her eyes pleaded with him not to leave
under such bitter circumstances. She exhaled deeply and
then said, "Kylie-Anne was definitely going to go ahead
with the termination, or at least that’s what she told me.
She said that her parents had disowned her and she was
not going to bring another life into a world where people
who are supposed to love you, throw you away when you
don’t live up to their expectations."
"Do you know where we can find her parents, Anna?
Somebody needs to inform them of what has happened."
"All she told me is that her dad is some hot shot
professor at the university."
"He shouldn’t be too hard to track down then," Ben
mumbled while fishing around in his pocket for his
notebook. "What about Tessa, is there anything, you can
think of that might help us find her killer?"
"I’m sorry, I wasn’t lying when I said that they really don’t
tell me much. I’m only paid to discuss…"
"The effects of termination… I know." Ben interjected.
Anna’s face softened and she looked into his eyes. "These
murders, they’re pretty grue-some aren’t they?"
Ben nodded, "They are the most brutal I have ever worked
on, we need to get this monster Anna… and fast."
She stepped away from the door, opening it she said,
"Look, I’ll study my case notes again Ben, and if there’s
anything I think you need to know I’ll pass it on."
"Yeah, I’m sure you will."
Anna swallowed hard, "Of course I will Ben. I’m not going
to send you up the garden path here. Although, there’s
really nothing in them, I’m sure."
"I just wish you would let me take a look. What is nothing
to you, could be of great value to us."
"I’m sorry Ben, but I’m not going to breach
confidentiality." Her demeanour stiff-ened again. "If you
really need to see them for yourself, you’ll have to do it by
the book."
"So if I got a warrant, you’d hand the files over?"
"Every last one."
"I certainly hope this is just a professional thing Anna. I’d
hate to think you’re hiding something from me," Ben eyed
her suspiciously.
She smiled then leaned over gently kissed his cheek.
"Strictly professional I swear."
Ben walked through the open door and out onto the
street, when he reached his car he looked back but Anna
had already closed the door.
"Thank you, he whispered.
He wondered if he should have warned Anna to be extra
careful. Until they get a break in the case, they have no
idea if the murderer is after pregnant women only or if he
may be targeting the people around them as well. If these
killings are a statement against abortion, Anna, Dr.
Sugars and Marla could all be in danger. He decided it
would be best to keep quiet for now, he didn’t want to
spread panic or worry anyone unnecessarily. He would
keep an eye on Anna himself.










CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jay rolled into Bluey’s, his black slacks neatly pressed
and his brand new polo shirt tucked neatly inside them.
He scoured the room before his eyes finally rested on the
bar to his left.
"Yo Tadpole!" he yelled from the door-way.
"Jayy, get over here." the smile on Tad-poles face was
welcoming.
In an effort to appear as his usual casual self, Jay
sauntered over to the bar and held his hand out to
Tadpole. The men shook hands and Jay ordered a beer.
"I thought you’d still be recovering from last night?" asked
Tadpole, a knowing smile on his lips.
Jay chuckled, "It’s not the drink ya gotta look out for," he
said, his eyes darting about the room.
"Yeah, you’re right…" Tadpole grinned as he watched Jay
studying the bar. "It’s the women!"
Jay’s eyes flew back to him in an in-stant, "What’s that
supposed to mean?"
"I’m just saying, a woman can stay in your system a hell of
a lot longer than alcohol can."
"This beer tastes like shit!" cried Jay. "It must be flat,
gimme another one, would ya?"
He pushed the frothy ale back on the bar and pulled his
cigarettes from his pocket, angry that Tadpole was
goading him over the waitress. He understood that
sleeping with a waitress from his regular bar was likely to
cause problems, but he had been prepared for that. What
he hadn’t been prepared for was the fact that he would
actually fall for her and end up making a fool of himself in
front of his drinking buddies.
"Here you go," said Tadpole, sliding an-other beer over to
him. "Fresh keg. Spiked it myself just now."
"Bloody well oughta be, too," replied Jay.
Tadpole stared at him for a while.
Jay wondered if it was obvious to Tad-pole that he was
looking for the girl. He was determined he wouldn’t
mention her unless Tadpole asked about her.
"So," Jay began, his eyes still wandering all over the bar.
"How’s the wife and kids?"
"Great thanks, mate. The littlest one’s just cut his first
tooth actually."
"Really?" It was clear Jay was more interested in the
scenery than hearing about Tadpoles family.
"Yep."
"That’s exciting and all Tadpole, but I’m gonna wander
outside for a bit. Have a smoke, enjoy me beer…"
"By all means, Jayy. Go for it." Tadpole tried hard to
disguise his humour over the situation.
Jay stepped out onto the smokers deck and sat his beer
on the table next to the railing. He pulled a cigarette from
his packet and lit it. The bright orange flame danced at the
end of his smoke, it’s blue centre glowing against the
curtain of darkness behind it. He tucked the lighter back
into his packet and sat them on the table. He picked up
his beer and gulped it down leaving only about an inch in
the bottom. He needed an excuse to call the waitress over
when he finally spotted her… if he ever spotted her. No
matter where he looked, he couldn’t find her. Maybe she
wasn’t working tonight.
Still staring into the bar, Jay drew back on his cigarette
and swallowed the last of his beer. He glanced down at
his watch and saw that it was only 9.05pm. Perhaps she
hadn’t started just yet. Although, it was around this time
last night that he and Ben had seen her there. With the
empty beer glass in his hand, he crushed out his cigarette
and ventured back into the bar, determined to find what
he was looking for. The pool table was crowded with a
dozen or more young men, all drunk and all believing
they were the next Eddie Charlton. They hud-dled together
at the far end of the table, forming a tight knit circle. When
they dispersed, Jay saw her familiar face, she was
standing in the middle of the group, her tray loaded with
empty glasses.
For reasons unknown to him, he high tailed it back out to
the smokers deck, his heart was beating loudly and his
palms were sweaty. He couldn’t understand what was
happening, he had fallen for other women before, but this
was different somehow. She had done something to him,
and yet when he woke next to her this morning he hadn’t
felt a thing. His hands slid down his slacks, wiping away
the wetness from his palms, a million thoughts were
running through his mind when she interrupted him.
"Well, here’s a real gentleman if ever I saw one!"
Jay turned and stared. He remembered her hair, the
silkiness of her skin, how she smelled. He was
dumbstruck.
"Cat got your tongue or something?" she asked.
"I ain't got no cat," replied Jay, embarrassed by his
words as soon as they left his mouth.
"Yeah, well the way you look after house guests, I’m not
surprised."
Jay fidgeted with his cigarette packet, trying to retrieve
one without dropping the entire pack. He couldn’t believe
his nerves. Unchartered territory was where he was right
now, and it scared the living daylights out of him. A few
seconds elapsed before he finally managed to free a
cigarette and stick it in his mouth. All he could do was
shoot her a grin, hoping that she thought he was cool
rather than the mute mess that he was.
"Well I came back, didn’t I?" he eventually managed.
"Am I supposed to be impressed by that?"
"As a matter of fact," he paused to light his cigarette.
"Yeah!"
"You’ve got some nerve, coming back here and taunting
me like this. Isn’t there some other poor, defenseless
waitress you can charm into bed?"
"Probably."
Her mouth fell open, but no words came out.
"But I don’t wanna pick on somebody else. You’ll do just
fine."
His confidence grew; he could feel his old self returning.
Pretty soon he would be in full swing and there’d be no
stopping him. As much as he wanted to sweep her into
his arms and hold her, he resisted the urge and decided
to play for a little longer. He didn’t want her thinking that
she had him eating out of the palm of her hand. Sure he
liked her… a lot, but he wanted to tread carefully for now.
"What if I don’t want to be picked on?"
"See, that’s where I think you’re lying. I think you do."
"Look, is this going somewhere? I got a job to do and
you’re holding me up."
"In that case, get me a beer would ya?"
She made a growling noise and walked back into Bluey’s.
She got a few steps inside the door before turning back to
Jay.
"It’s Danni, in case you’re wondering?"
Jay shot her a broad smile, drew back on his cigarette
and nodded his head. When she turned away Jay
punched his fist into the air, he’d done it. He knew he had
her. Satisfaction filled him and he felt like the cat that got
the cream. He watched her body swaying beneath her
clothes, how he hadn’t noticed her in the same light last
night surprised him. Sure he had been attracted to her,
but in a sexually perverse kind of way. Now when he saw
her, he saw something else… a woman, not an object.
Although he was still shocked by his feelings, he liked
them and knew that no matter what happened between
them, he was still Jay Marnotti, bad-ass detective.
Danni reached the bar and motioned to Tadpole. He
walked over, grinning as he approached.
"Hey Danni. Y’know Jayy’s here and I think he’s looking
for you."
"Yeah, he found me," she replied, her cheeks flushing.
"So what’s happening with you guys?"
"Who knows? He’s probably looking for an encore."
Tadpole shook his head and beckoned her to come closer
so he could lower his tone. "I don’t know, Danni. I’ve
known Jayy a lot of years and I have never seen him
come looking for the same woman twice. I think he might
actually be serious about you."
"Oh, lucky me!" she laughed.
"He’s not so bad. Just a little rough around the edges is
all. Give him a chance. You’ll see."
"I can tell you one thing for sure," She began, "I won’t hit it
off too well with him if I don’t bring him his beer!"
"Comin’ right up love," chortled Tadpole, grabbing a
frosted glass and filling it to the top before placing it
squarely on her tray.
"Thanks," she said.
Danni wove her way back through the bar and found Jay
leaning out over the railing on the deck. She stood back
and admired his strong shoulders and muscular
physique. His short, black hair highlighted his deep, blue
eyes and chiselled cheekbones. Electricity surged through
her body when she thought about their night spent
together. He was quite a lover, his hands knew just what
to do, and despite his gruffness earlier in the evening, he
was attentive to her in bed like no other man she had
been with. Jay was certainly no Prince Charming in the
ro-mance stakes, but she was sure that he had many
qualities they could build on.
"Your beer, sir," Danni said, placing the glass on the table.
Jay grinned and put a ten-dollar note on her tray.
"Keep the change."
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked,
stuffing the note into her pocket.
"Yeah, you can have lunch with me tomorrow."
"No, that’s no good for me," she answered attempting to
sound disinterested.
For the briefest moment, Jay became a little unsure of
himself. He looked into her eyes and saw that she was
playing with him, making him work for a date.
"Gee, that’s a shame…"
"I’m free for dinner though," she spat out and then
scolded herself silently, for acting so desperate.
"Dinner, eh?"
Jay stared at her. He wanted so much to just take her
back to his apartment and show her what he was capable
of. He knew they had already been to bed together, but he
was drunk and he hadn’t given his all that night. As
difficult as it was, he resisted the urge to grab her. Next
time he touched her, he wanted her to feel the difference
in him, know that she wasn’t just a one-night stand.
"Sure, I think I can manage a dinner appointment."
Danni handed him a cardboard drink coaster, smiled and
headed back inside to the rowdy group of men at the pool
table. Jay looked down at the coaster and there in neatly
printed pencil was her address and phone number.
Unable to wipe the smile from his face, he opened his
wallet and slid the coaster into the 182
billfold. He finished his beer and made his way back to the
bar to say goodnight to Tadpole.
"Hey Tadpole!" he yelled.
"Another beer?" He asked.
"Nah, I’m outta here buddy."
"No worries. Um, did you find what you were looking for?"
"Who said I was looking for anything?" Jay asked, the
smile still firmly planted on his lips.
"You old dog! You did, didn’t you?"
"You better believe it, Taddy," he laughed before walking to
the exit.
"Night, Jayy."
"Night."
The street outside was alive with the regular hoons racing
their V8’s up and down the main drag. They yahooed and
cheered each other on, the danger of their actions
obvious to everyone but them. Shaking his head in
disgust, Jay pulled his coat on and tugged on his collar,
lifting it up to shelter his neck from the coolness of the
evening. His left hand reached into his pocket for his
cigarettes, at the same moment his phone rang. The
smokes forgotten for the time being, he pulled out his
phone.
"Yeah, hello."
"Jayy, it’s Ben."
"What’s happening? Did you talk to Anna?"
"Yeah, she wasn’t too helpful, I’m afraid. I did manage to
get a next of kin for Kylie-Anne though." Ben sighed into
the phone before adding. "You wanna come do the
honours with me?"
Jay looked at his watch. "It’s 9.40 Ben, you sure you
wanna do this now?"
"I’m sure. I managed to track her parents down through
her father’s work. I phoned them and told them I had
some news on their daughter."
"I didn’t know she had been reported missing, why didn’t
she show up on our missing persons data base when we
ran Jane Doe’s stats through?"
"She wasn’t reported. I told them that we had some
dealings with Kylie-Anne and that it was important that I
speak with them immediately."
"Where are they?‛
‚32 Millbrook Avenue. You want me to pick you up?"
"Nah, I’ll meet you there in ten."
"How did you go with the waitress?" Ben asked,
remembering Jay had plans to woo her that evening.
"It’s in the bag, Benny boy. She couldn’t resist me!"
"I’d have paid money to have seen her reaction Jay. I can
just imagine how you swept her off her feet." he laughed.
"Well I did that and more."
"You did huh?"
"Yup, I even got me a date for dinner tomorrow night."
Jay reported, pride echoing in his voice.
"You’re a regular Cassanova, aren’t you buddy? You never
cease to amaze me with your boundless talents."
"There’s plenty more where that came from. Anyway, I’ll
see you in ten."
"Right, see you then."
Jay ended the call and stuffed his phone back into his
pocket before lifting his pack of cigarettes out. He lit one
and walked to his cruiser. Behind the wheel, he revved the
engine and pulled out into the stream of youngsters still
racing each other up and down the street. At the next set
of lights he made a left hand turn and headed in an
easterly direction toward Millbrook Avenue.









CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A dim porch light beside the white front door lit the small
cottage style house. A quaint wrap-around verandah
added a touch of charm to the otherwise plain abode.
Through the darkness, Ben saw the silhouette of a set of
what he thought were a child’s swings, in the yard beside
the house. A small rock lined pathway led from the
footpath to an outdoor mat at the base of the front steps.
The Saunders home was by no means a palace, but it
looked homey enough.
He glanced in his rear view mirror; still no sign of Jay
and it was now ten o’clock. Even though he was expected,
he didn’t want to keep the Saunders’ up any longer than
was necessary. Under the circumstances, he didn’t want to
keep them waiting at all. Ben rolled up his window and
got out of his car, he would give Jay just a few more
minutes to show and then he would go it alone. His
watch captivated him, the soft iridescent glow
mesmerised him when he glanced down at it once more.
The squealing of tyres on asphalt soon broke this
hypnosis… Jay had finally arrived. He pulled in behind
Ben and got out of his cruiser, his boots clicking when
they hit the footpath below him.
"Where have you been? It’s just after ten."
"Damn kids and their street racing…"
"Never mind. Let’s just get this over with shall we?"
"Let’s!" Snapped Jay, flicking a cigarette butt to the
ground and stomping it out with his foot.
"Don’t you know how to use an ashtray, Jayy?"
"Gees, who rubbed your lamp the wrong way tonight?
asked Jay, ‚I was having a blissful evening, but it’s
souring by the second."
Ben stood still, his head lowered to the footpath and his
shoulders slumped forward. "Sorry, mate. It’s been a
rough night and the whole meeting with Anna. You know
how it is." he replied.
"Yeah, couldn’t have been an easy thing for ya to do, Ben.
Maybe I shoulda just gone and done it myself, eh?"
"No, I think I needed to do it. I have to get some
perspective in my life and this was a good start, I guess."
He straightened up and breathed out loudly, a groan
escaping him. "You ready?"
Jay nodded that he was.
"Let’s do it."
The two men marched up the pathway, climbed the three
steps and stopped at the front door. Ben pressed a
button marked ‘Saunders’ on the architrave around the
door. They heard the chimes ring out inside the house
and a minute later middle-aged man appeared in front of
them.
"Mr. Saunders?" Ben asked.
"Frank Saunders, that’s right," he replied. "You must be
Detective Payne?"
"Yes, and this is my partner Detective Marnotti." Ben gestured
to Jay.
"Please, won’t you come inside?" Frank stepped aside and
held the door open for them to pass through and pointed
them to the living room on the right. He closed the door
and walked into the living room behind them. "Take a
seat," he said, settling into a recliner. "Janice," he yelled,
seemingly into the air, "the Detectives are here."
A short, petite woman of about fifty or so emerged from a
doorway behind him, bringing with her a tea tray and a
plate of biscuits. She made her way to the living room and
placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the three
men before seating herself on a sofa near her husband.
"Help yourselves, Detectives," she softly said.
"This is my wife, Janice," Frank made a formal introduction.
"Janice this is Detective Payne and Detective Marnotti."
Janice smiled politely and gave them a simple nod to
greet them. Jay and Ben did the same.
"Now what’s this about Kylie-Anne? What trouble is that
girl in now?" Frank asked.
Jay looked at Ben and then back at Frank. "She been in a
bit of trouble before?"
His hands slapped his thighs and he animated a laugh,
"Trouble! The girl’s full of it. She breeds it like a sickness."
"How so?" Ben joined the conversation.
"Drugs, boys, wild parties, stealing and that’s just for
starters," he looked over at Janice before continuing. "And
then there’s Ashleigh of course."
"Ashleigh?" Jay queried him.
"Our grand daughter, she lives with us," Janice whispered.
"Kylie-Anne was only sixteen when she had her," said
Frank, looking over at Janice. Her head bowed as if in
shame of her daughter. "She never spoke much to anyone
about Ashleigh. To her, she simply didn’t exist. ‚Up until
she had Ashleigh we didn’t think that an ounce of
goodness could come of that girl. Every time we’d set
boundaries and rules for her, she’d go out of her way to
break them. If we gave her an inch she took a mile. I got
her a job once, when she was seventeen, checking books
in and out at the campus library…"
"The University library?" Jay asked.
"Yes. I convinced them she would be perfect for the task,
but Kylie-Anne… Well she had other ideas. She was
escorted off the campus on the first day for selling weed
to the students in her lunch hour. Made a mockery of me
she did."
"What happened then?"
"Naturally I told her to pack her things and leave. I wasn’t
going to have her around young Ashleigh, dragging her
up in that sort of lifestyle."
"So she left? Just like that?"
"Just like that. Exactly like that!" Frank re-iterated.
"How long ago was that?"
"It will be just over three years ago now, if I remember
correctly."
"And you’ve had no contact with her since?" Jay asked.
Frank nodded his head, "That’s right."
"What about Ashleigh?" Ben began. "Surely she called or
wrote to check up on her own daughter?"
"Well that’s what you would expect from any decent
mother isn’t it? Not Kylie-Anne. She never cared for the
child from the very beginning. Couldn’t wait to be rid of
her, that’s the cold hard truth of the matter. Kylie-Ann was
just a baby who had a baby. Too young for any
responsibility, let alone that of motherhood."
Janice leaned forward in her chair, her mouth opened, but
she shut it as quickly as the fleeting thought that touched
her.
Ben looked at Jay. The sadness in his eyes deepening,
knowing what they were about to tell the Saunders’ of
their daughter’s fate.
"What is it, Detectives?" Janice stared at them. "Oh, it’s
something terrible this time isn’t it?"
Unable to face her, Ben dropped his gaze to the carpet.
Jay leaned forward in his seat, looked at the couple
before him and said, "I am deeply sorry to tell you both,
but…"
"But what?" Janice interrupted, her face creased with
concern.
Jay looked over to Frank, his expression blank. "I’m
afraid your daughter is dead."
Silence covered the small living room like a shroud,
neither parent able to utter a sound, shock gripping them
like a vice. Ben and Jay both remained quiet, awaiting
the outburst of why’s and how’s and the eventual
mutterings of denial. They had been bearers of bad news
enough times to know that very few families
cope with the death of a loved one without some form of
non-acceptance, even the ones that had been feuding.
They knew the storm was brewing and that it would soon
be unleashed before their very eyes.
"Was it drugs?" Frank spoke first, his expression still void
of any emotion.
Janice looked to them for the answer; the tears from her
green eyes began streamed down her cheeks. Her thin
lips trembled with sadness.
"I’m sorry," said Ben. "Kylie-Anne was murdered."
"Oh, dear God no!" Janice crumbled on the sofa. "It can’t
be her. How do you know it’s her? You must be wrong."
Frank left his recliner and sat beside his wife, taking her in
his arms he rocked her gently and kissed her forehead.
Jay cleared his throat and said, "She has been identified
by someone who we have questioned in regards to her
death."
"We are so very sorry for your loss," soothed Ben, wishing
he could take away their pain.
"Who…" Frank choked out. "Who did this?"
"Unfortunately we haven’t found the killer yet," Jay
answered him.
"We are using every resource available to us to find who’s
responsible for your daughters death." Ben interjected.
His assurance sounded weak and he knew it was. They
had been investigating these murders, including Tessa’s,
for nearly a week now and they were getting nowhere.
Frank nodded his head, "You make sure you catch this
animal, Detectives. No matter what our grievances were,
she was still our daughter."
"We understand," whispered Ben. He took a deep breath
before asking the cruellest of all questions. "We will need
to ask that one of you come down and formally identify
Kylie-Anne’s body as soon as you are able. I realise this is
a difficult time for both…"
"What time and where, Detective?" Frank asked, cutting
him short.
"Tomorrow morning? The city morgue." Jay informed
him.
"I’ll be there at nine."
"Once again, we are so very sorry for your loss, Mr. And
Mrs. Saunders," said Jay, rising from his seat. Ben did
the same. "We will see ourselves out."
Janice looked up from behind her husbands shoulder.
"Please find whoever did this to our little girl." Frank
tightened his embrace and rocked her some more, his
own heart aching with sorrow.
Ben and Jay left the Saunders to console each other and
made their way back to the street.
"Christ, I hate that part of the job," cried Jay, lighting a
cigarette when they reached their cars.
"So many people suffer from the reckless acts of others,"
said Ben, staring out into the darkness. "We need to get
this peanut Jayy, how many more are going to die if we
don’t?"
Jay sucked back hard on his cigarette before blowing the
smoke back out into the air. "We will my friend… we will."
Ben rubbed his forehead and his eyes be-gan to squint.
Reaching into both pockets, he was unable to find a card
of his painkillers. "Bloody brain bleeders!" He cussed.
"You ok, Ben? I think you better get home before it sets in
for good. You want me to drive ya or are ya right?"
"Thanks, Jayy. I’ll be ok." Ben assured him, waving his
hand dismissively.
"I know how ya feel mate. My guts is turning over just
thinking about seeing that girl lying on Augies steel table.
Here we are trying to tell that poor couple that their
daughter is dead and all I can picture is the way she was
cut up." Jay puffed harder on his cigarette, "thank God
they ain’t gonna be seeing that part of things." He
gestured back towards the house they had just come
from.
"Hell. I’m sorry, Jay. I hadn’t thought about the effect it
would have on you. Coming here, to see the parents I
mean."
"It’s all part of the job, Ben. I can handle it."
Ben opened his car door and slid inside, "You’re really
okay?"
"Hey, I’m fine. Or at least I will be when we nail this warped
unit."
"I’ll see you tomorrow then?" Ben smiled weakly at him.
"Hell yeah!" cried Jay "We got one sick puppy to catch
and we ain’t gonna do it sittin’ at home twiddling our
thumbs."
Ben’s started the Chevy and put it in gear. "Tomorrow
then." He said before driving off down the street and into
the night.
He looked back at the Saunders home in his rear view
mirror. Ben thought of the husband and wife inside,
grieving horribly for the daughter they haven’t seen in over
three years. They must have so many things they wish
they could say to her now, so many wrongs they will never
get the chance to right. He could never begin to under-
stand the depths of despair they were in, losing a child at
any age would be a gut-wrenching ordeal. His
determination to find this killer was mounting every
minute. One way or another, he will solve these murders,
no matter how long it took.












CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"We need to play ball with them and stop showing so
much resistance," argued Marla.
"We are playing ball, but if we offer too much, too easily,
they might think we are too helpful and start getting
suspicious," replied Rose.
"Why wouldn’t we be helpful though?" Marla sat down in
the royal blue easy chair and sipped her latte. "Our clients
are being killed off one by one."
"You don’t understand how their minds work. If you are
too helpful it’s not good, if you’re not helpful enough it’s
not good…"
"So we have to show just the right amount of resistance?"
queried Marla.
"Exactly," Rose clicked her tongue and nodded her head.
"Do you think they suspect something? They’ve visited
twice now and that second Detective was quite a pit bull. I
don’t know how much more I can handle."
"Now, Marla, you need to relax and stick to the game plan.
You remember what we discussed, don’t you?"
Marla’s eyes rolled back and she replied, "Yes… I
remember."
"Good," said Rose, before leaning across her desk and
patting her hand reassuringly. "We need to stick together
here, Marla."
"I understand, but…"
"But what?"
"I’m sure that if you just explain to them what happened,
that it was an accident…"
"Oh, and you think that is going to soften their blow do
you?"
"Surely they will understand that it wasn’t your fault. There
was nothing you could have done"
"Absolutely not! There is no way I am going to jail Marla,
do you hear me?"
"But the police… what if they keep digging around? They
might figure things out."
"That’s why we need to play it cool and not be too eager or
too resistant. Like I said, we need to stick to the plan. You
got that?"
"Yes, I understand, but I’m not comfortable with this. I still
think we ought to have gone to the police in the
beginning."
Rose stared at her, her anger beginning to bubble
beneath her cool exterior. She would never go to the
police. It would mean losing everything she had worked
for her entire life. Hell would freeze over before she would
allow that to happen. Even if it meant taking matters into
her own hands and blackmailing Marla, she would. She
pulled her hands back from Marla’s and glared at her.
"I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of your little secret,
do I?"
The shock spread across Marla’s face. "You wouldn’t?"
"Of course I wouldn’t want to, but if I had to…"
"How could you even think of doing that to me?"
Rose slid her chair back and stood up. Walking around
the desk, she stood behind Marla and placed her hands
on her shoulders. Marla stiffened and sat bolt upright in
the easy chair. Her hands kneaded her gently at first and
slowly progressed to a stronger, more penetrating
massage.
"You’re hurting me, stop it," she begged.
Rose continued her vigorous gouging and said, "How do
you think your Daddy would feel if he knew his little
princess’s secret?"
Marla writhed beneath her hands, the pain becoming
more intense. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Marla’s father had always adored her, they shared an
extremely close bond and in his eyes, his little princess
could do no wrong. Her father had left her mother when
she was just fifteen. His contact with Marla continued
however, the two of them remaining close despite the
separation and divorce. Many times he had offered her a
placement at in his company, so he could be closer to
her, but much to his disappointment, she chose to
remain working at the clinic.
Rose carried on, her tone sharp and threatening. "What if
he were to discover…"
Marla broke free from her hands and ran to the opposite
side of the room, fear pulsing through her.
"Just stop it, please."
"Do we have an understanding, then?" Rose asked, her
expression smug.
"Yes, yes, now please just stop it. How could you be so
cruel to me? "
"So you’ll keep your mouth shut?" she ignored her
question.
Her eyes welled with tears as she stared down at the grey
carpet under her feet, her shoe scuffing back and forth
along its cushiony pile.
"Yes."
"Is that a promise?"
"It’s a promise," cried Marla, tears streaming down her
cheeks.
"There now. That wasn’t so terrible was it?" a smile spread
across Rose’s face and her demeanour returned to the
one displayed to her clients and peers.
"What about my father? You aren’t going to tell him are
you?" sniffled Marla.
"Why would I, dear? We both have our little secrets don’t
we?" She walked over to Marla, embraced her tightly and
then said, "Yours is safe as long as mine is. I can’t be fairer
than that can I?"
Marla backed away from Rose and dabbed her eyes with a
tissue, at that moment she felt such contempt for her,
that she wanted to run screaming to the police and blow
the lid clean off her dirty little secret. All that was stopping
her at that moment was the web of lies and deceit she
had gotten herself tangled up in.
"Now don’t go pouting like that my sweet. It reminds me
of a six year old child begging for a puppy that she knows
she just can’t have."
Marla straightened her back and sucked air in through her
teeth, attempting to rustle up a smile before Rose’s
assault grew worse.
"There, that’s much better. Now how about we go get
some dinner?" she said, returning to her desk and pulling
her purse from the top draw before looking back at Marla,
her smile somewhat faded.
"Sure, why not." Agreed Marla, her appetite was poor but
she knew declining her invitation would prove fruitless.
Rose pulled her over for yet another hug and said, "I’m so
glad we had this little chat and have this whole mess
straightened out now. I feel much better, don’t you
darling?"
"Much," Marla whispered, the knot in her stomach
tightening.






















CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"It’s a positive I.D," Jay informed Augie. "He’s just taking
a few minutes to say goodbye."
"The poor fellow, it must be horrific for him to see her like
that. I did the best I could to clean her up for the viewing,
Jay," Augie replied.
"I know, you did what you could. I just thank God he has
no idea of what’s beneath the sheet!"
Augie sighed and nodded in agreement. "Such violence."
"Listen Augie, have you had a chance to compare the
autopsy notes on Tessa Hunt and Kylie-Anne at all?"
"Not at this stage. Why is that? Is there something you
need in particular?"
"Well as you can imagine, with there be-ing so many
similarities in their murders, we wanna sift through the
facts to see if they are definitely linked."
"Of course, sure. The one major difference is that Tessa
died from hypoxia, she suffocated to death before she
was mutilated. Kylie-Anne died as a result of blunt force
trauma to the head. Also, from memory Tessa was
mutilated with a serrated instrument, and Kylie-Anne a
more sophisticated blade… sharp, defined…"
"A scalpel?"
"That would be a fair assumption, yes. Apart from that,
they are almost identical. Tessa’s tox results were all clear
for any drugs or inhibitants. I should have Kylie-Anne’s by
the end of the day, I am hoping."
"So our perp is making life easier for him-self, upgrading
his tools. That scares me Augie, it makes me believe that
he…"
"Or she," Augie interrupted. "Remember that there’s been
no evidence of sexual assault with either of these girls, so
it could be a woman."
"Yeah, you’re right. Well, he or she looks like they may be
just getting started.
Why upgrade to better tools if you’re finished kill-ing?"
"Good Lord!" cried Augie, "I hope you’re wrong, Jayy. I
really do."
"So do I Augie. So do I."
"Leave it with me though, I’ll go back over the two cases
and study the notes carefully, if there’s anything there,
forensically speaking, I’ll find it for you."
"Thanks. We need all the help we can get on this one. And
you’ll call me as soon as you have the toxicology results
back?"
"Sure thing, as soon as they hit my desk."
Jay patted him on the shoulder and began to walk away
when he saw Ed, Augie’s assistant coming his way with a
folder under his arm.
"Dr. August, before you go…" Ed raised his voice in order
to catch Augie before he ducked back into the viewing
suite.
Jay turned and looked at Ed.
"Detective Marnotti." Ed greeted Jay pleasantly on his way
past.
"How are ya, Ed?" Jay enquired.
Ed didn’t reply, instead he brushed past Jay and stood
in front of Augie.
"What is it my boy?" Augie asked him.
"Those tox results you’ve been waiting on have just come
in." He handed over the folder from under his arm.
"Aaahh, wonderful. Thank you, Ed," he said. "I see you have
already perused them yourself."
Ed looked a little uncomfortable, "Yes, Sir. I took the
liberty of making a copy for Detective Marnotti since he was
scheduled down to be here for the viewing this morning."
His eyes cast downward and he looked a little
embarrassed. "I’m sorry, Dr. August. I thought I’d save you
some time copying and couriering them over later."
Augie rifled through the papers briefly and then smiled at
his eager young assistant. "Brilliant! How very thoughtful
of you, Ed. Thank you."
A broad smile spread across his face and he stood up
straighter, "Thank you, Sir. Thank you very much. I put
Detective Marnotti’s copy in that envelope right there on the
top," he in-formed Augie, proud of himself for having
been so helpful.
Augie handed the envelope over to Jay, "Well, there you
are. I hope this helps." He turned back to Ed and said, "Is
suite 3 ready for autopsy yet Ed?"
Ed’s smile faded. "I’m right on it Dr. August." He then
excused himself and headed back the way he came.
"Nice kid," Jay remarked.
"Sorry, what was that?" Asked Augie, totally immersed in
the results of Kylie-Anne’s tox screens.
"Something there?" Jay asked. He shuf-fled closer to
Augie, reading over his shoulder.
"Halothane."
"What?"
"The swabs from her nose and throat showed positive
traces of Halothane."
"What exactly is Halothane, what does it do?"
"It’s like a date rape drug. It totally im-mobilises a person,
but at the same time they are fully conscious of what is
going on around them. It’s like being completely
paralysed."
"Was there any found on Tessa Hunts body?"
"No, as I said, her results were completely clear for any
substances."
Jay puzzled over the finding for a min-ute. "Maybe we are
dealing with a female killer. Son of a bitch! All this time, I
was sure it was a guy."
"Slow down Jay, this doesn’t prove any-thing," cautioned
Augie.
"It proves that he or she was worried enough that they
couldn’t overpower Kylie-Anne without the aid of a stifling
agent."
"Or, it could mean that your killer is all for making life
easier for him or herself. You said yourself that the
murderer is upgrading himself, speaking figuratively of
course." Augie offered.
"Damn it," Jay stomped his foot on the floor in
frustration. "What is going on here?"
"Wait a moment, what’s this?" Augie’s brow furrowed.
"What?"
"Her rape kit… It’s positive for spermicide. Just a
suggestion Jay, but perhaps the two cases aren’t linked
at all. Maybe the similarities are a coincidence."
"That’s a big maybe Augie. Perhaps our killer is gaining
confidence and he’s moving up to rape."
"You could be right."
"Well, we all know rape is about the power, not the sex
itself," Jay reminded him.
"I myself, tend to agree with your theory of one killer,
however, I also believe that to rule out all other
possibilities at this stage would be a critical mistake."
"Okay," Jay said. "What makes you think that the killer
may be the same?"
"This is just my personal opinion and I can’t prove
anything…"
"I understand, go on."
"The mutilation. What are the chances that there are two
killers running around at the exact same time, cutting up
bodies in the exact same manner?"
Jay nodded his head, "Anything else?"
"Technically speaking, the incisions that were made in the
abdomen. They were similar in starting position, length,
depth and the foetus removal was precise with each girl.
The placenta’s were left in tact with each victim."
"Why do you think the placenta was left behind?"
"Maybe your killer has their reasons, maybe it’s just
chance. But I do know that he or she is improving with
handling the knife. Kylie-Anne’s abdominal wounds were
severe, but much cleaner and smoother than Tessa’s.
Apart from the different tools used to make the incisions
and the rape of Kylie-Anne, everything else between the
two cases is unquestionably similar."
"Gees Augie, this is just more twisted than I can fathom,"
said Jay.
"Look, take your tox copies back to work and I’ll read mine
thoroughly. If there’s any other discrepancies, I’ll call you
immediately." With that, Augie returned to the viewing
room and left Jay in the corridor to gather his thoughts.
A minute or two later, Frank Saunders emerged from the
viewing room. His eyes were red and swollen from the
tears they had shed. It had been a long time since Jay
had seen a man so broken and beaten. His determination
to bring this killer to justice grew even stronger as he
stood there looking at Frank.
"So many things…"
"I don’t understand," Jay answered.
Frank cleared his throat and started again. "There were so
many terrible things I said to her, so many things."
"I’m sure she is at peace now. Don’t beat yourself up over
them."
"Is she? Does she really know that we did love her and
that we only did what we thought was best for her and
Ashleigh?"
Jay stared at him before answering. "We all do what we
think is right, Frank.
That’s why we do what we do, isn’t it?"
"The monster who did this, was he doing what he thought
was right?"
"We can’t say for sure that it was a man…"
"Oh cut the formalities, Jay. I don’t give a shit if he was a
she. Just find the damn animal that did this!"
"We’re trying, Frank.‛ Jay stood up again and approached
him. ‚But we need your help too."
"Our help? What can we do?" he shot back. "We didn’t
murder her."
"I’m not saying you did. I’m just saying that we need any
information on Kylie-Anne that you may have. What
seems irrelevant to you could be vital to our
investigation."
"Like what? What sort of information?"
"The names of any of her friends or places she frequented,
that sort of stuff. What was your last conversation with
her?"
"I already told you last night, we haven’t spoken to our
daughter for over three years. It was such a long time
ago."
"Think, Frank. Where would she have gone?"
"Honestly, I don’t know. She was heavy into drugs,
marijuana mainly. She could have shacked up with any of
the losers she was buying that from."
"Do you know any of them, their names or where they
live?"
"No. Look, all I know is that I know noth-ing about my
daughter’s life before three and a half years ago. I knew or
understood very little of her, even back then."
"I’m sorry to have to push you like this, especially under
these circumstances, but Ashleigh?"
"What about her?"
"Who is her father?"
"I have no idea and to be truthful. I don’t know that Kylie-
Anne even knew."
Frank reached for his hanky again, before breaking into
tears.
Jay realised that he wasn’t going to get anything of value
from him. He obviously knew very little about his
daughter’s private affairs. "Thank you, Frank. I appreciate
you being so helpful. If you’d like to come back to
reception with me, we can finalise the release of Kylie-
Anne’s body to your preferred funeral home for burial."
"Yes, I’d appreciate that, Jay." Frank tucked his hanky
back into his pants pocket and followed Jay towards the
reception.








CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The monotone voice of the message bank assistant cut
in. "You have one new message. Message received
yesterday at 11.27pm"
'Detective Payne, this is Marla Andrews from the
Wellness Clinic, I need to speak to you, as soon as
possible. It’s important. There is something you should
know; I can’t go into it now. Can you please call me back?
Thank you.'
Ben listened to the message again. The desperation in
her voice was evident. He saved her message on his
phone, threw it onto the bed and headed straight for the
shower, finally there was going to be more than cracks
appearing down at the Wellness Clinic. Marla was going to
blow the lid clean off the place, he could hear it in her
voice. For the first time in almost a month of investigating
Tessa’s murder, he saw a glimmer of hope shining at the
end of the long, black tunnel he’d been walking down.
Ben threw the phone onto his bedside table and headed
into the bathroom.
He stepped into the shower, cold water splashed over his
face. His entire body felt invigorated by the drops that
rained down upon him. His thoughts travelled back to his
visit to the Wellness Clinic and his interview with Marla
and Dr. Sugars, finally the reason for their odd behaviour
and caginess would be revealed. Ben knew with every
ounce of his being, that today would change his, and
Jay’s case; in a way they had never anticipated. He flicked
the taps off and reached for the towel draped over the
railing beside the shower cubicle. Wrapping it securely
around him, he hurried into his bed-room, pulled a set of
clothes from the hanger on his robe door and slipped
into them.
He grabbed his phone and stuffed it excitedly into his
shirt pocket before rushing downstairs, his pulse racing
in anticipation of Marla’s upcoming revelation. Once or
twice he chided himself for being so excited, that’s how
mistakes are made and vital information is overlooked.
He made his way to the kitchen bench and pulled a coffee
cup from the cup-board. Determined to slow himself
down he set the jug to boil and searched for his
notebook. Plucking it from amongst the debris on the
living room coffee table, he flipped through it and
surveyed his previous notes. This time he would get what
he was looking for if he had to set up camp in the
wellness clinic waiting room.
The kettle wailed it’s shrill whistle, alert-ing him that it had
boiled. Ben placed his, coffee, sugar and milk in the cup
followed by the water. He stirred it vigorously, all the while
the excitement of what Marla was about to reveal to him
was building inside him. After two sips, he was unable to
contain himself any longer, he had been waiting for a
break for so long and now he was going to get it. He
poured the unfinished coffee down the sink and rinsed
his cup quickly before placing it upside down on the
drainer. With not so much as a second thought, he
snatched the keys from the holder and made a beeline for
the car.
He backed down the driveway and out onto the street,
with a swift gear change he found himself nestled
amongst the flow of traffic, heading east towards the city
centre. Twenty minutes later, he turned onto Link Avenue
and then onto Fort Street before halting steadily in the
nearest parking bay he could find. Ben turned off the
engine and sat in his seat, the anticipation of what he was
about to learn paralysing him. Deep breaths filled his
lungs with fresh air before escaping from his mouth ready
for the next intake. He pulled the sun visor down and
stared at his reflection in the tiny personal mirror behind
it. He studied his eyes and the sternness he wanted them
to hold, he pursed his lips in an attempt to remain firm. It
was time; he was ready.
The glass doors and marble columns that had so
impressed him before, no longer intimi-dated or held awe
for him. He was focussed. With one hand, he pushed on
the glass entrance, marched across the immaculately
shiny tiles and straight up to the reception counter. Just
as he was about to open his mouth, a petite red head
stared up at him and smiled courteously.
"Good morning, Sir, how may I help you?"
"What?" he choked out.
"How may I help you?" she continued, clearly confused by
his stalled behaviour.
"Who are you, where’s Marla?"
"My name is Sandy. I’m sorry, Sir, I can’t give you any
personal information. Is there something else I can help
you with?"
"Sandy…"
"Yes?"
"You go and get Marla and tell her Detective Payne is
here to see her… please."
"Detective? Uumm, well…"
"What? It’s a simple request."
"Marla didn’t come in today, Sir."
"She what? Well when did she call in sick?"
Sandy’s eyes darted around like a frightened deer, "Well I…
I Don’t…"
"Where’s Dr. Sugars?"
"Oh, I’m sorry, Detective, she can’t be disturbed, she’s on
a conference call at the moment."
Something inside Ben snapped, the Wellness Clinic, Marla
and Dr. Sugars had jerked him around for the last time.
He spun on his heel and marched deliberately down the
corridor and crashed through the door at the end.
Sandy ran out from behind her desk and scurried after
him. "Wait, Detective… You can’t go in there!"
Ben turned and faced Sandy when he stepped into the
office, then with a wry smile, slammed the door in her
face. He spun around and saw Dr. Sugars sitting behind
her expensive oak desk, her eyes bulging and her mouth
slightly ajar.
"Where’s Marla?"
"Well, good morning to you too! What gives you the right
to come barging into my office this way? I hope you have a
warrant, Detective." Her cool words sprayed from her
mouth like venom.
"No, I don’t have a warrant, Rose… I can still call you Rose,
can’t I?" The sarcasm oozed from his lips. "I have
something much better than a warrant."
"And what would that be?"
"A need."
"Excuse me… A what?"
"A need, Rose. A need to speak to Marla, a need to know
what’s going on here, a need to get to the truth of these
murders I’m investigating and…"
"Get out of my office immediately…"
"Don’t interrupt me please, I am express-ing myself." He
spat back at her before continuing on unabated. "I need
to know why you are playing games with us?"
"Us?"
"Yes, Detective Marnotti and myself. Us."
"I’m not playing…"
"Where is Marla, Rose?"
"She’s sick."
"What time did she call in?"
"She didn’t."
"So what time did you call her?"
"I didn’t call her."
"So how do you know she’s sick?"
"I just assumed…"
"Does she often skip work and not call you?"
"No, never…"
"So wouldn’t you consider this a little odd?"
"Well, yes I guess so, but…"
"Why didn’t you call her Rose?"
"I… I… I was going to."
"What, you decided you’d wait until morning tea time
huh?"
Rose wrung her hands together so tightly that her
knuckles turned white, her eyes avoided Ben’s and she
slumped in her chair. "No, I just thought…"
"What is going on here, Rose, be straight with me before I
haul you down to the station for obstruction!"
The colour drained from her face and she sighed deeply.
"We had a fight last night, when I dropped her home." Her
words were barely a whisper and she covered her face with
her hands.
"About what?"
Rose regained some composure and sat a little stiffer in
her seat. "About her pregnancy."
"She’s pregnant?"
"Yes. She was planning to terminate and she didn’t want
me to tell her Father."
"And why would she be worried about you telling her
Father? You’re just her…"
"Mother!" She hissed, cutting him short.
"You are Marla’s mother?" Ben stepped back, the shock
knocking the wind out of him. Glancing behind him, he
moved to his left and sat in the easy chair.
"Yes, Detective. I bet you didn’t see that one coming did
you?"
"Why didn’t you tell me this before?"
"You never asked… I didn’t see that it was important, and
quite frankly I still don’t. I am only telling you now so that
you understand why I haven’t contacted her today. I’m
giving her some space. She’ll cool down and be back at
work tomorrow. That, I am certain of."
Ben sat forward in his chair and stared di-rectly into her
pale blue eyes. "What else haven’t you told me that you
think isn’t important, Rose?"
She raised her silvering eyebrows and looked away,
"Nothing. There is nothing to tell."
"Oh, I think there’s a lot to tell and I am going to keep
digging until I find it, so you’d better get used to seeing
my face around here, Rose." He pushed himself up from
the easy chair and walked towards the door. "What’s
Marla’s address?"
"What do you want that for? I told you, she’ll be just…"
"Her address please, Rose. Now."
She slumped back again and whispered, "42 Mayberry
Terrace."
"Thanks for your time. I look forward to seeing you again
soon."
Back at his car, he turned the key and the engine roared to
life, the power purring from beneath the bonnet in waves.
While the car sat there idle, Ben pulled his phone from his
pocket and called Jay.
"Jayy?"
"Yo, Ben… what’s up?"
"You busy?"
"Just leaving the morgue," he replied.
"You got a positive I.D. from the parents then?"
"From Frank, yeah. Where are you?"
"I can’t explain too much right now, can you meet me?"
"Sure. Is everything ok Ben?"
"I don’t know, Jayy, I guess we are about to find out. I’ll
be at 42 Mayberry Terrace."
"Got it,‛ said Jay. ‚See you there in ten."
Ending the call, Ben threw the phone down on the
passenger seat of the car, shifted into reverse and rolled
out of the car park before joining the stream of traffic. The
congestion on the highway was murder, bumper to
bumper for as far as he could see. Just what he needed to
cap off his already badly started day. It always annoyed
Ben when it took twenty minutes just to get from one
side of Showsdale city centre to the other, it would have
been quicker to travel the outskirts. More kilometers but
fewer hold ups. By ten-fifteen, he had successfully negoti-
ated his way from east to west and made a right turn onto
Evergreen Crescent followed by a left into Applegum Drive
and a final right onto Mayberry Terrace. The area was
commonly referred to as Shrub City by the locals due to
the streets of the four square blocks, all being named
after trees and flowers of sorts.
He rolled slowly along Mayberry Terrace, noting the
development of the surroundings. There were at least five
vacant blocks, two houses in the process of being built
and a further three blocks under excavation. Ahead of him
was a cul-de-sac lined with dense bush land. Ben thought
how eerie it must appear to the naked eye at night. It
would be a child’s nightmare to have that as the view from
their bedroom window. Number 42 appeared on his left at
the end of the cul-de-sac, the single story timber home
butted directly up against the scrub, with not so much as
a fence dividing the house from the nature strip.
Ben came to a halt in front of the quaint ivory and green
painted home. He remained in his car and observed the
house before him. The driveway was bricked up, quite
loosely too he thought. The front steps appeared to be in
need of some repair and a new paint job. Compared to
the rest of the house, the railing was old and peeling. He
tried to imagine Marla standing out in the heat with a can
of paint and a brush… no wonder it hadn’t been fixed. A
brief smile tugged at his lips, he couldn’t imagine a
woman such as her ever getting her hands dirty.
The sound of Jay’s cruiser filled his ears. Ben looked in
his rear vision mirror and saw him turn into Mayberry
Terrace. He roared along and pulled up behind him,
honking his horn as a final alert to his presence. He
grabbed his phone from the seat next to him and
climbed out of the Chevy, locking the door behind him.
He stood on the roadside for a moment and waited for
Jay to climb down from his cruiser.
"Gees, Ben. What are we doin’ out n the sticks?"
"Thought we’d pay a little visit to the Ice Queen," he joked.
"Really? You mean this is where she lives?" Jay stared at
the rather plain house.
"I kinda pictured her as the brick and tile type."
"Me too. She’s just full of surprises isn’t she?"
"Now why do I feel that there’s more to that question than
meets the ear?"
"Marla left a message on my phone last night," said Ben
pulling out his phone. He entered his message bank,
keyed in his pin and threw his phone to Jay. "Here, you
listen for yourself."
Jay held the phone to his ear and listened intently.
"Sounds like she had some pretty beefy news for ya. So is
that why we’re here?" He threw the phone back to Ben.
"Marla didn’t show for work today."
Jay stared at Ben.
"I called by the Wellness Clinic only to find some little red
head where Marla should have been."
"What did the good doctor have to say about it?" Asked
Jay.
"Rose hadn’t heard from her. Boy is she some piece of
work though."
"How so?"
"Let’s just say she is full of secrets." He glanced back at
Jay and added, "She is Marla’s mother."
"Now there’s an image I can live with-out!"
Ben chuckled and walked up the brick driveway looking
around the yard as he went. Jay followed, lighting a
cigarette as he walked behind him. Upon reaching the
front steps, Ben held his arm out and said to Jay, "After
you."
"Are you kidding? Those damn things don’t even look like
they would hold my weight!"
"Oh alright then… you sook," laughed Ben, his foot lifting
to the first step.
A couple of steps later he was at the front door, the paint
job on that was looking a little worse for ware too. Ben
raised his hand and knocked several times loudly, then
stood back and waited for Marla to appear. He looked
back down at Jay.
"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.
Jay was disappearing around the side. ‚Just checking the
joint out. No harm in looking is there?‛
"Well mind your manners, we have no warrant you know."
He looked back at the door, Marla still hadn’t answered,
he banged louder and waited a bit longer.
"Yo, Ben…" Jay yelled from around the side of the house.
"You might wanna come take a look at this."
Ben left the front door, scooted down the steps and raced
around the side of the house, following Jay’s voice. He
was hit in the face with various tree branches and foliage
from the unbridled nature strip
"Shit," he cussed loudly.
"Over here, Ben."
A few steps further, the scrub was down trodden and Jay
was standing aside staring up at an open window, the
glass broken and splinters of wood strewn about the
ground and architrave.
Ben took a minute to digest the scene and then said,
"Jayy, these shards of glass and splinters of wood are on
the outside. Why would someone break out?" He thought
a few seconds longer and then it dawned on him. "Unless
someone was dragged or pushed out?"
Jay looked at him, his face stern, "Who needs a warrant?
We’ve just found probable cause."






CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Anna scoured her case files carefully, looking for any hint
or cryptic clue that may be present. Ever since Ben had
come to see her last night, she had been searching her
memory for any comments that Tessa or Kylie-Anne may
have made that held commonalities or some sort of link
that could be important to their deaths. Neither of them
knew the other, or so she believes, neither of them
mentioned any names that were the same or similar. As
far as she knew, they were from different backgrounds
entirely. Tessa appeared to be more refined in her
appearance and what she wanted from life, whereas Kylie-
Anne was more comfortable living the seedier side of life,
dabbling in drugs and casual sex.
Her mind wandered back to Ben, his coolness last night
had been everything she had never expected or
experienced from him before. It had thrown her. She had
always been able to handle him, pacify him, now it
appeared that she had lost that control. She wasn’t sure
what upset her the most, his treatment of her or the fact
that she hadn’t been able to subdue him. Either way she
realised that what he needed from her was far more
important than what she needed from him. Perhaps this
once she could let him take charge and be the man he
had always tried to be with her. Two women were dead
and Ben was at a loss for the motive or a suspect.
The stack of files before her were all re-lated to the
Wellness Clinic, their referrals for the last six months. She
had been through them all, and not one of them bore any
marked similari-ties to another. The only things they had
in common were they were all pregnant and had sought
advice from the wellness clinic. Marla Andrews file sat on
the very top of the pile. Marla had been referred just last
week, much to Anna’s surprise. She knew Marla personally
from her dealings with the clinic and was a little shocked
that she hadn’t gone elsewhere for her counselling and
termination procedure. Anna couldn’t imagine having a
termination at a clinic where she worked. She wouldn’t be
comfortable with her boss knowing that she had the
proce-dure done. It struck her as odd. But then, so too
was Marla and Dr. Sugars for that matter.
In all her dealings with them they had been pleasant and
professional enough, that was true, but there was
definitely something odd with those two. They were
usually more than helpful to her when she had phoned
them regarding their clients, although there was that one
time… Yes, what was that? Anna sifted back through the
files in front of her, pulling out a thin one and placing it
on the desk in front of her. She opened it and scanned
the few sheets of paper inside. A young homeless girl.
That’s right, Marla had snapped at her when she phoned
her to ask if the termination had actually been carried out
because the girl hadn’t returned for her follow up consult.
It had shocked her at first, she was only doing what she
was being paid to do and nearly had her head bitten off
for her troubles. She learned not to ask too many
questions after that. Dr. Sugars had phoned a few days
later asking if Anna had heard from the young girl as she
hadn’t had the termination she was scheduled for and
hadn’t returned to the clinic again. Rose expressed her
concern about the girl and said that if she returned to see
Anna, she was to allow her in and they would pick up the
tab. Anna recalled thinking how generous the offer was as
Dr. Sugars had made it crystal clear from the beginning
that nothing other than termination discussions were
being paid for.
Her head crowded with thoughts and questions, Anna
closed the file and threw it back onto the pile in front of
her. She rose from her chair, scooped up the files and
walked them into her records room where she placed
them back in the cabinet. She closed the draw and locked
it with the key. Her arms stretched above her head and
she let out a deep breath, her regular relaxation
technique. She could feel every aching muscle pull tightly
with each lengthening of her arms and then recoil in
respite. Once she released all her tensions, Anna returned
to her office and stared at the envelope sitting on her
desk.
Her divorce papers had been delivered this morning. Ben
must have signed them earlier than expected. She was in
two minds about them now. Part of her was relieved that
the worst was over and yet some small part of her realised
that she had now lost the only man in her life who she
could always count on to come running when things got
tough. Sure, he was not the husband he could have been,
but he was always there to bail her out of whatever mess
she got herself into. If only he had have been more
supportive of her, loved her unquestionably and been
beside her when it had really counted.
Just like Daddy, Ben had used her for whatever purpose he
may have felt like at the time, but his love was conditional.
If she wanted it, she had to uphold her end of the bargain
and make him happy, whatever that meant. But, just like
Daddy, Anna had found her way free of Ben and his
conditions too. Neither of them have a right to bother her
again nor will they. Apart from her role in the case Ben is
working on right now, he won’t play a part in her life
anymore. A smile spread across her face, she was finally
free. Life was good.

CHAPTER NINETEEN
Flashing neon lights of red and blue lit up Mayberry
Terrace. People from the surrounding houses stood on
their front lawns watching, their curiosity apparent. Police
officers walked from family to family, scribbling in their
notebooks and questioning them about their neighbour
at number 42. The striking yellow crime scene tape was
wound tightly from Marla’s driveway right across her front
yard to the bush land at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Barricades were set up in front of the bush land and
beside the house. On the front porch CSU dusted the
railing, door and windows for prints, their brushes
whirling gracefully from side to side, transferring the fine,
black powder onto their surface.
Inside, another crew from forensics worked the bedroom
where the broken glass and splinters had originated. The
crime scene photographer made the rounds of the
bedroom, clicking away at every piece of possible evidence
from every possible angle. He documented each
photograph in a small notebook as he went about his
rounds. 'The Duke‛, aptly nicknamed due to his
unfortunate name of Earl Lord, busily gathered pieces of
the broken window frame and small shards of glass,
which were strew about the floor below the bedroom
window. These pieces of evidence were placed into small
containers and documented according to their nature,
relevance and position at the crime scene.
"You get a shot of these here, Matt?" he’d asked the
photographer before he touched a single splinter or
shard.
"Sure did," was always the reply.
The Duke dusted the remaining window-pane, frame and
ledge for prints, not that he expected to find any other
than Marla’s. In this day and age of forensic T.V. shows
and police procedurals, it was unlikely that any perp left
prints anymore, but there was always the small chance
that would-be villain would be so involved with the finer
details of his or her crime, that they may forget the most
basic detail of all… gloves! The chances were slim, but it
was still a shot worth taking. He opened the small metal
canister of dusting powder, dipped the brush in and
coated it lightly with the black powder before swirling it
delicately back and forth over every square inch of
dustable surface. A number of latents stood out
immediately around the edge of the pane, where the
window lock sat.
"Get a shot of this for me will you, Matt?" he asked.
Matt stepped in with his camera and clicked away before
meticulously noting the shots in his book.
"Thanks," said The Duke and then set about lifting the
prints from the window with his sticky tape like, latent’s
cards. Once again each individual card was labeled and
docu-mented according to where it was found. "Have you
photographed the outside perimeters yet? Might be an
idea to get to it as soon as possible before the heavy
hooves go traipsing through there destroying any value it
may hold," he instructed Matt.
Matt shot him a playful wink and replied, "Already done
my man, already done!"
The Duke then moved over to the Queen size bed against
the wall in the centre of the bedroom. He noted the ruffled
covers and disorganised sheets, two pillows were lying on
the floor beside the bed and one was crushed up between
the bed frame and the wall. He in-spected the sheets for
any visible signs of fluids or hairs. He pulled his tweezers
and a small orange collection envelope from his case,
hoping against hope that he may find something other
than the victims hairs caught within the linen. He
collected and stored several strands of long
black hair and sealed them safely in the enve-lope. No
fluids were visible to the naked eye, but airing on the side
of caution, the entire set of sheets and the doonah were
stuffed into evidence bags for closer inspection under the
lights and microscopes back at the lab.
He continued on his rounds, using a small vacuum
cleaner to sweep the floor of any fibres, hairs and other
possibly case breaking evidence. As per the norm, it was
all fastidiously documented and sealed within the
confines of his evidence bags. He turned back to the
photogra-pher and said, "If you’re ready, we’ll move and
take a look at the rest of the house, Matt. I think we’re
pretty much done in here."
"Ready when you are," Matt replied.
Outside, a search party, consisting of po-lice officers and
S.E.S workers, were gathering next to the barricades in
front of the scrub. The tiny cul-de-sac was a beehive of
activity. Ben and Jay stood at the head of the crowd,
waiting for the idle prattle to die down before instructing
them on what or who they are looking for.
"Right, a bit of hush eh?" Jay bellowed out above the
crowd.
The dull roar of voices lowered and fi-nally ceased
altogether. Jay had at least thirty sets of eyes all focused
and set on him.
"Ok, thanks. Now what we’re looking for here, are any
signs of our suspected victim Marla Andrews. All signs
point to an abduction possibly even foul play. Our best
plan of attack at this stage is to scour the scrub here," he
turned and pointed into the dense bush land behind him,
"For clues."
The crowd of men and women all stared at the thick
foliage, towering scattering of trees and leaf and twig
covered ground. They then turned to each other with
looks of dismay and lower than average hopes.
"Detective Payne is circulating among you now with a
photocopied picture of our missing woman."
Ben walked through the search party and handed out the
colour photocopy of Marla. Jay continued with his
speech. "It is not known what she may have been wearing
at the time of her disappearance so any cloth or other
items of apparel may be of the highest importance and
should be treated as evidence. Do we all have our
whistles?"
The crowd tooted lightly on the whistles hanging around
their necks in response.
"Excellent. It’s now eleven forty-five, let’s meet back here at
one thirty for updates and refreshments. So please make
sure your water bottles are topped up and you have hats
and sunscreen."
The crowd formed a long thin line and walked towards the
barricades. "One last thing," cried Jay. "Please make sure
you are within plain view of the search party on either side
of you at all times. Ok, that’s it. Thanks and good luck."
The search party made their way past the barricades and
entered the canopy of the scrub behind them, their hopes
were high and their motivation even higher.
"Do you think they’ll find her?" Ben asked as he watched
the searchers disappear into the trees.
Jay nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, I reckon they
will."
The men walked back towards the side of the house where
the window had been smashed. The Duke was down on
one knee collecting whatever splinters and glass shards
he could find from the grass.
"I’m all done in the bedroom up there," he nudged his
nose up towards the window. "I found a small piece of
torn stocking caught on a sliver of glass out here." He
held up a clear plastic bag and showed them the piece of
tan coloured netting.
Ben took the bag from him and had a closer inspection,
he handed it to Jay and said, "Stockings. I’d guess that
Marla wasn’t in bed when she was taken."
"How you figure that?" Jay asked.
"You ever known a woman to wear stockings to bed?"
"There’s a good point!" Jay smiled back.
"What do you think, Jay? Could this be our killer…
again?"
Jay stood up straight, placed his hands on his hips and
lowered his head. "I’m thinking so, it’d be just too much
of a coincidence for it to be a totally unrelated abduction.
Don’t ya think?"
"Unfortunately, I tend to agree with you, but we can always
hope eh?" Ben asked, clinging to a ray of hope.
The bush land behind them suddenly came alive with the
echoes of yelling and whistles screeching their shrill wails.
Any hope Ben had been clinging to was lost. A young
officer came bolting out from between the trees, gasping
and panting.
"We’ve found her, about half a kilometer in." He scrambled
for air and then continued. "She’s dead, oh Christ… I’ve
never seen…" Before he could finish his sentence, he
lunged back to the scrub and vomited.
Ben and Jay exchanged glances and prepared for the
real nightmare to unfold before them.
"I’ll go check it out," Ben sighed, "you wait here with Duke
until I confirm her identity. Okay, Jayy?"
"You want me to do it?"
"No thanks, mate. I’ve got it covered." Ben winced and
walked off into the scrub. The dense foliage gave way to a
scattering of trees and small ferns as Ben stepped further
into the bush land. Only the occasional crackling and
scrunching of leaves and twigs, beneath his feet,
interrupted his thoughts. Even thought there had been
no rain recently, the air felt and smelled damp. It
reminded him more of a rainforest than bush land.
Muffled voices sounded ahead of him. Ben looked up and
saw a swarm of search and rescue volunteers all gathered
around the base of a large Eucalypt tree.
"Detective," yelled one man, "over here."
Ben continued his walk towards the crowd, his heart
thumping wildly in his chest. His legs suddenly felt as
though they were made of steel and he was unsure if they
would even carry him any further. They did.
"Okay, stand aside boys." He gestured with his hand and
the crowd parted. "Sweet Jesus!" Cried Ben.
He recalled the Hunt crime scene and it had been no
picnic. But this… this was horrendous. Marla was semi
naked; her arms were behind her and tied to a rope that
had been wrapped around the trunk of the Eucalypt tree.
Both her legs bore deep cuts and bruises. Once again, the
abdominal region was horribly mutilated and ripped
open. Her breasts had been removed, only this time
instead of taking them; the killer had placed them in
Marla’s hands and tied them in place. It appeared that this
act was personal. Tessa Hunt and Kylie-Anne Saunders’
murders didn’t bear that characteristic.
‚That’s Marla Andrews alright,‛ he mumbled to the
volunteer closest to him. ‚You lot stay here until the
coroner shows up. You three,‛ Ben pointed to a line of
men, ‚come with me.‛ He led the men out of the bush
land and back to the barricades at the end of the cul-de-
sac. ‚I want you to spread out along here and keep the
press out! Is that clear?‛
The men nodded.
"Right." Said Ben before walking back over to the house.
"That look on your face tells me it’s Marla for sure," Jay
said, his tone low.
"Yes." Was all Ben could manage.
"Oh hell. You want me to break the news to Rose?" Jay
asked.
"Would you? I’m not up to dealing with her right now." He
turned to The Duke and said, "Might be best if you call
Seth, we’re going to need him. We’re going to need some
photo’s in there too."
"You got it," the Duke replied, pulling out his mobile
phone.
Ben looked back at Jay. "Okay, Jayy, you get going to
Rose’s and I’ll call you later."
"Oh shit!" cried Jay, walking back to the street in front of
the house.
Ben ran up behind him to see what was going on.
"Looks like she’s saved me a trip," Jay said, pointing to
the silver Volkswagon convertible that just pulled up out
the front of Marla’s house.
Rose leapt from her car before she had even parked it
properly, leaving the door wide open and the keys still
dangling from the ignition. "Marla, Marla…"
Jay cut her off before she was able to en-ter the house;
his big arms wrapped tightly around her and held her
from going any further.
"Where’s Marla?" her eyes widened, pleading with him to
dull her fears. "Where is she Detective?"
Jay held her tighter, "I’m so sorry, Rose. I’m so sorry."
She beat her fists harshly against his broad chest, tears
welling in her eyes. "No! No, no, no, no."















CHAPTER TWENTY
Marla’s murder was still foremost on Jay’s mind as he
twisted the taps off and stepped out of the shower. He
grabbed for a towel and dried himself off before wrapping
it tightly around his hips. Maybe it was the fact that he
knew her that allowed her death to keep intruding upon
his thoughts. She wasn’t his first homicide case and she
probably wouldn’t be his last. It felt rather odd to Jay
that he had been at the scene of a crime all afternoon and
now, here he was preparing for a date. In what warped
existence does a person live with morbidity day in and day
out and then simply switch from the macabre to the
everyday run of life?
"No, not tonight! Tonight is not about murder and death.
It’s my night," he ordered himself to let go of his job for
one night.
Jay stooped down and buried his hand deep into the
furthest recesses of his bathroom cupboard. He was sure
he had some cologne stashed in there. Leaning in further
still, his arm now almost devoured by the cabinet, he felt
the old familiar shape of his bottle of 'Drive, For Men‛ after
shave. With a vice-like grip, he grabbed the bottle and
reefed it from the shelf, then untangled himself from the
midst of other personal hygiene products he’d tossed
about during the search. His feet kicked and shoved the
discarded items out from under him and he stood
proudly in front of the mirror, the spoils of his quest in
hand.
The lid popped off the bottle with a little gentle
persuasion and Jay immersed himself with the
contents, ensuring he covered every square inch from his
cheeks and ears all the way down to his navel. He threw
the cologne onto the vanity top and ran his hands across
his face, his fingers inspecting the closeness of his shave.
Tonight was the big night and he was going impress, he
wanted Danni and he wanted her to want him just as
much. He wasn’t sure of what would happen during their
date, but the one thing he was certain of. Tonight there
would be no sex, no going home with her, he wanted this
night to be different, special, and he was deter-mined it
would be.
A pair of blue denim jeans dangled from a hanger on his
robe door, he pulled them on and tucked in his steely
blue, dress shirt. He threaded a black, woven leather belt
through the holders in his jeans and fastened it with his
favourite oversized cowboy buckle. The damn thing was
nearly three inches squared and
weighed as much as Bill Gate’s bank balance, but Jay
liked it and wore it proudly. His trusty Redwings sat on
the floor before him, he eyed them momentarily and at
the last minute opted for his black lace up shoes instead.
He pulled them on and began to tie the laces into
perfectly neat bows.
"Shit!" he cried. His concentration had been such that he
had somehow managed to overlook one very important
item of clothing… His socks! Jay reprimanded himself
for acting so foolishly; he was only going on a date for
crying out loud. It wasn’t the first date he’d ever been on,
however it was the first date in a long time that he was
excited enough about to forget to dress himself properly.
He walked slowly to the bathroom mirror and studied his
appearance carefully, confident that all was as it should
be, he brushed his hair and sprayed his mouth with
breath freshener.
The neatly handwritten printing on the coaster Danni had
given him, read 14 Cloverdale Street. Jay stared at it
briefly admiring the structure of her letters and the way
she inserted a small circle over the top of the letter I in her
name, it was sweet. A little childish perhaps, but that may
be just what he needs, a fresh burst of enthusiasm to
kick-start his often morbid existence. All of a sudden it
occurred to Jay that he knew absolutely nothing about
her, he didn’t even know how old she was. She would
have to be at least eighteen he reasoned, other-wise she
couldn’t legally be working in a bar. Tonight he would find
out all about her. Jay pulled his phone from the charger
and began to stuff it in his pocket when it started ringing.
"Yeah, Marnotti."
"Jay. It’s, Paula."
"Paula, glad to hear from ya. What did ya manage to dig
up for me?"
"A real surprise packet… lots of juicy tid bits for you to
sink your teeth into actually. I think your going to like it."
"What can I say, you’re a real dirt hound…"
"I’ll take that as a compliment shall I?" said Paula,
laughing.
"I guess you can."
"Anyway, Jayy. I dropped by the station house today,
thought I’d save you coming to me."
"You didn’t leave it in plain view did ya?" He asked, his
panic rising.
"Hell no! What do you take me for? This is on the hush
remember? I’m looking after my own ass here too you
know."
"Good girl, I knew I could count on you." Jay relaxed a
little and drew back on his cigarette. "So where can I find
this fountain of knowledge then?"
"I still have it with me. I thought we might meet tomorrow
sometime and discuss it?"
Jay thought for a moment. "Sure, why not. Where and
what time, Paula?" He asked.
"How does 11.30 at Café Cino fit for you?"
"Yeah, should be able to do that. I got an autopsy first up,
but I can meet ya right after."
"Great, you have my number?"
"I sure do, I’ll give you a call when I’m done." He hung up
the phone.
Jay smiled a knowing smile, this would bring about
Anna’s day of reckoning. Although Paula hadn’t said
much to him, he could tell that whatever she found was
definitely going to be pay dirt. He tucked the phone into
his pocket and grabbing his suede jacket from the end of
the bed, headed to his car. He would deal with Anna
tomorrow. Tonight was for him and Danni.
His cruiser came to rest noisily in front of a cream
coloured cottage. It’s green trim and guttering reminded
him of the cute little ocean-side huts he’d once stayed in
while holidaying with mates from uni. He looked at it,
wondering if she was renting it or if she owned it. Not that
he cared, but if it was hers he could already see about half
a dozen things he would have to do to the place in order
to make it 'safe‛. The camphor laurel tree that butted up
against the side window would need to be trimmed,
security screens would need to be installed and the stack
of pavers next to the steps would definitely have to go.
This house was just crying to be broken into and all the
tools to do so were easily accessible. Jay flipped down
the visor and gave himself one last look over in the mirror
before he walked to the door.
The pathway was unsteady beneath his feet and he almost
lost his footing twice, the pavers he had seen beside the
steps were obviously waiting to replace the loose ones.
"Hi there." Danni’s voice pulled his attention away from
the paving.
Jay looked up and was greeted with the most beautiful
sight he had ever laid his eyes upon. Her blonde curls fell
casually over her naked shoulders; her full lips were
coated with pale mauve lip-gloss and those eyes… They
were the deepest brown he had ever seen.
"Hey," he managed with a pleased smile. In an attempt to
play down his awe, he quickly commented on her house.
"Nice digs… yours?"
She looked around her, nodding. "Sure is, and all eight
hundred square meters of ground it sits on!"
Jay kept staring at her, but said nothing.
"Well technically the bank owns it."
"Yeah, blood thirsty savages that they are. Mine too."
"What?" Her confusion was obvious.
"The bank… They own mine too."
"Oh, yeah." A nervous laugh escaped her.
He surveyed the yard again, clicking his tongue and
turning in half circles.
Danni followed his lead and looked around her,
bewilderment in her eyes. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"More than you realise," he replied, still turning and
scanning.
"I know the lawns and gardens are a little overgrown, but
I’m getting to it."
"You really have no idea do ya?" he blurted out.
She stared at him, stupefied.
"Danni, this yard is just full of possibilities for a would-be
intruder." He walked over to the pavers and threw one up
in the air, catching it again and holding it up to her. "See
these? They are perfect for smashing windows and locks."
Next he motioned her to the camphor laurel tree around
the side. "Please tell me this isn’t your bedroom here?" He
said, pointing to the window.
She nodded.
He made a tisk-tisk sound with his tongue and shook his
head.
"What?" she asked, still looking confused.
"This tree, it’s as good as a ladder to get in there… It’s a
bloody welcome mat for cryin’ out loud!"
"Stop it, Jay, you’re scaring me." her words trembling as
she said them.
"Scared is good, well a little bit scared anyway… It keeps
you alert and on your toes. You just can’t be too careful
Danni."
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and
nodded. She walked behind him as he made his way back
to the pathway.
"Looks like we’ve got some work to do, doesn’t it?"
Her eyes rested on his and she tilted her head in
agreement.
"Well…" he held out his hand. "You ready then?"
"As I’ll ever be." she returned to the front door, twisted the
key and then pushed back hard against the door to
ensure it was properly locked. "Let’s go."
She walked down the front steps and took his hand.
Jay walked around to the drivers side door and got in, to
his surprise Danni simply stood on the footpath gawking
at his cruiser.
"You’ve got to be kidding?" her jaw hit the ground.
"What? Sumthin wrong with my car?" It suddenly dawned
on him that she had never seen his car before now. Both
times they had left Bluey’s together, he had been too
drunk to drive and so they had caught a taxi. Panic filled
him, maybe she wasn’t his type after all, if she didn’t like
his cruiser then she wasn’t the girl for him.
"I love these machines!" she clapped her hands on her
thighs and squealed in delight before pulling the door
open and jumping in beside him. "Wow, it’s even got a
holy shit bar."
"A what?"
"A holy shit bar," she cried as she grabbed onto the thick,
foam clad, metal bar above the dashboard. "I adore these
things. My brother and I had an old cruiser on the farm
when we were kids and we’d drive around the muddy
paddocks from daylight till dusk, just chucking do-nuts
and trying to get bogged! All the while I’d be hanging on
to this thing for dear life and screaming holy shit."
Jay roared laughing, slapping his hands against the
steering wheel he said, "Danni, you truly are a breath of
fresh air!" He fired up the engine and pulled out into the
street still chuckling to himself.
They drove for a few minutes, Jay looked at Danni and
smirked wickedly, she smiled a little apprehensively and
looked at her knees and then finally out the window.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine." Her smile wasn’t convincing.
In a desperate bid to liven the mood, he pulled his cd
wallet out from between the seats and threw it to Danni.
"See anything you like?"
She opened the dusty leather case and be-gan scanning
the array of various discs he had on offer.
"Keith Urban, Slim Dusty, Adam Brand… What are you a
country buff?" She turned to him and shot him her most
dazzling smile. "Garth Brooks… Now there’s a country
man I just go crazy over." She slid the disc out of the case
and handed it to Jay.
He pushed the CD into the player and turned the volume
up a little. It impressed him that she hadn’t given him the
big spiel about how country music is dead and only hicks
listen to that stuff. He liked her more and more with each
passing minute. She zipped the case up and placed it
back between the seats, then reached over and turned the
volume up another few notches.
"So, where are we off to this evening?"
Jay ran his eyes over her body, her breasts filled out her
off the shoulder blouse perfectly and her faded denim
jeans couldn’t have fit her shapely legs any better if he
wanted them to.
"Well the way you’re dressed, I know where I wanna take
you!"
She bowed her head and covered her eyes with her hands,
disguising her embarrassment. "Behave will you?"
"I thought we’d do something a bit different."
"Really?" she stared at him, clearly puzzled. "And what
would that be? Macca’s by moonlight?"
"What a bloody brilliant idea!" Jay swung the cruiser into
the right hand lane and spun the cruiser into a U-Turn,
heading back the way they had just come. His smile grew
broader when he flicked on his indicator and turned left
into Bank Street, then right onto Hogan Avenue and
finally turning into the McDonalds drive-thru.
Danni laughed so hard she nearly cried. "You are a bloody
classic," she choked out between her fits of hysterics.
Jay rolled his eyes at her fit of the giggles and pulled up
to the cashier at the orders window. The attendant stared
down at him and said, "Hi and welcome to McDonalds,
what would you like to order?"
"I’ll have a Big Mac, large fries, large coke, two apple pies
and…" He returned to Danni who was by now laughing so
much she couldn’t have said a word even if she wanted to.
"And she’ll have a Happy Meal!"
The cashier leaned in towards the cruiser and stared
blankly at the passenger inside, he blinked stupidly at her
once or twice, looked back at Jay and simply said, "That’ll
be $18.60 thanks, proceed to the next window and enjoy
your night."
Jay handed over the money and rolled down to the next
window where their order was waiting. He took the bag
from the young girl behind the counter and thanked her
before speeding off with his passenger still rolling around
beside him in fits of laughter.
Ten minutes later Jay pulled into the parking bay of the
best lookout in town. "Here we are," he said pulling the
parking break on and killing the engine. Danni glanced
out the window and fell silent.
"What do ya think?" he asked, concerned she was no
longer laughing or talking.
She gazed from left to right and back again; she pushed
open her door and jumped down from the cruiser. Jay
followed her, placing their dinner on the bonnet of the car.
"Oh Jay, it’s breath taking!"
The pitch-black sky was like an endless black hole covered
by a dazzling blanket of glittering stars. Below them lay
Showsdale, the shimmering city lights cast their glow
upwards into the air, meeting with the stars and the great
blackness of the night. The result was a cascade of
illumination the likes of which Danni had never seen
before. She stood quietly, her head tilted toward the stars.
Jay was overwhelmed with the urge to take her in his
arms, but held back. He promised himself that tonight
was going to be a strictly ‚hands off‛ affair.
"Glad you like it. It cost me a fortune paying those
astronauts to hang all them light bulbs up there for ya
like that. A man’s gotta work into retirement to pay for it
now!"
Danni giggled and threw herself into his arms. "Thank
you, this is just so beautiful." She planted a kiss gently on
his cheek.
"How about some dinner music?" he wiggled away from
her and returned to the cruiser.
"Sure, sounds great," she replied, following him and
wrapping her arms around him once more.
He patted her hands and left her embrace yet again. A
worried look crossed her face.
"Is everything ok Jay… With us, I mean?"
He looked back at her and began setting their dinner out
on the bonnet. "Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?"
"The way you pulled away from me just now, I thought…"
Jay grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him.
"Everything is just perfect, in fact it couldn’t be better. I
just wanted tonight to be about us y’know, not about the
sex and the flings we’ve had in the past. Fresh start with a
clean slate."
Danni smiled sweetly at him.
He stepped back and grabbed her Happy Meal, handing it
to her he said, "Bon appetite giggle-pot!"
Throwing the last of the rubbish into a bag, Jay lifted
Danni onto the bonnet of his cruiser and then pulled
himself up beside her. She snuggled up beside him and
melted into him. She smelled so good that he wanted to
tear her clothes off just to get closer to her, but he had
promised himself that would not happen, not tonight.
"Are you cold?" he asked her, rubbing his hands up and
down her arms.
"A little, but I’m ok." she nuzzled deeper into him.
"I’ve got a blanket if ya want?"
"Thanks, but I’m fine really. Just stay with me… don’t
move."
He hugged her tighter and kissed her on the top of the
head. Without warning she burst into tears and began
rambling incoherently. "Oh Jay, I’m so sorry… so, so
sorry."
He sat forward and held her arms trying to look into her
eyes. "What are you talking about, Danni what’s wrong?"
"I didn’t want for this to happen… I don’t know how…"
Jay jumped from the bonnet and lifted her down and
into his arms. Cradling her he brushed the hair from her
face and spoke again. "What are you talking about? Didn’t
mean for what to happen?"
She looked at him through her tears and tried to speak,
again nothing would come out properly. "If I knew… You
don’t have to do anything… I don’t expect…"
"Danni! Calm down and talk to me."
Jay shook her gently hoping she would snap out of the
stupor she had entered into. He couldn’t understand what
was happening; he thought the date was going great and
then… this. He wondered if he had offended her more
than he meant to when he pulled away from her before.
Surely that couldn’t be it, there had to be more than that
to set her off like this. Most women would be grateful for a
man who wanted to get to know them and not just jump
into the sack with them. No something was definitely off.
Danni broke free of him and ran to a small wooden bench
seat a couple of feet away. With her back still facing Jay,
she stood there staring at the lights without saying a
word before eventually sitting down. The tears kept
flowing from her eyes; there was no stopping them. After
grabbing the blanket from the cruiser, Jay walked over
and spread it across her shoulders. She wrapped it tightly
around herself and whispered "Thank you."
"I don’t understand what’s going on here Danni," he
crouched down in front of her. "Now I know I’m not the
brightest bulb on the shelf but I don’t think I did anything
wrong, did I?"
She shook her head, then wiped away her tears. "No, it’s
not you…"
"The Macca’s… Tell me it wasn’t the Macca’s." he growled to
himself in disgust. "I promise next time we’ll…"
"It’s not you, it’s not the Macca’s, it’s not this perfect view
or this wonderful date," she stalled.
"Then please, tell me what I’m doing wrong?" His blue
eyes pleaded with her to help him understand what was
happening.
"I’m pregnant," she whispered. Sighing deeply she
lowered her eyes to the ground.
Jay’s jaw fell open and for the first time ever he was
speechless.
"Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to do anything. It’s ok."
He crawled up onto the bench and sat be-side her, the
shock still gripping him.
"Fred’s party?" he managed to ask.
"Yes, Fred’s party."
Reaching over, he put his arm around her and squeezed
her tight. In an instant all the visions of Kylie-Anne
Saunders flashed before his eyes. The ravaged breasts,
the gaping stomach, the stolen foetus. His visions gave
way to panic, what if Danni was one of his victims? What if
his baby was ripped from her womb? His embrace grew
tighter and he leaned his head against hers. Jay had
never quite known fear as he knew it now.
"How far does that mean you are then?" he choked out.
"Not too far gone, there’s still plenty of time."
"Plenty of time for what?" he turned and faced her.
She stared at him expressionless.
"A termination?" he pushed her to answer.
"Yes."
Jay jumped from the bench and strode onto the grass
before turning and looking her squarely in the eye.
"Absolutely not!"
Danni was too stunned by his reaction to respond. Jay
began pacing back and forth on the grass in front of her
like a caged animal searching for a way out.
"No woman of mine is gonna terminate my baby," he
blurted out.
"Your baby Jay?" she echoed back to him.
"Our baby then. I don’t believe in it… I won’t let ya do it."
Danni couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "What about
me? What say do I get in this?"
Jay stopped and looked down at her sit-ting there, her
eyes filled with fear, her face stained with tears. "Look, I’m
sorry ok, I am… But I don’t want you to get an abortion
Danni. Surely we can do this?"
"Do what? Raise a child?"
"Well yeah, why not? How hard can it be? My parents
raised me and I turned out alright." He held his arms out
in a display of look and see.
The very sight of him standing there tell-ing her how his
parents managed to raise him without defect struck a
chord of humour in Danni, without meaning to or
wanting to, she broke out into a fit of laughter. Jay was
taken aback. He just couldn’t understand her. One minute
she’s crying the next she’s laughing, and then she’s crying
again. Man this girl mystified him. Kneeling down in front
of her, he took her hand in his and tried again.
"Danni, I know we’ve only just started to date and it’s real
quick and all, but I really think we can do this."
She just blinked at him, words evaded her.
"I’m not talking marriage or any of that horseshit yet, I’m
just saying that I think if you’re willing to give it a go…
Then so am I."
"Good God, you’re serious?"
"Damn straight I am." he thought for a moment then
continued. "I’m not sayin we have to jump straight into
any heavy stuff right away, take it slow like two people do
when they are startin out…"
"Most people don’t start off pregnant and work their way
back Jay."
"Maybe not, that’s just a technicality anyway and we’re not
most people are we?"
Danni thought about his proposal. "You really want to do
this?"
Jay walked back to the bench and lifted her up and into
his arms, he kissed her lips and said, "Bring it on!"



CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ben sat in his car staring at Anna’s front door. Through
the lounge room window he could see the glow of the
television, soft streams of multi coloured light danced
around the room, bounc-ing off one wall before hitting
another. A million thoughts crowded his head, confusing
him. The ‚Foetus Snatcher‛ had claimed yet another victim
and he was still no closer to solving the murders of the
first two women. No matter how he thought it through,
no matter how he twisted it around, all leads kept
returning to the wellness clinic and Anna.
She worked for them, she counselled all their clients and
had intimate knowledge of them. Had she seen Marla
too? Surely she would have mentioned it if she had? Anna
had been evasive and wasn’t exactly forth coming with any
significant details to date, and Ben couldn’t help but think
that she knew more than she had been telling him. When
he had spoken with her yesterday she had skipped over
Tessa rather quickly, yet she didn’t seem quite as
concerned about Kylie-Anne. Nothing made sense to him,
but then nothing ever did with Anna.
He opened the car door and stepped out onto the street,
he knew it was late but what he needed from Anna
couldn’t wait. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot
and while Marla’s murder was fresh in his mind, driving
him to investigate. The door to his Chevy slammed shut
and without locking it, Ben strode to her gate, up her
front steps and he beat heavily on her door. It was time to
get some answers and he was determined that Anna was
going to give them to him.
Anna opened the door and flicked on the porch light.
"Ben…"
"Why didn’t you tell me Marla was a client?" he hissed at
her, no pleasantries exchanged.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"Listen, Ben, I don’t have to take this from you…"
"Get your coat, Anna," he ordered.
"What?"
"I’m bringing you in for questioning, get your coat and
let’s go."
"Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not going anywhere with you."
Ben pulled his handcuffs from the holder on the side of
his belt and held them in one hand. “Anna Jameson, I am
placing you under arrest for…”
“Ben please, wait… Ok, ok.” she backed away and held the
door open for him to enter.
Relief washed over him, he had nothing to charge her with
and was doing his best to bluff a response from her. It
had worked.
“What is this about Marla? What has she got to do with
anything?” asked Anna, closing the door behind him. She
then walked back to the lounge, grabbed for the remote
control and switched off the television before sitting
down.
“Listen very hard, Anna. The lies stop now! This is not a
game and I am not playing… Do you understand me?”
“What’s going on, Ben? You’re scaring me.”
“Marla is dead and I know she was pregnant. Why didn’t
you tell me she was a client of yours?”
“No, no, no…” Anna rocked back and forth on the lounge
with her arms wrapped around herself. “What is going on
here? Why are my clients being picked off one by one?”
“You tell me, they’re your clients!” he said, seating himself
in a recliner opposite her. “There’s something you’re not
telling me, and I need to know what it is. More women will
die if you don’t start talking Anna.”
“I can’t… I don’t know any…”
“Damn it woman! Do you even care what is happening to
these girls?”
“Of course I care. But there’s nothing I can do about it, I’m
not killing them.”
“Did you bother to take another look at your case files?”
“Yes I took another look at them,” she spat back at him.
“And…”
“And I didn’t find anything helpful about Tessa or Kylie-
Anne.”
“What about Marla? What was her deal?”
“She was going to terminate and that’s all I know Ben,
truly it is. She was just out of an unsuccessful
relationship, the father of her baby didn’t know she was
expecting and that’s as much as she told me about that.”
Ben stared deep into her eyes, his gaze unabating. “What
does that mean? About that? Did she talk about
something else, is it something to do with Dr. Sugars
and the wellness clinic?”
Anna looked away, biting down hard on her lip.
“For God sake Anna, tell me what you know.”
She pulled her knees up tightly to her chest and cradled
them with her arms. “When she was leaving, Marla,
happened to mention the murders and how the police
had been to the clinic a few times asking questions… She
said it was making her nervous. When I asked her why,
she wouldn’t answer me.”
“Then what?” Ben pushed her for more details.
“I told her that I knew one of the detectives working on the
case and that if she wanted to tell them anything that he
would be the best one to speak to.”
“Did she say anything more?”
“She asked for the name of the policeman and I gave her
yours,” she said, gesturing towards him with her hand.
“She said that she had met you briefly and that she felt
that she couldn’t talk to you.”
“Why would she think that?”
“I don’t know, she wouldn’t elaborate. But I gave her your
mobile number anyway and told her to think about it.”
“Think hard Anna, when did you give her my number?”
“I saw her late yesterday afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this last night? If you knew she
wanted to talk to someone, don’t you think you should
have told me?” Ben’s anger was beginning to rise. “It’s
things like that Anna, that make it hard for me to trust
you or believe anything you say to me.”
“You make me sound like I am a suspect Ben,” she cried.
“You are a suspect!‛ He rose from his chair and paced the
floor. ‚Don’t you get it? Women are dying and you’re lying
to me.”
“I didn’t lie to you… I just didn’t tell you.”
“Don’t sugar coat it, omission is just deceit in disguise.
You don’t give me a hell of a lot of reason to trust you
anymore.” He stopped pacing and glared at her. “Marla
tried phoning me last night and I missed her call.”
“Oh Jesus,” whispered Anna.
“Now she’s dead, murdered, and I could have prevented it
if I had known earlier that she wanted to talk.”
“You don’t know that for certain Ben…”
“No? And neither do you.‛ he bent over and leaned in close
to her face, staring deep into her eyes. ‚I guess now we’ll
never know will we?”
Anna pushed him back and leapt from the lounge, tears
welling in her eyes. “Don’t you dare do that to me Ben,
that’s not fair and you know it.”
“Not fair? You withheld information from me that could
have saved her life and you’re talking to me about being
fair!”
She slapped his face hard, then pulled her hand back and
covered her mouth.
“I should have known what to expect from you Anna,
always looking out for yourself.” He walked to the door,
his face stinging from her attack. “Rest assured that I
know you are hiding something… And I am damn well
going to find out what it is!” He flung the front door open
so hard that it banged against the inside wall before
bouncing off, and closing shut after him.
Back in his Chevy, he pulled out his phone and dialed
Jay’s number.
“Benny, how are ya doing?” Jay’s cheery voice greeted
him.
“Well you certainly sound on top of the world. I guess your
date went well,” Jay replied, happy for his partner.
“Sure am and it sure did. Just dropped her home and I’m
heading home myself.”
“That’s great, Jay. I’m pleased for you.”
“Thanks mate, but how are you holding up? We got a time
for Marla’s autopsy yet?”
“I’m ok, a little frustrated maybe. These murders are
escalating, Marla’s the third victim in less than a month
and there’s no sign of the killer slowing down.” He sighed
heavily and adjusted his rear view mirror. “The autopsy is
pencilled in for eight am, you want me to take this one?”
“I’ll take it. I was there for Kylie-Anne’s autopsy. This one
won’t be much different.”
“Thanks, Jayy. I’m not much in the mood for more
gruesome sights after today.”
“Hey, No problem.” Jay chirped back.
“You sound awfully chipper, what’s up?” Ben asked.
“I have some big news for ya, are ya sit-ting down?”
Ben fell silent.
“You still there, Ben?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Sorry about that, what’s your news?”
“I’m gonna be a Daddy! Danni’s pregnant.”
“Really? Oh wow, that is big news. Congratulations are in
order then.”
“They sure are. Not the best time to be finding out
though, with this particular case and all, but I’m excited
just the same. You at home?”
“No, I’m sitting out the front at Anna’s. Turns out Marla
saw her yesterday and said she wanted to talk to
someone about the investigation. Anna didn’t feel it was
important enough to inform me of that little piece of
information when I questioned her last night!”
“Christ, Ben. There is something not right with her. I know
she’s your ex and all but…”
“But what?”
“Look, don’t hate me when I tell ya ok? You know I’d have
done the same with any other unco-operative suspect or
possible witness that was playing difficult with us.”
“Hell, Jayy, what have you done?” Ben’s tone was low and
steady.
“I had a background search done on her,” he blurted out.
Ben fell back against his seat and said nothing. “Why
would you do that? Go behind my back with it?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen that way… I just thought
that if I did one without you knowing I could see that she
had nothing to hide and then I could save you all the
heartache of dredging up her past. I was trying to rule her
out without you getting hurt Ben, I’m sorry.”
He spoke icily, “So now you have ruled her out then?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I only got the call
tonight to say it’s complete. I was gonna check it out in
the morning.”
“You do that Jay.”
“Ben, please… Don’t be like this, this is our job, not some
personal vendetta.”
“Isn’t it? You never liked Anna.”
“That’s true, I admit it. But I am grasping at straws here,
we both are. We need every little piece of information we
can get on just about everyone tied in with these killings,
that includes Anna!”
Ben switched the phone to his other ear and let out a
deep breath. “You’re right Jayy, I’m sorry. I know you
wouldn’t use police resources just because you have an
axe to grind with her. It’s just this case, it’s really getting
to me, y’know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You’ll be sure to let me know if there’s anything relevant
to the case in her file then?”
“Of course, Ben and I’ll be sure to let you know if there
isn’t. I’m sorry about going behind your back, it won’t
happen again.”
“I understand why you did, I probably would have done
the same.” He rubbed his throbbing temples and then
continued. “Anyhow, I can feel a brain-bleeder coming on,
I’m gonna shove off home and get some rest… See you
tomorrow?”
“Sure, I’ll be in touch after the autopsy. Night.”
Ben switched his phone off and threw it on the passenger
side seat. He turned the key in the ignition, looked out
into the darkness before him and switched on the
headlights.
“Bloody hell!” His heart jumped into his mouth and his
pulse raced. “Anna, you scared the shit out of me.”
Anna stood on the street in front of his Chevy, her hands
pressed flat on the bonnet. “There is something I found
today that may be important.”
Ben cut the engine and got out of the car, he walked over
to Anna and looked into her eyes, searching them for any
hint of untruth. He found nothing, she seemed genuine.
“Come on,” he said taking her by the arm, “Let’s go back
inside.”
Anna poured them both a strong cup of coffee and placed
hers on the dining room table, she stepped into her office
and emerged with a thin manila folder in her hand. She
passed it to Ben and began to speak.
“I don’t know if this is anything or not, so don’t go off half
cocked, interrogating Rose.”
“Ok. Tell me what you’re thinking.” Ben was now much
calmer and ready to listen.
“Rose referred a young homeless girl to me a while ago,
she was about six weeks pregnant and wanted a
termination. She turned up for her initial consult and told
me she was going to proceed with the abortion because
she was too young and couldn’t even support herself let
alone a baby.”
“How old was she?” Ben asked.
“She said seventeen, but I’m more inclined to believe she
was only about fifteen. At least that’s all she looked to be.”
“Go on.”
“She was scheduled in for her procedure the day after I
saw her and was due to come back to me for her follow up
consultation the next week. When she didn’t show I
became concerned and phoned the clinic to enquire
about her.”
“What happened?”
“Marla nearly bit my head off, that’s what happened! She
ranted and raved at me that I had no right to be checking
up on them and that if the girl didn’t return, it was no
longer my concern. She then told me to mind my own
business and just worry about the girls that do show up.”
“So she offered no explanation? Did she say whether the
girl had even undergone the termination?”
“She told me nothing. I have no idea what happened to
her. But a few days later Rose phoned me and acted all
concerned about the girl and said that she hadn’t arrived
for her procedure. She then went on to ask if I had seen
her again. I told her I hadn’t and then she instructed me
to allow the girl back in if she returned to my office and
she would pay the fee.”
“If she was a client of the clinic that would be normal
practice though wouldn’t it?”
“Normally yes, but usually the clinic will only spring for a
second consult after the termination had been carried
out. I’ve dealt with Rose for nearly a year now and that
little act of charity seemed very out of character or her.”
Anna lifted her coffee cup to her lips and took a sip. “I only
mention it because you said that anything trivial to me
could be a break for you. You don’t think this girl could
have been murdered too, do you?”
Ben held up the folder, “May I keep this?”
“Sure, I made that copy for you. There’s nothing about our
discussion in there, just her name and the name of the
homeless shelter she usually stays at.”
He flipped the jacket open and glanced at the crumbs of
information Anna had thrown to him. “Sarah Robertson?”
“Yes, that’s her. She’s about five foot, four inches, light
brown, shoulder length hair, green eyes and has one of
her front teeth missing.”
Ben looked up at her, his eyebrow raised.
“A fight over a blanket apparently,” Anna responded.
“Showsdale Youth Hostel is where she was last staying, I
don’t know if she’s still there though.”
He hadn’t touched the coffee Anna had made him, his
head was pounding way too much already to ingest
another additive. Closing the folder, Ben pushed his chair
back and got up.
“Thank you, I’ll see what pans out.‛ His demeanour was
still quite cool towards her and he had no intention of
playing into her game of "I’ll tell you what you want to
know if you be nice to me again.”
She had played that game with him once to often and he
didn’t like the rules. He rolled the folder into a cylinder,
stuffed it in the inside of his jacket and walked to the
door.
“Ben.” she cried after him.
He turned and faced her again. “Yeah, I know… You’re
sorry.”
He pulled the door open and left without another word.






CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jay found himself back in Augie’s autopsy suite for the
second time in a week. The sterility of the room always
gave him the chills, but this time it was the brutal murder
of a woman he knew. That gave him the chills. Augie and
his two assistants, Pete and Ed, were preparing the
instruments and scanning paperwork on the far side of
the room. The stench of death hung thickly in the air. For
the briefest moment, Jay felt as though he might be
violently ill. He didn’t recall feeling this way when he
attended Kylie-Anne’s autopsy, perhaps it was the
familiarity that sickened him, not the surroundings.
He stared solemnly at the metal gurney in the centre of
the room. Marla’s body lay there beneath a crisp white
sheet. Her left hand protruded from under the white
covering. The fingernails on both her hands were tattered
and torn. One was completely ripped away. A deep,
jagged gash appeared in the centre of her palm. Perhaps
the killer did it when her breasts were being tied to them.
Or perhaps it was from being dragged or pushed out the
broken window in her bedroom. However it happened,
Jay knew that Marla had suffered far worse than that
gash, at the hands of her murderer. Her index finger was
bent backwards. It hung down like a small twig hanging
from a branch. The dislocation of it affected Jay more
than he could understand.
“Ready to start?” Augie stood in front of him.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
The suite suddenly buzzed like a beehive of frantic activity,
Ed and Pete both like soldier bees running from one
location to another, gathering bowls and surgical
instruments in readiness for the queen bee, Augie. Their
sterile gloves, aprons and boot covers crackled with each
movement they made. Pete walked towards Marla’s limp
body and pulled the sheet back, exposing her and her
ravaged body to all present. Jay’s eyes traced the line of
her torso and came to rest on her chest. Mangled skin
and raw tissue was all that remained of her breasts. Apart
from the curve of her full lips and the chiselling of her
defined cheekbones, everything that made Marla feminine
had been stripped from her. His eyes fixed on her
abdomen. The murderers grotesque incisions left her
gaping wide open from the navel down. The sight
repulsed him, yet he could not look away. He needed to
see this again, needed the reminder of how desperately
this twisted killer had to be caught.
Augie walked over and stood beside Marla, and together
with Pete and Ed, the examination commenced.
“Pete,” said Augie. “Ready with the camera?”
“Sure thing,” he replied, picking up the large black piece of
equipment from the work bench.
“Taking notes, Ed?”
“I’m on it.”
“Frontal examination presents numerous abrasions to
the head, face, neck and left shoulder. As per previous
victims Tessa Hunt and kylie-Anne Saunders, Both breasts
have been removed in their entirety. Incisions appear to
be smooth and clean, instrument used was extremely
sharp and accurate, my guess is a scalpel or perhaps a
boning knife.”
The flash of Pete’s camera startled life back into Jay, his
senses peaked and he regained composure from the
trance like state that had over taken him earlier. He
squinted his eyes and found his focus, the flash having
temporarily blinded him. Augie continued with his
external documentation.
“Both arms bear deep abrasions and sub-sequent
bruising. Fingernails on right hand torn, minor cuts
present. Left palm presents a deep gash approximately
five centimetres long by one and a half centimetres wide.
Fingernails torn, one completely removed. Index finger
appears fractured and dislocated.”
“How you going there, Ed? You getting this all down?”
“On target, Dr. August.”
Augie glanced over at Jay. “How about you, Jay?”
“I’m hangin’ in there. Doing ok,” he lied. His stomach was
churning and he felt like he was going to lose his
breakfast. Each autopsy he attended proved worse than
the last. After seeing death and violence everyday, it
surprised that he still couldn’t cope with an autopsy.
Augie held Marla’s left hand up for Pete to take a photo,
the flash lit up the room again and the documentation
continued.
“As we come to the abdomen, it is apparent that there
has been some major amateurish surgery performed.”
“Amateurish surgery?” Ed queried Augie, a strange
expression on his acne-ravaged face.
“Yes, that’s the best way I can describe it, I’m afraid.”
“Once again, by visual inspection only, her abdomen has
been cut in a manner as per a crude caesarean section.
Part of her large bowel is evident and I can see what I am
only assuming at this stage is part of a placenta hanging
out.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Jay blurted out.
When he looked up, all three men were staring at him in
dismay.
“Doesn’t this get to any of you? Don’t you feel like
screaming or punching the air? Anything?”
Their blank expressions told Jay they’d seen it all before
and had learnt how to distance themselves from it.
“Jay, do you want a break?” asked Augie, his words soft
and steady.
“No, I don’t want a break. I want to catch this bloody freak!
That’s what I want.” His eyes pleaded with the men to find
him something valuable to work with. “I can’t understand
how you can all just stand there with your cameras and
notebooks, working away as though you’re inspecting
some prime piece of meat for sale. This woman was
pregnant for fuck sake!”
“Jay…” Augie began.
“No, no. You don’t understand. I have a girl, she’s
pregnant. That could be her lying there.” Placing his
hands on his hips, he bowed his head and stared at the
boot covers on his shoes. “What if it was her? C’mon guys,
find me something here. We gotta nail this son of a
bitch!”
Ed and Pete looked at each other in amazement and then
looked back at Jay. They had never seen this side of him
before. He had always been so solid, impenetrable. Now
here he was practically falling apart right before their very
eyes. Augie walked to the water dispenser and poured a
small amount into a tiny paper cup. “Here,” he said,
handing the cup to Jay. “Drink this.”
“Thanks,” he whispered, taking the cup from him.
“We’re doing what we can, Jay. You know that don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know. Look I’m sorry, Augie. It’s just too much,
y’know?”
“I understand, I do, but you have to let us concentrate and
do our jobs here. Can you do that?”
Jay nodded his head and then took a sip of water. Augie
returned to the gurney and recommenced his
examination.
“Okay, gentlemen. Let’s continue shall we?”
Ed and Pete nodded in agreement and re-turned to their
duties as though nothing had happened.
“Sexual assault appears to have taken place. No fluids are
immediately present, however there is deep bruising on
the inner thighs and vaginal tearing. Rape kit has been
carried out for further evidential value. Legs show multiple
scratches, cuts and a handful of small bruises, I count
one, two, three, four… five. Yes five small bruises. Feet
have fared similarly to the hands, nothing extraordinary or
noteworthy here.”
He stepped aside and motioned for Pete to help him roll
Marla onto her stomach,
“That’s it, nice and easy. Thanks.”
Jay stared at the display, his mind racing. He just
couldn’t shake the anger and fear welling within him.
Pulling off his gloves, he walked to the door and through
to the wash-room. Turning the cold water tap on, he
splashed his face and ordered himself to get a grip. His
face dripping with water, he watched Augie through the
observation window and suddenly felt very foolish for his
little outburst. There was a man, who came face to face
with life’s cruelties and atrocities everyday and never
complained or lost his cool. Jay couldn’t understand
what skills Augie possessed for dealing with it that he
didn’t.
His mind was a scrambled mess, and he chided himself
harshly for allowing his deepest inner thoughts to spring
forward. His professionalism had been compromised and
he was ashamed of his behaviour. Maybe he should have
let Ben take this one. All he could think about was Danni.
She was carrying his child. It could be her splayed out on
that cold, metal table. It might be her that they are poking
and probing and speaking about in those cold and flat
terms. Never had Jay experienced fear such as he was
now, he’d never had anything to fear for. It had always
been him and no one else, but now… Now there were
three people he was to worry about.
Naturally he was happy about the baby. It may have been
unplanned and come at the worst possible time due to
the particular case he was working, but he was happy.
Danni was a great girl and he was falling for her, their
relationship was only young but she was good for him.
She gave him something to care about, something to
belong to. That’s why he had felt such dread and
undeniable helplessness in the autopsy suite. He was up
against a killer he didn’t understand and what’s worse
was he had absolutely no idea who it was.
He peeled the boot covers from his shoes and threw them
in the waste bin by the door. Before he left, he took one
last look at Augie and secretly prayed that he would find
something of consequence for him to work with.
Although it was afternoon, the corridor seemed much
darker and much colder than he had remembered. Even
the elevator felt smaller and more confined. When he
reached the exit to the street, Jay pulled out his
cigarettes and headed for the footpath. The odour of the
nicotine teased his senses. The taste was even better. It
felt like a lifetime since his last cigarette. He inhaled
deeply, wanting to fully experience the smoke filling his
lungs. As he exhaled, the phone in his pocket vibrated,
causing the sensory numbness he had felt in the autopsy
suite to subside.
“Jay Marnotti.”
“Well hello there, Jay Marnotti,” a sweet voice replied.
“Hey, Danni, you don’t know how good it is to hear your
voice right now.”
“My, my… Is that a compliment?” she asked, teasing him.
“What’s so odd about that? There’s plenty more where
that came from too, but I don’t think you deserve em
now!” Jay chuckled.
“Oh stop being such a tease, I had planned on telling you
how much of a wonderful time I had last night but I don’t
know if I’ll bother now.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. I had a pretty good time myself.
Maybe we should do it again sometime?”
“Sometime?” she asked.
“Yeah, how’s tonight?”
“I’d love to but I have to work. I only get one night a week
off and last night was it.”
“Maybe I could swing by when you finish and drop you
home?”
“Yeah, sounds great. I’d really like that.”
“What time do you finish tonight?”
“Usually around ten or ten-thirty.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
“Jay?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“You’re not hanging around just because of the baby are
you?”
“Danni, I asked you out on that date last night before I
knew about our daughter didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” she paused for a moment before adding.
“Who said it’s a girl? It might be a boy.”
“Nah, not my kid… She’s gonna be a beauty just like her
mother! See ya tonight, kid.” With that Jay ended the
call, a smile perma-nently fixed on his face. He threw his
cigarette to the ground, crushed it out with his foot and
began the short walk to Café Cino. Paula was waiting with
Anna’s file and it was time to uncover any skeletons she
had hidden in her closet. He pulled his phone from his
pocket and searched for Paula’s number.
“Yeah, Paula. It’s Jay.”
“Hey, Jayy. You on your way?”
“Sure am. See you in a few.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Paula assured him before he ended the
call.











CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ben studied the old timber home. It was in serious need
of some repair and looked as though it had seen it’s glory
days many years ago. The cream paint on the
weatherboards was peeling in chunks, the verandah
railing was bowing outwards away from the house and
the old louvres encasing the face of the home were
chipped and covered thickly with dust. It was far from what
he had imagined it would be. When he thought of youth
hostels, a picture of a neat brick premises sprang to
mind. Or at least something a bit tidier, anyhow.
He read the sheet of paper Anna had given him last night
and memorised the young girl’s description before
folding the paper into a small neat square and sliding it
back into his pocket. He had slept terribly last night. He
tossed and turned and couldn’t shake the fear that this
young Sarah Robertson may have fallen prey to the
monster that murdered Tessa, Kylie-Anne and Marla. Not
that there was concrete evidence to support their theory of
one murderer, it was just a fairly loose assumption that
he and Jay were working with. Anna’s lies or omissions
had played on his mind all night. No matter how he tried
to explain her actions away, she was looking guilty as hell
of something. He was certain she was not the murderer.
He knew she had issues, but a murderer? No, she was
capable of many things, he was aware of that, but getting
her hands dirty with something such as the nature of
these crimes didn’t sound like her. However time was
ticking away and he was running out of approaches with
her. She needed to start telling him the truth about
anything, everything she knew. Even though she had
given him a small piece of information to go on last
night, he still had the feeling that she was sitting on a
volcano of knowledge and pretty soon, that volcano was
going to erupt. He just needed it to happen soon.
He stood at the front door of the hostel. His eyes scanned
the verandah on his left and on his right. There was
nothing odd or out of place that he could see. The fly
screen door squealed and screeched under the pressure
of his hand prying it open, the high pitched noise
reminded him of fingernails being drawn across a black-
board. A shiver ran down his spine. With his other hand,
Ben wrapped loudly on the heavy white door. He heard the
sound of voices from inside, laughing, talking and some
bickering, everything one would expect when a handful of
teens were picked from the street and crammed into a
halfway house together.
Just when he was about to knock again, the door flew
open and a young girl barged through, her head turned
back towards the inside of the house. She was still yelling
obscenities and abuse when she ran right into Ben, nearly
knocking them both to the ground.
“Watch what you’re doing. Couldn’t ya see I was trying to
get through?” She snapped at him after regaining her
balance. Her eyes bored into him. Ben was struck with
how much hatred appeared to be present in her face.
Clearly her time on the unforgiving streets of Showsdale
had put its stamp on her.
“Excuse me,” he replied, opting to let her harshness slide
off his back.
“Yeah, well get outta the way next time, will ya?”
“I said I was sorry,” he answered, standing his ground a
little firmer now.
“Yeah, well sorry don’t do jack for me, buddy.” The girl
stormed past him and contin-ued on her way out of the
hostel.
Ben followed her path for a few seconds before returning
his attentions to the open front door. Inside on the left he
could see a small office window with a buzzer mounted on
the wall next to it. He stepped inside and pressed it. Then
turned, waiting for someone to greet him. The music and
conversation deeper inside the house grew louder, he saw
a young girl with black hair poke her head out from
behind a wall, looking down the hallway at him. She
disappeared and then he heard a voice yell, “There’s some
guy at the front door.”
Within seconds a group of three or four teens gathered in
the doorway, all whispering and giggling with each other,
staring at Ben before turning back to each other and
whispering and giggling some more. They reminded him
of the girls who hung out in the hallways when he was at
school. They’d all stand in the hallways leading into the
classrooms chatting about boys and the latest hot topics
and rate each boy as he walked past them and into the
class. He recalled how he often heard them rate him as a
‘hottie with a cute smile’. The memory brought a
reminiscent smile to his face.
“Can I help you?” a woman of about thirty or so
approached from the end of the hall.
“I hope so. I am looking for someone and I’m hoping she
might be staying here.” He produced his I.D. from his
pocket and held it out to her.
The woman read the credentials quickly before saying,
“Please come with me, Detective Payne.”
“Call me Ben,” he replied, following her into the tiny office
on his left.
The office was only about six feet square, barely big
enough to swing a mouse, let alone a cat. The walls were
freshly painted a light shade of lemon but obviously the
budget hadn’t allowed for the ceiling to be included in the
makeover. Chips of paint were lifting on the corners and
around the light fitting. Although the rest of the paint was
still stuck, it was cracking terribly and reminded him of
the pattern on Easter eggs.
“Take a seat, Ben. I’m Julie Allistaire.” she paused while
she pulled her chair out and sat down. “I’m the keeper of
this fine establishment.” She held her arms up the way
one does when they are showcasing their finest assets. A
broad smile of sarcasm on her plain face.
Ben sat opposite her and made himself as comfortable as
was possible in the hard stu-dent’s chair he was offered.
“I’m looking for a young girl by the name of Sarah
Robertson, I was told she was staying here.”
Julie’s head bowed down and a deep sigh escaped her.
“What has she done this time, Detective? I should have
known that girl couldn’t keep out of trouble for more than
a week!” She ran her hands through her thick red hair and
looked at him. “We have a strike system here and it’s not
too well received by some of our girls, Sarah in particular.”
“So Sarah is still residing here with you?”
“Oh yes, she’s here.”
Relief washed over Ben, one less young woman to turn up
in a wooded grave. He slumped back into the unyielding
chair and returned to their previous discussion.
“You were saying something about a strike system?” Ben
enquired.
“Yes, each girl is given three chances to keep their noses
clean and stay out of trouble. If they stick to the rules they
stay, if they don’t they get a strike against their name and
when they have three of them, well…”
“They’re out?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Seems a bit harsh.”
“It is harsh, we need to be harsh. These girls end up here
after being plucked from the streets, Ben. They’re usually
hooked on drugs, starving, emotionally unbalanced and
most are quite aggressive. If we didn’t display some
expectation of behaviour on them, well, they would quite
simply bring their street lives into our life. We simply
don’t allow that.”
Ben stared at her, considering the logic behind her
expectations and rules.
“I guess that’s fair,” he answered her.
“Sarah is on strike number two at the moment, so your
little visit today could be unwelcome news for her.” Julie
slid her chair back, stood up and walked to the office
door. She poked her head out and yelled, “Nat… Natalie.”
A young blonde girl came rushing down the hallway to
Julie. “Yeah?”
“Tell Sarah to come here will you please?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” Julie returned to her chair and sat down again.
“So what has she done this time?”
Ben shook his head at her and was about to answer when
a girl with short, light brown hair knocked at the door.
“Come on in, Sarah,” Julie told her. Sarah smiled broadly
and did what she was told. Ben noted her missing front
tooth. This was definitely his girl.
“This is Detective Ben Payne, he’s here to see you.” Julie
motioned to Ben.
Sarah’s smile soon turned to a scowl and she began to
rant. “That dirty, skanky bitch! She told me she wouldn’t
rat me out…”
A grin ran across Ben’s face. He rose from his chair and
said, “Take a seat Sarah.” He then turned to Julie and said,
“May I speak with her in private?”
Julie stared at him for a moment. “We usually like to
accompany our girls when there are police matters
involved, Ben.”
“I assure you that this is not an official police matter and
she has done nothing wrong. It is however, a private
matter and I’d really appreciate a few minutes alone with
her.”
Julie reluctantly nodded at him and made her way to the
door. “I’ll be right out here if you need me, Sarah.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Ben closed the door and walked over to where Julie had
been sitting. He made himself comfortable in her chair
and then looked at Sarah.
“So I wasn’t ratted out then?”
A smile tugged at his lips, “No, you weren’t.”
“Well good, cause I can tell ya now that it was that other
ho’ who stole them cigarettes. Not me!”
“Sarah,” Ben began, “I have absolutely no idea what you’re
talking about and maybe we should keep it that way,
hey?” He could barely contain the laughter that was
building inside him. He had forgotten what it was like to
be young, when every little thing was always someone
else’s fault. It was refreshing.
Sarah relaxed somewhat. “I can live with that. So what do
ya want?”
His expression turned more serious and he moved his
chair a little closer to her. “This is a delicate matter, Sarah,
and I don’t quite know how to broach it, so I’ll just let the
words find their own way out, ok?”
She shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Yeah, right-o
then.”
“Sarah, some people have been worried about you and
I’m just here to find out that you are ok.”
“What people?”
“Do you recall visiting a Wellness Clinic some time ago?”
“Those sleazy slags.” she turned her head toward the
office door, then leaned in towards Ben. “They promised
me that all that stuff was confidential and that no-one
would find out.” Her voice was a whisper.
“It’s ok Sarah, Julie doesn’t know and I won’t tell her. This
is between you and me, alright?”
She loosened her shoulders and nodded her head in
agreement. “So what about it anyway?”
“They were concerned about you, when you didn’t show for
your procedure and didn’t notify them that you were okay.
They have your best interest at heart, they weren’t
deliberately dobbing on you.”
“Well, as you can see, I am fine. So they can stop worrying
about me.”
“Why didn’t you turn up for your procedure Sarah?” Ben
asked.
“Turns out I didn’t need to,” she casually replied. “After I
saw some counselling chick the day before I was gonna
get done, I came home and started bleeding real bad.”
“You had a miscarriage?”
“Yep.”
“Did you go and see a doctor?”
“Yeah, yeah… I’m not dumb you know. I went to the
hospital and they kept me there for a night or two and
sorted everything out. Julie was mad as hell when I turned
up again though.”
“Why is that?”
“Stupid rules. Am supposed to report in every night so
they know we’re here, y’know? And cause I’d been gone a
couple of nights, she freaked and gave me a bloody strike!
Nearly lost my spot here cause of all that mess.”
“It looks as though you have it sorted out now though?”
he smiled at her.
“Yeah. You ain't gonna tell her what happened though are
ya? I’ll get another strike and get booted out. It’s no great
castle here, but is sure beats the street.”
“Of course not, this is strictly between you and me Sarah. I
won’t say a word.” He moved his hand over his lips,
pretending to be pulling a zip across his mouth.
She eyed him suspiciously and then said, “Thanks.”
“I think we’re done,” Ben slapped his hands on his knees
and got out of his chair. “Thanks for all your help Sarah,
you can go now.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” he answered with a smile.
“What about Julie? What are ya gonna tell her?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll square it away with her for you.
You won’t be getting any strikes from her.” He thought for
a second before adding, “At least not from this incident
anyhow.”
Sarah laughed at him. “You’re pretty okay for a cop…” She
left her chair and opened the door. A cheeky grin unfolded
across her lips, “You got a cute smile, too!” With that she
ran from the office and down the hall. Ben let out a small
laugh and shook his head.
“Everything okay?” Julie poked her head through the door.
“Everything is just great,” he beamed at her. “Sarah just
helped me out with a couple of enquiries I had. She’s not
such a bad kid.”
Yeah, tell that to me when she gets collared for
shoplifting again, will you?” Julie smiled at him weakly.













CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Jay stepped through the doors of Café Cino and into a
bustling hive of activity. Waitresses were running from
one side of the room to the other carrying orders and the
air was alive with the humming of dozens of
conversations. Sounds of a radio station were echoing
softly from six or so, small speakers, which were mounted
sporadically on the walls of the café. Jay wondered why
they even bothered having the sound system in place; it
didn’t appear that anyone was even listening to it above
the droning of their own voices.
Cino’s light mocha coloured walls always amused Jay, to
him it felt like the owners were trying to give the patrons
the perception that they were inside one giant
muggacino. The large white tables and sofa chairs only
added to the inner coffee experience by looking like over-
grown marshmallows. It was a novel idea, though not
quite to Jay’s taste. He walked deeper into the café and
scanned the tables for Paula. All he could see were
yuppies, uni students and bookworms, sitting at their
regular tables with textbooks and loose papers spread
out in front of them. Most looked to be deep in thought
or in the throws of an assignment, the rest were on
mobile phones, sipping their latte’s.
“Bloody Yuppie-Ville,” Jay scoffed to himself before
taking a seat on a comfy marsh-mallow at the main
servery counter.
A petite waitress approached Jay and took out her order
book. “Can I get you any-thing, Sir?” Her slow drawl
annoyed Jay, almost as much as the surroundings.
“Where’s, Joany?” He spat at her.
“It’s her day off today,” the waitress droned back at him.
“Damn it!” he scanned the chalkboard menu above her for
a few minutes and then said, “I’ll have bacon and eggs
with a round of toast and a white, unsweetened coffee.”
The waitress rolled her eyes at him, shifted her weight
from one foot to the other and said, “Latte, cappuccino,
long, short, decaffeinated, strong, weak, in a cup, mug or
a glass?” She grinned at him.
His expression blank, Jay leaned in closer to the young
woman and replied, “I just want a normal bloody coffee in
a normal bloody mug with no sugar and lotsa milk! Is
that so hard?” He rubbed his hands over his face and then
added. “I want bacon that comes from a pig and eggs that
come from a hen…”
“Sure. You want wholegrain, multigrain, brown or white
toast?” Her grin was now broadening to a full-blown
smile.
Jay knew she was toying with him now and he was
amused that she was able to give as good as she got.
“I just want toast… You figure it out!”
The waitress smirked cheekily at him and slid an order
number across the counter to him. “You gonna eat right
here or you want a table?”
“I’m meeting someone,” Jay answered, grabbing the
number from her. “So I’ll be moving to a table very soon.”
“No problem, I’ll bring it over when it’s done.” She began
to walk away and then turned back to him. “Any sauce?”
Jay threw his hands into the air in defeat and just shook
his head. No wonder he never comes here much any
more. With the table number in his hand he stood up and
walked around the corner of the counter. His eyes spotted
Paula sitting at a large corner booth towards the back of
the café, he walked over and slid into the chair opposite
her.
“Next time ya wanna meet somewhere, Paula, make it
somewhere that normal people inhabit!” He looked
around and eyed his surroundings some more. “These
people belong on Pluto or something.”
Paula laughed and patted Jay on the hand. “Nice to see
you too Jayy.” She pulled her hand back and rested it on
top of the file in front of her. It was roughly half an inch
thick and a few pieces of paper were poking out the side
of the cardboard jacket they were tucked inside of.
“So that’s the juice eh?” Jay asked, nodding his head
towards the file beneath her hands.
“Boy, you don’t mess around with pleasantries do you?”
“Pleasantries are for pleasant people Paula, and I am not
one of them.” He sat back deeper in his chair and allowed
the waitress to place his coffee on the table. He looked up
at her and asked, “How’s the feed going? Will it be much
longer or are ya still chasin’ the pig around the kitchen?”
The waitress eyed him, her sense of hu-mour almost as
free as Jay’s. “I’m sure it won’t be too much longer, Sir. I
believe they were still harvesting the wheat to make your
toast.” With that, she spun on her heel and marched
away.
“She got you there, Jayy…” Paula broke into another fit of
laughter.
Jay smiled to himself and picked up his coffee. “So what
did ya find for me?” He ignored Paula’s comment.
“Anything worth writing home about or just a few nit-
picky, tid-bits?”
“You got a real work of art here, my friend. I don’t know
what this woman has done to make you check her out but
I am guessing she wouldn’t want too many people
knowing about this stuff.” She flipped open the file and
pulled the first sheet of paper out and handed it to Jay.
He snatched it anxiously and scanned it line by line.
“She’s had a pretty rough trot growing up, by the look of
this.”
Paula enlightened him. “Her mother, Carol Mavis Stockton
(Nee Beetson) left her and her father when she was just
three. I guess most kids could learn to cope with that, but
not when your father is an abusive alcoholic.”
“Abusive?” Jay asked. “How so?”
“Physically and sexually. I’d be only guessing here, but I’d
say there was some psychological abuse in there too.
Usually is in those sort of circumstances. Started around
age seven, from what I can gather.”
“How do you know that?”
“Her emergency room reports. Every time she went to the
hospital for treatment, the Doctor’s were meant to phone
welfare. Normal procedure when they think a child has
been abused. But somehow, they always managed to
forget to make the call.”
Jay remained silent. His face sullen.
“At least three times she was admitted with vaginal
bleeding and in 1967 she had a broken arm. That’s only
the beginning, she was also seen over the years for
numerous cracked ribs, a dislocated jaw and other
general bruising and abrasions, countless urine
infections and in 1973 she was admitted again with severe
abdominal pain and internal bleeding. It turned out she
had an ectopic pregnancy and had to undergo surgery.”
“Jesus!” whispered Jay. His heart sank. Ben had told him
about her abusive childhood and ectopic pregnancy, but
he never imagined the hell she must have gone through
at the hands of her drunken father. All those fractures and
cases of vaginal bleeding, he couldn’t believe that she was
being abused and the hospital did nothing to report it.
This was definitely a case of another one slipping through
the cracks. Although Jay was no doctor, he knew that
when a seven-year-old child has broken bones and
vaginal bleeding, the cause can’t be natural.
“Where did her mother go?” He finally asked.
“Seems she couldn’t handle the father or his abuse so
she left the daughter with him and skipped out to her
parents place in Harten. Apparently she was emotionally
and mentally unstable.”
“You’d have to be, to leave a kid with a menace like that,
wouldn’t ya?” Jay replied in more of a statement than a
question.
“Well the father, Arthur, was a labourer and was prone to
violent tempers and outbursts. I suppose Carol just
couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Yeah, I can understand that…‛ Jay stopped and thought.
‚But why not take the kid with her?”
Paula shook her head and continued on with the brief
family history. “Anna Louise Jameson was born Anna
Stockton on May 17th 1960. After her mother left, her
father dragged her around the countryside before settling
Bayside. Her schooling was erratic at best, but child
services could never catch up with Arthur and Anna
because they moved so frequently.”
“Why did they move so much?”
“I guess Arthur moved to where ever the work was. He
picked up the odd labouring job on building sites.”
“What about the mother, did she have any further contact
with them?”
Paula sifted through her papers and read a line here and
there to fill in the blanks for Jay. “Carol died of bone
cancer in 1981, while living with her parents and Arthur
was murdered in 1973.”
“What? Murdered?” Jay’s ears pricked up. He leaned
forward just as the waitress returned to his table with his
food.
“Here we are, Sir. Enjoy.” She slid the plate under his nose,
sat a knife and fork beside it and left.
Jay completely ignored the waitress and just stared,
wide eyed at Paula. “What do you mean murdered? Are
you sure?”
His memory was trying to recall what Ben had told him
that night at Bluey’s. He was sure he had told him that her
father had abandoned her when she was thirteen!
Something was definitely amiss, either Ben was lying, or,
and more to Jay’s way of thinking, Anna was. It was
clearer than ever now why Anna had been so evasive with
Ben regarding this case. She had her own secrets to
protect and getting caught in the middle of a serial
murder investigation was not a good way to keep the
skeletons locked in the closet.
“Sure as I can be. I’ve got his death certificate, cause of
death, autopsy report, case file notes from the murder…”
“Okay, I get the picture,” sighed Jay, picking up his knife
and fork and pushing his bacon around the plate. He
suddenly didn’t feel terribly hungry anymore. “So who did
it and what happened?”
“Are you ready for this?” Paula asked, her excitement hard
to miss.
“Shoot,” Jay blurted out, clanging his fork against the
china plate and wishing he could have a cigarette.
“Anna Louise Stockton,” Paula began reading from the file
in front of her, “was arrested on March twenty-fourth 1973
for fatally stabbing her father, Arthur Robert Stockton. She
was taken into child custody. Anna was tried for
manslaughter in May, 1973 and was acquitted on the
basis of self defense. She was, however, detained until her
eighteenth birthday at Grimshore Girls Home in Bayside.”
Jay’s mouth fell open. He reached over and snatched the
papers from Paula, eager to read the particulars for
himself. “You’re shitting me?”
“I certainly am not,” said Paula before clicking her tongue
loudly.
Jay’s eyes skipped over the papers, be-fore burying his
head in his hands. He thought hard about everything he
had just read. Anna sure was no Miss Innocent, but
anyone could see from what he had read and from what
Paula had told him, that she was a victim of abuse and
abandonment. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She
killed a man yes, but it was kill or be killed by the sound
of things. To some degree it made sense to him that
Anna would want to keep her past hidden, but from her
husband? It just didn’t add up for Jay, why would she
even marry a cop if she wanted to keep her criminal past
quiet? It was a pretty big gamble, thinking he would never
find out.
“No wonder she has been playing cat and mouse with us,”
he blurted out, more to himself than to Paula.
“Should I read on?” Paula pushed Jay.
Lifting his coffee to his lips, he sent her a simple nod.
“Upon her discharge from Grimshore Girls Home in 1978,
Anna Stockton applied to legally change her name to
Anna Louise Jameson. She gained employment at various
convenience stores around Bayside before returning to
school where she completed her year eleven and twelve
equivalency test.”
“So she tried to make a go of things then?”
“Seems so,” she replied. “I can see why you wanted this
kept hush, hush though. Why didn’t you tell me she was
Ben’s wife Jay?”
“I dunno,” he started. “I didn’t want to make a big deal of
it, because of that reason I guess. Is that all you got in
your bag of goodies there, Paula?”
“Far from it, I’m afraid. Although I’m sure you know this
part,” she read on with some mundane details. “In Sep
1981 she married Benjamin James Payne, a Showsdale
City Police Officer. From Feb 2000 until August 2004 she
studied and gained her Diploma in Counselling. She
legally separated from her husband in Jan 2007. She
currently runs her own Counselling Centre in Showsdale.”
“Yeah, at least there are no surprises there.”
Her life after Grimshore appeared clean enough, Jay was
impressed at her drive and determination. She rose out of
the hell she had been born into and made something of
herself. Jay knew that was no easy thing to accomplish.
The more he heard, the more he was convinced that Anna
was just secretive and had no role in the murder
investigation. He was thinking that in this particular case,
it might be better to let sleeping dogs lay. Ben had
poured his heart out to him just a few nights ago and
now here he was digging up the dirt on his ex-wife. It
would crush Ben if he knew all the sordid details. Jay
was overcome with a rush of guilt. What had started out
as a fishing expedition to show Anna for who she was,
had somehow turned into something very different. He no
longer wanted to run to Ben and shove this information
under his nose.
“Her adult criminal history is pretty bland, nothing but a
few parking tickets and a drink driving offence in 2005,”
Paula soldiered on with her findings.
“So her adult life was pretty dull,” said Jay. “I’d expect
that, after all, she was married to a cop by then.”
Apart from the murder, which by now he was
sympathetically justifying to himself, Anna was quite
clean. In some way he felt disappointed, yet in another
way relief was washing over him in waves.
“Jay,” Paula pulled one last document from her folder
and held it to her chest. “ I found this document after I’d
done the background search. I don’t know how, but she
managed to cover her tracks well and I almost missed it.
It was just a pure stroke of luck that I even discovered
this.” She handed it across to Jay and then quietly said,
“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that all Juvenile files
are sealed and this information never fell into your lap.”
The pair sat silently for a moment.
“This is going to rock your world, Jay.”
He accepted the document from her, his eyes fixed
intensely on hers before pulling them down to the paper
he now held in his hands. He read the paper slowly, trying
to fully compre-hend what he was seeing. His gaze darted
back to Paula, almost begging her to tell him that he
wasn’t really seeing what his eyes were telling him he was
seeing. “Is this right? There’s no mistake?”
“I checked and double checked Jay, it’s all correct I’m
afraid.”
“Paula, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… You’re the
best damn dirt hound I’ve ever met!” Jay scooped all the
paperwork up and shoved it back into the file. He swilled
down the last of his coffee, grabbed a piece of toast from
his plate of uneaten bacon and eggs, squeezed Paula on
the shoulder and rose from his seat. “This is just between
us right?” He asked, waving the file at her.
“You got it,” she answered.
Jay threw a twenty-dollar note on the table and said,
“Thanks Paula, you’re the best.” He then raced out of Café
Cino, and headed straight for the Station House.



CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
At 12.40pm, Ben walked into the station house. He hung
his coat over the back of his swivel chair behind his desk
and headed to the coffee machine. He noticed Jay’s
jacket propped on the back of his chair. Ben looked
around the room, there was no sign of him.
“Hey Spiros,” he called to a dark haired man sitting at a
desk across the room. “You seen Jayy?”
The man looked up from his paperwork and said, “Yeah,
he walked into the locker room a few minutes ago. I
guess he’s still in there.” Spiros returned to his stack of
papers.
“Thanks,” replied Ben.
“Ahuh.” Spiros mumbled without looking up.
Still standing in front of the coffee ma-chine, Ben rubbed
his chin before spinning on his heel and making his way
past the rows of desks and filing cabinets and into the
locker room. The door swung shut behind him, he
marched past aisle after aisle of tall blue metal lockers
before stopping at the end of the fifth row. There was
Jay, his head in his hands and a sheet of paper
scrunched up between the thick fingers of his left hand.
Ben stood there, unable to move closer to Jay.
“Something wrong, Jayy?” His words pierced the silence.
Jay jumped at the sound of his partner’s voice. He stared
up at him, a grim expression on his face. He stared at Ben
for a few moments before lowering his gaze to the floor.
“Is that Anna’s file?”
His partner nodded, still staring at the floor.
Ben took two steps toward him and then stopped. His
feet suddenly unwilling to carry him any further, he leant
against the locker to his left.
He had never seen Jay behaving the way he was right
now. He was never short of words and had always been
able to look Ben in the eye. Even when they had
exchanged words or differences of opinion, Jay had
never backed down from him or been unable to meet his
gaze. Something was definitely wrong. A cold shiver ran
through Ben. It stung him from the base of the neck, all
the way down to his toes. He knew that whatever Jay had
read, wasn’t good. It didn’t take long for the shiver to turn
to full-blown fear and dread. Ben managed a few more
steps toward Jay. He stopped again and sat on the
bench just a few feet away from him. No words were
spoken; neither man knew what to say or how to say it.
They both remained wrapped in a blanket of silence. In a
sudden bid to return to the land of the living, Ben cleared
his throat and turned toward Jay.
“So you’re going to be a daddy, hey?”
Jay looked over at him.
“That’s great news… Great news.” Ben continued to ramble
on. “I would have liked to have had the chance to be a
Father…”
“Ben.”
“I don’t know what sort of a father I would have been
though…”
“Ben.”
“But you, I think you’ll make a fantastic Dad. I suppose it’s
too early to tell what sex it is yet hey?”
“You need to read this,” Jay whispered.
“Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? Or you don’t really
mind?” he looked at Jay.
Jay’s eyes pleaded with Ben to stop.
“Yeah, I suppose that’s not important is it? As long as it’s
healthy, right? That would be the main issue.” his
ramblings continued on unabated.
“For crying out loud, Ben…”
“Anna and I. We never had kids, couldn’t. But I think I told
you that didn’t I?” he looked over to Jay, searching for a
hint of something in his eyes to tell him that whatever
was in the background check was not that bad.
“You have to read this,” He tried shoving the paper toward
him.
Ben moved away slightly and kept babbling, almost
incoherently. “Of course, I’m too old now to bother with
re-marrying and starting a family. Well I could re-marry
but…”
Jay rose from the bench, walked over to Ben and
grabbed him by the front of his shirt. In one swift but
controlled movement, he pulled him from his seat and
pushed him up against the locker. “Stop it, Ben!”
Ben’s face became ashen, his gait slumped beneath
Jay’s hands and he fell silent. Jay slowly released his
grip and then placed his hands on Ben’s shoulders,
steadying him.
A couple of rookie officers heard the thump of the lockers
and ran around to the end of the aisle, looking down at
the two men. Jay turned and glared at them.
“Piss off!”
The men took Jay’s advice and quickly left.
His attentions returned to Ben, he stepped back from him
and placed his hands on his hips, allowing him time to
regain what was left of his pride.
“I need you to pull yourself together here, buddy.” he said,
looking sympathetically at Ben. “There is some pretty
serious stuff in this file and we have to work through it
together, I’m here for you. Do you hear me Ben?”
Ben nodded and then held his hands over his face. His
fingers dug into his eyes, rubbing them hard before
returning to his sides.
“Good.”
Jay slapped him lightly on the side of his arm in a
reassuring gesture before sitting back down on the
bench. Ben stayed upright against the locker.
“So what did you find?” Ben asked in a tone that sounded
more like he was asking because he had to, rather than
because he wanted to.
“Honestly, Ben, I really don’t know where to start.”
“Jesus, Jayy, how bad can it be?”
“I think this is going to bust the case wide open…” Jay
fished around his locker for the rest of the papers he
shoved back in there earlier. “It will at the very least
explain a lot of why Anna has been so evasive.”
“Give it to me. What’s it say?”
Jay shuffled the papers together in his hands and
stacked them in a neat pile on the bench beside him.
Standing up, he said, “I think it’s best if you read it for
yourself, Ben.” Jay then walked to the end of the aisle,
turned back and added, “I’ll be just outside at my desk if
you need me.”
Fear filled Ben’s body once more, fear of what was on
those few sheets of paper, fear that Anna might be their
murderer, fear that he could be responsible for more
women dying because he refused to see what was right in
front of him. He pushed himself away from the locker and
crept towards the stack of papers on the bench before
him. He sat down beside them. Finally he picked them up
and began to read.
Ben watched Jay from the window of the locker room
door. He was sitting at his desk fiddling anxiously with
the telephone cord. The look on his face was one of
desperation. Ben felt sorry for him, he had tried so hard to
push him to see through Anna, or at least look at her for
what she truly was. But he had refused to listen, in his
eyes Jay simply didn’t like her and his suspicions of her
were nothing more than a side effect of that. How Ben
wished that Jay had been wrong, how he wished that he
had have taken him more seriously much earlier.
Anna had always had that affect on him. She somehow
managed to blind him to what everyone else saw as
plainly as the nose on their faces, yet he couldn’t see
anything more than the halo above her head. That was all
he had wanted to see. To this day he couldn’t quite
understand the power she had over him, for so many
years she had pulled his strings and for so many years he
had danced to her beat. Now, it was all so crystal clear to
him, everything fell into place. Her moods, her lies, her
evasion of anything personal and her treatment of him. At
last he knew the truth… The whole truth and it was time
for her to face it as well.
He fiddled nervously with the stack of papers in his hand
before pushing the locker room door open and striding
out into the office and over to his desk. Jay looked up at
him, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Ben threw the papers
on the table in front of him. Jay looked up at him as if
waiting for him to say something. Ben pulled out his chair
and sat down. His hands cradled his head.
“Your fax came through,” Jay started off gently.
Ben stared at him curiously.
“From The Bayside Inn.”
Ben’s expression remained blank.
“The Beaumont’s.” Jay reminded him, handing him the
papers.
“Oh, sure… Yeah, thanks.” He took them and placed them
on the desk without looking at them.
Jay cleared his throat and spoke again, “Seems they
were there the entire weekend. Their credit card slips prove
what time they had meals and room service. Unless they
hired a hit-man, they aren’t our killers.”
“Great, another suspect or two eliminated,” said Ben,
pushing the fax around the top of his desk. “Any other
breakthroughs emerge since I’ve been in there?” He
nodded towards the locker room.
“No.” Jay sighed heavily and leant in towards Ben. “I’m
so sorry, Ben.” He told him. “Honestly, I had no idea what
was going to be in her background, but I wasn’t expecting
what I got.”
“I know you are. I’m sorry for not listening to you sooner.”
He sat up in his chair. “Anna told me about a young
homeless girl last night.”
“What has she got to do with anything?”
“Exactly. I think it was just another little game Anna was
playing to get me off her back. I followed her info and
tracked the girl down, turns out she is safe and well, living
in a youth hostel downtown.”
“She’s gotta be hiding more than what we’ve dug up,
though. Surely those little secrets ain’t that valuable?”
“To Anna. Self preservation is everything and she’d do
whatever it takes to guarantee that.”
“So, if she’s all about preserving her past and her
skeletons, let me ask you this. How are we gonna make
her crack? How do we get her to talk?”
Ben shook his head, “Honestly? I don’t know.” He picked
up the papers on his desk and held them up in front of
Jay. “But I have a feeling once I corner her with this,” he
waved the papers about, “It won’t take long to break her.”
“Do you really think that’ll work?” asked Jay. “You’ve tried
every other tactic with her and she still manages to get
around you some-how.”
Ben rose from his chair. “Yeah, but this time I know the
truth about her. It’s all here in black and white, and that’s
something she never bargained for!” He pulled his coat
from the back of the chair and slipped it on. “For our
entire married life she has lied to me and gone to great
lengths to hide her past. She knew I wouldn’t check up on
her, wouldn’t dredge up the pain of her memories, but
now… I’m going to let her know that I know everything.
Including this.” He held up the last and possibly most
important document in her file.
Jay eyed the document briefly, “Yeah, ain’t that one the
kicker?”
“No wonder she has lied through her teeth.”
“So how are you gonna do this, Ben?” Jay asked.
“This time it’s going on the record, I’m bringing her in.”
Ben thought for a moment before adding, “ Can you do
me a favour, Jay?”
“Sure, anything…”
“Can you do some digging around about the whole
Grimshore saga and see what comes up in regards to
this?” Ben waved the document at him again.
“Consider it done!” Jay picked up the telephone.
Ben tucked the papers into his coat pocket and said, “I’ll
be back in a while. If you dig anything up in the mean
time, let me know. I’ll have my phone on, okay?”
“You got it.” Jay answered. “Hey, Ben?”
“Yeah.”
“Be careful.”
Smiling weakly he replied, “I always am.”





















CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Ben parked his Chevy on the side of the street. He looked
up at Anna’s house from his seat. Sitting in her driveway
was a silver Volkswagon Convertible. Ben eyed it
suspiciously. He remembered seeing that car before. His
mind ticked over trying to recall where. He got out of his
car and stepped onto the footpath, his eyes still fixed on
the VW. Like a bolt of lightning it hit him. That was the car
he had seen Marla and Dr. Sugars drive away in the night
he visited the Wellness Clinic, but what would Rose be
doing at Anna’s?
The thought had no sooner entered his mind when he
heard smashing glass and screaming echo from inside
Anna’s house. He grabbed for his gun and ran to the front
steps, stopping beside the front door. The voices became
hushed and he could hear Anna sobbing hysterically. Ben
trod carefully and made his way towards the window to
the left of the door, his gun still firmly in his hand. His
heart thumped in his chest and sweat gathered above his
brow. As swiftly and as quietly as he could, he poked his
head around to the front of the window and peered
inside.
Anna was seated on the sofa in the lounge room, tears
streaming down her cheeks and Rose was standing over
the top of her holding a gun. Ben pulled his head back
from the window before he was seen and backed further
up against the wall of the house. With his left hand, he
reached into his pocket for his phone. It wasn’t there.
“Shit!” Ben cursed under his breath.
His breathing became more rapid and the sweat now ran
down over his brow and into his eyes. The stinging
caused him to repeatedly blink his eyelids. It was the
body’s vain effort to expel the salty liquid from his eyes
and regain his vision clearly. Rose’s voice resounded from
the lounge room. It was harsh and deep.
“You dare to threaten me! Who do you think you are?”
“You have to go,” Anna sobbed and stammered, “to the
police.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Rose’s voice grew more menacing.
“and neither will you.”
“But Marla…”
“She was weak, she was going to run to those cops and
tell them everything.”
“You? You killed her, too?” Anna’s voice rose to a higher
pitch.
“No!” boomed Rose, “I’ve killed no-one.”
“You killed Tessa, I know you did, and so do you.”
“Tessa was an accident!” Rose spat back at her.
“An accident? If it was an accident you should have gone
to the police like Marla wanted you to.”
“You should be more worried about why Kylie-Anne and
Marla were murdered…” Rose cut herself short.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, they were all your clients. They all died within hours
of meeting with you. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“You mean… You didn’t kill them?”
“I told you. I didn’t kill anyone. Tessa was just an
unfortunate accident that had to be taken care of.”
“Oh my God, what is going on here? I, I thought you…”
“What? That I could kill my own daughter?”
“Then who?”
“I have no idea,” Rose paused. “But they certainly picked a
convenient time and manner in which to start their little
killing spree. Seems they like to copy-cat, eh?”
“How can you say it’s convenient? Your own child is dead
at the hands of this monster!” Anna choked between
sobs.
Ben listened intently, his heart still jumping wildly in his
chest and his mind racing. He was desperate to reach
Jay and call for back up, yet he didn’t want to leave the
porch and the conversation inside. If he had any chance of
saving Anna, it was by staying right where he was and
waiting for an opportune time to make his move. He
pressed his ear back to the wall and gripped his gun
tighter.
“Yes, she was my child.” Rose’s tone softened ever so
slightly, “but she was also going to turn me in. I know it.
Her death is tragic but also a saviour.”
“How do you know she didn’t already talk to the police?”
A guttural laugh escaped Rose. “My dear girl, do you really
think I would be standing here if she had?”
“But you did kill Tessa.”
“No, that was not the way it happened. It wasn’t murder.”
“What do you call it? You sliced her up and disfigured her
so viciously…”
“I had to. I needed to.”
“You needed to? My God Rose, you are a sick woman. I can
help you.” Anna fell silent for a moment and then
whispered, “Just don’t kill me.”
“No, no… You have it all wrong, Anna. I needed to do
those things to throw the police off the real cause of
death. What better way than to mutilate her and dump
her in the scrub?”
Ben couldn’t believe his ears. Rose had admitted to killing
Tessa Hunt. His next thought was of the other girls. If
Rose didn’t kill them, then who did? She had nothing to
lose denying their murders to Anna/ If she intended to
shoot her there would be no point lying to her about that.
Then it dawned on him. They were indeed dealing with two
killers, Rose and someone else who was running around
using Tessa’s murder as a blueprint.
“If it was just an accident, why didn’t you go the police?”
Anna pushed Rose for answers.
“I would have lost my medical license, possibly received
some time in prison. Either way I was not going to lose
everything for some cheap little tart that you referred to
me. It was her own fault, I was pushed to do the
termination after hours and without correct attendants
and procedures in place. What could I have done?”
“You could have said no!” Anna screamed at her. “That’s
what you could have done, Rose.”
“Said no? How? You were the one who begged me to do it
for her that night, or have you forgotten that little
important piece of information?” Rose stopped
momentarily before carrying on. “While we’re on that
subject, why did you ask me that favour on her behalf?
Hmm. What was your vested interest in Tessa any-how?”
Ben had heard enough, it was time to end this siege
before it flared into another murder. Leaving the
conversation, he sunk to the ground and crawled on all
fours down the steps and across the pathway, all the
while his gun remained firmly in his grasp. Once he
reached the gate, he dived onto the footpath and around
to the drivers side of the Chevy. Pulling open the door, he
flung his body into the back seat and scanned the inside
of the car for his phone. There on the front passenger side
seat, he spied it. In one quick movement he grabbed it
and pulled it into the back. He raised his head and looked
out the car window. The house appeared as it did when he
crawled away from it. His fingers scrolled through the
phonebook and hit the call button when Jay’s number
flashed on the screen, the phone began to connect.
“Jayy, Jesus. Thank God you answered.”
“Ben, what’s wrong?”
“I need you to get here immediately, bring me some back
up too.”
“Are you hurt? Where’s Anna?”
“Rose is here, she has a gun…”
“Ok, just calm down Ben. Where are they?”
“They’re in the lounge room, I’m out in my car. They don’t
know I’m here.”
“We’ll be there pronto buddy, just keep your head down
and wait for us. You hear me Ben?”
“Yeah, got it… Hey Jayy?”
“Yo.”
“Be careful, Rose has nothing to lose…”
“What do you mean?”
“She killed Tessa.”
“Shit! Ok, we’ll sort this out later, right now you just stay
down. Be there in ten.”
The call disconnected and Ben threw the phone to the
floor. He wiped the sweat away from his brow and even
though he didn’t smoke, he wished like hell that he had a
cigarette. Jay had told him to stay down and remain
where he was, but he had to go back to the porch, he had
to make sure that nothing would happen to Anna. Within
seconds, he was once again on all fours, crawling across
Anna’s yard and up her front steps. From his position
beneath the lounge room window, he heard Rose’s
laughter ring out. He could hear Anna crying hard in the
background.
“My, my Anna. What a tangled web you have spun for
yourself. No wonder you were more involved with Tessa
than your other clients.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” sobbed Anna.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Rose parroted back to
her, disdain dripping from her words. “I’m not doing
anything to you, dear. You are going to do it to yourself.”
“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“It makes even more sense that you would kill yourself
now! It was passable that you had reason to commit
suicide before, having watched so many clients die such
terrible deaths. It wouldn’t surprise anyone that you
would take your own life.”
“You’re sick, Rose. Twisted and sick!” Anna spat back at
her.
“But now, with what you have told me about Tessa, well,
that is simply extra cream for the filling isn’t it?”
“What makes you so sure that I haven’t told the police
what Marla has told me, Rose?” the desperation
resounded in Anna’s voice. “I’m not sure if you are aware
of it or not, but my exhusband is one of the detectives
investigating Tessa’s murder…”
“What?” Rose hissed at her. “Who?”
“Ben Payne. He’s been to see me several times already
asking about you and Marla. If something were to happen
to me now, don’t you think it would look a little
suspicious?”
There was silence. Ben was still crouching below the
window, becoming more and more nervous with the lack
of conversation. Concern filled him. If Rose had too much
time to think she might become desperate and even
more dangerous than ever. “Say something Anna. Keep
her talking,” he whispered to himself. His hands became
slippery, he was sweating more profusely and his grip on
the gun was not quite as steady as it had been.
“I’m sure even the detectives won’t have a hard time
believing your death is a suicide, especially since you will
be leaving them a note.” snapped Rose. “Get me some
paper and a pen now.”
Ben heard the trigger of the gun cock. The click sent chills
through him. Soon after there were sounds of a drawer
opening and closing again, then the rustling of paper.
“Thank you, Anna. Now be a good girl and start writing
your goodbye’s.”
“No, I won’t!”
“You’ll do it or I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Anna cut her off. “Shoot me? Then I’ll be
dead and you won’t have your suicide note.‛”
Ben crawled back to the side of the window and stood up.
His nerves were peaking. Rose was getting far more
serious and Jay still hadn’t shown up. It was time to act.
He crept around to the back of the house and turned the
handle, it was locked.
“Damn it!” Ben cursed under his breath. He looked from
left to right surveying the other windows. On his right he
saw the small window of Anna’s office was ajar. He slid it
open as far as it would go and hoisted himself up,
wriggling as quickly and as quietly as he could. A muffled
thump resounded as he hit the desk below the inside of
the window. Ben immediately looked up toward the door
to see if anyone was coming. The coast was clear.
Anna and Rose continued to argue, their pitch reaching a
feverish scale. If he didn’t get in there soon, Anna could
end up wounded or even worse, dead. He slid down from
the desk and peered out the doorway. He could see the
dining room. It was empty. The two women were still in
the lounge room. Ben crouched down on all fours again
and crawled like a crab into the dining room. From there
he slithered past the table and rested up against the
breakfast bar, which divided the kitchen from the dining
room. The adrenalin was pumping furiously through his
veins and his heart was beating so hard, he was certain
that Rose would be able to hear it. He lay on the floor
behind the breakfast bar and poked his head around the
corner, he could see Anna sitting on the sofa, her arms
folded tightly across her chest. The fear on her face was
clear.
Rose was too far back for him to see her body, although
he could see her outstretched arm and the gun she held
in her hand, It was only inches from Anna’s forehead.
Anna was rocking back and forth. Her head was shaking
from side to side. Ben wriggled a little further out from
behind the bar and crawled across the kitchen floor
toward the doorway, he kept his eyes on Anna. Just as he
was about to crawl behind the wall, Anna shook her head
and looked his way. Their eyes met. Ben thought she
would blow his cover with her reaction, instead she
continued rocking and shaking.
Ben motioned for Anna to try and move away from him.
He held out his arm, made a turning motion and then
pointed towards the lounge room window. He wanted
Anna to move in such a way that Rose would be forced to
walk further into the centre of the room with her back to
him. He prayed Anna would understand his gestures. Ben
was now as close to the two women as he dared get
without having the opportunity to come at Rose from
behind.
Anna stopped rocking and said to Rose, “Give me the
pen.”
Ben watched as she stood up. Rose handed her a pen and
she took the paper from the sofa beside her. She walked
towards the window.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Rose screamed at her.
“If you want me to write this note, I need a hard surface to
lean on,” she shot back at her. “The buffet will do.” Anna
pointed to the small buffet hutch below the lounge room
window.
Ben felt relief wash over him. She had understood what he
wanted. He lifted himself into a crouching position and
prepared to spring at Rose from behind.
Anna reached the buffet and turned back to Rose, “What
do you want me to write?”
“Say how deeply traumatised you are because of the
horrendous deaths of your clients.” Rose crossed the
room to where Anna was standing.
Ben now had her firmly in his sight. “Just a little further,”
he whispered. “That’s it, keep going.”
Rose was almost right beside Anna. Her back was nearly
completely turned on him. She took one final step and
was over Anna’s shoulder.
“Mention how you just couldn’t bare their loss and how
disturbed you had become…”
Ben sprang from his position behind the kitchen wall and
lunged at Rose, moving so fast there was no turning
back. Instantly he fell upon her knocking her to the
ground. The gun flew from her hand and slid across the
lounge room floor. Anna ran and picked it up. Rose
screamed obscenities at him, punching and kicking as
hard as she could. The heel of her stiletto caught Ben in
the temple, knocking him out cold on the floor beside
her. Rose glared over at Anna and pulled herself up off the
floor.
“Give me that you stupid fool!” her words were icy and
bitter, spittle dribbled from her mouth.
“Don’t come any closer,” screamed Anna. “I’ll shoot you
dead, I swear I will.” Her hands trembled beneath the
weight of the gun.
Rose moved forward slowly, taking one deliberate step
after another, her hands out in front of her. She looked
like a woman feeling her way through a darkened room.
“Give me the gun, Anna, and you won’t get hurt.” She
forced out a laugh. “It’s not even loaded!”
Anna looked at the gun and then back at Rose. “We’ll see
then, won’t we?”
With that she aimed the gun at her and squeezed the
trigger. The bullet shot from the gun and lodged deeply in
the wall behind Rose. Anna looked at the fear stricken
expression on Rose’s face. She then shifted her attentions
to Ben, he was coming to on the floor, rolling around
moaning with his hands holding a gash above his right
eye.
Rose spun on her heel and bolted to the front door. Ben
threw out his arms in an attempt to pull her feet out from
under her. He missed. Anna stood where she was, glued
in a state of shock. Ben yelled to her, “Shoot again Anna,
shoot!”
It was too late, Rose was already opening the door and
halfway down the front steps.
“Stop right there!”
Ben heard a familiar voice. He climbed up against the wall
and peered out through the window, it was Jay. The front
lawn was littered with at least half a dozen cops and three
cars, all parked lengthways across the driveway. Ben
glanced over at Anna once more before passing out again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“What happened, Rose?” Jay sat in front of her, his eyes
directly on hers.
“It was an accident….”
“Save the crap for someone who actually gives a damn!
What happened before you sliced her up and threw her
into the scrub like a slaughtered beast..”
“You don’t have to say it like that..”
“Does that offend you, Rose? Don’t you like hearing the
truth about what you did to Tessa Hunt?”
“It wasn’t like that. I told you what happened..”
“So tell me again and again and again if you have to, just
make sure you tell me everything. I want the truth!”
“I have told you the truth,” she spat back at him, her eyes
still fixed intently on his.
Jay couldn’t believe what a tough nut she was to crack.
He had been in this room with her for three hours already
and she still kept rambling on about Tessa death being
an accident. He had already pried one version from Anna.
Now he had to get the other story from Rose.
“I have your counsellor friend down in processing as we
speak, and she was more than happy to spill the goods
on you,” Jay slid his chair back from the table they were
sitting at and stood up. “Seems that you are going down
for murder and there isn’t another soul alive who wants to
help you..”
“Anna?” Rose scoffed. “You can’t believe a word that leaves
that deceitful mouth of hers. I bet she didn’t tell you all
the juicy secrets she has hidden though, did she?”
“Oh you mean about her asking you to perform the after
hours abortion, or her connection with Tessa?”
Rose raised her eyebrows and followed Jay with her
gaze. “Oh, so she did tell you, then?”
“Just to make sure we are on the same page here, you tell
me what you’re talking about,” offered Jay.
A deep laugh escaped Rose. “So you really don’t know, do
you, Detective? You think I am stupid enough to fall for
that trick?”
“Don’t play games with me,” threatened Jay. “I’ve been in
this game almost as long as you’ve been killin’ babies..”
She shifted in her seat and pursed her lips.
“Fine, have it your way,” Jay continued. “I can see how
much you care about solving Marla’s murder..”
“You leave my daughter out of this. She has nothing to do
with Tessa..”
“Are you sure about that? She was murdered almost
identically to Tessa and Kylie-Anne. How do I know you
didn’t kill her, too?”
“I had nothing to do with those killings….”
“You better start giving me some information, and bloody
quick. I have absolutely no qualms with pinning
everything on you. In fact….” he paused to look her up and
down. “I’d really enjoy watching you spend the rest of your
miserable existence behind bars..”
She thought about his words and fiddled briefly with her
hair. Straightening the two combs on either side of her
head. “Marla had nothing to do with Tessa’s death. She
just happened to turn up at the clinic at the wrong time.
Anna had phoned me and asked a personal favour of
me….”
“What was that?”
“She wanted me to perform Tessa’s termination right
away. She offered me a great sum of money and said she
would stay until it was done to drive Tessa back home..”
“Why didn’t you say no?”
“I live in the real world, Detective. Money is everything and
my clinic drained on my funds heavily. Believe it or not,
there are a lot more expenses than you think to run that
place..”
“Get on with it, I don’t want your hard luck story,” Jay
blurted out.
Rose glared at him before continuing. “The long and the
short of it is, it’s much more profitable to perform illegally
than it is to perform legally. I can make, in one after hour’s
termination, what I would make in three properly
scheduled procedures. Why would I say no?”
“You risked people’s lives for a few extra dollars? How
many others have you accidentally killed in your career
Rose?”
“None! Tessa was the only one.”
“How can I believe you? You have told so many lies it’s
hard to know when you’re telling the truth. I’m beginning
to think you don’t even know what the truth is!” He walked
back to the table and stood before her again. “Tell me
what happened with Tessa..”
Rose sighed, inspected her fingernails and then turned
back to him. “She had some kind of allergic reaction to
powder on my gloves..”
“What? Come on Rose, even you can do better than that..”
“Well, it must have been the gloves. I hadn’t even
administered the anaesthetic yet and she began gasping
and writhing around. All I’d done up until then was hold
an oxygen mask over her face. So unless she was allergic
to pure air. It must have been something to do with the
gloves. I’m guessing the powder they’re coated with..”
Jay stared at her, it all seemed so simple for her to
explain away a woman’s death. “Then what happened?"
“Anna was in the waiting room when Marla showed up.
She’d forgotten her keys for our weekend house out at
Postman’s Bay. She had driven out there for the weekend,
only to get there and find she had forgotten to grab the
keys from the office. I always keep a spare set there,” Rose
wiped her hands across her face and continued with her
story. “Marla freaked when she found out what I was doing
and stormed into the procedure room as I was trying to
revive Tessa. The C.P.R. wasn’t working and I was frantic
with panic..”
“Where was Anna at this time?”
“I saw her standing in the doorway behind Marla. She took
one look at Tessa and fled. I ran after her and told her I
would take care of everything. I made her swear to keep
her mouth shut or I would tell of her involvement in the
whole thing..”
“What did she do?” Jay kept the questions coming.
“What do you think she did? She kept her mouth shut
just like the rest of us did. She had just as much to lose
as me..”
“What role did Marla play in all of this?”
“Marla?” she laughed. “She played no role. She was more
of a hinderance than a help. All she did was cry and panic
and then cry some more. Little Miss Goody Two Shoes
wanted to call the cops and come clean with the accident
right away. I told her to bring my car to the back entrance
and then leave.”
Jay desperately wanted a cigarette.
“So, Marla had no idea what you had planned to do with
the body?”
“No, I instructed her to go home and give me the keys to
the weekender. After she left, I wheeled Tessa out to the
car and drove to Postman’s Bay.”
“And that’s where you took to her with a hack saw or
some other serrated tool and cut her up?”
Rose nodded her head.
“How could you do that?” He looked at her. Her head was
bowed, looking down at the desk. “It’s one thing to try
and hide a body, but it’s another thing altogether when
you slice off their breasts and rip their guts open!”
“You make it sound so cruel and evil,” she began.
“Sound? It doesn’t just sound cruel and evil, Rose. It is!”
“But she was already dead. I was only trying to throw
police off the trail. I’m not a monster, Detective.”
Jay’s jaw nearly hit the ground. He couldn’t believe what
he was hearing. This woman was obviously cracked. She
had commit-ted one of the most horrendous acts of
violence and depravity he had ever seen on another
human being, and she was sitting there as though he
had accused her of stealing an apple.
“Anna is the one you should be after, not me.”
“How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion?” He
couldn’t believe her.
“She was the one who pushed me to do the damn
termination immediately, all for her precious….”
“Her precious what, Rose?” Jay wanted to hear the words
from her mouth.
She tilted her head towards him and smiled the most
chilling smile he had ever seen. “All for her precious
daughter! Tessa was her daughter.” She then looked
around the room and with her gaze back on Jay, she
said, “I think now would be a good time for a solicitor.”
Jay stared at the woman in front of him. Everything
about her screamed madness. Her words and actions and
her sheer lack of understanding of the act she had
committed. He turned and left the room.
“How did you go with her?” an officer just outside the door
asked.
“That is one cracked unit,” he blurted out. “If she ain’t a
candidate for the nut house, I dunno who is!”
The officer stared blankly at him and said, “Should I take
her to bookings now?”
“Yeah, and call her solicitor when you’re done.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ben opened his eyes. He was greeted with a middle-aged
nurse smiling kindly down at him. Her deep blue eyes
were kind and her full, red lips looked so soft and
sensual. He smiled at the thought of kissing them.
“Well, hello there,” she said in a hushed voice. “Good to
see you’re awake.”
“What happened?” he asked, using his arms to push
himself up into a sitting position.
“You have seven neat stitches in your temple and a nasty
little concussion to boot. That’s what happened.” she
helped him sit up properly then handed him some water.
Ben took it from her and raised it to his lips. “Oh God,
Anna!” The memory of the afternoon’s events came
rushing back to him in one gigantic wave.
“It’s ok,” the nurse hushed him. “You got the bad guy and
everyone is safe. Your partner Detective Marnotti came in with
you and then left again. He said he’d be back a little later.”
“Jay?”
“Yes, that’s right.” She patted his face down with a cool
washer.
“Did someone mention my name?” A familiar voice filled
the room.
Ben looked over to the door and saw Jay standing there
holding a can of coke in one hand and a manila folder in
the other.
“Hey, Jayy, great to see you.”
“It’s great to see you! I was worried there for a while.” He
pulled up a chair next to the bed.
The attractive nurse put down the washer and excused
herself before leaving the room. Ben smiled at her as she
left. He turned back to Jay who was grinning broadly at
him.
“What?”
“You like her!” his smile grew wider. “Don’t you? Go on,
admit it.”
Ben smirked like a schoolboy and then changed the
subject. “How is Anna?”
“She’s fine. A little shaken by the ordeal, but otherwise
she’s ok.” he stopped cold.
“What is it, Jay?”
“She’s been charged in relation to Tessa’s death, Ben. I’m
sorry.”
“Did she…”
“No she didn’t kill her, but she was pre-sent when she
died and then helped cover it up by keeping her mouth
shut.”
“So who did?” Ben’s curiosity rose. “My memory, it’s a bit
scrambled.”
“A blow to the head will do that to ya, Benny boy.” Jay
joked. “You were on the money all along. The Wellness
Clinic…”
“What about it?”
“It seems the good doctor performed some after hours
terminations and Tessa’s happened to go wrong. Anna
knew about it and said nothing.”
“Jesus,” he whispered, rubbing his forehead. “So what
about Rose?”
“She’s admitted to the killing and gave a statement. I
wouldn’t be surprised if she gets off on insanity though.
She’s one fruity loop that one.”
“So why the mutilation? It doesn’t make sense.”
“She thought that if she cut her up and made it look like
some sicko on the loose that it would throw police off the
track.”
“Well, she was right there.”
“I spoke to Anna. Her story was pretty consistent with
what I got from Rose.”
“So why didn’t she just tell us? It doesn’t make sense,
Jayy.” he sighed.
“She was so afraid of people finding out that Tessa was
her daughter. She just wanted to leave her past in the
past and when Tessa came back looking for her…”
“So she had met with Tessa long before now, then?”
“Apparently so, about a year or so ago she showed up on
her doorstep. Anna told her she wanted nothing to do
with her and the life she reminded her of. For a long time
she never came back.”
“Until Tessa found out she was pregnant?”
“Yeah. She called on Anna for help and she put her onto
Rose and told her that she would take care of it if she
promised to leave her alone after that. Tessa agreed and
that’s when they went to see Rose.”
Ben sat with his hands in his lap, lost in thought.
“Ben?”
“Yeah, I’m ok. Did you manage to dig up anything on
Grimshore?”
“I sure did. Tessa’s father was a guard at the girls home
back in 1977.”
“When Anna was there?” Ben interrupted.
“Seems so. His name was Bernard Houseman. It appears
that when the home became aware of his activities with
Anna, he was to be hauled in front of the disciplinary
commission. He chose another course of action though.”
Ben looked at him expectantly.
“He decided to string himself up from a tree in his back
yard. He had a wife and three kids. I guess he didn’t want
to have to face them, over the incident.”
“Gees, Jayy, this saga just keeps getting more and more
depressing.”
“Sure does.”
“So what happened with Anna?”
“The girls home took the baby from her immediately after
birth and adopted it out. It was a sealed adoption. My
source did well to uncover the birth certificate when they
ran Anna’s background check.”
“Damn,” Ben cursed. “If only I had tried harder to find a
next of kin when we found Tessa’s body. Instead of just
accepting that her parents were dead and there was no-
one else to notify.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You did what you could,
Ben.”
“If I had have dug a little deeper, I may have uncovered
this weeks ago and maybe.”
“Look, it’s over. There’s no use agonising over what could
or should have happened.”
“Maybe,” Ben agreed.
“We still got bigger problems than that, Benny, my boy.”
“How so?”
“We still have a psycho-sicko unit out there, running
around performing copy cat killings of Tessa’s murder on
other pregnant women. We gotta catch the animal.”
“Oh hell,” sighed Ben. “Who would know all those details,
Jayy? The foetus snatching detail was never released to
the public.”
“I dunno, but as soon as you get outta here, we’re gonna
find out.” He slapped his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “In the
meantime buddy, you and I have to celebrate the one
small victory we have achieved. Rose’s arrest and solving
Tessa’s murder.”
“Sure,” said Ben, his enthusiasm not quite that of Jay’s.
“Bluey’s, tomorrow night, nine o’clock.”
“I’ll be there!”
“Well you’d best get some rest if you want to be out of
here by morning.” The cute nurse was standing in the
doorway holding a fresh washer and a bowl of soapy
water.
Ben’s eyes lit up.
“My buddy and I were just planning a celebration
tomorrow night.” He looked back at Ben and grinned. “I
don’t suppose you’d care to join us?”
Ben’s eyes widened. He glared wildly at Jay for being so
brazen.
Her lips parted and a smile spread across her pretty face.
She looked at Ben and replied, “I’d love to… Unfortunately
I have to work tomorrow night, but I’m free Friday night if
that’s any good?”
Jay looked at the two of them and pushing his chair
back he said, “Well I’ll leave you two to fine tune the
details. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, smiling at Ben. He
then turned to the nurse and said, “I hope to see you
again soon, too, eerrr?”
“Carolyn,” she answered, taking his bait for details.
With that Jay left them to each other’s company.




















CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Hey Tadpole,” cried Jay. “How’s it goin’?” Jay leaned
over the bar and shook his hand as he always does.
“Jayy, great to see you. I had a feeling you’d be back
again,” Tadpole grinned widely at him and pulled a beer
before sliding it across the bar, coming to a stop in front
of Jay.
“Really? What, are you a bloody psychic now, are ya?”
Tadpole laughed and then replied, “Believe me, it wouldn’t
take a psychic to see why you’re back again.” his eyes
strayed across the room behind Jay and came to rest on
Danni, who was stacking empty beer glasses on her tray.
Jay followed his gaze, a broad smile spreading over his
face when his eyes fell upon Danni. His expression
softened and he was overcome with a warm feeling, that
girl sure did make his senses peak. His eyes moved up
and down over her beautiful body, taking in it’s every curve
and contour, her shapely hips and tiny waist stirred the
man in him. Her full bust and slender neck were just
perfect. Jay had never seen a finer looking woman. The
Queen of Sheba could walk right by him now and he
wouldn’t even notice. Danni was his Queen and nothing
else mattered, he was taken with the girl. Hook, line and
sinker!
Turning his attentions back to Tadpole he lifted his beer
to his lips and said, “Hey Tad, what’s the chances of me
takin’ her off your hands a few minutes earlier tonight?” he
nudged his head in Danni’s direction.
Tadpole pursed his lips and clicked his tongue in a
serious manner. “Gees, I don’t know, Jayy, it’s kinda
busy here tonight,” he scratched his head and frowned
weakly. “I don’t know that I can spare the man power.”
Jay scanned the bar and billiards room. He counted
maybe five customers in total. He looked back at Tadpole
whose frown was now replaced with a cheeky smirk and
trying desperately to hold back his laughter.
“You mongrel,” Jay cursed at him playfully.
“Go on you love machine, get out of here!”
Jay downed his beer and placed the glass back on the
bar. He was already walking away when Tadpole yelled
after him, “Just make sure you bring her back. Good help’s
hard to find you know.”
He waved his hand in the air and crept up behind Danni,
who by now was at the next table clearing the last of the
glasses away. His hands extended and grabbed her firmly
around the waist, “Hey there gorgeous.”
She jumped so high that she lost her balance and would
have toppled over, glasses and all, if it hadn’t been for
Jay’s tight grip steadying her on her feet.
“Good God!” she gasped. “You scared the living daylights
out of me.” She let out a nervous laugh and then threw
her arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. She
glanced over at the bar and saw Tadpole staring at them,
a knowing smile on his lips. He gave her the thumbs up
and then went back about his business.
“You’re early,” she told him. “I don’t get off for another half
an hour yet. You want to have a drink at the bar?”
“Already had one.” he replied, his eyes fixed firmly on her
and a strange little grin on his face. He was mesmerised
by everything about her and couldn’t believe it has taken
him nearly a month to realise it.
The first night they got together was nothing more than a
meeting of two people who had over indulged in the
offerings of the cock-tails at Fred’s retirement party,
resulting in a drunken roll in the hay. Their second
meeting of the bodies was almost the same. He was
drunk, she wasn’t. He’d tried hard not to get attached or
develop feelings for her. Throwing her out of his bed on
that second morning had been his cruel attempt at
distancing himself from her, yet he was still unable to get
her off his mind. She had already gotten to him by then
and he was hooked on her. It just took him a little while
to admit it.
“Are you ok, Jay?” She asked, gazing into his eyes. “You
seem a bit, I don’t know. Weird!”
He leaned in towards her and wrapped his arms tighter
around her, pulling her closer to him. “I’m fine.”
His fingers fiddled with the strings of her apron, untying
them and letting the beer stained, black garment fall to
the floor between them. “Let’s get out of here.” Jay then
grabbed her by the hand, looked over at Tadpole who was
holding her handbag up ready for collection, and led her
toward the door. Danni mouthed thank you to him as she
took her bag from him on the way out of Bluey’s. He shot
her a happy wink and nodded his head.
“So how’s little Danni Junior?” Jay asked, patting her
softly on the stomach before opening the cruiser door
and ushering her in.
Danni’s eyes softened at his gesture. “You really are
excited about this aren’t you?” she asked, crawling up into
the seat.
“Sure am,” he replied, opening his door and hoisting
himself up. He started the engine and pulled away from
Bluey’s. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She smiled sweetly at him and rested her hand on his.
“You’re not so tough after all, are you?” her smiled
broadened.
“What do ya mean by that? I’m tough” He glanced over at
her, puffing his chest up and flexing his arms tightly.
“See? I’m all that and more.” he joked.
“You certainly are. All that and much more.”
Outside her house he cut the engine and remained in his
seat.
“You want to come in?” she asked, sliding closer to him.
Jay bit his lip and swallowed hard. “More than anything
in the world…”
Danni started to open the door.
“But I’m not going to,” he blurted out.
“You’re not?” she echoed. “Have I done something
wrong?”
He laughed and pulled her closer to him again.
“Absolutely not. I just wanna make it special y’know?”
“Make what special?” she asked, a confused look on her
face.
“The next time I enter a room alone with you, we both
know what’s gonna happen…” He stared directly into her
big brown eyes. “And I just wanna make sure when it
happens, that it’s special.” he lifted her hand to his mouth
and kissed it gently. “Is that ok with you?”
Danni placed her hands on either side of his face and
answered, “That’s more than ok.” She bent forward and
kissed his lips.
“Now stop that young lady, that’s just being cruel!” Jay
cried, pulling back from her. “How am I supposed to
remain a gentleman when you go and do things like
that?” a cheeky giggle escaped him.
“Alright, you win! But just don’t blame me for the rules of
no contact. That is your idea, remember?” she teased him.
Jay wanted so badly to whisk her inside and show her
just how much contact he did want. He wanted her to feel
his desire for her. It was taking everything he had to
control himself. His entire body was screaming at him to
give in and follow his lust. But that was the problem, he
didn’t want it to be all about the lust, not this time. Next
time it was going to mean something and he was going
to make it mean something if he had to hold back for
another six months. He knew that she wanted him, he
could see it in her eyes, hear it in her words and feel it in
her touch. She too, would just have to wait, soon the time
would be right and they will both be thankful that they
had waited a little longer.
“So, don’t you have to be going to see a doctor or
something soon?” he changed the subject.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll make an appointment for next week.”
“Can I come?”
She was taken aback by his enthusiasm. “Boy, you sure
do want to get right in there and be a part of this don’t
you?”
Her hand caressed his face.
“You don’t want me to?”
“Of course I do, I’m just a little surprised that you want to
come to a boring old doctors appointment with me.” she
smiled at him. “I’d love for you to come, sure.”
“Great! Consider me there.” Jay thought for a minute
and then added, “What about that birth stuff?”
“Birth stuff?”
“Yeah, you know, where you go to the hospital and they
show ya videos and teach ya how to get ready for the baby
and all that?”
“Gees, I don’t know. At this point, you know more about
what goes on than I do, Jay.”
she grinned at him. “Is there something you’re not telling
me? Have you done this before?”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” he replied. “No, I just did a bit of a
search on the net last night about babies and birth and
that sort of stuff. I just wanna be there for you, Danni.”
“Oh Jay,” she whispered. “You’re going to be a fantastic
daddy and…”
“And what?” he egged her on.
“And a fantastic partner too.” Her head rested on his
shoulder and she cuddled up to him. “You make it hard
for a girl to resist you, don’t you?”
“Well I should hope so,” he said. “See, I told ya I was
tough. Tough to resist!” he let out a hearty laugh and
squeezed her tightly to him.
For sometime the two just rested there in each others
company, enjoying the closeness and savouring the
moment. They watched through the windscreen as the
blanket of stars shimmered and glittered above them, it
was a perfect night and a perfect second date.
“Oh hell, I nearly forgot,” Jay interrupted the moment
with his booming voice. “Can you get off a little earlier
tomorrow night?”
“I can’t see why not. Taddy’s usually pretty good and he
owes me a few shifts. Why?”
“Ben and I are having a celebration at Bluey’s. I just
thought you might like to join us when you finish? I’ll
introduce you to Ben, properly.”
“Ben? He the guy you were with the other night?”
“Yeah, that’s him. You’ll like him, he’s a top bloke.”
“Sounds great. What are you celebrating?”
Jay shifted from his seat and opened his door. “The
demise of the baddies, my sweet. Another one off the
street.” He walked to her side of the car and helped her
out. “Now let’s get you inside and locked up safe for the
night, eh?”
Jay led her up the pathway and up to her front door. She
took out her key and unlocked it. She noticed him looking
down at the pavers on either side of the steps and she
said, ”Don’t worry, they’re being stacked away tomorrow!”
“Great idea. Next weekend we’ll get stuck into pruning
that big old tree back around the side too, okay?”
“It’s a date,” she laughed.
“No, that’s hard work!” Jay joked back. “You’re one high
maintenance babe aren’t ya?” He stepped closer to her
and wrapped his arms around her. “So I’ll see you
tomorrow night?”
She planted tiny kisses on his lips and in between said,
“That is a date!”
“See you then,” he whispered and backed away from her.
“Round eight-ish I guess.”
“Eight-ish it is.”
Jay ran down the steps, across the pathway and into his
cruiser. He watched as she entered the house and closed
the door behind her. His cruiser fired up and, with a
gratified smile, he shifted it into gear and drove away.









CHAPTER THIRTY
Anna sat huddled against the cold, steely walls of the
holding cell. Her hands trembled with fright and her
fingers were stained black with ink from being
fingerprinted during her booking and processing
yesterday. Her first night behind bars was terrifying. The
unfamiliar sounds of the cell and constant snoring and
bickering of the other people locked in the adjoining cells
had kept her awake. She was still visibly disturbed by the
ordeal of what had happened at her home with Rose the
day before and she was wondering why Ben hadn’t been
to see her yet. Sure, he was injured during the scuffle, but
he wasn’t hurt that badly, or at least she hadn’t thought
so.
Replays of the frightening events of yesterday kept
flashing through her mind. She could still see the barrel
of the gun right in front of her and she could feel the tears
rolling down her cheeks. Her hands could still feel how
tightly they were locked together around the trigger of the
gun and how badly she was shaking while trying to steady
her aim. The expression on Rose’s face haunted her like
the memories of her father did. Now she had even more
nightmares to taunt her.
She moved away from the wall and stood up. Her eyes
darted from one side of her cell to the other. The bars
were so close. So close to her that she could feel the panic
rising inside her like lava rising in a volcano. Her arms
wrapped around her torso and she rubbed them up and
down in an attempt to keep herself warm. Laughter rang
out from somewhere down the hall. She couldn’t see who
was there or what they were laughing at, all she knew was
that it unnerved her. Not being able to see all around her
was petrifying, how could she protect herself if she
couldn’t see what was around her? How would she know if
she was truly safe? Oh how she wished Ben was with her.
The door to her cell suddenly slid open and a guard yelled
to her.
“Anna Jameson, step out into the corridor.”
She walked towards the open door and poked her head
out. Unable to see anything more than an empty corridor,
she hesitantly took two steps outside her cell. A door at
the end of the hall opened and a uniformed officer walked
towards her. He stepped in front of her and stood there,
just staring at her. Unsure what she was to do, she simply
remained quiet and stared back.
“You have a visitor, this way.” The officer walked past her
and followed the corridor to the very end where he opened
a door and waited for her to follow him in.
Her feet felt like they were made of lead as she tried to put
one in front of the other. Every step was an effort. She kept
her head down and when she reached the officer, turned
and walked through the open door.
“Hello, Anna.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. “Ben!” she ran towards
him and tried to embrace him but he pulled away.
“Take a seat,” he said, pulling a flimsy metal chair out
from an even flimsier looking metal table.
Anna did as she was told. “Thank God you’re here. I don’t
know what they are going to do with me. What is
happening, Ben?” her words were laced with worry.
He stared at her and then fiddled with the padded
bandage over his temple. “I’m fine, thanks for asking!” He
replied with sarcasm.
“I just knew you would be,” she cried, dismissing his tone.
“You’re in a lot of trouble here, Anna,” he carried on. “But
there’s nothing I can do for you now I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean, nothing you can do for me? Ben
you’ve got to help me. Please!” she begged him, unable
to believe that he could be so cool and unhelpful to her.
How could he treat her this way? He knew that she was in
a bad way and he was standing there telling her he
couldn’t help her.
“I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” she spat at him.
Ben sighed and leaned into the table between them. “This
time, Anna, I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to. You
have told so many lies and dug yourself a hole that I can’t
get you out of.”
“But I didn’t lie to you, Ben, honestly.” she used the best
innocent girl routine she could muster.
“Oh for God sake, Anna.” his eyes flared at her. “Even now
when you have been cornered and exposed, you still can’t
tell me the truth!”
She stared down at the dull metal table and whispered,
“You know?”
“Know about what? That you were there when Tessa died?
That you knew what happened to her all along and lied to
me about it? Or…”
“Or what?” she shot a glare up at him.
“That you are Tessa’s mother?” he blurted out. “There’s so
much you didn’t tell me Anna, I could have helped you,
but now… I just can’t.”
Anna sat silent, no words could leave her mouth. She
didn’t know what to say, nothing she said could change
anything now.
“I know everything now Anna,” Ben continued.
“Yes, I know.” she stared at the wall behind him. “I told
Jay everything about what happened that night.”
“I’m not just talking about that,” he replied, pulling his
chair closer in to the table.
“Well, there’s nothing else to know then.”
“There’s a lot more to know…”
“Look, I have told you all everything. I don’t know what
more you think I haven’t told you.”
Ben lowered his head and his voice. “How about the fact
that our entire marriage was based on a lie?”
“That’s not true…”
“You can’t even tell the truth when your very life counts on
it, can you?” He slid his chair back so briskly that it flew
out from behind him and hit the back wall. “I’m talking
about you and what happened with your father.”
Her eyes grew wide and the heart in her chest began to
beat quicker. “I told you what happened with him. How
many details do you want Ben? Would it satisfy you if I sat
here and told you how he abused me and used me as a
sex toy. Again? Jesus. I already told you about it years
ago.” She turned her head away. “How many times are you
going to make me relive those memories?”
“You’re good, I’ll give you that much. A damn fine actress
and an even better liar.” he hissed at her.
“I didn’t lie to you about that, it did happen. How can you
treat me so cruel? I suffered more than you will ever know,
and you are making me suffer it all over again.” The tears
welled in her eyes, she swallowed hard, and held them
back.
“I have no doubt you suffered at his hands and I am sorry
for that, really I am. Why did you tell me he abandoned
you? Was what really happened too hard for you to trust
me with?”
Anna fell back in her chair, her mouth ajar and her eyes
wide. “How? How do you…”
“How the hell do you think I know? I’m a bloody cop, for
crying out loud!” he paced up and down the length of the
room. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“I hoped…”
“Yeah, and I hoped, too, Anna. Hoped that we could have
had a better marriage, that we could have worked things
out, that you could have one day trusted and loved me
the way I did you. I had so many hopes for us, so many
dreams.”
She sat back quietly and listened to his words. They cut
her to the bone, hearing how desperately he had wanted
her to open up to him and be with him gave rise to an
emotion she had not felt before, guilt. It had never
occurred to her that this man may have truly loved her
and just wanted nothing more than to be with her. For
years she put so much energy into hiding her past and
her true self from him, all for the sake of keeping secret. A
life she wanted to forget. She had spent so much time
convincing herself that he never cared for her and only
used her for his own needs, and now she realised the
truth. But it was too late.
“I should have told you,” she admitted quietly. “I was
ashamed Ben. Who wouldn’t be?”
He turned away and stared out the small, barred window.
The sunlight filtered through and into the small room
they shared. It’s rays danced along the surface of the
metal table and gave it the hint of lustre that it otherwise
lacked.
“You still should have told me,” he whispered. “Things
could have been so different for us, better. You could have,
at the very least, told me about Tessa. I would have
understood, Anna.”
“I know, I wish I had have told you. I was so scared that
you would think terrible things about me. I’m not a bad
person Ben, you have to believe that.”
“I used to.”
Anna jumped from her chair and ran to-wards him,
grabbing him by the arm. ‚Please, don’t do this. Not when
I need you the most.‛
He shook her free and walked to the door on the opposite
side of the room. “That’s what it’s always about, isn’t it?”
“I don’t understand,” she cried, shaking her head.
“What you need. It’s always about you and that is all that
has ever mattered. I can’t believe I blamed myself for us
failing.” He turned the doorknob and pushed the door
open. “Now I realise that there wasn’t a damn thing I
could have done to make us work. Goodbye, Anna.” Ben
walked through the door and it slammed shut beside
him with an echoing crash.
Anna felt her very last safety net disintegrate around her.



















CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jay turned left straight out of the lift, he marched down
the corridor and up to the reception desk. The secretary
looked up at him and smiled her usual glamorous smile.
“Hi, Detective Marnotti. I didn’t know you had another
autopsy scheduled in for today,” she said, flicking through
her appointment book.
“Nah, not today, beautiful. I’m here to see Augie. He called
me and said he had some results for me. He about?”
Jay’s head turned and looked towards the rooms further
down the hall.
Her smile grew bigger and she laughed, “Well that’s sure
better than a nasty autopsy any day, isn’t it? I’ll just page
him now for you.” She picked up the phone on the
counter in front of her and hit a small green button. Jay
heard her mumble a few words before she replaced the
receiver and looked back at him. “You can go on through.
He’s in Suite 3.”
“Thanks,” he said, heading off in the direction of the
Suites. Jay scanned the numbers on each door as he
walked down the hallway, there were so many doors and
they weren’t numbered in sequence, which he thought
was odd. He had been in Suite 2 before and yet it was not
next to Suite 3, not even close. He continued down the
aisle, looking left and right until he came to another
corridor that ran across his path, he took a chance and
made a left. A few steps further down on his right was a
plain grey door, marked Suite 3. Jay knocked and waited
to be allowed in.
“Ahh, Jay… Good to see you. Come on through.” Augie
stepped aside, holding the door open for him and he
walked through, stopping just inside.
Jay extended his hand and Augie accepted it, giving it a
firm shake.
“I hope you don’t mind chatting while I finish up with a
few samples I’ve been working with?” Augie asked,
motioning to the washtub.
“Not at all. The mood I am in today Augie, we could talk
on a volcano for all I care.” A huge smile beamed from his
face.
The two walked deeper inside the room and washed their
hands at the sinks before entering the autopsy suite.
“So why the happy face?” enquired Augie, pulling on a pair
of latex gloves. “Not that you shouldn’t be happy. You just
haven’t had a lot to smile about of late.”
“Seems like our luck is changing my friend,” he blurted
out. “We got Tessa’s killer!”
Augie stood so still he looked almost frozen to the spot.
“You what? Are you serious?” he looked at the excitement
on Jays face.
“Serious as they come!”
“When? Where? How? Why?” He stuttered and tripped over
his words with anxious anticipation for the details. “Who?”
Jay laughed heartily and walked to a tall stool sitting a
few feet away. He picked it up and brought it back to
where he had been standing and sat it down. “Her name
was Dr. Rose-Marie Sugars. Seems she was not quite as
professional as she should have been” He cocked one leg
up and half leant against the stool. Augie’s expression
turned to shock.
“Rose-Marie Sugars?”
“Yup. What? Do you know her?”
“Sure,” he replied, sealing a plastic bag and placing it on a
pile with several others. “The mother of our last mutilation
victim. Marla Andrews.” his eyes fell to the floor. “She
came in to identify the body and make arrangements to
send her to the funeral home.” He paused. “She seemed
so nice. Why, why did she do it?”
“It’s a long and twisted story Augie, trust me. The long
and short of it is that she killed Tessa and she is going to
jail!”
Augie appeared to be lost in a trance momentarily. Jay
snapped his fingers in front of him and said, “Earth to
Augie. You still with me?”
Blinking his eyelids a few times, his gaze returned to Jay
and they continued their conversation. “So if she killed
Tessa, did she kill the others? Her own daughter too?”
“Apparently not, and that’s the bad news. We still have a
monster out there stalking and mutilating women. We
need to get the freak Augie.” He steadied himself against
the chair.
“So it looks like this is a copy-cat killer then?”
“That sure is how it’s looking,” replied Jay. “I can’t figure
it out though, specific details weren’t released to the
press, so it must be someone who knows the nature of
the murders in their entirety.”
Augie rubbed his hands over his face, “Could there be a
leak in the department, Jayy?”
“There’s always that possibility, plenty of insiders with
access to this sort of information who just can’t resist
making a quick buck by selling it to the nearest weirdo off
the street. The press love the leaky cops!”
“There is another possibility, Jay.” Augie lowered his eyes
to the floor.
“What are you thinking?” Jay’s brow rose.
“Maybe our killer is an insider! That would explain a lot.
What are your thoughts?”
“Oh, hell I hope not, I work with cops everyday, I don’t
wanna wake up one day knowing that one of them is
capable of doing this.” Jay thought for a moment. “But it
does make a lot of sense though, doesn’t it?”
“It’s just one possibility. It could even be someone with a
passion for forensics and police procedures…” Augie tried
to reach another conclusion.
“Could be, I think it might be time to start taking an
inside look though. That makes more sense to me. Damn
it!” Jay slammed the stool against the bench beside
him. The thought of the killer being a fellow cop churned
his stomach. He worked beside a lot of officers, all good
men and he didn’t even want to consider the possibility
that any one of them could be capable of these murders.
He turned to Augie and asked, “How did Marla’s tox
results come out? Anything that can help us?”
Augie sighed and turned in the direction of a small door
off the main suite. ”Ed, can you bring me Marla Andre’s
tox results please?”
A voice echoed back, “No problem, Dr. August.”
Augie turned back to Jay and said, “U-fortunately there’s
nothing ground breaking in there. I was hoping for your
sake that we’d find something, but alas… It wasn’t to be.”
He held out his hand, awaiting Ed to pass the folder to
him.
“There you are, Dr. August,” Ed said quietly when he
handed him the results.
“Thank you, Ed,” he said.
Ed hung around in front of him for a few seconds before
Augie asked, ”Is there something else, Ed?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had
thought about what I had asked you this morning?”
“Oh. Yes, that’s right. Of course, it’s fine with me but just
make sure you have stored all the chemicals back on the
shelf before you leave, please.”
“No problem and thanks, Dr. August.” he stepped back
and raced back into the small room he had come from.
Augie returned to the file. His fingers parted the covers of
the folder and pulled out the sheet of paper inside. His
eyes scanned it carefully before handing it over to Jay.
“It’s almost like reading the results from Kylie-Anne’s
autopsy all over again. Nothing new I’m afraid.”
Jay stared at him, his frustration building within him.
“She had Halothane in her swabs, just like Kylie-Anne. No
other drugs or inhibitants in her system. Also just like
Kylie-Anne, her rape kit was positive for spermicide.”
“Christ! Why can’t we find something new?” Jay cried,
more of a statement than a question.
“I know exactly how you feel Jay, I do.” Augie assured
him. “Look, why don’t you go home Jay, the day’s nearly
done. Take an early mark like Ed and go enjoy yourself.
You need a break.”
“You’re right, I could use some time out.” Jay looked at
his watch, four-fifteen. “At least we have one small reason
to celebrate Tessa’s murderer is in custody and that’s
better than what we had yesterday.”
“That’s the way to think,” smiled Augie. “Now you get out
of here and let me finish bagging my goodies here.” He
nodded towards the multitude of slides, fibres and foliage
all placed in separate containers in front of him.
“Looks like riveting stuff,” he laughed. “I’ll see ya round.”

















CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
From across the street, he watched as she picked up the
last couple of pavers from the ground beside the front
steps. Just as she had done with the previous few dozen,
she threw them into the wheelbarrow and pushed them
toward the small gate underneath the front porch. She set
the barrow down and began stacking the last of the
pavers inside the small alcove. Her task was almost done
when she stumbled over the handle of the barrow and
dropped a paver, which landed squarely on her toe before
hitting the ground. A stifled scream escaped her and she
hopped around on one foot while massaging the other.
Still cursing and wincing in agony, she threw the last
paver into the crawl space and slammed the door. Leaving
the barrow where it was, she limped her way to the front
porch and sat on the steps where she continued to rub
her toe.
A smile of delight spread across his face. He was enjoying
her pain. A woman such as she deserved to be in pain,
just as the one before her had deserved to feel it. He
bounced from one foot to the other anxiously, his
excitementbeginning to build. The fingers of his left hand
toyed with the edge of his coat, twisting it up tightly
before flicking it free, ready to do it all over again. In his
right pants pocket, his other hand caressed the steely
coolness hidden there. It felt so strong, so sure of its
purpose, the power of it sent tingles down his spine.
His eyes returned to the woman on the porch- but she
was gone. The excitement he felt stalled for a brief
moment before he turned his attentions away from the
house and crossed the road. His feet silently carried him
along the driveway beside the house until he was
standing beside a camphor laurel tree; its thick branches
camouflaged him from the prying eyes of her neighbours.
He climbed up onto its trunk and steadied himself
among the limbs; he now had a bird’s eye view into her
bedroom window. There, between the partially drawn
curtains, he caught sight of her again. She was sitting on
the edge of the bed, her hands busily working a hair tie
around her dusty blonde locks. Perhaps she was running
a bath as he could hear the sounds of water running. His
breathing grew heavier the closer he crept to the window.
With such intensity he watched her, he was sure she
would feel the weight of his stare upon her. Desperation
to get closer nagged at him, but he dared not ruin his
surprise too early. All would fall into place soon; very
soon. For now he just wanted to observe her, try to make
sense of her. Most of all, he wanted to be close to her and
know her inside and out. She would make an excellent
test subject for him, another case study for him to gain
the expertise he craves.
She got up from the bed and crossed the room,
disappearing through a doorway on the far side of the
room. When she returned she was holding a telephone
handset to her ear, he could see her lips moving and was
barely able to make out muffled words and laughter. The
conversation lasted less than thirty seconds before she
hit the end button and threw the handset onto the bed. It
bounced once or twice from the spring of the mattress.
His eyes followed her; she was peeling her clothes off as
she walked towards the sound of the running water. First
the pale, mauve T-shirt, then the black, long legged
shorts. Next she undid the clasp of her dainty, white bra.
It fell to the floor leaving her beautiful bust exposed. Oh
how he loved their busts, so full and supple… ripe for the
picking. All that was left were her high cut, black panties.
She truly was a beautiful creature, or at least she would be
after he had performed his magic on her.
He couldn’t help but allow himself the pleasure of
admiring her body. Her hair was pulled loosely back from
her face and those brown eyes, oh how they looked so full
of contentment. He followed the contours of her body
downwards past her slender neck and wholesome
breasts, coming to rest on her stomach. He took note of
how it was not yet swollen, but not completely flat either;
she would be starting to show signs soon. Or at least she
would be if he were to let her…
His hand tightened around the instrument in his pocket,
its coolness had turned red hot, beckoning him to show
her its purpose. To make her feel its power and most
importantly, his prowess. The tingles running through his
body intensified causing him to shake with anticipation.
He could almost feel the smooth-ness of her flesh, smell
her fear, and taste the salty tears she would shed when
she begged for her life and that of her unborn. But he
would not listen; her cries would fall upon deaf ears. He
would do his job and do it well, showing those in the field
how skilled he is.
She had disappeared from his sight now. His heart began
to beat faster; the blood rushed through his veins,
pumping the adrenalin through his body at a rapid rate.
All the planning, the waiting and watching was finally
leading up to the climax he yearned for. He pulled his
hand from his pocket, checked for the doused piece of
cloth in his carry bag and edged closer to the window. His
nimble fingers felt along its ledge, quietly prying it loose.




CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ben walked through the doors of Bluey’s at eight o’clock.
He approached the bar and ordered a beer.
“Wow!” cried Tadpole, “Nice war wound.” He pointed to the
clear plastic band-aid covering the seven stitches above
Ben’s right eye.
Ben laughed, “Thanks.”
“She musta been some lady?” Tadpole continued, taking
the ten-dollar note from Ben’s hand. He rang up the cash
register and handed him his change. “I hope she was
worth it?”
“She was, and she most definitely was worth it!” replied
Ben, patting the laceration on his head. His war wound
was worth taking Rose-Marie Sugars down for, and he
wasn’t one bit concerned about his appearance. Ben
thought about Carolyn, his scar hadn’t deterred her. It
hadn’t stopped her from accepting his offer for dinner
tomorrow evening. He smiled dreamily when he thought
of her. She was everything he wanted in a woman and
strangely enough, she found him appealing too. It
seemed his fortunes were on the rise. He had Jay to
thank really, if he hadn’t have been so bold last night,
inviting her out on his behalf, things may never have
eventuated the way they did.
“Jayy here yet?” Ben enquired.
“Haven’t seen him.”
“Tell him I’m out there, would you please?” He pointed to
the smoker’s deck. “Gonna get some fresh air.”
“On the smokers deck?” giggled Tadpole. “Good luck!”
“Yeah, pretty dumb thing to say wasn’t it?” Ben smirked,
then picked up his drink and made his way to the open-
air deck.
The chill of the air slapped Ben’s cheeks. They stung and
turned rosey from the sudden drop in temperature. He
spied an empty table at the far end of the deck and walked
over. As he sat his beer down, the table wobbled and his
glass toppled over, spilling all down the side of the chair
and onto the deck. He bent down and retrieved the glass
from the deck and stared at the mess he’d just made.
“Well, that’s a fine way to start the celebrations!”
Ben spun around to see Jay standing behind him, his
hands on his hips and smiling broadly. “Crikey, Ben.
You’ve only been here five minutes, so Tadpole tells me,
and you’re already drunk!” his grin grew even wider.
“It was the table…”
“A bad workman always blames his tools, maybe you
should be restricted to orange juice all night, eh?” his
laugh encouraged Ben to do the same.
“You’re such a stirrer, Jayy.”
“Whoa! Nice scar there, buddy,” Jay cried, pointing to the
cut above Ben’s eye.
“Yeah, it’s a real talking point.”
“Bet that does wonders for your brain-bleeders?”
Ben patted his pocket, “That’s why I have these little
beauties.” he said referring to his painkillers. “First sign of
an ache, I pop two of these and I’m out!”
“Well, you better sit down before you hurt yourself, or
someone else,” Jay began. “And I’ll go get us another
round, okay?”
Ben chuckled and handed the empty glass to him, “I can
live with that. Hey, where’s that girl of yours?”
“I’m about to go and find out, grab us another table and
I’ll be back.” Jay spun around and weaved his way
through the crowd, back to the bar. He placed the empty
beer glass back on the bar and yelled, “Hey Tad, two more
here thanks.”
Tadpole nodded his head, “Coming right up.”
“Where’s Danni? I haven’t seen her yet,” Jay asked him
when he shoved the drinks in front of him.
“She’ll be here,” he answered, closing the till and giving
Jay back his change. “She phoned earlier and asked for
the night off for your celebration, I told her no probs and
she promised she’d make it up to me with an extra shift
next week.”
“Did she say what time she’d be here?”
A grin spread across Tadpole’s face. “You know women
mate… If they say eight, what they really mean is nine
thirty!”
“Yeah, you got that right,” Jay shoved his change into his
pocket and picked up the drinks. “Steer her in our
direction when she gets here would ya, buddy?”
“Will do.”
Jay negotiated his way back to the smokers deck with
very little spillage and headed to Ben, who was now
seated at another, less unstable table.
“I thought you must have gotten lost,” he joked.
Sliding a beer over to him, Jay replied, “Nah, just
checking on Danni. She should be here any minute.”
Ben smiled warmly at Jay. “You’re really taken with her,
aren’t you?”
“That’s a mild way of putting it, but yeah, I am.” He sat
down next to Ben and added, “And it’s not just cause
she’s pregnant either.”
“Hey, I know that, Jayy.” He smiled at him. “Blind Freddy
could see that.”
Jay pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and took one
from the packet, he slipped it into his mouth and lit it up.
Swirls of grey smoke whirled through the air around him.
“I suppose I’ll have to look at chucking these things to the
dog house,” he said, taking the cigarette from his lips and
looking at it. “They’re no good around babies.”
Ben nodded his head in agreement. “I do believe this
woman and your up-coming offspring could be just what
the doctor ordered for you, Jayy. There’s big changes
coming your way and I reckon they’re all good too.”
“I reckon you just might be right, Benny my boy,” Jay
looked down at his watch. “It’s eight thirty five, what’s
keeping her?” He looked back at Ben.
“I gave up asking that question about women many
moons ago. They march to a different beat than us. I can
never work them out and I doubt I ever will.” Ben laughed.
“I’m sure she’ll be here. She’s probably on her way here as
we speak.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Jay settled back into his seat and
then asked, “So how about you and that pretty little
nurse. What’s her name again?”
Ben’s face lit up, his efforts to hide his fondness of the
nurse were futile. “Carolyn.”
“Ah, that’s right. So how are things with her? Did you ask
her out again?”
The smile would not leave Ben’s face, he lowered his eyes
to the floor and kicked at the leg of the table like a love
struck teen.
“Come on, spill it. Tell me all,” Jay’s encouragement
spurred some answers from Ben.
“Yeah. We’re going to dinner tomorrow night.”
“That’s great, Ben. I knew you had it in ya. You just needed
a little push.”
“And thanks for that, by the way.”
“What?” Jay asked.
Ben shifted in his chair and kicked at the leg of the table
some more. “If it hadn’t been for you inviting her to our
celebrations tonight, well…” he sighed and finished his
sentence, “I don’t think I’d be taking her anywhere
tomorrow night!”
“Hey, think nothing of it. In the end it was you who made
the biggest move. You asked her out again.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I’m proud of ya mate, you’ve had your fair share of shit to
deal with just recently and you’ve come out the other side
refreshed and ready for a new life. You deserve a good
woman.”
Ben ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back
of his neck.
“What is it Ben?”
“Well…”
“Well what?”
“It’s Anna.”
“Oh Jesus man, cut her loose for cryin’ out loud. She’s
poison, Ben.”
“I know,” he stared at Jay. “I know. I went and saw her
today.”
“You did what?”
“I had to, I needed to get some things off my chest and I
just felt I had to do it.”
“How did it go?” Jay softened his tone.
“Well it reinforced how selfish and manipulative she is,
and…”
“And?”
“And it also reinforced just how naïve and plain stupid I
have been. I have spent the best years of my life trying to
please that woman and wanting to win her back.” He
gulped down his beer and pushed the glass back on the
table. “Now I realise that it wouldn’t have made a
difference what I said or did, it would never have been
enough. Anna is her own worst enemy and that’s not my
fault.”
“Hey, don’t go beating yourself up over it. Y’know, when I
was reading her history, I found myself feeling sorry for
her. I imagine that’s how you felt most of your married life
after only knowing half of her story.”
“Yeah. What’s your point?”
“My point is, Ben, I was ready to make excuses for her for
anything she may have done or been involved in. It’s hard
not to want to protect a woman, or anybody for that
matter, when you know what they have been through.”
Jay crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray. “The fact is
that Anna got us both where we were the weakest, and
that’s human nature.”
“Yeah,” scoffed Ben. “And the nature of the beast!”
Jay reached for his beer. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Marla’s tox
results came in today.”
“Anything in it?”
“Unfortunately not. Her rape kit was positive for
spermicide, no fluids or hairs found though, and
halothane was also present in the tox screen.”
“So almost identical to Kylie-Anne, then?”
“No almost about it… exactly identical.” Jay swallowed
down his beer. “Augie has a theory on our killer though.”
“Yeah? Great, I’m all ears.”
“He’s thinking along the lines of an insider.”
“What? A cop?”
“Yup.”
Ben thought it over. “I guess there is some sense in that.
That would explain how the killer knew the full details of
Tessa’s murder, right down to the stolen foetus.”
“Yeah, and the precise details of the mutilation.” Jay
added.
“I don’t like the idea of it Jayy, God knows I don’t. The
thought of one of our own being responsible for the
heinous deaths of the people they’re paid to protect…”
“It wouldn’t be the first time there’s been a renegade cop
snap and set out on a power trip, though.”
“So, are you liking anyone in particular?”
“No, not yet. But I’d say first thing tomorrow we’d better
start sifting through some personnel files, eh?” Jay
glanced at his watch again, his brow furrowed.
“Sounds like a good plan. You ok?”
“It’s twenty past nine, Danni said she’d be here by eight.
Surely it doesn’t take her that long to get ready.” He
pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m gonna give her a
call, make sure she’s ok.”
“Sure. I’ll go check back with Tadpole, see if he’s seen or
heard from her yet.”
Ben snatched the empty glasses from the table and left
Jay to his phone call. Inside the bar, the crowd had
nearly doubled and Ben found it more difficult to reach
the counter. After being elbowed, tripped and run into a
few times, he finally reached Tadpole.
“You seen Danni yet?” Ben asked.
“No, you mean she isn’t here yet?”
“Haven’t laid eyes on her. Jay’s giving her a call now.”
“You want two more while you’re waiting for her?” Tadpole
asked him.
“Sure.”
“Hold off on those Tadpole,” Jay cried from behind Ben.
He pulled him aside and said, “She’s not answering her
home phone.”
“How about mobile?” Ben tried to calm his concerns.
“No answer there, either. I’m worried, Ben.”
“Yeah, of course. You want to go check on her?”
“Do ya mind? Sorry to bust up our celebrations so early.”
“Hey, don’t worry about that. Do you want me to come
with you?”
“Nah, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll go track her down and bring
her back here. You wanna hang around for a while? I
shouldn’t be too long.”
“Sure, I haven’t got anything else planned.”
“Thanks Ben.” Jay turned to Tadpole, “Give the man
another beer, I’ll be back shortly.”
Tadpole gave him the thumbs up and grabbed a fresh
glass from the fridge.
“Sorry mate, I’ll be back soon.”
“Don’t worry, just go get your girl,” Ben laughed in an
attempt to keep the tension to a minimum. He could see
Jay was worried sick and he couldn’t blame him.
Slapping his pocket he said, “I’ve got my phone on me, I’ll
let ya know what’s happening when I get there, okay?”
Jay made his way for the door.
Ben turned back to the bar and the fresh beer that was
waiting there. He felt sorry for Jay, he knew how
frightened he was of anything happening to Danni,
especially being pregnant and especially with the
knowledge of a serial killer roaming the streets in search
of young pregnant women. It was a lot to worry about.
Not that there was any reason to think Danni was in any
danger from the predator, it would have to be extremely
coincidental for the killer to go after Jay’s girl. How would
the killer even know about her or that she was even
expecting?
Augie’s theory returned to his mind. What if the murderer
was an insider? That would mean he or she was probably
more likely to know about Danni and her unborn baby.
Jay had been making no secret of his impending
fatherhood down at the station. Not that Jay could be
blamed for doing that. He was excited and why wouldn’t
he want to share that with his colleagues? Ben sipped on
his beer and leaned back against the bar. His mind kept
churning on Augie’s theory, it made too much sense to
ignore. He raised his hand and motioned to Tadpole.





CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Everything in his body was screaming that something was
wrong. Danni had said that she would be at Bluey’s
tonight, and according to Tadpole she had even asked for
the night off. Jay slipped his cruiser into overdrive and
pressed his foot down a little harder. The needle on the
speedometer rose. With the phone clamped between his
ear and his shoulder, dialling out, he made another turn
and hit the accelerator again. The adrenalin was pumping
through his veins and his heart was thudding against his
chest.
Answer the damn phone, Danni, ‛ he cried into his mobile.
It rang out and the call ended. Jay slipped it back into
his breast pocket and gripped the steering wheel with
both hands. Thoughts of Kylie-Anne and Marla were
running through his head. He envisioned their naked,
ravaged bodies lying still on one of Augie’s metal
gurneys. The visions frightened him almost to the point
of madness. He made one last turn onto Cloverdale Street
and slowed the cruiser to a snails pace. Jay rolled to a
stop in front of Danni’s house, the lights were all off apart
from a dull glow emulating from her bedroom window at
the side of the house. He scanned the yard for signs of
anything out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that the
spare pavers she had sitting next to the steps were gone,
all appeared to be as it should be. His hand pulled the
phone from his pocket and he dialled her number again.
He let it completely ring out before hitting the end button.
His eyes kept a close watch on the glow in her bedroom
window. It was still there. Maybe she had fallen asleep
watching T.V in her bedroom, he didn’t even know if she
had a television in there, but now wishes he did.
It only took a few more seconds to make the decision to
knock on her door. He figured it was far better to wake her
and know she was alright, than to leave her and find out
that she was not alright. Jay opened the cruiser door
and stepped out onto the roadside. He turned and faced
the house just in time to see the dim glow in Danni’s
bedroom fade out completely. Alarm bells sounded in his
head and tingles ran through him. Something was
definitely not right, he could feel it. He reached back into
the cruiser and hit the button on the glove box. It fell
open and his gun lay inside. Jay grabbed it out, opened
the chamber and checked the bullets. They were all
loaded. With his gun in hand he wiggled back out of the
cruiser and onto the road, leaving the driver’s side door
open he made his way onto the footpath and into Danni’s
yard.
In the darkness, it was difficult to negotiate the unsteady
pavers of the pathway beneath his feet. Once or twice he
nearly stumbled and fell before he eventually managed to
reach the steps. One step at a time he climbed up to the
porch and stopped dead at the front door, his eyes
peered through the tiny pane of bubble glass on the
front. He could see nothing but darkness. His hands
began to sweat around the body of the gun, he took turns
at wiping each one on his jeans until they felt drier and
sturdier around the weapon. With one ear pressed firmly
up against the door, Jay listened intently for any sound
but heard nothing but the chirping of summertime
crickets and the wind howling through the camphor laurel
tree around the side.
His mind was fighting a battle of it’s own. Should he bang
on the door and then look around or should he just look
around? If he banged on the door it would wake Danni
and she could let him in, no problems there. But if he
went snooping around and peeking through windows he
might frighten her and that could end up causing her to
panic and do something rash. In her condition, he
certainly didn’t want to frighten her, but he didn’t want to
simply walk away and dismiss her absence as nothing
either. He decided on the first option, bang on the door
and see what happens.
His fist thumped loudly against the timber of her front
door, three times. There was still nothing, not so much as
a stumbling sound of her tripping over anything in the
darkness, fumbling for a light switch. Again his fist beat
down hard on the door, he called out her name.
“Danni, it’s Jay.” He listened and still heard nothing. “Are
you in there? Are you okay?”
Something was really off, his thumps on the door were
enough to wake the dead and if she was in there, surely
she would have woken and answered the door.
“I’m coming in,” he yelled through the door. “Hold on,
Danni.”
Just as he was bracing himself to charge at her door, Jay
heard a faint thump and then the sound of glass
smashing. He peered through the bubble glass again and
saw a dark figure moving toward the back of the house. It
appeared to be slumped over or doubled up because it
was too short to be Danni. She must be injured. Jay
tightened his grip around his revolver and turned side on.
He took a couple of steps back from the door and then
pushed off his back foot and ran shoulder first, directly at
it.
Jay found himself laying face down on the hallway floor,
splinters of timber and glass below him and all around
him, the door barely hanging on the frame by it’s hinges.
His revolver was lying on the floor in front of him, just
inches away, his phone not far from it, smashed to pieces.
Shaking his head, he rose up onto his hands and knees
and began crawling like a baby in the direction of his gun.
Within seconds he gripped the butt and wrapped his
fingers around the trigger. A sharp, searing pain pierced
his hand. He looked up and saw a foot crushing his hand
back to the ground. His fingers spas-med under the
pressure and he lost his grip on the gun. The foot then
kicked the weapon away from him and moved behind
him, coming to rest in the middle of his back and pinning
him to the floor.















CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ben studied the directions Tadpole had given him. He
figured Danni’s place shouldn’t be too difficult to find. He
crawled into his Chevy and turned the key in the ignition.
The engine roared and then idled into a purr. With his
right indicator on, he accelerated gently and joined the
flow of traffic heading north. Jay hadn’t phoned him to
say that Danni was fine and all was okay and Ben was
worried. It wasn’t like Jay to leave him hanging like that.
He knew he was at Bluey’s waiting for some kind of word
from him. Something didn’t feel right and Ben couldn’t
stop thinking about Augie’s theory.
He grabbed for his phone and hit the speed dial button
for Jay. The call connected but much to his surprise, it
diverted directly to the message bank. His mind raced,
now he was certain something was wrong. There’s no way
Jay would divert his phone when he told him that he’d
let him know what was happening. Ben felt his heart rate
picking up, that old familiar uneasy feeling he always got
when things weren’t right settled into the pit of his
stomach and began to churn. He flung his phone onto
the passenger seat and concentrated on the road, his foot
growing heavier on the accelerator.
He made a left turn and sped further along the street until
making a final right onto Cloverdale. Easing his foot off
the accelerator, Ben idled slowly down the street,
scanning for any sign of Jay’s car. Further down he
spotted it parked on the left hand side of the road, he
drove past and noticed the driver’s side door was open,
but the cab was empty. Jay must have left his cruiser in a
hurry. The panic he had been trying to fight was now
rising within him. He made his way to the end of the
street and did a U-turn before cruising back up on the
opposite side of the street. Danni’s house and the cruiser
came into view again. He looked up at the small
weatherboard home and saw that the front door appeared
to be hanging unevenly in the frame. It looked like it had
been pulled off and propped back up against the frame in
order to cover the entryway. There were no bright lights
shining, that he could see, although there was a dim glow
coming from the window right at the front of the house.
Ben drove further back down the road and pulled his car
up to the footpath. He leaned over to the passenger seat
and felt around underneath it. He retrieved a small lock
box from beneath the seat and, using a key from his key
ring, unlocked it. His hands flipped the lid back and dived
into the box.
‚Shit!‛ he cussed. The box was empty. He tried hard to
recall where he had placed his gun. It suddenly hit him
that his weapon was still down at the station house. One
of the officers had taken control of it after the scuffle with
Rose yesterday. Ben had forgotten to retrieve it after his
meeting with Anna this afternoon. With both hands, he
slammed the lock box shut and threw it to the floor in
front of the seat, his panic was now turning to dread. Here
he was with a possible situation at hand, and no weapon
to arm himself with.
A loud crashing noise sounded from somewhere behind
him. He looked in his rear view mirror but could see
nothing through the blackness of the night. Ben grabbed
his phone and scrolled through the menu. After setting it
to vibrate instead of ring, he stuffed it into his jeans and
slid out from behind the steering wheel. His feet hit the
footpath feeling like two sticks of jelly, his nerves were
shot to hell and he was visibly shaking. After yesterday’s
ordeal, Ben had had his fill of showdowns, sieges and
scuffles and to add extra pressure, his head was now
pounding hard. The last thing he needed right now was
another one of his brain-bleeders, the timing just couldn’t
be worse.
Ben crossed the street and walked silently towards
Danni’s house. He entered her yard and crept up to the
side of the house, taking cover among the branches of
the large camphor laurel tree beneath one of the
windows. He grabbed for the window ledge and boosted
himself up using the trunk of the tree for leverage.
Through a small part in the curtains, he could see he was
at the window of the main bedroom. A double bed lay
below the window and a duchess sat against the wall
further into the room, on the left. The bedroom door was
directly in front of the bed on the opposite wall; it was
slightly ajar, enough so that he could make out a light
shining in from the adjoining room.
His eyes scanned the bedroom for any sign of life. All was
quiet and still. With his feet pressed firmly against the
tree trunk and his chest pinned against the window ledge,
he was free to use his hands to slide the window open. It
took some careful prying and wiggling before he
managed to make any headway. One pains-taking inch at
a time, he finally had an opening large enough for him to
manoeuvre his body through. Ben eased himself up onto
the ledge and slithered head first, into the window,
coming to rest on the cushioning of the bed on the inside
below the window. Never fond of placing a bed below any
window, Ben was secretly thanking Danni for having her
bed in such position. It made his entry that much
smoother and most importantly, quieter.
Face down on the bed; Ben lay there for a moment,
listening for any sounds from the next room. There was
not so much as a peep, no whimpering, arguing or
talking. That struck him as odd. Too odd. Then the
frightening thought struck him, was he too late? Were
Jay and Danni beyond his help? He forced the questions
from his mind, took a deep breath and rolled off the bed
and onto the floor, hitting it with a dull thud. Once again
he looked straight to the door to see if he had been
detected by whoever was out there, if there was anyone
out there. When he was convinced it was safe to continue,
he crawled along the bedroom floor to the open door in
front of him. His toes and elbows dug into the carpet,
pushing his legs and torso along the floor like a snake.
Upon reaching the door, he sprung to a crouching
position and pressed his body against the wall, his head
poking ever so slowly around the crack in the door.
Ben could see a timber walkway on the other side of the
bedroom door. Beyond that was a small opening, leading
in to what he guessed, was the living room. Glass and
long splinters of wood were scattered about the walkway.
Ben cursed at the obstacle they would pose for his exit
from the bedroom. Bit by bit, he pulled the bedroom door
open until it was just wide enough for his body to slip
through. Pressing his body firmly against the bedroom
wall, he pushed up on both legs and slid into a standing
position. He checked the walkway one last time before
stepping out into it.
Leaning against the wall of the hallway, he was now
completely exposed to whatever danger lay before him.
He had nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run. It was
imperative to figure out the layout of the house and get
out of the hallway as quickly and as safely as possible.
Still pressed against the wall, Ben could see the front
door on his right. Just as he had originally thought, it had
been knocked from its hinges. It was simply leaning
against the inside of the frame. On his left, against the
wall was a small telephone table. A second doorway was
visible just a meter or so further down. Ben’s eyes
followed the hall towards the back of the house. Yet
another door was present at the end of the walkway. The
hall then veered off to the right, leading to an open door.
Dim light was flickering from the opening and spilling out
onto the hallway floor. Ben turned his gaze back to the
door on the opposite side of the hall in front of him. His
eyes darted around the room trying to get a feel of the
area. A shadowy figure crossed the wall on the far left side
of the living room. Ben froze. Sweat trickled down the side
of his face and dripped from his jaw. He closed his eyes
and breathed hard, his mind a muddle of racing
thoughts. It was fight or flight.
Ben chose fight. His eyelids flew open and he lifted his
foot off the ground and stretched his leg across the
broken glass and timber on the floor in front of him. He
leaned forward with his entire body and softly placed his
foot down on the opposite side of the hall. Taking a
minute to steady his balance, Ben remained in a stretched
out, squat position, straddling the hallway. Placing all his
weight on his front foot, he pushed off on his back leg,
pulling it over the top of the debris and finally placing it
on the floor beside to his front foot. He had successfully
crossed the hall and was now leaning against the wall of
the living room.
Side stepping along the wall, he made his way up the
hallway and found himself beside the open doorway at
the end. He slid down the wall, back into a crouched
position and carefully listened for any sounds. He heard
what he thought was the sound of glass clanging, not
unlike the sound made when a glass is set down on a
hard surface. Ben lay down on his stomach and slithered
right up to the doorframe. In a make or break decision he
stuck his head around the corner of the door and
surveyed the room. To his left was a fridge and to his right
there was a wall with another opening a few feet down.
The kitchen was divided in two by a breakfast bar. On top
of the bar there were at least half a dozen thick, white
candles, their flames danced and flickered in the open air.
On the other side of the breakfast bar, he could see a
kitchen table. A figure sat at the closest end of the table
with it’s back to Ben.
From the way the figure was stooped over with its elbows
pointed slightly outwards, and the sound of cutlery
scraping on china, it was clear that whoever it was, was
eating. Ben was not completely certain, but he felt that the
figure was male. It was hard to be sure as the figure was
slight of build and had it’s back to him. The lighting was
too poor to see much else. Ben continued to watch him.
Every now and then, his left hand stretched out and
snatched the wine glass from the table beside him. The
glass disappeared from view for a couple of seconds,
before being placed back onto the table. Once in a while,
he would put the cutlery down, pick something from his
plate and throw it over the table, towards the corner of the
room. He would then let out a shrill, piercing giggle and
return to his dining. Ben strained his eyes and tried to
look below the table, in the direction of the flying food.
Anger rose within him when he saw Jay sitting on the
floor in the corner. His hands were bound to his feet and a
piece of masking tape was across his mouth. The animal
at the table was mocking him, taking great delight in
using him for target practice. Ben pulled his head back
quickly and sat against the wall again, desperate for a
plan of attack.
The most logical thought that entered his mind was to
get the hell out of there and call for back up. His
conscience wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t leave Jay and
Danni in there with that freak. If the man in the kitchen
was indeed the monster they’d been looking for, he had
to bring him down. He turned around and slid back down
the hall to the living room door. Again, lying on his
stomach, he stuck his head far enough around the corner
to survey the setting. The room was dimly lit by yet more
thick, white candles that were placed on top of the
television set. Just inside the door against the wall on his
left, was a dark green, three-seater sofa. At the far end of
the sofa, was a wall, which ran at a right angle and backed
onto the kitchen. A large bookshelf about six feet tall
stood against the wall, next to an archway. On the
opposite side of the living room, facing the sofa, was a
television on a stand. Under the window to his right, at
the front of the house, was an ornate china cabinet with
glass shelves and a mirrored back. When he looked at it
just the right way he could see into the kitchen and dining
room. This gave him a bird’s eye view of the man sitting at
the end of the table.
As he was about to pull his head back from the living
room, he saw some movement on the sofa beside him.
Groans soon followed. Ben stole a brief glance over the
arm of the sofa and saw Danni lying there, semi-naked,
her hands and feet bound at the wrists and ankles. Ben
then heard the sound of a chair being pushed around on
a hard surface. He withdrew from the living room and
pressed himself against the hallway wall again. In the
china cabinet mirror, he saw the figure at the end of the
table lean back in his chair and turn towards the Danni.
He then lifted his wine glass from the table and stood up.
He poised like a statuette for a short time before walking
towards the living room. He reached the sofa and sat on
the edge, leaning over the top of Danni, his wine glass in
one hand and the other one poking at her. Frightened
screams mixed with muffled sobs echoed from the living
room.
Ben patted his pockets daring to hope that he had any
sort of instrument, even a pen that he could use to cause
injury to the man. In his breast pocket he found nothing
but his painkillers. His eyes scanned the splinters of wood
and shards of glass on the floor. None of them were thick
enough to cause any damage, they were too flimsy or too
small to grasp. He tried the pockets of his jeans. His
hands dug in deep and felt his phone. Ben pulled it out
and punched in 000, he put it to his ear and waited for the
operator to pick up. When she did he left the line open
and, unable to speak because the figure was too close, he
placed it on the floor in the hallway praying she would
understand he was in trouble and track the origin of his
call. As much as it hurt him to hope for it, he willed that
Danni would scream again so the operator knew that it
wasn’t a crank call.
Ben crawled back up the hallway towards the kitchen, and
Jay. If he had a chance at freeing him it was now, while
the figure was taunting Danni. He stood at the entrance
way and while he could still hear the figure giggling in the
living room, he charged into the kitchen and scoured the
benches hurriedly for a knife. More screams and sobs
filled the air. He had to get to Danni. Beside the
microwave on the breakfast bar, he spotted a knife block,
he pulled the sharpest one he could find from its slot and
then sank to the floor. He slithered to the end of the bar
and looked under the kitchen table, hoping that Jay
would see him. Louder sobs came from the next room;
Ben could see Jay struggling with the confines of his
binds.
Unable at this point to secure Jay’s attentions, Ben
moved further out on the floor from behind the breakfast
bar. He lay there waving his hands across the floor and
wanting badly to scream, ‚I’m here.‛ Jay suddenly ceased
struggling and bent down as far as he could, looking
under the table. He saw Ben and their eyes locked.
Holding up the knife in his hand, he mimicked a sliding
motion and Jay nodded he understood. All he could do
now was wait. Wait for the next wave of screams so he
could slide the knife across the floor to Jay. A few
moments later they came and Ben sent the knife sailing
smoothly across the floor towards his partner. It made it
all the way under the dining table but hit against the chair
on the far end, a couple of feet short. Jay threw himself
down onto his side and edged closer to the blade, finally
grasping it in his fingers. Ben watched as he frantically set
about the task of cutting through his ties.
Danni’s screams became more terrified. Ben could hear
the man teasing her and giggling that high-pitched
cackle. Leaving the kitchen, Ben headed back down the
hallway, settling onto his hands and knees a few feet from
the living room doorway. The mirror from the china
cabinet showed the man on top of her, pawing at her
body. The wine glass was sitting on the small coffee table
at the side of the sofa. Ben stared at it. He moved back
into the hallway and thought for a second before pulling
his painkillers from his pocket. He popped five capsules
from the silver leaflet and set about pulling them apart,
letting the powder fall onto the back of the packet. When
he had enough powder to kill a small elephant, he tipped
it into the palm of his hand and returned to the doorway.
On his hands and knees, Ben crawled as far inside the
living room door as he dared to go. His fingers curled
around the wine glass, slid it off the coffee table and
towards him. He held his other hand above the rim and
poured the entire contents of powder into the liquid,
stirring it quickly with his finger. Ben slid the glass back
onto the coffee table and disappeared behind the door
again just as the man crawled off Danni and stood beside
the sofa. All Ben could do now was hope.
Through the mirror in the cabinet, Ben watched as the
man stuck it’s tongue out at Danni and then held a finger
over his lips in a shush gesture. The evil smile on his face
was chilling. He reached down beside the sofa and took
the wine glass from the coffee table and gulped down half
the glass. Ben was now close enough that he could see
the man more clearly. He was fairly young and not terribly
beefy. Maybe he could take him after all. Seeing his build,
Ben now understood why halothane had been used in the
commission of Kylie-Anne and Marla’s murders. He
watched closely as the red headed man drank the rest of
the glass before throwing it against the wall next to the
television.
“Are you ready to party?” the sick young man asked Danni.
He stared down at her, a wicked smile running across his
acne ravaged face. He lingered above her before walking to
the other side of the room. He picked up a small army
green knap-sack that was sitting there. His bony hands
reached inside it and retrieved a piece of cloth and a small
brown bottle of something. Ben guessed it was the
halothane and watched as the killer emptied a liberal
amount onto the cloth. He then returned to the knap-sack
and pulled out a thin, steel apparatus. A scalpel. Ben’s
breath caught in his throat as the man turned back to
Danni.
“I promise you’ll like it. They all do,” he said to her. He
placed the cloth on the sofa and holding the scalpel in
one hand, he began to unzip his trousers.
“I’m gonna show your girl a good time, Detective Marnotti,”
he yelled out to the dining room before laughing and
pulling his pants down to his ankles. “ I’d let you watch,
but I’m kinda shy.”
Ben heard Jay struggling and making muffled grunts
from the dining room, he must still be trying to cut
through his ties. The killer went to step free of his
trousers and stumbled forward a little, he steadied
himself against the sofa, shaking his head from side to
side in quick succession. Ben knew the painkillers were
taking effect.
“Whoa,” he blurted out. He dropped to his knees with his
feet caught up in his trousers and leaned over Danni. He
held the scalpel tightly in his hand and waved it in front of
her face.
“You’re going to be my finest master-piece yet.” he kissed
the blade and then lowered it to her face, tracing it
delicately over her lips, down her throat and around the
fullness of her breasts. Danni squealed and cried hard,
wriggling and squirming in a vain attempt to break free.
The killer continued to babble, “I’m a fine surgeon, you
know. My full potential is yet to be realised.” He shook his
head again and rubbed at his eyes. He ran the scalpel
from her breasts down to her abdomen and circled her
navel. “I know what’s buried in here and I can take care of
that for you.”
He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “The unborn of
a Showsdale City Detective would be the most prized
possession in my trophy vault, wouldn’t you agree?” He
stared down at her stomach and made a tiny cut just
below her navel. Danni cried out in fear as much as pain.
Ben rose to his feet behind the wall and braced himself for
a tackle. The killer had stepped up the pace and now so
must he. He grabbed hold of the doorframe and threw
himself into the living room, knocking the coffee table
over and lunging at the man. Ben had misjudged the
distance and fell a foot and a half short of his target.
The young man waved the scalpel at him and yelled, “Get
back.”
Ben crawled up onto his haunches, the scalpel right in
front of his face. He looked over at Danni and saw the
blood beading on her stomach, he put his hands up on
either side of his head and cried, “Okay, okay, just calm
down. You can walk away, just don’t hurt the girl.”
“I have work to do, I’m…” the killer stumbled over his
words. He swayed nauseously and stuttered, “I’m a great
surgeon you know.” He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Ben.
Ben lowered his hands slowly and nudged towards him
ever so slightly.
“Don’t fucking move!” screamed the killer. He grabbed
Danni’s head and moved the blade up to her throat. “One
more move and I’ll slit the bitch’s throat.”
“Hey Ed.” The man spun his head around in a panic. A
loud crack suddenly sounded out and the man slumped
forward on the sofa, his head falling onto Danni’s chest.
Ben looked up and saw Jay standing between the
kitchen and the living room, a dining chair in his hands.
He looked down at Ben and said, “No one calls my woman
a bitch!”




CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“Hey, Jayy,” Ben tried hard to keep his spirits high for
Jay’s sake.
Jay looked up at him from his hospital bed and forced a
light smile. “Hey Benny boy.” He paused briefly and
choked back his tears. “I dunno how to thank you…”
“No thanks needed,” Ben replied, walking towards his
bed, dragging a chair with him. “You’d have done the
same for me.”
“Damn straight I woulda!” Jay perked up a little. “All the
same, what you did, that took guts. I owe ya buddy.”
Ben sat back in the large padded chair and rubbed at the
scar over his temple. He was at a loss for words, the last
few days had been horrendous for Jay. Danni had lost
the baby and he was stuck in hospital for a few more days
with a broken collarbone and some minor cuts and
abrasions. It tore him up seeing his partner like this and
he felt powerless to do anything about it.
“How’s Danni?”
Jay sighed and lowered his head. “She’s alive. Pretty
shaken up still. She’s staying with her mother until I get
out of here.” He looked up at Ben. “She can’t bring herself
to go back to the house, though, not on her own. I don’t
know if she ever will, y’know?”
“She’s been through one hell of an ordeal, Jayy. It’s
going to take her some time.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Then a smile tugged at his lips. “She’ll
be up here a little later, you wanna hang around? I know
she’d love to see ya.”
“Oh, I dunno…”
“Course you’ll stay!” Jay’s eyes pleaded with him. “I want
you to.”
Ben threw his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture
and laughed. “How can I say no to that?”
“I really wanted that baby, Ben,” Jay’s voice fell to less
than a whisper.
“I’m so sorry. I should have moved faster, acted differently.
I, I just…”
“I’m not blaming you, mate, gees. Is that what you are
thinking?” Jay pulled himself more upright in his bed
and raised his words to a deep, steady tone. “Losing that
baby was not your fault, and given the situation you were
in, you did what you could, when you could. There’s
nothing wrong in that Ben.” He rubbed his hands across
his chin and then added. “Hell, if it wasn’t for you, neither
of us would be here today. Christ man, we owe you our
lives. So no more talk or thoughts about coulda’s and
shoulda’s, okay?”
All Ben could do was nod. He wanted to pour his heart
out to Jay and tell him how petrified he had been and
how he thought he was never going to see him again. The
ordeal of two nights ago knocked the wind clean out of
him. In his years of service, he had never been in that
situation before. Not once had he been concerned that
him or one of his mates was not going to be coming
home. Trying to disguise his rising emotions, Ben
coughed and held his hand over his mouth.
“I know just how you feel, buddy.” Jay stared at him. “So,
how about our psycho-morgue-tech, Ed? What’s the story
with him?”
Ben cleared his throat and sat up in his chair. “Good God,
Ed! He’s as nutty as they come. He was trying to impress
Augie, can you believe that?”
“What? You’ve gotta be shittin’ me?”
“I wish I was, Jay. I wish I could sit here and offer you a
more valuable reason for those women losing their lives,
and for your…” Ben cut himself short. “Hell, Jayy, I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”
“It’s ok, really. I know where you’re coming from and what
you’re trying to say, and I agree with you. But then,
murder is always so senseless isn’t it?” He stared off into
the distance.
The pain on Jay’s face cut Ben to pieces. He didn’t know
what to say to him and even if he did, it probably wouldn’t
heal his wounds. Ben knew most of his own wounds
would heal, but Jay’s? Can anyone truly recover from
losing their unborn? Even though he had been to hell and
back with Anna and her part in what had happened, Ben
was at least able to rationalise things. But how does one
rationalise what Jay has been subjected to?
“So what was Ed’s big idea of impressing Augie, all
about?” Jay kick-started the conversation.
“Who knows? Apparently Ed had been wanting to advance
up the ladder of pathology and thought that putting his
surgical skills on display for Augie to see might just help
his career.”
“Talk about a twisted whisker! He’s gotta be a candidate
for Greenholme, hasn’t he?”
“I hope not Jay, that psychiatric institution is too good
for the bastard. He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of
his miserable life.” Ben’s anger was building inside him.
“After the pain he caused, why should he be given the
easy road of the justice system?”
“I’m right with ya on that one,” agreed Jay. “But what
about…”
“The foetuses?” Ben gently pressed him.
“Yeah. What did he want with them?”
“Just sick trophies of his sick surgery. What can I say, the
boy was on a power trip. They reminded him of what an
expert surgeon he was, in his eyes at least.”
“Bloody hell, this world just gets weirder and weirder.‛
‘So what are your plans when you get out of here?” Ben
asked.
“Well, I’m gonna take Danni on a long holiday and in a few
months, maybe give her a ring and see if she’ll put up
with me for a few more years, or maybe even the rest of
her life!” He smiled broadly and then said, “From there?
Who knows. Kids are still in the picture.”
“Really? That’s fantastic, Jay, good on you.”
“And how about you, Ben? You still on with that cute
nurse?”
“Carolyn? You betcha! As a matter of fact we’re going out
for dinner tonight.” Ben’s grin was ear to ear. “To tell you
the truth, Jayy. I’m terrified.”
“After all you’ve suffered this week, a cute nurse terrifies
you?” Jay roared laughing. “You have some serious
terror issues man, you might wanna see someone about
that.”
Ben rubbed his scar and thought about Rose and Ed and
then looked back at Jay, a smirk creeping over his face.
“You’re right! If I can take on an abortionist and a serial
killer, I can surely go on a date with a nurse who can patch
me up afterwards.”
“Am I missing something here?” Danni’s voice filled the
room.
The two men turned and smiled at her, standing in the
doorway. She walked into the room and up to Ben, he
rose from his chair and said, “How are you, Danni?”
Without warning, she threw her arms around him and
held him tight, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t
know how to thank you, Ben.”
He returned her embrace but couldn’t find any words. She
pulled back and stood in front of him, holding onto his
hands. Danni turned her head and gazed over at Jay
before leaning over and planting a kiss on his forehead.
Ben felt it was his queue to leave. He stepped away from
his chair and offered it to Danni. “Well, I think this is how
it feels to be that third wheel everyone keeps talking
about.”
“Oh please don’t leave, Ben. We’d love for you to stay and
shoot the breeze or whatever it is you cops do.” she let
out a little laugh.
Jay beamed at her and said, “Stick with us kid and we’ll
show ya what real cops do!”
“Is that a promise?” she asked, her pretty face looked from
Jay to Ben. “Is it?”
“You can count on it,” laughed Jay.
“It sure is,” Ben agreed.
THE END