The unrenovated, Californian bungalow where Rimis lived was in a quiet, leafy street, three blocks back from Maroubra Beach. His mobile phone rang. He sat upright on the floral, high winged chair, which had once belonged to his mother. The lights were all on, the TV was blaring. He picked up the remote control and pressed mute.
Yawn.
‘Hello,’ he said. He checked the time on the DVD player. Nine-fifteen.
‘Nick? It’s William Phillips.’
Rimis heard the panic in William’s voice. He stood up from his chair, ran his hand through his hair.
‘It’s Jill. I’m outside her apartment. I went to see her tonight, but before I had a chance to say anything to her, she told me to phone someone. She didn’t say who, but I took a guess and rang you. She wasn’t making any sense. There was something about the way she spoke to me. I could tell she was scared, really scared.’
Rimis swallowed. ‘She alright?’
‘Don’t know. Maybe it’s worth you coming over.”
‘Did she say anything to you?’
‘Yeah, she was going on about it being Sunday, made a big fuss about it. But what that’s got to do with anything?’
‘Stay where you are.’
Ten minutes later Rimis’s Commodore screeched to a stop behind William’s parked car. He jumped out. ‘Wait here,’ he yelled.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘I need you to stay here for when back up arrives, tell them where I am.’
Rimis knew as well as any officer did, the procedure was to wait for back up, but Jill’s life was at stake here. He sprinted up the stairs two at a time and thumped against the door with his fist.
No answer.
Seconds later, he took a step back before leaning into his kick and driving his heel into the door. He looked across the room. Jill was out cold on the floor, her legs splayed flat against the floor; Kevin was saddling her, holding a syringe in his hand.
Rimis looked from Jill’s inert body to Kevin and every instinct told him to react, but he knew he had to stay calm.
‘Put it down Kevin, nice and slow now.’
‘I’ll do it. I’ll kill her, one jab in the right spot will do it.’
‘You don’t want to do this. It’s over, it’s finished with. People will understand.’
‘Understand? I’m beyond having anyone understand me, you and I both know that.’ Kevin’s voice choked.
‘Put the syringe down, we’ll talk.’
Sirens in the street.
Kevin’s eyes narrowed. ‘Got to you, didn’t it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘What I did to Edi and Rhoda.’
‘They didn’t deserve to die.’ Rimis kept his anger in check.
‘I knew if their deaths looked accidental, I’d get away with it. But Freddie, I made a mistake with her.’
William rushed up behind Rimis. ‘What the hell’s going on?’
Rimis held one arm up to block him from advancing any further. He could hear the shuffle of feet on the stairs, neighbouring doors being opened, closed again. The music that was so loud when he’d first arrived, now suddenly quiet. He looked at William from the corner of his eye. ‘Thought I told you to stay put,’ he said.
Rimis took in the room, the upturned coffee table, the curtains pulled from their tracks and the standing lamp lying on the floor next to him. He was proud of her; she had given Taggart a run for his money.
Brennan stirred, groaned. She turned her head to one side and Rimis locked onto her eyes to give her some reassurance. Brennan had seemed so tough when she’d first started this assignment, but recently, he’d seen another side to her.
Kevin looked at Rimis and shook his head. ‘My mother. You’ve got no idea what it was like being controlled by her. But I’m the one who’s in control now.’
‘It was a long time ago, Kevin.’ Rimis took a step towards him.
‘Stay where you are, or I’ll use this.’ Kevin stabbed the air with the syringe.
‘What would your father think if he could see you now? What would he say if he knew what you’d turned into?’
Kevin’s eyes widened, he rolled his head to one side and bellowed like a wounded animal. ‘Shut up. Don’t talk about him. Shut up, shut up,’ he shouted. Horrible sobs erupted; an outpouring of pain, self-loathing, torment.
‘Get off her Kevin. I’m not telling you again. Get off her now!’
Kevin raised his arm in the air, ready to strike. Without pause, Rimis squeezed out a single shot. It hit Kevin in the side of his neck.
Kevin rolled off Jill and landed on his back on the floor beside her. A slow wet stain appeared on his trousers. Urine. His body was stretched out on the floor, like a Salvador Dali painting. It had happened too fast. Rimis's nostrils filled with the smell of cordite. He walked over and crouched down beside Kevin. His face was a mess. He felt for a pulse before removing the syringe from Kevin’s fist.
Brennan opened her eyes but closed them again. He heard her shallow breathing. He cradled her head. ‘Jill, for God’s sake, say something.’ He called her name again and brushed her hair back from her face.
‘Nick?’
‘It’s okay, it’s okay. Don't talk. An ambulance is on its way.’
She struggled to sit up.
‘Take it easy.’ He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her.
‘Where’s William?
‘Gone.’