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After a week, Reggie could bend his first two fingers part way around an apple. By week three, he could fully clutch an apple with all four fingers in a vice-like grip. A tray of food came off the trolley, and Reggie had the roast with gravy.
Brenda polished off the veggies, and I got the crème Brule.
Reggie raised his plastic cup of orange juice. ‘Here’s to the public healthcare system in Australia.’ He had that American bonhomie that grated but was hard to resist.
We scrunched cups and sat in silence for a while, and almost felt relief when a tall grey figure shuffled into the room and nodded his head. ‘Folks.’
‘Senior Detective Ivers,’ I said. ‘What brings you here?’
I indicated the spare chair, and he fell into it with a groan.
Reggie paled. ‘This can’t be good.’
I said, ‘I’m guessing you’ve got some news?’
‘The usual. A bit of both. The charges brought against Poulson by the AFP didn’t stick.’
‘Fuck!’ Reggie slammed his eating tray.
Ivers continued. ‘Interpol copped onto his activity in Australia, and he was immediately extradited. The good news is he’s due to stand trial at the Supreme Court of England on the charges of murder relating to the two women killed here, and faces at least eight other counts of murder for victims in the UK.’
I said, ‘What about Warwick Fripp? Did Casuamo make any inroads?’
‘We got lucky with a witness who was able to ID the make and model of the motorcycle used in the shooting. Via police enquiries and by way of CCTV footage, police were able to track the transport of the motorcycle from Coffs Harbour to Sydney on a float, and trace the purchase back to a person known to police. DNA from the suspect’s sunglasses and motorcycle helmet matched it to Ricky Malone.’
Ivers scrolled through his phone, then held it up to me. A photo of the man Poulson stabbed in the neck stared back at me. ‘Apparently, he’s an ex-employee of Lyons Media. That your guy from Queensland?’
I nodded. ‘I think he was a turn coat. There might have been talk about the traps, about taking out Fripp, at Lyons Media, and it leaked. I reckon Malone stepped up as a rogue element. He was a smooth operator. I think he found out about the offer to take out Tamsin, and cut a deal with Poulson behind Lyons’ back. Unfortunately, without Poulson’s testimony, its only hearsay. Do you know what Evelyn’s been charged with?’
Ivers checked his phone again. ‘Blackmail, and as of yesterday, she now faces an additional charge of accessory to murder before the fact. She’s due to face district court in four months.’
Another love interest bites the dust.
I thanked him for the information, added the last updates to the Lyons case file, finalised the expenses spreadsheet, and transferred twenty percent of the entire money Lyons had paid me to the nominated account Aunty had texted me.
