She had recognised the smell as soon as she opened the door. Charlie came running around the back and was now standing, wide-eyed, one hand across his nose and mouth, gun in the other hand.
‘Victoria Police. We’re coming in,’ called Zoe, as she re-entered through the open back door. She pointed her gun as she walked through the dull light. Charlie was behind her, his pistol also drawn. Behind them, Harry gave a whine from where he’d been told to lie. The cabin was small, with a combined living and kitchen area. A large freezer stood next to the kitchen, its cord pulled from the socket. There was a bedroom at the front. They checked it, but it was empty. They walked over to the bathroom.
He was lying in the bath, fully clothed, a tourniquet tied around his arm, a needle beside him. Although the skin had turned grey and his body was bloated, she recognised him immediately. His neck was still angled down towards his shoulder. She didn’t need to check him for vital signs. A swarm of flies hovered above the body.
Charlie walked in behind her before turning away. ‘Oh, fuck.’
Zoe looked at Charlie. All the colour had drained from his face and she knew he was about to be ill.
‘Come on, follow me, quick,’ she said. Charlie chased her out the back door. He walked over to a nearby tree and bent over, throwing up violently. He then started sucking in deep breaths of air.
‘Sorry, that smell,’ Charlie said, still hunched over. ‘I haven’t got used to it yet.’
‘You won’t, either. We’d best get on the phone and tell the DI, Forensics and the pathologist. I’ll call Rob. Can you call Forensics?’ She pulled out her phone and looked down at the screen. She had no coverage.
‘I haven’t got a signal. You?’
‘I’ve got nothing either.’
‘Can you get Forensics and the pathologist on the radio? Also, get some local uniforms up here to guard the scene until they all get here.’ Charlie set off towards the car.
Zoe kept her mouth closed, glancing at the sky, trying to compose herself. Her frustration was boiling over and she wanted to scream. With Ivan dead, everything just became much harder.
They drove for ten minutes before they got phone coverage again.
Zoe immediately phoned the DI.
‘Hi, Zoe, How’d you go?’ asked Rob.
‘Not great. Ivan’s dead. Overdose. Needle was next to him in the bath. Looks like he’s been dead a few days. I’d say he bolted from Portsea and went to the old family cabin. He could have been there for years if Anjali hadn’t found the cabin.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Yeah. Now we have nothing physically linking Ivan to any of the murders. It’s all just circumstantial. We couldn’t find his computer anywhere in the cabin.’
‘Where are you now? Still in Three Bridges?’
‘No, we’re on our way back, coming up towards Yarra Junction. The local police are guarding the scene until the pathologist and Forensics arrive. I want to get to Ivan’s brother and let him know face to face. He’ll need to ID him.’
It was almost two when they arrived back in the city. They drove straight to the Department of Justice offices in Exhibition Street.
‘Harry’s back,’ the receptionist said, grinning over the top of the counter. Her smile faded when she saw Zoe’s and Charlie’s expressions. ‘Are you looking for Marko?’
Zoe nodded.
The receptionist picked up the phone. ‘Marko, the detectives—’ she said before looking at the phone. ‘I think he’s coming straight out.’
Marko appeared through a door. ‘Did you find him?’
Zoe could hear the hope in his voice. ‘Can we chat privately?’ she asked.
‘Yes, yes. Please.’ He rushed back to the door, opening it for them. ‘Same office as last time.’
They walked into Marko’s office. He shut the door. ‘Have you found him? Ivan. Have you spoken to him?’
‘Take a seat, Mr Raddich,’ said Charlie.
Marko eyed them suspiciously and sat. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I’m sorry to say we have some bad news for you.’ Zoe paused. ‘We have found what we believe to be Ivan’s body in a cabin. It looks like it has been there several days.’
Marko put his face in his hands. He started to rock, forwards and backwards. ‘No, no, no,’ he whispered.
‘We’re sorry for your loss,’ said Charlie.
Marko sucked in three quick breaths. ‘You said he was in a cabin. Where?’
Zoe gave him an incredulous look. ‘At your family’s cabin, outside Three Bridges.’
‘Bloody hell, the cabin. How’d you find that? I haven’t thought about that place in years. Dad bought it after we moved to Noble Park.’
‘When were you last there, Marko?’
‘At the cabin? It would be over twenty years ago. At least. Ivan and I used to go with Dad sometimes. We’d leave after he shut the shop up at lunchtime on a Saturday and spend the weekend up there in the forest. I went once after Dad died, but it was weird without him there.’ Marko looked down at the floor, shaking his head, as if lost in his thoughts. ‘Who owns it now?’
‘What? You do,’ said Zoe. ‘You and Ivan.’
‘No, Mum sold it. I remember her telling me. Was at the same time she decided to sell the fruit shop. Ivan was all cut up about it. It was one of the reasons we grew apart. It became kind of a wedge between us. Everything was changing too fast for him, with Dad dying and the shop getting sold.’
‘There’s no record of the property changing hands,’ said Charlie.
‘Fuck…and, what, Ivan was living there?’
‘We’re not sure. We will find out, but we believe that he’s been paying the rates notices every year, even though they are still in your dad’s name. There is a fairly new solar system and battery. The place is completely off the grid. Tank water, the lot.’
‘I feel like…I don’t know what,’ said Marko. ‘This is all very confusing.’
‘We will need you to come in soon to identify Ivan’s body,’ said Zoe. ‘It may be later this afternoon or tonight.’
Marko sucked in a deep breath before responding. ‘Of course. When I heard you were here, I thought that you’d found him and we’d be able to catch up and…I don’t know, reconnect. I’ve been thinking a lot about him since you were here. It would’ve been good to get close to him again. I can’t believe he’s dead.’ Marko leaned forward and started sobbing into his hands.
‘Is there anyone we can call for you? Your wife or a friend?’ said Charlie.
‘No, I’m not married. I’ll be okay. So, what happens now? I’ll have to arrange a funeral…Shit, how do you do that?’
‘Just take things one step at a time,’ said Zoe. ‘We’ll call you about the identification. Once that is done, call a funeral director and they’ll be able to help you make arrangements. Okay?’ She looked down at Harry, who wagged his tail slightly, looking up at her.
‘We’ll be in touch,’ said Zoe, standing. She nodded at Charlie, who followed her and Harry out of the room.
In the elevator, Zoe turned to Charlie. ‘We’ve got another problem.’