The warehouse was finally quiet. The workers were gone and the tables cleared ready for the next day. Next to the remodelled shipping container wooden pallets were loaded with large, sealed cardboard boxes. Bradley stood outside his office with a well-earned scotch. Things were falling into place and for the first time in weeks, the cloud was lifting off the horizon.
Abel came in through the passenger door, a duffle bag slung over a shoulder. ‘You’re still here, boss?’
‘Want a drink?’
‘Thanks, no. I want to double check the container.’ He dropped the bag at his feet when he joined Bradley. ‘So this is finally happening.’
‘Signed the paperwork with the transport company. Hated giving them the money guarantee but if this works out…’
With a rare smile, Abel nodded. ‘It will work out. This time next year you’ll be ready to upgrade your car. Your house. Buy that yacht.’
A yacht sounded good.
‘First pick up?’ Abel asked.
‘Yeah, well, that is the only hitch. First available spot is four days out—’
‘That won’t work.’
‘I know, if you’d let me finish, I’ve asked them to consider helping out with this first haul and with a bonus to them if they can do it within two days. Offered double for the one time. They’ll let me know first thing tomorrow.’ More upfront money which had better be worth it. ‘Duncan Chandler has his people delivering four pallets at eight a.m. so get a team organised to pack the container so we’re ready.’
‘I’ll pack our boxes tonight.’ Abel picked up his bag.
‘We pay people good money to do that crap.’
‘You pay them money. I want to work out the best configuration so let me do my job.’ Abel’s phoned beeped and he scowled as he read the message. ‘Wants an update.’
‘I already told Duncan—’
‘Not Duncan.’
‘Oh. Tell him there’ll be one in the morning.’ Bradley’s glass was empty. ‘I’m going home. Any issues give me a call.’
Briefcase packed, glass washed and back in the cupboard, he went to turn off the office light and just about had a heart attack as a shadow loomed from outside the door.
‘Shit, Vince,’ he muttered.
‘I messaged you. Said I was outside.’
Bradley checked his phone. ‘Oh, okay. Didn’t hear it. Why are you here?’
‘We talked about this the other day.’
With some vague recollection of a conversation outside his house, he waved Vince into the office. ‘Grab a seat then. I can’t stay long.’
‘Me either. Have to collect Melanie.’ Vince stared at the photograph of David on the cabinet.
‘She’s with Carla?’
‘No. A friend.’
You don’t have friends.
‘Are you going to sit?’
‘I understand you want to buy David’s share of the business?’ Vince leaned against the wall; arms crossed. ‘Why would that be in Melanie’s best interests?’
Dropping into his own chair, Bradley sighed. ‘Vince, I’m trying to navigate the changes ahead. Melanie can’t help run this place. She can’t invest or consult or work for the business. All the things her dad brought with him, the skills and talent and time—I need to replace those. A silent partner isn’t on the cards for a small business.’
‘Are you in a position to buy her out?’
‘That’s not a problem.’
Vince had the audacity to raise his eyebrows. ‘I hear that David was struggling financially.’
In the distance, a loud clang rang out.
‘Something you need to check?’
‘We’re doing work on a container preparing for a load to go out thanks to a big new contract with Duncan Chandler to facilitate transport of his products interstate. Which is why I will have the money to buy David’s share and why your suggestion about his finances is ludicrous. Both of us draw a decent wage from the business and he’s never once asked for more.’
What was Vince really here for? This could have been discussed by phone or even better, by their respective lawyers. And what crap was he going on about? David had no money issues. He pushed his chair back and stood. ‘No laptop for me?’
‘What files did you take from his house the other day?’
‘Actually, they were the contracts for this new deal. He had them to go over before signing them but of course that didn’t happen. And there’s a whole filing cabinet of work-related folders I need so how do we come to an arrangement, Vince? I’m happy to go there with you if you think I’m likely to steal the silver.’
‘David’s safe. What is the combination?’
‘What?’
Rather than answering, Vince straightened and went to the photograph, picking it up. ‘You said you had some more photos of David. For Melanie.’
‘Sure. I want to keep that one though. I’ll collect them and drop them to your house.’
‘Just message me and I’ll pick them up.’ He replaced the photograph. ‘The combination, please.’
Try as he might to control it, his neck and face were heating up. ‘What safe?’
Vince headed to the door, pausing as he reached it. ‘Let me know once you remember and I’ll get those other files to you. Maybe even the laptop.’
Then he was gone.
Bradley shot around the desk. Vince better not try to snoop around the warehouse. But he didn’t, slamming the warehouse door behind himself as he left.
‘And the teeny weeny kitten remembered me, Grandad, and followed me everywhere!’ Like the kitten, Melanie followed Vince around the kitchen. ‘Lyndall showed me how to make a bo.. um.. bo thingy of flowers.’
‘Bouquet?’
‘That’s it. Bouquet.’
‘How about you set the table and that way we aren’t tripping over each other?’
‘Okay. When is the lady coming?’
‘Lizzie? Anytime now. Did you go to see the donkeys?’
Hands in the cutlery drawer, Melanie gave him a funny look and shook her head.
‘Didn’t have time?’
‘They’re kind of big.’
‘Ah. But they are very gentle. Like Apple is.’
She nibbled on her bottom lip. How could Susie’s child be so afraid of animals? Let alone change so much in three years? It made no sense. Melanie had been here plenty of times when she was younger, and he was sure he had a photo somewhere of her sitting on Apple with Susie holding onto her. Perhaps in those photo albums.
Melanie finished setting the table and ran off to look out of the living room window.
She hadn’t stopped chatting since he’d picked her up earlier, heaps later than he’d planned. Lyndall hadn’t seemed bothered—if anything she was smiling more than he remembered. They might be good for each other. Even if there were cats involved.
‘She’s here!’
‘Open the door, Mel.’ He turned the oven down a bit and caught up with Melanie as she waited inside the front door. ‘It’s okay.’
‘I just thought… what if it was someone else’s car? I don’t know her.’ Like earlier, Melanie nibbled her bottom lip, and the excitement and earlier brightness was overshadowed by caution. She’d been coming back out of the shell that the accident created so why the sudden concern? And which ‘someone else’?
He leaned down to whisper, ‘Liz is nervous about seeing you.’
Her mouth opened and her eyes widened in surprise.
‘I’m counting on you to help her remember you because you used to know her.’
With a quick nod, Melanie opened the door wide, just as Liz reached the top of the steps. ‘Hello. I’m Melanie Weaver and you are welcome to visit us.’ She extended her right hand.
Liz shot a surprised look at Vince and then shook Melanie’s hand. ‘What a lovely welcome, Melanie Weaver. My name is Liz Moorland. But I think we have met before.’
‘You do remember me! Grandad thought you’d forgotten.’
‘It has been a long time, but I could never forget you. Oh, and I have something for dessert so may I come in?’
Taking a dramatic step back to make way for Liz, Melanie spoke with such seriousness that Vince almost burst into laughter. ‘A person with dessert is always allowed to come inside.’
Why had he put off having Liz over for dinner for so long? They’d been friends for more than two decades as well as partners in the force and he’d missed her dry sense of humour and kindness. And the bonus was seeing Melanie smile so much. She’d regaled Liz with the story about the kitten in the rain then the kitten remembering her today.
‘So you enjoyed visiting Lyndall?’ Liz scooped up the last of her lemon gelato.
‘Uh huh. She is really nice and not at all scary.’
‘Scary?’ Liz asked through a mouthful.
‘Grandad said—’
‘How about we clear the table, young lady.’ Vince was already on his feet. No need to have his opinions repeated. Liz grinned as she helped take plates to the sink.
Melanie asked if she could finish watching a movie on Vince’s old DVD player. She’d been going through an old collection he still had from a few years ago. Things he’d bought when she and Susie still visited.
‘Like a glass of wine, Liz?’
‘Better not. Pete’s doing surveillance tonight and I might need to go back to work.’
With a disapproving humph, which was directed purely at Pete, Vince sat at the kitchen table again, joining Liz.
‘He really isn’t that bad,’ she said. ‘Even gave me a hand when I began investigating…’
‘The accident? No need to sweet coat it. Not unless Mel’s around.’
Melanie’s laughter from the other room was right on cue.
‘She’s grown up so much, Vince. Must be two years since I saw her last, apart from the other day. She’s just a gem of a kid. And obviously she adores you.’
Something felt warm around his heart. A little bit of happiness. ‘Goes both ways.’
The silence dragged. Maybe Liz was embarrassed by his small show of emotion, not something she’d been exposed to a lot. Well, not mushy feelings. She’d seen too much anger and too much blame, for sure.
‘Has Melanie said anything about the accident?’ Liz asked quietly, one eye on the doorway. ‘Anything at all?’
‘Why?’
‘Don’t get defensive. I’m trying to piece the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle together and could use some help.’
‘Sorry. Terry wanted to talk to her early in the piece and I said no. I figured if she had anything to say then she will. When she’s ready. But,’ he lowered his voice as well, ‘there’s a couple of things. When you drove up I told her to go open the front door and she went all quiet and said something about not knowing if it was really you. That it might be somebody else. Actually, somebody else’s car.’
Liz leaned her elbows on the table and gazed at him.
‘And the other day she made some odd comment about when Lyndall was out in the rain. Gave her a bit of a scare as she was right under the shelter and could only see part of Lyndall.’
‘What did she say?’
‘That she was happy it was Lyndall and not the angry man.’
He had to explore this. Why would she think there was an angry man and what did she even mean by it?
‘Vince. You need to—’
‘I will. I’ll talk to her shrink first. Tell me what you know about the killer.’
‘Might have been accidental. Okay, I had to say that. What we know is there was paint transference on the back and the front passenger side of the car, that it was black paint, and that it came from one of three types of vehicle. David had moved into the oncoming lane but there was no sign of braking or skidding for several second’s worth of driving. I also found a half-smoked cigarette up the road from the scene. Within sight. Being tested now.’
Breathe.
She sat back. ‘Nothing yet on the answering machine. No unexpected prints from the break in of their house… and I will arrange for the safe to be dusted.’
‘That’s it?’
He knew the expression on her face. She was keeping something from him.
‘Tell me what happened with the Pickerings all those years ago.’
She almost visibly relaxed and told him about the strange demands of the Pickerings with the new neighbour’s kid. He remembered bits of it as she spoke.
‘Always knew he was bad news. Didn’t think Carla was though,’ he said. ‘Bet they weren’t thrilled to see you again and in Homicide.’
‘When I walked up the driveway of the warehouse, Bradley just about keeled over.’
Wait…
‘Why were you there?’
She looked away.
‘Lizzie?’
Eyes back on him, she chose her words carefully. He hated that. ‘I wanted to know why he was in Susie’s house.’
‘And?’
‘Told me what he told you. Retrieving files belonging to the business. And… I asked what he and David were arguing about at the restaurant that night. They were overheard by a waiter.’
‘Why wasn’t I told this? I’ve let Melanie go to their house. Have I put her in danger?’ Aware his voice was rising he clamped him lips shut. But his heart pounded, and he wanted to drive to Pickering’s house and confront him.
‘Doubt she is at risk with them. They’re her godparents and Susie trusted Carla with her, so take a breath. The waiter denies saying anything and so does Bradley. I shouldn’t have told you.’
‘Yeah. You should.’
Her phone beeped and as she read the message her shoulders dropped.
‘Damn. Dammit. Sorry, I have to go.’
She was on her feet.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘There’s been a murder. Someone I spoke to about Malcolm Hardy.’ She was clearly angry with herself. ‘I’ve had a feeling… dammit.’
‘Go. Say goodbye to Melanie and stay safe.’
He wanted to hug her but didn’t know how.
‘Let me handle things, Vince. I’ll find out what happened.’
A hug for Melanie and Liz was driving off. The minute she turned onto the road, her lights and siren went on.