True to her word, Liz had arranged for someone to dust the safe in spite of her long night. She’d called Vince not long after dawn with a time and a brief update that she’d followed Richard Roscoe for the past few hours. She hesitated at one point, considering her words, then said to give Melanie her love.
There was something else there that she was keeping to herself which meant it concerned David or Pickering.
He’d given in to Melanie’s request to visit Carla and dropped her off after making sure Bradley wasn’t around. What Liz had said last night was true. Susie loved and trusted Carla and the woman had never shown anything but care for Melanie. Hopefully, as Melanie got older and made friends closer to her new home, she’d gradually need Carla less.
While he waited for the young officer to work on the safe, Vince found himself back in David’s office. On the wall above the desk were photos of the family mixed in with framed certificates—a business degree specialising in logistics was completed at the same time as Susie finished her own, although she’d changed from the business course where they’d first met to one in tourism.
And never used it the way she wanted.
After they’d married, both wanted to save for a house and while David found his perfect position, Susie had taken a government job out of the field thanks to a downturn in her chosen profession. Once Melanie was a few months old she settled for part time in a travel agency chain. She’d once told Vince it was little more than a glorified data entry position with no room to advance. But it paid well enough to help them with the deposit on the house.
They’d lived here since Melanie was a couple of years old. She’d never known another home and it was a credit to her fortitude how quickly she’d adapted to living with him.
‘Mr Carter?’
The officer, who looked more like a high school kid, hesitated outside the office.
‘Finished?’
‘Yes, sir. Sorry about the mess. There are some products which work better to clean the dust than others if you’d like some ideas?’
‘All good. Done it before.’
‘Oh, of course. Sorry. I’ll get this back then.’
Vince locked the front door behind him and collected the ammonia mix he’d prepared and some cleaning rags. He’d already moved most of David’s hanging clothes onto the bed earlier so had clear access to the safe without risking getting dust or ammonia on them. Putting on a mask, he set to work, first taking photographs of the prints with his phone. Just in case.
Once he’d done as good a job as he could, Vince opened the bedroom window to let some fresh air in, wishing he’d done it earlier. The early signs of a headache were forming.
Not knowing what to do long term with David’s clothes, and nowhere near ready to think about Susie’s, he began to sort them in piles. The man had more outfits than Vince had owned in a lifetime and that was just the ones on hangers. Pants for every occasion. Lots of business shirts long and short sleeved. Work jackets. A couple of wool winter jackets which were almost new by the look of them.
‘Not cheap. But no money to pay school fees?’
It wasn’t adding up.
Several suits. A tuxedo. And a well-worn puffer jacket. Vince had seen him in it plenty of times and was probably why Melanie loved wearing them. He lifted it to place on the pile of other jackets and an envelope slipped from the pocket. Vince had read books where something like that had occurred and scoffed at the convenience.
‘Better write my own book.’
A message beeped on his phone as he started opening the envelope. A glance was all it took to make him drop it.
His breath caught.
Grabbing the envelope he shoved it into a pocket and hurried from the room. Then turned back and rushed to close the window. Another message.
He tried to text as he went down the stairs and almost fell so stopped.
Not if he broke his neck first. He checked the house was locked and told himself, all the way to the car, to focus. This wasn’t an emergency. Just discomfort. Melanie was okay.
While Melanie was being checked at outpatients, Vince went upstairs. He had to wait a few minutes but was able to see Doctor Raju between his patients.
‘I appreciate this, doc. Melanie is seeing you in a few days but with her being downstairs unexpectedly…’
‘Please, sit with me. How is she?’
Vince settled on a tub chair. This time though, he wasn’t as stressed. Melanie was in a bit of pain but still bright and happy. And disappointed to cut her visit short. Carla was more worried than Melanie although her little face screwed up a few times on the drive down.
‘Melanie is smart and funny and kind. And grieving, although the funeral was a turning point. We’ve had some sad moments. But I’m seeing more smiles. And she’s working on me to bring a kitten into the family.’
‘A kitten?’
‘Yep. She found the little mite out in the wet the other day and since reuniting it with the owner has harped on about it so much.’
‘I understand Melanie has some discomfort in her arm today. Is there another reason you are here?’
He must be short on time being so direct. It was decent of him to fit an unexpected visitor in on no notice.
‘A couple of times, Mel has mentioned someone she calls an angry man. Nothing specific. But she’s said it twice and also got worried about opening our front door last night to a friend—in case it wasn’t our friend.’
‘Have you asked her about this?’
Vince shook his head. ‘First time she’d had a bit of a scare out in the rain chasing the kitten and I put it down to that. But now I’m worried she’s carrying a fear around and I don’t know if I should encourage her to talk about it.’
Doctor Raju leaned forward. ‘Encourage her to talk but don’t press her. Let her guide the conversation. She draws… I’m sure she told me.’
‘Lots,’ Vince laughed. ‘Artwork all over the house.’
‘Excellent. Be aware of what she’s drawing. For some victims, art is a way to express what they can’t or won’t verbalise.’
‘Victim?’
‘She’s been in a terrible accident. Her parents died in front of her. Don’t mistake her smiles for healing… although they are a part of it.’ Doctor Raju stood. ‘I’m sorry I can’t give you more time.’
Vince got to his feet. ‘No, no, thank you. You aren’t like any other shrinks I’ve met and you’re making a difference for Melanie.’
With a smile, the other man opened the door. ‘And you also, I hope.’
The wait for Melanie gave Vince a chance to open the envelope from David’s jacket. He sat in the café on the hospital’s ground floor. Coffee pushed to one side; he slid the letter out. It was from a business broker and none of it made sense. Dated two weeks earlier, it had the usual pleasantries then launched into an acceptance of an offer from David to purchase a business.
There was a date when the remainder of the deposit was due. An amount was already being held by the broker subject to the acceptance on both sides. Vince had no idea if that was normal. He’d only ever bought a house.
He read it twice and came to the same conclusion. David was buying his own company, a small freight forwarding outfit based in the outer western suburbs. Only his name was on the letter. No mention of Susie.
Vince googled the business.
A small outfit, it covered metro Melbourne and specialised in fast turnaround deliveries. There was a slick website and a booking portal. The gallery showed off a modern building and fleet of five vans, each with a smiling, uniformed driver.
The letter went back in his pocket and Vince slid a small, folded piece of paper from his wallet. It was the original copy of the note he’d written from the answering machine message. All along his gut had told him there was something in the phone call connected to the car crash.
First you ignore my messages on your mobile. Now this. You’ve made your bed, sunshine. Time’s up, Weaver
It was a threat—but who made it? What deadline had David failed to meet?
He felt sick to the stomach and had to force himself not to crumple the note in his hand. David had been targeted for failing to do something the caller expected done. Surely not signing the papers for the new business venture? The deadline for the deposit had only just expired a day ago. Where did Bradley fit into this? Did he even know?
There’d been no mail or any other paperwork at the house regarding this purchase so where was he collecting his mail? Taking the envelope back out he found the answer with a post office box in Laverton.
‘You’ve been keeping secrets.’
He thought he’d said it quietly but a woman with a pram shot him an odd look from the next table.
What else might be waiting at the post office box?
Vince needed help with this. But Liz was busy now. Too busy with catching that bastard Hardy to be available and he wasn’t about to put her under any more pressure. Terry wasn’t convinced yet that the crash was deliberate. And there was nobody else serving who had the time of day for him.
His phone beeped. Melanie was ready.
If the police weren’t able or willing to view Susie’s death as homicide in need of urgent investigation, then somebody else had to step up. Take charge of the growing list of anomalies and events. Talk to people in the know. Uncover the secrets.
Vince took a deep breath as Susie’s words that he needed to step up suddenly filled his thoughts. She was right. He’d failed her then, but he wouldn’t fail her now. It was time to step up.