17

At Chipping Norton, Duncan Wong was again the one who opened the door to Grace.

‘We weren’t expecting you to come back,’ he said. ‘Have you got any news? Narelle still won’t talk to us.’

‘No, I don’t, I’m sorry. This is more about seeing how you’ve all been getting on. Has Narelle been out at all?’

‘Once or twice with Dad. Mum doesn’t want to talk to her.’

‘Can I see her?’

‘If she’ll let you in.’

This time when Grace knocked on Narelle’s door, it was opened almost too quickly. Narelle stood there looking pleased with herself. Her brother had already walked away.

‘Yeah, I’ll talk to you,’ she said.

The room was as stuffy as the first time Grace had been in there. There was a carton of cigarettes on the table and a full ashtray. The smell of stale cigarette smoke had grown stronger. Narelle had freshened herself up and was wearing make-up. It made her seem more like a child in dress-up than a young woman in her early twenties. Grace recognised the look: the man you have been praying will call you has finally picked up the phone.

‘How are you, Narelle?’

‘I’m good.’

Grace saw she was nervous.

‘Has anyone been in touch with you lately?’

‘I got a message from Elliot.’

‘Your boyfriend?’

‘Yeah.’

Narelle smiled and took a plain white envelope out of a girlishly pretty china box. Careful about how she handled it, Grace opened it. The note inside was handwritten. To Marie, Goddess of the Orchids. Grace is coming to see you again very soon, you can trust her. Do what she asks. Burn this. Elliot.

‘Where did you get this?’

‘Someone left it at the restaurant. I got one of the waiters to take messages for me.’

A waiter who would now receive a visit from Orion. Grace hoped it wasn’t someone who was having trouble with their visa.

‘You didn’t burn it.’

‘I know I was supposed to but I wanted to keep it.’

‘That was his name for you. Goddess of the Orchids.’

‘He said Narelle didn’t suit me, I was more exotic than that. So he got me that flat where I could be what I really was. Like the orchids.’

And you believed him.

‘I’ll keep this,’ Grace said, tucking it away in her bag.

‘No, you won’t. I want that back!’

‘Not if you want a lift somewhere. I’m making sure no one does the dirty on me.’

Narelle bit her lip. ‘He wouldn’t do that.’

‘No, of course he wouldn’t. I’m just being careful. The deal is this. Elliot wants to meet with you. You have to get yourself somewhere I can pick you up unnoticed. Any ideas?’

‘I’ll go to the restaurant. I can park under cover there. There’s a shopping mall next door. I’ll go through to the mall and meet you in the car park. Is he going to take me somewhere? Did he say?’

‘He wants me to take you to a service centre north of Gosford. He’s going to pick you up there and drive you to Coffs Harbour and then fly you to Cairns. He said he wants to go to Hong Kong with you by yacht.’

Grace almost blushed saying it. Narelle smiled with innocent delight.

‘He talked about doing that. He said I could help him with his business there because I know the language.’

‘I’m sure it’ll be handy. Have you got a passport and money?’

‘Yeah, I’ve got all that.’

‘Bring everything you have that establishes your ID. Your passport, your birth certificate and your driver’s licence. You need to dress anonymously, okay? Put on a tracksuit, something with a hood. Make sure no one can recognise you. But don’t bring any clothes. Elliot will buy you everything new.’

‘Okay. I’ll just bring my bag with my make-up and stuff. And my mobile.’

‘No, don’t bring any of that either. Especially the phone.’

‘I need my phone.’

‘If you bring it, people might trace you on it,’ Grace said.

Narelle nodded. ‘He’ll buy me a new phone anyway. Something really nice. I am so looking forward to this.’

This was as much as Grace could deal with.

‘Tell me about Elliot,’ she said. ‘What does he look like?’

Narelle smiled and shook her head. ‘Oh, no,’ she said. ‘He told me never to talk about that to anyone. Never tell anyone his last name or anything about him. He has to protect his identity.’

‘Then I won’t ask. I have to go now. Let’s make a time for when I’m going to pick you up. Whatever happens, you have to be there.’

The girl laughed. ‘Nothing’s going to stop me.’

‘You do realise you won’t be coming back? Your family will be worried about you and they’ll call the police. You realise that as well?’

She shrugged. ‘How are they going to find me? They won’t be looking for me with you.’

‘I guess not. Okay. Tomorrow afternoon at three.’

‘I’ll be there. This is going to be the longest day in my whole life.’

Grace made the time to talk to Duncan before she left.

‘How’s it been?’

‘She’s been locked in her room most of the time. She won’t talk to me. Mum won’t talk to her. Sometimes she talks to Dad. Then he gets upset and argues with Mum about her. It’s horrible being in the house. Is anything going to happen now? It’s like we’re living in no-man’s-land.’

‘We’re waiting on the results of our investigations. I honestly can’t say more than that.’

‘If Narelle’s not going to be charged with anything, can’t we just know that and get on with our lives? Get her to snap out of this?’

‘I can’t tell you one way or the other what’s going to happen. But our first concern in this is for you, your family and your sister. As soon as we can, we’ll advise you what the next step is.’

‘When hell freezes over.’

‘Whether you believe it or not, it’s true.’

He only shrugged. ‘It’ll get worse before it gets better.’

When she drove away from the house, Narelle stayed in her mind like some monstrous, innocent child about to run happily to her own murder. In the present, she had her own encounter with Griffin to go to. Less dangerous than tomorrow’s—she hoped—but still unappealing in the extreme.

This time in the Lane Cove National Park there was no black Porsche, just the blue Audi waiting for her. It was a clear autumn day, warm, the sky cloudless. If it hadn’t been for whom she had to meet here, it might have been just another day in paradise. Griffin was waiting for her at the picnic table. She had dressed carefully for this meeting, not over the top. She had her hair out; something she hadn’t wanted to do but Clive had insisted on it.

Griffin didn’t get up; his solidly built figure took up space on the bench. He was dressed casually without a tie and had brought along an al fresco meal. Cheese, olives, cold meats, dips, bread and champagne. He poured her a glass when she sat down.

‘Have a drink.’

‘I don’t drink,’ she said.

‘You can drink just one glass with me.’

‘I can’t even handle the smell of it.’

‘Chris said you used to drink a lot. Is that why you don’t drink now?’

‘Yes,’ she said, seeing no point in any other answer. Then she realised that hearing Newell’s name had not affected her. He was a ghost already losing its potency. ‘Narelle’s all ready to go as planned.’

He brushed this aside. ‘I don’t want to talk about her. You look very nice. Tasteful. I don’t like it when women dress like sluts. I got you this,’ he said and handed her an envelope, as if it were a present.

It was a picture of her at nineteen when there was no scar on her neck. She’d had her hair cut short then. Her emotions seemed so close to the surface, her eyes almost raw with feeling. Had she ever been that young? Even though she was laughing, her eyes were so sad. Back then, the only way to deal with grief had been to live constantly in the present. Once this scrap of paper had been part of a photograph of the band, but someone had cut the other musicians away, leaving only her.

‘I like the way you look in that photograph. You look very beautiful.’

‘There’s only one place you could have got this,’ she said.

‘I took it off Chris. He wasn’t going to need it.’

Before or after he died? And why did you need it?

She put the picture back in the envelope and laid it on the table. Griffin picked it up and put it in his pocket. He was staring at her.

‘I’m still glad your hair is longer now. Eat something.’

‘After you.’

With his eyes still on her, he took a piece of bread and dipped it. She did likewise. He smiled.

‘Breaking bread,’ he said, still looking at her. ‘I wanted us to do that together.’

She ate. Under his gaze, she barely tasted the food. She was trying to pin down the way he was looking at her. His cold blue eyes were staring and intense, they never seemed to leave her face. They frightened her, badly. She might be a professional, an agent who was working, but there was no way around that feeling. You, that expression said. An intent aimed very specifically at her.

‘We were going to talk business,’ she said.

He looked at her with a friendly expression. ‘Let’s say you’ve accurately described what this business is. What do you think you can do for us?’

‘Don’t you think someone in my position could help you out quite a bit?’

‘An accountant would be more useful. Law enforcement agencies aren’t that hard to avoid if you’re careful.’

‘You’re one step ahead of them, are you?’

‘Yes, always. Now if what you’re trying is blackmail, that could be very dangerous for you.’

‘We’re partners already, aren’t we?’ she said. ‘I’m putting my safety on the line for you.’

‘And you’re being paid for it. I can’t use you in the money side of things, you don’t have the skills. But I can use you for what you’re doing now.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘Will you trust me?’ he asked.

‘Why?’

‘I will pay you double what you’ve asked me for, which is a lot of money, if after you pick up Marie tomorrow, you do what I ask you to.’

‘Which is?’

‘You have to wait until tomorrow to find out. But it’ll tell me whether you’re genuine or not.’

‘I thought you were going to give me more information about the business. That’s why I came.’

‘And I’ve asked you to trust me. That’s what you have to do first. Now let’s talk about something else. I want to know about you. Tell me about your daughter. She’s in childcare, isn’t she?’

Slowly Grace shook her head.

‘No, tell me.’

‘Off limits.’

He stopped eating to look at her. ‘I want to know.’

‘Off limits,’ she repeated.

He went back to eating. He was angry by the look of it, although the anger was contained. Grace watched him in silence for some moments.

‘What is this meeting really about? Because you keep changing the rules on me.’

‘No, Grace. You’re the one who keeps changing on me. You’re going to become a part of my work. If I can rely on you, you’re going to help me fulfil obligations. I wanted to spend a little time with you to work out what sort of person you are.’

‘What have you decided?’

‘You’re very hard to reach. Most people I can persuade to talk about themselves. But not you. That makes you a challenge and I like that, I suppose.’ With this, he managed to look up and smile. ‘Let’s try again. Your daughter. Did you really want to have her or did your partner make you?’

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘I just want to know if she’s important to you.’

Grace decided this question was beyond what could be expected of her. She stopped eating. ‘I can’t stay. I have to be back at work. People will notice if I’m not on duty.’

She moved away from the table; he followed her and took her arm.

‘Why does that offend you so much? Because you don’t care about her?’

She pulled away from him. He tightened his grip.

‘Let me go,’ she said.

He was holding her arm, staring at her. Then, very reluctantly, he loosened his grip.

‘Let me kiss you,’ he said.

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘It’s what I told you yesterday. You’ve already got a girlfriend and I don’t share.’

‘You will one day. And you’ll talk about yourself as well. One day you’ll tell me everything I want to know about you.’

‘Not today.’

‘No, not today. But you will. Maybe tomorrow. You’ll see.’

She went to her car without looking back.

Once again she went to the motel at Chatswood. Expecting to find both Clive and Borghini waiting for her, she was surprised to see only Clive.

‘He’ll be here soon,’ he said. ‘You handled that well but there are a few things I think you should have done differently. That’s why I wanted a word with you in private. Sit down.’

Grace was still feeling the impact of the meeting with Griffin. What she needed was strong coffee and some encouragement, the kind Borghini usually gave her. All at once the room seemed small, even claustrophobic. She took a chair at the table. Clive sat opposite. She felt a creepiness up her backbone.

‘There are one or two things.’ He was looking at her with an odd expression in those usually expressionless eyes. ‘You should have kept Griffin talking for longer than you did and gone a little further. You should have talked about your daughter when he asked you to.’

‘I couldn’t. Least of all about her.’

‘The job requires you to get over that. And if he wanted you to kiss him, I think you should have done that.’

Grace looked him in the eyes. ‘I’m not doing this job at the expense of myself,’ she said. ‘When I’m at work, I’m at work. And when I’m home, that’s somewhere else altogether. To me, that’s how we handle this. I can’t mix the two like that.’

‘You need to be able to put your home into a compartment and leave it there. I’ve decided you have a future with this organisation but that’s still something you’re going to have to work at.’

Before she could answer, Borghini walked in, slamming the door behind him. He had been part of the backup. He was clearly very angry.

‘I’m going to get straight to the point,’ he said, sitting down and speaking directly to Clive. ‘You’re putting too much pressure on Grace. It’s all her. You shouldn’t be running the operation that way. You should be sharing the load.’

‘There are other people involved,’ Clive replied angrily. ‘There’s surveillance, there’s finance, there’s IT. The police. And there’s you.’

‘But not on the front line. I don’t say Grace doesn’t handle it well. She does. But why go to that meeting in the first place?’ He turned to Grace. ‘I thought that yesterday. It’s exposing you too much. You met him on his turf. You shouldn’t have done that. You’re the one with the perfect bargaining chip. He wants Narelle. Get him to meet you on your turf. Demand more of him than he’s giving you. Let’s get back to basics. What’s his motive? What is this thing he wants you to do? Shoot Narelle Wong dead for him? We’re letting him manipulate us, not the other way around.’

‘I haven’t asked for your opinion. But now that you’ve given it, this is a good time to make an announcement,’ Clive said to Borghini. ‘There’s been a change of arrangements. I’ve asked for you to be replaced as the police liaison officer. You won’t be required for this meeting.’

Borghini looked poleaxed. ‘Why?’

‘I’m finding you obstructive and difficult to deal with. It’s my decision who works on this investigation. You can leave. Now.’

Borghini threw up his hands, acknowledging there was no point in arguing, and stood up.

‘No.’ Grace spoke sharply. ‘We need a liaison officer. There’s no one here to replace Mark. He can stay until his replacement takes over.’

‘I have the authority here,’ Clive said.

‘Our agreement says it’s ultimately my call how I handle the undercover operation within the broad ambit of your directions. He stays until his replacement turns up or I execute my rights under the opt-out clause as of now.’

Clive was expressionless, staring at her. After a few moments, he gestured to Borghini, who sat down at the table again.

‘I guess I stay in that case.’

‘For now,’ Clive said. His cheeks were red and he took a few moments to regain his equilibrium. ‘This operation is in the balance. Tomorrow, when you deliver Narelle Wong, we’ll have people watching to see who she meets and where she’s taken. There’ll also be people ready to move in immediately. Now let’s have that note you took from her.’

Grace placed the note on the table and watched Clive pick it up. She was wondering what had really been in his mind when he had spoken to her earlier or even if she wanted to know. She knew she didn’t want to be in the same room with him by herself. She thought back over other operatives who had worked closely with him. Orion’s secrecy meant those operations couldn’t be discussed. Small comments, the occasional raised eyebrow, were all she had to go on. Strange vibes and impossible demands were the last thing she wanted to deal with now; the operation was dangerous enough as it was. She was in the balance as well; she hoped Clive had the sense to realise that.

She left the motel with enough time to get home and collect Ellie before they both went to Paul’s book launch. Borghini followed her out.

‘Thanks for sticking up for me in there,’ he said.

‘No problem,’ she said with a tired smile.

‘I’ve got to say this to you. Your boss has lost sight of what this is really about. You know what he’s doing? He’s watching you. I don’t know why but he’s fixed on you and he’s putting you in danger. The first rule for any operation like this is that you protect your undercover officers as much as you can. But he’s putting you and this Griffin together and he’s watching you. I think he’s getting a kick out of it.’

Grace didn’t want to think about this.

‘The way things are set up I don’t see how I can back out now,’ she said. ‘Not until after tomorrow.’

Borghini looked back at the motel room, frowning. ‘After today, I’m not supposed to be involved any more. Jesus.’ He looked down at his feet. Grace couldn’t quite understand what was in his mind. ‘Give the boss my regards,’ he said. ‘He’s a decent man. He’s always done the right thing by me.’

Then he was gone, driving away into the afternoon traffic.

Grace got into her car. She held on to the fact that no one could stop her from walking away if she chose to. With a bit of luck, this would all be done with in twenty-four hours. Or she would have done all she could do and would have no choice but to bail out. Assuming nothing happened to her first.