by Grace York
Addison pulled slices of bread out of the bread bag. "I should have seen it coming, though. I should have been able to spot her for what she was."
"You can't blame yourself for that," said Adam. "None of us saw her for what she was. She had everyone fooled."
"Not Patrick," said Addison.
"Only because he recognised her," Adam argued. "Think about it – if she conned him fifteen years ago, then she's been doing this a long time. She and Dan are obviously a double act. After that many years, they'd be very good at it. It's not your fault, Addison."
Addison knew he was right, but it still stung. She prided herself on being a good judge of character, but Ivy and Dan had completely fooled her. Suddenly she wanted to read everything Patrick had written about them on his secret blog. She left the sandwich-making to Amelie and came around to peer over Adam's shoulder.
Half an hour later they'd slowly scrolled through the collection of posts and read every word, and Addison was in shock all over again.
Poor Patrick. He'd recognised Ivy immediately, as soon as he and Amelie had arrived at the beach house. Fifteen years ago he'd known her as Emma Ronson, and he'd fallen in love with her.
Patrick's sisters had been right to a point – Patrick had taken his parent's money. At Ivy's – Emma's – insistence, he'd managed to talk his elderly parents into signing over a large part of their savings to him so he could invest it in a scheme run by Emma's brother Nathan. Nathan – Dan, presumably – assured him it would double the money within five years. Patrick loved Emma, so he trusted them both with the money. He planned to return his parents' initial investment to them plus twenty-five percent, then use the rest to finance himself while he got his writing career started.
Shortly after handing over the money, Emma called Patrick to say Nathan was in trouble. He'd made an investment on behalf of a biker years earlier, which didn't pan out, and the biker's gang was after him. Emma told Patrick that she and Nathan had to disappear for a while, for their safety, but not to worry. His money was safe, and she'd be in touch in a few months when things had settled down.
That was the last Patrick had seen of either of them, until he arrived at the beach house two weeks ago.
According to his blog, Patrick had been ashamed that he'd fallen victim to con-artists. Addison remembered Marilyn saying her brother had been naive when he was younger. If Ivy and Dan had been as convincing fifteen years ago as they were now, Addison wasn't surprised they'd managed to fool Patrick.
"So what happened once Patrick recognised Ivy?" asked Amelie, who said she couldn't bring herself to read it in Patrick's own words just yet.
"According to this she tried to con him all over again," said Adam. "She told him the bikies were really persistent in their pursuit of Nathan, so they changed their names and went into hiding. She wanted to contact him, but said it was too risky. Eventually she figured he would have moved on with his life."
"But what about Patrick's parents' money? What did she say happened to that?"
"She told him they'd had to use it to pay off the bikies," said Adam. "But they had other investments now that were about to mature, so they could pay him back with interest. He just had to wait a few weeks."
"Patrick didn't believe her, did he?" asked Amelie.
"No," said Addison. This was the part of the story that had warmed her heart when she read it. "He told her he did, though. He figured they were up to something, and this time he wasn't going to let them get away with it. So he went along with her story, and realised they were trying to steal my money. He was gathering evidence against them and recording it all here on his secret blog."
"They must have figured it out, though," said Adam. "So they came up with their plan to kill him and make it look like suicide."
"They didn't do a very good job," said Amelie. "The police knew he'd been strangled."
"It was probably the best they could come up with," said Addison. "I suspect they're just con-artists, not murderers. They only resorted to killing Patrick once their secret was threatened. I'll bet they've left a string of unhappy victims in their wake. Patrick threatened to unravel all of that."
"So why didn't they disappear as soon as they killed him? Why stick around?"
"That's easy," said Adam. "They're greedy. They hadn't finished stealing Addison's money yet."
Addison shuddered at how close she'd come to losing everything. "Let's hope Isaac can find them before they find their next victim."
29
Ivy and Dan made it almost all the way to the Queensland-New South Wales border before the police caught up with them. They were arrested and taken to Brisbane, where Isaac made the trip down to be part of the interviews. He had quite the story to tell when he returned to Getaway Bay.
"They weren't even brother and sister," he told the group assembled in the backyard of the beach house that Friday evening. Olivia had arrived home earlier in the day, and now she, Addison, Layla, Adam, and Amelie were joined around the barbecue by Isaac, Mrs Jones, Jason and Kendall, and Hazel and her husband Martin. There were drinks all around as Isaac told the tale of the two con-artists.
"So they were lovers?" Addison asked.
"At one point, yes. It seems she wanted to settle down and start a family, but he was having too much fun ripping off innocent people. He was addicted to the thrill of the con, and had also managed to acquire a costly cocaine habit. He wasn't even close to settling down."
"Ivy told you this?" said Addison. Isaac had explained that Ivy and Dan Hathaway were only the latest in the string of names the pair had used. Patrick had known them as Emma and Nathan Ronson fifteen years ago, but those were fake too. Isaac had mentioned their real names, but Addison couldn't stop thinking of them as Ivy and Dan.
"Yes. As soon as Ivy realised the evidence stacked against them, she told us everything. She blamed Dan for Patrick's death, of course. She said it was his idea, he was the one who strangled Patrick, she just helped him cover it up."
"She's not going to get away with it, is she?" asked Amelie.
Isaac took a sip of beer and shook his head. "No way. It was premeditated murder. Not to mention all the people they've conned over the years. They're both going away for a very long time."
"Good," said Amelie.
"What about the family he told us about?" asked Layla. "Annette, and those two kids?"
"They don't exist," said Isaac. "At least not in his world. It's all part of the con. They play a persona, these people. They invent a full life. The more believable it is, the more chance they have of fooling you."
"Well they certainly fooled me," said Addison. She was still embarrassed at being taken in by them. She'd really thought they were a nice brother and sister.
"Aww, Mum, don't feel bad." Olivia put her arm around Addison. "They sound like professionals. And I like that you always see the good in people."
"I'll drink to that," said Hazel, raising her glass. They all followed suit, and Addison found herself grateful once again for the lovely friends she'd made here in Getaway Bay.
"Didn't you do background checks on all of us once you realised Patrick was murdered?" asked Adam. "How come you didn't pick up that Ivy and Dan weren't who they said they were?"
"They'd done enough groundwork to make their story hold up," said Isaac. "There really is a cyber-security company in Cairns run by Dan Hathaway – the real Dan Hathaway. He has a sister named Ivy, a wife called Annette, and two children. That's what they do – find real people to impersonate, in case any of their marks get suspicious and check them out."
"Wow," said Layla. "That's commitment."
"It's their job. They've gotten very good at it. Of course, that's all surface stuff. Once we looked closer it was obvious they weren't who they said they were. But they go into a con banking on selling their story so well that no-one looks too closely."
"They nearly got away with it," said Addison. She remembered how close Ivy and Dan had got to her money.
"They ce
rtainly took a risk staying around after killing Patrick," said Issac. "If they'd disappeared straight away, chances are we'd never have found them."
"Greed will get you every time," said Adam. He finished his beer and pulled another from the esky.
"So what about the cocaine you found in Patrick's room?" asked Jason. "Was that Dan's?"
"Yes," said Isaac. "Ivy told us that the plan to strangle Patrick and make it look like suicide was a pretty hasty one. They had to move fast once they realised Patrick was onto them. They weren't sure it would work, which was why they added in the touch about making the room look as if it were locked from the inside.
"Then as an extra backup, Ivy knew Louie was a drug user – she'd caught him smoking in the garden once before – so after Dan had strangled Patrick and they'd posed him, she left some tiny traces of Dan's cocaine stash in Patrick's room. Not enough to be seen by all of you, but enough to be found by forensics. It was enough to throw suspicion on the only person on the suspect list with a history of drug use. The fact that Louie had discrepancies in his story initially was an added bonus to them."
"Wow," said Olivia. "That's not a bad plan for one conceived so hastily. No wonder they got away with things for all these years."
"Like I said, it was their job," said Isaac. "The way they made their living. They knew what they were doing."
"So why did they steal Patrick's laptop from the police station?" asked Amelie. "Why not take it when they killed him?"
"They had nowhere to hide it," said Isaac. "If we came in and searched before they had a chance to get rid of it, having it in their possession would have been difficult to explain. Plus, they weren't initially sure there was anything on it. It was only once one of you mentioned Patrick was working on a secret project that Ivy thought they should stop us from examining it further, so she sent Dan to break in and steal it."
"You're right," said Jason, scratching his head. "They were good."
"Not good enough to fool our super sleuth, though," said Layla. She beamed at Addison. "That's two murders you've solved since you came to Getaway Bay, cousin. When are you opening your detective agency?"
Everyone except Isaac laughed.
"I've had help," said Addison. "But no, there'll be no detective agency at the beach house, thank you very much. I'm having enough trouble running it as a boarding house."
"But you're going to keep doing that, aren't you?" asked Adam, eyes wide. "I've got nowhere else to go."
Addison had given the subject a lot of thought over the last few days. She loved having a house full of creative, interesting people. But the fact that she'd allowed a murdering con-artist to live under her roof was disconcerting. Still, as sorry as she was for what had happened to Patrick, she couldn't let a pair of criminals get the better of her.
"You don't have to go anywhere," she told Adam. "The beach house retreat for writers and artists is still open for anyone who needs a place to call home."
Adam's frown broke into a wide grin, and Amelie wrapped Addison in a tight hug.
"Thank you," they both said.
"I'll drink to that, too," said Hazel, and they all raised their glasses again.
"To the beach house," said Addison, turning around to salute the home she'd created.
"The beach house," her friends repeated.
Addison smiled at Isaac, happy that things had finally turned out okay.
He smiled back.
The Corpse at the Carnival
1
"Come on, Mum." Olivia tugged on her mother's arm as if she were ten years old again, but Addison refused to budge.
"You're not getting me up there," said Addison. Just looking up to the top of the Ferris wheel was making her legs wobble, let alone climbing into a little cage and letting herself be swung around up there.
"She doesn't want to, Olivia," said Justin, and Addison smiled as her son leapt to her defence. Her happiness was short-lived. "She's too chicken!" he added with a laugh.
Emily, Justin's fiancée, was the only one of the group siding with Addison. Justin and Emily were in Getaway Bay for Easter, and Olivia was home from university for the holiday. Addison was enjoying them all being together for the first time in – well, at all, really. She'd just met Emily for the first time when they'd arrived at the beach house last night.
It had been a long day for Justin and Emily, who'd first flown from their home in Melbourne to Brisbane, where they'd hired a car, collected Olivia from her dorm room, then driven the four hours to Getaway Bay. They'd been exhausted by the time they'd arrived, but that hadn't stopped them tucking into the feast Addison had prepared for their arrival dinner.
Joined by Addison's cousin, Layla, who was still staying at the beach house until her own home was rebuilt, and Adam O'Laughlin, Addison's only remaining boarder, the Lake family reunion last night had been a resounding success. Emily fit right into the family, and Addison could see why her son was smitten.
"Leave your mother alone, you two," Emily was saying as Justin and Olivia physically pulled Addison towards the Ferris wheel.
"Not going to happen," said Justin. He handed over four tickets to the ride operator, and before she knew it Addison was inside the cage surrounded by her family.
Emily looked worried, but Addison gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm only a little afraid of heights, dear," she said. "If I really objected I would have put my foot down. I can still handle these two."
The wheel moved along so the next riders could be loaded, and despite her reassurances to Emily, Addison tightened her grip on the edge of the cage. For a travelling carnival they had some imposing-looking rides, and the Ferris wheel was top of that list as far as Addison was concerned. By the time they reached the peak of the ride she was starting to wish she'd stayed on the ground.
"Look at all the activity down there," said Olivia. "I didn't know there were this many people in Getaway Bay."
Addison chanced a look over the side. Olivia was right – there were far more people here at the carnival than there were residents of Getaway Bay.
It was Good Friday, and the carnival had been in town for a week already. Between Mrs Jones, Addison's elderly neighbour, and Hazel, the owner of the local cafe, Addison had been brought up to speed on most of the story of the Hanley Brothers Carnival and its annual visit to Getaway Bay.
The Hanleys had been coming to the bay for Easter for close to twenty years, according to Mrs Jones. It was the last and longest stop on their tour before they packed up and headed to the family property west of Brisbane for the winter months. They always put on a good show, and as such they drew in the crowds.
Getaway Bay, with its white sandy beaches and relaxed summer atmosphere, was a popular holiday destination for a good eight months of the year. The tourist season ended with a bang at Easter, when the Hanleys rolled into town. The carnival had all the usual rides and games, plus food trucks and colourful characters. What set them apart, though, was the nightly performance.
The Hanleys had taken the traditional sideshow acts and updated them for the twenty-first century. They had acrobats, the flying trapeze, clowns, a knife thrower, and a magician, and the show all came together in a dazzling array of lights and sounds and a true festival atmosphere. It was a circus without animals, a circus without cruelty, a circus where fun was at no-one's expense. When Addison had first seen the show on opening night, she'd fallen in love with the circus all over again. She couldn't wait to share it with her family tonight.
The popularity of the carnival and its nightly spectacular drew crowds from all around. All the accommodation in Getaway Bay was fully booked months in advance, and people drove from hours away to come and see their favourite performers. The Hanleys certainly knew how to put on a show.
It was all thanks to the local publican, Bob Carter, according to Hazel. Bob had been in his early twenties the first time the Hanleys set up in Getaway Bay almost twenty years ago. He'd formed a tight bond with the patriarch of the family, Morris Hanle
y, and once Bob took over the Red Lion from his own father he and Morris had conspired to bring Hanley Bros. Carnival to Getaway Bay every Easter since. The Red Lion always drew a crowd, but patronage significantly increased at this time of year. In fact, all of the businesses of the tiny coastal town thanked Bob for the late influx of visitors before the winter set in.
Addison took a few deep breaths and managed to keep her eyes open as the Ferris wheel spun and their cage slowly rose and fell. After a couple of minutes she relaxed, and even thought she might enjoy the experience.
"There you go," said Olivia. "It's not that bad, right?"
Addison smiled, but kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground below. She spotted the area where all the caravans were lined up.
"That must be where the staff live," she said, pointing.
"Yeah. They have special trailers that are divided into tiny living quarters," said Justin. "They don't have much more than a bed and a space to store their things."
"How do you know?" Olivia asked. "That area's off-limits to the public."
Justin shrugged. "I looked into it when I left school," he said. "Thought I might run away and join the circus."
Olivia lightly punched him in the arm "You did not."
Another shrug. "I might have. How would you know?"
"'Cause you're far too corporate," said Olivia.
"She's right," said Addison, enjoying the banter between her kids. She worried they must miss each other, living so far apart now. It was good to see them getting on so well.
Justin looked to his fiancée for support, but Emily just shrugged and gave him a half smile. He was on his own.
"Yeah, whatever," he said, turning his back in mock disappointment. "You have no idea what I can do."
"We have no idea what you do at all," said Olivia with a laugh.
"Yes we do," said Addison, joining in. "He's a spy."
