The Long Game

by Simon Rowell

  ‘Anything else?’ asked Rob.

  ‘We have access to the victim’s computer,’ said Zoe. ‘Found his password on a sticky note in the home office. Same one opened his phone. We’ll give it to one of the tactical intelligence officers to dig around in.’

  ‘Give it to Anjali Arya,’ said Rob.

  Zoe gave a confused look.

  ‘Tactical intel officer who started while you were away,’ said Charlie. ‘She came from the Fraud Squad. I’ve got her looking at Carlson’s phone records right now.’

  ‘Does the ex-wife feel like a candidate to you?’ asked Hannah.

  Zoe screwed up her nose. ‘Maybe, maybe not. She wasn’t turning on the tears, but there’s something not quite right about her. She didn’t ask how he was killed. We’ll have another chat with her this morning.’

  ‘She is also flush, by the looks of it,’ added Charlie. ‘Views of Port Phillip Bay, infinity pool, flash new BMW out front.’

  ‘No crime in being rich, is there?’ asked Hannah.

  ‘Err, no,’ said Charlie, searching for the right response. ‘But it looks like new money to me. She’s flashing it about. Said they were good at saving money, but she’s living in a multi-million-dollar house, she doesn’t work and her ex has a normal sort of job. It doesn’t add up.’

  ‘What about the guy who found him?’ asked Rob.

  ‘Dwayne?’ said Charlie. ‘He wasn’t acting evasive or suspicious when I took his formal statement. He said that he and the victim were supposed to be surfing that morning. His story seems to check out. He did seem to be shocked when we spoke with him. He’s still a person of interest though.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Rob. ‘What’s next?’

  ‘Normal stuff,’ said Zoe, bristling slightly at Rob’s old habit of hijacking her briefings. ‘Looking first at people he was closest to. Checking life insurance policies, any debts, that sort of thing. Hannah and Angus, can you interview Carlson’s colleagues today at the winery?’

  ‘No worries,’ they both said simultaneously.

  Rob stood up. ‘Zoe, have you got a sec? We need to meet with the return-to-work guy from HR. Shouldn’t take too long. He’s in my office.’

  ‘Okay. Give me one minute.’ Zoe turned to Hannah. ‘When you’re at that winery, can you check for the Camry? See if anyone owns one or knows of someone who does.’

  ‘Got it,’ said Hannah.

  ‘And also find out Carlson’s salary. Maybe ask around and see if he had a second job…He stayed out late, so something was occupying his time.’

  ‘Will do,’ said Hannah.

  Zoe looked down at Harry. ‘Stay,’ she said, before turning to Charlie. ‘Shouldn’t be long.’

  As Zoe entered Rob’s office a man stood, extending his hand. He wore a navy suit and a white shirt, no tie. Around his neck was a blue police lanyard. With hair sculpted by gel, he was in his thirties and wore a broad smile, like an old friend. Zoe felt immediately on guard.

  ‘Richard Wilcox,’ he said.

  ‘Zoe Mayer.’ His hand felt soft in her grip.

  They sat down.

  ‘Zoe, my job is to make sure that you have all the support that you need before you start work again today,’ said Richard in a syrupy voice.

  It sounded to Zoe like he was talking to a five-year-old. ‘I actually started yesterday. Charlie and I were on call.’

  ‘Right, okay, that’s not ideal,’ said Richard, flustered, looking at Rob, who shrugged. ‘Anyway, how are you feeling, coming back?’

  ‘Great. I’ve been wanting to for months. The first month off was probably warranted, but not so much the next three.’

  ‘You’ve got your service dog with you. Are you comfortable having him here?’

  ‘Yes, absolutely.’

  ‘Any additional support you need?’

  ‘Like what?’ asked Zoe, confused.

  ‘A quieter office space, longer breaks, that sort of thing,’ said Richard, giving her a sympathetic smile.

  Zoe could feel her heart beating hard. ‘Look, I’m not a charity case, okay? I just want to get back to work. That’s it. The department swapped my old Commodore for a Ford Escape as a CI car so I can take Harry around with me. That’s all I need.’

  Richard’s brow furrowed as he opened a folder on his lap. Zoe could see three scribbled bullet points at the top of the page. She couldn’t make them out. ‘You’ve had a gun safe installed at home?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Zoe. ‘So I don’t have to come back in every night and lock away my firearm.’

  ‘You…don’t think that with everything that’s happened, that…’

  ‘No, I don’t think whatever it is you’re about to say. I was planning on getting the safe before I went on leave.’

  Richard looked across to Rob, who shrugged again. He gave a hint of a smile. He’s waiting for me to lose it at this guy. Immediately, she calmed down.

  Richard looked again at his notepad, hesitating. Zoe saw his shoulders drop slightly. ‘Okay, the psych has cleared you for full duties, so all the best.’ Richard pulled a card from his shirt pocket and passed it to her. It felt uncomfortably warm. ‘If you need anything, call me.’

  ‘Thanks, I will. All the best,’ said Zoe, half standing.

  Richard stood, said his goodbyes and left the office.

  Zoe stood up and shut the door after him.

  ‘I think you hurt his feelings,’ said Rob after he had gone.

  ‘Life’s like that sometimes,’ she said, crumpling the card. ‘Can I have a quiet word?’

  ‘Is this about me easing you back onto cases?’

  ‘Yeah. I don’t think—’

  Rob held up a hand. ‘Zoe, you just came back. The psych thinks you are ready, but I want to be sure you are one hundred per cent before I load you with a full book of jobs again.’

  ‘But I…’

  ‘Just trust me, okay? Soon enough you’ll be swamped in work and wishing for this.’

  Zoe let out a sigh. She had learnt over the years just how far she could push him.

  Zoe was almost back to her desk when she heard the call from across the room. ‘Heads up.’

  Turning, she saw a tennis ball flying towards her. Instinctively she caught it. Across the room Iain Gillies and his partner Garry Burns were laughing. Although shorter and leaner, Garry was a junior version of Iain, aping his senior partner in every way.

  ‘Looks like you haven’t lost your touch,’ said Iain with a thin smile. ‘Just a welcome back gift from us to throw to your little therapy friend at lunchtime.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Zoe, her chin held high. ‘Anyone ever told you two that you look like father and son?’ She stared at them, watching them both appear offended, before they turned away in unison. She opened her drawer, dropped the ball in and pushed it shut.

  9.45 AM, MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY

  Charlie reached over and unclipped the gate to Brenda Johannes’s front yard in Rosebud. He tried to push it open without success. His second attempt was more forceful, pushing some of the accumulated weeds flat as the gate gave way.

  The house was a 1970s brick veneer. The bricks were a sun-bleached brown and the corrugated iron roof was so slightly pitched that it was almost flat. A mess of weeds looked to be winning the war against the patches of different types of grass. A beaten-up red Toyota Corolla sat under a carport that looked ready to fall in the next storm.

  Zoe and Harry followed Charlie up the narrow path to the door. Charlie knocked twice.

  The door opened. The sweet, strong odour of cannabis hit Zoe and Charlie immediately.

  They knew at once that the woman who answered the door was Brenda, Donna Carlson’s sister. They had the same eyes, facial structure and height, but the differences were also apparent. Shoeless, she wore loose blue tracksuit pants and a pink t-shirt. Brenda looked beaten down by life, and although three years younger than Donna, she easily looked a decade older.

  ‘Fuck,’ she said on seeing their police badges.


  Zoe took the lead. ‘Brenda Johannes, Detectives Zoe Mayer and Charlie Shaw. Can we have a word? It’s about the death of Ray Carlson.’

  ‘Yeah, sure,’ said Brenda, nervously looking over her shoulder.

  ‘Maybe we’d be better speaking outside.’ Zoe had no time for the paperwork involved in a minor dope bust.

  ‘Yeah, yeah, that’d be better. Yeah. My son had his mates over last night and the place is, um, a bit of a mess.’ Brenda looked down, noticing Harry for the first time. ‘What’s the deal with the dog? Is it here to sniff out the place for drugs? It was my son’s friends...’

  ‘No, he’s with me,’ said Zoe, leading them over to the corner of the yard, under the shade of a neighbour’s tree.

  ‘So Brenda, what do you know about the killing of Ray Carlson yesterday?’

  Brenda’s eyes shot up to Zoe’s face. ‘Me? Nothing, nothing at all. Only found out last night. Saw about it all on the news—you know, that there’d been a murder—but I didn’t even know it was Ray until Donna texted me afterwards.’

  ‘Can I see the text?’ asked Zoe.

  ‘Yeah, sure.’ Brenda pulled her phone from her pocket and brought up the text message. Zoe looked at the message. Ray dead. Someone killed him this morning. Will let you know about funeral.

  Zoe opened her own phone and photographed the message.

  ‘Pretty cold sort of message, don’t you think?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s Donna though. She’s fairly…’ Brenda trailed off, pursing her lips.

  ‘Fairly what?’

  ‘Direct is the best way to say it. Everything she thinks, she says. No filter, ya know?’

  ‘Where were you yesterday morning?’

  Brenda paused. ‘Shopping with Donna down at the plaza. She bought me a dress. Actually, she forced me into letting her buy it for me. Said I was looking shabby, her words.’

  ‘And when did you get home?’

  ‘After ten. Called me mum straight away cause I was pissed off with Donna and the whole dress thing. Spoke to her for half an hour.’

  ‘Can you check your call log for the exact time?’

  Brenda shook her head, handing the phone over. ‘Wouldn’t know how. Sorry.’

  Zoe opened the phone log. There was a call to a contact called ‘Mum’ at 10.22 am. The call lasted thirty-eight minutes. Zoe handed the phone back to Brenda.

  ‘Who do you think killed Ray, Brenda?’

  Brenda was already shaking her head before Zoe finished the question. ‘No idea. I mean, I was no fan of Ray. He had been fucking around on Donna for years and he had a drug problem.’ She shot a look back over towards her house. ‘Serious drugs, I mean. Speed, that sort of thing. He also used to push her around. But I don’t know who killed him. Haven’t even seen him since they separated.’

  ‘Did you see him abusing Donna?’

  ‘Nah. Just something Donna used to tell me. It wasn’t like she had black eyes or anything. He’d just give her a smack on the back of the head or push her, that sort of thing. They’d argue all the time about petty shit.’

  ‘Brenda, do you think that Donna killed Ray?’

  Zoe watched as Brenda’s eyes narrowed as she thought through an answer. ‘Nah,’ she answered finally, ‘probably not.’

  ‘Sounds like she had motive, though, right?’

  Zoe could see Brenda reconsidering. Finally she answered: ‘Sure, but I still can’t see it. They’ve had a shit relationship for years, so why now? Especially as they’re getting…were getting, divorced.’

  ‘Do you know of anyone close to Ray or Donna that may have been involved?’

  ‘Nah, I don’t really know anyone in that crowd. I was never invited into their life. All I know was that Ray always had plenty of cash and that the two of them liked to make me feel like shit. Now it’s just Donna to do that though.’

  ‘What about Dwayne Harley?’ Zoe asked. She saw Brenda physically shudder when she mentioned his name.

  ‘Yeah, what about him?’ Brenda pulled down on the bottom of her t-shirt, stretching it out of shape.

  ‘You think he could’ve been involved?’

  Brenda looked up at the tree above them before responding. ‘Doubt it. They were always close. He was best man at Ray and Donna’s wedding. I haven’t seen him in years though.’

  ‘Anything about him that rubs you the wrong way. You reacted when I said Dwayne’s name.’

  Brenda exhaled deeply. ‘Dwayne tried it on with me years ago. Before Ray and Donna were married. Didn’t take it well when I said no.’

  ‘Was he violent?’

  ‘No, not really. At first he was sweet as pie, charming and all, but when I said no he shoved me away, called me a slut and a fucking tease. Normal bloke stuff.’

  Charlie interjected. ‘That’s a long way from normal, Brenda.’

  Brenda chuckled sardonically. ‘Maybe in your world.’

  12.30 PM, MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY

  Zoe and Charlie turned into Donna Carlson’s street. It was narrow and quiet, bordered by tea trees and gum trees swaying gently in the hot northerly breeze.

  After leaving Brenda’s house they had spoken to other friends of Ray and Donna Carlson. Everyone they had spoken to also saw Donna as the victim in the marriage, but none could directly shine a light on who could have killed Ray and why.

  As they approached Donna’s house, a blue Camry pulled away from the kerb and drove past them in the cul-de-sac.

  ‘You see that?’

  ‘What?’ said Charlie, looking up from his notes. ‘Shit.’

  ‘Lie down, Harry,’ said Zoe. In the back, the dog dropped flat. ‘Good boy.’

  Zoe did a quick three-point turn, gunning the car in pursuit. After a hundred metres, she was right up behind the Camry on Point Nepean Road. Charlie hit a switch and the flashing lights and siren came to life.

  The car in front slowed before suddenly accelerating away. Zoe punched the accelerator flat to the floor.

  Charlie was on the radio as the Camry drove erratically in front of them, crossing partly into the oncoming lane and then across to the verge. ‘Rosebud D-24. All available units in the Sorrento area. We are in pursuit of a blue Toyota Camry. Registration alpha, tango, romeo, three, nine, eight. Headed east on the Point Nepean Road.’

  On the radio they heard the duty sergeant arrange for back-up. Ahead of them, the Camry weaved its way through the traffic. Using the car’s built-in keyboard, Charlie punched in the Camry’s number plate.

  ‘He’s a local. Car’s registered to Joshua Priest, address in Rosebud.’

  A hundred and fifty metres ahead, Zoe saw a group of children on the side of the road, waiting for an opportunity to cross. One of them stepped out before hesitating and pulling their foot back. She glanced at the speedometer. They were doing over a hundred.

  ‘Shit, I’m pulling this,’ said Zoe.

  Charlie flicked off the lights and siren, and got on the radio to let Rosebud know that they were abandoning the chase. Slowing, Zoe watched as the Camry roared away.

  ‘We’ll pick him up later at home,’ she said, ‘unless the locals get him in the meantime.’

  They passed the group of kids on the side of the road, still waiting to cross, and made their way back to Donna’s red door.

  They rang the buzzer. After a few seconds, she answered, her face creased in annoyance. Donna was wearing a loose white shirt, half buttoned up, and linen shorts. Zoe could see her thin pink lace bra through the gap in her shirt and noticed that her lip gloss was slightly smudged. ‘Detectives…how can I help you today?’

  ‘Ms Carlson, we have a few more questions.’ Zoe stepped forward through the doorway before Donna could respond, Harry and Charlie following close behind.

  ‘Sure, come in,’ she said reluctantly, as they passed by.

  They made their way through the light-filled foyer, past some potted ferns, into the expansive living area overlooking the bay. They sat once again at the long dining-room table. Through the window
the sun was glistening off the water of the pool in the background. Harry lay down on the cool tiles next to Zoe. Donna’s shih tzu eyed him suspiciously from the dog bed in the corner.

  ‘Ms Carlson—’

  ‘Call me Donna, please.’

  ‘Donna, did you have a visitor just now?’ asked Zoe.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Zoe, still riled by the abandoned chase, inhaled deeply, glaring at her. ‘I don’t know how to be clearer. Was there someone here five minutes ago?’

  ‘Yes. A friend of mine dropped by.’

  ‘Joshua Priest?’ asked Charlie.

  Donna glanced across at Charlie, then back to Zoe. ‘Yes. Why?’

  ‘He took off when he saw us. What’s the deal with that?’

  ‘No idea. You’ll have to ask him.’

  ‘What’s your relationship with him?’

  ‘Relationship? He’s just a friend. Well, a friend of Ray’s, mainly. He popped in to see how I was going. You know, after everything that’s happened.’

  ‘How was his relationship with Ray?’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Any issues? Disagreements?’

  ‘No, why?’

  Zoe waited. ‘Well, people who tear off when the police are trying to pull them over look kind of suspicious, don’t you think? Plus, I suspect Mr Priest’s car was in Ray’s street yesterday when he was killed. At the exact same time, in fact. What do you think about that?’

  Donna shook her head. ‘Josh and Ray have been mates for years. There was never a heated word between them.’

  ‘How often would Ray see Joshua?’

  ‘All the time.’

  ‘Any business dealings between them?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What does Joshua do for a living?’

  ‘This and that. He buys and sells stuff.’

  ‘Seems vague. Like what?’

  ‘Cars, houses, scrap metal, anything. He sees opportunities and makes money.’ From the corner of the room they heard a low, slow growl and then a sharp bark directed at Harry, who looked lazily across at the smaller dog.