Black BMW motorbike and rider. Connected? Same man as Mia met today? Why visit TB and how frequently? Coincidence that he’s here again when Mia is back? Why would that be?
He sat back, pen in hand. Jack was certain about the date of that sighting. Arlo picked up his phone and found last year’s calendar. The birthday Saturday was October 26th. The biker was in town the next day, Sunday, the day before the shooting. Was that the only other time Jack had seen the bike and rider? He’d implied just the once but it’d be worth pinning him down for more details. Jack was a smart kid, he might remember if he put his mind to it. If the man came more frequently the chance of it being a coincidence was higher, but if he didn’t …
***
Mia stayed in the hotel until it was time to leave for Arlo’s and lunch. She rinsed some underwear and draped it in the bathroom. She could take a load of washing to the house and do it properly but nothing would dry on the line in this weather so there wasn’t much point and there was no dryer in the laundry. Doing the mindless chore filled in time.
At eleven she ventured down to the bar for a cup of coffee. A couple of men had already settled in for the first beer of the day. They eyed her curiously and nodded hello. She nodded back and they returned to their discussion of yesterday’s game in which somebody called Razzer had played a blinder.
‘Is the man with that silver sports car staying long?’ she asked the barman when he made her coffee. She could possibly eliminate one car.
‘Left this morning,’ he said. ‘Everyone did except you.’
‘Does he come here often?’
‘Not that I remember. Could have stayed at the motel or one of the B&Bs though. Do you know him?’
‘I met him at breakfast. He knew my name and I wondered how.’
‘Word gets around. Anyone could have told him.’
‘It was a bit disconcerting.’
He smiled. ‘Nice car, though. A Mercedes. Not cheap.’
Not sure if she’d achieved anything of value she sat at a table with her coffee and a newspaper from the rack until it was time to walk to Arlo’s. She detoured past the reception desk and discovered Joel’s last name was Carmody.
Arlo opened the door immediately when she knocked. The fog still hadn’t lifted, leaving her face and clothes damp, her nose icy. Arlo kissed her cold mouth quickly and smiled.
‘You’re freezing.’
‘The sun hasn’t bothered to get up yet,’ she said.
‘Worse than Riley. He’s in the shower and that’s only because I almost dragged him out of bed.’
‘He had a big day yesterday.’
‘I guess so.’
By his grin he didn’t care in the slightest how late the boy slept in. Riley was here and Arlo was happy and proud.
Mia stepped into the warmth and he took her coat and hung it up next to his green anorak.
‘Nice beanie,’ he said as she unwound her scarf and took the hat off.
‘I bought them yesterday at the handicraft shop. Not the friendliest lady in there.’
‘Aah, that’s Coral. She has some interesting ideas.’
‘Like what?’ Mia followed him to the kitchen. He’d set the table for three. She sat down. Arlo checked the contents of the oven.
‘She’s very into herbal healing and mixing up her own potions. She goes out hunting for plants at night but it has to be at the right phase of the moon.’
‘Hunting? What with? A pair of secateurs?’
‘Or a special type of knife.’
‘A witch?’ Mia snorted with laughter. ‘I might be cursed now.’
‘Could be.’ Arlo grinned. ‘Hungry?’
‘Yes. Something smells good.’ The smile faded. ‘She’s the eccentric, isn’t she? The one who put that crossed sword on my door? I looked it up and it means something like conflict. I wish I’d known when I went into that shop.’
‘Like I said, she’s harmless. She’s left other symbols about the place. Everyone ignores them. I visited Hannah earlier. Is water okay to drink or would you prefer wine?’
‘Water is fine.’
Arlo took glasses from the cupboard and relayed what Hannah had told him.
‘Is that why he had the gun out? Was the friend, the man who found them, visiting to look at it for buying, do you think?’
‘No, he would have said if he was, but it doesn’t mean someone hadn’t come earlier under that pretext.’
Mia sighed. ‘But who? No-one’s going to own up to that.’
‘Tell me about the man this morning?’
‘He’s gone now. The barman said he hadn’t seen him before but he could have stayed somewhere else. His name’s Joel Carmody.’
‘Did he threaten you? What happened? How did he know your name?’
‘He basically said everyone in town knows my name.’
‘So he did nothing overtly threatening, it was his manner.’
‘It was a warning.’ Mia related the conversation in the corridor.
‘I saw him leaving this morning,’ said Arlo. ‘I was talking to Jack on the footpath. He knows all about motorbikes and he said he’d seen the same one here at the time of the murders.’
‘It’s not him. That’s Lucian Farage. This man drives either a flashy sports car or a big white four-wheel drive.’ She handed him the crumpled piece of paper with the licence plate numbers jotted on it.
‘Damn! I thought we had a possible suspect.’
‘They know each other but I don’t know how well. What could either of them possibly have to do with my dad and Glenda?’
‘No idea. Why would Carmody be interested in you?’
Mia shook her head. ‘Don’t know. Lucian was friendly but I’m glad he’s gone too. It could be a coincidence. Lots of people would have been in town at the same time who knew each other.’
A door opened and Riley appeared, bleary-eyed, hair damp.
‘Hi,’ Mia said.
‘Hi.’
‘Good morning,’ Arlo said. ‘Ready to eat?’
‘What is it?’
‘Vegetable lasagne and salad.’
‘Did you make it?’ Riley pulled out a chair and slumped down.
‘No. Hannah did. I made the salad.’
‘Okay, good.’
‘Sleep well?’ Arlo asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘I thought you could check out my house after lunch,’ said Mia.
‘Cool.’ He pulled out his phone and began texting.
‘Please, no phone at the table,’ said Arlo.
‘I’m telling Sam I’ll be over later.’ He shoved the phone in his pocket.
‘Do you know many people here?’ Mia asked.
‘Yeah, a few.’
‘I saw Jack this morning, with the dog. He said to tell you Katie says hi.’
Riley grunted. Whoever Katie was may or may not have been important to him, Mia couldn’t tell by the reaction.
‘He walks that dog a lot,’ said Mia. ‘Is Katie his sister?’
‘Yeah,’ said Riley. ‘She’s in year seven. They live up the road from your house.’
‘He knows a lot about motorbikes,’ said Arlo. He took the lasagne from the oven and set it on the table. Four large portions sat in the dish emitting a mouth-watering smell. ‘Help yourselves.’
Arlo poured water into the glasses and served himself salad. Mia had served herself a modest portion but Riley piled lasagne onto his plate as if he hadn’t eaten for a week. At least he’d allowed Mia to go first.
Who was Joel Carmody? He wasn’t visiting someone in town, he’d stake his reputation on it. So why was he here taking an interest in Mia? Taking down the numbers of the cars was smart but would Rupe look up the registered owners for him? Arlo doubted it unless he could provide a good reason for checking the owner’s identity. Worth asking though. The other man could be a casual acquaintance unconnected to anything Carmody was here for.
He glanced at his son. He didn’t seem surprised by Mia’s presence or the
fact that she was the only guest to share a meal in the times Riley had been visiting. That meant he either didn’t care one way or the other or he approved of her. Or he knew she was leaving soon.
‘This is very good.’ Mia interrupted his wandering thoughts.
‘It’s my favourite but it sells out quickly.’
‘What’s your best subject at school, Riley?’ Mia asked.
‘English.’
‘Like your dad.’
‘He wasn’t very good at anything.’
Mia laughed. ‘Really?’
Arlo hid a smile and said indignantly, ‘That’s not true. I passed my exams and I went to uni, and I graduated.’
‘You reckoned you did the barest minimum of work.’
‘Maybe, sometimes, but I did it.’
‘Did you always want to be a journalist?’ Mia asked.
‘Yes. I ran the school paper and the university paper and went straight into working for a daily.’
‘That’s what I want to do,’ said Riley. ‘I can help with the paper, can’t I?’
‘Sure. I was thinking maybe you could do a youth column about things that interest kids.’
As he’d hoped, Riley’s face brightened. ‘Great!’
‘You’ll have a deadline and if you miss it your column gets canned.’
‘Sure, Dad.’
‘I mean it. It’s hard to come up with your words on a regular basis.’
‘Yeah, right.’
‘And you have to do your schoolwork first.’
‘Okay.’
‘Mia works in finance and she has numerous degrees,’ said Arlo. ‘She’s very smart.’ He probably deserved the frown she sent his way but she was smart and she should be proud of her achievements.
‘What degrees?’
‘Economics, Law and an MBA,’ she said.
‘Wow,’ said Riley. ‘I’m hopeless at maths.’
‘I was a total dud at science,’ said Mia. ‘And art and music were beyond me although I like them.’
‘I learned clarinet for a while,’ Riley said. ‘But my teacher left and I didn’t like the new guy.’
‘I wish I was musical. I wouldn’t have the time to practise though.’
‘What do you do for fun?’ asked Arlo.
‘I don’t have much spare time.’ Her brow furrowed as she thought. ‘I love live theatre and go when I can. I saw Macbeth recently. Otherwise I read, go to movies, meet friends. Things like that.’
It didn’t sound very fulfilling but who was he to judge? His life revolved around the paper but life in a country town did tend to involve people in its doings whether you wanted it to or not.
‘What about you?’ Mia asked.
‘Dad runs and he plays cricket in summer,’ Riley said.
‘In winter I hibernate,’ added Arlo.
‘And investigate potholes.’ Mia caught his eye and he wanted to kiss her. What could he possibly do to convince her to stay?
***
Mia opened the door of her house and stepped aside so Riley and Arlo could go in. She’d ask the painter to paint over the symbol on the door frame. What the purpose of it was she had no idea. If it was to keep evil at bay it hadn’t worked on Graham and his dead rabbit. Likewise if it was meant to cleanse.
Riley and Arlo had moved to the bedrooms when she went in and shut the door against the cold, although inside wasn’t much warmer. Their voices rose and fell but she couldn’t discern any words. She sat on the red couch to wait. The back door opened but closed again almost immediately. Arlo came through the archway from the dining area.
‘It’s a nice place.’
‘When the renovations are done it’ll spruce it up a bit. Sorry it’s so cold but the heating’s off. It works, though.’
He asked questions about heating and cooling which Mia answered as best she could. ‘If anything goes wrong get in touch with the agent.’
Riley appeared in the doorway. ‘I bags the bedroom at the back.’
‘So you like the house?’
He nodded. ‘It’s good. Plenty of space.’
Arlo looked at Mia. ‘You have some tenants.’
‘You can move in as soon as the work is finished. I’ll get Carl to do the paperwork.’
‘Good. Thanks.’
‘Decide what furniture you want and I’ll make sure it stays.’
‘All of it,’ said Riley. ‘There’s a double bed in my room.’
Arlo’s phone erupted. He looked at the caller ID. ‘Sorry,’ he said and went into the kitchen to answer.
‘What’s that weird sign on the front door?’ asked Riley.
‘Your dad said it’s some sort of symbol witches use.’
‘Witches? Like in Harry Potter?’ Riley’s eyes gleamed with astonished interest.
‘I doubt it. He said there’s a local eccentric who dabbles in things like that.’
‘Sam told me about her. I forget her name but she has that shop that sells handmade stuff. He didn’t say she was a witch.’
‘I don’t think she is, not the way you mean anyway. Your dad was joking so don’t spread that around. I bought my beanie and scarf there yesterday.’
‘Did you ask her why she put that sign on the door?’
‘I didn’t know it was her until later.’
‘Is it a spell?’
‘I don’t think so and even if it was I don’t think spells actually work. Do you?’
‘Nah.’ But he didn’t sound convinced.
‘Did Sam or anyone else say anything about this house? Any rumours or anything?’
A slight flush crept up Riley’s neck. ‘Only that people … died in here.’
‘Does that worry you?’
‘No. I don’t believe in ghosts.’
‘Me neither. My dad wouldn’t haunt anyone and neither would Glenda.’
‘I met him once and I knew Glenda too.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, he was cool. It was when I was here in the summer holidays the year before last. We were watching the cricket. He knew heaps about it.’
‘Yes, he loved watching the Test matches.’
‘He said he would have joined the team except he was too old and he had something wrong with his shoulder.’
‘What was that?’ He never told her about an injury. Whenever they spoke he was his usual cheerful, positive self.
‘He said he couldn’t raise his arm above his shoulder, so he couldn’t throw the ball or bowl. Tendon injury, I think he said. Something like that.’
‘Did he say if it was permanent or just something he’d done that would get better?’
‘No, he didn’t say.’
If it was permanent, raising a gun to his head would have been difficult. Was she grasping at straws? The doctor would have mentioned it at the time. If he knew. Worth asking.
***
In the kitchen Arlo answered the call. ‘Arlo McGuiness.’
‘It’s Ed Woodbridge.’ The voice was feeble, each word an effort. ‘I was on the Willoughby council.’ Ed in the hospice. ‘Myra told me you had a few questions.’
‘Thank you very much for calling, Ed. How are you?’
‘I have good days and bad days but it’s all downhill now. The quacks have given me a month at most.’
‘I’m so sorry to hear that.’
‘That’s why I phoned you. I wanted to tell you to be careful. These Greenhill people are greedy and they’re dangerous and they need to be stopped.’
‘What are you saying exactly?’
‘When those development applications came in someone was pretty free with the money.’
‘Bribes?’
‘Yes. I never had a name, it was a phone call. They offered to pay my medical bills in return for a vote in favour or I’d be sorry. I was furious because I hadn’t made the diagnosis public so it meant someone I trusted had …’
He stopped. Hoarse breaths rattled through the connection.
‘Myra and Sara voted against as well and
they got calls and offers along with threats until they caved. But I reckon they approached everyone on the council sounding them out and making sure the vote went the right way.’
‘That’s a serious allegation.’
‘It is and I’m ashamed I didn’t come forward sooner, at the time.’
‘You had other issues to deal with, Ed,’ Arlo said.
‘There’s another thing you might want to investigate. I reckon Tony figured out there was something crooked going on and being the man he was, couldn’t let it go. He would have done what I should have. Gone public.’
The hairs on Arlo’s neck stood on end. ‘And you think he was silenced,’ he asked softly.
‘I do.’
Arlo finished the call and rejoined Mia and Riley, mind whirring. ‘Okay. Let’s go. It’s too cold to sit around in here. Thanks, Mia.’
Outside on the street Riley said, ‘I’m going to Sam’s now.’
‘Be home before dark. That’s by five-thirty.’
‘Okay. See you, Mia. Thanks for showing us the house.’
‘You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.’
Riley strode away with Mia and Arlo following slowly.
‘He’s a great kid,’ she said. ‘Arlo, did Dad have something wrong with his shoulder so he couldn’t raise his right arm very high? Riley said he did.’
‘If he did it wasn’t permanent because he was up a ladder helping with the lighting for the MaDS show last year. Couldn’t have done that with a bung shoulder.’
‘That’s what I thought. Pity. It would have been another little piece of evidence against suicide.’
‘Well, listen to this. That phone call was from Ed Woodridge, the councillor who retired with cancer.’
He told her what Ed had told him.
Chapter 14
Mia stopped walking as the import of what he’d said sank in.
‘He’s saying we’re right. Dad and Glenda were murdered.’ She stared at Arlo in amazement. She wasn’t crazy. Linda was right. The dream was right.
‘Yep.’
‘Is he worried about the consequences of talking to you?’
‘Not on his own behalf. He’s single so there’s no immediate family although his brother and sister live in the area and visit regularly and so does Myra. She was frightened when I dropped in on her, that’s why she told Ed.’
A Light in the Dark (Taylor's Bend, #3) Page 15
