by K J
Sophia’s lips quirked. “Bossy. Third drawer down in the chest of drawers.” A careful head flick towards the bedroom accompanied the direction. Cam crinkled her eyes in acknowledgement, gave Sophia’s shoulder another quick squeeze, deposited her mug on the coffee table, then wandered off to the bedroom. There were indeed shirts in the third drawer, although most of them contained versions of South Melbourne Football Club’s logo embroidered somewhere on the fabric. Cam chose a soft green, long-sleeved—logo on the pocket—item, which hung on her frame, as it had clearly been purchased with Sophia’s broad shoulders in mind. It smelled like Sophia—sunshine and linen soap—and Cam brought the cuffs to her nose and breathed deeply. Somehow, in a weirdly unrelated connection, the scent brought tears to her eyes as the awful news of the last twenty-four hours drifted to the forefront of her mind. She breathed again, then stared into the wall mirror next to the door. You look like shit. Cam rolled her head forward then around, and pulled her shoulders back, feeling the vertebrae pop. With a quick chin lift and glare in the mirror, she made her way back to the lounge, halting behind Lin’s armchair. It looked like the pause button on a DVD had been pressed, given that the other three hadn’t moved and seemingly hadn’t even spoken since she’d left to find the shirt. Cam understood the exhaustion of it all.
“Can I get anyone more coffee or anything?” she asked, looking at each person individually. Lin and Ben both shook their heads, while Sophia didn’t even attempt the gesture and simply mouthed ‘no thank you’.
Cam, dropping her own shirt on the nearest stool, realised that she had taken the first steps in the ‘I need to do something active to deal with my sadness’ journey, and wasn’t sure what to do about that. She was saved from analysing the compulsion by a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it. I’m up.”
Cam opened the door to a person, maybe mid-forties in age, with a more intense focus on life than possibly even Sophia.
“My name is Inspector Tal Diamandis.” A strong hand with elegant fingers produced a wallet with the familiar silver star topped by a little crown of the Victorian Police on one side, and an identification card on the other. Cam stared at it blankly. “I’d like to speak with Sophia Lindstrom, please.”
Cam registered the low voice with its incongruous English Home Counties accent, then took in the elegant black leather boots, the black tailored pants, the soft gunmetal grey turtleneck top, the black overcoat, the scarf the colour of smoke and the eyes that matched the scarf, which seemed like remarkably on point coordination. All on a nearly six-feet-tall, slim frame. The incredibly handsome woman—Cam had worked that out after the bottom to top appraisal—sported black hair, which was undercut on both sides, and spiked up then forward over an angular face. Cam made eye contact, and then blinked.
“Oh! I’m…I’m not Sophia. She’s in…” Cam pointed over her shoulder. “I’m Cam Weathers.” She thrust out her hand, which was grasped and held, as the inspector’s eyes seemed to x-ray her brain. Good grief. “Um, come in.” She leaned back against the door, and indicated for the inspector to step through. Closing the door, and turning around, she found all eyes on Inspector Diamandis as she divested herself of the overcoat and scarf, folding it elegantly over her arm. Cam felt compelled to make the introductions.
“So, this is Inspector Tal Diamandis. She’s here to talk to Soph.” Ben stood, followed by Lin, and then a very unsteady Sophia. Ben’s on-switch seemed to activate first. He lurched forward to shake hands, and Cam observed absently how tall the inspector was when Ben was used as a measuring stick.
“I’m Ben, Sophia’s brother.” He indicated the chair he’d just vacated. “You can have this seat, if you like. This is my partner, Lin, and this is Sophia.” The inspector reached across to Lin, then Sophia, whose expression had turned to one of dread, knowing exactly the reason for the inspector’s visit.
Ben hovered daintily, a feat he managed to accomplish surprisingly well given that he was the exact size and shape as a fridge. “Do you want a drink, Inspector?” A pair of sharp grey eyes met his, and the planes on the inspector’s face broke as her lips stretched across very white teeth. It was a lovely smile, but contained more than a tinge of danger, and Cam had the distinct impression that when combined with the intense eye contact, and the panther-like movements, the smile probably ensured that suspects felt pinned to a metaphorical wall, willing to admit to any and all crimes.
“No, thank you. And please, call me Tal.”
Ben tipped his head. “Tal.” Then, simply to absorb the feel of the word in their mouths, Cam, Lin, and Sophia repeated Tal’s name in a slightly synchronised manner, which had the odd effect of making the room feel like it had been inundated by a flock of rare birds.
Sophia groaned as she sank back into the couch. “I’m the only person here with more than three letters in their name.” It was such a random observation that it halted movement for a moment. Then Ben pulled out a kitchen stool and straddled the seat, Tal arranged her coat and scarf on the arm of the chair, crossed her legs, and gazed at Sophia, while Lin settled into her chair like she had all the time in the world and was looking forward to a good chat. After two steps of indecision, Cam perched herself on the couch next to Sophia, who reached for her hand, sliding her fingers between Cam’s. Tal’s crisp English accent filled the awkward silence.
“Obviously you understand the event that has brought me here today. The death of Louise Verheer is tragic, and I do express my condolences to you all. However,” her gaze fixed on Sophia, “I would like to ask some questions to help me clarify a few pieces of information that have come to light.” Oh yes. Pinned to a wall. Cam squeezed Sophia’s hand.
Sophia closed her eyes, then seemed to realise that Tal was waiting for an answer. “I’ll tell you what I know, whatever that’s worth.” She looked at Tal, and wrinkled her forehead. “Do you need to take notes or something?”
Tal smiled, and as her gaze intensified, the grey in her eyes shifted like the smoke Cam imagined it to be. “No,” she said simply. “So, I’d like to know about the events that occurred last night. I have Nadine McNamara’s statement, and I understand she was the one who phoned for the ambulance.” She lifted an eyebrow.
“Uh huh. Yeah. Um…okay, so we’d been for a run. All of us. And Nadine and I went for an extra run. Sort of a warm down.” Sophia blinked quickly, as if last night’s events had begun to roll like a film in her mind, and she wasn’t quite prepared. Cam squeezed her hand again. “Yeah. So then we stopped, and grabbed our bags from the lockers. Then I locked up, and we said bye at the carpark. Um…Nadine went off to her car but I didn’t because there was a blue car parked in front of me.” She pointed across the room, and wiggled her finger. “About thirty or something metres away. And I had a weird feeling about it. And then…and…and then Louise came around the side and collapsed and I tried to get to her. I tried. But she was on the ground when I got there, and she puked. Oh, I called for Nadine before she puked. And Nadine rang the ambulance but I can’t remember when.”
The words were gushing out and Sophia had shifted her gaze from Tal and was now focused on the patterns in the rug. The grip on Cam’s fingers was tight. “So she puked and then her body gave a sort of spasm tremor and then she told me the lights were on but they weren’t because I checked but when I looked back at her, she’d lost consciousness. And then the ambos arrived and did their thing and then Nadine went with Louise in the ambulance.”
“Fuck.” Ben’s word punched out from the kitchen.
“Oh, hon.” Lin’s sigh was almost a full stop at the end of Sophia’s recount, although Cam figured that her own gasp as she heard the details for the first time was a definite exclamation mark. She blinked away a few tears, and slid a few breaths through clenched teeth. God.
Tal nodded slowly. “Thank you for that. It’s identical to Nadine’s account, which makes things very simple.” She tipped her head in gratitude. “I do want your thoughts about one puzzling aspect of
Louise’s death. Excessive amounts of paracetamol were found in her blood, and while this is only a preliminary finding, the doctor on duty last night viewed it is a reportable death, therefore it has been referred to the coroner’s court.” Tal’s back teeth bit down, working her jaw muscles. Clearly she was just as angry at Louise’s death as everyone else. Her soft hiss certainly gave it away. It was only a brief glimpse though, as her professional mask quickly slid back into place. “The histology, pharmacology, and toxicology reports should be in by tomorrow, however as it is now a coroner’s case, Louise’s death sends up a few flags.” She levelled a gaze at Sophia. “Do you know if Louise was taking pain killers for any reason?”
Sophia shrugged. “We all take a couple of Panadol after some of the games. They’re tough matches, and we get banged up a bit.” Tal’s lips quirked.
“Yes, I’m aware of the rigours of the sport.” She dropped her foot to the floor and braced her elbows on her knees. “Because of the results of the blood test, and the fact that it’s now a reportable death, we’re treating it as a drug overdose.” Sophia lurched forward, nearly tipping headfirst into the coffee table.
“No! No way. Louise would never take drugs.” She shook her head emphatically, then moaned as the movement collided with her hangover. “Look. She was taking vitamins. Heaps of those. But there’s no way she’d do drugs.” Sophia sank back into the cushions, pressing her thumb and index finger to her eyes, as Cam smoothed the skin on Sophia’s other hand, noticing the little ridge of scar tissue across the first knuckle.
“Vitamins?” Tal’s head tilted and she narrowed her eyes, like one of those jungle cats when they identify prey. Jesus. Fucking terrifying if you’re thinking of doing something illegal.
“Perhaps I can help here,” Lin said, scooting forward on the chair. Tal directed her intense gaze towards Lin, who raised an eyebrow, and Cam found it momentarily amusing to wonder how nearly six feet of brooding scary intensity would handle a five foot nothing ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ spitfire. Lin pressed her fingertips together. “I was given a strip of vitamin supplements yesterday by Sophia. I offered to analyse the ingredients of the pills—I’m a lab technician at Therolast Laboratories—as a favour to her because she expressed some concerns about how and why the supplements were being taken.”
Lin paused, then shot a quick glance at Sophia. Tal waved her hand softly. “Please go on.”
“I don’t have the results yet, as it’s too soon, obviously. But I can probably push the request, particularly if a Victorian Police inspector stomped in and started demanding things,” she said, smiling at Tal, whose lips curled up at the edges.
“So noted. Are there any pills that are still intact?” Tal leaned back in the chair, and dropped her ankle over her knee.
“Two. I’ve used four so far.” They held eye contact. “Have someone drop by this afternoon when I go into work, and I’ll hand them over. I imagine you’ll need a paper trail so bring one.”
Tal blinked in acknowledgement, then swung her gaze to Sophia. “Tell me about how you came to be in possession of the supplement pills and why it tweaked your radar.”
Sophia released Cam’s hand so she could sit forward and scrub at her face, leaving her fingertips over her eyes. She blew out her breath. “Okay.” She lifted her head, and allowed her hands to hang limply between her knees. “The rookies in our team have been trying out vitamin supplements for Schimmager Pharmaceuticals in exchange for expensive gear, tickets to events, and things. There are five players involved from what Mel told me. She’s one, and then there’s Naomi, Hara, Leigh, and—” Sophia shook her head. “Shit,” she growled, and hissed through her teeth. “And Louise.” She twisted her fingers together.
A growl, a lower tone than Sophia’s but essentially an echo, rumbled from the back of the lounge. Cam looked over at Ben who had begun pacing laps in frustration, his wrists draped over the top of his head.
“God dammit!” His blue eyes were dark with anger. “How could they be so gullible, for fuck’s sake?” He levelled his gaze at Sophia. “How?”
Sophia lifted her chin, staring down his anger. “How can people vote for idiots in government? It’s the same thing. It’s about what you want to believe. Louise and the other four believed what powerful people told them.”
Ben shook his head and tossed his hands to the side. “It’s just…why didn’t they say something?”
Cam, Lin, and Tal all pulled their heads back into their necks. Lin spoke first. “Ben, don’t blame the victim, please.” The silence gave Ben time to apologise to the room and slide back onto his stool. Then Sophia spoke up.
“I said the same thing, though.”
“What?” Cam exclaimed.
“Mm. I said the same thing to Naomi when she told me about the kickbacks and pills. Although she tried to tell me it was all about sports drinks, but whatever. Anyway, she smacked me down for blaming the rookies.” She swallowed. “I deserved it.”
Sophia’s breath caught and a sob spasmed in her chest. She clutched at Cam’s hand again, and the action resembled a drowning person in an ocean of grief, tethering themselves to a buoy so they wouldn’t drift away. Cam leaned into her shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie. Tell Tal about Helena Trenning.”
The intense hunter-finding-prey expression shimmered across Tal’s face again, and she leaned forward. “Who’s Helena Trenning?”
“She’s the head of production something at Schimmager. I’ve met her twice. The first time was in the carpark after a game, and the other time was Monday night. She came to our gym session.” General confusion registered on everyone’s faces. “Oh, not to work out. She was there with Dominic,” she tossed a glance at Tal, “our manager. She wandered through the gym, and the five rookies froze, like they were petrified of her. Then she got all up in my face and, I don’t know, warned me off, I guess?”
Cam turned square on to Sophia, holding their joined hands in her lap. “You didn’t tell me that.”
Sophia shrugged. “There wasn’t anything to tell.”
“Cam. Did you know about the pills, or Schimmager, or Helena Trenning?” Cam angled her body to answer Tal’s question, and they gazed at each other for a moment.
“Yes,” Cam replied evenly, thinking about Bianca’s interest in the story.
“Uh huh.” Tal sat back in the chair and smoothed her hands lightly down her thighs. “Care to elaborate?”
“Look, I have sources that need to remain anonymous. I’m a journalist for The Post, and I’m working on a story that I think is related to this, although I don’t know how or why.”
“I would appreciate you holding off on that story until we’ve finished our investigations,” Tal stated calmly, although her tone suggested that the request was not open for negotiation.
“I can do that. It’s already been pointed out to me by someone I care about that if I write the story, it’ll destroy the women’s league.” Cam squeezed Sophia’s hand.
Tal’s eyebrows lifted. “There’s that much in the story?”
“Yes.”
“And connecting the dots would give the story significant teeth, and therefore be damaging to certain people?”
“Yes.”
“Mm. So if I asked to see what you’ve gathered so far, with an understanding that all sources are protected and that you would have first bite, as it were, to the information that I see fit to release regarding this investigation, we could come to a mutual agreement of some sort?”
Cam felt a feral grin overtake her mouth. “Absolutely.”
“Excellent. Well, based on this information, I think an investigation of the other clubs is also in order. It seems that this situation particularly involves the younger players.”
Sophia gave a start, like she’d suddenly remembered something important. “You should check out the local girls’ schools. Some of them run football programs that feed into our rookie selection process.” She nodded carefully. Cam assumed her spectacular headache was still da
ncing about in her skull.
“I am aware. Thank you,” Tal said.
Sophia grunted. “Oh. Okay, I was going to give you the heads up on a name to use…” she faded off, as if she’d realised that she was rambling.
Tal lifted one eyebrow, so Sophia rolled her eyes. “Okay. Rawson Girls’ Grammar. There was a teacher there called Sam Markson. She was heavily involved in their football program for a while. She’d have some thoughts about all this, like whether it’s been going on for a while, that sort of thing. But she’s at the Melbourne Theatre Company now, because—”
“I know.” Tal’s lips had lifted to one side.
The lingering headache and waves of grief had clearly erased Sophia’s patience, because she huffed and glared. “Fine.”
Tal, to her credit, simply smiled. “I know Sam.”
Sophia screwed up her lip. “How? I mean, you and her are like—” she held her hands wide apart, one still clutching Cam’s, who assumed that Sophia’s gesture was meant to represent Sam and Tal’s different personalities.
Tal seemed to be enjoying the interaction. “Mm. I’ve met Sam a number of times because I know the principal of Rawson Girls’ Grammar exceptionally well.”
A long silence greeted this statement, then it became apparent that Tal was finished with her interview, as she efficiently gathered her coat and scarf, and they all stood simultaneously. With a handshake all round, and her business card passed about, Inspector Tal Diamandis departed, and they all sat in the lounge, staring at each other.
It wasn’t long after that Ben and Lin needed to leave, with Lin heading off to the lab and Ben down to Provender then zipping off to some suppliers in the Yarra Valley. And suddenly Cam and Sophia were left standing in the space between the kitchen and the lounge. Cam sank onto a stool, finding her shirt from last night, and tossing it onto the bench.
“Do you want me to go as well?” Cam asked tentatively.
Sophia, hunting in the pantry for another dose of Panadol, seemed to either not hear the question or chose to ignore it. Then she turned around, pausing with the pill box in her hand.
