Last Known Contact

by Phillipa Nefri Clark

  Any plans to visit Campbell were replaced by a new mission. Ellie drove to her apartment and parked out the front. All the way there, her heart refused to stop racing as thoughts hammered her. What if Gabi was back? There were any number of reasons why the satellite phone wasn’t working, and perhaps the neighbour hadn’t seen her come home thanks to the distance between moorings. Or she might be out on the water, sailing along the coast.

  To think Dad might be with her, out of communication range but fit and well…Ellie could barely work through the ramifications.

  After changing into shorts, T-shirt, and runners, she grabbed a small backpack from her cupboard and tossed in a change of clothes, extra socks, and anything else she could think of. If she was going so far, she’d be there overnight. And if Dad was there, she’d need the whole night to make sense of it.

  On her way out, she let the concierge know she’d be back tomorrow. No point having him send out a search party.

  In her car, she sat for a moment to think it through. This was probably another wild goose chase. At the best, she’d find Dad with Gabi. And the worst? Wind Drifter not moored and Gabi not home. In which case she’d let herself into the cabin and have a night away from all of this. Either way she had to go. She pulled out onto the road.

  A dark sedan followed Ellie’s car. She went through the tunnel then settled into the left lane on the freeway.

  The driver dialled his phone from a few cars back.

  The phone rang once before answering. “Where is she?”

  “Heading to dear Mumma’s place by the look of it.”

  “Send me your location. I’ll be half an hour or more behind so you find some way of slowing her down.”

  “And then we’re done?” There was a long pause. “Dale and I need that payment.”

  “Sure, Mark. Then we’re done.”

  Mark hung up. The minute that money was in his account, he was out of here. Dale or no Dale.

  57

  Kaleidoscope

  “Mrs Connor wants this processed as a priority. So, I’ll wait for the transaction number, thanks.”

  Paul glanced at his watch as one of Campbell’s team looked over the signed purchase order.

  “I’ll just need to confirm this with her—” The woman reached for a phone.

  “She signed it five minutes before leaving for the hospital to see your boss. If the cameras upstairs had been working properly, we’d have known Mr Boyd had fallen much earlier and got help faster. That’s why she’s instructed me to begin work immediately on the upgrade. Until the funds are in their account, the supplier won’t order what we need.”

  “Oh. I should really follow protocol for such a large amount.”

  “Sure. Go ahead. I’m sure she won’t mind being interrupted at the hospital.” Paul crossed his arms.

  The woman checked the signature and nodded. “It won’t take a moment.”

  He watched every keystroke as the details of the account were tapped in, then the amount.

  Come on.

  “Sorry. It can take a while sometimes. Ah, there we go.” She wrote the transaction number on the purchase order and stood. “I’ll photocopy this.”

  “I’ll do it. I have to give Mr Connor a copy so I’ll bring one back for you.”

  He almost snatched the paper from her fingers and strode back to his own office. His palms were so sweaty his hand slipped off his door handle.

  Get a grip and focus.

  One more thing to do. He locked his door and pulled the box from his bottom drawer. Setting it beside his briefcase, he transferred two passports and multiple wads of hundred-dollar notes. From the wall behind he took the photograph of himself with Ellie and Jack. He grinned at Jack’s face.

  “Thanks, mate. Been a pleasure.”

  He dropped it into the bin under his desk.

  For once, Ben appreciated Andy’s good cop, bad cop routine. Because if Andy wasn’t being the aggressor, he’d have pinned Dale Grant to the wall by now. Just the sight of the man raised his blood pressure.

  Still acting as though he was mortally injured, Dale had tried to avoid being released from hospital earlier, but there was no lasting damage except to his pride.

  An hour into the interview and almost nothing had come out of his mouth. Not even a request for legal representation. Arrogant if he thought he didn’t need it. Or stupid.

  “Let’s go over this again. You moved into an apartment on the same floor as Ellie Connor around three months ago.” Ben read off his notes but only to avoid looking at the man. “You broke into an empty apartment overlooking the pier where her yacht is tied, even storing stolen bottled water there. And your phone was the recipient of footage from an illegal camera looking over a safe in her father’s house.”

  “Guest house.”

  “He speaks.” Andy pulled up a seat. “When did you install the camera?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “So, you have a partner?”

  Dale laughed shortly. “Partner implies someone you work with.”

  “You worked for someone? Were paid to watch Ellie and Dennis? Or Jack.”

  Hands clenched beneath the table, Ben watched Dale’s face and body language. He wanted to talk. They needed the right questions. The right incentive.

  “If you help us with this investigation, we’ll try to help you out.”

  “I don’t want your help.” Dale scowled.

  “Bad choice.” Andy said. “Won’t be hard to make a case against you for the murder of Frank Barlow, the disappearance of Jack Bannerman, and the attack on Ellie Connor. All adds up to one long jail term.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t touch Frank or Jack. And she attacked me if you remember. We just happened to be in the same elevator, and she went all psycho-bitch.”

  Ben’s hands snaked out before he could stop them, grabbing Dale’s forearms. “There was a camera in the lift, idiot.”

  “What Detective Rossi means, Mr Grant,” Andy kicked Ben under the table. “is we have plenty of evidence before we even get to the stash of illegal substances in your gym bag.”

  Hands back under the table, Ben turned to Andy. “He’s not going to talk. I think we need to pass him over to Homicide.”

  “Sure. I’ll ring McNamara and get them here.”

  “I didn’t kill Frank. I wasn’t even in the area. Ask Mark about the date because we were at his place all night with some ladies.”

  “Who is Mark?”

  Dale shook his head and looked down. “No more questions. I want a lawyer.”

  Dennis stormed from his office to reception, banging the flat of his hand on the top of the counter. Joni jumped, and excused herself from the phone call she was on.

  “Where the hell is Ellie?”

  “She went down to speak with Paul some time ago.”

  “How long?”

  “More than an hour. She was going to see Mr Boyd at the hospital afterwards, and then going to the police station.”

  “Damn. Do you know anything about this purchase order he wanted signed?”

  “Only that Mrs Connor told him she was getting outside quotes first. They haven’t come in yet, so I imagine nothing has changed.”

  “It’s changed alright. Finance put through the transaction to the supplier. Can nobody run this place except me?” Not waiting for a response, Dennis stomped to the elevators.

  Whatever Dekeles was playing at, he was about to stop it. After Ellie’s earlier interruption, he’d double checked his memory about the last upgrade. “Told you.” She never appreciated how right he always was. Not content, he’d dug around the records for the past decade of security expenses and almost fell out of his chair at the overspend.

  Paul’s office was locked. Dennis phoned Will who arrived puffing a few minutes later with a spare key card.

  “Stay at the door. Don’t want Dekeles accusing me of stealing anything.”

  Dennis frowned at the flickering monitors. The desk was tidy. Too tidy. Had the
moron simply swept the usual pile of papers into his bin? He went to see.

  “What the hell?”

  “Sir?” Will peered over the desk as Dennis pulled the photo frame from the bin.

  They both looked at the wall where it belonged.

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Last I know, Mrs Connor was heading down to the carpark to talk with him. He was fixing the camera over the lift.”

  “And?”

  “Couldn’t fix it.”

  “Tell me his car is still there. And by that, I mean go and look!”

  Will ran.

  Jack. Frank Barlow. Mark. Ellie?

  58

  Heading To The Cabin

  The road had long since narrowed to single lanes and Ellie needed a break. At the first petrol station, she pulled in.

  She filled the car and locked it even out here, in the countryside where cows lowed in a paddock nearby and the traffic was a trickle. After a comfort stop, Ellie stocked up on bottled water and chocolate. She waited as the attendant heated a pie, her growling stomach a reminder she’d not eaten since last night.

  Back in the car, she sat for a moment, getting the air con up as she fiddled with the radio. The afternoon was humid, and she hoped any storms would hold off until she was in the cabin. A hand appeared from nowhere to tap on her window and she jumped.

  A woman called out. “Your tyre is a bit low, love.”

  Once she began to breathe again, she checked. If the lady hadn’t noticed, Ellie might have ended up miles away with a flat on a country road. In minutes, she’d refilled it and checked the rest of the tyres, just in case.

  The road was quiet and would only get quieter. Gabi’s cabin was tucked along an estuary near a national park. Access was limited and she’d need to leave her car in a designated area and hike down. It was the perfect deterrent for unwelcome visitors. Possibly even welcome ones. If she’d had more time and the threat of storms was over, she’d have sailed Sea Angel here instead.

  Ellie turned onto the long road heading toward the sea. Her spirits lifted a little. She needed her mother like never before.

  “So much to tell you.”

  Even the bad stuff. Like gym man in the elevator.

  Tension gripped Ellie’s stomach and she opened a bottle of water. Shouldn’t think about him. Ben was there in time and she wouldn’t have gone with him anyway. All she’d have needed was a second to reach into her handbag and he’d have been screaming louder than when she hit him.

  Ellie’s phone beeped an alarm. She pulled over, puzzled.

  3pm. Police Station.

  Whoops.

  She messaged Ben. Sorry, forgot about coming in. On way to see Gabi. Back tomorrow.

  As she eased back onto the road another car was behind in the far distance.

  A message came through, but she’d had enough stops and ignored it. If Ben was put out by her forgetfulness, she would apologise later. She had so much to apologise for. Add it to the list.

  Ben tapped a message on his phone, barely paying attention to Andy as he put a coffee in front of him. Back at their desks since abandoning the interrogation, he’d checked twice with the front desk in case Ellie was waiting out there.

  “You find her?” Andy moved a pile of files for a spot for his own coffee and sat. “She okay?”

  “Ellie is apparently on her way to see Gabi Bannerman.”

  “Isn’t she along the coast somewhere?”

  “Trying to find out exactly where as we speak. Ellie forgot about our interview.”

  “Does she sound alright, though? Not still upset about last night?”

  Ben shot a look at Andy. “What about last night?”

  “Maybe we’re thinking of different things. Dale Grant and the elevator?”

  “Right. I don’t know because all she did was message me. And she’s not replying now.”

  He stared at the screen of the phone as if that would make a message appear.

  The landline rang and Andy answered. Then, offered the phone to Ben.

  “You might want to take this. Dennis Connor.”

  Ben mouthed, “What now?” and took the receiver. “Yes, Dennis.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t want to talk to you, either.”

  “So…?”

  “So, Paul Dekeles has disappeared. My wife has disappeared. My PA, Mark, has disappeared.”

  “Mark? What’s his last name?”

  “That’s what you worry about? Mark Grant.”

  “Damn. Hold on.” Ben covered the mouthpiece and leaned toward Andy. “Mark Grant is Dennis’ PA. Find out where he is.”

  “Are you there?”

  “Yes, Dennis. You said Paul is gone.”

  “Aren’t you concerned about Ellie?”

  “I know roughly where she is. Tell me about Paul.”

  “The little shit forged Ellie’s signature and got money transferred to a wholesaler, but I think it is a front for something else. I reckon he’s been stealing from Jack for years.”

  “Okay. We’re on our way. Don’t touch anything in his office for now.”

  “Hang on, I—”

  Ben hung up. “Oh, do you think he had more to say?”

  Andy chuckled and grabbed his coffee.

  59

  Closer

  “Are we there yet?” Ellie asked the car, bored from too long behind the wheel. The landscape was dry after a summer with little rain and endless brown paddocks were dotted with giant round hay bales. Across to the west, storm clouds brewed, but so often they fizzled out as soon as making landfall.

  She’d tried Gabi’s satellite phone again with no response. It wasn’t even ringing, so who knows where Gabi was. This might well be one long and tiring drive for nothing. But the further she got from the city, the more her heart lightened. To escape the worry and pressure of the past few days was a gift and reinforced her musing last night about her future life.

  The car she’d noticed earlier was closer and was the same make and colour as Paul’s, but then again, the city was full of them. He was probably arguing with Dennis in his office. Maybe he’d even try to get him to sign the purchase order.

  Not your problem today, Ellie!

  She accelerated

  Before leaving the station, Ben detoured to the holding cell.

  Dale glared at him from behind the bars. “Still saying nothing.”

  “Your brother doesn’t mind talking.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Yup. Mark happily told us you are behind all of this. Blames you for everything from Jack’s disappearance to Fred Barlow’s death. We know he was just an insider.”

  “Bullshit.” Dale stumbled to his feet and grabbed the bars. “All we did was agree to help a friend out. Keep an eye on a couple of people.”

  “Which friend?”

  “Want a lawyer.”

  “On their way. Who’s behind it, mate? If you and Mark are just helping, who is the puppet master?”

  Back on his bed, Dale turned away. “Lawyer.”

  Ben relayed this all to Andy on their way to Bannerman House. “Who, Andy?”

  “If Dennis is right, then Paul Dekeles. Syphoning funds through a shell company. Didn’t Meg say something about that website you showed her? But what does it have to do with Jack?”

  They were met in the foyer by Will. In the lift, he barely waited for the doors to close. “Listen, please. I’ve seen stuff and I want to know if I can get some protection. Immunity.”

  Andy straightened. “Protection from?”

  “No. Tell me if it is possible first.”

  “Anything is. And we’d appreciate your help.”

  Will nodded. “Whole lot of strange stuff been going on here. Doors unlocked when I’d checked them as locked. The night Mr Boyd fell? I was supposed to be checking the floor every half hour but Mr Dekeles sent me on a wild goose chase. He’s made me keep quiet about things the bosses should know. But I got kids.”

  “He threatene
d you?”

  “Kinda. Anyway, I kept this. As protection.” He shoved a USB stick into Ben’s hand as the door opened.

  “What’s on it?”

  “Mr Bannerman.”

  Ben and Andy exchanged a look.

  “Where is Mr Connor?” Ben set off toward Paul’s office.

  Will hurried to catch up. “Waiting.”

  Dennis sat behind Paul’s desk, face blank. “About time.”

  “What have you touched?”

  “Nothing. Except this.” He pointed at the framed photo. “It was in the bin.”

  Ben slipped on gloves and picked it up. “Wasn’t this on the wall?”

  “Give the man a medal.”

  “Where was the photo taken?”

  “Fundraiser last year for the Foundation. In Sydney.”

  “Is there some significance?” Ben turned it over. The clips at the back were bent out of shape, so he forced them aside.

  “Funny story. Ellie asked me when the last security upgrade happened. It was then, while she and Jack were away. She knew nothing about it. Which is why she’s unsuitable for the job.” Dennis said.

  Ben removed the back. “Andy, look.”

  There was an envelope between the photo and the back.

  “Jack’s writing. One of his personal envelopes.” Dennis stood to see better. “Is it addressed to Ellie?”

  “Yes.” Ben opened the envelope and slid out one page—almost the same as the one found in the rum bottle. He let Andy read over his shoulder as he silently scanned the words.

  Darling Ellie,

  Sorry for the cloak and dagger routine, but once you get to the cabin I’ll fully explain. Had a health scare and almost did something stupid, until I thought about spending some time with your mother. Get her take on things. See, I’ve messed up some decisions about the business, and with Michael, and now I want to make amends. Just hope it isn’t too late. Paul knows where I am, so he’ll fill you in and arrange transport here. I’ve not told anyone else yet. We’ll talk soon.