Harbour

by Claire Boston

  “Ask Alyse if I can come out with the detectives. We have questions.”

  Alyse needed rest but the quicker they found more to charge Mark with, the better. Alyse nodded her assent when he asked. “Go for it. We’ll be there in half an hour.” He hung up and as he returned to Alyse, her stomach rumbled. “Hungry?”

  She blushed. “A little.”

  “What do you want?”

  She sighed. “I could really go one of Mai’s chocolate brownies and a banh mi.”

  He grinned. “Leave it with me.” He dialled the bakery. It was too late for Mai to be there, but Jodie answered. He placed his order, sweet-talking her to pack it up for him and by the time he was done, the nurse was there to discharge Alyse.

  Alyse’s movements were slow and stiff as she shuffled out of the hospital, Zamira by her side. Kim clenched his hands. Give her space.

  When they arrived at Alyse’s place after stopping by the bakery, a four-wheel drive was parked over by Mark’s man cave.

  “Who’s that?” Kim asked.

  Alyse peered ahead. “It looks like Craig’s car. He shouldn’t be there.”

  Kim checked the time. Adam would already be on his way with the detectives. He handed Alyse her house keys. “Why don’t you and Zamira go inside and we’ll find out what he wants?”

  She hesitated and then agreed, getting out of the car. Kim drove the remaining distance to the shed and parked. Both he and Jeremy climbed out. A thick chain and padlock locked the shed door, and the car was empty.

  “You go that way.” Jeremy pointed.

  Kim jogged around the back of the shed as Craig lifted a hammer to the window. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Craig whirled around, eyes wide. “Who are you?”

  “A friend of Alyse’s. She tells me you shouldn’t be here.”

  Craig’s eyes darted around. “Mark asked me to fetch something from his shed but forgot to give me the key.”

  Bullshit. “Alyse might have one.” He walked closer, noting the window was covered with black plastic. Jeremy walked around the other side of the shed.

  “Hey, Craig.”

  Craig lowered the hammer. “Jeremy. What are you doing here?”

  “Visiting Alyse. Your brother beat her up again. Did you hear he’s been arrested?”

  Craig paused. “No, I didn’t. Is Alyse all right?”

  “She’s badly injured.”

  The older man swore, still looking at the window. “I’m sorry about that. I’d better call our lawyer.”

  Kim gestured for Craig to precede him. Craig took one last look at the window before walking back to his car.

  “Do you want to talk to Alyse?” Kim asked.

  “No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll come back later.” He drove off.

  “That was dodgy,” Jeremy commented.

  “Yeah. He definitely wants to get inside. The question is why?”

  “I thought I heard something moving around in there,” Jeremy said.

  That was odd. “Maybe it’s a possum.” They got into Kim’s car and drove to the house. Two cars were already parked outside and when they went into the kitchen, Adam was sitting at the table with two people Kim assumed were the detectives. Alyse had spread the brownies and rolls on a plate and Zamira was making drinks.

  “This is Detective Bosch and Detective Khan,” Adam said, gesturing to the blonde female and then the Middle-Eastern man. “Jeremy Mendelson and Kim On.”

  “Was it Craig?” Alyse asked.

  “Yeah. He was about to smash a window. Said Mark asked him to retrieve something, then pretended he didn’t know his brother had been arrested.”

  “What’s this?” Bosch asked, alert.

  Kim explained what had happened.

  “It’s the second time today,” Alyse said. “He came inside without knocking this morning. When I told Mark he’d been around, he was furious, said I was right to turn him away. But when Mark called Craig about it, Craig denied being here.”

  Khan scribbled notes as Zamira placed mugs of tea and coffee on the table.

  “All right. We should start from the beginning. What do you know about Mark’s criminal activities?”

  Before Alyse could respond, Kim asked, “Shouldn’t you ask about Mark beating her first?”

  “Lincoln and I will talk to her about it afterwards,” Adam said. “We need to act on this while Mark is behind bars. Then maybe we can keep him there for longer.”

  Kim was all for that. It was about time.

  Chapter 14

  Alyse tensed. Now she sat in front of the detectives, terror gripped her. The next few hours would change her whole life. She exhaled. One day she’d live without fear, and this was the beginning of the process.

  “The rest of you need to leave while Alyse speaks to us,” Detective Bosch told them.

  “I’ll leave if Alyse wants me to,” Kim said.

  “We appreciate your concern for her.” Khan clasped his hands together in front of him. “But from our point of view, we don’t know who’s working with Mark.”

  She gasped. It had never occurred to her. Foolish. Mark was working with someone.

  “I’d never work with that bastard,” Kim said.

  Adam pressed his lips together. It wouldn’t look good for him to speak in defence of his friends.

  She could do this. “We’ll be a couple of hours,” Alyse said. “You could bring dinner when you come back.”

  Zamira squeezed her shoulder. “Absolutely. What would you like?”

  “Pho.” This time she’d have a chance to eat it.

  Zamira moved towards the door and Jeremy and Kim followed. Alyse longed to call them back. No, she would be fine on her own. Adam was here and the detectives would help her put Mark away for good.

  Kim turned. “Call me if you need anything.”

  She nodded. When the back door closed, she asked, “What do you want to know?”

  “Tell us when you first realised Mark was doing something illegal,” Bosch said.

  She closed her eyes, thought back. This would take a while.

  Two hours later, Alyse was flagging. Her face throbbed and her body ached with a deep heaviness. “Can we take a break?”

  Bosch nodded. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Water, please.”

  Adam pushed the last piece of brownie towards her and she ate it, taking small bites to avoid the cut in her mouth, hoping for some energy.

  “Can you email us the documents from the accountant?” Khan asked.

  “Sure.” She pulled her laptop towards her. No need to worry about stealth now. Craig had seen Adam and the detectives. Whether he realised she was telling them about Mark’s crimes or whether he thought it was to do with the assault didn’t matter. Mark would be furious. She should change the locks. It wouldn’t stop him, but it might slow him down enough so she could escape. After she emailed the documents, she asked, “Can I call a locksmith? I want to change the locks before Mark comes back.”

  “That’s fine.”

  She looked up the number and arranged for him to come as soon as possible.

  Bosch placed the water on the table. “You believe Mark might have evidence in his office?”

  “Yeah. I was planning to go through his filing cabinet the next time he went out.” She reached into her pocket. “I bought a key from the locksmith this morning.”

  “Would you be happy for us to be in the room when you open it?”

  “Of course. Do you want to look now?” At Bosch’s nod, Alyse showed them into the office. Nothing had been moved since this morning. “The contract with Salvatore is here.” She handed it to them and then unlocked the filing cabinet. In the top drawer, files hung in neat rows, each labelled with a different name in her mother’s precise handwriting.

  Tears sprang to her eyes. She’d never imagined Mark would keep them. Swallowing hard, she checked the next drawer, and it was messier, the labels scrawled on by Mark, and the next drawer was th
e same. The bottom drawer was full of ammunition, all different calibre, some of the bullets were huge. She stepped back, fear coursing through her veins. What the hell?

  Khan photographed the drawer and asked, “Where are the guns?”

  “I don’t know.” If he had access to guns, he was far more dangerous than she’d imagined. Her stomach churned. Alyse stepped back so they could investigate, wishing she could run away from this whole mess. But she wasn’t hiding any longer. At the end of this, Mark would be out of her life.

  “I need to make some calls.” Bosch left the room.

  “What’s in Mark’s man cave?” Adam asked.

  Khan glanced at him. “Man cave?”

  “The shed by the fence line is Mark’s,” Alyse explained. “Only he’s allowed in. I’ve never been in there.”

  “Do you have a key?”

  “No. It’s padlocked shut. Maybe the locksmith can get into it.”

  “Anything else only he has access to?” Khan asked.

  Alyse shrugged. “His ute. I only drive it if we’re going somewhere and he wants to drink. Then there’s the master bedroom. That’s his domain.” She saw both men’s surprise, and she pushed down her embarrassment.

  Bosch came back into the room. “Bail has been set, but Mark isn’t out yet,” she said. “Sergeant Zanetti has placed a police order on him so he can’t come near you, but we don’t expect he’ll abide by it. We can look into witness protection for you.”

  “What does that entail?”

  “Sending you interstate.”

  Alyse shook her head. She wasn’t leaving.

  “I’ve requested a forensics team to go over the office,” Bosch continued. “And a warrant to search the whole property.”

  Someone banged on the front door and Alyse jumped. Adam accompanied her to the front door where an older man with a middle-aged spread stood. Behind him was a van with a locksmith logo on it.

  “G’day. Had a break in have you?” he asked. “What needs changing?”

  “All the locks,” Alyse said.

  His eyes widened, and he glanced at the house. “Might be tricky to get locks for a house this age.”

  He examined the front door, muttering to himself and then walked around the house checking the other doors. Adam accompanied them while Bosch and Khan went back inside. When the locksmith had finished, he said, “The front and back doors aren’t a problem, but the side door is tricky. I’ll call a couple of suppliers.”

  The side door consisted of two double doors; the inside ones were solid wood with an old chunky key, and the outside ones had flyscreen in them. Alyse opened them only in summer to let the breeze in and she wasn’t certain Mark had a key. Still, the idea of him getting in through there gave her chills. “Please do.”

  The man got to work.

  Adam said, “Jeremy might be able to board it up in the meantime.”

  Good idea. “I’ll call him.”

  She made the phone call and Jeremy said he’d look when they brought dinner back. As they returned to the detectives, she hesitated. “Can you give me a minute?” she asked Adam. “I need to fetch money for the locksmith.”

  “Sure.”

  She strode over to the shed and grabbed her smoker, lighting it. The smoke soothed her. Then she headed for the hives at the back of her property. Adam followed her. “I thought you were getting money.”

  “I am.” She counted the hives and went to one in the middle. The bees were docile in this one, but she puffed smoke as she took off the lid. “Stand back.” She rested the lid against the hive and reached into the space missing a frame. The bees buzzed around her hand, touching her softly with their wings or as they landed on her skin. Her fingers closed around the sticky plastic and she withdrew the package, wiping it on the ground to get some of the honey off it. Then she closed the hive again.

  Adam whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”

  She hadn’t thought this through. Would the police confiscate it? She sighed. Hopefully they’d understand. “I found it on Mark’s desk the night a tree branch fell on the roof,” she said. “Elijah came inside to set up buckets to catch the rain and went into the office before I could stop him. When I saw the money, I took it.” She’d blamed the theft on the SES and Mark hadn’t reported it to the police, but he had punished her for it. It had been worth the comfort of knowing she had it.

  “Don’t you have any money?” Adam asked.

  “No. Mark controls all the bank accounts.” She hadn’t dared open her own account. Instead she’d hidden the money in the one place he wouldn’t look.

  She withdrew a couple of hundred dollars from the stash and tucked the rest into her hoodie pocket. She’d have to split it up, hide it in different places, or maybe now she could open a bank account.

  After the locksmith left, the forensics team arrived and Kim, Zamira and Jeremy returned. The bags of Vietnamese food smelled delicious and her stomach grumbled. “Do you need anything else from me?” she asked Bosch.

  “We’re waiting for the warrant to come through before we open Mark’s shed.”

  “Why don’t we open it now? I want to see what he’s been doing on my property.”

  “That’s not a good idea. Too many people inside might contaminate any evidence.”

  Alyse didn’t want that, but she wanted to know what he’d been doing. “Can I go in afterwards?”

  “Not until we’re done.”

  Frustration filled her, but she sighed. “All right. Shall we examine the lock while we wait?”

  Bosch nodded.

  She didn’t want to do this alone. Kim smiled at her. She always felt safe with him. “Will you come with me?”

  “OK.”

  Bosch looked as if she wanted to disagree and then sighed. “Let’s go.”

  “I’ll look at the side door while you’re gone,” Jeremy said. “Come up with something.”

  “Thanks.” Alyse led the way across to the shed, every step agony. Her movements were so slow she felt ancient. This was the last time she’d ever be this beaten up. Her steps slowed as she approached Mark’s shed. What was inside? Would it be like opening Pandora’s Box? Kim stayed by her side, supporting her when she stumbled and his presence gave her courage. At the shed, she stopped, pointed to the thick chain. “All the windows are covered too.”

  Khan examined the lock without touching it. “Let’s see what fingerprints we can get off the entry points.”

  Adam nodded.

  “You’ll need bolt cutters.” Unless one of the officers could pick the lock. Alyse circled the shed with Kim and the police and she rubbed at the goosebumps on her skin.

  “Are you all right?” Kim asked.

  “It’s kind of scary being so close,” she said. “Mark wouldn’t let me near it.”

  From inside came a muffled shout.

  She froze. “Did you hear that?”

  Someone banged on the glass window and shouted in a language Alyse didn’t understand. Then the woman yelled, “Help!”

  Bosch swore. “Did you know someone was inside?”

  Dumbfounded, Alyse said, “No.”

  She ran after Bosch and Khan to the entrance of the shed. Khan was already on the phone and a forensics officer ran up with a pair of bolt cutters. He cut the chain and Bosch held up her hand. “Let’s step back.”

  “The entrance is clear,” Alyse said as she complied. “Mark often drives his ute inside.”

  The big door slid open to reveal the silver dinghy. It was getting dark, so Alyse flicked on the lights which were in the same position as the lights in her own shed. She stepped inside, cringing at the sight of the boat which had started all of this. Perhaps she should be thankful because it had brought Kim back into her life.

  A large wall with a single door separated the rest of the shed. Bosch placed a hand on Alyse’s arm. “Stay here.”

  She nodded. The police team moved forward working together as they checked the shed. Kim stood next to her, his body angl
ed as if he was ready to step in front of her at the first sign of danger. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, waiting for the all clear.

  Voices raised at the far end, shouts and Alyse heard fear in them. She glanced at Kim. Who was it?

  “We should wait outside,” Kim said, taking her hand.

  She shook her head but kept her hand in his. Whatever it was, she needed to know.

  Khan came back, his expression blank. “Can you call Zamira?”

  “Why?”

  The detective hesitated and then said, “We found two Asian women in one room. I think they’re speaking Malay.”

  Shock pierced her and her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  Kim was already on his phone.

  Alyse had to see this. She’d suspected Mark was involved with Henk but had never imagined he would use her property to hold women against their will. Nausea swirled in her stomach. The shed was sectioned into rooms and as she passed each one, she looked in. Greasy car parts lined shelves in one room, barrels of chemicals were stacked in another. The third room made her stop and stare. Black crates like the one she’d helped him lift onto the dinghy, and one was open with large, lethal-looking guns inside.

  Who was this man?

  Finally, she reached the last room. Sitting on the two single beds, facing Detective Bosch were two Asian women in their early twenties. The room was filthy and the women’s hair was a tangle of knots. They glanced at her, fear in their eyes. One woman’s nails were ragged and dirty as if she’d been clawing at the walls.

  “Oh my God.” Alyse placed a hand over her mouth. How long had they been here? Guilt pummelled her like Mark’s fists. She’d turned a blind eye for too long, she’d enabled Mark to do this, given him the means to carry out his illegal activities and these women were his victims. She stepped back, bumping into Kim. He held her steady.

  “This isn’t your fault,” he murmured.

  She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t.

  Zamira and Khan hurried down the corridor towards them. Alyse stepped aside so Zamira could enter the room. She spoke gently in Malay to the women. One woman burst into tears as the other answered.

  “Ask them how long they’ve been here,” Bosch said.