No One Can Hear You

by Nikki Crutchley

‘Does it matter?’ Aroha felt herself get defensive. She didn’t want to get in any more trouble than she already was, and narking on the two men would land her in a pile of shit.

  ‘Yes, Aroha, it does.’

  ‘I — I don’t know. But there was this guy. He wasn’t being very nice to her. She wanted to leave, and he wouldn’t let her.’

  Ms Haywood was already up and on her mobile. She spoke to someone called Faith and told her what Aroha had said.

  ‘Are you OK to get home by yourself?’ Ms Haywood said, gathering keys and her bag. ‘I really need to go.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Thanks, Aroha. You don’t know how huge this is.’

  Aroha gave Ms Haywood instructions to the old hotel then watched as she reversed down the driveway, her tyres squealing on the road as she hurtled down the quiet cul-de-sac. Megan, now, would hopefully be safe. But she still hadn’t had a chance to tell Ms Haywood about the baby.

  ‘Fuck,’ she said, kicking a stone on the driveway.

  Chapter 37

  Megan looked up at Tai from her mattress. One hand held his mobile to his ear; the other hand scratched at the mess of hair on his head, exposing a sweaty armpit.

  ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do?’

  She enjoyed seeing him worried, scared even, his eyes pinballing from her to the shelves and back again.

  ‘I know they’re only fucking women, but they’re on to us.’

  Megan wondered who the ‘us’ were. There was silence, as no doubt the person on the other end tried to calm Tai down.

  ‘When are we moving her? It’s been way too long. Longer than usual. This is getting too risky. And there’s no way I’m going back to fucking jail.’

  Silence again as Tai listened to further instructions then jammed the phone into his back pocket. ‘We don’t have much time.’

  ‘Like I give a fuck. Someone knows I’m here, don’t they?’ She was excited and unable to hide her smile.

  ‘Wouldn’t get too excited, Megs. Two bloody women playing at detective but have no idea what they’re doing.’

  Tai’s bravado was back but Megan refused to give up. Here was another chance to get away.

  ‘I need to go hide my car. I’ll be back.’

  She hoped he was distracted enough to forget to lock the door, but no such luck. Five minutes later, puffing from the exertion of rushing, Tai dragged her out of the storage room and along the corridor and through the double doors. This was as far as she’d ever been. She’d been unconscious when they’d brought her here — how many days ago?

  He opened a heavy wooden door and pushed her outside. She’d been in the darkened storage room for so long she had to blink away the starry bursts that appeared before her eyes. She squinted as he hurried her down the stairs. Tai pushed her to the left over a mix of dirt and gravel terrain and into the trees. Twenty metres in they came to a ramshackle building. She couldn’t even see it until they were upon it: trees had grown up and around it, sheltering it from sight. It would’ve been here long before the new development, maybe someone’s old summer house.

  Inside smelt of dirt and damp. It was one big room, the base of a bed in one corner, the stained mattress leaning up against the far wall. In another corner was a rusty pile of tools and cans of old paint, colours identifiable by drip marks around the outside. Other than that, it was empty. Tai pushed her to the dirt floor and looked around. He grabbed a length of rope from a nail on the wall, wrapped it around her wrists and then brought the length down and tied her feet. She could smell the fear seeping through his pores.

  ‘If I fuck this up, I’m screwed,’ he said to himself, finishing off his handiwork with an amateur knot. ‘Wait here.’

  She would have laughed if she wasn’t so scared. There was no chance she was going anywhere. ‘How do you know they won’t come over here?’ she asked. She knew she was annoying him, but she wanted him more scared than she was.

  ‘Shut it,’ he said, pacing the small room and looking out through a gap in the door.

  Chapter 38

  Zoe guided her car past Lake Waitapu to the abandoned hotel Aroha had told her about. ‘We probably should’ve called the police,’ she said as she parked at the blocked entrance, realising now the enormity of what they were doing.

  ‘I have a feeling that wouldn’t do you any good,’ Faith said. ‘Come on. It’s padlocked. Let’s go.’ She climbed over the locked barrier surprisingly easily in her miniskirt.

  They walked up the gravel road that had long since been taken over by nature, each in their own world, anxious about what they were going to find. Coming out into the clearing they could see no signs of life, no cars, no people: all was quiet except for the birds and the far-off hum of boats on the lake. They walked up the steps and tried the door. ‘Locked,’ Zoe said.

  They walked around the building and found an aluminium door, the top of which was paned in glass. ‘Locked, damn it,’ Zoe said, rattling the handle.

  Faith disappeared around the back and returned with a rock the size of a fist.

  ‘Faith!’ Zoe said. ‘What if the place is alarmed?’

  ‘We’ll soon find out.’ She threw the rock. The shattering glass fell to the ground and Zoe jumped back to avoid the splintered pieces.

  Faith reached in and turned the deadbolt. ‘Let’s go,’ she said, and they walked into the dim kitchen. Everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. Walking through the double doors and into what they guessed was intended to be a restaurant, they were greeted with breath-taking views of Lake Waitapu and the surrounding bush.

  ‘Come on.’ Zoe led the way through another set of doors and into the lobby. They turned down a long corridor, trying the doors to the rooms. Some were unlocked but each was bare: no beds, tables, chairs, or even floor coverings.

  ‘Shit,’ Faith said.

  They rounded a corner and Zoe tried the door which had a sign ‘Storage’ bolted to it. She poked her head in, expecting to find it empty, but saw a mattress at the far end of the small room and a bucket tipped on its side. It smelt of urine and mildew. Her stomach dropped.

  ‘Faith,’ she called and opened the door wide for her to see.

  ‘Oh, shit. She was here.’ Her fingers drifted to a spot at the back of her head. ‘What do we do? Who the fuck do we tell?’

  ‘Maybe no one yet. Maybe we can work out who owns this building. It’s a mess, yes, and it’s obviously been abandoned for some time. But there’s a padlock on that gate, so whoever owns it must care about it a bit. Maybe they’re involved. Maybe they know something?’

  ‘She was here,’ Zoe said. ‘Megan was here. We’re so close.’

  Chapter 39

  They both heard the faint voices and crunching gravel. Tai thought to shove a piece of material in Megan’s mouth just as the two women came into view through the trees.

  Where she was lying on the ground she saw the women walk up the main steps then, obviously not having any luck, disappear around the far corner. She had no idea who they were. Cops? But she didn’t think so after what Tai had said, calling them two bloody women playing detective. Now, about ten minutes on, Tai was standing guard at the door, nervous, a sickly aroma emanating from his body. If she was rescued he’d be in the shit. Probably wouldn’t live to tell the tale — and she was fine with that.

  ‘Fuck!’ he whispered. ‘I didn’t lock the storage room door. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Idiot.’

  He really was an idiot. Now these women, if they searched the place properly, would be able to see someone was here. She needed to do something to get their attention. Her mouth was stretched tight with the ball of fabric. She knew she didn’t have much time. She started working it free, almost vomiting as parts of it shifted down her throat. Tai was paying her no attention, too busy worrying about the unlocked storage room. She got enough of the material past her tongue to start
pushing it out, quietly retching the whole time. It landed in a wet ball by her face just as she heard voices. Through the crack in the wooden planks she saw them come back around the corner, took a deep breath and yelled as loud as she could. The last thing she membered was two alarmed faces turning in her direction and then sudden pain.

  Chapter 40

  Faith grabbed at Zoe’s arm, scratching her with one of her chipped nails. ‘Did you hear that?’

  ‘Yeah. Over there.’ Zoe pointed into the trees.

  They walked off the gravel and dirt driveway and through trees. There was no path but they could see some kind of building in the distance. ‘Shit,’ Zoe whispered. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’ But they kept walking forward.

  They got to within a few metres of the building and both jumped back as Tai appeared from inside. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He looked worried, but his expression soon turned to one of smugness. ‘Zoe Haywood and, who have we here, Faith Marsden. Well, fuck me.’

  ‘No thanks,’ Faith retorted.

  ‘Long time no see. I remember the last time I saw you. You gave me a blowjob behind the sports shed. Remember?’

  Faith’s mouth turned up in a sneer. Choosing to ignore his trip down memory lane, she said, ‘What are you doing out here?’

  ‘What’s it to you?’ He wiped a hand across his forehead.

  ‘Because you look dodgy as fuck.’

  ‘Doing some work for someone.’

  ‘What’s in the shed?’ Zoe asked, emboldened by Faith’s bravery.

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Then what are you doing in there?’

  ‘Clearing it out.’

  ‘Bullshit.’ Faith pushed past him and looked inside. Zoe followed behind. It was bare apart from a bit of junk in the corner. Zoe walked over to an old bed frame and looked behind a mattress leaning against the wall. There was nowhere to hide anything, let alone a person.

  ‘We heard something,’ Zoe said. ‘Someone shouted.’

  Tai ignored her. ‘You two might want to move along. This is private property.’

  Zoe knew there was more. That they shouldn’t leave. She knew she’d heard a shout for help. But Tai’s hulking mass looming over them scared her enough to grab Faith’s hand and leave.

  ‘Keep your nose out of business that has nothing to do with you,’ Tai called after them.

  Chapter 41

  Megan opened her eyes, gradually at first, the pain in her head not allowing her to do much else. She didn’t know what time it was, how many minutes or hours had elapsed. She rubbed the back of her head and winced. There was a bump the size of a golf ball on the back of her head. Working out she was back in the storage room, she found her lamp and turned it on, inspected her fingers but saw no blood. She picked out paper thin leaves and small twigs that had embedded themselves in her long hair.

  What happened?

  There were snippets of memory: seeing the two women, yelling, a knock to the head and Tai dragging her out the back of the shed through broken wooden wall panels and leaving her lying in the leaves while he talked to them. She’d tried desperately to shout out, but all she’d managed was a weak groan before she passed out.

  She heard the key in the door. Tai came in and flung a paper bag at her. It was a cold sausage roll. Trying to ignore it she scowled at him, her traitorous stomach betraying her by growling in the silence.

  ‘Just eat it,’ Tai said.

  She opened the bag and devoured it.

  ‘Talked to the boss today. Looks like we’ll be on the move in the next couple of days.’

  ‘Where the fuck are you taking me?’ Megan said. The storage room was a nightmare, but she knew whatever was waiting for her next would be a million times worse.

  ‘Watch your mouth. I’m in charge here, yeah? Back at the bar you used to parade that sweet arse of yours around like you owned the place. But things have changed.’

  ‘Move on where?’ Megan said, ignoring his jibes. ‘You’ve got to tell me something.’ She was sick of begging — it hadn’t got her anywhere so far.

  He looked uncertain, just for a second.

  ‘You don’t know, do you? You’re just playing the heavy for someone else and you’re clueless. As usual.’

  ‘I know stuff,’ he said.

  ‘What does it matter if you tell me? I’m not going anywhere and you’re the only one I see.’

  ‘Auckland.’

  ‘Auckland? Why? What are you going to do with me?’

  ‘Too many questions.’ Tai scratched at his mess of hair. ‘I’ll get in trouble.’

  Megan got up off the mattress and walked over to him, ignoring the pounding in her head and the nausea that filled her mouth with watery saliva. She pressed her body against his, even though it made her feel sick to do so. The worn denim jacket she had seldom seen off his body even in the middle of summer smelt of beer and cigarettes and stale BO. He grinned down at her. His breath was rancid.

  ‘Come on, Tai. We had some good times back at the tavern, didn’t we? You on the door, me behind the bar. Taking the piss out of all the customers, smoking a joint on our break, after-work drinks in Garth’s office. We’re mates. Yeah?’

  She stood on tip-toes leaning towards the tattooed skull decorating the right side of his neck. She kissed one hollow inky eye and almost retched.

  ‘We’re not mates, and this is my job. To make sure you don’t do yourself some damage or escape before I hand you over to Auckland in a few days.’ He slapped her with his calloused hand and she fell back onto her mattress. ‘You’re lucky that wasn’t a punch. But I have to keep the merchandise looking good. I’d like to do a whole lot more to you, actually.’ His eyes roamed her bare legs. He leant down and cupped a hand around her breast. She froze for an instant and then pushed his hand away.

  ‘You’re nothing to me, Megan. This thing’s a lot bigger than you, so don’t think for a second you can turn the charm on. I’ve seen you do it to the drunks at work and get yourself a few extra dollars. But it’s not gonna happen here.’

  He closed the door behind him and locked it again. Megan buried her face in the pillow and let out a hopeless, frustrated scream.

  Chapter 42

  Zoe looked across at Pam’s house and noticed Jeff’s Mercedes in the driveway. She said to Faith, ‘I know someone who may know who owns that old hotel.’

  Pam welcomed her, as always, with open arms. ‘How are you, dear? Any news about who smashed your windows?’

  ‘No. I think they’re just putting it down to kids.’

  Pam frowned. ‘Who would do such a thing?’

  ‘I actually came to have a word with Jeff if he’s got a minute.’

  Jeff looked up. ‘Sure, Zoe. How can I help?’ He closed his newspaper, giving her his full attention.

  ‘Do you by any chance know who owns that old hotel up on Lake Road?’

  ‘Yes, and I’ll give you one guess.’ He raised his eyebrows, challenging Zoe.

  Zoe began to protest that she had no idea but then it sank in. ‘Richard Bailey.’

  ‘Got it in one,’ Jeff said. ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘Oh, Faith and I were out for a drive this afternoon and came across it. Beautiful building. Looks abandoned now.’

  Jeff grunted.

  ‘Go on,’ Pam said. ‘You might as well tell Zoe the story. I’m not sure you should be too proud of what you did. But that man’s name is a dirty word in our household. I guess he deserved it.’ Pam hated to speak ill of anyone.

  ‘What happened?’ Zoe asked.

  ‘This goes no further,’ Jeff said.

  Zoe and Faith both nodded.

  ‘Richard Bailey was building this boutique hotel probably four years back. Somehow he got wind that my company already had plans in place to build one exactly like it on the other side of
the lake, but Richard got in before me. I’m thinking a bit of money changed hands within the council.’ Jeff’s lips disappeared into a thin line. ‘Anyway, I have friends on the council too, plus loyal builders and sub-contractors who I go way back with — long before Richard Bailey showed his face in Crawton. I made it so Richard couldn’t get the building’s last sign-off on consent. He was losing money by the day. Without consent he couldn’t finish the last little bits and without a finished hotel he couldn’t open to paying guests. He eventually had to give up on it.’

  Zoe and Faith exchanged a glance, reading each other’s minds. It’s the perfect hiding spot. Zoe made her excuses to Pam why they couldn’t stay for dinner and headed back to Lillian’s.

  ‘It’s Richard Bailey,’ Zoe said as they crossed Lillian’s front yard, and described the way he treated the woman he was with at the gala dinner. ‘Jeff’s told me before that he’s never married, that he’s often seen with women half his age, sometimes even escorts.’

  ‘So what are we going to do about it?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ Zoe said. ‘But we’ve got to involve the police, don’t we?’

  Faith responded with a grunt.

  They walked up to the front door and both froze to the spot. It was wide open, splintered wood sticking out from where the door had been prised from the door jamb.

  ‘Shit,’ Faith whispered

  ‘Do we go in?’ Zoe asked, her heart beating through her chest.

  ‘Come on.’ Faith took a step in the door, with Zoe following.

  ‘Hello!’ Zoe shouted out

  ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Faith hissed back.

  ‘Jesus, I don’t know.’

  They made their way through the house, but it was obvious whoever had broken in had been and gone. In the lounge Lillian’s desk drawers were on the floor, the filing cabinet drawers open with papers strewn all over the ground.

  ‘My laptop’s gone,’ Zoe said.

  In the bedrooms drawers lay on the ground with their contents spread across the floor.