No One Can Hear You

by Nikki Crutchley

  ‘What do you mean, it was Alex?’

  ‘She didn’t say much but she’s in trouble. It sounds like he’s the one. He’s the one who’s been taking the women.’ Faith crouched low and walked towards one of the windows facing the street. ‘I’m here now. At his house. And shit, he’s got Zoe. She’s tied up on the couch.’

  ‘Jesus Christ. Has he got anything? A weapon?’

  ‘Not that I can see,’ Faith said, taking a second look through the window.

  ‘I’m going to get some guys together. Sit tight, we’re on our way. Don’t do anything, Faith. Just wait for us. I mean it,’ Emma warned.

  ‘Yeah, right,’ Faith said after she’d ended the call. She wasn’t going to leave Zoe in there with Alex. She made her way over to the front door and prised it open. A small lobby led to a short hall and into the lounge where she saw Alex and Zoe sitting. She heard them talking. He seemed calm. She moved into a corner by the lounge door and listened and waited.

  Chapter 57

  Click. The door opened. A man appeared. Through her fog she thought he looked familiar. He’d been here before. She’d only been here a week and she already had a regular.

  Click. He smiled hello, calling her Rose.

  Click. She watched through slitted eyes as he undressed. His eyes roved her body. She closed hers, willingly this time.

  Click. He was on top of her. He was heavy and she struggled to breathe. There was no need for him to be polite and take some of the weight off her. She was his, he could treat her any way he wanted.

  Click. Him thanking her.

  Click. Pudgy fingers taking a box of matches from the tray that held condoms. Lighting up his cigar and breathing the scented fumes over her naked body.

  Click. ‘You’re my favourite, Rose’. She didn’t care. ‘You’re to be my regular. How’s that?’ He was expecting her to be thankful? ‘My name’s Harold. I’m a principal at a very prestigious high school here in Auckland. I’m married with four children, two boys and two …’ and he kept going, assuming she cared. He paid her, or Donna, to care.

  Click. She wished she could go to sleep forever.

  Chapter 58

  ‘You won’t tell, will you, Zo? You won’t tell Faith?’ he said, eyes wide behind his long fringe.

  Zoe looked away. Out of everything he was worried about Faith?

  ‘I could leave,’ he said, pacing the room, making a plan. ‘Grab my passport, jump on a plane and get out of here. No one would ever know.’

  She found it hard to meet his intense gaze. ‘Jesus, Alex, we’re not in bloody high school now. What have you done? You need to tell me.’

  She had seen a shadow move down the hall. She tried not to react when she saw Faith’s worried face appear and then disappear just as fast.

  ‘Promise me, Zo. Promise you won’t call the police. We can sort this out. I’ll tell you but please, no police. I can’t handle that.’

  ‘Alex—’

  ‘Don't worry, Zo-Zo. It’s not like I'm going to hurt you.’ He glanced at her bound hands. ‘I just don’t want you going anywhere yet.’

  Just in case I run, Zoe thought. Just in case I try to fight.

  Alex looked different now, as if he’d shed his skin, but instead of looking new, reborn, he looked older, tired, his face slack and covered with a sheen of sweat. He paced the room, rubbing his hands together continuously.

  ‘Alex,’ she said, trying to get his attention. ‘Alex!’ she said, louder.

  He looked at her with glazed eyes.

  ‘Talk to me, Alex.’ She had to appear sympathetic, had to find out what he was involved in.

  ‘First, you need to promise,’ he said, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her, pointing a shaking finger at her. ‘I’ll tell you. But no cops, and then I need to go.’

  ‘I promise.’ She’d do anything.

  He smiled. He looked relieved.

  ‘Are you responsible for the disappearances of Megan and Tania?’

  He nodded. And then shook his head, looking confused. ‘I need to tell you from the start,’ he said, as if attending confession.

  ‘OK,’ Zoe nodded. But there was silence as Alex gazed past her at the wall. ‘Alex.’

  ‘Yeah?’ he said, his focus back on her. ‘Sorry, this is a big deal. I need to get it off my chest, Zo. I never really knew what I was getting myself into, not all those years ago with Faith. I thought it was a bit of fun. I was so young …’ He got up and started pacing again. ‘I took Faith that night. I asked her to meet me at the little lake. I was told to give her some alcohol, there was some kind of drug in it and she passed out really quick. I remember that scaring me,’ he said with a small grin, as if he was being silly. It unnerved Zoe and she sat back in the couch as far away from him as possible.

  ‘I took her up to this old farmhouse at Mosely’s Hill. And that was it. I’d done it. I felt a bit bad when you were getting worried where she was. But turns out she did a runner.’ He blinked twice, obviously upset at the failing. ‘I thought she’d be a good fit. I was the one who offered her up. Bit of a rookie error.’

  Zoe needed more and asked, ‘Tania and Megan? You took them as well.’

  ‘I don’t really do much of that these days. I suggested Megan. I’d seen her at the community house a few times. Seemed like a good prospect. We have people to do that for us now.’

  Zoe felt sick to her stomach seeing his look of pride, as though he had established a well-run business. ‘Where are they, Alex?’ she asked.

  ‘You know, don’t you?’ he said, stopping in front of her. ‘The Secret Garden. Well, next door actually. I bought the property just out of uni. Our own little paradise. We have a few, one in Auckland, one in Wellington and another in Christchurch. We cater for men with specific needs for women who are …’ He struggled to find the right word. ‘Compliant, shall we say.’

  ‘You abduct women to be used as sex slaves?’ Zoe lowered her head so she didn’t have to look at him.

  ‘Yes!’ he said, clapping his hands together. ‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’

  ‘And Lillian?’

  ‘Well, you know she was sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. She found out, or was very close to finding out, that we were abducting women.’

  ‘You killed her?’

  ‘God, no, Zo.’ He seemed shocked that Zoe could think he would do such a thing.

  He’s delusional, she thought, glancing down the hallway towards the front door. Where the hell are the cops?

  ‘Tai killed her.’

  Zoe should’ve been shocked, but she wasn’t. ‘You keep saying “we”. Do you mean Tai and you?’

  She jumped when Alex barked out a laugh. ‘Tai Ngata? He’s the muscle and babysitter and that’s about it.’

  ‘So who’s we, Alex?’

  ‘I probably shouldn’t say.’ But he grinned, as if he had a secret.

  ‘Alex, please.’

  The smile disappeared. ‘No, I can’t. I’ll get in trouble.’ He sounded like a schoolboy.

  Zoe moved on. ‘Aroha?’

  He teared up then and sat beside Zoe. ‘I didn’t mean any of that to happen.’ He wiped his eyes. The tears disappeared as quickly as they’d come.

  ‘Didn’t mean any of what to happen — the relationship, or her disappearance?’

  ‘Her disappearance. She had to go. She’s gone now. It was the same thing, Zo. She knew too much. If you fucking meddling women had just stayed out of it,’ he shouted, ‘everything would’ve been fine!’

  Zoe got up from the couch with some trouble and moved away from him. He didn’t seem to notice.

  ‘I loved her. We’d been together almost a year. Nothing was ever going to happen. That would’ve been impossible, but I did love her. Jeff told me she had to go. I had no choice.’ He rubbed at his face.<
br />
  ‘Jeff? What do you mean, Jeff told you she had to go?’

  ‘He’s really the one in charge. Always has been. But it’s like we were more partners now these days. You know, equals.’ He stared up at her proudly. ‘He gave me the money to buy the building next to The Secret Garden. That was his way of saying I was ready. And I was.’ He reached a hand out to Zoe. ‘I was ready to run all of it. But still, I guess he’s like my dad. I’m always going to do as he says.’

  Zoe sat heavily on an armchair away from Alex. She felt like she’d been punched in the chest. She swallowed hard to remove the bile that threatened to come up. ‘Jeff?’ she said. ‘Jeff Worthington?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Well, there we go, cat’s out of the bag now.’ Alex frowned at his slip of the tongue. ‘You seem shocked, Zo.’

  She didn’t say anything. How is this possible? Lillian dead. Aroha dead. Tania and Megan and countless others forced into God knows what. All at the hands of Alex and Jeff. Her family, or at least what she thought of as her family. She stifled a sob and brought her bound hands up to her face. ‘Jesus, Alex. When did you become … this?’

  ‘This? This is me. This is the real Alex. The school counsellor, the good guy, the “Alex will take care of that” — that’s the front, Zoe. That’s what makes me tired. The pretending.’

  ‘Jeff did this to you,’ Zoe said, refusing to believe that the man sitting in front of her now was one of her best and oldest friends.

  ‘Jeff helped me. Made me strong. Made me a man. Taught me how to control. Showed me what power looked like, felt like. We have, had, a good thing going on, and you and Lillian sticking your noses in has ruined everything.’

  ‘Were you going to kill me? Are you going to kill me?’

  ‘I tried to tell you at the start that it was a waste of time. Should’ve known that you of all people would be like a dog with a bone. Tried to warn you by smashing your windows, running you off the road before.’

  ‘Jesus, that was you?’

  ‘It was Garth. Tai’s had to bugger off for now.’

  Just then Richard Bailey came to mind. He wanted Lillian’s house, but other than that, he had nothing to do with this. It was Jeff. And Alex.

  ‘I still don’t understand how you could have done this. You, Alex.’ She was remembering her nerdy best friend from high school. Images of Jeff Worthington flitted into her head. Warning her off Richard Bailey, his love for Pam, his community service, giving Alex a father figure when he most needed it. The perfect cover. All lies.

  Alex got up from the couch and looked out the window. ‘I’m a trustworthy kind of guy. These women were screaming for attention and I gave it to them.’ He closed the curtains. ‘They trusted me. All of them. It got easier and easier. Faith was clever. Too clever for what we wanted. I learnt a lot from that. She got away, which was probably for the best. And she’s kept her mouth shut ever since. Well, up until now.’

  ‘God, Alex, how many have there been?’

  He smiled. Probably reliving each abduction. She shuddered.

  ‘Too many to count, Zo. Jeff was doing this a few years before I got involved. They weren’t all from Crawton, that would be too obvious. Around Auckland mostly. Women, not too old, that’s important, but not too young either. Women who have no one, who are going nowhere. We’re doing them a favour. Giving them a new life.’

  Zoe saw headlights play across the ceiling from a gap in the curtain. Please be the police.

  Alex, noticing the same thing, looked out from behind the edge of the curtain. Did he sense his time was up? ‘I’ve probably said too much now.’

  ‘Did you ever think about taking me? Back then?’ Zoe asked quickly, wanting to keep him talking.

  ‘Nah.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because as absent as your mother was, she did love you.’

  Zoe shook her head.

  ‘OK, maybe not back then. But we’re not exactly going to abduct the teenager of a high-school staff member. That’s not the way it works, Zoe. Anyway, your mum did love you. We became really good friends over the last few years,’ Alex said, ignoring the irony of his statement. ‘She is, was, so intelligent. She used to talk about you when she’d had one too many whiskies. How proud she was of you.’

  There was a loud bang as the front door flew open and crashed against the wall. Emma and Liam ran into the lounge room, tasers drawn. With Alex distracted, Zoe pushed herself up from the armchair and ran into the kitchen, as far away from Alex as possible.

  ‘Alex Buchanan!’ Liam shouted. ‘Stay right where you are.’

  Alex didn’t look surprised, just stood passively in the centre of the lounge and offered no resistance when Liam handcuffed him.

  ‘No police, Zo. You said.’ He looked at her, injured, defeated.

  Zoe shrugged and pushed herself into the corner of the kitchen. She didn’t want to speak to him ever again.

  Faith appeared at the lounge door and marched over to Alex. ‘You took me.’ It wasn’t a question.

  Alex nodded. ‘I didn’t want to take you that night, Faith. I was so scared. Jeff made me do it.’

  ‘Bullshit. You fucking liar. I’ve been standing out there for the last ten minutes listening to you. You were excited.’

  Alex seemed unaffected by the confrontation. ‘Do you even remember?’ He stared at Faith. ‘All these years, I’ve wondered. You never know what the brain is really capable of—’

  ‘You ruined my fucking life.’

  Faith balled her hand into a fist and punched him. It was a pitiful blow, glancing off the bottom of his chin, doing him no harm. She shifted to his stomach where she landed a few more punches.

  ‘Faith, stop.’ Emma pulled her away. ‘We need to take him to the station.’

  ‘Oh yeah, where Max bloody Vincent will let him go with a slap on the wrist.’

  ‘No, Faith. Not this time.’ Emma ushered the two shaken women from the room.

  *

  Zoe and Faith were in the main office of the Crawton police station. Zoe looked up and, through the glass partition saw Max Vincent in his office. He was speaking on his mobile and rubbing his forehead. He looked up and their eyes met. Zoe was the first to look away.

  Over an hour later, two men in suits entered the side room where Alex was being held. ‘CIB from Auckland,’ Emma said. ‘They’ll interview him tonight.’

  ‘And then what?’ Faith said, watching Vincent.

  ‘We’ll have to wait and see,’ Emma said. ‘I have a Victim Support officer here to see you. You’ve been through a lot. Do you want to have a chat with her?’

  ‘Not me,’ Zoe said. ‘Can we just do our statements and get out of here?’ She hated being in the same vicinity as Alex. Her brain was still trying to match together what she’d found out and how Alex and Jeff had been responsible.

  ‘I’ll go with her but I’m not going to talk to her,’ Faith said.

  ‘You don’t have to.’ Emma’s voice was calm and quiet, as though placating a child. ‘She’s there if you need her. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.’

  A detective came and sat with Zoe while Faith went to the staffroom for a coffee with the Victim Support officer. ‘Can you tell me what happened tonight?’ he said, kindly and without pressure.

  Zoe found it hard to find the words. ‘It started weeks ago. Can I start from there?’

  ‘Of course. In your own time.’

  And she began.

  Chapter 59

  Harold was still in the room. Sitting on the edge of the bed. He’d been talking for the past few hours, it seemed. Megan had no idea what was happening, but it was better than the alternative. She guessed because he paid Donna he got to do what he wanted. If it was talking, she could handle that. But she was so tired. She sat herself up and leaned against the pillows, nodding in response to hi
s stories about his frigid wife, his ungrateful children and his stressful job.

  In the hallway she heard hurried footsteps and doors opening. Then there was a lot of shouting and Harold stopped talking. He stood to open the door and got hit in the face when a bearded man in a long beige coat shoved it open. Donna would be pissed, Megan thought. Harold would complain that his time wasn’t up.

  ‘Excuse me,’ Harold said, his double chin quivering as he reached for his pants. ‘I have another half an hour left. Donna will be hearing about this.’

  The man said, ‘My name is Detective Ryan Abernathy. Get dressed and step outside. There’s a policeman there ready to take your details.’

  A detective? She wasn’t sure if she’d heard right.

  ‘This is ridiculous,’ Harold stuttered. ‘I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m a highly respected school principal. I need a lawyer. Do I need a lawyer? This is preposterous.’ He was protesting as he left the room to be joined by a uniformed police officer outside the door.

  Megan could see more uniformed police walking up and down the hall. Detective Abernathy handed her a robe with his eyes averted. She’d forgotten she was naked. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, and she could tell he instantly regretted his words. ‘Can you get up, can you walk?’ he asked, offering a hand. She took it and pulled herself up with some effort. She could do anything if it meant getting out of this room.

  She walked down the hall past a long line of men who looked like Harold in one way or another: overweight or at least fighting middle-age spread, tailored suits, that look of arrogance which showed they could get anything they wanted. She averted her eyes and concentrated on the left side of the wall, following Abernathy’s long strides. She passed Donna, whiter than usual, handcuffed. Their eyes met: Donna’s were dead, not sorry, not sad. Nothing.