His eyes, though tired, were still her daddy’s eyes though. They were as blue as the sky and they looked at her with so much love there was no doubt he still treasured his little girl. There was a connection in those eyes that could only be shared by a father and his daughter. The look of love, whilst corny, was not just for poems and love songs. It was real and shared by every parent and their child.
Jasmine wasn’t sure exactly where to begin, there were so many unanswered questions. Her head hurt just thinking and trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the last thirteen years. She took a deep breath and tried to start from the beginning.
“Dad, what happened to you?”
“You should rest, honey. There’s plenty of time for that.”
“No, I’m ready to hear it. I need to understand.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Please, go ahead. I have so many questions.” She squeezed her father’s hand to show her strength.
“I was kidnapped. On the night of the fire, I was taken to a warehouse. Even now, I’m not sure exactly where it was. They blindfolded me and locked me up.
“After a few days, I was moved again. This time it was to an underground laboratory. They had me make drug after drug. They wanted the most powerfully addictive narcotic they could get. Strong enough to make you addicted, but not enough to kill you instantly. I was there for two years – two long years.
“One day, two of the guards were having an argument. A huge fight about something or other. I took my opportunity whilst they were distracted and I managed to escape – barely. They almost caught me just as I thought I was free. That’s how I got this scar.” He straightened his left leg and pulled up his jeans to reveal a scar on his ankle that encircled his leg.
Jasmine made a face at the sight of the scar. It wasn’t pretty and must have inflicted some serious pain. “Eww. How did you escape?”
“Luckily, laboratories need a great deal of ventilation. I managed to climb into one of the vents and crawl through to the ground level. From there, it was just a matter of finding a window to break and jumping through. Outside, the security was pretty lax. They relied heavily on the armoured guards that were directly watching me. I ran like an Olympic sprinter towards the outside fence and scrambled over it or at least I tried. I got caught up in the razor wire, which is how that happened.
“I was trying to unravel my ankle when the guards saw me. I got free at the last minute and just kept running. I ran and ran until I was exhausted. Then I hid. I found this old abandoned building and hid in the roof cavity. I must have been there for about two days before I got up the courage to leave.”
“Where was this?”
“That’s the strange thing. I was in South America. I didn’t even realise I’d been on a plane. They must have drugged me very well before we moved. So here I was, in a strange country, with nothing – no money, no clothes, no passport, and no clue.”
“What did you do?”
“I befriended some street people and they let me live with them in one of their little shelters. We looked out for each other. I said I had amnesia and couldn’t remember who I was.”
“Didn’t they come looking for you?”
“They did indeed. It was only after about a week that I realised I needed to get out of there completely. Sooner or later I’d slip up and be found. Once, they walked right past my shelter and I thought I was as good as dead. I was lucky – they kept walking. People like that don’t give the time of day to the homeless. My friends helped me to get a passport and I snuck out of the country. From there, I travelled all over. I didn’t want to stay in the same place for very long.”
“How did you survive?” Jasmine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It sounded more like the Bourne Identity than her father’s life.
“I did odd jobs around the place. I tried to stay in the countryside, rather than cities, so I got very good with my farming skills. Once, when I was in Nepal, I acted as an honorary Sherpa. Now that was an experience!”
“It was you that sent me the postcards, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “It was. I missed you and Lucy so much. I just wanted to call you. I went to the phone so many times, but I couldn’t risk it. You were safer thinking I was dead. I thought of the postcards as my way of being part of your new life. Did you work it out because of Felix?”
“I did. I have to admit though, it was only recently. You should have been blunter.” She smiled. “How did you know what I was doing at the time? You knew when I graduated.”
“Brad here has been my eyes and ears. He’s been giving me updates ever since I left South America.”
“Almost gave me a heart attack when I heard from him the first time,” Brad piped up from the corner.
“Dad, why you? Why did they do all this to you? Why kill Mum?”
“I think it was just convenient for them, to tell you the truth. I was the head of the department and eager to please the bosses. At first, I felt special, working on a project with the bigwigs. Then it just kind of got out of control. I told them I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore and they reacted badly.”
“That’s an understatement. I couldn’t figure out why they would fire you when they really wanted you to stay? What was with the animal cruelty investigation?”
“They fired me – or ‘asked me to resign’ – so they had the opportunity to kidnap me. It put some distance between us so they wouldn’t be connected to the fire. The animal cruelty thing was just to tarnish my image. If an animal torturer died in a house fire, people wouldn’t be too quick to feel sorry for me and ask lots of questions.”
“So they just wanted to humiliate you, before completely ruining your life?”
“That’s the bones of it, yes.”
“Why did Brad and all the others you worked with walk too? I keep hearing it’s because you were such a great person.”
“Partly.” He smiled and looked back at Brad before moving on with the story. “But it was probably because everyone sensed what was going on. They saw it as their opportunity to get out and not be involved in any of the ‘special’ projects.”
“Do Gran and Gramps know you’re alive?”
“Yeah, they do and before you get upset with them, I told them not to tell you. I asked Brad to let them know the circumstances and why it must be kept a secret.”
“Brad, how did you know I was in trouble?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on you for the past week or so. I thought you were up to something when you came into the pharmacy the first time, so I started keeping tabs on you. When you brought me those drug recipes, I knew you were up to something. I was sitting outside the Marshall house that morning when I heard a gunshot. I thought you might need some help, so I broke into the house. I found a man shot downstairs and got really worried.”
“You saved my life. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well, I kind of had to. Your father would have killed me if I’d let anything happen to you. You gave me a scare though. I thought he’d killed you before I got hold of him.”
“To tell you the truth, I thought he had too. I thought for sure my time was up.”
“We Parkers are tough. We don’t let little bullets stop us.”
“I need to tell the police everything. I had a file on what I’d found out.”
“Already taken care of. The police found your notebook and papers and I helped them fill in the gaps. All of them have been arrested and bail refused. They were considered a flight risk because of the resources available to them.”
Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad she had missed all the action. Recounting everything to the police seemed too taxing for her energy right now. “Are you safe now?”
“Well, let’s say I’m not going to be parading through town for a while, but if they tried anything, the police would know it was them. They are keeping an eye out for me.”
“The police chief was involved in it, you know.”
>
“Which is exactly why he is now behind bars in the city. They didn’t even trust him enough to keep him in the district gaols. An influential guy like that has friends.”
“Did you know they tried to kill me? They sent me a bomb in the mail.”
“I did. Turns out, they did a lot more than just send you a bomb. Given a few days more and they would have had you – no doubt about it. You were lucky to avoid them. They wanted you gone and were prepared to do anything to make sure it happened.”
“I saw Mum’s autopsy report. There was nothing but a few bones left of her.” The image of the charred bones was burned into her memory – something she’d prefer to have forgotten.
“I know. Try not to think about it. Remember her for the wonderful woman she was.”
“Did you miss her?”
“Of course I did. She was the love of my life. I’ll never find anyone that can hold a candle to her. I’ve been mourning her for the past thirteen years.”
“I miss her all the time.”
“Me too, but at least we have each other now.”
“Have you seen Lucy?”
“I have. She’s been in here for the last few days. She said you had worked out I was alive already. She’s grown into a beautiful young woman. I’m so proud to have such perfect daughters.”
On the verge of tears and trying to change the subject, Jasmine remembered that Logan was in the same hospital. “How is Logan? Does anyone know?”
“Logan’s fine. He lost a lot of blood, but pulled through. Turns out that boyfriend of yours wasn’t a very good shot. Got him in the guts, but managed to miss most organs. We’ll have to have a talk about your choice of friends.”
“You know all about Caleb then?”
Her father nodded. “We do. Are you okay?”
“I’ll be okay. I don’t think everything has had time to process yet. Once it sinks in I might be a basket case. Which gaol do they have him in?” Brad and John exchanged a nervous glance. Jasmine saw it and grew nervous. “Dad? What aren’t you telling me?”
“The police went to Caleb’s house. They searched through every room, including the one Brad said he found you in, but they didn’t find him, honey.”
Chapter 22
Three weeks after she had been rushed to the hospital in the back of Brad’s car, Jasmine was officially discharged and ready to go home.
She wasn’t leaving alone. Her father, Lucy, Gran and Gramps were all there for the short journey. It was almost as much fuss as having a family reunion. They were all so happy to be back together that it didn’t matter under what circumstances they were gathering.
Jasmine wasn’t going straight home. For the first time in over a decade, she was going to be living with her father at her grandparents’ house. They needed time to get to know each other again. Lucy had signed up for the sleep over too.
The doctors signed her out and she was free to leave the hospital. They all bustled out into the car park and climbed into Gramps’ old Toyota Landcruiser. Not the most comfortable or stylish ride, but it got them home swiftly and safely.
Jasmine’s shoulder was still tender. She was overly careful not to put it in harm’s way again. Gran made her a bed on the lounge in the living room, where they all sat around with fresh cups of tea, coffee, and homemade biscuits. Jasmine looked around the room, from one face to another. It made her happier than words could describe to be a family again. If only her mother was there, it would have made the portrait complete.
Every time her mother entered her mind – which was quite often – it made her sad. The memories of her might have been happy, but the loss just overshadowed her whole life. It eclipsed all the happiness she had brought to their lives. Jasmine tried hard to remember the good times without the bad, but it was difficult. She was going to have to work harder at it.
Still, even with the tinge of sadness that she felt, she felt so much love for the people sitting there with her. She just wanted time to stand still for a little bit. The rest of the world could just go away. All she needed was her family.
The conversation stayed light and upbeat. No one mentioned the awful events of the past. They were reminiscing about Christmases they had shared and funny anecdotes about birthday parties that had gotten out of hand. They really did have many years to catch up on.
John knew he couldn’t relive those events with them all and that hearing them was as close as he was going to get, but at least it was something. In the future, he would be there to join in. He would get to walk his daughters down the aisle, be a grandfather himself, and actually know his family again. This was not a time to regret the past or hold anger about the perpetrators of the crimes against them. This was the time to build a future. Not just any future, but one filled with togetherness, love, and laughter.
Jasmine was pulled out of her thoughts by her grandfather as he handed her the newspaper.
“I’m not sure if you want to read this.”
Jasmine accepted the paper. The downward spiral of the Avalon elite was still front-page news. She read through the many articles on the subject. Ironically, some were written by the infamous Chester Rake. She wondered how much of the ‘facts’ could be relied upon.
Avalon Laboratories Industries Pty Ltd was immediately closed down following the police investigation. Its CEO and management team were all up on charges relating to the manufacture and exportation of illegal narcotics. The only ones that escaped prosecution were the few that promised to reveal everything and cooperate with police in exchange for immunity. They didn’t need many witnesses though. The evidence was stacked as high as a skyscraper against them. For a well-organised operation, they were sloppy with their records.
The other staff members at the labs didn’t have any clue what was going on. The factory and office workers had no idea they were facilitating in the manufacture of illegal drugs. They were all told at every staff meeting what a great service they were doing for the world, making life-saving medications for the masses. Now unemployed, they had to start their careers all over again.
All the shareholders were charged with crimes that read longer than a novel. Stanley Reiner was shunned by the very system he had enforced for over thirty years. The policemen that were his friends were shocked at his dealings in the underworld. His wife – as surprised to hear of his double life as everyone else – was forced out of town in shame. There wasn’t a person in town that didn’t know just what her husband had been up to.
Bruce Hamil had suffered a similar fate. He had been chief of the Avalon Fire Department for decades and had started there as a rookie, fresh out of high school. All the good work he had done, which included raising enough funds from the public every three years to keep the fleet of fire engines in pristine condition, was forgotten. He was now branded a criminal and a liar. Many of his previous cases were now being reviewed to see just how far his deceit had extended. The public were questioning how many of his other cases were wrong, how many other crimes he had covered up for the group.
Cynthia Storm had been caught trying to flee the country when they came knocking at her door. She had booked a flight and her bags were packed. Given another half an hour, she would have been on her way to Panama. When the police went through her financial records, they discovered a lot more than they had bargained for. Cynthia had never actually been a qualified lawyer. She had been trading under a false licence. The legal advice she charged generously for may or may not have been correct.
Becky Storm didn’t stand by her mother. She was last heard of leaving town with her boyfriend, Michael Reiner. They were both determined to distance themselves from their families and the town as quickly as possible. Becky had thought that everyone knowing about the domestic abuse in her household was enough. Murder was too much for her to bear. She had always thought the town was too small for her anyway.
Keith and Margaret Marshall were arrested and interrogated for hours. The police were not only interested in them, but they thought for
sure they might have some information about the whereabouts of their son Caleb. The sad part of their story was that their money was legitimate. They had been excellent businesspeople all their lives and had amassed a genuine fortune. Their involvement with Avalon Laboratories was mere greed on their part. Caleb might have been protecting his lifestyle, but it wasn’t needed. Their fortune would not suffer because of the arrests.
Ella Marshall left town almost as quickly as Becky had. She told her parents she was moving to London to study at the London School of Arts. Her parents didn’t get a say in the matter. She had a passport and the money. Their permission would have just been icing on the cake.
Hamish Hayden received the most charges, as it was his business that exported the drugs. Crossing into international territory was far worse than dealing locally. His company, Hayden Incorporated Pty Ltd, had survived the downfall of its owner. Vowing to return to its legal exporting business, Buster Hayden had taken over the reins. He had rallied the team and promised he would not rule with the iron rod his father had. From all accounts, the employees held great respect for their new boss and were happy to have the company back on track again.
Lucy stayed with Buster through everything. She knew the day would come where she would have to counsel him through the turmoil. She was happy it had come sooner rather than later.
Even after only a few weeks of their new life, they had settled into a routine together. There was even talk of an imminent engagement. Lucy hadn’t told him she had known all the time. He didn’t need to know she had kept that secret.
Brent McBain was up on the most murder charges. Some might call him an excellent assistant with a fantastic work ethic, for all the work he carried out for his boss. He claimed to have only been following orders, scared of Hamish Hayden. The police saw right through the charade. He was not a man you would order about. He was the type of man you would be afraid to say ‘boo’ to. Murder came like second nature to him. The thought he was acting only under duress was almost laughable. The police had moved him to a maximum-security gaol the second they got the paperwork for him.
Ashes to Ashes Page 30
