by Lois Kay
“That makes sense. Listen, about Martin. He’s not at the station yet, which I find to be a little odd. He’s usually the first one in.”
Trishia frowned. “Do you think he suspects anything?”
“I really don’t know, Trish. The more I learn about him, the more pissed I am, and the more I realize he’s as slippery as an eel in a bucket of snot.”
Trishia had to chuckle at that. Inspector Wong was severely ticked off. She couldn’t blame her. Martin Coles had been able to fool all of them, which didn’t leave a positive feeling. Suddenly, she was hit with a thought.
“Inspector. I’ve told you what Peter’s brother said, about Martin being a regular customer at this webcam business. Alice told me that when she was in Sydney, one of the places she regularly spent the night was Wentworth Park because there are a lot of homeless people there and it felt safer. Your friend, Superintendent Phillips, could she sent some people to the park and have a look around? See if there are any cameras he could have used, or hacked into?”
Inspector Wong laughed. “Great idea, Senior Sergeant,” she complimented. “I’ll give her a call right now, and as soon as I hear back from her, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Inspector. What’s next?”
“I did some more digging and found out our friend was raised by his father after his mother left them for another man. His father was very strict and didn’t shy away from corporal punishment.”
“That could explain his issues with women,” Trishia mumbled.
“That’s what I’m thinking. I can’t wait to have a chat with him.” Inspector Wong paused, and in the background, Trishia heard the familiar crackle of a police radio. “I called one of my contacts at the Magistrate’s Office and got a search warrant. Right now, they’re getting ready to surround the house and get in. Let’s hope he’s there.”
Trishia, who had been standing in the doorway, stepped back on the veranda and motioned Peter to follow her. “They’re going in right now?”
“As we speak,” Inspector Wong said. “Phil arrived at the scene about ten minutes ago, and I just heard that the house is surrounded. They’re entering now.”
“Damn,” Trishia muttered under her breath. She had sworn to keep Alice and the McDonnell family safe, and nothing could make her leave Murrook Farm unprotected, but not being able to be there when they entered Martin Coles’ house stung.
Trishia cast a look at Peter, who was casually leaning against the railing. His posture seemed relaxed, but Trishia had known her partner long enough to know he was as tense as she was.
“They are going inside Coles’ house right now,” she spoke, seeing Peter purse his lips. She knew he would have loved to have been there as well. Trishia held the cell phone tightly to her ear, afraid to miss anything. In the background, she could hear the crackling noise of another connection, possibly another police radio, which Inspector Wong used to stay informed.
“They’re in,” Inspector Wong announced, translating the crackling noises into something Trishia could understand.
They silently braced for what would happen next. Trishia picked up the unmistaken cries of ‘clear’ that resonated through Inspector Wong’s office and the open connection, and a feeling of dread started to blossom in the pit of her stomach. She nervously rubbed the back of her neck, her gaze locked with Peter’s. She knew he had a good idea of what was going on and he clenched his teeth. She could see the anger flare in his eyes.
“Please, please, please,” Trishia silently pleaded. “Let him be there, for Alice’s sake. For the sake of those poor girls. For their families. For the damn sake of the whole world!”
“He is what?” Inspector Wong’s voice suddenly bellowed, and Trishia winced, suppressing the urge to rub her ear. “He isn’t there? What the bloody hell?”
Trishia closed her eyes and felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. From what she understood of the one-sided conversation she could pick up; Martin Coles had not been home when the police had entered.
“Sonofafreakingbitch,” Inspector Wong cursed, adding a few more expletives that would make a sailor blush. “Trish, did you get that?”
“I did,” Trishia said, opening her eyes and staring at the floor.
“Stay where you are. Is Peter with you?”
“Yes, he is,” Trishia answered in a defeated tone.
“The both of you stay there. I don’t have to tell you why.”
“No, you don’t,” Trishia admitted, feeling tired and frustrated.
“I’ll follow up on some things here at my end, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. And Trishia? For God’s sake, be careful!”
“I will, Inspector,” Trishia promised. She switched off her cell phone and slid it back into her pocket.
Peter stepped closer and shot her an angry look. “Did the bastard get away?”
Trishia nodded. “He wasn’t in the house.”
Peter mumbled a few colorful swearwords and turned around. He put both hands on the railing and Trishia saw he was taking deep breaths. “Do you think he knew they were coming?” he asked without looking up.
Trishia shrugged. “Possibly. He didn’t show up at the station this morning, which is odd because he’s in the middle of an investigation and always arrives early.”
“How would he have known? Damnit.” Peter slapped the sturdy wood of the railing and turned around. “Do you think he’ll figure out Alice is here?”
Trishia raked her fingers through her hair. Was it really less than fifteen minutes ago she and Lucy were cocooned in their own little world? “I’d like to say he won’t, but the bloke isn’t stupid. He hasn’t seen me at the station for the last couple of days, and he knows I’d normally have been there. I think that’s another reason he put that doll in your drawer. He’s taunting us.”
“Wouldn’t he keep an eye on your place?”
“I’m sure he would, and that’s why he probably knows Alice is with me because I haven’t been home.”
Peter cursed again and angrily stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You could be at Lucy’s place.”
Trishia nodded. “I could be, but it won’t take him long to figure out I’m not there either.”
“And ever since our case with Joe Michaels and Little Steven Hayes, the entire Queensland police force knows your connection to Sam Stevens.” Peter took a deep breath. “Damn, Trish, it will only be a matter of time before he figures out Alice is here.”
The thought alone was enough to make Trishia queasy. “I’m afraid you’re right, so, we’ll have to come up with a plan,” she said. “Luckily, Sam’s got the security system up and running, and I’ve got to tell you, Pete, that makes me feel a little better.”
“Yeah, just a little, though. I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep until this is all over.”
Trishia chuckled and nodded. “I’m afraid you’re right.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We need to tell the girls.” She looked up. “We don’t have to go into detail, but they need to know what’s going to happen. If we don’t tell them, they’ll fill in the blanks, and I don’t want them to. I don’t want Alice to be scared, hell, I don’t want anyone to be afraid, that’s why they need to know. If only¬.”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence because Peter’s cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and shot her a quick glance. “It’s Perth,” he said, before answering.
Trishia was impatiently listening to the one-sided conversation. Peter nodded a lot and said things like ‘Okay,’ and ‘Yeah’ and ‘Sure,’ but the longer it took for him to finish, the more impatient she grew. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but only had been less than five minutes, he put away his phone. The look in his eye was one of excitement.
“Alright, spit it out already,” Trishia said.
“Killed two birds with one stone,” Peter said with a smile. “When I talked to our Western Australian coworker, I told him about my phone call to the school. He
already followed up on the report of the fire and the school.” Peter grinned. “Victoria Alice Wilson, currently sixteen years old, was enrolled at North Beach Highschool. A day after the fire, her uncle went to the school and told them Alice would be moving to Derby to be with her aunt since she had not relatives in the area.”
“What was his name? Do I dare ask?”
“The paperwork lists him as Martin Coles.”
“Son of a bitch! He didn’t even feel the need to change his name. Lucky for us, but what an arrogant bastard,” Trishia exclaimed. “Didn’t they need any identification? They just took his word for it?”
“He used his police identification, so I guess nobody questioned him. He also played the mourning ex-boyfriend part.”
“What about the fire?”
“The article Fiona found was the correct one. The report shows the most likely cause of the fire was a faulty wire. There was no indication it was arson. They found the remains of two people inside the house; a woman in her late thirties and a small boy. Their names were Allison and Dean Wilson. They both died of smoke inhalation. The body of the teenage daughter was not found, because, according to their information, she was visiting her aunt in Derby.”
“Let me guess, the source of that information was Martin Coles.”
“You guessed right.”
“What day of the week was the fire?”
“A Sunday,” Peter said. “They’ll be emailing us the report, plus all the information about Alice they can get from the school.” Peter leaned against the railing, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Our friend in Perth promised to try and find out more about Alice’s whereabouts around that time by talking to her former classmates and teachers. But he won’t be able to do that until tomorrow.”
“That’s decent of him.”
“Yeah, he sounds like a good one.”
Trishia breathed in deeply and squared her shoulders. “First thing we need to do is to see if Alice is ready to find out more about her background.”
Peter nodded. “I’m sure she can handle it,” he said. “She did an excellent job this morning when she identified Martin.”
“I hope you’re right,” Trishia said. “Let’s go talk to her and then come up with a plan.”
*
Alice had opted to hear what Peter and Trishia had found out about her with everyone present in the kitchen. Her choice had not surprised Lisa Bailey. It was clear to her that Alice was feeling increasingly comfortable and safe with her new friends. It made her feel confident that Alice could overcome the challenges she was facing and, hopefully, make a full recovery. She smiled when she noticed how Yarra and Fiona took a chair next to Alice, flanking her on both sides. They were protective of her and Lisa could not have been happier about that.
“Alright, Alice. Are you ready to hear what we’ve learned?” Trishia’s voice was gentle.
Alice nodded. She was taking a deep breath and cast a quick look at Lisa, who gave her an encouraging smile.
“You can do this, Alice,” Yarra said. “Just breathe.”
“I’m trying,” Alice replied. “I will. I’m breathing.”
Fiona playfully elbowed her. “Good. Don’t stop. Breathing is a minor detail of life.”
That brought a small smile to Alice’s face, and she relaxed a little. “I’m ready,” she said, looking at Trishia with expectant eyes.
“Last night, Fiona found a picture on the internet. In it, there’s a girl who looks like you. A lot.” Trishia tried to choose her words carefully.
Alice turned to Fiona and looked at her with wide eyes. “You did? What kind of picture?” Her voice was eager.
Fiona glanced up at Trishia who gave her a reassuring nod.
“It’s a picture that was taken a couple of years ago, I think. A girls’ soccer team.” Fiona shot Yarra a grin. “It didn’t have a caption, but I figured it was in or around Perth, so I looked up the logo on the shirts and found out the team was the North Beach Bandicoots.” Fiona paused and looked at Lisa, who was observing Alice intently.
Alice had gone pale as she was staring at Fiona.
“Are you alright?” Fiona asked.
“The Bandicoots?” Alice asked slowly. “The Bandicoots,” she repeated again as if she was tasting the words. “I played soccer.” Her gaze traveled across the kitchen until it settled on Lisa. “This doesn’t feel scary,” she said.
Lisa smiled. “That’s excellent, Alice.”
Alice turned back to Fiona and looked at her expectantly.
“This is where my part of the story ends,” Fiona said. “I emailed the picture to Trish and Peter, and they took it from there.”
Peter took over. “I contacted the police station in the North Beach Highschool area and asked them if they could follow up. I also left a message for the school’s principal, not expecting a call back, because it’s Sunday.” Peter paused and sent Alice a smile. “However, the police officer I talked to must have jumped on it immediately because he called me back to tell me you were indeed a student at North Beach Highschool and you were a member of the soccer team, the Bandicoots.”
Alice sat very still. Only her eyes were rapidly blinking as she was processing the information. Peter cast an uneasy glance at Lisa, who was calmly observing Alice.
“My jersey was purple and gold,” Alice said. There was a faraway look in her eyes. “I played midfield.” She tilted her head and frowned. “We came in second in the school league.” A small smile tugged the corner of her mouth. She looked at Fiona and bumped her shoulder. “I’m actually pretty good at soccer,” she said, making Fiona laugh. Her expression turned serious again. “Thank you, Fiona.”
Fiona shrugged. “For what?”
“For looking for me,” Alice swallowed hard. “For not giving up on me.”
Fiona met Alice’s gaze and smiled brightly. “That’s what friends do,” she said. “Besides, the soccer search really was Yarra’s idea.”
“Only because you asked the right question,” Yarra shot back.
“Fine.” Fiona chuckled. “It was a group effort.” She looked at the laptop in front of her. “Are you ready to see the picture?”
“Yes, I am,” Alice said excitedly.
Fiona opened her laptop and clicked on a file she had saved to her desktop. A window popped up, and Alice sucked in a breath.
“That’s me,” she whispered. She leaned in to get a closer look. Her fingers trembled when she pointed at the screen. “This is Brianna and Jess. And this is Maggie, and these two are Adah and Anaya, they’re twins.” Alice wasn’t aware of the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Jody with a happy smile. “I remember, Jody.”
Jody brushed away her own tears and let out a soft laugh. “That’s wonderful, Alice.”
Lisa glanced at Trishia with a raised eyebrow. Trishia nodded, letting her know there was more information. The look in Trishia’s eyes made it clear the next part would be tough. When she turned her attention back to Alice, she was staring at her and Trishia with a knowing look.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Alice’s voice was calm, with an undertone of sadness.
“Yes,” Trishia said.
Alice nodded and took a deep breath. “I want to know. Is it about the fire?”
Trishia appreciated Alice’s direct approach, and she decided to be as open and honest as she could be. “It is.”
“Tell me.” Alice looked confident, but her hand reached for Yarra, who grabbed it and let her hold on tight.
“You were right about the fire,” Trishia started. “It happened a little over a year-and-a-half ago. Your mother, Allison, and your brother, Dean, didn’t survive.”
Yarra winced when Alice’s grip on her hand increased, but she didn’t let go.
“Is that what the report said?” Alice’s voice was void of emotion, and Trishia looked at Lisa for permission to continue.
“Yes, that’s what the report says.”
Alice nodded. She was lo
oking at Fiona’s laptop, but it was evident she saw something else. “Did…did it say anything about me?”
Trishia hesitated. Alice deserved to know the truth, but that didn’t make it any easier to tell her. She felt a hand settle on her back and was grateful for Lucy’s silent support. “In the report, it says you weren’t home because you were visiting your aunt in Derby at the time of the fire.”
Alice flinched and took a couple of deep breaths. “I don’t have an aunt in Derby.” Her voice was raspy.
The expression on Trishia’s face was compassionate. “I know.”
Alice swallowed hard. “Is that what…he said? Was he there?”
The hand on Trishia’s back pressed closer and started making slow, circular motions. She sent Lucy a grateful look before turning her attention back to Alice. “Yes. It seems he was there and told the investigators you were in Derby.”
“I’ve never even been there,” Alice whispered. “What did he tell the school? Did he tell them the same thing?”
“Basically, yes. He told them you were going to stay with your aunt in Derby and go to school there.”
Alice bit her lip and stared at the table. “Is that why nobody was looking for me?”
Trishia closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat. “Yes, Alice. I believe that was the reason.”
Alice pressed her free hand against her stomach and let out a sound that was a mixture between a sob and a groan. Unexpectedly, she let go of Yarra’s hand, pushed back her chair and jumped to her feet. “I feel sick.” Before anyone could respond, she had rushed out of the kitchen, and within seconds the sound of retching and heaving came from the direction of the bathroom.
“Jody,” Fiona said softly, shooting her sister a pleading look.
“I’m on it, Red,” Jody said as she got to her feet and disappeared into the hallway.
Trishia planted her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. She was fighting to remain composed, focusing on Lucy’s hand on her back and taking deep, slow breaths. She had seen and heard a lot during her years with the police force, but the defeated, deeply hurt response from Alice had cut through her heart. She didn’t have to look at Peter to know he was fighting to keep his anger at bay.
