‘I’m pretty sure I know why you’re here.’ Gillmeister approached Taylor first and shook her hand, then Jack’s. Dressed in a white polo shirt and shorts, the man reminded Jack of a health resort tennis professional. ‘It’s a terrible business about Cameron.’
‘This room reminds me of my sadistic headmaster,’ said Jack. ‘Is there somewhere else we can talk that ain’t so oppressive?’
‘Sure. Staff room?’
‘Suits us.’ Taylor stood, smoothed her trousers and opened the door. ‘Let’s go.’
As they crossed an expansive quadrangle enclosed by sandstone buildings, dozens of girls in maroon and navy uniforms, alone, in pairs or chattering in groups, scurried in multiple directions. Some home, others to after-school activities. Jack thought of his own daughter. Skye had been attending school for four years now. Not a posh private one like St Hilda’s, but a government comprehensive. He’d fled the UK before she’d even started Year 1. He’d missed so much of her life it made his heart ache. Christ, she’d be entering Year 5 in September. Easter would coincide with his trip home – assuming it even happened –and he’d be able to catch up on so much of what he’d missed. Sarah said if he kept his nose clean in London she’d consider bringing Skye to Australia for a holiday. At Jack’s expense, of course, and that was perfectly OK with him. But that was all hypothetical stuff. First he had to find a killer.
Gillmeister brought the detectives instant coffee, a can of soft drink for himself. Jack took a sip and winced. ‘Geez, you’d think an elite school like this would have better coffee for its teachers, wouldn’t you Claudia?’
Taylor tasted her drink and smiled. ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about. Mine’s fine.’
‘No, I agree with Detective Lisbon here,’ said Gillmeister. ‘It’s a running joke. But the focus is on spending money for the benefit of the students, not the teaching staff.’
‘Wouldn’t happy and contented teachers be a better proposition than ones pissed off about the facilities?’ said Jack.
‘That’s my argument, but it falls on deaf ears. I’m just a humble PE teacher who’s only been tenured for a year. Who’s going to listen to my complaints?’
Jack tapped a forefinger on the tabletop. ‘Time’s marching on, Mr Gillmeister, or may I call you Trent?’
‘Trent’s fine.’
‘The thing is, Trent, we’re a wee bit concerned about the lack of progress in our investigation into the murder of your sister’s ex-husband.’
Gillmeister gestured with open palms. ‘I’m at your service. My sister is a mess, so you know I’ll do anything I can to help.’
‘Good, good.’ Jack absently scratched his chin. ‘Now, what was the first thing I wanted to…hang on, you didn’t have a beard in your staff profile, did you?’
‘Very observant, Detective Lisbon. I was clean shaven when I started working here.’
‘Props to you, Trent. A very dashing beard it is. I’m not sure a delicate Pommy like me could tolerate one in this climate.’
Gillmeister gave half a laugh. ‘That’s the exact reason I did it. The heat was starting to give me a nasty rash when I shaved. I tried all kinds of creams and lotions. The only thing to stop it was this crop of facial hair.’ He fired a wink so fast Jack nearly missed it. ‘You think it suits me, Detective Taylor?’
‘Sure,’ she said as if she couldn’t care less. ‘I don’t go for bearded men myself, but each to their own.’
Good one, Claudia was what Jack wanted to say but bit his tongue.
‘I do like honest ones, though.’ Taylor added as she opened her notepad. ‘Men, that is.’
‘Actually,’ said Jack, reaching into his pocket. ‘Speaking of honesty, do you mind if I record you on my phone? Mainly for your protection, you understand.’
‘Not at all.’ Gillmeister produced his own mobile, pressed a few buttons and placed it on the table. ‘As long as I can do the same. Then we’ll cover all our arses.’
‘OK,’ Jack continued, realising he wasn’t dealing with a fool. ‘I’m going to get the unpleasant questions out of the way first. Can you explain your whereabouts on the night of Monday, 4th March?’
‘Easy. I was with Lydia.’
‘What?’ said Taylor. ‘In Yorkville?’
‘Yep. She was having a particularly bad night. She’d taken a couple of tranquilisers but they weren’t doing the job. She told me Cameron was in Cairns checking on some machinery at his other pool hall, so she couldn’t go over to his place for,’ he made air quotes, “comfort” like she sometimes did.’
‘Do you often travel all the way to Yorkville when Lydia’s feeling out of sorts?’
‘When I can, yeah.’
‘Even with school the next day?’
‘Why not? It’s only an hour each way. When I lived in Sydney, that was considered a reasonable daily commute. I’ll be frank with you, officers. I warned her time and time again not to go back to him. You know he had a domestic violence order taken out on him, right?’
Jack nodded. ‘Of course. But Lydia withdrew it and she denies Snyder was violent with her. He’s got no history of police attention since that DVO was cancelled.’
‘Did you check his record as a younger man back in New South Wales?’
‘We’re onto that. But while we’re waiting, tell us what we can expect to find.’
‘Numerous police visits when Lydia called triple zero, scared Cameron would kill her. He was never charged with anything to do with that, always knew how to manipulate her into backing down.’
‘I’m not sure all of those call outs are going to be kept on file, Trent,’ said Jack, shaking his head, as if disappointed in Gillmeister’s answer.
‘There’s definitely a break and enter charge for a burglary. He and Lydia did it when they were in their late teens. He had her hypnotised, she’d do anything he said. And that’s basically never changed.’
‘Until now,’ said Jack.
‘That backs up Lydia’s statement about her fingerprints being on record,’ said Taylor. ‘I’ll be making a request to the NSW police for access tomorrow, see if there’s more in the storybook. I’m a little puzzled, though, Trent.’
‘Oh really, why?’
‘You painting a picture of Snyder as a violent man, coupled with the fact his nemesis Randall Sowell told us you were a highly protective brother, is doing you no favours.’
‘Indeed,’ chimed in Jack. ‘The more you rub the dirt into poor deceased Cameron Snyder, the more motive you’re giving yourself.’
‘As I said, I was with Lydia the night Cameron was killed. All night. Plus,’ he smiled broadly through his neat beard, ‘DC Taylor here said she liked honest men, so I’m telling the truth.’
‘Are you saying all this just so I’ll like you?’ said Taylor, scribbling in her notebook. ‘I’m not in the habit of being picked up by persons of interest in murder enquiries.’
‘I…no…oh Jesus, it’s nothing like that.’
Good one, Claudia, Jack thought again. Putting him on the spot nicely.
‘Then what?’ she added.
‘I’m co-operating, OK? I can only tell you what I know. Apart from Randall Sowell, I’m not aware of any other people who might’ve wanted to kill Cameron, for whatever reason.’
‘Didn’t Lydia talk to you about Snyder’s work?’
Trent laughed. ‘No way. Why give me ammunition to support my argument she should stop seeing him? She protected Cameron, his reputation. Even after it got to the point where she couldn’t handle his temper tantrums and had to leave him, she still carried a torch. Love is blind, officers.’ He paused for a second. ‘If I asked about him, she’d always steer the subject in another direction.’
‘What was your own relationship with Mr Snyder like?’ said Jack. Time to suck the wind out of Gillmeister’s sails. ‘You must’ve hated his guts the way he roughed up your little sister.’
‘He wasn’t on my Christmas card list, let’s put it that way. I’ve known hi
m for years, Lydia and Cameron got together when they were in high school. I’d see him at the odd social function. I always had my suspicions he was beating her, but no proof. Even if I had, my energies were spent trying to convince Lydia to leave Cameron, not taking revenge on him. I’m not a violent man, detectives.’
‘You look physically strong enough to have handled Snyder easily,’ said Jack. ‘You and he never got into any altercations over the years?’
Gillmeister shook his head, locked eyeballs with the DS. ‘I’ve resisted the temptation.’
‘You’ve got amazing restraint,’ said Jack. ‘If someone was hurting a person close to me, my daughter for instance, well…I’d be putting a stop to it whichever way I could.’
‘That’s you, not me. And you know what? There were times the charming bastard almost had me fooled, made me question if I was wrong about him. He’d have me convinced everything was in Lydia’s head. That she mistook his “excitable nature”, as he himself put it, for mental instability. If I was at a barbecue or a party or something at their house, he was the friendliest, nicest person you could hope to meet. But deep down, I knew he was putting on a show. And if I knew, officers, then others must have known. A two-faced snake like him would have made a ton of enemies in all walks of life. I’d go back to that Randall Sowell, if I were you. Or maybe Cueball Snyder wasn’t redneck enough for his ultra-patriotic mates. They don’t like traitors in their ranks.’
‘Anyone else?’ said Taylor, placing the pen neatly on the notepad.
Gillmeister shrugged. ‘He ran two pool halls. Those places attract the dregs of society. I wouldn’t be surprised if a customer took exception to something he did or said.’
‘Could you two excuse me for one minute?’ said Jack. ‘Can you tell me where the little boys’ room is?’ He screwed up his face like he was about to wet his pants.
‘This is a girls-only school,’ said Trent. ‘But I get your meaning. Out the door we came through and you’ll see the restrooms for staff clearly marked halfway down the hall.’
‘Cheers.’ Jack scooped up the phone, stopped the recording and strode down the corridor, smiling politely at a couple of female teachers clutching folders and text books. He passed the bathroom and exited onto the quadrangle. A quick call to Lydia Snyder was in order.
‘Yeah, what is it?’ A weary voice answered.
‘Were you alone on Monday night?’
‘Ah, who’s this?’
‘DS Lisbon. I repeat. Were you alone at your house on the evening of Monday 4th March?’
‘No. Trent was with me.’
‘You sure?’
‘Of course I am. He drove down from Cairns to keep me company. I was on edge, almost having a panic attack. Maybe I was having a premonition about what was going to happen that night.’
‘Why the hell didn’t you mention it before?’
‘I didn’t think it was relevant?’
‘DC Taylor briefed me on her chat with you yesterday. You talked about a lot of things. But not your brother.’
‘Why would I?’
Calmly, Jack, or she’ll hang up on you. ‘Because, potentially, he has a motive for murdering Cameron.’
‘Bullshit.’ The sparking up of a lighter, inhalation of smoke, a cough. ‘Trent never hurt anyone in his life.’
‘Was he with you the whole time?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How did you spend the evening?’
‘He got here around 7:30pm I guess. He brought some red wine, take-away chicken and chips. We watched TV and chatted until we went to bed about…ah…geez, I dunno. Midnight, maybe?’
‘Are you sure it wasn’t earlier?’
‘Listen, Detective Lisbon, I wasn’t exactly watching the clock. Why would I?’
She was telling the truth as she knew it, Jack sensed. And her alibi was enough to get Trent off the hook unless Proctor could find something linking him to the crime. Or a witness came forward. Gillmeister may well have despised Snyder, but was that hatred enough to spur him to murder?
‘Did you see Trent the next morning?’
‘Nah. I didn’t wake up until after he was gone. In fact it was….’ Sniffs, blubbering, ragged breaths. ‘It was the cops knocking on my door…with the news…that woke me up.’
He waited for her breathing to normalise. ‘Lydia, what do you know about Cameron’s mother and father?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘Just background. With murder enquiries information that seems insignificant can prove to be critical.’
‘His mother Suzanna developed early onset dementia. She’s in a care facility in Sydney somewhere.’
‘And his dad?’
‘No idea. His mum brought him up on her own. She told Cameron his father was an American sailor she met at a bar, but I always thought that was a lie. So did Cam, but he never bothered about it too much.’
Now wasn’t the time to tell her about surprise daddy Ray Hook. She’d find out soon enough when he croaked and she got her hands on the trust money. ‘Once again, sorry for your loss.’
‘Is Trent Gillmeister telling the truth?’ said Jack, indicating to overtake a Prado towing a caravan up a winding section of the highway.
‘He wanted me to like him, remember.’ Taylor expanded a scrunchie between her fingers, looped her black hair through it. ‘So that means no.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Do you tell the truth when you want women to like you?’
‘Yes…ah…no. Damn it, Claudia, you’re in the wrong job. You should be a prosecting QC, giving criminal defendants merry hell.’
‘I’m thinking of starting a law degree next year, as it happens.’
Another slow vehicle made Jack ease off the gas again. ‘Please don’t leave me for greener pastures until Wilson gets a transfer. I couldn’t handle him being my partner.’
‘It’s a part-time course that’ll take me ages to complete. I can’t see myself abandoning you for a while yet.’
‘Glad to hear it. But back to Gillmeister. What if he snuck out after Lydia fell asleep? He could’ve waited until she was out like a light, then raced over to Snyder’s house and done the deed. That’s the only plausible scenario I can see if he’s the killer.’
‘Really?’ Taylor’s eyebrows formed a V. ‘I can see another.’
‘What?’
‘Brother and sister acted together to kill Snyder.’
‘I don’t like that theory. She loved Snyder too much. Either that, or she’s missed her calling as a Hollywood actress.’
‘Still, can we completely rule it out?’
‘No, damn you, Claudia. On second thoughts, maybe Wilson is a better proposition.’ They crested the top of the hill. A clear view of the opposite lane gave Jack the chance to overtake five cars in a row, taking the Territory 30kms beyond the speed limit. ‘What we need is some proper evidence. Talking to people ain’t getting us diddly squat except information we can’t use.’
‘Could you convince the chief to get a warrant for Gillmeister? He’s got a brand new phone, there could be incriminating evidence on it. Plus the GPS record. If he’s gone to Snyder’s and offed him, the data will support that theory. His house could be worth searching, too.’
Jack shook his head. ‘I’ve stretched Batista’s friendship with the magistrate to breaking point. Apparently she told the Inspector she’s going to be needing a lot more of that “reasonable grounds” bullshit in future. There’s been a legal audit and our station’s been too slapdash in requesting warrants.’
‘He could talk to the police chief in Cairns, get them to chase up the warrant. They can seize the property and conduct the search and we tag along. With Snyder’s businesses in two locations, the matter of jurisdiction is blurry.’
‘We’ve got no reasonable grounds for Gillmeister. Only speculation.’
‘Come on! This is a high-profile murder case. And don’t forget the national security implications.’
He
had to come clean eventually. It may as well be now. ‘Listen, Claudia. There are no security implications.’
‘What? Hook said CHOGM was under threat because of this.’
‘He made all that shit up. It was Hook who asked me to take the drive up to Cairns, engage you and Wilson to help out and try to salvage Snyder’s reputation.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Taylor yelled so loud Jack instinctively tucked his ear close to his neck.
‘Listen, Claudia. I didn’t mean to deceive you, but Hook promised to upgrade my flight and arrange me an extra week of holidays.’
‘Did you ask him why Snyder was important to him? And was your flight even cancelled?’
Jack gritted his teeth so hard he thought he’d snap a tooth. ‘No and no.’
‘Christ, Jack, why didn’t you just say? Ben and I would’ve agreed to help you out in any case.’
‘How was I to know that? You would’ve called me a selfish prick.’
‘But you are a selfish prick, Jack. We all know that.’ She managed a meagre smile. ‘Just be honest with us, OK.’
‘I’m sorry. Anyway, at least we can be sure about Hook’s motives now, knowing he was the victim’s father.’
‘If it weren’t for the fact the trust was secret, you could almost elevate Lydia as a suspect, at least in orchestrating the murder.’
‘How do you mean?’ Jack popped the lid of a packet of orange-flavoured Tic Tacs, swallowed a pair.
‘With the only other beneficiary dead, she’d get the lot.’
‘Do you think the lawyer let her in on it, maybe for a cut?’
‘Couldn’t rule it out. I think I’ll swing by his office.’
‘Want me to ring him?’ Taylor’s hand reached for the dash comms screen.
‘Not this time.’ Trees whizzed past as the Territory thundered down the highway. ‘I’m done with politeness.’
Trick Shot: an absolutely gripping mystery and suspense thriller (The Fighting Detective Book 3) Page 14
