Marked

by Denis Martin

  “Don’t take it out on Jed,” I said. “He was fixing the plumbing or something. Had to move your stuff around to get at it. And he’s worried about you. Only wants to help.”

  “Yeah right,” she muttered. “Why the hell can’t people mind their own business? That stuff was well out of sight.”

  “Jed’s not like that. He’s only–”

  “Yeah?” She cut me off, and I could feel her shaking. “Maybe that’s the kind of thing that got him kicked out of teaching.”

  I stared at her. “You know about that?”

  “I know he got kicked out of teaching. Everyone does.”

  “But you don’t know why?”

  She paused then shook her head slowly. “No, not really.”

  “Well, I don’t think he’s like that. And I reckon you can trust him. He’s not going to tell anyone about that photo.”

  “He told you.”

  “That’s different. He’s not gonna tell anyone else.” I braced myself. “But was he right? About your parents in the photo?”

  She lifted her head, glaring at me. “Look, this hasn’t anything to do with you. And I’ve already–” A heavy truck rumbled past, behind me, and she stopped. Her eyes moved with the sound, her body frozen, all the fire gone out of it.

  I turned to follow her gaze. It was a tow truck, an ordinary one, but lashed to the deck was a burnt-out wreck. A Toyota, heavily blackened with some of its windows blown out. Once it had been grey. Dark grey. I couldn’t see all the numbers on the licence plate, but it began with BBC. The last time I’d seen that Toyota, Bullyboy had been driving it down the track behind Kat’s place.

  Kat recognised it too. She pulled away from me and sagged into the shop doorway behind her. It was vacant, with “For Lease” signs plastered over the windows. She looked terrible and I thought she was going to throw up, but she didn’t. “That’s … that’s Kreigler’s …”

  “I know. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” I grabbed her by the arm and half-dragged, half-carried her along the street to an alley running down to a vacant lot at the back. It had a strip of lawn along one side with plantings of shrubs, and I pulled her into it, away from curious eyes. When I lowered her to the ground, she slumped against the fence. Her head hung between her knees, her bag on the grass beside her.

  It was starting to make sense to me. Horrible sense. We’d heard the sirens earlier and word was there’d been a fatal crash on the road to Tairua. Now we knew who had died.

  Kat still hadn’t said anything. She lifted herself onto her knees, leaned forwards and began retching. Nothing came up except for a few strands of mucus, but she couldn’t stop. Coughing, gagging, almost as if she was choking. I rubbed her gently on the back. More to tell her I cared than because I thought it was likely to help.

  At last the retching stopped and she sat back, letting the fence take her weight. Her eyes were streaming and a string of spittle hung from her chin. I found a tissue and held it out to her.

  “Thanks.” A dull, lifeless murmur and she pressed it hopelessly to her mouth. “Jeez, what’re we going to do?” Her voice was slurred.

  “We’re gonna get you home. Where’s Blissy?”

  “Blissy?” She was shaking her head, as if she didn’t understand me. Then she realised what I was getting at. “At work I suppose. Better try and ring her.” She reached into her bag, fumbling for her mobile. “She has to spend most of her time on the road. Not much coverage usually.” Punching a few buttons, she listened for a moment and then gave up. Just sat there, chest heaving, clutching the phone with a dazed look on her face.

  I reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get to the ferry.” I picked up her bag.

  She took it from me. “That wasn’t an accident, Cully. I’m scared – don’t want to go out there again.” She pointed back the way we’d come. I was feeling much the same way, so I led her further down the alley. We cut through the back of the lot and pushed under the hedge to another driveway. We made it to the foreshore reserve without anyone seeing us and dropped down among some flax bushes not far from the wharf. Had to keep out of sight while we waited for the ferry. We’d make a dash for it as soon as we saw it getting ready to leave.

  “Christ. What a mess,” I whispered.

  Kat didn’t answer. She was shaking again, and we sat together in silence. When she did speak, her voice was flat and toneless, as if she was talking in her sleep. “Blissy’s not my mum,” she said, staring out across the estuary. “She’s a cousin of Dad’s. Mum’s dead. They killed her. Murdered her. Rigged the car so it crashed and caught fire. They were after Dad, but Mum … She was late for work so she took his car. They killed her instead.” The words faded to nothing and her shoulders shook as she fought to control a sob.

  “Hell, I’m sorry.” I could feel her against me, tense and quivering. Fragile, like a stunned bird in your hand when you pick it up. But I was stunned too. I reached out and put my arm around her shoulders. Drew her closer. “That’s awful.” I wanted her to go on, but I couldn’t ask, so we just sat there quietly, huddled together. She was still trembling. The ferry was in sight now, about halfway across the channel, but we didn’t move.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “Kreigler was looking after me, but now he’s gone. They murdered him, just like Mum.”

  What the hell could I say? I didn’t understand what was going on. Didn’t know who they were, or what they were after. So I gave her the only advice I could. “Jed’ll be at the jetty to pick me up. We have to tell him what’s going on. He might be able to help.”

  “Jed?” She shook her head. “Can’t …”

  “There’s no one else. Jed’s okay. He’s on your side.”

  I felt her shudder. “Kreigler … I hated him. Always trying to stop me doing things.” She seemed to be drifting. “Didn’t want me getting close to anyone. Didn’t even want me to have a job. But Blissy thought we’d be safe here – seemed like the back of beyond. I was horrible to him and now he’s dead.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  She gave me a pitying look. “Yes, we do.”

  The ferry was nosing against the wharf, letting the tidal current swing it alongside.

  “What are they after?” I asked. “These people … what do they want?”

  “Me,” she said. “They want me. They’re scared of what Dad’s gonna say in court. If they get hold of me, they can threaten him, pressure him to keep his mouth shut.”

  “Hell. “ I shook my head numbly. Passengers were already boarding the ferry. “Come on,” I said, pulling her to her feet. “We’ve gotta go – it’s almost ready to leave.”

  It was only about fifty metres, but it felt like a full cross-country. I was carrying both bags and for once I was in front, though I could hear Kat just behind me. And for the whole distance I could feel eyes on us – hidden eyes, dangerous eyes, boring into my back. But we made it, leaping aboard just as the ferry was casting off. I glanced around quickly, but most of the other passengers were kids or people I knew by sight. No one was showing any interest in us.

  But would I recognise a threat if I saw it?

  Thank God Jed was there to meet us. I didn’t have to ask him to give Kat a lift – he just took her bike from her and slung it in the back of the ute. Cheerful, but he knew something was wrong.

  “What’s up?” he grinned as soon as we were all in the cab. “That nose looks a bit gruesome. Safe to assume the day’s been a pugilistic failure? Humiliation perhaps? You lost?”

  “Nothing to do with boxing,” I said. “It’s Kat. She needs help.”

  His grin disappeared and I could see his mind kicking into gear. I told him what had happened and watched his face grow tight and serious. Didn’t try to pretend I hadn’t already told him about Bullyboy – Kreigler – but Kat didn’t seem to notice. Too late for that anyway.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed. “Does Blissy know about it? About Kreigler?”

  Kat shook
her head. She was sitting between us. “Can’t get through to her. She’ll be out on the road somewhere – out of coverage.”

  Jed glanced at me. “Better try and call her from your place, on your landline. There’s no mobile coverage around here.” His fingers were doing their usual dance at the wheel. “What d’you want to do?” he asked at last.

  “I don’t know what to do,” answered Kat. “Kreigler’d tell me to stay out of sight. Go somewhere safe, cause now they’ll be after me.” She was twisting her hair in her fingers, pulling it, and I could feel the tension in her body.

  “What about the cops?”

  “Didn’t do any good back home. Far as they could see, Mum was killed in an accident.” She let go of her hair and clenched her fist, ramming it into her mouth and biting on her knuckles. “It’ll be the same with Kreigler – an accident. If we go to the cops, we’ll just make it easier for them to find us.”

  “So Kreigler was nothing to do with witness protection?”

  “Not official protection. Not from the police. He’s private security. Same company that Dad works for.”

  “And where is your dad?”

  “Don’t know exactly. The company’s keeping him hidden, probably somewhere in Sydney.” Again she rammed her knuckles against her teeth. Jed took one hand from the wheel and laid his arm across her shoulders. She seemed to shudder, but she carried on. “This court case that’s coming up, Dad’s a PI and–”

  “He’s a what?” Jed asked.

  “A private investigator. He’s been digging into some massive property scams and now they’re going to court. But if he testifies, he’ll drop a whole bunch of bigwigs right in it. You know, important businessmen … even a couple of politicians. If they’re found guilty, they’ll lose everything and some of them’ll end up in jail. They’ll do anything to keep him quiet. These aren’t nice people we’re talking about.”

  “Still doesn’t sound worth killing for.”

  Kat glanced at him. “Tell that to my mum … and Kreigler. These people are real bastards and they’ve got a hell of a lot to lose – hundreds of millions.”

  “Holy shit,” Jed murmured.

  “Like I said, they’re desperate to keep Dad out of the witness box. If they can snatch me, they’ll use me as leverage.”

  “Bloody hell.” Jed kept glancing in the mirror and that made me even more nervous.

  I twisted in my seat to check the road behind us, but it was clear. No one seemed to be following us.

  “We never should’ve come here,” Kat said. “Should’ve gone to a big city. Somewhere like Auckland … easier to hide.”

  I wanted to tell her I was glad she’d come here – but I didn’t.

  We turned off the main road and crossed the bridge towards my cottage. Jed slowed right down. “I’m going to take you to Cully’s place, and we’ll try to ring Blissy from there.” He squeezed Kat’s shoulder.

  But Kat was still terrified. “What if they’re waiting for us there? They could have been watching the ferry. They’d have seen me getting in the ute.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  My heart was pounding like crazy as the ute nosed down the drive to our cottage. Kat was tense beside me, and Jed drove slowly, eyes searching. He was alert, ready to back out at the first sign of trouble. But the cottage seemed deserted, just as it should be. Even so, Jed made us wait in the ute. He checked inside the house before letting us get out.

  “Everything’s okay,” he called, and we joined him at the kitchen door. He handed me back my keys and I heard him muttering to himself about paranoia. About seeing gremlins behind every bush. I knew how he felt.

  Kat tried to phone Blissy, but without any success. That didn’t mean anything though – even if she was already home, there was no mobile coverage in the valley. “We wanted a landline when we moved into the cottage,” she said, “but Kreigler wouldn’t let us. Reckoned they’re too easy to trace. He gave us a two-way radio to contact him – one that scrambles all its messages. But that’s no use to us now.”

  “No,” I said, trying to imagine a blackened handset lying somewhere in the burnt-out Toyota.

  Finally, Jed decided to drive down to Kat’s place and check it out.

  “Jeez,” I muttered. “What if they’re–”

  “Sometimes you can’t just stay behind the barriers and watch,” he said, cutting me off. “I’ve got to make sure Blissy is all right. If everything’s okay, I’ll come back and get you.”

  But Kat wasn’t having a bar of it. “No way. I’m coming with you.”

  Jed opened his mouth to argue and then realised he was wasting his time. He shrugged. “All right, but I’d be much happier if you stayed here.”

  “Jed, happiness ain’t an issue just now.” She was already heading towards the ute.

  I didn’t know what to do. I was scared of going to Kat’s place, but I didn’t want to stay here by myself either. Nor did I want her thinking I was chicken.

  “Can you stay here?” she asked, making up my mind for me. “Keep trying to call Blissy? If you reach her, tell her Kreigler’s dead. She needs to know they’ve found us.”

  “And if anything weird happens,” Jed added, “call the cops.”

  I watched them drive off and went to wait in the kitchen. Suddenly, the cottage seemed very scary, every creak the movement of a hidden watcher. Wished Dad was home. I tried Blissy’s mobile number, but no luck. Out of coverage. Tried again a few minutes later. Still nothing.

  How long would Jed be? What was happening at Kat’s place? My imagination was running riot, filling in the gaps.

  I tried the phone again and this time heard a ring tone. But it switched straight to a message centre. What now? I had to warn Blissy. “This is Cully,” I said, my voice flat and brittle in my ear. “Kat’s friend. She wants me to tell you Kreigler’s dead.”

  I pressed end and stood there, staring at the phone. You bloody fool! You’ve just marked yourself – pinned a bloody great bullseye to your chest. Told anyone who decides to retrieve Blissy’s messages that her business is your business.

  Cursing, I went back to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Stood at the window, sipping it and looking down the drive.

  Where the hell is Jed? Why is he taking so long?

  I imagined them both in the ute approaching Blissy’s cottage. I could see Kat biting her knuckles, Jed tense behind the wheel, eyes alert for danger. But then another idea elbowed its way into my mind. What if the whispers were right? What if Jed was a shifty bastard? What if he’d just driven down there and dropped Kat off at her gate? What if he’d done a runner? He hadn’t wanted to take her with him. What if …?

  I turned on myself angrily. Snap out of it, Cully. You know Jed better than that. All he’s ever done is look out for you. He’s a mate. A real mate. I kicked the whispers into touch and glared out the window.

  But where is he? Why haven’t they come back?

  I couldn’t stand it any longer. I put the half-finished glass back in the sink and left the cottage. Made my way down the drive towards the road, keeping to one side, flitting from cover to cover. Hostile eyes peered out at me, dozens of them, hidden watchers behind every bush. Sort yourself out, Cully.

  But it wasn’t just my imagination. The car proved that. It was a black four-wheel drive, a Pajero – the same one we’d seen near Kat’s place a few days ago. The one that had spooked her into a terror spin. It hadn’t been there when we’d come past earlier, but now it was parked near the bridge, hard up against a stand of flax bushes. From the entrance to our drive it was in full view. Dropping out of sight, I stared helplessly at it through the bushes. Couldn’t just cower there like soft jelly though. I had to warn Kat. Had to warn them both.

  How? Kat didn’t have a landline and we were well out of mobile coverage. If I went down to her cottage, even if I cut across the paddocks, I’d be passing in sight of whoever was in that Pajero.

  But I had to get down there somehow. Had to warn
them. And I wanted to be with them. Wanted to be with Kat. Keeping low, I stole back towards our cottage, slinking from one bush to another. The four-wheel drive track up the back was the only way I could reach Kat’s place without being seen. So I knew what I had to do.

  It wasn’t easy. Too many memories. Kreigler’s dark Toyota hidden there, my face pressed to the damp earth. Cringing, hiding from his eyes as they passed over me, searching. I don’t believe in ghosts, and I knew Kreigler was dead. Even so, I didn’t want to go up there alone. Not now.

  But I had no choice. I started along the track, moving nervously, like a mouse tiptoeing past a sleeping cat. Kept stopping and glancing behind me. I’d never get there at this rate. Jed and Kat needed to know about the Pajero. And I needed to toughen up. The faster I went, the quicker I’d be off this track. I broke into a run, forcing myself to ignore the thudding of my footsteps against the cold silence.

  The track was no easier than last time I’d been up it. I’d already done three rounds in the ring that day, and by the time I flopped down on the bank above Kat’s place I was sucking hard and struggling to breathe at all – let alone quietly.

  Jed’s ute was parked beside the cottage, but there was no sign of movement. They must be inside. But why? Were they waiting for Blissy? Or had they seen the black Pajero and decided to stay put? Something was wrong.

  Then I saw it. A motorbike. Quite a big one, black and almost hidden in the shadows beside the woodshed. It didn’t belong there, and my heart was thumping hard against the ground as I lay there staring down at it. Who did it belong to? I didn’t want to find out, but doing nothing wasn’t an option. Was the bike’s owner down there keeping watch? Waiting for someone to come creeping around the cottage? I paused, shivering as my sweat began to chill in the shade. Then I slithered down the slope, stealing from cover to cover.

  I reached the yard and passed behind the woodshed. The bike looked like a BMW, but it didn’t have any badges to say so. The keys were in the ignition and a black helmet rested on the mirror. Another few metres and I reached the cottage, pressing myself against the outside wall. A dog barked briefly, distant, on the far side of the valley, but inside the cottage nothing stirred. Silence. Not even the low hiss of traffic on the main road. My pulse was racing as if I’d just finished the cross-country, blood pounding between my ears. But still I felt cold.