Under Cover Of Dark

by Juanita Kees

‘I think it’s time I earned my keep around here,’ Lily joked as she wandered over to the kitchen window to look out at the garden. It was taking shape so nicely, despite the secrets it kept hidden. A sense of achievement flowed through her.

  ‘Oh, I think you’re already doing that well enough. How would you like a couple of days work here at the office? I need someone to plan rosters and training programs now that the apprenticeship program is starting to fill up,’ TJ asked.

  Lily’s heart lifted a little more. A real job, a new start — another chance at getting out of the darkness, how could she refuse? ‘When do I start?’

  TJ gave a loud whoop and Lily held the phone away from her ear. Behind her Mark chuckled and her stomach did a little flip flop.

  ‘We’ll talk about it tonight over dinner. Ask Mark if he wants to stay. Tell him Harold and Jeannie are invited too. Rose and Bill too, of course. Can’t forget the in-laws, can I? Oh wait, is that okay? You’re cooking.’

  Lily laughed. ‘Of course, no problem. I’ll handle it.’

  ‘Right. Gotta go. See ya.’

  The phone beeped as TJ rang off and Lily closed the flap. She turned from the window and sat opposite Mark at the kitchen table. He flipped through the contents of the tin, spreading them out on the table in individual plastic zip lock bags. She watched the movement of his hands, trailed her gaze up the strong arms, flicked over his throat where his Adam’s Apple bobbed when he swallowed and eyed the smooth curve of his jaw, the full lips…

  ‘Stop that, Lily.’

  The heat in the look he sent her had her squirming. He was right. As much as she’d like to take up where they’d left off, now was not the time or place to explore what lay between them. Hormones — purely hormones. A sex-starved wife, now an equally sex-starved widow, tempted by an undeniably sexy man who happened to be a little tempted himself. A severe case of hero-worship? Some kind of post traumatic bonding with her rescuer? Too many questions and not enough answers. She shrugged.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, sipping her coffee.

  ‘Okay? Oh, honey, it’s far from okay.’ Mark shifted uncomfortably on the chair. He kept his eyes on the table as he pulled at the legs of his jeans.

  Lily smiled. Why shouldn’t she enjoy having that effect on a man? God knows, she hadn’t had that effect on Gino since the early days of their relationship and even then she wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted her with the same passion. Whatever happened next, at least she felt alive. There was light at the end of the tunnel at last. She just needed to keep reaching for it.

  ‘What happens now?’ she asked.

  ‘With what, love?’

  She shivered a little at the endearment but Mark was so focused on the piece of paper he held in his hand, she didn’t think he’d realised he’d used it.

  ‘With the birth certificate.’

  Mark took his time to answer as he stroked the plastic covered emblem with a long finger. Finally he looked at her and smiled — a heart-stopping grin that had her hormones bouncing into the darkest corners of her libido and seared her butt to the chair.

  ‘We go to war to win the fight.’ He pushed back his chair and stood, stuffing the contents of the resealable plastic bags into the biscuit tin and forcing on the buckled lid. ‘I need to get these to the station and log them in as evidence. I’m surprised Harold hasn’t rung already to see what we’ve found.’

  ‘TJ invited you for dinner. She said to tell Harold and Jeannie too.’

  ‘Sure. What time?’

  Lily shrugged. ‘About seven-thirty?’

  ‘Okay.’ He looked at her for a moment, promise in his eyes. When this is over…

  ‘I’ll walk you to your car. Sarge!’ she called and scratched the dog’s ears as he padded to her side.

  She stood and followed Mark out the door, down the veranda steps and to the car. He pressed the button on his remote key, opened the door and dropped the tin on the passenger seat. Straightening, he leaned his arms on the door frame and looked at her.

  ‘See you at seven-thirty then,’ he said. Lily nodded and chewed her lip. He reached out to brush her lips with his finger and Lily stilled. ‘Screw it!’ he said, stepping around the door and gathering her in his arms where he proceeded to kiss her until her legs buckled with the heat of it and her mind fogged with the force of it before he got in the car and drove away.

  Lily stood, rooted to the spot, staring at the tail lights of his car as they disappeared down the drive. ‘Well…Hell!’ she said to Sarge, who groaned and flopped down in the sand.

  * * *

  Mark dropped the biscuit tin on his desk with a satisfied clang.

  ‘Hope those biscuits are fresh,’ said Harold, looking up from his computer screen. ‘Looks like they’ve been in the pantry a while.’

  ‘Funny man. This is better than your grandmother’s best shortbread.’

  ‘You obviously never tasted Nan’s baking. Is that the parcel from the widow?’ Harold sat back and stretched. ‘It had better be a chocolate cake at best.’

  Mark grinned. ‘Better than chocolate.’

  ‘Only thing better than chocolate is sex. Oh wait, that’s right. You wouldn’t know. You’re not getting any, are you?’

  Mark pried the lid off the tin and spread the evidence bags across his desk without answering. Harold pushed back his chair and stood to walk around to where he could see the contents. Ignoring him, Mark pulled a large brown envelope out his drawer and began cataloguing the bags in the list on the front. He slapped at Harold’s hand as he picked up the packet containing the birth certificate.

  ‘Leave it until I’ve written it up.’

  ‘Hell no! This looks like interesting reading.’ He turned the packet over and studied the names on the certificate. ‘Well, fuck me!’

  ‘No thanks, you’re not my type.’ Mark tossed the resealable plastic bag containing the photos into the envelope.

  ‘Yeah well, lucky for you I like my women with boobs. So Albero’s a daddy and whaddya know…who’s your mama! Pricks like that shouldn’t be allowed to breed. Poor bloody kid didn’t stand a chance with a snow queen for a mother and shark for a father.’

  ‘Tell me about it. Gives the case a whole new spin doesn’t it?’

  ‘Indeed. I wonder what’s on the USB. A smart kid like Tiny would probably have hooked up the camera on his phone to record stuff. So what is it, then?’ Harold grinned at him.

  ‘Well you can’t look at it until we’ve logged it all, and will you stop jumping around like a fucking jack-in-the-box? What is what?’

  Harold stopped tapping his feet. ‘What exactly is your type?’

  Mark looked at him squarely and replied, ‘A petite, blonde and encumbered widow.’

  ‘That’s dangerous ground.’ The grin turned into a frown.

  ‘Tell me about it. All the more reason to get this damn case solved and I can take a holiday somewhere on the other side of the world. Forget about teens, drugs, policing and petite blondes with baggage.’ He took the bag from Harold’s hands and wrote it up. ‘Maybe by the time I get back from the Caribbean, she’ll have freedom and a new life, and she’ll have forgotten about the detective who rode to her rescue. Maybe she’ll hook up with Luke’s program counsellor. I heard he’s single. Can you subpoena Tiny Watts’s hospital records from the maternity unit in Port Hedland? I’ll need them first thing in the morning.’

  ‘Yes, dear. Ooh! Is that the colour of jealousy I see steaming out your ears?’ Harold flicked a finger and thumb against the crown of Mark’s head. ‘Let’s solve this case. What’s the next step?’

  ‘We get Albero in for a little afternoon tea and chit chat. By the way, you and Jeannie are invited to dinner tonight at the refuge. Lily’s cooking.’

  ‘Nice! What time?’

  ‘Seven-thirty. Are we bringing Albero in or are we going to pay him a visit?’

  ‘Let’s pick up some pig slop and pay him a visit. Slimy bastard would use his courtroom skills to avoid coming in anyway. T
his way we can surprise him.’

  Mark grinned. ‘Oh, I think he’s going to be very surprised.’

  Chapter 10

  ‘I’m sorry. Mr Albero is busy right now.’ The slim, pretty receptionist looked more at home in front of a camera than behind an office desk as she placed the telephone handset in its cradle with a perfectly manicured hand. She fluttered long, false eyelashes in Mark’s direction. ‘He asked if you would please make an appointment and come at a more convenient time.’

  Patiently, Mark leaned over the desk, placing his hands firmly on the edge. ‘I don’t think Mr Albero understands the importance of our visit.’

  Pouty lips pursed as she leaned forward. Her too-firm breasts curved invitingly in his direction. ‘I can fit you in early tomorrow morning?’

  Mark ignored Harold’s snort of laughter. ‘Perhaps you can ring him and ask him if we need to come back with a search warrant?’

  ‘Fuck the search warrant! Come on, Lover Boy,’ said Harold as he marched over to Albero’s office door. He pounded on the door until Albero opened it and when he did, Harold pushed past him into the plush space and looked around. ‘So crime really does pay!’

  ‘I really hope you have a damn good reason for this.’ Albero stepped aside to allow Mark to follow before he closed the door behind them. ‘I’d hate to slap a harassment suit on our boys in blue.’

  ‘Knock yourself out. You’re dealing with a different division now. Since you’re such a busy man…’ Harold wandered over to the desk and picked up a copy of the latest edition of Chic Caress. He showed the page to Mark. The statuesque model on page three posed invitingly on a seventies-style shaggy rug. ‘…we won’t keep you long.’

  Albero whipped the magazine from Harold’s hand and shoved it into his top drawer. ‘Sit down…please.’

  Mark eyed the expensive leather chair. Legal advice in the underworld must pay well, he decided as the rich smell of cologne drifted across the desk to blend with whiff of tanned hide.

  ‘Mr Albero, as you know we are continuing the investigation into Tiny Watts’ death,’ said Mark.

  ‘I thought it was suicide.’ Albero sat and lounged in his chair. ‘Bloody kids don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they touch that stuff.’

  ‘We have some new evidence that suggests the drug overdose wasn’t an accident.’

  Albero sat forward and linked his hands on his desk. ‘So?’

  Mark sat. ‘Gino Bennetti’s son, Luke, and Tiny were part of the same gang.’

  Albero fiddled with the papers on his desk. ‘So what?’

  ‘So we were wondering how well you knew Tiny Watts?’

  Albero’s hands stilled. ‘He was a kid Luke met at school. He went over to Gino’s house sometimes. That’s as much as I know about him.’

  ‘So you didn’t know he was homeless?’

  Albero sat back and linked his hands over a growing paunch. ‘What does that have to do with anything?’

  ‘We’re trying to trace his parents,’ Mark said, watching Albero’s reaction. Nothing.

  ‘How did Gino know Serena Snow?’

  Albero shifted in his seat. ‘You’re wasting my time. Get to the point.’

  ‘We have evidence of you threatening Gino Bennetti’s widow and sending suspicious texts to her son. You might want to be a little patient here, Albero.’ The edge in Harold’s voice suggested his own patience had run out. ‘What is the connection with Serena Snow?’

  ‘How do you know those calls and texts came from me? My phone was stolen about a month ago.’

  ‘How convenient. Snow and Bennetti?’ Harold stood now and leaned towards Albero. A large fist closed around a tie that screamed bad taste, dragging Albero forward in his chair. ‘Didn’t you get the memo that paisley went out in the seventies?’

  Albero pushed Harold’s hand away. ‘That’s harassment, Detective Jones.’

  Mark sighed. ‘Let go of the tie, Harold. It’s ugly and you’re not playing fair. Answer the question please, Mr Albero.’

  Albero adjusted the knot and smoothed his tie. ‘We were in business together a few years ago. Owned shares in a nightclub. That’s not a crime, is it?’

  ‘Interesting. What was the name of the nightclub?’ Harold sat.

  ‘Relevance? It doesn’t exist anymore. Went bang.’

  ‘Things seem to do that around you. What was the nightclub called?’ Harold pressed.

  ‘The Golden Diva.’ Albero’s gaze flicked to Mark’s face. ‘I’m sure you know it well, Detective Johnson.’

  Mark’s heart dived and acid churned in his stomach. He fought to keep the emotions from his face even as his hands gripped the arms of the office chair, knuckles white. The Golden Diva, the nightclub that had made his sister, Peta, a star, owned by her ex-husband, Paul Price, until he’d sold it off in shares to pay for his gambling and drug addictions. Jesus! He hadn’t seen that coming.

  * * *

  Lily danced and sang her way around the kitchen as she prepared dinner. Her homemade pasta sheets, layered with bolognaise mince, parmesan and béchamel sauce baked away in the oven, filling the kitchen with delicious aromas. She pulled the Tiramisu from the fridge and put the finishing touches on it. After putting it away again, she looked at her watch. Plenty of time. What to do next?

  Keeping busy would keep her mind off that searing kiss Mark had delivered as he’d left this morning. No good could possibly come from starting a relationship with the man who held your shaky future in his hands. But oh God could he kiss! Her lips tingled just thinking about it. Lily wiped her hands on her apron.

  The glitter of diamonds in the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window drew her attention and she lifted her hand. Her wedding ring. She still wore it. Why? Stretching her hand out, she studied it. Opulent, designer, brag-worthy…typically Gino. He’d pressed it onto her finger with promise in his eyes on their wedding day. It hadn’t taken long for promises to turn to lies.

  Lily tugged at the ring and pried it off her finger. She held it up to the light. It was time to take the final step to severing her ties with the past. The ring should fetch a fair price. Perhaps even enough to find her and Luke a place of their own. Now she had a job — thanks to TJ — they could afford it. It was the least Gino could give them post-mortem. Yes, first thing on Saturday morning she’d borrow a car and go and get the ring valued.

  Curling her fingers around it and tucking it into her palm, she turned the oven on low and walked out the kitchen door across to her cabin. In her bedroom, she wrapped the ring up in a tissue and hid it deep inside the pocket of a winter coat she’d retrieved from the donations bundle. Sarge flopped at the side of the bed and eyed her curiously.

  ‘A new start, Sarge. Our own place, our own life.’ She patted his head. ‘Now you stay here and keep an eye on it for me while I shower and change.’

  Sarge lay his head on his paws and waited as she headed for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Lily stood in front of the mirror, dressed in skinny leg jeans and a cross-over tunic top, stroking mascara onto her lashes.

  ‘What am I doing, Sarge?’ She sighed, tossing the mascara tube into the make-up bag. ‘Prettying up for what?’ She stroked the sides of the pistachio-coloured tunic across her hips. Her eye-shadow matched it perfectly. Lipstick in hand, she shrugged. What the hell. She’d come this far and she certainly felt better for it. Perhaps a good haircut was in order too. That was one for the list of things to do with her first pay cheque.

  She brushed out her honey-coloured hair until it shone like spun silk and fell softly between her shoulder blades. Slipping on a satin head band to match her top, she adjusted the little bow on the right. There. Gone were the traces of Liliana, the battered wife and tragic widow. All that remained as a reminder was the little white scar on her cheek and the wedding ring waiting to be pawned. ‘We’re moving on without you, Gino.’ Turning away from her reflection, she called to Sarge, ‘Let’s go, boy.’

  As she headed to the hou
se, she spotted Scott and TJ’s SUV coming up the drive. Lily watched as Marty and Luke spilled out the doors almost before Scott hit the brakes.

  ‘Oi!’ he yelled. ‘What have I said about waiting until the car stops?’

  ‘Jeez, Scott! I stink like grease ‘n shit. Thought you’d be glad to get me off the seats before the smell sticks. Can’t wait to hit the shower,’ Luke yelled.

  Lily’s heart warmed at the happiness in his reply. Apparently stinking like “grease ‘n shit” was a badge to be worn with honour. ‘Hey Luke,’ she greeted as he walked past her to their cabin.

  ‘Hey Mum! I’m starving! What’s for dinner?’

  ‘Lasagne, and Tiramisu for dessert.’

  ‘Sweet! Hey, Mum, can we like…talk…later?’ His smile slipped a little and for a moment, the haunted look was back in his eyes.

  Lily hesitated. ‘Sure. Everything okay?’

  ‘Yeah, just some…you know…things.’

  ‘Of course. Mark and Harold are coming over for dinner. When everyone’s gone, we’ll have a chat.’

  For another moment, Luke hesitated as if debating the presence of the detectives. ‘Yeah, that’s cool,’ he said as he walked away.

  A sense of foreboding lying unsettled in her stomach, Lily turned to greet TJ. ‘How did it go?’

  TJ smiled. ‘He took to it like the proverbial duck. I think he’s going to fit right in.’

  Lily let out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, TJ. I’ll go and get things ready for dinner. Rose and Bill will be over soon. When I rang, they were in the greenhouse grafting roses for our garden. Mark, Harold and Jeannie will be up around 7:15.’

  ‘Sounds great! Ready for that shower, Scott?’ TJ’s eyes twinkled as her husband crossed the veranda towards them.

  Scott pulled her close and nuzzled her ear. ‘You smell like grease ‘n shit too. Let’s get you cleaned up.’

  Lily watched with envy as they entered the house, already so wrapped up in each other that the rest of the world faded away. It would be so nice to be loved like that. To be cherished and held close and adored for simply being who you were. Perhaps when all this was over, she could dream of being loved so completely. With a sigh, she went inside to check on her lasagne.