by Juanita Kees
‘Settling in okay?’ TJ popped her head around the door.
‘Yes, thanks. I’m even getting used to the aroma of “grease ‘n shit” everyone seems to wear around here.’ She grinned at TJ and pointed to a pile of paperwork on the corner of her desk. ‘Where would you like me to start?’
Her first day as Program Coordinator for the Apprenticeship Rehabilitation Program at M&M Motors. As Scott had driven the five of them to work this morning, packed into his four-wheel drive, Lily had sat squished between Marty and Luke, excitement and anticipation fluttering in her stomach.
‘I’ve left you the information file to familiarise yourself with the program procedures and participants. Why not start with that and perhaps you can write down a few ideas for an action plan for each of our apprentices?’ TJ dabbed at her hands with an oily rag. ‘I’ll pop in later to see how you’re doing.’
‘Thanks, TJ. I really appreciate this.’
TJ smiled. ‘No need to thank me. You’ve saved me hours of interviewing to find the right person for the job. I have complete faith in you.’
Warmth flooded Lily at the comfort of those simple words. I have complete faith in you. She hugged those words to her heart as she sat to read through the file. Two hours and several pages of notes later, the phone on her desk rang…the first official phone call in her newly-employed capacity. With a sense of satisfaction, she picked up.
‘Good morning, M&M Motors, Lily speaking,’ she answered. The chuckle that slithered down the line had unpleasant chills rising up from her stomach to the top of her head. Her icy fingers coiled into the phone cord.
‘Well, look at you. Gainfully employed, living the dream with potted plants and a corner office. So naïve, Liliana.’
‘What do you want, Nic?’
He was right. She’d been lulled into a false sense of security by the promise of protection, pushed the threat to the back of her mind, too focused on the comfort of here and now. Lily turned in her chair to look out the window. Across the road from the dealership, she spotted a black sedan parked outside the second hand charity shop. The window rolled down and Albero waved nonchalantly.
‘Your detective paid me a visit. You gave them your phones. That was a stupid move. Do you think I don’t know all the evidence they have is circumstantial at best? I’m a criminal lawyer, Liliana. I know all the loopholes.’
Lily said nothing. What could she say? In her mind, she heard the sound of her dreams of freedom come crashing to earth.
‘Nothing to say, Princess? Call the dogs off. Tell them you made a mistake. Luke’s scribbles are nothing more than the ramblings of a drug addict, a disturbed teenager…a murderer.’
His words sliced through her with the force of a butcher’s knife. Fear cramped her stomach, anger clogged her throat and the grip of her fingers on the phone cord threatened to cut off the circulation in her hands. Fight or flight? The thought raced through her mind.
‘Give up. You and Luke are loose ends. No-one likes loose ends. Business is suffering from all the attention. Snow gets a little…trigger-happy when that happens. The two of you disappear, a little family tragedy, a confession…and all this goes back onto the cold case shelf. It’s my job to make these things go away, Liliana. Which would you prefer? Luke in prison at the mercy of his cellmates, afraid to bend over in the shower? You living in fear, looking over your shoulder, wondering when it will be your turn? I’m offering you the easy way out. Your life is worthless, no matter how much you try to turn it around.’
Lily watched through the window as he opened the car door and stepped out. Immaculately groomed as always, dark hair slicked back, black pin-striped suit pressed, shoes polished until they reflected the rays of the sun, Albero tipped his Ray Bans on his nose to stare at her over them. With a little wave he said, ‘You are worthless, Liliana. No-one will miss a grieving widow and a murderous teenager. Somewhere, sometime, you’re going to be alone in that garden up in the hills…and I’ll be waiting.’
The line went dead as Lily watched Albero get into his car, ease into the traffic and drive away. It would never be over.
Chapter 12
As Mark considered the evidence and the action plan he and Harold had put together, his thoughts turned to Lily. How was she enjoying her new job? He’d enjoyed watching a more confident, happier Lily emerge in the week they’d been at the refuge. His fragile angel had more courage than she’d bargained for.
No, he couldn’t afford to think of her as his, not until all this was over. The evidence lay spread out over the long table in the conference room at Police Headquarters. A puzzle they’d pieced together enough of to be able to issue a warrant for Albero’s arrest. Not for murder but for fraud, enough for a start, enough to request DNA testing — evidence that would hopefully lead to a confession. A result that would tie Albero in so many knots he wouldn’t have a loophole to wriggle through.
Mark picked up his phone off the table. He needed to hear her voice, to know she was safe. As the net began to tighten around them, Albero and Snow would get jumpy, careless. He needed to make sure Lily and Luke were out of their reach. His gut churned at the thought of what the thugs were capable of.
The need to call her grew stronger and he dialled the number of the mobile TJ had given her to use. It rang until it cut out. The uneasiness in his gut churned in his throat. He dialled the number at M&M Motors, and got through to the receptionist.
‘May I speak with Lily Bennetti, please?’
‘One moment, I’ll put you through.’
He waited, his instincts already in over-drive, the keys for his car in his hand.
‘I’m sorry, but Lily is not at her desk at the moment. May I take a message for her?’
The force with which his heart met his stomach made him dizzy as he leaned on the table. He fought against his instincts. Perhaps she was having lunch, following up on a query, doing something. ‘Put me through to TJ Devin.’
Harold entered the room, but Mark couldn’t lift his head to acknowledge him. A headache began to pound at his temples. If Albero had done something to Lily…
‘Hello, workshop.’
TJ’s cheery voice didn’t soothe his nerves, not this time. ‘TJ, where’s Lily and Luke?’
‘Hello to you too, Detective Johnson. I’m fine thank you. How are you? Last time I saw them they were having lunch. I try not to make them slave through their breaks. It’s against the law.’
‘TJ, the shit is about to hit the fan and I have a funny feeling. Can you find Lily for me?’
‘I know better than to argue with your gut.’ Mark heard voices, doors opening and closing, the rhythm of TJ’s breathing in his ear as she walked through the dealership. With every step she took, his heart pounded a little harder and the ache in his stomach grew. ‘Steve! Have you seen Lily or Luke?’ He heard her call, not even wincing as she yelled in his ear. Steve’s response was a muffled negative. TJ moved again. ‘Aah…shit.’
Mark’s heart plummeted further. ‘What is it, TJ?’ But in the depths of his soul he knew what his instinct had been telling him all morning.
‘Get your arse down here, Detective. Lily’s gone.’
* * *
Lily turned the car into the station parking lot. With guilt dragging on her shoulders, she pulled out the envelope of money she’d taken from the office safe. There was enough there for the train tickets, accommodation for a week or so, and to buy food. Somehow she would find a way to pay the money back. As long as Albero didn’t find her and Luke. Where they would head to she had no idea, but the Nullarbor was long. There were plenty of stops along the way. Somewhere obscure, where no-one knew them. Maybe they could get off at Cook in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain. The ghost town — population two, sometimes three if you counted the driver swap — had to have somewhere they could hide for a while. Or maybe Kalgoorlie—a little bigger but still obscure.
‘You got your bag, Luke?’
‘Yeah.’
She’d pick u
p a few packets of nibbles and bottled water at the station shop. That would at least keep them going until they reached Kalgoorlie. She typed a text to TJ, then placed the phone in the glove box. Grabbing her bag from behind her seat, she sat a moment, regret pooling in her belly.
‘I’m sorry, Luke. It’s the only way I know how to get us out of this mess.’
‘Sure.’
‘I have to keep us alive.’
‘Yep.’
‘A life on the run. Hopefully, Mark will solve the case and we can get our lives back.’ She zipped up her bag and squeezed his hand where he clutched his backpack.
‘What about my bail, Mum? I’ll go to juvie for sure. The judge won’t be so kind if I break my bail conditions.’
Lily swallowed past the fear that gripped her throat. Either way they were in danger, with or without the protection of the justice system. The way she saw it she had no choice but to get them far away from Nic Albero, and fast. ‘We’ll work something out, Luke. I need time to think it through. Once we’re safely away, I’ll contact TJ and see what we can do.’ She opened the car door. ‘For now, let’s get going. The train leaves in ten minutes. We can’t afford to miss it.’
They got out and Lily locked the car. Using the parcel tape she’d put in her bag before leaving the dealership, she taped the key to the inside of the wheel arch. A quick look around confirmed there was no sign of Albero’s black sedan. She’d been careful to make sure Albero hadn’t followed them. With her hand on Luke’s arm, Lily took another step into the unknown and yet again, shaky future.
* * *
Mark stood at Lily’s desk holding the letter she’d left on her notepad. Her neat handwriting quivered in places and he wondered if it was fear or haste that caused it.
Dearest TJ,
I can’t begin to apologise enough. I hope you’ll understand. We had to go. I swear I’ll pay the money back as soon as I can. Luke and I can’t go on looking over our shoulders, waiting for Albero to strike. He’s too clever and knows too much about the law. There will be no justice for Luke, or for me. I know everyone is doing their best to help us, but while Albero is free, we will always be in danger. You don’t deserve to be in the same position. Thank you for everything. I wish things could have turned out differently. I’m sorry. Lily and Luke.
He wasn’t sure what hurt most. That she hadn’t trusted him to keep them safe or that she hadn’t come to him before running. He put the letter down on the desk and moved to the window to stroke the leaves of the begonia she’d put there. If he breathed deeply enough, he could smell her perfume in the air. His gut churned at the thought of her — of them — out there, alone and at the mercy of Albero without his protection.
‘She’s scared, Mark.’ Harold’s comment did little to soothe him. ‘When victims are scared, they run. It’s instinct.’
‘Instinct, my arse! God damn it, Harold. Why didn’t she come to us first?’ He bagged the letter irritably. It sucked. Big time. Like a kick in the balls.
‘Stop thinking with your dick and think like a cop. This arsehole lawyer killed a kid, blew up her house, threatened more than once to kill her and her son. Her husband was a drug-dealing bastard who got his own son involved in his crap and defended the people in court who put the damn stuff on the streets. How much faith do you think she has in the law right now?’
As every word Harold said hit home, arrowing through his heart, he knew his partner was right, but still…he loved her. She should have come to him. Mark swept an irritable hand through his hair. What a perfectly shit time to realise you were in love with a woman so far out of reach, it made Mars look like a liveable option.
TJ stepped into the office. ‘I’ve got a text from Lily.’ She handed her phone to Mark. Car @ Sth Perth Stn. Keys under RF arch. Phone in glove box. Sorry. L
‘I’ll send a couple of the boys to pick it up. If the police, tow truck or I go it might attract Albero’s attention,’ TJ said. ‘When it’s back here, you can go through it. It’s not like it’s a murder investigation, is it? There’s no evidence to contaminate.’
Harold nodded. ‘Agreed. Did Lily say anything to you about Albero contacting her again?’
TJ shook her head. ‘Not a word. She was so excited about getting started on the program coordination. Look at the progress she’d made.’ She waved a hand at the notes Lily had made and the file, now a rainbow of post-it notes. ‘He must have called her earlier today.’
‘I’ll have a chat with the receptionist. See if she remembers anything,’ Harold said, moving towards the door. ‘You coming?’
Mark shook his head. ‘I’ll look through her desk. See if she left anything else behind. How much money did she take, TJ?’
TJ shrugged. ‘I’ll have to count it.’ She stepped over to the safe, punched in the combination and waited for the click of the locks. The door released and she opened it. ‘Wasn’t much. There’s not much of a dent. A couple of thousand, I guess?’
How far could two people go on a couple of thousand dollars, he wondered. Not very far. With a sigh, he opened the drawers under her desk and found nothing except stationery. He tapped the mouse to wake her computer. Google…but the browsing history had been cleared. Forensics could deal with that when the time came.
Harold came into the office. ‘Receptionist remembers a call coming through for Lily from a man at around 11:30 a.m. Doesn’t prove anything. Could’ve been an enquiry about the program.’
Mark sighed. ‘We need something more concrete.’
‘Guess I’ll be looking into Albero’s phone records again?’
‘That’s about all we have to go on at the moment,’ Mark replied. ‘I think it’s time to bring him in. Screw it. We have enough on him to start questioning him.’
‘Don’t rush it. There’s still the little matter of Serena Snow. Wherever Lily is, she’s safe for now. As long as Albero doesn’t know she’s missing. We have to keep that very quiet until we can arrange the warrant. We don’t want him disappearing too.’
‘How long?’ Mark struggled to keep the impatience from his voice.
‘A day to subpoena his phone records — again, plus time to present the evidence to obtain the warrant…I’d say a couple of days at best. He won’t push his luck by trying to contact her again too quickly. He’ll wait, let her stew and then prod her again. He knows how to play the game.’
‘Bastard thinks he can hide behind his law degree. I can’t wait to throw his arse in prison.’
Harold thumped Mark’s shoulder. ‘When we do, I promise to turn my back so you can beat the crap out of him. Only if you promise to do the same for me. But right now, buddy, let’s get this show on the road, so we can find your damsel in distress and you can scratch that bloody itch that’s putting that soppy look in your eyes.’
Chapter 13
The wheels of the Indian Pacific rolled along the tracks with a soothing rhythm as the train devoured the distance on its ten hour journey to Kalgoorlie. Lily had no idea where they would get off the train. She’d paid for tickets all the way to Sydney. It would be easy to disappear there. Sydney-siders were too busy to ask questions. Anonymity…it was exactly what they needed to get their feet under them.
With Luke asleep beside her, she welcomed the quiet of the evening that hung in their double cabin, the cheapest travel she could get at such short notice.
By now, TJ would have called Mark to let him know they were missing. What was he thinking? He would be angry with her for sure. Rightly so. Perhaps, she should have trusted him to protect her. Would it have made a difference? The wheels of justice turned far too slowly and really, what chance did they have of nailing Albero down. He was a lawyer and, as he’d pointed out, he knew the loopholes…too well.
For a single moment, she’d thought about calling Mark, seeking the comfort of his voice, perhaps even the warmth of his arms. But her dependence on a man had got her into trouble before. Not that Mark was anything like Gino, it was simply too soon. The years of abuse,
physical and mental destroyed trust and dreams of happy ever afters. Dreaming of a life with Mark was far too dangerous. He had as much power over her as Albero did, as Gino had once had. She craved freedom and independence, if only for a little while.
Mark held their future in his hands. If he couldn’t prove Nic Albero and Serena Snow guilty and put them both away, her life and Luke’s were worthless. They were as good as dead. Nothing had changed.
Still, she longed to hear his voice. Hear him tell her it would be okay. Hold her against him one more time, so she could feel his strength, hear the beat of his heart beneath her ear.
She should have kept the phone. No, that would give him a trace on them. It was just her and Luke. It had to be that way for however long it took to prove Luke wasn’t a murderer. He was simply an innocent child caught up in the dark tunnels of the underworld, put there by the man who’d fathered him.
She would never understand what had driven Gino to do that to their son, the boy who now slept next to her on the train with his lashes touching his cheeks. If he’d told Gino “no”, would they be here right now? The word “no” meant nothing to Gino. It never had. Her body and mind bore the scars to testify to it, as did Luke’s.
Lily watched the black of night flash by the carriage window, dotted with the occasional blitz of light from the train signals along the way. As they thundered on towards Kalgoorlie, Lily thought her life as endless and barren as the Nullarbor.
* * *
‘Look what arrived in the internal mail.’ Harold waved two envelopes in the air, one in each hand.
Mark rubbed tired eyes and pushed back the reports on his desk. At eleven o’clock at night and after the turmoil of the day, he was grumpy and dying for a decent coffee. ‘About fucking time,’ he grumbled.
Harold smacked him on the back of the head with the envelopes. ‘Fancy a trip to Albero’s place?’
‘No, but I’d fancy a trip to his fucking funeral.’
