Under Cover Of Dark

by Juanita Kees

  Albero lifted his head and held Mark’s gaze. ‘He was not my son,’ he bit out through clamped teeth.

  ‘He was someone’s son, Nic. Would knowing he was your son have made a difference? Would knowing Luke was Gino’s son have stopped you from murdering him too if Snow gave the word? You blew up Lily Bennetti’s house knowing they’d be going home that day, knowing they’d be in the house when the gas ignited.’ Mark’s chair fell with a crash as he pounded a fist on the table in front of Albero. The cords in his neck stood proud as he battled to keep a rein on his temper. His fists itched to smash into Albero’s jaw. ‘You’re a heartless murderer, Mr Albero. I’m going to ask you one more time. Where is Serena Snow?’

  ‘You think you’re so smart, don’t you, Detective Johnson,’ Albero sneered. ‘If you were really that smart, you would have checked the Indian Pacific’s passenger manifest. You’re too late. By now, Liliana and Luke have had a little accident. Trains are dreadful things. People fall off them so easily.’

  Knowing Lily and Luke had arrived safely in Kalgoorlie gave Mark some comfort. If Albero was right and Serena Snow was right behind them…the possibilities had dread crawling down his spine and squeezing his gut. ‘You miserable, fucking bastard!’ Mark grabbed the front of Albero’s shirt in his fists and dragged him up out of the chair. ‘You call yourself a lawyer, a keeper of justice? You’re about to find out just what justice is.’ He shoved him against the wall. ‘If Serena Snow has gone after the Bennettis, I’m going to make sure your stay in prison is a very long and unpleasant one.’

  ‘Not if I counter-sue for ill-treating me in custody. You’ll be the one in court, Detective. Go on, I know you want to take a swing at me,’ Albero taunted. ‘I wonder how the chief will feel when it comes out you’ve been smelling her arse like a dog on heat?’

  Mark let him go and turned away. Anger boiled inside him warring with fear for Lily and Luke. Serena Snow wouldn’t play nice with them.

  He ran a hand through his hair and over his face, drawing the tension and anger along with it. ‘Take him away, Harold. I’m sure his buddies are looking forward to a little reunion over at Supermax.’

  Behind him, Harold dragged Albero towards the door. In the reflection of the one-way glass on the wall of the interrogation room, Mark saw Nic Albero turn from the door.

  ‘For the record, Detective…I might have agreed to have my name on that birth certificate but I sure as hell wasn’t the only one who could have fathered her bastard. Your ex brother-in-law dipped his dick in the pond there, and I can guarantee Gino did too — sometimes all three of us at once. I might be the last one to revisit that little pleasure house, hence my name on the birth certificate, but any one of us could have been the father.’

  Mark’s skin crawled with loathing for this heartless cockroach. He’d like nothing more than to stamp him out like one. It was cases like these when he could appreciate that sometimes the justice served in the dark corners of a maximum security prison was more effective than the sentence.

  * * *

  The Desert Inn was the perfect place to stay. According to the brochure Lily had picked up at the station, the rates were reasonable and they offered long or short term accommodation. Tired and disillusioned, Lily walked ahead up the gravel pathway lit by solar garden lights as Luke trudged glumly behind. The guest house rambled across the dust. Burnt orange walls, lit up against the night, would blend into the landscape in daylight. Lily’s eye was drawn to the Aboriginal painting that graced an adjoining arm of the building.

  ‘Come on in,’ a friendly voice called over the tinkling of the copper door bell. ‘I’m Dawn. Looking for a place to stay? Aah, for two, then?’ A lady with bright crimson hair waved a hand at Luke.

  ‘Umm, yes,’ replied Lily.

  ‘Do you have a booking, love?’

  ‘No.’

  Dawn chuckled, a rough smoky sound. Lily wondered if it was caused by smoking or inhaling the choking red dust for too long. Colourful plastic-framed glasses slipped down on Dawn’s nose as she studied Lily carefully. ‘Hmmm…what’s your name, love?’

  ‘Lily Ben…Benjamin.’

  The throaty chuckle deepened until it resembled a magpie call. ‘Okay, I got ya. I’ll put you in a twin room with an ensuite. How long will you be staying?’

  ‘I…I’m not sure. If I can find work, we’ll stay on.’

  Dawn considered her for a moment, her kind yet assessing eyes looking deep beyond Lily’s nervousness. ‘Righto, I’ll give you our long term rate then. It works out cheaper. If you and the young man there can help out in the dining room at breakfast, I can knock another thirty bucks off the price. You know, clear tables, stock up the tea and coffee, that kinda stuff. We’re always looking for extra hands.’ She reached up to take a key from the hook behind the desk and scribbled a note in the guest register. Apparently the computer age hadn’t quite reached The Desert Inn reception desk yet. ‘The mining boom has kept us pretty busy the last coupla years.’

  Exhausted, grateful and near tears, Lily nodded. ‘Thanks.’

  Dawn patted her hand. ‘You’re welcome, love. Go to the end of the building, turn left and the room is first on your right. Number 8, a lucky number you know.’ Dawn waved a ringed hand in the right direction and shooed them away.

  Lily figured they needed all the luck they could get. They’d need a change of clothes too, she thought, mentally counting her remaining dollars. ‘Um…is there a second hand clothing store nearby? We…lost our luggage in Perth.’ She hated lying. There’d been far too much of it in their lives already.

  ‘Now that’s a shame,’ Dawn said, sympathetically. ‘There’s a Salvos in the city centre. They open at nine in the morning. It’s about a two minute walk from here. Tell them I sent ya. Meanwhile, I’ll lend you two a change of clothes out of lost and found. Laundered them myself, so they’re nice and fresh.’ She shook her head. ‘The things people leave behind…’

  Relief joined the weariness reaching into her bones, her soul, and her mind. I wish this was over. The lies, the deception, the running. ‘Thank you,’ she said again, the meaning deeper this time.

  ‘No worries, love. Come around this way. I have a cupboard with some clothes in different shapes and sizes for you two to choose from. It will at least see you through tonight and tomorrow. Been meaning to turn them over to the Salvos. Haven’t had time, you see.’

  Lily selected a pair of jeans and a t-shirt each — not quite their size or style, but they’d do. She thanked Dawn and agreed they’d be in the kitchen to start work at 5:00 a.m. Luke hadn’t spoken a word since getting off the train. His responses to her questions or attempts at conversation were restricted to nods or grunts.

  She didn’t have the heart to reprimand him. They’d taken two steps forward and three steps back. Their future yawned before them dark and empty, uncertainty breeding in the shadows. At least when Gino was alive, she knew what to expect, how to meet it head on and when to avoid it.

  Toughen up, Lily! You can do this! If she told Mark where they were, what would he do? Had they arrested Nic Albero yet? Did they have enough to make an arrest? What was Mark thinking? Would he turn against her for running? What would happen to Luke? The questions raced through her mind. If only she had all the answers.

  For a moment, she allowed herself to daydream. Somewhere in the future, when all this was over, would Mark take her in those strong arms, hold her against his heart and tell her he loved her? For the first time in her life, she could sink into his embrace, be loved, adored, appreciated and most of all…safe. She could dream of Luke having a father who cared for him, nurtured him and shared the joys and trials of young adulthood. Mark could be that man. Already, he’d formed a tenuous bond with Luke. If only —

  ‘Mum.’ Luke’s voice reached into her thoughts as they stopped at the door of their room. ‘Will we ever stop running?’

  Lily looked at him, pausing as she inserted the key in the door. Gone was the glimpse of the boy he’d been
while they’d stayed at the refuge. Life had shown promise there. Luke had even picked up weight, started showing interest in sport, in the outdoors, in…living. Now the haunted look was back in his eyes and unhappiness dragged his shoulders to a slope.

  Lily wished she could find some reassurance for him. Yes, son, everything will be okay. This dark shadow that rules our lives will lift and we can move on from this. ‘I don’t know.’

  She pushed open the door to yet another strange room. The whiff of stale cigarette smoke she associated with all motels wrinkled her nose. The carpet aged but clean, was a dark muddy brown. Mint green curtains blocked out the dark behind the windows. Nothing at all like their cabin at TJ’s place. Lily sighed as exhaustion stole through her. They couldn’t hide here forever. There was still the matter of Luke’s breach of his bail conditions to deal with, and the only person she could think of talking to about it was Mark.

  What would his reaction be? Would he be angry at her for running away? More than likely. The tentative thread of trust between them was broken. Sadness seeped into her bones. Regret tugged at her heart. How was it possible to become so attached to a man in such a short time? Not just the man himself but the integrity, the caring nature and the promise of security he provided. Was that all she wanted? Was the attraction she felt for him simply because he was the complete opposite of Gino?

  Lily shook off the thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking of Mark. She needed to think of Luke. Weariness settled about her shoulders. If only she had the answer to her own questions, she might be able to get them out of this mess. Perhaps she’d feel better in the morning after a good night’s rest. She sat on one of the twin beds as Luke closed and locked the door behind him.

  ‘I wish I had the answers, Luke. I’ve failed you so many times.’

  The mattress sagged a little as Luke sat next to her and pushed back his hoodie. ‘None of this is your fault, Mum. Gino was a bastard. I could have said no to him, fought back.’ Luke studied the room key in his hand. ‘But I had to think of you, and the other boys.’

  Lily reached for his hand and held it tight. ‘I should have left him before you were born. Then none of this would have happened. Tiny would still be alive and we’d be safe.’

  Luke sighed. ‘Tiny and Marty, they were street smart but Gino and Nic? They were smarter. If I didn’t play along, all three of them would be dead. It was Connor I was most worried about.’

  ‘Why?’ Lily let go of his hand, pushed off her shoes and rested against the wall of the room.

  Desert heat still radiated off the plasterboard. The candlewick quilt was soft on the bed beneath her hands. It reminded her of her grandma’s house, a lifetime ago. Even the smell of the linens — that mixed perfume of laundry powder and mothballs — reminded her of a happier time when her grandma was still alive and she hadn’t met Gino Bennetti yet.

  ‘Connor was the youngest in the gang, right?’ She drew her focus back into the motel room time had forgotten.

  Luke nodded. ‘He’s the weakest of all of us. Connor isn’t a street kid. His mum raised him alone and he’s a pretty decent kid. Every time I told Gino I wanted out, he’d threaten Connor. I couldn’t let that happen.’

  ‘Why didn’t you come to me, tell me what was going on?’

  ‘Because he said he’d kill you if I did. He was mean, greedy and selfish, Mum. I knew he’d do it.’

  ‘Oh Luke!’ Lily scooted away from the wall to sit next to her son. She looped her arm through his and lay her head against his skinny shoulder. ‘What an awful mess.’ Tears prickled against her lids, her heart aching as she wished she had the power to turn back time.

  ‘Tiny’s dead because of me, Mum.’ Luke’s words fell like stones into the heavy silence between them. He rubbed his thumb into the palm of his hand as he spoke, studying the creases and lines. ‘Gino found a list I’d kept of all the places and dates we’d dropped his shipments. I gave it to Tiny to keep. He wanted out after he joined TJ’s program and he needed a little insurance. It fell out of his pocket when Tiny handed over the cash from a delivery and Gino found it on the floor of the clubhouse.’

  Lily shivered. She knew the punishment for disobeying Gino. She’d felt it far too many times in her life.

  ‘That’s when they went after him at the convention centre. He wouldn’t dob me in though,’ Luke said. ‘He told Gino he’d written them down. I told them it was me but Snow said Tiny had to die. He was high risk.’

  Tears ran down Luke’s cheeks and Lily’s heart ached for her son. It was easy to hate Gino at that moment. He’d destroyed so many lives with his greed and selfishness.

  ‘I don’t want to run any more, Mum. I want to hand myself in.’

  ‘Luke, no!’ Lily cried.

  ‘I have to if I want to turn my life around.’

  ‘But Nic’s people will get to you in there, Luke. You won’t survive the first night and if you do…’ Desperation alternated with fear as she envisioned the life Luke would have in juvie before he could be sent to adult prison when he turned eighteen. It didn’t bear thinking about.

  ‘It’s the only way we’ll stop this, Mum. If you won’t phone Detective Johnson, I will.’

  Should she call Mark? His number was engraved in her memory. No, not yet. She had to think first. Sleep, that’s what they needed. Things might be clearer in the morning.

  ‘Why don’t you grab a shower, Luke? I need to think on this a little. I can’t let you go to prison.’

  ‘No thinking, no more delaying. I’ll go take that shower but I want you to call him before Nic or Snow catch up with us. We’ll be safer in custody. I’d rather we negotiate a deal than live life waiting for them to catch up with us. They will, Mum, and you know that will be the end of it…of us.’ He stood and picked up the pile of clothes Dawn had given him. ‘Call him,’ he said as he walked into the tiny bathroom and closed the door.

  Dear God, how had it come to this? Her child, her baby talked about “cutting deals” and being safer in custody when he should be talking about girls and football. Lily looked at the clock. What was Mark doing now? Was it too late to ask him for help?

  * * *

  Mark signed off on his last report and looked at his watch. Where was Serena Snow now? Albero’s taunts might be just that. He knew Lily and Luke had arrived safely in Kalgoorlie but if Snow was on the train and had followed them, who knew what cruel retaliation she was capable of? For what must be the hundredth time, he wished it was over.

  Lily had come to mean so much in such a short time. Even Luke had started to warm to him, come out of his shell a little. Mark would have liked the opportunity to show the teen that not all men were ruthless criminals. That being a father meant more than just a name on a birth certificate. A father like his who’d taken him fishing, boating, taught him to drive, introduced him to his first beer, tossed a football. For a brief moment at the refuge, he’d glimpsed the boy Luke had the potential to become. A happy, easy-going young man with a bright future. And Lily…his brave, beautiful, fragile angel. She felt so right in his arms. That’s where he wanted her. When all this was over…

  He glanced at the screen as his phone rang. A private number. He frowned even as his heart skipped a hopeful beat.

  ‘Detective Mark Johnson,’ he answered. Play it cool.

  ‘Mark, it’s Lily.’

  All thoughts of remaining detached fled. Yes! His heart tripped at the sound of her voice. Keeping his tone neutral was hard. She’d run away, hadn’t trusted him enough to stay. Anger blended with relief, enough to put an edge on his tone. ‘Lily.’ He heard her hesitation, the intake of breath as she felt the sting in the single word.

  ‘I…I’m sorry. I did what I thought was right.’

  ‘You could have come to me.’ He tried to swallow the hurt in his tone and failed. In his heart he knew, he would never turn his back on Lily.

  ‘My first instinct was to run, to hide and protect Luke. I didn’t think I had a choice after everything Nic
and Gino have done.’

  The teary thickness in her voice, the desperation in her tone, tugged at his heart. ‘I promised you I would protect you both. I meant it.’

  ‘I was afraid, Mark…afraid Albero would get to us before you could. He was there, across the road from M&M, watching me through the window. I don’t have much faith in the justice system. It’s failed us too many times already.’ A touch of anger lit her tone.

  There was the fighting spirit, the Lily he knew lay buried deep inside. The woman his heart wanted to set free. Now he had to tell her he’d betrayed her trust anyway by doing what his job demanded he do.

  ‘It’s about to fail you again. We had to let the juvenile court know about Luke’s disappearance.’ The words ripped past the lump in his throat. Silence — empty, echoing silence stretched and yawned. Had she hung up? ‘Lily, did you hear what I said? They’re going to issue a warrant unless we can persuade them otherwise.’ He heard her choke on a sob and his heart softened a little.

  ‘Then do it if you have to!’ she shouted down the line, frustration and anger in her voice. ‘What was I supposed to do? Sit back and let that bastard Albero threaten us some more? Wait for Serena Snow to show up and make Luke look like a lousy, no-hoper drug addict who’d overdosed? Or the poor helpless widow, so distraught she had to take her own life? Would that have made you feel like a hero, Detective Johnson?’

  Each word pierced his mind, his heart, his soul. A hero? No, what he felt like was an arsehole, but he needed her to reach deep, to prepare for what might happen next if Serena Snow had followed them.

  The court battle when it came to it would be bitter and dangerous, digging deep into the underworld of drugs and crime, stirring up more dirt than she’d uncovered before leaving Perth. Keeping it out of the media would be hard. Doing so without losing more lives would be even harder. They had to get to Snow. Yet again, the cop was at war with the man and for the first time in his career, he wasn’t sure which one to reach for.