by Morgana Best
“He wants to meet them in four days,” Adam said. “We’d better repost these two letters today to make sure that the nuns get them, so the cops can catch them.”
I scratched my head. “What do you mean?”
“We should go to the cops.”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
“What else are we going to do? Let’s go to the cops. We can tip them off if you want, call anonymously.”
“I guess,” I said. I wasn’t keen on being on the receiving end of more lectures from the local constabulary.
“I’ll go speak with them,” Adam said. “I could say someone tipped me off. They’ll go, don’t you think? Just to make sure? They can finally catch these guys at it.”
And so later in the day Adam and I were sitting at the police station. Both the cops were there, sitting across from us, and both were wearing scowls on their faces.
“And you got this from a tip?” Sergeant Barnes asked.
“Yes,” Adam said. “It’s on social media that I’ve been writing a story about the Shadow Gang. They said they heard it from someone. I don’t know who. I don’t know who Jack is, and I don’t know what diamond.”
The police officers were quiet for a moment. Finally one of them spoke. “Thank you, we’ll look into it.”
“You will?” I asked, blurting out the question out before I could stop myself.
Barnes frowned at me and pursed his lips. “Yes.”
“You believe us?” I said again, also unwisely.
“Yes. Shouldn’t we?” Barnes and Jones exchanged glances.
“Let’s quit while we’re ahead,” Adam said as he stood. He reached over and pulled me up, and we hurried out of the station.
Before Adam dropped me off at home, we stopped by the post office. I ran up the stairs and dropped both resealed envelopes into the mailbox, knowing that they would end up back in the convent’s P.O. Box.
At my store, Adam pulled up to the curb. “Need me to stick around?”
“No, that’s okay,” I said. “I need to open the store for a few hours.”
“All right. So hey, I was thinking we should go on Tuesday.”
I smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.”
But the next day was only Saturday, and I found myself in that strange mood that came when I was expected to live a normal life. For so many weeks I had been focusing on the bank robbers, and making plans, and living a life that was made up of considerably more danger than I had previously been accustomed to. When a day came around where nothing like that was happening, I felt strange, almost let down.
I ate a simple breakfast of toast and vegemite, and showered before going down to open up my shop. Saturdays were a good day for me. The main street often got crowded, both with people who lived there and the passing highway traffic.
I had only been open for five minutes or so when my first customer of the day came in. It was an older woman named Bonnie. She was a little past seventy and round faced with an ample tummy. She was always smiling, her cheeks rosy, her hair graying and cut to her shoulders. She invariably came in with her husband, Jim, who was just as jovial as she, and some pounds heavier. Today Bonnie was alone.
“Hey Bonnie, where’s Jim?” I asked as I dusted a group of tables near the door.
“Not feeling too well today,” Bonnie said with a forced smile.
I didn’t miss the fact that the woman looked as though she wanted to be doing anything other than smiling. Bonnie and her husband came in just about every Saturday morning, and they had maybe spent the most money between them than anyone else had in the store over the years.
“What’s going on?” I asked, straightening up as I forgot about the dusting.
“It’s Jim, the old fool. His doctor’s been on him and on him about his blood pressure.”
I could tell that the story was just getting started. “Hey, come back to the counter. I can get you some water.”
“All right,” Bonnie said with a nod, and the two of us walked to the back of the store together. I swung around the end of the counter and slid behind it as Bonnie set her purse upon the counter and leaned on it.
“I can make you a cup of tea if you’d prefer,” I said as I walked into the back room and filled the jug with water.
“Water is fine,” Bonnie said.
I leaned into the fridge and took out a bottle of water.
“He had a heart attack,” Bonnie said.
“I didn’t know! Is he okay?” I asked.
“He’s out of the hospital, but it was scary. A few days ago. It’s amazing how fast they got him in and out of that place.”
“What did they say?”
“The doctors? They told him to watch it. He has to change his diet. If he doesn’t, it’s going to kill him. I’m so worried about him, Rose.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t know what it was like to be married. I didn’t know what it was like to share one’s life so completely with someone else.
“We’ve been married thirty-eight years,” Bonnie continued. “I don’t know what I would do without him. I didn’t think I’d have to be worried about something like this. He’s only seventy-three. That’s not that old. Not for these days.”
“No, it’s not. Just make sure he takes better care of himself. Men are stubborn, aren’t they?” I said.
Bonnie laughed and nodded. “They are — he is, at least. He’s at home resting, and I almost didn’t come today. But he wanted me to. He knows how much I love coming to pick through your stuff here.”
“I’m glad you came. Maybe if you do this, just something normal, it’ll help.”
Bonnie nodded again and reached out, placing her hand on mine. “You’re a good friend, Rose,” she said.
“You guys are too,” I said, at a loss for words.
Bonnie took a deep breath, and a sip of water and then straightened up so she wasn’t leaning on the counter any longer. “All right, what did you get in this week?”
I smiled and came around the counter. “Follow me,” I said. For the next twenty minutes both of us picked through various items. Bonnie finally picked out a wooden hand carved magazine rack.
I watched her go from the back counter. “Tell Jim to get better and come see me,” I called out and Bonnie turned and smiled. She waved and then headed out.
Once again I found myself wondering what it must be like, to love someone like that, to be married for so long. Thirty years was a long time. My longest relationship had been three months. Was there anyone out there I’d want to be with for such a long time?
And there was Adam, his visage swimming to the forefront of my thoughts. I was thinking about marriage, about being with someone for a long time, and I thought of him? I liked him, of course — he was cute, and nice, and he was very protective toward me. I was attracted to him — I could admit that to myself. But marriage? That was a long way off, and yet there I was, thinking of him.
The rest of the day went by slowly, and I fell back into that safety funk. It was crazy, to want something to happen, wasn’t it? All the danger, the close calls. It should be nice to have a day off, to be normal again, but I found myself bored. Well, I just needed to get through a few days, and then it would be Tuesday. I would have my excitement, and I would see Adam. I couldn’t wait for either.
Chapter 16.
I locked up my shop and turned to see Adam loading his duffel bag into my car. “Are you sure we’ll get there before the police do?” I called back to him. I pushed against the door to ensure it was secured, and then walked over to the driver’s side of the car.
“Considering that we’re leaving so early, we should get there well before the drop off time,” Adam replied with a grin. “But you never know — the police might want to show up early as well. You never know what to expect from criminals, so the cops tend to plan for every possible scenario.”
I pulled open the car door and slid inside. As I turned the ignition, I looked over at Adam. “Well, let
’s just hope everything works out today. Do we have everything we need?”
Adam looked around the car, and then hoisted the large bag up on his lap. He pulled down the zipper and sifted through its contents briefly before looking up at me. “Yeah, I think so. Two sets of binoculars, my camera with the telephoto lens, and a few notepads, of course.”
I laughed. “Journalists can’t leave the house without something to write on.” I shifted the car into drive and sped off toward our destination.
Adam looked over at me with a wide smile on his face. “Hey, a writer always has to be able to write!” He pulled out his cell phone and glanced down at it. “When I have no other choice, I just use this, but give me a number two pencil and a sheet of paper over technology any day.” He exchanged glances with me as I rolled my eyes. “Well, for the note-taking, at least.”
The trees and bare paddocks whizzed by as we continued our trip to the meeting spot. It was for the most part a boring drive, with frostbitten countryside and nothing but an occasional flock of sheep to look at. Winter in this district made everything look like a desert, in contrast with spring and summer when everything was lush and green.
Walcha was the only break in the journey, but with a population of only around three thousand people, it only took about three minutes to drive though. Then it was back to the same scenery, until we approached West Springs. The countryside now afforded magnificent views of the valleys below.
I swerved to miss a fat waddling wombat and focused harder on driving, while Adam scribbled furiously in one of his notebooks. The countryside now had bush either side of the road, and there was the danger of wildlife running onto the road.
West Springs, Next Left. As I read the sign, Adam looked up. “We’re here already?”
“Time flies when you’re doodling in your books,” I joked. Nevertheless, my heart was in my mouth. I knew we had planned to keep well out of the way, but I couldn’t help but be nervous.
I pulled off at the next exit and followed the road a short distance until we came to the fire station and rest area. They were some distance from the few solitary houses that dotted the top of the hill.
“Go right this way,” Adam said, pointing up a road that didn’t seem to lead to anywhere. “If we follow it up a bit, there should be a good spot for us to hide out. We should be able to find a good vantage point under cover of those trees.”
I kept on driving slowly as the road turned to dirt. Presently we came upon a slight embankment. Several wattle trees were scattered around the bottom, their winter branches still promising ample shelter. “This looks like it could work,” I said.
“Yes, it does. Park back here a bit and we can hide over in those bushes,” Adam said.
I stopped the car under a large tree. We walked over to crouch down behind the cover of the wattle trees. Adam pulled out a set of binoculars and handed them to me. I looked through and then adjusted the sights. At first, all I could see was a blur of colors, but after a few flicks of the dial, everything came into focus.
“It should be going down right over there,” Adam said, pointing over in the distance. “Look, here’s one of our guys.”
I squinted fiercely. I was able to see the car clearly, but the dark windows concealed the driver’s identity for the time being. “I can’t see who it is, and that’s definitely not the convent car,” I said. “Maybe that’s the Jack guy from the letter.”
“Maybe,” Adam said, “but that’s not the convent car either.”
I watched as an old, beat-up gray car pulled up beside the other. The door flew open and a pair of white shoes, partially covered by a black habit, touched the pavement.
“It’s a nun, but why isn’t he in the convent car?”
“I’m not sure,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Maybe they realized that it was being watched and decided to get something a bit less conspicuous.”
Suddenly, I thought about the time. I looked around frantically and realized that the police were nowhere in sight. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. “They’re a whole hour early!”
“I was afraid of that,” Adam said. “They probably had a fail-safe already figured or something.”
I looked over at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
“A lot of gangs and groups like this have a back-up plan in case the police are watching. Basically, if the note says the meeting is at three p.m., it really means that it’s at two p.m., or something prearranged like that.”
I pulled the binoculars back up to my eyes and looked over at the two cars. The man whom I assumed to be Jack was now standing outside the black car, talking to the nun. I noticed the man was tall, with dark hair and a pair of glasses resting on his nose. “What are they doing?”
“I’m not sure, but it looks like they’re surveying the area,” Adam said.
I watched closely through the binoculars as Jack and the nun continued chatting. I noticed that their heads were swiveling. Adam was right — they were making sure they weren’t being watched.
After a few minutes, the nun followed the man to the trunk of the black car. I wondered if Jack was getting the money in order to make the exchange.
“This is a disaster,” I said to Adam. “The cops finally believe us, and they could’ve caught one of the nuns in the habit and all, but they’re not even here yet!”
Right then, Adam grabbed my arm. “It’s the police — look!”
I scooped the binoculars back up. I saw a dark, unmarked car with tinted windows. It slowly crept toward the meeting spot, but I figured the suspects might have seen it as well.
Just as I suspected, the nun’s face looked in the direction of the road. He pointed toward the car and then he at once ran off toward the tree line, leaving the other man with a dumbfounded expression on his face. I tried to follow the nun with binoculars, but he disappeared behind some bushes off in the distance.
The cop car sped up and stopped right before the two suspects’ cars. In double quick time, two officers jumped out with their guns pointed at Jack.
“At least he knows better than to run,” Adam said.
Just then, several more cop cars pulled up. The doors all flew open, and the police scattered like ants into the surrounding area, apparently looking for the fleeing suspect.
“Where’s the nun?” I said urgently.
Adam pointed. I trained my binoculars in the direction and focused on a large bush that was shaking violently. After several moments, a man wearing only his underpants emerged. He tossed a large, black bundle into the rushing river before sprinting off.
“The police have seen him,” Adam said gleefully.
I didn’t share his enthusiasm. “He just ditched the habit he was wearing,” I said. “The cops will never find it in that river.” I turned the binoculars on the river and watched the current carrying away the evidence. “They’ll never know he was a nun!” I was disappointed.
All of sudden Adam said, “Get down!”
I pulled the binoculars from my face to see the nun barreling straight toward us.
I threw myself backward, falling under the bush as Adam slid beside me. I peeked through the bushes to see several officers on top of the half-naked man. “Phew,” I whispered carefully. They were right in front of us, but they remained oblivious to our presence.
Adam looked at me and winked. “Phew is right. That was close!” he said in the slightest of whispers.
“All right, Slim Eddie, it looks like you have a bit of explaining to do when we get back to the station,” one of the officers said.
“I have nothing to say,” he replied, spitting into the wind. “I want a lawyer.”
“Good,” said one of the other cops, “because you’re going to need one. It just so happens we have a fingerprint that’s waiting for a match, and you’re the most likely candidate according to AFIS.”
“What, are you trying to pin that body on me now? This is a joke. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
“Who said anything about a body?” the cop said. “Guilty conscience?”
“So, what exactly is up with these Shadow Gang guys always being caught naked?” one officer asked another.
“I don’t have the slightest clue, Sarge, but maybe these Shadow Gang guys just enjoy running around in their birthday suits. This is the second one we’ve caught wearing nothing but his underwear.” The two cops started laughing as the first pulled his cuffs from his belt.
“You have the right to remain silent —” he began as he handcuffed the struggling Slim Eddie’s hands behind his back and then walked him over toward the other officers.
I looked through my binoculars at Jack, who was sitting in the back of one of the cop cars with his hands cuffed as well. “It looks like we got another one of the nuns,” I said, smiling at Adam. “And whoever this Jack guy is.”
“Yes, but the cops still aren’t going to believe that they’re hiding out as nuns. They’re ditching their habits on purpose — it’s all about maintaining this charade. They obviously have an agreement to surrender and keep their mouths shut about the convent if they get caught.”
“Maybe Sister Maria has promised them a really good lawyer in return for their silence,” I replied.
“Maybe,” Adam said, looking down at his notepad, “but I’d say they’re too scared of what will happen to them if they talk.”
I smiled. “That’s true. I’m awfully disappointed they didn’t catch him in his habit, but look on the bright side — we just helped the police take down another member of the Shadow Gang. It’s only a matter of time until we get the rest, too.”
Adam smiled and locked eyes with me. “I know.”
“Poor Mrs. Sutton,” I said. “At least her murderer is going to be brought to justice.”
Chapter 17.
Butterflies were going crazy in my stomach. I was standing in front of the floor length mirror in my room for the fifth time as I tried to figure out just what I was going to wear. That in itself was silly, wasn’t it? It was just breakfast, and it was just Adam. I had eaten breakfast with him plenty of times before. I had seen him plenty of times. Why did this time feel so different?
