by Jennie Jones
‘Okay?’ Jax asked for the umpteenth time.
Frances looked up but said nothing. She nodded, then took her focus to the school workbook. She hadn’t turned a page for the last half-hour.
Jax made for the café, smiling at one of the young girls she employed who was making scrambled eggs while bacon fried and sizzled in a pan. Rosie was out front, taking orders and making toasted sandwiches and heating muffins. Saturday breakfasts went on from 7 am to just before midday.
‘Excuse me.’
Jax turned to Frances, and forced a light smile to hide the concern. Why had Frances gone back to being so polite it sounded strained?
‘When can we go home?’
Home. The fact that Frances used that word bounced around Jax’s head. ‘Not until tonight.’ Jack had asked again that she work most days at the café, so that she and Frances were close.
‘But what about the dogs?’ Frances asked.
‘They’ll be fine. We fed them this morning. They’ve got shade in their paddocks and runs, and plenty of water.’
‘But they’re on their own.’
‘Is something wrong?’ Jax asked, moving back to her daughter.
Frances shook her head. ‘Do you have Billy’s mobile number?’
‘I’ve got it,’ Rosie said as she came through the door from the café into the kitchen. She fished her phone out of her skirt pocket and scrolled. ‘I’ll send it to you.’
‘Thank you,’ Frances said, and went back to pretending to look at her school book, but her hand slithered into her pocket when her iPhone beeped.
‘Anyone friggin’ serving out here?’ some man called from the counter.
Jax turned and went through the door into the café. Just what she didn’t need—a difficult customer. Probably wanting a fry-up breakfast to help shake off the Friday night hangover. ‘I’ve got this one,’ she said to Paula, the other young woman she employed as a waitress and kitchen assistant.
Paula carried on with what she was doing at the sandwich grill.
Jax halted when she faced the man on the other side of the counter. He was one of the two men the police had put on curfew. They’d both been eating at the café or at Breakers Hotel in the last week. He looked different today. He looked rough at the edges, he stank, and it was obvious he hadn’t changed his clothes in the last couple of days.
She checked the café floor but his mate wasn’t around. They were an outspoken pair, but hadn’t given the girls in the café much grief. It looked like that was about to change.
She gave him a quick, polite smile and readied herself. He was unshaven, possibly still drunk, and he was in a foul mood.
‘Crap service,’ he told her, his mouth in a hardened line, his eyes dark pools.
Jax got a fright; it shivered through her. ‘Sorry,’ she told him. Best to remain polite and as calm as possible. She kept her eyes on his, still smiling. ‘Paula,’ she said to the young woman who was lifting a toasted sandwich off the grill. ‘Go tell Rosie I need two side orders of fried apple sauce.’
‘What’s that?’ Paula asked, sounding perplexed.
‘Just tell her. She’ll know what I need.’ Her smile was still in place and she still had her eyes on the man. Two side orders of fried apple sauce was a code they’d laughingly decided upon a few years back when the town was still full of roughnecks. It meant: call the police. They’d had to use it a few times back then, and it had stuck despite its silliness. Rosie would remember.
‘I’ll have the full breakfast, three eggs. Fried. Don’t burn the friggin’ toast this time.’
He had to be nearly seven foot tall and almost as wide. He was staring at Jax as though about to devour her. ‘I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave,’ she said steadily.
He snarled. ‘Little bitch. My money not good enough for you?’
Jax moved around the counter and headed for the café door. The café was packed and everyone had suddenly stopped eating, stopped talking, maybe stopped breathing. She could just about hear her heartbeat, which was rapid, to say the least.
Two guys stood, putting their napkins down, obviously ready to deal with whatever might happen next.
‘It’s okay,’ Jax told them, holding a hand out to ask they stay where they were. She opened the café door and looked back at the man. ‘I’d like you to leave,’ she told him.
He scowled, growled like some vicious dog, fisted his hand and threw a heavy sideways punch at the glass-covered cake stand on the counter.
Glass shattered and scattered over the countertop and onto the floor.
The man swore, then moved towards Jax.
Chairs were scraped back as people moved out of the way. ‘Come on, mate,’ one of the men who’d stood to offer assistance said. ‘Just leave, and let the lady be.’
The kitchen door opened. ‘On their way,’ Rosie said.
Thank God.
The man lunged for Jax. She stepped back with a snatched intake of breath and hit the opened door, bumping the back of her head when it crashed against the wall, smashing a pane of glass. The two guys who had been just having a quiet breakfast moved fast and made for the man, who had his arm raised above Jax’s head, ready to strike her.
But suddenly she was out of the line of fire, yanked firmly and decidedly out of the café doorway and onto the street.
Jax stared at Donna.
Donna steadied her, then released her.
By the time Jax worked out what was happening, Will and Jack were there and they had the big, crazy man by the arms and were pulling him out of the doorway, but he was fighting against them the whole time.
‘Stay inside, people,’ Donna told the customers and went to assist her colleagues.
Rosie ran out onto the street to stand by Jax, and Frances came swiftly after her.
Jax grabbed Frances and pulled her to one side. ‘It’s okay,’ she told her, but her voice was shaking along with her whole body.
Frances gasped. Jax clung onto her tighter.
Suddenly, the big man roared like some feral animal, thrusting out both arms and shaking off the two policemen.
Cars and utes screeched to a halt on High Street. People stopped and stared. Someone screamed.
Donna was now in the middle of the street, between Jack and Will. As one, they lunged at the man.
Jax almost lost her breath at the sheer force they used to control him. Jack had him in a headlock, Donna had him around his waist and Will went for his legs. And still he was moving. One arm went up to grab the back of Jack’s head, but he missed. His other hand went up to grab Donna’s hair—her cap had come off in the struggle. He fisted her hair and yanked. Jack shouted something and Will moved the man, heaving his shoulder against the back of the man’s legs and pushing, scrum-style.
That toppled him and he fell backwards. Donna got out of the way a second before he landed on her.
Jack still had him by the neck and he used his weight and the strength in his shoulders to pull the man sideways. A second later the man was on his back on the ground. Donna scrambled to stand.
Then two more officers were now on the street, assisting. Five police officers holding down one man! Jack grabbed the man’s shoulders and heaved him facedown.
Jax blinked and tried to draw breath. By the time she’d focused again, Donna had a knee in the man’s lower back and handcuffs in her hands.
Jax looked at her daughter. The child’s eyes were wide. ‘It’s over, Frances.’ It had happened so quickly she hadn’t had time to turn Frances away from the scene.
‘Shit,’ Rosie said, sounding just as shaken as Jax felt. ‘That was something, eh?’
Jack walked towards them, breathing heavily, his eyes on Frances. His gait told Jax exactly how much effort he’d put into the arrest.
‘Is she okay?’ he asked when he got to Jax, but didn’t wait for a response. ‘Frances.’ He took her out of Jax’s hold and turned her to him, his hands on her shoulders. ‘Are you all right?’
; Frances’s eyes were still round and it looked like she couldn’t blink or close her mouth. Then she lunged at Jack, flinging her arms around his neck. He caught her, he didn’t stumble; he just had her in that firm embrace.
Jax felt her heart strings snap.
‘It’s over,’ Jack told her. ‘Nobody’s hurt. It’s all over.’
Jax watched as three officers led the man to the police station. One of the officers stayed on the street and spoke to bystanders, asking them to move off the road and go about their business, before starting to get the traffic moving again.
‘I’m all right,’ Frances said.
Jack released her. ‘Good girl.’
‘But I’m not,’ she said. ‘I’m not good.’
‘What are you talking about, darling?’ Jax asked.
Frances closed her eyes and shook her head. It was obvious she’d been frightened nearly out of her skin.
Suddenly Rosie stepped up and took Frances from Jack.
‘Come on, sweetie, you need a chocolate milkshake with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate buttons.’
‘That’s for babies,’ Frances said, still with a catch in her voice.
Rosie ran her hand over Frances’s head, pushing back the heavy fringe. ‘Rubbish. I love chocolate buttons and I’m no baby. By the way, you need a haircut, kid.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Frances said, sounding stubborn. She still looked frightened and bewildered and Jax had a sudden thought that whatever was bothering her now was not only down to the fight she’d just witnessed, but was also something connected to her sullen demeanour all morning.
Rosie led Frances by the hand back into the café.
Jax looked at Senior Sergeant Maxwell, gratefulness overwhelming her for the way he’d been worried about Frances seeing yet another fight, and for the hug and safety he’d given her.
‘Do you think she’ll be okay?’ Jack asked.
Jax nodded. ‘I thought for a second you might have to use your Taser.’
‘I’m old school. If someone wants to fight, let’s go.’
Armed with their presence, commanding tone of voice and an ability to escalate or de-escalate a situation, Jax wondered briefly if she would have made a good police officer. She thought so, and admired Donna, but truthfully, she was happier at the café counter. She had enough action every day: grouchy customers, good customers, people who just wanted to spend a few minutes talking to someone, people passing through, stopping off for breakfast or lunch before they started their great adventure on the Outback Way. She had her farmhouse, her rescued animals—and she had Frances.
‘If we weren’t on the street,’ she told him, ‘I’d throw myself at you.’
He didn’t bat an eye; he just pulled her in.
‘Jack,’ she protested, pressed against his blue shirt. ‘You’re on duty.’
‘I’m actually rostered off shift,’ he said, ‘so in reality, I’m undercover.’ Then he kissed her. Quickly and swiftly.
‘Some fight,’ Will said.
‘Some kiss,’ Jimmy added.
‘Some none of your business,’ Jack said. He checked the CCTV monitor. The man they’d just brought down was in cell four, minus his shoes and belt.
‘We’re letting him cool off,’ Will said. ‘And we’re rounding up his mate.’
Jack nodded. It was time to ask both men a number of questions about the gear they’d had stowed in the boot of their car. ‘I don’t want Davidson or any of the less experienced officers in the charge room,’ he said. ‘I want Louie in there. Is Donna okay?’
‘What do you think?’
Jack wiped a hand over his mouth, his heart rate back to normal. ‘She can move fast.’
Will grinned. ‘I’d have her watch my back any day.’
Jack would too. She wasn’t tall, maybe five eight, but she was damned fit, and what’s more, she knew her job. She hadn’t hesitated when tackling that big guy because she’d known she wasn’t alone, she was part of a team. She often led the team too. She was as much value to Jack’s team as any of his male officers were. Not that he’d doubted this for a second at any time, but it was always good to see any female colleague use her training to do her stuff. He was glad he’d paired her with Davidson. The young man would learn from Donna.
‘Will,’ he said in a lowered tone. ‘I’m thinking we ought to go out to the Baxter farm and bring the parents in. Pick up Roper on the way back.’
‘You’re going in now?’ Will asked, referring to the op.
‘Not for Bivic, but I think it’s time we discovered what everybody knows or thinks they know. Any luck with the cops in the NT?’
‘They’ve had so many thefts in the Northern Territory the paperwork must be sky high. But those I’m talking to have narrowed the search down to one town which is a known drop-off and exchange trafficking area. Yagoona. About three hundred clicks east of the WA–NT border. There’s been a lot of dodgy business out of that town recently. We could be onto something. Just need to match up the IDs of the stolen goods our end with theirs.’
‘Keep on it. We also need to talk to Amelia Arnold, but I’ll do that.’ He moved further into the front office and looked out the barred window to the exercise yard. ‘Have they been fed and whatever?’ he asked, indicating the two goats and the chickens.
‘Jimmy did it. Donna helped.’
‘Jax is going to take them to the animal shelters behind the café.’ It had been arranged the animals be moved after the morning food rush.
‘Not before time,’ Jimmy said. ‘By the way, be careful when you go into your office.’
‘Why?’
‘The lamb’s in there, plus the rooster.’
‘Why is the lamb in my office?’
‘It’s scared,’ Jimmy said. ‘We got it a blanket and a knitted teddy bear, and we’ve cordoned it off in one corner. It took a liking to the rooster, so we’ve left them together. Oh, and there’s something else.’
Jack pulled a frown. ‘Hit me with it.’
‘While you were out wrestling the giant, I took a call from one of the pastoral stations. Dog theft. Five Kelpies taken late last night. They aren’t pets; they’re working dogs.’
Jack glanced at the barred window to the exercise pen, at his office door where more animals resided, then at Will, who’d obviously just gone through the same thought process Jack had. Bull, goats, roosters, rams, dogs. And all the tags or drawings—square picture frames, boxing gloves. No, not a picture frame—
He looked at Will as understanding hit. ‘Animal fighting rings,’ he said quietly. ‘The drawings—they aren’t picture frames, they’re arenas.’
Will drew a breath. ‘That’s what the gambling is. What the hell were they intending to do with Tonto?’
‘Pit the dogs against him?’ A test, maybe. A stupid, irresponsible and bloody test. That’s why he had petroleum jelly in his eyes, that’s why he’d been bloated, pumped with water. They’d probably given him salt so he’d drink enough to slow him down. It’s what they did with the bulls in bullfighting. They’d drugged him and given him laxatives too. Bastards. Stupid young men or not, if the Baxter boys were involved in this Jack was going to make sure they did time for it.
The front door of the station burst open and Jax ran in. ‘I can’t find Frances!’
Twenty
Ten minutes later, Jack turned from the troop wagon as Donna put Jax into the passenger seat, talking quietly to her, trying to ensure she understood that they’d find Frances. That it was going to be all right.
Jack wasn’t so sure about that last part.
He walked to the far corner of the small parking area, where he wouldn’t be overheard, and dialled Solomon’s mobile. ‘Do you know where Billy is?’
‘He went out three hours ago and hasn’t returned,’ Solomon said. ‘I was about to go look for him. What’s up?’
Jack brought him up to date on the issue with the giant, Bivic, the drug trafficking, and the newly discovered animal fighting rin
g. ‘About half an hour ago Frances burst into tears, saying something incoherent about Billy and his brothers.’ Jax had calmed her, thinking she was still upset by the brawl with the giant, and had left her in the kitchen while she arranged for Mr Bernardo’s son to replace the glass in the café door that had been smashed. ‘Frances supposedly nicked out the back of the café. The way Will and I are seeing it, Billy’s brothers want the dogs for the animal fight ring. We think Billy knew this and might now be out looking for any animals they may have stolen.’
‘And you think he’s taken Frances.’
‘She asked for Billy’s mobile number that morning, and Jax said she was already upset about something, even before the dust-up on the street.’ Billy wasn’t a bad kid, but why had he thought to bring Frances in on this? ‘I’m hoping she’s with him,’ he said reflectively. He didn’t want to think about the other scenario until he had reason to. ‘Joseph Bivic is undoubtedly organising this ring. He’s got the means and the gangland money to back it before the fights happen and the betting begins.’
‘But why would he trust the Baxter boys?’
‘Playing with them? Using them?’
‘Are you pulling Bivic in?’
‘Soon.’ Jack had called Gregory at the mine and ascertained that Bivic was on shift today, and working daytime hours. He’d told Gregory to do nothing and say nothing, but advised that he would be coming out to the mine to talk to Bivic and that if, for any reason, Bivic suddenly left his workplace, Gregory was to call it in immediately.
There was a chance they wouldn’t be able to hold him once they’d taken him in for suspicion of drug trafficking and organised animal fighting, because there was no hard evidence yet, but given the circumstances, Jack didn’t have a choice. It was Bivic who worried Jack the most. He didn’t want Billy coming up against him.
‘Solomon, I want you to keep an eye on Lizard Claws.’
‘Aren’t I better use looking for the kids?’
‘We’ll do that.’ He didn’t want anyone other than Solomon heading out to the mine. His officers were duty bound to go in advising police presence; Solomon could sneak in and check the area out. ‘I need you to keep an eye on Bivic. I’m going to have to pull him in for questioning, but I don’t want him spooked.’
