by Toni Pike
My head pounded. All my thoughts were focused on that weapon but I couldn’t pull the trigger. My courage failed and I froze, unable to kill the man who helped me all those years ago.
Joshua strode over and snatched the gun from my hand. He ran down to the water’s edge and hurled it with all his strength. Just like the murder weapon so many years ago, it hit the water and then sank.
It was unlikely to be found again and I had missed the chance to end all my worries.
“You saved me that night,” I said weakly but he kept facing the ocean.
I watched him in silence for three minutes then walked to the car and drove back to Quarry. Half an hour from town, I stopped to switch all the tracking devices back on.
***
The security detail was milling outside when I returned to the Quarry Motel at four o’clock. They all jumped to action and gathered around as soon as they saw me, and Stan was the first to speak. “We were about to send out a search party – where have you been?” he asked, bristling with agitation.
“I said I’d be back late in the afternoon and here I am. I’m sorry but I don’t want to hear any more about it. I was driving around the desert and that used to be my backyard, remember?”
What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, although they’d soon notice that the revolver in the glovebox had mysteriously vanished. My plan was to plead ignorance, claiming to have no idea what they were talking about. I was hoping they’d decide it had been inextricably mislaid. They would never guess that it was rusting on the bottom of the ocean floor.
“I’ll see all of you at the Royal Hotel for dinner and it’s my treat,” I said.
“We’re looking forward to it,” replied Stan.
Letitia came out of our room with Charlie in her arms. “Darling, I was getting worried – we all were,” she said, wrapping her arms around me. I took little Charlie in my arms, gently kissing his soft face as the three of us strolled back to our room and shut the door. “But I thought you would be okay – I knew you needed time alone. Do you feel better now?”
I tried to sound sincere. “Oh yes, much better. I went to the spot where I last saw my parents, but I never want to go there again. I don’t even want to think about them any more.” My mind was churning as I lied to my precious wife, knowing that nothing had been resolved.
“I’m pleased we came here. Will you miss Quarry when we go back home tomorrow?”
“I’ll always come back to visit Kevin and Jane.”
“Of course you will, and in a few years you’ll be able to tell Charlie about your life here.”
I tried to get into a party frame of mind. “I’m sure the steaks at the Royal will help to appease Stan and the others. They’re furious with me.”
She kissed me and smiled. “I want you to relax and enjoy yourself tonight. Tilly Baxter said she’d be happy to mind Charlie, and that we should stay out as late as we want.”
“That’s very kind of her,” I said, trying to push Joshua to the back of my mind.
We enjoyed a great evening at the Royal Hotel and the legendary steaks lived up to their reputation. You would not have guessed it to look at me that night, but I felt as if my head was split in two, one side all charm and pleasant conversation, the other side a horror story of threats and murder.
Our room at the Quarry Motel reminded me of my own small bedroom in Kevin and Jane’s house, the cottage just twenty metres away where the Baxters were living. Visitors often remarked that the peace and tranquility of the desert helped them to sleep soundly. Letitia and Charlie didn’t stir all night but my eyes stayed open, mesmerised by the endless rotation of the ceiling fan.
At least I finally knew what Joshua wanted – and that was for me to tell the truth. I had no intention of complying with his request.
I fell asleep at three o’clock but was haunted by a new nightmare. My parents were lying on the sand with faces twisted in anger. My father roared at me so I picked up a rock and ran over to him. He morphed to become Joshua on the beach and I ran towards him with a gun in my hand to protect my wife and baby. My hand was on the trigger.
I woke up at sunrise and a single question swirled around in my brain. What was he planning to do next?
***
JOSHUA
Joshua stayed beside Eighty Mile Beach for the rest of the day, but the next morning he started to walk. That helped to clear his head and he remembered how good it once felt to be alone in the outback. He almost decided not return to Queanbeyan
Most people thought he was a loser and a failure. But despite all those years in jail, he still had the ability to set a goal and stick with it to the end. Putting one foot after the other with grim determination, kilometres disappeared behind him. One week later he reached Quarry.
The police station had not altered much in twenty-five years but the staff had changed. According to the sign, Detective Sergeant Lucas Nguyen was now in charge.
He walked inside. There was a reception desk opposite the front door and several green plastic chairs lined up against the wall, but no one was there. He sat down and wondered whether he had made the right decision. He was not a lawyer, but he understood that you couldn’t be tried twice for the same crime. He could be charged with another offence, but they were likely to consider that he’d already served enough time in prison. They might even thank him.
A policewoman walked in and looked surprised to find a visitor. She was short and stocky with short dark hair. “Good morning, how can I help you?” she asked with a pleasant smile. “I’m Constable Tara Kellet.”
He noticed then how young she looked. “My name’s Joshua Byrnes and I want to report a burial,” he said.
“A burial?” she replied, raising her eyebrows in alarm.
“Two bodies, buried in the desert.”
Her mouth gaped, but Joshua also saw her eyes light up. She was wondering if he was telling the truth. “Would you mind waiting there? I’ll only be a moment.”
He nodded in reply.
She retreated quickly and two seconds later, the Detective Sergeant burst into the room. “How do you do, Mr Byrnes? I’m Lucas Nguyen,” he said, shaking his hand firmly. He had a broad Australian accent but looked of Asian descent. “Would you like to come inside and sit down?”
They ushered him into the interview room and the sight of it made him feel nauseous. “I’ve been here before, a long time ago,” he said.
“When was that?” asked Tara.
“Twenty-five years ago, when they charged me with murder.”
“I’ve read about you,” said Lucas, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you here to make a confession?” asked Tara.
“No. I never said that. One thing I know for sure, I was convicted and you can’t convict me twice for the same offence.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. So why are you coming forward now – what do you want to tell us?”
Joshua leaned forward in his seat and glared at both of them. “I know where the bodies are. Peter and Kylie Thompson. They’re buried together in the desert.”
The two police officers looked at each other with barely suppressed smiles and then Lucas brought his face close to Joshua’s. “Can you take us there now and show us, Mr Byrnes?”
He gave a smug smile. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Tara tried to charm him. “This will put an end to all the conspiracy stories,” she said. “I’m sure their loved ones will be grateful to know that the bodies have been found.”
“I don’t think they had too many loved ones. They weren’t nice people.”
“Maybe not, but they still deserve a proper burial.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
***
TYLER
Canberra
One week after our return to Canberra, Ranjit burst into my office. “I have Detective Sergeant Lucas Nguyen from Quarry Police Station on the line,” he said. “He wants to talk to you about a confidential matter. Do yo
u want to take the call? I can stay with you.”
Alarm bells started ringing in my head but I tried to appear calm. “I’ll speak to him privately, but don’t go too far away.”
“I’ll transfer the call and be right outside.”
He shut the door and I answered the phone. “Hello, Tyler Thompson here,” I said with a tight voice.
“Lucas Nguyen here, sorry to interrupt you, Tyler.”
“Not a problem, Lucas. We enjoyed meeting you at the barbecue last week, but I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”
“I’m afraid there’s some news that I need to share with you. Joshua Byrnes walked into the police station here this morning and claims to know where your parents are buried.”
I was stunned but blurted out a response. “I can’t believe it, after all these years,” I said.
Anger surged deep inside me as I wondered what Joshua was hoping to achieve. Did he want to destroy my life, the way his had been destroyed? For a few seconds, I regretted my decision not to kill him.
“Neither can I,” said Lucas. “He’s never confessed to the crime, but perhaps he wants to make a clean breast of it, or he might just be trying to annoy us. Anyway, first of all we need to see if we can actually find the bodies. If we’re successful, we’ll try to identify the remains and establish a cause of death.”
My pulse was racing. Lucas Nguyen thought he was making a courtesy call, but this was my worst nightmare come to life. Those bodies were so well concealed but suddenly Joshua wanted to tell the world. “Would they have become skeletons by now?” I asked.
“Probably. If we find them, we’ll be doing an autopsy and DNA testing should confirm their identity. We’ll send someone around to get a DNA sample from you, with your permission. Just a quick mouth swab. Anyway, this might all be a wild goose chase, so don’t get your hopes up.”
My only hope was for a different outcome – that they wouldn’t be found. I tried to distract him with small talk. “Barry Elliot handled the case back them,” I said. “He’s in Port Hedland now and getting close to retirement.”
“You’ll be pleased to hear that he’s in charge of the investigation once again. He’s coming from Port Hedland with his forensic team, and any autopsies will be done there. I’ll be assisting him.”
It was all turning into a perfect storm. “Thanks Lucas,” I said. “Please keep me informed and don’t hesitate to ring me any time.”
“We will, you can be sure of that.”
I ended the call and collapsed onto the desk. This would be like the death of a thousand cuts, slow and agonising. Everything I’d worked for over the last twenty-five years was about to go up in flames. It would have been better for Joshua to take his revenge swiftly and murder me.
Ranjit walked into the room again and I raised my head. “Are you okay – what was that all about?” he asked.
“Leave me alone,” I said with a gruff voice. His eyes widened in surprise at my rudeness. He retreated out of the room and shut the door behind me.
Alone once more, I stared at the wall and tried to slow my rapid breathing, wondering what was about to happen. Perhaps they wouldn’t find the bodies because Joshua would take them to the wrong location. I hoped that he was just trying to torment me. But would he continue to harass me until I finally gave in and told the truth?
The more likely scenario was that he would take the police straight to the gravesite and show them precisely where to dig. My parents would return to haunt me. At first the police would think that proved he was the killer, which was good news for me.
But then would come the next step in the process. They would perform the autopsies and do the DNA testing. The results would prove beyond any doubt that they were my parents and the police would discover how they were killed. Worst of all, they’d find forensic evidence of my involvement. I’d become the first Prime Minister in Australian history charged with murder.
My future did not look bright. I walked out to my balcony and stared at the concrete paving three storeys below me. Jumping would end all the pain and there would be no need to worry about what Joshua planned to do next. There was no use getting revenge on a dead man.
A small voice urged me on but I couldn’t leave Charlie without a father. Then there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” I said.
Ranjit opened it and took one step into the room. “Do you want to talk?” he asked with a concerned look.
“Yes, Ranjit, my apologies for being obnoxious,” I replied. “Come in and shut the door. There’s been some disturbing news and we need to talk.”
As soon as Ranjit heard about the phone call, his mind was firmly focused on trying to control the situation and develop the best angle. “Frankly, Ranjit, I really don’t want my parents back in any shape or form,” I said. “I just want to forget about my early childhood, before my life in Quarry.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll ring Barry Elliot and set up a teleconference for tomorrow morning, just the three of us, but you could include Letitia if you want. We’ll find out exactly what’s happening. We’d like things kept under wraps initially until they find the bodies. I don’t think that’s unreasonable for a man in your position.”
I slumped in relief as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. “That sounds like a great plan,” I said.
“They may not even find the bodies. It’s a big desert out there and the landscape changes constantly. Why don’t you just go home now and talk to Letitia? It’s not the sort of thing you want to tell her over the phone.”
“I’m out the door. Would you postpone my next appointment?”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said.
My driver was waiting for me as I charged out the front entrance and he whisked me away to The Lodge, only five minutes away. Letitia was waiting for me and was stunned to hear the news. “After all these years, it’s incredible,” she said, holding me tight. “But why is he revealing this now?”
“Byrnes may not be telling the truth – he may just be out to cause trouble,” I said.
“If they do find your parents, Tyler, I suppose we’ll have to give them a proper burial.”
I nodded, trying to hide my guilt. “We’ll do the right thing, but I’m afraid I don’t feel anything for them. Does that sound terrible?”
She cupped my face in her hands. “That is quite natural. There is no forgiving what they did to you. We’ll arrange a private funeral, just the two of us. I’m sure everyone will understand.”
My blood ran cold. What would she think if she knew it was me who had sent them to their graves?
Chapter 15
Letitia and Ranjit joined me in my office the next morning for the teleconference. My hands were trembling as I pressed the button to answer the call.
“Barry Elliot here,” said a familiar voice. “How are you, Tyler and Letitia – it’s good to hear from you both again, although in distressing circumstances.”
“Do you have any more news, Barry?” I asked.
“We certainly do. Byrnes seemed quite certain about where the bodies were buried and took us straight there. We set up portable lights and my team’s been working through the night. We’ve just located what appear to be parts of a skeleton.”
My stomach heaved and I could taste vomit in the back of my throat.
“Already?” asked Letitia.
“Quite surprising after all these years. We would never have found the grave without his help. There’s absolutely nothing confirmed at this stage, and it will be a slow, tedious process to uncover the entire skeleton – or skeletons. We have a full forensic team out there, and we’ll also be trying to gather any other evidence we can find at the site.”
“Will you be able to confirm the identities?” I asked.
“Byrnes said that it was the Thompsons and all our tests should verify that. He’s already served his sentence for the crime, so we probably won’t pursue any further charges.”
“Why would he be
telling you about this now?” asked Ranjit.
“No one knows. Perhaps he wanted to resolve things for Tyler, or maybe he just felt guilty.”
“What could the autopsy reveal?” I asked, burning to know the answer.
“Too early to say – maybe nothing, or perhaps details about how they were killed. At this late stage it may be impossible to tell.”
“I really don’t know what to say, Barry,” I said. “I thought all this was in the past.”
“I know you’re upset and, frankly, they weren’t good parents. If it is them, the bodies will be released to you for disposal. Then you can put all this behind you.”
“Thanks, Barry, it’s been a difficult twenty-four hours.”
“Can you keep this confidential for now?” asked Ranjit in his most businesslike tone.
“Yes, that’s what we’re trying to do given Tyler’s position,” he replied. “But I’m afraid that when there is a murder, it’s not just the family who is affected. We investigate and prosecute murders on behalf of everyone in our society. We can’t keep it secret forever. When we have all the information we need, we’ll have to make an announcement – but we’ll consult you first.”
“We understand,” said Letitia, putting her arm around me. “We’ll get through this, won’t we Tyler?”
“Yes, thanks for talking to us, Barry,” I said, ending the call.
My head was pounding like someone waiting for a biopsy result – a possible terminal diagnosis. I struggled all day to keep working, trying to focus my mind on all the complex issues filling my in tray. After eating some dinner at my desk, a driver took me back to The Lodge at nine o’clock that night, but I headed straight into the eye of a storm.
Charlie was crying and flailing about as Letitia, red in the face as she tried to calm him down, only seemed to be making matters worse. “He’s teething, his gums are swollen,” she said, almost in tears.
I picked him up but he straightened his body like a stiff board, turned his head away and screamed. “I don’t need this,” I snapped.
