Grave catch, p.10
Grave Catch, page 10
Scurrying behind him was Greta, Bella’s cantankerous Chihuahua, yapping and desperate to nip at Dawn’s heels.
Lisa appeared in the front doorway.
‘Okay you two. This way. Before it’s too late.’
Dawn and Clint hurried into the hallway. Lisa let the screen-door close behind them. The dogs pulled up outside. Rusty whined. Greta continued to yap.
The aroma of Mexican food drifted on the warm, moist air.
‘That smells de-lic-ious,’ Clint offered.
Lisa grinned, then winced as her hand flew to her extended abdomen.
‘You okay?’ Dawn wrapped her arm around Lisa’s shoulder as her sister cringed.
‘It’s just Braxton Hicks.’ She forced a smile. ‘Not long now.’
Clint offered his arm to Lisa.
‘You should sit down. Let us finish up in the kitchen.’
Lisa shook her head.
‘I’ve not done anything. This is all Bella.’
On cue, the older woman appeared at the end of the wide, central hallway that led past the bedrooms, bathroom and into the open kitchen. Her flour-covered apron, tied at the front over her widening midriff, made Dawn smile.
‘About time you two got here. Food’s ready.’
Dawn and Clint exchanged a glance, likely thinking the same thing. Bella was a lonely, neighbourhood watch widow when they met her. A right busybody after losing her family in tragic circumstances. Now Dawn’s family was her family.
‘Sorry we’re late, Bella.’ Her partner put on the charm and followed Bella.
Dawn hovered to watch her sister waddle into the kitchen, where Abby slipped from her seat to join Dawn in the vigil.
‘Mummy. Are you okay?’
Abby’s blue eyes narrowed as worry lines creased her usually perfectly smooth skin.
‘Just tired, Abby.’ Lisa rubbed her abdomen in large, smooth circles with one hand.
Michael, Lisa’s fiancé, passed out plates around the worn wooden table, then joined the concerned gathering hovering around Lisa.
‘You’re less than four weeks out. Maybe it’s time to let Emily handle the clinic,’ Michael said.
‘I can’t do that. Emily isn’t qualified yet and we don’t have another naturopath in town.’ Lisa gripped her back and her belly as one.
‘Are you supposed to get those pains?’ Dawn helped Michael ease Lisa into a chair at the end of the kitchen table.
‘I had them with Abby. It’s normal.’
Bella emptied the frying pan contents into a large serving bowl and placed it in the middle of the table.
‘I got them with both of mine too. Thought I was in labour the first time. My stomach was tight as a drum.’
Dawn watched as Lisa pressed her lips together and grimaced in obvious discomfort.
‘Tell me again why women do this to themselves?’ Dawn tried to relieve the tension in the room.
‘It’s not bloody immaculate conception Dawn. We don’t do this to ourselves.’ Lisa glared at Michael, whose eyes grew wide.
Lisa never raised her voice at anyone. She was a naturopath. When their mother disappeared and Fraser died, Lisa went all good hippy vibes. She always searched for the best in people.
Even now. Dawn smiled as Lisa lifted her hand, waved it in front of her face and sighed.
‘Sorry.’ She shook her head. ‘My hormones are going nuts, but will everyone please, just stop fussing. I’m fine.’
‘She’s fine.’ Bella reassured the gathering.
Dawn caught Clint’s eye as he gave her the Bella knows best look, but the tension in Dawn’s stomach wouldn’t let up.
Lisa turned to Dawn.
‘You and Clint must be exhausted. I hear your day has been rather chaotic.’
Dawn slipped into a seat alongside her sister.
‘Where did you hear that?’
‘Shaz ducked over from the library during her lunch break and filled me in.’
‘Shaz?’ Dawn pictured the fun-loving librarian with her earbuds and constant pop song playlist. ‘How did she find out?’
Michael popped the lid on a beer and passed it to Clint. He shrugged apologetically to Dawn, then brought it to his lips. Michael opened one for himself and answered Dawn’s question.
‘Shaz’s son, Lachie just started work as a paramedic. He was with the team that retrieved the body.’
Dawn glanced at Michael.
‘And how do you know this?’
‘Good news travels fast in Cooktown. Bad news, even faster.’ Michael grinned, exposing his bright white teeth against the chocolate brown of his Indigenous heritage.
A thought struck Dawn. Lisa hated her talking work around Abby, especially murder, but if the death of this young woman was already circulating around town, maybe there was talk about the crew.
She thought about Jamison’s chat with Barry Melrose and how he didn’t appear very educated about fishing. It was odd for a commercial fishing trawler deckhand.
Michael was a park ranger and oversaw the Yuku-Baja-Muliku Indigenous lands. He moved in the same circles as government park rangers and marine park officers.
‘What do you know about the boat crew and skipper of the FV Sandringham?’
Michael reached for the bowl of vegetarian burrito mix and ladled a large helping onto his plate before passing it to Clint.
‘Not a lot. No issues with them commercially fishing in our marine park zone.
Clint dished up a sizable portion for himself, then passed the food to Dawn as he accepted the grated cheese from Michael and picked up the conversation.
‘We’re consulting with someone from the Coast Guard tomorrow, but maybe you can ask around about any unusual boat activity along the coast from the Endeavour River to Archer Point.’
Michael topped his two large burritos with avocado and salad before glancing at Abby who appeared busy eating. As he spoke, Dawn could see her niece was paying close attention.
‘So, you haven’t ruled out foul play then?’
‘Too early to tell.’ Clint’s answer was casual.
Dawn cleared her throat and when Clint glanced her way, she nodded toward Lisa’s disapproving stare. His eyes begged for forgiveness as he passed Dawn the salad, wrapped his burrito and tore off a large mouthful.
‘I’ll ask around.’ Michael spoke with a half-full mouth, swallowed, then turned to Abby sitting at his side. ‘How’s your first week back at school Abs?’
Dawn let the conversation wash over her, remembering how she alienated herself from her sister for so many years. She couldn’t imagine life without Lisa and Abby now.
Chapter 23
The greyness of pre-dawn settled around Dawn as she lengthened her stride to match Clint’s. Sweat dripped from her sports top to the small of her back, spreading out as it drenched the band of her running shorts.
It was autumn, but Far North Queensland was never short on humidity.
‘There has to be,’ Dawn sucked in oxygen, ‘a link between Forbes, Melrose and Richardson.’
‘Nothing we’ve found yet.’ Her partner’s breathing was unlaboured. ‘None of the crew has a record. Smuggling drugs doesn’t track with Forbes or any of the crew’s financials.’
She glanced sideways as they passed the Milbi Wall of Indigenous mosaics. ‘If Forbes isn’t trafficking drugs for Richardson, it seems like an impulsive thing to do.’
‘Agreed. And hiding them on the boat.’
‘Weird.’ Dawn crossed the road and began the incline back to Clint’s apartment.
The steepness and the pace prevented any further discussion. Dawn pondered the connection, or lack of financial and phone records from the crew gave them nothing of note.
It was time to dig deeper into their family, friends and past addresses. Maybe they’d get lucky.
The victim’s missing phone puzzled Dawn further. Someone on board the trawler threw it overboard or took it with them. Why?
They were breathing and puffing heavily when Clint pressed the key fob to lift the garage door to the modern apartment, perched atop the hillside with a view over the Endeavour River.
Dawn recalled her first visit. Clint only rented the unit while he was in Cooktown for work. He later purchased it, claiming it was a great investment, but he never rented it out.
At the time, Dawn thought Clint Ryan was an overprivileged waste of space. She now knew he was an exceptional detective and the reason he purchased the apartment was for an excuse to get closer to her.
She suppressed a grin, thinking about how their relationship first began. The attraction was palpable from the outset. But Dawn was out of her jurisdiction back then. Sleeping with the lead detective on her sister’s missing persons case would have been a big mistake.
Clint opened the side door of the garage.
‘What are you thinking?’
Dawn was stunned a moment. Was he reading her mind? Did she blush?
‘About where we should start this morning?’
‘Oh.’ Dawn followed him up the stairs, her legs heavy and stiff from the first run in weeks. ‘Shower first.’
Her partner scanned his watch. A wicked grin curved the corners of his mouth.
‘No.’ Dawn lifted her finger as Clint ducked his head to scoop her from her feet and attempt to throw her over his shoulder.
‘We don’t have time.’
‘We always have time.’
Half an hour later Dawn grabbed her travel mug from the kitchen breakfast bar and followed her partner down the stairs to the garage.
She dropped her coffee into the cup holder, fastened her seatbelt and reset her brain to work mode as Ryan reversed out the garage. One by one, she ticked off tasks for the day.
‘We need to go over the final CCTV footage. Confirm Rossi was arguing with our victim and see if anyone else gained access to her room. Then push head office to give us Rossi’s undercover files. We know Richardson is involved, but we still don’t understand why or how Rossi is connected to our victim.’
‘We should probably question the crew again. Find out what happened to the phone.’
‘I agree.’ Dawn sipped her coffee, then placed it back in the holder. ‘I want to dig deeper into the entire crew. Family, history, previous employment. Jamison said Melrose knew nothing about fishing. How long has he been with the crew? Hopefully Jamison or Chung can give us an update from the surveillance.’
‘I’m guessing it was a dull night. Neither called.’
Ryan parked up outside the station as Dawn finished her message, dropped the mirror on the visor down, tousled her damp hair and checked she didn’t appear as flustered as she felt.
Reynolds glanced up from the front counter as they entered.
‘Detectives.’ Her brown eyes twinkled with energy.
‘At least one of us got enough sleep last night.’ Ryan joked as Reynolds hit the button to release the secure door leading to the rear offices. He pushed it open.
Dawn hovered at the counter before following.
‘What time did forensics get away?’
‘They didn’t.’ Reynolds lifted her chin toward the entrance.
Dawn turned to see Tammy and Detective Jade Parker entering.
‘Parker.’ Dawn hadn’t seen the Cairns based detective since they solved the serial murders out at the Lava Tube Resort and finally brought Dawn’s brother’s killer to justice.
Well, one of the killers. The sound of Declan Rossi’s V8 with extractors barking down the road just before she found her brother dead in the swimming pool toilet-block haunted her dreams.
He dated Tracey Warren before her brother did. It was Tracey’s death that triggered the entire nightmare. Dawn was struggling to shake the notion that Rossi may have been involved in Fraser’s death or at least know more than he was telling her.
‘Grave. Heard a former friend of ours might be involved in this one. Wanted to be on hand.’ Parker strolled across the foyer.
Dawn glared at Tammy. There was still no confirmation exactly where Richardson fit into their case. His drugs. His fingerprints. She reminded herself. Or was Parker talking about Declan? He and Parker used to be partners.
It was Ryan who found the words escaping Dawn.
‘The more the merrier.’ He opened the door wide and led the procession through to the hallway beyond.
The door to their right flung open. Sergeant Martin waved them through his office to the muster area beyond, then followed behind Tammy.
‘Thanks for hanging around, Gleeson.’
‘Still a bit to process. The victim’s room kept me busy yesterday. Now I want to go back over the trawler.’
‘Why? What’s up?’ Sergeant Martin said.
‘The prints on the staircase came back. I also found a few more in the room.’
‘Whose?’ Dawn knew she sounded abrupt, but everything about this case was linked to her past.
‘The staircase was Barry Melrose. The extra prints I found in the room were interesting.’
Ryan groaned.
‘Enough with the theatrics, Gleeson.’
Parker gave Tammy a disapproving nudge in the ribs. Under normal circumstances, Dawn knew Tammy didn’t yield to anyone. But Jade Parker wasn’t anyone. It was amazing how people could change if given the right impetus.
‘I can’t be sure who tossed the room, but I can tell you Barry Melrose’s prints were definitely not inside.’
‘So he wasn’t lying about that at least.’ Dawn glanced at the whiteboard as she spoke.
‘Correct. There were two more sets of prints. As you know, Richardson’s prints were on the whisky glass. I also found them on the bathroom door.’
‘So he stayed for a drink and used the bathroom but didn’t toss the place?’ Dawn glanced around the room for clarification.
‘Unless he used gloves.’ Ryan offered.
‘We need to go further back on the CCTV footage today. When and how did he get in there?’
Ryan nodded agreement, then turned to Tammy.
‘Who do the other prints belong to and where did you find them?’
‘The final prints were Declan Rossi’s.’
Dawn’s stomach tightened.
‘And they were on the bathroom mirror, the toilet seat and I found a partial on the bedside table door handle.’
Rossi’s words came back in a rush.
It’s not what you think.
Was it as simple as him having an affair with a journalist?
‘So we are back at square one.’ Sergeant Martin sighed.
‘No, we have the crew to reinterview. Get full background checks, family, employment and I want to speak to Barry Melrose now we know he’s not been honest about his relationship with the victim.’
The sound of boots on the hallway made heads turn. Jamison and Chung appeared wearing coy expressions.
Chung lifted his hands in surrender.
‘Sorry Detective. I was on duty last night. It was quiet. Too quiet. So when Jamison arrived this morning to take over, we knocked on the door.’
Dawn’s stomach knotted. ‘He’s gone.’
Chung nodded.
‘He must have snuck out somehow last night.’
Chapter 24
Dawn quickly suppressed her frustration.
‘How?’
‘I didn’t fall asleep, so he must have slipped out the back.’
Dawn shook her head, then composed herself.
‘Okay. That means he knew we were watching him. Chung, get home and grab some sleep. Jamison, get Reynolds and go pick up Glenn Forbes and Steve Lowman and find the skipper.’
Dawn turned to Sergeant Martin.
‘Allocate someone to dive into the crew’s previous employment, addresses, family.’
‘A tax file number search might save some time.’ Detective Parker strolled to the whiteboard and studied the details. ‘I’d be happy to run them if you want an extra pair of hands.’
Dawn considered the offer. Tammy let Parker in on the operation. The detective worked with Rossi for years. Her insight could be valuable and less cynical than Dawn’s.
‘I’d appreciate that.’ Dawn turned to face the station sergeant again. ‘Do we have enough for a warrant to search Melrose’s home?’
He shook his head.
‘We can’t. His fingerprints aren’t inside the room. He’s just a witness to the body recovery who happens to have been outside the victim’s room. Any of the crew could have taken the victim’s phone.’ He tapped the marker pen on the whiteboard. ‘We have a window for time of death now. How about we start with the crew’s alibis? Where were they between Sunday midnight and 4am Monday when they left port?’
The sergeant updated the timeline on the top of the whiteboard as Constable Burger lifted his hand as though in school.
‘I have the enhanced footage from the newsagency.’
‘Great. Get it ready.’ Dawn turned back to the sergeant. ‘Can we get a BOLO out on Melrose? We’ve checked and none of them had a police record, right?’
‘Glenn Forbes had an indecent exposure, but nothing else of interest.’
‘That’s not surprising. Let’s go back over the crew’s financials and chase known associates, family, previous addresses. Let’s bring them in, people.’
‘I’ll get onto all that now.’ Sergeant Martin headed into his office but stopped at the doorway. ‘The Coast Guard Commander’s coming in later today to look at the tides and work out where the body might’ve been dumped.’
‘Great. Let me know when he gets here.’
The Sergeant waved as he closed his door. Dawn crossed to Burger and nodded toward his computer screen.
‘Play the video.’
Ryan joined her.
‘I’ll head back to the trawler and take another look. That missing phone is bugging me. Maybe it fell into the prawn stores.’ Tammy started toward the door.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Parker called, then turned to Ryan. ‘I’m not searching through stinky dead prawns, but if the skipper is with the boat, I can bring him in?’
‘No one should be on the boat. We towed it upriver to a private jetty with a locked gate.’ Ryan called without taking his eyes from the computer screen as Burger cued up the video. ‘But you should stay with Gleeson while she goes over it again.’
