Grave catch, p.9
Grave Catch, page 9
‘I know. The big question is, did they find what they were looking for?’
‘I’ll finish processing the obvious, then you can knock yourselves out searching.’
‘I’ve stayed in this room before. There’s no safe, and every drawer has already been tossed. I’ve got Chung searching for a cloud account linked to a laptop in the victim’s name, but there wasn’t one in the room.’
‘Not every journalist uses one. Some of them are tech-averse for privacy reasons,’ Tammy offered.
‘That would be just our luck,’ Ryan huffed.
The PDA beeped in the hallway. Tammy retrieved it with a gloved hand.
‘Looks like we have a hit.’ She opened the file, frowned, then her gaze met Dawn’s. ‘It’s Rossi’s.’
Dawn sighed as the little piece of hope that Mari may have been wrong evaporated. Tension replaced it. The kind that would hang around long after this case was closed.
Chapter 20
The words forming in Dawn’s head caught in her throat. It was her partner who voiced them.
‘If Rossi tossed this place, he would have worn gloves.’
Dawn nodded, swallowed and finally found her voice.
‘Exactly. And I doubt he’d make this much mess.’ Dawn lifted her chin to the machine in Tammy’s hand. ‘Who does the other print belong to?’
Tammy shrugged.
‘It’s not in the system.’
‘We can compare it against our crew members, starting with Barry Melrose,’ Dawn said.
Ryan peered through the doorway.
‘Melrose claims he didn’t go in. That doesn’t mean he didn’t touch the door. We can see what else Gleeson finds, then head back to question him again.’
Ryan picked up the last case in the hallway and carried it into the room. Dawn followed to find Tammy snapping photos of the dishevelled bed. The top sheet was crumpled on the floor. The mattress completely flipped to the side, revealing timber slats and worn carpet.
Tammy dropped her camera around her neck.
‘Give me a hand with this.’ She spoke to Ryan, who placed the case down and manhandled the mattress back over. Once in position, Tammy pointed to the curtains.
‘Let’s get the lights off.’
Ryan crossed to the window to pull the curtains, while Dawn clicked the light switch.
The room fell into near darkness as a purple light popped into existence. Tammy waved it over the bed in a methodical pattern from top to bottom. As she reached the middle of the bed, fluids illuminated in the light.
‘Seems like our victim had a guest.’ Tammy killed the UV light.
Ryan drew the curtains back.
‘Looks like you’ll need to take DNA after all.’
‘Yep.’ Tammy replaced the UV light into a case and lifted her camera. ‘I might be here a while.’
‘We’ll wait,’ Ryan offered.
Dawn scanned the room, recalling her own stay. It seemed so long ago now. The fly-in visit was going to be temporary—find her sister and return to Adelaide and the job she was married to.
That rushed visit changed everything. She glanced toward her partner, sensing he was lost in the same thought.
She smiled. His eyes twinkled.
‘Just get a room.’
Tammy’s tone dragged them from the moment. Turning, Dawn noticed the tech’s eyes rolling skyward and thought how Tammy was in no position to comment about workplace relationships.
She was dating Detective Jade Parker and kept it quiet long enough. The thought slipped away when the forensic tech lifted an upturned drawer beside the bed.
Dawn hurried across the room. Ryan two steps behind her as Tammy lifted her camera around her neck and snapped a series of photos. As soon as the digital SLR flash and the clicking stopped, Dawn reached for the item.
‘How did we miss this on our first pass?’
‘You did what you were supposed to do and waited for me.’ Tammy hefted the drawer. ‘There is no way you could have seen it under this.’
Dawn lifted the whisky glass and studied lipstick on the rim.
‘Here’s another.’ Tammy retrieved a second. ‘That one,’ she nodded to Dawn’s hand, ‘could be the victim’s. I’ll print this one first.’
‘Thanks.’
They hovered as Tammy placed the tumbler on one of her cases, opened another and produced black printing powders and a brush that would easily be found in a make-up artist’s collection.
‘Give me a sec.’
The tech brushed the exterior to reveal fingerprints and smears.
‘I’ll collect DNA too, just in case we get lucky.’
Dawn turned to her partner as Tammy worked.
‘I noticed Connie drinking whisky earlier. Maybe the lipstick is hers and this is the victim’s glass.’
‘She didn’t mention anything about being in the victim’s room. Connie isn’t new to this. I’m sure she would have.’
‘I’ve got a clean print and it’s too large to be the victim’s.’ The smile in Tammy’s voice gave Dawn hope they might find a lead after all.
‘Run it.’ Dawn waited as Tammy lifted the print, snapped a photo and ran it.
Ryan glanced around the room as the machine ran the data.
‘If Barry didn’t trash the room, then who? The skipper and Steve Lowman were let go hours ago. It could be one of them.’
‘True, but why? It can’t have been to eliminate evidence.’ Dawn pointed to Tammy and the whisky glass. ‘What were they looking for?’
Tammy cleared her throat.
They turned to her with the same expectant expression.
The tech lifted her camera and snapped a shot. ‘You two are so cute.’ She let the camera drop to the end of the strap and retrieved the fingerprint machine. ‘Maybe I should have saved taking the photo until after I showed you this.’
She turned the machine to reveal the print analysis.
Dawn squinted and stepped closer to read the result. ‘It can’t be.’ Dawn glanced over to see the same confused expression on her partner’s face. ‘Why would he be in here, having a drink with our victim?’
‘Especially considering Connie believes he’s the focus of Reed’s entire story.’
Dawn pointed to the bedsheets.
‘Maybe that’s his DNA.’
Tammy stowed her evidence in a bag, labelled it and slipped it into a cardboard box.
‘Only one way to find out.’
Dawn watched as Tammy cut a section from the sheet and placed it in a fresh evidence bag.
‘Getting him here, over a drink might have been for an interview. Maybe it’s not about exposing the criminal and more about understanding his psyche.’ Dawn voiced her theory.
‘Would she sleep with him to get into his head?’ Ryan’s tone was unsure.
‘That’s one assumption.’ Dawn considered the other. Her ex-husband knew the victim. Was he working for Richardson, or helping Jasmine Reed with her investigation? Was he the one sleeping with her?
Her phone rang before she could voice her concerns. She answered without checking the caller ID. ‘Detective Grave.’
‘It’s not what you think.’
Dawn pulled the phone back, scanned the number, frowned in confusion then ran from the room.
‘Dawn!’
Ryan’s footfalls thudded behind her as she raced along the hallway, out through the narrow French doors and onto the worn wooden balcony.
He must be close. How else would he know she was in the victim’s hotel room.
She scanned the street left, then right.
‘Stay out of this Dawn. Let it go.’
Movement across the road caught her eye. Standing under the bakery veranda, phone in one hand, a small item in the other was the last dark spot from her past.
‘Declan!’
Chapter 21
Dawn raced along the balcony as the call ended. She saw Declan shove his phone in his pocket and disappear around the corner.
‘Declan!’ She shouted again, searching for a handhold to do her own version of Burger’s slide down the drainpipe.
Ryan’s hand gripped her wrist.
‘He’s gone.’ He retrieved his phone. ‘I’ll call the sergeant and get some extra uniforms down here.’
Dawn scowled.
‘And what? Go on the hunt for one of our own?’
‘He’s been missing for months Dawn. He’s linked to our case. We won’t be hunting a cop.’ His finger hovered over the keypad, ready to dial.
‘No.’ She thought about Declan’s words. ‘Let’s get back to the station and check if Burger has found anything else in the pub footage. We need more than a random phone call. We can put a rush on the DNA. If he was sleeping with Jasmine Reed, we’ll be able to insist we get a copy of his past undercover files.’
Ryan put his phone away.
‘Your call.’ He turned on his heel and stormed across the rickety veranda.
Dawn followed, knowing she was pissing him off for more than one reason. Ryan didn’t like Declan Rossi any more than she did, but he hated their shared history even more.
She told herself she couldn’t erase her past. He needed to deal with it. As they entered the hallway, Ryan stopped so quickly she needed to veer sideways to avoid slamming into him.
As he rounded on her, the anger she anticipated was absent. Instead, sorrow dulled his blue eyes.
‘I’m sorry about that.’ He nodded toward the veranda, reached for her and drew her into his arms. ‘I keep replaying his attack back at the Lava Tube Resort.’
Dawn reached her hand up and touched his square jaw, running her hand along his five o’clock shadow. ‘I get it. Believe me I do. But something about this seems all kinds of wrong.’
‘Something about what?’
‘He said it wasn’t what it looked like.’
‘He could be covering his arse.’
‘He said to stay out of it. Why would he be watching what we are doing?’
Ryan pursed his lips and a crooked expression crossed his lips.
‘You think he’s undercover again?’
‘I don’t know. I was wrong before, but there’s one way to find out. Hopefully we can get his case files.’
Dawn pressed up on her toes, kissed his cheek and veered around her partner as Reynolds appeared at the top of the stairs.
‘Heard you calling from the balcony all the way down near the chemist.’
Constable Reynolds joined them outside the victim’s room.
‘Everything alright?’
‘Did you find any CCTV footage with a view outside the pub?’ Dawn redirected the constable.
Reynolds passed a USB stick to Dawn.
‘Yep. The newsagency has one of those 360-degree jobs outside. It’s not a great angle though and will need some enhancing.’
‘Great. Stay with Tammy until she’s done, then knock off. It’s getting late. We’ll take this back and finalise the rest of the CCTV footage. We’ll see you start of shift tomorrow.
‘You got it.’ Reynolds stepped around Dawn, retrieved a pair of gloves from her utility vest and entered the hotel room.
Dawn and Ryan jogged down the wide staircase and out the front door. As they drove back to the station, all Dawn could think about was what Jasmine might have discovered about the Richardson operation that got her killed.
What was her connection to Declan? Was he a source of information for an article? Surely not. If he was back dealing with organised crime, he wouldn’t be talking with an investigative journalist.
They were lost in their own thoughts as they entered the station, were buzzed through at reception and marched down the wide hallway toward the main office area.
‘Detective.’ Burger jumped from his seat. ‘I’ve finished with the CCTV footage from the Top Pub common areas.’
Dawn slipped the USB Reynolds gave her from her pocket and crossed to Burger’s desk. The newest member of the team returned to his seat and began bringing up footage.
She passed the USB to him.
‘Reynolds got this from the newsagency. See if you can zoom in on the two people outside the pub.’
‘Will do. But you might want to see this.’ He tapped keys. ‘There’s no camera outside the victim’s room, so I went back over the past few days of footage to see who was coming and going through the front door, where Ben and Mari might not see from the bar.’
‘Good thinking.’
The young officer’s lips curved in a smile as he continued to type.
‘Here.’
A video popped up on the screen. A hooded figure entered through the front door. The timestamp on the video read Sunday 17th April 2016, 9.06pm.
They turned up the staircase and raced to the landing.
‘They are avoiding the camera.’ Dawn tried unsuccessfully to hide her disappointment.
‘They are, but look.’ Burger pointed to the screen as the figure reached the top and stepped from the landing. The camera was mounted on the ceiling of the lower floor. The person was only visible from the waist down.
Dawn frowned, focussing on what she was missing. Burger’s voice was excited. What was he seeing?
The constable stopped the footage, rewound it onscreen and started it again just as the figure stepped from the staircase. The still shot was grainy as the constable zoomed in.
‘See that?’
Burger’s excitement was evident. Dawn frowned, shook her head, then stopped as the figure’s bare hand gripped the knob on the banister rail and swung around the switchback on the staircase.
‘Call Reynolds. She’s with Gleeson, the forensic tech. Get her to print that corner post.’
‘You got it.’
Dawn pointed to the new USB.
‘Then enhance that or get the lab to.’
‘Hey Detective.’
Dawn turned at the sound of Chung’s voice.
‘I’ve got the enhanced photo back from the selfie Glenn Forbes took.’
Dawn and Ryan reached Constable Chung as one. The officer passed Dawn a colour printed version of the image.
She studied it carefully.
‘I knew it was a phone.’
‘A phone?’ Sergeant Martin joined the conversation.
‘Yes. We haven’t found the victim’s phone yet. Chung is still waiting to find a registered pay-as-you-go or prepaid number. This must be the victim’s phone, and it wasn’t on the body when I got to the trawler.’
The station sergeant’s eyebrows dipped.
‘But it was when Forbes took this photo?’
‘Yes, and now it’s missing.’
‘So one of the crew kept the phone or tossed it overboard.’
‘It appears so. We found Barry Melrose’s print on the victim’s bedroom door frame.’ Dawn thought about the build of the hooded figure Burger showed them moments ago. ‘I think he’s been lying about his relationship with the victim.’
‘We need to interview Melrose again,’ Ryan said.
Dawn shook her head.
‘I don’t think he’s talking to us. He’s afraid of something or someone. All we have right now is circumstantial. I don’t want him to lawyer up.’ Dawn scanned over her shoulder. ‘Jamison, how did you go with your casual chat?’
Jamison peeled himself out from behind his desk and joined the huddle in the middle of the aisle between Chung and Burger’s workstations.
‘He didn’t say much. We talked briefly about fishing, but I don’t think he likes it much.’
‘Fishing?’
‘Yeah. He didn’t know about bait, fish species. Anything really.’
Dawn chewed her bottom lip.
‘What are you thinking?’ Her partner read her body language.
‘I don’t know yet.’ Dawn turned to Sergeant Martin. ‘Ross, did we get anywhere with the victim’s next of kin?’
‘I notified the mother. According to her, they lost touch years ago.’
‘Father?’
‘Been out of the picture since day one.’
Dawn stifled a sigh.
‘Can we check the birth certificate? Maybe the father is mentioned on it and our victim reconnected with her dad. If she did, he might know something about what she’s been up to.’
Sergeant Martin pulled a notepad from his pocket and scribbled details down. ‘Did you find any of the victim’s research files?’
‘Nothing we can decipher. No laptop, no USB memory sticks. Tammy might get lucky but the room was thoroughly searched.’
‘We aren’t solving this one tonight.’ Sergeant Martin checked his watch. ‘Let’s resume in the morning, 7am.’
‘We’ll have to let Barry Melrose go. We don’t have enough to hold him or charge him. But I’d like to put someone on him while we wait for the fingerprints and DNA to come back from the hotel room.’
Jamison lifted his hand.
‘I’ll do it.’
‘You got it, Jamison. Chung, you keep in contact and pick up surveillance when Jamison is done. It’s going to be a long night, so get home and grab some sleep.’
‘Will do.’ Chung rolled his chair back and headed for the locker room.
Ryan nodded toward the exit. ‘What are you hoping Melrose will do?’
‘I have no idea. Right now, we still need a motive for Jasmine Reed’s murder and Barry Melrose seems to know her better than he’s letting on. He could be the link we need.’
Chapter 22
The hum of cicadas greeted Dawn and Clint as they stepped from his Mustang. The buzz grew louder as the sun dipped over the bushland surrounding her family homestead.
The stately weatherboard Queenslander sat high on stilts and was finally beginning to resemble her childhood home. Restored, repainted and updated with all the modern conveniences, despite Lisa’s protests over removing the old stove their mother cooked on.
‘Are we sleeping here tonight?’ Clint asked as they mounted the steps to the left of the double-entry staircase.
‘My room’s not quite done yet, so if it’s alright with you, we can sleep at your apartment tonight?’
‘You know it is.’ He reached for her hand as they stepped on to the wraparound veranda.
He leant in. She waited for him. A yapping erupted from the far end of the veranda. Dawn turned in time to see Rusty, the orphaned Labrador galloping toward them, tongue lolling.
