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He gave a soft laugh. “Not sure my mum would agree with that one.”
“No, probably not.” She snuggled beneath his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. “But truly, that was… as amazing as it was unexpected.”
“I know,” he agreed.
They lay in silence again.
But it wasn’t long before Dale broke their peaceful bubble. “This whole…police investigation is tripping me out a little. I can’t decide what to make of it all. It’s like I’ve suddenly been thrown into a rushing whirlpool, and I can’t figure out which way is up, and which way is down.” His fingers traced gentle circles on the naked skin of her shoulders. His tone was light, but she could feel how desperate he was to talk about it. To make sense of what was happening at his family home.
She wished she could have a frank conversation with him.
She wanted so much to confide in him. To pour out her whole sordid tale. She couldn’t do that, however. She couldn’t put River’s life at risk. Even though she felt like she could trust Dale, it wasn’t only her tale to tell.
While Karri’s death had definitely been playing on her mind over the past few days, she wasn’t as desperate to figure out who the killer was. Not like Dale. Her motivation was driven by how deep the police investigation would go, and how she could remain as far off the radar as possible. How River could remain off the police radar. And by doing so, they’d also hopefully remain off The Black Kings radar.
Daisy was still coming to terms with River’s revelation the other morning, that he’d known Karri. And not merely as an acquaintance, either. No. River and Karri had been sleeping together. Carrying on an affair right beneath her nose, just as she’d suspected. All those times he said he was riding his motorcycle over to the community, he’d actually been meeting up with Karri. Or, on the few occasions where she’d left him alone at the outstation, she’d come out to visit him. When Daisy asked how he’d contacted her, he sheepishly showed her a small cell phone, and admitted that he’d bought it right before they left Perth. He knew he wasn’t supposed to have one, which was why he hadn’t told Daisy about it.
River said he was in love with Karri.
River also swore black-and-blue that he had nothing to do with her ending up in the creek. And she believed him.
Daisy had burst into tears when he said this. Because River had kept all this from her. Had lied to her. Lied about the phone. Lied about why he was going to the community. All lies of omission, but still lies, nonetheless. She’d cried because she wondered how much deeper into the shit they could actually get. And because River was crying, as well. He was heartbroken at Karri’s death. But after a while that sorrow turned to anger, and he began ranting that he was going to find out who did this to her and exact his revenge. Which scared her more than anything else.
Her brother’s revelation made her all the more desperate to get away from here. But when she’d suggested they take what they could fit on the motorcycle and flee, he’d flatly refused. Said it was too dangerous, and they should at least wait until the Corolla returned, before they made any decisions to leave. But Daisy knew that part of River’s reluctance was because he was distraught over Karri’s death and wanted to find out more about her killer. Perhaps a part of him wasn’t ready to move away from this place where he’d supposedly fallen in love with her. Worry had nearly driven Daisy insane over the previous few days. Every nerve in her body was crying out for her to leave, to find somewhere safer. But River wouldn’t budge, and part of her knew the motorcycle wasn’t an ideal getaway vehicle, either.
While none of this was an excuse for Daisy’s actions tonight with Dale, perhaps it was an insight into the reason she’d allowed this lapse of judgement. Had allowed herself this small luxury. To make love with Dale for this one time only. She would never see him again after tomorrow. Now they had the car back, she would not let River talk her out of leaving. Even if she had to hog-tie him, she was getting him in that car and driving away.
Daisy could reveal none of this to Dale, however. One thing she could say was that she knew without a doubt he wasn’t the killer. Apart from that, she couldn’t help him figure out who it was. She hardly knew these people, had no idea of their true personalities or motivations. He’d be able to answer that question better than her.
“Have you ever had a cheek swab done before? It was kind of an odd feeling, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“No, I haven’t,” she replied a little dreamily. She was enjoying the feeling of his fingers on her skin, so it took her a few seconds to realize what he said. “Wait. They took a sample of your DNA? Why did they do that?”
Dale’s fingers stopped their leisurely exploration. “I don’t know. I assumed they were taking everyone’s DNA.” He shrugged a shoulder lightly underneath her ear.
“Well, they didn’t take mine.” She sat up, suddenly feeling cold. Why would they take his DNA and not hers? There was only one explanation that made any sense. “Were they only taking DNA swabs from the men?” she asked.
Dale sat up next to her. “Why would you say that?” Confusion hovered behind his eyes.
“Did you ask anyone else if they had a sample taken?” She reached for her bra and top, lying in a crumpled mess on the corner of the blanket.
“No, I didn’t,” he said a little defensively. “Why would I…?” his words trailed off, and the confusion cleared from his face. “There were four sample bags, including mine, on the table. I saw them after King did my swab.” He also reached for his clothes, but he stopped with his jeans halfway up to look at her. “If they’d tested everyone, there should’ve been nine samples. Which means you’re right, they only did the men.” Their gazes met, and she stared into his brown eyes.
“So, if they’re only testing the males, what are they looking for?” Dale mused. “Do you reckon they’re going to test all the male guests who were here at the time, too?”
“I don’t know about the guests,” she answered. “But I’m wondering if she raped. Would there be enough evidence left after she spent twenty-four hours in the water to determine that?” Daisy was thinking aloud, trying to gather her thoughts. She used the time she took to pull on her shorts to come up with another option. “Either that, or she was pregnant.”
Neither of those scenarios was good for River. He’d told her the last time he’d seen Karri was two days before she drowned. Could DNA evidence last that long? Could it withstand being submerged in filthy water for that long? She was no forensic expert, but she hoped not. But if Karri had been pregnant…That was a whole different ball game. At least the cops didn’t have River’s DNA in their system. She needed to get him away from here before the cops found out about him, and pulled him in for questioning, too.
“Shit, I never even…Oh God, do you really think that could be true?” Dale was staring at her, dumbfounded.
“What else could it be?” She wanted to be wrong, but gut instinct told her she was right.
She needed to get home. Needed to talk to River. Her shirt had got stuck halfway on, she’d put her arm through the wrong hole, and she almost ripped it in her haste as she pulled it off. Making a loud noise of frustration, she twisted the top around in her hands until she found the right opening and slipped it on. Then she packed up the food into the basket.
Dale hadn’t seemed to pick up on her distress, however. He was still putting on his shirt, head tilted up to study the stars as he considered their conversation. “The Sarge said he was going over to the community tomorrow morning, as part of the investigation. I wonder if he’s going to test all the men over there as well?”
Shit, that was all she needed. Someone in the community was sure to mention that she and River were on the property. Then the cat would be out of the bag. Her movements became jerky and uncontrolled, and she rammed items willy-nilly into the basket.
