AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He might not have had the hammer in his hand, but he was the one screaming at me inside my head. That’s why he was staying at the gold mine. He was here to make sure that bitch didn’t ruin our plans.” Sally tried to get to her knees, but the rope binding stopped her. She pulled against the restraints agitatedly. “He told me to do it. He was going to do it if I didn’t. It’s his fault. I’m not a murderer, he is,” she yelled. “Ask him. He’s the one you need to arrest.” She pulled so hard on the ropes that she toppled over onto her side in the dirt. “Let me go,” she demanded. “I’m not the one you want. Let me go. Ask him. Ask Johnny.” Drops of spittle flew from the woman’s mouth. It was clear she thought Johnny was still alive, and he would take the fall for their crime.
Dale was shocked at her outburst. Until now, she’d sat so calm and serene. Now, she was a raving, screaming banshee. It dawned on Dale that she was a little unhinged. Perhaps had been right from the start. He realized he didn’t know this woman at all. She’d worked here for over two years, he’d seen her nearly every day, spoken to her nearly every day since he returned from Montana, and yet, he’d never truly known who she was, or what she was capable of.
Sally continued to caterwaul, twisting her wrists so hard in the ropes she made her wrists bleed. He had half a mind to tell her Johnny was dead. That would shut her up. But something told him to hold his tongue. That information might be valuable leverage if used in the right way.
Dale dissected her words. Earlier tonight, he’d noticed the odd dynamic between the two; as if Johnny exerted a strange kind of control over Sally. It wasn’t merely his physical violence toward her; it was more than that. He’d heard of battered-woman syndrome before, and how some women would do anything to please their man. Was Sally a victim of domestic violence? Had she been coerced into doing those things by Johnny? The truth would come out in the end. Dale couldn’t feel sorry for her at the moment, however.
The sound of a vehicle drifted in from a distance.
“I’m not saying anything more.” Sally said sullenly, lying still, as if it were dawning on her exactly how much trouble she was in.
Bit late for that, Dale thought, coldly. But they’d gotten everything they needed to know out of Sally, and it seemed they’d done it just in time, as the drone of the engine came closer. Then a four-wheel-drive police vehicle came barreling up the bush track. Senior Sergeant Robinson and his senior constable spilled out of the vehicle as soon as it came to a halt.
King made a beeline for Sally. He untied her feet and hoisted her up onto her feet while reading her rights, then he marched her straight into the back of the police paddy wagon. Robinson was taking no chances with his suspect. It was probably the biggest case they’d had around here for a while; perhaps forever. And Robinson wouldn’t want anything to muck it up. Dale decided the cops didn’t need to know that they’d conducted their own little family interrogation session.
Robinson cast them a searching look, as if he knew something had been afoot, but Dale merely smiled and turned away.
“Suspect is secure,” King said, reappearing with his arms full of equipment. A roll of police tape, two pairs of gloves for him and Robinson, a camera and a whole stack of other items Dale didn’t recognize.
“So nice of you guys to finally arrive,” Skylar said, a snarky frown wrinkling her brow.
King lifted his head to glance at Skylar, and a strange look passed between the two of them. After a second, he swung his gaze away, but Skylar continued to stare at him. For a moment, Dale wondered if there was something going on between the good-looking cop and his sister. But no, that’d be impossible, Skylar hardly ever left the station, let alone had time for a relationship.
“Are we free to return home yet?” Skylar asked, and King locked gazes with her once more.
“Not yet, sorry,” he said. “We need your preliminary statements first.” When Skylar scowled at him, he hurriedly added, “It shouldn’t take long, then you can go home to the lodge. We’ll take formal statements when we’ve secured the site.” King sounded so solemn, his handsome face almost lost in the shade beneath his dark-blue police hat. But his eyes softened as he said, “Actually, it’s a good idea for all of you to try to get back to some form of normality in the next few days. But don’t forget, we can arrange for counseling for anyone who needs it. You’ve all been through a traumatic time, don’t try and get though it on your own. If you’re struggling, let us know,” King added. He glanced at them all, but his final gaze came to rest on Skylar. Was he singling her out for some reason? Dale narrowed his eyes as he watched the exchange. But perhaps King was right, Dale should keep an eye on his sister. Actually, he should keep an eye on all of his family, Daisy included. This would take a toll on everyone.
Two hours later and it was already mid-morning when they were finally allowed to leave the mine site. Robinson and King left right before them, handing the scene over to the Cairns cops who were pouring in, some arriving via helicopter and others in their police cruisers and four-wheel-drives. In that time, the cops had indeed discovered Stormcloud’s missing ATV, concealed at the back of the tunnel Johnny had been using. They also found other items that belonged to the station; tools and stores of non perishable foods, most of which no one had noticed were even missing. Johnny—or perhaps it’d been Sally—had been having a great time, using Stormcloud as their own personal utility store and grocery market.
Daisy and Dale jumped in the rear seat of the truck with Steve and Skylar, leaving the ATVs where they were.
Dale hadn’t let go of Daisy’s hand for the whole ride back to the lodge. He’d had hold of it for most of the morning, in fact, apart from when they gave their separate statements. She seemed to need the human connection, almost as if she’d drift away from the earth if he let her go. There was a faraway look on her face, like this wasn’t really happening. He could relate. It was taking a while for it all to sink in.
Daniella confronted them as they arrived at the front of the lodge, pulling Dale into a fierce hug before he was even halfway through the door. Julie stood right behind her, white-faced until her dad also appeared through the door and she did much the same, throwing her arms around him.
“Thank God you’re okay. Tell me you’re okay?” Daniella pleaded with Dale.
“I’m fine, mum,” he said, returning her hug.
Then Daniella grabbed Skylar, embracing both of her children as if she might lose them at any second. It was an unusual show of affection. His mum must be experiencing a healthy dose of reality. But Dale would take whatever he could get, and so he returned her hug with enthusiasm. After a few moments, Daniella also tugged Steve and Julie into the group hug, wanting all of her family close.
“Jesus, I was so worried about you. All of you.” She looked at each one of them pointedly, letting her gaze rest on Steve last of all.
As soon as his mother let him go, he found Daisy’s hand again. Bindi stood near the bar, staring at them all as if they were ghosts, risen from the dead. Alek was close by her side, holding his ever-present clipboard against his chest like a shield. His long hair hung in his face, and he pushed it back with an irritated flick on his wrist. It was a sign of how agitated Alek must be, that his hair wasn’t immaculately groomed and styled.
“Does this mean the police are releasing Warwick?” Daniella demanded of Steve.
“Yes, they are,” Steve replied wearily.
“Good. Good,” Daniella muttered, breaking away from the group and pacing across the floor. “But I can’t believe it. Sally Tsun did it? She murdered Karri? And she was skimming our guest’s credit cards? And overcharging them too, by the looks of it. Then pocketing the extra money.” Daniella’s words turned into a hiss of disgust as she glared out of the window. Dale decided if looks could kill, Sally would be dead a hundred times over. Daniella swiped a hand across her brow and pulled out a chair, sitting down heavily. “You need to tell me everything,” she demanded.
Everyone sat, while Bindi handed out welcome glasses of water. Dale continued to hold Daisy’s hand. It was a relief to sit down, and Dale drank two full glasses, not realizing how parched he was until this very second.
Then Dale began the tale, starting with the phone call Daisy received from River. Steve and Skylar added in bits and pieces, especially when it came to recounting Sally’s confession. Daisy remained quiet throughout. Their story sounded fantastical to his own ears, even though he’d lived through the entire night.
Steve finally stopped speaking, and the room fell completely silent as everyone digested the story. Dale could hardly believe that Sally had spilled her guts so easily. But he was also grateful to the narcissistic woman’s need to blurt out the truth, so they had some sort of closure. At least it would make the arriving detective’s jobs that much easier, if she was happy to talk.
“I’d better get something prepared for dinner.” Skylar said at last, standing up laboriously, breaking the somber mood. They were all totally and utterly shocked by the day’s events. But they still had guests to look after, and Skylar was the first to remember her duties. The kitchen and her cooking were never far from her mind. It didn’t really surprise Dale that she wouldn’t shirk her responsibilities.
“I’ll give you a hand.” Julie stood and followed Skylar.
Daisy stirred beside Dale, tugging on his hand. “I’ll go help, too,” she said discreetly. “I need something to keep me busy,” she admitted when he wouldn’t let go of her hand.
Dale had kept her hand tight in his throughout the whole discussion. In some ways, she was the reason they had Sally in custody right now. Without her and her brother, they might never have caught Karri’s killer. She must wonder how she fitted into all of this; much the same as he was. But she had extra problems to worry about. Like, how was River going to fare once the fallout from today’s events came to light? River could be seen as a hero in some people’s eyes. Yet, he was also a fugitive from the law. How was she ever going to reconcile the two? And would the police take his heroism into account when they looked at his other charges arising in Perth?
And then there was the gang—what were they called? The Black Kings—who wanted to partake in their own sort of vigilante justice on her bother. Would they still be after him, even if he went to jail?
“I’ll come with you,” he breathed. She needed him right now. Needed his support. And he needed to know she was safe. After all they’d been through in the past twenty-four hours, it’d be a while before he let her out of his sight again.
