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The geese were making a hell of a racket. Honking away up in the orchard. Vaguely, she wondered what’d got into them as she slipped on her jacket and closed the back door behind her. Walking across the grass to the driveway, Lacey stopped to contemplate her beloved Kombi parked next to the shed. Dave was coming tomorrow to fix Dotti. She still hadn’t decided what to do once her van was drivable. The logical thing would be to move on. To continue her travels around Tasmania. If you’d asked her last Sunday—nearly a week ago, boy how time was flying—she would’ve been adamant she’d move on just as soon as was humanly possible.
But that was before she’d got to know Nico. Should she factor him into the equation? Nico absolutely hadn’t asked her to stay. And why would he? His job as community-minded champion, offering her sanctuary in her hour of need, was at an end. As soon as she became mobile once more, there was nothing to keep her here in Boat Harbour.
Of course, Nico already had her contact details, so if he needed her for anything connected to the murder, he’d know where to find her.
But now there was also the job offer to contemplate. Her head was spinning with the possibilities. A voice in her head screamed that the best thing to do was to jump in her van and disappear. Run away. Then she wouldn’t have to decide. She wasn’t saying no, and she wasn’t saying yes, she was just letting fate take her where it would.
She let out a sigh, her warm breath turning to mist in the cold evening air.
The geese were getting closer, their honking getting louder. Lacey looked up to see the little flock waddling down the path from the orchard. It looked like they were heading straight for her. Did they think she was going to feed them? She watched them with growing trepidation. Or were they coming to attack her?
Suddenly, Smudge barked from inside, a deep, urgent bark, as if he were desperate to get outside. As if he were warning her of—
A figure flashed in her peripheral vision. She spun around in time to see a man wearing a balaclava running at her. He must’ve been hiding behind the shed.
He was on her, knocking her to the ground, before she could do anything. Then he landed on top of her, pinning her down. What the fuck was going on? Why was someone assaulting her? What did this man want? Her money? Her car? Her judo skills were of little use to her now, but she did the best she could. Levering her left heel against the ground, she arched her back, attempting to dislodge the man, while at the same time, desperately trying to get her leg free enough that she could bring it up to knee him in the balls. A highly effective way of disabling an attacker, if only—
“Stop!” the man commanded, his voice deep and menacing.
Was there something about that voice she recognized? But she wasn’t about to stop. Not in a million years. Smudge was still barking, she could hear the nebulous noise as if it were far, far away. Fighting to get one of her arms free, she tried to get a look at the guy on top of her, but the balaclava covered his face, and his eyes were turned away, looking at the house, so she couldn’t even see what color they were. The man was of a medium build, but he was wearing bulky clothes, so it was hard to get a reading on his exact size and musculature. Her heart was hammering like a bird fluttering in a cage, but she wasn’t afraid. Just desperate to get free.
“Stop,” the man commanded again. He moved on top of her and she felt something cold and sharp press against the skin of her throat.
A knife. The man had a knife. Now her panic finally turned to fear. She froze in place, not daring to move.
Rania had been killed with a knife.
Fear turned to terror.
Was this the same man who’d killed Rania?
Was this Karim?
If only she could get a look at his eyes, perhaps she might be able to tell if it were. Karim had dark-brown eyes.
But the man wouldn’t look at her. Instead, he lifted his head to stare in the direction of the honking sound.
It was getting closer. So close, it sounded like the geese were nearly on top of them.
“What the fuck…?” the man swore, then lifted the knife from her throat as if to ward off something. Then the air was filled with beating wings and hard, pecking beaks as the flock of geese descended on them. Protecting their territory. Protecting what was theirs. Lacey tried to cover her head to stop the birds battering her, but they seemed to concentrate more on the man. They had one goal, and that was to drive this man away. The figure in black got to his knees, covering his eyes with his forearm, much the same as she was. But the geese kept coming at him, using their wings to batter him, and pecking mercilessly at his face and arms.
Lacey shuffled backward away over the gravel, but the geese paid her no heed. As if she were part of their flock, and the man was the intruder who needed to be got rid of. Were geese really that smart? Nico had told her they would act like guard dogs. But this…? She would never underestimate the big birds ever again. The man stumbled to his feet, waving the knife in the air, but the birds continued to hound him. He lifted his head and gave her one long, penetrating stare and then he turned and ran.
The geese continued to chase him, leaving her sitting on the driveway. Safe. Had the geese just saved her life?
Smudge was going absolutely crazy inside the house, barking at the top of his lungs. Lacey pushed herself off the ground and ran toward the door. She wasn’t waiting around out here to see if the man came back.
She rushed through the door, banging it shut and locking it. Then she leaned against the wood, breathing heavily. Smudge growled menacingly at the door, then tried to jump up and lick her face, but she pushed him away, too shocked to pat him right now. That’d teach her to take the dog outside with her next time. No man would’ve been able to sneak up on her like that with Smudge around.
Still leaning against the door, she slid down until she was on her haunches, finally bringing Smudge in for a cuddle. At the same time, her mind was frantically processing what’d just happened.
Was that a random attack? A mugger trying to steal her car? Or taking advantage of her being alone out here and rape her?
Or was this somehow connected to the case?
Could that have been Karim, back to finish what he started? Nico had mentioned he might get bail this afternoon, but she hadn’t confirmed it before she left. Was he high on drugs again and perhaps decided that she was the person responsible for framing him for Rania’s murder? Or had he indeed murdered her, and now he was coming after Lacey as well? As some sort of perverted repaying of a debt.
She’d been so sure he was innocent.
