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“Pederson can’t handle this case, you need to take him off it,” he said, not waiting for Shadbolt to speak.This wasn’t about Nico wanting to take the lead on the investigation again; he understood the conflict of interest rules were there for a good reason.This was about needing someone more senior on this case.Someone with better judgement, able to look outside the box instead of concentrating wholly on the facts.
“That’s not for you to decide.”The chief inspector glared at him over the rim of his glasses, then motioned for him to close the door behind him.Shadbolt was looking a little disheveled, mouth set in a grim line and Nico suddenly remembered seeing the crowd of journalists camped out on the front steps of the station as he returned from Devonport.The media would be lapping up this new twist in the murder case, ready to sensationalize it with their embellishments and drama.Shadbolt was probably preparing to talk to the media, make sure they had their facts straight before they sent the rest of the population into a panic.He felt a twinge of pity for the chief, but not enough to divert him from his objective.
“He admits he didn’t reassign a guard for Taylor once she left the hospital.He fucked up, Charles.Big time,” Nico continued, barely able to contain his indignation.
“Take a seat, Detective,” Shadbolt said by way of answer.But Nico was too wound up to sit, so he shook his head.
Shadbolt kept his steady gaze fixed on Nico.“Even if I agreed with you, that doesn’t change the facts.That girl is gone and we need to find her.Quickly.”It was the closest Nico was going to get of an admission of agreement from his boss.And it took some of the steam out of Nico’s rage.“Pederson made the best call he could using the information at hand.He decided the girl was no longer in danger and he needed to redistribute his resources,” Shadbolt continued.
Spoken like a true administrator, Nico thought.Possibly an unfair judgement, because Shadbolt usually still thought like a cop on the beat, but in this instance, it was true.
“He’s a good detective,” Shadbolt said, but Nico didn’t understand why his boss was so keen to defend him.“You were young and green once.”The words were soft, not chiding, but matter-of-fact.
The tone in his voice made Nico look at his chief inspector, really look at him.And then do a quick reevaluation.Yes, the chief was looking out for Pederson, but he’d done the same thing for Nico when he’d been new and untried.Nico hadn’t been nearly as gung ho as Pederson, didn’t have as big an ego or as much to prove.But then he also hadn’t come from an underprivileged, indigenous background.Nico couldn’t forgive Pederson for his oversight, but he could see why Shadbolt was giving him a long leash.Nico let out a long sigh.
“Yep, all right,” he acknowledged.
Shadbolt nodded slowly and relaxed back into his chair a little.“Pederson’s a very determined man.And his determination just uncovered something really interesting today.”The chief fixed his pale blue gaze on Nico over the rims of his glasses.Nico lifted his chin in curiosity, realizing that Shadbolt had been holding back, waiting to see if Nico calmed down first before he offered this new tidbit.A small pang of regret ran through his gut.He’d let his temper get away with him, which didn’t happen very often.
“What did he find?”he finally asked, reining in the hint of resentment in his tone.
“A black plastic bag buried at the campsite containing clothes and other items, as well as some charred documents that look like they’ve come out of a campfire.”There was a slight hesitation before Shadbolt continued.“Pederson’s pretty sure the clothes belong to Danika.”
“Wow.Okay.”If that were true, it’d be a big find indeed.It’d definitely link the campsite to Serge.And might even provide them with more solid proof to help put Serge away—if they ever caught him.“That’s a good find,” Nico said, this time not begrudging Pederson his unorthodox methods.
“Yes, it is.And if he hadn’t pushed to bring in the sniffer dogs, they might never have unearthed that evidence,” Shadbolt continued.
“Right,” Nico answered absently, but his mind was still on the bag of clothing.Something was bugging him about it, but he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly.
“Ser—the POI, did a good job of trying to conceal the evidence.”
Nico noted the chief’s slight hesitation over using his father’s name, but ignored it.
“Pederson is hoping to find more, now that he knows where to look.If the POI was using that campsite long term, they might even find traces from the other girls he murdered.He’s got Tyrell and Saito working on it down on Strahan as we speak.”
“Good.I’d probably have done the same thing,” Nico replied.But the more he thought about it, the odder it felt.Then suddenly he knew what’d been bugging him.Finding that bag was too convenient.It was almost like putting a red flashing light outside of a hooker joint.Too bright and lurid.He was about to say something to the chief inspector when his boss changed the subject.
“In any case, I’ve got a job for you.Pederson and his team are stretched to the limit right now, so I’d like you to go and have another chat with Taylor’s mother, see if you can glean any more details.Where did they have dinner?Did she notice anyone suspicious hanging around last night?Was Taylor acting normal—well, as normal as you can get after the trauma she suffered.That kind of thing.”
“Will do.”Had Shadbolt just given him an opening back into the case?Albeit a minor one.Nico knew protocol wouldn’t allow him to work on this case with his father as the alleged killer.But while asking Taylor’s mother a few questions might help them find the missing girl, it wasn’t going to interfere with any important evidential boundaries.If Shadbolt was prepared to give him this minor access to one of the individuals involved, then who was he to argue?
“And then, can you go and chat to the psych, what was her name?”
“Mary,” Nico confirmed.
“Right.Yes.You know the drill.”Shadbolt reached out a hand and repositioned one of the piles of paperwork on his desk, the only sign of his slight discomfort.
“You mean, ask her if Taylor might’ve been suicidal?”
“Yes, that.”Shadbolt nodded, and Nico grimaced.It was a sad fact that victims subjected to that amount of trauma often couldn’t bear to face the repercussions of their attacker’s actions.Couldn’t bear to live with what they thought of as their own shame.Thought themselves to blame for some reason.Nico didn’t need to qualify with an answer.That poor, poor girl.He hoped with all his heart that she was safe, had just needed some time to herself and wandered off somewhere, because the other two options—either Serge had recaptured her, or she’d taken her own life—were unthinkable.It made him so mad, that someone’s twisted mind could ruin someone else’s life forever.
But it wasn’t just someone with a twisted mind.It was his own flesh and blood causing this devastation.He could barely contain his revulsion.The nerve of his father.And now he was trying to target Lacey.It made him feel physically sick.Which reminded him…
“Where’s Lacey?”he demanded, not able to keep the heat out of his voice.He suddenly needed to know she was safe, especially if it turned out that Serge was in the near vicinity.They’d agreed last night that returning to work was the best way to stay sane, even if they had to deal with mundane tasks while the rest of the force concentrated on tracking down Serge.Nico also secretly thought that work was the safest place Lacey could be right now.There was no way Serge could possibly get to Lacey while she was locked inside a fully manned police station.And if she was out on patrol, she’d always have a partner to back her up.She was definitely safer here than sitting alone at home.But he still worried.
Shadbolt ignored the subtle disrespect in Nico’s tone, and said, “I believe she and Constable Lawson are patrolling The Esplanade, out looking for the girl, just like everyone else.”
“Good.”Nico let out a breath.“Thank you,” he added belatedly.
