

"Tangled"

Uc Amalu Jr

Tangled **-** Smashwords Edition

Published by Uc Amalu Jr at Smashwords

Copyright© 2012 by Uc Amalu Jr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locale is entirely coincidental.

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CHAPTER ONE

"It's another girl. She's all cut up and her breasts..."

"What about her breasts?"

"They're gone!"

The conversation replayed in Jay's mind. Surely it

couldn't be right? There had already been one murder like

that in Showsdale. Not a month ago, a young woman

bearing that same mutilation, was found. Now it sounded

like a second girl had suffered the same fate. How he

hoped that the Captain had been misinformed of the

details, but in his heart Jay knew that he hadn't.

Jay pulled onto the side of the road and cut the engine.

He scanned his surrounding. To the right lay crude

asphalt road, full of pot-holes large enough to swallow a

small sedan. On his left was dense bush land, nothing but

square kilometres of Eucalyptus, Grey Gums and the odd

Tallow Wood. The crime scene unit, three marked cop cars

and their flurry of red and blue flashing lights, served as

an unwelcome intrusion upon the otherwise picturesque

backdrop.

Smoke escaped the interior of Jay's cruiser when he

stepped outside onto the loose gravel, stones crunched

loudly beneath his R.M. Williams boots. The cleansing

scent of eucalyptus filled the air. Jay drew a long, deep

breath savouring the purity of the rural setting. It had

been a long time since his lungs had experienced

anything other than the toxicity of city living. He turned

his head to the sky, amazed by the clarity and how very

different two environments, only ten kilometers apart,

could be. Just five minutes drive away was the hustle and

bustle of Showsdale, a city of eighty five thousand,

spoiled by pollution, progress and careless littering. Yet

here, well this was nature at its best. Untouched.

Further up on the shoulder of the road, he saw an

ambulance. Two uniformed officers were standing by the

open back doors, their note-books in hand, speaking to a

man and a woman. Jay assumed they were the

unfortunates who had made the gruesome discovery.

The young man had a blanket and his arms around the

young woman, rubbing her arms and shoulders so

vigorously, it looked as though he was trying to shake the

life back into her. Jay stared at her eyes. They had the

vacant stare he had come to associate with shock. It

appeared that she was incapable of speaking at this point

in time, as it was the young man who seemed to answer

all the questions. Behind the couple, in the ambulance, a

medic was preparing a syringe. He held a bottle upside down and had the

syringe embedded within the small clear vessel. He pulled

the needle from the bottle, tapped it a few times with his

fingers and then leaned in between the couple and said a

few words. The woman held up her arm, without so much

as blinking. The medic wiped her arm with a tiny, white

swab and administered the shot. He then handed her a

small bottle of water before disappearing deeper into the

ambulance.

Jay reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his

notebook before making his way toward them. Beside the

ambulance, he noticed the couple's backpacks lying on

the ground. Clipped to the front pocket of one of the

back-packs were a pair of short-range walkie-talkies and

an updated map of Postman's Bay, sealed in a clear

plastic slip. He looked back at the shocked duo, their

heavy duty hiking boots, wide brimmed hats and high

visibility T-shirts told him they were seasoned hikers. Both

parties sat in the back of the ambulance. The woman's

eyes were wide and stared blankly at the officers as they

fired questions at her and her male friend. One of the

officers walked over to Jay.

"Hey, Detective Marnotti. Look, I don't think we're going to

get too much more out of them at this stage." The

officer's name badge read Paul Mitchell. Jay's eyes

narrowed as he read it.

"Mitchell?" he queried.

"Yes, Sir," replied the young officer.

"Weren't you the kid who was at the Hunt scene a few of

weeks back?'

"I sure was, Sir. My fortunes haven't improved much, as

you can see."

Jay grinned at the young cop, admiring how well he

appeared to be coping with having attended two major

homicides within the space of a month. "So, Paul, what

have you been able to extract from our witnesses?"

Paul flipped through his notebook. "Well, their names are

Lance and Julia Sanders, ages twenty-eight and twenty-

seven. They live in Showsdale and hike here every long

weekend. Apparently, they've done so for the last two

years." He looked up at Jay.

"Every weekend, eh?"

"Every long weekend," Officer Mitchell corrected Jay.

"Seems it's their hobby, Sir. They like to keep fit I guess."

Jay grinned at the idea of people actually exercising as a

hobby. His idea of a hobby was a Saturday night at Bluey's

where he exercised his biceps by lifting a frosted glass of

ale from the bar to his lips and back to the bar again. Jay

dug deep into his coat pocket, produced a cigarette and

lit it up.

"Apart from that, Paul, what else did ya get out of em?"

Once again, the young rookie referred to his notes before

replying. "Apparently they had only just begun their hike,

when about half a kilometer into the scrub, they saw a

whole heap of birds gathering near a clearing just off the

track a ways. Julia went over for a closer look; she thought

it might have been an injured animal or something. As

you can imagine, it didn't take them long to figure out

that it was no animal."

Jay drew back on his cigarette. "And then what?" A gust

of smoke escaped with his words.

"Well, her and Lance high tailed it out of there," Officer

Mitchell nodded over towards the scrub. He then pointed

to a small, silver sedan sitting on the side of the road and

said, "They got back to their car here, and called us. They

say that's where they stayed, with their doors locked, until

Officer Newcombe and myself arrived."

"What time frame we lookin' at?"

Paul flicked over to the next page of his note-book and

then back again. "They got here at roughly 8am, saw the

body at about 8.15am, we were called at 8.34am and

arrived on the scene at approximately 8.57am. We called

for back up at 9.10am and they got here at 9.30am, a few

minutes before the coroner and crime scene unit."

"Did they touch or disturb the body?" asked Jay.

"According to them, they laid nothing more than eyes on

it. I have to say that I believe them. They're pretty shaken

up, Detective."

Jay crushed out his cigarette and picked up the butt.

"Okay, Paul, make sure you get all their personal details

and ask em to come in to the station for a more detailed

statement tomorrow, if possible." He then handed his

cigarette butt to officer Mitchell and said, "Here, kid, take

care of this for me before the C.S.U collects it as evi-

dence!" With that, Jay turned in the direction of the crime

scene and walked off.

He followed the lead of the iridescent yellow crime scene

tape that cordoned off the area, scanning for any unusual

footprints, tyre tracks or drag marks along the way. There

was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see, but

then again after all the cops that had traipsed through in

the past hour, it would be difficult to tell who made what

trail anyhow. As soon as Jay entered the scrub, the

sunlight dimmed through the canopy of the trees,

causing the temperature to drop somewhat. A few

hundred metres further down the track, Jay saw three

more officers scouring the area for clues, and over to his

left were the coroner and one of the ambulance medics,

crouching beside a white sheet.

Careful to watch where he was stepping, Jay weaved his

way through the ferns, twigs and leaves scattered about

the ground, until he reached the grisly scene. The medic

stepped aside and allowed Jay access before nodding to

the coroner and walking back toward the roadside.

"G'day, Jay," the coroner greeted him. "I was hoping I'd be

seeing you today."

"Oh yeah? And why is that, Seth?"

Seth Pierce had been the attending coroner in a majority

of the cases Jay had caught over the last ten years. The

man, whom Jay thought had about as much personality

as a turnip, even resembled one. His balding head

sported just a handful of thin hairs and his face looked as

though it had seen better days. Personal appear-ances

aside, he was a likeable fellow. Jay often wondered if

Seth likened his position of Coroner as the next best

thing to being a serial killer. It did allow him the luxury of

feeding his morbid fascination with the dead, and their

cause of death, while remaining safely within the con-fines

of the law.

"Well, you and Ben are working that Hunt case right?"

"That's right, what about it? '

Seth leaned in closer to Jay. "I wouldn't like to say this

too loud, or have it spread around, it's just my personal

observations you understand..."

"Spit it out already," Jay interrupted, his patience fading

fast.

Clearly taken aback with Jay's hostility, Seth spoke

quietly. "Well you have another female victim, late teens to

early twenties I am guessing, but like the Hunt girl, she's

cut up pretty bad. Both breasts are gone and her

abdomen... talk about a mess."

"Any estimate on the time of death yet?" Jay asked,

realising the Captain hadn't been misinformed.

"At a rough guess, I'd say sometime in the last twenty

four hours. She's in slight rigor mortis. Her toes and

fingers are stiff. The lower temps in here could have

slowed things down a bit," Seth said, looking around the

scrub. "But the pooling of the blood on the underside of

her body tells me she's been here at least eight hours.

Time of death may be between ten and midnight last

night."

Seth lowered the sheet from the victims chin and showed

Jay exactly what had hap-pened to the girl. Jay saw a

cut over her temple, so deep it was actually gaping open.

Her neck was red and bruised, as though she had been

strangled or choked at some point during her attack.

Jay crouched down beside the body his eyes fixed on her

chest; he couldn't believe the ferocity of the attack. Her

breasts had been hacked off with such savagery that all

that was left was jagged and torn pieces of skin and

exposed flesh. He peeled the sheet back further, exposing

the rest of the victim's naked, muti-lated body. When his

eyes reached her abdomen; he felt he was going to be

sick. It was so torn open and cut up, that he saw what he

was certain were her intestines spilling out of the cavity.

"I've seen enough," he said, pulling the sheet back up to

her chin. Seth placed bags over her hands and kept them

in place with tape, to secure any trace evidence that may

be there.

"C.S.U have been combing the area for evi-dence," Seth

informed Jay. 'So far they've come up with squat! No

personal effects or identification. It's almost as though

she just fell from the sky."

"Well it's a pretty fair bet that didn't happen." Jay rubbed

his forehead.

"They'll keep looking, but it's safe to assume that they're

not going to find anything. They've been here for over an

hour now and they've turned up nothing."

"You're a real breath of fresh air, Seth. You know that?"

Jay was annoyed at Seth's negative attitude. "Would it

hurt to show a little positivity?"

"Sorry, pessimism comes with the job. There's never too

much to be positive about."

Jay stood up and placed his hands on his hips.

"Are you leaving already?" Seth asked.

"No, just gonna go check in with Ben. Gimme a yell when

you're ready to move her, okay?" said Jay, already

making his way back up the hiking track.

"Will do," Seth waved at Jay and returned to the body

lying at his feet.

Jay slid into the driver's seat of his cruiser and laid his

head against the steering wheel, his breathing shallow

and erratic. He flipped his phone open and began to enter

Ben's number. It was then that he spotted the barrage of

news vans and reporters converging on the site.

"Parasites," he scowled.

CHAPTER TWO

"I think we have another victim of the same sick son of a

bitch," Jay's voice crackled down the line.

A shiver ran through Ben and he cupped his head in one

hand, his elbows propped up on his desk. "Same M.O?"

He asked, referring to the killer's Modus Operandi. Some

murderers use a particular style when they kill their

victims; Albert DeSalvo strangled his victims and posed

them in sexually degrading positions. Jeffrey Dahmer

drugged and ate his prey, along with performing other

cruel and unusual experiments on them. This killer

removed breasts and cut stomachs open for kicks.

"Yup," said Jay, "right down to the missing breasts and

the cut up stomach. This killer is just twisted, Benny Boy.

A real freak of nature."

"This new vic, she got a name yet?" Ben asked, swapping

the phone to his other ear.

"Not yet. There were no identifying belongings with her.

She's got a birthmark on her left shoulder, though, so

that may help figure out who she was."

"Was she...?" Ben was unable to finish his question. The

mere thought of the answer was unthinkable.

"Pregnant?" Jay blurted out.

"Yeah," Ben whispered.

"Dunno yet. Won't know until the Doc does the slice 'n'

dice later this afternoon. Maybe he can give us something

that can help us identify her too. With a bit of luck the

killer might have left something of himself with her."

"Himself?" Ben paused. "Are we sure it is a he?"

"Are you thinking it's a woman, Ben?"

"I don't know what I'm thinking, Jayy. But I do believe it

would be a mistake to rule every possibility out this early

on."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So where to from here?"

"Are you going to the autopsy?" Ben asked, scooping up

the photos, notes and other reports on his desk before

tucking them neatly into a manila folder. He then placed

them in his top drawer with the other information on

Tessa Hunt.

"Was planning on it, why? You wanna do it instead?"

"No, no. I'll leave that in your capable hands Jayy," said

Ben as he rose from his chair and pulled his jacket from

the back of the seat.

"I've got a few things I want to check out myself." Ben then

rubbed his forehead vigor-ously and sighed down the

phone.

"Aaww, hell, Ben. Don't tell me you got another damn

Brain Bleeder?"

That's what Ben had always named his tension headaches

down at the station. 'Brain-Bleeders. Whenever a big case

hit their desk, Ben always suffered a brain-bleeder. They

didn't just happen with any case, though, only the ones

that turned out ugly and usually didn't end too sweet. It

was never a good sign when Ben suffered one of his

infamous headaches.

"Fraid so," he replied, still massaging his temples and

patting at his pockets, in search of his medication. As a

rule, he generally had a stash in just about every coat and

every drawer in his home and at the office; he even had a

leaflet in the car. He despised taking the pills since they

were strong enough to tranquilise a small horse, or so he

believed. Yet, sometimes he was left with little choice. He

found a leaflet in his coat pocket and held them tightly in

his hand. "If these killing are linked, the press is going to

have a field day with this Jayy. We need to sort this out

now and with as little fuss as possible."

"Mum's the word," said Jay.

"Well, I'm heading home for a bit. Gotta get rid of this

bloody headache before it lands me in a heap. You right

out there?"

"Sure thing, Ben. I'm just gonna have another walk

through of the crime scene. Gimme a call when you're

back on deck."

"Will do," Ben agreed. He hung up the phone and said to

himself, "Later." He looked down at the leaflet in his hand

and headed for the bathroom. If he didn't ease this

headache soon, he'd be a useless wreck for the rest of the

day.

Ben stood in front of the washbasin and stared in the

mirror for a moment. There, staring back at him was a

forty-something year old, washed up and burnt out shell

of a man. He had nothing more to show for his twenty

odd years as a cop other than a hardened expression and

a sprinkling of grey hairs that seemed to multiply daily.

His brown eyes narrowed, Ben couldn't help but notice

how lifeless they appeared. They held no fire, no passion,

nothing.

Ben's thoughts drifted back to Tessa, the memory of her

murder still etched deeply in his mind. The sheer violence

and ferocity of her attack chilled him to the very core. Ben

rubbed his hands over his face. This murderer could have

been straight from the pages of a Patricia Cornwell novel.

In his twenty odd years on the force, he had never

encountered a homicide quite like this. He had

experienced numerous cases varying from assault and

domestic vio-lence to sheer random acts of murder. Of

the homicides, he'd found the usual causes to be

robberies gone bad or a star-crossed lover turned jealous.

Not once had he worked a murder that was committed for

what seemed like nothing more than the sheer pleasure

of the act itself. To Ben it felt very much like Tessa's

murder was fast shaping up to fall into the latter of the

categories. Unless he uncovered a motive soon, he would

be forced to acknowledge that a 'thrill killer' was patrolling

his territory. He couldn't shake the images of Tessa's

mutilated body from his mind. They were engrained there,

forever...

Vivid splashes of dried blood covered the young woman's

face, a deep three inch gash above her eye gaped wide

open, exposing raw flesh and muscle. Around her neck

were dark ligature marks; her wrists and ankles bore the

same purple bands. Torn and jagged nails hung from her

fingers and toes, her hands and heels showed evidence of

cuts and scratches, perhaps from a futile attempt to

defend herself. In her matted, bloodied hair were twigs

and leaves along with various insects, native to the scrub-

land where her body had been dumped.

These details were shocking enough, but the worst was

still to come, the mutilation. How it turned Ben's stomach

to have to view such depravity and the barbaric nature of

this crime. Both her breasts had been excised from her

body. All that remained were two large patches of

coagulated blood, fatty tissue and flesh. Yet it got worse,

much worse. Her abdomen had been torn open from just

below the navel, all the way down to the pubic bone.

Internal organs were visible through the mess of more

coagulated blood, muscle and flesh. This woman had

almost been disemboweled; the evidence of this was

obvious, with her intestines spilling from the cavity and

over the side of her lifeless body.

Ben looked at his pills in his hand, then popped two from

the leaflet and swallowed them down before splashing

water over his face. Lowering his head, he stepped back

from the mirror, his thoughts again returning to Tessa.

For a little over three weeks he had been working her case,

so far his results had been zip. No witnesses, no real

leads to speak of and nothing of importance was

obtained from speaking with her neighbours. The woman

was like a ghost. Everybody he spoke to knew who she

was, yet none of them could tell him too much about her.

She lived alone and kept pretty much to herself. He had

tried to track down her next of kin but that even lead him

down a fruitless path. Both her parents were dead. They were killed in an auto accident just three years ago. She had no siblings that he had been able to uncover.

CHAPTER THREE

Jay jotted down a few more notes before taking one last

look around the crime scene. From the walking track

where he was standing, he could see the last of the

television crews still hanging around the roadside. They

were loading their cameras and sound equipment into

white mini vans while reporters were relaying what little

information they had, back to the studios, via cell phones

and palm pilots. Even though he had managed to get rid

of most of them earlier on, their presence angered Jay.

For years, the media had been a thorn in the side of Law

Enforcement. Many times, they would enter a crime scene

snapping photos and capturing whatever footage they

could, before being escorted away by officers. They never

gave a second thought to the evidence they might have

been destroying, nor did they care for the victims or their

families. More than once, they had broadcast grisly images

of a victim, before their next of kin had even been notified.

Jay detested news crews and he wasn't shy about letting

them know it.

"Jayy," Seth yelled to him from a few feet away. "We're

ready when you are..."

He watched as the mutilated body of his Jane Doe, was

sealed inside a black, plastic bag before being slid onto a

metal trolley. Two ambulance officers raised the trolley

and began wheeling it through the scrub, towards him.

Jay raised his hand to Seth and yelled back, "Let's do it..."

He waited for the ambulance officers to reach him and

then positioned himself at the head of the trolley, ready

for the march out of the scrub and up to the roadside.

"Okay people," He began. "We still have a few vultures

circling out there, just dying to get a shot of our girl. Let's

try to make this as quick and as smooth as possible,

eh?"

The young officers nodded in agreement.

"Right. Now, no matter what happens, just get the body

into the bus and get going. I'll do my best to keep the

reporters outta your hair..."

When Jay was sure they were ready, he began the

procession along the walking track. The metal trolley

rattled and squeaked behind him.

The trolley had barely reached the loose gravel on the

shoulder of the road, when the frenzy began. Cameramen

scrambled for their cameras and reporters grabbed their

microphones. Jay remained firm at the front of the

trolley, guiding it quickly to the ambulance.

"Detective, Detective... Can you tell us what happened?"

"Is it true that the victim was decapi-tated?" The barrage of

questions flew thick and fast at Jay. "Was this a cult

killing?"

Jay held his arms out, trying to prevent the news crew

from invading the space between him and the body. "I'm

sorry, folk," Jay drawled. "I got nothing for ya's. You're

just gonna have to wait till we release a statement."

"When will that be?" Asked one female reporter.

"Yeah," mimicked another, "When will that be?"

The trolley reached the open back doors of the waiting

ambulance and the two officers pushed the body inside.

Jay tapped one of them on the shoulder as he was

climbing up into the ambulance, and said, 'Good job,

fella's... He then secured the heavy doors shut behind

them.

"When can we expect a statement, Detective?" The

reporters continued their onslaught. Bright flashes and

camera lights burned his eyes. Tape recorders and micro-

phones were being shoved at him from every direction.

"Give us something, Detective, come on!"

Jay turned to the gathering of paparazzi and simply

smiled. He then winked and weaved his way through

them and back into the scrub without saying a word. A

string of insults and boo's followed him. It cheered Jay

immensely, just knowing that he had spoiled their day.

Seth approached Jay and shook his hand. "Thanks for

that, Jayy. Damn news crews, they just never know when

to quit.."

"No problem, Seth. Any idea when the autopsy will be?"

"I just phoned Augie, he's going to get started on her at

midday.."

Jay looked at his watch. It was already 11am. "Great, you

helping out?"

Seth shook his head. "Nah, I just got a call on another

murder. I have to head out to Bayside now.."

"Must be the day for it eh?" Jay scoffed.

"Sure seems that way. I'll see you around, Jayy.." Seth

juggled his bag of tricks under one arm and his clipboard

under the other before heading back towards the road.

Jay waved him goodbye and turned back to the scrub

where the young girl's body had been discov-ered. He

sighed deeply and then spun around in the same

direction as Seth, and headed for his cruiser.

His phone was lying on the front seat; it chimed a few

times and then finally fell silent. Jay picked it up and

read the screen; it was a voice message. His fingers

punched in his pin number. "You have one new

message... no saved messages," the automated voice

informed him. "To listen to your message, please press

one.... Jay followed the prompts to retrieve his message.

He listened intently and made a mental note to call Ben

after Jane Doe's autopsy. He disconnected from the

message bank, set his phone down on the passenger

seat and turned the key in the engine. Gravel and dust

flew up from beneath his tyres when he drove away in the

direction of Showsdale.

When he pulled into the station house parking lot, Jay

peered quickly at his watch. It was 11.40 am, he decided

he had just enough time for a quick coffee before heading

to Jane Does autopsy. He could do with a reviver and a few

quiet minutes to think. After locking his cruiser he found

his way out onto the bustling footpath. The street was

jam packed with cars, all lined up bumper-to-bumper,

and the sidewalk was littered with people in a mad,

desper-ate rush to be somewhere other than where they

were.

The heavy glass doors of Café Cino seemed even heavier

today than usual, Jay stalled briefly when he pushed on

them. He despised this café; it was a haven for

intellectuals and professionals, yet he continued to drop

in every so often. A grin spread across his face when his

eyes surveyed the coffee shop and came to land on the

young waitress behind the counter. It was Joany. Jay

hadn't seen her for quite some time now and he was

pleased to see her. He approached the counter, his smile

growing wider; and began his regular verbal assault on

her.

"Joany, baby...." He began.

"Detective Marnotti, I thought you must have dropped off the

planet," she said and then added, Seems I'm not that

fortunate huh?"

"Now, don't be like that. You know you're my favourite

girl...."

"Couldn't you find another favourite?" She asked, cutting

him short.

Jay smiled. Joany had good reason to withdraw and wish

she was somewhere else whenever Jay showed up. He

took great pleasure in making life difficult for her every

time he visited. Not that he disliked Joany, quite the

opposite. She was attractive, competent and; in Jay's

opinion, the best waitress Café Cino had.

"So I take it that means you won't run away with me huh?"

Jay cooed at her.

"With you?" She rolled her eyes at him, "From you, more

like it."

"Well how's about you just bring me a coffee then, darl?"

He drawled.

"If that's the alternative to running away with you... You've

got it.." She grinned, before walking over to the coffee

machine. "And I ain't your darl!" She added, picking up a

cup and placing it under the percolator.

"You love me Joany, you just don't know it yet," He

laughed and then strode over to a corner booth in the

back of the café.

Joany just shook her head and continued making his

coffee.

In the corner booth, Jay pulled the phone out of his

breast pocket and hit the speed dial number for Ben. As

the phone began to connect; he slid a cigarette out of his

packet. Then right there, in front of a No Smoking sign, he

proceeded to light up. He glanced toward the cash

register to see how Joany was coming along with his

coffee. Instead, he saw Creston Philbert, the manager,

heading toward him. Ignoring his incoming visitor, Jay

refocused on his phone call and took a long draw on his

cigarette.

"Jayy, what's up?" Ben asked, having finally answered his

phone.

"Got your message earlier, Ben, how's 9 o'clock tonight

sound?" replied Jay, still eyeballing Creston's approach.

"Fine by me...." began Ben groggily, "I got a couple of

leads I want to follow up first though.."

"Oh yeah?" quizzed Jay. "Some real police work eh?"

Ben paused, still too fogged up from his painkillers, to

even bother taking Jay's bait.

"Yeah, yeah... I still got it in me y'know, Jayy," said Ben,

deflecting Jay's sarcasm with a little touch of burnt-out

humour.

"Okay Ben, you do whatever it is you old farts do, and I'll

see you at Bluey's at 9, alright?" Jay barked into the

phone, annoyed that Creston was now right upon him.

"Right Jayy, see you then," Ben con-firmed before ending

the call.

Jay glared knowingly at Creston, then snapped his

phone shut and slid it back into his pocket.

"Detective Marnotti, why is it that you continue to harass my

staff and how many times must you be asked to

extinguish your cigarette? This is a non-smoking venue,"

Creston rolled out his usual speech, which, as expected,

rolled off Jay like water off a duck's back.

"I see your surgery wasn't a success, Creston," Jay

replied seriously.

"Surgery?" asked Creston. "I didn't have any surgery.."

"So I see," Jay continued, "as that bug is still quite clearly

lodged up your ass!"

Creston was too dumbstruck to reply, he simply stood in

front of Jay with a vacant look on his face. Before he had

a chance to recover, Jay stood up and slapped him on

the back.

"Never mind old boy, I'll get my coffee elsewhere for today.

But you have a fine after-noon, ya hear?" With that, Jay

stubbed his cigarette butt out in the sugar pot and made

his exit, laughing heartily as he went.

Stepping off the pavement and into the gutter, Jay

weaved his way through the avalanche of cars and crossed

the busy intersec-tion, remarkably unscathed. He rejoined

the flow of pedestrians on the footpath and continued on

his way to the 'Hal Cotter Medical Centre.

Jay reached the giant glass doors of the rather ordinary

looking building; he lit another cigarette and just stood

there for a moment. He wondered if all the citizens and

motorists passing by even knew what went on behind

these doors. Sure, everybody was aware that it was a

medical research centre of renowned excellence, but did

they have any idea that this is where murder victims were

brought to be autopsied? It seemed ironic to Jay, that

the person responsible for the murder of these people,

could be walking past this building at that very same

moment their victims were being autopsied.

Jay lifted his cigarette to his lips and drew back hard,

filling his lungs with its deadly poison. Slowly exhaling,

he threw his butt to the ground and crushed it with his

foot before turning and walking through the glass doors

of the Medical Centre. He directed himself to the elevator

where he pushed the down arrow. Jay watched the

button light up as he waited for the stainless steel doors

to open and beckon him in. In no time, the doors rolled

open and Jay stepped inside. His finger hit another

button, commanding the elevator to take him to the

lower ground floor. The droning of the engine sounded

out and Jay's stomach churned as his descent began.

With a slight jolt, the lift came to a stop and an

automated voice echoed through the shaft telling him he

was now at the lower ground floor. The steel doors rolled

back and allowed him to get out.

Jay turned right out of the elevator, then made his way

to the tiny office at the end of the corridor where he

showed his official I.D. He leant through the glass window

of the reception

desk asked for the suite number of his Jane Doe.

The pretty blonde receptionist eyed his creden-tials

carefully, then continued tapping away at her computer

before saying, "Suite two, Detec-tive Marnotti... Dr. August is

performing that one.."

Jay shot her a seductive smile before replying, "Good old

Augie eh? Thanks darl, you're a gem.."

Dr. Leon August was almost a veteran in autopsies; after

all, he'd performed hundreds of them in his twenty-five or

so years as a patholo-gist. Jay was rather fond of Dr.

August, or Augie as everyone called him. He found his dry

wit and humour to be a complimentary match for his

own, and Augie could take it as good as he could dish it

out. Jay respected his thor-oughness and his ability to

convert the mumbo jumbo of medical jargon into lay-

mans terms for his benefit. Augie could be pretty tightly

wound at times though, that sometimes irked Jay, but

with the responsibility of his job who wouldn't be?

Jay knocked on the door of Suite two and waited to be

let in. A skinny, pimply-faced assistant opened the door,

asked for I.D. and then welcomed him in. He handed Jay

a mask, shoe covers, gloves and a full body apron to put

on.

"Wash your hands thoroughly, then come on through,"

the assistant told Jay. He accepted the adornments

without a word and did as he was instructed. He hadn't

attended too many autopsies before, but he had a feeling

that it was important that he come to this one in

particular. He hadn't bothered sitting in on Tessa Hunt's

last week, although he now wishes he had.

When he entered the sterile autopsy suite, he was handed

a clipboard with a few sheets of blank paper, and a pen.

Jay looked at the assistant quizzically.

"In case you wish to make notes," the assistant told him,

helpfully.

"Oh, right... thanks," Jay mumbled through his mask.

He stared at a sign on the wall, below the oversized clock.

"Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae."

The writing puzzled Jay, he recalled having seen the

same sign a few years ago when he had sat in on another

autopsy.

He was still entranced by the sign when Augie approached

him and stood silently by his side. 'It's Latin, Augie

blurted out, breaking the silence. "Roughly translated it

says, 'This is

the place where death rejoices to teach those who live'..."

Jay turned to Augie and considered whether or not to

make some sarcastic remark about him being too much

of a know-it-all, but decided against it. Augie rubbed his

gloved hands together and said, "Are we ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jay replied, his enthusiasm for what was

about to take place, less than minimal.

"I'm only here for the basics Augie," he continued. "When

I've got that, I'm outta here..."

"Gotcha," confirmed Augie with a knowing nod. "Now, let's

get started."

Jay followed Augie over to the steel gurney in the middle

of the room. As he walked past the bench, he noticed

numerous clear plastic bags, all neatly labelled,

containing samples of hair, dirt and nail clippings among

other things.

"What's this?" he asked Augie.

Augie looked back towards the bench and replied, "Oh,

just some samples and scrapings we have collected for

forensics. We thought we would get it over and done with so

we can get down to business and you are not sitting

through hours of painstaking discovery."

"Sounds fair," Jay replied, glad that he had missed the

meticulous process of watching them scour the body for

external forensic evidence. "Any signs of rape?"

"Some minor bruising to her inner thighs, so it's

possible. I carried out a rape kit, should have the results

in a day or so."

Jay nodded and allowed him to get on with his job.

Augie stood beside the gurney and turned to his

assistant, "When you're ready, Pete." As though they were

the magic words he'd been waiting for, the assistant

pulled back the sheet, exposing the ravaged, mutilated

body of Jane Doe.

Augie and Pete began performing an external search of

the body and made notes of any scratches, abrasions,

birthmarks or defects of any kind. The second assistant

scribbled notes down on a clipboard as Augie verbally

docu-mented the findings to him. Pete grabbed a large,

black camera from the bench and intermit-tently took

photos of Jane Doe, while Augie continued relating his

notes to Ed, the second assistant.

"Deep gash evident above the right eye, approximately

seven and a half centimetres long... severe bruising and

ligature marks around the throat, wrists and ankles."

Picking up her hands, Augie looked at her palms. He then

studied her feet, heels and soles. "Defensive cuts on both

palms, nails appear torn and broken, heels and soles of

feet bare considerable abrasions and minor cuts... injuries

possibly caused by being dragged along rough terrain."

Augie continued his examination making reference to

Jane Doe's chest and abdomen.

"Victim's breasts, both left and right have been removed

by a clean, sharp apparatus, I'd almost bet it was a

surgical instrument. The cuts are smooth and precise

enough to be a scalpel. Due to extensive clotting, I

estimate this was done post-mortem,"

Augie paused intermittently to allow Ed to keep up with

him.

"You right Ed?" he enquired. The young red headed

assistant nodded as he continued scribbling down his

notes.

Jay thought it would have been much quicker for Augie

to use his Dictaphone to log his findings, but he

appeared to prefer his assistant to scribe for him.

"Abdominal cavity extremely mutilated. Closer inspection

by sight only indicates that some organs may have been

removed. The person who did this seemed to know what

he was doing, though. The incisions are almost perfectly

placed, much like those made during a caesarean section.

Quite well executed actually. Will return to this point for

further, more detailed inspection directly."

Moving to the opposite side of the gurney, Augie

gestured for Pete and Ed to roll the victim onto her

stomach. Pete sat the camera down and joined Ed in

rolling the body over. Augie then stepped forward again

and resumed his external examination.

"Large brown birth-mark on left shoulder, shaped like a

half moon, approximately two centimetres wide and four

centimetres long. Numerous cuts on elbows and calves,

otherwise nothing extraordinary is apparent."

The assistants again rolled Jane Doe onto her back.

Pete took a few more photos before placing the camera

back onto the workbench behind him. He picked up a

scalpel from a tray beside the gurney. He handed it to

Augie. As he did so, the scalpel fell to the floor, hitting it

with a high-pitched crack.

"Darn it Pete, how many times have I told you to take

more care when handing me the instruments? Thanks to

you we need another scalpel and goodness knows our

supplies are depleted enough as it is."

Pete hung his head and looked at the floor, "I'm sorry, Dr.

August. I'll get you another one right away." With that he

left the gurney and headed for the supplies cupboard. Ed

put down his clipboard and pen and retrieved the

instrument from the floor before heading in the direction

of the sharps disposal.

Augie turned to Jay, shaking his head and said, "Budget

cut backs... everything suffers. Wouldn't be so bad only

the supplies seem to be far outweighed by the number of

autopsies. Scalpels, chemicals... they're all just walking off

the shelves."

Jay nodded in agreement, "I know what that's like, so

much crime, so little resources."

Pete returned with a fresh scalpel and handed it carefully

to Augie, this time it didn't fall to the floor.

"Now," said Augie looking over at Jay, "let's see if we

can't open her up and try to make some sense of what's

happened with her abdomen."

Jay shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, feeling rather

uneasy. Augie commenced his Y-Incision, skilfully guiding

the blade of the scalpel from each shoulder down to the

mid chest and then continued straight down toward the

stomach. Upon reaching the navel, Augie stopped for a

moment.

"What is it?" Jay asked him.

"It's difficult to complete the Y-Incision due to the

extensive mutilation."

Augie lifted the scalpel from Jane Doe's body and

repositioned it below the slashing. He completed the

incision, running the blade down to the base of the pubic

region. Delicately, he peeled the soft tissue and skin back,

exposing the rib cage and breastbone. Pete handed him

an electric saw, which he used to cut through these

bones, allowing him to thoroughly examine the heart and

lungs.

"Heart and lungs appear normal in colour and size."

He then produced a large hypodermic needle and drew

some blood from the heart, he handed this to Pete to

store and catalogue. Augie continued on, removing the

heart and lungs which he weighed and instructed Pete to

take samples of. Ed carried on, furiously writing his notes.

Augie then reached into the abdominal cavity. As he

inspected it, he stood back and stared solemnly at Jay.

"What is it?" Jay prodded Augie, now feeling uneasier

than before.

"Although the uterus is severely muti-lated, I can see

evidence of a placenta," said Augie quietly.

"You mean..." Jay said before Augie cut him off.

"This woman was pregnant. By the size of the placenta I

would estimate she was about four

months gestation."

Augie began investigated the abdomen again. "There is

no foetus present... the sick bastard must have cut it out

of her."

"Just like Tessa Hunt," Jay whispered.

Just like Tessa," Augie agreed.

Jay ripped the paper from his clipboard and stuffed it

into his pocket.

"I'm outta here Augie. Let me know what else you find, will

ya?" he instructed. Without waiting for a reply, Jay flew

out the door and into the scrub room.

"Will courier a copy of my report to you A.S.A.P," Augie

yelled after him, and then carried on with his autopsy.

Jay tore off the mask, gloves and apron and hastily

threw them into the hygienic disposal on his way out the

door. Halfway down the hall, he realised he was still

wearing the boot covers. 'Oh hell' he grumbled as he

bent down and pulled them off, throwing them on the

floor.

Jay was annoyed at how unnerved he felt. He'd never

experienced this before and quite frankly it disturbed him.

He was so rattled in fact, that he didn't even bother to flirt

with the blonde receptionist on his way out.

Jay chose to take the stairs to the street entrance

instead of the elevator, hoping the exertion of energy

might have the calming affect he needed. He ran up two

small flights of stairs, exited the stair well at the ground

floor and walked out of the big glass doors. Once he was

back on the street, he fumbled clumsily in his pocket for a

cigarette.

As he puffed away heavily, he took out his

notepaper from the autopsy and read what he had

written: Victim pregnant- foetus stolen!

Jay stared into space and whispered to himself, "Dear

God!"

CHAPTER FOUR

Ben's eyes shot open and he blinked a few times until his

focus returned. The haze from his painkillers was lifting

and his head was no longer suffering at the hands of his

brain bleeder. He had barely made it home from the

Station House earlier, when the full effect of the drugs

kicked in. It had taken all the strength he had left to make

it from his car to he lounge, before passing out. Although

he felt refreshed, he did feel somewhat more energised.

Or at least he felt more capable of getting on with the day

and more importantly, his job.

In one swift movement, he threw his legs over the edge of

the lounge and planted them firmly on the floor. With

both arms raised above his head, he stretched, rose to

his feet and stumbled into the kitchen. After setting the

kettle to boil, he searched for his notebook to review his

notes once more. Ben pulled his notebook from his coat

pocket and headed into his office. He flipped through his

book and studied the copies of the business cards found

near Tessa's body. Her murder was a giant puzzle and Ben

was no wiser now than he was three weeks ago when

Tessa was discovered.

The kettle whistled away, boiling water spitting from the

mouth of its spout. Ben left his notes and walked back

into the kitchen. He carefully apportioned just the right

amount of coffee and sugar into his favourite coffee mug

before adding the milk and finally the water. For most

people, a cuppa was just a cuppa, but not for Ben. His

coffee was a simple pleasure and if it wasn't made

according to his fastidious directions, it no longer held

any enjoyment for him. The fact that he was about to enter

the worst coffee house in Showsdale, only made Ben even

more determined to enjoy the brew he was now

preparing. He stirred the mixture briskly and inhaled the

aroma of the double roasted blend, before indulging in

the first swallow.

"Aaahh," he sighed aloud.

With his coffee still firmly in one hand, he strode into his

office and collected his notebook and pen before heading

to his bedroom to change his clothes. He sipped his

coffee slowly and then opened his robe doors. Ben chose

a suede jacket, a smart button up polo shirt and pair of

neatly pressed, box pleated slacks. Comfortable that his

dress was both official and reasonably casual all in one,

he gulped down the last of his coffee. He sat the empty

mug on top of his chest of drawers and made his way to

the bathroom. Ben splashed some water on his face,

brushed his teeth and freshened his breath. He combed

his hair and then slapped on a dash of cologne. The

coolness of the cologne stung his skin, causing him to

wince. Confidant that he was ready to tackle the job ahead

of him, he walked back into his bedroom and began

dressing for his impromptu meeting with the Wellness

Clinic.

Ben glanced at the red neon digits of his bedside clock,

4.45pm. He pulled on his suede jacket, tucked his

notebook and pen into the front inside pocket. From the

dressing table, he stuffed a couple of sealed painkillers

into his other pocket. Snatching his empty mug from the

top of the chest of drawers, he then headed back to the

kitchen.

After carefully rinsing out his coffee cup, Ben then grabbed

his keys from the key holder on the kitchen wall, set his

alarm and left the apartment. As he walked out the front

door, he secured the deadbolt and headed to the garage.

Security was of great importance to Ben, he could never

be certain that some former crim he helped put away

wouldn't come after him for revenge or any number of

other reasons.

Once behind the wheel of his baby blue 57 Chevy, Ben

drew in a deep breath and allowed the scent of the leather

upholstery to fill his senses.

"Aaahh," he gushed as he exhaled slowly.

He surveyed the immaculate interior of his pride and joy

with vanity and gratification before turning the key in the

ignition. The Chevy's motor sprung to life and purred like

a satisfied kitten. Content that he had indulged in his

Chevy's pleasures long enough, he backed down the

driveway. He scanned for traffic, and then indicated his

intent to pull out, before setting off down the road in the

direction of Shelby's Coffee House.

He made a left on Bligh Street and accelerated a little

before settling into an easy cruising mode for the next

twenty minutes. A river of dazzling neon signs soon

shone on either side of him. Among them, Ben spied the

rather mundane advertisement for Shelby's Coffee House.

He found the first available car park, got out of his car and

headed for Shelby's. Ben pushed open the single glass

door and stepped inside. Instantly, his senses were

tantalised with the aroma of fresh coffee beans and a less

familiar scent he figured could be cinnamon.

Shelby's looked like a lower class coffee shop. Its tables

were covered with cheap plastic backed cloths instead of

the usual cotton blend found in most places he had

visited down town. Instead of fresh carnations in china

vases in the centre of each table, there were tacky fake

roses in fog stained, mock crystal flutes.

Browsing around further, he found the atmosphere to be

pleasant enough and the chubby, young bru-nette behind

the coffee grinder shot him a broad, welcoming smile.

Ben approached the counter and took a seat directly in

front of her.

"Can I get you something, love?" she asked, her smile

broadening.

Ben looked up and down the counter, his eyes falling on a

fully stocked cake platter.

"Is that apple and rhubarb?" he asked, pointing to the

platter.

"Sure is, darl. Best in town too," she answered.

"I'll have a slice of that and a white coffee with one and a

half sugars thanks," Ben in-structed her. His taste buds

were screaming at him for having ordered coffee. They

could still taste the chunks from the last cup of Shelby's

coffee Ben had subjected them to, a year ago.

"Comin' right up," she replied.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and

I.D. He then turned his attentions back to the brunette

and asked, "The Manager about?"

"I certainly am, what can I help you with?" she asked still

busy gathering his pie and coffee. When she placed his

order in front of him, he opened his wallet and flashed his

credentials at her.

"I'm Detective Ben Payne," he said. "I just have a couple

of routine questions for you. It won't take long."

"Bout what?" the brunette asked, looking rather confused.

"First off, what's your name? Shelby?"

With a girlish giggle she replied, "Oh no honey, I'm

Joanna Kent. Shelby was the previous owner." She paused

for a moment then contin-ued, "I only took over a month

ago and I figure, why go to all the expense of changin' the

name here? Things are fine as they are."

"I understand," confirmed Ben. "Do you still accept these

buy one get one free cards?" he asked pulling the copy of

the redemption card from his notebook.

"Sure do," she said. "You wanna redeem it now?"

"Oh no, no, no." Ben pulled the card back from her reach.

"I was just curious, is there any way of knowing who owns

this card or when they acquired it?"

Joanna eyed him suspiciously, still uncertain if he was

aiming for a freebie or if he had a legitimate reason for

asking what she considered to be an unanswerable

question.

"Well, all I can tell you is that we don't ask for personal

details when we hand them out," she said as she studied

the card carefully. "Though I can tell you this much..."

Ben's eyes lit up, hoping his break was coming through.

"That card you have there only came in the Friday after I

took over."

"How can you be sure of that?" Ben asked.

"Well I had new ones printed up with a blue border, see.

They used to be black." Joanna handed him an old

redemption card. "The delivery guy only dropped them to

me on the afternoon of the seventeenth, I'd been fresh

out of cards for a week before then. Come to think of it, I

was fresh out of everything when I took over this place."

She rolled her eyes back in her head and placed her hands

on her hips.

"So you're saying that this card would only have been

given out on Friday the seven-teenth at the earliest?" he

asked her.

"You got it," she answered.

"Were you working that Friday?" he asked.

"Honey, I'm always working... I can't afford to hire anyone

else."

Ben shifted on his seat anxiously, his hopes beginning to

build a little. Pulling a photo of Tessa Hunt from his

notebook he showed it to Joanna.

"Do you recognise or recall serving this woman on that

particular Friday or Friday night?"

After perusing the picture carefully, Joanna smiled softly

and said, "Sure, she was a sweetheart... such lovely

manners and she left me a generous tip too."

"Was she with anyone? What time did she leave?" Ben

fired off another round of questions.

"What is this about, exactly?" Joanna asked, looking Ben

directly in the eye. Her nerves beginning to show.

"Unfortunately, Joanna, this woman was found murdered.

Your redemption card was found in her purse," he

informed her rather abruptly. "Right now, I'm just

following every lead available, no matter how insignificant

it may seem."

Joanna's hands flew up to her face and her eyes closed

momentarily. Ben allowed her to gather her thoughts

before he resumed his questioning.

"Is there anything you can tell me that may be relevant,

Joanna?"

"I didn't see her with anyone, she got up once or twice to

use the payphone..." Joanna reached for a fresh cup to

make herself a coffee.

"She seemed like she was waiting for whomever it was

she rang, but after half an hour or so she left... alone."

"What time was this?"

"About 7.30, I close at 8 and she was the only customer I

had left."

Ben pulled his business card out of his wallet and handed

it to Joanna, "If you remem-ber anything, no matter how

trivial you think it may be, give me a call."

"I certainly will," replied Joanna, taking his card from him.

Placing ten dollars plus a tip on the counter, Ben took a

bite of his pie before stand-ing up. "Delicious," he cooed

to Joanna as he stuffed his wallet and notebook back into

his pockets and left Shelby's.

Ben's Chevy sailed along Link Avenue and then made a

quick right into Fort Street. He circled the round a bout

before entering a parking bay directly in front of the

Wellness Clinic. He shut down the engine, got out of his

car and stood motionless in front of the building for a few

minutes. The sheer optical brilliance of it struck him first;

there were two marble columns either side of the four

extra-large, glass doors. 'Your Right To Choose Wellness

Clinic' was deeply etched into a brass plaque bolted

tightly onto the face of one of the marble columns. It

shone brazenly as his eyes fell upon it. Ben hadn't been

sure what to expect, but

somehow the grandiose nature of the building alone, was

not it.

Unable to see anyone through the glass doors, Ben

turned to his right. On the wall, he noticed a digital

intercom system, he ap-proached it confidently and

pushed a large, black button marked 'Page'.

"Hello," a voice crackled through the intercom.

"This is Detective Ben Payne, I'd like to speak to whoever

is in charge of your clinic please," he replied in the most

officially domi-nating tone he could muster.

"I'm sorry Detective, the clinic is closed for the day. Would

you like to make an ap-pointment for during the week?"

she asked, sounding very much like he was inconvenienc-

ing her in some way.

"Who am I speaking with?" grumbled Ben, more than a

little annoyed that she was fobbing him off.

"My name is Marla Andrews, I'm sorry Detective but Dr.

Sugars has finished for the day. I'd be happy to..."

Ben cut her short and spat firmly at her, "Listen, Marla, I

am investigating a very serious police matter and it is

important that I speak with this Dr. Sugars immediately. If

you wish to have Detectives parading all over your waiting

room tomorrow, scaring your patients..."

"Just one moment please, eerr, what did you say your

name was again?" she asked.

Ben was certain the woman was trying to make life difficult

for him. "Detective Ben Payne!"

The intercom fell silent, Ben waited to see what was going

to happen next.

"The Dr will see you, Detective." Her voice crackled over the

line.

"Thank you, Marla," he sighed and stepped back from the

intercom, then waited in front of the closest set of glass

doors. A few minutes later a tall, thin woman with

shoulder length, jet-black hair appeared. She thumbed

through a large set of keys and unlocked the door. With a

wave of her hand, she beckoned him to come through.

Once inside, Ben was again struck with the stature of the

building. Its marble floors, the leather lounge chairs in

the exquisitely decorated waiting room, beautifully framed

oil paintings, even the magazine table, all looked

expensive.

"This wellness thing must pay well, eh?" asked Ben.

"Must it?" replied Marla, her piercing green eyes burning

into him. Ben glanced at her briefly, wondering if his

innocent comment had somehow offended her or

whether she was simply difficult with every person she

came in contact with.

"It was meant as a compliment, nothing more," Ben made

an attempt to smooth over their rough beginning. "My

Doctor's office isn't anywhere near this impressive."

"Well," Marla started, as she looked him over, "we deal

with a slightly different clientele here."

Unsure if she was degrading him on purpose, Ben sucked

air back through his teeth and decided it was best to

ignore her remark. "Is Dr. Sugars ready for me now?" he

asked, as he tried to regain control of the situation. "I'd

like to make this as brief and painless as possible so we

can all get on with our evening."

Marla led him silently down a corridor and opened a door

at the end. She motioned to Ben to take a seat in the

extra large easy chair in front of a beautifully crafted oak

desk.

"Wait here, please. I'll let Dr. Sugars know you're ready,"

said Marla as she turned and left the room.

Ben simply couldn't under-stand her. She seemed to have

a set on him and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out

why. Maybe his frayed lack of patience had shown more

than he had realised when they spoke over the intercom.

Perhaps he had offended her and now she was returning

the favour. Whatever the case, Ben made a mental note to

find out more about the woman. There was something

about her he didn't quite feel at ease with.

He made himself comfortable in the royal blue, suede

easy chair and reached into his pocket, retrieving his

notebook and pen. Ben's eyes surveyed the room and

narrowed as he began to focus on Dr. Sugars' PHD and

numer-ous awards hanging on the pale blue walls of her

office. On her desk sat two small, silver framed photos. A

rather handsome, distinguished man smiled up from the

first frame and in the other was a teenage girl who looked

familiar to Ben. Unable to put his finger on where he had

seen the girl, he leaned closer for a better look when the

office door opened.

"Detective Payne?" an attractive middle-aged woman

who Ben presumed was Dr. Sugars, entered the room.

"In the flesh," he lightly replied.

"Rose-Marie Sugars... please call me Rose," she

introduced herself warmly. "I understand you need to

speak to me regarding a Police matter. How can I help

you, Detective?"

Impressed with her courteous manner and pleasant

disposition, Ben flashed her a comforting smile. She was

the complete opposite to her secretary and he

appreciated the respect she showed him.

"Please call me Ben," he said.

Nodding in agreement, Rose spoke again, "How is it you

believe I can be of assistance, Ben?"

He produced the small photo of Tessa Hunt, handed it to

her and said, "Do you recall this woman. Is she or was she

a client of yours?"

She studied the picture carefully before replying, "Why yes,

as a matter of fact I con-sulted with her just last month."

"Consulted with her? What exactly do you specialise in

here, Rose?"

"I can't give you the specifics of Tessa's consultation, but I

can tell you what we practice here... if you think it would be

of benefit?"

"I'd appreciate that," Ben encouraged her.

"We are a licensed termination clinic," she began. "We

discuss unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and offer

not only termination, but other alternatives to women in

such predica-ments." She stared at him. "No judgment,

Ben?" she asked awkwardly. "It's been my experience that

most people show signs of disapproval and disgust when

they first realise that my wellness clinic is not the health

resort or beauty spa they had mistaken it to be." Rose sat

back and looked at him a little longer.

"Not at all Rose, this world is full of personal choices and

termination is just that, personal choice."

"I'm relieved you are so open minded. Not many are when

it comes to my line of work." She fell silent for a moment

before continuing, "I have learned to live with the criticism,

the derogatory remarks, abusive letters and calls, though.

I understood that all came with the job when I entered

this field."

Ben's eyebrows rose, "You get much hate mail?

"Oh yes, and plenty of calls to follow it up. But tell me Ben,

why are you interested in Tessa?"

Ben stared at her for a moment before it dawned on him

that she had absolutely no idea Tessa was dead. With all

the publicity surround-ing her murder over the last couple

of weeks, he thought it a bit odd.

"So you haven't heard?" he asked.

"Heard what? Has Tessa had an accident, is that what this

is all about?" she replied, her concern beginning to

present itself.

Ben lowered his voice to a soft whisper, "I am sorry to tell

you that she was murdered sometime around the

evening of Friday the seventeenth. Your card was found in

her purse," he told her empathetically. "I'm just following

leads right now, however with what you have just told me,

there are elements of her murder that may indicate her

pregnancy could have been a factor in her death."

"Dear God, no," cried Rose. She slumped back in her chair,

rubbed her eyes and sighed deeply. Ben gave her a

minute to digest the news.

"Was she scheduled for a termination?" he pressed her

gently.

"Yes, but she phoned me the Friday, a couple of days after

her initial consultation and said that she wanted to

postpone." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue and carried

on, "She said that she wanted to reconsider her options

and come back in the following week, before she followed

through with her termination."

"Do you remember what time she called you?"

Rose checked her date book. "I remember I left late the

night of the seventeenth, I guess she called around

seven-ish." She continued brows-ing her book. "Yes, here

it is... Friday the seventeenth. I left at roughly seven thirty

that evening." She held out her book for Ben to view,

before placing it back down on her desk.

Ben nodded and jotted the entry down in his notebook.

"Her pregnancy... Did she tell you why she was

considering termination? Was it just bad timing or did

she simply not want a baby right now? What about the

Father, did she say who he was?"

Rose pulled a manila folder from the tall filing cabinet

behind her chair and perused her notes. "All she told me

was that keeping the baby would be disastrous because

the Father was a married man. There was no mention of

his name though."

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?"

He asked. "It may be impor-tant, Rose."

"Not that I can think of Detective, but I will call you if any

other information comes to light. Do you have a card?"

Ben handed her a card. He couldn't shake the feeling that

Rose was trying to end their conversation prematurely.

Ben was unsure whether she had been dodging his

bullets on purpose or if the sheer weight of their

discussion had been too much for her and she simply

needed time to absorb all that had been said. Either way,

he knew he would be revisiting Rose... and sooner rather

than later.

As he walked toward the door, he turned back to her.

"Your receptionist?"

"Marla? Yes, what about her?" she replied.

"Has she been here long?"

"She's been with me from the start," she stated flatly. "Is

there something wrong?"

"Oh no, just one of those questions I ask, more for my

own curiosity. Nothing to do with the case." He assured

her. "She does seem a little icy and tightly wound

though..."

"Yes," Rose cut him off. "Marla has had some rather

difficult news to digest of late. I'll be sure to have a word

with her about being more courteous Detective."

Ben couldn't be sure, but he felt that Rose acted quite

defensive in regards to Marla. "Thank you for your time,

Rose, I appreciate it."

"You are more than welcome, Ben. Don't hesitate to call

me again should you need to."

Smiling kindly at her, he opened the door, "I'll see myself

out."

Rose flashed him an uncomfortable smile and nodded.

Passing by Marla's desk on the way out, he shot her the

most dazzling smile he could muster and said, "Night,

Marla."

She glared at him and replied, "Good-night, Detective."

Ben crawled into his car and stared at the wellness clinic

for a while before pulling his phone out and dialling Jay.

"Jayy, it's me... we still on for 9?"

"Surely are," answered Jay. "I got lots to tell ya Ben."

Ben glanced at the clinic again and saw Marla and Rose

leaving. He followed them with his eyes. They both exited

the building and walked over to a silver volkswagon

convertible. To Ben's surprise the two of them got in and

drove off together, Rose behind the wheel.

"Strange," he said, forgetting he was on the phone to

Jay.

"What's strange?" Jay asked.

"Oh, nothing," stated Ben, suddenly aware of Jay again.

"I'll see you at Bluey's."

He disconnected the call.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jay paid the cab driver and strolled into Bluey's, he

figured a taxi would be the safest bet after the day he'd

had. He had decided early on that a few drinks would be in

order tonight. He tucked his wallet back into his pants

and walked up to the bar.

"Hey Jayy, long time no see," cried the barman and then

extended his hand across the bar.

"Glad to see someone missed me Tadpole," he replied

slapping him on the shoulder as the two shook hands.

Gary, A.K.A Tadpole, had been a firm friend of Jay's ever

since they had met seven years earlier. It was actually Jay

who christened him Tadpole on account of the fact that

Gary had six kids and his wife was pregnant again.

"Gees mate," Jay had said, "Ain't you got no T.V. in your

house?"

"Sure do, but the wife likes a little ro-mance now and

again," Gary had replied.

"Now and again... Gawd man, you's must be at it now and

again and again!"

Gary had just laughed at Jay and said "It's me genes

mate, I've just got good tadpoles."

From then on, Jay referred to him as Tadpole and the

name stuck.

Tadpole was one of the very few friends Jay had, and

much to his surprise, he actually did enjoy his company.

Most people who came into contact with Jay found his

personality a little too strong and forthright for their taste,

but not Tadpole. He seemed to accept Jay's character

flaws and propensity to be bolder than brass, that was

just who he was. Even when Jay had told him that 'He

couldn't pull a beer for shit!' He didn't get mad or

offended, he simply walked to the opposite side of the bar

and challenged Jay to do better. Jay admired the way

Tadpole handled himself in general, he never allowed

anyone to get the better of him.

Jay pulled a cigarette from his pack and began to light

up.

"Not here, Jayy," Tadpole reminded him. "You gotta go to

the smoker's deck, okay?"

As much as he despised the new laws on smoking in

bars, Jay knew he was not exempt from them. Mind you,

that never stopped him from trying to slip the odd one in

from time to time. He stuffed the cigarette back into his

pack and rolled his eyes, pouting like a two year old.

"It's bullshit, that's what it is, a man don't have a say in

nothin' anymore," Jay spat back.

"That a boy," teased Tadpole. "My lungs are thanking you

already."

"Oh just quit bein' a pussy and get me a beer," hissed

Jay, unaccustomed to not getting is way.

Tadpole pulled the lever on the keg and began to fill a

frosted glass, ensuring the white, foamy head was neither

too thick, nor too weak. Beer began to trickle down the

side of the glass and over Tadpole's fingers, with a quick

flick of the lever he shut off the flow.

"Here we are, get that into ya," cried Tadpole, smiling

broadly as he set the beer down in front of Jay.

In one foul swoop, Jay snatched up the glass, gulped

the contents down in a few hearty chugs and slammed

the empty vessel down on the bar. "That was a starter...

Now, how's about a real drink? Gimme a Jimmy, straight

up."

Tadpole stared at him for a moment and then said, "You

got it, but no trouble tonight... Okay, Jay?"

"Yo, Tadpole. Why you gotta ruffle my feathers all the

time?"

An impromptu laugh escaped Tadpole. "Ruffle? You?"

"Yeah, yeah," began Jay. "Everyone loves a wise guy." He

reached deep into his pocket and produced a twenty-

dollar bill, his eyes still firmly fixed on Tadpole. With a

thunderous slap, he smacked it down on the bar and

repeated ' "Now how's about that drink?"

Tadpole had good reason to be concerned when Jay

ordered his Jimmy's. Last time he ventured down that

road, the cops were called and two men ended up in

hospital, one with a broken nose and one with about half

a dozen teeth lodged somewhere down his throat! Even

when the men were being escorted to the ambulance, it

took a good three officers to hold Jay back from

continuing the argument his fists were having with their

faces.

As it turned out, Jay overheard the two men talking

about cops in a way that he decided was personally

degrading, and no-one gets away with calling Jay a 'low

life weenie boy'. How official assault charges were never

filed, Tadpole could never fully understand. Perhaps it had

something to do with a personal visit to the hospital and

an apology from Jay... accompanied by the promise of

'more to follow,' should the matter become official. Either

way, the incident blew over and Tadpole began rationing

the straight Jimmy's a little slower from then on.

"So what's the occasion?" asked Tadpole, his eyebrows

raised.

"Occasion?" queried Jay.

"For the Jimmy's? I haven't seen you drink these since

Fred's retirement last month," replied Tadpole as he lifted

the bill from the bar and slid the shot toward Jay.

"What do I look like, a bloody Hallmark Card?" he spat

back disgusted that someone was able to invade his

personality enough to know that he usually only drank

straights when things weren't going too sweet with a case

he was working.

"Settle down big fella," cried Tadpole. "I was just opening

the door for a friendly ear."

"Well you can keep your friendly ear and the ugly mug it's

attached to!"

For whatever reason, the comment sent Tadpole off into a

hysterical fit of laughter, so much so that tears began

streaming down his face.

"You are one strange space cadet Tad-pole, you know

that?"

Unable to answer, he just kept laughing and waved his

arm dismissively at Jay. The entire scene annoyed Jay.

He rose from his bar stool, grabbed his drink and change

then with the middle finger of his left hand, saluted

Tadpole farewell and hissed, "I'll be on the smokers deck."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

Upon reaching the deck, Jay withdrew a cigarette and lit

it, sucking the foul, grey smoke so deeply that he felt his

chest was about to explode. He savoured the nicotine

ingestion for a moment before blowing the excess

putrefied poison into the night air, creating a ghostlike

cloud against the blackness of the sky. He then raised the

Jimmy to his lips, tilted his head back slightly and

downed the shot in one swallow. "Aaargh," he choked out

as he shook his head violently from side to side.

"That good eh?" came a voice from behind him. Jay spun

around to see Ben standing next to the railing, his arms

folded and a wry smile on his face.

"Good?" replied Jay, still wincing. "Damn motor oil,

that's what it is!"

Ben walked over and slapped him on the back then sat

down at the nearest table. "So why drink it then?"

"I suppose that's a fair question coming from a man who

didn't spend the afternoon in an autopsy suite, carving up

what was left of Jane Doe!"

"What are you saying, Jayy?"

"What I am saying, Ben my man, is that we have a Tessa

Hunt The Second, lying on that slab down there, and I

ain't too damn cosy with it."

Ben sighed heavily, bit his lip and stared at a piece of

rotted wood beneath the railing. Words evading him.

"My thoughts exactly, old boy," said Jay as he continued

to draw back on his cigarette. "So how was your day, you

found us a killer yet?"

Ben raised his arm and motioned to a waitress inside the

bar. How she managed to notice him through the hordes

of drunken patrons, amazed him. He then turned his gaze

to Jay. "Tessa Hunt possibly, spent the last hours of her

life at Shelby's Coffee House. From what Joanna says..."

"Joanna, who's Joanna?" Jay interrupted.

"She's the owner."

The waitress side stepped through the crowd, around the

pool table and approached Ben, "What can I get you love?"

She asked, her tone just loud enough to be heard above

the jukebox inside.

"A lemon, lime and bitters please," said Ben. He looked

over at Jay before adding, "And another motor oil for

him thanks."

The waitress's blank expression amused the pair.

Jay flipped his shot glass into the air, caught it and

placed it squarely in the centre of her tray. "Jimmy, straight

up."

A knowing smile flashed across her pretty face. "Sure

thing." She replied and then shot a playful wink at Jay

before making her way back into the rowdy bar.

"Now Joanna says," Ben picked up where he left off, "That

Tessa used the payphone once or twice, waited for almost

an hour and then left about 7.30 pm... alone. Apart from

being a well mannered, sweetheart and a good tipper,

there was nothing more Joanna could tell me."

"So no-one turned up to meet her?" asked Jay.

"Well not that Joanna saw, that doesn't mean she didn't

meet with them after she left." His head nodding in

agreement, Jay's eyes darted wildly from side to side,

the way they always did when he set his mind to think

mode.

"What about the calls she made?"

"I already have the office rats tracking down the call history

of the payphone," said Ben. "With the reasonably certain

time frame Joanna gave me, shouldn't be difficult to pin-

point her calls."

"Here we are fella's." The waitress re-turned with their

drinks. She handed Ben his and said "Lemon, lime and

bitters for you," she then sauntered over to Jay. "And a

motor oil for you!"

Jay smiled seductively, his eyes wan-dering all over her

body before coming to rest on her ample cleavage.

Throwing his head back, he downed the Jimmy and

slammed the empty glass back on the waitress's tray.

A devious grin reached her lips and she whispered to

Jay, "I get off at twelve."

Considering this for a moment, he then leaned in towards

her and said, "I just bet you do."

The smile left her face, a scowl replacing it. "Asshole," she

cussed at him before spin-ning on her heel and stomping

off.

Jay erupted into laughter, and then produced another

cigarette from his pack.

"What was that all about?" Ben asked his eyebrows raised.

"Just a little drunken mishap we had after Fred's

retirement party last month."

"Who? You and the waitress?"

"Yeah... one thing led to another and wham, bam, thank

you ma'am, we ended up back at my place slammin' back

some shooters and rollin' in the hay!" Jay informed him.

"Let me guess? She wants another piece of you huh?"

Jay laughed heartily, "And what decent woman

wouldn't?"

"Well with the response you just gave her, I hope you

aren't looking for another drink or anything else, anytime

soon," Ben chortled.

"So what else did you find out?" Jay carried on.

"The wellness clinic is actually a termina-tion clinic and the

secretary there is odd," Ben answered.

"Odd, how?" asked Jay.

"Oh, just strange... I found her to be cold, bitter even." He

thought for a second and then added, "There's just

something not right with her, I can't explain it."

"Did you make any headway?" Jay en-quired.

"I spoke to Dr. Rose-Marie Sugars, the head honcho over

there. She knew Tessa, she said she was scheduled for a

termination but called her the Friday night asking for

more time to rethink her other options."

"So she was one of the phone calls from Shelby's," Jay

confirmed.

"It seems so, Rose said the call came in at around seven-

ish." After a quick taste of his lemon, lime and bitters, he

continued. "Apparently Tessa was pregnant to an un-

named, married man. That's pretty much all Rose had to

say."

Jay looked at Ben "So why do I get the feelin' you ain't

satisfied with your visit?"

Ben shifted in his seat and then answered, "Let's just say

that I have a gut feeling that the good Doctor and her

secretary may need further investigating.

Something is definitely weird in that clinic and I need to

work out what it is."

"To do with the Hunt case?" asked Jay.

"To tell the truth, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not," said

Ben. "I have a meeting tomor-row with the accountancy

firm from the business card in Tessa's bag. I'm not

hanging out for any case breaking news though." Ben

took another sip of his drink, his eyes squinting as the

bitters danced over his tongue. "What about you, how did

Jane Doe's autopsy come out?"

Jay rolled his cigarette between his fin-gers, lifted it to

his lips and drew back hard.

"We got one cracked unit out there Ben," he quietly said,

his expression solemn. "The vic was beat about the head

and..." he stopped and puffed on his cigarette again.

"And?" asked Ben.

"And just like the Hunt case, her breasts were removed

and so was her foetus."

"Oh God," cried Ben. "Could it be a copy-cat killer?" he

asked Jay.

"I don't see how, only the killer and a few cops know the

full details of Tessa's murder. The stolen foetus hasn't

been released to the public Ben."

Ben retreated into his own private thoughts, trying to

convince himself that the two murders are purely

coincidental and that there isn't some lunatic running

around preying on pregnant women.

Someone inside yelling, 'Eight ball, cor-ner pocket!'

penetrated the silence between them. The clacking of

billiard balls knocking against each other echoed through

the air.

Ben exhaled loudly and then asked, "So has your Jane Doe

been identified yet?"

Like shook his head. "Nah, not yet. Augie is gonna

messenger me a copy of the report when it's done

though. Maybe when she's all cleaned up we can get a

better picture of her eh?"

"Maybe," said Ben.

"Might be a good excuse to get back to the termination

clinic though, see if Jane Doe was a client too."

"That could work," Ben agreed, then added, "Hey, why

don't you take a run at them Jayy? See what you make of

the set up down there."

Jay appeared to be thinking about Ben's proposal,

"Yeah... yeah, I just might take you up on that offer Benny

boy." His eyes lit up, and smiling he added, "Besides, I

can't wait to meet this secretary. What's her name?"

"Marla," answered Ben.

"Right, Marla. I like the sound of her, she could be the

woman of my dreams!"

With a shake of his head, Ben picked up his drink and

said, "You are one sick puppy Jayy, you know that?"

Jay just smiled at Ben. "Speaking of women, how's

things with you and Anna? You two still working it out or

is the divorce a pretty sealed deal?"

Ben wriggled about in his seat, the very mention of Anna's

name having instantly made him uncomfortable. "You

expect me to talk about Anna with only a lemon, lime and

bitters on the table?" he asked Jay, attempting to deflect

his uneasiness with humour.

"You're right, how indecent of me," Jay chuckled, "I'll get

us a man's drink eh? Then we'll talk." With that Jay

strode back into the bar to order some drinks. A few

minutes later he returned with a full bottle of Jimmy and

two fresh glasses, he sat them down on the table with a

clunk and flopped into a chair opposite Ben.

"How on earth did you manage this?" asked Ben. "A full

bottle, it must have cost a fortune."

Jay grinned mischievously and said, "Not when your

best mate just happens to be the bar man!"

"Oh, so it's mates rates eh?" Ben joked.

Jay poured them each a drink and handed one to Ben.

They clicked their glasses together in a toast, and said "To

mates rates."

The two men sat and enjoyed their drinks in silence for a

short while before Jay brought Anna up once more. "So,

about you and Anna?" Jay pressed Ben.

"Me and Anna... Well there is no me and Anna," Ben

blurted out. "It is now just me and Anna is just Anna."

Jay couldn't understand why Ben was still holding a

candle for Anna; she'd done nothing but put the man

through the emotional wringer and spat him out

crumpled and deflated on the other side. It seemed to

Jay, that Ben and Anna's marriage had always been

about Anna, what she wanted and what she needed. The

damn woman demanded so much from Ben and the poor

bastard nearly turned himself inside out trying to please

her. But Ben loved her and although Jay respected very

little in regards to most other people, he did respect Ben.

"Oh hell Ben, I'm sorry mate. So she's filing for the divorce

then?"

"Sure is, she filed two months ago actu-ally," he replied.

"So what are your plans from here then?"

"Well there's nothing more I can do to make her change

her mind," Ben said as he poured them both another

drink. "Best thing I can do is hope she has a change of

heart."

"Change of heart," scoffed Jay. "That means she has to

actually have a heart to change!" He looked over at Ben

and saw his face drop. "Gees man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't

have said that. I just hate seeing you like this, it pisses

me off."

Jay found it extremely hard to keep his opinions in

check when it came to Anna. He was always more inclined

to blurt out something stupid, which only caused Ben

more grief. It often turned out that he would stop talking

just long enough to take one foot out of his mouth, only

to replace it immediately with the other one. What Jay

really wanted to tell Ben was to let Anna go. Good riddens

to bad rubbish. He was certain that Ben could do much

better, find a decent chick. One who would give as much

as she got. But as he looked at the used up man before

him, he knew that the timing wasn't right.

Ben's eyes rose to meet Jay's. "That's okay, I know what

you're getting at and deep down I know you're right."

"But?" Jay encouraged him to continue.

"Well I just feel sorry for her, y'know?"

Confused, Jay replied, "Feel sorry for Anna, why?"

"Oh, it's a long story. You don't want to hear all this stuff."

Jay looked at his watch then turned back to Ben. "It's

ten-thirty, we have a nearly full bottle to drown our

sorrows with and no-one special to hurry home to." He

skulled another shot and poured a refill. "So I say, let's get

this party started!"

Ben let out a laugh, raised his glass and said, "You really

are a glutton for punishment Jayy." He then tilted his

head back and allowed the shot to slide down his throat.

"So tell me Jayy," Ben began, "have you ever worked a

case that you get so involved in, that you couldn't back off

because even after it had been solved, you felt it was never

truly understood?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean Ben."

"You know, like when a child is murdered and you find the

twisted peanut who did it, but for years afterwards, you're

still trying to understand why they did it in the first place?"

"Hell yeah, we've all had one or two of those," Jay replied,

still not one hundred percent certain where this

conversation was going, or what it had to do with feeling

sorry for Anna.

"And in those cases, do you ever think that if you

understood the act or the mind of the killer, that you

could recognise those same traits in other people and

maybe stop them from heading down the path of

destruction?"

Jay rubbed his forehead and hunched over in his chair,

resting his elbows on his knees. "I gotta tell ya mate, I

dunno if you've had one too many snorts tonight or what,

but philosophy and intervention wasn't on my class

schedule at college. What are ya getting' at Ben?"

"Well, to me Anna is like one of those cases. You might be

able to solve her problems when they arise but you can

never understand her."

"You listen to me Ben, if you're sittin' here tryin' to tell me

that you're to blame for Anna's leavin... You can save it."

Ben stood up and walked over to the rail-ing of the deck.

"You don't understand Jayy, I failed her."

"Failed her! No, she failed you. You twisted yourself inside

out and upside down tryin' to make that woman happy.

She walked out on you Ben, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Ben then stood silent before

continuing. "Jay, did I ever tell you that Anna's mother

walked out on her when she was just four, leaving her to

be dragged up by her alcoholic father?"

"No, no you didn't. But that doesn't prove you failed her."

Ben pointed to the bottle on the table, he held his glass

out to Jay and gestured for a top up. Although he was

certain that Ben had, had his quota and against his better

judgement, Jay filled his glass to the top and joined him

by the railing.

"For years, he abused her. He used her as a punching bag,

he violated her in ways that no human has a right to..."

Ben choked back his emotion. "And then when he was

done with her, he'd pass her around to his friends and let

them use her as a play thing."

Jay sunk down against the railing, Ben's words stirring

anger and disgust in the pit of his stomach. "But she

survived Ben," was all he could say.

As soon as the words fell out of his mouth, Ben retorted.

"Did she? How much of Anna survived Jay? How much of

anyone could survive that?"

"That doesn't mean that her problems are your fault, you

aren't responsible for her life before you knew her Ben."

Reaching over, Ben reefed a cigarette from Jay's pack and

fumbled for the lighter.

"Since when do you smoke?" asked Jay.

"Since I started drinking," Ben kidded, trying to lighten the

mood somewhat.

With the first stream of smoke he drew back, Ben

coughed and spluttered, screwing his face up at the

putrid habit. He looked at the cigarette and handed it

back to Jay. "I think it's time I quit."

A jovial laugh leapt out of Jay as he ac-cepted the

smoke. "I think you're right.

"So what happened to her father?" Jay gently probed for

more details.

Ben sipped on his drink and turned back to the railing.

"Anna grew up, she wasn't so easy to hand around

anymore. She woke up one morning and her father was

gone. The bastard just left her there to fend for herself."

"How old was she?"

"Thirteen. Child services took her in when she was

admitted to hospital with internal bleeding and severe

abdominal pain." Ben turned back to Jay. "She had an

ectopic pregnancy Jay, a thirteen year old girl."

"Christ Ben, I had no idea."

Ben stared at his feet and began kicking at the railing.

"Yeah, well... In short, when I married her I knew she had

baggage, but I saw a chance to fix this girl. Make a

difference in someone's life, for the better. You know?"

"You tried your best, what more could you do?"

"I could have tried harder, I should have tried to

understand her, not just fix everything for her. I let her

down and now she's out there on her own with no-one to

fix things for her."

"But Ben, she's pulled herself together now," Jay

reminded him. "She's got her own practice, she helps

other people now. You helped her achieve that, you've

done more for her than you realise."

Ben's eye's darted over to Jay. "You really think so?"

"Hell yeah, who put her through college and attended

personal therapy with her? You did Ben, you helped her

heal herself enough to heal others." Jay stalled for a

moment. "Some times marriage just doesn't work my

friend, people blame each other and say things they don't

always mean. You've done all you can for Anna, now you've

just gotta let her go Ben, it's time to move on." He

thought for a while longer and then added. "Being

divorced doesn't always mean you can't be friends. You

two still talk right?"

Ben nodded. "Sure, all the time."

"There you go, maybe having Anna as a friend is better

than not having Anna in your life at all."

Ben held his glass to Jay and raised it in a toast. "You're

right. You aren't so tough under that iron man façade are

you?" he then let out a laugh.

It had been a very long time since Jay had seen Ben

laugh like that. He returned the toast before he leant in

toward Ben and said, "If this little chat goes beyond you

and me, my hard ass reputation is history... if that

happens, so are you!"

The men shook hands and sealed their secrets, safely

within the fold. They returned to the table and sat down,

strangely Jay felt more at ease. The brutality of their case

seemed so far away and for that very second, life was

peaceful.

Jay broke the peace first, "So where to from here? We

need to break this case and soon, Ben. This peanut is

gonna keep killing until he's caught, you know that don't

ya?"

Ben flopped back in his chair, "I know, but unless a break

comes soon, or unless he gets sloppy, we've got nothing

much to go on. Are you going to pay our wellness clinic a

visit soon?"

"First thing," said Jay.

"Well don't expect to be seeing them any-time soon, the

doctor is unavailable until Thursday next week,

apparently."

A wicked grin spread across Jay's face. "I don't make

appointments."

Ben smiled, finished his drink and stood up. "Well, I'm

heading off. I want to be on the ball for the bean counters

tomorrow. You never know, one of them may fall to his

knees and confess to the murders... case solved!"

Jay scoffed at him and sarcastically said, "Yeah, and I

might get that pissed off waitress back into my bed

tonight."

"Now that I can believe," Ben remarked as he waved and

walked out the door.

Through the bar, Jay could see the cute waitress talking

to Tadpole.

"Time to turn on the charm Jay," he said to himself. He

then stood up and began to walk inside.

CHAPTER SIX

He charged at her like a deranged mad man, saliva

forming foamy bubbles at the corner of his mouth, his

eyes wide with rage. Desperate to evade his violent

advance, her eyes darted anxiously from side to side

searching for an escape route. Her hands shook furiously

as they fumbled their way across the kitchen counter she

was pinned against. She could feel the cold, hard surface

of the marble under her sweaty palms. With an evil grin

stretched wide across his face, he lunged at her again,

mocking her, playing with her. He could see her terror,

almost feel her fear; it excited him all the more. He took

another swill from his beer can and charged at her a

second time, then stood back, grinning at her again.

Like a deer in the headlights, she was frozen to the spot.

The lead in her legs wouldn't allow her to flee; she was

barely able to breathe. Under her fingers she felt the

sharpness of a blade, it pricked her fingertips as her

hands slid over the handle. Still fixed on the man before

her, she seized the knife and thrust it out in front of her,

waving it frantically, warning him to back off. He stared at

the knife momentarily before bursting into a fit of

laughter.

"And just what do you intend to do with that?" he asked,

raising the beer to his thin, dry lips.

She tightened her grip on the knife, struggling to steady

her trembling hands.

"Feeling brave, are we?" he teased her, sarcasm dripping

from his words.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. With one

more swallow, he emptied the beer can, threw it at her

and ran in her direction, with his fists flying.

Anna awoke, her body shuddering and drenched in sweat.

She sat up and pulled her knees to her chin, the way she

always did when she had that dream. For a few minutes,

she sat there, rocking back and forth on her bed like a

frightened child. Under the covers, she could feel her toes

curling, and then uncurling, a ritual often performed when

she was anxious. Inhaling deeply, she drew back as much

air as could fill her lungs and then exhaled slowly, trying

to release the tension and anxiety that filled her. She then

stretched out her arms and legs and shook them. With a

snap of her wrist, Anna threw back her covers and

hunched over on the side of the bed, folding her arms

across her stomach.

That dream had always haunted her. Like a ghost from the

past it would rise up and cut her down just when she

thought she was safe. She had tried everything,

medication, therapy, hypnosis, and yet nothing could free

her from the demons of her past. Even when she married

Ben, a man she thought would protect her, the

nightmares continued. He too had failed her.

Ben had never understood her, he may have tried, but he

never quite figured out what made her tick. All she wanted

was a little support, someone to tell her she made a

differ-ence in the world. For a while she thought that

becoming a Mother would be the answer, but it just never

happened. Oh they had tried, yet all it seemed to do was

drive an even bigger wedge between them. No matter how

she attempted to communicate with Ben, he just seemed

closed off from her, distant. Their marriage spiraled

downward from there until there was nothing left between

them.

The only good thing that had come out of her attempts at

healing herself was her job. Anna had been so impressed

with her therapist that she chose the same path.

Although her counsel-ling hadn't been a complete

success, it hadn't exactly been a waste of time either. The

insight she had gained from simply talking to people was

amazing. She had learned to understand them, why they

acted as they did and best of all; she knew that with the

right words and proper encouragement, she could help

them alter their lives. In a life ruled by dominance, she

had learned empowerment.

Once she had started her job, it hadn't taken Anna long to

realise what had been missing in her life. Pride,

accomplishment, control. These things had all flocked to

her in her role as a counsellor, it had changed her life in

ways she had never dreamed possible. For so long she

had been forced to rely on someone else to provide for

her, take care of her, now she saw that she was capable of

doing all of that for herself. She felt like the hungry

caterpillar that buried itself deep within its cocoon and

emerged as a radiant butterfly. Sure, the study had been a

bit of a slog for her, but it had paid off in spades.

At least that was one thing Ben had shown a slight

interest in, he had given her the money to get up and

running in an office of her own. Whether it was just a last

ditch attempt he made to try and save their marriage,

Anna wasn't sure, but it certainly got her off on a good

foot professionally.

Anna rubbed her hands over her face before glancing at

her alarm clock on the bedside table. 11.25pm. She

reached down and grabbed the bottle of Evian from the

floor beside her bed and took a sip. The freshness of the

water gave rise to a calming affect and her fraying nerves

began to retreat. Just as she gathered her thoughts and

started to relax herself, the tele-phone let out a shrill wail,

frightening her yet again and sending her pulse racing off

in a wild frenzy.

"Hello."

"Anna, it's me."

"Ben, hi. It's late, is everything okay?" She asked, her

concern evident.

"Oh yeah," He paused before adding, "Sorry about the

hour. Did I wake you?"

Anna sat further back on her bed and leaned heavily

against her pillows.

"No, I was up," She answered.

"Still not sleeping?" Ben asked.

"Actually I'm sleeping just fine of late," She lied, hoping

she had sounded convincing. "I was sitting here going

over some case notes, the usual exciting stuff."

Anna knew Ben was well aware of her nocturnal habits.

There was scarcely a night went by, when they were

married, that she slept solidly without waking up in a cold

sweat or trembling to the core. Whenever he had tried to

comfort her or explore why she was so fright-ened, she

withdrew and became hostile toward him. Ben had tried

to penetrate her walls of secrecy; but he had never able to

break through. Anna made sure of that. She believed that

there were some things a husband just didn't need to

know about his wife. Her personal demons were just that,

hers, and she was going to fight them on her own.

"And how has your week been?" Ben pried, if for no other

reason than to keep her on the line.

"Well," She started, "I have one possible suicide and three

up and coming divorces, not to mention the never ending

throngs of misguided souls just searching for a direction

in life." Anna took another sip of water and then began

wrapping the tight rings of the telephone cord around her

index finger and then untangling it again.

"Sounds like a tough week?"

"I've had worse I guess. How about you Ben, how are you?"

The line fell silent for what felt like forever to Anna. "Ben...

are you still there?"

"Huh, oh yeah, I'm here," He blurted out.

Anna knew that Ben worried that if he didn't answer soon,

she would hang up. She would often hang up on him,

generally because the conversation became too awkward

or too sensitive for her. He usually wanted to discuss their

separation and the chance of a reunion, whereas all she

wanted to do was lock him and their failed marriage, as

far out of her new life as was possible. That generally

meant she felt forced to end their calls so she didn't have

to go over it again. She had moved on with her life and

had no desire to want to rehash the past. Ben, on the

other hand, wanted desperately to try again with her. Ben

had loved her for the past twenty odd years, Anna was

aware of that and she knew he found it difficult to simply

turn those feelings off.

"Listen Anna," He began, "About the divorce... "

"Ben, please... I don't want to do this again," She cut him

short.

"No, no, no. Just hear me out," He pleaded.

Anna sighed and said, "Make it quick Ben."

"I was thinking that if it's what you really want..." His voice

began to crack.

"Go on," Anna encouraged him.

"Then I will sign the papers." Ben choked back his

emotion and added, "You can pick them up from my

solicitor tomorrow afternoon."

Anna was speechless. For so long, Ben had been fighting

the divorce. She was so accustomed to his resistance that

his apparent turn around had caught her completely by

surprise. It was the last thing she had expected to hear

from him.

"You will? Thank you Ben," Was all she could manage to

say.

"I am always here for you Anna... remember that."

"Ben, I..." The line was disconnected before she could say

anymore.

She placed the receiver back onto the cradle and stared at

it for sometime before the weight of the conversation

dawned on her. It had never occurred to her that Ben

would, at any stage, stop resisting the divorce, let alone

agree to it and serve it up on a silver platter. Much to her

surprise, this new development didn't feel as enriching as

she had anticipated. Anna reached for her Evian again,

hundreds of incomprehen-sible thoughts spinning

through her mind.

A rush of anger suddenly coursed through her, how dare

he tell her that he would grant the divorce? Who did he

think he was? She would have gotten the decree anyway;

nobody could have stopped that, least of all Ben Payne!

Anna raised her water bottle above her head and threw it

across the room. It hit the wall with a loud crack, spraying

water all over the pale mauve paint and knocking a photo

of her and Ben to the floor. She flung herself face down

onto her bed and began to sob hysterically, once again;

the power had been taken away from her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The sun shone through the cracks of the blinds in Jay's

bedroom window, showering his face with broken rays of

blinding light. In a fruitless attempt to avoid the searing

glare, he pulled his pillow over his throbbing head and

rolled toward the opposite side of the bed. His body

brushed against a soft presence beside him. He opened

his eyes, trying hard to shift the cement that seemed to

be caked on his lids. Although his focus was blurred, he

could make out the figure of a woman lying there. Her

dusty blonde curls fell gently across her tanned skin, her

naked breast rising and falling in rhythm with her

breathing.

"Oh hell," He groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.

The woman rolled toward him and threw her arm across

his bare chest, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

She buried her face into his arm, nuzzling it like a kitten

nestling its mother. Jay stared down at her pretty face;

she looked so peaceful, safe in the folds of his body. He

couldn't quite recall how she had come to be in his bed,

though he was certain she was the waitress from Bluey's.

He ran his hand up her arm, taking in the softness of her

skin; the sweet smell of perfume radiated from her every

pore. His hand reached her slender arm and rested there

for a moment before he gripped her fingers and with one

rapid yank, threw her hand off his body.

"Wake up," He grunted, pushing her further away from

him.

The sudden jolt woke her with panic; her eyes flew open

and darted madly from one side of the room to the other,

searching for the source of her fright. Still breathing hard,

she glared over at Jay, a look of nonchalance on his face

as he watched her reaction with what appeared to be, a

certain aura of amusement.

"You asshole," She spat at him, grabbing for the sheet to

wrap around her naked frame. "I can't believe I was stupid

enough to come home with you again!" She sat up on the

edge of the bed then reached down and retrieved her slip

and underwear from the floor beside the bed.

"Asshole eh? That's not what you were calling me last

night!" He mocked her.

Her glare remained fixed on Jay while she pulled her

clothes on. It was clear she was inwardly chastising herself

for having been drawn into his fake charms last night.

"Go to hell," She cussed at him before grabbing her purse

from the bedside table and storming out the door.

"What... No kiss goodbye?" Jay yelled after her, laughter

in his tone. He liked her, quite a bit too. It was a rare

occurrence for him to bring the same woman home twice;

he knew he'd be seeing more of her. He heard the rattle of

the chain lock and then the cracking sound of the door

slamming shut behind her. "Have a nice day," He said,

before he stood and walked into the bathroom.

The whistle of the taps grew fainter the further Jay turned

them. Cold water gushed from the shower nozzle,

slapping him in the face and bringing his senses back to

life. The binge from the night before had left him feeling

less than prepared for the day that lay ahead. He now

wished that he hadn't had quite so many Jimmy's. Suds

lathered upon him, forming a stream of bubbles running

down his body and finally spilling onto the shower floor

before gurgling down the drain. Jay rinsed himself

thoroughly, snapped the taps off and stepped out of the

shower. He headed back to the bedroom, pulling a towel

from the railing and wrapping it around himself as he

went.

He reached into his robe and produced a fresh pair of

denim jeans and a plain cotton shirt, he threw them on

the bed and continued drying himself before dropping

the wet towel to the floor. Dressing quickly, he then ran

his fingers through his hair and left the bedroom. In the

kitchen, he brewed a large pot of coffee and downed three

unsweetened mugs. He then began flipping through his

notebook, looking to see if anything he had written

jumped out and grabbed his attention. There was nothing

at this stage that yelled to him, not that he thought it

would... after all, he'd had too much of a heavy night for

anything to call out to him today.

He still had the visit with the wellness clinic to look

forward to yet, boy that would be a hoot. From what Ben

had told him about the secretary and the Doctor there, he

was quite looking forward to zeroing in on them and

digging up their dirty little secrets. Today was probably

the best day for him to meet with them, being edgy and

short fused could be the clue to getting what he wanted

from them. One way or another, Jay was determined to

draw them out.

The chime of his wall clock echoed throughout his

apartment and indicated that it was eleven-thirty. He

glanced over at the bold, roman numerals on its face, they

reminded him just how much he despised that clock. It

had been a gift from his mother; she'd chosen it

especially for him and presented it to him when he

graduated from high school. Not that he didn't appreciate

the gesture, but to Jay his mother's taste left a lot to be

desired.

He chugged down one last mug of coffee and gathered

his notebook and case file from the kitchen bench. It was

time to make his presence known at the wellness clinic,

but first he would check in at the station and see if Jane

Doe's autopsy report had come in. Jay snatched up his

keys and made his way out the door and into the garage.

His cruiser sprang to life with the first turn of the key, it's

rumbling engine purring under Jay's control. Easing out

of the garage and down the driveway, he changed gears

and sped off in the direction of the station house.

Jay found a parking space, locked the cruiser and fell

into the regular flow of pedestri-ans streaming through

the station house doors. Once inside, he approached his

desk and the mounting stack of paperwork that had been

steadily building for the past few weeks. The paperwork

and filing of it, had never been one of his strong points,

quite often his captain would chew his ear about getting

the formalities finalised. As usual, it hadn't made a damn

bit of difference to Jay, he would get to it when he was

ready and not a minute before. 'Criminals ain't caught

sittin' behind a desk fillin' out paperwork.' He had growled

back at his boss.

There on the top of his latest unfinished pile of papers,

sat a document wallet marked, 'Detective Jay Marnotti.' He

broke the plastic seal and reefed the contents out, spilling

them onto his desktop. A hand written note was attached

to the top sheet with a paperclip, it read

Jay,

Here's Jane Doe's report, hope you find something useful

in it. Nothing terribly groundbreak-ing in my findings,

remember it is just a preliminary report to get you

started. I am still awaiting the results on trace and

toxicology. Will let you know more, as I know. Hope the

photo helps with discovering her identity.

All the best,

Dr. Leon August.

He threw the note aside and turned straight to the report,

in search of the photo. Augie had given him two

Polaroid's of Jane, one to keep for his records and one to

carry with him to show people in the hopes of someone

recog-nising her. So far nobody had a clue who she was,

something he was praying would change 102

soon. He stuffed the Polaroid into his pocket and tucked

the report under his arm; it was time to pay a visit to Dr.

Sugars.

Back in his cruiser, Jay placed the autopsy report in his

locker compartment under the front, passenger seat

before starting the engine and speeding away. Thoughts

ran through his mind, about Tessa, Jane Doe and Ben's

portrayal of the wellness clinic. Could they be hiding

something? Was Tessa more to them than just a client?

Jay thought it odd that Dr. Sugars was reluctant to talk

with Ben about Tessa. Not too often did Ben feel that

someone was hiding something, so when he did feel that

way, Jay stood up and took notice. He may have been

right, Dr. Sugars could have simply been shocked by the

murder and needed time to digest the news, who knows?

Either way, Jay wasn't going to go as easy on her as Ben

had, he was going to be like a pit bull with a new chew

toy. He wanted answers, he needed them... and now!

From where he was parked, Jay was surprised at the

presentation of the wellness clinic; it was not at all what

he had expected. Not that he knew what a termination

clinic looked like or was supposed to look like. Somehow,

what he saw was not what he had imagined. He took a few

moments to study Jane Doe's photo again, her auburn

hair was shoulder length, thick and slightly wispy at the

ends. Her delicate features told Jay that she had most

likely been an attractive woman in life, however under the

current circumstances it was difficult to tell. She had

numerous holes in her ears, indicating multiple earrings

were usually worn and her teeth were white and straight.

Someone, some-where, knows this girl. All the signs

pointed to a woman who had looked after herself at some

stage, so she didn't strike Jay as a long time, homeless

girl.

He slipped the picture back into his pocket and slid out

from behind the wheel of his car, slamming the door

closed behind him. His eyes lingered on the large brass

plaque, bolted to the marble column in front of the

building, 'Your Right Choose Wellness Clinic.' The glass

doors in front of him slid open as he walked up to them,

the pressure of their departure created a cool breeze

around his legs. Jay stepped inside and marched

straight up to the reception desk, armed with his police

I.D and a head full of questions.

"Can I help you Sir?" the woman behind the desk asked.

"More than you'll ever know, my dear," Jay replied, just

dying for her to give him a reason to let loose.

The woman just looked at him vaguely for a second and

then said, "What in particular can I help you with?"

"Detective Marnotti."

"Excuse me?" the woman stared at him.

"What in particular can I help you with, Detective Marnotti?"

he answered, now more condescending than before.

The receptionist shot him a glare, letting him know in no

uncertain terms that he was getting on her last nerve. She

sucked in a deep breath, as if trying to remain calm and

then spoke once more. "Detective Marnotti you say?"

Jay nodded his head in agreement, the amusement

welling inside him.

"Then, how may I help you Detective Marnotti?" she drawled,

her patience now wearing very thin.

"Oh I was just in the neighbourhood, saw your light on..."

he joked.

"Look, if you have something important to say?" her eyes

bored into him with such intensity that he could almost

feel a hole burning through him.

"Otherwise, some of us have important work to do."

"Like killing babies?" the venom spewed from Jay.

"What a horrid thing to say Detective, you don't know the

first thing about our clinic."

"You're absolutely right... what did you say your name

was?"

"I didn't."

"Then illuminate me would ya?" Jay drawled as

sarcastically as he could.

"Marla Andrews. Happy now?" she replied, her words

sharp.

"Now isn't this pleasant, er... Marla?" he baited her some

more. "I always endeavour to be just that little bit more

personal with my interviewee's."

"That's the last thing I want to be with you, Detective!"

Jay could see that Marla was becoming annoyed, he

hoped that if he continued to harass her long enough,

that she would let him in to see Dr. Sugars more readily, if

for no other reason than to get rid of him. Apart from

enjoying being tactless on a daily basis, Jay knew it was

usually the best way to extract maximum information in

the shortest possible time. The best part was, he actually

got paid to behave that way!

Marla stood up and leaned in close to Jay, her striking

eyes glued intently on his. "Why don't you stop beating

around the bush Detective? If there's something you want,

spit it out" The ice of her words sent their conversation

into an entirely different direction.

"Actually Marla..." Jay began. "I wanna know why one of

your clients was murdered and why you and your boss

lady aren't bein' straight with me and my buddy?" he

returned her coolness, studying her reaction with great

interest.

She leaned in closer to him, glanced briefly over his

shoulder and into the waiting room, then said, "I thought

you, of all people, would know how dangerous it is to run

around accusing people of something before you have

evidence to back it up."

"Accusing?" Jay held her stare. "I ain't accusing you of

anything, but since you brought the subject up... do you

know anything about Tessa Hunt's murder?"

She made no effort to reply; her fixed glare told him that

she had no intention of replying either.

Jay pulled out his notebook; he thumbed through the

pages casually, shifting his eyes back to Marla every so

often. "Tessa's murder, there's things about it... terrible

things."

She retreated back somewhat but still said nothing.

Jay continued, "The brutality, the slicin' and dicin' that

was done to her, not a pretty sight. The mutilation,

Marla... oh, just awful. Here," Jay gestured to his

notebook. "You wanna see for yourself?"

Marla fell backward into her chair. "Detective please, get

that away from me."

At last he had managed to make her crumble, now he

might get some answers from her.

"Listen Marla, just tell me what you know and get the big

boss lady to talk to me, then I'll leave ya alone." He

softened his tone but remained firm.

"Honestly Detective... I don't know anything." She hung

her head and rested it in her hands. "Tessa was just a

client, like any other client. She came in, went through the

process and left. That's all I know."

"The process, what's that mean?" he pried her some more.

"They come in, meet with Dr. Sugars, she explains the

procedure..."

"The baby killin'?" Jay interrupted.

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes, his terminology

less than desirable to her. "The termination procedure,

yes."

"Then what?"

"Then I accompany them to a small office behind me," she

pointed to a door just behind her, "Then I speak to them

about alternative choices, give them some handout's and

explain to them that we have a mandatory two week

waiting period in which time they must speak to our

affiliated counsellor."

"And who is that? Your affiliated counsellor."

Marla searched through her desk and produced a glossy

business card with bold, italic printing on the front. She

handed it to him.

Anna Jameson- Counsellor.

Jay simply stared at it, his eyes wide in surprise. "This is

your regular counsellor?" He asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"How long has she been working with ya's?"

"For nearly twelve months now, I guess," Marla replied.

He tucked the business card into his notebook and

continued questioning Marla about Tessa Hunt. "And

what decision did she make?"

"Detective, you know that's all confidential," she sighed,

knowing full well he was going to keep pushing her

anyhow.

"Well how much confidence has she got now Marla? She's

dead!"

"Look, all I can tell you is that she asked for more time to

make her decision and work through her other options."

"And what options are they?"

"Adoption, motherhood..."

"So she hadn't made a firm choice to kill her baby yet?"

"Would you stop saying it like that? These women come

here looking for help when they are in a particularly

vulnerable state and the last thing they need is

judgement Detective." Marla's tone became icy again.

"Unless you are ever in their position, you have no idea

what they are going through, so just back off!"

"Why Marla, is that compassion I hear in your words?" he

taunted her.

"You, like so many people, will never understand how

terrifying it can be to be pregnant and know that you will

be emotionally or financially unable to raise the child

successfully. Sometimes the alternative to raising a child

in this world is kinder."

Her words ran through Jay's head. He couldn't help but

disagree with the whole abortion issue on a personal

level. He could never entertain the idea of killing his own

child, he simply wouldn't allow it. Children are a gift and

should be treated as such.

"So what did she decide Marla?"

"All I know is, she scheduled a termina-tion and then

phoned to ask for more time to consider it."

"So you think she was gonna have the kid"

"That was my impression, and as I say, my impression. I

never knew for sure and I guess now we never will."

"The father?" Jay pried on.

"Now that, I definitely can't help you with Detective. I have

absolutely no idea. She never discussed him with me.

Perhaps the counsellor can give you the insight you

need."

"Perhaps you're right Marla."

She looked at him, a snakey smile forming at the corners

of her mouth, "I'm sure she'd be simply delighted to meet

you."

Jay chortled at her attempted humour, he did actually

find it amusing.

"One final question for you before I see the boss lady..."

"Oh you can't see Dr. Sugars," she cut him off. "She's not

to be disturbed today, paperwork overload, you know how

it is."

"Now Marla, I know you wouldn't like me to hang around

your desk all day, scaring your customers off. How would

it be for busi-ness if a cop was hangin' around shouting

about how you're violating the commandment Though

Shalt Not Kill?"

"Okay, okay... what's your final question? Then I will ask if

Dr. Sugars can spare you a few minutes.'"

"I just knew you'd come around." He produced the picture

of Jane Doe and placed it face up on the counter in front of
her. "Do you know this woman?"

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ben stepped into the elevator and hit number three on

the keypad, the doors rolled shut and the drone of the

elevator's engine sounded flatly throughout the shaft. He

pulled a clear plastic bag from his pocket containing the

business card for Lowman and Beaumont Accountants.

Although he had studied the card numerous times

already, he looked it over once more, turning it over and

upside down in the hopes that he might spot something

that he had missed previously. Nothing was making

sense to him, the entire Tessa Hunt murder baffled him,

and what would an accountancy firm have to do with

anything anyway? He felt as though he was just wasting

his time on fruitless leads while a madman with a

perverted fetish for pregnant women is still on the loose.

The droning stopped and the large steel doors rolled

open before him, he walked from the elevator and stood

in the corridor, looking left and right for Suite 5C. He

spied an informa-tion board on the wall immediately to

the left of the elevator doors, positioning himself in front

of it; he scanned the business names for Lowman and

Beaumont. Ben took in the instructions to find the

accountants and turned away from the board. He headed

right, then right again and finally, at the end of the

corridor he turned left where he found himself standing

before a plain timber door adorned with a silver plaque,

Lowman and Beaumont Accountants.

Running his fingers briskly through his hair, Ben then

tucked the business card back into his pocket and let

himself in through the door. Cream walls and beige

carpet greeted him when he stepped into the waiting

room; the reception-ist looked up at him from behind her

computer and smiled, acknowledging his presence.

Although he couldn't hear what she was saying, he could

see that she was on a call. He picked up a magazine from

the glass top coffee table and made himself comfortable

on the imitation leather lounge chair of the waiting room.

He thumbed through his magazine, completely

uninterested in it's contents, in an effort to look occupied.

The last thing he wanted was to go storming in causing a

ruckus and demanding to see the accountants

immediately and without an appointment. He was

prepared to be patient and didn't mind a little free time to

study his sur-roundings.

"Is there something I can help you with, Sir?" the secretary

spoke to him from her desk.

"I'm Detective Ben Payne," Ben sprung from his chair and

walked over to her. "I was wonder-ing if it's possible to

speak with Mr. Lowman and Mr. Beaumont at all?"

"May I ask what this is about Detective?" She asked,

scanning his badge.

Ben looked at the secretary and asked, "May I have your

name?"

The receptionist blushed and replied, "Of course, I'm

sorry. It's Cindy."

"It's to do with official police business, Cindy.

Unfortunately I can't give you too many details I'm afraid."

Cindy scurried out from behind her station, "Follow me

Detective."

She led him into a small conference room with a large

cedar table and eight chairs in the centre of the room. A

laptop computer sat at one end of the table, accompanied

by a biro and a large note pad. To one side of the room, a

small bureau stood against the wall. A crystal water

decanter and eight glasses sat on a tray on top of it. Cindy

guided him to the nearest chair and pulled it back from

the table, motioning for him to take a seat.

"Please make yourself comfortable here, I'll see if they can

see you Detective." Cindy paused for a moment and then

added, "Is there something I can get for you while you're

waiting?"

"No, I'm just fine thanks Cindy," he answered.

A broad smile spread across her pretty face, "Okay then.

I'll try to be as quick as I can."

Ben returned her smile and said, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

On the wall in front of him, Ben noticed a framed print of a

horse and carriage. It brought back memories of when he

and Anna were married many years ago. She had

desperately wanted the big wedding with all the

trimmings, and for her, that included the large guest list,

the most beautiful garden in Showsdale and of course a

horse and carriage to deliver her to and from the service. A

smile began to form, tugging lightly at the corners of his

mouth as he recalled how beautiful she looked in her

brilliant, white wedding gown. Her bronze hair was pulled

back loosely with two delicate combs, giving the illusion

of subdued flames flowing down to her bare shoulders.

He couldn't think of a time when he remembered seeing

her so contented.

"Detective Payne." A man's voice interrupted his

thoughts.

The sheer fright of being jolted back to the present caused

Ben to jump up from his chair. He spun on his heel and

faced the tall man standing to his left.

"Yes, that's right," he managed to blurt out.

"I'm David Lowman, Laura will be along directly." He

extended his hand to Ben and shook it before walking

behind him and stand-ing in front of the laptop. He

placed his hands on the back of the chair and rested them

upon it.

"Laura?" Ben enquired.

"Yes, Laura Beaumont... you did wish to see both of us

didn't you?"

"Definitely, yes."

David grinned at him, "You weren't expecting a woman?"

Ben shook his head, the expression on his face

apologetic. "You got me, it never occurred to me that

Lowman and Beaumont may include a woman. I..."

"Well it's a good thing I have thick skin then, isn't it

Detective?" A female's voice cut him short.

He approached Laura, holding out his hand. "Please

forgive me, I certainly didn't mean to be offensive."

She accepted his hand and his apology with a smile.

"That's quite okay, I'm used to being mistaken for a man."

She placed her finger below her chin and rolled her eyes

towards the ceiling in jest and then added, "I'd like to

think that I look better in stiletto's though!"

The room erupted into laughter; the tension of his

mistake had been broken.

"Please Detective, sit down," she said before pulling out a

chair beside David and settling into it.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Now, Detective, how can we be of assistance to you?"

David kicked off the conversation.

"First thing's first, please call me Ben."

The pair nodded in agreement.

"Cindy said it was something to do with a police matter?"

Laura queried, keeping the conversation alive.

"Yes," Ben pulled his notebook from his coat. "This won't

take a minute, you may not even be of help to me."

"We'll do what we can," David interjected.

"Do either of you have a client by the name of Tessa

Hunt?"

"The name doesn't ring any bells for me, how bout you

Laura?"

The blood appeared to be draining from Laura's face and

she began to fidget nervously. She attempted to keep

herself together, although it was evident that she had

indeed heard of Tessa.

David turned to her. "Laura?"

"Yes, I believe that she phoned me a couple of weeks ago,

possibly longer. A prospective client."

Ben studied her body language more carefully, she was

certainly uneasy about the topic of Tessa and he was

determined to find out why.

Laura bounced out of her chair, "I've got her file in my

office, Detective, perhaps we can go over it in there?"

Ben could see that whatever her problem was, she didn't

want to discuss it in front of her partner. Obviously this

was personal. Following her lead, Ben agreed without a

fuss.

"Well, it appears all is in order here," David said, shaking

Ben's hand on his way to the door. "So if you'll excuse me,

I have work to do. I'll leave you in Laura's capable hands.

Nice meeting you Ben."

"Thank you for your time David."

David waved his hand in the air before he vanished

around the corner. Ben returned his attentions to Laura,

the possibility of a breakthrough now very real. He

watched intently as she intertwined her fingers and then

untangled them, she bit down on her bottom lip and

released it again, all the while her eyes avoiding direct

contact with him.

"So Laura," Ben broke the ice, "Shall we go to your office or

would you prefer to stay here?"

"My office, I think... if that's okay with you?"

"Sure, wherever you feel the most comfortable is just fine

with me."

He gestured with his arm for her to lead the way, a smile

remained on his lips, hoping she would stay calm and

not feel intimidated. The last thing he needed now was for

her to clam up on him. Laura held her breath for a few

seconds before setting out for her office, Ben trailing

behind her. She led him across the walkway and through

an open door a few feet down the hall.

"Come in, make yourself comfortable," she instructed him

and then closed the door behind them.

Ben took in the details of the room; only the scattering of

a few carefully placed d'Arcy Doyle prints and Laura's CPA

degree and registration broke the blandness of the pale

cream walls. Her desk was rather mundane, made of

melamine, it appeared quite tacky compared to the

stature of the conference room. A large bookcase

spanning from floor to ceiling stood gallantly behind her

leather chair. For the size of it, there didn't seem to be too

many books inside. Maybe she was still stocking it, there

were a few boxes sitting on the floor in the corner of the

room, Ben could see at least one book spine through the

crack in the cardboard flaps.

"Please excuse the mess," Laura said, taking a seat

behind her desk. "I've recently moved office and I'm still

working on the homey touches."

"It looks just fine to me," Ben lied, pulling out a chair. He

eased himself into the stiff, thinly cushioned seat and

pulled his notebook out. "So tell me about Tessa, I can't

help but feel that there is more to your acquaintance with

her than just business." Ben studied her face intently.

She hung her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I wasn't her

accountant... I lied about her being a prospective client."

She reached for a tissue and held it scrunched up in her

hand, she then dabbed her eyes lightly.

"Go on."

"You'll have to forgive me Detective, this is rather personal

and I am ashamed of even having to speak of it," her eyes

glanced up at him before falling back to the floor. "Tessa

was a... friend, of my husband's."

"Can you define friend, for me Laura?" Ben gently pushed

her; he needed to be certain that he actually understood

what she was saying. He wanted clarity; one incorrect

assumption could be disastrous to the case.

"Must I spell it out for you? This is awkward enough as it

is." Her discomfort was obvious.

"I'm sorry, but it's important that I have all the facts. I

really don't mean to put you through this, but it's

essential that every detail is crystal clear."

Laura lost control of her emotions; tears fell from her eyes

and rolled down her cheeks leaving a damp trail in her

make-up. Ben couldn't help but feel her anguish; he

leaned over, grabbed a fresh tissue from the box and

handed it to her. She accepted it, gratitude evident on her

face. A sigh escaped her and she sat upright in her chair,

pulling herself together.

"I've know about her for a while now..."

"Tessa?"

"Yes."

"Go on," Ben pushed.

"She phoned me one Friday evening last month, at about

seven, maybe a tad later. She wanted me to meet her at

some coffee shop."

Ben stared at her, beckoning her to continue. She wiped

her eyes, her composure now a little more stable.

"I told her that I knew who she was and that I had no

intention of meeting with her. She kept going on and on

about how she needed to tell me something important

and that I should meet with her."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that I have no desire to speak with my

husband's little tart." As soon as the words left her

mouth, she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ben felt terrible for her; he could almost feel her pain. His

hand stretched across the desk and held hers, he didn't

even realise he had done so until she squeezed it in

response. Many times Ben had felt deeply for the pain and

suffering of others, he had never physically acted upon it

as he was now doing, and he was surprised with his

action. Concern for his professionalism soon crept in and

his hand gradually recoiled, leaving Laura to comfort

herself.

"How long had you known about the affair?" Ben asked,

attempting to remain compassionate.

Another tear escaped her eye and she spoke again. "To

the best of my knowledge, Donald had been seeing her

for about six months."

"Donald is your husband?"

"Yes, we've been married for ten years," her gaze fell to the

floor again and she whis-pered, "We were childhood

sweethearts."

"I am so sorry Laura," Ben soothed.

She nodded in acknowledgement and reached for another

tissue. "I'd been working late a lot, trying to get my client

base up and well I guess Don was alone a lot..." she

paused and looked at Ben, searching for understanding.

"It's okay... you don't have to justify anything to me," he

replied.

"I got home early one evening, Don wasn't there. I just

figured that he was out playing racquetball with a work

associate, so I ran a bath and pampered myself. When I

had finished I rummaged through our robe, search-ing

for the negligee Don had given me for our anniversary. In

the back on the shelf I found a white box with a ribbon

around it, there was a card attached to it."

Ben slunk back into his chair and sighed, "Please go on

Laura."

"Naturally I thought it was a gift Don had bought for me

so I opened the box and found a black, lace bra and panty

set. It wasn't my size. I read the card... and well, that's

when I found out about Tessa."

"Did you confront her or your husband?"

"Not at first. I began following Don and checking his calls,

I found out what she looked like, where she lived, and

where she worked. She was his personal assistant of all

things, can you believe it? It made me sick to the stomach

thinking of the two of them together, so I cornered Don

and told him that I knew of his affair."

"When was this?"

"About three or four weeks ago I suppose, I'm not

completely sure of the date."

"How did he react?"

"He begged me not to leave him and promised he would

break it off. We've been attending marriage counselling

ever since."

"Did he say how Tessa reacted to the break up?"

"All he said was that it didn't go well, she said that there

was something he needed to know. He told her he didn't

want to hear it and that it was over. I thought that would

be the end of it, but..."

"But she phoned you?"

"Yes."

"And you have no idea what the important thing she

needed to tell you was?"

"No."

"You definitely didn't meet with her that night?"

"No, Detective. I already told you that. I have no desire to

be anywhere near that woman, she ruined my marriage.

She can rot in Hell for all I care!" Laura's words were

searing, her eyes full of anger.

"Where were you the night Tessa phoned you Laura?"

"Why? What has that got to do with anything?"

"Please, just tell me."

"If it's that important..."

"It is," Ben quickly shot back at her.

She glared at him, his sudden change in tone not to her

liking. "I was at a conference in Bayside. I attend them

maybe once every twelve months or so, along with a

hundred and seventy other accountants from across the

state." She sat forward in her chair her hands scrunching

the tissue. "What's going on here Detective?"

"Tessa Hunt was murdered sometime on Friday the

seventeenth, we found your business card in her purse."

He cleared his throat and then asked, "Where was your

husband that night Laura?"

Shock crossed her face, it was apparent to Ben that she

truly had no idea of Tessa's fate. He still had to rule her

out as a suspect, her husband too. He pressed her again,

"Laura... your husband, where was he?"

"You can't seriously be thinking Don had anything to do

with this? He wouldn't... he couldn't."

Ben held her gaze and remained silent.

"Don was with me, we traveled to Bayside together. We

thought we'd try and make a weekend of it, spend some

quality time together. With us trying to work things out

and all, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity."

Ben pushed his chair back and stood up, he pulled a card

from his notebook and gave it to her. "I'll need you to give

me the details of where you stayed at Bayside, when you

got there and when you left. I'll also need your husband to

contact me as soon as possible, my number is on the

card." He walked towards the door and then turned and

looked back at her, her expression still dazed.

"She was pregnant."

"Oh God," Laura cried, her voice low.

"I am sorry Laura," he whispered.

"Please Ben, just go," she cried, "I need to be alone."

Ben opened the door and left her office, he could hear her

sobs even at the end of the walkway. It twisted him up

thinking of how much suffering one act of infidelity by her

husband, had caused her. He felt strongly, that Laura was

just another piece in the puzzle, but was by no means the

murderer. Don on the other hand, was of interest to him,

and he was determined to chase him up. He reached the

reception area and directed himself to the desk.

"Hi Cindy." He shot her a beaming smile.

"Hi." She returned the Gesture.

"Is it possible for you to give me a print out of all the

attendees of the Bayside conference from last Month?"

"It certainly is, just a moment." Cindy swung around in her

chair and reached into a filing cabinet, she pulled out two

sheets of paper and walked over to the copier. She ran off

two copies and handed them over to Ben. "There you are

Detective, anything else I can do for you?"

"You're a gem Cindy, thanks, that's all I need for now."

With that he smiled his good byes and made his way to

the door. Looking at his watch, he decided he had enough

time to make his solicitors before heading back to the

station house. He told Anna that'd he sign the divorce

papers today, and like it or not... he was going to do it.

Out in the hallway he took out his phone and made the

call.

CHAPTER NINE

Marla scanned the photo slowly, taking in every detail of

the young girl. She closed her eyes and her hand flew up

to cover her mouth.

"Yes, God yes."

"Who is she, Marla?" Jay pushed her, his excitement

building.

"Kylie.."

"Who, who is she?" he interjected.

She gathered herself together and choked out her name,

"It's Kylie-Anne Saunders."

"Good job, now what do you know about her?'"

She could do nothing more than stare at him, her hands

trembling, tears welling in her eyes. Her mouth opened

but nothing came out.

"What?" he prompted her.

She began rambling incoherently, her thoughts cluttered.

Jay walked around the counter and stood beside her, he

put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"C'mon Marla think, this is important."

She reached for a tissue and dabbed at her eyes, she took

a few deep breaths and

relaxed back into her chair. Her eyes shot up to his, "I

think we should go see Dr. Sugars."

"Brilliant idea!" he remarked.

Marla picked up the phone and pressed a button, "Dr.

Sugars, there is a Detective here and I think you should

speak with him right away. Ahuh... yes... sure." She

disconnected the call. After placing the phone back on the

cradle she turned to Jay and said, "Follow me."

Marla led Jay out from behind the counter and down a

corridor to a door where she knocked lightly and then

entered, motioning him to come through. The pale blue

walls immediately struck Jay as cool and calming, the

large royal blue easy chair looked inviting and the massive

oak desk was truly a work of art. All in all, Jay was

impressed. A middle-aged woman entered the room

through a door at the back of the office and walked

towards him, her hand gracefully extended to him.

"Good morning Detective, I am Rose-Marie Sugars. Marla

tells me that I should speak with you right away, how can I

help you?" her face was serious but had an aura of

kindness about it.

He accepted her hand and shook it politely, "Jay Marnotti,

nice of ya to see me on such short notice."

Dr. Sugars pointed to the easy chair and motioned for

him to sit down. "Please, make yourself comfortable.

Would you like a coffee or tea?" She turned her attention

to Marla. "Marla, I'd like a tea with some lemon please and

the Detective here..."

" I'm okay thanks," Jay informed her, lowering himself

into the comfort of the easy chair.

Marla nodded and left the room using the back door that

the doctor had used just a few moments earlier. When the

door clicked shut, Dr. Sugars sat behind her oak desk and

leaned her elbows on top, holding her glasses in her

hands. She toyed with them silently for a second before

slipping them on and directing her gaze at him.

"Tell me Detective, what is so important that you have my

secretary insisting that I speak to you right away?"

"You see Doc," he took the photo from his pocket and laid

it on the desk in front of her. "It looks like your clinic may

be a link to another murder."

"Another murder?" she grabbed the photo from the desk

and studied it carefully. Jay watched as she surveyed the

picture of the murdered girl, waiting to see the response

in her eyes. It didn't take long for the recognition to turn

to disbelief and then finally to horror.

"Good grief," was all she could manage. "What is going on

here Detective?"

"That's what I was hoping you could tell me, we have two

dead girls, both were clients here and no-one seems to

be able to, or want to, tell us anything."

She shot him a look of anger. "How dare you imply that

we are some how responsible for these atrocities?"

"If the shoe fits..."

"Just what is that supposed to mean? I have helped as

best I can by answering that other Detectives questions

and by seeing you without prior arrangement." She placed

the photo back on top of the desk; face down.

"Have you really? Then why is it you ushered my buddy out

the door so fast last night, that he didn't finish his

interview to his satisfaction?"

"Maybe I was just shocked Detective, did that ever occur to

you? It's not everyday that you are told that a patient has

died in such brutal circumstances." The room fell silent

and remained so for several minutes, until Marla returned

with the tea. She placed the tray on the desk and pushed

it towards Dr. Sugars.

"Thank you Marla, that will be all for now."

Marla lowered her head and retreated back out the door,

her eyes diverted to Jay briefly, before she left.

"So what can you tell me about this girl? And try to

remember all the details." Jay spat at her.

Her glare cut through him, the tension between them was

thickening by the minute. She rose from her chair and

turned to the filing cabinet behind her, reaching in she

riffled around before retrieving a plain manila folder. She

sat back at her desk and opened the file, pausing for a

moment to glare up at Jay again. Her hands sifted

through the few sheets of paper and finally came to rest

on a single sheet; she pulled it free from the rest and

perused it for sometime before finally handing it over to

Jay.

"Her name was Kylie-Anne Saunders, twenty one years old,

no next of kin given. She was roughly fifteen weeks

pregnant at the time of her consultation."

"When was that?" Jay asked, taking the piece of paper

from her.

"Thursday, last week."

"Had she confirmed her abortion, or was she just

enquiring about it?"

"She was confirming her procedure, she had seen me

about three and a half weeks ago initially. I met with her,

explained the procedure and handed her over to Marla to

run through the process."

"The process?"

"We ensure that all the women who come here are well

informed of their alternate choices and we set a

mandatory two week period of consideration before they

are scheduled in for the termination."

"'And this counsellor they are referred to?"

"Yes, Anna Jameson. We insist that at least one session

with her be completed before returning with their decision

of whether or not to terminate. You see Detective, we are

dealing with human life here, we do not just let women

walk through our doors and jump straight onto the

operating table." She looked directly into his eyes and

continued, "Termination is irreversible, and once it is done

it's done. That's why it is so very important for these

women to recognise that and have every opportunity to

explore other avenues."

"But I thought..."

"What?" she cut him off cold. "That I like terminating

human life? That I don't give a second thought to what it

is I am really doing? Grow up Detective, this is a serious

decision with serious implications, none of which I take

lightly."

Jay was beginning to see how this woman easily led

Ben; she was powerful with her words and the manner in

which she delivered them. It would have been quite easy

to spend an hour with her and still walk out with

unanswered questions. He believed that she would have

made a great politician.

"Look, we're getting off track here Doc, what else can ya tell

me about Kylie-Anne?"

"Please call me Rose Detective," she replied.

"Fine, what else can ya tell me, Rose?"

She hit a button on the intercom on her desk, a loud

drone echoed out and then Marla's voice sounded over

the speaker.

"Yes Dr. Sugars?"

"Marla, could you come in here please?"

"Sure thing."

The intercom went quiet. Rose turned to Jay and said,

"Look, I honestly don't know a great deal about these

girls, they come to me, I explain things and then I hand

them over to Marla. If anyone knows more about them, it

will be her."

When Marla appeared in the doorway, Rose stood and

walked over to the back exit. "Marla, please tell the

Detective of anything you may know regarding these girls,

if there's anything you even suspect about them..." Her

words trailed off and she fixed her eyes on Jay. "For

Heaven's sake tell him before we are charged with

murder!" With that, she opened the door and left the

room, leaving Marla standing alone her eyes wide and her

jaw almost on the ground.

"Thanks for your co-operation, nice meetin' ya," Jay yelled

out after her. His head turned back in Marla's direction. A

broad smile spread across his face. "Now Marla, where

were we?"

CHAPTER TEN

His blue Chevy rolled into the station house parking lot

and eased gently to a stop. Ben cut the engine. He sat for

a moment with his thoughts still lingering on Laura

Beaumont and her philandering husband. He was unable

to shake the meeting he'd had with her, from his mind.

He knew how she felt. On some level he had connected

with her feelings and emotions, he knew of her suffering

and he sympathised with her pain. Laura had been so

shattered by what Donald had done that her entire being

was crushed. Ben too, knew this feeling. Another gift from

Anna.

It appeared that Donald Beaumont had begun an affair

with Tessa Hunt purely out of loneliness, or so Laura

thought. Who knows? Maybe he was lonely, maybe he

wasn't. Maybe he was just a man with needs that he

wanted satisfied by someone other than his own wife.

Perhaps that's how it was for Anna too. She had needs

that he was unable to fulfill and so she just up and found

herself a new life, one he was no longer a part of.

Ever since he had phoned Anna last night and told her he

would sign the divorce papers, Ben had been on a roller

coaster of memories and thoughts. Everywhere he turned,

he saw things that reminded him of her and their time

together. His decision to grant her a divorce cut him

deeply. It was the single most difficult choice he had ever

had to make and it didn't come easily. As Jay had told

him, Anna had moved on and made a new life for herself.

Now it was time for him to do the same. He had to admit

that apart from the pain of letting go, he did feel different.

Something had shifted within him and oddly enough, it

didn't feel that bad.

Perhaps the old story of loving something enough to set

them free, wasn't too far off the mark after all. He knew

now that he had lost Anna for good, although the truth of

it was that she was lost to him long before she had left

him. Their marriage had been far from perfect. Right from

the very beginning he was aware of that, but his pride

wouldn't let him walk away. Instead he took the coward's

way out and left it up to Anna to make the first move to

end their long suffering relationship. He did love her, of

that there was no doubt. He simply couldn't try any harder

and in essence, he gave up. It suddenly occurred to Ben

that, that was possibly the very reason he had tried so

hard to resist thendivorce his guilt. A better man would

have swallowed his pride years ago and admitted that the

marriage was over, instead of making Anna suffer until

she could suffer no more.

For a long time he had thought that having a baby might

have saved them, but that too wasn't on the cards. Due to

an ectopic pregnancy in her teens, Anna was unable to

have children. Another thing, which stacked the odds

against them. The disappointment in her eyes when she

was told was devastating, and instead of comforting his

wife as best he could, he pulled away, distancing himself

from Anna and the problem. It was no wonder everything

went to hell in a hand basket after that. The more he

scrutinized his marriage, the less he could rationalise his

part in its failure.

Ben rubbed his hands over his face and let out a

deliberate sigh. The air rushing out of his lungs felt like a

huge weight being lifted from him; out with the bad air

and in with the good. His realisations were so profound

that they seemed life altering. He had faced his failures,

admitted to them and now he could move ahead. He had

finally checked his baggage at the door. 'Onwards and

upwards,' Ben cheered to himself quietly, then pulled on

the door handle, slipped out from behind the wheel of his

car and made his way inside.

It had been a few days since he had checked in at the

station house and he was pretty sure that the boss was

going to have a few words to say about it too. He found

his desk exactly the way he had left it and exactly the way

he liked it. Neat, organised and uncluttered. His ability to

work and fill out papers was hindered if his desk space

was invaded or overcrowded; it amazed him how Jay

managed to get anything done with the state his desk

was in! Ben pulled his chair back and was about to sit

down when he heard an ungodly racket coming from

down the hallway, it sounded like a man yelling. He

walked over to investigate when a tall man with broad

shoulders and an axe to grind, came bowling down the

hall at full speed, a young police constable right behind

him. Three other Detectives in the room all turned and

stared.

'Where is he?" yelled the man, his face red with rage.

"Please, Sir..." the constable tried to calm him. The

muscular man held out one of his brute sized arms and

pushed the constable backwards, sending him hurtling

off into a filing cabinet.

"Ben Payne! Where is he?" The man hollered out,

scanning the faces of everyone in the room.

"I'm Detective Payne," Ben raised his voice and stepped

forward. "How about we step into this office over here?" he

asked, nodding his head in the direction of an empty

room to his left.

"No, I want everyone in this room to hear what sort of a

Detective you are, interrogating innocent women, leaving

them in tears and on the verge of a break down at their

place of work!" The veins in the man's neck were bulging,

his anger growing.

"And you are referring to?"

"I'm talking about Laura. My wife," he spat back.

"Oh, so you are Donald?" Ben moved closer to him and

leaned in to his ear.

"Perhaps we should take this into the office over here. I

don't think everyone here needs to hear about how you

had an affair with a murdered woman and how you put

your wife through sheer hell and how you, Mr. Beaumont,

got her tangled up in this whole damn mess in the first

place!"

Don eased away from Ben and walked over to the office,

his head lowered slightly and his temper much cooler.

The other detectives in the room all stood in awe of how

Ben had single handedly managed to bring such a

rampant citizen into submission, using nothing more

than words. Inside the small office, Ben offered Don a

chair and sat opposite him so they were eye to eye.

"You were saying"' Ben kicked off the conversation.

"What's with interrogating my wife? What's she got to do

with Tessa's murder?"

"You don't sound terribly upset about Miss Hunt?"

"I'm not. She ruined my marriage, but I didn't kill her if

that's what you're thinking."

"She ruined your marriage?"

"Yeah, because of her I nearly lost Laura..."

Ben cut him off, "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Beaumont but I was

under the impression that it takes two people to have an

affair?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean is, you are just as much to blame for your

marriage falling apart. Miss Hunt could not have had an

affair with you without you being involved, too."

Don threw his hands into the air and slapped them on his

knees on the way down. He knew Ben had him there and

he was lost for something to say.

"As for your wife, I am extremely sorry if I upset her this

afternoon. It was not my inten-tion. However, I did have a

lead that pointed to her accountancy firm and I merely

went where the clues took me."

"Well you did upset her. She was a complete mess on the

phone babbling about Tessa being dead and that she was

pregnant. She wanted to know if the kid was mine."

"Was it?"

"Hell knows. Tessa had many male friends. She made it

quite clear that I wasn't her only little adventure."

"Can you tell me where you were on Friday the

seventeenth of last month Mr. Beaumont?"

"I was in Bayside with my wife. She had a conference there

so we used the getaway to our advantage." He stopped

and glared at Ben. "Regardless of what you think of me

Detective, I made one hell of a mistake with Tessa and I

am trying my hardest to win back Laura's trust and love."

"I'm not here to pass judgement on you or your life

choices Mr. Beaumont, all I am trying to do is my job. I

have a murdered girl here and she and her unborn baby

need justice." His eyes fixed firmly on Don. "Now, all that

aside. Can you tell me anything about Tessa? You said she

had many male friends, do you know any of them?"

Don shook his head and flopped back in his chair. "No. All

I know is that she told me I was not an exclusive fling. I

got the impression that she was looking for the best

horse to carry her across the finish line."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean she was a gold digger. She wanted a rich

husband and wasn't shy about doing whatever it took to

get one."

"So you're rich then?"

"Let's just say that neither Laura or I have to work. We only

do because we enjoy it."

"How did Tessa know you were wealthy? How did you

meet?"

"She was my personal assistant originally, that's how we

ended up in bed together. Laura was spending so much

time getting her firm together and I guess I spent more

time working, too. Tessa and I were drawn together and it

just snowballed from there."

"How did she take it when you broke it off with her?"

"Not great. She threatened to go to my wife. When I told

her that Laura knew all about us, she was livid."

"She never mentioned being pregnant?"

"No, I had no idea. Oh wait..."

"What is it?"

"Before I left her apartment, she grabbed at me and

begged me not to leave her. She said she had something

important to tell me. I just shook her off. I didn't even give

her the chance to explain what she meant." He got up

from his chair and walked over to the window. His fingers

dug in between the thin blinds and pried them far

enough apart for him to see down onto the street.

Ben sat silently and watched as Don was digesting the

situation.

"Do you think that maybe she was trying to tell me she

was pregnant? Oh God... was the baby mine? Is there

anyway of knowing? Can you do DNA tests?"

"Mr. Beaumont," Ben stopped and reconsidered his words

before continuing.

"Look, it may be best if you don't know. Is it really going to

help you or your marriage in the long run?"

The last thing Ben needed was Don taking action and

wanting to DNA test a foetus that wasn't present, and he

certainly didn't want to divulge the details of Tessa's case

by telling Don that there is no foetus to test. It was a

massive effort trying to keep details from being leaked to

the press as it was, let alone giving it out to possible

suspects.

Don was nodding his head in agreement, almost as

though he were trying to convince himself that it was

better not to pursue the test. "Yeah, yeah... you're

absolutely right. It could do more damage than anything

else. And she did have other guys, any of them could've

been the father, she might have just been trying to trap

me."

"It may be helpful in the future to get a blood sample

from you though," Ben added.

"How would that help anyone?"

"Just that when we catch whoever did this, if it is a jealous

lover or something, we might need to rule you out as the

possible father of the baby. It just cements the case in

court. Chances are, we won't even need it."

"Oh right, yeah sure, I understand." Don held out his

hand to Ben, "Look, Detective, about before..."

Ben took his hand and shook it, "Forget it," he said

releasing his hand.

"I am very sorry. I had no right to carry on like that. If

there's ever anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to

ask." He handed Ben a business card and left the room.

He eyed the business card; the ornate gold lettering and

thick designer parchment told him that they were of the

finest quality, an expensive make. The perfectly formed

print simply read, Donald Beaumont, Investment Advisor.

Followed by two phone numbers, one a landline and the

other a mobile. Ben flicked the card between his thumb

and forefinger and thought about the conversation that

just took place. In particular, Donald's heated behaviour in

regards to his wife. Ben felt it was important to clear him

as a suspect as soon as possible. With a temper like that,

Don Beaumont would be a perfect candidate for Tessa's

murder. He had motive and his wealth certainly provided

him with whatever means necessary to commit the

murder or at the very least, pay somebody else to commit

it for him.

He opened the office door and walked back towards his

desk, pulling from his pocket, the Bayside conference

print out that Cindy had given him. His eyes scanned the

names on the sheet of paper, none of them looked

familiar to him. Ben then sat down and laid the paper on

his desk. He opened the drawer of his desk and placed

Donald Beaumont's business card inside. Picking up the

phone he dialed the number for the Bayside Inn, the

location of the accountancy conference.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jay walked through the station house doors and

spotted Ben sitting at his desk, the telephone glued to

his ear and a fed up look on his face. A small laugh

escaped him, he knew just how frustrating it was trying to

pry information from some uninterested receptionist or

witness over a phone. He continued across the room and

pulled the chair away from his desk, seating himself he

leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his

head.

"So you'll fax me copies of the bar and restaurant tabs?"

Ben looked up from his papers and rolled his eyes at

Jay. "And they definitely stayed from the seventeenth to

the nineteenth? Can you fax me their check in and out

times also?"

Jay made the shape of an L with his finger and his

thumb and held it up to his forehead. Ben nodded his

head and continued with his phone call.

"Okay, okay... That would be appreci-ated. Thank you. Ok,

sure. Bye."

The receiver made a loud clunk when Ben slammed it

down on the cradle. His eyebrows raised and his lips

pursed with frustration. Just when he thought his people

skills were develop-ing for the better, he comes across

somebody who makes him want to scream abuse down

the phone line. He directed his attentions back over to

Jay and saw the amused look on his face.

"Don't be a smart ass, Jayy or I just might send you

down to Bayside to have a nice little chat with her, I'm sure

there are no words to describe her lack of intelligence!"

"That helpful, eh?"

"Helpful! I'd be surprised if the woman even remembers

my name, let alone what I phoned her for."

"So what's the deal with Bayside any-how? New lead?"

Jay asked.

"Nah, not really. Just covering all my bases, leaving no

stone unturned... you know the drill." Ben slipped the

sheets of paper into a cardboard jacket on his desk and

then returned to his conversation. "So, did you get

anywhere with our friends down at the Wellness Clinic?"

"I sure as hell did... I even got a name for our Jane Doe." A

proud grin tugged at Jay's lips, the excitement bubbling

within him was about to explode.

"No kidding? Gees Jayy, that's fantastic. So who was

she?"

"Twenty-one year old Kylie-Anne Saunders. No next of kin

known as yet, but now we have a name for her we can run

her details through the computers and see what we come

up with."

Jay pulled his notebook out and thumbed through it,

jogging his memory of all the details he'd written down.

"Apparently, she was a client of good old Dr. Sugars,

scheduled in for a scrape out next week, or so Marla told

me."

"And what did you think of her? Odd?"

"I believe we have found the Ice Queen of Showsdale! Cool

and collected but definitely not impenetrable."

"Don't tell me you cracked her?" asked Ben, more

impressed with each detail Jay was feeding him.

"I wouldn't say cracked, but melted for sure. A few more

visits and I am positive I could crack her, though." He said,

as if he was under the impression that Ben was offering

him a challenge. "Gotta take these things steady, steady,

catchy monkey," he went on.

"Kudos where they're due Jayy. Well done," said Ben, his

hands clapping the air in mock applause.

Carrying on with the game of station house charades,

Jay leaned forward in his chair and took a bow. "Thank

you, thank you..."

"So what else did you get from them? Anything of value?"

"Basically they gave me a run down on their procedures,

yada, yada, yada..." Jay thumbed through his notebook

some more. "There is one thing Ben, I don't know that it

means anything, so don't go getting all flippity over it."

"What is it?" Ben interrupted him.

"It's about Anna."

"Anna? What has she got to do with any of this?"

"Like I said, it's probably nothing but being the thorough

detectives that we are..."

"For God's sake, Jayy, would you just spit it out!"

"She was the counsellor for both vics."

Jay stared at Ben, waiting to gauge his reaction.

"And?"

"And she may have some vital informa-tion for us, she

was inside their heads, pokin' around and listenin' to their

dirty little secrets. If anyone knows about these girls, it's

probably her."

"Bloody hell, Jay. She's a counselor, not a psychiatrist."

"Yeah I know that. All I'm sayin' is that she may know

something that could help us figure this whole mess out.

I figured you might wanna handle this one?"

Ben bit his lip and sucked air back through his teeth; he

picked up a pencil and began tapping it loudly against his

desk.

"Look, Ben, if you ain't up to it..."

"No, I'll do it. Just give me time to work out the best way

to approach her on this, would ya, Jay?"

"Sure thing buddy, just don't leave it too long."

"Yeah, I understand." Ben threw his pencil down and

shook his head, not looking forward to the task he had

been set. "I'll drop in and see her tonight, how's that

sound?"

Jay understood what he was asking him to do and he

knew it was not an easy thing to expect of him, but he

was a detective and his personal life had to come second

when he was working in that capacity. "Great! Glad we

have that sorted.

'Getting back to the Ice Queen and Dr. Sours," Jay

steered the conversation back to the Wellness Clinic, "I

have to agree with ya, I think they're hiding something."

"Any ideas on what?"

"No, but I am sure as hell that whatever it is, it runs deep.

I do know that the good Doctor is cracking under the

strain of questioning though. She lost her composure

during question-ing and basically ordered Marla to tell me

whatever I wanted to hear. By the time I had finished down

there today, I got the feeling that Marla wanted to spill her

guts big time. Wouldn't be surprised if I get a phone call

soon." Jay threw his notebook on the desk. "But time

will tell I guess."

"I guess," sighed Ben, his mind still preoccupied with

Anna.

"How bout you? How was your visit to the number

cruncher's? I bet that was a barrel of laughs?"

Ben was a million miles away; Jay knew what he was

thinking. "Earth to Ben, come in Ben..."

"Huh, what? Sorry Jay, where were we?"

"Focus man," said Jay, wondering whether it would have

been better to have kept his mouth shut and spoken with

Anna himself. No, that would have felt like he was going

behind Ben's back. At least this way the cards were all on

the table and they both knew what was going on. They

were a team and needed to work together if these

murders were ever going to be solved. He trusted Ben and

knew that he would do his job, he was an A class detective

and Jay knew that he would take it all in his stride. The

timing was pretty crappy, with Anna wanting the divorce

and all. Unfortunately homicide causes inconvenience and

there was nothing could be done about it. The cold, hard

fact was that Ben needed to pull himself together and get

on with his job. And his life, Jay thought.

"Yeah, the accountants," Ben switched back on. "It turns

out that Tessa was having an affair with Laura Beaumont's

husband, Donald."

"Wow, did ya get the juice?" Jay's enthusiasm peaked.

"Not much juice to it, really. Laura found out about the

affair, confronted her husband, he ended it and life goes

on!"

"Do either of them look good for her murder?"

"I'm pretty confident Laura had no part in anything, but

her husband I'm not so certain about. The way he came

barging in here earlier screaming and jumping up and

down at me about upsetting his wife with my questions?

He's got a pretty good temper on him."

"Gees, what a hero. First he screws around on his wife and

then he jumps down your throat for causing her

problems! What a chump."

"They've both got a fairly rock solid alibi though. They were

at an accountancy conference in Bayside. If you can take

notice of the nitwit I was on the phone to just before, they

were there all weekend. She's supposed to be faxing me

receipts of their room and restaurant charges."

"So, where does that leave us?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders and began toying with his

pencil again. "Right back where we started, I guess."

"We seem to be great at working out who didn't kill em,"

Jay said.

"Yeah, now all we gotta do is rule out the other ninty-nine

point nine percent of the population and we'll have our

killer."

"That's if he doesn't die of old age first!" cried Jay. "He

could end up like the zodiac killer... a mystery forever."

"We'll find our killer, Jayy. We just got to keep digging,"

Ben tried injecting some positivity into the topic.

"Digging? I'll be a damn archaeologist by the time we dig

this bugger up."

Ben was unable to hold his laughter back.

"What's so funny?" Jay asked, staring quizzically at Ben.

"I just had a really amusing mental image of us at the age

of sixty with a pick axe and shovel, fossicking around in a

bare stretch of desert." A broad grin was plastered over

Ben's face.

Jay soon joined in laughing and their frustrations were

overridden with a new zest for the case.

"Augie send you that report yet?" asked Ben.

"Yup, still waiting on the tox and trace results to come in,

but so far it's looking nearly identical to Tessa Hunt."

"Was he able to determine the weapon used to mutilate

her?"

"Not a hundred percent, sure. But he's betting on a

surgical instrument of some description, possibly a

scalpel."

"Oh great, our perp is graduating to better and sharper

instruments. Just what we need to hear."

"What are ya talkin' about?" asked Jay.

"Well, Tessa was cut up with some sort of serrated blade,

the patterns indicated that. There were ridges present on

all the incisions they weren't smooth and clean."

"Just what we need, a killer who is stepping up his game

and two cops who can't even catch him in his infancy!"

Jay scoffed. He yawned and stretched out his arms

before slapping them down on his desk. "So how was

your head this morning?"

"Not too bad actually. I was expecting far worse. How

about yours?"

"I sure didn't feel like no blooming flower in spring time,

I'll tell ya that much," a smile appeared on Jay's face.

"So what are you smiling for?" asked Ben, his eyes

lighting up.

"Remember that cute waitress?"

Ben nodded. "No way! You didn't? Again?"

"I sure as shit did, buddy." Jay's boast echoed through

the station house.

"You charmer. How did you manage that? Last I saw of her,

she called you an asshole and stormed off."

"This boy just got the moves," purred Jay, using his best

homeboy accent. "Trouble is..."

"What?" Ben asked a little too quickly.

"Well... I think I might actually like this chick."

"Really? And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"I didn't ask her what her name was."

"And that means you like her? How?" Ben seemed

confused as to his logic.

"Ya see, if I really don't care to much about a broad, I'll ask

for her name and number so I can call on her again,

y'know. As a casual fling, something to fall back on."

"Go on" said Ben, his interest mounting.

"But with the ones I really like, I don't get the details off

em. That way I can't use em. Do ya see what I'm

sayin ,Ben?"

"Sorta."

"Bugger ya man, I care about em enough to not wanna

use em for sex is what I'm getting' at!" Jay looked away

from Ben, embarrassed about putting his feelings on

display like that.

"Oh, yeah. Now I understand." Ben stared at the floor for a

second before asking, "So what are you going to do about

it?"

"What do ya think I'm gonna do about it?"

"Buy her some flowers and go see her?"

"Not likely," cried Jay. "I'm gonna head back to Bluey's

and show her what she's missin'. That's what I'm gonna

do."

"Great," said Ben. "I'm not entirely certain that your

approach will be a success. But then I didn't think you

would have gotten her into bed last night either, after the

way you had insulted her to begin with. I wish you the

best of luck with that little endeavour Jayy. Go get em

tiger!"

Jay smirked a little and shot a playful wink Ben's way.

"Thanks buddy. Trust me, when she sees me walk into

Bluey's tonight, it'll knock her socks off."

"I'm sure it will be." Ben said, looking as though he was

trying his best to hold back his laughter. "I can just

imagine the reception you are going to get from a woman

you insulted, picked up, slept with and the left this

morning without so much as asking for her name, let

alone her number! I think you're on a winner there Jay,

good luck."

"It's in the bag, Benny boy!" Jay chuffed.

Rising from his chair, Ben stretched out his arms and

said, "It's been a long day, think I'll get going."

"You ok, Ben?" Jay asked. "I didn't mean to be to heavy

with you before... about Anna, I mean."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot going on you know. I'll get to

Anna, just trust me on this one alright, Jayy?"

"Sure thing," he smiled at him and leaned forward in his

chair.

"You heading off to Bluey's then?"

"Pretty soon, just got a phone call or two to make, then

I'm outta here. See ya tomorrow then?"

"You can count on it." Ben waved and walked out the door.

Jay watched him leave the room and head down the

hallway. When he was out of sight he turned and picked

up the phone.

"Yeah, patch me through to Intel would ya?"

"Hey Paula, how are ya, darl? It's Jayy. Listen, I need you

to run a check for me. It's a hush job and I need you to go

as deep and as far back as you can. If it's hidden, find it, if

it's sealed... unseal it. You catch my drift?"

He looked behind him again to make sure that Ben was

nowhere around. He didn't want him coming back in,

right in the middle of his probing around. Satisfied that

the coast was clear, he returned to his phone call.

"The name's Jameson, Anna." Jay spelled the surname

out so as there were no mistakes. "That's right, no I. If you

find any-thing, anything at all call me on my mobile would

ya, darl? Yeah, yeah... I owe ya one. Understood. Now

remember, this is just between you and me, right? You're

a real sweetheart, Paula, thanks. When can ya have that for

me? Excellent, talk to ya then."

Jay replaced the phone on the cradle and flopped back

in his chair, his gut telling him he was onto something.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The aroma of freshly ground herbs, accompa-nied by a

strong undercurrent of garlic, rose from the pot and

permeated the kitchen. The result was mouth watering.

Anna poured a small drop of red wine into the bubbling

mix and stirred it some more. A crusty stick of bread lay

on the bench top alongside a small tub of mixed butter

and crushed garlic. Picking up a sharp knife, Anna began

to slice thick chunks of bread from the stick before

smearing them generously with the garlic butter. Next,

she placed the pieces side by side on a sheet of foil and

rolled them tightly together, encasing them entirely.

She pulled a tray from the top shelf of her oven before

setting the temperature to one-eighty. Placing the garlic

bread onto the tray, she sat it on the bench allowing the

heat time to rise. Her glass of wine sat on the counter,

she picked it up and took a mouthful. The smooth blend

flowed down her throat with ease, the bitter aftertaste

causing her eyes to squint as if she had looked directly

into the sun. With her wine still in her hand, she returned

to the simmering pot and stirred it slowly. The saucepan

behind it was beginning to bubble, Anna placed her wine

down and reached for the handful of spaghetti she had

set aside. A hissing sound escaped the saucepan when

the pasta was lowered into the water.

Once she had settled the spaghetti and pushed all the

ends into the saucepan, she stirred it quickly and turned

the flame down, creating a slow simmer. The oven was

now hot enough for her bread. She picked up the tray and

was about to slide it inside when her doorbell sounded

its shrill chime. Anna glanced up at the clock on her wall.

Six-fifteen, she hadn't been expecting anyone. In just a

few quick movements, she pulled the oven door down

and slid the tray inside, closing it before she walked

towards the front door.

"Ben..."

"Hi Anna, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Anna glanced back to the kitchen before turning back to

him, "No, I was just cooking some dinner." She opened

the door wider and stood aside, allowing him room to

pass by. "Please, come in."

She closed the door behind him and held out her hand,

gesturing for him to come through. Ben followed her lead

and made his way through the lounge room and into the

kitchen, where he stopped and leaned against the

doorjamb.

"Smells great," he complimented her. "Italian?"

"Of course. It's my specialty." She picked up her wine and

stood in front of the bench top, waiting for him to kick off

the conversation.

Ben shifted from one foot to the other before, "How have

you been, Anna?"

"Oh yeah, great thanks. How about you?"

The two of them were like a couple of teenagers on an

awkward first date. Ben standing with his hands in his

pockets and Anna fiddling with her hands and pulling at

her hair. Neither one sure of what to say to the other.

Anna swished her wine around in her glass, mesmerised

by the swirling of the liquid against the clarity of the

crystal. "Can I get you a wine?" she asked, as though she

had only just became aware of his presence.

"That'd be nice, thanks," Ben replied quicker than he had

anticipated. The last thing he wanted was for her know the

effect she still had on him. He chided himself silently for

his over-zealousness. Anna took another glass from the

cabinet and poured him a red, she smiled wryly before

handing it to him and returning the bottle to the bench

top.

"Shoot!" cried Anna, leaping over to the stove. The water in

the spaghetti spat out over the rim of the saucepan,

spilling onto the naked flame below. She turned the stove

off and lifted the heavy saucepan over to the sink.

"Are you alright?" Asked Ben, edging slowly towards her.

"You didn't scold yourself, did you?"

"No. I'm ok," she replied, staring down at her hands.

Ben approached her and gently took her hands in his,

inspecting them for himself.

Anna pulled away from him and spat, "Damn it Ben, I said

I 'm ok."

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to..."

"Trying to what? Look, why are you here, what do you want

from me?"

Her words tore into him, stripping the flesh from his very

heart. This scenario was too familiar, it was how it had

been for them in the last few years of their marriage. Both

struggling to care for themselves, distancing the other

until they were so far apart that they felt like strangers.

Ben stepped back and held his hands in the air. "Gees

Anna, I can't do this anymore."

"Do what exactly?"

"I can't even be in the same room as you. It's just

impossible. You become hostile when you lay eyes on me,

cringe at my touch and tear strips off me whenever I open

my mouth." He paused briefly, summoned his courage

and began again. "Anna, I am here in an official capacity.

You can either talk honestly with me here and now or we

can do it down at the station. The choice is yours."

She was stunned, his words had knocked the wind out of

her. Never in their entire marriage had he ever spoken to

her the way he just did. "Official capacity?"

"That's right," he said, pulling his notebook from his

pocket.

"Ben what's this all about?"

"I understand that you were the counsellor allocated to

Miss Tessa Hunt and Miss Kylie-Anne Saunders, is that

correct?"

"I'm not going to answer..."

"Is that correct?" Ben powered on, blocking out his

personal ties with her.

"Oh my God, you're serious," said Anna in disbelief.

The moment was broken by the alarm on the oven wailing

away. Anna looked away from Ben, walked over and

switched the oven off. She turned to her pot of bolognaise

and killed the flame beneath it. Her focus shifted back to

Ben. His expression remained stern, his notebook and

pen firmly in his grasp.

"I guess you had better sit down," she whispered, pulling

a chair from her dining table.

Ben crossed the tiny kitchen and pulled up a chair

opposite her. "So you were nothing more than their

counsellor?"

"Yes, I saw both those girls." Anna had given in to Ben's

harshness and opted to answer what she was able. She

was still recovering from the shock of the change in his

demeanour.

"Is there any reason you kept it from me? You did know I

was investigating the Hunt case."

"Yes, I just didn't think it was important. Honestly, Ben..."

"This is an official interview and I wish to keep it that way,

so if you don't mind, please just answer the questions."

His words cut her down in a way she had never

experienced from him before. The fact that he had

stopped trying to cater to her every mood shocked her,

this wasn't the man she knew. The man she knew would

pamper her and treat her like a Queen, he wouldn't have

spoken to her so terribly and demanded such things of

her if it weren't to her liking. She wished the other Ben

would come back, the man before her was a stranger,

dark and brutal.

"I should have told you. You're right, I'm sorry."

Ben laid his notebook down on the table and continued

with his questioning.

"Tell me about Tessa. Did she disclose anything that could

be important to our investigation?"

"Honestly Ben..." Anna stopped and looked at him,

waiting to see if he was going to drop the coolness. His

gait remained stiff, it was clear that this was how it was

going to be. "She only spoke of her pregnancy and

whether or not she was going to terminate."

"Did she mention anything about the father of the baby?"

"I can't disclose that sort of information, I have a duty to

protect the privacy rights of my clients." She decided that

if he wanted to play official status, so too would she.

Ben sighed and tried again. "I know she was involved with

Donald Beaumont. Was he the father?"

"Ben, please. I can't..."

"Anna, I need your help here. Those girls need your help.

Do you really think protecting their privacy is important

now?" Ben's eyes pleaded with her to reconsider the

situation.

Anna gave in. "To tell you the truth," She stopped, took

another sip of wine and continued. "Tessa wasn't sure of

the father of her baby. All she did say is that she had been

seeing a few men when she found out about the

pregnancy."

"Did she name these other men?"

"No. I already told you, she was there to talk about the

effects of termination, not her whole life story."

"So you deal exclusively with the subject of abortion?"

"With the clients from the Wellness Clinic, yes. They have

me on a continual re-tainer, specifically for their clients.

Anything outside the scope of termination is not covered

by them. Should the girls wish to speak to me regarding

further issues in their life they are more than welcome to

see me privately."

"And you're sure that there is nothing else personal she

may have mentioned in passing? It could all be relevant,

Anna."

Anna shook her head and stared down into her glass.

"Kylie-Anne's pregnancy was the result of a one night

stand. Does that help?"

"So she didn't know the guy either?"

"How many one night stands have you had where you

remember or even know their name?" she hissed at him.

Ben was hurt by her personal attack on him. She knew

damn well that one-night stands were not in his nature.

The question did, however, remind him of Jay and his

little waitress from Bluey's. He fought off the urge to

smile.

"Had Tessa decided whether or not she was going to keep

the baby?"

"When she left my office, all she said was that she was

going to do the right thing."

"What does that mean? The right thing?"

"Who knows? It all depends on who she meant the right

thing to be for."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, she could have meant the right thing for her, the

father or the baby. I have no idea." She sat back and

shrugged, her auburn hair bouncing off her shoulders.

"And Kylie-Anne? Anything else that you can tell me about

her?"

Her eyes burned into him, there was no denying her

disdain for his questioning of her. "I already told you

about as much as I know."

"The more evasive you are, Anna, the longer and harder I

am going to push you. It would be in your best interest to

just answer my questions now and I'll leave."

"I don't see how much more I can help you."

Ben lowered his head, closed up his notebook and tucked

it away. He just couldn't understand why Anna had to

make every little interaction so difficult. Not just this, but

even when they spoke in general it was harder than it

should be. She was always so guarded, so protective of

herself. He pushed back on his chair, drank his wine down

in one swallow and stood up.

"Thank you for your time," he said before slamming the

crystal wine glass on the table top with a clunk. With that

he turned and strode towards the front door.

Anna followed after him, shocked that he had halted their

interview so abruptly.

"You mean, that's it?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

" I refuse to sit here all night beating my head up against

a brick wall, Anna. This is so typical of our married life. I

was such a fool to think you would respect my authority

as an officer of the law and be truthful with me. So, yeah...

that's it."

"Ben, I didn't mean to..."

He cut her off, "You will probably be hearing from another

Detective at some stage, if confidentiality and privacy are

such an issue to you, I'll make sure he has a warrant when

he comes."

She ran ahead of him and stood between him and the

front door, stopping him from leaving.

"Ben, I'm sorry." Her eyes pleaded with him not to leave

under such bitter circumstances. She exhaled deeply and

then said, "Kylie-Anne was definitely going to go ahead

with the termination, or at least that's what she told me.

She said that her parents had disowned her and she was

not going to bring another life into a world where people

who are supposed to love you, throw you away when you

don't live up to their expectations."

"Do you know where we can find her parents, Anna?

Somebody needs to inform them of what has happened."

"All she told me is that her dad is some hot shot

professor at the university."

"He shouldn't be too hard to track down then," Ben

mumbled while fishing around in his pocket for his

notebook. "What about Tessa, is there anything, you can

think of that might help us find her killer?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't lying when I said that they really don't

tell me much. I'm only paid to discuss..."

"The effects of termination... I know." Ben interjected.

Anna's face softened and she looked into his eyes. "These

murders, they're pretty grue-some aren't they?"

Ben nodded, "They are the most brutal I have ever worked

on, we need to get this monster Anna... and fast."

She stepped away from the door, opening it she said,

"Look, I'll study my case notes again Ben, and if there's

anything I think you need to know I'll pass it on."

"Yeah, I'm sure you will."

Anna swallowed hard, "Of course I will Ben. I'm not going

to send you up the garden path here. Although, there's

really nothing in them, I'm sure."

"I just wish you would let me take a look. What is nothing

to you, could be of great value to us."

"I'm sorry Ben, but I'm not going to breach

confidentiality." Her demeanour stiff-ened again. "If you

really need to see them for yourself, you'll have to do it by

the book."

"So if I got a warrant, you'd hand the files over?"

"Every last one."

"I certainly hope this is just a professional thing Anna. I'd

hate to think you're hiding something from me," Ben eyed

her suspiciously.

She smiled then leaned over gently kissed his cheek.

"Strictly professional I swear."

Ben walked through the open door and out onto the

street, when he reached his car he looked back but Anna

had already closed the door.

"Thank you, he whispered.

He wondered if he should have warned Anna to be extra

careful. Until they get a break in the case, they have no

idea if the murderer is after pregnant women only or if he

may be targeting the people around them as well. If these

killings are a statement against abortion, Anna, Dr.

Sugars and Marla could all be in danger. He decided it

would be best to keep quiet for now, he didn't want to

spread panic or worry anyone unnecessarily. He would

keep an eye on Anna himself.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jay rolled into Bluey's, his black slacks neatly pressed

and his brand new polo shirt tucked neatly inside them.

He scoured the room before his eyes finally rested on the

bar to his left.

"Yo Tadpole!" he yelled from the door-way.

"Jayy, get over here." the smile on Tad-poles face was

welcoming.

In an effort to appear as his usual casual self, Jay

sauntered over to the bar and held his hand out to

Tadpole. The men shook hands and Jay ordered a beer.

"I thought you'd still be recovering from last night?" asked

Tadpole, a knowing smile on his lips.

Jay chuckled, "It's not the drink ya gotta look out for," he

said, his eyes darting about the room.

"Yeah, you're right..." Tadpole grinned as he watched Jay

studying the bar. "It's the women!"

Jay's eyes flew back to him in an in-stant, "What's that

supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying, a woman can stay in your system a hell of

a lot longer than alcohol can."

"This beer tastes like shit!" cried Jay. "It must be flat,

gimme another one, would ya?"

He pushed the frothy ale back on the bar and pulled his

cigarettes from his pocket, angry that Tadpole was

goading him over the waitress. He understood that

sleeping with a waitress from his regular bar was likely to

cause problems, but he had been prepared for that. What

he hadn't been prepared for was the fact that he would

actually fall for her and end up making a fool of himself in

front of his drinking buddies.

"Here you go," said Tadpole, sliding an-other beer over to

him. "Fresh keg. Spiked it myself just now."

"Bloody well oughta be, too," replied Jay.

Tadpole stared at him for a while.

Jay wondered if it was obvious to Tad-pole that he was

looking for the girl. He was determined he wouldn't

mention her unless Tadpole asked about her.

"So," Jay began, his eyes still wandering all over the bar.

"How's the wife and kids?"

"Great thanks, mate. The littlest one's just cut his first

tooth actually."

"Really?" It was clear Jay was more interested in the

scenery than hearing about Tadpoles family.

"Yep."

"That's exciting and all Tadpole, but I'm gonna wander

outside for a bit. Have a smoke, enjoy me beer..."

"By all means, Jayy. Go for it." Tadpole tried hard to

disguise his humour over the situation.

Jay stepped out onto the smokers deck and sat his beer

on the table next to the railing. He pulled a cigarette from

his packet and lit it. The bright orange flame danced at the

end of his smoke, it's blue centre glowing against the

curtain of darkness behind it. He tucked the lighter back

into his packet and sat them on the table. He picked up

his beer and gulped it down leaving only about an inch in

the bottom. He needed an excuse to call the waitress over

when he finally spotted her... if he ever spotted her. No

matter where he looked, he couldn't find her. Maybe she

wasn't working tonight.

Still staring into the bar, Jay drew back on his cigarette

and swallowed the last of his beer. He glanced down at

his watch and saw that it was only 9.05pm. Perhaps she

hadn't started just yet. Although, it was around this time

last night that he and Ben had seen her there. With the

empty beer glass in his hand, he crushed out his cigarette

and ventured back into the bar, determined to find what

he was looking for. The pool table was crowded with a

dozen or more young men, all drunk and all believing

they were the next Eddie Charlton. They hud-dled together

at the far end of the table, forming a tight knit circle. When

they dispersed, Jay saw her familiar face, she was

standing in the middle of the group, her tray loaded with

empty glasses.

For reasons unknown to him, he high tailed it back out to

the smokers deck, his heart was beating loudly and his

palms were sweaty. He couldn't understand what was

happening, he had fallen for other women before, but this

was different somehow. She had done something to him,

and yet when he woke next to her this morning he hadn't

felt a thing. His hands slid down his slacks, wiping away

the wetness from his palms, a million thoughts were

running through his mind when she interrupted him.

"Well, here's a real gentleman if ever I saw one!"

Jay turned and stared. He remembered her hair, the

silkiness of her skin, how she smelled. He was

dumbstruck.

"Cat got your tongue or something?" she asked.

"I ain't got no cat," replied Jay, embarrassed by his

words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Yeah, well the way you look after house guests, I'm not

surprised."

Jay fidgeted with his cigarette packet, trying to retrieve

one without dropping the entire pack. He couldn't believe

his nerves. Unchartered territory was where he was right

now, and it scared the living daylights out of him. A few

seconds elapsed before he finally managed to free a

cigarette and stick it in his mouth. All he could do was

shoot her a grin, hoping that she thought he was cool

rather than the mute mess that he was.

"Well I came back, didn't I?" he eventually managed.

"Am I supposed to be impressed by that?"

"As a matter of fact," he paused to light his cigarette.

"Yeah!"

"You've got some nerve, coming back here and taunting

me like this. Isn't there some other poor, defenseless

waitress you can charm into bed?"

"Probably."

Her mouth fell open, but no words came out.

"But I don't wanna pick on somebody else. You'll do just

fine."

His confidence grew; he could feel his old self returning.

Pretty soon he would be in full swing and there'd be no

stopping him. As much as he wanted to sweep her into

his arms and hold her, he resisted the urge and decided

to play for a little longer. He didn't want her thinking that

she had him eating out of the palm of her hand. Sure he

liked her... a lot, but he wanted to tread carefully for now.

"What if I don't want to be picked on?"

"See, that's where I think you're lying. I think you do."

"Look, is this going somewhere? I got a job to do and

you're holding me up."

"In that case, get me a beer would ya?"

She made a growling noise and walked back into Bluey's.

She got a few steps inside the door before turning back to

Jay.

"It's Danni, in case you're wondering?"

Jay shot her a broad smile, drew back on his cigarette

and nodded his head. When she turned away Jay

punched his fist into the air, he'd done it. He knew he had

her. Satisfaction filled him and he felt like the cat that got

the cream. He watched her body swaying beneath her

clothes, how he hadn't noticed her in the same light last

night surprised him. Sure he had been attracted to her,

but in a sexually perverse kind of way. Now when he saw

her, he saw something else... a woman, not an object.

Although he was still shocked by his feelings, he liked

them and knew that no matter what happened between

them, he was still Jay Marnotti, bad-ass detective.

Danni reached the bar and motioned to Tadpole. He

walked over, grinning as he approached.

"Hey Danni. Y'know Jayy's here and I think he's looking

for you."

"Yeah, he found me," she replied, her cheeks flushing.

"So what's happening with you guys?"

"Who knows? He's probably looking for an encore."

Tadpole shook his head and beckoned her to come closer

so he could lower his tone. "I don't know, Danni. I've

known Jayy a lot of years and I have never seen him

come looking for the same woman twice. I think he might

actually be serious about you."

"Oh, lucky me!" she laughed.

"He's not so bad. Just a little rough around the edges is

all. Give him a chance. You'll see."

"I can tell you one thing for sure," She began, "I won't hit it

off too well with him if I don't bring him his beer!"

"Comin' right up love," chortled Tadpole, grabbing a

frosted glass and filling it to the top before placing it

squarely on her tray.

"Thanks," she said.

Danni wove her way back through the bar and found Jay

leaning out over the railing on the deck. She stood back

and admired his strong shoulders and muscular

physique. His short, black hair highlighted his deep, blue

eyes and chiselled cheekbones. Electricity surged through

her body when she thought about their night spent

together. He was quite a lover, his hands knew just what

to do, and despite his gruffness earlier in the evening, he

was attentive to her in bed like no other man she had

been with. Jay was certainly no Prince Charming in the

ro-mance stakes, but she was sure that he had many

qualities they could build on.

"Your beer, sir," Danni said, placing the glass on the table.

Jay grinned and put a ten-dollar note on her tray.

"Keep the change."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked,

stuffing the note into her pocket.

"Yeah, you can have lunch with me tomorrow."

"No, that's no good for me," she answered attempting to

sound disinterested.

For the briefest moment, Jay became a little unsure of

himself. He looked into her eyes and saw that she was

playing with him, making him work for a date.

"Gee, that's a shame..."

"I'm free for dinner though," she spat out and then

scolded herself silently, for acting so desperate.

"Dinner, eh?"

Jay stared at her. He wanted so much to just take her

back to his apartment and show her what he was capable

of. He knew they had already been to bed together, but he

was drunk and he hadn't given his all that night. As

difficult as it was, he resisted the urge to grab her. Next

time he touched her, he wanted her to feel the difference

in him, know that she wasn't just a one-night stand.

"Sure, I think I can manage a dinner appointment."

Danni handed him a cardboard drink coaster, smiled and

headed back inside to the rowdy group of men at the pool

table. Jay looked down at the coaster and there in neatly

printed pencil was her address and phone number.

Unable to wipe the smile from his face, he opened his

wallet and slid the coaster into the 182

billfold. He finished his beer and made his way back to the

bar to say goodnight to Tadpole.

"Hey Tadpole!" he yelled.

"Another beer?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm outta here buddy."

"No worries. Um, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Who said I was looking for anything?" Jay asked, the

smile still firmly planted on his lips.

"You old dog! You did, didn't you?"

"You better believe it, Taddy," he laughed before walking to

the exit.

"Night, Jayy."

"Night."

The street outside was alive with the regular hoons racing

their V8's up and down the main drag. They yahooed and

cheered each other on, the danger of their actions

obvious to everyone but them. Shaking his head in

disgust, Jay pulled his coat on and tugged on his collar,

lifting it up to shelter his neck from the coolness of the

evening. His left hand reached into his pocket for his

cigarettes, at the same moment his phone rang. The

smokes forgotten for the time being, he pulled out his

phone.

"Yeah, hello."

"Jayy, it's Ben."

"What's happening? Did you talk to Anna?"

"Yeah, she wasn't too helpful, I'm afraid. I did manage to

get a next of kin for Kylie-Anne though." Ben sighed into

the phone before adding. "You wanna come do the

honours with me?"

Jay looked at his watch. "It's 9.40 Ben, you sure you

wanna do this now?"

"I'm sure. I managed to track her parents down through

her father's work. I phoned them and told them I had

some news on their daughter."

"I didn't know she had been reported missing, why didn't

she show up on our missing persons data base when we

ran Jane Doe's stats through?"

"She wasn't reported. I told them that we had some

dealings with Kylie-Anne and that it was important that I

speak with them immediately."

"Where are they?'

'32 Millbrook Avenue. You want me to pick you up?"

"Nah, I'll meet you there in ten."

"How did you go with the waitress?" Ben asked,

remembering Jay had plans to woo her that evening.

"It's in the bag, Benny boy. She couldn't resist me!"

"I'd have paid money to have seen her reaction Jay. I can

just imagine how you swept her off her feet." he laughed.

"Well I did that and more."

"You did huh?"

"Yup, I even got me a date for dinner tomorrow night."

Jay reported, pride echoing in his voice.

"You're a regular Cassanova, aren't you buddy? You never

cease to amaze me with your boundless talents."

"There's plenty more where that came from. Anyway, I'll

see you in ten."

"Right, see you then."

Jay ended the call and stuffed his phone back into his

pocket before lifting his pack of cigarettes out. He lit one

and walked to his cruiser. Behind the wheel, he revved the

engine and pulled out into the stream of youngsters still

racing each other up and down the street. At the next set

of lights he made a left hand turn and headed in an

easterly direction toward Millbrook Avenue.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A dim porch light beside the white front door lit the small

cottage style house. A quaint wrap-around verandah

added a touch of charm to the otherwise plain abode.

Through the darkness, Ben saw the silhouette of a set of

what he thought were a child's swings, in the yard beside

the house. A small rock lined pathway led from the

footpath to an outdoor mat at the base of the front steps.

The Saunders home was by no means a palace, but it

looked homey enough.

He glanced in his rear view mirror; still no sign of Jay

and it was now ten o'clock. Even though he was expected,

he didn't want to keep the Saunders' up any longer than

was necessary. Under the circumstances, he didn't want to

keep them waiting at all. Ben rolled up his window and

got out of his car, he would give Jay just a few more

minutes to show and then he would go it alone. His

watch captivated him, the soft iridescent glow

mesmerised him when he glanced down at it once more.

The squealing of tyres on asphalt soon broke this

hypnosis... Jay had finally arrived. He pulled in behind

Ben and got out of his cruiser, his boots clicking when

they hit the footpath below him.

"Where have you been? It's just after ten."

"Damn kids and their street racing..."

"Never mind. Let's just get this over with shall we?"

"Let's!" Snapped Jay, flicking a cigarette butt to the

ground and stomping it out with his foot.

"Don't you know how to use an ashtray, Jayy?"

"Gees, who rubbed your lamp the wrong way tonight?

asked Jay, 'I was having a blissful evening, but it's

souring by the second."

Ben stood still, his head lowered to the footpath and his

shoulders slumped forward. "Sorry, mate. It's been a

rough night and the whole meeting with Anna. You know

how it is." he replied.

"Yeah, couldn't have been an easy thing for ya to do, Ben.

Maybe I shoulda just gone and done it myself, eh?"

"No, I think I needed to do it. I have to get some

perspective in my life and this was a good start, I guess."

He straightened up and breathed out loudly, a groan

escaping him. "You ready?"

Jay nodded that he was.

"Let's do it."

The two men marched up the pathway, climbed the three

steps and stopped at the front door. Ben pressed a

button marked 'Saunders' on the architrave around the

door. They heard the chimes ring out inside the house

and a minute later middle-aged man appeared in front of

them.

"Mr. Saunders?" Ben asked.

"Frank Saunders, that's right," he replied. "You must be

Detective Payne?"

"Yes, and this is my partner Detective Marnotti." Ben gestured

to Jay.

"Please, won't you come inside?" Frank stepped aside and

held the door open for them to pass through and pointed

them to the living room on the right. He closed the door

and walked into the living room behind them. "Take a

seat," he said, settling into a recliner. "Janice," he yelled,

seemingly into the air, "the Detectives are here."

A short, petite woman of about fifty or so emerged from a

doorway behind him, bringing with her a tea tray and a

plate of biscuits. She made her way to the living room and

placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the three

men before seating herself on a sofa near her husband.

"Help yourselves, Detectives," she softly said.

"This is my wife, Janice," Frank made a formal introduction.

"Janice this is Detective Payne and Detective Marnotti."

Janice smiled politely and gave them a simple nod to

greet them. Jay and Ben did the same.

"Now what's this about Kylie-Anne? What trouble is that

girl in now?" Frank asked.

Jay looked at Ben and then back at Frank. "She been in a

bit of trouble before?"

His hands slapped his thighs and he animated a laugh,

"Trouble! The girl's full of it. She breeds it like a sickness."

"How so?" Ben joined the conversation.

"Drugs, boys, wild parties, stealing and that's just for

starters," he looked over at Janice before continuing. "And

then there's Ashleigh of course."

"Ashleigh?" Jay queried him.

"Our grand daughter, she lives with us," Janice whispered.

"Kylie-Anne was only sixteen when she had her," said

Frank, looking over at Janice. Her head bowed as if in

shame of her daughter. "She never spoke much to anyone

about Ashleigh. To her, she simply didn't exist. 'Up until

she had Ashleigh we didn't think that an ounce of

goodness could come of that girl. Every time we'd set

boundaries and rules for her, she'd go out of her way to

break them. If we gave her an inch she took a mile. I got

her a job once, when she was seventeen, checking books

in and out at the campus library..."

"The University library?" Jay asked.

"Yes. I convinced them she would be perfect for the task,

but Kylie-Anne... Well she had other ideas. She was

escorted off the campus on the first day for selling weed

to the students in her lunch hour. Made a mockery of me

she did."

"What happened then?"

"Naturally I told her to pack her things and leave. I wasn't

going to have her around young Ashleigh, dragging her

up in that sort of lifestyle."

"So she left? Just like that?"

"Just like that. Exactly like that!" Frank re-iterated.

"How long ago was that?"

"It will be just over three years ago now, if I remember

correctly."

"And you've had no contact with her since?" Jay asked.

Frank nodded his head, "That's right."

"What about Ashleigh?" Ben began. "Surely she called or

wrote to check up on her own daughter?"

"Well that's what you would expect from any decent

mother isn't it? Not Kylie-Anne. She never cared for the

child from the very beginning. Couldn't wait to be rid of

her, that's the cold hard truth of the matter. Kylie-Ann was

just a baby who had a baby. Too young for any

responsibility, let alone that of motherhood."

Janice leaned forward in her chair, her mouth opened, but

she shut it as quickly as the fleeting thought that touched

her.

Ben looked at Jay. The sadness in his eyes deepening,

knowing what they were about to tell the Saunders' of

their daughter's fate.

"What is it, Detectives?" Janice stared at them. "Oh, it's

something terrible this time isn't it?"

Unable to face her, Ben dropped his gaze to the carpet.

Jay leaned forward in his seat, looked at the couple

before him and said, "I am deeply sorry to tell you both,

but..."

"But what?" Janice interrupted, her face creased with

concern.

Jay looked over to Frank, his expression blank. "I'm

afraid your daughter is dead."

Silence covered the small living room like a shroud,

neither parent able to utter a sound, shock gripping them

like a vice. Ben and Jay both remained quiet, awaiting

the outburst of why's and how's and the eventual

mutterings of denial. They had been bearers of bad news

enough times to know that very few families

cope with the death of a loved one without some form of

non-acceptance, even the ones that had been feuding.

They knew the storm was brewing and that it would soon

be unleashed before their very eyes.

"Was it drugs?" Frank spoke first, his expression still void

of any emotion.

Janice looked to them for the answer; the tears from her

green eyes began streamed down her cheeks. Her thin

lips trembled with sadness.

"I'm sorry," said Ben. "Kylie-Anne was murdered."

"Oh, dear God no!" Janice crumbled on the sofa. "It can't

be her. How do you know it's her? You must be wrong."

Frank left his recliner and sat beside his wife, taking her in

his arms he rocked her gently and kissed her forehead.

Jay cleared his throat and said, "She has been identified

by someone who we have questioned in regards to her

death."

"We are so very sorry for your loss," soothed Ben, wishing

he could take away their pain.

"Who..." Frank choked out. "Who did this?"

"Unfortunately we haven't found the killer yet," Jay

answered him.

"We are using every resource available to us to find who's

responsible for your daughters death." Ben interjected.

His assurance sounded weak and he knew it was. They

had been investigating these murders, including Tessa's,

for nearly a week now and they were getting nowhere.

Frank nodded his head, "You make sure you catch this

animal, Detectives. No matter what our grievances were,

she was still our daughter."

"We understand," whispered Ben. He took a deep breath

before asking the cruellest of all questions. "We will need

to ask that one of you come down and formally identify

Kylie-Anne's body as soon as you are able. I realise this is

a difficult time for both..."

"What time and where, Detective?" Frank asked, cutting

him short.

"Tomorrow morning? The city morgue." Jay informed

him.

"I'll be there at nine."

"Once again, we are so very sorry for your loss, Mr. And

Mrs. Saunders," said Jay, rising from his seat. Ben did

the same. "We will see ourselves out."

Janice looked up from behind her husbands shoulder.

"Please find whoever did this to our little girl." Frank

tightened his embrace and rocked her some more, his

own heart aching with sorrow.

Ben and Jay left the Saunders to console each other and

made their way back to the street.

"Christ, I hate that part of the job," cried Jay, lighting a

cigarette when they reached their cars.

"So many people suffer from the reckless acts of others,"

said Ben, staring out into the darkness. "We need to get

this peanut Jayy, how many more are going to die if we

don't?"

Jay sucked back hard on his cigarette before blowing the

smoke back out into the air. "We will my friend... we will."

Ben rubbed his forehead and his eyes be-gan to squint.

Reaching into both pockets, he was unable to find a card

of his painkillers. "Bloody brain bleeders!" He cussed.

"You ok, Ben? I think you better get home before it sets in

for good. You want me to drive ya or are ya right?"

"Thanks, Jayy. I'll be ok." Ben assured him, waving his

hand dismissively.

"I know how ya feel mate. My guts is turning over just

thinking about seeing that girl lying on Augies steel table.

Here we are trying to tell that poor couple that their

daughter is dead and all I can picture is the way she was

cut up." Jay puffed harder on his cigarette, "thank God

they ain't gonna be seeing that part of things." He

gestured back towards the house they had just come

from.

"Hell. I'm sorry, Jay. I hadn't thought about the effect it

would have on you. Coming here, to see the parents I

mean."

"It's all part of the job, Ben. I can handle it."

Ben opened his car door and slid inside, "You're really

okay?"

"Hey, I'm fine. Or at least I will be when we nail this warped

unit."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Ben smiled weakly at him.

"Hell yeah!" cried Jay "We got one sick puppy to catch

and we ain't gonna do it sittin' at home twiddling our

thumbs."

Ben's started the Chevy and put it in gear. "Tomorrow

then." He said before driving off down the street and into

the night.

He looked back at the Saunders home in his rear view

mirror. Ben thought of the husband and wife inside,

grieving horribly for the daughter they haven't seen in over

three years. They must have so many things they wish

they could say to her now, so many wrongs they will never

get the chance to right. He could never begin to under-

stand the depths of despair they were in, losing a child at

any age would be a gut-wrenching ordeal. His

determination to find this killer was mounting every

minute. One way or another, he will solve these murders,

no matter how long it took.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"We need to play ball with them and stop showing so

much resistance," argued Marla.

"We are playing ball, but if we offer too much, too easily,

they might think we are too helpful and start getting

suspicious," replied Rose.

"Why wouldn't we be helpful though?" Marla sat down in

the royal blue easy chair and sipped her latte. "Our clients

are being killed off one by one."

"You don't understand how their minds work. If you are

too helpful it's not good, if you're not helpful enough it's

not good..."

"So we have to show just the right amount of resistance?"

queried Marla.

"Exactly," Rose clicked her tongue and nodded her head.

"Do you think they suspect something? They've visited

twice now and that second Detective was quite a pit bull. I

don't know how much more I can handle."

"Now, Marla, you need to relax and stick to the game plan.

You remember what we discussed, don't you?"

Marla's eyes rolled back and she replied, "Yes... I

remember."

"Good," said Rose, before leaning across her desk and

patting her hand reassuringly. "We need to stick together

here, Marla."

"I understand, but..."

"But what?"

"I'm sure that if you just explain to them what happened,

that it was an accident..."

"Oh, and you think that is going to soften their blow do

you?"

"Surely they will understand that it wasn't your fault. There

was nothing you could have done"

"Absolutely not! There is no way I am going to jail Marla,

do you hear me?"

"But the police... what if they keep digging around? They

might figure things out."

"That's why we need to play it cool and not be too eager or

too resistant. Like I said, we need to stick to the plan. You

got that?"

"Yes, I understand, but I'm not comfortable with this. I still

think we ought to have gone to the police in the

beginning."

Rose stared at her, her anger beginning to bubble

beneath her cool exterior. She would never go to the

police. It would mean losing everything she had worked

for her entire life. Hell would freeze over before she would

allow that to happen. Even if it meant taking matters into

her own hands and blackmailing Marla, she would. She

pulled her hands back from Marla's and glared at her.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you of your little secret,

do I?"

The shock spread across Marla's face. "You wouldn't?"

"Of course I wouldn't want to, but if I had to..."

"How could you even think of doing that to me?"

Rose slid her chair back and stood up. Walking around

the desk, she stood behind Marla and placed her hands

on her shoulders. Marla stiffened and sat bolt upright in

the easy chair. Her hands kneaded her gently at first and

slowly progressed to a stronger, more penetrating

massage.

"You're hurting me, stop it," she begged.

Rose continued her vigorous gouging and said, "How do

you think your Daddy would feel if he knew his little

princess's secret?"

Marla writhed beneath her hands, the pain becoming

more intense. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Marla's father had always adored her, they shared an

extremely close bond and in his eyes, his little princess

could do no wrong. Her father had left her mother when

she was just fifteen. His contact with Marla continued

however, the two of them remaining close despite the

separation and divorce. Many times he had offered her a

placement at in his company, so he could be closer to

her, but much to his disappointment, she chose to

remain working at the clinic.

Rose carried on, her tone sharp and threatening. "What if

he were to discover..."

Marla broke free from her hands and ran to the opposite

side of the room, fear pulsing through her.

"Just stop it, please."

"Do we have an understanding, then?" Rose asked, her

expression smug.

"Yes, yes, now please just stop it. How could you be so

cruel to me? "

"So you'll keep your mouth shut?" she ignored her

question.

Her eyes welled with tears as she stared down at the grey

carpet under her feet, her shoe scuffing back and forth

along its cushiony pile.

"Yes."

"Is that a promise?"

"It's a promise," cried Marla, tears streaming down her

cheeks.

"There now. That wasn't so terrible was it?" a smile spread

across Rose's face and her demeanour returned to the

one displayed to her clients and peers.

"What about my father? You aren't going to tell him are

you?" sniffled Marla.

"Why would I, dear? We both have our little secrets don't

we?" She walked over to Marla, embraced her tightly and

then said, "Yours is safe as long as mine is. I can't be fairer

than that can I?"

Marla backed away from Rose and dabbed her eyes with a

tissue, at that moment she felt such contempt for her,

that she wanted to run screaming to the police and blow

the lid clean off her dirty little secret. All that was stopping

her at that moment was the web of lies and deceit she

had gotten herself tangled up in.

"Now don't go pouting like that my sweet. It reminds me

of a six year old child begging for a puppy that she knows

she just can't have."

Marla straightened her back and sucked air in through her

teeth, attempting to rustle up a smile before Rose's

assault grew worse.

"There, that's much better. Now how about we go get

some dinner?" she said, returning to her desk and pulling

her purse from the top draw before looking back at Marla,

her smile somewhat faded.

"Sure, why not." Agreed Marla, her appetite was poor but

she knew declining her invitation would prove fruitless.

Rose pulled her over for yet another hug and said, "I'm so

glad we had this little chat and have this whole mess

straightened out now. I feel much better, don't you

darling?"

"Much," Marla whispered, the knot in her stomach

tightening.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"It's a positive I.D," Jay informed Augie. "He's just taking

a few minutes to say goodbye."

"The poor fellow, it must be horrific for him to see her like

that. I did the best I could to clean her up for the viewing,

Jay," Augie replied.

"I know, you did what you could. I just thank God he has

no idea of what's beneath the sheet!"

Augie sighed and nodded in agreement. "Such violence."

"Listen Augie, have you had a chance to compare the

autopsy notes on Tessa Hunt and Kylie-Anne at all?"

"Not at this stage. Why is that? Is there something you

need in particular?"

"Well as you can imagine, with there be-ing so many

similarities in their murders, we wanna sift through the

facts to see if they are definitely linked."

"Of course, sure. The one major difference is that Tessa

died from hypoxia, she suffocated to death before she

was mutilated. Kylie-Anne died as a result of blunt force

trauma to the head. Also, from memory Tessa was

mutilated with a serrated instrument, and Kylie-Anne a

more sophisticated blade... sharp, defined..."

"A scalpel?"

"That would be a fair assumption, yes. Apart from that,

they are almost identical. Tessa's tox results were all clear

for any drugs or inhibitants. I should have Kylie-Anne's by

the end of the day, I am hoping."

"So our perp is making life easier for him-self, upgrading

his tools. That scares me Augie, it makes me believe that

he..."

"Or she," Augie interrupted. "Remember that there's been

no evidence of sexual assault with either of these girls, so

it could be a woman."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, he or she looks like they may be

just getting started.

Why upgrade to better tools if you're finished kill-ing?"

"Good Lord!" cried Augie, "I hope you're wrong, Jayy. I

really do."

"So do I Augie. So do I."

"Leave it with me though, I'll go back over the two cases

and study the notes carefully, if there's anything there,

forensically speaking, I'll find it for you."

"Thanks. We need all the help we can get on this one. And

you'll call me as soon as you have the toxicology results

back?"

"Sure thing, as soon as they hit my desk."

Jay patted him on the shoulder and began to walk away

when he saw Ed, Augie's assistant coming his way with a

folder under his arm.

"Dr. August, before you go..." Ed raised his voice in order

to catch Augie before he ducked back into the viewing

suite.

Jay turned and looked at Ed.

"Detective Marnotti." Ed greeted Jay pleasantly on his way

past.

"How are ya, Ed?" Jay enquired.

Ed didn't reply, instead he brushed past Jay and stood

in front of Augie.

"What is it my boy?" Augie asked him.

"Those tox results you've been waiting on have just come

in." He handed over the folder from under his arm.

"Aaahh, wonderful. Thank you, Ed," he said. "I see you have

already perused them yourself."

Ed looked a little uncomfortable, "Yes, Sir. I took the

liberty of making a copy for Detective Marnotti since he was

scheduled down to be here for the viewing this morning."

His eyes cast downward and he looked a little

embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Dr. August. I thought I'd save you

some time copying and couriering them over later."

Augie rifled through the papers briefly and then smiled at

his eager young assistant. "Brilliant! How very thoughtful

of you, Ed. Thank you."

A broad smile spread across his face and he stood up

straighter, "Thank you, Sir. Thank you very much. I put

Detective Marnotti's copy in that envelope right there on the

top," he in-formed Augie, proud of himself for having

been so helpful.

Augie handed the envelope over to Jay, "Well, there you

are. I hope this helps." He turned back to Ed and said, "Is

suite 3 ready for autopsy yet Ed?"

Ed's smile faded. "I'm right on it Dr. August." He then

excused himself and headed back the way he came.

"Nice kid," Jay remarked.

"Sorry, what was that?" Asked Augie, totally immersed in

the results of Kylie-Anne's tox screens.

"Something there?" Jay asked. He shuf-fled closer to

Augie, reading over his shoulder.

"Halothane."

"What?"

"The swabs from her nose and throat showed positive

traces of Halothane."

"What exactly is Halothane, what does it do?"

"It's like a date rape drug. It totally im-mobilises a person,

but at the same time they are fully conscious of what is

going on around them. It's like being completely

paralysed."

"Was there any found on Tessa Hunts body?"

"No, as I said, her results were completely clear for any

substances."

Jay puzzled over the finding for a min-ute. "Maybe we are

dealing with a female killer. Son of a bitch! All this time, I

was sure it was a guy."

"Slow down Jay, this doesn't prove any-thing," cautioned

Augie.

"It proves that he or she was worried enough that they

couldn't overpower Kylie-Anne without the aid of a stifling

agent."

"Or, it could mean that your killer is all for making life

easier for him or herself. You said yourself that the

murderer is upgrading himself, speaking figuratively of

course." Augie offered.

"Damn it," Jay stomped his foot on the floor in

frustration. "What is going on here?"

"Wait a moment, what's this?" Augie's brow furrowed.

"What?"

"Her rape kit... It's positive for spermicide. Just a

suggestion Jay, but perhaps the two cases aren't linked

at all. Maybe the similarities are a coincidence."

"That's a big maybe Augie. Perhaps our killer is gaining

confidence and he's moving up to rape."

"You could be right."

"Well, we all know rape is about the power, not the sex

itself," Jay reminded him.

"I myself, tend to agree with your theory of one killer,

however, I also believe that to rule out all other

possibilities at this stage would be a critical mistake."

"Okay," Jay said. "What makes you think that the killer

may be the same?"

"This is just my personal opinion and I can't prove

anything..."

"I understand, go on."

"The mutilation. What are the chances that there are two

killers running around at the exact same time, cutting up

bodies in the exact same manner?"

Jay nodded his head, "Anything else?"

"Technically speaking, the incisions that were made in the

abdomen. They were similar in starting position, length,

depth and the foetus removal was precise with each girl.

The placenta's were left in tact with each victim."

"Why do you think the placenta was left behind?"

"Maybe your killer has their reasons, maybe it's just

chance. But I do know that he or she is improving with

handling the knife. Kylie-Anne's abdominal wounds were

severe, but much cleaner and smoother than Tessa's.

Apart from the different tools used to make the incisions

and the rape of Kylie-Anne, everything else between the

two cases is unquestionably similar."

"Gees Augie, this is just more twisted than I can fathom,"

said Jay.

"Look, take your tox copies back to work and I'll read mine

thoroughly. If there's any other discrepancies, I'll call you

immediately." With that, Augie returned to the viewing

room and left Jay in the corridor to gather his thoughts.

A minute or two later, Frank Saunders emerged from the

viewing room. His eyes were red and swollen from the

tears they had shed. It had been a long time since Jay

had seen a man so broken and beaten. His determination

to bring this killer to justice grew even stronger as he

stood there looking at Frank.

"So many things..."

"I don't understand," Jay answered.

Frank cleared his throat and started again. "There were so

many terrible things I said to her, so many things."

"I'm sure she is at peace now. Don't beat yourself up over

them."

"Is she? Does she really know that we did love her and

that we only did what we thought was best for her and

Ashleigh?"

Jay stared at him before answering. "We all do what we

think is right, Frank.

That's why we do what we do, isn't it?"

"The monster who did this, was he doing what he thought

was right?"

"We can't say for sure that it was a man..."

"Oh cut the formalities, Jay. I don't give a shit if he was a

she. Just find the damn animal that did this!"

"We're trying, Frank.' Jay stood up again and approached

him. 'But we need your help too."

"Our help? What can we do?" he shot back. "We didn't

murder her."

"I'm not saying you did. I'm just saying that we need any

information on Kylie-Anne that you may have. What

seems irrelevant to you could be vital to our

investigation."

"Like what? What sort of information?"

"The names of any of her friends or places she frequented,

that sort of stuff. What was your last conversation with

her?"

"I already told you last night, we haven't spoken to our

daughter for over three years. It was such a long time

ago."

"Think, Frank. Where would she have gone?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She was heavy into drugs,

marijuana mainly. She could have shacked up with any of

the losers she was buying that from."

"Do you know any of them, their names or where they

live?"

"No. Look, all I know is that I know noth-ing about my

daughter's life before three and a half years ago. I knew or

understood very little of her, even back then."

"I'm sorry to have to push you like this, especially under

these circumstances, but Ashleigh?"

"What about her?"

"Who is her father?"

"I have no idea and to be truthful. I don't know that Kylie-

Anne even knew."

Frank reached for his hanky again, before breaking into

tears.

Jay realised that he wasn't going to get anything of value

from him. He obviously knew very little about his

daughter's private affairs. "Thank you, Frank. I appreciate

you being so helpful. If you'd like to come back to

reception with me, we can finalise the release of Kylie-

Anne's body to your preferred funeral home for burial."

"Yes, I'd appreciate that, Jay." Frank tucked his hanky

back into his pants pocket and followed Jay towards the

reception.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The monotone voice of the message bank assistant cut

in. "You have one new message. Message received

yesterday at 11.27pm"

'Detective Payne, this is Marla Andrews from the

Wellness Clinic, I need to speak to you, as soon as

possible. It's important. There is something you should

know; I can't go into it now. Can you please call me back?

Thank you.'

Ben listened to the message again. The desperation in

her voice was evident. He saved her message on his

phone, threw it onto the bed and headed straight for the

shower, finally there was going to be more than cracks

appearing down at the Wellness Clinic. Marla was going to

blow the lid clean off the place, he could hear it in her

voice. For the first time in almost a month of investigating

Tessa's murder, he saw a glimmer of hope shining at the

end of the long, black tunnel he'd been walking down.

Ben threw the phone onto his bedside table and headed

into the bathroom.

He stepped into the shower, cold water splashed over his

face. His entire body felt invigorated by the drops that

rained down upon him. His thoughts travelled back to his

visit to the Wellness Clinic and his interview with Marla

and Dr. Sugars, finally the reason for their odd behaviour

and caginess would be revealed. Ben knew with every

ounce of his being, that today would change his, and

Jay's case; in a way they had never anticipated. He flicked

the taps off and reached for the towel draped over the

railing beside the shower cubicle. Wrapping it securely

around him, he hurried into his bed-room, pulled a set of

clothes from the hanger on his robe door and slipped

into them.

He grabbed his phone and stuffed it excitedly into his

shirt pocket before rushing downstairs, his pulse racing

in anticipation of Marla's upcoming revelation. Once or

twice he chided himself for being so excited, that's how

mistakes are made and vital information is overlooked.

He made his way to the kitchen bench and pulled a coffee

cup from the cup-board. Determined to slow himself

down he set the jug to boil and searched for his

notebook. Plucking it from amongst the debris on the

living room coffee table, he flipped through it and

surveyed his previous notes. This time he would get what

he was looking for if he had to set up camp in the

wellness clinic waiting room.

The kettle wailed it's shrill whistle, alert-ing him that it had

boiled. Ben placed his, coffee, sugar and milk in the cup

followed by the water. He stirred it vigorously, all the while

the excitement of what Marla was about to reveal to him

was building inside him. After two sips, he was unable to

contain himself any longer, he had been waiting for a
break for so long and now he was going to get it. He

poured the unfinished coffee down the sink and rinsed

his cup quickly before placing it upside down on the

drainer. With not so much as a second thought, he

snatched the keys from the holder and made a beeline for

the car.

He backed down the driveway and out onto the street,

with a swift gear change he found himself nestled

amongst the flow of traffic, heading east towards the city

centre. Twenty minutes later, he turned onto Link Avenue

and then onto Fort Street before halting steadily in the

nearest parking bay he could find. Ben turned off the

engine and sat in his seat, the anticipation of what he was

about to learn paralysing him. Deep breaths filled his

lungs with fresh air before escaping from his mouth ready

for the next intake. He pulled the sun visor down and

stared at his reflection in the tiny personal mirror behind

it. He studied his eyes and the sternness he wanted them

to hold, he pursed his lips in an attempt to remain firm. It

was time; he was ready.

The glass doors and marble columns that had so

impressed him before, no longer intimi-dated or held awe

for him. He was focussed. With one hand, he pushed on

the glass entrance, marched across the immaculately

shiny tiles and straight up to the reception counter. Just

as he was about to open his mouth, a petite red head

stared up at him and smiled courteously.

"Good morning, Sir, how may I help you?"

"What?" he choked out.

"How may I help you?" she continued, clearly confused by

his stalled behaviour.

"Who are you, where's Marla?"

"My name is Sandy. I'm sorry, Sir, I can't give you any

personal information. Is there something else I can help

you with?"

"Sandy..."

"Yes?"

"You go and get Marla and tell her Detective Payne is

here to see her... please."

"Detective? Uumm, well..."

"What? It's a simple request."

"Marla didn't come in today, Sir."

"She what? Well when did she call in sick?"

Sandy's eyes darted around like a frightened deer, "Well I...

I Don't..."

"Where's Dr. Sugars?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Detective, she can't be disturbed, she's on

a conference call at the moment."

Something inside Ben snapped, the Wellness Clinic, Marla

and Dr. Sugars had jerked him around for the last time.

He spun on his heel and marched deliberately down the

corridor and crashed through the door at the end.

Sandy ran out from behind her desk and scurried after

him. "Wait, Detective... You can't go in there!"

Ben turned and faced Sandy when he stepped into the

office, then with a wry smile, slammed the door in her

face. He spun around and saw Dr. Sugars sitting behind

her expensive oak desk, her eyes bulging and her mouth

slightly ajar.

"Where's Marla?"

"Well, good morning to you too! What gives you the right

to come barging into my office this way? I hope you have a

warrant, Detective." Her cool words sprayed from her

mouth like venom.

"No, I don't have a warrant, Rose... I can still call you Rose,

can't I?" The sarcasm oozed from his lips. "I have

something much better than a warrant."

"And what would that be?"

"A need."

"Excuse me... A what?"

"A need, Rose. A need to speak to Marla, a need to know

what's going on here, a need to get to the truth of these

murders I'm investigating and..."

"Get out of my office immediately..."

"Don't interrupt me please, I am express-ing myself." He

spat back at her before continuing on unabated. "I need

to know why you are playing games with us?"

"Us?"

"Yes, Detective Marnotti and myself. Us."

"I'm not playing..."

"Where is Marla, Rose?"

"She's sick."

"What time did she call in?"

"She didn't."

"So what time did you call her?"

"I didn't call her."

"So how do you know she's sick?"

"I just assumed..."

"Does she often skip work and not call you?"

"No, never..."

"So wouldn't you consider this a little odd?"

"Well, yes I guess so, but..."

"Why didn't you call her Rose?"

"I... I... I was going to."

"What, you decided you'd wait until morning tea time

huh?"

Rose wrung her hands together so tightly that her

knuckles turned white, her eyes avoided Ben's and she

slumped in her chair. "No, I just thought..."

"What is going on here, Rose, be straight with me before I

haul you down to the station for obstruction!"

The colour drained from her face and she sighed deeply.

"We had a fight last night, when I dropped her home." Her

words were barely a whisper and she covered her face with

her hands.

"About what?"

Rose regained some composure and sat a little stiffer in

her seat. "About her pregnancy."

"She's pregnant?"

"Yes. She was planning to terminate and she didn't want

me to tell her Father."

"And why would she be worried about you telling her

Father? You're just her..."

"Mother!" She hissed, cutting him short.

"You are Marla's mother?" Ben stepped back, the shock

knocking the wind out of him. Glancing behind him, he

moved to his left and sat in the easy chair.

"Yes, Detective. I bet you didn't see that one coming did

you?"

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You never asked... I didn't see that it was important, and

quite frankly I still don't. I am only telling you now so that

you understand why I haven't contacted her today. I'm

giving her some space. She'll cool down and be back at

work tomorrow. That, I am certain of."

Ben sat forward in his chair and stared di-rectly into her

pale blue eyes. "What else haven't you told me that you

think isn't important, Rose?"

She raised her silvering eyebrows and looked away,

"Nothing. There is nothing to tell."

"Oh, I think there's a lot to tell and I am going to keep

digging until I find it, so you'd better get used to seeing

my face around here, Rose." He pushed himself up from

the easy chair and walked towards the door. "What's

Marla's address?"

"What do you want that for? I told you, she'll be just..."

"Her address please, Rose. Now."

She slumped back again and whispered, "42 Mayberry

Terrace."

"Thanks for your time. I look forward to seeing you again

soon."

Back at his car, he turned the key and the engine roared to

life, the power purring from beneath the bonnet in waves.

While the car sat there idle, Ben pulled his phone from his

pocket and called Jay.

"Jayy?"

"Yo, Ben... what's up?"

"You busy?"

"Just leaving the morgue," he replied.

"You got a positive I.D. from the parents then?"

"From Frank, yeah. Where are you?"

"I can't explain too much right now, can you meet me?"

"Sure. Is everything ok Ben?"

"I don't know, Jayy, I guess we are about to find out. I'll

be at 42 Mayberry Terrace."

"Got it,' said Jay. 'See you there in ten."

Ending the call, Ben threw the phone down on the

passenger seat of the car, shifted into reverse and rolled

out of the car park before joining the stream of traffic. The

congestion on the highway was murder, bumper to

bumper for as far as he could see. Just what he needed to

cap off his already badly started day. It always annoyed

Ben when it took twenty minutes just to get from one

side of Showsdale city centre to the other, it would have

been quicker to travel the outskirts. More kilometers but

fewer hold ups. By ten-fifteen, he had successfully negoti-

ated his way from east to west and made a right turn onto

Evergreen Crescent followed by a left into Applegum Drive

and a final right onto Mayberry Terrace. The area was

commonly referred to as Shrub City by the locals due to

the streets of the four square blocks, all being named

after trees and flowers of sorts.

He rolled slowly along Mayberry Terrace, noting the

development of the surroundings. There were at least five

vacant blocks, two houses in the process of being built

and a further three blocks under excavation. Ahead of him

was a cul-de-sac lined with dense bush land. Ben thought

how eerie it must appear to the naked eye at night. It

would be a child's nightmare to have that as the view from

their bedroom window. Number 42 appeared on his left at

the end of the cul-de-sac, the single story timber home

butted directly up against the scrub, with not so much as

a fence dividing the house from the nature strip.

Ben came to a halt in front of the quaint ivory and green

painted home. He remained in his car and observed the

house before him. The driveway was bricked up, quite

loosely too he thought. The front steps appeared to be in

need of some repair and a new paint job. Compared to

the rest of the house, the railing was old and peeling. He

tried to imagine Marla standing out in the heat with a can

of paint and a brush... no wonder it hadn't been fixed. A

brief smile tugged at his lips, he couldn't imagine a

woman such as her ever getting her hands dirty.

The sound of Jay's cruiser filled his ears. Ben looked in

his rear vision mirror and saw him turn into Mayberry

Terrace. He roared along and pulled up behind him,

honking his horn as a final alert to his presence. He

grabbed his phone from the seat next to him and

climbed out of the Chevy, locking the door behind him.

He stood on the roadside for a moment and waited for

Jay to climb down from his cruiser.

"Gees, Ben. What are we doin' out n the sticks?"

"Thought we'd pay a little visit to the Ice Queen," he joked.

"Really? You mean this is where she lives?" Jay stared at

the rather plain house.

"I kinda pictured her as the brick and tile type."

"Me too. She's just full of surprises isn't she?"

"Now why do I feel that there's more to that question than

meets the ear?"

"Marla left a message on my phone last night," said Ben

pulling out his phone. He entered his message bank,

keyed in his pin and threw his phone to Jay. "Here, you

listen for yourself."

Jay held the phone to his ear and listened intently.

"Sounds like she had some pretty beefy news for ya. So is

that why we're here?" He threw the phone back to Ben.

"Marla didn't show for work today."

Jay stared at Ben.

"I called by the Wellness Clinic only to find some little red

head where Marla should have been."

"What did the good doctor have to say about it?" Asked

Jay.

"Rose hadn't heard from her. Boy is she some piece of

work though."

"How so?"

"Let's just say she is full of secrets." He glanced back at

Jay and added, "She is Marla's mother."

"Now there's an image I can live with-out!"

Ben chuckled and walked up the brick driveway looking

around the yard as he went. Jay followed, lighting a

cigarette as he walked behind him. Upon reaching the

front steps, Ben held his arm out and said to Jay, "After

you."

"Are you kidding? Those damn things don't even look like

they would hold my weight!"

"Oh alright then... you sook," laughed Ben, his foot lifting

to the first step.

A couple of steps later he was at the front door, the paint

job on that was looking a little worse for ware too. Ben

raised his hand and knocked several times loudly, then

stood back and waited for Marla to appear. He looked

back down at Jay.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

Jay was disappearing around the side. 'Just checking the

joint out. No harm in looking is there?'

"Well mind your manners, we have no warrant you know."

He looked back at the door, Marla still hadn't answered,

he banged louder and waited a bit longer.

"Yo, Ben..." Jay yelled from around the side of the house.

"You might wanna come take a look at this."

Ben left the front door, scooted down the steps and raced

around the side of the house, following Jay's voice. He

was hit in the face with various tree branches and foliage

from the unbridled nature strip

"Shit," he cussed loudly.

"Over here, Ben."

A few steps further, the scrub was down trodden and Jay

was standing aside staring up at an open window, the

glass broken and splinters of wood strewn about the

ground and architrave.

Ben took a minute to digest the scene and then said,

"Jayy, these shards of glass and splinters of wood are on

the outside. Why would someone break out?" He thought

a few seconds longer and then it dawned on him. "Unless

someone was dragged or pushed out?"

Jay looked at him, his face stern, "Who needs a warrant?

We've just found probable cause."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Anna scoured her case files carefully, looking for any hint

or cryptic clue that may be present. Ever since Ben had

come to see her last night, she had been searching her

memory for any comments that Tessa or Kylie-Anne may

have made that held commonalities or some sort of link

that could be important to their deaths. Neither of them

knew the other, or so she believes, neither of them

mentioned any names that were the same or similar. As

far as she knew, they were from different backgrounds

entirely. Tessa appeared to be more refined in her

appearance and what she wanted from life, whereas Kylie-

Anne was more comfortable living the seedier side of life,

dabbling in drugs and casual sex.

Her mind wandered back to Ben, his coolness last night

had been everything she had never expected or

experienced from him before. It had thrown her. She had

always been able to handle him, pacify him, now it

appeared that she had lost that control. She wasn't sure

what upset her the most, his treatment of her or the fact

that she hadn't been able to subdue him. Either way she

realised that what he needed from her was far more

important than what she needed from him. Perhaps this

once she could let him take charge and be the man he

had always tried to be with her. Two women were dead

and Ben was at a loss for the motive or a suspect.

The stack of files before her were all re-lated to the

Wellness Clinic, their referrals for the last six months. She

had been through them all, and not one of them bore any

marked similari-ties to another. The only things they had

in common were they were all pregnant and had sought

advice from the wellness clinic. Marla Andrews file sat on

the very top of the pile. Marla had been referred just last

week, much to Anna's surprise. She knew Marla personally

from her dealings with the clinic and was a little shocked

that she hadn't gone elsewhere for her counselling and

termination procedure. Anna couldn't imagine having a

termination at a clinic where she worked. She wouldn't be

comfortable with her boss knowing that she had the

proce-dure done. It struck her as odd. But then, so too

was Marla and Dr. Sugars for that matter.

In all her dealings with them they had been pleasant and

professional enough, that was true, but there was

definitely something odd with those two. They were

usually more than helpful to her when she had phoned

them regarding their clients, although there was that one

time... Yes, what was that? Anna sifted back through the

files in front of her, pulling out a thin one and placing it

on the desk in front of her. She opened it and scanned

the few sheets of paper inside. A young homeless girl.

That's right, Marla had snapped at her when she phoned

her to ask if the termination had actually been carried out

because the girl hadn't returned for her follow up consult.

It had shocked her at first, she was only doing what she

was being paid to do and nearly had her head bitten off

for her troubles. She learned not to ask too many

questions after that. Dr. Sugars had phoned a few days

later asking if Anna had heard from the young girl as she

hadn't had the termination she was scheduled for and

hadn't returned to the clinic again. Rose expressed her

concern about the girl and said that if she returned to see

Anna, she was to allow her in and they would pick up the

tab. Anna recalled thinking how generous the offer was as

Dr. Sugars had made it crystal clear from the beginning

that nothing other than termination discussions were

being paid for.

Her head crowded with thoughts and questions, Anna

closed the file and threw it back onto the pile in front of

her. She rose from her chair, scooped up the files and

walked them into her records room where she placed

them back in the cabinet. She closed the draw and locked

it with the key. Her arms stretched above her head and

she let out a deep breath, her regular relaxation

technique. She could feel every aching muscle pull tightly

with each lengthening of her arms and then recoil in

respite. Once she released all her tensions, Anna returned

to her office and stared at the envelope sitting on her

desk.

Her divorce papers had been delivered this morning. Ben

must have signed them earlier than expected. She was in

two minds about them now. Part of her was relieved that

the worst was over and yet some small part of her realised

that she had now lost the only man in her life who she

could always count on to come running when things got

tough. Sure, he was not the husband he could have been,

but he was always there to bail her out of whatever mess

she got herself into. If only he had have been more

supportive of her, loved her unquestionably and been

beside her when it had really counted.

Just like Daddy, Ben had used her for whatever purpose he

may have felt like at the time, but his love was conditional.

If she wanted it, she had to uphold her end of the bargain

and make him happy, whatever that meant. But, just like

Daddy, Anna had found her way free of Ben and his

conditions too. Neither of them have a right to bother her

again nor will they. Apart from her role in the case Ben is

working on right now, he won't play a part in her life

anymore. A smile spread across her face, she was finally

free. Life was good.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Flashing neon lights of red and blue lit up Mayberry

Terrace. People from the surrounding houses stood on

their front lawns watching, their curiosity apparent. Police

officers walked from family to family, scribbling in their

notebooks and questioning them about their neighbour

at number 42. The striking yellow crime scene tape was

wound tightly from Marla's driveway right across her front

yard to the bush land at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Barricades were set up in front of the bush land and

beside the house. On the front porch CSU dusted the

railing, door and windows for prints, their brushes

whirling gracefully from side to side, transferring the fine,

black powder onto their surface.

Inside, another crew from forensics worked the bedroom

where the broken glass and splinters had originated. The

crime scene photographer made the rounds of the

bedroom, clicking away at every piece of possible evidence

from every possible angle. He documented each

photograph in a small notebook as he went about his

rounds. 'The Duke', aptly nicknamed due to his

unfortunate name of Earl Lord, busily gathered pieces of

the broken window frame and small shards of glass,

which were strew about the floor below the bedroom

window. These pieces of evidence were placed into small

containers and documented according to their nature,

relevance and position at the crime scene.

"You get a shot of these here, Matt?" he'd asked the

photographer before he touched a single splinter or

shard.

"Sure did," was always the reply.

The Duke dusted the remaining window-pane, frame and

ledge for prints, not that he expected to find any other

than Marla's. In this day and age of forensic T.V. shows

and police procedurals, it was unlikely that any perp left

prints anymore, but there was always the small chance

that would-be villain would be so involved with the finer

details of his or her crime, that they may forget the most

basic detail of all... gloves! The chances were slim, but it

was still a shot worth taking. He opened the small metal

canister of dusting powder, dipped the brush in and

coated it lightly with the black powder before swirling it

delicately back and forth over every square inch of

dustable surface. A number of latents stood out

immediately around the edge of the pane, where the

window lock sat.

"Get a shot of this for me will you, Matt?" he asked.

Matt stepped in with his camera and clicked away before

meticulously noting the shots in his book.

"Thanks," said The Duke and then set about lifting the

prints from the window with his sticky tape like, latent's

cards. Once again each individual card was labeled and

docu-mented according to where it was found. "Have you

photographed the outside perimeters yet? Might be an

idea to get to it as soon as possible before the heavy

hooves go traipsing through there destroying any value it

may hold," he instructed Matt.

Matt shot him a playful wink and replied, "Already done

my man, already done!"

The Duke then moved over to the Queen size bed against

the wall in the centre of the bedroom. He noted the ruffled

covers and disorganised sheets, two pillows were lying on

the floor beside the bed and one was crushed up between

the bed frame and the wall. He in-spected the sheets for

any visible signs of fluids or hairs. He pulled his tweezers

and a small orange collection envelope from his case,

hoping against hope that he may find something other

than the victims hairs caught within the linen. He

collected and stored several strands of long

black hair and sealed them safely in the enve-lope. No

fluids were visible to the naked eye, but airing on the side

of caution, the entire set of sheets and the doonah were

stuffed into evidence bags for closer inspection under the

lights and microscopes back at the lab.

He continued on his rounds, using a small vacuum

cleaner to sweep the floor of any fibres, hairs and other

possibly case breaking evidence. As per the norm, it was

all fastidiously documented and sealed within the

confines of his evidence bags. He turned back to the

photogra-pher and said, "If you're ready, we'll move and

take a look at the rest of the house, Matt. I think we're

pretty much done in here."

"Ready when you are," Matt replied.

Outside, a search party, consisting of po-lice officers and

S.E.S workers, were gathering next to the barricades in

front of the scrub. The tiny cul-de-sac was a beehive of

activity. Ben and Jay stood at the head of the crowd,

waiting for the idle prattle to die down before instructing

them on what or who they are looking for.

"Right, a bit of hush eh?" Jay bellowed out above the

crowd.

The dull roar of voices lowered and fi-nally ceased

altogether. Jay had at least thirty sets of eyes all focused

and set on him.

"Ok, thanks. Now what we're looking for here, are any

signs of our suspected victim Marla Andrews. All signs

point to an abduction possibly even foul play. Our best

plan of attack at this stage is to scour the scrub here," he

turned and pointed into the dense bush land behind him,

"For clues."

The crowd of men and women all stared at the thick

foliage, towering scattering of trees and leaf and twig

covered ground. They then turned to each other with

looks of dismay and lower than average hopes.

"Detective Payne is circulating among you now with a

photocopied picture of our missing woman."

Ben walked through the search party and handed out the

colour photocopy of Marla. Jay continued with his

speech. "It is not known what she may have been wearing

at the time of her disappearance so any cloth or other

items of apparel may be of the highest importance and

should be treated as evidence. Do we all have our

whistles?"

The crowd tooted lightly on the whistles hanging around

their necks in response.

"Excellent. It's now eleven forty-five, let's meet back here at

one thirty for updates and refreshments. So please make

sure your water bottles are topped up and you have hats

and sunscreen."

The crowd formed a long thin line and walked towards the

barricades. "One last thing," cried Jay. "Please make sure

you are within plain view of the search party on either side

of you at all times. Ok, that's it. Thanks and good luck."

The search party made their way past the barricades and

entered the canopy of the scrub behind them, their hopes

were high and their motivation even higher.

"Do you think they'll find her?" Ben asked as he watched

the searchers disappear into the trees.

Jay nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, I reckon they

will."

The men walked back towards the side of the house where

the window had been smashed. The Duke was down on

one knee collecting whatever splinters and glass shards

he could find from the grass.

"I'm all done in the bedroom up there," he nudged his

nose up towards the window. "I found a small piece of

torn stocking caught on a sliver of glass out here." He

held up a clear plastic bag and showed them the piece of

tan coloured netting.

Ben took the bag from him and had a closer inspection,

he handed it to Jay and said, "Stockings. I'd guess that

Marla wasn't in bed when she was taken."

"How you figure that?" Jay asked.

"You ever known a woman to wear stockings to bed?"

"There's a good point!" Jay smiled back.

"What do you think, Jay? Could this be our killer...

again?"

Jay stood up straight, placed his hands on his hips and

lowered his head. "I'm thinking so, it'd be just too much

of a coincidence for it to be a totally unrelated abduction.

Don't ya think?"

"Unfortunately, I tend to agree with you, but we can always

hope eh?" Ben asked, clinging to a ray of hope.

The bush land behind them suddenly came alive with the

echoes of yelling and whistles screeching their shrill wails.

Any hope Ben had been clinging to was lost. A young

officer came bolting out from between the trees, gasping

and panting.

"We've found her, about half a kilometer in." He scrambled

for air and then continued. "She's dead, oh Christ... I've

never seen..." Before he could finish his sentence, he

lunged back to the scrub and vomited.

Ben and Jay exchanged glances and prepared for the

real nightmare to unfold before them.

"I'll go check it out," Ben sighed, "you wait here with Duke

until I confirm her identity. Okay, Jayy?"

"You want me to do it?"

"No thanks, mate. I've got it covered." Ben winced and

walked off into the scrub. The dense foliage gave way to a

scattering of trees and small ferns as Ben stepped further

into the bush land. Only the occasional crackling and

scrunching of leaves and twigs, beneath his feet,

interrupted his thoughts. Even thought there had been

no rain recently, the air felt and smelled damp. It

reminded him more of a rainforest than bush land.

Muffled voices sounded ahead of him. Ben looked up and

saw a swarm of search and rescue volunteers all gathered

around the base of a large Eucalypt tree.

"Detective," yelled one man, "over here."

Ben continued his walk towards the crowd, his heart

thumping wildly in his chest. His legs suddenly felt as

though they were made of steel and he was unsure if they

would even carry him any further. They did.

"Okay, stand aside boys." He gestured with his hand and

the crowd parted. "Sweet Jesus!" Cried Ben.

He recalled the Hunt crime scene and it had been no

picnic. But this... this was horrendous. Marla was semi

naked; her arms were behind her and tied to a rope that

had been wrapped around the trunk of the Eucalypt tree.

Both her legs bore deep cuts and bruises. Once again, the

abdominal region was horribly mutilated and ripped

open. Her breasts had been removed, only this time

instead of taking them; the killer had placed them in

Marla's hands and tied them in place. It appeared that this

act was personal. Tessa Hunt and Kylie-Anne Saunders'

murders didn't bear that characteristic.

'That's Marla Andrews alright,' he mumbled to the

volunteer closest to him. 'You lot stay here until the

coroner shows up. You three,' Ben pointed to a line of

men, 'come with me.' He led the men out of the bush

land and back to the barricades at the end of the cul-de-

sac. 'I want you to spread out along here and keep the

press out! Is that clear?'

The men nodded.

"Right." Said Ben before walking back over to the house.

"That look on your face tells me it's Marla for sure," Jay

said, his tone low.

"Yes." Was all Ben could manage.

"Oh hell. You want me to break the news to Rose?" Jay

asked.

"Would you? I'm not up to dealing with her right now." He

turned to The Duke and said, "Might be best if you call

Seth, we're going to need him. We're going to need some

photo's in there too."

"You got it," the Duke replied, pulling out his mobile

phone.

Ben looked back at Jay. "Okay, Jayy, you get going to

Rose's and I'll call you later."

"Oh shit!" cried Jay, walking back to the street in front of

the house.

Ben ran up behind him to see what was going on.

"Looks like she's saved me a trip," Jay said, pointing to

the silver Volkswagon convertible that just pulled up out

the front of Marla's house.

Rose leapt from her car before she had even parked it

properly, leaving the door wide open and the keys still

dangling from the ignition. "Marla, Marla..."

Jay cut her off before she was able to en-ter the house;

his big arms wrapped tightly around her and held her

from going any further.

"Where's Marla?" her eyes widened, pleading with him to

dull her fears. "Where is she Detective?"

Jay held her tighter, "I'm so sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

She beat her fists harshly against his broad chest, tears

welling in her eyes. "No! No, no, no, no."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Marla's murder was still foremost on Jay's mind as he

twisted the taps off and stepped out of the shower. He

grabbed for a towel and dried himself off before wrapping

it tightly around his hips. Maybe it was the fact that he

knew her that allowed her death to keep intruding upon

his thoughts. She wasn't his first homicide case and she

probably wouldn't be his last. It felt rather odd to Jay

that he had been at the scene of a crime all afternoon and

now, here he was preparing for a date. In what warped

existence does a person live with morbidity day in and day

out and then simply switch from the macabre to the

everyday run of life?

"No, not tonight! Tonight is not about murder and death.

It's my night," he ordered himself to let go of his job for

one night.

Jay stooped down and buried his hand deep into the

furthest recesses of his bathroom cupboard. He was sure

he had some cologne stashed in there. Leaning in further

still, his arm now almost devoured by the cabinet, he felt

the old familiar shape of his bottle of 'Drive, For Men' after

shave. With a vice-like grip, he grabbed the bottle and

reefed it from the shelf, then untangled himself from the

midst of other personal hygiene products he'd tossed

about during the search. His feet kicked and shoved the

discarded items out from under him and he stood

proudly in front of the mirror, the spoils of his quest in

hand.

The lid popped off the bottle with a little gentle

persuasion and Jay immersed himself with the

contents, ensuring he covered every square inch from his

cheeks and ears all the way down to his navel. He threw

the cologne onto the vanity top and ran his hands across

his face, his fingers inspecting the closeness of his shave.

Tonight was the big night and he was going impress, he

wanted Danni and he wanted her to want him just as

much. He wasn't sure of what would happen during their

date, but the one thing he was certain of. Tonight there

would be no sex, no going home with her, he wanted this

night to be different, special, and he was deter-mined it

would be.

A pair of blue denim jeans dangled from a hanger on his

robe door, he pulled them on and tucked in his steely

blue, dress shirt. He threaded a black, woven leather belt

through the holders in his jeans and fastened it with his

favourite oversized cowboy buckle. The damn thing was

nearly three inches squared and

weighed as much as Bill Gate's bank balance, but Jay

liked it and wore it proudly. His trusty Redwings sat on

the floor before him, he eyed them momentarily and at

the last minute opted for his black lace up shoes instead.

He pulled them on and began to tie the laces into

perfectly neat bows.

"Shit!" he cried. His concentration had been such that he

had somehow managed to overlook one very important

item of clothing... His socks! Jay reprimanded himself

for acting so foolishly; he was only going on a date for

crying out loud. It wasn't the first date he'd ever been on,

however it was the first date in a long time that he was

excited enough about to forget to dress himself properly.

He walked slowly to the bathroom mirror and studied his

appearance carefully, confident that all was as it should

be, he brushed his hair and sprayed his mouth with

breath freshener.

The neatly handwritten printing on the coaster Danni had

given him, read 14 Cloverdale Street. Jay stared at it

briefly admiring the structure of her letters and the way

she inserted a small circle over the top of the letter I in her

name, it was sweet. A little childish perhaps, but that may

be just what he needs, a fresh burst of enthusiasm to

kick-start his often morbid existence. All of a sudden it

occurred to Jay that he knew absolutely nothing about

her, he didn't even know how old she was. She would

have to be at least eighteen he reasoned, other-wise she

couldn't legally be working in a bar. Tonight he would find

out all about her. Jay pulled his phone from the charger

and began to stuff it in his pocket when it started ringing.

"Yeah, Marnotti."

"Jay. It's, Paula."

"Paula, glad to hear from ya. What did ya manage to dig

up for me?"

"A real surprise packet... lots of juicy tid bits for you to

sink your teeth into actually. I think your going to like it."

"What can I say, you're a real dirt hound..."

"I'll take that as a compliment shall I?" said Paula,

laughing.

"I guess you can."

"Anyway, Jayy. I dropped by the station house today,

thought I'd save you coming to me."

"You didn't leave it in plain view did ya?" He asked, his

panic rising.

"Hell no! What do you take me for? This is on the hush

remember? I'm looking after my own ass here too you

know."

"Good girl, I knew I could count on you." Jay relaxed a

little and drew back on his cigarette. "So where can I find

this fountain of knowledge then?"

"I still have it with me. I thought we might meet tomorrow

sometime and discuss it?"

Jay thought for a moment. "Sure, why not. Where and

what time, Paula?" He asked.

"How does 11.30 at Café Cino fit for you?"

"Yeah, should be able to do that. I got an autopsy first up,

but I can meet ya right after."

"Great, you have my number?"

"I sure do, I'll give you a call when I'm done." He hung up

the phone.

Jay smiled a knowing smile, this would bring about

Anna's day of reckoning. Although Paula hadn't said

much to him, he could tell that whatever she found was

definitely going to be pay dirt. He tucked the phone into

his pocket and grabbing his suede jacket from the end of

the bed, headed to his car. He would deal with Anna

tomorrow. Tonight was for him and Danni.

His cruiser came to rest noisily in front of a cream

coloured cottage. It's green trim and guttering reminded

him of the cute little ocean-side huts he'd once stayed in

while holidaying with mates from uni. He looked at it,

wondering if she was renting it or if she owned it. Not that

he cared, but if it was hers he could already see about half

a dozen things he would have to do to the place in order

to make it 'safe'. The camphor laurel tree that butted up

against the side window would need to be trimmed,

security screens would need to be installed and the stack

of pavers next to the steps would definitely have to go.

This house was just crying to be broken into and all the

tools to do so were easily accessible. Jay flipped down

the visor and gave himself one last look over in the mirror

before he walked to the door.

The pathway was unsteady beneath his feet and he almost

lost his footing twice, the pavers he had seen beside the

steps were obviously waiting to replace the loose ones.

"Hi there." Danni's voice pulled his attention away from

the paving.

Jay looked up and was greeted with the most beautiful

sight he had ever laid his eyes upon. Her blonde curls fell

casually over her naked shoulders; her full lips were

coated with pale mauve lip-gloss and those eyes... They

were the deepest brown he had ever seen.

"Hey," he managed with a pleased smile. In an attempt to

play down his awe, he quickly commented on her house.

"Nice digs... yours?"

She looked around her, nodding. "Sure is, and all eight

hundred square meters of ground it sits on!"

Jay kept staring at her, but said nothing.

"Well technically the bank owns it."

"Yeah, blood thirsty savages that they are. Mine too."

"What?" Her confusion was obvious.

"The bank... They own mine too."

"Oh, yeah." A nervous laugh escaped her.

He surveyed the yard again, clicking his tongue and

turning in half circles.

Danni followed his lead and looked around her,

bewilderment in her eyes. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"More than you realise," he replied, still turning and

scanning.

"I know the lawns and gardens are a little overgrown, but

I'm getting to it."

"You really have no idea do ya?" he blurted out.

She stared at him, stupefied.

"Danni, this yard is just full of possibilities for a would-be

intruder." He walked over to the pavers and threw one up

in the air, catching it again and holding it up to her. "See

these? They are perfect for smashing windows and locks."

Next he motioned her to the camphor laurel tree around

the side. "Please tell me this isn't your bedroom here?" He

said, pointing to the window.

She nodded.

He made a tisk-tisk sound with his tongue and shook his

head.

"What?" she asked, still looking confused.

"This tree, it's as good as a ladder to get in there... It's a

bloody welcome mat for cryin' out loud!"

"Stop it, Jay, you're scaring me." her words trembling as

she said them.

"Scared is good, well a little bit scared anyway... It keeps

you alert and on your toes. You just can't be too careful

Danni."

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and

nodded. She walked behind him as he made his way back

to the pathway.

"Looks like we've got some work to do, doesn't it?"

Her eyes rested on his and she tilted her head in

agreement.

"Well..." he held out his hand. "You ready then?"

"As I'll ever be." she returned to the front door, twisted the

key and then pushed back hard against the door to

ensure it was properly locked. "Let's go."

She walked down the front steps and took his hand.

Jay walked around to the drivers side door and got in, to

his surprise Danni simply stood on the footpath gawking

at his cruiser.

"You've got to be kidding?" her jaw hit the ground.

"What? Sumthin wrong with my car?" It suddenly dawned

on him that she had never seen his car before now. Both

times they had left Bluey's together, he had been too

drunk to drive and so they had caught a taxi. Panic filled

him, maybe she wasn't his type after all, if she didn't like

his cruiser then she wasn't the girl for him.

"I love these machines!" she clapped her hands on her

thighs and squealed in delight before pulling the door

open and jumping in beside him. "Wow, it's even got a

holy shit bar."

"A what?"

"A holy shit bar," she cried as she grabbed onto the thick,

foam clad, metal bar above the dashboard. "I adore these

things. My brother and I had an old cruiser on the farm

when we were kids and we'd drive around the muddy

paddocks from daylight till dusk, just chucking do-nuts

and trying to get bogged! All the while I'd be hanging on

to this thing for dear life and screaming holy shit."

Jay roared laughing, slapping his hands against the

steering wheel he said, "Danni, you truly are a breath of

fresh air!" He fired up the engine and pulled out into the

street still chuckling to himself.

They drove for a few minutes, Jay looked at Danni and

smirked wickedly, she smiled a little apprehensively and

looked at her knees and then finally out the window.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Her smile wasn't convincing.

In a desperate bid to liven the mood, he pulled his cd

wallet out from between the seats and threw it to Danni.

"See anything you like?"

She opened the dusty leather case and be-gan scanning

the array of various discs he had on offer.

"Keith Urban, Slim Dusty, Adam Brand... What are you a

country buff?" She turned to him and shot him her most

dazzling smile. "Garth Brooks... Now there's a country

man I just go crazy over." She slid the disc out of the case

and handed it to Jay.

He pushed the CD into the player and turned the volume

up a little. It impressed him that she hadn't given him the

big spiel about how country music is dead and only hicks

listen to that stuff. He liked her more and more with each

passing minute. She zipped the case up and placed it

back between the seats, then reached over and turned the

volume up another few notches.

"So, where are we off to this evening?"

Jay ran his eyes over her body, her breasts filled out her

off the shoulder blouse perfectly and her faded denim

jeans couldn't have fit her shapely legs any better if he

wanted them to.

"Well the way you're dressed, I know where I wanna take

you!"

She bowed her head and covered her eyes with her hands,

disguising her embarrassment. "Behave will you?"

"I thought we'd do something a bit different."

"Really?" she stared at him, clearly puzzled. "And what

would that be? Macca's by moonlight?"

"What a bloody brilliant idea!" Jay swung the cruiser into

the right hand lane and spun the cruiser into a U-Turn,

heading back the way they had just come. His smile grew

broader when he flicked on his indicator and turned left

into Bank Street, then right onto Hogan Avenue and

finally turning into the McDonalds drive-thru.

Danni laughed so hard she nearly cried. "You are a bloody

classic," she choked out between her fits of hysterics.

Jay rolled his eyes at her fit of the giggles and pulled up

to the cashier at the orders window. The attendant stared

down at him and said, "Hi and welcome to McDonalds,

what would you like to order?"

"I'll have a Big Mac, large fries, large coke, two apple pies

and..." He returned to Danni who was by now laughing so

much she couldn't have said a word even if she wanted to.

"And she'll have a Happy Meal!"

The cashier leaned in towards the cruiser and stared

blankly at the passenger inside, he blinked stupidly at her

once or twice, looked back at Jay and simply said, "That'll

be $18.60 thanks, proceed to the next window and enjoy

your night."

Jay handed over the money and rolled down to the next

window where their order was waiting. He took the bag

from the young girl behind the counter and thanked her

before speeding off with his passenger still rolling around

beside him in fits of laughter.

Ten minutes later Jay pulled into the parking bay of the

best lookout in town. "Here we are," he said pulling the

parking break on and killing the engine. Danni glanced

out the window and fell silent.

"What do ya think?" he asked, concerned she was no

longer laughing or talking.

She gazed from left to right and back again; she pushed

open her door and jumped down from the cruiser. Jay

followed her, placing their dinner on the bonnet of the car.

"Oh Jay, it's breath taking!"

The pitch-black sky was like an endless black hole covered

by a dazzling blanket of glittering stars. Below them lay

Showsdale, the shimmering city lights cast their glow

upwards into the air, meeting with the stars and the great

blackness of the night. The result was a cascade of

illumination the likes of which Danni had never seen

before. She stood quietly, her head tilted toward the stars.

Jay was overwhelmed with the urge to take her in his

arms, but held back. He promised himself that tonight

was going to be a strictly 'hands off' affair.

"Glad you like it. It cost me a fortune paying those

astronauts to hang all them light bulbs up there for ya

like that. A man's gotta work into retirement to pay for it

now!"

Danni giggled and threw herself into his arms. "Thank

you, this is just so beautiful." She planted a kiss gently on

his cheek.

"How about some dinner music?" he wiggled away from

her and returned to the cruiser.

"Sure, sounds great," she replied, following him and

wrapping her arms around him once more.

He patted her hands and left her embrace yet again. A

worried look crossed her face.

"Is everything ok Jay... With us, I mean?"

He looked back at her and began setting their dinner out

on the bonnet. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"The way you pulled away from me just now, I thought..."

Jay grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him.

"Everything is just perfect, in fact it couldn't be better. I

just wanted tonight to be about us y'know, not about the

sex and the flings we've had in the past. Fresh start with a

clean slate."

Danni smiled sweetly at him.

He stepped back and grabbed her Happy Meal, handing it

to her he said, "Bon appetite giggle-pot!"

Throwing the last of the rubbish into a bag, Jay lifted

Danni onto the bonnet of his cruiser and then pulled

himself up beside her. She snuggled up beside him and

melted into him. She smelled so good that he wanted to

tear her clothes off just to get closer to her, but he had

promised himself that would not happen, not tonight.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, rubbing his hands up and

down her arms.

"A little, but I'm ok." she nuzzled deeper into him.

"I've got a blanket if ya want?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine really. Just stay with me... don't

move."

He hugged her tighter and kissed her on the top of the

head. Without warning she burst into tears and began

rambling incoherently. "Oh Jay, I'm so sorry... so, so

sorry."

He sat forward and held her arms trying to look into her

eyes. "What are you talking about, Danni what's wrong?"

"I didn't want for this to happen... I don't know how..."

Jay jumped from the bonnet and lifted her down and

into his arms. Cradling her he brushed the hair from her

face and spoke again. "What are you talking about? Didn't

mean for what to happen?"

She looked at him through her tears and tried to speak,

again nothing would come out properly. "If I knew... You

don't have to do anything... I don't expect..."

"Danni! Calm down and talk to me."

Jay shook her gently hoping she would snap out of the

stupor she had entered into. He couldn't understand what

was happening; he thought the date was going great and

then... this. He wondered if he had offended her more

than he meant to when he pulled away from her before.

Surely that couldn't be it, there had to be more than that

to set her off like this. Most women would be grateful for a

man who wanted to get to know them and not just jump

into the sack with them. No something was definitely off.

Danni broke free of him and ran to a small wooden bench

seat a couple of feet away. With her back still facing Jay,

she stood there staring at the lights without saying a

word before eventually sitting down. The tears kept

flowing from her eyes; there was no stopping them. After

grabbing the blanket from the cruiser, Jay walked over

and spread it across her shoulders. She wrapped it tightly

around herself and whispered "Thank you."

"I don't understand what's going on here Danni," he

crouched down in front of her. "Now I know I'm not the

brightest bulb on the shelf but I don't think I did anything

wrong, did I?"

She shook her head, then wiped away her tears. "No, it's

not you..."

"The Macca's... Tell me it wasn't the Macca's." he growled to

himself in disgust. "I promise next time we'll..."

"It's not you, it's not the Macca's, it's not this perfect view

or this wonderful date," she stalled.

"Then please, tell me what I'm doing wrong?" His blue

eyes pleaded with her to help him understand what was

happening.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered. Sighing deeply she

lowered her eyes to the ground.

Jay's jaw fell open and for the first time ever he was

speechless.

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to do anything. It's ok."

He crawled up onto the bench and sat be-side her, the

shock still gripping him.

"Fred's party?" he managed to ask.

"Yes, Fred's party."

Reaching over, he put his arm around her and squeezed

her tight. In an instant all the visions of Kylie-Anne

Saunders flashed before his eyes. The ravaged breasts,

the gaping stomach, the stolen foetus. His visions gave

way to panic, what if Danni was one of his victims? What if

his baby was ripped from her womb? His embrace grew

tighter and he leaned his head against hers. Jay had

never quite known fear as he knew it now.

"How far does that mean you are then?" he choked out.

"Not too far gone, there's still plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?" he turned and faced her.

She stared at him expressionless.

"A termination?" he pushed her to answer.

"Yes."

Jay jumped from the bench and strode onto the grass

before turning and looking her squarely in the eye.

"Absolutely not!"

Danni was too stunned by his reaction to respond. Jay

began pacing back and forth on the grass in front of her

like a caged animal searching for a way out.

"No woman of mine is gonna terminate my baby," he

blurted out.

"Your baby Jay?" she echoed back to him.

"Our baby then. I don't believe in it... I won't let ya do it."

Danni couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What about

me? What say do I get in this?"

Jay stopped and looked down at her sit-ting there, her

eyes filled with fear, her face stained with tears. "Look, I'm

sorry ok, I am... But I don't want you to get an abortion

Danni. Surely we can do this?"

"Do what? Raise a child?"

"Well yeah, why not? How hard can it be? My parents

raised me and I turned out alright." He held his arms out

in a display of look and see.

The very sight of him standing there tell-ing her how his

parents managed to raise him without defect struck a

chord of humour in Danni, without meaning to or

wanting to, she broke out into a fit of laughter. Jay was

taken aback. He just couldn't understand her. One minute

she's crying the next she's laughing, and then she's crying

again. Man this girl mystified him. Kneeling down in front

of her, he took her hand in his and tried again.

"Danni, I know we've only just started to date and it's real

quick and all, but I really think we can do this."

She just blinked at him, words evaded her.

"I'm not talking marriage or any of that horseshit yet, I'm

just saying that I think if you're willing to give it a go...

Then so am I."

"Good God, you're serious?"

"Damn straight I am." he thought for a moment then

continued. "I'm not sayin we have to jump straight into

any heavy stuff right away, take it slow like two people do

when they are startin out..."

"Most people don't start off pregnant and work their way

back Jay."

"Maybe not, that's just a technicality anyway and we're not

most people are we?"

Danni thought about his proposal. "You really want to do

this?"

Jay walked back to the bench and lifted her up and into

his arms, he kissed her lips and said, "Bring it on!"

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ben sat in his car staring at Anna's front door. Through

the lounge room window he could see the glow of the

television, soft streams of multi coloured light danced

around the room, bounc-ing off one wall before hitting

another. A million thoughts crowded his head, confusing

him. The 'Foetus Snatcher' had claimed yet another victim

and he was still no closer to solving the murders of the

first two women. No matter how he thought it through,

no matter how he twisted it around, all leads kept

returning to the wellness clinic and Anna.

She worked for them, she counselled all their clients and

had intimate knowledge of them. Had she seen Marla

too? Surely she would have mentioned it if she had? Anna

had been evasive and wasn't exactly forth coming with any

significant details to date, and Ben couldn't help but think

that she knew more than she had been telling him. When

he had spoken with her yesterday she had skipped over

Tessa rather quickly, yet she didn't seem quite as

concerned about Kylie-Anne. Nothing made sense to him,

but then nothing ever did with Anna.

He opened the car door and stepped out onto the street,

he knew it was late but what he needed from Anna

couldn't wait. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot

and while Marla's murder was fresh in his mind, driving

him to investigate. The door to his Chevy slammed shut

and without locking it, Ben strode to her gate, up her

front steps and he beat heavily on her door. It was time to

get some answers and he was determined that Anna was

going to give them to him.

Anna opened the door and flicked on the porch light.

"Ben..."

"Why didn't you tell me Marla was a client?" he hissed at

her, no pleasantries exchanged.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Listen, Ben, I don't have to take this from you..."

"Get your coat, Anna," he ordered.

"What?"

"I'm bringing you in for questioning, get your coat and

let's go."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Ben pulled his handcuffs from the holder on the side of

his belt and held them in one hand. "Anna Jameson, I am

placing you under arrest for..."

"Ben please, wait... Ok, ok." she backed away and held the

door open for him to enter.

Relief washed over him, he had nothing to charge her with

and was doing his best to bluff a response from her. It

had worked.

"What is this about Marla? What has she got to do with

anything?" asked Anna, closing the door behind him. She

then walked back to the lounge, grabbed for the remote

control and switched off the television before sitting

down.

"Listen very hard, Anna. The lies stop now! This is not a

game and I am not playing... Do you understand me?"

"What's going on, Ben? You're scaring me."

"Marla is dead and I know she was pregnant. Why didn't

you tell me she was a client of yours?"

"No, no, no..." Anna rocked back and forth on the lounge

with her arms wrapped around herself. "What is going on

here? Why are my clients being picked off one by one?"

"You tell me, they're your clients!" he said, seating himself

in a recliner opposite her. "There's something you're not

telling me, and I need to know what it is. More women will

die if you don't start talking Anna."

"I can't... I don't know any..."

"Damn it woman! Do you even care what is happening to

these girls?"

"Of course I care. But there's nothing I can do about it, I'm

not killing them."

"Did you bother to take another look at your case files?"

"Yes I took another look at them," she spat back at him.

"And..."

"And I didn't find anything helpful about Tessa or Kylie-

Anne."

"What about Marla? What was her deal?"

"She was going to terminate and that's all I know Ben,

truly it is. She was just out of an unsuccessful

relationship, the father of her baby didn't know she was

expecting and that's as much as she told me about that."

Ben stared deep into her eyes, his gaze unabating. "What

does that mean? About that? Did she talk about

something else, is it something to do with Dr. Sugars

and the wellness clinic?"

Anna looked away, biting down hard on her lip.

"For God sake Anna, tell me what you know."

She pulled her knees up tightly to her chest and cradled

them with her arms. "When she was leaving, Marla,

happened to mention the murders and how the police

had been to the clinic a few times asking questions... She

said it was making her nervous. When I asked her why,

she wouldn't answer me."

"Then what?" Ben pushed her for more details.

"I told her that I knew one of the detectives working on the

case and that if she wanted to tell them anything that he

would be the best one to speak to."

"Did she say anything more?"

"She asked for the name of the policeman and I gave her

yours," she said, gesturing towards him with her hand.

"She said that she had met you briefly and that she felt

that she couldn't talk to you."

"Why would she think that?"

"I don't know, she wouldn't elaborate. But I gave her your

mobile number anyway and told her to think about it."

"Think hard Anna, when did you give her my number?"

"I saw her late yesterday afternoon."

"Why didn't you tell me this last night? If you knew she

wanted to talk to someone, don't you think you should

have told me?" Ben's anger was beginning to rise. "It's

things like that Anna, that make it hard for me to trust

you or believe anything you say to me."

"You make me sound like I am a suspect Ben," she cried.

"You are a suspect!' He rose from his chair and paced the

floor. 'Don't you get it? Women are dying and you're lying

to me."

"I didn't lie to you... I just didn't tell you."

"Don't sugar coat it, omission is just deceit in disguise.

You don't give me a hell of a lot of reason to trust you

anymore." He stopped pacing and glared at her. "Marla

tried phoning me last night and I missed her call."

"Oh Jesus," whispered Anna.

"Now she's dead, murdered, and I could have prevented it

if I had known earlier that she wanted to talk."

"You don't know that for certain Ben..."

"No? And neither do you.' he bent over and leaned in close

to her face, staring deep into her eyes. 'I guess now we'll

never know will we?"

Anna pushed him back and leapt from the lounge, tears

welling in her eyes. "Don't you dare do that to me Ben,

that's not fair and you know it."

"Not fair? You withheld information from me that could

have saved her life and you're talking to me about being

fair!"

She slapped his face hard, then pulled her hand back and

covered her mouth.

"I should have known what to expect from you Anna,

always looking out for yourself." He walked to the door,

his face stinging from her attack. "Rest assured that I

know you are hiding something... And I am damn well

going to find out what it is!" He flung the front door open

so hard that it banged against the inside wall before

bouncing off, and closing shut after him.

Back in his Chevy, he pulled out his phone and dialed

Jay's number.

"Benny, how are ya doing?" Jay's cheery voice greeted

him.

"Well you certainly sound on top of the world. I guess your

date went well," Jay replied, happy for his partner.

"Sure am and it sure did. Just dropped her home and I'm

heading home myself."

"That's great, Jay. I'm pleased for you."

"Thanks mate, but how are you holding up? We got a time

for Marla's autopsy yet?"

"I'm ok, a little frustrated maybe. These murders are

escalating, Marla's the third victim in less than a month

and there's no sign of the killer slowing down." He sighed

heavily and adjusted his rear view mirror. "The autopsy is

pencilled in for eight am, you want me to take this one?"

"I'll take it. I was there for Kylie-Anne's autopsy. This one

won't be much different."

"Thanks, Jayy. I'm not much in the mood for more

gruesome sights after today."

"Hey, No problem." Jay chirped back.

"You sound awfully chipper, what's up?" Ben asked.

"I have some big news for ya, are ya sit-ting down?"

Ben fell silent.

"You still there, Ben?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry about that, what's your news?"

"I'm gonna be a Daddy! Danni's pregnant."

"Really? Oh wow, that is big news. Congratulations are in

order then."

"They sure are. Not the best time to be finding out

though, with this particular case and all, but I'm excited

just the same. You at home?"

"No, I'm sitting out the front at Anna's. Turns out Marla

saw her yesterday and said she wanted to talk to

someone about the investigation. Anna didn't feel it was

important enough to inform me of that little piece of

information when I questioned her last night!"

"Christ, Ben. There is something not right with her. I know

she's your ex and all but..."

"But what?"

"Look, don't hate me when I tell ya ok? You know I'd have

done the same with any other unco-operative suspect or

possible witness that was playing difficult with us."

"Hell, Jayy, what have you done?" Ben's tone was low and

steady.

"I had a background search done on her," he blurted out.

Ben fell back against his seat and said nothing. "Why

would you do that? Go behind my back with it?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen that way... I just thought

that if I did one without you knowing I could see that she

had nothing to hide and then I could save you all the

heartache of dredging up her past. I was trying to rule her

out without you getting hurt Ben, I'm sorry."

He spoke icily, "So now you have ruled her out then?"

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't had a chance to read it yet, I only got the call

tonight to say it's complete. I was gonna check it out in

the morning."

"You do that Jay."

"Ben, please... Don't be like this, this is our job, not some

personal vendetta."

"Isn't it? You never liked Anna."

"That's true, I admit it. But I am grasping at straws here,

we both are. We need every little piece of information we

can get on just about everyone tied in with these killings,

that includes Anna!"

Ben switched the phone to his other ear and let out a

deep breath. "You're right Jayy, I'm sorry. I know you

wouldn't use police resources just because you have an

axe to grind with her. It's just this case, it's really getting

to me, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"You'll be sure to let me know if there's anything relevant

to the case in her file then?"

"Of course, Ben and I'll be sure to let you know if there

isn't. I'm sorry about going behind your back, it won't

happen again."

"I understand why you did, I probably would have done

the same." He rubbed his throbbing temples and then

continued. "Anyhow, I can feel a brain-bleeder coming on,

I'm gonna shove off home and get some rest... See you

tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll be in touch after the autopsy. Night."

Ben switched his phone off and threw it on the passenger

side seat. He turned the key in the ignition, looked out

into the darkness before him and switched on the

headlights.

"Bloody hell!" His heart jumped into his mouth and his

pulse raced. "Anna, you scared the shit out of me."

Anna stood on the street in front of his Chevy, her hands

pressed flat on the bonnet. "There is something I found

today that may be important."

Ben cut the engine and got out of the car, he walked over

to Anna and looked into her eyes, searching them for any

hint of untruth. He found nothing, she seemed genuine.

"Come on," he said taking her by the arm, "Let's go back

inside."

Anna poured them both a strong cup of coffee and placed

hers on the dining room table, she stepped into her office

and emerged with a thin manila folder in her hand. She

passed it to Ben and began to speak.

"I don't know if this is anything or not, so don't go off half

cocked, interrogating Rose."

"Ok. Tell me what you're thinking." Ben was now much

calmer and ready to listen.

"Rose referred a young homeless girl to me a while ago,

she was about six weeks pregnant and wanted a

termination. She turned up for her initial consult and told

me she was going to proceed with the abortion because

she was too young and couldn't even support herself let

alone a baby."

"How old was she?" Ben asked.

"She said seventeen, but I'm more inclined to believe she

was only about fifteen. At least that's all she looked to be."

"Go on."

"She was scheduled in for her procedure the day after I

saw her and was due to come back to me for her follow up

consultation the next week. When she didn't show I

became concerned and phoned the clinic to enquire

about her."

"What happened?"

"Marla nearly bit my head off, that's what happened! She

ranted and raved at me that I had no right to be checking

up on them and that if the girl didn't return, it was no

longer my concern. She then told me to mind my own

business and just worry about the girls that do show up."

"So she offered no explanation? Did she say whether the

girl had even undergone the termination?"

"She told me nothing. I have no idea what happened to

her. But a few days later Rose phoned me and acted all

concerned about the girl and said that she hadn't arrived

for her procedure. She then went on to ask if I had seen

her again. I told her I hadn't and then she instructed me

to allow the girl back in if she returned to my office and

she would pay the fee."

"If she was a client of the clinic that would be normal

practice though wouldn't it?"

"Normally yes, but usually the clinic will only spring for a

second consult after the termination had been carried

out. I've dealt with Rose for nearly a year now and that

little act of charity seemed very out of character or her."

Anna lifted her coffee cup to her lips and took a sip. "I only

mention it because you said that anything trivial to me

could be a break for you. You don't think this girl could

have been murdered too, do you?"

Ben held up the folder, "May I keep this?"

"Sure, I made that copy for you. There's nothing about our

discussion in there, just her name and the name of the

homeless shelter she usually stays at."

He flipped the jacket open and glanced at the crumbs of

information Anna had thrown to him. "Sarah Robertson?"

"Yes, that's her. She's about five foot, four inches, light

brown, shoulder length hair, green eyes and has one of

her front teeth missing."

Ben looked up at her, his eyebrow raised.

"A fight over a blanket apparently," Anna responded.

"Showsdale Youth Hostel is where she was last staying, I

don't know if she's still there though."

He hadn't touched the coffee Anna had made him, his

head was pounding way too much already to ingest

another additive. Closing the folder, Ben pushed his chair

back and got up.

"Thank you, I'll see what pans out.' His demeanour was

still quite cool towards her and he had no intention of

playing into her game of "I'll tell you what you want to

know if you be nice to me again."

She had played that game with him once to often and he

didn't like the rules. He rolled the folder into a cylinder,

stuffed it in the inside of his jacket and walked to the

door.

"Ben." she cried after him.

He turned and faced her again. "Yeah, I know... You're

sorry."

He pulled the door open and left without another word.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Jay found himself back in Augie's autopsy suite for the

second time in a week. The sterility of the room always

gave him the chills, but this time it was the brutal murder

of a woman he knew. That gave him the chills. Augie and

his two assistants, Pete and Ed, were preparing the

instruments and scanning paperwork on the far side of

the room. The stench of death hung thickly in the air. For

the briefest moment, Jay felt as though he might be

violently ill. He didn't recall feeling this way when he

attended Kylie-Anne's autopsy, perhaps it was the

familiarity that sickened him, not the surroundings.

He stared solemnly at the metal gurney in the centre of

the room. Marla's body lay there beneath a crisp white

sheet. Her left hand protruded from under the white

covering. The fingernails on both her hands were tattered

and torn. One was completely ripped away. A deep,

jagged gash appeared in the centre of her palm. Perhaps

the killer did it when her breasts were being tied to them.

Or perhaps it was from being dragged or pushed out the

broken window in her bedroom. However it happened,

Jay knew that Marla had suffered far worse than that

gash, at the hands of her murderer. Her index finger was

bent backwards. It hung down like a small twig hanging

from a branch. The dislocation of it affected Jay more

than he could understand.

"Ready to start?" Augie stood in front of him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

The suite suddenly buzzed like a beehive of frantic activity,

Ed and Pete both like soldier bees running from one

location to another, gathering bowls and surgical

instruments in readiness for the queen bee, Augie. Their

sterile gloves, aprons and boot covers crackled with each

movement they made. Pete walked towards Marla's limp

body and pulled the sheet back, exposing her and her

ravaged body to all present. Jay's eyes traced the line of

her torso and came to rest on her chest. Mangled skin

and raw tissue was all that remained of her breasts. Apart

from the curve of her full lips and the chiselling of her

defined cheekbones, everything that made Marla feminine

had been stripped from her. His eyes fixed on her

abdomen. The murderers grotesque incisions left her

gaping wide open from the navel down. The sight

repulsed him, yet he could not look away. He needed to

see this again, needed the reminder of how desperately

this twisted killer had to be caught.

Augie walked over and stood beside Marla, and together

with Pete and Ed, the examination commenced.

"Pete," said Augie. "Ready with the camera?"

"Sure thing," he replied, picking up the large black piece of

equipment from the work bench.

"Taking notes, Ed?"

"I'm on it."

"Frontal examination presents numerous abrasions to

the head, face, neck and left shoulder. As per previous

victims Tessa Hunt and kylie-Anne Saunders, Both breasts

have been removed in their entirety. Incisions appear to

be smooth and clean, instrument used was extremely

sharp and accurate, my guess is a scalpel or perhaps a

boning knife."

The flash of Pete's camera startled life back into Jay, his

senses peaked and he regained composure from the

trance like state that had over taken him earlier. He

squinted his eyes and found his focus, the flash having

temporarily blinded him. Augie continued with his

external documentation.

"Both arms bear deep abrasions and sub-sequent

bruising. Fingernails on right hand torn, minor cuts

present. Left palm presents a deep gash approximately

five centimetres long by one and a half centimetres wide.

Fingernails torn, one completely removed. Index finger

appears fractured and dislocated."

"How you going there, Ed? You getting this all down?"

"On target, Dr. August."

Augie glanced over at Jay. "How about you, Jay?"

"I'm hangin' in there. Doing ok," he lied. His stomach was

churning and he felt like he was going to lose his

breakfast. Each autopsy he attended proved worse than

the last. After seeing death and violence everyday, it

surprised that he still couldn't cope with an autopsy.

Augie held Marla's left hand up for Pete to take a photo,

the flash lit up the room again and the documentation

continued.

"As we come to the abdomen, it is apparent that there

has been some major amateurish surgery performed."

"Amateurish surgery?" Ed queried Augie, a strange

expression on his acne-ravaged face.

"Yes, that's the best way I can describe it, I'm afraid."

"Once again, by visual inspection only, her abdomen has

been cut in a manner as per a crude caesarean section.

Part of her large bowel is evident and I can see what I am

only assuming at this stage is part of a placenta hanging

out."

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Jay blurted out.

When he looked up, all three men were staring at him in

dismay.

"Doesn't this get to any of you? Don't you feel like

screaming or punching the air? Anything?"

Their blank expressions told Jay they'd seen it all before

and had learnt how to distance themselves from it.

"Jay, do you want a break?" asked Augie, his words soft

and steady.

"No, I don't want a break. I want to catch this bloody freak!

That's what I want." His eyes pleaded with the men to find

him something valuable to work with. "I can't understand

how you can all just stand there with your cameras and

notebooks, working away as though you're inspecting

some prime piece of meat for sale. This woman was

pregnant for fuck sake!"

"Jay..." Augie began.

"No, no. You don't understand. I have a girl, she's

pregnant. That could be her lying there." Placing his

hands on his hips, he bowed his head and stared at the

boot covers on his shoes. "What if it was her? C'mon guys,

find me something here. We gotta nail this son of a

bitch!"

Ed and Pete looked at each other in amazement and then

looked back at Jay. They had never seen this side of him

before. He had always been so solid, impenetrable. Now

here he was practically falling apart right before their very

eyes. Augie walked to the water dispenser and poured a

small amount into a tiny paper cup. "Here," he said,

handing the cup to Jay. "Drink this."

"Thanks," he whispered, taking the cup from him.

"We're doing what we can, Jay. You know that don't you?"

"Yeah, I know. Look I'm sorry, Augie. It's just too much,

y'know?"

"I understand, I do, but you have to let us concentrate and

do our jobs here. Can you do that?"

Jay nodded his head and then took a sip of water. Augie

returned to the gurney and recommenced his

examination.

"Okay, gentlemen. Let's continue shall we?"

Ed and Pete nodded in agreement and re-turned to their

duties as though nothing had happened.

"Sexual assault appears to have taken place. No fluids are

immediately present, however there is deep bruising on

the inner thighs and vaginal tearing. Rape kit has been

carried out for further evidential value. Legs show multiple

scratches, cuts and a handful of small bruises, I count

one, two, three, four... five. Yes five small bruises. Feet

have fared similarly to the hands, nothing extraordinary or

noteworthy here."

He stepped aside and motioned for Pete to help him roll

Marla onto her stomach,

"That's it, nice and easy. Thanks."

Jay stared at the display, his mind racing. He just

couldn't shake the anger and fear welling within him.

Pulling off his gloves, he walked to the door and through

to the wash-room. Turning the cold water tap on, he

splashed his face and ordered himself to get a grip. His

face dripping with water, he watched Augie through the

observation window and suddenly felt very foolish for his

little outburst. There was a man, who came face to face

with life's cruelties and atrocities everyday and never

complained or lost his cool. Jay couldn't understand

what skills Augie possessed for dealing with it that he

didn't.

His mind was a scrambled mess, and he chided himself

harshly for allowing his deepest inner thoughts to spring

forward. His professionalism had been compromised and

he was ashamed of his behaviour. Maybe he should have

let Ben take this one. All he could think about was Danni.

She was carrying his child. It could be her splayed out on

that cold, metal table. It might be her that they are poking

and probing and speaking about in those cold and flat

terms. Never had Jay experienced fear such as he was

now, he'd never had anything to fear for. It had always

been him and no one else, but now... Now there were

three people he was to worry about.

Naturally he was happy about the baby. It may have been

unplanned and come at the worst possible time due to

the particular case he was working, but he was happy.

Danni was a great girl and he was falling for her, their

relationship was only young but she was good for him.

She gave him something to care about, something to

belong to. That's why he had felt such dread and

undeniable helplessness in the autopsy suite. He was up

against a killer he didn't understand and what's worse

was he had absolutely no idea who it was.

He peeled the boot covers from his shoes and threw them

in the waste bin by the door. Before he left, he took one

last look at Augie and secretly prayed that he would find

something of consequence for him to work with.

Although it was afternoon, the corridor seemed much

darker and much colder than he had remembered. Even

the elevator felt smaller and more confined. When he

reached the exit to the street, Jay pulled out his

cigarettes and headed for the footpath. The odour of the

nicotine teased his senses. The taste was even better. It

felt like a lifetime since his last cigarette. He inhaled

deeply, wanting to fully experience the smoke filling his

lungs. As he exhaled, the phone in his pocket vibrated,

causing the sensory numbness he had felt in the autopsy

suite to subside.

"Jay Marnotti."

"Well hello there, Jay Marnotti," a sweet voice replied.

"Hey, Danni, you don't know how good it is to hear your

voice right now."

"My, my... Is that a compliment?" she asked, teasing him.

"What's so odd about that? There's plenty more where

that came from too, but I don't think you deserve em

now!" Jay chuckled.

"Oh stop being such a tease, I had planned on telling you

how much of a wonderful time I had last night but I don't

know if I'll bother now."

"I'm pleased to hear it. I had a pretty good time myself.

Maybe we should do it again sometime?"

"Sometime?" she asked.

"Yeah, how's tonight?"

"I'd love to but I have to work. I only get one night a week

off and last night was it."

"Maybe I could swing by when you finish and drop you

home?"

"Yeah, sounds great. I'd really like that."

"What time do you finish tonight?"

"Usually around ten or ten-thirty."

"Great. I'll see you then."

"Jay?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"You're not hanging around just because of the baby are

you?"

"Danni, I asked you out on that date last night before I

knew about our daughter didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." she paused for a moment before adding.

"Who said it's a girl? It might be a boy."

"Nah, not my kid... She's gonna be a beauty just like her

mother! See ya tonight, kid." With that Jay ended the

call, a smile perma-nently fixed on his face. He threw his

cigarette to the ground, crushed it out with his foot and

began the short walk to Café Cino. Paula was waiting with

Anna's file and it was time to uncover any skeletons she

had hidden in her closet. He pulled his phone from his

pocket and searched for Paula's number.

"Yeah, Paula. It's Jay."

"Hey, Jayy. You on your way?"

"Sure am. See you in a few."

"I'll be waiting," Paula assured him before he ended the

call.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Ben studied the old timber home. It was in serious need

of some repair and looked as though it had seen it's glory

days many years ago. The cream paint on the

weatherboards was peeling in chunks, the verandah

railing was bowing outwards away from the house and

the old louvres encasing the face of the home were

chipped and covered thickly with dust. It was far from what

he had imagined it would be. When he thought of youth

hostels, a picture of a neat brick premises sprang to

mind. Or at least something a bit tidier, anyhow.

He read the sheet of paper Anna had given him last night

and memorised the young girl's description before

folding the paper into a small neat square and sliding it

back into his pocket. He had slept terribly last night. He

tossed and turned and couldn't shake the fear that this

young Sarah Robertson may have fallen prey to the

monster that murdered Tessa, Kylie-Anne and Marla. Not

that there was concrete evidence to support their theory of

one murderer, it was just a fairly loose assumption that

he and Jay were working with. Anna's lies or omissions

had played on his mind all night. No matter how he tried

to explain her actions away, she was looking guilty as hell

of something. He was certain she was not the murderer.

He knew she had issues, but a murderer? No, she was

capable of many things, he was aware of that, but getting

her hands dirty with something such as the nature of

these crimes didn't sound like her. However time was

ticking away and he was running out of approaches with

her. She needed to start telling him the truth about

anything, everything she knew. Even though she had

given him a small piece of information to go on last

night, he still had the feeling that she was sitting on a

volcano of knowledge and pretty soon, that volcano was

going to erupt. He just needed it to happen soon.

He stood at the front door of the hostel. His eyes scanned

the verandah on his left and on his right. There was

nothing odd or out of place that he could see. The fly

screen door squealed and screeched under the pressure

of his hand prying it open, the high pitched noise

reminded him of fingernails being drawn across a black-

board. A shiver ran down his spine. With his other hand,

Ben wrapped loudly on the heavy white door. He heard the

sound of voices from inside, laughing, talking and some

bickering, everything one would expect when a handful of

teens were picked from the street and crammed into a

halfway house together.

Just when he was about to knock again, the door flew

open and a young girl barged through, her head turned

back towards the inside of the house. She was still yelling

obscenities and abuse when she ran right into Ben, nearly

knocking them both to the ground.

"Watch what you're doing. Couldn't ya see I was trying to

get through?" She snapped at him after regaining her

balance. Her eyes bored into him. Ben was struck with

how much hatred appeared to be present in her face.

Clearly her time on the unforgiving streets of Showsdale

had put its stamp on her.

"Excuse me," he replied, opting to let her harshness slide

off his back.

"Yeah, well get outta the way next time, will ya?"

"I said I was sorry," he answered, standing his ground a

little firmer now.

"Yeah, well sorry don't do jack for me, buddy." The girl

stormed past him and contin-ued on her way out of the

hostel.

Ben followed her path for a few seconds before returning

his attentions to the open front door. Inside on the left he

could see a small office window with a buzzer mounted on

the wall next to it. He stepped inside and pressed it. Then

turned, waiting for someone to greet him. The music and

conversation deeper inside the house grew louder, he saw

a young girl with black hair poke her head out from

behind a wall, looking down the hallway at him. She

disappeared and then he heard a voice yell, "There's some

guy at the front door."

Within seconds a group of three or four teens gathered in

the doorway, all whispering and giggling with each other,

staring at Ben before turning back to each other and

whispering and giggling some more. They reminded him

of the girls who hung out in the hallways when he was at

school. They'd all stand in the hallways leading into the

classrooms chatting about boys and the latest hot topics

and rate each boy as he walked past them and into the

class. He recalled how he often heard them rate him as a

'hottie with a cute smile'. The memory brought a

reminiscent smile to his face.

"Can I help you?" a woman of about thirty or so

approached from the end of the hall.

"I hope so. I am looking for someone and I'm hoping she

might be staying here." He produced his I.D. from his

pocket and held it out to her.

The woman read the credentials quickly before saying,

"Please come with me, Detective Payne."

"Call me Ben," he replied, following her into the tiny office

on his left.

The office was only about six feet square, barely big

enough to swing a mouse, let alone a cat. The walls were

freshly painted a light shade of lemon but obviously the

budget hadn't allowed for the ceiling to be included in the

makeover. Chips of paint were lifting on the corners and

around the light fitting. Although the rest of the paint was

still stuck, it was cracking terribly and reminded him of

the pattern on Easter eggs.

"Take a seat, Ben. I'm Julie Allistaire." she paused while

she pulled her chair out and sat down. "I'm the keeper of

this fine establishment." She held her arms up the way

one does when they are showcasing their finest assets. A

broad smile of sarcasm on her plain face.

Ben sat opposite her and made himself as comfortable as

was possible in the hard stu-dent's chair he was offered.

"I'm looking for a young girl by the name of Sarah

Robertson, I was told she was staying here."

Julie's head bowed down and a deep sigh escaped her.

"What has she done this time, Detective? I should have

known that girl couldn't keep out of trouble for more than

a week!" She ran her hands through her thick red hair and

looked at him. "We have a strike system here and it's not

too well received by some of our girls, Sarah in particular."

"So Sarah is still residing here with you?"

"Oh yes, she's here."

Relief washed over Ben, one less young woman to turn up

in a wooded grave. He slumped back into the unyielding

chair and returned to their previous discussion.

"You were saying something about a strike system?" Ben

enquired.

"Yes, each girl is given three chances to keep their noses

clean and stay out of trouble. If they stick to the rules they

stay, if they don't they get a strike against their name and

when they have three of them, well..."

"They're out?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Seems a bit harsh."

"It is harsh, we need to be harsh. These girls end up here

after being plucked from the streets, Ben. They're usually

hooked on drugs, starving, emotionally unbalanced and

most are quite aggressive. If we didn't display some

expectation of behaviour on them, well, they would quite

simply bring their street lives into our life. We simply

don't allow that."

Ben stared at her, considering the logic behind her

expectations and rules.

"I guess that's fair," he answered her.

"Sarah is on strike number two at the moment, so your

little visit today could be unwelcome news for her." Julie

slid her chair back, stood up and walked to the office

door. She poked her head out and yelled, "Nat... Natalie."

A young blonde girl came rushing down the hallway to

Julie. "Yeah?"

"Tell Sarah to come here will you please?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Julie returned to her chair and sat down again.

"So what has she done this time?"

Ben shook his head at her and was about to answer when

a girl with short, light brown hair knocked at the door.

"Come on in, Sarah," Julie told her. Sarah smiled broadly

and did what she was told. Ben noted her missing front

tooth. This was definitely his girl.

"This is Detective Ben Payne, he's here to see you." Julie

motioned to Ben.

Sarah's smile soon turned to a scowl and she began to

rant. "That dirty, skanky bitch! She told me she wouldn't

rat me out..."

A grin ran across Ben's face. He rose from his chair and

said, "Take a seat Sarah." He then turned to Julie and said,

"May I speak with her in private?"

Julie stared at him for a moment. "We usually like to

accompany our girls when there are police matters

involved, Ben."

"I assure you that this is not an official police matter and

she has done nothing wrong. It is however, a private

matter and I'd really appreciate a few minutes alone with

her."

Julie reluctantly nodded at him and made her way to the

door. "I'll be right out here if you need me, Sarah."

"Yeah, whatever."

Ben closed the door and walked over to where Julie had

been sitting. He made himself comfortable in her chair

and then looked at Sarah.

"So I wasn't ratted out then?"

A smile tugged at his lips, "No, you weren't."

"Well good, cause I can tell ya now that it was that other

ho' who stole them cigarettes. Not me!"

"Sarah," Ben began, "I have absolutely no idea what you're

talking about and maybe we should keep it that way,

hey?" He could barely contain the laughter that was

building inside him. He had forgotten what it was like to

be young, when every little thing was always someone

else's fault. It was refreshing.

Sarah relaxed somewhat. "I can live with that. So what do

ya want?"

His expression turned more serious and he moved his

chair a little closer to her. "This is a delicate matter, Sarah,

and I don't quite know how to broach it, so I'll just let the

words find their own way out, ok?"

She shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Yeah, right-o

then."

"Sarah, some people have been worried about you and

I'm just here to find out that you are ok."

"What people?"

"Do you recall visiting a Wellness Clinic some time ago?"

"Those sleazy slags." she turned her head toward the

office door, then leaned in towards Ben. "They promised

me that all that stuff was confidential and that no-one

would find out." Her voice was a whisper.

"It's ok Sarah, Julie doesn't know and I won't tell her. This

is between you and me, alright?"

She loosened her shoulders and nodded her head in

agreement. "So what about it anyway?"

"They were concerned about you, when you didn't show for

your procedure and didn't notify them that you were okay.

They have your best interest at heart, they weren't

deliberately dobbing on you."

"Well, as you can see, I am fine. So they can stop worrying

about me."

"Why didn't you turn up for your procedure Sarah?" Ben

asked.

"Turns out I didn't need to," she casually replied. "After I

saw some counselling chick the day before I was gonna

get done, I came home and started bleeding real bad."

"You had a miscarriage?"

"Yep."

"Did you go and see a doctor?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm not dumb you know. I went to the

hospital and they kept me there for a night or two and

sorted everything out. Julie was mad as hell when I turned

up again though."

"Why is that?"

"Stupid rules. Am supposed to report in every night so

they know we're here, y'know? And cause I'd been gone a

couple of nights, she freaked and gave me a bloody strike!

Nearly lost my spot here cause of all that mess."

"It looks as though you have it sorted out now though?"

he smiled at her.

"Yeah. You ain't gonna tell her what happened though are

ya? I'll get another strike and get booted out. It's no great

castle here, but is sure beats the street."

"Of course not, this is strictly between you and me Sarah. I

won't say a word." He moved his hand over his lips,

pretending to be pulling a zip across his mouth.

She eyed him suspiciously and then said, "Thanks."

"I think we're done," Ben slapped his hands on his knees

and got out of his chair. "Thanks for all your help Sarah,

you can go now."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he answered with a smile.

"What about Julie? What are ya gonna tell her?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll square it away with her for you.

You won't be getting any strikes from her." He thought for

a second before adding, "At least not from this incident

anyhow."

Sarah laughed at him. "You're pretty okay for a cop..." She

left her chair and opened the door. A cheeky grin unfolded

across her lips, "You got a cute smile, too!" With that she

ran from the office and down the hall. Ben let out a small

laugh and shook his head.

"Everything okay?" Julie poked her head through the door.

"Everything is just great," he beamed at her. "Sarah just

helped me out with a couple of enquiries I had. She's not

such a bad kid."

Yeah, tell that to me when she gets collared for

shoplifting again, will you?" Julie smiled at him weakly.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Jay stepped through the doors of Café Cino and into a

bustling hive of activity. Waitresses were running from

one side of the room to the other carrying orders and the

air was alive with the humming of dozens of

conversations. Sounds of a radio station were echoing

softly from six or so, small speakers, which were mounted

sporadically on the walls of the café. Jay wondered why

they even bothered having the sound system in place; it

didn't appear that anyone was even listening to it above

the droning of their own voices.

Cino's light mocha coloured walls always amused Jay, to

him it felt like the owners were trying to give the patrons

the perception that they were inside one giant

muggacino. The large white tables and sofa chairs only

added to the inner coffee experience by looking like over-

grown marshmallows. It was a novel idea, though not

quite to Jay's taste. He walked deeper into the café and

scanned the tables for Paula. All he could see were

yuppies, uni students and bookworms, sitting at their

regular tables with textbooks and loose papers spread

out in front of them. Most looked to be deep in thought

or in the throws of an assignment, the rest were on

mobile phones, sipping their latte's.

"Bloody Yuppie-Ville," Jay scoffed to himself before

taking a seat on a comfy marsh-mallow at the main

servery counter.

A petite waitress approached Jay and took out her order

book. "Can I get you any-thing, Sir?" Her slow drawl

annoyed Jay, almost as much as the surroundings.

"Where's, Joany?" He spat at her.

"It's her day off today," the waitress droned back at him.

"Damn it!" he scanned the chalkboard menu above her for

a few minutes and then said, "I'll have bacon and eggs

with a round of toast and a white, unsweetened coffee."

The waitress rolled her eyes at him, shifted her weight

from one foot to the other and said, "Latte, cappuccino,

long, short, decaffeinated, strong, weak, in a cup, mug or

a glass?" She grinned at him.

His expression blank, Jay leaned in closer to the young

woman and replied, "I just want a normal bloody coffee in

a normal bloody mug with no sugar and lotsa milk! Is

that so hard?" He rubbed his hands over his face and then

added. "I want bacon that comes from a pig and eggs that

come from a hen..."

"Sure. You want wholegrain, multigrain, brown or white

toast?" Her grin was now broadening to a full-blown

smile.

Jay knew she was toying with him now and he was

amused that she was able to give as good as she got.

"I just want toast... You figure it out!"

The waitress smirked cheekily at him and slid an order

number across the counter to him. "You gonna eat right

here or you want a table?"

"I'm meeting someone," Jay answered, grabbing the

number from her. "So I'll be moving to a table very soon."

"No problem, I'll bring it over when it's done." She began

to walk away and then turned back to him. "Any sauce?"

Jay threw his hands into the air in defeat and just shook

his head. No wonder he never comes here much any

more. With the table number in his hand he stood up and

walked around the corner of the counter. His eyes spotted

Paula sitting at a large corner booth towards the back of

the café, he walked over and slid into the chair opposite

her.

"Next time ya wanna meet somewhere, Paula, make it

somewhere that normal people inhabit!" He looked

around and eyed his surroundings some more. "These

people belong on Pluto or something."

Paula laughed and patted Jay on the hand. "Nice to see

you too Jayy." She pulled her hand back and rested it on

top of the file in front of her. It was roughly half an inch

thick and a few pieces of paper were poking out the side

of the cardboard jacket they were tucked inside of.

"So that's the juice eh?" Jay asked, nodding his head

towards the file beneath her hands.

"Boy, you don't mess around with pleasantries do you?"

"Pleasantries are for pleasant people Paula, and I am not

one of them." He sat back deeper in his chair and allowed

the waitress to place his coffee on the table. He looked up

at her and asked, "How's the feed going? Will it be much

longer or are ya still chasin' the pig around the kitchen?"

The waitress eyed him, her sense of hu-mour almost as

free as Jay's. "I'm sure it won't be too much longer, Sir. I

believe they were still harvesting the wheat to make your

toast." With that, she spun on her heel and marched

away.

"She got you there, Jayy..." Paula broke into another fit of

laughter.

Jay smiled to himself and picked up his coffee. "So what

did ya find for me?" He ignored Paula's comment.

"Anything worth writing home about or just a few nit-

picky, tid-bits?"

"You got a real work of art here, my friend. I don't know

what this woman has done to make you check her out but

I am guessing she wouldn't want too many people

knowing about this stuff." She flipped open the file and

pulled the first sheet of paper out and handed it to Jay.

He snatched it anxiously and scanned it line by line.

"She's had a pretty rough trot growing up, by the look of

this."

Paula enlightened him. "Her mother, Carol Mavis Stockton

(Nee Beetson) left her and her father when she was just

three. I guess most kids could learn to cope with that, but

not when your father is an abusive alcoholic."

"Abusive?" Jay asked. "How so?"

"Physically and sexually. I'd be only guessing here, but I'd

say there was some psychological abuse in there too.

Usually is in those sort of circumstances. Started around

age seven, from what I can gather."

"How do you know that?"

"Her emergency room reports. Every time she went to the

hospital for treatment, the Doctor's were meant to phone

welfare. Normal procedure when they think a child has

been abused. But somehow, they always managed to

forget to make the call."

Jay remained silent. His face sullen.

"At least three times she was admitted with vaginal

bleeding and in 1967 she had a broken arm. That's only

the beginning, she was also seen over the years for

numerous cracked ribs, a dislocated jaw and other

general bruising and abrasions, countless urine

infections and in 1973 she was admitted again with severe

abdominal pain and internal bleeding. It turned out she

had an ectopic pregnancy and had to undergo surgery."

"Jesus!" whispered Jay. His heart sank. Ben had told him

about her abusive childhood and ectopic pregnancy, but

he never imagined the hell she must have gone through

at the hands of her drunken father. All those fractures and

cases of vaginal bleeding, he couldn't believe that she was

being abused and the hospital did nothing to report it.

This was definitely a case of another one slipping through

the cracks. Although Jay was no doctor, he knew that

when a seven-year-old child has broken bones and

vaginal bleeding, the cause can't be natural.

"Where did her mother go?" He finally asked.

"Seems she couldn't handle the father or his abuse so

she left the daughter with him and skipped out to her

parents place in Harten. Apparently she was emotionally

and mentally unstable."

"You'd have to be, to leave a kid with a menace like that,

wouldn't ya?" Jay replied in more of a statement than a

question.

"Well the father, Arthur, was a labourer and was prone to

violent tempers and outbursts. I suppose Carol just

couldn't take it anymore."

"Yeah, I can understand that...' Jay stopped and thought.

'But why not take the kid with her?"

Paula shook her head and continued on with the brief

family history. "Anna Louise Jameson was born Anna

Stockton on May 17th 1960. After her mother left, her

father dragged her around the countryside before settling

Bayside. Her schooling was erratic at best, but child

services could never catch up with Arthur and Anna

because they moved so frequently."

"Why did they move so much?"

"I guess Arthur moved to where ever the work was. He

picked up the odd labouring job on building sites."

"What about the mother, did she have any further contact

with them?"

Paula sifted through her papers and read a line here and

there to fill in the blanks for Jay. "Carol died of bone

cancer in 1981, while living with her parents and Arthur

was murdered in 1973."

"What? Murdered?" Jay's ears pricked up. He leaned

forward just as the waitress returned to his table with his

food.

"Here we are, Sir. Enjoy." She slid the plate under his nose,

sat a knife and fork beside it and left.

Jay completely ignored the waitress and just stared,

wide eyed at Paula. "What do you mean murdered? Are

you sure?"

His memory was trying to recall what Ben had told him

that night at Bluey's. He was sure he had told him that her

father had abandoned her when she was thirteen!

Something was definitely amiss, either Ben was lying, or,

and more to Jay's way of thinking, Anna was. It was

clearer than ever now why Anna had been so evasive with

Ben regarding this case. She had her own secrets to

protect and getting caught in the middle of a serial

murder investigation was not a good way to keep the

skeletons locked in the closet.

"Sure as I can be. I've got his death certificate, cause of

death, autopsy report, case file notes from the murder..."

"Okay, I get the picture," sighed Jay, picking up his knife

and fork and pushing his bacon around the plate. He

suddenly didn't feel terribly hungry anymore. "So who did

it and what happened?"

"Are you ready for this?" Paula asked, her excitement hard

to miss.

"Shoot," Jay blurted out, clanging his fork against the

china plate and wishing he could have a cigarette.

"Anna Louise Stockton," Paula began reading from the file

in front of her, "was arrested on March twenty-fourth 1973

for fatally stabbing her father, Arthur Robert Stockton. She

was taken into child custody. Anna was tried for

manslaughter in May, 1973 and was acquitted on the

basis of self defense. She was, however, detained until her

eighteenth birthday at Grimshore Girls Home in Bayside."

Jay's mouth fell open. He reached over and snatched the

papers from Paula, eager to read the particulars for

himself. "You're shitting me?"

"I certainly am not," said Paula before clicking her tongue

loudly.

Jay's eyes skipped over the papers, be-fore burying his

head in his hands. He thought hard about everything he

had just read. Anna sure was no Miss Innocent, but

anyone could see from what he had read and from what

Paula had told him, that she was a victim of abuse and

abandonment. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She

killed a man yes, but it was kill or be killed by the sound

of things. To some degree it made sense to him that

Anna would want to keep her past hidden, but from her

husband? It just didn't add up for Jay, why would she

even marry a cop if she wanted to keep her criminal past

quiet? It was a pretty big gamble, thinking he would never

find out.

"No wonder she has been playing cat and mouse with us,"

he blurted out, more to himself than to Paula.

"Should I read on?" Paula pushed Jay.

Lifting his coffee to his lips, he sent her a simple nod.

"Upon her discharge from Grimshore Girls Home in 1978,

Anna Stockton applied to legally change her name to

Anna Louise Jameson. She gained employment at various

convenience stores around Bayside before returning to

school where she completed her year eleven and twelve

equivalency test."

"So she tried to make a go of things then?"

"Seems so," she replied. "I can see why you wanted this

kept hush, hush though. Why didn't you tell me she was

Ben's wife Jay?"

"I dunno," he started. "I didn't want to make a big deal of

it, because of that reason I guess. Is that all you got in

your bag of goodies there, Paula?"

"Far from it, I'm afraid. Although I'm sure you know this

part," she read on with some mundane details. "In Sep

1981 she married Benjamin James Payne, a Showsdale

City Police Officer. From Feb 2000 until August 2004 she

studied and gained her Diploma in Counselling. She

legally separated from her husband in Jan 2007. She

currently runs her own Counselling Centre in Showsdale."

"Yeah, at least there are no surprises there."

Her life after Grimshore appeared clean enough, Jay was

impressed at her drive and determination. She rose out of

the hell she had been born into and made something of

herself. Jay knew that was no easy thing to accomplish.

The more he heard, the more he was convinced that Anna

was just secretive and had no role in the murder

investigation. He was thinking that in this particular case,

it might be better to let sleeping dogs lay. Ben had

poured his heart out to him just a few nights ago and

now here he was digging up the dirt on his ex-wife. It

would crush Ben if he knew all the sordid details. Jay

was overcome with a rush of guilt. What had started out

as a fishing expedition to show Anna for who she was,

had somehow turned into something very different. He no

longer wanted to run to Ben and shove this information

under his nose.

"Her adult criminal history is pretty bland, nothing but a

few parking tickets and a drink driving offence in 2005,"

Paula soldiered on with her findings.

"So her adult life was pretty dull," said Jay. "I'd expect

that, after all, she was married to a cop by then."

Apart from the murder, which by now he was

sympathetically justifying to himself, Anna was quite

clean. In some way he felt disappointed, yet in another

way relief was washing over him in waves.

"Jay," Paula pulled one last document from her folder

and held it to her chest. " I found this document after I'd

done the background search. I don't know how, but she

managed to cover her tracks well and I almost missed it.

It was just a pure stroke of luck that I even discovered

this." She handed it across to Jay and then quietly said,

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you that all Juvenile files

are sealed and this information never fell into your lap."

The pair sat silently for a moment.

"This is going to rock your world, Jay."

He accepted the document from her, his eyes fixed

intensely on hers before pulling them down to the paper

he now held in his hands. He read the paper slowly, trying

to fully compre-hend what he was seeing. His gaze darted

back to Paula, almost begging her to tell him that he

wasn't really seeing what his eyes were telling him he was

seeing. "Is this right? There's no mistake?"

"I checked and double checked Jay, it's all correct I'm

afraid."

"Paula, I've said it before and I'll say it again... You're the

best damn dirt hound I've ever met!" Jay scooped all the

paperwork up and shoved it back into the file. He swilled

down the last of his coffee, grabbed a piece of toast from

his plate of uneaten bacon and eggs, squeezed Paula on

the shoulder and rose from his seat. "This is just between

us right?" He asked, waving the file at her.

"You got it," she answered.

Jay threw a twenty-dollar note on the table and said,

"Thanks Paula, you're the best." He then raced out of Café

Cino, and headed straight for the Station House.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

At 12.40pm, Ben walked into the station house. He hung

his coat over the back of his swivel chair behind his desk

and headed to the coffee machine. He noticed Jay's

jacket propped on the back of his chair. Ben looked

around the room, there was no sign of him.

"Hey Spiros," he called to a dark haired man sitting at a

desk across the room. "You seen Jayy?"

The man looked up from his paperwork and said, "Yeah,

he walked into the locker room a few minutes ago. I

guess he's still in there." Spiros returned to his stack of

papers.

"Thanks," replied Ben.

"Ahuh." Spiros mumbled without looking up.

Still standing in front of the coffee ma-chine, Ben rubbed

his chin before spinning on his heel and making his way

past the rows of desks and filing cabinets and into the

locker room. The door swung shut behind him, he

marched past aisle after aisle of tall blue metal lockers

before stopping at the end of the fifth row. There was

Jay, his head in his hands and a sheet of paper

scrunched up between the thick fingers of his left hand.

Ben stood there, unable to move closer to Jay.

"Something wrong, Jayy?" His words pierced the silence.

Jay jumped at the sound of his partner's voice. He stared

up at him, a grim expression on his face. He stared at Ben

for a few moments before lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Is that Anna's file?"

His partner nodded, still staring at the floor.

Ben took two steps toward him and then stopped. His

feet suddenly unwilling to carry him any further, he leant

against the locker to his left.

He had never seen Jay behaving the way he was right

now. He was never short of words and had always been

able to look Ben in the eye. Even when they had

exchanged words or differences of opinion, Jay had

never backed down from him or been unable to meet his

gaze. Something was definitely wrong. A cold shiver ran

through Ben. It stung him from the base of the neck, all

the way down to his toes. He knew that whatever Jay had

read, wasn't good. It didn't take long for the shiver to turn

to full-blown fear and dread. Ben managed a few more

steps toward Jay. He stopped again and sat on the

bench just a few feet away from him. No words were

spoken; neither man knew what to say or how to say it.

They both remained wrapped in a blanket of silence. In a

sudden bid to return to the land of the living, Ben cleared

his throat and turned toward Jay.

"So you're going to be a daddy, hey?"

Jay looked over at him.

"That's great news... Great news." Ben continued to ramble

on. "I would have liked to have had the chance to be a

Father..."

"Ben."

"I don't know what sort of a father I would have been

though..."

"Ben."

"But you, I think you'll make a fantastic Dad. I suppose it's

too early to tell what sex it is yet hey?"

"You need to read this," Jay whispered.

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? Or you don't really

mind?" he looked at Jay.

Jay's eyes pleaded with Ben to stop.

"Yeah, I suppose that's not important is it? As long as it's

healthy, right? That would be the main issue." his

ramblings continued on unabated.

"For crying out loud, Ben..."

"Anna and I. We never had kids, couldn't. But I think I told

you that didn't I?" he looked over to Jay, searching for a

hint of something in his eyes to tell him that whatever

was in the background check was not that bad.

"You have to read this," He tried shoving the paper toward

him.

Ben moved away slightly and kept babbling, almost

incoherently. "Of course, I'm too old now to bother with

re-marrying and starting a family. Well I could re-marry

but..."

Jay rose from the bench, walked over to Ben and

grabbed him by the front of his shirt. In one swift but

controlled movement, he pulled him from his seat and

pushed him up against the locker. "Stop it, Ben!"

Ben's face became ashen, his gait slumped beneath

Jay's hands and he fell silent. Jay slowly released his

grip and then placed his hands on Ben's shoulders,

steadying him.

A couple of rookie officers heard the thump of the lockers

and ran around to the end of the aisle, looking down at

the two men. Jay turned and glared at them.

"Piss off!"

The men took Jay's advice and quickly left.

His attentions returned to Ben, he stepped back from him

and placed his hands on his hips, allowing him time to

regain what was left of his pride.

"I need you to pull yourself together here, buddy." he said,

looking sympathetically at Ben. "There is some pretty

serious stuff in this file and we have to work through it

together, I'm here for you. Do you hear me Ben?"

Ben nodded and then held his hands over his face. His

fingers dug into his eyes, rubbing them hard before

returning to his sides.

"Good."

Jay slapped him lightly on the side of his arm in a

reassuring gesture before sitting back down on the

bench. Ben stayed upright against the locker.

"So what did you find?" Ben asked in a tone that sounded

more like he was asking because he had to, rather than

because he wanted to.

"Honestly, Ben, I really don't know where to start."

"Jesus, Jayy, how bad can it be?"

"I think this is going to bust the case wide open..." Jay

fished around his locker for the rest of the papers he

shoved back in there earlier. "It will at the very least

explain a lot of why Anna has been so evasive."

"Give it to me. What's it say?"

Jay shuffled the papers together in his hands and

stacked them in a neat pile on the bench beside him.

Standing up, he said, "I think it's best if you read it for

yourself, Ben." Jay then walked to the end of the aisle,

turned back and added, "I'll be just outside at my desk if

you need me."

Fear filled Ben's body once more, fear of what was on

those few sheets of paper, fear that Anna might be their

murderer, fear that he could be responsible for more

women dying because he refused to see what was right in

front of him. He pushed himself away from the locker and

crept towards the stack of papers on the bench before

him. He sat down beside them. Finally he picked them up

and began to read.

Ben watched Jay from the window of the locker room

door. He was sitting at his desk fiddling anxiously with

the telephone cord. The look on his face was one of

desperation. Ben felt sorry for him, he had tried so hard to

push him to see through Anna, or at least look at her for

what she truly was. But he had refused to listen, in his

eyes Jay simply didn't like her and his suspicions of her

were nothing more than a side effect of that. How Ben

wished that Jay had been wrong, how he wished that he

had have taken him more seriously much earlier.

Anna had always had that affect on him. She somehow

managed to blind him to what everyone else saw as

plainly as the nose on their faces, yet he couldn't see

anything more than the halo above her head. That was all

he had wanted to see. To this day he couldn't quite

understand the power she had over him, for so many

years she had pulled his strings and for so many years he

had danced to her beat. Now, it was all so crystal clear to

him, everything fell into place. Her moods, her lies, her

evasion of anything personal and her treatment of him. At

last he knew the truth... The whole truth and it was time

for her to face it as well.

He fiddled nervously with the stack of papers in his hand

before pushing the locker room door open and striding

out into the office and over to his desk. Jay looked up at

him, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Ben threw the papers

on the table in front of him. Jay looked up at him as if

waiting for him to say something. Ben pulled out his chair

and sat down. His hands cradled his head.

"Your fax came through," Jay started off gently.

Ben stared at him curiously.

"From The Bayside Inn."

Ben's expression remained blank.

"The Beaumont's." Jay reminded him, handing him the

papers.

"Oh, sure... Yeah, thanks." He took them and placed them

on the desk without looking at them.

Jay cleared his throat and spoke again, "Seems they

were there the entire weekend. Their credit card slips prove

what time they had meals and room service. Unless they

hired a hit-man, they aren't our killers."

"Great, another suspect or two eliminated," said Ben,

pushing the fax around the top of his desk. "Any other

breakthroughs emerge since I've been in there?" He

nodded towards the locker room.

"No." Jay sighed heavily and leant in towards Ben. "I'm

so sorry, Ben." He told him. "Honestly, I had no idea what
was going to be in her background, but I wasn't expecting

what I got."

"I know you are. I'm sorry for not listening to you sooner."

He sat up in his chair. "Anna told me about a young

homeless girl last night."

"What has she got to do with anything?"

"Exactly. I think it was just another little game Anna was

playing to get me off her back. I followed her info and

tracked the girl down, turns out she is safe and well, living

in a youth hostel downtown."

"She's gotta be hiding more than what we've dug up,

though. Surely those little secrets ain't that valuable?"

"To Anna. Self preservation is everything and she'd do

whatever it takes to guarantee that."

"So, if she's all about preserving her past and her

skeletons, let me ask you this. How are we gonna make

her crack? How do we get her to talk?"

Ben shook his head, "Honestly? I don't know." He picked

up the papers on his desk and held them up in front of

Jay. "But I have a feeling once I corner her with this," he

waved the papers about, "It won't take long to break her."

"Do you really think that'll work?" asked Jay. "You've tried

every other tactic with her and she still manages to get

around you some-how."

Ben rose from his chair. "Yeah, but this time I know the

truth about her. It's all here in black and white, and that's

something she never bargained for!" He pulled his coat

from the back of the chair and slipped it on. "For our

entire married life she has lied to me and gone to great

lengths to hide her past. She knew I wouldn't check up on

her, wouldn't dredge up the pain of her memories, but

now... I'm going to let her know that I know everything.

Including this." He held up the last and possibly most

important document in her file.

Jay eyed the document briefly, "Yeah, ain't that one the

kicker?"

"No wonder she has lied through her teeth."

"So how are you gonna do this, Ben?" Jay asked.

"This time it's going on the record, I'm bringing her in."

Ben thought for a moment before adding, " Can you do

me a favour, Jay?"

"Sure, anything..."

"Can you do some digging around about the whole

Grimshore saga and see what comes up in regards to

this?" Ben waved the document at him again.

"Consider it done!" Jay picked up the telephone.

Ben tucked the papers into his coat pocket and said, "I'll

be back in a while. If you dig anything up in the mean

time, let me know. I'll have my phone on, okay?"

"You got it." Jay answered. "Hey, Ben?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful."

Smiling weakly he replied, "I always am."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Ben parked his Chevy on the side of the street. He looked

up at Anna's house from his seat. Sitting in her driveway

was a silver Volkswagon Convertible. Ben eyed it

suspiciously. He remembered seeing that car before. His

mind ticked over trying to recall where. He got out of his

car and stepped onto the footpath, his eyes still fixed on

the VW. Like a bolt of lightning it hit him. That was the car

he had seen Marla and Dr. Sugars drive away in the night

he visited the Wellness Clinic, but what would Rose be

doing at Anna's?

The thought had no sooner entered his mind when he

heard smashing glass and screaming echo from inside

Anna's house. He grabbed for his gun and ran to the front

steps, stopping beside the front door. The voices became

hushed and he could hear Anna sobbing hysterically. Ben

trod carefully and made his way towards the window to

the left of the door, his gun still firmly in his hand. His

heart thumped in his chest and sweat gathered above his

brow. As swiftly and as quietly as he could, he poked his

head around to the front of the window and peered

inside.

Anna was seated on the sofa in the lounge room, tears

streaming down her cheeks and Rose was standing over

the top of her holding a gun. Ben pulled his head back

from the window before he was seen and backed further

up against the wall of the house. With his left hand, he

reached into his pocket for his phone. It wasn't there.

"Shit!" Ben cursed under his breath.

His breathing became more rapid and the sweat now ran

down over his brow and into his eyes. The stinging

caused him to repeatedly blink his eyelids. It was the

body's vain effort to expel the salty liquid from his eyes

and regain his vision clearly. Rose's voice resounded from

the lounge room. It was harsh and deep.

"You dare to threaten me! Who do you think you are?"

"You have to go," Anna sobbed and stammered, "to the

police."

"I'll do no such thing," Rose's voice grew more menacing.

"and neither will you."

"But Marla..."

"She was weak, she was going to run to those cops and

tell them everything."

"You? You killed her, too?" Anna's voice rose to a higher

pitch.

"No!" boomed Rose, "I've killed no-one."

"You killed Tessa, I know you did, and so do you."

"Tessa was an accident!" Rose spat back at her.

"An accident? If it was an accident you should have gone

to the police like Marla wanted you to."

"You should be more worried about why Kylie-Anne and

Marla were murdered..." Rose cut herself short.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, they were all your clients. They all died within hours

of meeting with you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"You mean... You didn't kill them?"

"I told you. I didn't kill anyone. Tessa was just an

unfortunate accident that had to be taken care of."

"Oh my God, what is going on here? I, I thought you..."

"What? That I could kill my own daughter?"

"Then who?"

"I have no idea," Rose paused. "But they certainly picked a

convenient time and manner in which to start their little

killing spree. Seems they like to copy-cat, eh?"

"How can you say it's convenient? Your own child is dead

at the hands of this monster!" Anna choked between

sobs.

Ben listened intently, his heart still jumping wildly in his

chest and his mind racing. He was desperate to reach

Jay and call for back up, yet he didn't want to leave the

porch and the conversation inside. If he had any chance of

saving Anna, it was by staying right where he was and

waiting for an opportune time to make his move. He

pressed his ear back to the wall and gripped his gun

tighter.

"Yes, she was my child." Rose's tone softened ever so

slightly, "but she was also going to turn me in. I know it.

Her death is tragic but also a saviour."

"How do you know she didn't already talk to the police?"

A guttural laugh escaped Rose. "My dear girl, do you really

think I would be standing here if she had?"

"But you did kill Tessa."

"No, that was not the way it happened. It wasn't murder."

"What do you call it? You sliced her up and disfigured her

so viciously..."

"I had to. I needed to."

"You needed to? My God Rose, you are a sick woman. I can

help you." Anna fell silent for a moment and then

whispered, "Just don't kill me."

"No, no... You have it all wrong, Anna. I needed to do

those things to throw the police off the real cause of

death. What better way than to mutilate her and dump

her in the scrub?"

Ben couldn't believe his ears. Rose had admitted to killing

Tessa Hunt. His next thought was of the other girls. If

Rose didn't kill them, then who did? She had nothing to

lose denying their murders to Anna/ If she intended to

shoot her there would be no point lying to her about that.

Then it dawned on him. They were indeed dealing with two

killers, Rose and someone else who was running around

using Tessa's murder as a blueprint.

"If it was just an accident, why didn't you go the police?"

Anna pushed Rose for answers.

"I would have lost my medical license, possibly received

some time in prison. Either way I was not going to lose

everything for some cheap little tart that you referred to

me. It was her own fault, I was pushed to do the

termination after hours and without correct attendants

and procedures in place. What could I have done?"

"You could have said no!" Anna screamed at her. "That's

what you could have done, Rose."

"Said no? How? You were the one who begged me to do it

for her that night, or have you forgotten that little

important piece of information?" Rose stopped

momentarily before carrying on. "While we're on that

subject, why did you ask me that favour on her behalf?

Hmm. What was your vested interest in Tessa any-how?"

Ben had heard enough, it was time to end this siege

before it flared into another murder. Leaving the

conversation, he sunk to the ground and crawled on all

fours down the steps and across the pathway, all the

while his gun remained firmly in his grasp. Once he

reached the gate, he dived onto the footpath and around

to the drivers side of the Chevy. Pulling open the door, he

flung his body into the back seat and scanned the inside

of the car for his phone. There on the front passenger side

seat, he spied it. In one quick movement he grabbed it

and pulled it into the back. He raised his head and looked

out the car window. The house appeared as it did when he

crawled away from it. His fingers scrolled through the

phonebook and hit the call button when Jay's number

flashed on the screen, the phone began to connect.

"Jayy, Jesus. Thank God you answered."

"Ben, what's wrong?"

"I need you to get here immediately, bring me some back

up too."

"Are you hurt? Where's Anna?"

"Rose is here, she has a gun..."

"Ok, just calm down Ben. Where are they?"

"They're in the lounge room, I'm out in my car. They don't

know I'm here."

"We'll be there pronto buddy, just keep your head down

and wait for us. You hear me Ben?"

"Yeah, got it... Hey Jayy?"

"Yo."

"Be careful, Rose has nothing to lose..."

"What do you mean?"

"She killed Tessa."

"Shit! Ok, we'll sort this out later, right now you just stay

down. Be there in ten."

The call disconnected and Ben threw the phone to the

floor. He wiped the sweat away from his brow and even

though he didn't smoke, he wished like hell that he had a

cigarette. Jay had told him to stay down and remain

where he was, but he had to go back to the porch, he had

to make sure that nothing would happen to Anna. Within

seconds, he was once again on all fours, crawling across

Anna's yard and up her front steps. From his position

beneath the lounge room window, he heard Rose's

laughter ring out. He could hear Anna crying hard in the

background.

"My, my Anna. What a tangled web you have spun for

yourself. No wonder you were more involved with Tessa

than your other clients."

"Why are you doing this to me?" sobbed Anna.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Rose parroted back to

her, disdain dripping from her words. "I'm not doing

anything to you, dear. You are going to do it to yourself."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"It makes even more sense that you would kill yourself

now! It was passable that you had reason to commit

suicide before, having watched so many clients die such

terrible deaths. It wouldn't surprise anyone that you

would take your own life."

"You're sick, Rose. Twisted and sick!" Anna spat back at

her.

"But now, with what you have told me about Tessa, well,

that is simply extra cream for the filling isn't it?"

"What makes you so sure that I haven't told the police

what Marla has told me, Rose?" the desperation

resounded in Anna's voice. "I'm not sure if you are aware

of it or not, but my exhusband is one of the detectives

investigating Tessa's murder..."

"What?" Rose hissed at her. "Who?"

"Ben Payne. He's been to see me several times already

asking about you and Marla. If something were to happen

to me now, don't you think it would look a little

suspicious?"

There was silence. Ben was still crouching below the

window, becoming more and more nervous with the lack

of conversation. Concern filled him. If Rose had too much

time to think she might become desperate and even

more dangerous than ever. "Say something Anna. Keep

her talking," he whispered to himself. His hands became

slippery, he was sweating more profusely and his grip on

the gun was not quite as steady as it had been.

"I'm sure even the detectives won't have a hard time

believing your death is a suicide, especially since you will

be leaving them a note." snapped Rose. "Get me some

paper and a pen now."

Ben heard the trigger of the gun cock. The click sent chills

through him. Soon after there were sounds of a drawer

opening and closing again, then the rustling of paper.

"Thank you, Anna. Now be a good girl and start writing

your goodbye's."

"No, I won't!"

"You'll do it or I'll..."

"You'll what?" Anna cut her off. "Shoot me? Then I'll be

dead and you won't have your suicide note.'"

Ben crawled back to the side of the window and stood up.

His nerves were peaking. Rose was getting far more

serious and Jay still hadn't shown up. It was time to act.

He crept around to the back of the house and turned the

handle, it was locked.

"Damn it!" Ben cursed under his breath. He looked from

left to right surveying the other windows. On his right he

saw the small window of Anna's office was ajar. He slid it

open as far as it would go and hoisted himself up,

wriggling as quickly and as quietly as he could. A muffled

thump resounded as he hit the desk below the inside of

the window. Ben immediately looked up toward the door

to see if anyone was coming. The coast was clear.

Anna and Rose continued to argue, their pitch reaching a

feverish scale. If he didn't get in there soon, Anna could

end up wounded or even worse, dead. He slid down from

the desk and peered out the doorway. He could see the

dining room. It was empty. The two women were still in

the lounge room. Ben crouched down on all fours again

and crawled like a crab into the dining room. From there

he slithered past the table and rested up against the

breakfast bar, which divided the kitchen from the dining

room. The adrenalin was pumping furiously through his

veins and his heart was beating so hard, he was certain

that Rose would be able to hear it. He lay on the floor

behind the breakfast bar and poked his head around the

corner, he could see Anna sitting on the sofa, her arms

folded tightly across her chest. The fear on her face was

clear.

Rose was too far back for him to see her body, although

he could see her outstretched arm and the gun she held

in her hand, It was only inches from Anna's forehead.

Anna was rocking back and forth. Her head was shaking

from side to side. Ben wriggled a little further out from

behind the bar and crawled across the kitchen floor

toward the doorway, he kept his eyes on Anna. Just as he

was about to crawl behind the wall, Anna shook her head

and looked his way. Their eyes met. Ben thought she

would blow his cover with her reaction, instead she

continued rocking and shaking.

Ben motioned for Anna to try and move away from him.

He held out his arm, made a turning motion and then

pointed towards the lounge room window. He wanted

Anna to move in such a way that Rose would be forced to

walk further into the centre of the room with her back to

him. He prayed Anna would understand his gestures. Ben

was now as close to the two women as he dared get

without having the opportunity to come at Rose from

behind.

Anna stopped rocking and said to Rose, "Give me the

pen."

Ben watched as she stood up. Rose handed her a pen and

she took the paper from the sofa beside her. She walked

towards the window.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rose screamed at her.

"If you want me to write this note, I need a hard surface to

lean on," she shot back at her. "The buffet will do." Anna

pointed to the small buffet hutch below the lounge room

window.

Ben felt relief wash over him. She had understood what he

wanted. He lifted himself into a crouching position and

prepared to spring at Rose from behind.

Anna reached the buffet and turned back to Rose, "What

do you want me to write?"

"Say how deeply traumatised you are because of the

horrendous deaths of your clients." Rose crossed the

room to where Anna was standing.

Ben now had her firmly in his sight. "Just a little further,"

he whispered. "That's it, keep going."

Rose was almost right beside Anna. Her back was nearly

completely turned on him. She took one final step and

was over Anna's shoulder.

"Mention how you just couldn't bare their loss and how

disturbed you had become..."

Ben sprang from his position behind the kitchen wall and

lunged at Rose, moving so fast there was no turning

back. Instantly he fell upon her knocking her to the

ground. The gun flew from her hand and slid across the

lounge room floor. Anna ran and picked it up. Rose

screamed obscenities at him, punching and kicking as

hard as she could. The heel of her stiletto caught Ben in

the temple, knocking him out cold on the floor beside

her. Rose glared over at Anna and pulled herself up off the

floor.

"Give me that you stupid fool!" her words were icy and

bitter, spittle dribbled from her mouth.

"Don't come any closer," screamed Anna. "I'll shoot you

dead, I swear I will." Her hands trembled beneath the

weight of the gun.

Rose moved forward slowly, taking one deliberate step

after another, her hands out in front of her. She looked

like a woman feeling her way through a darkened room.

"Give me the gun, Anna, and you won't get hurt." She

forced out a laugh. "It's not even loaded!"

Anna looked at the gun and then back at Rose. "We'll see

then, won't we?"

With that she aimed the gun at her and squeezed the

trigger. The bullet shot from the gun and lodged deeply in

the wall behind Rose. Anna looked at the fear stricken

expression on Rose's face. She then shifted her attentions

to Ben, he was coming to on the floor, rolling around

moaning with his hands holding a gash above his right

eye.

Rose spun on her heel and bolted to the front door. Ben

threw out his arms in an attempt to pull her feet out from

under her. He missed. Anna stood where she was, glued

in a state of shock. Ben yelled to her, "Shoot again Anna,

shoot!"

It was too late, Rose was already opening the door and

halfway down the front steps.

"Stop right there!"

Ben heard a familiar voice. He climbed up against the wall

and peered out through the window, it was Jay. The front

lawn was littered with at least half a dozen cops and three

cars, all parked lengthways across the driveway. Ben

glanced over at Anna once more before passing out again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

"What happened, Rose?" Jay sat in front of her, his eyes

directly on hers.

"It was an accident...."

"Save the crap for someone who actually gives a damn!

What happened before you sliced her up and threw her

into the scrub like a slaughtered beast.."

"You don't have to say it like that.."

"Does that offend you, Rose? Don't you like hearing the

truth about what you did to Tessa Hunt?"

"It wasn't like that. I told you what happened.."

"So tell me again and again and again if you have to, just

make sure you tell me everything. I want the truth!"

"I have told you the truth," she spat back at him, her eyes

still fixed intently on his.

Jay couldn't believe what a tough nut she was to crack.

He had been in this room with her for three hours already

and she still kept rambling on about Tessa death being

an accident. He had already pried one version from Anna.

Now he had to get the other story from Rose.

"I have your counsellor friend down in processing as we

speak, and she was more than happy to spill the goods

on you," Jay slid his chair back from the table they were

sitting at and stood up. "Seems that you are going down

for murder and there isn't another soul alive who wants to

help you.."

"Anna?" Rose scoffed. "You can't believe a word that leaves

that deceitful mouth of hers. I bet she didn't tell you all

the juicy secrets she has hidden though, did she?"

"Oh you mean about her asking you to perform the after

hours abortion, or her connection with Tessa?"

Rose raised her eyebrows and followed Jay with her

gaze. "Oh, so she did tell you, then?"

"Just to make sure we are on the same page here, you tell

me what you're talking about," offered Jay.

A deep laugh escaped Rose. "So you really don't know, do

you, Detective? You think I am stupid enough to fall for

that trick?"

"Don't play games with me," threatened Jay. "I've been in

this game almost as long as you've been killin' babies.."

She shifted in her seat and pursed her lips.

"Fine, have it your way," Jay continued. "I can see how

much you care about solving Marla's murder.."

"You leave my daughter out of this. She has nothing to do

with Tessa.."

"Are you sure about that? She was murdered almost

identically to Tessa and Kylie-Anne. How do I know you

didn't kill her, too?"

"I had nothing to do with those killings...."

"You better start giving me some information, and bloody

quick. I have absolutely no qualms with pinning

everything on you. In fact...." he paused to look her up and

down. "I'd really enjoy watching you spend the rest of your

miserable existence behind bars.."

She thought about his words and fiddled briefly with her

hair. Straightening the two combs on either side of her

head. "Marla had nothing to do with Tessa's death. She

just happened to turn up at the clinic at the wrong time.

Anna had phoned me and asked a personal favour of

me...."

"What was that?"

"She wanted me to perform Tessa's termination right

away. She offered me a great sum of money and said she

would stay until it was done to drive Tessa back home.."

"Why didn't you say no?"

"I live in the real world, Detective. Money is everything and

my clinic drained on my funds heavily. Believe it or not,

there are a lot more expenses than you think to run that

place.."

"Get on with it, I don't want your hard luck story," Jay

blurted out.

Rose glared at him before continuing. "The long and the

short of it is, it's much more profitable to perform illegally

than it is to perform legally. I can make, in one after hour's

termination, what I would make in three properly

scheduled procedures. Why would I say no?"

"You risked people's lives for a few extra dollars? How

many others have you accidentally killed in your career

Rose?"

"None! Tessa was the only one."

"How can I believe you? You have told so many lies it's

hard to know when you're telling the truth. I'm beginning

to think you don't even know what the truth is!" He walked

back to the table and stood before her again. "Tell me

what happened with Tessa.."

Rose sighed, inspected her fingernails and then turned

back to him. "She had some kind of allergic reaction to

powder on my gloves.."

"What? Come on Rose, even you can do better than that.."

"Well, it must have been the gloves. I hadn't even

administered the anaesthetic yet and she began gasping

and writhing around. All I'd done up until then was hold

an oxygen mask over her face. So unless she was allergic

to pure air. It must have been something to do with the

gloves. I'm guessing the powder they're coated with.."

Jay stared at her, it all seemed so simple for her to

explain away a woman's death. "Then what happened?"

"Anna was in the waiting room when Marla showed up.

She'd forgotten her keys for our weekend house out at

Postman's Bay. She had driven out there for the weekend,

only to get there and find she had forgotten to grab the

keys from the office. I always keep a spare set there," Rose

wiped her hands across her face and continued with her

story. "Marla freaked when she found out what I was doing

and stormed into the procedure room as I was trying to

revive Tessa. The C.P.R. wasn't working and I was frantic

with panic.."

"Where was Anna at this time?"

"I saw her standing in the doorway behind Marla. She took

one look at Tessa and fled. I ran after her and told her I

would take care of everything. I made her swear to keep

her mouth shut or I would tell of her involvement in the

whole thing.."

"What did she do?" Jay kept the questions coming.

"What do you think she did? She kept her mouth shut

just like the rest of us did. She had just as much to lose

as me.."

"What role did Marla play in all of this?"

"Marla?" she laughed. "She played no role. She was more

of a hinderance than a help. All she did was cry and panic

and then cry some more. Little Miss Goody Two Shoes

wanted to call the cops and come clean with the accident

right away. I told her to bring my car to the back entrance

and then leave."

Jay desperately wanted a cigarette.

"So, Marla had no idea what you had planned to do with

the body?"

"No, I instructed her to go home and give me the keys to

the weekender. After she left, I wheeled Tessa out to the

car and drove to Postman's Bay."

"And that's where you took to her with a hack saw or

some other serrated tool and cut her up?"

Rose nodded her head.

"How could you do that?" He looked at her. Her head was

bowed, looking down at the desk. "It's one thing to try

and hide a body, but it's another thing altogether when

you slice off their breasts and rip their guts open!"

"You make it sound so cruel and evil," she began.

"Sound? It doesn't just sound cruel and evil, Rose. It is!"

"But she was already dead. I was only trying to throw

police off the trail. I'm not a monster, Detective."

Jay's jaw nearly hit the ground. He couldn't believe what

he was hearing. This woman was obviously cracked. She

had commit-ted one of the most horrendous acts of

violence and depravity he had ever seen on another

human being, and she was sitting there as though he

had accused her of stealing an apple.

"Anna is the one you should be after, not me."

"How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion?" He

couldn't believe her.

"She was the one who pushed me to do the damn

termination immediately, all for her precious...."

"Her precious what, Rose?" Jay wanted to hear the words

from her mouth.

She tilted her head towards him and smiled the most

chilling smile he had ever seen. "All for her precious

daughter! Tessa was her daughter." She then looked

around the room and with her gaze back on Jay, she

said, "I think now would be a good time for a solicitor."

Jay stared at the woman in front of him. Everything

about her screamed madness. Her words and actions and

her sheer lack of understanding of the act she had

committed. He turned and left the room.

"How did you go with her?" an officer just outside the door

asked.

"That is one cracked unit," he blurted out. "If she ain't a

candidate for the nut house, I dunno who is!"

The officer stared blankly at him and said, "Should I take

her to bookings now?"

"Yeah, and call her solicitor when you're done."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Ben opened his eyes. He was greeted with a middle-aged

nurse smiling kindly down at him. Her deep blue eyes

were kind and her full, red lips looked so soft and

sensual. He smiled at the thought of kissing them.

"Well, hello there," she said in a hushed voice. "Good to

see you're awake."

"What happened?" he asked, using his arms to push

himself up into a sitting position.

"You have seven neat stitches in your temple and a nasty

little concussion to boot. That's what happened." she

helped him sit up properly then handed him some water.

Ben took it from her and raised it to his lips. "Oh God,

Anna!" The memory of the afternoon's events came

rushing back to him in one gigantic wave.

"It's ok," the nurse hushed him. "You got the bad guy and

everyone is safe. Your partner Detective Marnotti came in with

you and then left again. He said he'd be back a little later."

"Jay?"

"Yes, that's right." She patted his face down with a cool

washer.

"Did someone mention my name?" A familiar voice filled

the room.

Ben looked over to the door and saw Jay standing there

holding a can of coke in one hand and a manila folder in

the other.

"Hey, Jayy, great to see you."

"It's great to see you! I was worried there for a while." He

pulled up a chair next to the bed.

The attractive nurse put down the washer and excused

herself before leaving the room. Ben smiled at her as she

left. He turned back to Jay who was grinning broadly at

him.

"What?"

"You like her!" his smile grew wider. "Don't you? Go on,

admit it."

Ben smirked like a schoolboy and then changed the

subject. "How is Anna?"

"She's fine. A little shaken by the ordeal, but otherwise

she's ok." he stopped cold.

"What is it, Jay?"

"She's been charged in relation to Tessa's death, Ben. I'm

sorry."

"Did she..."

"No she didn't kill her, but she was pre-sent when she

died and then helped cover it up by keeping her mouth

shut."

"So who did?" Ben's curiosity rose. "My memory, it's a bit

scrambled."

"A blow to the head will do that to ya, Benny boy." Jay

joked. "You were on the money all along. The Wellness

Clinic..."

"What about it?"

"It seems the good doctor performed some after hours

terminations and Tessa's happened to go wrong. Anna

knew about it and said nothing."

"Jesus," he whispered, rubbing his forehead. "So what

about Rose?"

"She's admitted to the killing and gave a statement. I

wouldn't be surprised if she gets off on insanity though.

She's one fruity loop that one."

"So why the mutilation? It doesn't make sense."

"She thought that if she cut her up and made it look like

some sicko on the loose that it would throw police off the

track."

"Well, she was right there."

"I spoke to Anna. Her story was pretty consistent with

what I got from Rose."

"So why didn't she just tell us? It doesn't make sense,

Jayy." he sighed.

"She was so afraid of people finding out that Tessa was

her daughter. She just wanted to leave her past in the

past and when Tessa came back looking for her..."

"So she had met with Tessa long before now, then?"

"Apparently so, about a year or so ago she showed up on

her doorstep. Anna told her she wanted nothing to do

with her and the life she reminded her of. For a long time

she never came back."

"Until Tessa found out she was pregnant?"

"Yeah. She called on Anna for help and she put her onto

Rose and told her that she would take care of it if she

promised to leave her alone after that. Tessa agreed and

that's when they went to see Rose."

Ben sat with his hands in his lap, lost in thought.

"Ben?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. Did you manage to dig up anything on

Grimshore?"

"I sure did. Tessa's father was a guard at the girls home

back in 1977."

"When Anna was there?" Ben interrupted.

"Seems so. His name was Bernard Houseman. It appears

that when the home became aware of his activities with

Anna, he was to be hauled in front of the disciplinary

commission. He chose another course of action though."

Ben looked at him expectantly.

"He decided to string himself up from a tree in his back

yard. He had a wife and three kids. I guess he didn't want

to have to face them, over the incident."

"Gees, Jayy, this saga just keeps getting more and more

depressing."

"Sure does."

"So what happened with Anna?"

"The girls home took the baby from her immediately after

birth and adopted it out. It was a sealed adoption. My

source did well to uncover the birth certificate when they

ran Anna's background check."

"Damn," Ben cursed. "If only I had tried harder to find a

next of kin when we found Tessa's body. Instead of just

accepting that her parents were dead and there was no-

one else to notify."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You did what you could,

Ben."

"If I had have dug a little deeper, I may have uncovered

this weeks ago and maybe."

"Look, it's over. There's no use agonising over what could

or should have happened."

"Maybe," Ben agreed.

"We still got bigger problems than that, Benny, my boy."

"How so?"

"We still have a psycho-sicko unit out there, running

around performing copy cat killings of Tessa's murder on

other pregnant women. We gotta catch the animal."

"Oh hell," sighed Ben. "Who would know all those details,

Jayy? The foetus snatching detail was never released to

the public."

"I dunno, but as soon as you get outta here, we're gonna

find out." He slapped his hand on Ben's shoulder. "In the

meantime buddy, you and I have to celebrate the one

small victory we have achieved. Rose's arrest and solving

Tessa's murder."

"Sure," said Ben, his enthusiasm not quite that of Jay's.

"Bluey's, tomorrow night, nine o'clock."

"I'll be there!"

"Well you'd best get some rest if you want to be out of

here by morning." The cute nurse was standing in the

doorway holding a fresh washer and a bowl of soapy

water.

Ben's eyes lit up.

"My buddy and I were just planning a celebration

tomorrow night." He looked back at Ben and grinned. "I

don't suppose you'd care to join us?"

Ben's eyes widened. He glared wildly at Jay for being so

brazen.

Her lips parted and a smile spread across her pretty face.

She looked at Ben and replied, "I'd love to... Unfortunately

I have to work tomorrow night, but I'm free Friday night if

that's any good?"

Jay looked at the two of them and pushing his chair

back he said, "Well I'll leave you two to fine tune the

details. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, smiling at Ben. He

then turned to the nurse and said, "I hope to see you

again soon, too, eerrr?"

"Carolyn," she answered, taking his bait for details.

With that Jay left them to each other's company.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

"Hey Tadpole," cried Jay. "How's it goin'?" Jay leaned

over the bar and shook his hand as he always does.

"Jayy, great to see you. I had a feeling you'd be back

again," Tadpole grinned widely at him and pulled a beer

before sliding it across the bar, coming to a stop in front

of Jay.

"Really? What, are you a bloody psychic now, are ya?"

Tadpole laughed and then replied, "Believe me, it wouldn't

take a psychic to see why you're back again." his eyes

strayed across the room behind Jay and came to rest on

Danni, who was stacking empty beer glasses on her tray.

Jay followed his gaze, a broad smile spreading over his

face when his eyes fell upon Danni. His expression

softened and he was overcome with a warm feeling, that

girl sure did make his senses peak. His eyes moved up

and down over her beautiful body, taking in it's every curve

and contour, her shapely hips and tiny waist stirred the

man in him. Her full bust and slender neck were just

perfect. Jay had never seen a finer looking woman. The

Queen of Sheba could walk right by him now and he

wouldn't even notice. Danni was his Queen and nothing

else mattered, he was taken with the girl. Hook, line and

sinker!

Turning his attentions back to Tadpole he lifted his beer

to his lips and said, "Hey Tad, what's the chances of me

takin' her off your hands a few minutes earlier tonight?" he

nudged his head in Danni's direction.

Tadpole pursed his lips and clicked his tongue in a

serious manner. "Gees, I don't know, Jayy, it's kinda

busy here tonight," he scratched his head and frowned

weakly. "I don't know that I can spare the man power."

Jay scanned the bar and billiards room. He counted

maybe five customers in total. He looked back at Tadpole

whose frown was now replaced with a cheeky smirk and

trying desperately to hold back his laughter.

"You mongrel," Jay cursed at him playfully.

"Go on you love machine, get out of here!"

Jay downed his beer and placed the glass back on the

bar. He was already walking away when Tadpole yelled

after him, "Just make sure you bring her back. Good help's

hard to find you know."

He waved his hand in the air and crept up behind Danni,

who by now was at the next table clearing the last of the

glasses away. His hands extended and grabbed her firmly

around the waist, "Hey there gorgeous."

She jumped so high that she lost her balance and would

have toppled over, glasses and all, if it hadn't been for

Jay's tight grip steadying her on her feet.

"Good God!" she gasped. "You scared the living daylights

out of me." She let out a nervous laugh and then threw

her arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. She

glanced over at the bar and saw Tadpole staring at them,

a knowing smile on his lips. He gave her the thumbs up

and then went back about his business.

"You're early," she told him. "I don't get off for another half

an hour yet. You want to have a drink at the bar?"

"Already had one." he replied, his eyes fixed firmly on her

and a strange little grin on his face. He was mesmerised

by everything about her and couldn't believe it has taken

him nearly a month to realise it.

The first night they got together was nothing more than a

meeting of two people who had over indulged in the

offerings of the cock-tails at Fred's retirement party,

resulting in a drunken roll in the hay. Their second

meeting of the bodies was almost the same. He was

drunk, she wasn't. He'd tried hard not to get attached or

develop feelings for her. Throwing her out of his bed on

that second morning had been his cruel attempt at

distancing himself from her, yet he was still unable to get

her off his mind. She had already gotten to him by then

and he was hooked on her. It just took him a little while

to admit it.

"Are you ok, Jay?" She asked, gazing into his eyes. "You

seem a bit, I don't know. Weird!"

He leaned in towards her and wrapped his arms tighter

around her, pulling her closer to him. "I'm fine."

His fingers fiddled with the strings of her apron, untying

them and letting the beer stained, black garment fall to

the floor between them. "Let's get out of here." Jay then

grabbed her by the hand, looked over at Tadpole who was

holding her handbag up ready for collection, and led her

toward the door. Danni mouthed thank you to him as she

took her bag from him on the way out of Bluey's. He shot

her a happy wink and nodded his head.

"So how's little Danni Junior?" Jay asked, patting her

softly on the stomach before opening the cruiser door

and ushering her in.

Danni's eyes softened at his gesture. "You really are

excited about this aren't you?" she asked, crawling up into

the seat.

"Sure am," he replied, opening his door and hoisting

himself up. He started the engine and pulled away from

Bluey's. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She smiled sweetly at him and rested her hand on his.

"You're not so tough after all, are you?" her smiled

broadened.

"What do ya mean by that? I'm tough" He glanced over at

her, puffing his chest up and flexing his arms tightly.

"See? I'm all that and more." he joked.

"You certainly are. All that and much more."

Outside her house he cut the engine and remained in his

seat.

"You want to come in?" she asked, sliding closer to him.

Jay bit his lip and swallowed hard. "More than anything

in the world..."

Danni started to open the door.

"But I'm not going to," he blurted out.

"You're not?" she echoed. "Have I done something

wrong?"

He laughed and pulled her closer to him again.

"Absolutely not. I just wanna make it special y'know?"

"Make what special?" she asked, a confused look on her

face.

"The next time I enter a room alone with you, we both

know what's gonna happen..." He stared directly into her

big brown eyes. "And I just wanna make sure when it

happens, that it's special." he lifted her hand to his mouth

and kissed it gently. "Is that ok with you?"

Danni placed her hands on either side of his face and

answered, "That's more than ok." She bent forward and

kissed his lips.

"Now stop that young lady, that's just being cruel!" Jay

cried, pulling back from her. "How am I supposed to

remain a gentleman when you go and do things like

that?" a cheeky giggle escaped him.

"Alright, you win! But just don't blame me for the rules of

no contact. That is your idea, remember?" she teased him.

Jay wanted so badly to whisk her inside and show her

just how much contact he did want. He wanted her to feel

his desire for her. It was taking everything he had to

control himself. His entire body was screaming at him to

give in and follow his lust. But that was the problem, he

didn't want it to be all about the lust, not this time. Next

time it was going to mean something and he was going

to make it mean something if he had to hold back for

another six months. He knew that she wanted him, he

could see it in her eyes, hear it in her words and feel it in

her touch. She too, would just have to wait, soon the time

would be right and they will both be thankful that they

had waited a little longer.

"So, don't you have to be going to see a doctor or

something soon?" he changed the subject.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll make an appointment for next week."

"Can I come?"

She was taken aback by his enthusiasm. "Boy, you sure

do want to get right in there and be a part of this don't

you?"

Her hand caressed his face.

"You don't want me to?"

"Of course I do, I'm just a little surprised that you want to

come to a boring old doctors appointment with me." she

smiled at him. "I'd love for you to come, sure."

"Great! Consider me there." Jay thought for a minute

and then added, "What about that birth stuff?"

"Birth stuff?"

"Yeah, you know, where you go to the hospital and they

show ya videos and teach ya how to get ready for the baby

and all that?"

"Gees, I don't know. At this point, you know more about

what goes on than I do, Jay."

she grinned at him. "Is there something you're not telling

me? Have you done this before?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," he replied. "No, I just did a bit of a

search on the net last night about babies and birth and

that sort of stuff. I just wanna be there for you, Danni."

"Oh Jay," she whispered. "You're going to be a fantastic

daddy and..."

"And what?" he egged her on.

"And a fantastic partner too." Her head rested on his

shoulder and she cuddled up to him. "You make it hard

for a girl to resist you, don't you?"

"Well I should hope so," he said. "See, I told ya I was

tough. Tough to resist!" he let out a hearty laugh and

squeezed her tightly to him.

For sometime the two just rested there in each others

company, enjoying the closeness and savouring the

moment. They watched through the windscreen as the

blanket of stars shimmered and glittered above them, it

was a perfect night and a perfect second date.

"Oh hell, I nearly forgot," Jay interrupted the moment

with his booming voice. "Can you get off a little earlier

tomorrow night?"

"I can't see why not. Taddy's usually pretty good and he

owes me a few shifts. Why?"

"Ben and I are having a celebration at Bluey's. I just

thought you might like to join us when you finish? I'll

introduce you to Ben, properly."

"Ben? He the guy you were with the other night?"

"Yeah, that's him. You'll like him, he's a top bloke."

"Sounds great. What are you celebrating?"

Jay shifted from his seat and opened his door. "The

demise of the baddies, my sweet. Another one off the

street." He walked to her side of the car and helped her

out. "Now let's get you inside and locked up safe for the

night, eh?"

Jay led her up the pathway and up to her front door. She

took out her key and unlocked it. She noticed him looking

down at the pavers on either side of the steps and she

said, "Don't worry, they're being stacked away tomorrow!"

"Great idea. Next weekend we'll get stuck into pruning

that big old tree back around the side too, okay?"

"It's a date," she laughed.

"No, that's hard work!" Jay joked back. "You're one high

maintenance babe aren't ya?" He stepped closer to her

and wrapped his arms around her. "So I'll see you

tomorrow night?"

She planted tiny kisses on his lips and in between said,

"That is a date!"

"See you then," he whispered and backed away from her.

"Round eight-ish I guess."

"Eight-ish it is."

Jay ran down the steps, across the pathway and into his

cruiser. He watched as she entered the house and closed

the door behind her. His cruiser fired up and, with a

gratified smile, he shifted it into gear and drove away.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Anna sat huddled against the cold, steely walls of the

holding cell. Her hands trembled with fright and her

fingers were stained black with ink from being

fingerprinted during her booking and processing

yesterday. Her first night behind bars was terrifying. The

unfamiliar sounds of the cell and constant snoring and

bickering of the other people locked in the adjoining cells

had kept her awake. She was still visibly disturbed by the

ordeal of what had happened at her home with Rose the

day before and she was wondering why Ben hadn't been

to see her yet. Sure, he was injured during the scuffle, but

he wasn't hurt that badly, or at least she hadn't thought

so.

Replays of the frightening events of yesterday kept

flashing through her mind. She could still see the barrel

of the gun right in front of her and she could feel the tears

rolling down her cheeks. Her hands could still feel how

tightly they were locked together around the trigger of the

gun and how badly she was shaking while trying to steady

her aim. The expression on Rose's face haunted her like

the memories of her father did. Now she had even more

nightmares to taunt her.

She moved away from the wall and stood up. Her eyes

darted from one side of her cell to the other. The bars

were so close. So close to her that she could feel the panic

rising inside her like lava rising in a volcano. Her arms

wrapped around her torso and she rubbed them up and

down in an attempt to keep herself warm. Laughter rang

out from somewhere down the hall. She couldn't see who

was there or what they were laughing at, all she knew was

that it unnerved her. Not being able to see all around her

was petrifying, how could she protect herself if she

couldn't see what was around her? How would she know if

she was truly safe? Oh how she wished Ben was with her.

The door to her cell suddenly slid open and a guard yelled

to her.

"Anna Jameson, step out into the corridor."

She walked towards the open door and poked her head

out. Unable to see anything more than an empty corridor,

she hesitantly took two steps outside her cell. A door at

the end of the hall opened and a uniformed officer walked

towards her. He stepped in front of her and stood there,

just staring at her. Unsure what she was to do, she simply

remained quiet and stared back.

"You have a visitor, this way." The officer walked past her

and followed the corridor to the very end where he opened

a door and waited for her to follow him in.

Her feet felt like they were made of lead as she tried to put

one in front of the other. Every step was an effort. She kept

her head down and when she reached the officer, turned

and walked through the open door.

"Hello, Anna."

Her heart jumped into her throat. "Ben!" she ran towards

him and tried to embrace him but he pulled away.

"Take a seat," he said, pulling a flimsy metal chair out

from an even flimsier looking metal table.

Anna did as she was told. "Thank God you're here. I don't

know what they are going to do with me. What is

happening, Ben?" her words were laced with worry.

He stared at her and then fiddled with the padded

bandage over his temple. "I'm fine, thanks for asking!" He

replied with sarcasm.

"I just knew you would be," she cried, dismissing his tone.

"You're in a lot of trouble here, Anna," he carried on. "But

there's nothing I can do for you now I'm afraid."

"What do you mean, nothing you can do for me? Ben

you've got to help me. Please!" she begged him, unable

to believe that he could be so cool and unhelpful to her.

How could he treat her this way? He knew that she was in

a bad way and he was standing there telling her he

couldn't help her.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"You can't or you won't?" she spat at him.

Ben sighed and leaned into the table between them. "This

time, Anna, I couldn't help you even if I wanted to. You

have told so many lies and dug yourself a hole that I can't

get you out of."

"But I didn't lie to you, Ben, honestly." she used the best

innocent girl routine she could muster.

"Oh for God sake, Anna." his eyes flared at her. "Even now

when you have been cornered and exposed, you still can't

tell me the truth!"

She stared down at the dull metal table and whispered,

"You know?"

"Know about what? That you were there when Tessa died?

That you knew what happened to her all along and lied to

me about it? Or..."

"Or what?" she shot a glare up at him.

"That you are Tessa's mother?" he blurted out. "There's so

much you didn't tell me Anna, I could have helped you,

but now... I just can't."

Anna sat silent, no words could leave her mouth. She

didn't know what to say, nothing she said could change

anything now.

"I know everything now Anna," Ben continued.

"Yes, I know." she stared at the wall behind him. "I told

Jay everything about what happened that night."

"I'm not just talking about that," he replied, pulling his

chair closer in to the table.

"Well, there's nothing else to know then."

"There's a lot more to know..."

"Look, I have told you all everything. I don't know what

more you think I haven't told you."

Ben lowered his head and his voice. "How about the fact

that our entire marriage was based on a lie?"

"That's not true..."

"You can't even tell the truth when your very life counts on

it, can you?" He slid his chair back so briskly that it flew

out from behind him and hit the back wall. "I'm talking

about you and what happened with your father."

Her eyes grew wide and the heart in her chest began to

beat quicker. "I told you what happened with him. How

many details do you want Ben? Would it satisfy you if I sat

here and told you how he abused me and used me as a

sex toy. Again? Jesus. I already told you about it years

ago." She turned her head away. "How many times are you

going to make me relive those memories?"

"You're good, I'll give you that much. A damn fine actress

and an even better liar." he hissed at her.

"I didn't lie to you about that, it did happen. How can you

treat me so cruel? I suffered more than you will ever know,

and you are making me suffer it all over again." The tears

welled in her eyes, she swallowed hard, and held them

back.

"I have no doubt you suffered at his hands and I am sorry

for that, really I am. Why did you tell me he abandoned

you? Was what really happened too hard for you to trust

me with?"

Anna fell back in her chair, her mouth ajar and her eyes

wide. "How? How do you..."

"How the hell do you think I know? I'm a bloody cop, for

crying out loud!" he paced up and down the length of the

room. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I hoped..."

"Yeah, and I hoped, too, Anna. Hoped that we could have

had a better marriage, that we could have worked things

out, that you could have one day trusted and loved me

the way I did you. I had so many hopes for us, so many

dreams."

She sat back quietly and listened to his words. They cut

her to the bone, hearing how desperately he had wanted

her to open up to him and be with him gave rise to an

emotion she had not felt before, guilt. It had never

occurred to her that this man may have truly loved her

and just wanted nothing more than to be with her. For

years she put so much energy into hiding her past and

her true self from him, all for the sake of keeping secret. A

life she wanted to forget. She had spent so much time

convincing herself that he never cared for her and only

used her for his own needs, and now she realised the

truth. But it was too late.

"I should have told you," she admitted quietly. "I was

ashamed Ben. Who wouldn't be?"

He turned away and stared out the small, barred window.

The sunlight filtered through and into the small room

they shared. It's rays danced along the surface of the

metal table and gave it the hint of lustre that it otherwise

lacked.

"You still should have told me," he whispered. "Things

could have been so different for us, better. You could have,

at the very least, told me about Tessa. I would have

understood, Anna."

"I know, I wish I had have told you. I was so scared that

you would think terrible things about me. I'm not a bad

person Ben, you have to believe that."

"I used to."

Anna jumped from her chair and ran to-wards him,

grabbing him by the arm. 'Please, don't do this. Not when

I need you the most.'

He shook her free and walked to the door on the opposite

side of the room. "That's what it's always about, isn't it?"

"I don't understand," she cried, shaking her head.

"What you need. It's always about you and that is all that

has ever mattered. I can't believe I blamed myself for us

failing." He turned the doorknob and pushed the door

open. "Now I realise that there wasn't a damn thing I

could have done to make us work. Goodbye, Anna." Ben

walked through the door and it slammed shut beside

him with an echoing crash.

Anna felt her very last safety net disintegrate around her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Jay turned left straight out of the lift, he marched down

the corridor and up to the reception desk. The secretary

looked up at him and smiled her usual glamorous smile.

"Hi, Detective Marnotti. I didn't know you had another

autopsy scheduled in for today," she said, flicking through

her appointment book.

"Nah, not today, beautiful. I'm here to see Augie. He called

me and said he had some results for me. He about?"

Jay's head turned and looked towards the rooms further

down the hall.

Her smile grew bigger and she laughed, "Well that's sure

better than a nasty autopsy any day, isn't it? I'll just page

him now for you." She picked up the phone on the

counter in front of her and hit a small green button. Jay

heard her mumble a few words before she replaced the

receiver and looked back at him. "You can go on through.

He's in Suite 3."

"Thanks," he said, heading off in the direction of the

Suites. Jay scanned the numbers on each door as he

walked down the hallway, there were so many doors and

they weren't numbered in sequence, which he thought

was odd. He had been in Suite 2 before and yet it was not

next to Suite 3, not even close. He continued down the

aisle, looking left and right until he came to another

corridor that ran across his path, he took a chance and

made a left. A few steps further down on his right was a

plain grey door, marked Suite 3. Jay knocked and waited

to be allowed in.

"Ahh, Jay... Good to see you. Come on through." Augie

stepped aside, holding the door open for him and he

walked through, stopping just inside.

Jay extended his hand and Augie accepted it, giving it a

firm shake.

"I hope you don't mind chatting while I finish up with a

few samples I've been working with?" Augie asked,

motioning to the washtub.

"Not at all. The mood I am in today Augie, we could talk

on a volcano for all I care." A huge smile beamed from his

face.

The two walked deeper inside the room and washed their

hands at the sinks before entering the autopsy suite.

"So why the happy face?" enquired Augie, pulling on a pair

of latex gloves. "Not that you shouldn't be happy. You just

haven't had a lot to smile about of late."

"Seems like our luck is changing my friend," he blurted

out. "We got Tessa's killer!"

Augie stood so still he looked almost frozen to the spot.

"You what? Are you serious?" he looked at the excitement

on Jays face.

"Serious as they come!"

"When? Where? How? Why?" He stuttered and tripped over

his words with anxious anticipation for the details. "Who?"

Jay laughed heartily and walked to a tall stool sitting a

few feet away. He picked it up and brought it back to

where he had been standing and sat it down. "Her name

was Dr. Rose-Marie Sugars. Seems she was not quite as

professional as she should have been" He cocked one leg

up and half leant against the stool. Augie's expression

turned to shock.

"Rose-Marie Sugars?"

"Yup. What? Do you know her?"

"Sure," he replied, sealing a plastic bag and placing it on a

pile with several others. "The mother of our last mutilation

victim. Marla Andrews." his eyes fell to the floor. "She

came in to identify the body and make arrangements to

send her to the funeral home." He paused. "She seemed

so nice. Why, why did she do it?"

"It's a long and twisted story Augie, trust me. The long

and short of it is that she killed Tessa and she is going to

jail!"

Augie appeared to be lost in a trance momentarily. Jay

snapped his fingers in front of him and said, "Earth to

Augie. You still with me?"

Blinking his eyelids a few times, his gaze returned to Jay

and they continued their conversation. "So if she killed

Tessa, did she kill the others? Her own daughter too?"

"Apparently not, and that's the bad news. We still have a

monster out there stalking and mutilating women. We

need to get the freak Augie." He steadied himself against

the chair.

"So it looks like this is a copy-cat killer then?"

"That sure is how it's looking," replied Jay. "I can't figure

it out though, specific details weren't released to the

press, so it must be someone who knows the nature of

the murders in their entirety."

Augie rubbed his hands over his face, "Could there be a

leak in the department, Jayy?"

"There's always that possibility, plenty of insiders with

access to this sort of information who just can't resist

making a quick buck by selling it to the nearest weirdo off

the street. The press love the leaky cops!"

"There is another possibility, Jay." Augie lowered his eyes

to the floor.

"What are you thinking?" Jay's brow rose.

"Maybe our killer is an insider! That would explain a lot.

What are your thoughts?"

"Oh, hell I hope not, I work with cops everyday, I don't

wanna wake up one day knowing that one of them is

capable of doing this." Jay thought for a moment. "But it

does make a lot of sense though, doesn't it?"

"It's just one possibility. It could even be someone with a

passion for forensics and police procedures..." Augie tried

to reach another conclusion.

"Could be, I think it might be time to start taking an

inside look though. That makes more sense to me. Damn

it!" Jay slammed the stool against the bench beside

him. The thought of the killer being a fellow cop churned

his stomach. He worked beside a lot of officers, all good

men and he didn't even want to consider the possibility

that any one of them could be capable of these murders.

He turned to Augie and asked, "How did Marla's tox

results come out? Anything that can help us?"

Augie sighed and turned in the direction of a small door

off the main suite. "Ed, can you bring me Marla Andre's

tox results please?"

A voice echoed back, "No problem, Dr. August."

Augie turned back to Jay and said, "U-fortunately there's

nothing ground breaking in there. I was hoping for your

sake that we'd find something, but alas... It wasn't to be."

He held out his hand, awaiting Ed to pass the folder to

him.

"There you are, Dr. August," Ed said quietly when he

handed him the results.

"Thank you, Ed," he said.

Ed hung around in front of him for a few seconds before

Augie asked, "Is there something else, Ed?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had

thought about what I had asked you this morning?"

"Oh. Yes, that's right. Of course, it's fine with me but just

make sure you have stored all the chemicals back on the

shelf before you leave, please."

"No problem and thanks, Dr. August." he stepped back

and raced back into the small room he had come from.

Augie returned to the file. His fingers parted the covers of

the folder and pulled out the sheet of paper inside. His

eyes scanned it carefully before handing it over to Jay.

"It's almost like reading the results from Kylie-Anne's

autopsy all over again. Nothing new I'm afraid."

Jay stared at him, his frustration building within him.

"She had Halothane in her swabs, just like Kylie-Anne. No

other drugs or inhibitants in her system. Also just like

Kylie-Anne, her rape kit was positive for spermicide."

"Christ! Why can't we find something new?" Jay cried,

more of a statement than a question.

"I know exactly how you feel Jay, I do." Augie assured

him. "Look, why don't you go home Jay, the day's nearly

done. Take an early mark like Ed and go enjoy yourself.

You need a break."

"You're right, I could use some time out." Jay looked at

his watch, four-fifteen. "At least we have one small reason

to celebrate Tessa's murderer is in custody and that's

better than what we had yesterday."

"That's the way to think," smiled Augie. "Now you get out

of here and let me finish bagging my goodies here." He

nodded towards the multitude of slides, fibres and foliage

all placed in separate containers in front of him.

"Looks like riveting stuff," he laughed. "I'll see ya round."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

From across the street, he watched as she picked up the

last couple of pavers from the ground beside the front

steps. Just as she had done with the previous few dozen,

she threw them into the wheelbarrow and pushed them

toward the small gate underneath the front porch. She set

the barrow down and began stacking the last of the

pavers inside the small alcove. Her task was almost done

when she stumbled over the handle of the barrow and

dropped a paver, which landed squarely on her toe before

hitting the ground. A stifled scream escaped her and she

hopped around on one foot while massaging the other.

Still cursing and wincing in agony, she threw the last

paver into the crawl space and slammed the door. Leaving

the barrow where it was, she limped her way to the front

porch and sat on the steps where she continued to rub

her toe.

A smile of delight spread across his face. He was enjoying

her pain. A woman such as she deserved to be in pain,

just as the one before her had deserved to feel it. He

bounced from one foot to the other anxiously, his

excitementbeginning to build. The fingers of his left hand

toyed with the edge of his coat, twisting it up tightly

before flicking it free, ready to do it all over again. In his

right pants pocket, his other hand caressed the steely

coolness hidden there. It felt so strong, so sure of its

purpose, the power of it sent tingles down his spine.

His eyes returned to the woman on the porch- but she

was gone. The excitement he felt stalled for a brief

moment before he turned his attentions away from the

house and crossed the road. His feet silently carried him

along the driveway beside the house until he was

standing beside a camphor laurel tree; its thick branches

camouflaged him from the prying eyes of her neighbours.

He climbed up onto its trunk and steadied himself

among the limbs; he now had a bird's eye view into her

bedroom window. There, between the partially drawn

curtains, he caught sight of her again. She was sitting on

the edge of the bed, her hands busily working a hair tie

around her dusty blonde locks. Perhaps she was running

a bath as he could hear the sounds of water running. His

breathing grew heavier the closer he crept to the window.

With such intensity he watched her, he was sure she

would feel the weight of his stare upon her. Desperation

to get closer nagged at him, but he dared not ruin his

surprise too early. All would fall into place soon; very

soon. For now he just wanted to observe her, try to make

sense of her. Most of all, he wanted to be close to her and

know her inside and out. She would make an excellent

test subject for him, another case study for him to gain

the expertise he craves.

She got up from the bed and crossed the room,

disappearing through a doorway on the far side of the

room. When she returned she was holding a telephone

handset to her ear, he could see her lips moving and was

barely able to make out muffled words and laughter. The

conversation lasted less than thirty seconds before she

hit the end button and threw the handset onto the bed. It

bounced once or twice from the spring of the mattress.

His eyes followed her; she was peeling her clothes off as

she walked towards the sound of the running water. First

the pale, mauve T-shirt, then the black, long legged

shorts. Next she undid the clasp of her dainty, white bra.

It fell to the floor leaving her beautiful bust exposed. Oh

how he loved their busts, so full and supple... ripe for the

picking. All that was left were her high cut, black panties.

She truly was a beautiful creature, or at least she would be

after he had performed his magic on her.

He couldn't help but allow himself the pleasure of

admiring her body. Her hair was pulled loosely back from

her face and those brown eyes, oh how they looked so full

of contentment. He followed the contours of her body

downwards past her slender neck and wholesome

breasts, coming to rest on her stomach. He took note of

how it was not yet swollen, but not completely flat either;

she would be starting to show signs soon. Or at least she

would be if he were to let her...

His hand tightened around the instrument in his pocket,

its coolness had turned red hot, beckoning him to show

her its purpose. To make her feel its power and most

importantly, his prowess. The tingles running through his

body intensified causing him to shake with anticipation.

He could almost feel the smooth-ness of her flesh, smell

her fear, and taste the salty tears she would shed when

she begged for her life and that of her unborn. But he

would not listen; her cries would fall upon deaf ears. He

would do his job and do it well, showing those in the field

how skilled he is.

She had disappeared from his sight now. His heart began

to beat faster; the blood rushed through his veins,

pumping the adrenalin through his body at a rapid rate.

All the planning, the waiting and watching was finally

leading up to the climax he yearned for. He pulled his

hand from his pocket, checked for the doused piece of

cloth in his carry bag and edged closer to the window. His

nimble fingers felt along its ledge, quietly prying it loose.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Ben walked through the doors of Bluey's at eight o'clock.

He approached the bar and ordered a beer.

"Wow!" cried Tadpole, "Nice war wound." He pointed to the

clear plastic band-aid covering the seven stitches above

Ben's right eye.

Ben laughed, "Thanks."

"She musta been some lady?" Tadpole continued, taking

the ten-dollar note from Ben's hand. He rang up the cash

register and handed him his change. "I hope she was

worth it?"

"She was, and she most definitely was worth it!" replied

Ben, patting the laceration on his head. His war wound

was worth taking Rose-Marie Sugars down for, and he

wasn't one bit concerned about his appearance. Ben

thought about Carolyn, his scar hadn't deterred her. It

hadn't stopped her from accepting his offer for dinner

tomorrow evening. He smiled dreamily when he thought

of her. She was everything he wanted in a woman and

strangely enough, she found him appealing too. It

seemed his fortunes were on the rise. He had Jay to

thank really, if he hadn't have been so bold last night,

inviting her out on his behalf, things may never have

eventuated the way they did.

"Jayy here yet?" Ben enquired.

"Haven't seen him."

"Tell him I'm out there, would you please?" He pointed to

the smoker's deck. "Gonna get some fresh air."

"On the smokers deck?" giggled Tadpole. "Good luck!"

"Yeah, pretty dumb thing to say wasn't it?" Ben smirked,

then picked up his drink and made his way to the open-

air deck.

The chill of the air slapped Ben's cheeks. They stung and

turned rosey from the sudden drop in temperature. He

spied an empty table at the far end of the deck and walked

over. As he sat his beer down, the table wobbled and his

glass toppled over, spilling all down the side of the chair

and onto the deck. He bent down and retrieved the glass

from the deck and stared at the mess he'd just made.

"Well, that's a fine way to start the celebrations!"

Ben spun around to see Jay standing behind him, his

hands on his hips and smiling broadly. "Crikey, Ben.

You've only been here five minutes, so Tadpole tells me,

and you're already drunk!" his grin grew even wider.

"It was the table..."

"A bad workman always blames his tools, maybe you

should be restricted to orange juice all night, eh?" his

laugh encouraged Ben to do the same.

"You're such a stirrer, Jayy."

"Whoa! Nice scar there, buddy," Jay cried, pointing to the

cut above Ben's eye.

"Yeah, it's a real talking point."

"Bet that does wonders for your brain-bleeders?"

Ben patted his pocket, "That's why I have these little

beauties." he said referring to his painkillers. "First sign of

an ache, I pop two of these and I'm out!"

"Well, you better sit down before you hurt yourself, or

someone else," Jay began. "And I'll go get us another

round, okay?"

Ben chuckled and handed the empty glass to him, "I can

live with that. Hey, where's that girl of yours?"

"I'm about to go and find out, grab us another table and

I'll be back." Jay spun around and weaved his way

through the crowd, back to the bar. He placed the empty

beer glass back on the bar and yelled, "Hey Tad, two more

here thanks."

Tadpole nodded his head, "Coming right up."

"Where's Danni? I haven't seen her yet," Jay asked him

when he shoved the drinks in front of him.

"She'll be here," he answered, closing the till and giving

Jay back his change. "She phoned earlier and asked for

the night off for your celebration, I told her no probs and

she promised she'd make it up to me with an extra shift

next week."

"Did she say what time she'd be here?"

A grin spread across Tadpole's face. "You know women

mate... If they say eight, what they really mean is nine

thirty!"

"Yeah, you got that right," Jay shoved his change into his

pocket and picked up the drinks. "Steer her in our

direction when she gets here would ya, buddy?"

"Will do."

Jay negotiated his way back to the smokers deck with

very little spillage and headed to Ben, who was now

seated at another, less unstable table.

"I thought you must have gotten lost," he joked.

Sliding a beer over to him, Jay replied, "Nah, just

checking on Danni. She should be here any minute."

Ben smiled warmly at Jay. "You're really taken with her,

aren't you?"

"That's a mild way of putting it, but yeah, I am." He sat

down next to Ben and added, "And it's not just cause

she's pregnant either."

"Hey, I know that, Jayy." He smiled at him. "Blind Freddy

could see that."

Jay pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and took one

from the packet, he slipped it into his mouth and lit it up.

Swirls of grey smoke whirled through the air around him.

"I suppose I'll have to look at chucking these things to the

dog house," he said, taking the cigarette from his lips and

looking at it. "They're no good around babies."

Ben nodded his head in agreement. "I do believe this

woman and your up-coming offspring could be just what

the doctor ordered for you, Jayy. There's big changes

coming your way and I reckon they're all good too."

"I reckon you just might be right, Benny my boy," Jay

looked down at his watch. "It's eight thirty five, what's

keeping her?" He looked back at Ben.

"I gave up asking that question about women many

moons ago. They march to a different beat than us. I can

never work them out and I doubt I ever will." Ben laughed.

"I'm sure she'll be here. She's probably on her way here as

we speak."

"Yeah, you're right." Jay settled back into his seat and

then asked, "So how about you and that pretty little

nurse. What's her name again?"

Ben's face lit up, his efforts to hide his fondness of the

nurse were futile. "Carolyn."

"Ah, that's right. So how are things with her? Did you ask

her out again?"

The smile would not leave Ben's face, he lowered his eyes

to the floor and kicked at the leg of the table like a love

struck teen.

"Come on, spill it. Tell me all," Jay's encouragement

spurred some answers from Ben.

"Yeah. We're going to dinner tomorrow night."

"That's great, Ben. I knew you had it in ya. You just needed

a little push."

"And thanks for that, by the way."

"What?" Jay asked.

Ben shifted in his chair and kicked at the leg of the table

some more. "If it hadn't been for you inviting her to our

celebrations tonight, well..." he sighed and finished his

sentence, "I don't think I'd be taking her anywhere

tomorrow night!"

"Hey, think nothing of it. In the end it was you who made

the biggest move. You asked her out again."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm proud of ya mate, you've had your fair share of shit to

deal with just recently and you've come out the other side

refreshed and ready for a new life. You deserve a good

woman."

Ben ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back

of his neck.

"What is it Ben?"

"Well..."

"Well what?"

"It's Anna."

"Oh Jesus man, cut her loose for cryin' out loud. She's

poison, Ben."

"I know," he stared at Jay. "I know. I went and saw her

today."

"You did what?"

"I had to, I needed to get some things off my chest and I

just felt I had to do it."

"How did it go?" Jay softened his tone.

"Well it reinforced how selfish and manipulative she is,

and..."

"And?"

"And it also reinforced just how naïve and plain stupid I

have been. I have spent the best years of my life trying to

please that woman and wanting to win her back." He

gulped down his beer and pushed the glass back on the

table. "Now I realise that it wouldn't have made a

difference what I said or did, it would never have been

enough. Anna is her own worst enemy and that's not my

fault."

"Hey, don't go beating yourself up over it. Y'know, when I

was reading her history, I found myself feeling sorry for

her. I imagine that's how you felt most of your married life

after only knowing half of her story."

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"My point is, Ben, I was ready to make excuses for her for

anything she may have done or been involved in. It's hard

not to want to protect a woman, or anybody for that

matter, when you know what they have been through."

Jay crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray. "The fact is

that Anna got us both where we were the weakest, and

that's human nature."

"Yeah," scoffed Ben. "And the nature of the beast!"

Jay reached for his beer. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Marla's tox

results came in today."

"Anything in it?"

"Unfortunately not. Her rape kit was positive for

spermicide, no fluids or hairs found though, and

halothane was also present in the tox screen."

"So almost identical to Kylie-Anne, then?"

"No almost about it... exactly identical." Jay swallowed

down his beer. "Augie has a theory on our killer though."

"Yeah? Great, I'm all ears."

"He's thinking along the lines of an insider."

"What? A cop?"

"Yup."

Ben thought it over. "I guess there is some sense in that.

That would explain how the killer knew the full details of

Tessa's murder, right down to the stolen foetus."

"Yeah, and the precise details of the mutilation." Jay

added.

"I don't like the idea of it Jayy, God knows I don't. The

thought of one of our own being responsible for the

heinous deaths of the people they're paid to protect..."

"It wouldn't be the first time there's been a renegade cop

snap and set out on a power trip, though."

"So, are you liking anyone in particular?"

"No, not yet. But I'd say first thing tomorrow we'd better

start sifting through some personnel files, eh?" Jay

glanced at his watch again, his brow furrowed.

"Sounds like a good plan. You ok?"

"It's twenty past nine, Danni said she'd be here by eight.

Surely it doesn't take her that long to get ready." He

pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'm gonna give her a

call, make sure she's ok."

"Sure. I'll go check back with Tadpole, see if he's seen or

heard from her yet."

Ben snatched the empty glasses from the table and left

Jay to his phone call. Inside the bar, the crowd had

nearly doubled and Ben found it more difficult to reach

the counter. After being elbowed, tripped and run into a

few times, he finally reached Tadpole.

"You seen Danni yet?" Ben asked.

"No, you mean she isn't here yet?"

"Haven't laid eyes on her. Jay's giving her a call now."

"You want two more while you're waiting for her?" Tadpole

asked him.

"Sure."

"Hold off on those Tadpole," Jay cried from behind Ben.

He pulled him aside and said, "She's not answering her

home phone."

"How about mobile?" Ben tried to calm his concerns.

"No answer there, either. I'm worried, Ben."

"Yeah, of course. You want to go check on her?"

"Do ya mind? Sorry to bust up our celebrations so early."

"Hey, don't worry about that. Do you want me to come

with you?"

"Nah, I'm sure she's fine. I'll go track her down and bring

her back here. You wanna hang around for a while? I

shouldn't be too long."

"Sure, I haven't got anything else planned."

"Thanks Ben." Jay turned to Tadpole, "Give the man

another beer, I'll be back shortly."

Tadpole gave him the thumbs up and grabbed a fresh

glass from the fridge.

"Sorry mate, I'll be back soon."

"Don't worry, just go get your girl," Ben laughed in an

attempt to keep the tension to a minimum. He could see

Jay was worried sick and he couldn't blame him.

Slapping his pocket he said, "I've got my phone on me, I'll

let ya know what's happening when I get there, okay?"

Jay made his way for the door.

Ben turned back to the bar and the fresh beer that was

waiting there. He felt sorry for Jay, he knew how

frightened he was of anything happening to Danni,

especially being pregnant and especially with the

knowledge of a serial killer roaming the streets in search

of young pregnant women. It was a lot to worry about.

Not that there was any reason to think Danni was in any

danger from the predator, it would have to be extremely

coincidental for the killer to go after Jay's girl. How would

the killer even know about her or that she was even

expecting?

Augie's theory returned to his mind. What if the murderer

was an insider? That would mean he or she was probably

more likely to know about Danni and her unborn baby.

Jay had been making no secret of his impending

fatherhood down at the station. Not that Jay could be

blamed for doing that. He was excited and why wouldn't

he want to share that with his colleagues? Ben sipped on

his beer and leaned back against the bar. His mind kept

churning on Augie's theory, it made too much sense to

ignore. He raised his hand and motioned to Tadpole.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Everything in his body was screaming that something was

wrong. Danni had said that she would be at Bluey's

tonight, and according to Tadpole she had even asked for

the night off. Jay slipped his cruiser into overdrive and

pressed his foot down a little harder. The needle on the

speedometer rose. With the phone clamped between his

ear and his shoulder, dialling out, he made another turn

and hit the accelerator again. The adrenalin was pumping

through his veins and his heart was thudding against his

chest.

Answer the damn phone, Danni, ' he cried into his mobile.

It rang out and the call ended. Jay slipped it back into

his breast pocket and gripped the steering wheel with

both hands. Thoughts of Kylie-Anne and Marla were

running through his head. He envisioned their naked,

ravaged bodies lying still on one of Augie's metal

gurneys. The visions frightened him almost to the point

of madness. He made one last turn onto Cloverdale Street

and slowed the cruiser to a snails pace. Jay rolled to a

stop in front of Danni's house, the lights were all off apart

from a dull glow emulating from her bedroom window at

the side of the house. He scanned the yard for signs of

anything out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that the

spare pavers she had sitting next to the steps were gone,

all appeared to be as it should be. His hand pulled the

phone from his pocket and he dialled her number again.

He let it completely ring out before hitting the end button.

His eyes kept a close watch on the glow in her bedroom

window. It was still there. Maybe she had fallen asleep

watching T.V in her bedroom, he didn't even know if she

had a television in there, but now wishes he did.

It only took a few more seconds to make the decision to

knock on her door. He figured it was far better to wake her

and know she was alright, than to leave her and find out

that she was not alright. Jay opened the cruiser door

and stepped out onto the roadside. He turned and faced

the house just in time to see the dim glow in Danni's

bedroom fade out completely. Alarm bells sounded in his

head and tingles ran through him. Something was

definitely not right, he could feel it. He reached back into

the cruiser and hit the button on the glove box. It fell

open and his gun lay inside. Jay grabbed it out, opened

the chamber and checked the bullets. They were all

loaded. With his gun in hand he wiggled back out of the

cruiser and onto the road, leaving the driver's side door

open he made his way onto the footpath and into Danni's

yard.

In the darkness, it was difficult to negotiate the unsteady

pavers of the pathway beneath his feet. Once or twice he

nearly stumbled and fell before he eventually managed to

reach the steps. One step at a time he climbed up to the

porch and stopped dead at the front door, his eyes

peered through the tiny pane of bubble glass on the

front. He could see nothing but darkness. His hands

began to sweat around the body of the gun, he took turns

at wiping each one on his jeans until they felt drier and

sturdier around the weapon. With one ear pressed firmly

up against the door, Jay listened intently for any sound

but heard nothing but the chirping of summertime

crickets and the wind howling through the camphor laurel

tree around the side.

His mind was fighting a battle of it's own. Should he bang

on the door and then look around or should he just look

around? If he banged on the door it would wake Danni

and she could let him in, no problems there. But if he

went snooping around and peeking through windows he

might frighten her and that could end up causing her to

panic and do something rash. In her condition, he

certainly didn't want to frighten her, but he didn't want to

simply walk away and dismiss her absence as nothing

either. He decided on the first option, bang on the door

and see what happens.

His fist thumped loudly against the timber of her front

door, three times. There was still nothing, not so much as

a stumbling sound of her tripping over anything in the

darkness, fumbling for a light switch. Again his fist beat

down hard on the door, he called out her name.

"Danni, it's Jay." He listened and still heard nothing. "Are

you in there? Are you okay?"

Something was really off, his thumps on the door were

enough to wake the dead and if she was in there, surely

she would have woken and answered the door.

"I'm coming in," he yelled through the door. "Hold on,

Danni."

Just as he was bracing himself to charge at her door, Jay

heard a faint thump and then the sound of glass

smashing. He peered through the bubble glass again and

saw a dark figure moving toward the back of the house. It

appeared to be slumped over or doubled up because it

was too short to be Danni. She must be injured. Jay

tightened his grip around his revolver and turned side on.

He took a couple of steps back from the door and then

pushed off his back foot and ran shoulder first, directly at

it.

Jay found himself laying face down on the hallway floor,

splinters of timber and glass below him and all around

him, the door barely hanging on the frame by it's hinges.

His revolver was lying on the floor in front of him, just

inches away, his phone not far from it, smashed to pieces.

Shaking his head, he rose up onto his hands and knees

and began crawling like a baby in the direction of his gun.

Within seconds he gripped the butt and wrapped his

fingers around the trigger. A sharp, searing pain pierced

his hand. He looked up and saw a foot crushing his hand

back to the ground. His fingers spas-med under the

pressure and he lost his grip on the gun. The foot then

kicked the weapon away from him and moved behind

him, coming to rest in the middle of his back and pinning

him to the floor.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Ben studied the directions Tadpole had given him. He

figured Danni's place shouldn't be too difficult to find. He

crawled into his Chevy and turned the key in the ignition.

The engine roared and then idled into a purr. With his

right indicator on, he accelerated gently and joined the

flow of traffic heading north. Jay hadn't phoned him to

say that Danni was fine and all was okay and Ben was

worried. It wasn't like Jay to leave him hanging like that.

He knew he was at Bluey's waiting for some kind of word

from him. Something didn't feel right and Ben couldn't

stop thinking about Augie's theory.

He grabbed for his phone and hit the speed dial button

for Jay. The call connected but much to his surprise, it

diverted directly to the message bank. His mind raced,

now he was certain something was wrong. There's no way

Jay would divert his phone when he told him that he'd

let him know what was happening. Ben felt his heart rate

picking up, that old familiar uneasy feeling he always got

when things weren't right settled into the pit of his

stomach and began to churn. He flung his phone onto

the passenger seat and concentrated on the road, his foot

growing heavier on the accelerator.

He made a left turn and sped further along the street until

making a final right onto Cloverdale. Easing his foot off

the accelerator, Ben idled slowly down the street,

scanning for any sign of Jay's car. Further down he

spotted it parked on the left hand side of the road, he

drove past and noticed the driver's side door was open,

but the cab was empty. Jay must have left his cruiser in a

hurry. The panic he had been trying to fight was now

rising within him. He made his way to the end of the

street and did a U-turn before cruising back up on the

opposite side of the street. Danni's house and the cruiser

came into view again. He looked up at the small

weatherboard home and saw that the front door appeared

to be hanging unevenly in the frame. It looked like it had

been pulled off and propped back up against the frame in

order to cover the entryway. There were no bright lights

shining, that he could see, although there was a dim glow

coming from the window right at the front of the house.

Ben drove further back down the road and pulled his car

up to the footpath. He leaned over to the passenger seat

and felt around underneath it. He retrieved a small lock

box from beneath the seat and, using a key from his key

ring, unlocked it. His hands flipped the lid back and dived

into the box.

'Shit!' he cussed. The box was empty. He tried hard to

recall where he had placed his gun. It suddenly hit him

that his weapon was still down at the station house. One

of the officers had taken control of it after the scuffle with

Rose yesterday. Ben had forgotten to retrieve it after his

meeting with Anna this afternoon. With both hands, he

slammed the lock box shut and threw it to the floor in

front of the seat, his panic was now turning to dread. Here

he was with a possible situation at hand, and no weapon

to arm himself with.

A loud crashing noise sounded from somewhere behind

him. He looked in his rear view mirror but could see

nothing through the blackness of the night. Ben grabbed

his phone and scrolled through the menu. After setting it

to vibrate instead of ring, he stuffed it into his jeans and

slid out from behind the steering wheel. His feet hit the

footpath feeling like two sticks of jelly, his nerves were

shot to hell and he was visibly shaking. After yesterday's

ordeal, Ben had had his fill of showdowns, sieges and

scuffles and to add extra pressure, his head was now

pounding hard. The last thing he needed right now was

another one of his brain-bleeders, the timing just couldn't

be worse.

Ben crossed the street and walked silently towards

Danni's house. He entered her yard and crept up to the

side of the house, taking cover among the branches of

the large camphor laurel tree beneath one of the

windows. He grabbed for the window ledge and boosted

himself up using the trunk of the tree for leverage.

Through a small part in the curtains, he could see he was

at the window of the main bedroom. A double bed lay

below the window and a duchess sat against the wall

further into the room, on the left. The bedroom door was

directly in front of the bed on the opposite wall; it was

slightly ajar, enough so that he could make out a light

shining in from the adjoining room.

His eyes scanned the bedroom for any sign of life. All was

quiet and still. With his feet pressed firmly against the

tree trunk and his chest pinned against the window ledge,

he was free to use his hands to slide the window open. It

took some careful prying and wiggling before he

managed to make any headway. One pains-taking inch at

a time, he finally had an opening large enough for him to

manoeuvre his body through. Ben eased himself up onto

the ledge and slithered head first, into the window,

coming to rest on the cushioning of the bed on the inside

below the window. Never fond of placing a bed below any

window, Ben was secretly thanking Danni for having her

bed in such position. It made his entry that much

smoother and most importantly, quieter.

Face down on the bed; Ben lay there for a moment,

listening for any sounds from the next room. There was

not so much as a peep, no whimpering, arguing or

talking. That struck him as odd. Too odd. Then the

frightening thought struck him, was he too late? Were

Jay and Danni beyond his help? He forced the questions

from his mind, took a deep breath and rolled off the bed

and onto the floor, hitting it with a dull thud. Once again

he looked straight to the door to see if he had been

detected by whoever was out there, if there was anyone

out there. When he was convinced it was safe to continue,

he crawled along the bedroom floor to the open door in

front of him. His toes and elbows dug into the carpet,

pushing his legs and torso along the floor like a snake.

Upon reaching the door, he sprung to a crouching

position and pressed his body against the wall, his head

poking ever so slowly around the crack in the door.

Ben could see a timber walkway on the other side of the

bedroom door. Beyond that was a small opening, leading

in to what he guessed, was the living room. Glass and

long splinters of wood were scattered about the walkway.

Ben cursed at the obstacle they would pose for his exit

from the bedroom. Bit by bit, he pulled the bedroom door

open until it was just wide enough for his body to slip

through. Pressing his body firmly against the bedroom

wall, he pushed up on both legs and slid into a standing

position. He checked the walkway one last time before

stepping out into it.

Leaning against the wall of the hallway, he was now

completely exposed to whatever danger lay before him.

He had nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run. It was

imperative to figure out the layout of the house and get

out of the hallway as quickly and as safely as possible.

Still pressed against the wall, Ben could see the front

door on his right. Just as he had originally thought, it had

been knocked from its hinges. It was simply leaning

against the inside of the frame. On his left, against the

wall was a small telephone table. A second doorway was

visible just a meter or so further down. Ben's eyes

followed the hall towards the back of the house. Yet

another door was present at the end of the walkway. The

hall then veered off to the right, leading to an open door.

Dim light was flickering from the opening and spilling out

onto the hallway floor. Ben turned his gaze back to the

door on the opposite side of the hall in front of him. His

eyes darted around the room trying to get a feel of the

area. A shadowy figure crossed the wall on the far left side

of the living room. Ben froze. Sweat trickled down the side

of his face and dripped from his jaw. He closed his eyes

and breathed hard, his mind a muddle of racing

thoughts. It was fight or flight.

Ben chose fight. His eyelids flew open and he lifted his

foot off the ground and stretched his leg across the

broken glass and timber on the floor in front of him. He

leaned forward with his entire body and softly placed his

foot down on the opposite side of the hall. Taking a

minute to steady his balance, Ben remained in a stretched

out, squat position, straddling the hallway. Placing all his

weight on his front foot, he pushed off on his back leg,

pulling it over the top of the debris and finally placing it

on the floor beside to his front foot. He had successfully

crossed the hall and was now leaning against the wall of

the living room.

Side stepping along the wall, he made his way up the

hallway and found himself beside the open doorway at

the end. He slid down the wall, back into a crouched

position and carefully listened for any sounds. He heard

what he thought was the sound of glass clanging, not

unlike the sound made when a glass is set down on a

hard surface. Ben lay down on his stomach and slithered

right up to the doorframe. In a make or break decision he

stuck his head around the corner of the door and

surveyed the room. To his left was a fridge and to his right

there was a wall with another opening a few feet down.

The kitchen was divided in two by a breakfast bar. On top

of the bar there were at least half a dozen thick, white

candles, their flames danced and flickered in the open air.

On the other side of the breakfast bar, he could see a

kitchen table. A figure sat at the closest end of the table

with it's back to Ben.

From the way the figure was stooped over with its elbows

pointed slightly outwards, and the sound of cutlery

scraping on china, it was clear that whoever it was, was

eating. Ben was not completely certain, but he felt that the

figure was male. It was hard to be sure as the figure was

slight of build and had it's back to him. The lighting was

too poor to see much else. Ben continued to watch him.

Every now and then, his left hand stretched out and

snatched the wine glass from the table beside him. The

glass disappeared from view for a couple of seconds,

before being placed back onto the table. Once in a while,

he would put the cutlery down, pick something from his

plate and throw it over the table, towards the corner of the

room. He would then let out a shrill, piercing giggle and

return to his dining. Ben strained his eyes and tried to

look below the table, in the direction of the flying food.

Anger rose within him when he saw Jay sitting on the

floor in the corner. His hands were bound to his feet and a

piece of masking tape was across his mouth. The animal

at the table was mocking him, taking great delight in

using him for target practice. Ben pulled his head back

quickly and sat against the wall again, desperate for a

plan of attack.

The most logical thought that entered his mind was to

get the hell out of there and call for back up. His

conscience wouldn't let him. He couldn't leave Jay and

Danni in there with that freak. If the man in the kitchen

was indeed the monster they'd been looking for, he had

to bring him down. He turned around and slid back down

the hall to the living room door. Again, lying on his

stomach, he stuck his head far enough around the corner

to survey the setting. The room was dimly lit by yet more

thick, white candles that were placed on top of the

television set. Just inside the door against the wall on his

left, was a dark green, three-seater sofa. At the far end of

the sofa, was a wall, which ran at a right angle and backed

onto the kitchen. A large bookshelf about six feet tall

stood against the wall, next to an archway. On the

opposite side of the living room, facing the sofa, was a

television on a stand. Under the window to his right, at

the front of the house, was an ornate china cabinet with

glass shelves and a mirrored back. When he looked at it

just the right way he could see into the kitchen and dining

room. This gave him a bird's eye view of the man sitting at

the end of the table.

As he was about to pull his head back from the living

room, he saw some movement on the sofa beside him.

Groans soon followed. Ben stole a brief glance over the

arm of the sofa and saw Danni lying there, semi-naked,

her hands and feet bound at the wrists and ankles. Ben

then heard the sound of a chair being pushed around on

a hard surface. He withdrew from the living room and

pressed himself against the hallway wall again. In the

china cabinet mirror, he saw the figure at the end of the

table lean back in his chair and turn towards the Danni.

He then lifted his wine glass from the table and stood up.

He poised like a statuette for a short time before walking

towards the living room. He reached the sofa and sat on

the edge, leaning over the top of Danni, his wine glass in

one hand and the other one poking at her. Frightened

screams mixed with muffled sobs echoed from the living

room.

Ben patted his pockets daring to hope that he had any

sort of instrument, even a pen that he could use to cause

injury to the man. In his breast pocket he found nothing

but his painkillers. His eyes scanned the splinters of wood

and shards of glass on the floor. None of them were thick

enough to cause any damage, they were too flimsy or too

small to grasp. He tried the pockets of his jeans. His

hands dug in deep and felt his phone. Ben pulled it out

and punched in 000, he put it to his ear and waited for the

operator to pick up. When she did he left the line open

and, unable to speak because the figure was too close, he

placed it on the floor in the hallway praying she would

understand he was in trouble and track the origin of his

call. As much as it hurt him to hope for it, he willed that

Danni would scream again so the operator knew that it

wasn't a crank call.

Ben crawled back up the hallway towards the kitchen, and

Jay. If he had a chance at freeing him it was now, while

the figure was taunting Danni. He stood at the entrance

way and while he could still hear the figure giggling in the

living room, he charged into the kitchen and scoured the

benches hurriedly for a knife. More screams and sobs

filled the air. He had to get to Danni. Beside the

microwave on the breakfast bar, he spotted a knife block,

he pulled the sharpest one he could find from its slot and

then sank to the floor. He slithered to the end of the bar

and looked under the kitchen table, hoping that Jay

would see him. Louder sobs came from the next room;

Ben could see Jay struggling with the confines of his

binds.

Unable at this point to secure Jay's attentions, Ben

moved further out on the floor from behind the breakfast

bar. He lay there waving his hands across the floor and

wanting badly to scream, 'I'm here.' Jay suddenly ceased

struggling and bent down as far as he could, looking

under the table. He saw Ben and their eyes locked.

Holding up the knife in his hand, he mimicked a sliding

motion and Jay nodded he understood. All he could do

now was wait. Wait for the next wave of screams so he

could slide the knife across the floor to Jay. A few

moments later they came and Ben sent the knife sailing

smoothly across the floor towards his partner. It made it

all the way under the dining table but hit against the chair

on the far end, a couple of feet short. Jay threw himself

down onto his side and edged closer to the blade, finally

grasping it in his fingers. Ben watched as he frantically set

about the task of cutting through his ties.

Danni's screams became more terrified. Ben could hear

the man teasing her and giggling that high-pitched

cackle. Leaving the kitchen, Ben headed back down the

hallway, settling onto his hands and knees a few feet from

the living room doorway. The mirror from the china

cabinet showed the man on top of her, pawing at her

body. The wine glass was sitting on the small coffee table

at the side of the sofa. Ben stared at it. He moved back

into the hallway and thought for a second before pulling

his painkillers from his pocket. He popped five capsules

from the silver leaflet and set about pulling them apart,

letting the powder fall onto the back of the packet. When

he had enough powder to kill a small elephant, he tipped

it into the palm of his hand and returned to the doorway.

On his hands and knees, Ben crawled as far inside the

living room door as he dared to go. His fingers curled

around the wine glass, slid it off the coffee table and

towards him. He held his other hand above the rim and

poured the entire contents of powder into the liquid,

stirring it quickly with his finger. Ben slid the glass back

onto the coffee table and disappeared behind the door

again just as the man crawled off Danni and stood beside

the sofa. All Ben could do now was hope.

Through the mirror in the cabinet, Ben watched as the

man stuck it's tongue out at Danni and then held a finger

over his lips in a shush gesture. The evil smile on his face

was chilling. He reached down beside the sofa and took

the wine glass from the coffee table and gulped down half

the glass. Ben was now close enough that he could see

the man more clearly. He was fairly young and not terribly

beefy. Maybe he could take him after all. Seeing his build,

Ben now understood why halothane had been used in the

commission of Kylie-Anne and Marla's murders. He

watched closely as the red headed man drank the rest of

the glass before throwing it against the wall next to the

television.

"Are you ready to party?" the sick young man asked Danni.

He stared down at her, a wicked smile running across his

acne ravaged face. He lingered above her before walking to

the other side of the room. He picked up a small army

green knap-sack that was sitting there. His bony hands

reached inside it and retrieved a piece of cloth and a small

brown bottle of something. Ben guessed it was the

halothane and watched as the killer emptied a liberal

amount onto the cloth. He then returned to the knap-sack

and pulled out a thin, steel apparatus. A scalpel. Ben's

breath caught in his throat as the man turned back to

Danni.

"I promise you'll like it. They all do," he said to her. He

placed the cloth on the sofa and holding the scalpel in

one hand, he began to unzip his trousers.

"I'm gonna show your girl a good time, Detective Marnotti,"

he yelled out to the dining room before laughing and

pulling his pants down to his ankles. " I'd let you watch,

but I'm kinda shy."

Ben heard Jay struggling and making muffled grunts

from the dining room, he must still be trying to cut

through his ties. The killer went to step free of his

trousers and stumbled forward a little, he steadied

himself against the sofa, shaking his head from side to

side in quick succession. Ben knew the painkillers were

taking effect.

"Whoa," he blurted out. He dropped to his knees with his

feet caught up in his trousers and leaned over Danni. He

held the scalpel tightly in his hand and waved it in front of

her face.

"You're going to be my finest master-piece yet." he kissed

the blade and then lowered it to her face, tracing it

delicately over her lips, down her throat and around the

fullness of her breasts. Danni squealed and cried hard,

wriggling and squirming in a vain attempt to break free.

The killer continued to babble, "I'm a fine surgeon, you

know. My full potential is yet to be realised." He shook his

head again and rubbed at his eyes. He ran the scalpel

from her breasts down to her abdomen and circled her

navel. "I know what's buried in here and I can take care of

that for you."

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "The unborn of

a Showsdale City Detective would be the most prized

possession in my trophy vault, wouldn't you agree?" He

stared down at her stomach and made a tiny cut just

below her navel. Danni cried out in fear as much as pain.

Ben rose to his feet behind the wall and braced himself for

a tackle. The killer had stepped up the pace and now so

must he. He grabbed hold of the doorframe and threw

himself into the living room, knocking the coffee table

over and lunging at the man. Ben had misjudged the

distance and fell a foot and a half short of his target.

The young man waved the scalpel at him and yelled, "Get

back."

Ben crawled up onto his haunches, the scalpel right in

front of his face. He looked over at Danni and saw the

blood beading on her stomach, he put his hands up on

either side of his head and cried, "Okay, okay, just calm

down. You can walk away, just don't hurt the girl."

"I have work to do, I'm..." the killer stumbled over his

words. He swayed nauseously and stuttered, "I'm a great

surgeon you know." He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Ben.

Ben lowered his hands slowly and nudged towards him

ever so slightly.

"Don't fucking move!" screamed the killer. He grabbed

Danni's head and moved the blade up to her throat. "One

more move and I'll slit the bitch's throat."

"Hey Ed." The man spun his head around in a panic. A

loud crack suddenly sounded out and the man slumped

forward on the sofa, his head falling onto Danni's chest.

Ben looked up and saw Jay standing between the

kitchen and the living room, a dining chair in his hands.

He looked down at Ben and said, "No one calls my woman

a bitch!"

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

"Hey, Jayy," Ben tried hard to keep his spirits high for

Jay's sake.

Jay looked up at him from his hospital bed and forced a

light smile. "Hey Benny boy." He paused briefly and

choked back his tears. "I dunno how to thank you..."

"No thanks needed," Ben replied, walking towards his

bed, dragging a chair with him. "You'd have done the

same for me."

"Damn straight I woulda!" Jay perked up a little. "All the

same, what you did, that took guts. I owe ya buddy."

Ben sat back in the large padded chair and rubbed at the

scar over his temple. He was at a loss for words, the last

few days had been horrendous for Jay. Danni had lost

the baby and he was stuck in hospital for a few more days

with a broken collarbone and some minor cuts and

abrasions. It tore him up seeing his partner like this and

he felt powerless to do anything about it.

"How's Danni?"

Jay sighed and lowered his head. "She's alive. Pretty

shaken up still. She's staying with her mother until I get

out of here." He looked up at Ben. "She can't bring herself

to go back to the house, though, not on her own. I don't

know if she ever will, y'know?"

"She's been through one hell of an ordeal, Jayy. It's

going to take her some time."

"Yeah, I guess so." Then a smile tugged at his lips. "She'll

be up here a little later, you wanna hang around? I know

she'd love to see ya."

"Oh, I dunno..."

"Course you'll stay!" Jay's eyes pleaded with him. "I want

you to."

Ben threw his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture

and laughed. "How can I say no to that?"

"I really wanted that baby, Ben," Jay's voice fell to less

than a whisper.

"I'm so sorry. I should have moved faster, acted differently.

I, I just..."

"I'm not blaming you, mate, gees. Is that what you are

thinking?" Jay pulled himself more upright in his bed

and raised his words to a deep, steady tone. "Losing that

baby was not your fault, and given the situation you were

in, you did what you could, when you could. There's

nothing wrong in that Ben." He rubbed his hands across

his chin and then added. "Hell, if it wasn't for you, neither

of us would be here today. Christ man, we owe you our

lives. So no more talk or thoughts about coulda's and

shoulda's, okay?"

All Ben could do was nod. He wanted to pour his heart

out to Jay and tell him how petrified he had been and

how he thought he was never going to see him again. The

ordeal of two nights ago knocked the wind clean out of

him. In his years of service, he had never been in that

situation before. Not once had he been concerned that

him or one of his mates was not going to be coming

home. Trying to disguise his rising emotions, Ben

coughed and held his hand over his mouth.

"I know just how you feel, buddy." Jay stared at him. "So,

how about our psycho-morgue-tech, Ed? What's the story

with him?"

Ben cleared his throat and sat up in his chair. "Good God,

Ed! He's as nutty as they come. He was trying to impress

Augie, can you believe that?"

"What? You've gotta be shittin' me?"

"I wish I was, Jay. I wish I could sit here and offer you a

more valuable reason for those women losing their lives,

and for your..." Ben cut himself short. "Hell, Jayy, I'm

sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that."

"It's ok, really. I know where you're coming from and what

you're trying to say, and I agree with you. But then,

murder is always so senseless isn't it?" He stared off into

the distance.

The pain on Jay's face cut Ben to pieces. He didn't know

what to say to him and even if he did, it probably wouldn't

heal his wounds. Ben knew most of his own wounds

would heal, but Jay's? Can anyone truly recover from

losing their unborn? Even though he had been to hell and

back with Anna and her part in what had happened, Ben

was at least able to rationalise things. But how does one

rationalise what Jay has been subjected to?

"So what was Ed's big idea of impressing Augie, all

about?" Jay kick-started the conversation.

"Who knows? Apparently Ed had been wanting to advance

up the ladder of pathology and thought that putting his

surgical skills on display for Augie to see might just help

his career."

"Talk about a twisted whisker! He's gotta be a candidate

for Greenholme, hasn't he?"

"I hope not Jay, that psychiatric institution is too good

for the bastard. He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of

his miserable life." Ben's anger was building inside him.

"After the pain he caused, why should he be given the

easy road of the justice system?"

"I'm right with ya on that one," agreed Jay. "But what

about..."

"The foetuses?" Ben gently pressed him.

"Yeah. What did he want with them?"

"Just sick trophies of his sick surgery. What can I say, the

boy was on a power trip. They reminded him of what an

expert surgeon he was, in his eyes at least."

"Bloody hell, this world just gets weirder and weirder.'

'So what are your plans when you get out of here?" Ben

asked.

"Well, I'm gonna take Danni on a long holiday and in a few

months, maybe give her a ring and see if she'll put up

with me for a few more years, or maybe even the rest of

her life!" He smiled broadly and then said, "From there?

Who knows. Kids are still in the picture."

"Really? That's fantastic, Jay, good on you."

"And how about you, Ben? You still on with that cute

nurse?"

"Carolyn? You betcha! As a matter of fact we're going out

for dinner tonight." Ben's grin was ear to ear. "To tell you

the truth, Jayy. I'm terrified."

"After all you've suffered this week, a cute nurse terrifies

you?" Jay roared laughing. "You have some serious

terror issues man, you might wanna see someone about

that."

Ben rubbed his scar and thought about Rose and Ed and

then looked back at Jay, a smirk creeping over his face.

"You're right! If I can take on an abortionist and a serial

killer, I can surely go on a date with a nurse who can patch

me up afterwards."

"Am I missing something here?" Danni's voice filled the

room.

The two men turned and smiled at her, standing in the

doorway. She walked into the room and up to Ben, he

rose from his chair and said, "How are you, Danni?"

Without warning, she threw her arms around him and

held him tight, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't

know how to thank you, Ben."

He returned her embrace but couldn't find any words. She

pulled back and stood in front of him, holding onto his

hands. Danni turned her head and gazed over at Jay

before leaning over and planting a kiss on his forehead.

Ben felt it was his queue to leave. He stepped away from

his chair and offered it to Danni. "Well, I think this is how

it feels to be that third wheel everyone keeps talking

about."

"Oh please don't leave, Ben. We'd love for you to stay and

shoot the breeze or whatever it is you cops do." she let

out a little laugh.

Jay beamed at her and said, "Stick with us kid and we'll

show ya what real cops do!"

"Is that a promise?" she asked, her pretty face looked from

Jay to Ben. "Is it?"

"You can count on it," laughed Jay.

"It sure is," Ben agreed.

THE END
