Chapter Twenty
Lee saw the truth in his mother’s eyes. She would kill Nhiari. Only one thing he could do. Lie. He smirked at her. “Let me do the honours.”
Her confusion gave him the split second he needed. He prayed as he adjusted his aim and shot Nhiari in the side.
His mother ducked as the shot reverberated and she swore as she spotted the round hole in the cockpit window. Nhiari stared up from the ground, disbelief in her eyes. Hopefully she would understand he’d done it to save her.
Lee pointed the gun at his mother, ignoring the throbbing in his right shoulder and the blood soaking his shirt. “Drop your weapon.”
Sam dragged Nhiari under the plane. She was safe.
“You traitor!” His mother raised her gun, and he squeezed the trigger, shooting her in the shoulder.
“Drop it.”
The gun clattered to the ground as she slammed her other hand over the wound. “You shot me.”
Why was she so surprised? Did she actually think he had any loyalty to the woman who had done nothing aside from giving birth to him?
She had killed the one person who had ever loved him and showed him any support.
He strode forward and flicked off the engines, picking her gun off the floor. “You threatened the woman I love.”
Footsteps pounded up behind him and he turned as Nhiari ran up the stairs, gun in hand. She pointed it at him. “Don’t move.”
He shifted away from his mother, raising his hands as the engine faded. Sam pushed into the cabin behind Nhiari, taking position next to her, pointing his gun at Lee’s mother. He glanced around the cabin, obviously satisfied it was empty. “Just two,” he said. “We’ve got them covered.”
He must have comms with Sherlock. Maybe Sherlock had Lucas contained.
“Are you all right?” Lee nodded towards Nhiari’s side where the bullet was still lodged.
“Slowly put both guns on the ground.” She kept her gun pointed at him.
He did as she asked, wincing as the movement pulled on his bullet wound. “The pilot is my mother.” He pressed the wound to stem the bleeding. “Lucas reported to her. She killed my father.”
Sam swore and Nhiari’s aim shifted past him to his mother and then back again, as if not trusting he was telling the truth.
“He shot me,” his mother cried. “I need a doctor. I don’t know what he’s talking about. All I did was fly the plane here like my brother asked me to.”
Liar.
“Dispatch, I need an ambulance,” Nhiari called into her radio.
He shifted so he could monitor his mother. “If she keeps pressure on the wound, she shouldn’t bleed to death.” He nodded to the guns on the ground. “One of those is hers. She was going to shoot you.”
“You shot me,” Nhiari said, her voice dull.
“To get you out of the way and stop her from flying the plane.” From his position he could see out of the cockpit where Sherlock had taken position behind the car door, but with his gun pointing at them.
Where was Lucas? Had he run?
“Are you injured?” Sam asked, nodding towards his shoulder.
“Caught a bullet Lucas sent my way.”
Nhiari’s eyes widened. “We need to get them both medical help.” She shoved her gun into her holster and pulled out her handcuffs. “Both of you come out of the cockpit. You first, Lee.”
He kicked the guns away from his mother and slowly moved into the cabin. Both Sam and Nhiari moved back to give him space, but not much. He glanced out of the door and saw Lucas lying face down in the dirt.
Dead.
He couldn’t bring himself to be sad about it.
“You shot a cop,” Sam said, but moved towards the cockpit to cover Lee’s mother.
“To save her,” Lee reiterated.
“I’m innocent,” his mother said, holding one hand up while the other pressed against the wound. She leaned forward as if in pain, but the hand from her wound slid down underneath her seat. The knife blade glinted in the cockpit lights as his mother flung the knife directly at Nhiari.
“Look out!” Lee lunged in front of Nhiari as the blade flew through the air. Shots rang out and his mother jerked as twin bullets hit her body.
Then the knife sank deep into the middle of his chest and pain exploded through him. He hit the ground, his head banging against a chair, bringing with it a wave of nausea. Pain spread throughout his entire chest and he clutched at the knife, fighting to stop the pain from knocking him out.
Where was Nhiari?
She stood above him, horror on her face, but in one piece. Safe. He smiled. “You’re OK.”
Then he let the pain take over.
Everything happened too fast for Nhiari to process. Lee’s mother slid off her chair onto the floor as Lee landed with a thud by Nhiari’s feet. Sam strode forward to check the woman. “Dead.” He gestured for Sherlock to come around.
Nhiari dropped to her knees next to Lee, who had a knife protruding from his chest. Her heart pounded as she pressed her hands against the blade, feeling his warm blood coating her hands. His breathing was shallow.
“What did you do that for?” she demanded. “I’m wearing Kevlar.”
His smile became a wince. “Instinct. I couldn’t let her hurt you.”
Idiot. She didn’t know what to think or to say. She pressed her radio. “Stab wound victim. What’s the ambulance ETA?”
“Sixty minutes.”
Shit. That was far too long.
Sherlock came up the stairs carrying a first aid kit.
“Can either of you fly this thing?” she asked as she moved aside.
“No.” Sherlock applied a bandage to the wound, keeping the knife in place.
“Drive him in,” Sam said. “I’ll guard here until Dot arrives.”
Nhiari looked at the two dead bodies. She couldn’t leave civilians in charge here and Sherlock had medic training. Lee would be better with him. “No. You two take him. I’ll tell the ambulance you’ll meet them halfway.” She visualised the map they’d studied. “The track to the main road should be through there. You’ll go past the main house.”
Sam nodded.
She leaned close to Lee as she battled letting the fear take control. “You’re going to be all right.” Her voice shook.
“I’ll make sure of it,” he gasped, pain washing over his face.
“I think his lung is punctured,” Sherlock said.
“He’s been shot too. Right shoulder,” Sam told him.
Nhiari helped Lee to his feet, but he leaned against Sam as he climbed down the stairs. Sherlock brought the car close to the door. Sam lay the backseats down to make a larger area for Lee to lie down in and Sherlock climbed in beside him.
Nhiari bit her lip and clasped her hands together. She desperately wanted to go with him, to figure out the truth. She wanted to tell him she loved him, but the words stayed unspoken. Instead she stood where she was while Sam climbed into the driver’s seat and they drove away.
She moved over to Lucas and checked his vitals, though she was certain Sherlock would have already done so.
Dead.
Good. She radioed dispatch to inform the ambulance Lee was on his way to them.
She had two dead people on her hands and if Lee was to be believed, they were in control of Stonefish. This could all be over.
She almost tripped over the backpack full of treasure. With a sigh, she picked up both bags and put them back into Lucas’s four-wheel drive.
All of this was over a few bags of riches.
And everyone who wanted it was dead. The only person alive who might know the truth as to whose side Lee was on was Rodney.
She wanted to be sick. Chances were high, Lee would go to gaol after he’d been patched up. Rodney was unsympathetic.
All the stress and agony of the past few months rolled over her. She stumbled to the stairs of the plane, sank down and cried.
Rodney’s team arrived about an hour after Dot and Brandon and had taken over the scene. It gave Nhiari plenty of time to get herself together.
One of them strode over to her as others set up the lighting, and she managed a smile through her exhaustion. “Doug! It’s so great to see you.”
“I couldn’t let the two of you have all the fun.” He hugged her and she winced from her bruises. “How did you come to be here?”
She told him about Lucas speaking with her father and her waiting in position in case Stonefish used that airstrip.
“Why didn’t you tell Rodney?” Doug demanded.
She stiffened at his tone. “Because he was working for Stonefish.”
He swore. “You could have told me.”
“I thought you were going on leave.”
He sighed. “Damn it. This whole case has been a mess.”
“How’s Rodney?”
Doug raised his eyebrows at her. “This wasn’t all his fault. Last I heard, they were taking him into the operating theatre, but he’d be fine.”
Together they watched Doug’s team load the treasure into the back of a police car. “I don’t think Stonefish has anyone left who will go after it, but there are plenty of civilians who would,” Nhiari said. “You need to be careful with it.”
“Your friend Brandon has already told me he’ll be guarding it. We’ll fly it to Perth in the morning.”
She sighed. Good. Someone else could deal with it.
Doug pulled out a notebook. “So tell me everything that happened.”
“This will take a while.” She took a deep breath and began.
The sun was rising before Nhiari climbed into the police car next to Dot. She would kill for a coffee, but she was driving because Dot looked as if she was about to drop. Brandon was staying with the treasure.
“Any news from Sam?” Dot asked.
“Yeah. Lee was transferred to the ambulance and after some surgery, he’s recovering well in hospital. Sam and Sherlock are standing guard since Lee is technically still under arrest.”
“Do you think it’s over?” Dot asked.
Nhiari slowed over a hump. “We still need to work out Lee’s role in all of this.”
“I can’t believe he shot you.”
She clenched her hands on the steering wheel. “He said it was to protect me from his mother.”
“I guess if he wanted to kill you, he would have aimed at your head.”
Nhiari scowled. “That’s what Sam said.”
“You know what I mean,” Dot insisted. “He’s got skills. He wouldn’t miss his target at that distance.”
She was right, not that it made her feel any better.
“What are you going to do about Lee?”
She closed her eyes briefly. “I don’t know.”
Dot squeezed her leg. “I understand. I didn’t know whether I could trust Oliver.”
“At least you had a history with him. Lee admitted that first date was so he could get information out of me.”
“It would be easier if there was someone who could vouch for him,” Dot agreed.
Nhiari glanced at her. Should she mention Lindsay? Though she could have been manipulated too.
“What is it?” Dot asked, sitting straighter. “What haven’t you told me?”
Nhiari grimaced. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so observant.”
“Don’t avoid the question.”
She exhaled. “You won’t like it.”
“Tell me.” Dot’s voice was icy, the fatigue gone from it.
Crap. “Lee’s father was the man Lindsay fell in love with.” Nhiari spoke quickly. “The one who broke her heart. He returned at the beginning of the year and left again, promising to return, but he was killed by Lucas.” She pressed her lips together. “No, I guess his wife killed him if Lee is to be believed.”
“Lindsay knew Lee was his son?” Dot asked.
“Yes. Lee visited her when he first arrived. She’s been helping him while he’s been on the run.”
Dot swore. “She said nothing to me.”
“She trusted him.” Though love could make people see only what they wanted to see.
“Then let’s pay Lindsay a visit now.” Dot’s tone was grim, and Nhiari almost felt sorry for Lindsay.
When they pulled into Lindsay’s drive, she was just about to get into her car. She turned, walking over to them. “You’re up early today,” she said. “I was just on my way to work.”
“We haven’t been to bed,” Dot said. “And this isn’t a social call.”
Lindsay examined Dot’s face and then glanced at Nhiari. She sighed. “Come in.” The older woman went into the kitchen and switched on the coffee machine. “What is this all about?”
Nhiari spoke, knowing this was already difficult for Dot. “Lee Kwong.”
Lindsay nodded as she measured ground coffee. “I thought it might be.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were helping him?” Dot demanded. “You knew how exhausted I was. You knew I needed a break in the case.”
Lindsay set the machine running and turned to her. “Because I believed Lee was trying to help you stop them.”
“He shot and killed two men!”
“Both of whom would have shot innocent people,” Lindsay pointed out. “He saved lives by taking some.”
Dot’s face turned red and before she could speak, Nhiari said, “Sit down and tell us how you met him.” She went to the coffee machine and finished pouring the drinks, putting one on the kitchen table for Dot, who was still standing with a look of utter betrayal on her face.
“He knocked on my door,” Lindsay began. The story which followed mirrored what Lee had told Nhiari. “After he shot Tan, he came to me in the middle of the night to ask for food. I agreed to provide him with care packages regularly so he could continue working to stop Stonefish.”
“Why did you think he was telling you the truth?” Nhiari asked. It was the question she needed to resolve.
“Because he had the same tell as his father.” She smiled sadly. “I knew my Julian would have come back to me if he could.”
Nhiari said nothing. What could she say? This woman had lost the man she’d loved not once, but twice.
“What will happen to Lee now?” Lindsay asked.
Nhiari glanced at Dot. It was a question she also wanted answered.
“He was injured last night,” Dot said. “We’ll need to question him again and then it’s up to Organised Crime how they will prosecute him.”
Rodney would throw the book at him. Nhiari paused. No. Rodney might be under arrest himself, which meant there might be a chance.
But did she want a chance with Lee? He had shot her.
Lindsay placed her hand over Nhiari’s. “You can trust Lee. I could tell how much he cared for you when he called me to organise your clothes. He has such a big heart. Don’t throw it away.” She sighed. “I would do anything to have his father back again. We never got the life we wanted.”
Lee wasn’t his father.
Dot got to her feet. “We need to get going.” She hesitated, then hugged Lindsay. “You should have told me everything, but I understand why you didn’t.”
Lindsay nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Nhiari followed Dot to the door.
“Can I visit Lee in the hospital?” Lindsay asked.
“I’ll need to check with Organised Crime,” Dot said. “I’ll call you.”
Nhiari drove to the police station. Only Pierre’s car was in the car park. Dot sighed. “I’ll fill him in and then I’m getting some sleep. Make sure you do as well, and we’ll reconvene at midday.”
“All right.” She hadn’t had a minute to herself. Should she go home? After a week away, her pot plant was probably dead and she couldn’t remember if she’d done her breakfast dishes the morning the boys had been kidnapped. She rubbed her eyes. A lifetime ago.
Or should she visit Lee?
Lindsay’s words came back to her. This might be the only time she got alone with Lee, and she wanted to sort a few things out. She turned towards the hospital and drove through the town.
A few residents were walking their dogs, but it was still early. Being the weekend, no kids were off to school, but there were a couple riding bicycles and a father was already down at the park with his young kids.
Such normal life.
She’d had none of that in the past week. She wasn’t sure whether she would ever feel normal again.
The hospital car park was empty, and she parked close to the door, walking through to reception.
“Nhiari!” the receptionist, Tracy exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you. I heard you were lost in the ranges. Are you all right? Do you need to be checked by the doctor?”
Nhiari smiled at the enthusiasm from Georgie’s friend. “I’m fine. I’m here to see the patient who was brought in last night. Lee Kwong.”
Tracy nodded. “Just down the hall to the left.” She buzzed the door open for Nhiari. “Sam and Sherlock haven’t left since Lee got out of surgery. It must be nice to have such good friends.”
Nhiari didn’t correct her. She followed the directions and stood outside the room for a minute. A murmur of voices came from inside, but with the door closed she couldn’t make out the words.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. It was a two-bed room. Sam and Sherlock sat on either side of Lee’s bed and in the one next to him lay Rodney.
Shit. She’d forgotten about him. She was far too tired to deal with Rodney today, and she definitely didn’t want to have the conversation she needed to have with Lee in front of him.
“Nhiari.” Lee’s cautious smile made everyone turn and look at her. Lee looked good for someone who had been stabbed and shot. His colouring was normal, and he wore a blue patient robe.
Machines beeped and everything was white and sterile.
“Finally!” Rodney said. “Someone who can get me out of here. These two wouldn’t let me leave.”
Sam and Sherlock both smirked.
Nhiari’s feet twitched, and she almost walked out. She braced herself. “The last I heard you were under arrest.” He looked far worse than Lee. His face was pale, he had IV tubes in him and he lay with his bed only a little raised so he could see around the room easier.
“You didn’t catch Lucas?” Rodney demanded.
She glanced at Sam.
“We didn’t tell him anything.”
That was helpful. She could figure out what Rodney knew. She drew out a notebook. “Why don’t you two go home?” she said to Sam and Sherlock. “Get some rest. I’ll take over here.”
“Have you slept?” Lee asked, shifting to a more upright position with a wince.
“I’m fine.” She shooed Sam and Sherlock out of the room and then studied the two men who were left. One who she had hated with all her being while at the academy, and one she loved but couldn’t trust.
She couldn’t question Rodney with Lee present, even if the two heads of Stonefish were no longer in the picture.
“You need to tell me what happened,” Rodney blustered. “I am lead on this case.”
“You were caught helping a suspect escape and helping Lucas steal the treasure,” Nhiari said. “I don’t have to tell you anything.” She did, however, want to know what was happening with him. “How injured are you?”
“I’ll live.”
Shame. She called the station and Dot answered. “Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?” Nhiari asked.
“Just filling in Pierre on what happened.”
“Are Organised Crime there?”
“Yeah. Doug’s about to come to the hospital to check on Rodney and Lee.”
“Rodney and Lee are sharing a room.”
“Oh. Doug will sort it out. He’ll be there soon.”
Nhiari hung up.
“What’s going on?” Rodney demanded.
Still an arsehole even though he was lying in hospital with a gunshot wound. “Doug is on his way over.” At Lee’s questioning look, she added, “One of the Organised Crime team.”
He nodded his thanks.
She studied him. She couldn’t quite believe he’d leapt in front of a knife for her. Especially as she’d been wearing her bullet-proof vest. She wanted to hold his hand and tell him how foolish it was, to ask what the doctor had said and what happened to them from here.
But anything personal would have to wait until she had him alone.
Which might never happen if Organised Crime took over.
Perhaps Doug could organise it for her.
“About time,” Rodney said. “What took them so long?”
Nhiari didn’t answer. This man deserved none of her time. He’d betrayed his role as a police officer by working with Stonefish, and he’d almost destroyed her chance of becoming a police officer at the academy.
A nurse walked in. “Good morning!” She went over to Lee and did his observations before asking, “How’s your pain?”
“Manageable.”
She nodded and turned to Rodney to do the same. Nhiari brushed her hand over Lee’s foot while Rodney was distracted and Lee smiled.
When the nurse was done, Doug walked in with another plain clothes detective who he introduced as Karen.
“Did you get things sorted out there?”
He nodded. “I still need to ask the two who were with you some questions.”
“I sent Sam and Sherlock home to bed, but they’ll be available when you want them.”
“Great.” He turned to the nurse. “Do you have a spare room so we can separate these two?”
She shook her head. “We’re full, but the doctor was talking about discharging Mr Kwong this morning.”
“We can talk in front of Lee,” Rodney said. “The man’s been working against Stonefish from the beginning.”
Nhiari jolted. “What? You believe him?” She pinched herself to make sure she hadn’t drifted into a daydream.
Rodney directed his answer at Doug. “Lee’s highly competent. He could have taken over the operations here when they were failing and fixed everything without breaking a sweat. Instead he helped it crumble.”
She gaped at him, trying to reconcile this man speaking calmly in front of her with the arsehole she knew him to be. Was this his personality with Organised Crime? “Why didn’t you tell Lucas?”
“Because it suited me. I was working undercover at Stonefish. I’ve been building a case against them for years.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You weren’t crooked?” She shouldn’t feel so disappointed.
“No.”
Nhiari glanced at Doug. “Can you confirm?”
Rodney chuckled as Doug nodded. “You don’t trust me, do you?”
“No. Not after what you did to me at the academy.”
He sobered. “I’m sorry. I was young and stupid.”
Who was this man? “Whatever drugs they’re giving you for the pain must be pretty good.”
“I’m serious, Nhiari.” He glanced at Doug and Karen and then sighed. “Something happened to me after the academy that made me realise what an arsehole I’d been. I’ve changed, but I knew when I came up here, neither you nor Dot would trust me no matter how I behaved, so I reverted to the man you knew.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stepped away, bumping into Lee’s bed, and glanced at Doug again.
“It’s true, Nhiari. He’s not really an arsehole.”
“There’s nothing I can do to make up for what I did to you at the academy. I took my hurt at your rejection out on you and Dot, and it wasn’t fair.”
“You almost got me kicked off the force.”
“I’m glad I failed. You’re an excellent officer. You got through to Lee when none of us could.”
She wasn’t touching that comment. This was too much on top of everything that had happened.
“Why did Lucas shoot you?” Doug asked and Nhiari was glad about the change of subject.
“He must have suspected me,” Rodney replied.
“He did,” Lee spoke. “Lucas knew the Organised Crime team was up here. I guess he spotted them when he was scoping out the area.”
“Where was he staying?” Nhiari asked.
“There’s a safe house in town.” He gave the address and Karen made a phone call, telling their team to check it out.
“You didn’t tell Lucas about the team?” Doug asked Lee.
“I didn’t know. I think trust was low for all parties,” Lee said, glancing at Nhiari. “Rodney didn’t tell me what was going on with Stonefish or the police. He didn’t even tell me he’d not locked my cell.”
“That’s because Lucas wouldn’t tell me what he had planned,” Rodney explained. “I half expected you to escape out the back, but I was hoping he wanted the treasure badly enough to take it.”
“The treasure was his obsession,” Lee said. “He wasn’t leaving it behind.”
“What happened?” Rodney asked.
Nhiari moved to a seat further away from both beds and sat. Before Lee spoke, Doug came over to her. “You know all of this. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll call you later and fill you in.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll make sure you two have a chance to talk.”
She glanced at Lee. “All right. Thanks.”
She couldn’t think rationally now anyway.
Without another word, she walked out of the hospital.