Chapter 4 #5
“I’ll pass the information on to the owners. We’ve quite a few high-profile owners in this building, and the additional security would be welcome, I’m thinking.” He ejected the USB and handed it to me. “Any idea how long forensics are likely to be in Mr. Ashworth’s place?”
“None at all. I doubt he’ll leave the apartment while they’re there, though. Why?”
“The next shift starts at two, and I just wanted to give them a heads-up on what to expect.”
I nodded and raised the USB. “Thanks for this, and for all your other help this morning.”
“It’s been a pleasure, young woman. I’m just glad Mr. Ashworth was not harmed in this misadventure.”
“Me too.”
I made my way out of the building. Once back in the car, I dropped his USB into the center console, then grabbed my phone and rang Ginny.
“You obviously survived the encounter with Tane Ashworth,” she said.
“I did, but the meeting was not without its interesting moments.”
“Oh, do tell.”
I did so—without mentioning René, because I didn’t want to sideline the conversation—then added, “I think we need to check out the USB he gave me before we hand it over. He was really insistent I keep it to myself—”
“Which is reason enough to do the exact opposite if you ask me.”
“In a sense I already have, because I’ve told you about it.”
“I’m different—”
“You certainly are,” I cut in with a laugh.
I could almost see her eye roll. “It might be worth grabbing a cheap laptop on the way back here. That way, if there’s a virus or some other nasty on the USB, it won’t infect the Society system.”
“I’m thinking the Society’s system has plenty of protections against virus and hacking attacks, random or not.”
“Undoubtedly, but let’s just play it extra safe until we know what the fuck is actually going on.”
A motto I mostly lived my life by. “Any sign of those phone transcripts as yet?”
“No, thank god. You coming straight back?”
“I should, because I need to get some evidence back to head office.”
“Then why aren’t you?”
“Because I’m not that far from Middle Park, where they found Levi’s car and Lanie’s phone, and I want to check out the area.”
“Why? Surely Lowell would have already had it searched.”
“Lowell’s team is stretched thin, and he won’t get the police involved, thanks to the likelihood of Tane having a conniption if he did.”
“They would have had the car towed though, at the very least.”
“Yes, but there’s more than an hour of time missing before they made the call for an Uber—”
“An hour is more than enough time to sexually indulge.”
“Again, yes, but I’m thinking Lanie’s not the type to settle for a quickie in the back of the car, so either Levi has a house in that area or something else was happening. My gut suggests the latter.”
“Heaven forbid we ignore the gut.” Her voice was dry. “However, you did a reading on him, remember, and you said he had nothing planned other than a good time.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have something planned, or that whoever kidnapped Monica and killed the other two ladies didn’t.”
“You know, this is all starting to sound rather convoluted.”
“Yes, because there’s something bigger going on here, and until we know what it is, we’re not going to understand current situations.”
“Maybe understanding is what lies on the USB Tane gave you.”
“It could be. I still want to check Middle Park first.”
She sighed. “Fine. You do that while I head out and buy a laptop.”
“Keep the receipt. We can get a refund once the USB has been checked and then lodged for evidence.”
“Always do. Keep safe.”
I hung up, dropped my phone onto the car’s built-in charging plate, then started her up and used voice command to grab the directions to Tanglewood Street, where Lanie’s car had been found.
Once I’d safely pulled out into the traffic, I stuck on some music, dug out the packet of gummy snakes I kept in the glove compartment, and munched on them as I headed across town.
Once I’d reached my destination, I stopped the car and studied the surrounding houses.
It was basically a typical family neighborhood filled with single-story brick residences, most of which appeared to have been built in the eighties and nineties.
It really, really didn’t seem the type of area you’d bring a woman you were desperate to impress in order to shag her senseless.
But maybe that was my middle-aged need for comfort over exhilaration coming to the fore.
Not that I’d had either in recent years. Not since my divorce, in fact.
I grabbed the keys, got out, and headed down to where Levi’s car had been parked.
A quick look around revealed nothing untoward in the immediate area, and there certainly wasn’t anything that twitched my instincts.
Of course, said instincts didn’t always come to the party when it came to this sort of stuff.
I frowned and studied the street behind me.
If I was right in guessing that them coming here was all part of a redirection ruse, then they weren’t likely to be parked directly opposite whatever house they’d spent that missing hour in.
That being the case, then maybe their true location was somewhere else.
I swung my handbag over my shoulder and headed down the street, locking my car as I walked past it and continuing on until I reached a short court.
I did a circuit around it, but instinct remained mute.
Once I’d reached Tanglewood Street again, I stopped and swept my gaze along its length.
Was I chasing ghosts long since departed?
Very likely, but that didn’t mean I should cut my check short.
Given everything that had gone wrong so far, it was almost certain that if I walked away now, I’d miss a vital clue.
I crossed the road and turned into another court, this one longer than the first. As I started up the slight hill, instinct finally twitched.
I paused and studied the plain, brown-brick building sitting at the far end of the court that had caused the reaction.
There was nothing architecturally pleasing about it; it was a simple L-shaped building with one window at the front and a carport dominating the middle of the L, where most people would have had a garden, tree, or something to add a bit of life and color.
Aside from the thin line of weeds that ran along the left side of the wide driveway, and a garden bed filled with browning shrubs along the front of the house, concrete dominated.
Maybe the owners had an aversion to any greenery aside from weeds.
I double-tapped the earwig, then walked on warily. When Betty acknowledged the call, I gave her the address and then said, “What can you tell me about the place?”
“Hang on while I run some searches.”
“Thanks.”
Instinct continued to twitch without giving any hint as to why.
There were no cars in the driveway, and the front window was closed but not curtained, though I wasn’t close enough to see what the shadowed room beyond it was.
The house two doors down from my target had a brick fence, so I perched there, pretending to reply to a text while I waited for Betty to come back.
It took a good five minutes, but no one in the surrounding houses appeared to be paying me any attention.
“Okay,” she said. “The place is owned by a T.J. Masters, but is currently being run as a rental by a local agency. I contacted them, and it’s currently untenanted.”
“Then I am about to break and enter.”
“Seriously?”
She seemed shocked, and I smiled. Obviously, the Queensland crew were a little more law-abiding than us Canberrans. But then, they hadn’t just lost Tane Ashworth’s only child, and had absolutely no idea of the hell that would rain down on us all if I didn’t successfully resolve that situation.
“I have reason to believe there is evidence to be found within, and that gives me leeway to break and enter.”
“Seriously?” she repeated.
“The Society has its own set of rules,” I said wryly, and couldn’t help wondering just how long she’d been in the job. “And sometimes said rules don’t run in the same direction as the law.”
She harrumphed. “You want me to have a team or forensics on standby, just in case?”
“Let’s see what I find first, but here’s hoping forensics aren’t needed. They’re already busy enough.”