Cold Deception (27 page)

Julia made her way up the stairs into the courtroom, a prison officer behind her. She moved stiffly even though her ribs had turned out not to be broken. Under her clothes a black bruise covered the whole of her abdomen which matched the circle around her neck.

She turned at the gasps of shock and smiled at Eleanor and Dee. Eleanor was struggling not to cry, while Dee’s look of rage blazed out clear and cold.

Campbell Walton patted her hand as she gingerly sat on the chair at the defence table. “We’ll have you out of here in a trice,” he said.

She frowned. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t have high expectations.”

He just smiled at her and said nothing.

The judge came through the back door like an actor onto a stage. The court rose and shuffled then settled.

He read out the charges then looked to Campbell for submissions. Before he could get out of his seat, the police prosecutor rose.

“Your Honor, new evidence has come to light which has changed the case against the defendant. At this stage, all charges are dropped.”

Julia swiveled to stare at the police prosecutor while her heart started a steady tattoo in her chest.

The judge peered over his glasses at the bearer of good news.

“Pity you didn’t come to that conclusion sooner than this.”

“Your Honor,” Campbell said bounding to his feet. “The incarceration of my client on the flimsiest of evidence has resulted in her being assaulted. I am advised she was placed in a cell with an inmate with a serious mental illness. Furthermore, there was a standing order for that inmate to never be placed in a cell with another inmate. I believe that through either deliberate malice or negligence my client was severely injured last night.”

The judge peered over his glasses at Julia.

“Yes, you certainly look battered about. What say you Mr. Cochran?

“I have no information about the events, Your Honor. This is a matter for Corrective Services.”

“Yes, well. I want to find out what happened. No doubt you’ll take this further Mr. Walton?”

“Yes Your Honor, I will be seeking compensation for my client.”

The judge nodded and made a note on the file in front of him. “I’ll order a report.”

“Thank you Your Honor.”

“Case dismissed. Ms Taylor, you’re free to go.”

Soon she was enfolded in the arms of Eleanor and Dee which made her wince with pain.

“Those bastards,” Dee muttered. “We’ll make them pay all right. Come on, let’s get out of here and get you home.”

As they trooped out of the courtroom, Julia pulled Campbell aside. “It was deliberate,” she said.

He nodded. “I thought as much. Someone’s out to get you Julia. What’s it all about?”

“Why did the police drop the charges?”

“Dylan Andrews provided you with an alibi. You could’ve told me or the police the truth and avoided all this you know. Why didn’t you?”

She pushed her hand through her hair and shrugged. “I was going to but I wanted to talk to him first. Having an affair with a parolee is not a great career move. I didn’t want to get him into trouble.”

“In my experience avoiding the truth is never a good move. It always comes out, sometimes in the most inconvenient ways. Come on, your mother and Dee are waiting. They need to fuss over you. And then we need to have a long conversation about who wants you out of the way and why.”

She nodded. The house of cards was coming down.

Campbell lead them to a quiet coffee shop where she told them all about O’Reardon and the threats if she told anyone about his drug trafficking.

“But something doesn’t seem right to me. I can’t help thinking that whoever killed Rez that night really wanted to kill Blossom.” She turned to Eleanor and Dee. “You know they had that twin thing going on. Wanted to look like each other.”

Campbell frowned and shook his head. “I doubt O’Reardon would have had anything to do with murdering Rez. He was a mule for him. A low-level distributor. If he wanted him out of the way, O’Reardon would’ve done it in a much less complicated way. Same with Blossom. And you’re right, if he wanted to keep you silent why would he kill Blossom and not you? No. If it was an attempt on her life then it’s got something to do with her. Someone wanted
her
out of the way because she’s started to remember.”

He started gathering up his papers. “We need to find out when or if the cops have initiated a search warrant for O’Reardon’s place. The sooner that DVD is found the better.”

“I want to get you to a doctor as soon as possible when we get home,” Eleanor said.

“I’m worried about Nessa. She was determined to get the DVD but she could get hurt,” Julia said.

“All the more reason to get the cops to search his place,” Campbell said. “Come on, you need to get home.”

*

Julia thought she’d lived a thousand years in two short days. For the first time in a long time, there were no secrets in her life.

Not quite true, but that secret didn’t matter anymore. She’s done her time for it.

She’d slept a little in the back of the car on the way home, while Dee and Eleanor were silent in the front.

When they arrived back at Chez Taylor, she climbed gingerly out of the car, wincing when her bruised ribs protested. She hobbled like an old woman down the pathway to the front door.

“Come on,” her mother said. “You need some food and bed.”

“Yeah. I think you’re right,” she said, weariness making her voice hoarse.

In a split second, weariness dropped from her as a silver four-wheel drive screeched to a halt outside the Taylor house. She knew that car. Randle had bundled her into it a life time ago.

“Get in the house. Call the police,” she muttered to Eleanor but then stopped, incredulous as Nessa stumbled from the car.

“Ness! What’s happening? Are you okay?” She met the panic-stricken woman halfway down the path and grabbed her before she fell.

“I’ve got it,” Ness said, breathing hard. “I’ve got the DVD.”

“Come inside quickly. Where’s O’Reardon?”

They got the almost collapsing woman inside and onto the couch.

“He did a runner down to the Megalong Valley. Took me with him. I shot him and got it.”

“You shot him?” Julia couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yeah. He’s not dead. Well, he wasn’t when I left him. Shot him in the leg I think.” She laughed, a crazy, desperate sound just on the verge of hysteria.

“I’m going to make some tea and then we’re going to watch that video.” Eleanor said in a shaky voice.

“What video?” Dee said coming in from the garden. “What’s going on?”

A clatter on the stairs made all of them turn to see Blossom at the doorway. Her gaze rested on the DVD in Nessa’s hand. “Is that it?”

Nessa nodded.

“You don’t have to watch it,” Julia said, crossing to her. She put an arm around her and hugged her tight. “There’s no need for you to put yourself through this.”

“That time is over,” she said. “I have to face up to whatever happened.” She returned Julia’s hug. “You can’t protect me forever.”

Eleanor was true to her word and made tea. They sat around the TV and DVD player looking for all the world like they were about to settle in to watch the midday movie. Eleanor poured tea and gave one to Nessa.

“There’s ginger and lemon in that; good for a shock.”

Nessa smiled at her and shuddered after the first sip. “I think I might need more than this to forget that creep.”

Julia stroked her arm. “I can’t tell you how grateful we all are that you took such a terrible risk. After we see what’s on the DVD we’ll need to call Dylan so he can send someone down to pick up O’Reardon.”

Nessa nodded leaned back and closed her eyes.

Julia looked around her. “Are you all ready?”

Eleanor was pale with a drawn, exhausted look on her face. She nodded.

Blossom perched herself on the side of the couch and looked inscrutable. She nodded too.

Julia inserted the DVD into the player and turned the TV on.

Static filled the screen but then it cleared. A figured could be seen backing away. Father Pat. He looked like he was setting up the camera. He kept leaning forward to adjust something that couldn’t be seen. He seemed satisfied, then walked out of the camera frame allowing them all to see an eight-year-old Blossom, unconscious on a couch.

Dee gasped while Eleanor covered her eyes. “I’m not sure I can watch,” she said in a voice of terror.

A vice twisted in Julia’s stomach as Father Pat moved to the couch and started removing Blossom’s clothes. Julia glanced at her sister who sat stony faced at the screen.

Then a noise could be heard. Banging. Someone was banging on the priest’s door. He hesitated, then waited till the banging stopped. Seemingly satisfied he turned back to Blossom. The banging started again. Frustrated, he moved out of the view of the camera, leaving Blossom still unconscious with rumpled clothes. She moved slightly and seemed to moan.

Voices could be head off screen. Loud male voices. Yelling.

“You can’t come in,” the priest said. He sounded angry and impatient. “I told you I want the money by the end of the day.”

A muffled voice. Julia could just make out the gist of his reply

“I’m not paying. Not anymore. I know what you and O’Reardon are up to with your fancy computers and your King of the Kids act.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Get out.”

There was a pause. Then the priest yelled and what sounded like a fight erupted. “Get away from me!”

The camera stayed on Blossom who was moaning some more and looked like she was having trouble breathing.

“So I
was
sick,” Blossom said softly.

The fight continued off screen. Suddenly there was a crash and the camera was tipped over. All that could be seen was the bottom of the couch with Blossom’s legs.

“I think the camera was in his laptop,” Julia said in a whisper. She glanced around to see them all straining forward, their gazes riveted to the screen.

The fight off camera continued until the priest screamed, then was silent. Labored breathing could be heard. Soon there was more shuffling and a pair of legs in trousers came into view. He stood for a while.

“He looks like he’s staring down at Blossom,” Dee said. “He’s thinking.”

“He didn’t think to help me, did he?” Blossom said, a hard, angry edge in her voice.

The man walked out of camera and more shuffling could be heard. He’d dragged the priest’s body over to the couch. Blood was everywhere. They all gasped at the sight.

The man then started pulling at Blossom.

“What’s he doing?” Dee asked. “I can’t work it out.”

“He’s undressing me,” Blossom said. “He’s setting it up so it looks like I stabbed Father Pat.”

They watched in frustration as only his legs and occasionally his hands came into view. Father Pat lay on the floor in front of the couch.

The man now pulled the now naked Blossom, down onto the floor next to Father Pat.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” they heard him mutter.

Eleanor stiffened. “No. It can’t be,” she said flatly.

“Who?” Julia asked.

“Wait, wait till the end. I need to be sure.”

He walked out of the frame then returned with a knife. Julia remembered that knife. It haunted her dreams for years.

He knelt with his back to the camera and put the knife in Blossom’s hand.

Then the screen went black.

“It was Douglas. Douglas Sinclair. That bastard,” Eleanor said. She rose out of her chair. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Are you sure?” Julia said. “How can you be sure? I didn’t recognise him.”

“I know him well,” Eleanor said. “He was my psychiatrist,” she spat out. “He must have told Father Pat about the relapse.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“That’s what I argued with Father Pat about the week before he was murdered. He knew I’d busted. He tried to blackmail me. I told him to go to hell. But I guess Douglas couldn’t afford that. Father Pat must’ve had something on him.”

“Dr. Devlin told me he was in danger of being struck off because of sleeping with his clients. He said one of them might’ve committed suicide. Wait. The night of your party, Dee. Larissa was here and became really upset when she saw Douglas and Sally. I always meant to ask her what the problem was, but didn’t get the chance. I know she’s been through a rough time. She’s got scars on her wrists. I need to talk to her.”

She fumbled through her bag looking for her phone.

“So he killed him the priest instead of paying him,” Eleanor said. “Killed him and ruined my daughter’s lives. Well, he won’t get away with it.” She hesitated and glanced around. “Where’s Blossom?”

“She was here a minute ago,” Dee said, tears still on her face.

“She left a few minutes ago,” Nessa said. “She didn’t see the end of the video. I thought she didn’t want to.”

“What if she recognised him?” Dee said, her hands to her mouth. “She might do something really silly.”

“She would’ve recognised him. She’s his patient.” Eleanor said grimily.

“Okay, this is what we’re going to do. Ma, you call Dylan and tell him to get some cops over to Douglas’s place now. Nessa, I need your car.”

She grabbed the keys Nessa threw her.

“Where are you going?” Dee asked.

“Over to Douglas’s. I might be able to stop her doing something stupid.”

“Wait! I’ll come with you.”

Julia was already at the door. “Come with Ma, but call Dylan first.”

She dashed out the door and down the path, leapt in the car, and gunned it.

Julia sped through the back streets of south Katoomba praying she knew where she was going. Douglas lived in a street she’d never heard of, so she’d wasted precious minutes scrambling around for a street directory when she realized she couldn’t work the GPS. After several wrong turns, she finally turned into his street and spotted his house. It was a classic mountains cottage: weatherboard with a tin roof and a wraparound veranda. The garden was a showcase of exotic cool climate plants and trees.

Eleanor’s car was parked haphazardly out the front, as if Blossom had leapt out before she’d stopped. As Julia ran up the front path, she saw the front door was ajar. She could hear Blossom shouting, furious.

“I trusted you!” she yelled. “I thought you could help me. What a joke. You assaulted me!”

“I didn’t assault you.”

Julia strode through the front door and into a comfortable lounge room. The sleek furniture and tasteful artwork were at odds with the swirling tension and rage in the air.

“What would you call it then?” Blossom sneered. “You undressed me, put a blood covered knife in my hand and left me like a lump of discarded meat next to a monster. You ruined my life. You ruined Julia’s life.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Douglas raised his voice over Blossom’s rage. “How would I know your sister would try and cover the whole thing up? I thought the police would think you killed Father Pat in self-defence. No one would have been hurt if that happened.”

“Blossom! Come away. The police will be here soon.”

At the sound of her voice, Blossom spun around, while Douglas pushed her out of the way and ran down the hallway to the back of the house.

“Quickly. Come with me now,” Julia said, reaching for her sister to pull her away.

Blossom regained her balance, ignored her sister, and went after Douglas.

“No!” Julia yelled. “For god’s sake come back!”

With no choice she ran down the hallway into the kitchen and screamed as Douglas held Blossom tightly against him with a knife at her throat. A small trail of blood slid down her neck where he’d nicked her and there was a cut on her arm.

“Don’t,” he said. “I’ll cut her.”

“She needs a doctor. You’ve cut her already.” Julia kept her eyes on his face, watching for any chance to get Blossom away from him.

“I am a doctor,” he laughed and pulled Blossom with him to the back door. “She’s okay. It wasn’t very deep.”

Blossom had gone completely white. The cut mightn’t have been deep but Julia could see she was going into shock.

“Let her go. Just let her go.”

The three of them stilled as sirens sounded in the distance.

“The car’s out the back. Get out there now. NOW!” he roared. “Or I’ll cut her throat.”

Julia scrambled to do his bidding as the blood continued to slide down Blossom’s neck. She walked quickly out the back door and down the garden path to the back gate. A sporty, sleek four-wheel drive was in the back lane.

“You drive. Do anything other than what I tell you and I’ll kill her.”

Julia climbed into the driver’s seat as Douglas bundled Blossom into the backseat. He got in next to her and ordered Julia to drive.

“Where?”

“The back way to Katoomba. They’ll think I’ve headed to Sydney,” he muttered to himself.

She headed down the lane and made her way back to Lovel Road, up the hill toward the Katoomba CBD. Police cars with flashing lights were racing down the other side of the road. Glancing into the rearview mirror, she watched Douglas still holding the knife against Blossom’s throat.

“Don’t try anything heroic,” he snarled.

She didn’t have to. Behind them she saw the police four-wheel drive do a dramatic U turn in the middle of the street. They’d seen them.

“Floor it! Now!” Douglas screamed.

“Where am I going?”

“Head for the railway bridge. Get on the highway.”

She pressed on the accelerator, praying the car wouldn’t skid on the icy bend of Gang Gang Street. Past Lurline Street, she narrowly missed a car on the roundabout at the station. Hurtling down Main Street she vaguely registered that everyone in the street had stopped and was watching something ahead.

Flashing police car lights. One was blocking the railway bridge.

“Keep going!” Douglas yelled.

She sped through the second roundabout and onto Bathurst Road, past the fruit market and toward the second exit to the highway.

Another police car blocked it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Douglas screamed.

She turned into Valley Road and headed back to the escarpment, the wheels of the car skidding slightly on the turn. The wind gusted suddenly. She registered at the back of her mind that the temperature had dropped dramatically. As if on cue, a snowflake, then another, skated across the windscreen.

There were several police cars now following them. Julia couldn’t see how they’d escape. Her mind raced trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess. She couldn
’t
 crash the car but could take the risk that Douglas wouldn’t hurt Blossom. She could see from the panic in his eyes, he was getting more and more desperate. He kept turning to look out the back window at the police cars then out the side windows as if searching for a magical escape.

Julia struggled to concentrate on the winding road of Cliff Drive. She swore as a police car blocked the road.

“Turn! Turn here,” Douglas yelled.

“There’s no way out, Douglas,” she shouted as she took the next right. “This is just a loop. It comes out back at the main road.” The snow was getting heavier. She put on the windshield wipers but was having trouble seeing. Outside the light was dark and the wind rocked the car. The road curved and became steeper. As she turned the corner, they could all hear sirens in front of them and see the red and blue lights through the bush as a police car came toward them.

“Stop. Stop here.” She braked and sat staring into the rearview mirror. Douglas stared back at her blankly.

“Get out,” he said in a flat voice. “Don’t do anything silly. I can hurt her a lot more.”

She got out slowly and stood by the door.

He wrapped Blossom’s hair around his hand and stepped out of the car, pulling her with him. Her screams of pain sliced through Julia’s heart. So much for protecting her little sister.

“Let her go, Douglas. There’s no way out for you. If you hurt her more, it’ll be a lot worse for you,” Julia begged.

He backed away, all the time looking around for a way of escape. Julia had stopped the car near a bush track. He kept pulling Blossom with him, down the track. There were rocky steps leading down to a lookout over the Megalong Valley.

It was rough going on the slippery, snow-covered track and Blossom stumbled several times, crying from the pain. Her arm was bleeding even more and she could hardly stand. Julia followed them all the time begging him to give himself up. The snow keep falling.

“Please Douglas. Blossom’s getting worse. You can see that. She needs a hospital. The snow’s getting heavier.”

He stopped and stared at her, then shifted his gaze to the small viewing platform at the end of the track.

“Okay. If you want her come and get her.”

Julia stepped forward to take the now swaying Blossom when Douglas suddenly pushed her away and grabbed Julia. The sharp prick of the knife was at her throat.

“No, Julia!” Blossom screamed, as she fell on the ground. “Let her go!”

“Now it’s just us. Come on, Julia. You ruined everything with your noble sacrifice, didn’t you,” he snarled in her ear. “Well, now you’ll pay. You’ll make the ultimate sacrifice for you sister. Get moving.”

With the knife at her throat, he pulled her with him onto the viewing platform. A wire railing was the only thing between them and the drop into the valley.

“What are you doing, Douglas? Stop it. Stop it now.”

Julia could hear and finally see a handful of police moving down the track toward them. They had flak jackets and helmets on. Rifles were trained on Douglas.

And on her.

Behind them she could see Dylan. The shooters stopped at the entrance to the viewing platform, keeping their eyes on Douglas.

“Douglas,” Dylan said in a low calm voice. “Put down the knife and let Julia go. We can talk about this. I know it seems hard, but this isn’t the way to solve anything.”

“Isn’t it?” Douglas said. There was a tinge of hysteria in his voice. Julia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. He was on the point of giving up and taking both of them over the edge.

A glint of light on metal caught Julia’s gaze. She saw a figure on a rocky outcrop a few meters along the escarpment. Dressed all in black and training another rifle on Douglas.

Fuck him. She wouldn’t go without a struggle. Lifting her leg, she grabbed his knife arm and scraped the edge of her boot hard down his shin. He yelled in fury, but kept hold of the knife. She could hear Dylan yelling something, she couldn’t hear what as she tried to get Douglas’s arm up and away from her. He pushed her further and further against the wire railing as she strained to push him away. Then she registered what Dylan was yelling.

“Stop now Douglas, or I’ll order a shoot to kill.”

Before he could finish the sentence, Douglas let go of her arm and crouched in front of her. Terror froze her blood as she scrambled to stand upright, only to feel Douglas’s hands on her ankles.

“No!” she screamed, as he tipped her over. A shot rang out.

The world cartwheeled around her as she fell. Desperately, she threw her arms out and grabbed onto a sapling growing horizontally. She slammed into the cliff face and scrambled to hold onto her lifeline. The snow continued to fall and through the pounding in her head she heard screaming.

Her face was jammed up against the crevasse where the sapling grew. Soil started to fall and the sapling shifted in her hands.

“Julia!”

Dylan was above her.

“Hold on! Just hold on!”

“It’s not going to hold,” she cried.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, when she heard his voice, closer now, just above her. She opened her eyes and tilted her head up to see him stretching down to her. Half his body was down the cliff face, the other half held by his colleagues.

The sapling pulled out of the crevasse some more.

He reached out his arm. “Let go and grab my wrist. I’ll hold you.”

“I can’t!” she said.

“Yes you can.”

She stared up into his gray eyes and said goodbye to what could have been.

Then let go.